To Quote Inara

Chapter 11

Mal Reynolds again found himself looking out of Serenity’s cargo hold and again he stared out at a peaceful, tranquil afternoon sky. The scene was reminiscent of what he’d been looking at several days before, only this time it was Mal’s mood that was cloudy and somber.

“ They should have been back by now!” His thoughts dreary and dark. “ It’s been plenty of time. We should have at least heard something.”

“Wash come down to the storage bay.” He voiced his instructions over the com.

When Serenity’s pilot appeared the captain gave him a mission to go out and hunt for the missing shuttle and her crew.

“ Take the “MULE” and ask about but don’t make it obvious what you’re looking for. Just pick up as much intel as you can by listening to the chatter out and about.” Good sound advice Wash knew.

After Wash was gone Mal tracked down his master mechanic.

“ Kaylee, don’t stray to far from the engine room. Might be we need to get away in a hurry….” He thought a second, “…….or just change locations.”

“ Yepper captain.” She answered.

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The day turned into late evening and still no word had come of Jayne, Alexandria or Alexander. Wash had contacted Mal and said he’d be back in about twenty minutes. Other than that he didn’t have a clue of what had happened.

Worry was starting to seep into the Captain’s emotions. Not so much for himself but for Jayne and Alexandria, who’d left more of an impression on him than he cared to admit.

Suddenly a sound at the ships loading ramp made him spin with weapon un-holstered. Mal quickly recognized Alexandria sliding up the incline…..a little dirty but not too much for wear or wonder.

Mal rushed to meet her and she fell into his arms.

“ Mal it’s horrible, horrible…….I don’t know what to do!”

“ What happened?” The captain questioned.

“ I don’t know!” She said looking down and letting out a couple of dry coughs.

Mal was quick to get her some water.

“ I was on the outside of the shuttle when I heard the sound of motors approaching. At first I thought it was the guys coming back from the prison but there was more than one vehicle. I hid in the rocks a little ways away. In a matter of minutes the area was covered with prison guards and officers. I stayed hidden and made an escape from there as soon as I could.” She took a swig of water.

“ Mal something has gone terribly wrong and I don’t know what happened.” She pulled herself closer to him and began crying masterfully.

Mal soothed her and patted her hair.

Wash soon returned and ferried the MULE back aboard the transport. He could see that Alex had returned and in a short time his questions were answered by her. As for the rest of shuttle 2’s crew there were no answers.

End chap11

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To Quote Inara

Chapter 12

There was an uneasy rest that night. All with the exception of Alex, slept with one eye open. Mal figured that the girl was exhausted after her long trek back to Serenity.

The next morning Wash headed out on the MULE again and Mal rented a horse from a local stable owner. They searched in opposite directions and at noon returned again without answers.

At this time Alexandria had begun to worry more too. She was sure that by now she should have heard something from Alexander but there had been no communication at all.

After a quick bite Wash told them that there was one more area that he wanted to check so again he ventured out on Serenity’s land rover.

Mal and Alex waited impatiently in the cargo bay.

Looking at the captain she strolled up to him.

“ Mal, even with all that is going on right now I still want you to know that I’ve appreciated every ounce of effort that you and your friends have put out for me and my brother.”

She moved in and gave him a sizable hug. With her arms going around his midsection and her hands coming up over his back to rest on his strong shoulders she looked deep into his eyes. Her lips parted as though the next moment their mouths would move together as one. Something in his head told him not to do it, but Mal wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to kiss the girl. He’d wanted to for a very long time now.

Just then there came a beeping sound from behind her. Alex spun from the captain arms and reached into her back pocket.

“ I’ve got to take this.” she said excitedly.

With her back to the captain she began to speak to whomever was on the communicator.

“ Alexander!! Where the hell are you? Yes!………Yes! Here with me now. Ok, see you soon.”

She turned back to Malcolm Reynolds.

“ Great news!! Well, some of it. Alex is on his way. He’ll be here soon. He’ll explain everything when he gets here. I’m afraid Jayne is still missing though. But as soon as my brother gets here and we get a plan stabilized I’m sure we’ll search and find him. Whatever the cost.”

Alexandria could hardly sit still. Things were going well. In two minutes time there came the sound of a shuttle landing and docking in the starboard port side. She ran to the stairs and up to the docking portal. There she excitedly waited for the door to open.

“Mal and his crew are about to get the surprise of their lives.” The thought played in her mind.

Just then the door opened.

“ JAYNE!!!!!”

“ Howdy Miss.”

