The traditional obligatory offering to Boss Joss. Love the work, got bored, and decided to to run with it!

This is a story co-written with a very good friend of mine. Action, adventure, drama, sweet Kaylee/Simon stuff, and BIG DAMN hints of Mal/Inara.

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Mal didn't quite remember much after Jayne picked him up. He was out like a light for some reason in the distance it took to get him onto Serenity. Doc had worked on him patching him up. He could feel cold air blowing in his face and his body tensed and shivered some.

Inara had been sitting beside Mal, holding his hand, since Simon had finished removing the bullets from his chest. Hell, maybe even a little before that.

An eyelid peeked open and he found that he wasn't in a steel box dead or nothing. He was on his ship. His Serenity. He let out a relieved sigh at that openning both eyes now. He turned his head and found someone was still holding his hand.

"You kinda like me now don't you?" He asked Inara with an amused smirk. Looking down at his body some he found he was back in his pants and that was it.

She felt Mal stir from his sleep, and she readjusted on her chair, smirking down at the healing man. “Not really,” she teased with a dry expression. “I trust you had a good nap?” She smiled quiet, nodding at his question.

"Very good nap. I'm lovin whatever the doc gave me on the ship. Although all I remember is Jayne saying he'd drop me and then kinda nothing." He said lifting his free hand up to rub his forehead.

"Please tell me you put these one me. I'd hate to have had Jayne dress me." He said putting his free hand to lay on his chest. He had gauze that was drapped over what once was bullet holes. He really was not going to have an easy day.

“Don’t worry, gong zhu, I washed my hands before and after.” She hadn’t quite gotten around to actually letting go of the captain’s hand just yet. And Inara didn’t feel like it was particularly important to the subject at hand, so she simply continuing running her thumb up and down the edges of his knuckles. It had almost become habit in the last few hours.

"You better have washed your hands." He said letting his arm drop to his side. He glanced up and over at her finally. He was a little tired still, but better. Least he wasn't dead. Another good thing he didn't have Draedon to worry about. Kaylee was free and back with them. Simon and River were fine. Jayne was Jayne and Zoe would always miss Wash. Speaking of which he coulda sworn he had seen that guy up there.

“We’re in the air,” she said offhandedly. “Zoe said we’ll be halfway to Persephone this afternoon.”

"In the airs good. Long as nobody shoots at us or tries to kill us I'm good." He shut his eyes and licked his lips. "You wanna know something weird..." He said drifting off. Finally opening his eyes. "When I was sort of in the air and such I thought I saw Wash. Ugly shirt and all." He said nodding.

“Really?” Inara asked curiously, watching as Mal drifted in and out of consciousness. It endearing to watch; mostly so because she had been assured that Mal would make a full recovery. “Well, no matter what you’re belief in the afterlife, or lack thereof...I’m sure Wash is in a much better place.”

"It was good." He said nodding. The whole time he had been fading back there on that planet he kept wondering if he'd see the two of them. He kept wondering if he'd ever see Wash talking to his dinosaurs. He knew Zoe hadn't oved the toys out of her room. Some of them even still sat on the bridge. A little reminder to Mal what he lost. What he cost them for being the damned man he was today. Sometimes even if not for a minute he snuck a look at Book's bible. He kept it under his bed. He didn't want nobody finding out he had it.

Inara considered the concept quietly, her face almost serene. “What you were doing there, I’ll never know, but…” her voice trailed off as she shot the captain a quick sidelong glance. She stared down at their hands intertwined, and her smile soon faded.

“You wanted to know why I left…this is a big part it.” She scoffed lightly, pulling her hand away to just rest it atop Mal’s. Her voice hushed in awkwardness.

Mal's eyes followed down to her hand on his own. He gave her a smile and he didn't speak. Didn't blab his mouth or make a smart ass comment. "Well you see, that there’s also why I took that flying leap for you." He said with a nod.

“Mal…” She made a face that read that that hadn’t been what Inara meant, and he knew it, too. Knew that what had pushed her away from her fear for Mal’s life was worrying if the next bullet he took would be his last one.

