My truthsome_fic fic... Hmmm... Think of a better title...
So, here it is. This is my first ever fanfic, so please be kind and comment. Thanks!!!
Title: Denial
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. Everything you see here is his, I’m just playing.
Spoilers: Set après Firefly.
Summary: Mal and Inara spend a day saving the wayward crew.
Warning: Kinda angsty. More than what I meant, but it just kinda appeared in there.
Author's Notes: This is for agent_rouka, who asked for “Mal and Inara spend a day saving the wayward crew. Emotional rollercoaster optional but appreciated.” I did my best. I hope you like it. Thanks goes to _atmospheric for the beta-reading. Also, special thanks to the bookstore that got in Serenity - The Official Visual Companion - It helped me understand Mal, Inara & their relationship just a tad better. Oh, and a few lines are blatantly stolen from it, so there you go.
The day had started the same way that it usually did. Simon tried to make River take some medication or other. Kaylee fixed a part of Serenity that was on the blink, making it last at least a fortnight longer than it should’ve. Zoë and Wash canoodled a little over breakfast. Jayne lifted some weights, while Book spotted for him.
Inara was in her shuttle, drinking tea and reading, when Mal burst in.
“Coming into my shuttle without knocking, or an invitation. I’m so glad you’re trying new things.”
She looks up at him as he paces before her. After a moment, she puts down the book she was reading.
“Well…?”
He continues with the pacing.
“Was there something that you wanted, Captain Reynolds?”
At that, he stops; turns to face her. She lifts both eyebrows, expressing some interest. And waits.
“I’m sending the crew on a job.”
“And you need to tell me this because?”
“Just thought you’d like to know the crew was goin’ on a job, so it’ll just be you an’ me here, is all.”
She looks at him a moment.
“Pardon?”
“Huh?”
“You’re quite the mumbler, and I didn’t really catch what you just said. Could you repeat yourself?” She says with a slight smile.
“The crew’s goin’ on a job, and I’ve things to do around the place, so it’s just gonna be you an’ me for a while.”
“Right.”
She pauses, and glances around her shuttle uncomfortably. He looks around too, trying to see what she was searching for. She looks back up at him.
“So, was that all?”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry to bother you.”
He stares at her for another moment, trying to think of something more to say. He can’t think of anything. So he leaves.
Later, when the crew is out on the job, Mal sits in the dining room, cleaning his guns. Inara walks in to make some tea, then stops when she sees Mal. She turns to leave before Mal has the chance to see her.
“If you’re goin’ on my account, don’t bother, I was just about to go.”
She stops and turns to look at him.
“No, I…” She hesitates, desperately searching for words. They don’t come.
He looks over at her, can see that she’s having some difficulty.
“Sorry,” she says simply.
She looks away, for she can’t stand to be around him, and yet, when she’s not around him, she wants to be. She doesn’t understand the feeling, and she can’t stand it. That’s why she needs to leave Serenity. Because of him. Because there’s something about him that has always just made her want to scream. And she doesn’t know if it’s such a bad thing anymore.
After a moment, she realises that she’s still standing in the doorway to the dining room, with Mal watching her. And then she realises that she’s watching him too.
She shakes her head and looks away again, trying to get all of this out of her mind.
“I have to go.” She says as she turns to walk back to her shuttle.
Mal looks after her for a minute, sighs, then goes back to cleaning his guns.
After Inara has been in her shuttle close to two hours, Mal gets a wave from Zoë. Things didn’t quite go as planned with the job, and they need some help.
Mal takes a minute to think up a plan, one that involves Inara.
What’s the point of having a Companion onboard if she can’t help get the crew out of a situation like this? He thinks.
He walks over to her shuttle, so preoccupied by thinking of what to say that he doesn’t see her walking right towards him and they nearly run into eachother.
“Woah!” He says, stepping back at the last minute. “Sorry darlin’, didn’t see ya there.”
“Obviously.” She looks at him, then back towards her shuttle, then back at him, perplexed. “Was there something that you wanted, Captain?”
“Actually, there is. Got a wave from Zoë, says that they’ve been taken in by the law, and they seem to need some help.”
