Prompted Bingo for Fandomverse

[catko]

For this fandomverse challenge--a bingo card of prompts. Drabbles and icons inspired by this gifset by hobanwashburnes. No warnings needed for the fic, I don't think...it's all post-BDM, though, so if you're still among those who don't want to be spoiled for that, avoid. :)



Color
Mal looked up sharply as she came back to the table and sat down. "Everything okay, Zoe?" Zoe breathed and shot him a glance. "Yes, sir, all's well." She stared down at her half-filled plate (ugh! mistake!), and willed the others to continue with their patter of conversation.

No such luck. Mal's inquiry had drawn attention, and now Simon, damn him, was rising from his seat and moving toward her. "Zoe?"--voice rich with concern--"is something the matter?" He stood over her and grasped her wrist. "Heart rate is fine, but--" he squinted down at her-- "your color is bad; you're ashen."

Jayne barked a laugh, earning a slap on the bicep from Kaylee. "What? You wouldn't think you'd notice it so much, 's'all I'm thinkin'!" Zoe used a bit of her last reserve of energy to glare at him, but even that was pale in comparison to her usual daggered stare. Her head swam and despite herself she clutched her stomach. "That's it," said Simon as he gently eased her to her feet. "Med bay for you. And no, we'll be fine," -- over his shoulder to the others, in various stages of rising and following (except Jayne, who was wrapping a hand around her abandoned dinner plate)-- "We'll run a few tests, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." As they made their way out, he smiled at her solicitously, and she knew, even through the nausea haze, that she was looking back with a touch of guilt in her eyes.

Quote
Simon ushered Zoe into the med bay and gestured at the exam table with a kind look. "Have a seat and I'll just ask you a few questions to determine which tests--" he began. "Simon--" she turned to face him with a hand upraised. "I can save us both a lot of time and needles here. I…I…I'm pregnant." She had intended to make this definitive statement and stride out the door without another word, but she saw his eyes widen and a look of wonder sweep over his face, and she found herself still talking, babbling. "I know I should have come to you sooner, but I…I…wanted to be sure, and I didn't want to…then I've just been so so sick, can't keep food down, not like our food is anything to keep down, but I've never had a problem with eating before and I know it's ridiculous to be like this, women have been having babies forever, and hell, even I was born on a ship, and my mother, well she--but I just can't have this, I just can't have anything go wrong with this, because it's all I have left of him, and I'm so scared, Simon, I'm just so scared," she ended in a whisper.

Simon was already grasping her by the shoulders and easing her down on the stool. "Zoe, Zoe, it's okay, it's okay," in his most River-soothing voice. "It's okay, it's all right, everything will be just fine. This is a beautiful miracle, and everything will be fine." He looked down into her stricken face with the broadest grin. "And you can quote me on that."

Hair
"Still not eating, Zoe?" Inara inquired gently as she moved past the dining table where Zoe was glaring mutinously at yet another plate of protein mush. "I'll fix you a special tea that might help settle things down a bit. I find it works wonders when I'm--" She paused, considering, then moved to the tea cupboard and began the quiet ritual. She looked back toward Zoe and ended, lightly, "Of course, I've never been in your condition before. But I hope it'll help."

Zoe picked up her spoon again and scooped up a bit of mush. "It's actually changed a bit over the past month," she said with resignation. "Before, it was just all over blecchh. Like, even my eyebrows were nauseous." Inara let out a peal of sympathetic laughter as Zoe continued. "Now, it's more like a constant burning sensation all up and down my middle. Can't rightly say which is worse or better. But the Doc says I gotta keep eating, so…" she levered the spoonful of mush between her lips and chewed.

Inara placed the steaming teapot and a delicate cup beside her and sat across from her. "Well, it's an ancient women's tale that if a pregnant woman has, forgive me, heartburn throughout her pregnancy, that means her baby will be born with a full head of hair." Zoe, sipping the tea, felt her face relax as a picture rose in her mind of a tiny, golden brown, crying bundle with a full shock of curly, wiry red hair and an astonished expression. Her lips curved, and indeed, she did feel much better.

