Ruby waited anxiously near the bay door of Serenity, looking out at the empty field for any sign of Mal, Zoe and Jayne. They'd stormed off in such a rush that neither she nor Inara could stop them. That had been over an hour ago.
"They'll be okay," Kaylee, Serenity's resident mechanic, spoke up from behind her. The younger girl was sweet and had brought Ruby tea right after the trio had left. "They get into all sorts of antics and always come back."
"Thank you, Kaylee," Ruby smiled gratefully. It wasn't that she doubted the group's abilities; they certainly seemed like a fearsome bunch. No, it was because she knew that Hank had the local Alliance on his payroll.
Serenity's intercom crackled before a voice came through. "Wash, we're coming in hot. Be ready," Mal commanded, sounding out of breath. In seconds the ship's engines roared to life. Kaylee, Inara, and a few others who Ruby hadn't met yet ran onto the catwalk above the cargo bay.
A dust cloud came to view in the distance. As it drew closer to Serenity, the details of the mule, driven by Mal with Zoe and Jayne in tow, became clear. They were speeding towards the ship like their lives depended on it.
"There they are!" Kaylee shouted, then rushed down to stand beside the button that would close the cargo bay door.
An older gentleman in priest garb spoke smoothly. "Looks like they brought company."
Ruby looked back to the mule, which was nearly at the ship, and saw three small ships tailing them. She instantly recognized them as being from the security company that Hank employed. "Jian ta de gui."
"Everyone please find something to hold onto," came a voice over the intercom, presumably from the pilot. He sounded quite calm about the situation, if not slightly excited. "This is going to get a little bumpy."
Ruby grabbed onto a nearby ladder just as the mule came careening into the cargo bay, dust and wind flying in with it. Kaylee hit the button to seal the door just in time for Serenity to lurch from the ground with a groan. The ship was launched forward so quickly that Ruby stumbled and lost her grip on the ladder. She braced for the impact with the wall when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her back.
"I've got ya," she heard Jayne's deep voice say. She turned to look up and offer her thanks when they were jostled violently again. This time Jayne's back was pressed against the wall, though his grip on the ladder and on her never wavered. The momentum pressed Ruby into Jayne, their chests flush together.
The sound of bullets hitting the ship echoed in the bay, making Mal curse loudly. "Wash, get us out of their range!"
"Workin' on it, Mal," the pilot's voice came over the intercom.
Serenity made a few more evasive movements, aka jostling back and forth until Ruby thought she'd be space-sick. The entire time Jayne held onto her tightly, not letting her slip out of his grip no matter how much they lurched from side to side. She glanced up at his hand that was holding the ladder, taking a moment to appreciate the large bicep that kept them secure. Inara hadn't been wrong when she pegged Ruby's "type". She always went for the men with muscle, like Jayne. Something about their brute strength was enough to get her flustered.
Ruby settled her hands on Jayne's waist, pushing away slightly to create some distance between them. She could feel the muscles under his shirt. In a different circumstance...
"Thank you, Jayne," she smiled up at him, a little embarrassed that she needed to be saved from falling, but not at all sorry that he had been the one to catch her.
"It's my pleasure," Jayne replied, a smirk twitching the corner of his lip. Ruby fought the urge to grin, lest she encourage him.
Behind her, someone cleared their throat. She looked over her shoulder and saw Mal watching them with raised eyebrows. "We've evened out," he said with a gesture around. Ruby's gaze wandered around the cargo bay and saw that everyone had let go and was standing fine on their own.
"Oh, lovely," she said simply, tapping into the grace of her Companion training to get her out of this slightly sticky situation. "Xiexie, Jayne."
"Anytime." His hand slipped from around her waist and she took a few steps away.
"What happened, Cap?" Kaylee asked, drawing everyone back to the situation at hand.
Mal shrugged, playing nonchalant. "Just stopped in to say hi, is all. Fella didn' want to open the door at first."