“Oh.” She looks at him a moment, then he speaks.
“So, I figure I get dressed up in some fancies, and we go in, pay for their bail, they should let ‘em out fine.”
“Okay. If you think so. Just let me change.”
And she turns around and walks back to her shuttle. He stands and watches her a moment, then follows her.
She’s already beginning to undress when he bursts in.
“This is all your fault.”
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She says, startled by his sudden appearance in her shuttle. She shouldn’t be, but she is.
“This is all your fault.” He makes sure he enunciates every word.
She looks at him for a moment, trying to calm down. It doesn’t help.
“How is this all my fault? You were the one who sent them out in the first place!”
“Because I wanted to be alone with you!”
Awkward silence.
“And as it turned out, that was the last thing on your mind, so it was a bad...”
“What?” She interrupts him with a question.
He looks at her, confused.
“You think I don’t want to spend any time with you?”
“That’s what it seems like.” He says angrily.
“I can’t stand to be around you...”
“Well, there you go.” He says in a huff, then turns and leaves the shuttle.
On the mule ride into town, there’s a certain awkwardness there. They both are still a little disgruntled from their last conversation.
When they stop in front of the sheriff’s station, Mal turns back and looks at Inara. She’s fixing up her dress, that pink dress she wore when she told him she was leaving Serenity. Mal loves that dress. It's his favourite, he thinks, ladylike, graceful, but not screaming out Companion for the whole ‘verse to hear. He liked that. When she looks up to see him staring at her, he looks away, slightly embarrassed.
He steps off the mule, and automatically turns back and holds out his hand for Inara. She looks somewhat surprised, but takes it nonetheless.
“Thank you.” She says with a small smile.
They both want to say more. They don’t.
Once she’s off the mule, she straightens her dress once again. Mal holds out his arm for her to take, and they walk into the building.
“Margery! Are we expecting anyone?!” Yells a voice as soon as they enter the building.
There’s a clatter that comes from the back room, and some mumbling. A door opens and out comes a scruffy man, in his late sixties, in a sheriff’s uniform. He looks at the two visitors, giving a confused frown.
“Can I help you at all?” He asks Mal, “I mean, we don’t get many out-of-towners around these parts, especially any that’re dressed up to the nines like yourselves.”
Mal looks around the room, then back at the old man.
“Captain Malcolm Reynolds.” He holds out his hand, which the sheriff takes and shakes gently.
A woman, about the same age as the sheriff, presumably Margery, comes through the back door at that time. She stands behind him and listens intently.
“So, were you after something, Mr. Reynolds?” The sheriff asks.
“I’m in charge of a ship, and some of my crew were sent on a job, an’ they haven’t been back in a while, so I was just wondering if you had seen any other ‘out-of-towners’?”
The sheriff looked at Mal for a moment, thinking.
“We were worried, about their safety. They’re not used to being in such a small town, they might’ve caused a bit of a ruckus.” Mal added.
“Oh. Those out of towners.” Margery chimes in. “Yes yes. They came into town this mornin’, just lookin’ for supplies and the like. Most of ‘em were friendly enough, good people. ‘Cept one of ‘em, a real brute, we got reports that he started a fight in the tavern, somethin’ about not enough ale for him. When I got there, he was passed out at the bar, so we took him in and put him in the lock-up.”
“Thanks for that.” Mal turns to Inara. “Okay, we can leave.”
Inara pulls him aside. “What about Jayne? He’s locked up.”
“And?”
She sighs. “What about the crew? You said Zoë said they were in trouble.”
“Fine.”
They move back over to the elderly pair.
“Was there any other trouble?” Mal asks.
“Oh no, no other trouble.”
“Can we pay the bail of the brute who caused the ruckus?”
“Oh, o’ course. This way.” And the sheriff leads Mal to the back room.
Inara looks around the room, Small, she thinks, but nice. Homely.
A few minutes later, Mal comes out from the back room, followed by the sheriff, and a groggy Jayne. Mal takes Inara by the hand and they leave the station and head to the mule.
“Alright, where in the hell is everyone?” Mal asks Jayne after they’re on the mule.
