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I don't own the crew on Serenity, just having some fun.

Firefly Fanfiction

By: Redelflady

Consequence of Actions

Chapter 4

At dinner that night everyone was well rested and hungry again. Mal was still somewhat suspicious as to why they were really there. He wanted some answers, without biting the hand that was feeding and housing them so well.

"So Priestess, how is it that you knew we were coming to visit here?" Mal said between bites of a very tasty steak.

She smiled and looked at River, "Well Captain Reynolds, I had a dream last week that you were coming and the part that all of you will play in events of the next week."

He glanced up at her, "Next week? We stayin' that long?"

"Well, you can leave anytime you want, but the Alliance ship that is circling the planet would like a word with your crew if you were to leave now."

"You just think they are gonna let us leave in the next week?" his palms were getting sweaty. Had they managed to trap themselves here?

"You are safe as long as you are here with us. They won't be leaving soon, but you will have a chance to leave without their detection."

"How is that gonna happen?"

"We will discuss that in a day or two. For tonight let's have a nice dinner." She smiled.

"Well, just as well as you would like to wait, I need to know now. How is it we are going to get a chance to leave without that ship noticin' that we're leavin'?"

She sighed, this was not how the conversation was to go, but all things were for a higher purpose she reminded herself. "My funeral." She said quetly.

Everyone except Benu and River looked at her in shock. "Your funeral?" Zoe asked.

"Yes, I am dying and next week I will pass to the next life. Your crew will somehow play a part in this and during my funeral you will have a chance to sneak away."

Mal looked at her with his mouth wide open, "I'm sorry. I never heard anyone speak so….calmly about their own death. It don't seem right."

"I am sure in where I am going Captain Reynolds, that lends me comfort. My only concern is my loved ones that I am leaving behind." She looked at Benu who refused to meet her gaze.

"Well since we are to become fast friends in the next week, please call me Mal. No need for formalities."

She nodded, "You and your crew may call me by my given name, Raesmel."

Jayne looked up, that name, where did he know that name from? River rolled her eyes and looked at Raesmel. "No." she answered with her mind, "All things in their right time young one."

Jayne stared hard at her, trying to jog his memory.

"Jayne!" Kaylee called.

"What?!" he yelled.

"Stop staring, it's rude."

"I…. I'm not staring. I'm thinking….just leave me alone." He slammed down his fist on the table.

"Please, everyone take a deep breath. Tell me Mal, how did you assemble your crew?" Benu inquired.

Mal spent a while spinning the tales of how he persuaded each one of the crew to join him. He even mentioned Inara who was now living at the Companion training house. Raesmel detected the sense of sadness that he tried so hard to not let show.

"Priestess, please tell us a story?" River asked anxiously.

"River, I'm not going to tell the story tonight. I am too tired. Tomorrow night alright?"

River scowled and glared at Jayne, who glared back at her.

Mal rolled his eyes at the warring shipmates. "Well thank you for a wonderful meal. Since it seems we may be staying a while, we mean to earn our keep. How can we help out around here?"

Benu bowed his head, "That is very kind of you Captain. We do have some minor repairs that could be done. There is always work in the gardens and there is a school on the grounds that can use extra hands, the children are very rambunctious."

Kaylee's eyes lit up, "Children? I can help with them!"

"Thank you Kaylee, I will show you the school after dinner. There is also a small ship that is in need of repairs. We don't go off planet much and we don't have anyone to do regular maintenance on it."

Mal nodded, "Wash, Jayne and I can take a look at that for you. If we need engine help we will holler at Kaylee."

"If everyone is done, then shall we take a walk outside? We can show you where the work is needed." Raesmel said as she stood up. Benu took her hand and they walked out of the back of the temple. The suns were setting low in the sky; it was beautiful with the blue clouds tinged by the multiple orange planets heading to the horizon.

The crew saw how much larger the garden was than they thought. "What we don't eat we give back to the needy in the community." Raesmel explained. They wandered through the flower garden and Benu picked a lavender rose and handed it to her. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

Shepherd approached them, "I…. I have a question if you don't mind."

"Please." Raesmel smiled at him.

"Most religious sects don't approve of……well; it is obvious that the two of you are more than just friends."

Raesmel looked at Benu for a moment and thought, "You answer that one my love. I'm getting tired." Benu nodded. "Our sect actually encourages having multiple spouses, making a more communal atmosphere. However, my love does not agree with that doctrine and in fact has refused every single one of my proposals. We couldn't be any closer if we were married, but she does not approve."

"Doesn't that cause problems with your main church, that you don't follow doctrine?"

"No, we send them the monthly allotment of money and they leave us alone. We are an offshoot of the Alliance Civil Sanctuary. They don't believe in giving back to the community, only in taking and giving to the Alliance. We have found a way to….circumvent that."

Shepherd nodded, "If I may Raesmel, you two seem so much in love. Why have you not accepted his proposals?"

She looked at him with very sad eyes, "You have asked, but I will not answer Shepherd Book."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend." He bowed.

"You didn't offend at all. Just not a question I care to discuss." She squeezed Benu's hand.

River looked at Jayne and hissed. "Stop it." Raesmel commanded.

"What is wrong with you?" Jayne yelled at River. "Stop staring at me!"

"Jayne!" Mal yelled back, "Leave her be."

"Tell her to let me alone Mal, she's giving me the willies." Jayne stalked away.

