Thank you to Joss for his ‘verse, and to Jane Espenson for some of her words and great idea for “Shindig”

~~~~~~~~~~

Clank!

Why couldn’t she be pretty? Just once would she love to dress up nice and fancy and all. Just once.

Clank!

Kaylee let one tear fall as she thought of her plain self, all greasy from Serenity’s innards. And she set to her job. Each thought of the Cap’n caused the monkey wrench to bang louder as she tightened a bolt. After all she did—fixin’ every thing that went wrong on this damn ship—all she asked for was some respect!

Clank!

Her blood boiled and bubbled when she thought on that humiliating morning. Cap’n put his whole leg in his mouth, right down into his stomach.

It didn’t hurt that he was a tightwad, as he really didn’t have much money to dole to the crew—it was WHY he said what he said. Cap’n always had a sweet spot for her; boy, had she wheedled some stuff outa him! She knew how to live without lots of stuff; she’d been without all her life. A little bit of tightwad never hurt her none.

No, Kaylee was hurt because Cap’n lashed out at her—when he was feeling down on account of his humble ways. His sullen mood that morning was because Inara was on a date with some mucky-muck. He had spoiled her cheery mood and –oh!—could she spit!!

Clank!

Kaylee heard half the story from Inara, just as Inara was leaving to see her new sex client—and Kaylee knew somethin’ was up since Cap’n didn’t joke with nobody on such a sunny day. She wished those two would crumble and burn out that friction in some hot sex. Make HER world a better place!

A dab of grease fell on her cheek, and she wiped at it, smearing it down the side of her face. Who cared if she got dirty? She was stuck in the engine room the rest of her life.

Clank!

Ever since comin’ on Serenity, Kaylee had never felt 2nd-rate on account of her simple ways. She wasn’t ashamed. No, she’d never gone to parties; no, she didn’t have much schoolin’; no, she didn’t know go-se about books or histor