A/N: So this took me awhile to write. That's the sad thing about reality-it doesn't like to let me go. But there is finally forward motion with this story! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. :)

Disclaimer: Sans the plot line, nothing here is technically mine. characters and setting belong solely to Joss Whedon. Also, Roberta is NOT mine. Check out the episode Shindig, and you'll see that Inara greets her at the ball in Persephone. I thought she'd be a convenient enough ride out of the planet.

Insinuation

Badger awoke with the brutal sensation of a horrid crick in his neck. To his misfortune, his sleeping position proved to be equally as uncomfortable. His head was pounding at an agonizing rhythm, though he couldn't entirely ascertain where the source of his pain was. It was like the pain had germinated throughout the entire circumference of his skull. He rubbed the back of his head, and rolled it, gingerly cracking the vertebrae along his neck. Stiffly, he situated himself in an upright position. From the throbbing in the back of his head to the sensitive soreness he felt at the front of his face, Badger was inclined to believe that Ophelia character was entirely devoted to the idea of knocking his intelligence clear out of his head.

Wait. Ophelia...

Gorram it. Please let the whole memory have just been a hallucinogenic dream...

"Good. You're awake." The sound of the yao nu's voice denied his wish and confirmed her active presence in his unfortunate reality. She was standing in front of the window, subtly eclipsed by the faded smog and light of dawn. Badger winced at the gray streaks of morning sunlight that lazily panned past her. There was still a scented residue from the ghastly incense, which had since simmered out during the night. That smell had been so gorram strong, it's potency could be likened to that of a drugged narcotic. The stale linger of the scent probably wasn't helping his headache. Nor was the contribution of the muted light that agitated his bleary vision.

Badger rubbed his eyes, adapting to the intruding light. Gruffly, he hoisted himself stiffly up from the floor. "You coulda at least ensured I had a softah landin' before you went and smashed my face in," he complained.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow indignantly. "Alls I can say is you got what was comin' to ya," she justified. "You chose not to sleep comfortably in your own confinement. So I resort'd to the next logical solution."

Badger glared. If hospitality was going to be this rough in his own home, he wasn't exactly looking forward to the treatment he would undoubtedly receive when he would be aboard Serenity. Those folk liked him particularly less than even this stubborn flower did. Though her severity towards him, he noticed, seemed to have dwindled some since their previous discussion. She was acting with a more guarded countenance. She was still poised with a regal and authoritative appearance. But behind her hypnotic eyes, he could detect her using calculating discretion with her every word and every glance. Very much a different persona than the threatening, albeit sassy attitude she displayed the previous night. Something had shifted since last night, but he could not begin to imagine what that was.

His head continued throb with an incessant pounding. Ma de...He rubbed his forehead, trying to coax the pain out of existence. Best not to think too hard today. The effort would be fruitless when he was at the mercy of a persisting migraine. He would have to return the favor to Ophelia sometime...when blackmailing him no longer served as a reliable protection from his wrath.

"Grab what you're gonna. We've a ride to hitch, and it'd be best not to be late." Ophelia stated, passive as ever.

Badger sighed. What was the point in rebelling against her? She made her point well enough to him yesterday. It seemed both foolish and futile to attempt to divert her every step of the way. Wordlessly he stalked out of the room, kicking the lousy pillow and blanket that remained strewn in the middle of the wooden floor. There really wasn't much by way of value that he would think to bring with him. How long was the twat going to hold him hostage on board that vessel, anyhow? Just 'till the Feds decided the crew weren't scum beneath their feet, he supposed.

He was still incredibly curious (and suspicious) as to how Ophelia came to know so much about him, the Feds, their intentions, and everything regarding Malcolm Reynolds. She weren't a part of the captain's motley crew, that much he knew. She had made that perfectly clear to him during Mal's little shindig all those months ago.

