River's Friend Part II
Simon and Kaylee stand on the catwalk without a clue what to do next. What they feared was happening was nothing to what they saw. Mal is still trying to control his laughter.
Simon looks at Kaylee and then looks at where River and Max went to. Kaylee takes this opportunity to say "Serenity won't forgive me if I don't get all those shiny new part I promised her installed." She heads back to the engine room.
Mal is still chuckling to himself when a somewhat reluctant Simon goes to check on River and Max. He is disturbed to find they are both in the bathroom. He can hear laughing but can't make any words out. Feeling a bit pervish for listening at the door, Simon goes to his room and pretends to read.
When Mal finally manages to compose himself, he heads to the galley for more coffee. He suspects it will be a long night. Whereas he might never be sure taking in the Tams was smart thing to do, they do keep things interesting.
Simon is a bit embarrassed when River and Max come out of the bathroom naked. River says "Hi Simon" as she goes into her room. Max starts putting his armor on right there in the hall. As if to prolong Simon's embarrassment, River comes back into the hall and brushes her hair while small talking with Max. Simon shoves his face as far into his book as he can. Finally, she puts on sweat pants and a t-shirt.
When River and Max are both dressed they head to the cargo bay. There they collect various foods from Max's supplies. She then takes Max to the galley where they start cooking. They are talking, joking, and laughing. Simon can't ever recall River so at ease before. Not even playing with Kaylee does she seem so happy. Simon feels a bit of guilt over his interference. Anyone who makes River this happy is ok by him.
Jayne carries Zoe back to the ship and places her on her bunk. He then follows his nose up to the galley. He sees River and the new guy putting dinner on the table. Jayne is excited to see steaks and vegetables! This guy is defiantly ok in his book.
When Mal sits down at the table, he asks where Zoe is.
"Bunk." Jayne replies as he shovels steak onto his plate.
"Don't worry. I put some aside for her." River says. She is sitting next Max. They seem very comfortable together.
Dinner is wonderful. Only Simon remembered the taste of real beef. Everyone is very happy and seems to be adjusting to Max's presence. Mal is always amazed at what people can adjust to. Some part of his brain screams that things are going to smooth but he tries to ignore it.
Kaylee drags Simon away to their cabin. "Today, I saw some moves I would like try." she says with a wicked grin.
Simon turns red once more but allows her to drag him to their quarters.
"Thank you for the fine meal. I can't remember the last time I was so full." says Mal as he pats a full stomach.
Jayne grunts his agreement as he continues to eat. He is so intent on not wasting any of the food he volunteers to do the dishes so he can clean the scraps from everyone else's plate.
"Good food is best served with good company" comments Max.
A dull thud announces the return of Inara's shuttle. "Oh the ambassador is back. You will just love her." says Mal with a smirk. He blinks twice because he thought River just tensed when he spoke. Shaking his head Mal gets up from the table and goes to greet Inara.
Max looks at River and gently touches her cheek. River smiles for a moment, nods and then runs to her room. Max stands up and heads after Mal. He was surprised to hear Inara is here. It seems like fate was driving him to this ship. He feels unusually nervous about seeing Inara again. She was one of the few kind people during a difficult time. She knew instantly he would never be suited to seduction but she stalled and kept him at the monastery for 6 months.
Mal is talking with Inara when Max walks into the cargo bay. Inara's perfect image of calm breaks for a moment when she spots Max. Mal miss reads the expression and he says "Oh that is Max. He is River's friend."
"Nice to see you, Max" Inara says while extending her hand. Max takes her hand and kisses it gently. Mal is stunned to see Inara blush from Max's kiss. She never blushes. "What in the verse is going on?" thinks Mal.
"Give me an hour time to get my shuttle cleaned up then stop by so we can chat." Inara offers Max.
Now, Mal is just plain confused. Inara doesn't invite anyone to her shuttle. Particularly, not armed strangers.
"It would be a great pleasure." Max replies with an elegant bow. Max then heads to towards the passenger section presumable to River's room.
As soon as Max is out of sight, Inara grabs Mal's arm and practically drags him into her shuttle. "You are in danger Mal. Max is an assassin. If he is here, it is to kill someone. Most likely you." Inara says fear clear in her voice.