“Uh... they were fine, just gettin’ the stuff you wanted, even though we got most of it already on the ship. Honestly, Mal, why’d you even send us out to this gos se town?”
“BEE-jway, Jayne.” Mal says, trying to avoid looking at Inara. “Let’s head back to Serenity and try and flag down Zoë there.”
He starts the engine before anyone can object.
When they reach the ship, the rest of the crew is already there. Kaylee and River are playing on the catwalk, with Simon looking on nervously. Book is talking to Wash about something or other, while Zoë is unpacking some crates from the back of the other mule.
When Kaylee sees them arrive, she waves at Inara, smiling her hundred watt smile and laughs at something that River says. Inara smiles and waves to the girls.
Mal jumps off the mule as soon as they come to a stop.
“Where in the hell were you?” He asks Zoë.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You sent a wave sayin’ you was in trouble. I see no trouble.” He gestures around the cargo bay.
“Oh, that.” She says, with a slight laugh in her voice. “Sorry, Captain, that was a mistake. We were lookin’ for Jayne, saw him in the bar in a fight, and thought that we’d all be gettin’ charged for his actions when we saw the Sheriff comin’ over, seein’ as we were in the same group. He just took Jayne in...”
“So we left before he could take us in, too.” Wash says, finishing for his wife.
“Won’t happen again, sir.” Zoë says, feeling a little guilty.
“Way!” Jayne yells as he gets down from the mule slowly.
“You would’a left, too.” Wash says.
“Wash, get us off this moon.” Mal orders.
Wash kisses Zoë goodbye, and heads off in the direction of the bridge. Jayne starts up the stairs and walks towards his bunk.
“Where are you goin’? We got crates to unload.” Mal asks him.
“I got a hell of a head-ache, I’m lying down. I’m sure you can handle all your fake goodies.” He calls back indignantly.
Mal shoots a quick look at Inara to see if she heard that last comment. He starts to help Zoë with the crates, and thinks that she didn’t. He hopes that she didn’t. Inara starts to walk up to her shuttle, and Mal is grateful that she didn’t hear what Jayne said. But when she is about a metre away from the door, she stops and turns to look down at him.
“Mal.”
He stops and looks up at her.
“Could I see you in my shuttle for a moment?”
“I’m really busy here, Inara. Have to unpack these crates.”
“I’m sure Zoë can handle it.”
She looks to Zoë, who smiles and nods. Mal looks to Zoë, and shakes his head.
“Jing-tsai.” Mal mutters as he walks across the cargo bay to the stairs.
Inara is sitting on the edge of her bed when Mal enters her shuttle a moment later.
“I don’t know where to start.” She says as he walks in. “What is wrong with you? You sent them out on a fake job?”
“You asked me to come in your shuttle to yell at me? What is wrong with you?”
“What were you expecting, tea and cupcakes?” She says, standing and slowly making her way over to him.
“I honestly don’t know.” He says, looking down and shuffling his feet.
When he looks up again, Inara is so close that he can almost touch her. He is taken aback at how beautiful she is, and he almost tells her.
“Mal, before, when I said that I can’t stand to be around you...”
“I’m not really interested in you tellin’ me how much you hate me.” He says, looking away from her, and stepping back a little.
“I don’t hate you, Mal. Far from it.”
He looks at her again.
“It hurts. To be around you. Knowing that I can’t...” She pauses, tries to find the right words to portray her feelings. “And yet, when I’m not around you, I want to be.”
At that, Mal steps forward and takes her up in his arms, gently pressing his lips to hers. After a moment, he ends the kiss, and pulls back, letting go of her. He sees that Inara still has her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.
“Sorry.” He says, “That was out of line. I just...”
She stops him with a finger to his lips.
“Mal.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t ruin it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chinese:
Gos se - Crap
BEE-jway - Shut up
Way! - Hey!
Jing-tsai - Brilliant
~~~~~~~~~~~
When we left them [on Firefly], they really did seem to be one big happy family, with the exception of the fact that Inara was going to leave, because she was clearly way too much in love with Mal. - Joss Whedon, from Serenity - The Official Visual Companion
Hope you like it.