So, not crew...More likely a committed passenger. She seemed a mite young to be engaging in Miss Serra's realm of expertise. Though Ophelia certainly would have earned a pretty penny doin' so. She wasn't exactly hard on the eyes by any means. Childlike, yet insinuatingly alluring at the same time. Her demeanor suggested a rebellious streak outside something that the Guild would tolerate. But she was also too self-important to pass as a mere doxy. Her silky, expensive garb didn't fool him none. There was more to her than she was willing to reveal to him. The question remained: Who was she, really? Guess he'd have to find out along the way. That at least gave him some motivation to put up with being bossed around by her for the next few days (or however long the blasted predicament would last).

He freshened up some, bent on removing any scent of sleep or any of that wafting, niao-wen incense. After he'd done that, he donned on fresh clothes and shrugged on a tan cotton blazer-one of his more professional outfits for get up. It was fancy, but snugly wearable. Figured he may as well look somewhat decent if'n he was to fool the law enforcement. But feeling homely wouldn't go amiss while he was being held as a temporary prisoner. Of course, Badger naturally wouldn't feel like his usual debonaire self without including his favorite derby hat and a little decorative flair to accentuate his hybrid style. By the time Badger was finished, Ophelia was standing at the front door, waiting.

"Awright, sweetheart. Whisk me off," he said, twirling his hat in his hands before placing it on top of his head. "You won't be needin' to attach me to a chain like the prisoner I am, will ya?" His tone dripped with sarcasm.

Ophelia tossed him that same expression that may as well told him he was a blathering idiot. "That won't be necessary. However, if I do find you makin' any attempt to escape, my retaliation will be most...unpleasant."

Somehow, not knowing what she would intend to do made him that much more willing to comply. Snotty guay toh guay nown... The whole point of blackmailing him in the first place was to ensure that he wouldn't be inclined to leave one way or the other. He sneered crankily as he followed her out of his house.

Inara Serra would hardly consider herself to be ill-humored by nature. But there were days that she simply couldn't stand anything that life threw at her. And today was definitely one of those days. She had been trained to condition herself aptly to regulate her health and be at her prime for her every job opportunity. But she was fairly certain that the Marquis she had serviced for the previous evening had been hiding a vicious cold. He cared more about satiating his lust than he was about his own health; and he hid his condition well. She didn't detect the slightest symptom until the following morning when he started the sneezing phase of his sickness.

As a generous gift from karma, Inara was now suffering the consequences of his actions. Or rather, inaction. Thanks to the Marquis, her head now felt stuffy and her focus was drained; sinus pressure was gradually encroaching between her eyes. She gingerly touched bridge of her nose. Today would be a rather unpleasant return trip to Serenity...Once Mal discovered that she had allowed herself to get sick from a client, she'd never hear the end of it. She groaned; a combination of disgruntled malady and dread. She was getting a headache just thinking about Mal's smug amusement towards her condition.

In all fairness, she really should have been more careful. Ever since the scandal with Atherton all those months ago, Inara hadn't been exactly the most highly anticipated Companion in Persephone. Everyone was too terrified at the idea of Mal stepping in the way again. He was like her pit bull...And an embarrassing one at that. She had never been one to flounder in this line of business. But she didn't charge cheap, and money had been spreading thin across the 'verse. Even the upper class in Persephone's stratified social structure was beginning to reap the rewards of the Alliance's high taxation. It made the luxurious line of work a little less than profitable. And Inara wasn't used to having to scrounge for decent clientele. Mal's shady business wasn't exactly contributing to her benefit, either. He was getting increasingly paranoid about getting clipped by the Federal Officers, so he was constantly buzzing around the backside of the frontier planets in the Rim.

Inara sniffed, holding back an urge to sneeze. She counted herself lucky that she had been working in the Marquis' establishment rather than in her own shuttle. The last thing she wanted was to have those germs reside in her abode. She secretly hoped that every occupant in the Marquis' mansion would be contaminated with his wretched cold. It would serve them right for neglecting to inform her of his condition beforehand.

