Chapter 3.

Serenity: A beaten yet loved Firefly, a borderline wreck yet home to those aboard her. The ship herself was rapidly approaching fifty years in service and, because of her age, she needed tending to with care and attention. Love, affection or convenience, every crew member respected the ship and felt something for her.

Some felt more than others.

'Oh god' She whispered, her breathing coming in short gasps
The man above her was very close but she was closer
'Yes… don't stop' The woman moaned, sheer pleasure dripping from her voice
Primal desire overwhelmed the two lovers and the talking ceased as they moved against each other, faster and faster
They peaked together, the woman screaming out her lover's name in ecstasy

"Mal!"
Inara was sat bolt upright in her bed, alone, sheets slicked with sweat. She could not believe what had just happened. This was the third time this week she had been having dreams like this and every time she awoke in a cool sweat as if she had been trying to break a fever. This was becoming almost unbearable. She sighed loudly, glad to be alone at times like these and slid out of bed. Like liquid, she gracefully walked to her kettle to make herself a warm cup of cocoa.
She sat on her divan, one shapely leg crossed over another, and sipped at her drink while she contemplated finding some work of her own on Sapphire. She could get another to relieve her pent up tensions instead of having to do so herself. She might even get lucky and find another of House Madrasa's travelling Companions to talk to while there. Her warm mug now stood empty as Inara flitted through her shuttle to find some clothes. She eventually located a suitable outfit and quickly pulled it on. She was just tightening the straps on the corset-like top she was wearing when Wash's panic laden voice piped through her speaker.

"Everyone get up, we are being boarded by an alliance warship and marines will be aboard in less than two minutes!"

Inara left the straps as they were and hurried out of her shuttle towards the bridge. She bumped into the rest of the crew in the galley, Mal looked furious and yet through the fury she saw concern. He was afraid of what would happen to his crew.

"Mal!" She shouted, "What's going on." Everyone looked around at her.

"I'm so sorry doc but… they got us this time. Nothin' I can do." Mal shook his head, defeated.

River looked perfectly calm; Simon, however, looked for all the world like a scared little boy. Inara's hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"Oh no…" She gasped. An alarm sounded through the ship and Wash appeared. Kaylee was crying into Simon's shoulder.

"I don't want you to go…" Kaylee sobbed, "Please, please don't go." Simon embraced her. Inara felt her eyes sting with tears; this was a complete, unmitigated disaster.

"I've failed you…" Mal murmured. His resolve stiffened and he began striding toward the cargo bay. The crew followed him. He took out his gun and flicked off the safety as he descended the stairs. The cargo bay door opened and Mal took aim.

"Mal no!" Inara screamed. Zoe grabbed her by the waist to stop her running into what was sure to be a short fire-fight.

An Alliance marine entered the ship. Mal fired, his round piercing the marine's armour and lodging in his chest. The marine fell. Twelve more replaced him and seven went down but eventually Mal ran out of ammunition. Inara gasped, tears openly flowing as he was bound and pushed onto his knees. The commander of the Alliance ship came aboard.

"River and Simon Tam." He pointed to the two fugitives. Two marines raised their rifles. River began moving without hesitation and Simon had no choice but to follow. They were both cuffed and stood behind the Alliance commander.

The decorated Alliance officer pulled out his sidearm. Inara couldn't breathe, Kaylee was weeping like she would never stop.

"Brass would tell me to bring everyone here in for questioning," The officer said calmly, clicking the safety off.

"But I think they would understand if I don't." He cocked the weapon. Inara was gripping the rail so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her tears had stopped.

"For the lives you stole." The officer pressed the gun against Mal's head and squeezed the trigger.

"MAL!!" Inara screamed.

She was in her bed, slick with cold sweat and her cheeks damp from the tears. She forced her breathing to slow down as the shock of the strange double-dream passed. It had seemed so real. Her heart was beginning to slow again when River spoke from nearby causing her to fall out of her bed.

"He's ok. Your mind was just trying to trick you." She said, watching Inara grab one of her ever present night gowns to cover up her nudity and hold on to one last shred of dignity.

"How did you get in here?" Inara asked, slightly afraid and more than a little alarmed at the intrusion.

River smiled, "I asked Serenity nicely and she seemed to understand." Inara was calm now and she nodded. "She was afraid for you; you were trapped and couldn't get out."

"You could say that." Inara agreed, relieved at the more-or-less normal state of things again. She didn't like the idea of the ship being able to spy on her though.

