A/N: All you fabulous readers and reviewers deserve an update. :)

Sky Song

Songbird

Some companions were gifted singers. Almost as soon as their musical prowess would be heard, the Guild would entrust high sums of money for vocal training at the youngest possible age. It was a talent highly sought out by many essential clients, and was thus of great import, and a perfect business pursuit.

Inara Serra was one of the few with such a skill.

She could sing, when it pleased her clients, and her voice was a lovely lullaby, a beautiful melody, soft and gentle and serene. She rarely used it, unless upon request. Like many of the companions, certain attributes, such as singing, ranked higher on the expense list of her vast repertoire, and was therefore not always something most of her clients inquired after.

The clients who would seek out a musically inclined companion, often referred to them as 'songbirds' because of their carefully honed talent. And so the nickname had been coined.

Vocal training was always one of the toughest and most challenging courses for a companion to perform in. It was very easy to fail and be ousted of the class entirely, and it didn't help any that there was also fierce competition amongst peers. It became essential to keep in practice, because the Guild reserved the right to eliminate the status if they deemed the companion in question was no longer competent.

Inara had to be careful not to strain her voice, or even overuse it in the event she was ever contracted by such clients. She had trained herself both mentally and physically for such a thing, and, therefore, it came as second nature to always remain calm and collected in the direst of situations.

That was why, that even upon realizing her charge, Liam, had gone missing, Inara did not risk using her voice. She did not scream, or cry, or overreact. She barely spoke at all.

Calm.

Cool.

Collected.

It was raining a summer rain that night. Lightning illuminated the blackened sky, while thunder roared its mighty roar, and tore through the dark clouds. It was pouring; coming down in big, heavy drops, the water fresh and cool against her exposed skin. It soaked through her clothes, and drenched her hair. She hadn't anticipated being caught in it, didn't think Sihnon was in its rainy season quite just yet, and like a fool, she'd forgotten to bring her umbrella. The vendors, smart businessmen that they were, were charging a pretty penny for anyone in search of one. Under normal circumstances, she'd have just braved the weather rather than pay an obnoxious fee for a mere umbrella. It was just a little rain, no harm really. But these weren't normal circumstances, and the hand that moved protectively over the small swell of her belly reminded her of that.

She was desperate. The water had soaked her dress and the thin fabric clung to the slight bulge of her heavy stomach, accentuating what she'd tried to convince herself was barely there.

Fidgeting, cold fingers, stumbled around her coin purse in pursuit of enough money to pay for a temporary shelter.

"Gǒu shǐ!" Her fingers slipped, and the small purse, as well as all of its contents, spilled into the mud at her feet.

She bent to pick them up, annoyed, frustrated, and so uncomfortable as the wind pushed the rain onto her in strong waves. The coins were all buried beneath layers of sludge and all she seemed to be doing was help bury them even further.

"Let me help you, ma'am," came a gentle, male voice.

She stood up as a kind samaritan joined her in the search for her money. She couldn't yet see his face, but judging from his hair and his lean physique, she knew he was young. All of a sudden, she found herself feeling self conscious of her appearance and demeanor. She tucked her curls behind her ear, and tugged at her dress in an effort to hide the growing bump the rain had helped to outline.

When he stood back up, she forced a smile, and tried to appear fine.

"...Inara?"

His voice was a soft whisper that drew her gaze to the fine features of his face.

She recognized him, and her smile fell.

His eyes traveled down the length of her body, only to be instantly pulled to her accursed, protruding belly. He locked his gaze to her face again, only this time, he appeared to be watching her with a mix of concern and confusion.

She was humiliated.

She averted her gaze, and crossed her bare arms over her stomach, ashamed.

And then, he was a shadow over her, his umbrella becoming a much needed reprieve from the cold, heavy drops attacking her head. He threw his dry jacket over her small shoulders, and tucked her into it, thoughtfully and carefully buttoning it over her stomach.

"You aren't in any condition to be walking dressed like that in this weather," he told her as he fussed.

As he walked with her, he gave her nothing but his silence the whole way there.

He didn't ask her any questions, make any accusations, nor did he bring up her 'condition'.

But, as House Mistress, Sheydra did.

She'd shown up, wet and cold, and in the early stages of pregnancy.

"The Guild protects their own," Casey had reminded her.

But Sheydra was merely amused by the situation. "Inara Serra, of all the companions I know, who would have ever thought you'd be in such a predicament?"

The rain continued on its song of misery outside the warm walls of House Madrassa, begging for what sounded like passage. The thunder played its onslaught of noise as a reminder of its ferocity. But all Inara could hear was the soft pitter patter of the droplets from her clothes and hair landing onto the marble tiles beneath her feet.

