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Home is Where the Heart Is
(A Firefly Slash Round Robin)Authors (in order of appearance): Juli, sf fan, T'Yanna, Den, Gigi Sinclair, J.M. Griffin, Karah, nancy, Emely Raines, Mikou, Mary Kroll, Dariclone, Eleanor K. and skripka.
Disclaimer: Firefly and its characters belong to Mutant Enemy. This story was written purely for entertainment purposes. No money is being made from it and no copyright infringement is intended.
Each chapter has individual warnings and ratings.
Feedback choices: (1) Individual author emails are provided at the beginning of each chapter or (2) You can email the entire group of authors at fireflyslashroundrobin2@yahoo.com.
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Chapter 1: Big Mistake
Author: Juli
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Beta Reader: sffan
Author Email: challisgal@yahoo.comTranslations:
Wang ba dan = dirty bastard sons of...
Shai = handsome
Baobei = treasure/darling
Gou shi = crap
Mei mei = little sister
"You get your filthy hands off her, you wang ba dan ..."
"Whoa there, little Kaylee," Mal grabbed the young woman by the shoulders, preventing her from launching herself in an attack.
From the way his jaw clenched, Mal was in complete sympathy with his mechanic, but he knew it wasn't the right time. The goons guarding them were just a mite too twitchy for Mal's comfort, raising their weapons at the first sign of movement. Even though it was clear that Kaylee wasn't capable of hurting a kitten, they were more than ready to use violence. Until he could answer with more of the same, Mal wasn't willing to take the risk especially not with Kaylee.
"But, Cap'n," Kaylee protested, turning eyes full of hurt on Mal. "They've got their dirty paws all over her, violatin' her."
Mal attempted a smile. "Serenity's a tough old gal, Kaylee. She'll get over it."
"Quite a little spitfire you got there, Reynolds," a voice called over. "Are you sure you got her under control? I'd hate to have to have one of my boys put a bullet into her bloodshed's not my preferred way to christen my new ship."
A figure swaggered into view, moving with the same easy arrogance that was evident in her voice. The woman was about Mal's age and height, her tall form made even more striking by her unusual tri-colored hair. A patch over her left eye gave her a less-than-reputable air, as did the cocky grin she habitually wore.
"Ain't your boat," Mal responded mildly, fingers tightening briefly on Kaylee's shoulders before letting go. "Serenity's mine, bought and paid for. Reckon you can take the cargo since you went to all that trouble to hijack us, but you try and take my boat, this conversation's likely to get downright impolite, real quick-like."
The woman giggled, an oddly girlish sound. "I always heard you had more balls than brains, Reynolds. Glad to see you live up to your reputation." She made a sweeping gesture that encompassed Serenity's entire cargo hold. "I almost hate to point this out to you, but I don't need to try to take your ship; I have your ship."
Mal didn't need to look; he could feel his crew around him. Kaylee was standing close enough that he could smell her unique scent of engine grease and strawberries. Shepherd Book was a solid presence at his back, with Jayne's bulk just beyond. Off to the side, Simon knelt while he tended to Zoe, who had been the only one of their group injured. With Zoe down, Wash was close by her side, holding his wife's hand and glaring nearly as malevolently at Serenity's invaders as Kaylee was. Inara stood to the back, one arm wrapped around River's shoulders. The girl was uncharacteristically silent, although her avid gaze never left the face of the one-eyed woman.
"You have her," Mal reluctantly acknowledged. "Keeping Serenity, though... that might be more than you can handle."
Mal's opponent giggled again as she casually walked down the steps. "Like I said, Reynolds, more balls than brains."
She stopped right in front of Mal, shouldering Kaylee out of the way so she could eye him up and down. "C'mon, Reynolds, I'm not a bad girl. If I was, I'd be selling you and your crew along with the cargo, instead of letting all of you go."
"And such a nice, friendly planet you'll be stranding us on too," Book said quietly, matching Mal's calm vocal tone.
The woman took one last look at Mal's face, shrugged, and then turned to address the preacher. "It's got a town. A bit on the rough side, true, but..." She smiled gaily. "You seem to be a bright bunch, even if a bit nave. I'm sure you'll get by. Besides, it's not really my problem. I'm just a businesswoman."
"Business," Mal repeated, with just a mild touch of sarcasm. "Is that what you call it? Double-crossin' on a deal and all."
She grinned impudently. "That depends on your definition of a double-cross. Me, I kept my bargain with Badger to the letter. If I were you, I might want to have a talk with the little bastard about that. Of course, you'll have to get off this planet first."
Mal's hereto unruffled veneer cracked and he growled at her. The woman blinked and her smile slipped a bit. "Of course, the idea of binding and selling you is getting more appealing by the minute."
The woman turned her back on Mal, nodding at the guards to make sure they knew to keep a watchful eye on him. Briskly, she approached Inara. "Ms. Serra, I want you to know that I have every intention of honoring your contract with Serenity. You paid good Guild money for use of that shuttle and you'll get your money's worth, I guarantee you."
Inara smiled genteelly at the other woman. "I believe you misunderstand the situation, Captain...."
"McGee," the woman provided absently. "Captain Pollyanna McGee and how, if I might ask, do I misunderstand the situation? Ma'am." The latter was an added afterthought.
"My contract is not with Serenity," Inara graciously explained. "Rather, it is with Captain Reynolds and if he no longer holds Serenity, then my contract stays with him until he obtains replacement transportation."
McGee's smile became sickly and fixed. She was obviously banking on the respectability that having a Companion on board would have provided. "Is that so?"
"Yes, it is." Inara tilted her head, pretending not to notice the other woman's increasing agitation. "The contract is filed with the Guild, of course. If you have any questions, you can look it up there." The Companion's smile remained perfectly polite. "And, if certain parties led you to believe that I came part and parcel with the ship, well, you might just want to have a talk with the little bastard about that."
Pol McGee's hand opened and closed, as if she'd like to pull her gun and shoot someone on the spot. Luckily, Serenity's crew saw the gesture for the warning it was and were wise enough not to gloat over the minor victory. The backing of the Guild protected Inara from any payback but not so the rest of them.
After a few moments, McGee got on to business.
"Like I said, most of you folks will be disembarking here. I might, however, be willing to offer a place in my crew for an enterprising gentleman or two..."
"Boss," one of her goons protested, "they killed Tiny and messed Pete up some."
"So they did," she nodded. "Which just proves that they're skilled. I've got room on my payroll for men with skills."
She scowled at Inara again and slid her eyes rapidly past River, shivering when the girl's rabid gaze briefly met hers. From the way her eyes flickered back and forth from Wash to Zoe, she realized there would be little interest there. When her calculating gaze lit on Simon, however, it stopped.
"Hey there, Doc, you're pretty handy with a med kit. Wanna jump ship?"
Simon raised angry blue eyes up to meet hers. "Is that a question or an order?" The female captain had required that he tend to her man before letting him near Zoe a circumstance that still rankled.
"Oh, don't pout, shai," She said flirtatiously. "It's a lot more fun to be on the winning team. Join my crew and find out just how fun it can be."
"I would rather be on the better team than the winning team." Simon managed to look down his nose at her, even though he was still kneeling. "But I suppose if I don't, you'll bind me into your service anyway."
McGee shook her head. "Alas, no. Learned the hard way that a crew needs to be willing, especially the sawbones. It's your loss, baobei."
"I'll go with you."
All eyes in the cargo hold turned to the originator of the gravelly-voiced offer.
"Jayne!" Kaylee protested. "You can't go with them, they hurt Zoe and are fixin' to take Serenity!"
"Sorry, little girl," Jayne said without a single note of apology in his tone, "but me, I like playin' on th' winnin' team."
Pleased, McGee circled Jayne. "Oh, my. Your momma did know how to grow them big, didn't she?"
"My ma didn't raise no dummies," Jayne said, carefully not looking at Mal or the others. "You got work and looks like I need a job. So, what'd my cut be?"
"5%" McGee responded. When Jayne looked grumpy at her answer, she didn't waste time getting defensive. "My crew is bigger than what you're used to. Maybe the percentage is smaller, but you'll find we pull in a lot more loot to be divided up. It'll even out."
Jayne considered. "Do I get to keep my own bunk?"
"There are benefits to sharing a bunk, but if you want to keep your own, I think that can be arranged," McGee answered with a leer. "Is it a deal?"
Jayne had barely nodded when one of McGee's men came in from the direction of the cockpit.
"Captain Pol, Lyle's got the ship all set. We can go any time."
"Excellent. Why don't you have our newest crewmember help you escort these trespassers off our ship." She turned to Jayne. "I'm sure you won't mind, will you, Mr. - ... what is your name?"
"He's the man they call Jayne," Mal supplied in a neutral voice. "Jayne Cobb."
McGee looked from Mal's wooden face to Jayne's scowling one. "All right. Mr. Cobb, your first assignment is to get this gou shi out of my ship."
Jayne didn't hesitate, just moved the few feet to Book and grabbed him by the shoulder. "C'mon." He reached for Mal but one cold look from the captain caused him to drop his hand. "Hell, Mal, you know I was always in it for the money. Said that from the beginning."
"So you did. One thing you were always honest about was that your loyalty was to the money." Mal agreed solemnly. Wrapping an arm around Kaylee, he moved away from Jayne and obediently towards the lowering the ramp.
"I always liked that about you," Mal added, refusing to look at Jayne. "Until now."
Simon watched as Mal watched Serenity lift off without them. Zoe was his more obvious patient but, in truth, Simon knew he had two wounded to tend. For all that Zoe was the one bleeding, Mal was the one who worried Simon most. Zoe had only lost some of her blood; Mal had lost his freedom, his hope, and his home.
In any other man, Mal's calm after loosing to Pollyanna McGee would have been interpreted as defeatism or perhaps shock. Simon knew better. He may have only known Mal for months rather than years, but already understood the man well enough to realize that Mal was at his most dangerous when he went quiet. A blustering Mal, a sarcastic Mal, or a grumpy Mal was safe; the man's bark meant little to those he cared about. When Mal became quiet, however, blood tended to flow.
"Should have killed him."
Startled, Simon looked over to find his sister at his side. He'd been so worried about Mal, he'd barely given her a thought. Now, the girl was staring at the spot in the sky where Serenity had disappeared, a pensive look on her face.
"River? Are you all right, mei mei?"
"She should have killed him," River repeated. "Only a foolish hunter leaves a wounded wolf behind in the forest. Wound festers, pain grows. Then the hunter becomes the prey and finds the wolf's teeth in her throat."
Simon snuck another look at Mal's bleak face and shuddered. "You're right, mei mei. She should have killed him. That wasn't very smart of her, but good for the captain. Good for us that she's a big dummy."
"But the wolf still hurts, Simon," River whispered, tears falling.
"I know, mei mei," Simon comforted her. He used his fingers to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "But that's what big brothers are for especially ones that are doctors. We take care of hurt wolves."
River smiled tremulously and Simon pulled her in for a quick hug and kiss on the forehead. "Now, I think Kaylee needs you. Serenity was home for her longer than it was for us; I think she could use a friend right now."
He watched as his sister skipped off to help Inara console Kaylee. Simon's mind was elsewhere. A lump of ice had formed in his stomach when he realized that Mal Reynolds was not going to pull off another one of his awkward but effective last-minute successes. That ice had thawed a bit when Pollyanna McGee and her minions had not recognized him or River as fugitives but had come back in full force when it sunk in what losing Serenity would mean to its captain.
Luckily for Mal, he wasn't alone. Despite Jayne's unexpected defection, Mal was surrounded by people who cared about him. Simon was proud to realize that meant him too. If Pollyanna McGee could have seen his expression now, she likely wouldn't have offered him a spot to remain behind.
Because Simon Tam had remembered something that McGee would have been wise to consider - wolves always hunt in packs.
(end Chapter 1)
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Chapter 2: Regrouping
Author: sffan
Rating: PG-13, maybe R
Warnings:
Beta Reader: eli
Author Email: sffan@compromisingpositions.netTranslations:
xie'e bi = evil cunt
It was the hardest thing he had ever done, making himself think only of the money, knowing that if any part of his real plan slipped through his mind the Doc's creepy sister would suss it out. There was no telling if she'd be able to keep it to herself for a supposed genius, she had a habit of saying whatever popped into her head. So he thought about the money, about his cut, not about how one of them needed to stay with the ship, how if they let this xie'e bi and her crew take off with Serenity there was no way they'd ever find her again, how he was going to pull Badger's intestines out his nose with a sharp hook and strangle the dirty-dealing motherfucker with them.
