OK guys, here is my heartfelt apology for this chapter taking so long. I'm not gonna make excuses. It's here, It's ready to be read and I hope it's good enough for you guys to consider not lynching me.
Joss owns Characters, I own the story =]
The events depicted here occur quite late on during the following day.

Chapter 4

River was watching Mal pace the galley from her perch next to the stove as he waited for Inara to finish up in her shuttle. Being the only person left aboard, she had automatically sought company of the flustered captain. He walked to the head of the table before striding impatiently toward the galley where River was observing him.

"Kaylee was right."
Due to a mixture of nerves and the effect Inara's voice had on him, Mal literally had to be caught by River. Inara had come in silently before startling him with her statement.
Rivers willowy arms were surprisingly strong and she supported the captain effortlessly as he regained his composure. It didn't take long before he was back on his own feet and glaring at Inara for frightening him.

"The pants show off your backside very well." She added with a demure, yet impudent grin.

"I'd thank you to not scare the livin' daylights outta me next time, darlin'." He retorted, relaxing a little.

"At least you're not armed this time." She replied, looking pointedly at his hip. His holster was lying on his bunk, his gun however was nearby should he need it for an emergency.
River leapt gracefully down from where she was sat and gave Inara a hug, like a child would its mother. Mal's eyebrows shot up into his fringe in surprise. River was usually the solitary one, eschewing physical contact from almost everyone but Simon, even that was debatable sometimes, so a full on hug surprised both Mal and Inara, who looked at him questioningly. She hugged her back warmly but automatically, the Companion doctrine taking over. He shrugged. River let Inara go silently and disappeared toward the passenger dorms.

Letting the moment pass, Mal looked at Inara. Breathtaking, as usual, she seemed to glow with an ethereal aura of youthfulness he had never seen before. Her dress was a honey colour, bodice supporting her upper body and bust rather well, Mal thought, the skirt's folds cascading like a frozen waterfall of expensive fabric. Mal let his eyes bathe in the glorious sight for a few moments before realising that his suit looked rather shabby compared to her finery. She glanced at him, an infectious smile on her face, a hand on her hip, he grinned back.

"Well?" She asked, arching her eyebrow. Mal quickly stepped up to her as she pivoted on her heels expertly, a few loose strands of meticulously curled hair flying out behind her. Despite her heels she was still a little smaller than him. He held out his arm and her gloved hand slid onto it as they descended the stairs to the waiting black hover-limo, patiently idling in the cargo hold. Mal opened the door for her and she got into it as fluidly as flowing water. Mals entry was grand but significantly less graceful. The limo thrummed out of the bay and climbed into the orange twilight.

Mal turned toward Inara in the back, two full glasses of champagne in his hands.
"Care for a drink, m'lady?" He asked.
"Don't mind if I do..." She said accepting the proffered glass.

There was fuel enough for a quick sub-orbital flight she surmised, manipulating the controls that were as familiar to her as the backs of her hands. She started the pre-flight checklist and flicked her dark hair from her face.

"Simon?" Kaylee called. A handsome face appeared from almost nowhere. The rest of Simon barged his way through the crowded street.
"Yeah?" He asked, taking her hand again as they set off. She tugged him down an alleyway and round a corner to a dark and cool courtyard. She let go of his hand, gazing at the sky. The cold, beautiful pinpricks making up the starscape stared back from eternity, a broad band of blue-white light making up the galaxy. The nearby planet of Londinium, glowing a violet colour, occupied an entire portion of the sky.
"I like this world..." She said kissing Simon.
"I think I do too." He agreed, squeezing her hand.
"The sky is so beaut..." He started before Kaylee kissed him again. The passion built, boundaries crashed down like waves. They sank to the floor, unzipping and unbuttoning as they went...