"Would you like a drink River?" Inara indicated the kettle. River shook her head.

"No, there will be plenty of time for hot coffee and tea later." River stood and began to leave.
"Might be a good idea to go find him." She said as her form disappeared through the shuttles hatch. Inara stood by her bed for about ten minutes, allowing her mind to grow blank and serene, pushing the thoughts of Mal mostly out of the way.

"Inara! Guess what!" Kaylee started as she ran into Inara's shuttle. Inara turned to face her and couldn't help but smile at Kaylee's infectious happiness.

"Let me guess…" Inara said tapping a finger against her slightly pouted lips as if in deep concentration. "Jayne took over the ship; beat Wash to death with his Chain of Command, the rest of the crew mutinied against him, he made his last stand in the cargo bay where he was finally taken out by Zoe after shooting Mal in the leg."

Inara couldn't help but shudder at the thought of calling Jayne captain. Kaylee just shook her head.

"So yeah, we slept together." Kaylee blurted and then she gushed, spilling the beans. "Simon slept with me last night!" Inara was so happy for the younger woman that she was bouncing around the shuttle with her.

"Was it worth the wait?" Inara asked seriously and rather suddenly. Kaylee just flopped ungracefully onto Inara's bed, her eyes closed and a dreamy smile on her face.

"Uh huh…" She sighed, nodding slowly. She opened her eyes, chestnut brown to match her hair and looked at the Companion stood at the foot of the bed, silently weeping like a lost little girl. Kaylee scrambled off the bed to help the undisputed Queen of Serenity in her time of need.

"Come on 'Nara…" She said quietly, leading the Companion to her divan. Sitting her down and making sure she would be ok for the next couple of minutes, Kaylee made two cups of fragrant, golden tea.

"What's got you so worked up, sweetie?" Kaylee asked as she embraced Inara. A fresh storm was unleashed at these words.
"Is it the captain?" She asked. Inara shook her head.

"It's me." Inara choked, pulling back. She wormed her way out of Kaylee's grip to dab her eyes with a silky handkerchief. Kaylee was very confused at the sudden role reversal.

As she watched Inara try to regain her serene and tranquil normality (not to much success) Kaylee's mind drifted to a memory from home when news of her brother's death reached back to their ranch. Her father had crumbled like an old city wall. He had walked into the living room and sat before the tears came, tumbling out like loose stones. She herself wasn't in much better shape but she held her tears in while her usually happy, optimistic and jolly father let everything flow. She had to change out of her tearstained top after a few hours and after her dad had fallen asleep she went to check on her mother. After a few moments of trying to invoke a response, Kaylee figured that her catatonic mother was in much more present danger than her dad.

She called the hospital and explained the situation and was told to stay put, the emergency crews are on the way. About five minutes later a large dropship touched down out the front of the house and five medics disembarked; rushing into the house they took Kaylee's mother to the hospital to run a course of anti-depressants.

During the time alone, Kaylee bonded with her dad like never before. They began sharing feelings and ideas and became friends. He was almost back to normal when they were informed their mother had successfully completed a course of anti-depressants and therapy and was now on her way home. The house had never been so full of love as they welcomed her back to the fold.

Inara was weeping again, leaning against Kaylee.

"Shhhh, We're gonna sort it all out…" She murmured.

It took about an hour before Inara was smiling again and talking properly. Kaylee held her hand and listened to her.

"I just don't think he sees me as the woman he wants…" Inara sighed wistfully.

"Why the hell would he not want you?!" Kaylee demanded, outraged at the thought.

"My job…" Inara countered quietly. The mechanic hadn't seen that coming and frowned, trying to find a way past it.

"I haven't taken a client in nearly two months; I no longer find the work of a Companion all that glamorous or attractive. In fact," Inara sniffed, "Mal's right. What I do is no different to that of a common whore." Kaylee gripped Inara's hand tighter.

"No 'Nara. You're both wrong. See a common whore usually charges fer a ten minute screw 'gainst the nearest wall. You charge fer a spiritual connection, you don' always have sex with your clients." Kaylee grinned, "Though I'm sure the captain wouldn' mind a ten minute screw 'gainst a wall with you." She laughed and Inara smiled genuinely.

"Well, I've given myself to midnight to decide whether or not I wish to resign from the Companion Guild." Inara exhaled forcefully after she set her own ultimatum. Kaylee drew back, confused and stunned.

"Give up, actual an' whole?" Kaylee asked. Inara nodded.

