Fairy Tales (November 2522)

Petaline stared at the freshly dug dirt in front of the simple gravestone. Everything had gone so badly. She had not wanted anyone to be hurt, but it had happened anyhow, and she was powerless to stop it. Her eyes strayed to the second gravesite nearby, a site overgrown with grass. She wished Nandi were present. Nandi would have some ideas of what they could do. As it was, Petaline was quickly running out of options. Her latest plan had ended in disaster. Two of the girls had ended up injured badly, and poor Jadeyn had lost her life. She needed to do something else, something drastic, something the Alliance men would not expect.

Thinking of Nandi made her remember the last time they had been in trouble. They had called an old friend of Nandi's, a Companion who knew some fighters that were able to help. Inara had been close to Nandi and had done a favor for an old friend. Petaline was not sure if that same willingness would extend to her as well, but she had to try something. With that thought in mind, she turned and walked back into the house, her back straight and proud, willing herself not to cry.

She found Inara's wave code in an old address book of Nandi's, and she marked the page before carrying it out of the room to the front office where she could make the wave. One of the older girls, Samara, stopped her before she reached the office. "Are you calling Nandi's old friend? Inara?"

"Do you think she could help us?" a second girl, Nylah, asked.

"Reckon I won't know 'til I wave," Petaline remarked.

"Do you think she's still on the ship with the fighters?" Samara questioned.

"I hope she is. The captain was so yingjun," Nylah said.

"It was too bad he didn't want to bed any of us the last time he was here. He seems like the type to know somethin' about sexin'."

Though Petaline agreed with the sentiment, she also wanted to ensure the girls weren't making too much trouble. "The captain was working the last time he was here, and if he does come again, he will be this time as well. If he asks for one of you, that's fine, but neither of you should seek him out. Lijie?" The girls both nodded, suitably chastised. She moved into the office, shutting the door firmly behind her. Though the girls made no move to follow her, she was sure that if she were to open the door, she would find them both with their ears pressed to the wood in an attempt to hear.

Deciding it would be best to deal with that issue at a later time, Petaline booted up the wave and sent the code. A picture appeared on the screen a few seconds later. Petaline vaguely recognized the girl on the screen from the previous visit five years before. She had been in the birthing room with the doctor though her wide-eyed innocence and puzzling questions had Petaline wondering about her qualifications. Additionally, she looked so young, likely not yet out of her teens. Even now, she did not seem to have aged since their last encounter. "Petaline," she said simply. "Knew you would call. Felt it. Already turned the ship in your direction. Shouldn't be but two days out."

Petaline stared at the wild-eyed girl in shock for a moment, unsure of how to respond to her matter-of-fact statements. She seemed unconcerned with Petaline's silence, contenting herself with fiddling with something off-screen. "Albatross?" a deeper voice called from behind. "You talkin' to someone in there?" The girl's finger pointed at the screen though her eyes did not move from her task. A couple seconds later, a new face appeared in view, a face that Petaline recognized well. He, too, seemed untouched by age. In fact, in many ways, he seemed younger than when Petaline had last seen him. His face was less lined with worry and grief, and his eyes almost seemed to sparkle.

It took Captain Reynolds a few seconds to place Petaline's face, but he did. "Petaline," he said, surprise coloring his tone. "I would say I'm happy to see you, but I suspect from your expression that it's not good news."

"Bad. Bad men, bad ideas, just bad," the girl muttered. Captain Reynolds reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She quieted under his touch,

"Wanna tell me what's goin' on, Petaline?"

Petaline took a deep breath and began her tale. "There are some men who decided to settle here a few months ago. They have Alliance ties, and they were originally supposed to come determine if this moon could handle an expanded population. At first, that's what they did. They reported back that an expanded population would strain our limited resources, which is probably correct, and we figured that was that. But on their last night here, one of the townsfolk told them about our house, and the fella decided to avail himself of some of our. . . services."

"He get rough with you?" Mal questioned.

"No, it was a normal enough encounter. But they didn't leave the next day. Turns out, they got it in their head that they could make some money on this moon. They started demanding taxes from us, threatening us with killin' and all manner of unpleasantness if we don't pay. And if we couldn't give them the cash, they would demand. . . other forms of payment."

"So you want us to come talk some sense into them?"

"I wouldn't be askin' if we weren't real desperate. I don't have much in the way of payment, 'cept some spare vegetables from our garden. And of course, you would have access to any girl you wanted."