"Shepard Book, with glad and open arms we welcome you back to the fold brother." An elderly preacher recited as Book rose from his prostrate position.
"Thanks be upon you brother, for yours is gracious understanding." Book completed the ritual greeting. He washed his hands and face before entering the temple. It was a large and ornate building, far more ostentatious than the ramshackle and makeshift shrines he had seen and visited in his journeys with Mal. Gold inlayed icons gleamed from the walls. Passages from the scriptures were inscribed on the walls with what looked like platinum and diamondite veins. He strode through the chapel, head bowed, his robes making no noise. The harmonised humming from monks could be heard throughout the building. He met the Temple Father and Mother in a chamber off the altar.
"What brings you here, weary traveller?" The Temple Father inquired, his warm voice hushed.
"I have come to pray for somebody's life." Book stated, kneeling before them.
"Who is in danger my son?" The Temple Mother asked.
"My crew…"

Wash had to press flat against the wall as two Alliance patrol officers ran down the narrow thoroughfare. He exhaled audibly when they rounded the corner; the taste of the peppered beef he had eaten with Zoe was lingering deliciously on his tongue.
"Is it me or do these guys have a habit of being around when we are?" Wash mentioned to Zoe who seemed nonplussed by the event. She smiled reassuringly as he caught up with her.
"Feds are everywhere, we just happen to be on their turf." She said, coming to an abrupt halt. The main recreation dome was directly across the boulevard from them.
"Come on honey, let's go for a swim!" She said. He trotted along behind her as she crossed the wide road. There were worse places to be, he considered, as she stepped out of a changing booth in a black bikini. Chuckling to himself he dived into the glowing blue warm water with Zoe hot on his heels.

Jayne rolled over in his sleep and snorted loudly. The whore had taken her money and left.

The ship powered up, engines shrieking as the pilot increased the throttles. The bulky craft lifted smoothly off the ground. The air response units didn't seem to notice the huge, glowing heat emission taking off without a permit, the tracking stations couldn't seem to keep hold of it. Serenity powered onwards as River took her higher up into the ionosphere. Skirting past the Space Elevator at the very edge of the Atmosphere River powered down the engines as they hit orbital velocity. This close to the edge of space River felt weightlessness tugging her out of the seat. She had disengaged the gravity drive as they hit the stratosphere. Floating serenely down the corridors she tumbled effortlessly through graceful arcs as she made her way through the ship toward the cargo bay. She let her tears of joy flow as she threw herself around the empty cargo space in wide arcs and tight spins, she had never felt so free before in her life. Half an hour passed when her aerial ballet was cut short as a proximity warning blared through the ship. Full of curiosity, River sailed back to the bridge to find a sleek looking alliance stealth cruiser prowling toward Serenity. She took control of the ship and concentrated.

"This is Commander Womak. You are in a no-loiter orbital zone. Stand down your engines and prepare to be boarded." The commander's voice echoed through the empty ship. She was confident, arrogant and unafraid. River liked a challenge. Re-engaging the gravity drive she threw the ship into a dive toward the hard, unforgiving surface. The cruiser's powerful engine flared as the pilot began an interception course change. River tried to find the Commanders mind aboard the cruiser. It wasn't hard as she stuck out like a beacon fire. She made some adjustments and altered Serenity's trajectory. Sapphire was taking up a frighteningly large proportion of the main view ports as she picked up speed. Alarms and sirens howled around River but connected to the soul of the ship, River knew Serenity was enjoying the ride. The cruiser peeled off as Commander Womak keeled over and passed out on the bridge for no apparent reason and River grinned relaxing her thoughts again. Pulling the nose up and traversing the engines to vertical she ramped up the power, ripping a jagged, flaming tear across the sky. Landing the ship in its original dock expertly she shut off all of the systems and crept from the cockpit. She patted the bulkhead as she left. Wash had nothing on her.

Mal had never experienced anything quite like this before as he listened to Inara babble about whatever took her fancy. He had finished his what-was-it-called: Lobster? Something like that, and was satisfied with the crème caramel desert. She had eaten a lot more than he had seen her ever eat. She had had some kind of smoked meat and a dish of pasta as well as a starter and desert. It was a fine place to eat, with a quiet murmur of background conversations, burnished chandeliers blazed above them as they basked in each others company. Mal silently thanked the Cortex advert that had come up a few nights ago. Inara took another sip of the burgundy.

