On his way to the bridge Mal headed though the common area. As he made his way though he spotted Inara making some tea. He could tell that there was something on her mind that she wanted to discuss by the way she looked up on his approach. So he slowed his stride as he got closer.
"Good afternoon Mal," She said in her very formal way. By her tone Mal could tell she had business in mind.
"Afternoon Inara, something I can help you with?" He questioned.
"As a matter of fact there is, do you have a moment?" She put forth cautiously.
"Well actually I'm on my way up to the bridge at the moment…"
"Perhaps you could meet me in my shuttle a bit later then…" Inara's tongue was momentarily caught in her throat as the words came out of her mouth. The slight hesitation at Mal's response made the silence all the more deafening.
It wasn't as though Mal hadn't been in Inara's shuttle more then a few times over the last year, but by in large it had been upon Inara's express invitation. The fact was only two year's ago Mal was still barging into her shuttle completely unannounced and it was she that had to chase him away. The fact that he was now only showing up at her request was an illustration of just how much the dynamic of their relationship had changed. And it was no secret that Inara, still harboring some lasting affection for Mal, found it difficult to cope with. This fact also wasn't lost on Mal who found their interactions, particularly in her shuttle, to be a bit disconcerting as well. Still, they both recognized that although things had changed they still had a very lucrative business relationship to maintain. Not to mention an enduring friendship that they both hoped to salvage when this was all said and done. So they pressed forward.
"Ah, sure Inara, I'll head over soon as I'm finished." Mal said with a half nervous smile.
Inara bowed her head gracefully, being infinitely better at hiding her discomfort then Mal. "Thank you Mal, I'll be waiting then." And with that she turned and headed towards her shuttle.
Mal attempted to shake off the very awkward conversation he just had as he made his way up to the bride. As he entered he saw Wash easing the ship through the upper atmosphere of the planet and into the black. Beside him at the co-pilot station he saw Kaylee working on something with the console. He turned his attention to Wash first.
"Thanks for getting us up so quick Wash." Mal said.
"Well you know Mal I figured you wouldn't want to stick around a place where we just slaughtered half a town. Gotta figure the other half won't exactly be serving us tea and crackers once the dust settles…" Wash deadpanned.
Mal grimaced slightly as he recalled the sight, "Suppose that's so…"
"So its true that River and Jayne caused all that ruckus down there by their ownselves?" Kaylee questioned.
Mal's tone became defensive, "Well is wasn't as though they did it alone, I mean Zoe and I was down there too. I'd say we got our fair share in."
"That's not was Zoe was saying when she was up he Cap'n" Kaylee chimed in. "She's saying that those two came tearin down the hill like bats outa hell. Said it was all she could do to get a few pot shots in whilst the rest a them hudans turned tail and ran."
"Well…suppose that's one person's account…" Mal got out.
"You know this isn't the first time that River's decided to jump into the fray a little prematurely, sometimes I think she's a little too eager show off those skills of hers." Wash added.
"Hmm…sounds like you might want to keep her on a tighter leash Cap'n, she might get herself hurt one of these times." Kaylee proposed.
"Didn't know you and her were into that sorta thing Mal." Wash injected.
Mal's face turned bright red as Kaylee burst into laughter at the sight. Mal struggled to regain his footing. "That…That ain't what I…"
Wash pressed forward mercilessly, "Never woulda figured a sweet young woman like River'd be into that. Now you on the other hand…." Kaylee's laughter turned into exasperated gasps as she gripped the console beside her for support as she struggled to stop laughing and breath.
Mal had finally had enough, "You know maybe if you spent a little time working on your own sex life you wouldn't have to fantasize about mine so much." This sent Kaylee into another round of convolutions. Wash sat dumfounded as he staggered back from the verbal barb. His momentary laps gave Mal a chance to regain control of the conversation.
"Now, to get back on topic. I want you to set a course for Persephone, figure there's probably more'n a few supply we need to pick up and we finally got the coin to get'em. Meanwhile might stop by Badgers see if he's got any work worth havin." Mal said resolutely.