He heard her tone. She caught him. He shook his head eyeing her. "I know. 'Nara I know what you meant the first time. Just didn't think I should be poking around on that subject." He stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

He gave her a hand a squeeze and breathed deeply. "Back in my bunk you wanted to know what Draedon to me and why I hated him so. Well if you look closely just about every old scar on my body is thanks to him."

“Well hey now; I like to think I have a couple of these with my name on it too,” she almost sounded insulted. She reached out with her hand, tracing a finger down one familiar and fairly recent scar. Received during Mal’s duel with Atherton Wing, when he fought to defend the honor that he insisted she didn’t have on most days.

“You’ve gotten quite a good number on account of me.” Inara smirked, distracted slightly as she traced the white scar along Mal’s chest.

As she managed to disagree with him over his scars he laughed. "Oh well yes that’s true. I see you've already found one of yours." He said nodding his head to one she was tracing.

“And hey, look at that; you got two new ones thanks to me, too.” She smiled, pulling away as she leaned against the bed. She was trying to lighten the mood, knowing all too well that dealing with the actual events, along with Mal’s near death experience, would lead to all sorts of discomfort.

He had a good number of scars on here because of her, but he wouldn't of had it any other way. If there was one thing Malcolm Reynolds wouldn't have admitted years ago it was whatever was going on inside of him. But back at Mr. Universes it just seemed so short almost the end. Hell Simon almost met his maker that day also. So had Mal. When he waltzed off that lift looking like he been to hell and back.

"Right again. Two new ones thanks to you. By the way..." He said lifting his head up some. "What part of stay on the ship don't you get?"

“I’d have to go with all of it,” Inara grinned sheepishly, “Honestly, if I listened to every order you gave me, you’d probably be dead.” Her hand wandered up from the scar on Mal’s bare chest, up to his hair, which she tussled playfully. She watched as he lay there, weak and helpless on the slab of bed. Mal had risked his life to save hers.

"Well in this case...." He trailed off some thinking on it. "Next time just listen. I don't think I can take two more bullet holes in my chest. I'm gonna start to resemble swiss cheese here pretty soon." Mal chuckled and he put his hand to his wound making a sour face.

“Simon said you should get your rest,” she whispered, “Not overexert yourself. And we both know how exerting our conversations can get.”

"Yeah correction you make them that way. I am a simple bystander who wishes no anxiety on anyone." Which was so far from the truth.

Smiling, Inara stood up from her stool, making her way over to the table that Simon had left for her. It included several medications and extra bandages. She picked up a syringe on the table, filled with a light blue liquid. She spun around.

“This will help you sleep…” she reassured Mal, slowly turning his arm upward to show the vein.

Mal grimaced. "No. No more needles. I think I can sleep fine on my own. I don't need no medical help to do that. In fact if you wanna be a big help to me and not Doctor Feel Good could you give me a hand and help me get to my bunk so I can sleep comfortably?"

Inara hesitated as Mal refused the sedative, and she obediently pulled it away. She didn’t blame Mal for wanting to deal with the pain cold-turkey. She wouldn’t admit it, but she actually admired the captain’s attempt to look strong, despite the fact that he was just being his typical proud self. It was his own way of keeping her from feeling guilty for getting him shot, playing it like his injuries didn’t feel nearly as bad as Inara knew they did

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Mal. You’re just getting over a major gunshot wound. You honestly think you can get down that ladder without breaking your neck?”

Mal was a proud man and no way were there gonna be anymore needles in him. Another thing he was was practical. He didn't need nothing to make him sleep. Mal could sleep fine on his own. He could handle this. He had handled it during war times an this was no different. It was simple.

"Well it’s not as hard as it looks getting down there with gunshot wounds. I ain't sleeping in this infirmary. Its cold for one and it smells funny." He said lifting his head up at her.

She raised her brow incredulously as she returned the needle to the table set. “At least take a pain killer. Please, Mal?”