"Had to blast the damn thing open," Jayne added, grinning like a lunatic.
Ruby's eyes widened. Whatever she imagined they were planning to do once they reached Hank didn't quite compare to the mental image of them storming in, guns blazing. "Wo de tian a."
"What exactly was the end goal?" The shepherd asked curiously and with a touch of exasperation. Ruby got the feeling that this wasn't the first, or the last, time that the priest was the voice of reason for the crew.
"Justice," Mal answered, his gaze flicking to Ruby. "Maybe a little revenge. Lots of sparklies." With a smug grin, the captain pulled a fistful of expensive jewelry out of his coat pocket. The other pocket produced a bag filled with coins.
Inara stormed up to the group then, dark eyes shooting daggers at the trio of rebel-rousers. "You robbed him?!" she demanded.
"Damn straight," Jayne replied, still sporting his grin and not understanding why Inara was so mad.
Ruby wrapped her hand around Inara's arm gently, pulling her out of striking distance of Mal. She'd only seen Inara this upset a handful of times, but she knew that her mentor's temper was explosive when provoked enough. "It's alright, Inara. The Guild already has my side of the story. There's nothing to trace this back to me." She spoke calmly and with a sense of serenity, just like she'd been taught to diffuse a tense situation.
Inara gave her an un-impressed look, knowing full well that Ruby was using her own tricks against her.
"What's the big deal?" Mal asked, clearly not following what the fuss was over.
Before Inara could launch into a tongue-lashing, Ruby explained the delicate situation. "The Guild frowns upon Companions seeking their own justice against clients who have violated our terms. In other circumstances, a group showing up on Hank's doorstep and robbing him could be held against me and possibly result to my Companion license being revoked."
To his credit, Mal looked guilty for possibly putting Ruby in hot water, even if his intentions were noble. A glance at Zoe and Jayne showed similar emotions, although Jayne still looked like he'd do it all over again. Ruby found that she didn't find that unappealing.
"Fortunately," Inara spoke up, her tone still stern but not as angry as before. "Ruby already blacklisted Hank, so the chance of the Guild taking anything he says into account is small."
"Well then, everything's shiny," Mal smiled and started to walk past them, bouncing the bag of coins in his hand like a kid with candy.
Ruby caught him by the arm before he made it past her. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.
Mal nodded and walked out of the cargo bay, uncomfortable with being treated like a hero. Ruby gave Zoe a brusque hug before the woman also fled, saying that she needed to check on her husband.
"Give me moment?" Ruby asked Inara, nodding towards Jayne. Inara glanced at the hired gun and back to her protege with caution before nodding and stepping back.
Jayne was rooting through his bag, which was still on the mule, when Ruby approached him. "Please tell me you hit him," she whispered, and grinned as he looked at her in surprise.
"Well that ain't very Companion-like," he whispered back conspiratorially, that cocky smirk in place.
Ruby shrugged and bit her lip, fighting back the laugh that wanted to break free.
Jayne's smirk transformed into a grin. "Of course I hit him. A few times. Once with lamp." At that, Ruby's laugh broke free and echoed around the cargo bay. Jayne followed, laughing along with her.
"He deserved every bit of it," she said, finally calming down. "Thank you, again."
"Stop thankin' me, woman," he replied with a huff, the tops of his ears turning pink. He finally found whatever he was looking for in his bag and pushed it into her hands.
Ruby ran her hands over the white box and giggled like a teenager. Popping the lid, she was rewarded with the sight of beautiful, decadent, expensive chocolates. Without warning she threw herself against Jayne, hugging him like a long-lost friend.
"What, no kiss?" Jayne half-joked.
With another laugh, Ruby pressed her lips to Jayne's cheek. Sliding from his arms, Ruby gave him one more grin before joining Inara on the catwalk. She still had quite a few crew members to meet, though a certain mercenary was all she could think about at the moment.