Matthew Mitchell Reynolds
This story and all themes and ideas contained in said story are the sole
ownership of J.L. Scott. Any copyright infringements can be prosecuted in a
court of law.
To borrow a phrase: Firefly no mine......no money, no sue, please?
No one had dared object to her idea, despite the fact that most of them had serious doubts. Jayne mostly. The whole thing was beyond his comprehension, and it gave him the willies. He was, never the less, in the cockpit with everyone else when they were ready. Wash had relinquished his chair to River, who was smiling like a child at a carnival.
"Ready?" Morgan asked, with a smile of her own. River nodded and they joined hands, closed their eyes. Everybody waited. Nothing happened.
"Something supposed to happen?" Jayne asked. Zoe gave Mal a look nobody answered the question. They waited a minute more. Suddenly, River's hands lifted to the controls. She pushed buttons and flipped toggles and when her hand fell away their course had changed.
"Where we headed, Wash?" Mal asked. Wash pushed River out of his seat and checked their heading.
"It looks like we're headed straight for.....nowhere" Wash answered.
"What do you mean, nowhere?" Jayne demanded.
"We're going to get him" River told her brother happily.
"Sir?" Zoe asked. Morgan was staring out the small window, a strange mixture of content and murder on her face.
"He's out there"
"Where?" Malcolm asked, ducking back behind the mound of dirt and rubble they were hiding behind. Morgan lowered herself, taking the gun from a dead boy's hand and checking the clip.
"Just beyond that row of buildings" she answered, "Zoe, go see what we're up against, and don't take too long about it" Zoe took off silently. The enemy would never know she was there.
"How do you know things?" Mal asked while they gathered what ammo they could.
"Just do" Morgan answered, "Same way I see strategy and math and everything else" She let a second pass and then asked:
"What do you want, Mal?" Malcolm knew the answer to that.
"I want to win this war and marry you" He earned on of her rare smiles and she stopped to kiss him.
"You're a good man, Malcolm Renyolds" she whispered to him, "You'll make a wonderful husband"
"Did you see the way the Cap'n looked at her?" Kaylee yammered while Inara pulled the comb through her hair, "Like she was the only person in the room?"
"Yes" Inara answered quietly. She had noticed the look in his eyes, the look in hers, every inch of air between them. She'd had no idea...but neither had he. If her heart had been broken before, it was completely shattered now.
Mal had a son. And a wife. And something she would never have. She had let herself hope, for a while there, foolishly. But when she realized the power she'd given him with her love, after Nannie, she'd known she had to leave. But it was hard. She wasn't just leaving Mal. She was leaving Serenity, and Kaylee, and even River and...and the only chance she'd ever have to change her life. She knew exactly what her life would be like if she left. Opulent, and respected, and empty.
"And isn't she pretty? Not like you, Inara. But, all that hair! Can you believe she was a General?" Kaylee went on and Inara suddenly couldn't stand to hear anymore.
"Kaylee, I've got some work to do" she said gently.
"Oh. Okay, I should probably go check the engine anyway" Kaylee said, and happily scooted off. Inara rose and rearranged her pillows, feeling restless.
There was no sound at all as Mogan entered, and it caused Inara to startle when she turned and saw her there.
"I suppose I couldn't expect you to knock" Inara nearly hissed, "Mal never does" Anger was her only defense. Anger and arrogance.
"He never has" Morgan replied, "Thinks he's the Captain of the Universe" Inara didn't reply. She found silence was a good weapon. But Morgan didn't seem bothered. She glanced around and lowered gracefully onto Inara's couch. Inara hid her frown. The woman had been socially trained.
"You're a Companion" Morgan said conversationally. Inara lowered to the couch herself, secure in the knowledge that she was, at least, more graceful.
"Yes" she answered haughtily, waiting for Morgan to say something in the line of Mal's opinion.
"I knew a Companion once" she said instead.
"Really?" Inara purred, hiding her surprise as well.
"One of the best weapons I ever had was a fully trained Companion" Morgan smiled as she remembered. Inara knew who she was talking about. All Companions did.
"Carrie" Morgan nodded.
"She was banned from the Guild for helping you" Inara told her. It hadn't exactly been fair. But Carrie had been pretty high in Guild politics, and the Guild had supported unification.
"She never regretted it" Morgan said, the smile fading from her face, "Not even the day she died in my arms" Inara had to let in at least a little respect for this woman. She had seen horrors that drove people insane, and had suffered the knowledge that she was part of the reason for that. Inara recognized another soul that would never find happiness in this world.
"You're planning to leave" Inara looked up.
"Mal told you"
"No" Morgan denied, "But you are"
"Yes" Inara admitted, thought it sounded awful out loud.