There stood the big mountain of a man directly in the doorway. His manner was calm and easy. He shuffled past her.

“Wha….Wh…..???”

The expression on the sweet girls face was something to behold.

Jayne ushered himself down the stairs to meet up with Mal who’d remained on the cargo deck, arms folded waiting for Jayne’s intel.

“ What the heck is going on?” Alex almost shouted as she made her way halfway down the stairs.

“ Jayne where’s Bill? I mean Alex?”

From just outside she heard Wash driving up. Up the ramp he came and behind him sitting in a loading cart was William Leeds. Tied…… hand and foot.

Alexandria was shocked. She just stood there waiting for someone to explain the days events to her.

“ Come on down here Mrs. Leeds.” Mal was saying.

“ Time to tally up the gold and divvy out the share ……and see who’s gonna be left out if you get my meaning.” His stare was stern.

“ Yeah Shepherd Book bailed me out fairly quickly Mal.” Jayne’s intel to the captain was forward and direct.

“The preacher’s credentials are a might on the scary side……but don’t tell him I said so. Might make me pray with him for a month.” He finished.

“ Good thinking to have Book and Zoe come back early Mal.” Wash injected.

“Worked out well that one of Badger’s associates was headed in this direction and ported them off in Betsville. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I miss my wife.” Wash was eager to see Zoey.

“ She’ll be back soon enough.” Mal told his pilot. “She and Shepherd Book are settling up with Badger’s man. Kaylee’s gone now to bring them back with the hovercraft.

Alexandria finally came down and stood before Mal……with Jayne and Wash at her sides. She felt like a prisoner. Her lips in a pout.

She looked up at Serenity’s captain and her eyes began to puddle.

“ Save the tears mei mei. They just ain’t workin for you right now. The reason it was taking so long for your hubby over there to contact you was because we were all waiting for the ransom loot to arrive. Got here just about an hour ago. You see Billy was more than willing to tell us about the drop point after the preacher sprang Jayne out of prison and he got his big burly hands on your sweetheart. Now we’re just trying to figure out how to divide up the split?” He viewed her intensely.

“ Your story was just too good girl, plans too perfect for someone that ain’t used to doing it all the time. I think here soon enough though you’re gonna have plenty of time to practice how not to be so perfect.”

He looked over at William.

“ We ain’t gonna kill ya. Just leave ya here in the desert to philosophy on what went wrong. Make your own way back into town. I wouldn’t out-last my welcome though. Blinky and Stinky have gotten word somehow that they’ve been muddled……..and not by anyone of my crew though. Might be a good idea to move along before they find you.”

Mal walked over to the cart-wagon that was hitched to the MULE. He put his hands on a storage box there. Inside were a few thousand credits. Enough to keep Serenity flying for over a month, and enough to keep her crew happy.

“ We’re keeping half the ransom cache and sending all your uncle’s loot back to him.”

Malcolm told William Leeds.

“It’s still a pretty good haul and a fair price to pay for messing up Jayne’s birthday I think.” He smiled

Finally at that moment the two married crooks realized that they’d been totally tricked by a band of better brigands. That it wasn’t a matter of unsuspecting events that had happened. Not hardly…… Mal and his group of nomads had played them all along.

Malcolm Reynolds looked over at Alexandria.

“ Yeah, if there’s one thing I’ve leaned about sticking my neck out it’s to make sure that I have a backup plan…….”

The sound of a hovercraft returning came to everyone’s ears.

twenty minutes later William and Alexandria were left standing in the desert looking up. They watched as Serenity lifted off and disappeared into a beautiful blue Harvest afternoon.

Alexandria cursed the man that had made her look like a fool. It was a curse of someone that deep in her heart knew she cared for a disconnected soul.

“If things had been different?” She thought.

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A week later Serenity linked up with Inara’s shuttle. Mal made apologies for being behind schedule. Inara, Simon and River were all brought up to speed on the past events bestowed on the ship.

“So Mal you can’t get away from women that want to kill you I hear. I think that Simon needs to come up with a condition for that….“

She looked over at the doctor and grinned, then continued.

“ Yes, why don’t we just call it Saffron Syndrome. An affliction where you just bring out the best in a girl.” the crew all laughed at Inara’s pun.

Mal laughed a little too.

“ First of all no one was trying to kill me. Secondly, coming from you I think I’m doing well on the learning curve.” He paused a moment, “ and lastly……I’d like to end with a quote from my most favorite companion aboard my boat……“You don’t play a player”….. only in my case it’s more like, You don’t con a con-man!”

He Smiled.

The End