BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - ROMANCE

LATTELADY6

Something’s Gotta Give: Part - 6 - Fragrance And Memories
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Late one night, while missing Inara badly, Mal has a serious one-on-one with a trunk she left in her shuttle.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1935    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Rating: PG Characters: Mal/Inara Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, I just want them to love each other Timeframe: Takes place 2 days before the MOVIE begins

Part 5 - Heartbound

Something’s Gotta Give: Part - 6 -Fragrance And Memories By Lattelady

Serenity had left Haven, the moon the Shepherd was callin home for a spell, fourteen hours earlier. It was their third visit in five weeks. The minin’ community had become almost a regular run, haulin’ ore out and bringin’ back goods that the families needed, but that was gonna stop for a while. It was back to bein’ bad guys, Fanty and Mingo had offered them a more lucrative, though less legal, job.

“Gorramnit, I wish the holy man’d mind his own business,” Mal Reynolds mumbled as he climbed the ladder from his bunk. In the last week he’d finally been able to pass the night without havin’ dreams ‘bout ‘Nara. Thanks to Book, and his conniving she was back fillin’ his sleepin hours.

The previous night, over a large bottle of alcohol, the Shepherd had gotten the Captain to commit to Haven’s Christmas celebration. Then the holy man had had the nerve to tell him that Inara would be there too, ‘and oh by the way, would Serenity please provide transpo for her’.

Mal wasn’t sure where he was headed as he stomped through his sleepin’ ship, until he found himself at the door to ‘Nara’s old shuttle. Acting on instinct, he quickly entered and shouldered the small trunk she’d left behind. It had been sittin’ there enticin’ him ever since Kaylee had discovered it weeks earlier. If he couldn’t purge the woman from his thoughts he’d damn well purge her belongin’s from his ship. But he hadn’t taken more’n two steps before he realized that there was no power in the ‘verse that could make him toss the thing out the airlock.

“Tamade!” he cried out as he dropped the trunk and gave it a swift kick. It slid across the deck and bounced against the bulkhead with enough force to unlatch the catch, and pop the lid. “Oh, xin gan,” he moaned and slipped down beside it, as the soft scent of jasmine filled the air and Mal was bombarded with all the memories he’d been tryin hard to suppress.

He pushed aside the voices that told him he was invadin’ her privacy and reached over to raise the lid the rest of the way. “’Nara, ‘Nara,” he whispered as he pulled out a long thin object wrapped in soft brown leather. It was an elegant-looking bow with graceful curves, that he had no doubt could be as deadly as it was beautiful when used by an experienced hand. The grip was small, and looked as if it had been made to fit Inara’s palm. Putting it aside he looked into the trunk taking deep breaths of the scent that filled the air. Everything smelled like ‘Nara. Not her incense, or tea, or the womanly combination of fragrances that had filled her shuttle while she’d lived there, but the woman herself.

Carefully he lifted each item from the trunk and let the scent fill him with all the memories he’d been trying to suppress. Everything smelled like her and it made him ache worse than his dreams had ever done. It was almost as if she was sitting in the room beside him. He closed his eyes, with his face buried in handfuls of silky material and remembered.

~Inara inches away from him as she covered her hand over his on a dueling sword. His nose pressed against her dark ringlets as they’d danced earlier on that same evening. Or the following morning when he’d put his arm around her and let her take his weight as they walked slowly back to the ship.

The soft fragrance of jasmine that had covered his skin and shirt after Saffron had kissed him unconscious. Until that moment he’d been unable to place the scent, though it had nagged at his memory some. ‘The truth, Nara, what really caused you to pass out?’ How he wished she was there so he could ask her that question instead of assuming he knew the answer already, as he’d done in the past.

All the times they’d stood in a doorway, as if it were neutral territory. A place where they could touch, but only with their eyes, because to do more would be to cross a line both had carefully drawn. The feel of her swollen lip as it quivered under his finger after Jubal Early had struck her. The one time he’d dared to move closer than he should. If she hadn’t pulled away at the last second, he knew he would have kissed her.~

Mal didn’t know how long he sat there rememberin’. It wasn’t until he felt somethin’ deep inside try ta tear lose that he shook himself back to the present. As he quickly repacked ‘Nara’s belongings, somethin’ slipped between the silks and bounced on the deck plating.

Looking around he saw a large red plastic button. It appeared odd among her things. Not something she’d own, definitely not something she’d wear. His breath caught in his throat as he recognized it. He could remember Wash’s words. “When your miracle comes, just hit this and it’ll call us back.” He knew the pilot had removed it from Serenity’s bridge in the week following the accident that had almost killed him.