He saw their faces when he accepted the bitch's offer. Every single one of them believed he'd just walk away from them even Mal. He thought that Mal would at least have some faith in him, but he supposes that after his past behaviour, it really shouldn't be that much of a shock to him. He counts himself as lucky that Zoe wasn't conscious for that moment, because he's not sure lack of weapons would have stopped her from trying to kill him on the spot.
Of course, Jayne has absolutely no idea how he's going to get the ship back to Mal, he just knows that it's got to be done. He knows he has to be clever; he knows he has to have a plan. So he sits in his bunk, methodically cleaning his collection of guns, and thinks.
"Have you brought us trouble, Shepherd?" asks Abbot Brown, as he settles more comfortably into the chair behind the large, wooden, hand-carved desk in his private office.
"I hope not, Father. It certainly wasn't my intent, but we had no where else to go," Book replies, before sipping the tea he's been given.
"And that is the only reason why I've allowed you to bring women into this House. You do understand that their presence will be very disruptive?"
"Yes Father, I understand. I will ask them to stay in their rooms as much as possible. Please extend my thanks to the brothers that gave up their places to my friends. We are very grateful."
The Abbot waves his hand in the air, "Think nothing of it, my son. It is our place to serve." He eyes Book for a moment and then says, "Why don't you tell me what happened, maybe I can offer further assistance."
Wash knows there's nothing he can do for Zoe right now; Simon explained that she was going to be just fine, that the bullet wound to her shoulder wasn't even remotely life-threatening, but that she needed to sleep off the pain killers that he had given her. But he just can't bring himself to leave her side, so he sits and holds her hand and talks to her. He tells her how much he loves her, how brave she is, how angry he is that she had to try to be a hero and get herself hurt, how he can't live without her, how Jayne betrayed them big surprise, that one how Inara stuck with them. He's babbling and he knows it, and she probably can't even hear him, but it makes him feel better, so he keeps on talking.
He should probably be helping with the plotting. He's sure there's plotting by now. Mal's good with the plotting. He'll get them out of this mess.
Simon enters the small room with the narrow bunk and kicks the door shut behind him. Not for the first time, Simon is grateful for Book's connections and for the fact that even way out here on the edge of nowhere, there was a small abbey willing to take in a group of strangers based solely on his word. Mal is where he left him hours ago sitting on the bunk, staring into nothing.
"You missed dinner. I brought you a sandwich," Simon says quietly. "The brothers make their own bread and grow all kinds of vegetables. And the chicken is fresh left-over from dinner."
"Not hungry," Mal mutters, not looking at him.
"You have to eat, Mal," Simon replies stubbornly.
Mal gives him a small smile, "Isn't that my line?"
Simon smiles back, remembering all the times Mal forced him to eat when he forgot to, and brandishes the tray. Mal sighs softly. "Alright. I'll eat, just put it down there," he says, gesturing to the bedside table. Simon puts the tray down and Mal reaches out and pulls Simon into his lap and buries his face against his neck. Simon strokes Mal's hair gently. Mal sighs heavily and says, "Not my best day ever."
"You'll get her back, Mal. We'll figure something out. But in the meantime, eat. You can't plot on an empty stomach." Simon reaches out and grabs the sandwich off the tray and waves it at Mal.
"Tyrant," Mal grumbles and takes the sandwich.
"And you know it," Simon replies with a grin.
Mal gives Simon a lopsided grin and a quick kiss, and then takes a bite out of the sandwich. It was time to stop feeling sorry for himself and time to start planning revenge.
"He's figurin' something out, right Inara?" Kaylee asks with a worried frown. She turns to River and says in a reassuring voice, "That's why he wasn't at dinner. The Captain will come up with a plan. I just know it."
The women are getting as comfortable as they can in the small room that they're sharing. It's early, but they felt somewhat discomforted by all of the sidelong glances that they were receiving from the Brothers. Book explained to them that this was not only one of the celibate orders, but that most of the members were also cloistered, so it had been a good, long time since a number of them had seen a woman, let alone had to share space with one.
Inara would like to reassure Kaylee, but she saw the look of defeat on Mal's face. The man didn't even kicked up a fuss when Book had brought them to the abbey. It was very disconcerting watching him just follow along without an argument or sarcastic comment and even more disturbing when he didn't join them for dinner. Mal makes a point of them eating the last meal of the day together. The only times he hasn't been there himself was when he was away doing crime or too injured to come to the table.
"I'm sure he will," Inara says cheerfully, determined to keep their spirits up. Kaylee's optimism is a force of nature. If she can keep her thinking positively, then it will rub off on the others. She's seen it happen.
Whatever the next day brings, she will find a Cortex unit and make arrangements for transport of some sort off this world. It might take some doing, and they might have to wait a few weeks, but she knows her connections will come through for her. After that, she isn't sure. She knows that the authorities can't be involved, so she'll have to leave their next steps up to Mal. Inara's certain that Simon can drag him out of the mood he's in. She has the utmost faith in the younger man. Simon is good for Mal he understands Mal in ways she never could. She tells herself that it really doesn't bother her anymore.
Kaylee grins at her and says to River, "See? No need to worry."
"Pack is regrouping. Wolves will hunt soon. But not yet. Not quite ready," River murmurs cryptically in response.
(end Chapter 2)
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Chapter 3: Good and Bad Ideas
Author: T'Yanna
Rating: PG-13
Warning: The bad guys are really bad in this chapter, so there's a mention of rape. Nothing graphic but be warned. Beta Reader:
Author Email: tywiles@yahoo.comTranslations:
Guai = hell
Lese = garbage
Abbot Brown listened intently to the story Book told him. He kept himself from frowning at the illegal aspects of it. After all, these were hard times and even good men couldn't be good all the time. There was something about these people that made him think that they were the good kind, only with very bad luck.
"It sounds like you could use a ship. I'm afraid we don't have one at our disposal. If we did it would be yours, assuming you could bring it back in one piece."
He watched with amusement as the younger man's eyes widened. "You said you had only short range communication. Could we reach New Meniech?"
The abbot scratched his head. His brow furrowed. New Meniech was home to a convent. It was at the very edge of their aging communicator's range, less than a day's travel away. However, the philosophy of that particular convent couldn't have been farther from this monastery. It would be a bad precedent to set for the other monks, but one contact shouldn't harm the order, no more so than the women in Brother Green's room. "We've never had a need to contact the convent there, but it should reach."
Book smiled. Something about that look reminded the abbot of a cat with a very trapped mouse. "It's not the convent I want to reach. There's a man there that owes me a favor."
At the abbot's inquiring look, the Shepard continued. "My flock has always been the lost, but not always the poor."
Jayne Cobb was not happy and he wasn't bothering to hide it. He pounded his bunk until his hand hurt and then sat on the floor with a huff.
No one could say that he was a saint. Guai, most folks wouldn't even say he was a nice man. He was okay with that kind of reputation. That didn't mean that he cottoned to the kind of things that McGee had going on.
They hadn't even had the ship a day and they'd already attacked a transport ship. That hadn't been so bad and Jayne was all for the good haul. That wasn't what turned his stomach. It was the senseless killing.
Jayne liked killing. He was good at it, but maybe he'd been around Simon and Book too long. It just weren't right to shoot people without guns, cowering behind furniture, who didn't fight back. It weren't right to hurt children. And it certainly weren't right what was going on down in the hold with the womenfolk.
Zoe would never stand for that kind of thing, but Pol McGee didn't seem to care. He'd never wanted to shoot someone so bad as he did her. The thought of Zoe, Kaylee, Inara and even that moon-brained River made his jaw clinch. Jayne knew he should just be grateful that McGee's crew hadn't touched them. Otherwise, Jayne didn't think there were enough bullets in the 'verse. He wasn't even sure there were now. He couldn't wait to get all this lese off their ship.
He drew a deep breath and composed himself. A thought crossed his mind and he thumped his bunk again. Gorram it, he was going to have to buy a long bath after he got Serenity back to Mal.
(end Chapter 3)
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Chapter 4: Persuasions
Author: Den
Rating: PG-13
Warning: none
Beta Reader: Lia Van Helsing and skripka Author Email: den@mattschulze.info
Simon rolled over in bed and opened his eyes. The soft glow of candlelight filled the room and the bed was only half full. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked around the small room.
"Mal?"
Mal had folded his tall frame into a chair by the window, one foot propped on the sill in front of him, his fist tucked beneath his chin. His eyes were focused on the star filled sky outside.
Simon stood and winced when his bare feet hit the chilled floor. He stood behind Mal and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.
"You really should come to bed," he pointed out.
Mal looked up at him, surprise filling his eyes. Simon knew that he wasn't here, but rather still on Serenity, somewhere in the Black.
"I'm good."
Simon pressed his lips together and shook his head. "No. Not only do you have to eat, but you have to sleep, too."
Simon took Mal's hand and guided him to the bed. He was tired himself, and grateful when Mal didn't raise the type of fuss of which he was capable. Instead of arguing, Mal slid under the covers and sighed quietly when Simon lay down on the bed behind him, arm curled around his waist, their bodies together.
Shepard Book nodded as the Abbot closed the door. The communications room was small and cramped, filled with books and radio equipment, but sparse on furniture. It would provide the necessary privacy for the communication. He sat at the large desk and waited patiently for the connection to go through before putting on a friendly expression for the grainy face on the screen.
"Hello, my friend. It's been a long time," he smiled.
The kindly face on the monitor smiled back at him. "Shepard Book. It has indeed. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
Book relayed the story he had shared with the Abbot that afternoon. When he finished with his request, he waited patiently for an answer. Relief flooded him when his friend nodded in agreement.
"Of course, we'll be happy to do anything we can to assist. We're familiar with Captain McGee and are eager to end her... tactics."
Book nodded. "I understand. This is most appreciated. You have no idea."
The smile on the monitor grew larger. "I think I do. I'll contact you tomorrow with the final details."
(end Chapter 4)
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Chapter 5: Complications
Author: Gigi Sinclair
Rating: G
Warning: none
Beta Reader:
Author Email: gigitrekslash@canada.com
Kaylee had never been interested in what her father called "women's pursuits." While her mother and her three sisters had been embroidering pillowcases and mending skirts and gossiping about who was sleeping with whom and whose spouse was about to find out, Kaylee had been out in the barn with her father, tinkering with any kind of engine she could find. She'd stripped and rebuilt her first thresher at twelve, and when she was fifteen, she and her father had constructed a fully functioning replica Earth-that-was automobile from a kit he'd picked up from a travelling salesman. Kaylee still remembered that automobile fondly, but not as fondly as she remembered "Serenity." She still couldn't believe they'd lost her, and Jayne, too.
Jayne had always reminded Kaylee of her brother Ayden. He was the middle son, and he'd never really found his place in the family. Their oldest brother was the athlete, the apple of their father's eye, while the youngest was their mother's baby. Their older sister was a brilliant artist, while the twins were pretty and popular with everyone in town. Even Kaylee made her mark as the scientific, mechanical one, her father's favourite daughter.
There was nothing remarkable about Ayden. He was surly and rude and not particularly well liked by anybody, but when the chips were down and you really needed him, he was always there. He was ungracious about it, he complained a lot and he would frequently remind you that you were in his debt, but he still helped you out. Kaylee had always thought she could say the same of Jayne, but apparently he was just a mercenary after all.
"What do you think of this one, Kaylee?" Inara pirouetted in front of her. Since Captain McGee had more respect for Inara than the rest of the "Serenity" crew, she had been allowed to remove nearly all her trunks from the shuttle before the ship took off. Seeing the shy but helpful monks haul case after case of makeup and frilly dresses into their austere monastery had been something to remember, but Kaylee hadn't been in any mood to enjoy it at the time.
"It's nice," Kaylee answered automatically. And it was, a shimmering, low-cut, blue-black creation that Kaylee was sure would have Mal's eyes falling out of his head, let alone the cloistered monks'. Kaylee knew Inara wasn't planning on wearing it outside the room. She was just trying to entertain Kaylee and River, keep them amused and take their minds off things. Just doing her job.
"Why don't you try one on?" Inara suggested, indicating the trunks. "Whichever you like, although I think the red chiffon would look wonderful on you."
"Red chiffon," River agreed gravely.
Kaylee shook her head. "No, thanks."
Inara's expertly plucked eyebrows furrowed. "Why not? I'll do your hair, and we can have our own girls' night in." Not that there was much choice. But then, Kaylee supposed, Inara had made a career out of putting the best face on things.
"I'm not in the mood, Inara." Kaylee stood. "Thanks anyway," she added, because Inara looked genuinely hurt.
