Truthsome Fic Challenge
Title: Winter's Night
Rating: PG
Characters: Mal, Inara, Jayne, Zoe
Disclaimer: Firefly owns me, I own words
Summary: A new job, the first after Miranda, has a few folks figuring their way around the new arrangement.
Spoilers: Post-BDM
Author's Notes: Standalone that still fits with the 'verse as I see it after Miranda. To those that are following the Jayne/River story, this just fills in a blank. Follow the tag for Finding....
Thanks: She who lets me rpg ideas without making it feel weird, razycrandomgirl and
ana_grrl for a long unused prompt that gave this story a direction.
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
The first place they made landfall after returning to the Black was St. Albans. Winter was deeply settled across the mountains that rose behind Serenity where she sat in the lee of a cliff. It was Jayne who had called on an old friend there. Seemed the merc had been more widely connected than Mal had known when he hired the increasingly laconic man.
There was a job to be had, but it required finesse that Jayne certainly didn’t have and Mal was not the man for the negotiations as it involved Alliance funds newly freed after the political fiasco of Miranda. No, the only person on Serenity who could hope to close the deal was Inara.
That in and of itself had Mal on one of his tirades as he grumbled his way around the ship. He wasn’t comfortable asking her to get involved and it rankled him that he needed to ask for help at all.
He was saved from having to do the actual asking when Jayne returned after rendezvousing with his friend and getting the details of the situation. Jayne simply laid out that Inara would have to use her whoring skills in a somewhat different capacity than on her back. Mal’s nearly drew his gun and shot Jayne right then and there except for Inara’s cool hand lying on his arm.
“It’s all right Mal, I understand what Jayne meant.”
“He got no call to be saying that…” Mal sputtered.
Inara smiled slightly, remembering the countless times Mal himself had called her a whore. She knew Jayne meant no offense when he used the word, unlike Mal who had always used it as a way to distance himself from his own uncomfortableness with it.
“You ain’t listening Mal. ‘Nara’s got ta make the contact or the deal’s off. Seems this is a legit job. They’re needin’ an official ‘Nego-ti-ator’ or some such. Guess they figure a woman a’ ‘Nara’s standin’ is close enough…” Jayne tried to explain what he himself didn’t rightly understand.
Inara nodded, the smooth curve of her neck, inclination of her eyes reflecting bemusement at the big man’s attempt to explain. She had come to a new understanding of him after Miranda, just as everyone else had changed, so had all their relationships.
“Yes Jayne, Guild training includes negotiation and mediation. We are expected to be able to step in when there is no advocate available, and also, if need be, when there is no licensed judge who can convene a dispute. From what I can gather from Jayne and the situation as I have seen it on the Cortex, there is a payment for loss owed to some of the families here on St. Albans. Apparently some of the residents of Miranda came from here. The Alliance is now in a political uproar due to the cover-up and loss of life. So, they need an advocate to appeal to the government for the funds owed. And that is where I come in.”
Mal was listening as Inara explained the situation and was too stunned to interrupt.
“Yeah, so like I said, ‘Nara needs to be the one ta do the negotiatin’.” Jayne finished for her.
“I will need an escort to the meeting.” Inara started to say.
“Got it, I will go with you…” Mal found his voice.
“No Mal, I need it to be Zoë, the people I will be dealing with will no doubt know your involvement in the discovery of the cover-up. Zoë is less likely to draw attention.”
“I can be discrete.” Mal nearly whined as he was wont to do when he knew Inara was right and he didn’t like it.
“No Mal… and Jayne will be my third.” Inara stated as firmly as she could the last name, knowing Mal would likely reject it out of hand otherwise. The two made eye contact, Mal fuming, Inara impassive. Neither wanted to give on the moment.
“Whaaa, what? You want me ta be there with ya? Didn’t think ya expected a fight or nothin’?” Jayne was confused, not sure why he would be going to a meeting where there was just going to be talk.
