Summary: Things are finally starting to look up for the crew of Serenity. But what happens when the past comes to call? Follows No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. May contain spanking in later chapters.

The original character of Marie was introduced in my story, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. By the time this story takes place, she has become a regular member of Serenity's crew. Although knowledge of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is not necessary to enjoy this story, it may help.

Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

WE'VE ALL SORTS OF TROUBLE

Mal stretched to work the kinks out of joints before rising from his bunk. As he used the facilities and dressed, he reflected on the recent turn of events. Things were actually starting to look up for Serenity. For the first time in a long time they had steady work. Their connection with the late Shepherd Book had helped them land a job hauling ore from one of the mining colonies on Haven to the border moons. It wasn't glamorous, but it was work, and it allowed them to continue thumbing their noses at the Alliance. That, more than anything, made him all sorts of happy.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that the itch on the back of his neck was trying to warn him about something. Based on past experience, whenever things had taken a turn for the good, something always seemed to come along and things would start going south.

Making his way into the kitchen, he was pleased to see his crew gathered there. Mal poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed the last of the rolls left over from the previous night's dinner before taking a seat at the table.

"What time you figure we'll be settin' down on Muir?" Mal asked River as he tore the roll in half and reached for the crock of butter sitting in the middle of the table. The best thing about regular work, in his opinion, was that their grub had improved drastically. Now they could afford to buy actual food, instead of that protein crap they'd been forced to live on for so long.

River smiled. She liked having the responsibility, albeit under Mal's and Zoe's close supervision, of piloting the ship. "We will probably arrive sometime after lunch. Will we be able to leave the ship this time?" She loved exploring the small towns that usually grew up around the ports where they delivered the ore. Some of the towns were still too dangerous, but Muir had settled down. In fact, it had become one of her favorite places to visit. It seemed like the little general store in the center of town always had something new for her to discover.

"Don't see why not," Mal replied around a mouthful of bread. He took a drink of his coffee and continued. "We're not scheduled to pick up another load for a while, and the good people of Muir haven't indicated they got anything going out. So, we should be able to visit awhile."

"That's good," Marie said, looking up the pot she was stirring on the big galley stove. She stepped back and wiped her hands on a towel that had been tucked into the waistband of the work pants she wore. "I wanna see if I can't find some fresh vegetables." By default more than anything, she'd ended up as Serenity's cook, a job she found she greatly enjoyed. "I figure it's close to harvest time, so there ought to be something available."

Kaylee looked thoughtful for a moment. "There's a couple of repairs I need to make that'll require the engines be shut down for a bit. I've been puttin' them off since we ain't stopped anywhere long enough." Besides, she also wanted to explore the few shops in town to see if there was anything that would tempt her to part with some of the coin she'd saved.

Mal tore off another bite of the roll as he thought. It was true that Muir had settled down, but there was still the rough element that was always around a spaceport. Still, they were well known by the townsfolk, so he didn't figure they'd have too much trouble. "As long as you don't go alone and stay in the main part a' town, I ain't got a problem with that."

Kaylee, Marie, and River all began talking at the same time, making plans about what they'd do when they'd landed.

"Okay, people," Mal said, interrupting the girls' excited chatter, "it ain't play time yet. We still got things that gotta be done. You all got jobs, so go do them." He rose to leave the room, intending to head to the bridge to double check River's coordinates and send a wave to his contact on Muir. As he left the room, he smiled at his crew's good natured grumbling. However, it was Inara's voice that caught his attention.

"Simon, could I speak with you a moment?"

Mal hadn't heard the doc's reply, but he hoped the younger man had agreed. Something hadn't been right with the beautiful companion for quite a while, and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. That had him worried.

XxxxxxxX XxxxxxxX XxxxxxxX

"How long have you had this condition?" Simon asked as he folded his stethoscope and returned it to his medical bag. He would have preferred to do this in the infirmary, where he had more equipment, but Inara had requested the privacy of her shuttle. If he was surprised at the information she had disclosed to him, he had hidden it well.

"I've known since before I made arrangements with Mal to rent the shuttle." She rose from where she sat on the couch and moved across the room to adjust the pillows piled at the head of the nearby bed. "It's progressing, isn't it?"

Simon nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Mal opened the door into Inara's shuttle. He'd thought she was alone, but as he entered he heard Simon's voice. He couldn't quite make out what the doctor was saying, so he stepped further into the room, while still concealing himself behind the curtains that separated the living area from the cockpit.

"I've always known, Simon. It's just happening sooner than I had hoped. Please don't tell anyone," Inara said, "especially Mal."

Hearing those words, Mal stepped through the curtain. "Don't tell Mal what?" he demanded. He watched as Inara and Simon exchanged a look. When Inara turned back to him, he could see the tears welling in her eyes. If there was one thing he couldn't stand was a crying woman.

"Um, I will leave you two to work this out," Simon said, stepping around Mal. Turning back to Inara, he continued, "We can talk later." When she nodded, he stepped through the curtains and left the shuttle.

"What was that about, Inara?" Mal wasn't quite sure he wanted to know the answer. He resisted the urge to step closer.

"That was none of your business," she said, turning her back to him so that she could pull herself together and, hopefully, stem the tears that she knew were about to fall. "What are you doing in here, Mal. I thought we've talked about you entering my shuttle uninvited."

Mal shrugged and stepped forward. "Well, I guess you're just going to have to lecture me again about that." He grasped Inara's shoulders and turned her to face him. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I can't," Inara said as she shook her head. She lost her battle as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Inara," Mal said softly as he pulled her close into an embrace. He held her there while she cried and her tears soaked the shoulder of his shirt. Sensing that her tears were coming to an end, he stepped back so that he was facing Inara. Reaching up, he cupped her face between his hands and wiped the wet tear tracks with his thumbs.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead. Without considering the consequences of his next step, he moved to kiss her lips. His heart raced when Inara returned the kiss.