"Kaylee's sad," River announced.
"I know you cared about 'Serenity', baobei," Inara continued, gently. "But it's just a ship. The important thing is that we're all alive, and together."
"Not all together," River countered. "No Jayne."
"Jayne? Kaylee, honey, he's not worth worrying about."
"I'm not worried." That was true. "I'm going for a walk, OK?"
Kaylee was grateful when neither Inara nor River tried to stop her. She closed the door to their room behind her and headed along the corridor.
The abbey was deserted, and Kaylee supposed the monks were all at Matins or Vespers or one of their other prayer sessions. They seemed to have one practically every hour. Kaylee came from a decent, God-fearing family herself, but that seemed excessive even to her.
She was heading down yet another stone hallway, wondering if she'd come across Mal or the doctor, when she rounded a blind corner and ran head-on into someone else.
At first, she thought it was Simon. He looked like Simon: young, dark-haired, not too tall. Then Kaylee stepped back and realized it wasn't. For one thing, this man looked even more frightened than the usually gynophobic Simon.
"Excuse me," Kaylee smiled politely. The man stared at the stone, his cheeks turning red.
"My fault, madam," he mumbled almost inaudibly, still avoiding her gaze.
Kaylee stifled a sigh, but stuck out a hand anyway. It was the way she'd been brought up. "I'm Kaylee."
"Brother, ah, Brother Levi," the man finally gasped out, like he was admitting to an embarrassing character flaw. "Please forgive me, but I will be late for Compline."
"Sorry."
Levi's eyes came up for a split second, then went back to the floor. "If you, ah, if you wished to attend, God welcomes all. Even," he turned even redder. "Those like you."
Kaylee laughed. She couldn't help herself. "Who? Women?"
Levi nodded and repeated, "If you wished to attend." He scuttled off again, and, as she watched him go, Kaylee actually considered following.
"Shepherd Book. It's been a long time."
Book smiled into the flickering, staticky communication screen, thankful that the abbot was far too scrupulous to monitor his usage of their communicator. While Ezra knew McGee and was prepared to help them, Book didn't know if Ezra really knew what he was dealing with. Which was what had made this second call necessary. "Desdemona. You haven't changed a bit."
It wasn't strictly true. Her hair, once a vibrant blonde, had dulled somewhat, and there were crow's feet around her eyes. She had aged more gracefully than Book, however, although he suspected the talent of a surgeon, rather than the benevolence of God, was responsible for that.
Desdemona laughed, a rich, throaty sound that Book was sure had served her well in her former career. "I can't believe this is a social call, Shepherd."
"It's not. I need your help."
"Really?" Desdemona raised an eyebrow. "Now that is surprising. What could a poor convent of reformed sinners have to offer you?"
Silently, Book wondered how Inara would react to that description of the residents of New Meniech. He knew Inara didn't regard herself as a lost soul, but on New Meniech, that was exactly how she would be seen. From the short time he'd spent there, Book remembered the order---composed entirely of former Companions, both male and female- --as a very zealous one, a group of people who liked nothing better than to bring a new member into the fold.
"I need to speak to Amadeus." The founder of the cult---ah, convent, Book corrected himself---and the reformed-sinner-in-chief.
"I think that could be arranged." Desdemona stretched her artificially plump lips into a smile. "Give me a moment to see if he is available."
As she left, Book sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. Amadeus had never seen the vow of poverty as personally applicable to him, which meant he had the means to assist the "Serenity" crew. Whether or not he had the will remained to be seen. On the other hand, Ezra had the will, but, while he was familiar with Captain McGee and knew just how to plan this kind of endeavour, Book couldn't honestly say if Ezra would be able to offer them the financial help they would need to get the ship back.
The ideal situation, Book thought, would be if he could get the financing from Amadeus and the help from Ezra and his men. Of course, that would only work if Book could manage to get both of them involved without hinting to either that the other was in any way implicated.
Book sighed. And Malcolm thought he lived a staid, uneventful life.
(end Chapter 5)
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Chapter 6: Guts, But No Glory
Author: J.M. Griffin
Rating: PG
Warning: none
Beta Reader: sffan
Author Email: aeriejm@earthlink.net
The brother's cell that had been loaned to Mal was small, containing only a narrow bed, chair, small desk and one tiny rectangle of rug. Simon was sprawled out face down on the bunk, with his right arm trailing down and his hand resting on the floor. Mal sat in a straight-backed wooden chair not so different from the ones they pulled up around the table in Serenity's galley. He'd told Simon to go on down to his own room, but the younger man had said no, and stretched out here. Two surgeries and two days of very little rest had done him in and it wasn't long before he'd fallen asleep.
Mal was tired, too, but he couldn't rest. Every time he tried to get to sleep the same picture filled his brain. Closing his eyes, he saw it now: his crew, seated at dinner, their faces lit by lantern light. In his mind's eye they were all happy - gesticulating with chopsticks and forks, enjoying the last meal of the day together as they so often did. But then the scene changed, and the table in Mal's mind grew longer, and more people gathered there. Now, it was his mother's table, and the faces round it had morphed into those of the hired hands who worked the Double R Ranch.
Suddenly, a loud noise made Mal jump, and, as he looked wildly about, the door to the kitchen burst open. But instead of Miss May and Miss Agatha coming into the dining room carrying trays filled with food, a man's lean shadow filled the doorway. The barrel of the rifle he carried gleamed in the lamplight. Then, with no warning at all, there came another bang, this one much louder than the first. Rebecca Reynolds slumped in her chair, a small dark hole marring her clean white blouse. Slowly, her body began to slump and Mal shot to his feet, shouting, "No," from his sixteen year old lungs.
"Mal, Mal, wake up." Simon had a hold of Mal's shoulders and he was shaking him hard. "It's okay, you were just dreaming."
Mal blinked and realized he was standing on the patch of rug, with Simon, hair disheveled and eyes wild with panic, inches in front of him.
"Simon," Mal breathed, then simply lowered his forehead to rest against the young man's shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, Mal," Simon whispered as he slipped his arms around Mal's waist. "We'll get her back."
Mal raised his head and nodded, because that is what Simon expected him to do. But it was his experience that you rarely got back that which had been taken from you by violence.
There was a knock at the door, and the two men stepped apart. Simon hurried to button up his shirt, and Mal waited until he was almost done before he opened the door.
River sidled in, her gaze flicking back over her shoulder as if she were scared of something out in the hallway.
"River," Simon said as he tucked in his shirt. "Is everything all right?"
Mal stepped past the girl and looked up and down the corridor before he shut the door. There was not a soul in sight.
"Abbot Brown and Brothers Green, Red, Yellow, and Blue are all at chapel," River announced as she stepped between the two men. "Zoe and Wash are talking. Shepherd Book is praying. Kaylee and Inara are sleeping. But I can't sleep and neither can Jayne."
"Huh," Mal grunted as he plunked down onto the wooden chair once more.
Simon shook his head and reached out to snag his sister's arm. "Oh, mei mei, not now."
"Jayne was thinking about the money," the girl went blithely on, "and faith."
Mal looked up sharply, "Say what?"
Simon held his breath.
"Faith," River enunciated carefully, looking from Mal to Simon and back again. "Faith and intestines," she added with a brisk little nod of her head.
Simon sat down on the edge of the bed and gave a long, gusty sigh. Mal just stood there, his jaw clenched and his eyes slightly narrowed.
(end Chapter 6)
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Chapter 7: In Bed with the Enemy
Author: Karah
Rating: probably PG-13
Warning: : I'm mean to Jayne in this part; please don't hate him for what I make him do.
Beta Reader: none
Author Email: chakotaykim@yahoo.com
Jayne sat silently on his bunk. The only sound he could hear was the rhythmic scrape of his whetstone over Binky. The sounds from the hold had finally die-stopped.
If I were any sort of man, I go down there and gut every last one of them. Maybe strangle a few with their own guts.
Much as he may want to hurt his new "shipmates," it was important that he not be noticed as being too standoffish. McGee would suspect him and he'd never get Serenity back to Mal.
He might not have much faith in what Book believed, but he knew he was due penance. And after seeing what he'd see these men do, after not stopping them, Jayne needed Mal to have Serenity back.
"River, you realize that Jayne's the enemy now, don't you?" Simon whispered hoping she'd realize how much Mal was hurt by Jayne's defection and stop talking about it.
River frowned. She shook her head as if the question made no sense. "Simon, you really should have paid attention in school."
Simon looked up at her confused, but it was Mal that asked the question on his mind. "What does doctorin' have to do with Jayne being a traitor?"
River laughed. "Just in bed."
Scrape.
Scrape.
Scrape.
Scrape.
Thud.
Jayne looked up at the sound just outside his door. He wasn't entirely surprised when Pol McGee dropped into his quarters. He was surprised that her back would be to him. One flick of his wrist and he could kill her now...
"What can I do for you, Captain?"
McGee whirled around with a gasp. "I thought you'd be in hold with the other men."
Jayne's jaw tightened but he only shrugged. "Not my thing."
"Oh?"
"I aint never forced no woman," Jayne growled, "and I aint 'bouta start."
McGee smirked. "A mercenary with morals. How refreshing. Good thing they don't include turning your back on your captain."
"Mal and I had our rows. 'Sides I didn't want to leave my beauties behind." He patted Vera before going back to sharpening Binky.
"Yes, it is a nice collection you have here. I was just going to take a look at them."
Jayne raised an eyebrow, something he realized he'd learned from Simon. "With me in the hold with the other men? Didn't nobody tell you never touch a man's guns without his permission?"
McGee laughed softly. She walked over to the bunk and put a hand on either of Jayne's knees. As she leaned forward to look him directly in the eye, her shirt flopped down exposing her bosom to Jayne's eyes.
"I think you're thinking of something else I shouldn't touch without permission." Her hands started slowly moving up his thighs. "Well, do I?"
"What?"
"Have permission... to touch?"
Jayne gulped. There was no denying McGee's curves were in all the right places. But how far was he really willing to go in this charade? Was this a test of his loyalties to her?
Only one way to find out.
Jayne nodded then leaned forward to take her lips in a fierce kiss. Binky clattered to the floor as McGee climbed onto the bed with him.
Forgive me, Mal.
(end Chapter 7)
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Chapter 8: Mobilizing
Author: nancy
Rating: R
Warning: angst, language and Mal-owies
Beta Reader: Eli
Author Email: thetenthmuse1@yahoo.com
The pain wasn't nearly as bad as the fuzzy feeling clogging up her damn head. Groaning as she tried to cut through the red tape inside her own brain, Zoe realized that opening her eyes would be a good start.
" Zoe? Baby?"
Wash. Husband. Good, synapses were starting to fire.
"Can you hear me?"
"I'm not deaf, I was shot," Zoe growled, finally figuring how to open her eyes. Things were definitely blurred, but Wash's anxious and hurt expression was aggravatingly clear. Sighing, she apologized, "I'm sorry, Wash, I didn't mean to take your head off. Help me sit."
He glanced to the side, as if for help, and questioned, "Should you?"
Zoe just looked at him.
"Right. I am fully supporting of the helping you up now."
He eased an arm under her back and shifted her into a sitting position. Her shoulder was a fiery mass of pain now that the drugs were wearing off, but she much preferred it to the sluggishness of before. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure," Wash answered.
"Not sure?"
"Well, you were injured."
Restraining the impulse to slap him upside the back of his head, Zoe asked, "Where's Mal?"
"Um, not sure of that, either."
"Jayne?"
"Well..."
"No, wait, let me guess. You don't know."
"Technically no, I don't, but that's because he's on Serenity with McGee and her crew."
Zoe was starting to think better of the drugs.
One thing that Jayne was really good at, was concentrating on the physical. It helped that he hadn't done more than got his own rocks off for a good, long while. It also helped that McGee wanted to just get down and do the dirty. She wasn't much for cuddlin' after, and couldn't care less about the no-kissing rule. She fucked him, and fucked him good, coming a few times before Jayne even let himself think about his own release.
Which was why Jayne was able to grin at her and mean it when he walked into the mess the next morning. He'd avoided the hold altogether, not wanting to get anywhere near it until someone else had cleaned it down. Didn't want to think about that. Couldn't let himself, or he'd lose that easy, `just got laid' grin that was on his face.
Grunting at the other men, Jayne dished out his protein and leaned against the wall, not wanting to get in close with them.
"So we're heading to Yslin next."
Jayne's spoon stopped on the way to his mouth.
McGee noticed, asking coolly, "Problem, Cobb?"