"So then I was stuck apparently in the shuttle with this horrible dream running through my head," She continued, waving her hands animatedly, "You know, the kind where you think you're awake but you aren't?"
"Yeah."
"Well I had one of them and when I woke up properly, who did I find sat over me?" She paused, half for dramatic effect and half to have another mouthful of wine. Someone laughed loudly nearby.
"Who was sittin' over you?" He asked, a crooked grin creeping onto his face.
"River!" She shouted, her face forming a perfect mask of false outrage. They laughed uproariously.
"She's a gorram menace at times that girl." Mal murmured, wiping his eyes. Inara nodded, laughing silently, her wine glass tilted at a precarious angle.
"She literally scared me out of bed and then," Sip of wine, "Well, then she saw everything." She put the glass down. It was empty. Disappointment playing in her large brown eyes she looked at Mal.

"What say we get outta here?" Mal suggested, beckoning over a waiter.
"But Mal…" She started to protest.
"We'll go for a walk in the park before we go back to Serenity."
The waiter appeared, arms folded behind him.
"Sir?" He asked. Mal drew out his credit chip that Badger had given him and from his black waist coat, the waiter produced a slim chip-reader. Inserting the small piece of plastic and metal into the slot, Mal silently recounted the authentication number the cockney weasel had given him. Inputting it quickly, the device chirped and a green light flashed.

"Thank you sir, we hope you enjoyed your meal." He slid the device back into his pocket. Mal handed him a note for 10 credits. The waiter did not refuse the tip.
"The food was great... The conversation was, however, greater." Mal nodded at Inara who was busy extricating her clutch from a fold in her dress.
"Of course sir. I'll see that the chefs receive your compliment." With that the waiter retreated. Inara wobbled ever so slightly but Mal was supporting her as they walked down a purple velvet-carpeted thoroughfare and out into the mild night.

"You're so drunk!" Mal whispered as they left the building and nodded at the porters holding the door open.
"I am not!" She hissed. Looking at Mal with an angry glare plastered on her face, her glistening red lips slightly parted. He resisted the urge to kiss her.

"Do you got the time?" Mal asked one of the porters as Inara held on to his arm. Other couples were looking at the odd pair as they entered the restaurant or waiting cabs. The porter rummaged in his red felt coat and produced a timepiece which he quickly looked at and returned.

"It is half past nine, sir." He answered. Mal thanked him for the information and led Inara over to a road crossing. They entered the park grounds five minutes later. Inara staggered occasionally, partly due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed in the last three hours or so and part due to the slightly uneven ground she was trying to navigate with her heels.

"Hey c'mon, there's a bench over there." Mal said, pointing at a bench a little further up the path.
"Lets sort those shoes of yours out." Inara nodded, grateful of his sensitivity.
"You are such a nice man, Mon Capitan." Inara murmured as they sat down on the bench. She chuckled sweetly at her use of French. Mal grinned a little but was worried. She had drunk far too much.
Mal had come prepared for this situation. Setting Inara down on the bench and helping her to un-strap her heels he pulled out a pair of flat slippers that River had covertly given to him.

"I'm thinkin' you had a little too much there darlin'." Mal stated as he helped Inara back on to her feet. She giggled a little as they walked.
"I think…" She paused to think of what to say, "I think this place is very pretty, Mal." She ran her hands through the willow branches over hanging the path.
"It's been a long time since I've seen anything this naturally beautiful." She said sounding deadly serious. Mal watched her walk out into a clearing just off the path and his breath caught as she was caught in the bright purple-white planet-light of the nearby Londinium.