Sheydra stood up, and Inara listened to the added sounds of her skirts rustling as she moved.

"I'm assuming you want to keep it?"

Companions always had options.

They had the best of options, the highest quality health care.

When Inara didn't give her a reply, Sheydra sighed.

"I suppose we can have you raise it here as its mother-"

"No!" Inara protested, finally finding her voice.

It sounded foreign, even to her.

Sheydra gave her a quizzical look.

"Not as its mother...I can't...I can't do that," Inara explained in a weak, small voice.

"...As an estranged orphan, then?" Sheydra pressed, quirking up a fair eyebrow.

She didn't like the words the older woman had used to describe it; she disliked the cruelty and harshness of the meaning behind them.

"It'll be my ward, my responsibility. I'll care for it, as a mother should...," Inara corrected her, still sounding shaky.

Sheydra's mouth tilted up into a devious smile. "I admire you, sister. You'll orphan your own flesh and blood for the sake of your career. Not many could do the same in your shoes. That is dedication to the Guild," Sheydra said.

As she walked past her, she spoke with finality, her hand coming to rest gently onto Inara's shoulder, "Very well. Consider it taken care of. Besides, I can't say I'm not entirely curious to meet the fruit of your womb. If it'll be anything at all like you, I'm sure we'll all be in for a real treat..."

Simon found Kaylee where he knew he'd always find her; in the engine room, tinkering away at her baby.

She smiled up at him when she saw him, and wiped at the fresh layer of black soot that covered a patch of skin on her face.

"River ignorin' ya, is she?" Kaylee asked as she walked up to him and planted a small kiss on his mouth.

"I'm beginning to think she's found my replacement, actually," Simon joked.

Kaylee giggled. "Dāi é, ain't a man in the 'verse can replace you," she whispered, kissing him again.

His hands came up to rest at her waist, and he pulled her in for a more lingering liplock. The wrench she held in her hand clanked onto the metal floor as her arms came up on his shoulders.

"Gǒu niang yǎng de mǎ shǐ kě'ài de érzi did I ever not wanna see that! What is wrong with your bunk?!" Mal's voice intruded on the young couple, pulling them apart faster than they could even think to do so.

"Capt'n!" Kaylee squealed, standing to attention, and trying to appear as innocent as possible under his scrutinizing stare.

Mal looked back and forth between them, clearly not amused.

He stared right at Simon when he spoke. "We got children aboard this ship, so I'd take it as a kindness if you kept your... tù tuófēng to a minimum. Think y'all can manage that?"

The colour seemed to have drained from Simon's face as he struggled to find words to explain the embarrassing predicament the captain had found them in. He knew Mal didn't enjoy seeing him 'molesting' his mechanic, and with the mood he was currently in, it was like adding fuel to a raging fire. Both of them looked to the floor, feeling guilty about their actions like children who had just been chastised.

"That's okay. I've seen Casey make kissy faces all the time!" Liam chimed in.

He had appeared from behind Mal's legs, taking everyone in the room by surprise. Mal turned on the child then, looking ferocious enough to scare Liam back a step or two.

"I thought I told you to stay with Jayne and River! The heck are you followin' me around for?!" snapped Mal.

Liam twiddled his little fingers, and shuffled his feet. In a small voice, he replied with, "I wanted to see what makes the ship float in the sky..."

Annoyed, Mal made a low rumbling sound from his throat. "I didn't realize I suddenly grew me a human tail!" Mal groaned, bringing his hand to his pulsing temple in frustration.

"Don't be so mean, capt'n! Ain't nothin' wrong with wantin' a tour of Serenity. He's already stayin' on the ship, so he may as well get accustomed to the girl," added Kaylee, with a sour note that didn't go unnoticed by Mal.

The mechanic then walked towards Liam and gave him her warm and cheerful demeanour in an effort to make him feel comfortable again after he'd received such a thrashing from Mal.

Simon took the opportunity then to confront Mal about something that had been bothering him from the moment they'd discovered the child on Serenity. "Have you waved Inara yet about any of this?" Simon asked the captain while Kaylee kept Liam busy.

Mal turned on the doctor and pulled a face. "Who died and made you captain? I don't gotta answer to you."

"You haven't, have you? That's why you're all on edge," Simon concluded, gleaning the answer even before he posed the question.

"Ain't any of your business what I have or haven't done," Mal replied.

Simon took in a deep breath of air through his nose as he tried to calm down. "It is my business if it concerns someone I care about. Inara could be in a lot of trouble. That is someone's kid after all. Don't you think it's a little bit important to let her know that Liam is safe, and not dead in some ditch somewhere? Mal, If you don't tell her, I will."