"It's an Alliance post."
"And?"
"And they've got Serenity registered to Mal."
"Do you really think they'll care?"
Good point. Jayne shrugged and went back to eating.
"We got cargo there that needs transporting and another contract with Kane."
There were groans and grumbles from all around the table at that announcement. Jayne looked at McGee curiously and she grimaced.
"He's a poncer, but pays damn good. Some of the crew has trouble keeping their..." and here she smirked. "...baskets out of reach. Anyhow, we're going to be bringing him and his kin to Weylin."
"And he doesn't want to take a regular cruise ship why?" Jayne asked. "He likes the rough-n-tumble edge to my ships."
Ships. Plural. Interesting.
"In the meantime, help Rog get the hold cleaned up and then..."
"No." Tension immediately ratcheted up and Jayne continued mildly, "I didn't make the fuckin' mess, I ain't cleanin' it up."
McGee gazed at him shrewdly. "Jackson, Willis, go clean up your mess and I want the place gorram spotless. Kane'll probably do the white glove thing again. Cobb, you're with me in the cockpit. I want to go over some things with you."
Jayne didn't miss the pissed look on her first mate, Qui's, face, or the cautious one on the pilot, Lyle's, face. From what little he'd gleaned, they'd been with her from the start. He tossed the bowl in the sink and sneered at Qui with, "Be sure and clean that up, little man."
Swaggering out of the mess, Jayne was pretty sure he could feel the bull's eye on his back as he followed McGee out.
Simon continued to look at the page he was supposed to be reading, but really, he was monitoring Mal. At the moment, his lover was pacing their small room, bigger than the one Mal had had, but still too small for two people. Probably the point. Abbot Brown was trying to make them so uncomfortable as to split up. Simon almost smiled at the quaint idea that discomfort would move him from Mal's side.
He was betting that it would be about five more minutes before Mal finally exploded and did something...
"Ow!"
...stupid. Like putting his fist through a wall.
Sighing, Simon tossed the book aside and crossed over to where Mal was trying to pull his arm out of the wall. "It's a good thing we aren't in the stone part of the monastery any longer."
Mal grimaced and complained, "Just help me, would you?"
Carefully knocking away the rest of the plaster, Simon helped Mal take his arm out of the hole, then tsked a few times seeing the instant swelling and bruising on his lover's wrist and arm. "Looks like you smashed a few bones. And it's your shooting hand, too, good job."
"Fuck."
"Mmm. Come on, let's get to the infirmary."
Mal didn't offer up any more complaints, so Simon slipped an arm around his waist and guided him out of their room. He had the way memorized, of course, since they'd been there for three days and he was constantly checking on Zoe. He'd been keeping her sedated both because it helped her heal faster and kept her immobile, but also to make sure she and Mal were as close to full strength as possible by the time Mal got out of his funk.
Which, given the fist he'd just destroyed, was right about now. Zoe was sitting up when they got there, with Wash sitting on her bed and River sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. All three looked over at them when Simon brought Mal into the room.
"Sir! What happened?" Zoe exclaimed.
Wash was right behind her with, "Yeh soo, Mal! What did you do?"
Snorting, Simon replied, "Decided to test the wall strength with his fist."
Mal looked like he wanted to flip Simon a rude gesture, but his hand was held stiffly in front of him. "Wash, make yourself useful and get the others, would you?"
Though startled, Wash immediately hopped to his feet and rushed out of the room.
"Time to go hunting," River announced darkly.
Simon felt mildly queasy at the glittery quality of her eyes, but the confirming nod that Mal gave her caused his stomach to sink entirely.
"So you want to tell me what's going on with Jayne?"
Mal's jaw tightened at Zoe's question and he answered, "He joined the other side is what happened."
One of Zoe's elegant eyebrows rose as she said, "I don't believe that any more now, than the fifth time Wash said it."
"What are you talking about?" Mal demanded.
"Faith," River interjected firmly.
Zoe's gaze flickered over to River, then back to Mal. "That's about right. Jayne wouldn't betray you, Sir. Wouldn't betray any of us like that. Maybe a year ago, but not now. Something changed in him...after Ariel."
For a long moment, Mal didn't say anything. Simon concentrated on moving the hand this way and that, as gently as he could, to see exactly where the breaks were. He was trying not to think that after all the futile arguing the last couple of days, Mal wouldn't just...
"You might have a point," Mal agreed slowly.
More than a little ticked that it took Zoe all of three minutes to change Mal's mind when Simon hadn't been able to at all, Simon's hands moved a little too rough.
"Fuck! Simon, watch it!" Mal hissed.
Simon returned the glare with one of his own. "Pigu."
Mouth open to protest the insult, Mal was cut off by the arrival of the rest of the crew trooping into the infirmary. There were plenty of exclamations and questions and Simon let them wash over him as he worked, still smarting from Mal's defection. Not that it was a defection, really, but it was a constant sore spot for him. He was Mal's lover, his doctor, his friend and oft times his conspirator, but the other man took Zoe's word over his every time.
"All right! Listen up," Mal called over the babble of voices. Things got quiet fast, and he continued, "I know I ain't rightly been with it the last couple of days, but that's done now. We're getting off this rock and going after Serenity. Wash, you got any pilot friends you can ask to give us a lift?"
"I believe I have that problem solved, Captain," Book spoke up.
Mal frowned at him. "How?"
"I have an old...patron...on a nearby moon that owns a corporation. He's agreed to loan us a freighter. She's not Serenity, but I believe it will get us where we want to go."
"What's this patron's name?"
"He'd rather not be known, Captain, if that's all right?"
After a short stare-down, from which Book didn't waver, Mal finally nodded. "Okay. When can we expect this ship to arrive?"
Book smiled benignly. "Tomorrow, matter of fact. I was on my way to see you to discuss it when Wash found me."
"Of course you were," Simon muttered, wrapping a long bandage around Mal's wrist to make sure it didn't move. The cast would have to wait until they had a proper infirmary.
Looking at him sharply, Mal paused then asked, "Zoe? How are you doing?"
"Just about ready to go, Sir. Will be, soon as the ship gets here," she answered promptly.
Mal glanced around the room, sober. "What I'm aiming to do is going to get bloody. Inara, I want you to keep Kaylee and River somewhere safe when your Companion ship gets here. I'm assumin' there is one?"
Nodding, Inara replied, "It will be here later tonight."
"Cap'n!" Kaylee protested. "Serenity needs me!"
"And I appreciate that, little Kaylee, but she'll need you in one piece when I get her back," Mal countered. "I'm not takin' the chance that McGee will smarten up and try and take the best mechanic this side of the `verse."
Somewhat mollified, Kaylee subsided, leaning against Inara.
"Hyenas are crazy, but they still hunt. Still contribute. They like to tear out throats," River informed them.
Simon shook his head and looked straight at her as he said, "Not a chance, River. You are staying with Kaylee and Inara."
"Can shoot better'n you can," River countered.
Mal coughed into his good hand, embarrassed, and agreed, "She's got a point, Doc. It'll be a bonus having her around when things get violent."
Flashing hurt and angry eyes at Mal, Simon stated, "She's my sister and she is not going."
"She can decide for herself," River exclaimed, hopping to her feet. She stalked to Simon and huffed, "She can take her medicine on time. She can think like a human being now. She can outshoot and outfight you!"
Betrayal mixed with the hurt and anger as his lover and sister took sides against him. Simon drew back, his head rising as he said stiffly, "Fine."
The fact that no one called him back when he left the room, hurt most of all.
Mal's head hurt.
It hurt, point in fact, more than his gorram broken wrist. He still wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he knew that it was his fault. Simon was upset and hurt and Mal knew that he was the problem, as usual. Groaning, he thumped the back of his head against the wall.
"That ain't going to help," Zoe observed, amused.
Not even opening his eyes, Mal replied, "I'll ask Wash later to know for sure."
She laughed, a soft, warm sound that always relaxed him. "The girls are all tucked away and heading for Yslin, which is the nearest and strongest Guild outpost, according to Inara. Kaylee was still pullin' faces about leaving, but Inara can handle it."
"I don't even want to know."
"Probably not."
They were silent then, and Mal felt the warmth of her body right beside him, though they weren't touching at any point.
"What do I do?"
"Groveling usually works. So do jewels, but then, that's me. For Simon, I reckon you're going to need some musty old book and a really nice night on the town."
Mal sighed. "Great. What do I do right now?"
At that, she nudged him and said, "Apologize for one."
"But, what did I do?" Mal exclaimed. "He's so gorram confusin' Zoe! Hot and cold, all the damn time. I never know which way he's gonna blow next."
"So why stay with him?" she questioned.
Groaning, trying to avoid the answer out loud, Mal answered, "I don't know, Zoe. Great sex?"
She laughed, then shook her head. "I think you're going to have to come up with a better answer than that before you go apologize."
"Yeah. I know," Mal conceded. "All right. I'm going to go take my lumps. I'll see you later. Get some sleep for tomorrow."
"Yes, Sir. And good luck," Zoe called after him.
Mal waved back at her with his good hand and headed back to the room he was sharing with Simon.
Sick to his stomach, Simon was rooted to the spot and the only thing that ran through his mind was, What did you expect? Eavesdroppers never hear anything good.
It sounded suspiciously like his mother's voice, which didn't help his nausea any.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He'd been looking for Mal to apologize for overreacting earlier. He'd been planning to make it up to Mal and now Simon honestly couldn't think about what form that apology would have taken.
*I don't know, Zoe. Great sex?*
Sex, not love. That was all they had, according to Mal. He wouldn't lie to Zoe, he never lied to Zoe. His heart was a hard lump in his chest and it wasn't until he tried to breathe that he realized his nose was clogged and tears were falling down his cheeks. Wiping his face with his sleeve, Simon swallowed down the sobs, taking deep breaths to calm down.
He could do this. Simon was a Tam and Tams did not show emotions when they didn't get what they wanted. Tams were built of sterner stuff, even where broken hearts were concerned.
That mantra firmly in mind, Simon slipped off to the infirmary, avoiding Zoe, who was still standing on the balcony looking up at the black night sky.
Jayne walked towards Mal's quarters at his normal pace. If he was caught, he didn't want to get seen slinkin' around. Hidin' in plain sight was what the doc called it when they'd got on the subject of subter...sutep...spying. The boy had had a number of good notions, no doubt about that, and Jayne had taken to using a few of them over the last year or so.
He made it to Mal's quarters without meeting anyone else on the way and breathed a little easier when he closed the hatch behind him. He strode to the plain desk on the far side of the room and flicked on the wave comm. He hit the emergency beacon, which automatically turned on the homing beacon that Kaylee had installed ages ago on the hopes that it was still working. It would send an encoded wave to Mal's private account every ten hours.
Now all Jayne had to do was hope that Mal would check his wave account.
"Well hello lover. Mind if I ask what you're doing?"
Jayne grimaced, swearing silently to himself, then turned to lounge against the desk, facing McGee She sat on the bed, in the shadows, which was why he hadn't seen her. Forcing a smile, Jayne answered, "Just wanted to give my Ma a call and let her know I was still breathin.' Don't have one of these in my room. Mal's a cheapskate."
She leaned forward, gun in hand, and cocked the trigger. "Is that so? Well, I don't rightly know how long that'll be accurate."
(end Chapter 8)
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Chapter 9: It's Never is Easy, Is it?
Author: Emely Raines
Rating: PG-13
Warning: angst, gyp on Jayne's scene. I know... I'm sorry Beta Reader: Peach
Author Email: emel_raines@yahoo.com
Simon had spent all the rest of the night in the monastery's infirmary; silently organizing its contents. Whenever a brother came in for some small treatment, he obliged with a polite smile and simple nod, but he never left the actual room. He found himself frozen in place when he heard the whispered voice, however, "Simon." *I am a Tam. * He thought to himself but his eyes watered nonetheless, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. *No, I am NOT crying... My tear ducts have become irritated is all... That's it. * He stiffly answered, "Yes?" *what time is it? *, He glanced at the clock but still didn't move his head from the position it had been in at Mal's entrance.
"Simon, its 06'"
"I know, Captain." He answered in the smuggest voice he could muster, the one he used to pull on Jayne all the time. He thought back a moment and smiled at the memory it brought up; Joara had taught him that voice. Joara had taught him many things; his smile became even more wistful before he was brought back to the present by the feeling of a hand nearing him. He frowned again and turned his stare to a stray cotton ball.
Mal jerked his hand back as if he'd been stung... then again, he had. *Captain? * He thought and cringed. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Simon, I..."
