Name: Flannery Chalke
Title: Serenity: Allegro
Chapter 5 – The Job
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All characters (w/ the exception of Liz) come from the mind of Joss Whedon. They belong to him, Mutant Enemy, Fox, Universal, and anyone else with legal hold. I'm just along for the ride.
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Author's Note: Finally, some real Mal/River action. I've been waiting for weeks to write this.
Chapter 5 – The Job
00000
Their evening rendezvous were put on hold during the mourning period and moved to the bridge after Mal discovered River's nocturnal habit. She liked to roam around while everyone else slept, moving along the catwalks and grating with one hand on a metal pole or siding. She took comfort from the gentile hum of her beloved ship and its soft reverberation echoed from hand through bones and calmed her tired body. No one was supposed to know, and looking back, she realized Mal was the only one who could have heard the whisper of her feet on the grating. He was connected to his ship as she was and there was no place on it where she could hide from him.
He found her in her copilot chair with her feet up on the dash. She was in summer sleepwear as was everyone because anything else would be stifling. The heating system was malfunctioning for the second night in a row. The heat from the engine had somehow routed itself through the vent system into cabins and common areas. Everyone was feeling the effects. For Kaylee and Simon, this meant more time down in the bunk, probably why the problem hadn't been fixed yet.
River twirled her long hair into a rope and twisted it at the back of her head, securing it in a single, graceful motion. There was nothing that girl did that wasn't graceful, he thought to himself, then blushed when she turned.
"Sit."
He did so, suddenly realizing he was shirtless, and shivered.
"I fixed the heat problem."
He nodded. For some reason, he felt awkward, unable to converse. This was the first time she'd talked to him since that day on Sihnon when he'd held her weeping and exhausted, a little more than a week ago.
"We are all made of stars."
"What's that now?"
"All major compounds are formed when stars explode, in supernovae. Silicon, Iron, Carbon, at one time, we were all bits of stars, burning and burning until one day we couldn't take it any more and burst in a fraction of a second. And we can never go back."
She wasn't helping his conversation problem.
"But I went back. One day I let myself go. On Micah, where I trained with Allegra my first year gone, I just lost control. I was tired and in pain from training and experimental medication and I wanted it all to end. So I became the stars, the black, became the tiny particles we can't see but sit between elements and matter. I was everything and nothing, and I couldn't make it stop. Allegra was the only one who had enough control to bring me back. She followed me, every piece that flew away and brought each one back together."
He hadn't noticed his jaw drop slightly, a look of pure awe and admiration. She was startled by the intensity of it.
"Not really gone. I was just sitting in a room, but my mind had flown out with the stars and the space in between." She'd stood up and walked, in her casual floating manner, to place her forehead up on the glass. Her back to him, Mal couldn't help but notice the curve of her spine and her calf, the arch of her foot when she stood up on tiptoe. She closed her eyes, acknowledging silently.
Another night, he found her bent over the cortex. She flicked it off as he stepped forward, but tonight he was ready for her and wearing a shirt.
"What are you lookin' for?"
"They raised my bounty again. It's been almost five years, and apparently I'm still worth something to Them." She placed slight emphasis on the last syllables. Old wounds still not healed, nor should they be, he figured. She had as much right as anyone to her brain and her faculties and she'd fought like hell to get some of 'em back. She was dancy tonight, flighty, maybe uneasy? Damn girl sensed his inquiry. She spun around him and took her seat picking up a mug of tea as she sat down.
"Zoë never mourned, did she. Not really." It wasn't a question. Her mouth formed a hard line and Mal nodded.
"There was always something to keep her occupied. You leavin' and Inara leavin' and a mite few more jobs once the two o' you were off the radar. She's a soldier and she knows how to keep things down in the dark where they can't get in the way. I tried to talk to her a few times, but I didn't want to press her. I always figured she'd deal with Wash in her own time."
"That was three years ago, and he's been gone four."
"I'm not her mother. Zoë's a grown woman, and who am I to tell her what to feel or how to feel it?"
She frowned at his terseness. He didn't like where Zoë was any more than River did, but he wasn't following her thought process, which made him nervous.
"You and me, we broke down over Inara, but then when the grieving was done, we put ourselves back together. You have to break Zoë."
"What? River, what do you mean?"
He met her eyes and couldn't break away from their fire.
