Life on this boat. A Firefly story. #fanfic

Fun and games

A few days later, Lou was more or less back up and running. Serenity was still parked on Dorian and Mal had spent some time on the scout for new jobs. Wash and Zoe had been given landleave and had been out of sight, while Kaylee had taken Jayne out on a few scavenger hunts on a nearby scrapheap, bringing back what Mal dubbed "enough bits to build a new ship".
All the crew had returned to Serenity and ready to go as soon as Mal had the goods to be transported safely tucked away.
Lou, being out of cash and having cooked most of her foodstuffs from Boros, was beginning to worry about making herself useful. Mal had got hold of some vegetables, but this being on the outskirts of any kind of civilisation, there was precious little to be had.
She was itching to go out and see what the little moon had, but Mal had set the rumor going to Duggar that she was dead in a hope that the pirates might offer something.
So far Mal had been unwilling to tell her what Duggar had devulged in the Duck, but whispers of "inner planets" and "alliance" had reached her ears.
Lou was therefore stuck onboard to heal. Taking up her job as cook was rewarding, but she felt like a spare part rattlig around.
Oddly enough she didn't see River anywhere apart from at meals. The girl was usually close by and Lou was missing her company.
After suppertime lockup, Lou decided to look for her.
River was lying down on the walkway above the cargo hold. As Lou aproached she sat up in a crouch with a scared look on her face and her body tensed and ready to run.
Lou sat down, dangling her feet a few metres away from her.
"I haven't seen you for a few days. Are you all right, River?" She asked carefully.
"Anger, so much rage and fury," River said.
"Nobody is angry now," Lou said.
"Forgot to be a human. So angry. There was blood, so much blood," River said quietly.
"We were in a fight River, but it's over now," Lou said wondering how much of the other crew's conversations the young girl had overheard.
"Angry man was scared. Angry man is never scared. The bad man, Mal, is not a bad man now because she gave him her life. But now she is bad, bad, bad" River said rocking back and forth.
Lou dared to move a bit closer.
"River, sweetheart, what have they told you?" Lou asked worried that the girl may have gotten the wrong information.
"It's in the air," River said.
"What is in the air?" Lou asked.
"Go away. You are not her. You are not a good person. You forgot to be good," River said staring at Lou and drawing backwards away from Lou.
"I am still me, River. I had to be angry at those men that took my children from me. But just for a little while. I am not angry anymore," Lou said sensing River's deep despair.
"I want Lou back. Give her back, River cried.
"I am right here," Lou moved swiftly over to River sitting down in front of her placing a hand on her arm. River looked into her eyes.
"So far away. So much anger. Knife and blood and wanting to kill," River murmured.
Lou reached out and held River close. Quietly she started humming a children's nursery tune that she had used to calm her daughters when they were small. River allowed herself to be held but remained tense.
Below them, Jayne began doing his exercises. Lou felt a tinge of curiosity to look but stayed with River.
"You see good in everybody, Lou. Please don't be angry again," River whispered.
"Dear, sweet child," Lou replied. "I might have to if I want my daughters back, but I promise that I will never be angry at you."
"You just wait untill she has one of her loopy spells," Jayne grunted from below. "You might loose your cool."
Lou smiled at River and mouthed "Never!". River smiled and leaned into Lou's shoulder.
"I have an idea!" Lou told River and whispered something in her ear.
River perked up and sat on the edge of the walkway watching Jayne as he was doing his hanging crunches. Lou smiled at River and made the standard finger in front of her mouth to indicate a secret plan.
River giggled as Lou walked down to where Jayne was hanging upside down from a bar in the ceiling preparing to do his crunches.
"You better be a bit nicer to River," Lou said with her hands on her hips. River suppressed a laugh.
"Or what?" Jayne asked hanging.
"Or I'll have to tickle you," Lou laughed and went for a full out tickle attack. River laughed out loud and Jayne roared out a surprised sound. Seeing him fall down hard on his shoulder and then jump up to grab her, Lou turned and ran full pelt away from the cargo hold while laughing uncontrollably and with Jayne hot on her heels all around the ship and back to the cargo hold. The rest of the crew turned up to see what the commotion was all about just as Jayne roared out a threat about killing Lou.
"What on earth is going on?" Mal asked looking at Lou and Jayne running around.
"She tickled him," River laughed jumping up and down clapping her hands.
"She's a brave woman, I'll give her that," Zoe said as Lou rushed up the stairs.
"Or suicidal by the look on his face," Wash said.
Lou was still laughing when Jayne caught her and pinned her up against the wall.
"Ticklish are we?" Lou giggled out of breath.
Jayne had her locked in looking furiously at her trying to think of something to say. Lou was still laughing.
"You little....." he started but was obviously lost for words.
Lou was very concious of the rest of the crew being a highly amused audience while she was trying to work out how to get out of this situation. Having Jayne so close sent a shiver down her spine with every one of his breaths on her skin.
"You think you're funny don't ya'," Jayne muttered threateningly.
"Oh, I don't think I'm funny. I know I am," Lou grinned.
Her hands moved up gently along his ribs making ready for another tickle attack. She winked at Jayne and made her hands still, ready to tickle him again to get herself loose. Being a trained mercenary, his reflexes were faster than hers and suddenly he had her hands locked at her side and his face just millimetres away from hers. Looking straight into his eyes, still smiling, Lou saw his anger slowly dissapating without his hold on her loosening.
"I will get you for this," he said threateningly.
"You promise?" Lou asked wiggling her eyebrows.
"Right," Mal announced. "This is getting embarrassing. You two, break it up or find a private space. The rest of us have work to do."
As if he suddenly realised the rest of them were watching Jayne released Lou and took a step back looking confused and embarassed. Lou giggled and stepped away towards River.
"Now, that was fun," she smiled, still slightly out of breath, and took the laughing girl with her into the kitchen area to prepare her usual dough for breakfast. Jayne was left standing there looking slightly lost.
"Now that's how you flirt," Inara explained to Kaylee as they were leaving.
"I don't think tickling Simon will get me very far," Kaylee smiled.
"No, maybe not," Inara said.