"Has the freighter arrived yet?" the doctor asked, cutting him off.
Mal shut his mouth and searched the figure in front of him, The slope of the shoulders that he'd seen so relaxed not but a few ago, the tension in the way he was holding his back, he wasn't leaning in any way; everything screamed prim and proper `I am above you.' The silent man turned expectantly, raising his eyebrows in a way Mal was sure he'd learned from his father.
Mal's mouth fell open at the sight of Simon's eyes, they weren't the eyes of his lover, the eyes that were constantly open and wide, viewing the world and taking everything in, offering everything of himself. No, he'd seen these eyes only a few times before, they were the eyes of Dr. Simon Tam, surgeon.
He nodded simply and Simon brushed past him and out the door. Mal closed his eyes and, bracing himself on a med-bed, slumped down. "Shit!" he yelped, pulling back up straight and cradling the offended wrist... The last place Simon had touched him.
"Gorramit!" Jayne hissed to himself as he sat stiffly on the bed. He hadn't meant for that to happen. How had he not even noticed the bitch was in the room? He shook his head, sighing despondently. He wondered to himself if he'd ever get to talk with the doc again, tease him about bein' a pansy or somethin'... anything. Even if he did make it out of this and the others got to the ship, would Mal understand?
He sighed again, this time a harsh and guttural sound. McGee moaned beside him and he grimaced. He thanked what ever the ruttin' hell was rulin' the `verse that she'd been drunk. He thought at first that she'd figured him out; he even shuffled out a few really stupid excuses as to why he was there right then. It was only when she'd told him to call his ma and THEN introduced herself that he'd figured it out and steered her onto another topic. A topic that was quite cringe-worthy when the words came from her.
She was asleep and he thought for a moment about waving but figured better, he thought two moments about putting a knife in her heart but didn't want to have to throw the thing away, three moments about what the hell he was doing still sitting there and finally stood up, and, pulling up his pants, left the room, forcing on a "just-fucked" grin. He just barely caught sight of the gun as it came down on his temple before he blacked out.
(end Chapter 9)
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Chapter 10: Sleepless
Author: Mikou
Rating: PG-13
Warning:
Beta Reader: Rebecca
Author Email: ultraviolet_xx@yahoo.com
It had been an age since Mal had last slept alone and it surprised him how the empty space at his side could weigh so heavily. It was a simple thing to swap places with River. He cited needing the space alone where he need not fear hurting his wrist again. She looked at him and nodded wisely and he was relieved that she didn't call him on his transparent excuse.
He shifted on the bed and winced. Tzao gao, his wrist hurt! Right about now, he'd give his left kidney to have Simon here. Maybe then he wouldn't feel like it was like his arm was being jabbed by sharp needles--long ones, too. But it wasn't just the pain meds because he could get up and get those himself. Simon's presence would have been nice just for the company. It was amazing how that cool voice and sardonic smile could work their wonders. Instead, Mal was left with his thoughts about his semi-formed rescue plan.
Eventually, when the situational analysis and the physical pain had destroyed the last vestiges of sleep, he dragged himself out of the small room and lumbered to the infirmary. There, he rifled through the cabinets until he found a vial that seemed to contain enough syllables to guarantee that it would numb the throbbing in his wrist. It was difficult to maneuver single-handed, so he was swearing when he dropped the syringe for the third time. He was weighing the pros and cons of just kicking over the table underneath which it had rolled when a sound made him glance over his shoulder.
"I thought I heard someone fumbling clumsily around in here."
"Yeah, that must have been Brother Green. He seems to have ten thumbs and at least three left feet. Personally, I just got here."
Simon stepped further into the infirmary and graced Mal with a small smile. He stooped smoothly and reached under the table for the syringe. He stood and read the label. "Well, either Brother Green has got a habit that's going to get him into trouble or you're lying. My vote is for the latter."
"I didn't bother you because I didn't want to argue."
"I don't recall us arguing at all."
"Mayhap that's because you haven't deigned to speak to me proper for--I don't know--half a day?"
Simon rolled the syringe in his hand and looked at Mal with mild interest. "I didn't think you'd notice."
"Didn't think I'd...? What the...? Haven't we come a bit far to be havin' one of these conversations again? I know you like to dissect and study everything like one of your surgical specimens, but I thought you knew me better. You got somethin' to say, you just come right out and say it and stop torturing me."
"You don't think much of me, do you?"
Mal sat heavily on a chair, the pain between his eyes rivaling that of his wrist. "I swear I don't know where in the 'verse you come up with this. For the thousandth time, I admire you. You're obviously a brilliant physician--"
"Top three percent--"
"So you keep reminding me. Yes, you're talented and smart. And you've got more balls than I would have initially given you credit for."
"Thanks."
Mal sighed and struggled for what else he could say to break through to his lover. With his crew it was easy. Zoe and he were much alike and didn't mince words. With Wash, an uneasy alliance had evolved into a working friendship of sorts. Jayne, when he was there, was best kept on a short leash. Kaylee was the ray of sunshine and what made her happy was written on her face as clear as day.
Simon was work. Always had been and most would keep on being for a good, long time.
The object of his ruminations held up the syringe. "Would you like me to give this to you? It will probably help you sleep better if you're not writhing in pain."
Mal nodded and held out his arm. The cool swab of the antiseptic sponge was immediately followed by the hot prick of the needle into his flesh. Within minutes, the medication had swarmed his system and left him feeling heavy and far away. He looked up and found Simon's bright, solemn eyes fixed on him. The narcotic was making his tongue trip on itself and get tangled in his teeth, but he had one more thing to say.
"When she had that gun pointed at you... it was all I could do to... to..."
"Yes?"
Mal blinked when Simon's face loomed closer to his. He forgot what he was going to say. He reached out a hand and tried to touch his face, but his body didn't seem to be any more cooperative than his mouth and tongue. "I'm awful glad."
"Glad about what?"
"This," he replied and gave Simon a gentle tap on his nose. He might have missed, however, because his fingertip encountered something a little too giving to be Simon's nose. His lover's yelp of pain was the second clue. When Simon clapped a hand over his eye, Mal concluded that something must have gotten into it. Wasn't bug season on this little moon, so couldn't rightly be that.
Simon dropped his hand and blinked several times with tears streaming from his left eye.
"Oh," said Mal. "Did I make you cry?"
Simon muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "It wouldn't be the first time." However, he refused to confirm his statement and Mal couldn't figure out why he would ever say such a thing.
"What were you trying to say Mal?"
"'Bout what?"
"About--" Simon's face creased with puzzlement. "Well, the easiest would be what you were going to say about my face?"
"Oh, that? Just glad I didn't break your nose when I punched you in the face that one time."
"Twice."
"Huh?"
"You punched me in the face twice."
Mal frowned and tried to recall. Somehow that didn't sound right. "Nah. Couldn't be."
"Oh, it could be and I had the bruises to remember it by. I even have a little scar here next to my eye."
"You can't get scars from bruises."
"Well maybe it was your ring."
"I don't wear rings."
"Maybe it was just your hard knuckles smashing into my face," Simon said tightly.
Mal whispered, "C'mere. Closer so I can see."
Simon leaned closer and pointed at the corner of his eye. "See?"
Mal didn't see anything but Simon's face when it had closed up tighter than a drum earlier on. He was attuned to those moments, no matter what the good doctor might think even if he couldn't figure out the reason for each and every one of them. He reached up with his good hand and touched the scar that wasn't there. "I notice. I notice everything about you."
Simon leaned back. "Of course, Mal. Your powers of observation are astounding."
"I do. And I listen."
Simon made a noncommittal grunt in response. "I think it's time I got back to bed. River was feeling a restless."
Mal reached out and caught Simon's hand. "At least walk me back to my room and wait until I fall asleep." He exhaled with relief when Simon helped him up and they navigated their way back to the room Mal had taken over from River. Mal sat on the edge of the narrow bed and lay down with special care to his bandaged arm. The dark and quiet of the room and the pain medication did their work. It was impossible to keep his lids open as sleep drew him deeper and deeper into its embrace. Before he lost all awareness of his surroundings, he murmured, "Always feels better when you're near."
Simon watched his lover sleep for a few minutes. Part of him wanted to wake Mal up and kiss him senseless for those last words. The other part of him wanted to conk the stubborn fool over the head for only saying them when he was floating on a drug high, making Simon wonder how much he could trust these words. He leaned forward and kissed Mal's temple. "Even if you're telling the truth, you're not off the hook that easy, Malcolm Reynolds." He stood and left the room to head back to his sister.
The robed man crept to his destination, hugging the walls to avoid casting a shadow. He pulled the cowl forward over his head, masking his face except for the eyes. The halls of the abbey were dark and winding, but familiarity directed his footsteps until he'd reached the right door that stood at the end, right next to the archway leading to the stairwell. No light edged the doorway, nor was there any sound from within the room. Given the time, he thought it was safe to assume that the occupants were fast asleep. He knocked--light enough so that it wouldn't wake anyone, but loud enough that they could hear it if they were already up. There was no answer--no movement at all, so he took a chance and slid the door open on its well-oiled hinges. He slipped in and was reaching into his pocket when he felt something cold and hard pressed against his temple.
Rather than acquiescing to the silent, but clear threat, he threw caution to the wind and leapt backwards...
...only to collide with another body that expelled a loud and surprised, "Oomph!" before falling to the ground. He would have run down the hallway in the other direction if he hadn't head footsteps coming up the stairs, signaling a newcomer to block that avenue of exit. He turned to jump over the fallen body and nearly made it when something wrapped around his ankle and sent him crashing to the ground. He flipped over and the sight before him nearly made him pass out. The shadow leaned closer and when that it was one of those...women, darkness fell over him like a curtain.
Simon crossed the landing and entered the hallway to find a commotion there. Wash was sitting against the wall, rubbing his head and talking to himself. River was pacing, brandishing her ivory-handled hairbrush as if it were a weapon. Her measured movements kept her within two feet of the monk lying on the ground.
When Simon absorbed that there was yet another injury to deal with, he was galvanized into action. He hurried to the monk's side and pulled the cowl back. He didn't recall the name, but he did remember seeing the man walking with his head bowed and nearly running away whenever he saw Inara, Kaylee, or River. Now, he lay on he ground, seemingly unconscious. Simon searched for any head injuries and pried the man's lids open to check his pupils. An ear to the man's chest proved that he was breathing deeply and comfortably.
After that quick survey, Simon pinned his sister down with a look. "Please tell me you didn't do anything to this man. Attacking Jayne is one thing--wrong, but amusing in a strange way--but this could get us in BIG trouble."
River danced back a few steps and pointed at the fallen monk. "Wrong room. Wrong victim."
Wash groaned and held his head. "I'll vouch for her. Don't know what he was looking for, but he came barreling out of that room like a speeding train." He stopped and his face fell. "Aw. I spilled my cocoa. The one time in a hundred days when I find fresh milk and now I spilled it." Wash looked sadly at the mug that had flown out of his hands when he'd been tackled. The milk sent out liquid fingers that seeped into the crevices of the slatted wood floor.
Simon shook his head. "But what happened?"
"I went to the kitchen because they said there was cocoa--"
"Forget the cocoa! What happened to the monk?"
"Oh, him? He fainted."
The light that pierced Levi's lids was bright and hot... almost as if he were basking in the sun.
Or as if he were tied to a chair with a very bright lamp pointed at his face. There were several people standing around him in a half circle. One of them stepped forward. He probably wouldn't last long in a fight, judging by the bandage wrapped around one of his hands. But he was backed by several shadows. One of them--a tall woman whose proximity made Levi shudder in abject horror--moved forward and held up a very sharp, very dangerous looking knife. His attention swung back to the man should have been dead by now, along with his "companion", to be followed by this unnatural woman. But in an unforeseen turn of events, the would-be victim had gained the upper hand.
Captain Reynolds' voice was frigid and precise. "You have three minutes to explain what the guai is goin' on here."
Jayne wriggled against his restraints, but the rope tightened and made his hands numb. Gorram woman just had to have a traitor on board! He looked across at Polly, who was trussed up just like he was. She'd probably get a crick in her neck with it lolling to the side that way. Served her right that she got a taste of her own medicine.
But there was little time to waste on celebrating that tiny victory. He had to get out before they came to get him...
(end Chapter 10)
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Chapter 11: Driven Out
Author: Mary Kroll
Rating:
Warning:
Beta Reader:
Author Email: marykroll@iwon.com
Kaylee ran to get their captain, only to find his and Simon's room empty. She threw open every door in the corridor where the crew of Serenity had been housed. Empty. Empty. Book.