The captain took a step closer to Simon until he was staring down into his face. He was so close, that the doctor could feel the warmth from his breath tickling his nose. "Let me run things by you real quick, doc. I got Alliance military sniffin' our trail, two wanted fugitives on my ship, a box that contains somethin' that made your psychic sister screech until our ears bled, a babe barely old enough to walk suddenly in my care, no jobs lined up, and oh, the reality that we're still low on fuel, food, ammo, and credits. Now, you wanna sit here and tell me what's important? 'Cause I'm dyin' to hear it."

Simon's lips became a thin line as he tried holding back his anger. Mal didn't wait for him to speak. When the captain stormed past Liam, the child clung to Kaylee's shirt in an effort to move away from his intimidating presence. Trying her best to comfort him, Kaylee responded by brushing the soft, baby hairs on his head, and tenderly kissing his crown.

"It's alright, l'il one. Capt'n scares everyone at first," she whispered as she watched Mal walk away, his back and shoulders hunched over.

"It's not his fault," River said from her place in the pilot's seat.

She needn't have turned to acknowledge the captain to know that he had walked into the cockpit. He was surprised to see her there at all, after her most recent episode.

"It's not me you should be worrying about," she responded to his thoughts.

Mal raised an eyebrow before taking a seat on the other side of the younger woman. "I told you before, I ain't blamin' anyone...At least, not yet," he reminded her.

River finally looked at him, tilting her head to the side as she examined his face. "He wanted to see the sky. He needed to hear her song. It was the only way he could be free. It isn't his fault," she tried to explain again.

"Yeah well, I'm sure as hell certain he didn't just waltz his way onto the ship. I'm thinkin' someone helped him get here," stated Mal.

When he looked over at her, River was staring at the endless sky of stars before them. "You think it was me," she concluded for him.

Mal took in a deep breath of air before he replied. "I ain't sayin' it was you...unless, it was you." He posed the last words of his statement as a question, treading carefully.

River shook her head no. "The farmer may sow the seeds, but the tree bears the fruit."

"Why's it always riddles with you?" Mal asked her, shaking his head.

River smiled. "It's fun," she answered him.

"Any luck?" Zoe asked Jayne as she walked down the stairs to the cargo hold.

The mercenary looked like he was working hard at trying to pop the lid off of the ship's mystery crate by brute force alone. His face was red from straining, and sweat outlined the bulging muscles of his arms. He worked the crowbar until it snapped and he went stumbling backwards.

"Ch'hau nee mama!" Jayne cursed as he tried to shake off the pain in his hand.

Zoe watched him, mildly entertained by the mercenary hopping around in agonizing misery.

"Guess not," she said, answering her own question.

"I don't exactly see you doin' anything about it!" Jayne hollered at her.

"That's cause I know a pointless cause when I see one. This thing ain't openin' unless the person it's meant for opens it," Zoe explained, walking towards the crate to examine it.

"Still say the capt'n should just toss it outta the airlock if he's that scared of what's inside," Jayne commented, taking a seat on one of the other boxes next to Zoe.

The first mate shook her head. "After all that trouble we went to? It ain't worth it. The captain isn't scared, he's being cautious. We find out what Badger's hidin', make the drop-off, and get paid. We can't afford another bust, not even with that deposit money."

Jayne wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead, before asking, "We takin' the kid with us? Ain't it enough we already got us two charity cases?"

A pained look crossed Zoe's features, but briefly. It was replaced with a new coldness, and when she stared at Jayne, he recognized the expression to be one of her deadlier ones.

"When it comes down to it, you'll do whatever it takes to keep that kid safe, Jayne." There was a threat in her low voice, and not even the mercenary missed it.

As if on cue, Liam, Kaylee, and Simon came into the cargo bay with the youngest leading them down the stairs excitedly. It seemed to instantly break the tension that had built between Jayne and Zoe as they both turned their attention to the rest of the crew.

"It's so big!" Liam cried, as he spun around on the spot, and tilted his head up so he could take it all in.

"You'll get dizzy like that, sweetie!" Kaylee warned, coming to his side to stop him.

He twirled before falling into her in a heap of giggles. When his eyes landed on Jayne, he bounded up to the bigger man and exclaimed, "Can I play with Vera now? Can I, can I, can I, can I?!"

"Uhh, I don't think 'Nara'd like that much, kid," Jayne hesitated.

"'Course she wouldn't. What self respecting guardian would ever let you teach their kid how to use a gun? Come with me, and I'll show you how it's done." Zoe smirked, enjoying making the mercenary uncomfortable.