"You have to break her down into tiny pieces and then you have to reach out and put them back together. She has to mourn and then she has to move on. She's dead now, dead inside, and you have to wake her up."
He looked incredulous. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"You have to be her Sergeant and then you have to be her friend. You'll know when to switch between the two."
Obviously it wasn't as easy as she made it sound, and confronting Zoë about her feelings was the last thing he would normally volunteer for. One day River found a job and he presented it to the crew, putting Zoë out of his mind. Two days later they were arming themselves on Marlowe, another gritty mini metropolis on a mostly uninhabitable planet. They entered a warehouse, guns blazing, to find it empty.
Jayne looked sheepish. "Wrong one."
They had more luck two doors down. The guards went down without a fuss and everyone scurried to match crate serial numbers with the ones scrawled on their hands. There was a screech of tires outside and Mal, River, Zoë, and Jayne took up fighting position. Somehow, unconsciously, River had fallen to Mal's right, Zoë's usual stand. Zoë fell back unceremoniously, and took battle stance to one side, catching their attackers off guard. They'd stormed in via military truck that broke open the door to the warehouse. Despite this setback, the resulting scuffle was ridiculously short. Mal had forgotten what it was like to have River on his team. Her aim was perfect and her trigger finger fast.
They'd taken out everyone when one of Jayne's rounds set fire to the truck's canvas roof. A soldier jumped out the back. He rolled onto his back, his gun aimed at Zoë. She charged toward him. He fired but the aim was off, probably due to the fearsome warrior woman barreling towards him. She jumped round his side and kicked the gun out of his hands. River hit him square in the chest with her laser and he fell still. Mal and River exchanged a look. He grimaced. Obviously he hadn't talked to Zoë about her feelings yet, and River's glare demanded he do it soon.
They loaded the crates into the smoldering truck and drove it aboard Serenity. Twenty minutes later, they exchanged the crates for a heavy sack of coin. The gangster's dank meeting room smelled like rot and a lot of other unfriendly things, and everyone was happy the transaction didn't take too long. The whole job, from start to finish, took less than an hour.
"Why couldn't they have stolen their own crates of tyen shiao duh?" Jayne scratched his head, hanging back to match Mal's slower stride and to watch the girls from behind. They were walking quickly and trying to laugh off the awful stench of the place and the memory of the ugly leering men.
"Since when do we ask questions about the jobs we take?"
"Since the jobs started takin' place not more'n a stone's throw from the buyer."
"Well I forgot to ask. If you want to go back into that gorram hole and try, by all means go ahead, just try not to piss of the large man who scratched his man parts whenever he looked at you."
Jayne made to slug him, but Mal ducked and laughed. The girls had gone ahead, but when Mal and Jayne went up the ramp, they were surprised to find River, Liz, Simon, and Kaylee all dressed to depart again.
"Where do you all think you're off to?"
"We're going shoppin'" Kaylee twisted her skirt, her nice skirt, which meant they weren't planning a short trip. Liz, who'd spent most of the afternoon barely hitting her practice target, was buzzing to get planetside.
River sashayed forward and pulled Jayne's holster strap up over his head, a sensual move and burning look it had taken weeks to master at the Honore training complex. No one could meet each other's eyes for fear of laughing at Jayne's joyfully surprised expression. Mal couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Was River making a pass at Jayne? Unfortunately, Mal hadn't gotten smashed in the bar on Honore and didn't get the joke. She handed the gun to Mal, their eyes locked, her face turned serious for a moment. He read the knowing look perfectly, what it asked of him. And then she spun away a moment later and the small party went off on their way.
Mal looked down at the gun, then into the cargo bay. Zoë stood at the top of the ramp.
"Where are they going?"
"I have no idea." He turned, put his arm around her and led her back inside the ship.
Two hours later, privy to the war that was raging back on her beloved ship, River drowned her drink and shuddered. When the storm finally broke, she signaled and the group took their party back home. Zoë was nowhere to be found, and Mal sat, worn, in the kitchen. Simon and Kaylee were still dancing to the music they'd left behind, and Jayne was trying to entice Liz towards the same. River pulled out the sake bottle and set a shot down in front of Mal who downed it gratefully. She took one herself and poured for others, careful not to spill.
Eventually the kitchen emptied, and River took her sake glass to the bridge and slumped, exhausted, into her familiar seat. Mal followed her.
