BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

VALERIEBEAN

That Went Well - Part 6/7 (REPOST)
Monday, November 19, 2007

Mal continues looking after his crew, first River, then Inara. Then he calls on an old friend for help.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2410    RATING: 10    SERIES: FIREFLY

PART 6:

Mal only slept a few hours before the exhaustion in his body faded sufficiently for the worry over his crew to take charge. He lay in the soft hotel bed, designed for two but able to fit five in a crunch. The pillows were thicker than he preferred and excellent for smothering, though Mal tried not to think in that direction, except toward the men who stole his boat. Dim city light peaked through the pulled curtains, but it was far from morning. Jayne had not moved since his head hit the pillow. His breathing was regular, but silent, as though he were stalking prey even in his dreams. He lay flat on his back under a single sheet, using one pillow, having thrown the rest of the linens onto the floor. Although Mal had no plan, he knew he needed Jayne in order to get Serenity back. He also knew that if their first attempt to recover the ship failed, the merc would likely head off to greener pastures. Since Miranda, Jayne had become more attached to the crew, but it was the ship holding them all in once place. The ship and the work… Right now Mal could offer neither. “Simon?” River’s voice startled Mal and he jerked up sharply in his bed. He hadn’t even heard the girl enter, but in the dim light, could see her tip-toeing through the room. “He ain’t here, River,” Mal said, his voice gravelly with sleep. Briefly, he mapped the location of the syringes Simon had given him. “You feelin’ sick?” “Help her. She’s screaming,” River implored eerily, sitting at the foot of the bed, her hands falling limply onto her lap. Mal rolled onto his knees, donned his shirt, and moved closer to River. Tears streamed down her cheeks and even with Simon’s medicines at ready, Mal felt helpless. “Why is she screaming?” Mal asked, not understanding the question even as he spoke it. “Because she can’t.” Mal reached out to touch River, but his hand didn’t connect. Comforting River wasn’t his domain; it was Simon’s domain. And Mal wanted to check on Inara anyway. “Why don’t we go to the hospital, you and me? You can find your brother.” “No. Go,” she moaned, and Mal’s confusion doubled. “River, we go to the hospital or I give you that medicine I got in the other room.” “No,” River cried again, the wounded puppy eyes returning. “No, don’t. I’ll sleep. I promise I’ll sleep. Just need quiet. Quiet that’s louder than her screaming.” “Is it quieter in here?” Mal asked. River nodded miserably, nuzzling into his shoulder. He patted her back uncertainly. “Then sleep here,” he told her motioning toward the bed. River looked around shiftily, then crawled under the covers and obediently closed her eyes. Mal found the tissue box and set it next to her, but he was still unsure of what to do. Deciding to go to the hospital alone, he crossed into the second room to leave a note for the others. Zoë and Kaylee slept peacefully, but were crunched on the bed in such a way that Mal was sure River had tried snuggling next to them first. Mal found his boots and River’s medicine, deciding to check on her once more before leaving. After two years of traveling with the girl, Mal knew there was a point where medicine just didn’t help. Otherwise, Simon would’ve kept her in the hospital. When he returned, he found River curled up like a cat on the wrong bed, her head resting on Jayne’s stomach. Her tears were dried up and her body was calm and relaxed. Jayne’s fingers were tangled in her hair, but he looked to have fallen asleep again in the middle of the move. Folding his arms, Mal considered the unlikely pair. “Li’l Albatross. When I get back, we are going to have a serious chat about this.”

*~*

Mal returned to Inara’s room with a hot cup of jasmine tea in a disposable cup, spilling over a plastic lid. He nearly bumped into the nurse as the younger man hurried out, looking like he’d received a fair talking to. Mal perked at the thought of conversation with Inara, but she sat propped up in a chair, staring out the door right through them. Mal grabbed the nurse’s arm. “What happened?” he asked in a low tone, his voice accusatory. “She … fell.” “Don’t seem she’s rightly placed in that chair.” The nurse huffed in frustration, shaking free of Mal’s grip. “It’s better than the floor.” Mal let the man leave, and approached Inara cautiously. “What in the seven hells did you say to that boy?” Inara glared at him so sharply there were sparks. “Still can’t talk?” Mal asked, but she looked away. “‘Nara, these folks are just trying to help. It’s a kindness they ain’t charging us.” He waited a beat, but she didn’t respond. He reached for her shoulder. “You look ready to fall out of that chair – ” Inara shot him a venomous look that was probably a toned down version of the one she gave the nurse, but it still made Mal’s blood run cold. He nearly dropped the cup of tea in his hands before he remembered it. “I – I brought you this,” he stammered, setting the tea down beside her. Inara looked at the cup, then at Mal, grateful surprise ghosting over her features. She touched the cup tentatively, worried it was a mirage, then brought it slowly to her lips. The first sip, she savored on her tongue a long minute before swallowing carefully. Her body melted sweetly, her eyes misting ever so slightly, trying not to appear too grateful for the gift. Mal smiled inwardly. “Hope it’s not too sweet,” Mal murmured. “I know you like two lumps in a regular cup, but these disposable ones –” Inara pressed a finger to his lips, her eyes alone saying the tea was perfect. Her fingers briefly grazed his smooth shaved face and she smiled wistfully. “I know you’re restless,” Mal continued. “It’s just another half day.” She took another slow sip, swallowing deliberately so she wouldn’t choke. Mal couldn’t stand how this prison was slowly stealing the light from her soul. He had to get her out! “Come on, let’s take a walk.” With a glimmer in his eye, he reached out his hand. She met his gaze, uncertain but hopeful, and held on.