Jayne was then suddenly on his feet and at his full height. "Hey! Vera ain't just a gun. She's more'n that. Girl has saved my skin more times than I can count."

"Can't imagine that's a very high number then," Simon whispered next to Kaylee, illiciting a giggle from her.

"Don't you all think it's about time we waved 'Nara to let her know that the little guy is okay?" Kaylee asked the rest of the crew while brushing her fingers through Liam's silken waves.

"Captain should be the one to do it," Zoe remarked.

Simon ran a hand through his hair. "If you ask me, it should have been the first thing he did."

"It ain't that simple. That conversation is not gonna sit well with either of 'em. Capt'n's got a good reason for holding off on it," Zoe defended Mal.

"That's his excuse? He's scared of facing Inara? I'm sorry, but that isn't good enough. We're talking about a child's life here," Simon rebuked.

"It isn't his excuse. 'Nara's gonna want to get him back as soon as possible. Has it occurred to you that maybe, the captain don't know how he's going to do that? You're forgetting we still got a job to do, and we can't exactly just go back to Sihnon. How would you like tellin' 'Nara that she's gonna have to wait until after we've dealt with this high profile cargo to get the kid back?" debated Zoe.

Liam watched the exchange curiously, trying to follow the line of conversation that was clearly about him.

"Pretty sure that if it were my kid, I'd chase the man down to get him back, and wouldn't take no for an answer," interjected Jayne.

"Aw, Jayne. I never took you for the fatherly type before," Kaylee commented, smiling brightly at the big mercenary with a new found respect.

Jayne seemed to have been caught off guard by Kaylee's reaction, and sputtered in protest, "I ain't havin' no kids! I glove my Johnson when it's necessary! I was thinkin' hypothetical is all."

"Who's Johnson and why's he wear gloves?" asked Liam innocently.

No one seemed to want to answer that.

Sheydra closed the door behind her, and walked towards Inara. The woman honestly did look sympathetic for her friend. Inara masked her turmoil well, but she was reaching a breaking point.

"We can't find him anywhere, mèimei," she apologized.

Inara drew in a shaky breath, and collected herself.

Calm.

She had to remain calm.

"Are you calling off the search?" she asked tentatively.

"Only if you want us to," Sheydra answered.

Inara turned to look at her, eyes burning with unshed tears. "Of course I don't want you to. That's my son, Sheydra," she seethed, unable to hold back the fury.

She was met with silence. Inara had to look away, had to compose herself again.

Cool.

She had to be cool.

"Duìbùqǐ...," she whispered an apology.

Sheydra sat next to her, resting her hand on Inara's. "You're on edge, I understand. He couldn't have gotten far. I'll alert the Alliance officers tomorrow. They'll do a scout of the area. We'll find him, I promise," she reassured her.

Inara nodded, but her heart was wrought with worry, like a snake coiling itself around and squeezing tightly.

They were interrupted by a brief knock on the companion's bedroom door. Moments later, a female student peeked her head into the room, appearing anxious when she saw Inara and Sheydra together.

"What is it, Iana?" Sheydra asked, annoyed by the intrusion.

"I-Head mistress, I don't mean to be a bother, but...there's an urgent wave for Inara," the young girl spoke nervously, taken aback at Sheydra's presence.

"Now isn't the time, Iana. Tell whoever it is that she'll get back to them later," Sheydra instructed.

"I would, but he says it's about the missing child..."

Inara snapped to attention. She stood up, her heart racing in her chest.

In that moment, she knew.

It came to her so suddenly and it was so obvious, that she felt like a moron for not having thought of it earlier.

Lifting her skirts, Inara walked past Sheydra's inquisitive stares, and out of her room. Her footsteps picked up until she was practically running down the halls, her heart in her throat.

Collected.

She had to be collected, but gāisǐ dì dìyù, did seeing Malcolm Reynolds' smug, smiling face on her screen make it difficult.

A/N: Didn't think I was going to let these two off the hook that easy, did you? :) The chapter may seem a bit slow, as will the upcoming ones, but it's crucial for me to build certain relationships, in particular with Liam. Not to fret, the plot will move along, I assure you. You'll see Badger soon enough, as well as Inara's wrath, and that damnable crate. I'll try to put in some more flashbacks to flesh out Inara's backstory with Liam and her life with Mal before leaving. Thanks for reading! As usual, feedback is welcomed. :)

Translations:

Gǒu shǐ: dog shit

Dāi é: silly goose

Gǒu niang yǎng de mǎ shǐ kě'ài de érzi: Horse shit loving son of a bitch

tù tuófēng: rabbit humping

Ch'hau nee mama: fuck your mother

Duìbùqǐ: I'm sorry

gāisǐ dì dìyù: dammit to hell