"I'll take you up on the former, but we're okay on the latter." He thought for a moment. "'Cept maybe Jayne. But I don't want him having too much fun, blowing all our credit 'fore it's earned."

"Does that mean you're coming?"

"Already two days out. Course set," the girl remarked. The captain gave her a fond smile.

"My pilot tells me it does. How many men did you say?"

"Eight."

"With Alliance ties?"

"I don't think they have Alliance backing any longer. One of our girls is a genius with machines, and she managed to fix up a wave so we can spy on their communications. They told all the men here to report back three weeks ago. Doubt they're happy with them now for disobeying direct orders."

"Well, that's a small blessing. We'll see you soon, Petaline."

"Many thanks, Captain Reynolds." He reached forward and clicked off the wave. Petaline sat back in her chair, thinking for a moment. Belatedly, she realized she had never seen Inara nor asked after her. Perhaps the Companion was no longer on board; after all, Petaline had always found it strange that such a high class woman as Inara would associate with the crew of Serenity. However, it was none of Petaline's concern. If Captain Reynolds was willing to come even without Inara, Petaline would still be forever grateful.

They touched down two days later as promised. One of the girls ran inside as soon as she saw the Firefly landing so she could tell the others. Petaline sent two of them out to greet the crew as she supervised some last minute cleaning and shuffling of rooms. Jonah danced around her feet. At five years old, he was a ball of energy, and his constant movement often drove his momma crazy.

"I appreciate the greetin' party, but you didn't need to go to no trouble at our expense," a gruff voice remarked suddenly. All of the girls in the room turned, and Petaline saw smiles break out on more than one dour face at the sight of the captain standing in the now-open doorway, a gun strapped at each hip and a knife on his leg. It appeared that more than Nylah and Samara had crushes on the dashing captain. Petaline hoped she would not have a problem on her hands. Everything had happened so quickly the previous time that they had not had time for petty jealousy, but with the Alliance men not scheduled to show up for six days, it would be quite some time before there was any significant action.

"It was no trouble at all, Captain Reynolds," Petaline assured him as she approached, Jonah still at her heels. She had nearly forgotten about the little boy until the captain bent down to his level, a wide smile on his face.

"Do you like to play outside, Jonah?" he questioned. Jonah nodded eagerly. "Ask your momma if you can." He looked up at her, his eyes pleading, and Petaline relented immediately. He was always easier to handle if he had a chance to run off some energy. Seeing the nod, Captain Reynolds continued. "Why don't you go outside? There are some people there I think you'll want to meet." Immediately, Jonah sprinted past the captain, slipping out the doorway.

"Jonah, manners!" Petaline called after him. Shaking her head at her wayward son, she turned back to the captain. "Sorry 'bout that; we're still working on manners."

"S'all right. I'm used to it." Shouts from outside interrupted their conversation, and Petaline moved to the window to ensure Jonah was safe. The captain moved with her. As soon as Petaline looked outside, however, her mouth dropped open in shock. Jonah was running around with four other children, three boys and a girl who all looked to be a bit younger than he was. "Hope it's okay we brought 'em with us. We'll get them out of harms way 'fore the shootin' starts, and we can take Jonah, too, for safety's sake. But we always try to let 'em run around when we're planetside. They build up a lot of energy cooped up on the ship."

"They're yours?"

"Only a couple." He pointed to the two youngest boys, and Petaline could clearly see the resemblance. No wonder he was so good with Jonah. "The other two belong to my first mate, Zoe. You might remember her." He gestured to a tall, dark-skinned woman standing to one side of the melee, watching the children like a hawk. "Other than her, you have my pilot, River, whom you met. Our muscle, Jayne. Kaylee's our mechanic, and Simon's our doctor. And you know Inara of course." He pointed out each person in turn. Petaline's eyes widened further as she realized both Inara and Kaylee were holding bundles in their arms that could only be infants. The father of Kaylee's was quite obvious; the doctor hovered close to her, his eyes never straying from his young family. The father of Inara's baby was less obvious at first, but when Petaline considered all the pieces of the puzzle, they really only fit in one way.

"You have a baby as well?" she guessed, pointing to Inara.

"A little girl. Kaylee's is as well. The women on the ship are over the moon to have the gender ratio a bit more balanced again."

"I'm sure they are." Petaline was still trying to comprehend the fact that the gruff captain she had met years earlier and the beautiful, talented Companion had not one but three children. It was practically unheard of for a Companion to have children. It was a career ender, something each one worked assiduously to avoid. And unlike Petaline and her girls, they had the means to ensure it did not happen. Petaline wondered how it did.