*~*

The hospital’s roof was a mixture of gravel, concrete blocks, and maintenance accesses. Mal kept one hand on each of Inara’s hips just to keep her from pitching forward. Their journey up the stairs hadn’t been exactly stable, but the determination in her eyes was incentive enough for Mal to keep pushing. She swayed slightly like a flag in the breeze, clutching her tea cup with both hands, leaning against him. He wanted to wrap his arms around her – to envelop her – but he resisted. Her head rested against his shoulder as they gazed upward at the last few morning stars disappearing. To the west was Persephone; to the north, Shadow. Mal could locate Shadow in any sky on any world, but he never pointed it out to anyone. It just wasn’t his way. The sun peaked over the horizon bleeding red and gold across the smattering of clouds. A pair of birds landed on the roof, chirped at each other, and flew away again. The air frosted in puffs in front of their faces as they breathed in the scent of city and morning. “You okay? You need to sit?” Mal asked quietly as Inara leaned into him. “You breathing okay?” The journey had wearied Inara, but she didn’t want to sit. She just sipped her tea slowly, demonstrating that she had sufficient breath control to do that. Mal peeked around her shoulders, catching a glimpse of her chocolate brown eyes. For the first time in days, he saw rest there. Peace. Confidence. “You warm enough?” Zoë had thought to bring a coat, but Inara still lacked shoes. Mal had swiped a pair of sneakers from the break room on their way up the stairs, but the shoes were too big for Inara’s feet, and still let the chill in. Inara turned to him with a placating smile that clearly told him not to worry, but Mal couldn’t help worrying. He had nothing else to do, what with his ship being stolen. In another hour maybe, he’d meet up with the others and try to get a decent day’s wage, but for now, he only had Inara to think on. Mal was about to speak again, but Inara put a finger over his lips. Then softly, delicately, she leaned over and kissed him. Mal was suddenly lost in a brief forever, the world going warm as her lips touched his. She tasted just like the jasmine tea he’d brought her, and her skin was soft like silk. The kiss was tentative and unsure – as though she didn’t know how long to make it last, because she had no clock governing this particular interaction. Mal pulled back from the kiss, uncertainty washing over him as well. It took a moment before he was able to open his eyes again and when he did, Inara gazed lazily at him, her features lax and peaceful. She didn’t mind at all that he’d pulled away and she didn’t reach for his return. “You see how things are all fogged up now?” Mal joked and she smiled easily. There was something so comfortable and natural about the way she leaned on him and looked at him, that he couldn’t begin to describe it. As if they’d been kissing for years and years. She pulled one of his arms around her waist, just as she’d done the first night they were stranded, and leaned deeper into his body. Her lips parted, soliciting another kiss, and Mal complied with only a short one. He wasn’t sure how much of her behavior was an effect of the drugs, how much was their strained situation, and how much was genuinely her. Plus, she had no voice just yet and couldn’t tell him to stop if he went too far. Their lips hovered just centimeters apart. “Hey, get a room,” Kaylee shouted teasingly, startling Mal back into reality. Flustered, he pulled back from Inara and resumed his completely innocent hold on her waist, just to keep her steady. Kaylee bit her lip and looked knowingly at Mal. “Simon, they’re on the roof,” Kaylee said into a radio as she approached the pair, then looked squarely at Mal. “I figured you’d come some place with a view.” A few minutes later, three doctors burst out of the door to the inside and rushed over to Mal and Inara, poking and prodding, then literally pulling Inara out of Mal’s arms and back inside. Her tea cup fell to the ground, half-finished. “Careful,” Simon carped, appearing at the door, just as they were ushering the tottering Inara through it. He threw an apologetic look back to Mal and Kaylee, then forced his way through the throng to Inara’s side. “What’s going on?” Mal asked Kaylee when the roof fell silent again. He tried shifting his feet, but they seemed reluctant to move from the spot where he and Inara had kissed for the first time. “What do you think? You kidnapped their prized patient. The doctors were jumping down Simon’s throat and he was in a panic.” “She just needed to get out.” “Sorry I had to interrupt,” Kaylee said sympathetically. “Weren’t interrupting nothing.” “Oh?” Kaylee prodded. “It looked like things were going well.” “I wouldn’t say well,” Mal denied, ducking Kaylee’s questions by going to the door and tugging on the handle. It was locked. He turned back to Kaylee who was already reaching for her radio, but the device was no longer clipped to her belt. Trying not to giggle, Kaylee met his eyes. “So here’s something ironic…” Mal rubbed his eyebrows and scanned for the fire escape. “Definitely not well.”