"Pain killer?" He thought it over. "If you help me get into a bed that doesn't make me shiver I will tak as many pain killers as you want me to." He said nodding. He just wanted a normal bed with sheets and other things. It didn't appeal to the captain spending his time recovering in this place. For one it was downright depressing.

Inara stared at Mal for a while, considering. As much as she knew that he was just trying to get her to obey his whims, the Companion could sympathize with his wish to not be in the cold, sterile infirmary all night. With a grumble, she dropped the syringe back onto the tray.

“Deal,” she said quickly, grabbing he small tin containing pain killers and relaxants. She made her way over to the bed, lifting up Mal’s arm and draping it over her shoulder to give him some stability. “Come on,” she grunted, stumbling along with Mal in tow towards the crew quarters.

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Simon had left the sanctuary of the med bay to give Mal some privacy in sleeping. Plus he didn't know if Inara wanted a grand crowd watching her watch over Mal. So he took Kaylee to his own room and got to working on her ribs. It was internal so unless he cut her open only thing he could do was apply an ointment and wrap them. Which resulted in him wrapping something all the way around her stomach. Finally he pinned it into place and sat back with a nod.

"I think that'll do you. You just can't do anything strenuous and you'll be fine." Yeah and I just shot three men and I'm about as shaky as a little kid.

Kaylee sat up uncomfortably on Simon’s bed, trying her damndest to turn and adjust in the ways she needed to let Simon wrap her torso in gauze. But it wasn’t working all that well with all the pain she was feeling in that area. She bit back wince after wince, trying to b more of a ‘big girl’, but it was getting exceedingly harder as she went on. He was finally done, and she frowned slightly as his doctorly opinion.

“Nothin strenuous, huh? Well you just signed your own death sentence, Dr. Tam.” She smirked quietly, leaning forward to plant a long, soft kiss on Simon’s lips. She stayed there for a long time, but she could feel the uneasiness in the young man’s stance.

She pulled away, slowly lifting a hand to comb back his jet black hair with her fingers. “You need to talk, bao bei?”

Simon just wanted her to get better. He could hold off on everything else if it meant she'd get better faster. He was about to respond, but she was leaning in kissing him. She pulled back and he knew she could sense there was a problem. He finally leaned back in his bed, hands on his chest.

"It’s nothing, really. It’s just…I don't know. I've never actually done what I did today. I've never double crossed a homicidal commander who was holding one of the only people in my life that I care so much about. I've never killed a person. There were the Reavers, but even then they weren't men like Mal says. I actually shot three men. One because he had a gun trained on you." His gaze switched from his hands up to her face.

Kaylee remained sitting up, not quite sure how to lay down yet with these bandages hindering her movement. Her eyes softened as Simon revealed his insecurities about what he’d just done.

“Simon…” She placed a hand gently on his. “What you did was right brave of you. You only shot him to protect me. And you probably saved Inara’s life to boot, and certainly the Cap’n’s.” She offered Simon her signature Kaylee grin, turning in her seat to attempt to lay down beside him. “Why, you’re a bonafide hero!” She breathed out with a groaned wince, slowly lifting herself onto her back. With a heavy breath, she managed to get herself lying on her back on the mattress, but as she stared up at the ceiling, hand groping down his chest to find his hand, something occurred to Kaylee.

“Now… to figure a way to get up from here.”

Funny thing was Simon was a hero in this place. Back to the law he would have been a murderer. He had killed those men. He had always been the hands of life. A giver of something that he would never intentionally take away least he had thought that. Now he was killing people. Good reasons to, but still was rough. He watched silently as Kaylee managed to lay. When she winced and looked in pain he sat up some, but she managed and he lay back down. He held onto her hand gently. He was trying to figure this out. "I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life than the time I saw you on the com screen with that man."

Kaylee’s smile faded slowly at the reminder of her experience with Draedon and his goons. “Join the club,” she chuckled weakly, kissing Simon’s shoulder. Exhaling softly, she couldn’t stop her ragged breathing. Her smile disappeared rather quickly as she grasped onto his hand tighter.