"Don' you think that's a little quick to make that decision?" Kaylee asked again, her voice going up an octave. Inara just shook her head and sipped her tea. A sudden racket from the winch in the cargo bay made them both jump.

"Okay doc, it's real simple." Mal said as he lowered the winch chain so Jayne could hook the goal onto the dangling chain.
"We need to get the ball through that goal before anyone else and more'n anyone else." Simon nodded as Mal raised the goal to about 8 feet off the deck.

"Got it?" Mal asked, adjusting his suspenders over his white-ish workout shirt.

"Ball through hoop before others... got it" Mal grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Make a man of you yet." He teased. Mal then clapped his hands to get the attention of the others who were stretching or just milling about.

"Listen up!" Everyone in the cargo bay turned to listen to Mal
"Three teams'a two, Zoe with Book, Jayne with Wash, Doc you're with me."

The teams formed up. Zoe took her place next to the preacher giving him a nod which he returned, Jayne and Wash high-fived as they met.

"Gonna kick their asses, right little man?" Jayne asked in a low growl.

"You better believe it." He countered confidently.

Mal didn't care about the score; he just wanted to see how good the doctor played. If Simon was good he'd keep him, if he wasn't then he would dump him on Zoe to stop her current winning streak.

The ball was played by tossing it into the air. Jayne caught it mid-jump and was immediately tackled by Mal. Simon moved in, wary of Zoe who was also approaching when the ball flew out in his direction. He caught it and dodged to the left to avoid a low tackle from a giggling Zoe. Wash and the Shepherd were in the way now and he rolled over Wash as the pilot crouched to take out Simon's legs. Book was blocking the goal and now he knew Jayne was bearing down on him as through the sound of laughter he could hear Mal's warning shout. He took the shot and immediately moved to the right. Jayne stumbled past as the ball sailed cleanly through the hoop.

"YEAH!" Mal shouted, pleased at such an early score. The ball was reset and they played for another half hour or so. As good as Simon was he did not have the endurance to play at full power for so long. In the end Zoe and Book won by two goals over Mal and Simon and Jayne and Wash lost by four goals. River had been watching from the catwalk, sat on the edge with her feet dangling. Inara and Kaylee had come out to watch about ten minutes through the game and sat with her. Kaylee went wild every time Simon scored. The game was obviously tiring as the smell of sweat reache d even to the spectators watching above. Everyone hit the showers and cleaning units after the game and the washing line strung across the catwalks was soon full of freshly washed clothes drying under the gentle breeze of the ventilation ports. Lunch was served soon after and everyone was eating their fill.

"Wash, how long 'til we reach this Purple moon?" Mal asked when he had swallowed what he was eating. The pilot looked up.

"About four hours." Wash replied his mouth full and his hair still damp from the shower.

"Ok, I guess it's time for everyone to get movin'" Mal said, getting up from the table. He dumped his plate in the bowl and headed off towards the cargo bay.
Inara quietly followed him out. No-one else noticed as they too began making preparations for the op.

"Mal!" Inara called after following the Captain to his objective. He stopped rummaging in the crate he was stood at and turned to face her, his piercing eyes showing unfamiliar warmth toward her.

"Hey 'Nara, what's up?" Mal asked her, smiling a little. She looked away for a second.

"I was just wondering what my place will be in this operation."

They didn't notice Kaylee, Simon and Jayne enter the cargo bay. Kaylee immediately shushed them so they could eavesdrop on the conversation unfolding between them.

"You'll be with me on the inside, unless you'd rather..." Inara cut him off, shaking her head.

"No, no, it's fine. I'd rather be with you."
That statement surprised Mal so much that his mind went completely dead for a moment

"Me too." He said without thinking.

Kaylee squeaked, ran down the stairs from the catwalk and hurled herself at Mal and Inara.

"You guys are so cute!" She squawked, tears glistening in her eyes as she pulled them both into a bear hug.

"Yeah... Don' mind us while we hurl on ya." Jayne grumbled as he stamped down the ladder. Simon looked apologetic as Mal glared at him.

"Sorry, it was rude of us to listen in." Simon cast his eyes to Kaylee who had released Mal and stood beaming at the pair of them. He followed Jayne down the stairs and to a crate where Jayne stashed the weapons for other people to use. As Kaylee joined them Jayne pulled out an auto-shotgun, which Simon declined. He then pulled out a compact, yet powerful looking bullpup SMG. Simon took it and some webbing to store spare magazines.