"Shepard, you need to get up. One of the brothers-"
Book was already on his feet, pulling on his shirt and rushing away from her down the hallway. Kaylee finally found Mal, snoring away soundly. She called his name, to no reaction. In fact, it took three good shakes before Mal's eyelids bobbed up uncertainly.
He'd been having that dream again. He'd had it every night since his feet hit the dusty surface of the planet and occasionally during the day in the still silence of the borrowed cell. Even Zoe's compelling logic could not drive it away.
Dust stung the crew as they squinted and shielded their eyes with their hands. The black speck against the white sun had grown into a familiar shape. Serenity was descending, albeit awkwardly.
"Wo de tien ah," Kaylee was the first to speak, "it's really her!"
"Yeah, but who's at the wheel?" Wash raised his voice, as the approaching engines' roar grew louder. "She's a frog's hair from yawing right into the ground, sharp-ish."
The ship landed with a crunch of underbrush and two tremorous thuds as first one side rested, then the other. The crew held their collective breath, waiting for the cargo ramp to descend. Zo reflexively reached for the empty holster on her hip and Mal took hold of the butt of his gun. He had one bullet, one shot, one chance.
The ramp lowered, as slowly as anyone could remember it moving, and Jayne strode down, heavy boots clanging, smiling broadly. He had not quite reached the planet's surface when the pain in his chest drove him back. The sound of the gunshot made Kaylee shriek and soundly startled the others. Mal stood with his arm still extended, smoke trailing from the barrel of his gun like incense.
"Well," River said in a bland voice.
Simon and Book ran to Jayne as he fell heavily to his knees and collapsed backwards. His shirt was sopping and red as Simon tore it open. The rest of the crew rushed to help, or at least be close. Mal just stood, grinning with satisfaction at the wet, almost slurpy, noise he could hear over Jayne's weakening groans. A sucking chest wound, a thing of beauty as the dust settled and clung to the blood. Simon looked at him in shocked confusion, "Captain! What are you doing?! He's dying, Captain. Captain!"
Simon's voice lightened into Kaylee's as Mal finally focused on her face. The painkiller had sedated him thoroughly and his head was slow to clear as he left the bed and was pulled by an anxious Kaylee down the corridor.
Zoe had negotiated the unconscious body into a chair and bound him there with whatever was handy. It had affronted her gunshot wound, but she gave no indication of pain. `This tableau could stand to confuse a person,' Mal thought as he entered in front of Kaylee to find his crew staring at a monk tied to a chair, River particularly agitated.
"This situation under control, Zoe?"
"In the immediate sense, Sir. We still don't know what the good friar was intending to do or who he meant to do it to."
Captain Reynolds' voice was frigid and precise. "You have three minutes to explain what the guai is goin' on here."
"Captain, perhaps if you would allow me to speak with him?" Book interjected. Brother Levi did not turn to look at the Shepherd. He only glared at Mal a moment, then dropped his head and prayed in a clear, strong voice.
"What's he saying, preacher?"
"It's Latin, one of the ancient languages of priests and holy men". His mouth was open to continue, but River's voice precluded him.
"He had to protect their holy order. We are the instruments of sin," she paraphrased the monk, "the root of greatest suffering, the cause of mankind's expulsion from paradise and the martyrdom of many true believers. Girls, I mean." She stopped to listen for a moment. "He fears Mal for having brought so many women and so much danger to the abbey. ... Kaylee, you may be interested to know that you are the Whore of Babylon."
"What? Why? I ain't done anything-"
Simon leaned into her, "It's the red hair."
"Oh."
Brother Levi droned on, consumed by his prayer, even as Mal addressed him directly. "I appreciate the fact that you brothers took us in in our needy hour and that we're like to have disrupted your daily life, but I can't cotton to one of you pulling a weapon on unarmed woman- folk." The prayer continued without so much as a syllable mislaid.
"It seems like our welcome is wearing thin, Sir."
"It does at that, Zoe. Wash, you okay?"
"Just another skull crack for my collection."
"So you'll live then. Shiny. Book, where are we on our cunning plan to get back to Serenity?"
"I have been told to expect our borrowed transportation just after dawn."
"Near to that now."
"The darkest hour," River opined.
Mal look at her a moment, then nodded. "Could rightly be. All right, get whatever gear you've got and meet outside the main gate as soon as you're ready. Hate for them to wait on us, would seem ungrateful." His order was answered with nods and scurrying feet. He started back toward his room.
"Captain," Simon caught up to him in the hall and gave him his rank since others were still within earshot. "I have to renew my objection to your taking River as part of your frontal assault. As it is, she's been days without her medication and there's no way at all to predict her behavior. She could be an enormous liability, a real danger to-"
"To the shiong-mung duh kwong-run who took away our home."
Simon jumped at River's voice. She had succeeded in sneaking up on him and Mal with astounding stealth.
"Simple Simon, always worrying. I have enough pharmaceuticals built up in my bloodstream to open my own druggist's. My head is clear." She turned to Mal. "Captain, I anticipate that I can be reliable for another thirty-six hours. Beyond that, speculation would be irresponsible of me."
"So noted. Go on and help Inara get her things together."
"Mal, you can't."
"You heard the child genius. I got thirty-six hours before she turns back. Best make good use of them."
Jayne's head pulsed as he came back to consciousness. All he good think through the swirling black haze was, "Ruttin' fool can't mutiny. I'm the one s'posed to turn on McGee. Ruined a damned good plan, the huh choo-sheng tza-jiao duh tzang-huo."
(end Chapter 11)
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Chapter 12: Three To Get Ready
Author: Dariclone
Rating: PG
Warning:
Beta Reader:
Author Email: minako@trondata.on.ca
Kaylee made her way to thw girls' bedroom to find Inara sitting up in bed. "Little Kaylee," she asked, her voice barely above a whisper,
"What's going on?"
Kaylee responded in kind. "Mal says it's about that time. We're gonna take her back, Inara." Kaylee's face showed a mixture of anxiety, hope and determination. "Mal says we gotta get ready... they're gonna be leavin' at dawn."
Senseing the young girl's uneasiness, Inara gently reached out to touch Kaylee's cheek. "It'll be alright, Kaylee. Mal knows what he's doing."
"I know." Kaylee admitted with a weary sigh. "I'm just... I'm scared Inara and... she needs me. Serenity needs me. I wanna be there when it all goes down."
"Shh. It's okay to be scared. There's nothing shameful in being scared at a time like this. And as for Serenity, we all know you love her. Rightfully, she's as much yours as she is Mal's."
"But," Inara continued quickly as she saw Kaylee was about to interject, "She'll need you after it's over to take care of her. You're a member of the crew too, Kaylee, an important one."
Kaylee let a little sob escape her lips. Quickly rising from the bed, Inara pulled Kaylee into a hug. "Come on, let's go pack." Inara said, after a few minutes. Kaylee smiled, nodded and took Inara's hand.
Wash was nervously pacing around his and Zoe's bedroom. His wife was becoming aggrivated.
"Stop that." she demanded.
"I can't, Zoe."
"Well it won't help anything." Zoe snapped. "We're all anxious for this to be over but there ain't anything we can do 'till it's time."
Wash stopped pacing. "I know." he admitted softly. "I love you, Zoe."
"I love you too, Wash." Zoe said, with an amused smile on her face.
Wash came over to the bed and sat next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her.
Simon sighed and looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe that he was still letting this bother him.
After all, if Mal didn't cry about him he didn't deserve him. All he was to the man was a good lay.
He didn't need Mal eithier. He was reckless, grumpy and gods, was he stubborn!
And this business about River fighting with them! What right of his was it to make that decision? After all, Simon was her brother!
Unconciously, Simon made fists.
River called out to her brother from her bed in the infirmery.
"Simon?"
Simon hurried to his sister's side. "What's wrong, mei mei?"
"That's what I was going to ask you."
Simon's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"
"I can tell something's wrong with you," River declaired. "Now, just tell me what it is."
Simon let a long breath. "River... you shouldn't worry about my problems. I'm your big brother, you don't have to worry about me."
"But I do worry, Simon," River said, matter of fact. "It's precisely because you're my brother that I do worry."
Simon sighed. He never had been able to get away with much with Rivier around.
"Look, you don't have to tell me." River relented. Then she surprised Simon. "I don't know what happened between you two, but whatever it is, I'm here for you."
Simon couldn't say anything. River reached out and gently stroked his hand.
Mal lay awake in his bed. He just couldn't sleep without Simon beside him.
He'd been thinking and he still couldn't figure out what had happened between them. What had he done to upset Simon so? He knew there had to be something, Simon didn't get angry with him for no reason. He was pulled out of his revere when a knock sounded on the door. Book. he thoughr. It was time...
(end Chapter 12)
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Chapter 13: Diplomacy
Author: Eleanor K.
Rating: PG
Warning: none
Beta Reader: Chrissy
Author Email: emungere@yahoo.com
.._..Jayne stopped struggling. The ropes weren't going to come loose any time soon. He took inventory instead. He was still in Mal's bunk. McGee was still tied up on the bed, out cold. He still had all his clothes and his boots, which was a definite plus. You never knew how you'd end up after you got clocked on the head, which was one of the reasons he tried to avoid it. Look at last time--sealed in an airlock and getting closer to hard vacuum every second.
All in all, things could be worse. His mamma always told him to look on the positive side. Right now, he was finding that the positive side included the knife in his boot that the dumb fucker who'd tied him up must have missed.
He couldn't get at it with his wrists tied behind his back, and that neat trick where you slid your legs between your arms and ended up with your arms in front only worked if there was enough slack to get your legs through. Worked great with handcuffs. Not so great with ropes wound around your wrists and halfway up your arms.
He wormed his way over to the bed and used the leg to pry his boot off. It wasn't hard from there to get the knife out. A little harder to cut the ropes blind without cutting himself, but he managed it.
"Guess you're on my side after all," said a rusty voice behind him.
He finished cutting his ankles free before he turned. She wasn't going anywhere.
"Guess I'm on my own side," he said. "Like always."
Her laughter was cracked and dry. "Your own side, huh? You think I bought all that crap about you calling your mamma? You're taken, Jayne Cobb. You're Mal Reynolds' man through and through. Thought maybe I could turn you, but the first thing you do is slink off and call your master."
"He ain't my--"
"Like a whipped damn dog."
This was the woman he'd had to lie to his mamma about, not more than a few hours ago. First thing when he got out of this, he'd have to call and explain. Couldn't have her thinking he'd take up with anyone like McGee.
He wished like hell he could kill her, but it wasn't in the cards, not until he knew the situation. If it was one lone guy against the crew, that was one thing. If it was mutiny, McGee was likely the only ally he had, and it'd be easier to help her get the ship back and kill her after.
No reason not to make her sweat though.
He stood up slowly, liking that height advantage every bit as much as he had since it kicked in at sixteen. He set the knife at her throat and saw her swallow.
"Less of the insults," he said. "If I was you, I'd be telling me why I ought to let you live right now. People keep telling me I'm slow, so I guess that's why I can't think of a single ruttin' reason on my own."
Kaylee stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky. Clouds. She didn't like clouds.
She couldn't remember ever minding them back home. She'd loved the thunderstorms that rolled over the plains and made the hair on the back of her neck prickle with all that energy just floating free in the air. She'd loved the look of the clouds, dark grey bellies swollen with rain, and she'd loved the way everything smelled afterwards. It was the best smell in the world.
In the world. The best smell of all was the way Serenity's engine room smelled when everything was working smooth. It was oil and metal and heat, and some of it was the smell of her own sweat. Some of it was just the way Serenity smelled.
She'd gotten used to that. So used to it, in so short a time, that the air everywhere else smelled wrong to her.
She'd gotten used to seeing the stars, too. It was wrong not to see them. And she and Inara would be holed up somewhere, still not seeing them, still looking at these stupid clouds, while everyone else went to get Serenity back. Even River, and River wasn't even crew.
She sighed and kicked at a pebble. Everyone else was off getting ready. Inara was packing her stuff for the second time in a few days. Kaylee had nothing to pack. Her life was back on Serenity. Her tools were back on Serenity, even the old crescent wrench that used to belong to her granddad. She'd had it in her pocket when one of McGee's men grabbed her, and he'd thrown it away like--like it was just trash.
"You're coming," said a voice in the dark.
Kaylee spun around, breath stopped in her throat. River stood just behind her, smiling like she sometimes did after she said something that creeped out everyone else in the room.
River's eyes were dark, and when the bright smile faded, they looked even darker. She touched Kaylee's face briefly.