What was ‘Nara doing with it? How long had she had it? Did it mean….did it mean…? He reached out and tapped the red button twice, hard, before he realized what he’d done.

“Gorramnit!” he shouted. He grabbed it off the deck and tossed it into the trunk then slammed the lid closed, careful to slip the catch tightly in place. “The woman’s gone and she stays gone. If the Shepherd wants to see her over the winter holiday, he’s gotta get her to Haven, I’m not haulin her and that’s final! I’m not bringin her back aboard Serenity!”

Later as he slept in his bunk, a fleeting thought mixed with the smell of jasmine at the edges of his mind. He’d finally pushed the button. Would it bring ‘Nara back to him or just set in motion a passel of heartache? ………… Translations: Tamade – motherf*cker – you guys know the word I mean... Xing an – sweetheart, darling

Part 7 - Enemy At The Gate

COMMENTS

Saturday, October 7, 2006 5:26 PM

TAMSIBLING


I like Mal's exploration of her things and I find it really cool that you had her keep the "miracle" button from OiG. That's a really great layer of depth. Keep 'em comin'!

Sunday, October 8, 2006 12:50 AM

AMDOBELL


Loved this, and Mal trying to excise the ghost of his wanting but finding it impossible not to miss and crave Inara's presence. Wrapping himself in his 'mean old man' mask won't save him now. He's pressed the gorram button. Nope, his heart's a gonner. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 2:15 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Slightly slower than desired...but Inara still came back to Serenity, eh Lattelady?

;)

Definitely could picture this moment being a flashback to just before the movie, with Mal finally looking in the trunk and just getting caught up in what it represented to him. Really think Nathan would have sold it like gold;D

BEB

Sunday, October 22, 2006 10:56 AM

N60505


Just started reading these installments today. I like the writing very much. Please post more!


POST YOUR COMMENTS

You must log in to post comments.

YOUR OPTIONS

OTHER FANFICS BY AUTHOR

Ghosts Of Christmases Past
The first Christmas after Miranda, the crew goes to Haven to spend a few days. Jayne/River; Mal/Inara; and Simon/Kaylee romance

Precious Commodity - Ch 6/? Waiting Time
J/R; M/I romance. Still caught on Mr. Universe's moon, things begin to fall apart. River and Jayne hide on Serenity as Alliance troops clear away the damaged Reaver ship. Mal's life is in question when he begins to bleed again. **Chapters are link for ease of reading**

Precious Commodity - Ch 5/? Pivot Points Of Fate
Jayne/River; Mal/Inara romance: Jayne makes up his mind about his future with River. Mal discovers how important Inara is to him. **chapters are linked for ease of reading**

Precious Commodity - Ch 4/? - Flying Without Wings
J/R; M/I romance: Mal finally discovers the lengths Inara will go to in order to protect his crew while he is too ill to do so himself. Jayne finds out why River would rather die than go back to the Accadamy.**Please note the change in rating** Chapters are linked for reading ease.

Precious Commodity - Ch 3/? - Falling Without Gravity
J/R; M/I; S/K romance - 24 hours after the battle on Mr. Universe's moon, the Operative offers the wounded crew a deal. His search for River Tam is not complete.

Precious Commodity - Ch 2/? - In The Black Of Night
Jayne/River; Mal/Inara story - River and Jayne spend the first night after the battle on Mr. Universe's moon hiding on a broken Serenity. The rest of the crew spent it in an Alliance Med-Tent.**Chapters are linked for easy navigation **

Precious Commodity - Ch 1/? Echoes
Pairings are Jayne/River, Mal/Inara, and some Simon/Kaylee. Hours after Miranda, a blood spattered and frightened River keeps watch over the wounded crew in an Alliance Med-Tent, until she is helped by Jayne. Ratings will change with chapters as needed. **Chapters linked for easy navigation**


Chaos Theory - parts 1 and 2 - COMPLETE
J/R romance - With help from the torn-out pages from Book's book, River helps Jayne find his way back after Jaynestown. He uses those same pages to help her find her way back after Miranda.

Voices And Visions - ch 12/12 - Where Strength And Courage Are Found
FINAL CHAPTER: J/R; M/I; S/K; Z/Wash memories. The future is set to rights and there is happyness of all as they come full circle. - Chapters linked -

Voices and Visions - ch 11/12 - Dark And Fearsome Places
J/R; M/I; S/K; and Z/memories of Wash - River pulls back as she sees a different future in the shadows. Mal and Inara move another step closer. - chapters linked