Coming Home, pt. 2/?
Title: Coming Home, part 2
Author: zoewarren
Rating: This part is PG-14, no promises about the rest of the series
Characters: Inara, Mal, crew
Pairing: Mal/Inara, Kaylee/Simon
Spoilers/Timeline: post-BDM (spoilers for the movie)
Sequel To: Leave of Absence and Absence Makes the Heart..., and of course Coming Home, part 1 (Best to begin at the beginning.)
Word Count: 1,081
Disclaimer: Joss is boss, I'm just playing
Summary: Inara returns to Serenity after four months at the Training House.
Author's Note:
Ok, team: part 2! Also, you'll be pleased to know part three is in the works. And, just so you know, nothing gets me writing faster than a little feedback. So, comments are love - for all of us.
Coming Home
Mal shoved past Inara and all but ran from the engine room. If he didn’t get some distance between them, he wasn’t sure he would be able to push her away a second time. Not back on the ship five minutes and already she had turned the ‘verse upside down. Fighting was not meant to end in kissing.
It was simpler when she was gone. That was a hurt he understood.
He headed down the aft passage without really seeing it, bypassed the stairs down to the lower level where he knew the rest of the crew were still working. He needed to be alone.
The kitchen was as empty as he could have hoped, but was also already decked out for the ‘welcome home’ party Kaylee had planned for Inara.
The choking feeling in his chest grew, and he fought the urge to start smashing things just as a way to relieve it. He stormed through the kitchen and out into the fore passage, letting his boots ring on the stairs up to the bridge and shutting the hatch behind him.
Alone. And, finally, he could breathe.
A vista of stars might have been soothing. As it was, he flung himself into the pilot’s chair and stared out at the bustle of the Persephone space docks.
** **
“Zoe. Status.”
“All aboard, sir.”
“Good. Lock ‘er up. We’re getting the hell off this mudball.”
“Aye, sir.”
Zoe heard the connection close and sighed.
“Two days, twenty-three hours,” she muttered. “And counting.”
** **
It took all of Kaylee’s wheedling to convince Inara to leave her shuttle again. Inara felt completely wrung out and wanted nothing more than to climb under the covers and hide from the ‘verse for a while.
In the end, she couldn’t bear the thought of spreading her own disappointment to the rest of the crew, so she washed her face, changed her dress, and let Kaylee drag her out.
When she reached the kitchen, she was glad she had let herself be convinced.
Kaylee had gone all out. A handful of Chinese lanterns, somewhat the worse for wear, had been scrounged from somewhere and were strung up around the kitchen providing a cheery red glow. The table was dressed in a brightly coloured cloth, and there were real vegetables mixed in among the protein strips waiting to be served. Tea was laid out, as was a jug of Kaylee’s engine room hooch.
Simon, River and Jayne were already there. Simon was setting out plates and cutlery, and River had clearly been stationed to keep Jayne’s fingers out of the food until it was time to eat. He seemed to be challenging even her lightening-fast reflexes.
“Where’s Zoe,” asked Kaylee as she crossed to give Simon a hand.
“Putting Grace to bed,” Simon said. “She should be back soon.”
No one, not even Jayne, commented on Mal’s absence, and Inara found herself absurdly grateful for that.
With the ease of long training, she put her feelings aside and allowed herself to smile at the familiar scene. “Can I help?”
Simon smiled right back. “Absolutely not. Take a seat, we’re nearly ready.”
Inara did as she was told and slid into the nearest chair. River transferred the serving dishes to the table and then slid into the chair next to Inara’s. Inara was pleased to see how settled she looked; the hunted, haunted look was gone from her eyes. River turned to her and offered a shy smile.
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad to be back.”
“Are you?” River tilted her head as though assessing the truth of Inara’s statement.
“Of course I am.”
River considered her a moment longer and then nodded, seemingly satisfied with Inara’s sincerity. And then, without looking, reached backwards to slap Jayne’s hand away from the food. Inara hadn’t even seen him approach.
For a brief moment, River’s smile turned impish, and Inara got a glimpse of the ‘brat’ that Simon had spoken of so long ago. It warmed her heart to see it. Impulsively, Inara reached out to give River a quick hug and drop a light kiss on her hair.
“I’m very glad to be back.”
** **
Mal was still holed up on the bridge with the door firmly shut. Inara found her eyes kept returning to it, although she wasn’t sure whether she was waiting for it to open or hoping that it would remain closed.
River followed Inara’s gaze. “He wouldn’t let me in.” Her tone was a little mournful, and Inara added that to the list of reasons she would gladly smack Mal around.
In the end, Zoe stood and closed the hatch between the kitchen and the fore corridor, effectively blocking their view of the bridge.
“He ain’t invited,” Zoe murmured on her way back to the table. “Best to leave him be for now.”
** **
Dinner stretched long into the evening, with everyone lingering over pots of tea and cups of the fresh engine wine.
Inara found herself laughing until her face hurt, as the others tried to out-do each other in telling the tales of the last four months. As the evening wound on, though, it was more than just the words themselves that told her how much had changed.
Simon sat with his arm draped loosely across Kaylee’s shoulders. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him.
River was still quieter than the others, but she participated in the conversation, more so than she ever had before, and she spoke in complete sentences more often than in fragments.
Zoe’s smile came more easily and reached all the way to her eyes, even when the conversation turned to ‘do you remembers’. No one flinched at the mention of Wash’s name, or the Shepherd’s.
And as much as it eased her to see they were all healing, for a moment she couldn’t help feeling all of her own rough and broken edges.
** **
It was late when Mal left the bridge. The kitchen was dark and empty. Mal stepped gingerly inside. The decorations had been taken down, all the dishes were washed, and there was a covered plate of food waiting for him on the counter.