However, she was too polite to ask such a question. Instead, she said simply, "You have two beautiful boys." He smiled.

"Thanks, but I think most of the credit goes to my wife. Now, I know we're here for a reason, so let's get down to business. Zoe, Jayne!" Two of the more heavily-armed crew members separated from the rest and walked over to the doorway. With a final look at the playing children, Petaline led them to the small office so they could conduct business.

About twenty minutes into the strategy conversation, a soft knock sounded on the door. Petaline bade the other person to enter, and the door swung open to reveal Inara standing on the other side with a squirming infant in her arms. "Sorry to interrupt, but I fed her and can't get her to sleep. I think she just wants her father." Captain Reynolds stepped forward, and they transferred the infant from one parent to the other in a practiced maneuver. The captain immediately lifted the infant to his shoulder, automatically bouncing her in his arms.

"I think we're about done here anyway," he remarked, looking to Petaline. She nodded, trusting his judgment much more than her own. Zoe and Jayne rose as well, and the three made their way outside to where the children were playing. The captain hung back for a bit, watching them with a fond smile, but once the baby fell asleep, he passed her to Inara and joined the fray. His sons and Zoe's twins immediately accosted him, jumping on his back in an attempt to force him to the ground. Even Jonah joined in, and for the first time, Petaline began to wonder if she was being fair to him by denying him a father. Sure, his biological father would not be a good candidate, but there were plenty of other men out there, men such as Captain Reynolds who would be a good influence on the small boy.

Before those thoughts could spiral too far out of control, she shook them from her head. She had a beautiful son whom she loved. That was more than most people had; there was no use wishing for other things. Happy endings only occurred in fairy tales. Real life had a lot more rough edges.

After dinner that night, they gathered in the common area, and Petaline observed in amazement how well Serenity's crew fit in with the members of the house. The kids were already looking tired, and the captain mentioned going back to the ship. Jonah was the first to protest, offering to let them share his room. Captain Reynolds looked torn, so Petaline stepped in. "I think it will be good for all of them to get to bed soon. No reason for you to travel all that way back to your ship just to come back first thing in the morning. We have rooms already made up for you. I can place a few extra cots in Jonah's room for the older kids, and his old crib should fit both the babies. As for the adults, we have two spare rooms and Amaris has kindly offered to give up hers as well." Petaline nodded to a young redhead to her right who clasped her hands demurely.

"It would be my honor."

"Oh, we couldn't do that," Inara insisted. "Mal and I will be fine sleeping out here." Mal gave her an indecipherable look, and a silent conversation quickly flowed between them. Finally, Mal cleared his throat and turned to Amaris.

"Thank you kindly, Amaris. We do appreciate the loan of your room," he said. She smiled broadly, obviously enamored with the fact that the handsome captain and famous companion would be sleeping in her bed.

"I'll take you there if you want," she offered.

"We oughta get the kids to bed first, but then we'll take you up on that," Captain Reynolds told her. "Shouldn't be but half an hour or so." She nodded, stepping away, and they began to usher the children from the room to prepare them for bed.

Later that night as Petaline lie awake in bed, thinking, she heard odd sounds coming from the room next door. It was Amaris' room which meant that Inara and Captain Reynolds were the source of the sounds, a realization that simply made them stranger. At first, Petaline thought one of them was having a nightmare. It would not be unexpected given their lifestyle. But the sounds did not sound nightmarish; in fact, they sounded simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, an odd combination that Petaline could not quite place.

Since she was unable to sleep anyway, Petaline swung her legs out of the bed and padded to the door. When she stepped into the hallway, she saw Amaris and Samara crouched near the door of the room next door, listening. "Sounds like he's sexin' her," Samara remarked when she saw Petaline.

"I doubt it. She's making too much noise. A trained companion doesn't make noise during sex," Amaris argued. Petaline's eyes widened as she realized the girls were most likely right. The sounds of sex were certainly not unfamiliar, for they did live in a brothel, but though the sounds she was hearing indicated that activity, they were certainly different than the usual sounds of sexual activity. For one thing, Amaris was correct that most of the girls were not nearly as vocal, having been taught by Nandi and then Petaline that a proper woman conducted the act quietly. But Inara seemed to have discarded that propriety. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Always knew the captain would be a talented lover," Samara said. "Certainly sounds like he knows something 'bout pleasin' a woman. Wonder if Inara would be willing to share."