"How'd it go?"
"I figure you know the answer to that question." He'd brought the bottle and drank a generous gulp.
"You know it was the right thing to do. She'll cry and then she'll mend."
"I know. Doesn't make it any easier though, does it." She nodded and stood. He opened his mouth, stopped, and looked up at her.
"I was scared t' do it. I could always count on Zoë. I've seen her in all kinds o' pain, and I know I've been the cause of it more'n once, but this, I try not to hurt the people I care about on general principle."
"She was a strong branch to snap. You attract strong women, you know? Zoë, Inara, even Kaylee knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. They all will. Liz is stronger than she'll ever let on. Even Saffron." Mal sputtered.
"And you?"
"You know me."
"I'm not so sure. Every time I think I got you figured out, even a little bit, you go dancin' around and mess me up. I understand parts of you, I think, cause we've got more in common than almost anyone."
"We sure do."
"But I'll never really get you. Sometimes I think I don't want to, but other times, like tonight, I'd give anything to be in your head for a change." She smiled and twirled, her hem brushing against his slack arm.
"Sometimes I swim in your head. You smell like Serenity." He reached to swipe at the flowing cloth, but she leapt back. She reached up to stroke Serenity's ceiling and he shivered at the grace, suddenly cold. She swirled again and stopped to pick up a plastic brontosaurus. She stroked its spiky spine and he lost himself in the movement of her hands. She reached over and deftly pulled the sake bottle from it resting place between his legs. She took a final swig and sashayed out.
"Go to bed Malcolm Reynolds."
He watched her sashay into the dark until he could no longer separate girl from ship.
00000
He found her skimming the cortex several nights. One wave, she said, was from Gareth, asking for a semi-permanent address, another from Allegra inquiring about her health. He never saw faces; she must have sensed him coming and made her goodbyes, and she was always a little skittish afterwards. Did she want to keep her two worlds separate? The only link between them was Inara and she was gone now. The only person who could have given him any answers, besides the wild creature herself, couldn't help him anymore.
River spent hours during the day locked in a one-woman dance of punches and kicks and flips. She used the cargo bay to her full advantage, eyes always closed. He wondered if there was any method to the beautiful madness; was she reliving past experiences, was there any opponent at all, or was this just another dance? When Liz went to target practice, now under Zoë's watchful eye, River took to the catwalks. This was the way she practiced, he realized, this was how she managed to stay sane. She danced during the day, flew Serenity, and pieced her tiny family back together. At night, she sat on the bridge with him. Sometimes they talked about the day, about potential jobs, and sometimes they would sit in peaceful silence. He liked to look at her when she gazed out into the black, never sure if she knew he was staring. Did she miss her sojourn with the stars? She had to know, he did it often enough, and yet she never looked abashed. She would meditate sometimes and he would watch the light from other ships dance across her face and torso.
This new fascination bled into his dreams. It had started the day she returned from Inara's funeral, the day he'd allowed himself to weep in the presence of someone else. That was what did it, he figured, he opened himself up to another person almost unwittingly, and he'd forged a connection he wasn't entirely sure he wanted. The beautiful goddess with her flowing river of hair and copper silk and sunlight and whatever wonderful scent she'd smelled of when he'd held her, the scent he couldn't bring himself to wash out of the shirt. Her image would come floating towards him when he dreamed of war, banishing the bloodshed with her sunlight.
Then one night, it came rushing back, the night on Beaumonde when she'd kissed him to save him and he'd felt her skin and kissed her neck and stroked her thigh trying to find her gun. He didn't want this, didn't want to admit he wanted this, but it wouldn't go away. Mal woke up each morning feeling awkward and sheepish though alone in his room. He was embarrassed when he saw her preparing breakfast or cleaning guns with
Jayne or talking quietly with Zoë over tea. Then she would go to her dance or to fly the ship with her usual smile of greeting. If she saw these dreams, she didn't let on.
Besides, it was better to dream of a beautiful woman than of death and screams and free-flowing blood.
When he woke up early one morning to sticky sheets for the first time in years, decades, he wanted to panic. What could he do, really? Throw her off the ship? Nothing short of a self-inflicted lobotomy (maybe Jayne would do it?) would make the dreams of folding his amber-draped goddess into him stop.
