"A Place Called Home" Mal/Inara Fic with two Versions
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss! Seriously, Joss Whedon and the grand high Mucky Mucks own Firefly. I am making no money from this and no copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any story not my own is coincidence.
"A Place Called Home;" Collection; Kim Richey; 2004
Title: A Place Called Home
Genre: Firefly; Mal/Inara fic
Rating: PG
Timeline: Immediately after TBDM
Note: This is the second version.
A Place Called Home
Malcolm walked the silent corridor, not sure which felt more haunted, him, or his ship. He reached a hand out to touch the cool metal.
“We’ll make it through this, we just have to keep flying,” he murmured into the stillness.
That’s when he heard it, a low sound, soft and melancholy. It was faint, but he could hear it whispering through Serenity and could swear that he felt its quiet vibrations in his fingertips.
He would have called it a ghost sound, except that it felt more alive than that, mourning and aching, but quietly alive nonetheless.
“River?” he asked in a low voice. It certainly sounded like something that could be associated with the jing shen girl.
But no one answered.
“Wo-men cai-qu shen hu-xi,” Malcolm advised himself under his breath.
“Hello?”
Again there was no answer. Malcolm took a deep breath and listened carefully, hearing the sound resolve itself into the low notes of a melody.
He took a deep breath. “Okay,” he murmured.
Slowly, Malcolm made his way through Serenity, following the song that seemed to be brushing against his heart like watered silk. The paths of its weaving lead him through the corridors and to the cool metal walkway that hung above the wide cargo bay.
“Inara,” he murmured.
Carefully he made his way up the steps to what he would always think of as her shuttle. The door was open, and inside, Inara knelt on a simple mat on the floor. Most of her belongings were still packed away, and the shuttle seemed more like a part of Serenity, and his world, and less like the warm sanctuary of Inara’s own. What scared Malcolm the most though, was that she did not look out of place there.
She looked up from the samisen in her lap and over to Malcolm with eyes as dark as the black surrounding them. He noticed then, that she had been crying and the sight made parts of his soul bleed and ache.
“Bao bei,” he murmured.
He stepped into the shuttle.
“That song’s like to break a heart there, darlin.”
Inara gave him a small smile that echoed her song.
“Sometimes, the heart knows no other song,” she replied softly. Quietly, she began to play again, the notes whispering softly and brushing against Malcolm and Serenity’s walls like silk in the breeze.
Then, in an achingly beautiful voice, she began to lay the words of the song along the notes like a melancholy lover.
“Mei you yi han mei you kan hou mian…mei you gao bie… mei you gao bie...”
Malcolm felt his knees go weak and he wanted nothing more than to go to Inara and kneel beside her on the cool bamboo mat.
“Mou yi tian wo jiang qu…na li mei you you huo xue…wo dan du dao na shi lu xing…” she sang before easily slipping into English. “And I make my bed, with the stars above my head, and dream of a place called home…”
The captain watched as glimmering tears fell from her dark eyes and drifted into her hair like stars. His fingertips ached with the desire to capture those stars and make certain that no more fell.
“Nara,” he murmured, and stepped over to her.
She stopped playing and looked up. Carefully, Malcolm cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away her tears.
“No more tears bao bei,” he whispered.
He kissed her then, and she tasted like despair, and longing, and home, all at once. And Malcolm felt his heart call her name, inviting her in. And what scared him, was that she looked like she belonged there.
“Mal…” she murmured.
“We’ll make it through this… we just have to keep flying,” he whispered, his lips still brushing hers.
“Until we find home,” she breathed.
Inara kissed Malcolm then, and he knew in that moment, that he would never find home without her…
FIN
"A Place Called Home;" Collection; Kim Richey; 2004
Title: A Place Called Home
Genre: Firefly; Mal/Inara fic
Rating: PG
Timeline: Immediately after TBDM
Note: This is the second version.
A Place Called Home
Malcolm walked the silent corridor, not sure which felt more haunted, him, or his ship. He reached a hand out to touch the cool metal.
“We’ll make it through this, we just have to keep flying,” he murmured into the stillness.
That’s when he heard it, a low sound, soft and melancholy. It was faint, but he could hear it whispering through Serenity and could swear that he felt its quiet vibrations in his fingertips.
He would have called it a ghost sound, except that it felt more alive than that, mourning and aching, but quietly alive nonetheless.
“River?” he asked in a low voice. It certainly sounded like something that could be associated with the jing shen girl.
But no one answered.
“Wo-men cai-qu shen hu-xi,” Malcolm advised himself under his breath.
“Hello?”
Again there was no answer. Malcolm took a deep breath and listened carefully, hearing the sound resolve itself into the low notes of a melody.
He took a deep breath. “Okay,” he murmured.
Slowly, Malcolm made his way through Serenity, following the song that seemed to be brushing against his heart like watered silk. The paths of its weaving lead him through the corridors and to the cool metal walkway that hung above the wide cargo bay.
“Inara,” he murmured.
Carefully he made his way up the steps to what he would always think of as her shuttle. The door was open, and inside, Inara knelt on a simple mat on the floor. Most of her belongings were still packed away, and the shuttle seemed more like a part of Serenity, and his world, and less like the warm sanctuary of Inara’s own. What scared Malcolm the most though, was that she did not look out of place there.
She looked up from the samisen in her lap and over to Malcolm with eyes as dark as the black surrounding them. He noticed then, that she had been crying and the sight made parts of his soul bleed and ache.
“Bao bei,” he murmured.
He stepped into the shuttle.
“That song’s like to break a heart there, darlin.”
Inara gave him a small smile that echoed her song.
“Sometimes, the heart knows no other song,” she replied softly. Quietly, she began to play again, the notes whispering softly and brushing against Malcolm and Serenity’s walls like silk in the breeze.
Then, in an achingly beautiful voice, she began to lay the words of the song along the notes like a melancholy lover.
“Mei you yi han mei you kan hou mian…mei you gao bie… mei you gao bie...”
Malcolm felt his knees go weak and he wanted nothing more than to go to Inara and kneel beside her on the cool bamboo mat.
“Mou yi tian wo jiang qu…na li mei you you huo xue…wo dan du dao na shi lu xing…” she sang before easily slipping into English. “And I make my bed, with the stars above my head, and dream of a place called home…”
The captain watched as glimmering tears fell from her dark eyes and drifted into her hair like stars. His fingertips ached with the desire to capture those stars and make certain that no more fell.
“Nara,” he murmured, and stepped over to her.
She stopped playing and looked up. Carefully, Malcolm cradled her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away her tears.
“No more tears bao bei,” he whispered.
He kissed her then, and she tasted like despair, and longing, and home, all at once. And Malcolm felt his heart call her name, inviting her in. And what scared him, was that she looked like she belonged there.
“Mal…” she murmured.
“We’ll make it through this… we just have to keep flying,” he whispered, his lips still brushing hers.
“Until we find home,” she breathed.
Inara kissed Malcolm then, and he knew in that moment, that he would never find home without her…
FIN