Mal don't know if it is right but her concern does make him feel better. Mal says "He told me he was an assassin straight out. River brought him on board. They were at the same "school" together. She seems to have taken quite a shine to him."
"Well, he always had a certain charm if you can get through all his armor." Inara says. Her faint smile hints at a deeper relationship with Max than Mal is comfortable with.
"How exactly do you know him?" Mal asks with more jealousy in his voice than he would like.
Inara looks down and fidgets before answering "He was sent to my training house. Seduction is considered a useful tool in his line of work. The Alliance insisted we train him and others in the arts of a companion. He tried hard but it was too difficult for him to relax. He would be playing the perfect companion and then at the first sign of a threat the assassin was back. This made it impossible for him to do undercover work. Eventually, the Alliance realized this and sent him somewhere else.
In many ways he is no different than River. He did not ask to become what they made him to be. The few times he opened up, he showed a great understanding of beauty and love. He is part of the reason I came out here. I couldn't teach these people. The life of a companion is all about choice and these poor souls had known." A single tear makes its way down her cheek as she finishes speaking.
Mal finds himself distracted by that tear. Such an open display means she must have cared a great deal about Max. Mal is deeply regretting letting Max on board. "How can a man who openly admits to being a killer draw such emotions from not one but two women in his life." Mal wonders. He has the bad feeling that no matter how this plays out he will be the loser. The 5000 does not seem like such a good deal after all.
Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Inara asks "Did he promise not to hurt you?"
Mal pauses dredging up exactly what Max said. "Well, he said he wasn't here to hurt River. He had a few months off and is just looking for someplace to be. He did say he was not looking for trouble." replies Mal
"But he didn't promise did he?" she says emphatically.
"I guess he didn't." Mal replies. Concern grows in his belly. In his head he is arguing with himself "Why did he let Max on his ship? Taking in to many strays."
"Don't worry Mal. I will work it out with him. He won't hurt you." Inara says while placing a hand on Mal's shoulder to reassure him.
"Whoa, I don't exactly need your protection here. I mean I handled that Operative. I ain't no helpless lamb." Mal replies in a snippy tone. His anger overrides the part of him which is just enjoying Inara's hand on his shoulder.
"Good going Inara. You are trying to help and you go and pick another fight." she thinks while mentally kicking herself. She just wishes he didn't get under her skin so. Realizing there is no point in further talking Inara says "I have to get ready." then she heads back to her shuttle.
"We ain't done talking" Mal shouts after her. Feeling the fool once more, he stomps off to his quarters. That woman drives him crazier than a jack rabbit.
Max finds River in her room. He knocks and she gestures for him to enter. She is carefully avoiding meeting his eyes. "It is ok if you need to go to her" she says while praying he won't.
Max takes River into his arms and hugs her. She hates him for it because she sees Inara thru his eyes (image of Inara glowing like an ancient goddess. Her hair flowing, eyes sparkling, and her hand outstretched for him). "How could a broken girl compare to that?" she thinks.
Max kisses her on the forehead and heads off to see Inara. He hoped River would understand but can't blame her for being upset. He must see Inara. That is just all there is too it.
When Max enters Inara's shuttle she has just finished cursing Mal's name into a pillow. She quickly regains her composure and says "Welcome. It is good to see you again. Before we catch up, there is one piece of business we must resolve."
Mal is not sure how he found himself on the catwalk pacing between the two shuttles but he knows nothing in the verse could make him be anywhere else right now. She is in there with him. Anything could happen. He will die before he lets Max hurt her. After three hours, his thoughts are broken by Inara's shuttle hatch opening. Mal turns. He sees a half naked very sweaty Max coming down the walk way. Anger burns through Mal as he thinks "This is a good day as any to die." He blocks Max's path.
"Don't worry Captain. Inara and I have come to an arrangement and for my part I promised not to harm you or your crew. She was very energetic in keeping her part of the bargain." he says with a smile.
"This son of bitch thinks he is going to get away with playing games with his crew. I don't think so" flashes thru Mal's mind as he throws a punch.