"Any questions? Good." Mal turned to leave while he still had the upper hand on Wash. With that he headed toward Inara's shuttle.
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Mal went to tap lightly on the shuttle door. After a moment had passed Inara appeared before him in the door way with a pleasant smile on her face. "Hello Mal, won't you come in?" Inara wondered, not for the first time, how strange it was to hear those words in her own voice.
"Thanks, Inara don't mind if I do." Mal entered her lavishly decorated shuttle and made his way over to her couch. He noted the hot pot of tea already set on the table before him. Mal had to admit, even though this was still his shuttle he could scarcely recognize it.
Inara made her way over to the couch and sat on corned end. She began to pour them both small cups of tea. Handing one of the cups to Mal she took a sip and then began her proposal.
"Mal, as you are probably well aware I haven't accepted a client contact in some time." Inara stated resolutely.
Mal nodded his head in acknowledgement.
She continued, "Rest assured that I still have quite enough left in my savings to continue to pay my rent on the shuttle for the foreseeable future. However as time passes I will begin to need income to acquire other necessities. I've giving it a lot of thought and I've decided I can not in good conscious resume my work as a companion."
"So how do you plan on getting additional income?" Mal asked.
"Well that's where I was hoping you would come in Mal, I was wondering if you might…might…"
Mal's eyes widened slightly at the realization. "You want to join the crew outright?"
Inara gave him an innocent look, "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Well no, I mean honestly, even though you always paid your own way in all its hard for me not to think of you as a kind of an honorary member of the crew already but…" Mal got out quickly.
"You don't have to worry, I can still do all the things the Guild requires for me to maintain my status as a companion, your ship will still be provided with the same…access…as was provide by having a registered companion on board."
"Well that ain't my worry Inara. And its not as though I woulda kicked you off the ship even if you couldn't a made rent on the shuttle." Mal insisted.
"I know that Mal, but I don't want to be a burden. Everyone on the ship pulls their own weight, I have savings but they won't last forever. And the way I see it, its better for me to find something useful to do now before my savings runs out. So what do you think?"
"Don't know, mean don't worry Inara. Far as I'm concerned you want to be on the crew, then you are. Just gonna have to figure out a place for you."
"I could co-pilot the ship with Wash, I'm already a fairly good pilot after all." Inara offered, invoking her experience out piloting the shuttle compared to Mal.
"Well now that's an idea. Fact is though most of the time Serenity don't need a co-pilot and when she does River likes to step it, Wash says she's already good enough to rival him so…" Mal trailed off seeing the look of disappointment rising on Inara's face.
"Oh…I see…." Inara said uncomfortably.
"Well now though that ain't the end of it. Fact is, much as River likes to pilot, she likes to go out with us on jobs even more. So more often then not she won't be available to co-pilot when we might need it most. Maybe we could make you co-pilot more permanent like. Sides, couldn't hurt to have three expert pilots on the ship. Seems to me that be smart thing to double, or triple up on."
"Really?" Inara said with a raise eye brow, trying to hid her excitement at his warming to her idea.
"Yeah, seems that could work out real well. And maybe every once in awhile when we're going on a more high class job, maybe perhaps you can come along to present a more 'respectable' face for our crew." Mal said with a bit of a smile.
Inara returned Mal's smile with a warm smile of her own, "Well that sounds like a very agreeable position within the crew, I accept."
"Great, glad to have you on board more official like. I'll be sure to announce the change at dinner tonight." Mal said as he got up to leave.
"Thank you Mal," Inara said gratefully as she rose to escort Mal the door.
"Don't mention it," Mal said graciously as he left the shuttle.
Once the door had closed behind him Inara let out a deep sigh that she hadn't even realized she had been holding. "So eager to leave," she thought to herself as she replayed his departure in her mind. Dinner wouldn't be for a few more hours, and he had already been up to the bridge. She knew exactly where he was heading. To see her, to see River.
