The incense sticks in Inara's shuttle and the pleasing atmosphere they created were almost enough to send the woman into a deep sleep, but she remained awake, breathing in the soft scents. Serenity was so quiet without her crew, and the ship felt very empty. Inara had no business on the planet currently, hence why she remained behind while everyone else went off to enjoy the feeling of being on a planet again.

Inara couldn't remember if Mal had gone with them or not... she guessed not. They hadn't spoken in a few days, but he'd mentioned that he was feeling under the weather. Inara had offered him some a couple of her incense sticks to help him relax, but the captain wasn't interested. Mal could be a damn stubborn fool, and now of all times... Inara was not above admitting that she was worried for the man.

She had feelings for Mal, but not in the traditional romantic sense. He knew he could trust her, and despite his comments about her business, he respected her. A few years ago Mal had even confessed to her one of his more well-hidden secrets. When people asked if Mal was sly, and he said no, he wasn't lying. He was... half and half. And the man did not like it.

Inara supposed she had Jayne to thank for opening Mal's eyes to the idea that who he was wasn't something to be ashamed of. In this day and age Mal's 'attitude' toward both women and men was perfectly acceptable, at least in higher society. Some colonies still held on to old prejudices, though.

But there wasn't that kind of prejudice on Serenity. Mal should be able to feel safe on his own ship.

Trying to distract herself from the honestly annoying behavior of Serenity's captain, Inara thought about her clients. After that little 'shindig' with Atherton Wing, Inara wasn't too partial to staying on Persephone, so she would have to hope for a better clientèle on one of the planets Serenity would soon be visiting now that her crew had finally been payed. The stop at Persephone's docks was just to refuel and let the crew stretch their legs, and then Mal was sure to lead them off to the black star-speckled vastness of space again.

Incense smoke wafted through the shuttle, clinging to the curtains and Inara's skin. The woman had her eyes closed and was starting to drift off when she heard a loud thumping sound, like footsteps, but... wrong. The sounds had no rhythm to them, and instead they crashed against Inara's ears. Then something slammed against the wall near her, and her eyes flew open.

When she stood to confront the intruder, Inara was not prepared to see Mal come stumbling through the open door, sweat and an expression of pain covering his face. Inara was almost about to ask what had happened, but she was stopped short when she realized that Mal was pressing one arm against his stomach. He was doubled over on the wall, shaking so bad he looked like he was ready to fall over.

"Ta ma de, Mal!" Inara exclaimed, rushing over to grab the man before he collapsed. "Is it-"

"Yes," he cut her off sharply, leaning heavily on Inara as she positioned herself under the arm that wasn't pressed against his stomach. "Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo, I don't need this right now..." Mal grated out, his teeth clamped down hard and his jaw trembling.

Inara let out a snorting chuckle that was almost a scoff. "Mal... I don't think there's ever going to be a 'good' time for this..."

She was surprised when Mal laughed in return, albeit a weak and slightly hysterical laugh. "I reckon there's some truth to that," he said with a grimace as Inara tried to guide him to her bed. Unfortunately they didn't make it that far. After only two steps, Mal let out a snarling hiss, and his legs gave out underneath him. Inara could only barely catch him in time to stop him from falling on his face.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as Mal curled into himself, his whole body trembling. This wave of pain seemed to last only half a minute, but that was too long in Inara's opinion. After it passed, Mal let out a haggard breath and sagged against the wall. Inara silently decided that maybe it would be best not to move him, but she could at least make him more comfortable.

While Mal caught his breath after the spasm, Inara fetched several pillows from her bed and set one up between Mal's back and the wall. He shifted from one side to the other to let her put the other underneath him, and then he tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

Inara wished she could let the captain rest, but there was no time for that. "Mal," she whispered, "How long has it been hurting?"

At first he didn't answer. "Mal!" Inara said more loudly. "Mal, I need you to tell me how long you've been hurting. Did it just start before you got here?"

Finally Mal gave a response, opening his eyes a little and shaking his head. Inara gulped and revised her time line. "Hours?" she asked.

A nod this time, accompanied by a few hoarse words. "Was just aching... then it got worse, five or ten minutes ago I figure." Mal then winced, his top lip curling up away from his teeth. "Felt like Niska had me again."

Now Inara found herself biting her lip at the memory of Niska and the torture Mal and Wash had been forced to endure. She didn't like the comparison between what Niska had done and what was happening to Mal's body now, but that was only because Inara held a sentiment for this kind of event. In Mal's case, unfortunately, there was no real precedence for how to handle it. How would it be different? How would his body be affected? And, despite the fact that Inara hated thinking about it, what were Mal's chances of survival?