He struggled, frustrated, into his clothes and leapt up the ladder. River was in the kitchen in her red silk robe. She'd just shoved one of Liz's scones into her mouth.
"Mal, there's a job on the cortex. Let us know." She took off the towel that covered her wet hair and shook out the softly curling strands.
Crap. Not helping.
He went up on the bridge and missed her knowing smile.
The job had good prospects. It was dicey but the pay was too high to pass on, and besides, he thrived on a challenge. After the crew assembled around the kitchen, Mal gave his usual speech about the dangers and anyone's right to back out during the planning stage. It was just a formality at this point.
"What are we stealin' this time?" Jayne bit into a scone.
"Didn't ask."
"Alrighty then."
They landed on New Jupiter, one of the Core Alliance planets. The arsenal was brought forth, and much to everyone's surprise, Liz was the first to reach for a gun. Mal looked skeptical.
"Are you sure about this little one?"
"I've been practicing and I'm finally getting pretty good. I'd like to try this out if no one has any objections." Everyone looked to Zoë, the only person who could give a decent assessment. She nodded.
"Girl's tellin' the truth. She can finally hit the damn thing, even on the moving shots from time to time. Plus learnin' in the field's the best way to learn."
A nod of acknowledgement went round and Liz smiled at their acquiescence. Everyone took their weapons of choice and departed.
Mal looked over Jayne. "We're just meetin' the man, not killin' him. What's all the armament for?"
"This is my second very favoritest gun. Momma said to always be prepared, and from what I heard about this guy, I might need her. Doris deserves a good fight after ya threw her down on Beaumonde after not near ten seconds, which, by the way, ya haven't ever apologized for."
"I am not apologizing to a gun."
"Ya can't ever have her 'gain if you don't say sorry."
"That's fine with me. Her kickback almost broke my…"
Jayne stopped. "Do not insult Doris or I will…"
"What? You'll what?"
Jayne looked stupefied.
"I wish we had a capture, we all look so shiny." Kaylee skipped forward to link arms with Simon, who shouldered his gun to pull her closer.
I wonder what my parents would say about this. The tiny voice floated in River's mind. She looked at Liz who was doing her very best to look like she belonged with the ragtag group of thieves, though today, they'd dressed up for their client, a powerful and respected lord of the underworld. Normally Mal liked to avoid crime clans at almost any cost, but these days, they were the only ones with any money worth earning.
Zoë walked behind Mal to hide her tiny navigator. In New Jupiter's lower levels, you needed to look like you knew where you were and where you were going. Otherwise, you'd fall prey to the first merc looking to make a quick buck and wind up dead in the process. She'd nudge Mal shoulder before major turns, allowing him to maintain the semblance of control over the group. The dark alleyways of the low levels smelled…not of old wet and death like Beaumonde or sweat and piss on Persephone, this was grease and pain and the foreboding stench of villainy.
They roamed through the maze trying not to meet anyone's eyes. Finally Zoë put her hand on Mal's shoulder to stop him at the mouth of a dead end. Three heavily armed bodyguards stood partially hidden under a bright red canopy at its end and a faint light from inside illuminated the doorframe. Mal walked forward, Zoë at his right and Jayne at his left, the tiny army of few behind. No one noticed River fall back. Liz was trying to remember where she'd seen the symbols painted on the canopy before.
"Does anyone have any food? Some fruit, an apple maybe?"
"Gorram it girl, this is not the time for eatin'."
Liz tried to speak again but only a squeak came out. She'd been on Serenity for almost two years yet Mal still intimidated the hell out of her. Kaylee fumbled around in her bag and pulled out a shiny red apple.
"How'd this get here? Anyway, here, take it."
While the guards escorted them in, Liz tried frantically to reach the head of the processional. She pushed past Kaylee and Simon, but the couldn't break the trinity at the head. The room they entered was surprisingly dark considering the subterranean feel of Hera's lower levels. The group was herded onto a large ornate rug in front of the desk of Ben Li-Huang. He was fiddling with a long knife while the monkey that sat on his shoulder played with his hair. It was an absurd sight, amusing and intimidating.
"These are mighty fine digs you got going on. Could use a little more light though."