Max easily blocks the punch but Mal expected that. The punch was a distraction from his knee coming up. Mal catches Max on the leg but missed the end the fight quick spot he was aiming for. Mal tries to knock Max to the deck so he can get on top but Max doesn't move when Mal collides with him. Mal feels Max grab his shirt, lift and throw him down the catwalk. Mal lands hard but forces himself back to his feet. Max is just standing there waiting. Mal charges once more. There is no finesse to his attack but there is plenty of stubborn anger. Mal and Max trade blows. Max blocks most of Mal's blows and he doesn't seem much bother by the few that do land. Mal however, is having trouble staying on his feet. His ribs don't feel right and one eye is swollen closed but he is far from down. He attacks once more. Max catches both of Mal's arms and swings them behind Mal's head (move Mal used against Operative). Max drives his knee up into Mal's chest a few times knocking the breath clean out of him. Max then flips Mal onto his back. He kneels over Mal.
"Why are you willing to die fighting me when all you have to do is walk in there and say I love you?" asks Max. Max then leaves Mal lying there and heads for River's room.
Inara knew Mal was out there and she can admit to enjoying Mal's discomfort while she was with Max. She knows he will misinterpret Max's sweaty half naked form leaving her shuttle. Mal would just assume she was whoring. The fact that her and Max just had a wonderful workout while they talked would never enter Mal's thick head. It is cruel to make him jealous but he deserves it she firmly believes.
Hearing the fight start, Inara chides herself. She never dreamed the fool would challenge Max outright. His going to get himself killed. Gathering her clothes she runs out of her shuttle just in time to hear Max's words. Mal lying on the catwalk is struggling to get up when he sees her. "Please Mal just say it" her heart begs. Frozen by her conflicting emotions, Inara can only stand and stare at Mal.
Mal sees Inara standing there. He meets her eyes and sees the happiness he knows he doesn't deserve there. "I ain't got the words Inara. I wish to the verse I did but I just don't" he says lowering himself back to the deck to hide his shame.
Inara goes to him. Her touch is light on his face and she lifts his head to meet her eyes. "We could find them together." she is surprised to hear herself saying.
Mal does the bravest and most cowardly thing he has ever done. He kisses her lightly on the lips. Inara returns his kiss far less gently and the verse stops. There is nothing but their lips.
Mal still cannot believe he kissed her. After so many nights of dreaming of her lips, the reality was so much better. He is still not sure how long Kaylee had been clapping and whooping before he noticed but he does know it was an embarrassingly long time.
When reality rushed back into their world so did the pain in his ribs and jaw. Heck, even his hands hurt from punching Max. With Inara's help, he makes his way to the sick bay where Simon gives him something for the pain.
"Luckily nothing is broken just very bruised." says Simon with his "the doctor is in" voice. He continues to bandage Mal's ribs while talking.
Inara hovers next to Mal. Her fingers are intertwined with his. Her small smile makes all Simon's drugs unnecessary. Nothing can touch Mal with Inara looking at him like that.
When Kaylee and Simon walked in on Mal and Inara kissing, Kaylee started jumping up and down and making happy noises. She was their personal cheerleader which even Simon could tell was making the Captain very uncomfortable. Even Inara's laughter at Kaylee's reaction seemed forced and lacking the companion's normal confidence. Simon practically had to tie Kaylee up in the engine room to get her to give Inara and Mal some peace.
After his talk with Inara and his fight with Mal, Max has realized he has wronged River. He expected her to understand that he needed to go to Inara but he failed to understand why River thought he needed to see her. Inara means a lot to him. She is one of the few nice people in his life but she is no match for River. River is the only one who has a place in what passes for his heart.
River greets him with "I don't blame you. I saw her as you see her. No one could resist that." The dried tears on her cheeks seem like scars on her heart and tear deep wounds in Max's heart.
Regretting ever causing her pain, Max scoops River into his arms and says "You made a mistake River. You may have seen how I view Inara but you failed to see how you look to me." He dips her and kisses her. As their lips touch River sees herself as she never imagined she could be. She is a fierce warrior goddess whose fury only adds to her beauty. Tears of joy pour down her checks and see loses herself in his lips.
Several hours later, River lies in Max's arms. They are both happier than they have been in a long time. She can't believe the image of her in his mind. She never thought of herself as whole much less so incredible.
Max allows himself to simply enjoy River in his arms. No thoughts about how many exits there are, best ambush spots, best angle to ricochet a shot into the hall. He just is. It is an amazing sensation.