"Mal," Inara said softly, pressing her hands to the captain's shoulders. He looked her in the eye as she continued, "I'm going to help as best I can, but I need to know if you ran any tests recently, and if they showed something different. Normally this would be expected, seeing as you're near the end of the third trimester, but you have to tell me if the ba-"

"Don't!" Mal interrupted harshly, his chest falling and rising rapidly. "Don't... don't call it that. Please."

Inara pursed her lips at the frustrating denial that Mal was displaying. Ever since he'd found out what was happening inside his body, he'd refused to even acknowledge the fact that there was new life inside him. He was scared of the consequences he would have to deal with provided he even survived the next few hours. He was scared of the idea that he was unnatural. The fact was that Mal's particular situation was not unheard of, though it was extremely rare, and most people tended to ignore it and pretend people like Mal didn't exist.

Inara didn't blame him. But even Mal would have to admit that regardless of his personal fears, the fragile little thing inside of him had no choice in the matter. It couldn't be blamed for the pain Mal was suffering. Well, technically it could, but still... Mal's refusal to accept it bothered Inara.

Before Inara could think much more about this, Mal suddenly snapped his body against the wall, gritting his teeth and letting out a choked scream. Inara could see the muscles in his neck straining, and she imagined the rest of his body looked the same under his clothes. This time Inara counted how long this spasm lasted, and it was about thirty seconds before Mal was allowed to relax, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.

Flicking his eyes over to Inara, Mal focused on her with the most pleading and desperate look she'd ever seen. "Inara," he gasped weakly, "Please, just... help me. Don't want to think about it. Just want it over." Squeezing his eyes shut, Mal folded his arms over his chest and pressed down hard. Inara wondered how much pain he was in. She had several friends who had experienced this same thing... they all said it hurt worse than anything.

Childbirth. The greatest of pains, and the kind of thing a man was likely to never understand. Except Mal.

Inara thought of her friends. Yes, the process was agonizing, but they also said that what happened after the pain was gone was the best moment of their lives. Inara didn't think Mal wanted to hear that right now. She banished her thoughts and concentrated on the task at hand. She knew the crew wanted to spend the entire day on Persephone, and wouldn't likely be back for several hours. Since Mal had said that the pain had been growing for a few hours leading up to this point, Inara assumed that the birth - and she wished Mal would just say the word, instead of hiding from it - would be over before the crew returned.

But what would happen then?

"Inara..." Mal croaked again. "Please."

Inara looked at Mal and smiled, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. "It's going to be okay, Mal. I promise. I'll help you get through this."

Mal just grimaced and shuffled against the wall, mumbling something that sounded a bit like ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng. At least Mal was still lively enough to be cussing. If he went silent, then Inara would start getting worried. Still holding onto his hand, she settled down on her knees in front of him. At the moment, all they could do was wait for the next spasm of pain. Eventually they would get more regular, and by then Inara would be able to judge how long the birth could be expected to take. She wouldn't deny that she was nervous - she'd never actually witnessed the act of child-bearing. She only had a well-read knowledge of the subject, which would have to be enough.

Inara had confidence in Mal. If there was a man alive who could struggle through this gut-wrenching pain, it was him.

"Come on, Mal. You can do this."

Mal looked like he tried to grin, tried to shrug off the sensation of sweat clinging to his skin and a thing moving inside of him. Then, a fresh wave of pain surfaced, and his guttural scream pierced the cabin. Inara braced her hands on the man's shoulders as he bent over, knees and arms shaking. His scream lasted almost as long as the spasm - or more accurately, the contraction.

Inara sighed in tandem with Mal's harsh gasps as soon as the contraction passed. This was going to take a while. She only hoped Mal had the strength and the willingness for it.

0-000-0

Lunch at the small open-air restaurant was going fantastically until River glanced up all of a sudden. Kaylee paused halfway through her strawberries - a present from Book, and who knew where'd he gotten them - and cast a puzzled glance at the girl. Simon just looked worried, as usual. "What is it, River?" Simon asked from where he sat opposite Kaylee.

River just stared into space, and the rest of the table's occupants stared at her. "It's happening," she murmured.

Simon furrowed his eyebrows. "What's happening?"

"Just things." River then lowered her head and gave Simon a smile that bordered on cheeky. "Little things. Doesn't matter right now. It's just starting. It'll get there soon." As soon as she said this, River returned to her sandwich, leaving the rest of the crew more than a little puzzled. Pretty soon they just shrugged it off and returned their attention to food as well. Simon was the only one who let his gaze linger on his sister a few moments longer. She was getting better recently, and whenever she said things like that... Simon didn't think it was serious, since River wasn't screaming or cringing against the nearest wall.