Mal's voice echoed through the room and Li-Huang's monkey started screeching. Without warning, the hand slammed the knife into the desk. The guards lining the walls cocked and pointed their heavy machinery, circling the tiny group. Kaylee started to raise her hands despite the fact that one arm was still linked with Simon. Liz seized the opportunity in the general panic and pushed through the gap between Mal and Jayne. She bit a piece of the apple then spit it into her hand. On the plush carpet, she knelt and bowed forward until her arms lay flat against the ground. One hand offered the piece of apple.
The monkey on Li-Huang's shoulder jumped down and took the apple bit. He tested it, then began to munch. Liz reached out and stroked its hairy arm, then broke off another piece of apple when it had finished the first. Li-Huang called the monkey back with a sound and Liz rose. She walked back to her astonished group that parted like the Red Sea to let her in. She handed the apple to Mal.
"Speak softly." She whispered. He nodded, very unsure of what he was witnessing.
Li-Huang stroked the monkey who had returned to his shoulder. It was finishing it's second apple bit. Mal looked around, surprised that the guards had lowered their weapons and looked…bored. He played with the familiar hole in his coat sleeve. This was getting too weird for him.
"You have one week," Li-Huang broke the silence with a cool, lightly accented drawl, "to find me something. It is in a storage facility on Hermes. I do not know exactly where. My other hirelings were identified by the facility's retinal scanner and were executed. I do not wish to give false pretense. There is a very good chance you will be captured and killed. That is why the price is high. And if you reputation is accurate, Captain Reynolds, you are up to the challenge, no?" He threw a bag on the table.
"This will front any preparatory expenses. I highly suggest an investment in false retinas."
"Now wait a minutes. I don't mean to be rude, but you haven't told us what exactly we're looking for or where to even begin looking for it. I agree with you, the price is mighty fine, but what good is it if we don't know what it's on?'
"I suppose you're right." Li-Huang picked up an ornate fountain pen and scribbled on a sheet of fine linen paper.
"This is the serial number of the crate, and this is the amount you will be paid if you can get it here in four days as opposed to seven." Mal stepped forward to take it. The monkey scrambled forward, arms out for more apple. Mal broke another bit off and gave it to him and then took the paper and put it in his pocket.
"You can go now."
"Well ok then." Mal gestured and out they scurried. The group stride was much faster this time round. Jayne growled at anyone who looked remotely sinister. Everyone was extremely confused. When they came in view of their docking bay, Liz felt herself swept forward by the bodies of the crew. They pushed her up the ramp, and as soon as the ramp closed, they circled her.
"If you don't mind my asking, what the hell was that all about?" Mal was skittish.
"He's a member of the Li-Huang clan."
"Yes, I know. Is that supposed to mean something?"
"They have an interesting history." She looked around. Everyone was still staring.
"When members of the Li and Huang families married back on Earth-that-was, they formed a very powerful commercial alliance. They received a huge piece of the contract to ship the citizens off Earth-that-was because of their technical development facilities. They were given several planets as payment, a seat in the Parliament, the usual. Of course they were into organized crime. Their reputation was absurd. They would test clients with silly riddles, weird things like that. It was the hyphen on their banner that got me. The sect is fond of animals, lets them do the judging of character. It's weird, but if the animal likes you, you're set."
"And what about the bowing. Am I gonna have to do that next time?"
"It was just a sign of respect seeing how you pissed him off. Don't do it again, thus no bowing."
"And how do you know all this exactly?"
"I research things."
Mal looked incredulous.
"What do you think I do all day? Sit around and stare at the wall? I have to educate myself. It's the only thing I can do on this boat. Plus, I'm only fifteen, so…" She looked startled. "I mean…um…"
"So you were, you were…thirteen when we took you on, is that what you mean to say?"
Liz wanted to disappear.
"What were you doin' runnin' away at thirteen? I mean, I know the world ain't the greatest place, but I can tell you got some good breedin' in you. What could you possibly be runnin' away from at that age for?"
"You took River on when she was barely sixteen."
"That's different. She had you to look after her."
"And we've looked after Liz." Zoë stepped forward and put an arm around the girl. Still nursing wounds from her 'talk' with Mal, she had no problem stepping up to the challenge in his voice.
"Fine, fine, anyway, we need you to get on that computer of yours and find this crate on Hermes. It's one of Persephone's moons, meanin' we got a decent burn to pull through if we want to make it back in four days." He handed her the paper and her eyes widened at the sum scrawled on the bottom.
