Written for a challenge for Mal's last stand. Character death.
River cried when they left for the bar. No one knew why. Two years since Miranda had made a huge difference on her mental state. She never screamed in the night anymore. She may not be Simon's little sister like before, but she was River and that was enough. Mal calls her his albatross and she just looks at him sadly, tears still in her eyes. Inara puts her arm around the younger girl's shoulders and hugs her. River attempts a brave wobbling smile as they leave.
Kaylee snuggled up against Simon's arm and they disappear to a dark corner as soon as they reach the bar.
Zoë feels a twinge in her chest. Two years, two years and it still hurts. Mal sees the look on her face and grabs her hand, secretly in the dark, and gives it a tight squeeze.
Jayne orders some drinks and snags a table. They drink in companionable silence for sometime, Mal still giving her hand squeezes every so often, until he goes to the bar.
Some thug leans over him as he accepts the glass of sake from the barman and snatches it from his hand.
"Wey!" Mal snaps turning with a glare.
"I know you," the man growls. One eye is scarred over and shut. "Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds. Overlanders right?"
Mal frowns, puzzled.
"Battle of Serenity. I was there. But I didn't fight for your lot. My platoon died on your orders. The battle was over. Browncoat scum!" He throws the glass of liquid in Mal's face.
Mal splutters and spits and blinks the liquid from his stinging eyes. Zoë is at his side in moments. But the thug has friends too.
"Unification Day!" one yells out.
"Yeah!" comes the battle cry from the others.
"A tussle!" Jayne sits up from his slouched position and sees exactly who has started it. Ah U-Day he thinks fondly. Can always count on the Captain to provide him with a good brawl on U-Day. He decides to get stuck in.
Zoë tries to pull her gun to bear but one backhands her across the face. She stumbles and falls.
Mal crouches beside her. "Zoë?"
"Good sir," she says starting to sit up.
Mal doesn't notice the first thug until he is pulling him up by the collar of his coat. He kicks Zoë in the temple and she blacks out. Mal struggles wildly.
"We're gonna have ourselves a U-Day lynching!" the thug yells.
Zoë wakes up to smell of something strong under her nose. She blinks. "Where am I?"
"Serenity," Simon's voice answers. But it has a rough edge to it and it has lost its calm professionalism.
"Mal!" she sits up quickly.
"He…he's there…" Simon moves aside to let her see him.
Mal is laying on the main bunk in the infirmary. His face is bruised and swollen almost beyond recognition. There are bandages and stitches all over his body. His chest is rising shallowly. River and Inara are standing on the other side of him. Inara is holding his hand and Zoë realises that it is the only time she has ever seen Inara's composure so gone. River is bloody. Kaylee is sobbing in the doorway. Simon goes to her and pulls her roughly towards him, wrapping his arms around her.
"What happened?" Zoë asks.
Jayne answers. She looks at him leant against a worktop; he looks almost as bad as Mal. "They had him strung up in that tree outside the bar. Tied his hands behind his back. Were taking pot shots with their guns at him. He was still kicking when I got there. Couldn't get to him. They were slinging up another rope for me when River…" Jayne swallows. "She got rid of them. But Mal…well he'd stopped kicking…" He blinks.
"I did everything I could…" Simon whispers staring at Mal. "But it wasn't…he isn't going to…" He stops, shaking.
Zoë swings her legs over the edge of the bunk and stands, unsteadily walking to his side. "Sir?"
Mal forces his eyes open.
Inara gasps. "Mal!" She leans down and kisses him gently.
He looks at her steadily. "Love you," his voice is a rough raspy whisper. "Hate…hate to leave you…alone."
His eyes switch to Zoë and she holds his gaze evenly.
Zoë grabs his hand and squeezes it tightly. "Mal…" her voice cracks.
"Zoë. My Zoë…it's been worth it. Zoë," he forces a smile to his lips, "I love you. Captain."
He breathes out just once and dies.
Inara claps her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shake with the loud sobs escaping her mouth. River leans over and closes his eyes, and kisses his forehead, before hugging Inara. Holding her up so she can't fall.
"No cap'n…it can't be…change it!" Kaylee cries, beating her fists against Simon's chest. "He can't be dead…he can't!"
Simon grabs her hands and kisses her head and pulls her tight to him and closes his eyes against the tears.
Jayne swears and throws a metal tray at the wall. It clatters to the ground.
Throughout it all Zoë stays exactly where she was. Everything else has been drained of sound. She leans over and kisses Mal on the lips, gives his hand another squeeze and says, "Fly free Mal." She salutes him once. The 57th Overland Rangers' salute. "Love you too sir."