Mal watched the exchange with a mute detachment. He was busy concentrating on something very different and immediately behind him. A tingle ran up his forearm causing him to shudder ever so slightly.

"Your hands are so soft," Inara whispered as she held his in hers, "Like a baby's"

"Hey, careful!" Jayne shouted as Kaylee staggered under the weight of the auto-shotgun, dropped it and squealed, scampering out of the way as Jayne hefted it with one hand back into the crate.

"Sorry!" Kaylee giggled.

"I don't got your fancy creams but I do like my moisturisers." He whispered back, a half-smile playing on his face as Kaylee pulled out a small feminine looking pistol.

"We need to talk, Mal, in private." Something about her voice set him on edge. "Meet me in my shuttle, five minutes, no guns." With that, Inara let go of his hand and retreated back to her sanctuary. Mal put his own pistol into a hidden holster on the crate and quickly ascended to the upper catwalk, passing Shepard Book and mumbling a greeting. He reached the upper level and found River standing in the doorway to the galley.

"Hey Little One, hows things?" Mal asked her. He rarely spoke to River these days but then, he hardly saw her.

"Same as usual," she said, a trace of melancholy sadness in her voice. "Brother thinks I'm still crazy, hell, I probably am. I just wish he'd stop stabbing me with those needles." River added, trailing off. Mal frowned a little as he noticed the marks on her bare arm. They almost looked like track lines.

"Well, man's only doin' what his learnin's tellin' him to do." Mal said, unsure of what else to say.

"Of that I am painfully aware. Go see to your girl Daddy, I'll call you if I need you."

"OK, well…" Mal had never been the truly sentimental type and didn't quite know how to say what he thought was the right thing.

"Yes I know, stop embarrassing us both." She said, humour creeping into her voice.

"OK" Mal continued on to Inara's shuttle and rapped on the door, a quick three knock burst.

I

nara grabbed his shirt and yanked him into her shuttle, kissing him so he could not make a sound and alert anyone below. She released him once they were safely inside and the door closed.

"You were quicker than I expected." Inara stated, her genuine smile of happiness lifting his spirits.

"Could'a been here twice as quick if I knew this was the welcome I'd be recievin.'" He grinned at her and sat down on her divan as she boiled the kettle to make some tea.

She sat down and put the tea cups on the little wooden table. Turning to Mal she said, "I think I want to stop being a Companion." Unshed tears made her eyes sparkle like entire galaxies of light were captured inside them.

"Woah, you mean… why?" Mal couldn't help but ask. A single tear worked its way out and Mal quickly caught it with his thumb.

"As you may or may not have noticed, a Companion is a creature of godlike beauty, grace and intellect." Inara started, taking a deep breath.

"We are taught in the best schools the 'verse has to offer and we are the elite social class. However, this comes at a price… loneliness." Mal had taken a sip of his tea but was still riveted to Inara's every word.

"We are psychologists, sociologists and match-makers. We can tell what someone needs and we become them but none of us are prepared for what happens when our training tells us we have met the one who is a perfect match for ourselves. Like…" Inara paused, Mal hardly dared to breathe.

"Like I think you are for me." She finished. Mal frowned, taking it all in.

"What happens for us then?" He asked.

"Most Companions run away like I tried to." Inara cast her eyes to the floor. "We deal in love extremely well but not with it. It's an alien concept. I want to be with you Mal but my training…"

"The Companion Guild still has a hold on you, if you leave you won' feel guilty 'bout surrendering to your feelings?" He ventured. Inara nodded secretly surprised by his ability to perceive complexities as if they were nothing. Mal had to play this extremely carefully so he decided that because she is a grown woman, she is fully capable of confiding in other grown women to make a decision about how the rest of her life will be played out.

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll fully support you and I will always…" He faltered.
Come on Malcolm; tell her how you feel about her!

"Love you." He finished the sentence.

Inara's head whipped around, incredulity playing over her features. Mal leaned over and kissed her meaningfully and departed to resume his preparations.

"I got a special gun set aside for you in the crate I was rummaging in." Mal said before he left

Inara sat and stared at the door that he disappeared through for a good five minutes before getting up herself. An unresolved inner debate was raging in her head.

Did he just say he loved me?
Come on, what is he after?
YES! I knew he felt the same!
He's male, that Y chromosome makes the word love synonymous with "You have a nice body, I wish to screw you stupid but don't expect me to hang around after."
Malcolm and Inara Reynolds... I could get used to that.
Whoa! Marriage talk? Slow down girl, don't get carried away.
Shut the HELL up already!