"Don't" Now Inara's head snapped up.
"What?" "Don't. Don't leave" Morgan repeated, "Please" Inara didn't know what to say. Mal's wife was asking her to stay. Could she? "He's going to need you when I'm gone" "I don't understand" Morgan looked away. Was that a tear in her eye? Inara was growing concerned. "When River and I reached, I saw more than just where Matthew was" she whispered. Understanding dawned on Inara and she got to her feet. She wasn't sure she believed in all of this, but there was something about this woman that was very convincing, especially after spending so much time with River. "You have to tell Mal!" Morgan followed her to her feet. "No. He'd just...you know Mal" Inara did indeed. He'd refuse to let Morgan go. He'd lock her in his quarters if he had to. "Why are you telling me this?" Inara asked. "I don't rightly know" Morgan admitted, "If I got to choose, I don't know I'd pick you" Inara only caught the fringe of her meaning. "Just do me a favor, Inara. Stay" And with that she left, Inara staring after her.
Mal was walking by as she emerged from Inara's pod. "What were you doing in there?" he asked, a bit more harshly than perhaps necessary. "Talking to Inara" Morgan replied. "What for?" Mal wanted to know. Morgan gave him a funny look. "I was just talking to her, Mal" Their dynamic had changed. She was letting him be the dominant one now. She had shed the General, she was just Morgan now. Mal had only had the chance to scratch at that person all those years ago. He felt almost like he was in love with a completely new person, but one that was still the Morgan Mitchell he'd known. It was confusing so he just stopped thinking about it. It didn't matter anymore. "I like your crew" she told him, walking out onto the catwalk and looking down at the empty cargo hold. "You do, huh?" he said, joining her. "Yeah" she smiled at him. She seemed to be doing that a lot more than he remembered. "Well, they're good people" he agreed. "Even Jayne?" Mal chuckled with her. "I don't think he knows it" he answered. "And Kaylee?" Morgan asked. "She's a good girl" Mal told her, affection evident in his tone, "A little flighty sometimes, but she's a real wiz with the engines" "I think Matt will like her" Morgan commented. Mal pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her. He was worried about his son, too. "It's nice to be in your arms again" she sighed. Mal kissed the top of her reddish hair, which was loose down her back. He wondered if she ever wore it in her trademark braid anymore. He wondered if she'd object to the more illegal parts of his new trade. He wondered a lot of things. He figured he'd have a good long time to answer all of his questions.
To borrow a phrase: Firefly no mine......no money, no sue, please?
No one had dared object to her idea, despite the fact that most of them had serious doubts. Jayne mostly. The whole thing was beyond his comprehension, and it gave him the willies. He was, never the less, in the cockpit with everyone else when they were ready. Wash had relinquished his chair to River, who was smiling like a child at a carnival.
"Ready?" Morgan asked, with a smile of her own. River nodded and they joined hands, closed their eyes. Everybody waited. Nothing happened.
"Something supposed to happen?" Jayne asked. Zoe gave Mal a look nobody answered the question. They waited a minute more. Suddenly, River's hands lifted to the controls. She pushed buttons and flipped toggles and when her hand fell away their course had changed.
"Where we headed, Wash?" Mal asked. Wash pushed River out of his seat and checked their heading.
"It looks like we're headed straight for.....nowhere" Wash answered.
"What do you mean, nowhere?" Jayne demanded.
"We're going to get him" River told her brother happily.
"Sir?" Zoe asked. Morgan was staring out the small window, a strange mixture of content and murder on her face.
"He's out there"
"Where?" Malcolm asked, ducking back behind the mound of dirt and rubble they were hiding behind. Morgan lowered herself, taking the gun from a dead boy's hand and checking the clip.
"Just beyond that row of buildings" she answered, "Zoe, go see what we're up against, and don't take too long about it" Zoe took off silently. The enemy would never know she was there.
"How do you know things?" Mal asked while they gathered what ammo they could.
"Just do" Morgan answered, "Same way I see strategy and math and everything else" She let a second pass and then asked:
"What do you want, Mal?" Malcolm knew the answer to that.
"I want to win this war and marry you" He earned on of her rare smiles and she stopped to kiss him.
"You're a good man, Malcolm Renyolds" she whispered to him, "You'll make a wonderful husband"
"Did you see the way the Cap'n looked at her?" Kaylee yammered while Inara pulled the comb through her hair, "Like she was the only person in the room?"
"Yes" Inara answered quietly. She had noticed the look in his eyes, the look in hers, every inch of air between them. She'd had no idea...but neither had he. If her heart had been broken before, it was completely shattered now.
