….The Villa, at an undisclosed location...
The film crew followed the crew of Serenity, as well as the Tam family, onto the set where the filming of "Keeping Up With the Tams" was scheduled to take place. As stars of the show entered the villa, the cameramen took several close up shots of their reactions to the Villa itself, as well as the numerous bodyguards that Niska had guarding the area for their "protection."
While most of the show's cast seemed suitably impressed with the Villa, as indicated by several appreciative nods and a quiet exclamation of "shiny' on Kaylee's part, the reactions of the Tams and Inara where more subdued. These individual's said nothing, and their stoic faces gave away nothing, as they examined the large, luxuriously adorned house and the surrounding area. In fact, a few of the camera crew members muttered under their breath that audiences might find the initial Villa entrance scene boring...until one of them got too close to Jayne during a close up, and that individual was promptly pushed to the floor by the mercenary
"That's too close, gorramit! Didn't your mamas ever teach you to respect a man's personal space?!"
After one of Niska's goons tapped on his holster threateningly, the large man walked away from the downed cameraman, allowing his buddies to help the man off the floor. But instead of getting scared or angry, the man in question grinned. "Please tell me you got that! The gruff, uncivilized mercenary pushing one of the innocent camera crew to the ground!" When one of the other camera guys nodded, the man who had been pushed grinned. "Great! Now that is some quality TV material! That push needs to make it on the air!"
The rest of the first day on set was pretty boring though, One of Niska's men, dressed up like an honest businessman who was there on behalf of a "mysterious benefactor" who just wanted to "help the cast share their traumatic experiences with the Alliance to the 'Verse", gathered all the cast members into the living room and explained the rules they would all have to live by while living in the Villa. Most of those rules involved not hurting themselves, each other, or the camera crew and bodyguards, and not trying to leave the villa during filming. The whole speech just made everyone really bored, and even Inara had to suppress a yawn during that event. Jayne had no such compunctions, however, and openly yawned right in front of a camera,. This event caused River to chuckle before she looked right at her "host" and rolled her eyes "We're smart enough that we could have figured those rules out ourselves, thanks.. But thank you for wasting our time."
Jayne nodded before he walked toward the host of the show. "What the craz...the girl said. Aren't we supposed to be telling some stories about the Alliance, or exploring the Villa, or some such?! I don't know much about television. Hell, I've never even owned one myself. But I don't think the people of the 'Verse want to see us all sitting around doing nothing, while somebody else talks about...well, nothing!"
The host, while a big man himself, could not help but notice that Jayne, who was now standing right in front of him, was a full head taller than himself, gulped. "Um...yes. You're absolutely right. Some of your bodyguards will escort all of you to your sleeping quarters, and then you will all have a chance to speak your peace about a few things over the next several days,"
Jayne glared at the man for his vague reply, but Malcolm raised his voice slightly to speak over any further objections Jayne might make. "Shiny. Let's all just get ready for bed, then.."
Gabriel Tam nodded.. "Yes, let's all get ready for bed. I'm sure there will be plenty of time for us all to explore or talk later.
All of the show's cast members agreed with this, and they were all starting to disperse when one of Niska's men started whispering in the host's ear. Whatever was said, it made the host scowl while his face turned red. "That stupid Hwun dan! He had several weeks to do that job, and he picked yesterday to..."
But then the host's lips turned up into a grin as he added. "Actually, never mind, this could make things much more entertaining. We'll see how this plays out before we decide if any heads need to roll." The man turned his gaze towards both Malcolm and Inara, who happened to be standing side by side, arguing about something under their breath. However, both the captain and the ex-Companion immediately turned towards Niska's top man for this operation when they saw the unsettling look he was giving them. The captain raised an eyebrow. "What?"
The hosts put on his best fake expression of regret."I'm afraid your room is not yet available, Captain Reynolds, nor is the room we had made available for Miss Frey. They had a little bit of a pest problem, you see. There was also a scheduling issue, so the the pest control man did not get around to taking care of the problem until yesterday afternoon. So it will not be safe for anyone to enter those rooms for a few days. Until then, Captain Reynolds we will need to make alternative accommodations for you and your mechanic..."