The worst part is that she couldn't leave earlier while she was visiting. She had promised to remain for a fancy brunch before she departed. She was always open to an opportunity to dine with expensive company. Real food prospered as its own payment for her in a way. Protein based meals could get a bit sickening after awhile, so the brunch was a rewarding experience in and of itself. She would have enjoyed herself more if she hadn't been succumbing to the symptoms of her own cold. And the meal seemed to last forever. The sun was already high up in the morning sky before she could politely excuse herself from the mansion.

Now within the safety of her own vessel, Inara allowed herself to be as sick as she felt. Her demure visage was replaced with the inner discomfort she had been hiding. Sluggishly, she changed back into her chartreuse silk robe and hunted down her handkerchief. She was sorely tempted to just sleep off her cold, but she knew she had to return to Serenity. The crew was expecting her return.

Resignedly, she slumped into the pilot seat of her shuttle and prepped the ship for take off. On the control panel, she noticed her comm light was blinking, informing her that she had messages. She furrowed her brows curiously, and initiated each message. There were three of them.

The first message was Mal: " Inara. It's Mal. We're shipping off-world a bit faster than we first anticipated, so you won't be rendezvousing with us at Eavesdown. We're headed toward Harvest. If you can't meet us halfway, you'll at least know where we'll be." He sounded more agitated than normal, which had her confused. A deal must have gone south again. The situation probably wasn't any worse than it usually was. Mal was likely just in a crabbier mood.

She listened to the second one, this time from Wash. "Hey Inara. This may come as a surprise to you, but our favorite little psycho has gone missing since earlier today, and we're placing bets that she may be hiding out in your shuttle. Simon is having a fit over here, so if she turns up, we'd be much obliged if you could let us know that you've seen her."

Oh no...Inara let out the breath she'd been holding in. Her heart was beating a little more frantically at the news, well aware of what the implications of a missing River would entail. She suspected it would only be a matter of time before the girl decided to go on an adventure of her own. She'd been cooped up in the ship for so long, Inara could hardly blame her for wanting to go on a bit of a moonlighting escapade.

She played the third message. To her surprise, it was River.

"As you probably know by now, I'm no longer aboard the vessel. Wasps were buzzing...striped and angry. We had kicked their nest, so I had to fix it. Don't leave before I come back. I have the solution. No one will like it, but you all will have to trust me. We can't just throw rocks at the wasps."

How perfectly obscure. Inara could feel her brain turn to mud. The girl was always talking in riddles, and those were not exactly the number one thing she wanted to contemplate at the moment. At the very least she had an opportunity to wait around until River showed up.

She waved a response back to the vessel "Serenity, this is Shuttle One."

"Hey Inara," Wash responded. He didn't sound as enthusiastic as he normally did...Bad moods must have been taking their toll. "Did you get my message?"

"Yes, it came through," Inara affirmed. Her voice was subtly developing a nasal tone...how wonderful. She forced herself to swallow the phlegm that was draining down her throat. These next few days were going to be miserable... "I received word from River. She's safe, as far as I know. She told me to wait for her until she returned, so I guess I'll be stranded over here for awhile."

"Thank God! I finally have something to calm down Doctor Paranoid up here."

Inara smiled wanly "Well, don't hold your breath. She still has yet to make an actual appearance."

"Yeah, but Simon doesn't necessarily have to know that. He just needs to settle down so that I won't have to worry about him jumping ship to go find her. I'd say he's near on the brink of his own sanity. And one crazy Tam is enough for all of us, I'm sure."

"I can't argue that," Inara concurred. "I'll be here indefinitely, obviously. But I'll wave you again once I have River safe in my custody."

"I appreciate you being willing to do this, Inara. I'm sure it was the farthest thing you had in mind for your itinerary today."

"Not at all. I'm happy to be of help. I just hope she's okay..."

"Don't we all," Wash sighed wearily. "Are you able to leech a ride our way?"