He turned and headed for his bunk, leaving the food untouched.
Author: zoewarren
Rating: This part is PG-14, no promises about the rest of the series
Characters: Inara, Mal, crew
Pairing: Mal/Inara, Kaylee/Simon
Spoilers/Timeline: post-BDM (spoilers for the movie)
Sequel To: Leave of Absence and Absence Makes the Heart..., and of course Coming Home, part 1 (Best to begin at the beginning.)
Word Count: 1,081
Disclaimer: Joss is boss, I'm just playing
Summary: Inara returns to Serenity after four months at the Training House.
Author's Note:
Ok, team: part 2! Also, you'll be pleased to know part three is in the works. And, just so you know, nothing gets me writing faster than a little feedback. So, comments are love - for all of us.
Coming Home
Mal shoved past Inara and all but ran from the engine room. If he didn’t get some distance between them, he wasn’t sure he would be able to push her away a second time. Not back on the ship five minutes and already she had turned the ‘verse upside down. Fighting was not meant to end in kissing.
It was simpler when she was gone. That was a hurt he understood.
He headed down the aft passage without really seeing it, bypassed the stairs down to the lower level where he knew the rest of the crew were still working. He needed to be alone.
The kitchen was as empty as he could have hoped, but was also already decked out for the ‘welcome home’ party Kaylee had planned for Inara.
The choking feeling in his chest grew, and he fought the urge to start smashing things just as a way to relieve it. He stormed through the kitchen and out into the fore passage, letting his boots ring on the stairs up to the bridge and shutting the hatch behind him.
Alone. And, finally, he could breathe.
A vista of stars might have been soothing. As it was, he flung himself into the pilot’s chair and stared out at the bustle of the Persephone space docks.
** **
“Zoe. Status.”
“All aboard, sir.”
“Good. Lock ‘er up. We’re getting the hell off this mudball.”
“Aye, sir.”
Zoe heard the connection close and sighed.
“Two days, twenty-three hours,” she muttered. “And counting.”
** **
It took all of Kaylee’s wheedling to convince Inara to leave her shuttle again. Inara felt completely wrung out and wanted nothing more than to climb under the covers and hide from the ‘verse for a while.
In the end, she couldn’t bear the thought of spreading her own disappointment to the rest of the crew, so she washed her face, changed her dress, and let Kaylee drag her out.
When she reached the kitchen, she was glad she had let herself be convinced.
Kaylee had gone all out. A handful of Chinese lanterns, somewhat the worse for wear, had been scrounged from somewhere and were strung up around the kitchen providing a cheery red glow. The table was dressed in a brightly coloured cloth, and there were real vegetables mixed in among the protein strips waiting to be served. Tea was laid out, as was a jug of Kaylee’s engine room hooch.
Simon, River and Jayne were already there. Simon was setting out plates and cutlery, and River had clearly been stationed to keep Jayne’s fingers out of the food until it was time to eat. He seemed to be challenging even her lightening-fast reflexes.
“Where’s Zoe,” asked Kaylee as she crossed to give Simon a hand.
“Putting Grace to bed,” Simon said. “She should be back soon.”
No one, not even Jayne, commented on Mal’s absence, and Inara found herself absurdly grateful for that.
With the ease of long training, she put her feelings aside and allowed herself to smile at the familiar scene. “Can I help?”
Simon smiled right back. “Absolutely not. Take a seat, we’re nearly ready.”
Inara did as she was told and slid into the nearest chair. River transferred the serving dishes to the table and then slid into the chair next to Inara’s. Inara was pleased to see how settled she looked; the hunted, haunted look was gone from her eyes. River turned to her and offered a shy smile.
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m glad to be back.”
“Are you?” River tilted her head as though assessing the truth of Inara’s statement.
“Of course I am.”
River considered her a moment longer and then nodded, seemingly satisfied with Inara’s sincerity. And then, without looking, reached backwards to slap Jayne’s hand away from the food. Inara hadn’t even seen him approach.
For a brief moment, River’s smile turned impish, and Inara got a glimpse of the ‘brat’ that Simon had spoken of so long ago. It warmed her heart to see it. Impulsively, Inara reached out to give River a quick hug and drop a light kiss on her hair.
“I’m very glad to be back.”
** **
Mal was still holed up on the bridge with the door firmly shut. Inara found her eyes kept returning to it, although she wasn’t sure whether she was waiting for it to open or hoping that it would remain closed.
River followed Inara’s gaze. “He wouldn’t let me in.” Her tone was a little mournful, and Inara added that to the list of reasons she would gladly smack Mal around.
In the end, Zoe stood and closed the hatch between the kitchen and the fore corridor, effectively blocking their view of the bridge.
“He ain’t invited,” Zoe murmured on her way back to the table. “Best to leave him be for now.”
** **
Dinner stretched long into the evening, with everyone lingering over pots of tea and cups of the fresh engine wine.
Inara found herself laughing until her face hurt, as the others tried to out-do each other in telling the tales of the last four months. As the evening wound on, though, it was more than just the words themselves that told her how much had changed.
Simon sat with his arm draped loosely across Kaylee’s shoulders. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him.
River was still quieter than the others, but she participated in the conversation, more so than she ever had before, and she spoke in complete sentences more often than in fragments.
Zoe’s smile came more easily and reached all the way to her eyes, even when the conversation turned to ‘do you remembers’. No one flinched at the mention of Wash’s name, or the Shepherd’s.
And as much as it eased her to see they were all healing, for a moment she couldn’t help feeling all of her own rough and broken edges.
** **
It was late when Mal left the bridge. The kitchen was dark and empty. Mal stepped gingerly inside. The decorations had been taken down, all the dishes were washed, and there was a covered plate of food waiting for him on the counter.
He turned and headed for his bunk, leaving the food untouched.