Little things... Simon supposed he could ignore little things. Whatever they were.

"Hey, Zoe," Kaylee said, bumping her shoulder against the older woman's arm, "Did you see that little dress store down in town? It weren't here last time we docked. You wanna come look at it with me after lunch?"

Wash instantly perked up as soon as he heard this. "Dress store? Zoe, do you want a dress? Because I can buy you a dress. I could get one for Kaylee too, though she'll probably just get engine grease all over it." The man paused, stabbing his fork absent-mindedly into a tomato. "Though now that I think about it, honey, considering our line of work you might get some bullet holes in a dress, or some poor idiot's blood... now, there's really no point in wasting a good dress, even if it is a slinky one."

"Hoot-suh, Wash," Zoe said with a smile, elbowing her husband in the side before turning to Kaylee. "I make no promises to my husband about buying anything, but I'll take a look with you." Kaylee practically glowed with excitement, wrapping an arm around Zoe and squeezing her tight. The other occupants of the table could have sworn they heard a giggle from the mechanic.

"Hey, River! Wanna join me an' Zoe and look at some dresses? I saw some real pretty ones with ruffles and ribbons!"

Shaking his head at Zoe and Kaylee, Wash leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. From where he sat beside the pilot, Jayne shot the man a glower. Not seeming to notice, Wash mused aloud, "Looks like it's just me and the plastic dinosaurs tonight, seeing how my wife's been kidnapped by our mechanic, our doctor's sister, and a bunch of frilly dresses."

Jayne snorted. Now weren't that a notion. He'd never seen Zoe in a dress, though his mind had seen fit to wander some times. Kaylee and Inara were the ones with the dresses. Jayne liked a lack of clothing... and pants. And Mal.

On an absurd whim, he thought about Mal in a dress. Two seconds later he choked on his drink.

Book noticed Jayne sputtering and patted him twice on the back, though he withdrew his hand as soon as Jayne shot a withering glare at the preacher. Wiping the spittle from his mouth, he growled lowly and tried to figure out where the hell that idea came from. Forgiving that one time Mal costumed himself in that cotton dress on that moon where they met Saffron or Brigid or whatever the hell her name was... Jayne knew Mal joked about dresses and the act of wearing them, but he'd never really seen Mal in one aside from that admittedly strange job. Jayne suppressed a chuckle, but then frowned.

Jayne remembered calling Mal a 'powerful ugly creature'. Those words sure got turned around on him, didn't they? Jayne wasn't sure if he could actually say those words in honesty anymore. Not to Mal.

Why was he still thinking about this? He'd laughed at the dress idea, after he was done choking, and now he was back to thinking about the gorram captain.

He wanted to be mad at Mal, but so far his brain weren't cooperating.

"Jayne? Earth to Jayne?" Wash was talking again. Jayne swallowed a chunk of barbecued dog and raised a leering eyebrow at the pilot. "Seeing how we've been abandoned by the only pleasant company to be found on this charming planet, why don't we find the rest of the supplies we need and head back to Serenity?"

Jayne snorted. "You tryin' to imply that I ain't pleasant company?"

Wash shrugged absent-mindedly, proclaiming, "Now, Jayne, that would be a matter of opinion - but for our lovely ladies, the pleasantness is universal. Unless one of them's covered in engine grease." He tilted his head to the side. "Or blood. Come to think of it, Zoe wouldn't be universally pleasing if she was a corpse all of a sudden..."

Without so much as looking over her shoulder, Zoe reached out and smacked her husband on the arm. Beside her, Kaylee and River laughed while Wash rubbed his arm and looked at his wife with mock betrayal written on his face. Jayne joined the girls in further laughing at the pilot, while Book and Simon just focused on food and the Bible, respectively.

When it seemed no one was speaking, Book raised his head and stepped into the conversation. "I agree with Wash. We've been out here for..."

"Four hours, twenty-two-minutes, eight seconds," River supplied with a bright smile.

Book took the interruption in stride and nodded graciously to the girl. "Thank you, River. As I was saying, we have been out here long enough, and the captain expressed his wishes to make this a quick stop so we can get on our way. I believe we should collect the remaining supplies we need and return to the ship, provided the ladies will agree to only spending a short time in the dress store."

Kaylee giggled. "Don't worry, Shepherd, we won't make the captain wait. He really shoulda come with us... I mean, don't he want to stretch his legs? He was just as cooped up as we were. Him and Inara both, don't see why we just left them with Serenity."

