Lenten Drabbles: Jossverse

For Lent this year I decided to write a drabble a day. I missed 2-3 days because of extenuating circumstances, but I'm posting these here and now, by fandom.

First batch: BtVS/Ats/Firefly

3/9/11
Title: First Aid
Fandom: Buffyverse, slightly AU where Wesley stayed in Sunnydale.
Rating: G
Prompt: margarks requested Wesley/Xander, h/c. Hope you like it!

Xander stumbled into the Magic Box, holding a wet cloth to his head. “Giles?”

“No, sorry, just me.” Wesley stepped out from the back. “Good lord, what happened?”

Xander reddened. “Was helping Buffy patrol, and...”

Efficiently, Wesley opened the first aid kit and pulled the cloth from Xander's temple. “Was it a vampire?”

“No, a tree root, and John Griffin's headstone.” Xander winced as Wesley bandaged him. He shivered at the warmth of Wesley's hand, which slowed into a caress.

“You okay?” Wesley whispered.

Xander touched Wesley's cupped hand. “I will be”

~*~*~*~

3/15/11
Title: A Long Time Ago...
Fandom: Firefly
Prompt: kayre asked for something about Shepherd Book

The abbot observed the visitor. His eyes were too old for such a young face, and his single pack was worn and covered in dust. “How can I help you, my son?” he asked, pointing to a chair.

The visitor sat. “I'm not your son.” Pain lurked behind the gruff voice.

The abbot sat back,. “Then tell me, Derrial Book, why have you come here?”

The man paused for a long moment. “I need to forget.”

“We can't erase your memory.”

That grim mouth twitched. “No. But I can think of other things here.”

~*~*~*~

3/16/11
Title: Not a Threat...
Fandom: Firefly
Prompt: luis_mw requested Wash before his wedding

Wash's hands trembled as he tried, for the fifth time, to tie his tie. Still didn't work.

“Maaaaaaaallllllllll? Help?”

Mal stepped in and smirked. “You'd think you never dressed up before.”

“Not like this. Not for my wedding!”

Deftly, Mal shaped the offending fabric properly. “Now, Tradition is that the groom gets advice before that walk.”

“Oh-kay?” Wash was confused.

Mal pushed him against the wall. “You hurt her, and she'll kill you. Then I'll kill you. Then she'll kill you again. So make her happy, no matter what. Deal?”

Wash swallowed. “Deal.”

~*~*~*~

3/20/11
Title: Freedom
Fandom: Firefly, Inara
Prompt: helenkacan asked for a drabble from Inara's POV of something about her life now as a Companion, especially as her shuttle goes wherever the ship goes.

Inara sat at in her shuttle and looked around her. Her rented space was now a jewel box of opulence and luxury; an island of peace in the midst of the harsh Black.

It wasn't perfect, but it was hers. She would never have to take a client out of need. The last house keeper would persuade her to take the clients no one wanted, and for good reason. She was a Companion; she had a choice, but in name only while she was under that roof.

Inara smiled to herself. Now she was free to choose as she wished.

~*~*~*~

3/24/11
Title: Untitled
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike/Xander
Prompt: margarks requested Spike/Xander with Xander being insecure about something.

Xander stared at the words on the page. They made less sense than chemistry. Willow's advice came back to him. Just have everything you need and take it one step at a time.

He took a deep breath. He could handle this. He understood blueprints, and this wasn't too different. He could do this for Spike.

Spike was watching Passions, and when the half-hour break started, Xander took his chance. “Here.”

“What's this then?”

“A flowering onion. Except it kinda fell apart.”

Spike stared. “You cooked for me?” Xander nodded.

Oniony kisses were the very best.

~*~*~*~

3/26/11
Title: Real
Fandom: Firefly
Prompt: kayre requested Kaylee and Shepherd Book, laughing.

Shepherd Book asked Kaylee. “Do you ever miss your home?”

“I miss Dad.” she replied. “But Serenity's home. She loves us.”

