27) I Can Never Leave the Past Behind

Mal never did it on purpose. Well mostly. It was just there were times when he got more resentful than others about the way the war had ended. For all the anger about the Miranda Wave, and all the satisfaction he'd gotten in exposing the Alliance's part in the atrocity that was Miranda (and the Reavers which were a result of said atrocity), it didn't take away the sting of Serenity Valley.

This U-day though, it just wasn't the same. The last one had been right before they'd first encountered Niska and if that hadn't been inauspicious, he didn't know what was.

River though, she'd taken one look at him three days ago and got on the cortex. They had yet to rid themselves of the wobbly headed dolls and Carolyn had looked at Rick hopefully. The big man had chuckled and said he knew of a few people who would probably take the dolls off their hands if they could ship something else out on Serenity as part of the deal. Athens wasn't that far out of their way.

When Mal had wanted to know what sort of something Rick had shrugged, "Booze, drugs, seeds, you name it." He'd half smiled half smirked, "They're black marketeers Mal, they specialize in the stuff the Alliance don't want folks to have a lot of. Stuff that ain't legal on Core planets."

"Well, we'll give it a try," He wasn't going to ask what the worst that could happen was. He'd gotten on the wrong side of that type of question too many times.

"A tavern is close by," River suggested with a meaningful look at Mal's coat. "Appropriate for an outing after all goods are exchanged."

"Don't expect it'll be the same," Mal rubbed the back of his neck.

"Time is not a fixed construct," She tilted her head. "But it will be recommended that Zoë remain on the ship."

"Not sure it's a good idea Albatross," He itched to plant his fist in the face of some hún dàn who couldn't even spell Alliance and supported them out of the belief that life was better with comforts and no freedom.

"The ailment will not change," River told him firmly. "The prescription also remains the same."

Well, she was right in that he did feel better on U-day after a fight. "You plannin' on joinin' this excursion 'Tross?"

"Someone must watch his back," She nodded solemnly. "And it has been proven that a fight can be quite enjoyable. Practical application of skills is also necessary to keep such skills sharp."

"A…fight?" Carolyn was looking at them as if they'd both lost their minds, but Rick just grinned and leaned forward in his chair.

"What sorta fight we talkin' about?"

"Fisticuffs," River spread her hands. "The use of guns or knives ain't kosherized rules."

Mal winced to hear such a Jayne-like phrase come out of her mouth and took a moment to be grateful Simon hadn't heard her say it. Simon liked that River was happy piloting and resigned to her acting as a gunhand on occasion (even if he did try to fuss each time) but he drew a hard line at the erosion of proper grammar and behavior (as much as he could anyway). And he held Mal responsible for said erosion, regardless of Mal's actual ability (or lack thereof) to control the genius Reader woman. Mal didn't agree but he did understand. A fine distinction that didn't actually make a difference. He sighed, "Don't let your brother hear you say that please." The muttered request went unacknowledged, and he sighed again.

"How's a fistfight a prescription," Carolyn wanted to know.

"Two days from now is Unification Day," River explained simply. Carolyn's mouth fell open for a moment and Mal had the irrational urge to nibble on her lower lip until she made some of those noises he wasn't remembering. He wasn't. Nope. Not at all, not with his little Albatross sittin' right there not to mention Carolyn's huge bàng jiār.

River rolled her eyes at him and smiled at the blonde, "Captain begins to itch and find rules more irksome than usual this time of year. Better to have the fight, control the environment and relieve pressure."

"I wouldn't mind a little tussle," Rick chuckled, the sound like rocks shifting in preparation for an avalanche. Or maybe that was just Mal bein' fanciful. Though he had no doubt that if Rick felt threatened, he would fall on someone like the proverbial ton of bricks. But with much more literal damage.

"We gonna need anyone to make a grand entrance this time you think?" He didn't want to take all four of them that could fly the ship if River foresaw the sort of problem they'd run into last time.

"Variables guarantee success in our endeavors," She told him seriously. He must have looked seriously blank because she sighed as if tired of explaining everything in Captain Dummy talk, "Last time, only Jayne and Zoë. This time there will be Rick, myself, yourself and Carolyn if she would like to come and observe."

"Observe," Carolyn clearly wasn't terribly interested in being involved in a fist fight but somehow River had intrigued her with that.

"Cortex says owner of the pub is neutral," She tapped the screen and an image of a man, age indeterminate, but holding a very big gauge popped up. "Anyone who tries to come behind the bar with the fight is rejected soundly."

"So, him and any of his people who don't want to get involved go behind the bar and watch?" Mal had to say he didn't mind that much. He never had much liked the idea of bystanders getting pulled into a mess they didn't start. Of course, that was how most folks ended up in the war to begin with.