Title: Denial
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss. Everything you see here is his, I’m just playing.
Spoilers: Set après Firefly.
Summary: Mal and Inara spend a day saving the wayward crew.
Warning: Kinda angsty. More than what I meant, but it just kinda appeared in there.
Author's Notes: This is for agent_rouka, who asked for “Mal and Inara spend a day saving the wayward crew. Emotional rollercoaster optional but appreciated.” I did my best. I hope you like it. Thanks goes to _atmospheric for the beta-reading. Also, special thanks to the bookstore that got in Serenity - The Official Visual Companion - It helped me understand Mal, Inara & their relationship just a tad better. Oh, and a few lines are blatantly stolen from it, so there you go.
The day had started the same way that it usually did. Simon tried to make River take some medication or other. Kaylee fixed a part of Serenity that was on the blink, making it last at least a fortnight longer than it should’ve. Zoë and Wash canoodled a little over breakfast. Jayne lifted some weights, while Book spotted for him.
Inara was in her shuttle, drinking tea and reading, when Mal burst in.
“Coming into my shuttle without knocking, or an invitation. I’m so glad you’re trying new things.”
She looks up at him as he paces before her. After a moment, she puts down the book she was reading.
“Well…?”
He continues with the pacing.
“Was there something that you wanted, Captain Reynolds?”
At that, he stops; turns to face her. She lifts both eyebrows, expressing some interest. And waits.
“I’m sending the crew on a job.”
“And you need to tell me this because?”
“Just thought you’d like to know the crew was goin’ on a job, so it’ll just be you an’ me here, is all.”
She looks at him a moment.
“Pardon?”
“Huh?”
“You’re quite the mumbler, and I didn’t really catch what you just said. Could you repeat yourself?” She says with a slight smile.
“The crew’s goin’ on a job, and I’ve things to do around the place, so it’s just gonna be you an’ me for a while.”
“Right.”
She pauses, and glances around her shuttle uncomfortably. He looks around too, trying to see what she was searching for. She looks back up at him.
“So, was that all?”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry to bother you.”
He stares at her for another moment, trying to think of something more to say. He can’t think of anything. So he leaves.
Later, when the crew is out on the job, Mal sits in the dining room, cleaning his guns. Inara walks in to make some tea, then stops when she sees Mal. She turns to leave before Mal has the chance to see her.
“If you’re goin’ on my account, don’t bother, I was just about to go.”
She stops and turns to look at him.
“No, I…” She hesitates, desperately searching for words. They don’t come.
He looks over at her, can see that she’s having some difficulty.
“Sorry,” she says simply.
She looks away, for she can’t stand to be around him, and yet, when she’s not around him, she wants to be. She doesn’t understand the feeling, and she can’t stand it. That’s why she needs to leave Serenity. Because of him. Because there’s something about him that has always just made her want to scream. And she doesn’t know if it’s such a bad thing anymore.
After a moment, she realises that she’s still standing in the doorway to the dining room, with Mal watching her. And then she realises that she’s watching him too.
She shakes her head and looks away again, trying to get all of this out of her mind.
“I have to go.” She says as she turns to walk back to her shuttle.
Mal looks after her for a minute, sighs, then goes back to cleaning his guns.
After Inara has been in her shuttle close to two hours, Mal gets a wave from Zoë. Things didn’t quite go as planned with the job, and they need some help.
Mal takes a minute to think up a plan, one that involves Inara.
What’s the point of having a Companion onboard if she can’t help get the crew out of a situation like this? He thinks.
He walks over to her shuttle, so preoccupied by thinking of what to say that he doesn’t see her walking right towards him and they nearly run into eachother.
“Woah!” He says, stepping back at the last minute. “Sorry darlin’, didn’t see ya there.”
“Obviously.” She looks at him, then back towards her shuttle, then back at him, perplexed. “Was there something that you wanted, Captain?”
“Actually, there is. Got a wave from Zoë, says that they’ve been taken in by the law, and they seem to need some help.”
“Oh.” She looks at him a moment, then he speaks.