Inara slowly descended the stairs to the main level and approached Mal who was busily reassembling a large gold and black rifle. Jayne was noisily working out on the bench nearby with the Shepard spotting him whilst having a decidedly one-sided conversation.

Grunt! Jayne pumped the bar.

"I had a rabbit once, I called it Judy but she was white and burnt easily in the sun."

Grunt! Jayne pumped the bar again.

"Have you ever considered a religion to practice?"

Grunt!

"I think faith would do you a world of goodness."

Jayne heaved the bar.

"Nah, don' wanna end up a fuzzy-wuzzy. Heathendom is fine for me preacher."

"Well, I'll let you think about it but…"

Inara stopped listening as she waited across the crate from Mal who looked up and smiled.

"Just one sec." Mal said as he practically dived head first into the crate. After about ten seconds of rummaging in the dark crate Mal came back up and handed her a small, highly decorated gold pistol. It had intricately designed patterns on the enamel coated grip and along the cocking mechanism.

"My god. Mal is this…" Inara started in shock but he interrupted her.

"Nandi's? Yes, she wanted you to have it." They stood silently remembering the same vibrant, life-loving ex-companion but in different ways.

"Thank you." Inara murmured quietly.

The stay at The Heart of Gold had been awful for Inara. She suffered two heartbreaks in rapid succession. First finding out that Mal had gone and slept with Nandi. Inara felt ugly after that, deep down she knew she was much more… than Nandi and could not understand why Mal would choose the whore over a Companion. The second was when Burgess had drilled a hole through Nandi with his laser as she stood her ground to protect Petaline's baby. Mal burst through a few seconds too late and as he and Inara silently communicated with their eyes she could see the pain and anger that the scene had caused. As a Companion she was not used to the agony and loss that normal people feel. That was what caused her to want to leave, shut Mal out forever and return to a simpler life of influential yet small men with delusions of grandeur.

Then Tracey the meat wagon and Early the bounty hunter happened. Both events had shaken Mal up more than he would ever care to admit, which is why about a month ago Mal had knocked quietly on her shuttle door at an unholy hour to talk to someone different and get a lot of issues off his chest. Inara learned a lot from that chat and respected the Captain all the more for it. They became friends, not the sniping-out-of-spite kind but proper friends that could talk to each other and cared for each other.

Inara took the gun and held it almost reverentially. Wash's voice echoed through the bay.

"Mal, we're approaching Sapphire Orbital Control."

Mal found a mic and said: "How long till we reach it?"

"Two hours, more or less."

"Right, are you ready to roll?"

"Yes sir."

"Ok well, I got a new plan. What time is it?"

"About 17 hundred."

"'Kay we'll have food-like stuff in about half an hour then I can tell everyone the plan."

"Sounds shiney," Wash was smiling, the barely detectable change in his voice told them so. "Can I guess what it is?"

"No. It's a surprise." Mal said, grinning as he shut off the PA system. He turned away and looked at Inara, who had raised an eyebrow.

"You ain't allowed to guess neither." He said, squeezing her arm gently as he passed her. She collected the gold plated magazines carefully, noting the calibre of the rounds for future reference.

Jayne was sitting on the bench, drenched in sweat, looking at Mal who was grinning and shaking his head as he ascended the steps into the main sections of the ship. Inara located a towel draped across the banister of the catwalk stairs and handed to Jayne who mumbled his thanks and she too disappeared up into the main sections of the ship.

At 17:32 dinner was served my Simon and Kaylee who had been cooking away with the food Simon and Inara had bought a few days back.

"Proper food? Makes a change." Jayne said to no-one in particular. River eyed her plate with trepidation.

"That it does!" Wash added as he loaded as much of the thick, rich stew as safely possible onto his spoon before devouring it all in a single gulp.

"Simon, did you make these?" Inara asked as she looked in wonder at the food on her plate. The doctor looked up, his mouth full. She could tell he was hurrying to say yes but Kaylee beat him to it.

"Certainly did!" She beamed plunging her fork back into the meal.

Inara gave the doctor a look of utmost respect and he smiled in return. Mal hadn't said anything and had already polished off one of his two dumplings. This meal was certainly one of the more unexpected events of the day. After everyone had eaten their fill there was a pleasant buzz of conversation around the table. Mal didn't stand to gain attention this time.

"So, here it is." He said, no louder than anyone else. The buzz died down.

