and now there was you, het prompt, book/inara
Title: And Now There was You
Author: llaras
Prompt: Het
Pairing: Book/Inara
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU.
Summary: What she didn't expect to find was a purpose.
1.
i'm not running from anything
Her first real home and it's made of metal and secrets. Some days it feels like every word she speaks is a lie, no matter how close to the truth it is. It's maddening, having to keep track of so many guises, and sometimes upon awakening she forgets what it is she's supposed to be, who she is supposed to be.
Once upon a time she thought she would be a Companion, someone powerful and rich. She would wield her beauty and charm like weapons and all would fall before her. It would all be very graceful and pretty. She'd been a stupid child.
That innocence is gone now. There was so much more than the music and flowers and dancing lessons. There is so much more to what she does. It's not even the fucking; that she wasn't naive about.
What she didn't expect to find was a purpose.
2.
been out of the world a spell - like to walk it a while
His whole life he's been led. Go here, do this, find that object, accomplish this task. Use any means necessary.
So when he found himself reporting to the abbot, when he realized his current job was to simply sift through several hundred tomes and scrolls, he breathed a sigh of relief. For once he was let alone and allowed time enough to get the job done right and proper. No blood shed, no regrets.
If only he had known how long it would take. And how it would change him.
And now he's here. Led again, but this time it is his decision, based on his own discovery. He is his own person. This time the name he gives is one he chose himself.
But he fears his time of freedom is near an end. Because if he's right, there will soon be blood shed again, and the choices he will have to make will affect so many more.
3.
i see we have some new faces
He looks nothing like the young man she once knew. Only his voice is the same: rich, kind, familiar.
So many emotions and thoughts go through her head as they shake hands. Elation: she must be on the right path if he is here too. Fear: what will he think of her now, after so many years have passed and she is no longer the woman she once was. Anger: mostly directed at the captain, always jabbing at her with his words.
It's almost too much.
* * *
i'm missing something funny
She looks exactly the same. Everything: her eyes, her hair, her mouth.
In the space of time that it takes for their palms to briefly connect, he goes back in time to a happier place. When their gazes met over supper every evening, a mere glance is all it took to set his heart to beating so fast and unsteady. When he could reach out and tuck an errant curl behind her ear, just the bare touch of his fingertips against her skin making him flush and stutter. When her smile was the very first thing he woke up to every morning, their limbs entangled and warm.
It isn't enough.
4.
if i'm intruding...
He wonders if every meeting between them now will be startling. Will he be constantly undone?
"How long have you been a Companion?" he asks. He doesn't dare ask for more.
"Too long," she says. "And you, a Shepherd?"
"Not long enough," he manages to say before looking away. He doesn't dare say more.
* * *
not at all
She doesn't know how to act around him anymore. She remembers a time when she didn't have to.
"It's a mask, you know." She wants to tell him everything.
He doesn't respond.
"Isn't yours?" She wants to ask, but she's afraid she knows the answer.
* * *
i expected you
She tries again. "I imagine we're here for the same thing?"
"Yes, I imagine we are." He pauses, as if to collect his thoughts. "The mechanic?" His voice is unsure.
"No, I don't think so." Though she too wondered at first. "She's gifted, but she's not the one. I've been here long enough, at least, to be sure of that."
He nods. "I'm glad." He clears his throat. "She's a bright little thing, I'd hate to see that part of her destroyed."
She smiles and ducks her head. "Me, too."
* * *
couldn't really say the same
He has so many questions. "Do you have the weapon?"
"No, I was hoping you did." She searches his face. "Do you have any idea where it could be?" Her hope is palpable.
"Yes, well." He isn't certain. "There's some indication that, that she will be the one to find it. I can only pray that we find her first."
She shakes her head. "I don't know." One hand reaches up to cover her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if we don't find her at all, because then, maybe, it won't happen."
He reaches out to her. "I know."
5.
i want to know what's going on here
Chaos. Everyone is shouting and he is right there in the thick of it, just like he always was. Then Kaylee gets shot and her world narrows.
He isn't there when it happens, she's the only one who witnesses it, who truly understands.
This child, emerging from the womb, bare and frightened. This girl. She can feel it, she knows she is right. This girl is the one they have been waiting for.
Inara removes her robe, to cover, to protect. But she can't move.