“So, I figure I get dressed up in some fancies, and we go in, pay for their bail, they should let ‘em out fine.”
“Okay. If you think so. Just let me change.”
And she turns around and walks back to her shuttle. He stands and watches her a moment, then follows her.
She’s already beginning to undress when he bursts in.
“This is all your fault.”
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She says, startled by his sudden appearance in her shuttle. She shouldn’t be, but she is.
“This is all your fault.” He makes sure he enunciates every word.
She looks at him for a moment, trying to calm down. It doesn’t help.
“How is this all my fault? You were the one who sent them out in the first place!”
“Because I wanted to be alone with you!”
Awkward silence.
“And as it turned out, that was the last thing on your mind, so it was a bad...”
“What?” She interrupts him with a question.
He looks at her, confused.
“You think I don’t want to spend any time with you?”
“That’s what it seems like.” He says angrily.
“I can’t stand to be around you...”
“Well, there you go.” He says in a huff, then turns and leaves the shuttle.
On the mule ride into town, there’s a certain awkwardness there. They both are still a little disgruntled from their last conversation.
When they stop in front of the sheriff’s station, Mal turns back and looks at Inara. She’s fixing up her dress, that pink dress she wore when she told him she was leaving Serenity. Mal loves that dress. It's his favourite, he thinks, ladylike, graceful, but not screaming out Companion for the whole ‘verse to hear. He liked that. When she looks up to see him staring at her, he looks away, slightly embarrassed.
He steps off the mule, and automatically turns back and holds out his hand for Inara. She looks somewhat surprised, but takes it nonetheless.
“Thank you.” She says with a small smile.
They both want to say more. They don’t.
Once she’s off the mule, she straightens her dress once again. Mal holds out his arm for her to take, and they walk into the building.
“Margery! Are we expecting anyone?!” Yells a voice as soon as they enter the building.
There’s a clatter that comes from the back room, and some mumbling. A door opens and out comes a scruffy man, in his late sixties, in a sheriff’s uniform. He looks at the two visitors, giving a confused frown.
“Can I help you at all?” He asks Mal, “I mean, we don’t get many out-of-towners around these parts, especially any that’re dressed up to the nines like yourselves.”
Mal looks around the room, then back at the old man.
“Captain Malcolm Reynolds.” He holds out his hand, which the sheriff takes and shakes gently.
A woman, about the same age as the sheriff, presumably Margery, comes through the back door at that time. She stands behind him and listens intently.
“So, were you after something, Mr. Reynolds?” The sheriff asks.
“I’m in charge of a ship, and some of my crew were sent on a job, an’ they haven’t been back in a while, so I was just wondering if you had seen any other ‘out-of-towners’?”
The sheriff looked at Mal for a moment, thinking.
“We were worried, about their safety. They’re not used to being in such a small town, they might’ve caused a bit of a ruckus.” Mal added.
“Oh. Those out of towners.” Margery chimes in. “Yes yes. They came into town this mornin’, just lookin’ for supplies and the like. Most of ‘em were friendly enough, good people. ‘Cept one of ‘em, a real brute, we got reports that he started a fight in the tavern, somethin’ about not enough ale for him. When I got there, he was passed out at the bar, so we took him in and put him in the lock-up.”
“Thanks for that.” Mal turns to Inara. “Okay, we can leave.”
Inara pulls him aside. “What about Jayne? He’s locked up.”
“And?”
She sighs. “What about the crew? You said Zoë said they were in trouble.”
“Fine.”
They move back over to the elderly pair.
“Was there any other trouble?” Mal asks.
“Oh no, no other trouble.”
“Can we pay the bail of the brute who caused the ruckus?”
“Oh, o’ course. This way.” And the sheriff leads Mal to the back room.
Inara looks around the room, Small, she thinks, but nice. Homely.
A few minutes later, Mal comes out from the back room, followed by the sheriff, and a groggy Jayne. Mal takes Inara by the hand and they leave the station and head to the mule.
“Alright, where in the hell is everyone?” Mal asks Jayne after they’re on the mule.