Mal had a son. And a wife. And something she would never have. She had let herself hope, for a while there, foolishly. But when she realized the power she'd given him with her love, after Nannie, she'd known she had to leave. But it was hard. She wasn't just leaving Mal. She was leaving Serenity, and Kaylee, and even River and...and the only chance she'd ever have to change her life. She knew exactly what her life would be like if she left. Opulent, and respected, and empty.
"And isn't she pretty? Not like you, Inara. But, all that hair! Can you believe she was a General?" Kaylee went on and Inara suddenly couldn't stand to hear anymore.
"Kaylee, I've got some work to do" she said gently.
"Oh. Okay, I should probably go check the engine anyway" Kaylee said, and happily scooted off. Inara rose and rearranged her pillows, feeling restless.
There was no sound at all as Mogan entered, and it caused Inara to startle when she turned and saw her there.
"I suppose I couldn't expect you to knock" Inara nearly hissed, "Mal never does" Anger was her only defense. Anger and arrogance.
"He never has" Morgan replied, "Thinks he's the Captain of the Universe" Inara didn't reply. She found silence was a good weapon. But Morgan didn't seem bothered. She glanced around and lowered gracefully onto Inara's couch. Inara hid her frown. The woman had been socially trained.
"You're a Companion" Morgan said conversationally. Inara lowered to the couch herself, secure in the knowledge that she was, at least, more graceful.
"Yes" she answered haughtily, waiting for Morgan to say something in the line of Mal's opinion.
"I knew a Companion once" she said instead.
"Really?" Inara purred, hiding her surprise as well.
"One of the best weapons I ever had was a fully trained Companion" Morgan smiled as she remembered. Inara knew who she was talking about. All Companions did.
"Carrie" Morgan nodded.
"She was banned from the Guild for helping you" Inara told her. It hadn't exactly been fair. But Carrie had been pretty high in Guild politics, and the Guild had supported unification.
"She never regretted it" Morgan said, the smile fading from her face, "Not even the day she died in my arms" Inara had to let in at least a little respect for this woman. She had seen horrors that drove people insane, and had suffered the knowledge that she was part of the reason for that. Inara recognized another soul that would never find happiness in this world.
"You're planning to leave" Inara looked up.
"Mal told you"
"No" Morgan denied, "But you are"
"Yes" Inara admitted, thought it sounded awful out loud.
"Don't" Now Inara's head snapped up.
"What?" "Don't. Don't leave" Morgan repeated, "Please" Inara didn't know what to say. Mal's wife was asking her to stay. Could she? "He's going to need you when I'm gone" "I don't understand" Morgan looked away. Was that a tear in her eye? Inara was growing concerned. "When River and I reached, I saw more than just where Matthew was" she whispered. Understanding dawned on Inara and she got to her feet. She wasn't sure she believed in all of this, but there was something about this woman that was very convincing, especially after spending so much time with River. "You have to tell Mal!" Morgan followed her to her feet. "No. He'd just...you know Mal" Inara did indeed. He'd refuse to let Morgan go. He'd lock her in his quarters if he had to. "Why are you telling me this?" Inara asked. "I don't rightly know" Morgan admitted, "If I got to choose, I don't know I'd pick you" Inara only caught the fringe of her meaning. "Just do me a favor, Inara. Stay" And with that she left, Inara staring after her.
Mal was walking by as she emerged from Inara's pod. "What were you doing in there?" he asked, a bit more harshly than perhaps necessary. "Talking to Inara" Morgan replied. "What for?" Mal wanted to know. Morgan gave him a funny look. "I was just talking to her, Mal" Their dynamic had changed. She was letting him be the dominant one now. She had shed the General, she was just Morgan now. Mal had only had the chance to scratch at that person all those years ago. He felt almost like he was in love with a completely new person, but one that was still the Morgan Mitchell he'd known. It was confusing so he just stopped thinking about it. It didn't matter anymore. "I like your crew" she told him, walking out onto the catwalk and looking down at the empty cargo hold. "You do, huh?" he said, joining her. "Yeah" she smiled at him. She seemed to be doing that a lot more than he remembered. "Well, they're good people" he agreed. "Even Jayne?" Mal chuckled with her. "I don't think he knows it" he answered. "And Kaylee?" Morgan asked. "She's a good girl" Mal told her, affection evident in his tone, "A little flighty sometimes, but she's a real wiz with the engines" "I think Matt will like her" Morgan commented. Mal pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her. He was worried about his son, too. "It's nice to be in your arms again" she sighed. Mal kissed the top of her reddish hair, which was loose down her back. He wondered if she ever wore it in her trademark braid anymore. He wondered if she'd object to the more illegal parts of his new trade. He wondered a lot of things. He figured he'd have a good long time to answer all of his questions.