"Is that what sexin' is s'posed to sound like?" Amaris asked. "Mine don't."

Petaline cleared her throat, unsure of how to respond. She had come to the house when she was just a teenager and had no experience with men outside of its walls. She certainly was not sure what sex was supposed to sound like, at least not sex between a man and a woman who loved each other and not a man who had paid for a woman's company.

"That's 'cuz theirs is different. Did you see the way he was looking at her at dinner? Or the way he looked at her when she suggested they sleep in the common room? He's wanted to have sex with her all day long. This has been a long time comin'."

"Girls, you shouldn't be here," Petaline chastised, finding her voice again.

"But we're learnin'," Samara objected.

"This is a private moment between the captain and Inara. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate being spied on."

"But you've never minded before."

"This is different."

"Why?" Amaris asked again.

"Because. . . because they love each other. Because it's not something they're doing out of duty or for money or anything like that."

"Why are they doing it then?" Amaris asked.

"Sounds like it's all sorts of pleasin'," Samara observed.

"Sex?" Amaris seemed puzzled by the concept. "It's not that pleasin'."

"Mal, right there," Inara's whispered voice remarked from behind the door.

"'Nara, Bao bei, o wo de shangdi, you're amazin'." Further conversation was cut off as both groaned loudly, and Petaline began to shoo away the two curious girls. They left somewhat reluctantly, Samara still theorizing on the pleasure of the act for Inara and Amaris asking questions. Once they had left, Petaline stood outside the door a few moments more, contemplating the girls' conversation. Something was certainly different about Inara and the captain's relationship, and Petaline simply wished she could find that same connection.

They spent the next five days preparing for the Alliance men's arrival. Fortunately, Captain Reynolds' relationship and his obvious devotion to his wife deterred any of the girls from asking if he wished to use their services, so no conflicts arose. The doctor, too, seemed content with his wife and baby girl, and Jayne was willing to take any woman who would take him, so things were relatively even. The kids all got along splendidly, and one night at dinner, Ben jokingly remarked, "The food here is so much better than the stuff on Serenity. Could we just stay here?" His tone was light and teasing, and his parents responded in a similar manner. However, Jonah followed up with a question that was much more difficult to answer.

"If they can't stay, can I go with them on Serenity?" he asked, his eyes bright. Petaline realized with a sinking feeling that unlike his new friend, he was completely serious about his plan.

"Little one, you belong here," she told him.

"But here's so boring."

"Here you have lots of room to run around and play. If you're on board a ship, you can't go outside to do that." Jonah looked to his new friends who nodded in confirmation of his mother's assessment.

"I guess." He sounded somewhat disappointed, and Petaline imagined that it would be quite difficult for him to say goodbye to the children of Serenity when the time came. However, he was a good boy, and she knew he would accept the situation for what it was.

The Alliance men had always come exactly thirty days apart in the past, but on this particular occasion, they came a day early. Petaline wondered briefly if they had another mole in the house, but she quickly dismissed that thought. The girls were all fiercely loyal to her, and she detected no hint of spying. Likely, the Alliance men had simply seen Serenity touch down and were concerned.

Fortunately, they did have advance warning. The captain had been out setting down a few booby traps, and he came galloping back on one of the horses Petaline had loaned him. For a moment, she let herself admire how well he rode. It seemed almost effortless, like the horse was an extension of his own body. However, she did not have long to marvel before he stopped the horse in front of the house and vaulted off. "Kaylee, River, get the kids on the mule and get them back to Serenity. The hundan Alliance fools have come a day early." He had managed to run into the house by that point, and his voice had adopted a commanding tone that no one dared to disobey. "Jayne, Zoe, get everyone ready at their stations. Petaline, get a gun to any girls who want to help and get the rest in the back rooms. Don't look like there's that many of them, so we may get lucky." He grabbed two guns from a nearby table and quickly opened them to check the ammunition.

"Baba?" Ben questioned, his voice slightly shaky. Mal turned from the gun to give his oldest son a comforting smile.

"Go with Aunt Kaylee and Aunt River, ah jie. They'll take care of you. Jonah, you go with your friends as well." He gave the boy a large smile.

"Are you sure that they'll be okay with just River and Kaylee?" Petaline asked worriedly as her little boy, her flesh and blood, obediently followed the other children out the back to where the mule was parked. She noticed that both Kaylee and River were carrying guns, but she doubted their ability to use them effectively.