She has to find him. Book, he's Shepherd Book now. She has to tell him.
She takes a moment to offer the robe before hurrying to get to him before the others. She can barely tear her eyes away.
* * *
She comes to him, she's been running. She is out of breath and flustered, pale and shaking. "Come, you must come. She's here."
Book takes a moment to glance at the door to the cell where the lawman is being held. "Wait, Ser.." His voice stutters over her name. The one he knew her by. "I thought she wasn't the one?" His mind races. All he can imagine is that Kaylee has healed faster than any normal girl should.
"Not Kaylee!" she exclaims. She grabs his hands in wonder, then frowns. "And you must call me Inara."
6.
will she be all right?
Everything the doctor says solidifies her certainty. River's talents and gifts. How she was taken. Not by the people Inara works with, but she has her suspicions. But someone knew.
How could they have missed this? And who are these people who helped rescue the girl? So many questions, and no way to get answers. Not yet.
If only she could get Book alone.
that's quite a story, son
Book hasn't seen her yet. But would he even be able to tell what she is just by looking at her? Who she is.
Inara seems so sure, and he can feel her radiating worry behind him, but he denies himself the opportunity to even turn around, afraid that the others will pick up on something between them that must not be known. Not yet.
He needs to see the girl with his own eyes.
7.
this is the captain
She just looks like a girl. She could be any girl. But everything he found pointed him here and he has faith in that, if nothing else. It will have to do for now.
He watches her sleep for a few moments before turning away. He opens his Bible and prays.
looks to be reavers
This can't be happening. Not now. Not when they've just found her.
She sits on her bed and closes her eyes. She prays to any god who will listen.
could be they already hit someone and they're full up
The doctor appears, assesses Book like he might be some kind of threat. That could cause problems down the road.
so everyone stay calm
She pulls out the box. There's only one dose. Who does she save?
8.
you're lost in the woods
There are too many factors at work here. She's got to get her head on straight.
Mal is meddlesome. Troublesome. He brings out the worst in her, and she knows better. But once he starts in she can't help herself. It bothers her to no end. She doesn't have time for the bickering now. Though, she has to admit, sometimes it feels an awful lot like flirting. And that bothers her more.
But Inara meant what she said. If he kicks Simon and River off the ship, she will follow. She has no choice.
Then there's the doctor. One way or another, he's going to be around. She needs his expertise to figure out what was done to his sister. She'll get as close to him as she needs to if it ensures that she has a place in River's life.
Lastly, there's Book. Someone who she should trust, someone she should be able to confide in. But he's an unknown now and even though it hurts her stomach to consider it, they may not be on the same side anymore.
River needs a Watcher. That is something Inara cannot do; she has not been trained for that. But Book has. She just has to make him see what's in front of him.
There's so much history between them, she doesn't know how to make it work. It would be easier if he were still the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. It would be easier if those feelings had completely gone away.
9.
we can't just leave you here
Inara has never been so happy to see Mal. They could have lost her, just like that; one bullet and it would have been all over.
She sees now, they need Mal, need this ship. Yes, she could go off with River and Simon, find some place to hide away until things become clearer. But where? And how? She doesn't have contacts out here and she doesn't trust that her network is safe anymore.
She's never felt more alone.
* * *
keep her safe
He's helpless, bleeding, his head swimming from the blows he received. He can't get to her in time. But then the captain is there and the lawman is dead. Some small part of Book is glad.
This is when it truly begins, the sacrifices. Is he strong enough?
He's never felt more alone.
10.
is this what life is...out here?
He goes to her, the pull is too strong. He needs, the desperation that is threatening to tear him apart is too big to handle alone. And if she is right, they must be able to work together, to trust each other. He tries to ignore the hunger he feels for her touch.
* * *
sometimes
She's not really surprised when he knocks on her door. But his honestly and grief do make her stop and take notice. He's still so like he was, and yet so very, very different. It's not only the years that have changed him. She expects she will find out about his scars, visible and hidden, soon enough.
* * *
i think i'm on the wrong ship
He named a rose after her. It was a hybrid he cultivated in the garden at the abbey. It was soft and beautiful, a deep, luscious red, with just a blush of yellow. It smelled like sunshine and regret.