Simon cast a glance at both Kaylee and river, sipping what Jayne suspected was tea out of his mug. "Maybe she's doing his hair," the doctor said quietly.

Jayne spurted his drink again, almost hitting Wash this time. Kaylee just laughed in surprise and whacked Simon on the forearm. "Simon! Don't be talkin' that way about the captain behind his back! Besides, his hair ain't pretty enough for Inara to do anything with it." Then a devilish grin formed on the mechanic's face. "She could pin up your hair, though."

The good doctor immediately reddened. Kaylee promptly leaned across the table and pecked a quick kiss on the young man's cheek, causing him to blush even more. "I, uh," Simon stammered, "I have some medical supplies I should, uh, pick up... before the ship leaves..." Standing up a little too quickly, Simon ducked away from the table and back into the crowds of the Persephone docks.

Within a few minutes, Zoe, Kaylee, and River made like the doctor and up and vanished from the table. Wash shook his head and laughed as Kaylee and River hooked arms and jogged off together, followed by his wife. Book seemed ready to be done with lunch and go back to finding the supplies Serenity needed, while Jayne was more than content to just sit there a while longer. He had no desire to go back to the ship anytime soon.

Wash had other ideas, apparently. "Come on, Jayne, we should grab what we still need and get back to the ship." Clapping a hand on Jayne's shoulder, Wash slung a leg over the bench and went to go get the mule bike parked a few feet away from the restaurant tables. Lip curling back into a disgruntled snarl, Jayne stood up and slowly trailed after Wash as the sound of the mule's engine started up. Jayne didn't so much as pay attention to the Shepherd - he was someplace nearby, and that was all he cared to know.

The question was still nagging at his brain pan, though. Why hadn't the captain left the ship with them?

Jayne huffed and piled that question on top of all the other ones he'd been having about Mal recently. He thought they were solid. Jayne always thought he would only find appeal in women - still was the case, mostly - but Mal made things complicated. The mercenary still felt just a hint of resentment toward the captain for kissing him when he was drunk out of his mind. But just a hint. He hadn't expected to like it so much. Hell, he never expected to like Mal so much. In the past year, Jayne hadn't so much as thought about turning on the captain as soon as someone offered him enough money. Jayne was sure that was supposed to be unlike him, 'cept he didn't mind it at all. Neither did Mal.

Now Jayne was puzzling over that, and them, and everything, mostly why Mal was staying away from him. It weren't like they'd had a fight, like some of the fights Wash and Zoe had every now and then. Almost a month ago, the captain just started avoiding Jayne, and Jayne tried to figure out why. He tried very bluntly, resorting to tactics like shoving the other man against walls when no one else was nearby. Mal would stay there for a minute and then duck away, not so much as looking at Jayne.

Now, the hired gun would never, ever admit this to anyone, but that rejection hurt, gorram it.

Jayne didn't like the way it sounded in his head - or the way it made his stomach uneasy - but he realized there was a chance that the captain didn't want him anymore. They'd never laid down any rules to their relationship, if it could even be called that, so it wasn't too far-fetched to think that Mal had grown tired of Jayne. Maybe they were done. After plenty of one night stands and half-baked attempts at relationships with women, why should Jayne expect anything different from Mal?

Maybe because he lov-

No, I don't. Jayne didn't think he was, anyhow. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to tell, so he generally avoided thinking about it. Or saying it. Maybe that was eating Mal? Nah, couldn't be. It weren't as if Mal had ever said anything like that, either. Jayne didn't think that was an excuse for Mal to just suddenly start pretending as if Jayne weren't there. So it was something else. Gorram it, he wished this didn't bother him so much.

"Come on, you two!" Wash called, revving the mule and bringing it around to meet his companions. "I'd like to get back to Serenity before our good captain dies of loneliness! Or before Inara gets so fed up with him that she abandons us entirely!"

Wash meant it as a joke, and Book chuckled softly at it. Jayne just scoffed under his breath, bitterness making its way into the back of his brain.

Yeah. He hoped the captain was having a great hell of a time alone on his ship.

0-000-0

((I realize I should've put the Mandarin translations into the previous chapter. I'll start doing that from now on.))

Previous Chapter:

Gorram - (pretty obvious I think) Damn

Gos se - Crap

Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo - Shove all the planets in the universe up my ass

Tah mah duh hwoon dahn - Mother humping son of a bitch

This Chapter:

Ta ma de - Dammit

Ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng - Frog-humping son of a bitch

Hoot-suh - Shut up