Life on this boat. A Firefly story. #fanfic

Onwards

The days passed by and as Serenity closed in on Dorian, Lou found herself closer knit to the crew.
Simon trusted her to look after River and Lou found she really enjoyed the girl's company. After finding out about River's restlessness and how she seemed to annoy some of the others more on the days when there was nothing for her to do, Lou decided to teach her to knit. With River's intelligence she picked up the methods rather quickly and within a couple of days she was knitting with multiple colours, knit and purl in a complex, abstract pattern that she apparently had calculated mathematically. The challenge of a new skill seemed to keep her happy and she was chatting away while she knitted. Not all of it made sense to Lou but as the girl's brain seemed to be overwhelmed with too much information, Lou thought it best to be patient when River started talking about the mechanics of sheepsheering and wool production.
Lou tried to stay out of Jayne's way too, but being on a small ship in the middle of nowhere, made avoiding him difficoult. Especially as he had a knack of turning up wherever she was.
Inara's sewing machine turned out to be a gem. Mal had allowed her to place it in a corner of the common room and several items of clothing had in the space of a few days been created. In secret, Inara and Zoe had asked Lou to make Kaylee an evening gown as a surprise. The design was simple but girly and Lou had made it on the sly out of one of Inara's old dresses.
Often as Lou was working, Shepherd Book would sit in the room with her, reading. Sometimes they would reminice about life at Odinshelm. Lou found his presence a comfort.
They were on the last day of the journey and Dorian was within com-range.
Suddenly, Jayne burst through the common area, towards the bridge wearing a yellow, orange and red knitted hat.
Lou laughed out loud making Jayne turn and give her one of his trademark suspicious looks. He had softened a bit after receiving some socks and getting a couple of shirts patched, but something still made him send her the evil eye on occasion.
Lou could not keep her amusement under control and continued her giggling fit at his hat.
"What?" Jayne asked.
"You're a ruttin Cobb!" Lou laughed.
"Yeah?" Jayne said confused.
Mal and Book were both looking at Lou in confusion.
"That hat is truly a piece of art," Lou giggled.
"My Ma' made it!" Jayne stated beginning to look insulted.
"Yeah, I know!" Lou said wiping tears out of her eyes.
Jayne looked confused so Lou stood up and rummaged in her knitting kit for two balls of wool in yellow and orange.
"Where do you think she got the wool?" Lou said still laughing.
Jayne's face looked puzzled.
"May I?" Lou said swiping the had off Jayne's head to look at it.
Turning it inside out she looked at the knit and pointed out details.
"Look here. I knit a few hats, mittens and scarves in these colours for food and lodgings a year and a half or so ago. She obviously tried to see what I did and then made some more with the wool I left for her," Lou said.
From her bag she dug out a similar looking design hat in lilac and blues.
"This one is one I knit yesterday for Kaylee," Lou held the two hats up next to eachother. Kaylee's hat did not have earflaps or a pom-pom, the knit was tidier but the similarity was obvious.
"Gimme back my hat!" Jayne mumbled and grabbed back the hat before glaring at Lou.
"At least I know what to make for dinner tonight," Lou smiled at him.
"What?" Jayne said.
"Beef-fry-hash?" Lou smiled warmly.
Jayne's face softened within a few seconds.
"With hash browns and gravy?" He asked suddenly looking like a small boy.
Lou nodded and Jayne was nearly bouncing before recalling why he had come in there in the first place. The enthusiasm was quickly replaced by a manly scowl.
Lou giggled and went back to her sewing trying desperately to hold the laughter inside.
"Mal! It's set! I got a message and we're meeting them at the Duck, " Jayne said.
"What," Mal said, momentarily thrown by Lou's knowledge of Jayne's family.
"Duggar... he wants a reply right away, " Jayne said. Mal threw a look in Lou's direction. Jayne followed his glance.
"Oh... sorry... she'd have found out in a day or so anyway," Jayne said sheepishly.
"I suppose," Mal shrugged. "Tell the slime-eal we'll be there."
Jayne nodded and set off back through the common room.
Lou looked at Mal with a cocked eyebrow.
"I couldn't not contact him could I?" Mal smiled.
"Thank you," Lou said gratefully.
A few minutes later, Jayne came back with a big grin, three guns visible and the yellow, orange and red knitted hat on his head.
"Ready when you are," he said looking at Mal.
"You are just like a big puppy, ain't ya'?" Lou laughed.
"Good job he's housetrained," Simon smiled from the doorway.
"Aww... don't ruin the man's good mood. We don't get to see happy Jayne that often," Wash said, having come down to find out what Lou had been laughing at.
"I'm sorry sweetie. You were just so cute in that hat, I could not resist," Lou said winking at Jayne as she packed away her work and went to the kitchen.
"Cute?" Jayne muttered.
"Not exactly a word I'd use to describe you," Mal grinned.
"I'll show her cute...." Jayne mumbled and left the room looking confused.
Lou set to work on dinner, cutting the last of the meat and veg into pieces, grating potatoes and making a thick onion gravy. She did feel bad about making fun of Jayne, but the coincidences were too good. And that hat was just a sight.
At mealtime, the crew trickled in and looked at the foodstuffs on the table.
"Now, I must say I am curious to find out what kind of food Jayne grew up on," Mal said.
"I hope it's about right. I tried to remember what your Ma' did, but she never used a recipe," Lou said looking at Jayne.
Jayne had a huge smile on his face and was rubbing his hands together at the sight of the food.
"Time for chow!" Jayne said and started helping himself to a huge portion. The rest of them sat down and helped themselves in turn.
"At least knowing where you're from explains your table manners," Lou giggled.
"What table manners?" Mal and Jayne asked at the same time.
Lou laughed.
"Jayne here grew up in a family where meals were grab it before it goes and tough luck if you didn't get any," Lou explained.
"We figured that much allready," Wash said.
"You know nowt about my family," Jayne told Lou with his mouth full.
"I must have the wrong Cobb then," Lou smiled and leaned back in her seat. "You know, Ma' Cobb told me she had a very sucessful son. He was an honest tradesman and owned a large freighter. She was very proud of his sucess, coz he was able to employ both a medic and a preacher on his crew so as to keep his folks on the rigteous path. Now I wonder if the name of his ship was not something akin to peace, or calm...."
Jayne looked embarrassed.
"Jayne?" Mal asked.
"She must have misunderstood," Jayne mumbled.
"I liked your Ma' tho," Lou continued.
"Everybody likes my Ma'," Jayne said defencively.
"Sure. Mighty proud of her brood of children too. Odd how she named all her boys girls names and all her girls boys names. And they are all tough as old boots" Lou said.
"What.. there's more like him out there?" Simon asked.
"Sure. Quite a few. There are the girls: Freddy, Teddy, Tony and Max. All grown up and with families run the same way Ma' Cobb does," Lou explained. "And the boys: Sue, Ally and.... Jayne here... who - being the big old ship owner and all - sends home half his pay after every job, keeping his mum debt free and his brothers out of trouble."
"Is that what you do with your cash?" Wash asked.
"That explains why he insists on going to the post office at every gorram port," Kaylee smiled.
"He's really a good boy at heart," Lou smiled at Jayne.
Jayne nodded and continued eating.
"You didn't joke when you said you had been pretty much everywhere," Mal said.
Lou shrugged. Jayne kept giving her happy little smiles between chewing that made her think that her teasing was forgiven. Hopefully he would stop acting so tough around her.