"Don't mind that bottom part, just find the crate."
She nodded and took off towards her bunk, head still swimming with zeros. She didn't come out until halfway through dinner. She set her laptop on the table and the hologram projector on a bowl of broccoli.
"Hermes has eight major storage facilities, each owned by private firms. I hacked into the archives of each – and boy was it tricky, but don't worry, it's not traceable – and I found the crate number in facility four, owned by the Taschi firm. It was incarcerated on…well, a while ago, before they started keeping accurate records, that's for sure." She scanned the screen and typed rapidly. A blueprint projected above the table.
"Keycard entry should be easy to override, I've got the tech in my room. I can't find anything about guard locations or shifts, though employment records suggest there's at least two-dozen at a time. I'm thinking we gas the place and go in with masks. The issue is the retinal scanner."
"I'm not gettin' me new retinas just to go steal some crate for a toady mob boss. I like mine just the way they are." Jayne was indignant.
Mal leaned back in his chair. The girl certainly had enthusiasm, and now a desperate need to prove her place on the ship.
"I have contacts that block the scanner waves. At least two pairs, maybe three." The focus shot from one end of the table to the other where River was playing with her chopsticks.
"Ok then, I'm not gonna ask. Here's the plan. Since we don't have the tech to go in full throttle, Zoë, you're gonna gas the place through the vent system. Simon and Kaylee, you're shipboard for backup and Liz will do her keycard…override…thing and take care of any other security features that could be trouble. That way y'all stay out of the way of the scanner. River, Jayne and me'll head in with masks once the guards are down. It'll take some time to find the crate."
"I can give you a map based on the catalogue system I found." Liz was still typing.
"Plus I can redirect the security feed and get a thermal scan out of it. It will let you know when the guards are down."
Kaylee reached forward to hug her. "Can we keep her Capt'n? Can we?"
Even Zoë smiled.
00000
15 hours later, they'd broke atmo on Hermes and after touching down, the main participants went off to prep. Mal had difficulty getting the contact lenses in, but coming out of his bunk, he saw Jayne was having even more problems with them. His eyes were red rimmed and running and he kept swiping at his wet cheeks. Hysterical.
River was a strange sight. Mal was used to her in swishing skirts and flowy dresses. Now she was in stretch pants tucked into knee-high boots and a formfitting tunic. Her hair, normally dark, was now golden. She was shaking it out when he and Jayne came down the steps to the cargo bay. She flipped it back up as they came forward and laughed at their expressions.
"Color bugs. They crawl through your hair and their trail colors it. They wash out." She picked up her holster and strapped it to her waist and above her knee, and then tucked her laser in. The two men watched speechless as two knives went into each boot and into holsters strapped to her forearm. She really was a warrior woman. The final touch was a head wrap covering all but her eyes, similar to the ones she'd worn that night on Beaumonde when her eye's had pierced the darkness.
Focus.
Like all of Mal's plans, this one had its usual setbacks. The warehouse was huge, they couldn't find the crate, the guards woke up sooner than expected, and River had to go full on ninja to keep the twenty men at bay. They'd also conveniently forgotten to include a way to get the crate out of the warehouse, much to all their chagrin.
Kaylee and Simon, who were watching from the bridge windows, stood dumbfounded as the industrial forklift crept towards the ship. Kaylee rushed down to open up the ramp, and was in tears with hysterics when the lift crept up the ramp nearly twenty minutes later.
"I guess…you…forgot…something, didn't…you." She fell over clutching her stomach. Simon was leaning over the catwalk railing struggling for air. Jayne, the driver, shot dirty looks at both. Liz peeked her head out of her room.
"What's so funny?"
One hard burn later and River set Serenity back on New Jupiter. After touching down, she leaned back in her seat.
"Would you mind terribly if I stayed here? Even with the dark of the Li-Huang HQ, I didn't like the way some of the guards were looking at me. I think it's better to play it safe this round." She stood up and stretched, revealing a strip of pale flesh at the waist. Mal swallowed.
"I need you to come with us. That whole room has guns, and if something were to go astray, you need to be there to lend a hand."
She looked pained.
"Ok, compromise. We'll be on comm and I'll wait outside at the mouth of the alley. If things get bad, I'll be there in a flash."
"Fine."