River smirked. "Kaylee should stay in Simon's room. He has been sneaking to her room every night as it is. And he keeps waking me up in the middle of the night when he does." The youngest Tam half-glared, half-smiled at her older brother in the way that only a bratty younger sister can pull off. "You're not as sneaky as you think you are, Simon."
Simon and Kaylee both blushed bright red as his parents gave the former strange looks. "Sorry about that, River. I didn't know I was waking you. But...are you sure that you are okay having your own room here at the Villa? I know you have nightmares, and that we have been sharing the same room for almost a year so that I could better take care of you..."
River shook her head and mockingly patted Simon's cheek. "Poor Simon, so smart, but still such a boob. You have always taken care of me, but I'm better now. As well as I am going to get, anyway. Now I want to take care of myself. Besides, no seventeen year old woman really wants to share a room with her brother."
Simon chuckled at the way River punctuated that last word with both annoyance and familial fondness. "No, I suppose not." The young doctor turned towards Kaylee. "What about you, Kaylee? Are you okay with the two of us sharing a..."
Kaylee beamed. "That would be shiny! I've been waiting for you to ask to move into my quarters since we had sex..."
Realizing that the elder Tams, who were now glaring at her, were still in the room, Kaylee's face turned red again as she tried to amend her words. "I mean, got together, a few days after we sent the wave from Mr. Universe's place! I'm...just going to go get some of my things then..."
The mechanic quickly walked out of the room to gather her belongings, and Simon shot an apologetic look to his wide-eyed parents and talked to them just as they were starting to open their mouths. "I will go to be with her then...I mean, to help her unpack. Obviously, I meant to help her pack because..." Simon sighed, realizing that he was just digging himself into a bigger hole by trying to explain. So the young doctor just nodded, then said, "Right." As if that explained everything, then he walked towards the room that one of the cast's bodyguards was showing Kaylee to.
After the elder Tams and River left the living rooms to find their domiciles, Malcolm shook his head. "One big happy family. I can already tell that our stay here will be all kinds of shiny."
Inara half-smiled, half-smirked at her captain's sarcastic analysis of the crew's new living situation, and Malcolm smiled right back. The captain and the ex-Companion only noticed that they had been starting at each other a bit too long when their host, who was now the only other person in the room, cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, this still leaves the matter of your living quarters in question, Mr. Reynolds..."
"Captain Reynolds." Malcolm and Inara said simultaneously. Mal and Inara looked at each other for a moment, then glared right at their host."
The host nodded his head. "Of course. In any case, Captain Reynolds, your room is still unsafe for human habitation at this time. However, it has been decided that you can share a room with Miss Serra."
"Buh kuh nuhn! That would be unacceptable! Even though I am no longer a registered companion, I still value my privacy, and if you think I am going to let a Chewn Joo order me about and force a man into my bedroom for some ratings stunt, you have another thing coming!"
Malcolm pointed to Inara. "What the lady said, I may not be much of a gentlemen..." Inara gave Malcolm a look, and the captain sighed. "Or at all a gentlemen. But I was taught never to climb into a woman's bed unless she invites me to. And clearly, I'm not invited. So I guess I'll be sleeping on one of these moderately comfy couches until my room is ready."
Inara smiled as she gave Malcolm a look that was somewhat apologetic. "Thank you, Mal. I'll be sure to get you a pillow and some blankets from my room so that you will have a better chance of sleeping through the night."
The host shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't work. The crew still need to install a few cameras in this room. And that will probably take the better part of tonight. So captain Reynolds will not be able to sleep here. Besides, didn't I mention that there was a fold-out bed in Miss Serra's room?"
Malcolm glared at his host. "No. You must have forgotten to mention that bit."
Inara smiled. "Well then, that settles it. I'll just ask Zoe to sleep on the foldout in my room, and the captain can have Zoe's room. Or maybe River can.."