Simon could not believe that they got away with what they had just done. Holding hands and grinning like Cheshire Cats they made their way back to Serenity through the quiet streets. Kaylee was glowing and kept looking up at him, nothing but love and adoration held for him. He kissed her forehead gently. When they finally reached the dock it was much darker. Kaylee gasped in surprise.
"What the hell?" She asked quietly. Simon saw it too. Huge black scorch marks along the neck hull plating, the cargo bay door was sooty and the engines had heat damage to their cowlings.

"Someone took her up…" Simon started, figuring out the pattern of the heat damage. Kaylee finished his sentence.
"And brought her down way too quick." She scowled as they approached the vessel and opened the cargo ramp. She marched in with Simon trailing behind her as the ramp closed. Kaylee immediately went to the engine room. Placing a hand on the manifold she was surprised to find it cold as the hull outside. Simon hovered nervously nearby.
"Any clues?" He asked in a hushed whisper.
"No idea, the engine's cold like it never got turned on." She whispered back.
Simon suddenly started in shock.
"River!" Kaylee's eyes widened as Simon rushed toward the passenger dorms. He approached the sliding door of the dorm River used. A warm, honey coloured light was filtering through the thin material of the door. Simon tapped on the door. No response. Sliding the door in its track as quietly as possible he entered to find River fast asleep on her side. Planting a kiss on her cheek he turned the light off and exited quickly.
Kaylee was waiting near the infirmary anxiously.

"Is she ok?" She asked as Simon walked up to her. He nodded.
"The scorch marks are probably from when we originally landed" Simon said, half-convinced. Kaylee nodded uncertainly.
"Maybe."

Wash came up for breath, splashing and spluttering slightly as he tried to find the edge of the pool. A strong hand gripped his and hauled him through the water to the rail. He opened his eyes to find Zoe smiling and shaking her head at him.

"You ain't so good with the whole swimming thing are you, honey?" She asked as she stretched her legs in the warm water. The lamps built into the pool floor made the water glow an amazing blue colour and made the water nicely warm.

"Not really had an opportunity." Wash agreed, "The date of my last swim is lost so far in the annals of time it could be mistaken for prehistory." Zoe snorted as her husband slid under the surface again and swam around her. He came back up a few seconds later and clutched the side as Zoe lazily kicked her legs.
"How long have we been in?" Wash asked, looking at his wrinkled fingers. Zoe entwined her fingers with his before she answered.
"About an hour and a half."
Wash blinked. He thought they had only been in the pool for about half that time.
"Wanna get out?" She asked. Wash thought about it for a few seconds and decided that he missed his pilot's seat a tad too much.
"Yeah, I'm clean enough now." He answered with a grin which his wife echoed. They swam the last length lazily and climbed the stairs to the changing rooms.

He regretted not drying his hair properly the moment he stepped outside. The night was mild enough to necessitate having his top two buttons undone but the light breeze chilled his head more than an arctic gale could. His wife had spent the extra time wisely, ensuring all her hair was completely dry. Meandering together through the streets they had come down a few hours before was different when it was dark. Dark wasn't the right term for the night on Sapphire: less bright was more apt with Londinium reflecting its purple glare overhead. There were very few people on the streets. Twenty minutes later they arrived at Serenity's port. Zoe tutted as she saw the hard black scorch marks on the hull. Wash tilted his head in confusion.

"You losing your touch sweetie?" she asked in jest.
"Wasn't me, I don't think." Remembering the Captain shouting at him for not correcting quickly enough to the jet-stream that made him fall onto Inara; Wash made a face.
"Could've been. Remember that knock we took during re-entry?" Wash asked Zoe, who nodded.
"How could I forget, I could hear the Captain yelling through the ship." They started walking toward the ship. Wash pressed the hidden button to lower the ramp and it started to descend with a whirring of electric motors.
"That could have caused a bit of heat damage to certain sections of the ship." He stated as the entered the ship. The cargo ramp ascended again. They entered the galley. Wash pondered about the odd marks on the hull for a while but as he gazed at Zoe over a hot cup of coffee he forgot about it completely, and almost forgot to breathe as well. He felt his cheeks redden and one of Zoe's eyebrows arched questioningly.
Don't you play coy, Mrs Washburn! He thought as she approached him, the same questioning expression delightfully playing about her dark features. She stopped arms-length from him, cleared her throat quietly and said; "I'll be in our bunk," exactly as Jayne would before turning on her heel and striding away without a backward glance. Wash stayed at the table bemused. He distantly heard the sound of a hatch being kicked open and clanking closed a few seconds later.