"Mal . . . ." Inara stepped back and held out her hand in invitation. When he placed his hand in hers, she led him to the large, silk draped bed. She gently urged him to sit on the side of the bed and stepped between his spread legs. This time it was she who cupped Mal's face and lowered her mouth to his in a passionate kiss that clearly told him exactly what her intentions were.

XxxxxxxX XxxxxxX XxxxxxX

Mal rubbed the back of his neck. The itch there had been getting worse, and he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to go terribly wrong. They'd finished their delivery, and he, Jayne, and Zoe were making their way back to Serenity.

"You sure we can't stay for the shindig," Jayne asked. He eyed the celebration taking place in a field at the edge of town. "Ain't nothing we gotta do or anywhere we gotta be any time soon." The three things the big mercenary loved more than anything were guns, drink, and women, and he figured he might just be able to indulge in two of the three at the party.

"I hate to say this, sir, but Jayne's right," Zoe said as she studied Mal. There was something bothering him, but she couldn't figure out just what it was.

"We're gettin' off this rock as soon as Kaylee's got her repairs done. Something ain't right, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is," Mal responded as he, too, watched the celebration.

They were still arguing about it when shouting drew their attention toward the area where Serenity and a few other ships were docked. "Ta ma duh xiàng guai," Mal swore harshly as he stepped forward. Two men were struggling to drag Marie toward a ship docked nearby.

Zoe lay a restraining hand on Mal's arm. "You can't just go barreling in there, Sir."

He turned back, ready to verbally blast his first mate, but stopped and gained hold of himself when he saw the look of concern and determination in her eyes. "Jayne," Mal said as he turned to the mercenary, "how are your acting skills?"

"Whatta you got in mind?"

"We need us a diversion so Zoe and I can sneak up on those two wang ba dan and get Marie back."

Grinning, Jayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flask. "Knew there was a reason I don't go anywhere without it." He took a hefty swallow of the contents and splashed the remainder over his clothing. Zoe and Mal returned his grin as the scent of strong home-brewed alcohol drifted to them. Tucking the flask back into his pocket, Jayne adjusted his stance so that it looked like he might topple over at any moment. "Whatta ya mean I'm drunk. I ain't drunk," he said in a very convincing slur.

Mal nodded. The big mercenary was a true hwen dan most of the time, but he could generally be counted on in a pinch. He watched as Jayne staggered off in the direction of Marie and her two captors, then he and Zoe followed at a discrete distance.

Jayne, singing a drunken, off-key version of an ancient folk song, staggered into one of the men holding Marie by the arm, breaking his grip. As he'd approached, he had caught her attention and silently communicated to her not to react in recognition.

"Watch where you're goin' you qing wa cao de liu mang," the man said as he pushed Jayne away. In the struggle that ensued, Mal and Jayne snuck up behind the group, their guns drawn and ready for use.

"You got one a my crew members." Mal said from behind the man who had managed to maintain his grip on Marie. "She's a mite ornery, but I aim to get her back." Mal said as he stepped around to face the other man. "I ain't particular how I do it, either."

"We ain't leavin' without her," the man said, tightening his grip on Marie's arm, causing her to cry out in pain. He moved slightly to reveal the gun he was holding to her ribs.

Mal's face hardened. "Well, seems like you're in a dreadful predicament then, don't it. Cause Jayne there's got your man unarmed. That leaves you against . . ." he paused as though thinking for a moment. "Oh, did I forget to introduce you to Zoe?" he asked as she stepped forward and pushed the barrel of her gun into the small of the man's back. "I gotta warn you, she's always been a mite trigger happy."

The man released his grip on Marie's arm and stepped away from her in a direction that also took him out of the immediate aim of the two guns. "She ain't worth it." He turned and ran in the direction of his ship, his companion close on his heels.

"You gonna just let those wang ba dan get away?" Jayne demanded.

"They ain't important. I just want to get the guai off this rock," Mal responded as he pinned Marie with a look. "And I figure you got quite a story to tell as to how you ended up in their company." Marie nodded.

When Mal stepped into the cargo bay of Serenity his gaze immediately stalked over the ship's intercom system. Punching the button to activate it, he ordered, "Kaylee, get your little pi gu to the cargo bay."

Only moments passed before Kaylee, followed closely by Simon and River rushed into the large room. "Cap'n, what's . . ." she started to ask, but was immediately interrupted by Mal.

"You get your repairs done?" he demanded.

"Yes, but . . ."

"Where's Inara?" Mal interrupted again, impatient to get his ship back into the air. The back of his neck was still itching, and he didn't like the feeling. He wanted to get out of there before the men who had attempted to kidnap Marie gathered reinforcements and came back to finish the job.

"She's not coming," River said, unconcerned for the anger radiating off Mal.

Simon glared at her a moment before stepping forward. "Inara has left the ship. She asked me to give this to you," he said as he held out a memo recorder. "There's a private message for you at the beginning, followed by a message for the crew."

Chinese translations:

Ta ma duhxiàng guai = Damn it to hell

Guai = hell

Wang ba dan = Dirty sons-of -

Hwen dan = Bastard

Qing wa cao de liu mang = Frog-humping son of a bitch

Pi gu = ass

Author's Note: The secret that Inara was hiding during the course of the show was revealed by Tim Minear on Firefly: Brown Coats Unite: 10th Anniversary Special, which aired in the U.S. on the Science Channel on November 11, 2012. That secret is referenced in this story. Knowledge of it isn't really necessary, but if you did not watch that special or haven't otherwise discovered what that secret is, PM me and I will share it.