"Don't worry. That shouldn't be a problem on my end," Inara reassured. "Send my regards to everyone else. I'll see you when I see you."

"Roger that. Be careful out there, Inara." Wash canceled the call.

Onto the next, Inara sighed, reaching for the vid comm. She dialed the comm sequence for her friend Roberta—a well-to-do heiress with whom Inara had been friends with for years. She recalled her presence at the seasonal ball when she was accompanying Atherton Wing all those months ago. Due to the annoying tendency of Mal's poor luck intervening on her behalf, Inara never really had an opportunity to catch up with Roberta. She hated to have to ask her for such a favor; but she was left with little other choice. Her shuttle couldn't stray too far, given that it was a short range vessel. She'd definitely need a pick-me-up plea.

Roberta's face flickered on screen, receiving the call. "Inara," she greeted warmly. "It's been far too long, my friend." Her brown locks framed her smiling face delicately, with her earrings jangling against her neck in equal elegance. The jewelry seemed to wink back at Inara, as though they had some whimsical secret to share.

"How are you, Roberta?"

"Fair," Roberta replied. "How about yourself? I knew you were on call here at Persephone, but I didn't fathom it would be long enough to enable you to wave me."

"Well, as fates would have it, I've gotten myself into a bit of ma fahn."

"Nothing serious, I hope?" Roberta's expression flickered into a moment of concern.

"None that I haven't been able to handle before," Inara waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure you're aware that my shuttle is rented from a transport ship, the Serenity?"

"I have been made aware of the fact."

"It turns out that the vessel had to depart early, and I'm in need of a ride over to their location once I'm done with things over here. I'm still due to remain on Peresphone for awhile; though I'm not entirely certain for how long. I know this is a last second request, but I'm rather desperate. If you—"

"Say no more, Inara. I will be more than pleased to assist you." Roberta responded.

"I appreciate it, Roberta. I'll be sure to repay you in full. Serenity is sailing towards Harvest Moon, so the distance from here shouldn't be remarkably daunting."

"Always a pleasure to help an old friend. Send me a message once you have your affairs settled. I'll make sure a shuttle-friendly vessel makes its way to you."

"xia-xia, mei mei," Inara clicked off communication and swiveled in her chair, facing the lush red interior of her shuttle. Well, that was settled. What to do until then?

Sleep. That would be a glorious way to wait until River made her arrival. It's not like Inara was in any condition to go out looking for the girl. It'd be a wild goose chase, and a dangerous one at that. Searching publically for River would only further exploit River's presence, and Inara's reputation would instantly be sunk for aiding the young fugitive. Besides, any further exposure to the outdoors would not be helpful for the current state of Inara's immune system. Rest was the best option.

All to happily, Inara sank on her bed and crawled underneath the satin covers. Ah, bliss...Inara moaned pleasurably as she felt all her muscles begin to go slack. The lack of motion made all the difference. Within minutes, she was asleep.

An incessant knocking at the front of the shuttle woke Inara instantly. River. Inara snapped awake. It had to be her. With as much poise as she could muster, Inara rose from her bed and walked towards the source of the noise.

"Inara, it's Ophelia. I'm back."

Inara froze in her tracks. Ophelia? She didn't know any Ophelia...The voice was strange...A strong Dyton accent was present, but the inflection seemed acutely familiar. Her cold must have breached her cerebral cortex; muddying her sense of reason...

A little more cautious, Inara neared the shuttle's entrance, and peeked through the crimson curtain she had draped over it. The sight before her was not at all what she had anticipated. It was River, sure enough. But the discreditable presence of Badger threw Inara completely off guard. Undeniably, River was the one calling herself by the name of 'Ophelia', but Inara couldn't begin to fathom as to why.

"I brought company," River smiled, gesturing to her scruffy neighbor.

