Title: Forty

Rating: So G

Characters: The family Reynolds

Pairings: M/I

Summary: A PC one-shot fluff. 14ish years post-BDM. Inara turns forty.

Disclaimer: Most of the characters (sans Bubba and Mei-Mei) aren't mine, but the situation is.

For newbies: New Leaf, Brother, Shadow, Mei-Mei, Mischief, Forty, Pirate Children, Mistletoe, Hell-Raising, Barriers, Tough, Echo

Author's Note: I'm writing so many PC fics right now, but none of them consistently. This is just a little bit of fluff to tide everyone over. :) Don't choke on the fluff.

Abram Derrial "Bubba" Reynolds, 11

Serra Alleyne "Mei-Mei" Reynolds, 6

***

She doesn’t like them making a big deal of this day, but in the nearly twelve years she’s been married to Malcolm Reynolds, he has never once honored her wishes on this subject.

So, waking up alone on this morning, especially this morning, strikes her as very odd. Maybe she’s even a little disappointed. She stretches out a little, then grabs her robe off the back of Mal’s desk chair. Before she can decide what to do with this nice, quiet morning, it’s ripped away by the sound of the shuttle door opening and hushed whispering.

“Aw, man,” Serra groans as she rounds the corner. “She’s awake.”

“That’s not what we practiced,” Mal complains, amusement in his voice.

“Oh, happy birthday, Mama,” her six-year-old grins brightly as the trio becomes fully visible. Abe has a neatly wrapped box in his hand. Mal balances a tray fill of warm white rice, grapes, and a teacup and pot

“Happy birthday,” Abe echoes, following Serra to the bed, sitting on the edge while his sister scrambles up next to their mama to give her a birthday kiss.

“What they said,” Mal teases, placing the tray in Inara’s lap and kissing her quickly.

“Gross,” Serra whines.

“What? You do it,” Mal teases, giving her a big, wet kiss on the cheek.

“Well, thank you,” Inara smiles at her family.

“Open your present!” Serra demands.

“It’s from Serra and me,” Abe tells her, handing it over.

“You two did