Title: Flee

Summary: Mal and the crew get a job from an old friend.

A/N: OH this is pure selfish writing. Creating a situation in which Mal and Inara could fight and have out all this baggage that I am so clearly prejudiced about.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or this universe

River stood at the edge of the fountain and waited. Inara would see her whether she wanted to or not. But it would be Inara's choice whether or not to talk to her. River waited with the breeze, watching drops of water rush around like big city traffic, then spoke only when Inara stepped up beside her, "Your home is lovely. Your life here is good."

Wryly, Inara responded, "A few minutes ago I would have taken that as a blessing. Now, I have to admit it sounds a little bit like you're warning me away from Mal."

River was the only one in the universe who knew just how close Inara had come to packing a bag and attempting to join Serenity again. River liked that Inara understood that, accepted it, "When I was naked you gave me your robe. When I had no money for clothes, you let me have yours. I don't want to be your enemy."

Inara crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh River, you're not my enemy. I just-" She sighed, didn't want to put to words what she knew River could sense. She let all her feelings settle between them, no secrets and turned to look at River for what seemed like the first time, "I kept my distance you know. From everyone on some level or another, but from you especially; maybe I knew. Maybe I could tell that you intrigued him. Maybe even before Mal did." Inara shook her head, "You're both so damned black and white with the world. Like you come from another time.. and you were just so damned scary." Inara looked out across the water, disconcerted, "I didn't - I didn't realize I felt that way. Not really, until this moment. River, I'm sorry."

"It was smart to be frightened of me." River looked over at her, "Inara, you were good to me. Despite how you felt. That means alot to me."

Inara nodded, but suddenly the chasm between them, the man between them, opened up again. "River, don't be angry with me, but you were vulnerable and Mal was this imposing figure - this captain risking life and limb to save you, its no surprise you fell in love with him. But that doesn't mean - I mean, perhaps as you get more confident in your place in the world..."

River didn't respond. Inara tried again, "How did he - I mean, how did you two …"

Memories were as vivid as visions to River, and this one she didn't mind letting herself sink into. Still, she knew how it would sound, how Inara would twist it in her head, so River smiled softly, "That story is ours only." River knew that Inara was not intentionally trying to rip them apart. Or perhaps Inara did not mean to try. But "Do you know why you were afraid of me when the others were not?" Inara shook her head, and River continued, "Because you were very smart. And because you never looked at me."

Inara protested, "River - you might not remember those early days, but I do, I was there. River, you were-" drugged, hallucinating, confused, violent... insane.

"Yes, I was ." River interrupted her again, "So ask yourself how everyone else on Serenity could find me in the chaos, but you could not."

Inara's mind stopped trying to work around the problem that was River and Mal together and reflected on that. She couldn't answer of course and River decided they were done, "You can be happy here. But if your heart is set to flee Captain would welcome you back to Serenity, we would all welcome you back. But you will never recover what you never could have held. And it would be many years before you find this sort of contentment again. " She walked away, feeling no less miserable than she had expected to.

From the way everyone avoided him and hit their chambers early Mal thought his mood must be obvious. He didn't even check in to his shared chambers for River, he went straight to the catwalks above the cargo bay and started climbing, muttering about his age and his trick knee and the gorram assassin psychic he was in love with.

She was there, legs hanging over the edge, crossed at her ankles, face lost to another time and place. Mal sat down next to her, letting his elbows lean over one of the rungs of the catwalk bridge. He struggled for a minute to keep the I told you so from bubbling up out of him; Referring back to River's reluctance to warn him what was coming. Anyway, he decided that wasn't the direction he wanted to take them, "I have a lot going on in my head right now, but I guess you know that. And you also know, it matters less what goes on in there as what I let on outloud. So I guess what matters most to me - what I'm going to tell you right now is that I don't like that you wouldn't look at me."

"I can always see you, even if I'm not looking at you."

"Yeah, well today, I needed you to show some confidence in me. I got this feeling - this bad feeling like you weren't sure how it would turn out."

"I'm sorry. I knew. But could not believe. I needed to see it. I'm sorry."

River twisted so that she could reach his face, put a hand on his cheek and stared at him as if seeing his face for the first time in ages. Mal didn't hide the tension there, nor did he try to still his still fuming thoughts, but it seemed he didn't have a choice. He couldn't see her looking at him in that way that she did and not soften. After a minute the corner of his mouth lifted, "All right, all right, that should do it. I didn't mean you had to go soft on me."

"Sometimes I like to be soft." River pulled her legs up so that she could lean into him, kiss him, then held his hand and returned her gaze to the emptiness in front of them, "I know that your fight was difficult. I'm sorry I couldn't help."

Mal shook his head, "I'm not going to get ornery about your word choice there, but it's been noted."

"You know why."

Mal sighed and covered her hand with his other one, "Just because I know why doesn't make it right. You knew - River you do know..." Flustered, Mal frowned over at River, "You can't have missed my intentions toward you. This," he motioned between them, "We stick. For life or until you get sick of me. This can't be a surprise to you."

"I know," River let her head drop onto his shoulder, sighed, "I do like to hear you say it."

"I'll say it til you wrap me in a wooden overcoat." He kissed the top of her head, then their intertwined hands, "So - this whole Inara fiasco, who are you saying that worked out for?"

"You. Her. Me. No one." River shrugged, "I do not like standing between love."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there ain't no love between her and I - you-"

"I love you. I love her. I won't budge from you." River thought about it, "She loves us too, in her way."

Mal grunted, "River, she is who she is. There's no use regretting that. I don't."

"No. And she'll be happy there. It was good to go through this. Trust me."

Mal rested his cheek against her hair, "Always have, always will."

"I didn't tell Inara, but," River lifted her head so that she could kiss his neck, "I like calling you Captain."

Mal's laugh echoed in the dark cargo bay, before he engaged his mouth in other business entirely.