"I have the solution. No one will like it, but you all will have to trust me." Inara recalled the message River had left on the dashboard of her shuttle. She couldn't seriously have considered Badger to be the solution to...whatever the problem was? Inara could think of a plethora of better options for anything, and Badger would rank furthest on her list. Of what use could that rat possibly be?

Inara blinked rapidly back to the present, collecting her resolve. Trust. That's all River requested. She could pull that off...so long as Badger didn't plan on accomplishing any sneaky business along the way. Against her better judgment, Inara opened the door and played along with River.

"So I see," Inara said, beckoning them inside. God. Her voice had gone nasal while she'd slept. How embarrassing...Badger would be seeing her at her worst—and in her robe, no less. She could die of humiliation. She shoved the shame in her pockets, desperate to keep as much dignity intact as she could. "I'm glad you've returned, dear. I was beginning to worry."

Is that my dress? Inara noticed River's get up as soon as the girl entered the ship. It was a long, jewel toned garment with ivy designs embroidered in complicated patterns all around the dark material...A violet sash was tied (a bit clumsily) about her slight waist. Definitely mine. Inara noted that River's hair was also adorned rather haphazardly with a pair of her chopsticks. In Inara's absence, River clearly took advantage to having full access of the shuttle. Even some of her make up was painted on River's face. Whatever false persona River was trying to pull off, she certainly was going to great lengths in order to achieve it. River was acting so perspicuous, it was almost hard to tell that it truly was River that Inara was speaking with.

Badger, Inara noted with disdain, wasted no time in getting an eyeful of the luxurious set up of her abode. His eyes were probably sifting for the best things to swindle from under her nose.

"I must say...Ophelia..." Inara said, warily testing out River's adopted pseudonym. It felt strange rolling off her tongue...As though it left an odd flavor when she said it. "I wasn't expecting you to bring company of such...questionable respectability."

"Well, you know me," River replied pleasantly, shrugging genially past Inara. "Old habits die hard."

Inara blinked, bemused. She didn't think she'd ever be able to get used to River's accent.

She remembered the rest of the crew talking about how she pulled off a diversion with Badger during their last stay on Persephone. A Dyton accent was used then as well.

Of course! Inara realized. She's trying to keep up appearances so that Badger won't suspect her true identity. Inara shook her head. She must really be sick if it took her that long to solve that little puzzle. Best to just play along, and hope River knew what she was doing. If she thought too hard, that may just be the giveaway that Badger would be looking for regarding River's honesty.

"Lovely place you got 'ere, ambassador," Badger piped up, not hiding his admiration for how well off Inara was.

"I'm flattered you think so," Inara responded drily, masking her sarcasm with her usual detached modulation. "Excuse me," she pardoned herself and walked over to River, leaving Badger at the shuttle's entrance to examine the drapery and finery that embellished the room. With a soft (albeit congested) whisper, Inara demanded "Why, of all people, is he here? Please tell me you have a good explanation." This was a desperate move on Inara's part. River was never exactly adept at giving a straight answer. But Inara couldn't help thinking that River had...transformed, somehow. The sudden awareness and rationalistic tendencies she had thus displayed had sparked an inkling of hope for Inara.

River turned her head, directing her playful gaze into Inara's. "He's come to set the lightening bug free," she said, cryptic as ever.

Inara bit back a scoff. Guess she should have figured it would be too good to be true. Acting the part didn't mean River necessarily was the part. "So long as you plan on setting him free soon after. His presence makes me uncomfortable. I don't think you're fully aware of how much the crew despises him."

"I know wot I'm doin', love." River assured her. "Get us in the air; we've a long way to go."

Bossy little thing she'd become...Inara definitely wouldn't get used to this charade. How on earth was the girl successful with keeping her fearful tendencies at bay? It must be an extraordinarily huge effort on her part. That, or Simon had finally concocted meds that may as well have cured her. Well, she'd never know if just continued gaping at River like a fish out of water.

Right. Inara settled herself back in the pilot chair and revved the engines. She waved Serenity. This time, it was Zoe who answered.