Inara would have never made the request to join Mal's crew if she had thought there was even a slight chance that she and Mal still had a future. Joining the crew officially was just one last concession that she had to make to prove to herself once and for all that she recognized that they would never be. She often wondered how different their lives would have been if she would have simply acknowledged her feelings for him that fateful day in the cargo hold after the death of her good friend Nandi. She was always a bit jealous of River in that respect. Not only was she now the significant other of the man that she cared for deeply, but more then that she had the courage to act on her feelings for Mal as soon as they became clear to her. Though she may have been much younger then her, Inara realized that she could learn a lot from River. Perhaps in time they could be much closer friends, but for now things were still too raw for them to be all that close just yet.
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River stewed quietly in her's and Mal's bunk. She had planned a romantic moment for Mal as soon as he descend the ladder. However, reading his conversation with Inara just a moment ago killed her mood fairly quickly.
By now, River had gained enough control over her reading abilities to filter out the day to day thoughts of those around her. Simon and Kaylee had been a huge factor in her dedication to gaining a great deal more control. It had been hard enough for River to deal with Zoe and Wash, but once she attained a greater degree of lucidity after the maidenhead incident those mental images became even more vivid to her. Some nights had gotten so bad that she had begged Mal to fake some kind of emergency to get everyone out of their bunks and out of her head.
Still due to her connection with Mal it was difficult for her to filter out his thoughts without considerable effort. Indeed, sometimes their connection had become unsettling for both of them, as it seemed that River's abilities began to back fire, allowing Mal to sometimes hear her thoughts in his head as well. They had gone though a period a few months into their relationship where the two of them began confusing the other's thoughts as their own. Leaving Mal to wonder how it was that he suddenly felt so much closer to Simon and River to ponder some very conflicted feelings about Inara!
Shortly after those episodes she and Mal had both gained a greater degree of control over what and how often their thoughts crossed over into the other's mind. But it was still a guilty pleasure of River's to sometimes follow Mal with her mind when they were apart. And it was partly due to the knowlege gained during her and Mal's time of super connectness that she harbored a bit of jealously towards Inara. She knew that Mal no longer saw a future between himself and Inara, with or without River in the picture. However she also knew from Mal's insights as well as Inara's own thoughts that Inara didn't necessarily always see it that way. She also knew that although Mal no longer had any emotional desires for Inara, he still found her physically appealing. Naturally Mal was going to find women other then River to attractive, just as River often found other men attractive. But for River to actually know, actually sense this thought was often a little grating. Sure Mal found other women appealing, but they were passing figures. They entered his mind and left just as quickly. But Inara was there all the time due to her position as a member of Serenity's crew. Even though River knew it was unreasonable to feel upset, she had to concede, if only to herself, that she was jealous of Inara and Mal's passed relationship.
And it was Inara's thoughts as Mal left her shuttle that went to the heart of her jealously. What if Inara had been more forward with Mal early on in their relationship? Would she have been able to win Mal away from Inara if Inara and Mal had already been in a relationship once River was lucid enough to do anything about it? Would she have even tried?
Likewise, River knew that Inara had been mulling over this decision to join the crew for months, and she realized, before Inara even did, that the only thing holding her back was the hope that she and Mal might renew their relationship. It often felt to River that she had this vulture circling overhead every time she and Mal had gotten into a fight. But now that Inara had finally taken that last step, River knew she should feel relieved. Now perhaps she and Inara could begin to really work on their relationship. Mal issues aside, River had a lot of respect for the woman and she knew that Inara reciprocated that respect. But those final thoughts of Inara continued to eat away at River, especially now as Mal descended the latter to their bunk.
As Mal came down the latter he saw River coiled up on their bed. Her eyes looking deadly and far off. Thinking back to the conversation he just had, he knew instantly that he probably should have delayed his arrival, if only for a few minutes. But he was here now so the best thing to do was to dive in head first, or so he thought.
"So I take it you're aware of the Inara joining the crew?" Mal said in an off handed manner.
River shook herself out of her internal monologue at the sound of Mal's voice, "Hmm…what? Oh really? Inara's joining the crew? Well that's good to hear." She said as she forced her face into a half hearted smile.
