Disclaimers: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all characters. I'm just borrowing them for fun not money.

A Serenity Christmas

As Serenity coasted through the deep black, Simon watched Kaylee and River decorate a sapling tree branch that Kaylee had coerced Jayne into cutting down when they were planet side a few days ago. Aside from the grumbling from the mercenary, the sight and sound of Mal, baulking at the idea of an innocent Christmas tree onboard his boat, had surprised the doctor. Eventually, the persistence of the cheery mechanic had convinced the captain that the twig would not cripple the ship.

River's sudden outburst of laughter brought Simon's attention back to his sister and the progress that she had made over the last few months. She seemed at peace and was happy. She rarely sank into depressive and violent moods. Simon knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had done the right thing when he had kidnapped her from the Academy and squirreled her aboard Serenity.

His thoughts of the first time he laid eyes on the Firefly-class transport ship made him smile as he looked lovingly at Kaylee. He remembered that rainbow-colored umbrella, shading her skin from the sun on Persephone. The beautiful colors on that paper umbrella caught his eye first, followed by the upbeat and friendly personality of the young woman, barking for the ship. She told him their destination and how much the fare would be for him and his "special" cargo. Her smile was contagious, and for the first time since he had been reunited with his sister, he smiled. Before he knew it, he had committed to the trip to Boros, and his heart had committed to Kaylee.

"It's almost done," River suddenly blurted out as she cocked her head towards the galley, listening for something no one else heard.

Kaylee glanced at her and jumped down from the stool she was standing on. "I'll be right back," she chirped, laying a tangled web of wires down on a chair. She approached Simon and leaned in closely. "Are you ready for your surprise?" she asked cheerily.

"I'm always ready for your surprises, bao bei," he reassured her, reaching and caressing her cheek amorously.

His touch sent a tingle down her spine. She closed her eyes, remembering how she had longed for that touch for so many months. The chiming beep of the kitchen timer brought her back to reality. Her eyes popped open, shining happily. She quickly kissed him on the lips before she bolted from the room.

River shook her head and laughed at the dumbfound expression on her brother's face. He looked dazed and confused, something most of the crew was familiar with when it came to the relationship between the doctor and mechanic.

"What's so funny, mei mei?"

"You and your befuddlement."

"Me? I believe you are mistaken. I haven't been…"

"Gos se," River retorted. She brushed a tiny hand through her long, brown hair and walked over to the sofa where her brother sat. As she plopped down beside him, she commented, "It's nice to see you happy again."

"What do you mean, River?"

"Smiling, laughing, relaxing," River pointed out, rolling her eyes and shoving a bare foot against his leg.

"Is it that noticeable or only to your intelligent mind?"

"Both, you boob. Everyone's noticed that you aren't the uptight doctor like a few months ago. I've noticed that your brain has less jumbled thoughts."

"River," Simon warned, "we talked about you reading people's minds."

"I'm a reader, Simy," River teased, using a childhood nickname. "Just before, you were reminiscing about how you arrived here and if you made the right decision." The little albatross paused before asking, "Well, did you?"

"I did. I only wanted you to be safe and happy again. I never cared about what happened to me."

"I wish that wasn't so true. You missed a lot of opportunities, you know? You could have been happy long before now."

Simon knew that River was referring to his relationship with Kaylee, but he never got a chance to rebut her statement. The woman in question appeared behind him and shoved a small chunk of food into his mouth. His eyes widened as he looked up into Kaylee's beaming face.

"Chew. Chew," the mechanic persuaded, oblivious to the discussion seconds ago.

Simon's taste buds awakened as he tasted the sweet chocolate from the fudge nugget, starting to dissolve in his mouth while he ate it. "Where did this come from?" he asked, his mouth half full.

River retrieved a piece of fudge and nibbled on her chocolate morsel. "Don't talk with your mouth full," she admonished her brother, winking at Kaylee.

