Kaylee gasped, and River looked confused. “You ain’t gonna do it, are ya, ‘Nara?” Inara’s perfect posture was lost as her shoulders slumped. “I can’t really see any way out of it,” she said softly. “But then, I don’t know how I could possibly betray Mal in that way. Things between us are already fragile, at best.”

“But it’s not betrayal,” River said, wrinkling her nose. “Merely fulfillment of a legitimate business contract.”

“Cap’n won’t see it like that,” Kaylee explained. “He’s more committed to ya than you think, ‘Nara. It’ll prob’ly break his heart.”

“There’s heartbreaking going on and I haven’t been informed?” Wash asked, sticking his head into Inara’s shuttle. “I hate to interrupt, ladies, but the cortex terminal on the bridge just shorted and I’m trying to download some co-ords.”

“Feel free,” Inara said, gesturing toward her own terminal.

“So,” Wash said, sitting down and connecting to the cortex. “Mind my asking what you girls are talkin’ about?”

“’Nara got a wave from the Companions’ Guild Headquarters,” Kaylee informed him. “They approved her application. She’s officially retirin’!”

“Well, that’s good news,” Wash grinned. “I can think of a certain captain who will be thrilled to hear that. Where’s the heartbreak come in? Hundreds of clients mourning the loss of their favorite arm candy?”

Inara grimaced. “Melina - Melina Carassa, my guild liason - told me my pension is contingent on completion of a final assignment.”

“Some fancy-pants millionaire on Calliope,” Kaylee added. “Asked for her, special.”

“Ah,” Wash nodded. “How’d Mal take it?”

“I haven’t told him yet,” Inara replied. “I haven’t decided whether I’m going to do it or not. Is destroying whatever this is Mal and I have worth it just to receive my pension? On the one hand, it seems terribly shallow to risk something as important as this solely for the sake of money, but on the other, there’s a lot of good that could be done with my pension fund. Kaylee could have her new compression coil, for instance, and I could help out the families of the miners killed at Haven…”

“Follow your conscience,” Wash advised. “Thanks for letting me use your terminal. Ladies, enjoy the rest of your day.” He turned to go, but turned back. “Kaylee, when you get a minute, could help me rewire the main terminal?”

“Sure thing, Wash,” Kaylee said cheerfully. “I’ll be right along.”

“Take your time,” he smiled. “It’s not life or death. ‘Nara needs you more than I do right now.” He headed back up to the bridge, the coordinates scribbled on his palm in blue ink. He punched them up on the nav screen and looked surprised. “Calliope it is, then.”

~*~

“Cap’n,” Kaylee began.

Mal raised an eyebrow. “Kaylee?”

“You know I don’t like to ask favors, don’tcha?”

“Reckon I do,” he said reasonably. “Reckon you’re about to, though.”

Kaylee nodded. “It ain’t for me, not really. Y’know my cousin Michael died a few months back?”

Mal thought for a moment. “I do recall you mentionin’, yeah. Go on.”

“Well, his wife Kate and their little girl are in some pretty dire straits. They been livin’ with her brother, an’ he’s gettin’ married in the spring, an’ his fiancee wants Kate an’ Hannah outta the way. Jobs is scarce back home, an’ work ain’t easy to come by, ‘specially for a single mother.”

“Uh huh,” Mal nodded.

“Kate’s a real fair hand in the kitchen, an’ you been sayin’ as how you always wanted to hire a cook…”

“I see,” Mal said, his expression unreadable. “Your mama tell you to ask?”

“Yeah,” Kaylee admitted, “But I woulda asked anyhow. Kate an’ me grew up together. Mama said Kate’d be willin’ to work in exchange for room an’ board. She don’t need no wages so long as she an’ Hanna have a place to live and food in their bellies.”

“Which end of the ‘verse do we have to haul our tails to in order to pick up this Cousin Kate?” Mal sighed. He was supposed to be a mean old man, not the owner and operator of a home for little lost puppies.

“Aw, Cap’n, you’re the greatest!” Kaylee planted a kiss on his cheek. “Mama an’ Daddy ain’t got much, even after what I send home, but they said as they’d pay her fare to Calliope.”

“All right, li’l Kaylee,” Mal smiled. “But only since we need a cook an’ we’re gonna be on Calliope in a week anyhow. Why don’t you go ahead an’ make them up a room. No,” he said, changing his mind. “Give ‘em the two adjacent passenger dorms. Grown woman oughta have her privacy,” he grinned.

“Have I mentioned how much I love my Cap’n?” Kaylee squealed.

“Once or twice,” he said, still smiling. “Though I never do tire of hearin’ it.”

~*~

“’Nara, you ain’t told him yet,” Kaylee hissed in the hallway. “Know how I know? ‘Cause I just asked him ‘bout my cousin Kate an’ he didn’t even try to argue, just asked where we was gonna pick her up! You gotta tell him!”