Mal rolled his eyes, "Oh come on River, I ain't got to be a reader to know that you're lying. You were ease dropping on the whole conversation weren't you."
River tried to act innocent, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was thinking about something else when you came down that's all. Why? Is there some reason you feel particularly guilty about your conversation with Inara? Something I should know about?" She said, trying to put Mal on the defensive instead.
"No, I ain't go nothing to hide from you about Inara or anything else. And you know that." Mal said, not liking the direction of this conversation.
"Fine, whatever, lets just drop it ok?" River said, trying to get away from a conversational quagmire of her own design. "So, she's joining the crew. What will she be doing? Is she going to start coming out with us on jobs?"
Mal sensed that River was trying to move away from the topic, and he was equally willing to move to a more benign subject, "Maybe some, specially those that might require a more respectable face, though most of the time I'm figuring all just put her up at co-pilot with Wash."
River felt her temper flare again, "Oh I see, I thought I was Serenity's co-pilot. Suppose you weren't considering that in your rush to get HER on the crew though…"
"You know it ain't like that River!" Mal exclaimed, his own temper starting to rise at the insulation. "You know that more often then not your out on jobs with us. What if we need some quick maneuvering action from Serenity at some point? Last I checked, being in two places at once wasn't one of your talents."
"Well I've never known the lack of a co-pilot to be a detriment to Wash before. And as far as a more respectable face, you ever think about Simon to join us on those jobs? He's just as respectable as Inara, more so if you consider their past professions!" River lashed out.
"Oh come on River! You more then anybody know that having an extra body up there make's piloting a lot easier. And its not like you'd never get to fly I'm sure if you asked Wash he'd be more then happy to let you have the helm more often then not. And we tried using Simon before, back on Higgin's moon. He didn't like doing it anymore then we liked having him. Besides, your brother ain't like to hold those respectable men's attention as much as Inara would."
At that, River went straight though the roof. "Oh, so you need someone who's attractive to distract them huh!?"
"Well I ah…" Mal could sense he'd fallen into some kind of trap.
"That's funny, because I don't ever recall you asking ME to distract them like that! Maybe because you think Inara's more attractive then me!"
Tears began to well up in River's eyes as she said those words. Mal was taken a back as her last statement rang out silently in their bunk. He was at a total loss at what to say. River could feel the waves of guilt and self loathing radiating off Mal like a torch. Her words had hurt him deeply. Feeling the pain her words had caused River began to cry openly sharing not only his guilt but her own from causing it.
She turned to try to leave but Mal grabbed her arm. "Wait a second bao bai, I'm…I'm sorry…just stay and talk to me…"
Hearing the hurt in his voice and feeling his light touch against her skin she collapsed into his chest sobbing. Mal wrapped his arms around her and let her cry, thinking it best to take that time to choose his words more carefully before he tried to console her. But before he could muster up the words to say she started to speak in-between her sobs.
"You're….you're such a boob…don't…don't even know what your apologizing for…just…just trying to make me feel better…" She said as she forced herself to steady her breathing.
"Well ahh, I mean…" Mal was still unsure what to say.
River dried her tears on his shirt and looked up to give him a faint smile. "Its ok, I know you don't know what to say. Its not your fault, none of this was. I was just…dealing with some stuff…I'm sorry I took it out on you. It was unfair and it was wrong."
Mal knew that it might be dangerous, but he wanted to know none the less, "Something wrong darlin?"
"Well I…" River hesitated, usually she never talked about thoughts she gleaned from other people's mind, not even with Mal. She decided that she didn't necessarily have to tell Mal it was Inara who originally thought this though. "Well…its just…with all this talk about Inara, I was wondering…I mean what if you two eventually had gotten together, like that night on in the cargo bay after Nandi died. Do you think we'd still have gotten together if you and Inara had dated first?"
Mal was caught off guard by the question. "Well yes, I know we would have eventually. I mean maybe not as soon as we did, but eventually I'm sure we would have."
"But how can you be so sure?" River asked, by now hanging on his every word.
