Fic: Discharge from Active Duty (Mal/Inara, Morning Rayne-verse)
Story: Discharge from Active Duty (A Morning Rayne: In Between story)
Chapter: Confrontations and Declarations (1/3)
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: Not my world in any way shape or form. Joss created all. I’m just playing in his sand box (but I brought my own shovel).
Summary: Mal wants Inara to leave the guild, but it isn’t that easy, at least not without friends in high places. Fortunately for them, Dawn has friends in high places.
Pairings: River/Dawn/Jayne, Mal/Inara, Simon/Kaylee
Notes: Set in the Morning Rayne ‘verse, begins before “Visual Aids” which is a D/R/J piece for the 50_smutlets LJ community.
One: Confrontations and Declarations
They were having the same argument again. Mal and Inara had come a long way since Dawn Summers had joined the crew of the transport ship Serenity as pilot. Dawn had watched them move from wary awareness of one another to being almost comfortable in each other’s presence. After yet another near miss on a drop that went bad-this time one where Inara had ended up in danger-Mal had swallowed his pride with a little help from some of Simon’s drugs. Only River, Dawn, and Simon hadn’t been surprised when Inara refused to even accept his apology, much less hear him out. So had been born the argument they had all been weary of by the second day.
“Mal I can’t. I’m a Companion, fully licensed and registered with the Guild.”
“So unregister.”
Inara stared in disbelief. “Mal, it is not so easy as you might wish to believe. No one just leaves the Guild. It isn’t done.”
“Nandi did it.” Mal regretted mentioning Nandi almost before he did it, and he winced when Inara reacted as if she’d been struck.
“Nandi did lots of things,” she said coolly, going into her shuttle and firmly closing the door. Mal heard the locks engage from his place on the catwalks.
“Come on ‘Nara, I didn’t mean that.” The only reply was silence and a muffled noise that might have been a sob. Mal ran one hand through his hair and went down the stairs to the cargo bay. Inara Serra was the most stubborn, pig-headed, difficult, trying, beautiful, perfect woman in the ‘verse. And he loved her. Gorramit all, may the Shepherd’s dear and fluffy Lord help him, Malcolm Reynolds loved Inara Serra. He’d even told her so. And she’d denied her own feelings and turned him down flat when he asked if they could make a go of it.
In the middle of the cargo bay, Mal turned and faced Inara’s shuttle. “I love you Inara Serra,” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “I love you and I ain’t never giving up.”
Dawn looked at River, impressed. That was the first time Mal had willingly said such things where the rest of the crew could hear without eavesdropping. Of course, he stormed off cursing, which did take away from the effect a bit. Mal headed toward the bridge and moments later his cross voice came over the com. “I need a gorram pilot on the bridge, NOW.”
“I’ll go,” River said, untangling herself from Dawn and rising from the common area sofa. She leaned over and brushed a soft kiss over Dawn’s lips. “You should talk to Inara.” Dawn nodded and stood as well. The pair parted ways, River headed for the bridge and Dawn for the companion’s shuttle just as Jayne appeared, having finished his chores for the moment.
“Hey, where ya goin?” he whined, watching his girls walk away from each other. Both paused to brush a kiss over his cheek, knowing anyplace else would start something that would seriously delay them. As each mounted a staircase, a forlorn look crossed the merc’s face. Pouting (not that he would ever believe that was an accurate description of what he was doing-more like he was stewing over his manly disappointment), he headed for their bunk, muttering about how a man couldn’t get a break.