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It was two days later when Mal entered the galley and was once again alone with Jia. "Still bored?"

"Of course not."

"What did you find to occupy your time?"

Mal thought he must be mistaken, but he thought he saw a look of momentary confusion on her face. "Just little things, Sir."

He dismissed his thoughts as his own problem, after all, it's not as if she could forget what she had been so upset about just a few days earlier.

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Inara was thinking in her shuttle. It had been a week since Savage, and things had definitely changed slightly. Jia spent much more time on her own. River spent most of her time hiding. It wasn't enough to be suspicious. After all, River was still not exactly well, and Jia may have found something to occupy her time. Still, something wasn't right, and Inara aimed to find out what. She went straight for the galley.

"Hi Jia."

"Hello Inara."

The first thing she noticed was the usual uneasiness they always felt around one another was replaced by a defensiveness. Jia's defensiveness.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Jia finally looked up, "Yes, Why?"

"You seem off lately."

"I'm perfectly fine." She said with a slight smile.

Inara knew she was taking a big risk, but the only thing she could do was lay her cards all out on the table, "Jia, has something happened between you and Kaylee or River?"

"No, why?"

"You don't seem to be hanging around with either of them anymore. River avoids you like a sickness."

"I doesn't have to be me she's avoiding."

"You have to admit that since Savage she has spent all her time in the opposite side of the ship as you. She treats you like some kind of stranger when you had been getting so close. What happened between you two?"

Jia looked up with a look that Inara didn't recognize on her. It was predatory, pure and simple. As soon as the look was there, it was gone. It was replaced by a look or disbelief.

"I can't believe you are standing here lecturing me on personal relationships."

The defensiveness had switched from Jia to Inara. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. A companion that doesn't even now what she wants. It's not a thing you see too often."

"You know nothing about me."

"I know more than you think."

"Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Fine. You are a companion, yet you still ship out with this crew. I know exactly why."

Now Inara really was defensive, "Why's that?"

"You harbor some fantasy about your captain."

"You don't know what your talking about."

"I know plenty. You both share feelings but will never share them. You never will because you know it will never work. You would have to give up being a companion and live off him. You could never do that, because that would leave you without power in your relationship. That is one thing a woman like you would never be willing to do."

Inara knew she was right, but it was more than hard to hear.

"What do you expect of him? To forget what you once were? He could never do that, no matter how much he loves you. Life doesn't really work that way Inara. It would always be the first thing he said in any argument, as it is now. It would destroy you. So you stay here hoping when you know it is hopeless. Romantic, yes, but hopeless. In the end it will destroy you both unless you both let go. You have no right to lecture me on my relationships when you ignore the cesspool in your own backyard."

Inara was slumped by the end of Jia's comments, swimming in thought of her life.

"I'm sorry Inara, That was horrible of me." Inara looked up and Jia looked just as miserable as Inara felt.

"It's ok. I'm glad someone finally said it." As Inara walked out, Jia's tears disappeared, and a slight crooked smile lit on her lips.

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Inara sat in her shuttle and though about her life and what she wanted. She knew that she was grateful that someone had said what she couldn't tell herself. She knew what she had to do.

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Mal was walking past the infirmary when Inara caught up to him.

"What's on your mind? That seems to be the only reason you seek me out."

"I have to leave again."

Mal's face fell and the mask replaced his emotions. "I guess you gotta do what you gotta do."

"I have been kidding myself for a long time about something. I have to say something, and I want you to let me finish before you say anything. Promise?"

"Yeah."

"I have feelings for you Mal. I have for a long time, but it can never be between us."

Mal was genuinely stunned, "But I ..."

"Please don't say it. I can't give up being a companion, just like you won't give up Serenity and live with me on a core planet. I have to be practical for once. I have to end this. I'm sorry."

As Inara walked away, Mal absorbed what she had said, and decided he had to drink, heavily.

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Mal stayed in his bunk until they came to Persephone again. They dropped off their cargo, and Inara. Almost the entire crew was there. Mal never even said goodbye. He just headed for the nearest bar.