“Uh... they were fine, just gettin’ the stuff you wanted, even though we got most of it already on the ship. Honestly, Mal, why’d you even send us out to this gos se town?”
“BEE-jway, Jayne.” Mal says, trying to avoid looking at Inara. “Let’s head back to Serenity and try and flag down Zoë there.”
He starts the engine before anyone can object.
When they reach the ship, the rest of the crew is already there. Kaylee and River are playing on the catwalk, with Simon looking on nervously. Book is talking to Wash about something or other, while Zoë is unpacking some crates from the back of the other mule.
When Kaylee sees them arrive, she waves at Inara, smiling her hundred watt smile and laughs at something that River says. Inara smiles and waves to the girls.
Mal jumps off the mule as soon as they come to a stop.
“Where in the hell were you?” He asks Zoë.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“You sent a wave sayin’ you was in trouble. I see no trouble.” He gestures around the cargo bay.
“Oh, that.” She says, with a slight laugh in her voice. “Sorry, Captain, that was a mistake. We were lookin’ for Jayne, saw him in the bar in a fight, and thought that we’d all be gettin’ charged for his actions when we saw the Sheriff comin’ over, seein’ as we were in the same group. He just took Jayne in...”
“So we left before he could take us in, too.” Wash says, finishing for his wife.
“Won’t happen again, sir.” Zoë says, feeling a little guilty.
“Way!” Jayne yells as he gets down from the mule slowly.
“You would’a left, too.” Wash says.
“Wash, get us off this moon.” Mal orders.
Wash kisses Zoë goodbye, and heads off in the direction of the bridge. Jayne starts up the stairs and walks towards his bunk.
“Where are you goin’? We got crates to unload.” Mal asks him.
“I got a hell of a head-ache, I’m lying down. I’m sure you can handle all your fake goodies.” He calls back indignantly.
Mal shoots a quick look at Inara to see if she heard that last comment. He starts to help Zoë with the crates, and thinks that she didn’t. He hopes that she didn’t. Inara starts to walk up to her shuttle, and Mal is grateful that she didn’t hear what Jayne said. But when she is about a metre away from the door, she stops and turns to look down at him.
“Mal.”
He stops and looks up at her.
“Could I see you in my shuttle for a moment?”
“I’m really busy here, Inara. Have to unpack these crates.”
“I’m sure Zoë can handle it.”
She looks to Zoë, who smiles and nods. Mal looks to Zoë, and shakes his head.
“Jing-tsai.” Mal mutters as he walks across the cargo bay to the stairs.
Inara is sitting on the edge of her bed when Mal enters her shuttle a moment later.
“I don’t know where to start.” She says as he walks in. “What is wrong with you? You sent them out on a fake job?”
“You asked me to come in your shuttle to yell at me? What is wrong with you?”
“What were you expecting, tea and cupcakes?” She says, standing and slowly making her way over to him.
“I honestly don’t know.” He says, looking down and shuffling his feet.
When he looks up again, Inara is so close that he can almost touch her. He is taken aback at how beautiful she is, and he almost tells her.
“Mal, before, when I said that I can’t stand to be around you...”
“I’m not really interested in you tellin’ me how much you hate me.” He says, looking away from her, and stepping back a little.
“I don’t hate you, Mal. Far from it.”
He looks at her again.
“It hurts. To be around you. Knowing that I can’t...” She pauses, tries to find the right words to portray her feelings. “And yet, when I’m not around you, I want to be.”
At that, Mal steps forward and takes her up in his arms, gently pressing his lips to hers. After a moment, he ends the kiss, and pulls back, letting go of her. He sees that Inara still has her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.
“Sorry.” He says, “That was out of line. I just...”
She stops him with a finger to his lips.
“Mal.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t ruin it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chinese:
Gos se - Crap
BEE-jway - Shut up
Way! - Hey!
Jing-tsai - Brilliant
~~~~~~~~~~~
When we left them [on Firefly], they really did seem to be one big happy family, with the exception of the fact that Inara was going to leave, because she was clearly way too much in love with Mal. - Joss Whedon, from Serenity - The Official Visual Companion
Hope you like it.