"Carolyn would be able to observe," River nodded. "Sit at the bar and jump behind it, crouch down and watch. No one will throw her out into the fight."

Mal found himself hoping she'd come out with them. Silly since as far as he knew she and Rick were still seeing each other. Despite his flirting with River like it was going out of style.

"Everything goes well with the goods, we'll go out after," Mal half smiled when Carolyn nodded.

Mal had some satisfyingly bloody knuckles and some less than satisfying bruises on his face (and ribs) when the loud ratcheting of a pump shotgun got his (and everyone else in the bar) attention. He'd found himself on the edge of the fight, dealing with some persistent gǒushǐ duī that kept trying to get behind the bar.

It was still a nice little fight.

Rick and River had taken over the center of the room, taking on anyone foolish enough to come their way. Mal hadn't ever seen two people enjoy themselves more (in a manner fit for public consumption anyway) since Simon had taken Kaylee dancing (even if it was in the cargo bay). River seemed to be pulling every fancy trick she knew out of her book in a manner than wasn't strictly necessary to deal with the drunken idiots who supported Unification. It was quite a display, though for who's benefit Mal didn't understand, unless it was Rick's, and he was not thinking of that. No. Not thinking.

And Rick looked like he was showing off. People who came at him ended up flying across the room, though never at the bar strangely enough. Mal got the distinct impression that Rick was restraining himself just as much as River. He certainly seemed at ease in his environs, and he fought at least as well as River did.

Both of them were grinning as if having the time of their lives. When the shotgun made its foreboding sound the two of them stopped, though one idiot's fist still careened towards River's face. She ducked which sent him stumbling into Rick, who grabbed the back of the man's collar and coat and shoved him away to stumble and fall on his ass. Yeah, definitely showin' off.

The fella with the shotgun was standing behind the bar, "All right that's enough now. You wanna break jaws fine, but you start on my furniture, and I'll make a good start at fillin' ya'll full o' lead." He looked around the bar of groaning and battered folk, "If you can walk, get up and get out. If you can't…"

Sharp dark eyes rested on Rick and River, "You two. Seem to have some self-control. I'll pay you ten plat if you throw the folks that can't, or won't, move out into the street. They can bleed there, not on my floors." He glanced over at Mal, "You give 'em a hand. I ain't payin' you. Don't think I dunno who started this little fracas." He took in Mal's coat, "There's always someone on U-day. Leastways you folks ain't out to wreck the place."

"To be fair," Rick went over to the nearest semi-conscious person and poked him, then picked the man up and dumped him outside the tavern door. "He is the one who brought us here."

"Saw someone try to hit you with a chair," The owner (Mal guessed that's who it was though the hair was more white than the grey from the cortex capture) grumbled. "You just took the chair away and hit him with your fist. Wasn't you threw the first punch neither."

Mal sighed and went where River pointed, picking up a drunk of his own and toting him out to the street, "Yeah, all right. Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ."

"He who dances must pay the fiddler," River reminded him.

Mal grumbled under his breath but saw that Carolyn was picking up chairs and tables and righting them. He guessed River was right, when wasn't she, but that didn't mean he had to like it. And he could do without Rick's eyes wandering to River's pì gu like she had a magnet in her back pocket and his eyes were actual metal instead of just looking like polished steel in a certain light.

Zoë's arched eyebrows and Kaylee's cheerful grin greeted the four of them as they came up Serenity's ramp to the bay. "I take it there was a terrible brawl," The First Mate inquired dryly. Kaylee shook her head at them still smiling.

"Funnily enough," Mal shrugged and winced.

"Kinda the point," Rick nodded. "Maybe next year Kaylee and Simon can babysit and you can join in the fun."

"Well, I did enjoy it last year," Zoë conceded with a twitch of her lips. "Sir we've got the all clear to take off at any time before O-four hundred."

"May as well take ourselves out of the world if all the systems are flushed and topped off," Mal looked at Kaylee questioningly.

"All set an' shiny Cap'n," She nodded and looked them over. "Might be ya'll wanna grab a shower while we're still hooked up. No water limits on the docks."

"That's a good thought," Mal agreed. "Two hours people. You know the drill. Got two showers on this boat, divide 'em up."

Nothing like a hot shower with plentiful water to lift the spirits.

Author's Note: Well we couldn't let U-Day pass without a little bit of a brouhaha.

Chinese Translations:

hún dàn (bastard) (individual who has at least two biological fathers and one biological mother - bastard / scoundrel / bastard / hoodlum / wretch)

bàng jiār (lover / partner)

gǒushǐ duī (a person who behaves badly (lit. "a pile of dog shit"))

Nǐ tā mā de tiān xià suǒ yǒu de rén dōu gāi sǐ. (Fuck everyone in the universe to death.)

pì gu (butt)