* * *
or maybe you're exactly where you need to be
If she closes her eyes, nothing has changed. His kisses are still fierce, they make her feel so wanted, in a way that she hasn't felt since their last time together. She hasn't forgotten.
It takes every ounce of will she has to not let the tears that are gathering fall. He wouldn't understand, might think she felt sorry for him, that she couldn't see past his grey hair and changed face, the softer body that age brought to him. She doesn't care about any of that. She just wants this, now, with him. She wants to revisit an old friend and see if they can begin again.
She leads him to her bed.
11.
into every generation a slayer is born, one girl in all the worlds
Quotes:
Title. The Guardian to Buffy as she's explaining how the scythe came to be forged and the roles Guardians and Watchers play. (And the Watchers watched the Slayers...but we were watching them.) From BtVS, season 7, episode 21, End of Days.
1. Inara to Mal, during the flashback when she's negotiating to rent the shuttle. From Out of Gas.
2. Book to Kaylee, when he's negotiating passage on Serenity. From Serenity, the pilot.
3. Inara, then Book, when Mal introduces them and acts like an ass. From Serenity, the pilot.
4. Book, Inara, Inara again, then Book, in the scene where he brings her supper on a tray. From Serenity, the pilot.
5. Inara to Mal, after Simon finishes surgery on Kaylee. From Serenity, the pilot.
6. Inara to Simon, Book to Simon, Inara to Mal, in the scene where Simon gets all explain-y. From Serenity, the pilot.
7. Mal to everyone. Then Zoe tells Simon what's the what with them Reavers. Everyone is rightly terrified. From Serenity, the pilot.
8. Inara to Simon, in her shuttle. She's giving him an immunization package. (Or a free thrust. *g*) From Serenity, the pilot.
9. Inara to Mal, after he tells her to take the shuttle and the civilians. Book to Simon, when he decides to stay and help Kaylee. The Reavers are back. Oh noes! From Serenity, the pilot.
10. Book to Inara, Inara to Book, Book to Inara again, and then Inara to Book again. From the scene where he goes to her for medical attention. Instead of the doctor. From Serenity, the pilot.
11. If you don't know where this is from I worry a little. Though I changed it a teeny tiny bit. :-)
Author: llaras
Prompt: Het
Pairing: Book/Inara
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU.
Summary: What she didn't expect to find was a purpose.
1.
i'm not running from anything
Her first real home and it's made of metal and secrets. Some days it feels like every word she speaks is a lie, no matter how close to the truth it is. It's maddening, having to keep track of so many guises, and sometimes upon awakening she forgets what it is she's supposed to be, who she is supposed to be.
Once upon a time she thought she would be a Companion, someone powerful and rich. She would wield her beauty and charm like weapons and all would fall before her. It would all be very graceful and pretty. She'd been a stupid child.
That innocence is gone now. There was so much more than the music and flowers and dancing lessons. There is so much more to what she does. It's not even the fucking; that she wasn't naive about.
What she didn't expect to find was a purpose.
2.
been out of the world a spell - like to walk it a while
His whole life he's been led. Go here, do this, find that object, accomplish this task. Use any means necessary.
So when he found himself reporting to the abbot, when he realized his current job was to simply sift through several hundred tomes and scrolls, he breathed a sigh of relief. For once he was let alone and allowed time enough to get the job done right and proper. No blood shed, no regrets.
If only he had known how long it would take. And how it would change him.
And now he's here. Led again, but this time it is his decision, based on his own discovery. He is his own person. This time the name he gives is one he chose himself.
But he fears his time of freedom is near an end. Because if he's right, there will soon be blood shed again, and the choices he will have to make will affect so many more.
3.
i see we have some new faces
He looks nothing like the young man she once knew. Only his voice is the same: rich, kind, familiar.
So many emotions and thoughts go through her head as they shake hands. Elation: she must be on the right path if he is here too. Fear: what will he think of her now, after so many years have passed and she is no longer the woman she once was. Anger: mostly directed at the captain, always jabbing at her with his words.
It's almost too much.
* * *
i'm missing something funny
She looks exactly the same. Everything: her eyes, her hair, her mouth.