River wandered over to a small flower garden and was looking at the lilies when several butterflies landed on her arms. She froze in panic, "Simon!" She whispered. He looked at her and smiled, "Butterflies, they like you River." She put her finger under a large yellow one and was amazed when the creature obliged and stood on her finger. Her eyes became huge and she began to laugh. She walked around the garden and deposited the butterflies on flowers as she wandered. She skipped around the garden, happy and humming.

"We have a barn there." Benu pointed north. "There are lots of animals, including Geese, Wash."

Wash smiled and grabbed Zoe's hand, "Come on hon, I'm gonna show you some juggling!"

Mal and Jayne went to look at the ship, which looked worse for the wear.

"I am tired now, Simon would you mind if River escorted me back to the temple? Benu can show you all the rest of the grounds."

"Would you mind if I joined you Raesmel?"

She nodded slightly and took River's hand as Simon followed them. They walked slowly to the temple, River sharing her energy with Raesmel.

"Priestess I am a doctor, as I am sure you are aware. There might be something we can do about your illness. Have you been to a hospital?" Simon wanted to know more about what was ailing her.

She led them into the sanctuary where she knelt in front of the alter saying her evening prayers. River mimicked her actions on a pillow next to her. Several other worshipers smiled at the young girl. As he bowed his head respectfully Simon wondered if she had even heard his question. After a few moments the Priestess stood up and turned to him. "I have been to the doctor and as River says, I am broken beyond repair."

She walked by him and back down the hall to her sitting area, where the remnants of dinner had already been cleared away. She poured two glasses of wine and gave one to Simon. "I have, in your terms, a very rare cancer of the brain. Some would say it is the curse of my gift, as I was told when my gift was......discovered, so to speak. It is not treatable and I am at peace with that. I only worry about Benu, leaving him behind." She sat down on the couch and River sat at her feet watching her every move with great interest, mimicking her hand gestures. "I know that this illness is the will of the Goddess, and I know that all things are for the greater good. But he is so sad and I worry for him."

She took a sip of the wine and looked off in the distance.

"What worries you the most about leaving him?" Simon asked.

"She worries that he will remember her for too long or that he will forget her too soon." River answered.

Raesmel looked at the young girl. "You read my mind too well young one." She brushed River's hair behind her ear.

Simon looked at River and back at Raesmel, "Can you see her future? What will happen to her when she is grown?" He was almost afraid to ask, the answer might be worse than not knowing.

River tilted her head at Simon, "She can but she won't say. The Goddess has said that my future is only for me to know." She pulled a rose from her pocket and crushed the flower, smelling deeply of the essential oils that were released.

"You know your future River?" Simon looked concerned.

She nodded and handed the crushed rose to Raesmel, "But all things can be subject to free will, I think anyway."

They looked up as Jayne walked in the room, he stopped and looked at the three of them and grunted. He poured a glass of wine and stood there staring at them. River started to get up and Simon glanced at her, she sat back down pouting, arms crossed.

Jayne kept his eyes on River as he sat down in a chair across from them. There was an awkward silence in the room. "The suns are almost down, getting' dark out there." Jayne mumbled. "I'll work on your ship tomorrow, needs a lot of work, gonna take a few days to fix up." He gulped a mouthful of the wine. He glanced at the Priestess again; who was this woman who was so calm about her own death? How come she wasn't fighting to live?

She suddenly stood up and bowed, "If you will excuse me, I am going to retire for the night. I will see you all in the morning." She exited the room and closed the door to her private quarters. She did feel exhausted and her head ached from all the activity River brought to her mind. What she was trying to hide from Benu until tomorrow evening was also making her weak. He was so much stronger than she was now; it was hard to hide her thoughts. The Goddess had determined that he hear this story for the first time just like the guests, there were lessons in what was to be told. She ran a bath and put the crushed rose petals in the warm water. Shortly the whole room smelled of roses. She soaked for a few minutes before reaching out to Benu to let him know she was going to bed. She could feel his concern, "I am just tired my love." She said out loud to the empty room. She dried off and put on her favorite sleep robe and gleefully climbed in the comfy bed. In just a few moments she was asleep.

Later Benu came into her room and stood there watching her peaceful slumber. He showered and joined her, sliding his arm under her neck and pulling her close to him. The smell of roses on her made him smile. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "My sweet Esmle." She smiled in her sleep, pulling closer to him.

Jayne went to bed with a headache, still angry he could not remember this gorram Priestess woman. He drank a bottle of wine to help rid himself of his headache, but it only served to increase his pain. Sometime late in the night he woke, sitting straight up in his bed, sweating, breathing hard and his head was throbbing. His hand was clutching at his neck, dreaming that someone has just cut him with a cleaver from his right earlobe down his neck, across his throat ending at the top of his left shoulder. The sadness that permeated his being from the nightmare felt like it would drown him. He stood up and stalked around the room, trying to shake the feeling, he couldn't take this emotion, this overwhelming heartbreak and sadness. He suddenly turned and punched the stone wall with all the energy he could, feeling skin, tendon and bone give way. Pain, lots of pain, that was a feeling he could understand, he could tolerate.

In a room a few doors down River nodded, it was the least he deserved she thought. Of all the things she could have done to him, letting him feel just some of the fear and pain he had caused was minor. She was glad the Priestess was asleep, she would not have approved. River laid her head back down, falling asleep with a smile on her face.