The host sighed. "No, I'm afraid that won't work, either. Miss Tam and Miss Washburne have both requested that they wanted to have their own rooms. Miss Washburne stated that she wanted a private space to be alone with her grief over losing her husband. And Miss Tam?" The host shrugged. "Who knows? Half of the words she said while speaking to me and my crew earlier were incoherent. But she definitely wants to have her own room, that much I understood. But perhaps, Mr. Cobb..."
"No!" Inara's eyed widened for only a moment before she quickly regained her composure. "I mean...I would rather not have Jayne sleep in the same room as me, Mr. Cobb has many...fine qualities as a human being, but he is not the most refined person in the 'Verse. Although I'm sure that the man would never actually lay a hand on me, I'm afraid that he and I sharing a room might cause him to be tempted in...other ways."
Inara's pleasant smile was broken when Malcolm chuckled and added. "Which is a nice way of saying that Bei Bi Shiou Ren would take every opportunity to see Inara stark naked that he could. And seeing as both part of my crew, I forbid them to sleep in the same room together."
Inara crossed her arms in front of her. "Forbid it? I thought I made it clear to you, when I first got on Serenity, which, may I remind you, we aren't even on right now, that I was a long-term passenger, not a crew member Which means I don't have to follow your orders!"
The host made a subtle gesture towards the camera crew, who slowly inched closer to the bickering individuals in the room to get a close-up shot of the argument. Malcolm scowled. "Fine! Shiny! You don't want to be part of my crew? After this media circus is over, I can drop you off at the nearest fancy Core world of your choosing if that's the way you want it! And if you really want to share a room with that Bei Bi Shiou Ren, then go right ahead! I won't try to stop you! Hell..."
Malcolm grinned, but everyone in the room could tell that the gesture was forced, as the man whispered low enough that only Inara could here it. "You can sleep with Jayne, if you want, for all I care!"
Inara was on the edge of tears. Her conflicted feelings for the captain, as well her tired mind and body, which had been worn out by all the events which had occurred since the Operative had held her hostage at the Companion training house, made her trained facade crumble away, if only for a moment. "You know that isn't what I meant, Mal..."
Malcolm put his hands in the air in front of him. "No. It's fine. Who you choose to spend time with is none of my business. That's another thing you've made very clear since day one. So do whatever you want. You always do, anyway."
The captain turned and walked briskly out of the room, his boots thudding against the tiled floor as he did so, leaving behind a sobbing Inara. However, the camera crew's attempts to get a close-up off Inara's tear-stained face were met with failure, as the ex-Companion blushed at her very public display of emotion as she dried her tears from her face and calmly, but firmly told the crew to "Get away from me!" as she quickly ran away from the room in an elegant stride that most women would kill to possess. The dark-haired woman then quickly made her way to only bedroom that was still unoccupied, her own, and slammed the door behind her.
With the ex-Companion out of their sights, the host smiled malevolently as he listened to the voice coming out of his ear-piece, as he motioned the camera crew to follow him. "The head A/V guy just told me where the Captain is. Mr. Niska asked for us to the show the 'Verse what this crew is like when they are miserable. And there is nothing like a lover's quarrel to inspire misery!"
The captain, as it turned out, had already found the open bar in the parlor, pulled out out the cheapest bottle of whiskey that the Villa had to offer, and poured himself a glass while he sat on one of the bar stools. And there he sat, for the better part of five minutes, leaving the glass completely untouched...until the camera crew followed him into the room. The captain sighed.
Malcolm, who had seen the crew enter the room due the large mirror behind the bar area, didn't even turn around, preferring to glare at the camera-men's reflection as he spoke. "Go away. Can't a man enjoy a quiet drink in peace anymore?"
One of the cameramen ignored Malcolm's words. "Mr...I mean, Captain Reynolds. Would you care to comment on the lover's spat that you and Miss Serra seem to be engaged in? I'm sure that the 'Verse would be very interested to hear your side of the story concerning the ups and downs of the romance between a smuggler and a Companion!"
Mal sighed. "That's not..." The captain shook his head. "From what Simon said about how television works, you're just going to create whatever Yu Bun Duh story line for me and my crew that you want. Fine. But I want to be perfectly clear about this this. Inara is a free woman. Not tied to me, or no one else. So don't bother her about some nonsense story that says something else."