"Honey?" He asked tentatively.
"She's gone..."
"Aaaargh!" Wash leapt up from his seat at the table, screaming like a wounded banshee in her death throes.
River giggled.
"Jeeze girl." Wash calmed enough to grin. She's good, very, very good.
"What's wrong fly-boy, scared of a little girl?" She asked crouching on the table and, lithe as a stalking panther, approached him on all fours. Her eyes were level with his. Wash, survival instinct kicking in, stared into hers. He saw intelligence, amusement and a cold challenge to his position aboard the ship.

"Whoa, you two in needa' some privacy?" Kaylee asked breaking the spell. Wash gasped, River's eyebrow arched. The pilot looked at Kaylee and shook his head.
"Nah, I'm, Imma gonna get to bed." He jerked his thumb in the general direction of the crew quarters.
Kaylee didn't look convinced, she was sure that something intensely important had just been interrupted.
"Kay, g'night." She said.
"Sleep well." River added.
Wash vanished quickly.

"What's up?" Kaylee asked River as she turned the kettle on. River was sat cross-legged on the table and looked up toward the "ceiling."
"Space." She deadpanned.
Kaylee instantly looked down at the kettle, sighed in amusement and shook her head.
"I'm just waiting for the captain to get back." River replied a little while later as kaylee was pouring the steaming water into two cups.
"Awww, you're such a sweetheart at times y'know?" Kaylee gushed. She gasped in surprise.
"Oh my." River looked over.
"I didn't even offer you a drink. How rude of me." She glanced at River the obvious question on the tip of her tongue.
"It's ok. I'm not thirsty, thanks though." River couldn't help but notice Kaylee's reaction. She looked shocked, then confused then back to normal. A trick she had learnt from Inara however she was not as quick at compensating as the companion yet, that would come with time.

It didn't fool River though. Every time the captain had verbally backhanded Inara or cut her down she noticed each expression manifest as if she was watching an explosion blossom in slow motion. Anger, realisation, hurt, confusion, despair and self-loathing to name but a few. The captain was very good at masking everything with a layer of his steel-stiff sense of duty which made it slightly more difficult for her to pick up his feelings. Every time he did something or said something that hurt Inara he reflected those feelings he inflicted on her. He hated himself for fighting with her.

"Right, ok well y'know where we are if y'need us honey." Kaylee said, clutching Rivers hand for a second before heading back to the passenger dorms.

Shepard Book made his way out of the hideously ornate temple quietly, having done his penance, repented his evil ways and confessed his sins. Making contact with one of his fellow brothers had been most difficult. Facilitating a two-way realtime communication link between a surface-relay satellite and a stealth battleship without compromising it's active camouflage was extremely tricky. Gathering intel on recent Reaver movements was next to impossible aboard Serenity. Book had managed to learn that the Reavers had become over 70 percent more active in the last week alone. The ship he had contacted was deep within Reaver territory and, despite the Alliance's best efforts at rendering their ship invisible with active camouflage upgrades, may need to pull out due to several near misses. An Alliance active camouflage unit only works if another large mass does not breach a 30 kilometre perimeter around the ship. If a large enough mass, like a ship or an asteroid gets too close it destabilises the harmonics of the cloak field because the unit will attempt to cloak the other mass. This causes the unit to overload and reveal the cloaked ship.
But long story short, Book knew this would probably mean trouble for the crew of Serenity. After communications were cut off by interference from increased solar activity the preacher made his way back toward the Firefly he called home.
The walk back was long but as he strolled through a park he could hear voices and may God strike him down if he didn't recognise one of them.

