Disclaimer: Joss is Boss.
Chapter Two: Pride Comes Before the Fall.
The next morning dawned like any other day. The cacophony of voices combined with the gentle hum of Serenity herself heralded the beginning of the end. Her shuttle was sparse, most of her things packed and waiting in the cargo hold for their removal when they docked in Shinon. The Training House was eagerly awaiting her arrival and though she looked forward to being among her own kind she still had to make it through her last day with her family. They had been pleased when she had sent them a wave, informing them that she would be returning after her altercation with the Operative and sudden departure. They didn't know that she had been involved in what had gone down on Miranda courtesy wouldn't let the, pry about her time away, something for which she had never been more grateful.
She dressed slowly, savouring the moment yet itching to get among the crew and spend every last moment with the people who had become so special to her. River had come in last night after her fight with Mal and let her know that he'd given everyone the day off but that his pride wouldn't let him knock on her shuttle door and tell him herself. Typical gorram stubborn… As a trained companion she had been taught to control her emotions and always keep a calm façade; something that had proved difficult and eventually borderline impossible since she had arrived on Serenity. Sighing she quickly twisted up her hair and secured it with a beaded chopstick and finished her make up before stepping out onto the catwalk.
"Mornin' Inara. Sleep well?" Jayne was leant forward with his elbows on top of the railing, watching River dance to an unheard tune across the cargo bay. Jayne's more social and calm manner still shocked her; after Miranda the big merc had softened considerably and the friendship that had blossomed between he and River…well that was something none of them understood. "Yes, thank you, I did. Have you seen Kaylee this morning?"
Jayne nodded, a smirk twitching the corners of his lips, "Simon came out of the engine room mutterin' about ruttin' moody females and rubbin' the back that prissy head of his bout an hour back. Riv' said little Kaylee's been makin' an awful racket in there since she got up at the crack of dawn."
Inara winced and bit her lip. Thanking him she gave River a quick wave and headed off in the direction of her dear friend.
Kaylee meanwhile, was three quarters shimmed under Serenity's engine and had been for the past four or so hours. After Inara's announcement last night she had retreated to the engine room, refusing to speak with Simon or River and when the tears got the better of her hiding out in her bunk. She heard light footsteps in the ground outside the engine room and began to wriggle out from underneath the engine. "If that's you Simon Tam you can shove your gorram head up your Core planet…" She ended the beginning of her tirade abruptly when she saw Inara standing with an amused expression on her face, in the doorway. "You were saying?"
Kaylee opened her mouth to speak but felt tears brim in her eyes so she began to shimmy back under Serenity's engine. "Kaywinnit Lee Frye do I have to get Jayne to come and drag you out?" Inara heard a sob escape and felt her heartbreak all over again. Kaylee shuffled her way out from her hiding place, tears making tracks down her dirty face
"Oh mei mei, come here." Inara sat down on the floor, not caring if she got grease on her dress and Kaylee leant into the embrace, the two then succumbing to tears. Soon however they were both spluttering with laughter at the messes they both were as Inara dabbed at her make up and Kaylee swiped at the remnants of her tears.
"Do you have to go so soon? We ain't even had a chance to throw ya a farewell shindig."
Inara tucked a strand of hair behind Kaylee's ear, remembering all the time she had brushed the crazy hair until it had sat in place only then to find that Kaylee had gone back into the engine room and gotten it all mussed up again. Smiling sadly she kept her eye trained on the floor, willing the tears to stop.
"The Training House is expecting me. I don't want to keep them waiting if I don't have to…" Kaylee frowned and fiddled with a piece of her hair. "But we can still see each other sometimes. You can send me a wave and we can chat about things or if you're in the area and I'm free you could come and visit. It would be fun!"
Kaylee sighed and glanced down the corridor for a moment, "'Nara…" She considered for a moment what she was about to ask, pursing her lips in concentration while Inara watched on curiously.
"Yes?"
Kaylee shrugged, "Nothin', just thinkin'." Smiling she hugged her dear friend and the two fell into their usual discussions They chatted for a little longer before Inara moved to check everything was out of the shuttle and down in the cargo bay while Kaylee, unbeknownst to the companion, strode purposefully towards the bridge.
****
Meanwhile, Mal sat brooding in the pilot's chair, trying to ignore the significance of the day. River had come up earlier but having caught wind of his thoughts had steered clear, leaving her Captain to his thoughts. His nightmares had been worse tonight and now the Battle of Serenity involved Inara. She had been there with him, fighting along side as they fought vainly and fiercely for independence. He felt him self being pulled back into the dream; he could smell the gunpowder and feel the blasts just like he had all those years ago…This time though when they received the call from command telling them it was too hot and that they were pulling out, she was there beside him and was shot down by the incoming Alliance forces. He turned to see her lying on the hard ground, one hand pressed to her chest, trying to stem the flow of thick, dark blood that seeped through her fingers. She coughed, a single tear streaming down her face as he applied pressure. "Come on 'Nara, stay with me." She smiled weakly, coughing again and reached up a shaky hand the caress his cheek. "Mal…" and then she was gone.
"Captain, I need to talk to you." Kalyee's angry voice shot him out of his seat, gun in hand and pointed directly at her face.
Realizing that he wasn't dreaming anymore Mal replaced his gun with a shaking hand and ran a hand over his face, "Wo de ma! Little Kaylee don't ever sneak up…Argh!"
Kaylee, a little pale in the face from fright, soon remembered her reason for storming up onto the bridge. "Ain't my fault you weren't concentratin'. Then again you seem to be doin' that a lot lately."
Mal, his heart still beating madly from fright, sent a confused look in his obviously furious mechanics direction. "What in the gorram hell are you talking about?"
"Cap'n for one minute please stop talking go se and think! This is Inara last day and we needa do somethin' to make it memorable." Mal rolled his eyes and earned a scowl from Kaylee who was growing more and more frustrated by the second. "Frankly Cap'n, if you don't wanna pull your gorram head outta your pi gu there ain't nothin' I can do but 'Nara is family and she deserves the best send off we can wrangle up!" With that she turned on her hell and marched off towards the kitchen leaving Mal to wrestle with his demons and recover from the tongue lashing he knew he deserved.