In the space of time that it takes for their palms to briefly connect, he goes back in time to a happier place. When their gazes met over supper every evening, a mere glance is all it took to set his heart to beating so fast and unsteady. When he could reach out and tuck an errant curl behind her ear, just the bare touch of his fingertips against her skin making him flush and stutter. When her smile was the very first thing he woke up to every morning, their limbs entangled and warm.
It isn't enough.
4.
if i'm intruding...
He wonders if every meeting between them now will be startling. Will he be constantly undone?
"How long have you been a Companion?" he asks. He doesn't dare ask for more.
"Too long," she says. "And you, a Shepherd?"
"Not long enough," he manages to say before looking away. He doesn't dare say more.
* * *
not at all
She doesn't know how to act around him anymore. She remembers a time when she didn't have to.
"It's a mask, you know." She wants to tell him everything.
He doesn't respond.
"Isn't yours?" She wants to ask, but she's afraid she knows the answer.
* * *
i expected you
She tries again. "I imagine we're here for the same thing?"
"Yes, I imagine we are." He pauses, as if to collect his thoughts. "The mechanic?" His voice is unsure.
"No, I don't think so." Though she too wondered at first. "She's gifted, but she's not the one. I've been here long enough, at least, to be sure of that."
He nods. "I'm glad." He clears his throat. "She's a bright little thing, I'd hate to see that part of her destroyed."
She smiles and ducks her head. "Me, too."
* * *
couldn't really say the same
He has so many questions. "Do you have the weapon?"
"No, I was hoping you did." She searches his face. "Do you have any idea where it could be?" Her hope is palpable.
"Yes, well." He isn't certain. "There's some indication that, that she will be the one to find it. I can only pray that we find her first."
She shakes her head. "I don't know." One hand reaches up to cover her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if we don't find her at all, because then, maybe, it won't happen."
He reaches out to her. "I know."
5.
i want to know what's going on here
Chaos. Everyone is shouting and he is right there in the thick of it, just like he always was. Then Kaylee gets shot and her world narrows.
He isn't there when it happens, she's the only one who witnesses it, who truly understands.
This child, emerging from the womb, bare and frightened. This girl. She can feel it, she knows she is right. This girl is the one they have been waiting for.
Inara removes her robe, to cover, to protect. But she can't move.
She has to find him. Book, he's Shepherd Book now. She has to tell him.
She takes a moment to offer the robe before hurrying to get to him before the others. She can barely tear her eyes away.
* * *
She comes to him, she's been running. She is out of breath and flustered, pale and shaking. "Come, you must come. She's here."
Book takes a moment to glance at the door to the cell where the lawman is being held. "Wait, Ser.." His voice stutters over her name. The one he knew her by. "I thought she wasn't the one?" His mind races. All he can imagine is that Kaylee has healed faster than any normal girl should.
"Not Kaylee!" she exclaims. She grabs his hands in wonder, then frowns. "And you must call me Inara."
6.
will she be all right?
Everything the doctor says solidifies her certainty. River's talents and gifts. How she was taken. Not by the people Inara works with, but she has her suspicions. But someone knew.
How could they have missed this? And who are these people who helped rescue the girl? So many questions, and no way to get answers. Not yet.
If only she could get Book alone.
that's quite a story, son
Book hasn't seen her yet. But would he even be able to tell what she is just by looking at her? Who she is.
Inara seems so sure, and he can feel her radiating worry behind him, but he denies himself the opportunity to even turn around, afraid that the others will pick up on something between them that must not be known. Not yet.
He needs to see the girl with his own eyes.
7.
this is the captain
She just looks like a girl. She could be any girl. But everything he found pointed him here and he has faith in that, if nothing else. It will have to do for now.
He watches her sleep for a few moments before turning away. He opens his Bible and prays.
looks to be reavers
This can't be happening. Not now. Not when they've just found her.
She sits on her bed and closes her eyes. She prays to any god who will listen.
could be they already hit someone and they're full up
The doctor appears, assesses Book like he might be some kind of threat. That could cause problems down the road.
so everyone stay calm
She pulls out the box. There's only one dose. Who does she save?
8.
you're lost in the woods
There are too many factors at work here. She's got to get her head on straight.
Mal is meddlesome. Troublesome. He brings out the worst in her, and she knows better. But once he starts in she can't help herself. It bothers her to no end. She doesn't have time for the bickering now. Though, she has to admit, sometimes it feels an awful lot like flirting. And that bothers her more.