“Kaylee, hush!” Inara whispered. “I’m going to tell him right now. I knew if I brought it up before he agreed to hire your cousin, she and her little girl would have to turn elsewhere for help, and that wouldn’t be fair to them.”

“Thank you,” Kaylee said gratefully. “I really hate to think of poor Kate and sweet li’l Hannah out on the streets. I ain’t met her, but you should see her picture. Cutest li’l thing, with a head fulla blonde ringlets…”

“You’re so very dear,” Inara said fondly, placing a hand on Kaylee‘s cheek. She studied Kaylee for a moment. “Have you done something different? With your hair, maybe, or… make-up?”

“Uh-uh,” Kaylee said, shaking her head. “Why d’you ask?”

“You just look… lovelier than normal. Radiant, even.” Inara smiled. “I guess marriage just suits you. It’s so nice to see you happy.”

Kaylee blushed. “Thanks, ‘Nara. Good luck.”

“I’ll need it,” Inara sighed.

“Afternoon, darlin’,” Mal drawled when he saw Inara. “You an’ Kaylee an’ River ready to hit the shops when we dock at Calliope?”

Inara blinked. “Calliope?”

“Got work there, don’t we?” he grinned. “Be nice to have a little coin in our pockets. Don’t reckon Duncan Philips’ll be too glad to see me, but that goes with the territory.”

“Duncan Philips?” Inara repeated.

“You stuck on repeat, woman?” Mal teased. He pulled her close and kissed her soundly. “Man could get used to havin’ license to do this whenever he wants.”

“Mm.” Inara replied intelligently. “I’ve just got to… talk. To River. And/or Wash.”

“You do that, darlin’,” Mal nodded. “I gotta make Jayne up a shoppin’ list. What do two-year-olds eat, anyway?”

~*~

“Honestly, Inara, mum’s the word. If you knew half the secrets I’ve been keeping for the other folks on this boat you wouldn’t think to question my integrity,” Wash said defensively. “I set course for Calliope because that’s where the co-ords Mal’s contact sent me led to.”

“Mal’s contact?” Inara asked suspiciously. “Since when does Mal have a contact on Calliope?”

“He doesn’t. Badger set him up a while back with a fella called Dusty. He operates out of Constance, which, if you remember grade one, is one of Calliope’s moons.”

“Thank you for the geography lesson,” she replied sarcastically. “So Mal really doesn’t know? I don’t understand… he mentioned my client by name.”

“Duncan Philips is your client?” Wash whistled. “He’ll be glad to see the back of us, if he ever figures out what we’re up to.”

“What are we up to?”

“Good old-fashioned breaking and entering,” Wash grinned, “with a side of grand larceny.”

“Grand larceny! You’re going to rob my client. My very rich and therefore powerful client?”

Wash nodded. “Seems our Mr. Philips has a very interesting collection. Like the dragon of Western myth, he hoards treasure. Gemstones, actually, from Earth-that-was. The one we’re after is the Star of the East.”

Inara shook her head. “That hasn’t been seen since the riots of 2143. It isn’t possible.”

“Oh, but it is,” Wash disagreed. “Dusty’s man on the inside has already verified its location and authenticity. The other stones that were in the same setting are gone, but it’s definitely the Star.”

“It was probably easier to sell the smaller emeralds,” Inara nodded. “This means two things: I have to tell Mal about my assignment, since he doesn’t know, after all.”

“And?”

“I’m going to be our man on the inside.”

~*~

“Mal,” Inara said, surprised. “I wasn’t expecting-”

“I know,” he grinned. “Thought I’d give ya a little gift.” From behind his back he drew a small package and taking a knee. “Ain’t much, but I been holdin’ onto it a while, hopin’ I’d get the chance to give it to ya someday.”

Inara opened the small box. He was right, it wasn’t much - but it was lovely, and it must have cost him dearly. “Isn’t this a little… sudden?” she asked, looking up at him through hooded eyes.

“Not really,” he shrugged, eyes dancing with excitement. “You an’ me been dancin’ around each other since the day we met. Figured it was a matter of time.”

“I have a final assignment,” she blurted out, watching his face fall. “Philips. He’s my client. If I don’t contract with him, the guild is going to liquidate my pension fund.”

“You earned that money with - pardon the expression - the sweat of your brow,” Mal said angrily. “They can’t do that.”

“They can,” she replied, shaking her head. “And they will.”

“We don’t need the money,” Mal whispered. She could see the pure hope in his eyes.

“There are people who do,” she replied softly, looking away and refusing to meet his gaze. “I have to do this.”

“No,” Mal said sadly. “You don’t. Ain’t nothin’ saintly about whorin’ to feed the poor.” He stood, turned, and stormed out of her shuttle, leaving her to stare through her tears at the simple diamond solitaire she held in her hands.