Kaylee snorted with laughter and sat down on Simon's lap. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Simon replied, kissing her lips gently. "Thank you."

Kaylee savored the chocolate-y kiss and then hummed softly before saying, "River and I made them this morning."

"So, what else are you making?" Simon asked, knowing that the girls had been working inseparably all day, either in the kitchen or decorating the tree.

"See if you can guess," River challenged. "Ninety-six tablespoons of flour and twenty-eight tablespoons of sugar."

Kaylee and Simon looked at River, astonished. "River, we didn't add that much flour and sugar. I'd still be measurin'," Kaylee informed.

"Yes, we did." She looked at her brother. "Any presumptions?"

Simon converted the astronomical amount of tablespoons into cups, amused at his sister's flair for the dramatic when it came to math. "I have no clue, mei mei. Something that uses six cups of flour and one and three-fourth cups of sugar. It could be many things. I don't cook."

River huffed intolerantly, "You should know this. Mother made it for us at the time of the Winter Solstice every year." She rattled off a few more ingredients, entertained by her brother's lapse in memory, before she finally concluded her game by revealing the key ingredients. "Three teaspoons of cinnamon and three teaspoons of ginger."

Simon exchanged the three teaspoons into one tablespoon, and then his eyes lit up. "Gingerbread? You two made gingerbread?!" he excitedly exclaimed. Kaylee bobbed her head up and down as River rolled her eyes. "Finally. I never thought you'd get it. Kaylee made it. I just gave her the recipe."

"Where did you get the ingredients?"

"At the general store back on Greenleaf. River saw the spices and recalled this recipe. Completely from memory. I've never had gingerbread, but it smells heavenly," Kaylee sighed.

"It is. You are in for a treat," Simon promised, hugging Kaylee against his chest.

"Are you three gonna sit there all gorram day or finish this mess?" Mal asked, storming into the common area and seeing half his crew sitting down on the job, two of which were lip locked.

River started to laugh uncontrollably, and Kaylee giggled into Simon's mouth when she heard Mal's voice. Simon detached his lips from Kaylee's and smoothly asked, "I'm sorry, Captain. Could you say again your query?"

As Mal opened his mouth to repeat his question, River grabbed the last square of fudge off the plate that Kaylee held and stuffed it into the captain's mouth. "Chew and swallow."

Once Mal recovered from the forced piece of chocolate, he found his mean captain-y voice and said, "Kaylee, your space monkeys have now invaded the rest of my boat. See to them." He motioned to the scattered wires, cords, and constructed objects on the floor before he left the room, heading for the galley. His mouth watered for another piece of fudge.

River smugly watched the captain depart as Kaylee clapped her hands and rejoiced, "He liked it!"

"Of course, he did. How could he not?" Simon rhetorically questioned. Kaylee's smile melted his heart, and her kiss reduced him to a rag doll. He circled his arms around her waist, keeping her close to him and forgetting that his sister was nearby and that there was a task to be completed. River cleared her throat loudly. "I think we should finish this first," she flatly stated.

"She's right," Simon whispered as the two untangled their limbs from each other and got up from the couch.

Kaylee grasped the doctor's hand and began to drag him towards the tree. "You getta help River an' me finish decoratin'."

Simon smiled as he looked at the homemade Christmas ornaments. He was accustomed to sparkly, hand-blown glass ornaments, and shiny ribbons and tinsel. These ornaments were made from tinfoil, wire, engine parts, leftover scrap metal and sheeting, and some old rags. The girls had spent last evening braiding strips of old, worn clothes into rope to be strung like garland throughout the tree. He picked up a forged piece of metal, shaped into a snowman. The girls resumed their chatter as he studied the tree and found the perfect place to hang the handcrafted ornament.

It would be a unique tree, but a part of him couldn’t wait to see it. He couldn’t wait to spend his first Christmas in the black. He would be with two of the women that made him the happiest.

~End

Translations: Bao bei – sweetheart Mei mei – little sister Gos se – crap