But Inara meant what she said. If he kicks Simon and River off the ship, she will follow. She has no choice.
Then there's the doctor. One way or another, he's going to be around. She needs his expertise to figure out what was done to his sister. She'll get as close to him as she needs to if it ensures that she has a place in River's life.
Lastly, there's Book. Someone who she should trust, someone she should be able to confide in. But he's an unknown now and even though it hurts her stomach to consider it, they may not be on the same side anymore.
River needs a Watcher. That is something Inara cannot do; she has not been trained for that. But Book has. She just has to make him see what's in front of him.
There's so much history between them, she doesn't know how to make it work. It would be easier if he were still the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. It would be easier if those feelings had completely gone away.
9.
we can't just leave you here
Inara has never been so happy to see Mal. They could have lost her, just like that; one bullet and it would have been all over.
She sees now, they need Mal, need this ship. Yes, she could go off with River and Simon, find some place to hide away until things become clearer. But where? And how? She doesn't have contacts out here and she doesn't trust that her network is safe anymore.
She's never felt more alone.
* * *
keep her safe
He's helpless, bleeding, his head swimming from the blows he received. He can't get to her in time. But then the captain is there and the lawman is dead. Some small part of Book is glad.
This is when it truly begins, the sacrifices. Is he strong enough?
He's never felt more alone.
10.
is this what life is...out here?
He goes to her, the pull is too strong. He needs, the desperation that is threatening to tear him apart is too big to handle alone. And if she is right, they must be able to work together, to trust each other. He tries to ignore the hunger he feels for her touch.
* * *
sometimes
She's not really surprised when he knocks on her door. But his honestly and grief do make her stop and take notice. He's still so like he was, and yet so very, very different. It's not only the years that have changed him. She expects she will find out about his scars, visible and hidden, soon enough.
* * *
i think i'm on the wrong ship
He named a rose after her. It was a hybrid he cultivated in the garden at the abbey. It was soft and beautiful, a deep, luscious red, with just a blush of yellow. It smelled like sunshine and regret.
* * *
or maybe you're exactly where you need to be
If she closes her eyes, nothing has changed. His kisses are still fierce, they make her feel so wanted, in a way that she hasn't felt since their last time together. She hasn't forgotten.
It takes every ounce of will she has to not let the tears that are gathering fall. He wouldn't understand, might think she felt sorry for him, that she couldn't see past his grey hair and changed face, the softer body that age brought to him. She doesn't care about any of that. She just wants this, now, with him. She wants to revisit an old friend and see if they can begin again.
She leads him to her bed.
11.
into every generation a slayer is born, one girl in all the worlds
Quotes:
Title. The Guardian to Buffy as she's explaining how the scythe came to be forged and the roles Guardians and Watchers play. (And the Watchers watched the Slayers...but we were watching them.) From BtVS, season 7, episode 21, End of Days.
1. Inara to Mal, during the flashback when she's negotiating to rent the shuttle. From Out of Gas.
2. Book to Kaylee, when he's negotiating passage on Serenity. From Serenity, the pilot.
3. Inara, then Book, when Mal introduces them and acts like an ass. From Serenity, the pilot.
4. Book, Inara, Inara again, then Book, in the scene where he brings her supper on a tray. From Serenity, the pilot.
5. Inara to Mal, after Simon finishes surgery on Kaylee. From Serenity, the pilot.
6. Inara to Simon, Book to Simon, Inara to Mal, in the scene where Simon gets all explain-y. From Serenity, the pilot.
7. Mal to everyone. Then Zoe tells Simon what's the what with them Reavers. Everyone is rightly terrified. From Serenity, the pilot.
8. Inara to Simon, in her shuttle. She's giving him an immunization package. (Or a free thrust. *g*) From Serenity, the pilot.
9. Inara to Mal, after he tells her to take the shuttle and the civilians. Book to Simon, when he decides to stay and help Kaylee. The Reavers are back. Oh noes! From Serenity, the pilot.
10. Book to Inara, Inara to Book, Book to Inara again, and then Inara to Book again. From the scene where he goes to her for medical attention. Instead of the doctor. From Serenity, the pilot.
11. If you don't know where this is from I worry a little. Though I changed it a teeny tiny bit. :-)