TITLE: "A SIMPLE PLAN"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: No specific pairing

RATING: PG-13

STATUS: COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS Series

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "The Captain decides his loyal crew deserve to celebrate the festive season in style even if he himself has other plans."

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly' are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"A SIMPLE PLAN"

A "Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Not nothing in the 'verse should be this hard and yet it was. He stared out at the Black, let it swallow him up until he lost all notion of self. It soothed and emptied him all in one. Made him feel so rutting small yet also oddly complete. As if the 'verse had absorbed him and made him one with something a whole lot bigger than he was. Kind'a took the weight off his shoulders in a way he had no words to explain. He was sure Simon would have all kind of fancy notions about that. The Shepherd would no doubt reckon it was all filled with religiosity. Wash would simply think him a morbid sumbitch, Jayne wouldn't trouble to think on it at all. Kaylee would reckon he was taking some quiet time and Zoe would accept it as his way of finding a rest from all the thinking and plotting and scheming. Inara would feel sorry for him without the slightest idea of what was really going on in his gorram brain. And River. Well now, River would outsmart them all with the knowing of it. Yet he felt she would keep his secret anyway. As if she instinctively knew how fragile he was at times like this. The fear and temptation the Black represented. The constant reminder that the dark side of his nature was just a breath away from unravelling everything he fought so hard to hold toge