“I am counting on them being worried enough about your presence in the room that they won’t try to not pay these people what is owed to them. Their sons and daughters can never be returned to their families and this is a hard loss for many of the people here. The economy here on St. Albans requires regular infusions of funds from off-world. Most of the people who went to Miranda were sending money home to help keep their families warm and fed. Now they are suffering not only the loss of their children, but also the funds they need to survive.” Inara looked over at Jayne as she explained and saw his look of dawning comprehension as he realized that she knew that was one reason he sent money home to his own family.
Mal listened and stewed. “That’s all very nice and an upstanding thought, but Jayne ain’t exactly known for his ability to stay quiet.” Jayne shot Mal a growl and physically bristled. “Ain’t saying anything we don’t all know Jayne.” Mal bored a look at Jayne with that, nearly daring the bigger man to refute him.
“Sir, no need for that to be a concern. Jayne won’t be a problem…will you?” Zoë spoke up for the first time, quietly authoritative. Jayne glanced from his glowering at Mal to her and snorted shortly.
“Nah, I ain’t got no stick up my pi gyu about the Alliance like Mal does…”
“Jayne I will drop you right here, right now if you don’t watch yourself when you speak on matters that are no concern a’ yours.” Mal shot back.
“You don’t got no idea what yer yappin’ about Mal, wants I should explain it to you?” Jayne stood up, fists beginning to curl shut.
“Jayne, Mal! Please, this is ridiculous!” Inara kept a hold on Mal’s arm, feeling him coiled tight as a spring.
Zoë went towards Jayne and held her hand up, a clear stop order. Jayne snarled, shook his head and spun on his heel. He left the galley, pulling all the air with him in his wake.
Mal, Inara, and Zoë were rooted in a tableau of stillness before Inara broke the airlessness.
“Mal, I need you to understand, I can do this, this is as much part of what I am trained for as all the things you despise so much in me.” Inara spoke softly as she turned to him, feeling him exhale the fight he had drawn up to.
“I don’t got no argument there ‘Nara; just don’t like to trust Jayne to be the leverage you might be needing. It’s Jayne! He is as like to turn on you as he is to watch your back.” Mal clumsily explained.
“No Sir, he is not.” Zoë answered quietly, “After…after, while you were in the med shuttle going to Persephone, while we were getting started on getting Serenity back to flying… he ain’t been the same Sir. Don’t got no explanation for you, he just kind of began to do things a little differently.”
“Zoë, all I know is that he don’t ever fail to push back when he feels pushed, and even when he don’t. He just likes to be contrary.”
“Maybe so Sir, but I got no concern as to his loyalty.” Zoë said bluntly.
Mal opened his mouth to reply before the meaning of her words hit home. His face blanked like he had been pole axed. Zoë nodded to him curtly before turning to Inara.
“When will we be leaving?”
“Please be ready in an hour, and let Jayne know to come without being overly obvious about being armed. I need him to be intimidating, but still able to quietly stay in the background unless I need him.
Zoë inclined her head slightly, already assuming the demeanor of a second to an official.
“’Nara…” Mal began. He stopped, unable to articulate his fears for her safety, for her place in the dynamic on the ship, and his own feelings about all of it. Inara could look right into him and see what he couldn’t say.
“I know Mal, I will be careful… but this is my new life, here, on Serenity… please let me use what I am trained to do in a way to benefit us all…” She had kept her hand lying on his forearm the whole time, and he could feel the warmth from her palm even through the fabric of his shirt. It was nice he thought, never having been one for prolonged contact, he found he was enjoying the smallness of the gesture and how much it communicated.
“It will be full night by the time you go…” He said inconsequently.
“I realize that, night comes early here.”
“Is cold out there.”
“Yes, I will be sure to dress appropriately.”
“I had Jayne put the cap on the mule…should be able to stay warm on the ride to town.” He was making inane small talk he knew, but he wanted to keep her there, in that moment with him. Once her hand left his arm, once she left the galley, then they would have to see what would happen next and he wasn’t sure he was ready to find out yet.
It was a cold winter’s night on St. Albans when he finally realized it… it was the first day of the rest of their lives.