"You're coming with us."
Kaylee wanted to say yes. Wanted to see Serenity again so bad and make sure she wasn't hurt. But there were reasons Mal didn't want to take her. She still had nightmares about the assault on the Skyplex. She woke up crying sometimes and had to sit in the dark with her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't wake Mal right next door.
Her hands were always covered with blood in the dreams. It made the gun too slippery to hold, and River wasn't there to save the day. She had to watch while Book and Wash and Zoe and Mal and Simon walked back through that door, one at a time, expecting her to protect them. She had to watch when they all got shot. Mal was always last, and sometimes he said he was sorry before he died, sorry he'd dragged her into this, and she tried to tell him it was the life she wanted, but he never seemed to believe her.
River's hand was on her face again, holding her chin, making her look up.
"Stop it," River said. "You're coming. I'll carry you with me under my cloak."
Kaylee frowned. "You don't have a cloak."
"The cloak is metaphorical."
Oh. Of course it was. She still didn't always understand River.
"Mal won't let me."
"That's what the metaphorical cloak is for. Don't worry. I'll protect you. And your girl will need you."
"Is Serenity hurt?"
"She'll need you," River repeated. She cocked her head, listening. "Ship's here. Go tell Inara. She'll understand. Meet me back here, ten minutes."
Kaylee chewed on her lip for a second and then turned to do as she was told.
If Serenity needed her, she had to be there. Even if her hands were shaking so much already that she had to stuff them deep in her pockets and squeeze them into fists to get them to stop.
Jayne crouched on the catwalk above the cargo bay. McGee was just in front of him. He'd been careful to keep her just in front of him since they'd left Mal's bunk. She was armed with a kitchen knife, and he was starting to wish he hadn't agreed to that. Still, they'd made a stop at his bunk, and he had Vera now, so he wasn't worrying. Just not happy that McGee was upright and walking around after everything she'd done.
He stretched out on his stomach and looked over the edge. McGee did the same.
Down below, Jayne saw the tops of a bunch of people's heads bobbing to the music that he could hear even up here. He saw the table dragged down from the kitchen, loaded with bottles. One idiot whooped and fired his gun in the air. Jayne heard it ricochet off the ceiling and didn't flinch when it hit the railing between him and McGee. She didn't flinch either.
They looked at each other, and McGee rolled her eyes. "Idiots," she mouthed.
Jayne grunted, but he had to agree. Bunch of gorram idiots, to mutiny and then throw a party. He drew back from the edge, motioning McGee to follow.
"You got a price on your head or something?" he asked. "Can't think of no other reason they woulda kept you alive."
"Haven't checked lately, but it ain't unlikely. You?"
Jayne shrugged. "Ain't unlikely."
He hadn't checked either, and he was wondering if his name had been added to the Tam's arrest warrant after Ariel. He hoped not. Life was complicated enough with those two on board. He didn't need to give Mal another reason to get rid of him. And that was assuming Mal didn't just shoot him first and not ask questions later.
"Well, Mr. Cobb? What's the plan?"
Plans weren't Jayne's strong suit. He knew that. It was why he didn't have his own ship. It was why he liked his job with Mal. Mal had good plans, mostly. Better, leastways, than a fair number of the plans Jayne had been involved with over the years.
If he could trust McGee as far as he could...throw something real big...he'd say they should split up and search the ship. But that was out. He had a couple of grenades, which would take out the idiots downstairs, but using them on the ship was asking for trouble.
"I got an idea," McGee said. "Want to hear it?"
"Don't wanna hear nothin' you got to say."
"We're on the same side right now, Cobb. They got what we want. They got my ship."
"Ain't your ship."
"Don't matter who holds the papers right now. They've got control."
And damned if she wasn't right. Jayne grunted.
"Fine."
"Fine?" McGee was grinning at him.
"So tell me already."
Kaylee remembered Mal saying something about how no power in the 'verse could stop her from being cheerful. Also something about just wanting to duct tape her mouth and throw her in the hold for a month. Well, her mouth wasn't duct taped, but she was down in the hold of the freighter, listening to the engines rumble and whine and feeling the ship shake as it lifted off, and she wasn't feeling too cheerful right then.
The hold was underneath the cargo bay, and for a while she'd been able to hear everyone moving around up there. That was nice. Comforting. Now there was just the dark and the engine noises--and that engine didn't sound any too good--and nothing else. She wished she had a flashlight.
She heard a clink of metal somewhere to her right and turned toward it, blind in the pitch black.
"River?"
A hand on hers made her jump.
"We're all in the dark," River said. "But it will be light soon."
"I can't stay down here forever. When I come out, Mal's gonna want to send me back."
"It's too late for that. He has the scent. He won't wait now."
River pulled her hand and Kaylee followed, crawling along the hard floor to the hatchway. They climbed through, and it was only when Kaylee sat blinking in the light on the edge of the hatchway, looking down into the dark of the hold, that she saw a pair of legs in front of her. Legs in tight, brown pants. She looked up.
Mal had a hand over his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "What are you doing here, xiao mei mei?"
"Um." Kaylee waved. "Hi, Captain."
"It was my idea," River said.
Mal looked at both of them for a long moment. Kaylee was sure he was going to turn the ship right around and take her back, but he only sighed.
"You stay on the ship, Kaylee Frye. On the ship, you hear me?" He turned to River. "And you better make sure nothing happens to her. Dong ma?"
"Yes, Captain," they said together.
Mal opened his mouth to say something else, and that was when the proximity alert went off. Mal cast a warning glance at both of them. The yellow of the flashing lights that accompanied the siren sent uneasy shadows across his face. He pointed a finger at them that clearly meant 'stay put' and headed up the stairs at the end of the cargo bay.
River jumped up immediately and followed.
"River! We ain't supposed to--"
But River only grabbed her hand and pulled her along. They got to the bridge just in time to see the comm screen flicker from static to a face and a voice they both knew well.
"Permission to dock, Captain?" Inara asked.
Mal just groaned. He cut the connection without a word, but waved for Wash to start the docking procedure. Kaylee didn't wait. She had to guess where the docking bay would be, but it wasn't that hard. She was there and waiting when the door unsealed.
It was only after she'd wrapped her arms around Inara's waist and squeezed the breath out of her that she realized they weren't alone. She leaned against Inara's side and smiled. Everyone was there, River nearly bouncing on her toes, Simon smiling at his sister, Book with his hand on Inara's shoulder, Wash with his arm around Zoe. Only Mal was missing, and he came around the corner as she watched.
"On the bridge, Wash. Jayne set off the emergency beacon. We've got a destination."
"And hello to you, too, Mal," Inara said.
Mal grinned at her. "Get your gun, ambassador. We've got some serious diplomacy coming up."
(end Chapter 13)
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Chapter 14: Gou-shi and Kisses
Author: skripka
Rating: PG-13
Warning: language
Beta Reader: Jes
Author Email: skripka2@mac.comTranslations:
gou-shi: dog shit
hundan: bastard
xie'e bi: evil cunt
yunchun pofu: stupid bitch
The freighter was, in Kaylee's practiced opinion, a right piece of gou-shi. Old hoses, cracked belts, and rusted bolts. Everything held together with no thought, no imagination.
It's bugging her. Her fingers are itching to rebuild the damn thing. But they can't afford the time, much less the parts, so she's taken to stalking the corridors. Up and around the corners, trying not to wince as a particularly bad repair screams at her.
Kaylee finds River methodically cleaning a gun. She stands staring, fascinated by nimble fingers separating tiny bits, the lock of hair absently caught in River's mouth. She can't tear her eyes away from the dark strand.
"I know you're there." River looks up and smiles at Kaylee, who practically jumps. "I can hear you thinking." The giggle that accompanies that statement sounds like chimes. Kaylee smiles back.
"Hey, you. What're you doin'?"
River grins, almost evilly, and leans in as Kaylee sits down next to her. "Piecing the puzzle. Planning the best approach. Plotting."
Curious now, Kaylee bends closer to ask, "Plotting what?"
River clicks the last piece of the gun into place. "This." A soft heat, damp pressure against her lips and then River spins out of the room, leaving Kaylee with her mouth open, all her frustrations about the gou-shi freighter chased away by a kiss.
They're deep in the black, tracing the beacon Jayne set. Simon is lying in the hammock he set up, counting hours.
Thirty.
He's not sure why he believes River's estimate of the amount of drugs in her bloodstream, but it's something to do. The counting, that is. It keeps him from worrying about River, about Kaylee and Inara, about Mal, about the weight of the gun he has strapped to his hip.
Not that not thinking about things makes them go away. Especially on a ship this small. Simon starts at the sound of boots on the grating. He looks up and sees Mal. Cursing, Simon struggles out of the hammock. "What are you doing here?" he asks, irritated.
"Came to check up on you." Mal's voice is shuttered; Simon can't read the inflections. He sighs.
"I'm fine. How's the hand?" The formal attitude is wearing thin on Simon; it's a bit surprising how quickly he's lost the habit. He would have guessed that the propriety would be ingrained permanently after so many years.
Of course, living on Serenity required Simon to adjust to many things. Not the least was Mal himself. He stares at the captain, daring him to answer.
"If my hand was botherin' me, I would've said something sooner." Mal steps closer. Simon has nowhere to go. He frowns.
"No, you wouldn't have. You're a stubborn bastard, who keeps things too close to the chest." Simon's a bit shocked at how bitter he sounds, but he isn't in the mood to shut up now. "You always wait until the last minute to get medical attention and I don't even want to count the number of times I've had to do transfusions."
Mal takes another step. "So, what? I'm too much work for you, Simon? Thought you liked having doctory stuff to do." His face is still unreadable. Simon twitches, and breaks finally.
"You thought?! You don't think, Mal. You improvise. You improvise and you leave all of us up in the air. Hanging, hoping to God that you're still in one piece when all is said and done. And if things don't go according to plan? You turn into a sullen bastard." Simon took a deep breath. "And you snore."
Mal's lip twitches. "That so?"
"It is!" And now Simon's got a twitchy mouth too. Because it's so utterly ridiculous. Because all of that is Mal, all of that is what he's in love with. Mal wouldn't be here if he didn't love Simon. And Simon would have left long ago if he didn't love Mal.
One last step and Mal's arms are around Simon's waist. "You okay, now?"
"Yeah. Don't do that again."
An eyebrow raises. "Simon, I'm an utter bastard who snores. I'm likely to be doin' gou-shi from now until we fall out of the sky."
Simon shrugs and presses a hard kiss to Mal's lips. "Then I guess I'm going to have to stock up on plasma when we get Serenity back."
Jayne lies still on the catwalk, staring at the party going on below. Something's niggling at the back of his mind; a gou-shi thought. He would have paid good money for a cigar to chew on; that would have helped focus.
McGee's glaring at him. Jayne don't much care. He ain't a quick thinker, and he wants to be sure his plan is going to work. At least he knows Serenity better than these hundan ever could. And then it hits him, just as Rog moves into better light to talk to Kyle.
"McGee..." he hisses and nods at the dark man. "How long's Rog been on your crew?"
"What?" Her face screws up in confusion, making her eyepatch shift oddly. Jayne sighs. She's nowhere near as smart as Mal is. Not that Mal is always smart, but at least he's quicker on the uptake than this xie'e bi. And would likely be a better kisser, if Jayne was into kissin'.
"Rog." Jayne forms the words carefully. "How long you had him?"
She shrugs. "Dunno. Picked 'im up on Persephone."
And that's the click. Jayne curses silently. Yeah, McGee is a downright fool. Jayne's seen Rog before--as one of Badger's guards. The yunchun pofu hired a spy.
(end Chapter 14)
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Chapter 15: Jaynie's Got a Gun
Author: Juli
Rating: R
Warning: none
Beta Reader: none
Author Email: challisgal@yahoo.com
"Brains as well as brawn. I'm impressed."
Jayne looked over when McGee's purred her comment and didn't bother to hide his disgust. The woman was like a bitch in heat, always thinkin' with her pussy. It was a wonder that, after the mutiny, her former crew her entirely male former crew hadn't tied her down over the nearest hard surface and took turns nailin' her.
On second thought, McGee probably would've enjoyed that.
"Somebody's gotta do the thinkin' around here," he growled back. "Seems to me I'm the best one equipped to do that."
There was a time on Serenity when Jayne would have been laughed off the boat for making a statement like that. McGee merely nodded, making Jayne feel downright nostalgic for Simon Tam's presence. If there was one thing you could count on the doc for, it was a good snark.