He was always uneasy when she resisted orders, though technically she wasn't flouting them. Pondering her disquiet, Mal headed to the cargo bay to find Jayne. Zoë loaded the mule to drop the cargo at a predetermined location with Simon, and they took off soon after. Kaylee handed Mal an apple.
"Just in case you gotta make that monkey warm to ya again." She smiled. Liz grinned with her. River came forward slinging her bag over her shoulder. She wrapped her headscarf and departed with Mal and Jayne. They wormed their way through the now familiar alleyways and River held back at the mouth of Li-Huang's alley. Mal discreetly brushed his lapel.
"Comm on?"
"Comm on." The voice whispered in his hidden earpiece. He and Jayne went forward and were led inside without fuss. Just as the doors were opening to the main office, Mal heard static coming from River's comm.
"Mal, I'm attracting too much attention for my liking. I think someone's following me. I've gotta keep moving, but I'll stay in the area in case something goes awry." A minute later he heard a soft click. She'd turned off her voice transmitter. At least she would still hear his end.
The trade went off without a hitch. After Li-Huang verified that Zoë and Simon had dropped of the cargo, he handed over a heavy sack.
"You don't need to count it."
"Usually that means I do."
"I assure you, if you have any problems with that gigantic sum, I'd be happy to take it off your hands."
"Well, I think we're gonna take off."
"See that you do."
It wasn't until the two men reached the mouth of the alleyway that Mal remembered.
"Hey River, we're clear. Where are you?"
No response.
"River, where the hell are you?" Mal began to panic. She could take care of herself sure enough, but he wanted some confirmation that she was ok at least. He stepped out into the crowd trying to scan for the now familiar purple headscarf.
"She not respondin'?" Jayne joined the search. "Hell, girl can take care of herself."
"She said someone was following her and then her comm went off."
Even Jayne looked panicked at this. He used a donkey to hoist himself above the crowd, scanning down. He hopped back down and growled when it's owner voice discontent.
"She said she'd stay in the area if she could. She said she'd stay close." Now Mal was really freaking out. They pushed their way through the crowds with no idea where to begin looking.
And then they spotted her at the same time, the purple headscarf bobbing towards them. River wove through the crowd, diving under parcels and over the small animals crowding the street and finally, breathless, reached them.
"I'm sorry. My comm got smashed." She held out the tiny device, now a mess of wires and broken plastic.
"Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo! Don't scare us like that ever again." Before either knew what was happening, he'd reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, just to assure himself that she was really there. She reached her arms around to help reassure him. Finally they let go and she backed away awkwardly.
Jayne looked pained like he was struggling with a math problem. "Uh, can we get outta here? Since we found her and all." Having regained his composure, Mal took the lead.
"What took you so long?" Zoë asked when they got back to the ship.
"River thought someone was onto her, had to get out. It took us a while to reconnect." Still slightly shaken, he handed the money to Zoë to distribute. Dazed, he made a beeline for his bunk. Despite having nowhere to go, he wanted nothing more than to get out of there. He slung off his coat and flung himself on his bed. He fell asleep almost instantly.
Mal woke to the sound of his bunk hatch being opened. Bleary eyed, he watched River climb down, back in familiar flowing garb. She clunked a bag on his desk.
"Your share." He nodded and sat up, resting his feet on the floor. She lingered for a moment.
"I really am sorry about today. I know how much a scared you, how much you wanted to scream at me right there on the street."
"You're a wanted girl, I guess, a wanted woman now. You're under my protection, no matter how much you don't need it and I aim to see this through. You've gotta help me do that from time to time."
"I guess none of us can stop you from worrying."
"Yup." It was open ended, but when no more came out, she turned to leave.
You left once, and I'll never know if you'll do it again 'til it's too late. He stood and stretched and there she was in front of him all of a sudden. Her hands rose to cup his face and he couldn't break away from her unblinking gaze.
I'm not leaving again. I promise you right now. It rang through his head clear and true. He realized she was almost his height, and suddenly his head swam with her nearness.
If she'd held on a second longer he would have leaned in and kissed her, but she blinked and turned just as he started to lean forward. She leapt up the ladder and out of sight.