"Trust me, they're safer with River than any of the rest of us," Captain Reynolds told her, clicking the chamber of the gun shut. "She'll take care of them."

"Nestlings need protecting," River remarked as she walked past them. Petaline watched her a bit doubtfully, but the captain had not yet been wrong. Also, he had sent his own children with the girls, so he obviously trusted their ability to handle themselves.

"'Nara," the captain said, turning to his wife.

"Mal," she responded, challenge in her tone. They stared at each other for a moment before he sighed and handed her a rifle. "Aim for the men, not the horses," he said. She nodded, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was raw and passionate, but it also spoke of a deeper connection. He released her after only a few seconds, squeezing her hip briefly before striding out of the room, his deep baritone carrying easily as he finished giving orders. Inara watched him go for a moment before moving to the window, resting her gun on one of the supports they set up there. Petaline imagined there was a deeper meaning to the exchange, but it escaped her.

When they first saw the men on the horizon, Mal exited the house, two guns held in the air and two strapped at his hips. "I hear you men have been givin' these fine folks a peck of trouble," he called. The group seemed surprised by his presence, and the leader halted their movement with an outstretched hand.

"We got no quarrel with you."

"Seems you do. See, a quarrel with the members of this house is a quarrel with me. And I've heard you have quite the quarrel with them, what with takin' their money unlawfully."

One of the men spat. "What we're doing is perfectly within the law."

Mal waffled his hands back and forth. "I think your boss might beg to differ. Mind if we wave him?"

"He's not here," the leader told him. "In fact, all I see is a man looking to get himself shot." He drew a pistol from his belt. Mal started to lower his gun as well, but before he could point it at the man, a loud shot reverberated around the valley and the pistol dropped from the man's hand as he cried with pain. Petaline looked over in surprise and saw Inara cocking her rifle to chamber another round.

"Nice shootin', 'Nara," Mal's voice remarked softly over the radio.

"Just trying to keep you from getting shot. Again," Inara responded.

"Uh huh. Lookin' like that's gettin' a mite more difficult," Mal responded, beginning to run back toward the house as the other members of the crew drew their guns as well. He lowered his gun to point at the leader, knocking the man off his horse with a single shot just as he dove behind some empty crates for cover. "Everyone else can start shootin' now!" he called over the radio. Immediately, a cacophony of shots sounded. Most flew wide of their targets, for the girls and boys of Petaline's house had not trained in gunfighting. However, a few found their marks, including another of Inara's and one of Jayne's. After the first volley, only four men were still on horseback. One of them opened fire with a machine gun, but Mal quickly stopped him with a well-placed bullet to the chest. After that, it did not take them long to pick off the last three, and a cheer went up among the house members as last one collapsed off his horse. Mal stood when he saw the final man fall, turning to face the house. His eyes were searching for something, and it did not take long before Petaline realized what it was.

"I don't understand why you always have to put yourself right in the middle of the shooting," Inara remarked, her voice loud and clear over the radio. Petaline noticed she had left the common area and was walking toward Mal.

"Seems the captainly thing to do. Always thought you shouldn't tell someone to do somethin' lest you were willin' to do it yourself."

"And you like being the center of attention."

"Admit it, you like it too. It makes you all hot an' bothered." It seemed they had forgotten their radios were transmitting. Zoe, the only other person on the first floor wearing a radio, glanced over at Petaline, her eyebrows raised.

"Uh, Captain, I dunno that I wanna hear this," Jayne remarked over the radio. There was a bit of static as the captain and Inara turned off their radios, but not before Petaline heard one final remark.

"Shen a nuren, wo ai ni," the captain muttered. Glancing out the window, Petaline watched as he brought Inara's face to his, kissing her fiercely. Across the room, Zoe pulled her rifle out of the window and ejected the round from the chamber.

"Best leave 'em to it. They'll go on for a few minutes. We're lucky this weren't a worse scare."

"Why's that?" one of the girls asked.

Zoe smirked. "Last time we got in a really tight bind, that went on for nearly an hour." The girl's jaw slackened, mirroring Petaline's own feelings on the matter. She glanced out the window again, noting that the captain had wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her body flush against his as he devoured her mouth. They were so close it was difficult to tell where one began and the other ended. Watching them kiss, however, Petaline could not help but feel slightly jealous of Inara's good fortune. All her life, Petaline had reminded herself that happy endings were for fairy tales, that they had no place in real life. But it looked like Inara had received her fairy tale ending. It made Petaline wonder if perhaps she should reconsider looking for her own fairy tale ending.