Disclaimers: Everything belongs to Joss, except for one character of my creation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Still wish you wasn’t goin’.” Kaylee watched Inara take down the lush appointments in her shuttle. She had been capturing the events with a moving camera, but was now just sitting on the bed, which was about the only thing still decorated in Inara’s personal style. River was stretched out next to her. She had been strolling around, touching and smelling everything in the room, taking it all in. Now she lay slumbering as the other two talked. “Are you going to just sit there, or are you going to help me pack like you promised?” Inara asked, feigning impatience. “The faster you get packed, the sooner you’ll be ready to go, and I don’t want you to go,” Kaylee whined. She looked at Inara with sad puppy eyes. “You really gotta go?” “Well,” Inara smiled, folding a gown and placing it into the crate she was filling, “I can’t go anywhere until we leave Haven, and, even then, I’m not sure what our timetable will be.” She closed the crate. “What happens next with the nurse?” Kaylee shrugged. “Dunno. Guess it depends on how she’s doin’. Can’t tell us where to take her if she ain’t awake.” “Do we even know where she’s from?” “Boros, I think. She’s got folks there. S’pose we could find ‘em if we really had to.” Inara shook her head, smiling slightly and looking a little sad at the same time. “I give Mal credit,” she said. “He takes care of people, even when it puts him in a spot. He’s been in some rough ones...I certainly don’t envy him right now.” You have no idea... Kaylee thought. “So...you really gotta go?” she asked Inara again. Inara nodded. “Why?” Kaylee persisted. A shadow passed over Inara’s features and she looked away. “Sometimes people just have to take care of themselves,” she replied. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go to Chapter 18.

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