The cameramen began chatting among themselves, trying to decide whether they should press this line of questioning, or move on to something else. As they were doing so, Mal looked at the fancy crystal glass in his hand, filled with one of the cheapest brands of whiskey in the 'Verse. The captain then sighed, and dumped the whiskey out of the glass and into the sink, before washing said glass and putting it on the counter beside the sink as he mused aloud to himself in a whisper. "That was gorram stupid of me. Wasting a shiny glass like that on cheap booze. The fancy and the common. They just can't mix. No matter how much you dress it up, no matter how hard you try...cheap booze stays cheap booze. And a fancy glass like that deserves better."
The captain frowned, knowing that he was in a bad mental state when he starting waxing metaphorical. Before Miranda, River had even had a name for it, saying the captain had a bad case of the Nargles when he got like this. Whatever the gorram hell that meant.
So lost was the captain in his revelry, it took him a couple minutes to realize that the camera crew where now filming him again, and had been for some time. Mal shook his head. "You're still here? I told you that I had nothing more to say about Inara..."
"Captain..." Any hint of excitement or sadistic merriment caused by Mal's personal anguish had fled the face of the cameraman who was now speaking. Instead, there was now a deeply serious look on the face of one of Niska's new employees. "What can you tell us about your experiences with the Alliance government, the atrocities they committed, both during and after the border worlds' war for independence? The people of the 'Verse,often only hear the Alliance's side of the story. But we think they would be very interested to hear about the war from someone who fought for independence Everyone loves an underdog story, Captain Reynolds. Now it is time to tell yours."
Mal's face was expressionless when he replied. "No choice, then?
The cameraman shook his head, and the captain sighed before he turned around. Mal finally faced the camera crew directly, but he did not speak just yet, electing to take a large swig of the cheap whiskey right out of the bottle before he started speaking. "You want to know what I think of those purple bellies? Fine. Let's start with what they did to my home planet. A farming world called Shadow..."
….sometime later...
Inara Serra tossed and turned on the bed of her (temporary) new room for over an hour before she sighed, and shot out of the bed in one elegant, fluid motion. After putting on a red robe from her private collection, the woman started to brush her hair in front of the lone mirror that had been provided for the room. Sighing at the sight of her bed head, after turning on the light, Inara fought through the curls in her dark hair as best she could. But her brush strokes were erratic, punctuated by several contortions of angry expressions on Inara's face, as the woman in question started speaking to the mirror in front of her, as if her reflection could help her with the current source of her troubles. "Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Letting that Bu Kuh nuhn man get under your skin? You were trained as a Companion. You are better than this! And you know very well why you can't tell that man how you really..."
But the ex-Companion promptly ceased speaking when she saw the telltale glint of a camera lens in one of the corners of the room, where a wall met the ceiling. Inara sighed, then went on with her business as if the camera wasn't there. Inara pulled her uncooperative hair in a bun, then decided to do one of the only things that she knew would help her turn her mind off: watch television.
The ex-Companion flipped through over a hundred channels over the next five minutes, finding absolutely nothing good on. Inara sighed, remembering that this was why she didn't generally watch television, except on the rare occasion when she just needed to turn her brain of f completely, and she couldn't get in the right frame of mind for meditation. Still, Inara knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep for another hour or so, so she checked the TV guide using the heavily encrypted Cortex receiver that was on her bedside table. She found a channel which would be...educational, if not entertaining, to watch, then tuned the TV to that station. Within five minutes, Inara wished she had not done so.
Inara had thought watching a channel that proudly proclaimed that it only waved "All Reality Television! All the time!" would help her learn more about the type of show that she and her friends were now a part off. But all that the ex-Companion could surmise from what she had seen was that reality shows were about one thing, and one thing only, creating pointless drama about nothing in order to secure a captive audience and keep ratings high. Still, for a time, Inara persisted in watching the commercial-free (unless one counted the copious loads of product placement) show on the television , hoping to eek some useful information that might help her and the crew of Serenity avoid any more unnecessary drama while filming "Walking Alongside the Tams." After all that Inara was able to learn from watching several women bicker with their husbands, and each other, on a 17th season episode of "Real Housewives of Londinium" was that people had really low standards for entertaining television, even in the 26th century, the Companion turned off the TV and shook her head. "That's 30 minutes of my life I'll never get back."