“Kaylee,” reproved the Shepherd. “Serenity doesn't have a soul.” At that, the lights flickered and the ship rocked suddenly. Book was thrown from his chair.

“He didn't mean it!” Kaylee shouted. “Tell her she has a soul!”

“You...you have a soul, Serenity!” The ship stopped. A warm feeling of being loved flowed through him, and he smiled.

Kaylee helped him up. “Believe now?”

“I do believe,” and they laughed.

~*~*~*~

4/6/11
Title: Seeking Serenity
Fandom: Firefly, Shepherd Book
Prompt: mooseloon prompted with “Listening to what the universe says, even though it isn't what you want.” any Firefly character.

This one. The inner voice was insistent. Book squinted at the Firefly-class ship named 'Serenity' and internally shook his head. It looked like it would fall apart upon takeoff, if not crumble to bits while in the black. He continued on down the row of ships. He could always sign on an Alliance vessel as a chaplain. That would be enough adventure, with opportunity to minister to those in need.

Experience, though, had taught him that ignoring the inner voice would lead to peril. He paused briefly, closed his eyes, and mentally asked why.

Serenity.

All right. Serenity it was.

~*~*~*~

4/7/11
Title: Judith
Fandom: Firefly
Prompt: tx_cronopio said “I love Book, and I love Book's backstory, so how about something about an extreme passion from his past? Someone he loved desperately and never forgot?”

Book remembered...

Judith was strong-willed, like her namesake. She walked with her head high, completely unafraid. That courage was hard won, and her confidence attracted him. He looked her in the eye when they spoke, talking of shared classes at the university they attended. She liked him, but remained aloof. He hoped she would see him anew someday.

One night, she invited him to her apartment and they made love throughout the night. In the morning she was gone. Three days later, an Agent questioned him. He knew nothing; she made sure.

Even now, he wondered what happened to Judith.

~*~*~*~

4/23/11
Title: Mistletoe Manipulation
Fandom: Angel
Prompt: margarks asked for Angel/Wesley, a first kiss. Angel POV

Angel hadn't expected that Cordelia would be so sneaky. He wasn't surprised at the Christmas decorations, particularly the tree, appearing in the office early in December.

That she tracked down real mistletoe in Los Angeles and hung it everywhere was a shock. When she maneuvered him under the mistletoe with Wesley, Angel was astounded at the depths of her manipulation.

The kiss, at first perfunctory, grew passionate, and it staggered him. It wasn't until the flash of the digital camera went off that he realized just how very dangerous the kiss was for all of them.

He pushed Wesley away.

Lenten Drabbles: Stargate

For Lent this year I decided to write a drabble a day. I missed 2-3 days because of extenuating circumstances, but I'm posting these here and now, by fandom.

Second batch: Stargate Atlantis & SG-1

3/11/11
Title: Mine (And OtherMine)
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Prompt: helenkacan asked for Rodney's cat's POV on Atlantis

Mine entered, covered in the dust of a foreign planet. Uninteresting, yet still I twined around his legs in welcome. OtherMine followed and gave me ear skritches which I accepted as my due. I sneezed.

“We should shower, who knows what kind of bacteria we brought back from that godforsaken planet.” Mine said, and walked into the Box of Rain Room. OtherMine followed him, and shortly after the rain began.

I returned to my patch of sunlight. Soon Mine and OtherMine would finish grooming each other and sleep, and I needed to rest up for my body part hunting.

~*~*~*~

3/17/11
Title: Coffee-off
Fandom: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis
Prompt: thexphial asked for Daniel Jackson arguing with Rodney McKay. They are so funny together.

Rodney glared at Daniel. “Kona.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Jamaican Blue Mountain.”

“Pache Colis”

“Timor.”

With each word they stepped closer, voices growing louder and louder.

“Sarchimor!”

“Ethiopian Harar!” Daniel sneered.

“Ethiopian Yirgacheffe!” crowed Rodney.

Sheppard leaned over to Zelenka. “What's going on?”