*~*

Simon refused to leave Inara’s side during the last litany of tests and River refused to wait with them at the hospital. Zoë had volunteered to stay at the hotel with River, but the ranch would give her a higher wage as a returning laborer, so Mal stayed with River instead. It was the second day his crew was going out and working to support him with their wages while he sat idle, and he didn’t like it. Mal and River spent the morning lounging in the hotel’s dining room, River watching the piano man’s fingers with rapture. For his part, Mal found his thoughts drifting more toward Inara than how to get Serenity back. As if she was his home and not the ship. When the piano man stopped for a break, River returned to the table bringing orange juice for herself and half plum/ half cranberry juice for Mal. Seems he wasn’t the only one who monitored who ate what on board Serenity. “Serenity can’t find us,” River told him matter-of-factly. “We should call her back.” “Last night, you told me to wave Monty.” River didn’t answer. She just drank her juice. “Why’d I find you sleeping on Jayne this morning?” Mal tried. A pensive smile flashed across River’s face, then a frown. Her hands gestured around her face and ears as she searched for words to explain something that Mal suspected made even less sense to her than to him. “When I’m far, I hear them all. I hear everything. Waves washing over me and I’m drowning… and there’s too much water to sleep. But when I’m close, one sound can drown out the rest. I sleep and drink slowly but he holds me above the surface.” Mal scrunched his face, thinking he understood, but not liking it. “What you’re saying is Jayne’s thoughts are easier to sleep through?” “For now,” River shrugged. “Simon doesn’t like it.” “I’ll bet not.” “But he left me alone. He goes where I can’t.” “He’s looking after Inara.” “He hears her without his ears and the screaming saturates me.” Now it was Mal’s turn to sip his juice and wait. “When can we leave?” Mal stiffened, noticing that River was getting tense and shifty – like she was ready to throw something. Preemptively, Mal took her drink from her, then the two weaved out of the dining area to the elevators. “If you don’t call Serenity, she can’t come,” River whispered, looking anxious, and leaning against Mal’s chest. “I’ll find a way to call this afternoon,” Mal promised, praying he didn’t have to administer any of the drugs Simon had given him. “Simon and Inara will be back, and I’ll call then.” Reflecting on their conversation, Mal did his best to empty his mind of all the worries, fears, and confusion roiling about so that River would have a stable life raft to cling to.

*~*

As soon as Simon and Inara returned, Mal went in search of a comm station from which to wave Serenity. He didn’t know why River kept insisting on it, but if nothing else, he wanted the opportunity to properly threaten the hun dan that had swiped his home and conked him with a corked bat. “Monty?” Mal cried out, surprised to see the image of his old friend when the vid line finally picked up. Monty head was down, busy fiddling with the controls, but Mal clearly saw the beginnings of a new soup catcher on his chin. It would take years to grow to its former glory, and Mal doubted he’d ever shave it for a woman again. “Mal, how did you know I was looking for you?” Monty greeted. “I had a hunch. Is there a reason I called my own ship and found you?” “Is there a reason you aren’t on your own ship?” Monty countered in jest. “I’m a bit stumped as to how such dimwitted sprites wrested this ship from your hands. Thought maybe our mutual wife was involved.” “Fact that I’m breathin’ says not,” Mal answered. “How’d you find her so fast? Serenity, I mean.” “I was in the market for a new weapon and a man tried to sell me this.” Monty held up Mal’s pistol, and it was all Mal could do not to reach out and touch the screen. “I thought the worst.” “We were lucky, considering,” Mal agreed. “They left us on Perth with just the clothes on our backs.” “I’ve been stranded with less.” They both chuckled lightly, though neither were fond of the respective memories. “I’ll have your boat in atmo in two more days.” “You’re that far out?” Mal asked, surprised. “Just slow going. Don’t want to push her too hard. My mechanic don’t have magic fingers when it comes to Fireflies.” Mal nodded, choking a little at the prospect of seeing his ship come back for him so easily. “Thanks, Monty. I can cover your expenses. Just name the price.” Monty chuckled a little, considering the offer. “I thought sure I’d find a corpse of you.” Mal waited a beat, not wanting to encourage any sentimentalism. “Keep your money, Mal. You’re gonna need every cent to get this boat running again.” “Or to chase down those ‘dimwitted sprites’.” “Not much cause for that,” Monty commented. “I can tell you where they’re buried, if you’re really eager. My Papa once told me ain’t no horse that’s too dead to beat.” Mal said nothing, but Monty kept muttering quietly under his breath. He was sure a price would drop eventually. “Figure I still owe ya, after Bridget,” Monty murmured, before finally looking Mal square in the eye. “Two days. Don’t leave town, just watch the sky.” The vid went black and Mal stared at the screen, slack jawed. If the last few days had shown him nothing else, it was that he wasn’t as alone in the ‘verse as he once thought.

*~*

Part 7

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