Inara's thoughts were interrupted, however, by a knock on her bedroom door, as well as a familiar voice. " Hey Inara, can you open the door for just a minute? I'm not looking to disturb you no more after...well, just after. I just wanted to get a pillow and some blankets so I could sleep out here in the hallway..."
Inara sighed and opened the door. "Don't be foolish, Mal. The floor is no place for a person to sleep. You can sleep on the fold out. Just until your bedroom is ready."
Malcolm just nodded. "That would be shiny. I've had to sleep on the ground many a time when I was a soldier, but...beds, even fold out ones, are much better."
The captain pointed to a large blood red sheet that Inara had already hung up somehow, which was currently obstructing his view of a little over a quarter of the room. "I'm guessing that's your handiwork then, and that the fold out is on the other side of the curtain?'
Inara just nodded as she studied her profile in the mirror further, while she idly answered the captain's question. "Yes. This is my room, Mal, so I will expect you to stay on your side of the curtain unless you are exiting the room, or if I give you permission to enter my side of the room. One of the first things I learned as a Companion was the importance of setting boundaries, so I will expect you to respect mine."
Malcolm nodded, but his gaze seemed far away as he replied. "Boundaries. Sure. Shiny. Still, you aren't a Companion anymore, right? So why did you hang on to all of this stuff?" The captain pointed both to the curtain, and to the various make-up kits and pieces of jewelry on Inara's nightstand
Inara shrugged. "I don't know. It's just...familiar, I guess. Trappings of the only life I had ever known...until the Guild revoked my Companion status."
Malcolm sighed when he saw the sad look on Marinara's face, and the captain felt the need to say something. "Yeah...I...um. I'm sorry that they won't let you be a Companion no more, on account of what I did at Mr. Universe's place..."
Inara smirked. "Captain Reynolds, you are a terrible liar. You have made your disdain for my profession quite clear since we met. You hated that I was a Companion."
Malcolm shrugged. "Yeah...but I don't hate you. And I know that you loved your job."
Inara frowned. "Loved may be too strong a word. It was the only life I knew, that was all. And I was really good at it. But I knew that I was probably giving that life up when I chose to help you expose what happened on Miranda. You may be a stubborn Wong Ba Duhn at times, but you have never been strong willed enough to make me do anything. You didn't force me to go to Miranda with you. Or to help you get that wave out. I made those choices on my own. You aren't to blame for that."
Malcolm shrugged. "Perhaps you're right. But still...I'm sorry."
Inara just nodded, and she thought that would be the end of the conversation, until the captain turned around around, just as his hand touched the partition curtain, and said. 'You know something? I just realized this is the first time that I've seen you without...you know, all your Companion stuff. Without make-up, jewelry, fancy clothes, done up hair...you look, I don't know..."
Inara rolled her eyes. "Less glamorous? Human? I'm not a Companion any more Mal. I don't need to look like a model 24/7. I hope that isn't too terribly disappointing for you."
Malcolm winced when Inara spoke in a tone that clearly indicated she didn't give a gorram if he didn't like her new look. "Actually, I was going to say you look like a normal person. But not in...you know, a bad way."
The captain huffed. "Just...you look good like this. Not that you didn't look very fine before, of course, but I just."
Inara interrupted the captain's rambling with a smile. "Thank you, Mal. I appreciate that. Anyway, I was just about to turn in for the night. If you still need to wash up this evening, I'll keep a candle lit until you get back."
Malcolm smirked. "That's very thoughtful of you, but I'm a big boy, and I don't need a nightlight. Besides, I'm already ready for bed, so I think I'll just go ahead and hit the hay now."
Inara nodded. "Alright, then. Goodnight, Mal."