00000
Jayne was itching to spend his money and everyone was in the mood for real food so the party went out that evening in search of entertainment. After a good meal and very good wine, somehow Jayne ended up leading them back. To Rivers annoyance, he took a detour through the Red Light District. Simon and Kaylee were already going at each other as they walked, oblivious to everyone but each other. River was happy that they'd managed to repair the fragmented relationship and they were back in full swing. However, this reeked havoc on her senses. The Red Light District amplified this and she struggled to push away the images of entwined bodies and the waves of lust that swirled round and round her head. She briefly entertained the idea of joining Jayne in the search for someone to share her bed for the night, but shot it down quickly. The crew would be appalled. I am twenty-one gorram it. She shook her head and quickened her pace.
Back on the ship, River's skin was burning softly. Even the silk of her nightdress felt rough and after pacing her room several times over, she pulled on her jacket and padded up the stairs to the kitchen. Normally she loved roaming Serenity's empty common areas at night but tonight the air was grating. Two glasses of water later, she tried to meditate in her copilot chair. She knew it was no use, what with the residual mess of the Red Light District, plus Simon and Kaylee in one bunk and Jayne with…3 women in his. She rubbed her eyes with her palms. She couldn't even latch onto the miserable depths of Zoë's grief, for even that had slowly begun to mend. Liz was dreaming about an ugly dog.
She sensed him coming before she heard the heard the screech of the hatch opening. Mal strode forward and took his usual seat. This was not a happy development.
"Nee ta ma duh tyen-shia suo-yo duh run doh gai si." She pulled her knees up and rested her head on them.
"What's that now?"
"Nothing."
"You know Jayne's got 3…"
"Mal." Her voice pleaded something he couldn't place. She stood up, scrunched her face and rubbed her forehead. She paced for a minute, then restrained herself against the back of her chair. In two steps, she crossed the room and pressed her lips to his. Completely caught off guard, he surrendered immediately to her wanting mouth. Moments later, reason fought to the surface and he cupped her cheeks, gently pushing her away.
"River girl, what are you doin'?"
"I'm kissing you." She moved in again, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to keep her from meeting her goal.
"I'm sorry…just…I don't think this is the best time for…this."
"Why not? I've thought about it before and I know you've thought about it. You've thought about it a lot. I'm not the little girl you found in cryo five years ago. I'm twenty-one years old. Hell, you've already seen me naked."
He rubbed his forehead. "I know I've thought about it."
"More than that."
"Yes, more than that. But I've sworn to protect you. Hell, I swore to myself I'd die for you, and I don't need to get things all complicated with…this."
"You keep calling it 'this'. It's you and me. It's us."
"I shouldn't be a part of any 'us' right now. At all. You know that."
"You weren't being stupid this afternoon. I was right here," she brought her face close and cupped his, "and you wanted nothing more that to kiss me..."
He couldn't help it this time. His arms snaked around her back and tangled in her hair. She moved forward and straddled his lap, closing the space between them, and he brought his hands down to stroke her back. Her lips were fierce against his and he could taste summer wine and spices. He quickly became lightheaded and the blood rushed south. He couldn't do this. He reached up to pull her shoulders away. Her face was flushed, lips swollen, and her piercing brown eyes swam in dilated pupils. Unable to speak, he shook his head, unable to meet her eyes.
She stumbled off his lap. She tangled her hands in her hair, squeezing until her knuckles turned white.
"Runtse de shang-dee, ching daiwuhtzo!" she moaned as she tore out of the bridge. Mal rubbed his face, utterly confused and fiercely torn.
Walking past the crew bunks, Mal was assailed by the incessant moaning coming from Kaylee's bunk and rhythmic thumps from Jayne's.
"Ai-yah. Tyen-ah."
He found River on the catwalks (he should have known), leaning against the handrail.
"They're in your head, aren't they?"
She nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her neck. She leaned back into his embrace and melted. His hands stroked small circles across her stomach and she twisted her neck back to meet his eyes.
"It's not just because of them. You know that right?"
He nodded and she leaned in to kiss him once more.
00000
Author's note: I started writing this according to my outline and it just kept getting longer and longer! I really tried not to make it too soapy. Please let me know what you thought!
Translations:
"tyen shiao duh" – God knows what.
"Nee ta ma duh tyen-shia suo-yo duh run doh gai si" - F everyone in the universe to death.
"Runtse de shang-dee, ching daiwuhtzo" - Merciful God please take me away.
"Ai-yah. Tyen-ah." – Merciless hell.