"She made it back," Inara said, deliberately being vague, but direct enough so that Zoe would recognize immediately who she was referring to. She was aware that Badger's presence was within earshot.

"Is she all right? Simon's been going all sorts of feng le."

"She appears to be in excellent physical health. But...she did bring a guest to tag along."

"Who?"

Inara cast a glance back towards her two passengers. River gave a single shake of her head, discouraging Inara from revealing too much too soon. Inara complied to the silent request. "A familiar acquaintance of ours. Not of any specific danger." At least not at the moment.

Zoe seemed to get the gist of what Inara left unspoken. "Understood," she replied neutral toned. "We'll get things ready for your arrival."

"I appreciate it, Zoe. I have a source who should be able to drop me off back at Serenity. Could you possibly synchronize your nav system back to my flight plan? Wash never sent me the approximate coordinates of your destination."

"In just a second...there. You should be able to reroute back to us no problem." Inara noted a green light blinking sleepily on the console, indicating the completion of the sync.

"Thank you." Inara clicked off, fearful that any additional conversation would spark more suspicion from Badger. Keeping diligently to her task, Inara waved Roberta via vid comm once again.

"That was fast," Roberta said by way of acknowledgment.

"Business wrapped up sooner than anticipated," Inara said drily.

"Oh. Client gone bad?"

"Not my client, per se..." Inara replied evasively.

"Oh no, not again. Poor dear." Roberta said, gushing with pity. Inara bit her tongue, allowing Roberta to draw her own conclusions. It was better than having her ask questions that Inara simply wasn't at liberty to discuss.

Inara continued, "I've sent you the coordinates of my location. We eagerly await your arrival."

"We?" Roberta's thin eyebrows tugged together in confusion.

Inara resisted the urge to wince. Shoot. Now she had to go and provide some threadbare explanation. "I have a few guests who seek passage on the Serenity, and I'm their lone shot at getting there."

Roberta's face cleared. "Oh is that what you meant? Buddha almighty. Why didn't you just say so?"

Inara shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't think an explanation was pertinent. I rarely affiliate myself with Captain Reynolds' field of work."

"I understand," Roberta allowed.

No. You really don't, Inara thought with a grimace. "How soon can we expect you?" she asked.

"Your rescue should be on its way within the hour."

"Thanks again, Roberta. I owe you one."

"My pleasure, dear." Roberta signed off.

Inara waited a beat, then turned back and glared at River. "When we get a spare moment, you have have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," she admonished.

River pouted—probably the most River-like tendency that Inara had seen yet today. "Don't be mad at me none, Inara. I was only actin' in the interest of the crew." Inara tapered her glare, noting the double meaning of River's statement. Acting indeed. And she simply had to add me to her cast list...

Badger idly waved his defense, "Hey now, I don't like this arrangement here any more than you do." He raised his hands in brief surrender, gesturing acrimoniously towards River. "It was the bloody sprite that done dragged me 'ere against my will. I didn't 'ave any choice in the matter."

"Seems to be the claim of the century," Inara deadpanned. She sighed. "Make yourselves comfortable, I guess. I'm going to change into something a little more civilized for our journey. I wasn't exactly expecting the likes of you to show up," Inara said pointedly at Badger. He smirked disdainfully back at her.

Head held high, she strode past Badger as he sat himself down on her round lounge sofa, propping his legs on the tea table in front of him.

A little too eagerly, River set herself on the pilot's chair. Inara groaned internally, hating her predicament. She sealed herself within the security of her closet.

"Well, she's a right snarky one, i'in't she?" she heard Badger through the door. Inara glowered, taking her moment of solitude to blow her nose. This was going to be a very long and painful voyage. What in the seven hells was River thinking?

*TRANSLATIONS*

Yao Nu- Demon woman

niao-wen - piss smelling

guay toh guay nown...- Conniving or scheming person literally "ghost head and ghost brain."

Ma fahn – trouble