“They…they said things to me…what they were going to do you…and River.” The thought dredged up the last few hours to be vividly clear in her mind. “The whole time I just kept reminding myself who it was that was looking for me; and I wasn’t as afraid.” She glanced up at him. “And you know why?” she reached up with a groan of discomfort. She finally reached his cheek, kissing him softly. “Because you’re a good man. And that’s why I love you.”

It was a comfort to Simon to have Kaylee here with him. She made everything ok again. She made him feel a bit better about everything. He had killed those men for this beautiful woman right here who didn't deserve to have any of that done to her. Just because she knew them. Because she was with Simon she was a target. He kissed her back and looked over at her a sad smile almost.

"Good man or not your not the least sorry you're with me. I mean apparently being with me means you get to be a prime target for crazy people who wanna bring me and River into the alliance and need something to blackmail us into going. You sure you can live with that?" He asked quietly.

“Being on this boat with you makes us all targets, Simon; Nothing changes that.” Simon was so hard pressed to keep people safe that he could sometimes forget to live. Everything about their lives was dangerous; the doctor was nothing special. “But I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she admitted softly. It was true. In her entire life, Kaylee had never met a man quite like Simon. And after all the trials they had been through, they’d finally found each other. There was no way she would give that up for the world. Her hand traced along the doctor’s chest, and she spooned close to his body.

“And you may be a wanted fugitive, but you’re my wanted fugitive.” She chuckled, leaning forward as best she could to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. “I love you.”

She made some points and he was helpless but to listen to her. She made sense and Simon accepted it finally. Sighing, he nodded. "You're right." No sense fighting it.

“Damn straight,” Kaylee chuckled.

He turned his head some tilting it back to get a better look into her face. "I love you too." He put his head down best he could and kissed the top of her head.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the sound of Simon’s soft profession of love. She never got tired of hearing that.

"Just next time you get captured I don't think Mal should put on a sundress. It was downright disturbing watching him waltz around giving us orders with his shawl."

“Well I’m not plannin’ on getting snatched by Feds again any time soon,” she laughed quietly as she lay beside Simon. “But yeah, I gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting to see the Cap’n popping out of that crate in River’s clothes. Quite a spectacle.”

"A spectacle indeed. You shoulda seen him marching around fussing at Jayne. Giving Zoe and I orders. You shoulda seen Jayne trying to teach me a fighting move. I think he almost crushed me to death at one point." It had been very strange learning from the overgrown merc.

“My man a fighter? I don’t know whether to object or ask for a demonstration.”

She ignored the pain, as sharp as it was, and lifted her hand, draping an arm across his neck. “Dr. Tam, I plan on keeping you in this room locked away for a very long time.” She smirked mischievously, sneaking a hand beneath the fabric of Simon’s shirt to rub his flat, muscular stomach. “Where no one can get to us,” Kaylee whispered into the young doctor’s ear.

A slow smile crept over his face at her next comment. He lifted his eyes to stare at the ceiling while thinking. "Locked away forever huh? I guess I can live with that. As long as there are no guns, knives of any such you can have me for as long as you want." He turned his head towards hers, slipping his hand under his shirt to hold hers. He let his head fall forward and pressed his lips against her mouth.

Kaylee tapped his nose teasingly, and then kissed the same spot. “Nothin’ but cushions,” she promised softly. Kaylee smiled beneath Simon’s kiss, her hands gently lifting to cup either side of his face. Things were going to be alright. It would take time for the scars to heal, but they were going to be there for each other. And that thought, above all, was enough to keep Kaylee grounded, and looking forward to nothing but her future with Simon.

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Yes. He won this one. Did he? He'd have to take the pain killers, but least he wasn't sleeping in some cold infirmary. He willingly went with her. No struggle. Who would? He couldn't help, but laugh at the sight they made. Her holding Mal up the best she could. Mal was just loving this really. Least he didn't have to truck around and do things for himself.

“Oh, you’re enjoying this far too much,” Inara grumbled, sensing Mal’s surprisingly lighthearted attitude about his injuries. The man was absolutely intolerable sometimes. He just lived to drive her out of her mind.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean I got you to carry me all the way to my bunk. Today you're my hero." He said smiling. An almost childish grin spread over Mal's lips and he stopped suddenly holding his gut. "Oh, ow, ow."