“Coffee-off.”

Daniel shot back with “Guadeloupe Bonifieur!”

Rodney volleyed with “Sulawesi Toraja Kalossi!”

Daniel smirked. “Kaffiyeh from M34-GB6.”

Briefly, John thought Rodney was stumped.

But his chin rose, and Rodney spat “Cardona Kail from P3X-793!”

From Daniel's sour expression, Pegasus almost-coffee won the day.

~*~*~*~

3/23/11
Title: Math in the Night
Fandom: SGA, Rodney McKay
Prompt: per rocza “Rodney, solo.”

The Atlantean 28 hour day required some adjustment, but most people were grateful for four extra hours—except for the night patrol. Rodney always had his best ideas at night, and those four hours were his time for theory.

His eyes popped open with an idea. He vaulted out of bed and to the whiteboard he set up in his room and scribbled an equation in the dim blue light. Standing back, he stared at the numbers, dragging the dream mathematics out of his head. With a smile, he adjusted the equation, and felt the glow of discovery flow over him.

~*~*~*~

3/27/11
Title: Waiting
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Prompt: helenkacan asked for Rodney and Teyla friendship.

Once again, Rodney and Teyla waited outside the infirmary.

“They should put a plaque right here—the SGA-1 Memorial Waiting Bench.” Rodney groused.

Teyla was completely calm, which helped Rodney, since she's just as worried. “I am certain we will hear the news soon.”

Dr. Biro stepped out of the infirmary, pulling her mask down. “They'll be fine. Ronon has a sprained wrist, and Colonel Sheppard's blown out his knee...again.”

Teyla and Rodney breathed in relief. “Thank you, Doctor.”

Rodney got in the last word. “That should teach them not to play extreme basketball with Marines.”

~*~*~*~

4/9/11
Title: One Rodney, Two Rodneys, Red Rodney, Blue Rodney
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Prompt: helenkacan asked for something with John and two Rodneys. This is not based on canon; Rodney is just the kind of guy who slips into alternate universes on a regular basis.

John heard the squabbling from down the hall. His Rodney, the blanket stealer, wore science blue and scribbled furiously on the whiteboard. The other one, who wandered through the gate yesterday, wore command red and snarked at the equations.

“You missed a cosign on line three.” said Red Rodney.

Blue Rodney turned and faced Red Rodney. “You shut up! You haven't done pure research in ages, don't even think you can correct my work!”

John smirked. He leaned against a desk next to Zelenka. “We need popcorn” he said, as the two Rodneys fought over the sharpie.

~*~*~*~

4/12/11
Title: Spit-Take
Fandom: SGA
Prompt: helenkacan asked for Lorne's reaction to the repeal (whenever) of DADT.

Lorne brought coffee to his post-databurst meeting with Sheppard. He liked the ritual of it. What he didn't like so much was the broad grin on Sheppard's face when he came in. “What?” he asked suspiciously. He set one coffee on the desk and sat down.

If possible, Sheppard's smile widened. “I have here a memo stating that DADT has been repealed fully.” The bastard timed it perfectly; Lorne spluttered and coughed as coffee went all over him.

Sheppard handed him some napkins, and Lorne cleaned up. “Just for that, sir, you can get me fresh coffee.”

~*~*~*~

4/17/11
Title: Confrontation
Fandom: SGA, Galileo, feline owner of Rodney McKay
Prompt: helenkacan requested more of Rodney's cat, with either another pet or Torren John.

Galileo heard noises down the hall. Mine had fitted him with a collar that allowed him to open doors—a perk of owning a human nearly as intelligent as a cat, with added value thumbs—and he was going to find the noise.

He crept along the hall, sniffing at doors for something new. Finally, he found it. He leaped into the air in front of the sensor, and the door opened. Galileo stalked in, searching for his prey.

Oh. No. A kitten. He sat down and groomed.

The tiny black kitten tackled him. ::playplayplay!::

Disgusted at this display, he sniffed. ::No.::