Author's Note: Another Mal/Inara fic for the LJ ff_friday challenge, and also the sequel to my ficlet The Thought That Counts (I haven't yet finished Thought, so it will actually serve as the prequel to this). May 22's subject: something stolen, and something freely given. Length: 988 words.
Change of Heart
By Trisana McGraw
"Hello, Kaylee," Inara greeted her warmly from the doorway of her shuttle. "How have you been?"
"Fine, thanks," Kaylee answered and stepped inside, taking in the silk draperies, the soft pillows arranged over the furniture, and the sweet incense wafting through the air. On every visit to Inara's shuttle she found a new, fascinating aspect of the Companion's life.
Turning back to Inara, who sat on one of the cushions, Kaylee continued, "I've been giving Serenity a bit of a checkup, and everything is running smoothly, like always." Her smile was proud. "I did find a glitch in one of the stabilizers, but I was able to reroute it to life support and actually strengthen a few other systems."
Inara nodded politely and motioned for Kaylee to sit while she prepared some jasmine tea. She found Kaylee's unwavering love of mechanics sweet, and even though she knew very little of what Kaylee chattered nonstop about, she enjoyed listening.
Kaylee paused to take a sip of the tea and sighed appreciatively. Leaning back against the cushions, she cradled the cup in her palms and asked, "So, did you have a good time yesterday? I'll bet you had fun at the spa, getting pampered all day. `Course, you're probably used to stuff like that, with your clients probably bringing you to tons of spas."
"Some of them have," Inara agreed. She fell silent as she recalled that the best part of her birthday had been completely unexpected.
Kaylee watched her thoughtfully. When her eyes fell on the opal necklace hanging around Inara's neck, she smiled knowingly. "Cap'n made a good choice, I think."
Inara's hand flew to the necklace, and Kaylee could've sworn she blushed just the slightest bit as she unconsciously fingered the stone. "Yes, it's very beautiful."
Kaylee's smile widened. "He'd hate me telling you, but he looked around all day for it. Even once he'd bought it he was worried it might not be fit for you.'" She rolled her eyes. "You know how he is. I think it was cute."
Inara shifted slightly so that she sat up straighter. True, she knew how Mal acted most of the time, but there were sides of him, like the anxious man Kaylee had described, that she hadn't seen at all. It was her desire to become familiar with every aspect of him, but that seemed impossible.
During the months they had been friends, Kaylee had learned how to figure out what was going through Inara's mind, though there were still some Companion methods for masking emotions that she hadn't been able to get past. "Is something wrong, `Nara?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Inara shrugged, but the mechanic knew she was lying when she didn't meet Kaylee's eyes.
"Come on, you can tell me," Kaylee wheedled, setting down her cup and leaning forward. "You listen to all my chatter about mechanics, so I'm prepared to do the same favor."
Inara laughed quietly but continued to stare at her tea for several moments as she pondered what exactly to say. "I'm reconsidering my status as a Companion," she finally said. "A . . . complication has arisen, and I'm not sure if it's more important than my work."
Kaylee didn't need to be a reader like River to know exactly who that "complication" was. "Can I give you some advice? Now, I know you probably have more experience with this than I do, but you might need another opinion." When Inara nodded, she said, "You should go for it if you really want it." It was clear that now, in addition to Mal, Kaylee was also talking about another man on Serenity.
Inara looked up at her, her eyebrows raised in an expression of mild surprise. "I told you, Kaylee, the Guild has a strict policy on . . . pursuing other interests."
"I don't mean it as something you do in addition to your work," Kaylee replied. "I think you should choose one over the other. You could probably retire by now, right? I mean, you weren't planning to be a Companion your whole life, were you?"
Inara sighed wearily; these questions were exactly what she had been going over in her mind endlessly. "It's not that easy, Kaylee. It would be the same as you never coming on this ship, or any other, because you had decided to stay home. This is what I've grown up with."
"But if what you want is that special, then it's worth the big price. You gotta make your own decisions, you know, take the initiative.' That's how I got here." Kaylee leaned back again, beaming proudly.
Inara's smile faded as she remembered the story she had heard about Kaylee's arrival on Serenity. She doubted it would work similarly for her; she'd been having sex with strange men for the whole year she'd been here, and she'd failed to attract Mal's attention in the way she wanted. "I understand your point. . . ."
Kaylee shrugged. "The way I see it, you should just think about it for a little." She sighed. "I gotta be getting back to the engine. Cap'n gets a bit ornery if I'm not minding Serenity."
Inara nodded, standing with her. "Thank you for coming, Kaylee. I enjoyed talking with you." They exchanged hugs; then Kaylee turned to leave.
"Bye, `Nara," she called as she left, lightly trailing her fingers over one of the embroidered drapes. "Who would've thought," she murmured; "the captain and the Companion."
Catching Kaylee's words, Inara smiled to herself as she gathered up the teacups. Just as her life wasn't completely defined by her Companion status (though many would believe that), Mal wasn't just a captain; he was a fighter, a commander, and a deep thinker, not to mention a criminal and petty thief when the situation called for it.
A very good thief, she reflected. He's stolen my heart.