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About ten hours later, Zoe had finally convinced the crew to go to bed. She locked up the ship and went to bed herself. She was angry at Mal for his behavior. She couldn't believe he let her go a second time. When Mal finally came back to the ship, Jia was in the cargo bay. She saw him through the window. He was drunk beyond reason. When she opened the door, he fell into her arms.

"For Buddha's sake, Captain."

"Don't you dare lecture me."

Jia dragged him to his bunk, scolding him the whole time. When they got there, she helped him down the ladder and came down herself.

"What an example you set. I can't believe you felt for her too."

It was the first mention she had made of Inara. "Don't."

"You have to realize it was hopeless. She could never choose you over her pride and dignity."

"I said shut up."

"Why? Maybe you need to hear the truth too." She softened her voice, "Mal, you have to get on with your life."

He grabbed her shirt and slammed her against the wall, and got so he was two inches from her face. "I told you to shut up!"

They stood there for a second or two and then Jia's expression changed from expressionless, to something completely different. She raised her hands to his arms and raised her eyes to his. He recognized her expression, just barely, though his drunken haze. She pushed herself off the wall, and onto him. She smirked.

Mal dropped her like she was on fire. "Get out."

She calmly went up the ladder. Before he passed out, he knew something was not right. She had never looked at anyone like that before, much less him. That was his last thought before succumbing to oblivion.

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Very late the next day, Mal gathered his thoughts on the bridge. Soon he called Zoe to go through them with him.

"You wanted to speak to me sir?"

"Close the door." She did. "Have you noticed something different about Jia lately?"

"A little, but not much."

"I have. She came on to me last night."

That was not what Zoe had expected, "Are you sure sir?"

"No mistaking."

"Wait a minute, Last night."

"Yeah."

Zoe sighed, "Sir, you were drunk. All drunk men think every woman is coming on to them."

"Not all them had her body up against theirs."

Another unexpected development. "Little Jia?"

"Yep."

"Little redheaded cook?"

"I didn't ask for an id card, but yeah."

"That's hard to believe, Sir."

"I know. She's been avoiding Kaylee. River won't be in the same room with her. What's going on around here?"

"I don't know. She's been different ever since Savage two weeks ago."

"Well, I guess there's nothing we can do about it except watch Jia. See what we can see."

"Can do Sir."

Mal got up and went to the door and opened it. Jia was on the other side. "Watch me for what?"

They were momentarily stunned, Mal was the first to recover. "Let's talk it the galley."

They all walked to the galley and sat at the table. Jia looked expectantly from Mal to Zoe and back. Again, Mal was the first to talk, "Anything you'd like to tell us?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine. Everyone is acting so strange."

"Nothings going on?"

"No, why won't anyone tell me what's going on?"

Zoe looked at Mal and back to Jia, "We have been noticing your behavior is different lately."

Jia's face fell, "I didn't know you could tell."

"What's wrong?"

Jia looked reluctant, "I got news from home. It's not good."

Zoe sat forward, "What happened?"

"It's complicated. I don't really want to talk about it. It's just been on my mind lately. I'm sorry if I've been different."

Zoe was sympathetic, "It's alright."

Mal was not so dismissive, "That may explain your other behavior, but what about last night?"

"Last night?" Jia looked genuinely confused.

"Last night in my bunk?"

Jia looked first surprised, then horrified, "Sir, I would never go in your bunk."

"You helped me in there last night."

"No I didn't. The last time I saw you was yesterday before you left, and now. I never saw you last night."

Now it was Mal's turn to be confused, "Never?"

"Never. Captain, I'm sorry but I would not be comfortable being in your bunk."

Zoe looked amused, "Never mind, Jia. Captain was just drunk."

"Oh, well can I go? I promised Kaylee I'd help her with something."

"No problem."

Jia left. Zoe turned to Mal, "So, she came on to you huh?"

"I could have sworn that was real."

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Mal could not get it out of his head that something was wrong. He watched her over the next week with suspicion. She was beginning to go back to normal. It was exactly a week later when everything changed.

It started when, while in his bunk, the proximity alarm went off. Mal raced to the bridge, it was an Alliance battle cruiser. Not good.

Then Mal got the shock of his life. A familiar face came over the screen. The Operative.