12 Days Of Shipmas (A Multi Fandom Compilation)

Four Calling Birds (Rayne from Firefly)

   Out in the black, man ain't got much use for time-keepin' 'cept knowing when he has to meet another man for work, or when he can expect fresh coin in his pocket. Or if a lady has a birth date she wants you to keep a hold of. That can be worth a man rememberin' for sure.

But 'sides all that, a man like Jayne Cobb tended to just eat when his belly told him to, and slept when he felt no need for bein' awake no more. That was all he cared for how the days worked; there were too many worlds, with too many months and years to think on. The 'verse spun on its own time.

Shame not all folk felt the same.

"Doc!" he barked as he stomped inta the infirmary. He was loosin' his touch – Doc didn't so much as flinch any more when he came a-hollerin'. Well that just irked him furthersome. "That Moonbrain sis a yours has jacked her meds in again," he growled, wavin' whatever knife he'd happened to have in his hand when he'd got hisself all riled up. "She needs fixin'."

Tam just stared at him like a fay-fay duh pee-yen, raisin' his pretty brows and droppin' his jaw like a gorram goldfish. "I'm sorry," he said, all mannered like a good core boy despite years being in the black with 'em all, and a good old villain at that. He did his fair share a thievin', and weren't no fancy words that could make his slate clean again after the way they'd all pissed off the Alliance with what Moony and Mal let loose on the Coretex. Still, he carried on anyhow. "Exactly what are you referring to?"

"Moonbrain," Jayne snapped. "That mini-Tam a yours, River, she's jabberin' on about Earth-That-Was, sayin' she figured the dates right, an' now her an' Kaylee are coverin' the cargo bay in sissy twinklies."

Simon sighed, like Jayne were the one not makin' no sense, an' shook his head. "Okay," he said all defeated. "Maybe just...show me?"

Jayne shrugged and swung hisself out the door again, headin' right to where he'd left the sound a squealy grown women turning his work space inta a kid's playground.

There weren't no sound now though as he lead the Doc back inta the hold, only Kaylee sittin' under all them tiny white lights they'd loped around the cargo bay – the kind like she had outside her bunk – sittin' there as Moonbrain twirled all eerily in the quiet on her tippee-toes.

"Wow," said the Doc, impressed, which Jayne weren't too happy on. "You girls did all this?"

"Baobei!" Kaylee cried, jumpin' up an' kissin' Simon like she ain't just seen him at breakfast. "Do you like it?"

River quit twirlin' and skipped over to 'em too. "I did the math ge-ge," she said, all proud of herself, which was kinda unfair as it made it harder to be mad at her. "Allowing for temporal displacement and bad book keeping, it seems the birds are all in order, and we shall have a very merry time indeed."

"Huh?" grunted Jayne, but the Doc were smiling in all worryin' a manner.

"River," he said with a laugh, takin' Kaylee's hand and leadin' 'em inta the bay. "Are you saying it's Christmas?"

"Tomorrow is Christmas," Kaylee said, all smiles. It were hard to be mad at her an' all, so Jayne kept his grouchiness aimed at Moonbrain. "River's been tellin' me all about it." She poked him like she had a big secret, whilst Moony started her dancin' again. "She got all this stuff on Persephone last time we were on world," Kaylee carried on. "Says she wanted to give us all a big surprise."

"Naughty children never get any presents," River sang at them, pleased as punch with herself, but Jayne just folded his arms.

"Ain't no sensible person got use for some gos se like Christmas out in the black," he told her as she leapt those long legs a hers. "Just some fei hua to get folks spendin' money they don't have."