“Are you alright?” She stopped, looking over at Mal in worry. “Mal, what’s wrong?”

He looked at her with that grin. He wasn't hurting. He was just seeing what he could do to make her more annoyed. Really, it was his pastime to get under the companions skin. For one, she was always so reserved and proper, but Mal liked to make her flustered and such. Which is why he was always waltzing into her shuttle unannounced and unwanted.

A chuckle escaped from his lips which ended up causing some pain, but none that you would ever see the captain express. He was an internal man when he wanted to be. Sometimes her just didn't need people doing things for him.

She caught Mal’s shit eating grin, she nudged him purposely near his bandages, her eyes thinning into cold slits. “Hwoon dahn,” she spat at him, grudgingly readjusting her hold on his shoulder.

The nudge near his bandages made him groan. "Shuh muh," he said, rubbing the wound.

“Any more of your fuhn pi, and I’ll be leaving you in the hallway to sleep,” Inara threatened him in annoyance, staggering down the main dorm hallway.

Mal's eyes widened glaring her way. "That's just mean. You would never do that to me. For one I think Jayne would steal my pants because he's Jayne and he would take the shoes off a dead man." He said shrugging. He used Inara carefully not to put all his weight on her.

Inara smiled quietly, “Well, if you behave yourself, we’ll never have to find out, now will we?”

When they finally got to his bunk he looked down at it. Reaching out his foot he pushed his hatch open. "Alright. I think I got this. I certainly won't fall, but if I make any uncomfortable noises and you hear a thump I passed out." He untangled himself from her and stepped out.

As easily as Mal could he maneuvered himself and managed to get onto the ladder and go downwards. Couple grunts and his feet touched his bunks floor. "You can come down now and bring those uplifting pain meds." He said putting his hand to his gut and moving slowly towards his bed.

She was somewhat pleased to have Mal’s weight off of her shoulders, but she was still a tad paranoid about his safety as he began climbing down the ladder.

“Careful!” she insisted, gripping the two side poles of the steps. His voice beckoned her down with him, and Inara coughed quietly to herself, hiking up one side of her skirt into her hands as she slowly stepped down into the Captain’s cabin.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been in here, to tell the truth; many awkward, unpleasant memories were tied into this room. Mal kept it acetic and bare, which was his style in most situations. Quite a change of pace from Inara’s own lavish sanctuary.

“Sit down,” she ordered gently, opening the small tin case of pain killing medication. It was no good for him to be standing on his own right now. Might rip the numerous stitches holding his insides on the inside.

She had him sit and he snickered shaking his head. He backed up and took a seat on the edge of his bed as ordered. He was sensing she liked this boss Mal around time. But he was going to be bossing her around more once he was awake and fully alert. Hell he was the Captain, but she wasn't part of his crew.

As he sat there watching her it struck Mal. She had pleaded with him to stay in the delirium. She was talking about how she had stayed and she wanted him to now. A slow spread over his face and he bowed his head.

Her hand grazed through the collection of pills in her hand, pulling out two violet colored ones. “Ah, here we are.” She lifted the pulls to hold them at Mal’s eye level. “They’ll dull the pain some,” she explained. She knew that she’d left Mal with a half-assed response to his question, and she sighed.

He nodded slowly and looked up at her finally. "You know you didn't have to hold my hand the entire hand.”

Mal was actually being compliant, a sight that Inara herself never thought she would ever witness. “And miss the embarrassment and discomfort? Never,” she quipped with a grin, quickly taking a seat beside Mal with the medication.

“I mean I know you got lots of Companiony stuff to do. You coulda left me in the hands of the doc." He was just trying to find out why she had stuck by him the whole time. She’d held his head, she’d kissed his hand and had been willing to get close to his bloody face. She was willing to do a lot for him.

“Everyone around here has their own specially assigned job. Seems mine is watching over you so you don’t get yourself killed.” She let our a light chuckle, still holding the prescription.