Mal tried to organize his thoughts before he spoke, "Cause I know me and Inara woulda never lasted. Like I've said before, I realized in that time she and I were apart after she left that Inara and I woulda never worked anyway. Oh I'm sure it would have been intense there for the first few weeks or so. But once that initial novelty wore off I'm sure we would have struggled to find reasons to stay together. We're just too different. Seems to me after that once that was over you and I would have found our way to each other eventually. I mean Book seemed pretty confident that it was going to happen"
River seemed contented with that. Her expression seemed to visibility lighten. Giving Mal a reassuring smile.
Mal returned her smile with a wicked grin of his own, "And as far as using you to distract those 'respectable men' I gotta say I'm a little uncomfortable with that idea."
"Oh?" River said with a mischievous look.
"Don't think I like the idea of some rich hudan looking my woman up and down like a piece a meat."
River rolled her eyes, "Oh you poor poor little man, if only you knew…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mal mockingly questioned.
"Well I'd be lying if I said the only reason I go on the jobs with you is because of the action, I also don't mind some of the attention I get, Badger seems particularly fond of my blue skir…." River's words were cut short as Mal began stroking the back of her neck.
"That so…." Mal said in a low tone.
"Hmmm…." River nodded in reply as she bit her bottom lip.
"Well…can't say as I blame him…" Mal said as his right hand made it's way down to River's shoulder strap, slipping it off effortlessly. By the time his left hand had made it down to her other side she was already ripping is shirt open. And there in the stillness of that passionate embrace, River and Mal were able to work out their feelings in a much more sensual way…
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"You're sure?" The man said from his desk as he looked over the report.
"Positively, all of our men either died or ran." The young woman replied coolly.
"Damn amateurs, knew I should have sent better people after them." The man stated with a hit of frustration.
"You should have sent me." The woman said with a raised eyebrow.
"That's right, you've been itching for a shot at Ms. Tam for awhile now haven't you?" He said with a bit of amusement.
The young woman merely stood motionless, awaiting his reply.
The man grinned, "Alright, you can try your hand and tracking them down if you wish, but you'll have to bring her along with you…"
Despite her steely expression, the woman balked, "Oh you can't be serious, she's barely sane, let a lone reliable."
The man put up his hand to forestall any further argument, "She's has the most experience dealing with Reynolds and his crew. Besides she's too dangerous to work with our other operatives, she'd just as soon work with them as kill them. You're the only one that can keep her in her place."
"So does that mean I can kill her if she gets out of line?" The woman replied almost hopefully.
The man gave her another smile, "Now I know you're good enough to put her down with out killing her, or are you saying that she might actually be that much of a threat to you?"
The woman glared slightly as she responded, "No, she won't be a problem."
"Good!" The man answered with a snap of finality to his voice. "Then you are to assemble a team with her and depart as soon as possible."
With that the man got up and pulled the woman into a tight embrace. "Watch yourself out there. Reynold's crew is not to be underestimated."
The woman returned his embrace and channeled as much affection as her cold eyes could manage, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Maybe I should…" The man's words were cut short as the woman pressed her finger to his lips.
"No, you can't go. You've got to stay here and watch over the organization. That's your role, just as mine is to fight."
With that the young woman reluctantly pulled away from his embrace and headed for the door. As she turned to leave the man whispered, almost breathlessly, "Get back soon…" Confident that his almost silent entirety had been heard perfectly.
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Ok! Glad to finally post second chapter to this story. Struggled with about three or four versions of this chapter. But then it hit me like a bolt of lighting! Think I've really got a good handle on where this is going now!
Hope the inner monologues of some of the characters didn't drag on too much. Just felt like I had a really good idea where I wanted the states of mind of some of the characters and I really couldn't think of any other way to describe it other then maybe long drawn out strings of dialogue from what seemed like really forced conversation pieces. On the whole I kind wanted this and the previous chapter to kind of sow up any remaining plot points from the previous story so that I could move on to the new story. But it was also a good exercise for me in that in reminded me where I left off with them.
On the whole I feel pretty good about this chapter. But I look forward to your feedback! Let me know what you think!
Stay tuned! More events and adventures away our intrepid crew!