Love


Your Choice
"Girl or boy, Zoe, what're you thinking?" Kaylee called from the couch, eyes bright. "My momma always said she could tell, right off, something about the way the baby set inside, y'know. 'Course," she paused, thinking, "I can't say for sure whether she was right all the time, wasn't keeping track or anything." Her expression went a little distant, a touch of homesickness in the tilt of her chin. "But besides all that country stuff, I bet Simon's got some kinda medical test or scan or something can tell for sure, huh?"

Zoe laid her gun down on the felt cloth, her hand dropping instinctively to her belly. "None of that equipment on board; could do, closer to the Core, but that's an absolute no, so I guess we'll just have to rely on country ways." She considered for a moment, then went back to polishing. "Not sure I want to know in advance, anyway. Anyways, not like I got a choice in the matter."

"How about the Chinese Baby Calendar? I've seen that around. You just gotta know the month and your age when the baby was made, and--oh!" Kaylee looked stricken. "I- I- sorry, Zo, I-" She put her hand to her mouth.

A warmth rose through Zoe's core, her eyes fluttered closed, and she could feel the heat of skin and silk and laughter and laziness, just for a moment. She glanced up and let out a lush smile. "S'alright, honey. I don't mind thinking about it. And yes, I believe I do know when this baby was made."

Pain
Zoe huffed out a breath through clenched teeth as another wave ripped through her. She ran the litany through her mind: yes, she'd fallen off a catwalk twice, off a bridge twice, off a horse three times. She'd been shot three times in war, six times out of it. Hit by shrapnel, by bomb-flung dirt, blown back by a fireball. But none of that, nothing, had wracked her with pain like this. She heard a distant voice bleating "breathe, pant, breathe, pant, we're almost there" and she squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to picture grinning blue eyes, a swoop of ginger hair, a stupid silly moustache, and a glaring patterned shirt as she gasped and breathed, and pushed and groaned, and through the roaring in her ears she heard the faintest of wails and that bleating voice, "It's a girl!"

Smile


Villain
"Now see, this here's a fine everyday piece, it's called a LeMat, with a few improvements." Jayne smirked to himself as he bounced the baby girl in one arm while brandishing his revolver in the other. "I figured, why not add a little spread 'n' spray to the overall-"

"JAYNE COBB!" a voice thundered over the cargo hold. "You sure as ruttin' tsao gao better not be showing off your weapons to that little baby, or I swear by sweet Osiris's moon I will space you and your whole shi-nyu arsenal too."

Quick as quick Jayne holstered the gun, turned toward Mal--striding in with Simon following behind--and covered the baby's face with his free hand, looking mortified. "Mal, what the hell! You shouldn't be swearing in front of little Aura, here." He bent his face toward the baby's smiling, blinking countenance. "There there, little girlie. Don't let mean Uncle Mal ruin our very important lessons here. And anyway," -- indignantly -- "Donchu think i got the sense to unload it first?" Mal raised his finger in Jayne's face, but Simon slipped between them, palms raised. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it probably doesn't matter," he said placatingly. "Aura's a little too young to absorb much of any of this." He patted the little girl on the head, and put a cautious hand on Mal's shoulder. "Let's go and tell Zoe that Aura's fine with Jayne for a bit." Mal gave a glare but turned on his heel and let Simon lead him away.

Jayne cradled the little girl protectively against his chest. "Heck, you'd think I was some kinda villain around here," he harrumphed. Something about his posture made a pleasant association of ideas, and his eyes lit up. "That dumb doctor don't know nothing 'bout what's getting through to you, little minx," he said happily. "Now just you wait til I introduce you to Vera, my pride and joy." He jiggled the little bundle and moved to follow the others out of the cargo hold. "She's a mighty fine Callahan full-bore auto lock with customized trigger double cartridge thorough gauge...bigger 'n' you, but not for long, I 'magine. She's got a fine pull and a recoil'd take your shoulder off less you're careful. And I'll teach you to be careful, sure as shooting..."

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