"Inara, you are..." Mal breathed, Inara looked back at him, a mysterious smile lighting up her face.
"Do go on, don't stop, you're being so romantic." She giggled as Mal walked into the clearing with her. Reaching out, he longed to touch her, to make sure this was real and not some twisted dream he was having. Her skin was warm and soft. She moaned softly in response, her hand covering his.
"Mmm, you're cold, captain." He noticed the Goosebumps on her arm. Taking his jacket off, he handed it to her.
"I didn't realise it was s'cold, take it, please." He placed the jacket on her shoulders. He was about to lead her toward the path when a familiar voice stopped him, grinning he turned to face the preacher.

"Captain, what a coincidence!" Shepard Book said as he approached.
"'Tis indeed." Mal replied, a little confused. Inara waved.
"Good evening, my lady. You look positively wonderful." Book nodded his head.
"So what brings you out this way?" Mal asked.
"Well I was walking back from the temple and this park just happens to be right in-between the temple and the ship." Mal scooped Inara up. She was pretty light considering how much she had eaten. The two men began walking toward Serenity.
"I heard Inara's voice and I thought I would prefer to walk the rest of the way with company."
Mal shrugged, a feat that was made difficult by having a beautiful young woman cradled in his arms, couldn't fault his reasoning. Inara sighed contentedly and promptly fell asleep. Mal shifted her weight ever so slightly.

"How did the prayin' go then?" Mal asked as they left the park behind and entered the dockland. Alliance officers gave them strange looks but upon seeing a finely dressed couple and a preacher they thought nothing of it.
Book nodded, "It was... normal, lots of prostrating, as you would undoubtedly expect." They both chuckled.
"I thought it would be wise to share this also," Book stated, Mal looked at him for a moment.
"Reavers seem to be gettin' a mite fidgety, knowing our luck, well, we wouldn't want to know."
Mal thought that over.
"I appreciate the warnin' but how did you learn that?" Mal asked, unsure as to where Book could have found that sort of thing out.
"It's amazing what you can discover at holy places, temples especially. Divine knowledge can strike from any direction." Mal laughed quietly. He wouldn't get a straight answer out of the man so there was no point in hounding him.

Less than ten minutes later they arrived outside Serenity, The cargo ramp was already lowered and a lone figure awaited them at the foot of the ramp. River's particular physique was unmistakable and as they approached they could make her out.
"What are you doin' up at this hour little one?" Mal asked, his arms tired from hauling Inara.
"Bedbugs?" Book asked. River smiled quickly.
"Is she alright?" River asked, glancing noticeably at the comatose Inara.
"Yeah, she just had too much drink." Mal replied.
River produced a metal bedpan seemingly from nowhere and held it just under Mal's elbow.
"Move your arm." She ordered. Mal moved his arm and as if by magic Inara woke and instantly retched into the pan. Book's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
"Don't stare, it's rude." River admonished. Book looked away.
Inara looked up, and noticed River. She smiled sleepily.
"Thanks." She mumbled. River nodded her acknowledgment.

"Goodnight everyone, Captain." Shepard Book said as he disappeared to his quarters. Mal and River ascended the stairs to Inara's shuttle.

"Put her down Mal." River ordered again.
Mal muttered under his breath.
"Yes I will be giving orders or your gorram boat." She replied shortly.
Mal blinked and set Inara on her feet.
"Wait here." River said. Mal didn't dare move a muscle.

Five minutes later River re-emerged from the shuttle.
"You can go in now."
"That a fact?" Mal asked. Obviously confused.
"Be nice." She chided.
Mal walked into the shuttle and closed the door behind him. Engaging the lock he let out a sigh of relief, everything was under control again.

"Mal?" A sleepy voice called out.
Ok, everything was not in control.
"I'm here." He said, sitting on the bed and taking her hand. Inara's eyelids fluttered as she fought sleep.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" Her question was simple. Mal didn't know what to say. Her eyes pleaded with him silently.

Mal opened his mouth to reply.

What is his decision?
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