"Plan is, you're gonna love me fer this Wash," Mal smirked at the pilot, "To spend a free day planetside to do whatever you do."

Jayne punched the air and high-fived Wash.

"Great, when do we hit the dirt?" Jayne asked Wash who looked at a clock on the bulkhead.

"Hopefully in about three or four hours. It'll be about 23:00 local time when we land." He replied. The buzz of conversation resumed and there was more than one slice of bread thrown as Wash and Zoe canoodled in front of the crew.

Serenity approached a massive Orbital Control Station and rolled inverted to dock with the station. The structure could easily fit over a hundred Firefly transports with little difficulty. Serenity made contact with the docking ring below one of the station's three massive spires. After a quick interview with Mal the ship was given a 48 hour landing permit. With a blast of the CO2 thrusters, Serenity pushed away from the station. The gravity drive powered up and within an hour the ship was leaving red plasma trails as it began skipping over the outer reaches of the artificially pristine atmosphere like a flat stone over a still pond. The turbofans traversed to landing configuration and the gravity drive arms closed around the baffles to protect them during re-entry. Serenity's belly began to glow a blazing red and superheated air buffeted the ship. An extreme altitude jet-stream caught the ship and it shuddered slightly.

"Whoa!" Mal stumbled as the deck jolted hard beneath him again. Inara looked at him in amusement from the deck where she fell as he staggered and slipped. He landed with his face in her cleavage. She yelled in pain and surprise.

Immensely embarrassed, they both quickly got up and dusted themselves off. Jayne was laughing uproariously from the table where his weight on the chair made him stable enough to stay upright during the ruckus. Kaylee was also giggling at the pair of them from her seat on the deck. Inara scanned Mal's face and was surprised to see a hint of crimson on his cheeks; she felt heat rising up her cheeks in response.

"WASH!" Mal screamed, storming to the cockpit.

"At least he got a soft landin'" Jayne smirked, indicating Inara's chest.

"That he did!" Kaylee agreed, nodding sagely. Simon approached Inara with concern playing about his features.

"Do you want me to look at that?" He said, Inara looked down to see where he was looking and found the beginnings of a slight bruise on her breast where Mal's nose must have dug in. Kaylee narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Ken I get a look-in too?" Jayne joked, half rising from his seat in anticipation of imminent boob-flashing.

"It'll be fine thank you," Inara said, a touch too quick she thought and added, "It'll probably be gone by tomorrow anyway." Simon nodded. Inara retreated from the galley to the cockpit but heard Jayne making a snarky comment.

"What does it take to get a bit of titty on this boat?" He growled. She could tell he was half-joking, half-frustrated by the strain in his voice.

She then heard the crash of Jayne dropping his fork. It would later be revealed that Kaylee had lifted her top and flashed him in an attempt to get him to shut up complaining and that she had had a little bit to drink before the meal as her latest batch of home brewed hooch was ready.

"Kaylee!" Simon sounded shocked to the core.

"That's a nice rack you got there Kaylee." He said, a chuckle in his throat.

"Thank you very much Mr. Cobb." She had definitely been drinking.

"I'll be in my bunk." He said before leaving the galley. Inara reached the cockpit as Jayne kicked open his hatch.

"Ok but maybe some warnin' next time." Mal said to Wash. They noticed the movement behind them and turned to see Inara stood in the doorway.

"Is everything OK?" She asked

"Yeah, no damage and we'll probably make it to the ground with out being pancaked first." Mal replied, watching Wash as he gave the dock controller the authorisation code from the station. They were given clearance to land.

Inara and Mal walked together to her shuttle.

"You workin' tomorrow night?" Mal asked. Inara looked at him enquiringly. She had checked the Cortex for any potential suitors and again had no luck.

"Why do you ask?" She countered. He squirmed a bit.

"'Cause I know a little place that I think you might enjoy and thinkin' I'd take you out." He said quietly.

"We'll see captain." She said, grinning as she left him on the threshold to her shuttle.

"No petty theft allowed in fancy places like that anyways!" He shouted through. He heard her laugh. He closed the shuttle doors left her to her devices.

Tomorrow would be a day holding a lot of promise Mal mused as he watched the Shepard finishing his evening Prayers at the dining table with River observing him from her perch on the galley counter.

Serenity landed with a jolt and the engines died. The turbofans folded to the sides of the ship and were silent. The crew turned in not long after and once again the ship was dark and silent but warm and comfortable. She was home.