He wasn't supposed to be the one doin' the thinkin' but the plan that McGee had proposed had been pure gou-shi and that was a fact. She'd wanted him to leap from the catwalk into the cargo hold, brandishing Vera and ordering the mutineers to surrender. To Jayne, that had sounded like a great plan for getting his own self shot full of holes. Since that wasn't exactly in his scheme of how things should go down, he'd countered with a plan of his own. Apparently, he'd impressed her.
Lucky him.
The two of them were donning EVA suits. Jayne's plan was relatively simple. He and McGee would suit up and then sneak behind the mutineers to trip the controls that would vent the ship. Since most of the others were still partying in the cargo hold, it would purely be a matter of cleaning up.
Jayne didn't let on to McGee, but he was worried. He wasn't good at planning. The only plan he'd made since joining up with Mal was Ariel and that didn't exactly turn out the way he'd, well, planned. A lot more was at stake with this one. Cobb wasn't taking care of the mutiny for Pollyanna McGee's sake, that was for damn sure. Everything he'd done since pretending to join her crew had been for Mal; this was too and that meant that it had to work. It absolutely had to.
McGee sauntered over to Jayne, moving gracefully despite the bulky suit. "It was my lucky day when you decided to jump ship."
Jayne didn't trust her, just as he didn't trust that she was as stupid as she'd been acting since the mutiny. No one could be that dumb and be a captain. Half of him had the notion that the whole thing was some sort of test....
"Look, woman, I don't like you," Jayne said bluntly, holding her off as she sidled close. "Don't much care if you like me, but we got to work together to get this done."
McGee abruptly stopped the sex kitten act. "A man who's all business I like that." Snapping her helmet shut and picking up her weapon, she strode down the corridor.
"Who's she kiddin'? That bitch ain't met any type of man she didn't like," Jayne muttered under his breath. With one last snort of disgust, he flipped his own helmet shut before taking up his weapon and following her.
The knot in Jayne's gut unwound a little as the first part of the plan went smoothly. Remembering what he'd been told about the way Jubal Early had easily taken control of Serenity, Jayne had insisted on a slight detour to lock down the crew quarters. That way, if any of the mutineers had left the party in the cargo hold for more private digs, they could be contained until they could be dealt with later.
"I don't see why you aren't using that lovely big gun," McGee hissed as they approached the cargo hold. "That'd take care of these traitors right quick."
"Vera?" Jayne scoffed in a hoarse whisper. "Hell lot you know about weapons, woman. Vera'd blow a hole in this tin can like you wouldn't believe. Not safe to use her inside of Serenity." He'd taken out Vera earlier but more for the intimidation factor than anything else; he'd never actually would have fired her in the ship. This time, though, it was more likely than not there would be shots exchanged and he wanted to be prepared.
Like he really would have sullied his favorite gun by using it helping McGee, anyway. Of course, he wasn't really helping McGee, he was helping Mal by pretending to help McGee, even though he really was helping her at the moment... Jayne frowned. All this plotting was making his head ache.
By this time, they'd reached the same perch overlooking the cargo hold that they'd used before and Jayne motioned for his erstwhile partner to be quiet. He settled into position and she gave him a thumbs-up before starting to crawl away. It went against Jayne's grain to cover her, but she was right, he needed her. And he sure as hell wasn't gonna trust her to cover him. That meant McGee would be responsible for getting to the controls and venting the ship. Jayne's part of it was just to make sure no one shot her before she did it. Afterwards, though....
Afterwards was a whole 'nother story.
It was painful watching McGee crouch and make her clandestine way to the control panel. To distract himself, Jayne studied the cargo hold. The kitchen table was still there, only not so loaded with bottles - looked like the ones he'd seen earlier had been used for target practice. Either that or there'd been one hell of a brawl, from the shards of broken glass that were strewn all over.
Drunken bodies littered the area, although several of the traitors were still up and more or less functional. Jayne looked down and winced. The women from transport ship, or what was left of them, were in a discarded pile right underneath his location. Looked like Jackson and Willis hadn't cleaned up their mess, after all. The broken shells of the women were stacked up like garbage. They were naked one and all and the marks on their corpses made it clear how they'd died.
Jayne was a mercenary. He'd seen a lot of death. Hell, he'd dealt a lot of it. Not like this, though. Sure as hell not like this. That bath was lookin' more and more necessary and, from the way he was feelin', he doubted even the fanciest, most expensive bath he could afford would help him feel clean. He'd told Pol that he'd never had to force a woman and that was God's own truth. From the appearance of the bodies, they'd been raped right to death. Men didn't do stuff like that, animals did.
Suddenly, venting the beasts who'd done this didn't seem like near bad enough. Jayne started thinking of ways to hurt them as they died.
Staring at the bodies, Jayne first thought it was a trick of his eyes when one of them moved. A whimper soon followed, however, and he realized that he had seen what he thought he saw. Towards the bottom of the pile, on the far side from him, a young woman was huddled in on her self. She rocked slightly back and forth in a spastic sort of way, a subdued keening coming from her lips. She barely looked to be an adult maybe Kaylee or even River's age.
"McGee!" Jayne whispered hoarsely into his helmet radio.
"What is it, lover?"
"We got a change of plans," he said quickly. "One of the women from the transport ship is still alive."
"And?" McGee sounded impatient.
"And if you vent the ship, she'll be sucked out too," Jayne explained impatiently.
McGee laughed, the transmitter on the radio making it sound sick rather than sexy. "And this is a problem because....?"
"She'll die!" Jayne whispered hoarsely, as loud as he dared given their proximity to the mutineers.
"I'm beginning to think that a mercenary with morals is somewhat less than refreshing," McGee responded.
Jayne's blood turned to ice as he saw the cargo doors begin to open.
"NO!" He shouted, leaping from the catwalk.
Jayne landed in a pile of corpses, their limbs rigid with the aftermath of death. As he felt the press of atmosphere being violently vented out into space, he scrambled over the stack of dead flesh, desperately trying to reach the one he was still capable of helping. Her wide blue eyes stared back at him and she scuttled away, obviously recognizing him as male despite the bulky suit and identifying him as a threat.
"C'mere, sweetheart, I ain't gonna hurt ya," Jayne cajoled, gun cradled in his arm as he held out a free hand to the girl. A few months ago, he would have let her die without blinking. Now, though, now all he could think of was trying to explain her death to Mal and knowing that no explanation would ever be enough.
At least, that's what he told himself, as he heard the voices of confused mutineers over the increasing whistling of air rushing out of the boat. Pieces of glass and other small objects flew by as his damnable plan began to work.
Jayne had almost reached the girl by the time the decompression had reached the level needed to lift bodies. The girl screamed but Jayne couldn't tell if it was because he'd almost managed to grab her or if she finally recognized the real danger. He made a last desperate lunge and tried to get a hold of her by her hair, but it was too late. The decompression had already lifted the poor girl and was carrying her towards the opening into space, those blue eyes, so much like Simon's, staring fearfully back at Jayne until she was finally lost to the vacuum.
"YeeHA!"
The shout was accompanied by the crack of a fired weapon. Jayne turned around. Some of the mercenaries had figured out what was happening and were trying to hold on to whatever they thought could anchor them. Their former captain was having none of that.
"Betray me, now, Jackson, will you?" McGee fired again and the hapless man screamed and let go of his grip on a catwalk support. Still screeching, he was sucked outside.
"Think you can mutiny against Pol McGee and be successful, Willis? Let's see what the black thinks about that, why don't we?" Another shot and another mutineer was gone.
McGee looked fiercely at Jayne, grinning ear to ear. "This is easier than shooting mountain lions running from a forest fire. Great plan, Cobb!"
It was a great plan all right, although Jayne doubted Mal would appreciate it. Since McGee was having so much fun playing with the mercenaries, Jayne took it upon himself to man the cargo door controls. He sure as hell wasn't needed to cover anyone.
Pushing the buttons that closed the doors and refilled the boat with atmosphere took more energy than Jayne thought he had left. By the time he undid his helmet and paid attention to his surroundings, he found Pollyanna McGee looking at him appraisingly.
"What's a big bad mercenary like you caring about a nothing like that girl, anyway?" She asked him.
Jayne shrugged, not about to tell her that he thought that some of Mal's crazy honor had rubbed off on him somewhere along the way.
"You know what I think?" McGee asked, coming close. "I think you're still Mal Reynolds' boy, that's what I think."
"If that's so, why'd I help you?" Jayne asked. He cursed himself silently. He'd put his gun down while working the door controls but McGee had hers right at hand and pointed straight at him.
"I don't rightly know, but I'll figure it out. Right now, I'm more interested in having a conversation with Rog didn't see him amongst the aerialists that just took their leave of us. He must be locked in the crew's quarters." She looked at Jayne and cocked her head. "That was another good idea locking in all the stragglers so they couldn't make trouble. What say you go with me while I ask Mr. Rog why he didn't tell me he worked for Badger?"
"Sure," Jayne said easily. He did his best to conceal his relief. Still the fool, McGee wasn't going to spend more time questioning Jayne's loyalty.
"But first, stud, why don't you explain this to me?"
McGee was holding up the emergency beacon, the one Jayne had triggered shortly before the mutiny so Mal could trace them.
Damn. Maybe McGee wasn't such a fool, after all.
The crew gathered in the freighter's cockpit, waiting for Mal to react.
"I'm sorry, captain, the signal just went 'plink' and it was gone." Wash almost cringed. He'd never seen the frozen look that was currently on Mal's face and he was certain that he didn't want to see it again.
"We couldn't get a fix on it, sir, before the emergency beacon's signal stopped," Zoe said, hoping to deflect the captain's attention. She had seen that look on Mal's face and wanted his focus away from her husband.
No emergency beacon signal meant no sure way to track Serenity's location. None of the others dared to breathe. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. Simon stepped up to Mal's side and wordlessly put a hand on his shoulder.
Finally, Mal took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Wash, set a course for Persephone." He ordered quietly, then turned and left.
"Aye, aye, captain," Wash said to Mal's retreating back. He would have set a course for Earth-that-was itself, he was so relieved to have escape Reynolds' reaction unscathed.
"Sir?" Zoe made to follow Mal.
Simon stopped her. "Persephone. Remember, McGee said that she'd kept her bargain with Badger."
"Daddy wants to ask the little bastard about that," River chimed in.
Zoe shivered. She'd seen that look on Mal's face before. She almost felt sorry for Badger. Mal wasn't going to be asking nicely. Not if he thought Badger had anything to do with him losing Serenity and all that it meant to him.
No, Mal wasn't going to be asking nicely at all.
(end Chapter 15)
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Chapter 16: Just a Moment Behind
Author: sf fan
Rating: PG-13
Warning:
Beta Reader: skripka
Author Email: sffan@compromisingpositions.net
Jayne knows he can't lie his way out of this one. If he were a quick thinker, he might be able to come up with something McGee would buy, but he's not, so he decides to brazen it out instead. He loops his hands in his belt and shrugs. "Looks like an emergency beacon to me."
McGee scowls. "Don't play dumb with me, Cobb. You turned this on so Reynolds could find us, didn't you?"
"Don't matter, does it?" Jayne asks. "You turned it off, signal's lost, he ain't gonna find us now."
"Tell me why I shouldn't put a bullet in your no-good, lying head," McGee says, aiming her gun at Jayne's head.
Knowing that he's dead if he shows one ounce of fear, he looks her in the eye and replies, "Well, if you kill me, you'll have to deal with good ol' Rog on your own. `Course, you could kill us both, but then you'd have to try and run this ship on your own until you make port. You'd be lucky to make it. Or, you could keep me alive and we can convince Rog to get us in to see Badger and you can find out why he planted a spy on your crew."
McGee thinks about it for a few moments and then lowers the gun slowly. "You might have a point, Cobb. I don't trust you. But I ain't got much choice, do I?" Keeping an eye on him, she reaches down and snags his gun up off the floor. She offers it back to him.
"I'm only givin' this to you `cause you're a hell of a lot more intimidatin' with it than without it, and I need you to scare the shit out of Rog. Can't see him tellin' me squat `less he's scared near to death."
She waves him ahead of her with her gun. "You first. I ain't letting you get behind me with a weapon. If you do one more thing out of line, your brains will be pasted on the bulkhead before you can so much as breathe, dong ma?"
Jayne holsters his gun, suppressing a sigh of relief he answers, "Yes, boss," and takes the lead to the crew quarters.
On his way to the small galley for some tea, Simon rounds the corner of the freighter's narrow passageway worrying about exactly how effective he's going to be when they arrive on Persephone the next day. Mal's