Malcolm walked behind the curtain, but his voice went beyond the red sheet. "Night, Inara."
Inara hastily prepared herself for bed, dressing down until she was only in her underwear, then turned the room light off before she swiftly got under the covers. The ex-Companion knew that Malcolm, as much of a brigand as he pretended to be, would never actively try to violate her privacy to get a glimpse of her naked. But the former working girl wanted to make every effort to make sure that the captain didn't accidentally get an eyeful. Because Inara honestly didn't know what would happen if the captain ever did see her naked. At best, such an event would lead to a verbal confrontation between her and the captain. But the alternative...
Inara shuddered as she tried and failed to push that thought aside. It would not due to dwell on that line of thinking. The ex-Companion told herself that it was too late for her to have second thoughts concerning the nature of her relationship between her and Mal. That even entertaining such an idea was selfish. And the Companion in her knew that. But the woman in her...
Inara sighed deeply, hoping the captain wouldn't hear. The woman in her fantasized about asking the captain to join her in her bed. She dreamt of a long night of lovemaking between her and Mal. Of whispered apologies for past hurts she and Mal had caused each other due to stuborness and pride. Of forgiveness quickly given, and promises made to spend the rest of their lives making it up to each other...
Inara let a single tear fall silently as she rebuked herself for such foolishness. She knew the rift between her and Malcolm was too big to be healed that easily, or quickly. The former Companion also knew that if there had ever been a chance for her and Mal to be an item, that chance was gone now. There wasn't enough time. Yet still, the temptation to call him to her was there, stronger than ever now that she and the stubborn, yet surprisingly noble, man where sharing the same room.
And that, Inara knew, was the real reason she had objected so fiercely to sharing a room with Malcolm. It wasn't that she didn't trust Malcolm to be alone with her. Rather, she didn't trust herself to be alone with the captain.
"Inara?"
The former companion huffed in feigned annoyance as she dried away her tears, after the subject of her musings spoke.. "I'm trying to sleep, Mal. Can whatever it is wait till morning?"
The captain's loud sigh could easily be heard on both sides of the sheet."No. I reckon it can't. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I know that you don't want to sleep with Jayne, but I had no business ordering you about when you aren't even on my boat. And I didn't mean it when I said you weren't welcome on Serenity when this Yu Bun Duh show is done, you can stay on board as long as you want. If you decide you want to be part of my crew when this is all over, that is."
Inara smiled. "I would like that. I didn't mean it when I said I wasn't. I know I was being pointlessly argumentative, I just...I've never shared a room with a man, except for business. And all the while, all of this reality show nonsense is going on, and the camera crew seem to be doing their business to make us all look like fools. It's all a bit daunting."
Malcolm chuckled. "Yeah, this media stuff does feel like a circus, doesn't it? I knew there was a reason I never liked television. But maybe we could watch each others backs from now on? I do my best not to besmirch your reputation in any way, and you keep me from saying anything stupid?"
Malcolm smiled when he could almost feel Inara smirking on the other side of the curtain as she spoke. "If only that were remotely possible."
Malcolm huffed in feigned annoyance, but he was all smiles when he replied. "Fair enough. You could stop me from saying anything any stupider than usual then."
Inara chuckled. "I think I could manage that. It's a deal. But before the two of us face the 'Verse again tomorrow, I really do need to sleep. Goodnight, Mal."
The captain smiled. "Night, Inara."
Within minutes, Inara was able to drift off to sleep with a smile on her face. Now that her and the captain were on civil terms again, the ex-Companion was certain she and Mal would be able to handle anything that Niska's men threw at them, and the rest of the "cast members." After all, Inara though before sleep claimed here, there was no way tomorrow could be any worse than today.
AN: In addition to my previously cited source, some of the Chinese phrases in this chapter came from the Firefly and Serenity database of wikia.
Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter! Special thanks go out to bjq and Hawki for reviewing my last chapter, and to my beta reader, without whom this story would uglier than a Reaver ship! Your help is greatly appreciated!
So, I'm just going to leave this here. Any feedback concerning this chapter would be greatly appreciated. Until next time, I am...
-supercode