Mal nodded with a smile as she finally joined him. "I see." Wasn't the answer he was hoping for. In fact that was a Malcolm Reynolds answer. Which scared him on his own. Was he turning into something else? Where was mean Malcolm? Where was the Mal that didn't take no crap. Right he just got shot and he was a little under the weather. She held out the pain meds and he took them. Popping them into his mouth he swallowed. That was a thing he'd never get used to. The way they felt too big sometimes, but always went down. Weird.

"I like the sound of that." He said as she responded they'd dull the pain. Finally she gave him an answer to his surprise. Mal's reaction was simple. He gave a sort of half assed grin and nodded. Turning he finally lay back on his bed. Hand on his stomach and the other under his head. "I'm not that reckless." He said turning his eyes on her.

At least he had gotten some brains and had taken the medication. Inara opened her mouth in shock at his words. “Not that reckless?” she repeated in shock. “Malcolm Reynolds, you are the most foolhardy and irresponsible person I have ever met,” she declared, her tone decidedly harsher than her expression, which had softened. She relaxed somewhat in her seat, leaning her back comfortably against the wall that pressed against Mal’s bed on the short side. She made eye contact, and she sat there in peaceful silence, studying the Captain’s face. She broke the connection as she slowly rose to her feet, tapping Mal’s leg teasingly.

“I’ll let you get some rest. Goodnight, Captain.” She offered Mal a thin, if not rushed smile. She needed to go.

Mal let out a laugh and shook his head. Shutting his eyes he licked his lips slowly listening to her. "Ok I have some flaws, but who doesn't." He said shrugging. He kept his eyes clothes because truth be told he was getting pretty sleepy. He could hear her sit back and it was like he felt her eyes on him even though they were closed. Finally the bed moved again and she was up. She was going to leave him? No. He rolled onto his side facing his back to her.

"Stay with me." Was all he uttered. He wanted her to stay with him. Worst part of being shot was sleeping alone without any one to make you feel a little bit better. And Inara did that. Truth be told Inara made him feel a lot of things he would never admit to most people.

She smirked silently, turning her back to Mal as she made her way to the ladder. She was several feet away when he’d mumbled that he wanted her to stay. Inara halted in her tracks at his words, unsure how to respond. Maybe she’d heard him wrong, she thought childishly. Spinning around, she stared at the man lying there, his back to her.

“Shuh-muh?” she murmured, her eyes narrowed in uncertainty. Inara took a step closer to the bed, but stopped there.

Mal was pretty incoherent at the moment, but before when he asked her to stay he had meant it. He wanted her to stay with him. He didn't want to sleep alone. It was depressing at a time like this. He shifted in the bed some and his back still to her.

"Stay." He uttered putting his hand under his head. His feet stayed stretched out on the bed and he didn't move again. There was room on the bed and Mal honest to god wanted her with him. So what if he woke up and she was there. That'd be fine by him. Least he didn't have to worry up to an empty space and his wounds.

Inara opened and closed her mouth several times, finding and immediately losing any sort of response. Stay with him? Overnight? The idea was absolutely preposterous. She couldn’t just…sleep with him. Oh yeah, Mal would have a field day with that implication. She’d never live it down. But she scolded herself for being such a child. Inara took several slow steps towards the bed, pausing to examine it, looking for a way for her to sit as comfortably as possible…and to check and make certain that it was sanitary.

After a few moments of silence, satisfied by her assessment, she gently sat on the mattress, scooting her legs up as well. Inara leaned against the wall, her hip beside Mal’s head, turned away from her. With a quiet, almost wistful smirk, she lifted her hand, slowly combing through the captain’s scruffy hair.

She stayed like that for the rest of the night, watching him sleep.

.................................. THE END! Please R&R! ..................................

Chinese Translation: gong zhu = princess Hwoon dahn = bastard Fuhn Pi = talking out of your ass Shuh muh (?) = I'm sorry (excuse me?)

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And keep tabs on the sequel of mine and DeanWinchester’s “History of the Crew” Series, titled “Matters of the Heart”.