River sat up suddenly with a gasp. She looked around her purposefully and over the sleeping bodies; Kaylee cuddled up to Simon, Bane sandwiched between Karl and Jayne, then Zoe, and finally the person she needed – Mal. She got up and stepped over the bodies without making a sound. She knelt beside Mal and starred at him. She had been about to reach out and touch his shoulder when he came awake abruptly, making her jump. Mal started himself when he realised River was hovering over him. He rubbed an eye sleepily and looked at her expectantly. “Inara’s in the snow,” she said in a normal voice. It was all she needed to say to make Mal react. Now he understood why he had that funny feeling in his gut all night, he did not know how, but she was out there and she needed help. He unravelled himself from the furs and got up, pulling up his braces. Zoe opened her eyes, she always slept lightly. “What is it?” she asked. “River conjures Inara is one of those out in the snow,” explained Mal. Zoe did not question him or doubt River’s abilities, but she thought it was very remote that Inara would still be alive. It had been at least eight or nine hours since they had first been informed of the distress call. But she also knew Mal’s irrational and complicated feelings about the woman and was not about to stop him looking for her. “Serenity would be too big to navigate these mountains – better take the shuttles,” she suggested in a confident voice. Mal was relieved that Zoe was in his corner on this one, as he had expected her to object. The others were already starting to stir. Mal kindly shoved another couple of logs onto the fire for the Smiths and then turned around to speak to the crew, who were in various states of grogginess. “Seems there may be someone alive on that downed ship and we’re going looking for them. We’re taking both shuttles. Bane, you pilot shuttle two. Karl, you and Jayne go with her. Simon, you likely need to get the Med Bay prepped and Kaylee, you need to help us dock when we get back. There’s not much time, so lets go.” Mal waited for the usual objections and protests but they did not come. He was taken aback. “What, no complaints?” It was Karl who answered for them. “Took you long enough to decide,” he stated, shrugging on his coat. Mal made a noise something between a grumble and a mutter but did not pursue it, there was no time now. The two shuttles managed to lift off within fifteen minutes. Mal had instructed Bane and River to head out in opposite directions, but not to go further than fifty miles out of range of the settlement. He and Zoe went with River figuring that, as a reader, she might have a good chance of finding Inara first. Bane, although she had never flown the shuttle, got the hang of it pretty quick. She found out that Jayne could also fly the shuttle at a push, but preferred not to do it unless it was critical. Instead he and Karl had positioned themselves either side of her to look out of the windows and down below. She flew in low, taking the valleys first, before rising higher. The snow had stopped falling and the night was clear. “We’re like to get snow-blindness if we keep starin’ out there,” said Jayne. An hour and a half passed before Jayne repeated the same statement. They had a couple of close calls where they thought they saw something, but it had been a tree or an animal. Mal had been on the com every ten to fifteen minutes or so checking up on them. He must be driving River and Zoe crazy, Bane thought. “What’s that?” said Karl, pointing. Probably another bear, thought Jayne. Bane steered to where he was pointing and she slowed down. The three of them saw the metal wing of a ship at the same moment. It was the only thing visible, and she realised that Karl had only spotted it because it jutted out awkwardly into the dawning sky light. Karl reached for the com and Bane looked for somewhere to land safely. If it was the ship, then it had been one hell of a landing. It was only when they got closer to the position of the wing, that Bane saw that although it looked like it had crashed directly into the mountain, it had in fact landed on a narrow shelf. That had taken some piloting. She landed the shuttle on the same shelf and they all paused nervously to see if they had landed on rock rather than a load of snow. “Got your co-ordinates, shuttle two. We’re on our way,” answered River, having finally wrestled the com from Mal. “We’re going out to start digging,” stated Bane, and she detached the remote com unit and shoved it in her pocket. They donned their coats again and she handed Jayne the other spade. Now was not the time to complain about the cold, there was a job to be done and digging would keep her warm. While they tried to find a door or entrance, Karl scouted around and tried to find some tracks, in case the occupants and left the ship, attempting to put himself in the place of them. Where the ship had crashed it would not have been possible to go out from one of the sides or the rear, because they were sheer drops down the mountainside. There were only two possible routes open to them on foot. The path that they had now landed on, gradually going down to the valley and the other path, which went down as well, but as Karl walked further he saw that the gradient edged upwards. He stamped his feet and headed back as he heard the other shuttle arriving. As shuttle one landed Jayne gave a yell, he had found access through what was left of the cockpit. From that angle, Karl could see that the only direction they could have gone, if they had left the ship, was the higher trail, as they would not have been able to climb over the ship to access the lower one. Zoe and Mal joined them, also armed with spades. When Jayne dug his spade into a body they all stopped, realising that they were dealing with the dead. There was less snow at the back of the cockpit and Zoe could just see a door ajar at the rear. “Cap’n,” she urged and then, when she had his attention, she pointed. They carried on digging their way through the small gap and into the back of the cockpit. Because of the way the snow had fallen, they could now just see the back of two pilot chairs. Zoe held out her hand to Jayne to help him through and then Bane. Mal’s heart was racing as he pushed the door, the room was in darkness. He flipped on the torch he had taken out from his pocket, shining on a large room in complete disarray. Zoe’s torch came on as well and shone around, looking for bodies or signs of survival. They saw none until Mal’s lit on the table. “Cushions under the table. They had time to brace themselves.” “They’re not here now, Sir.” “Mal,” came Jayne’s voice from the cockpit. When they turned back there the others had uncovered the frozen bodies of the pilots. They had died on impact and it was not a pleasant sight. What Jayne had shouted for was that he had found the floor panel leading to another part of the ship. They had not gone down yet, but shone torches instead. Mal was getting agitated. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get down there.” Bane was first down the ladder and Jayne came down after her. At the bottom there was only one way to go and they started walking, Bane tripped over something and when she shone her torch it was a piece of clothing. They picked it up and carried on. The small room they came to had been ransacked, every small cupboard had been opened. Bane got out the com. “The survivors took all the clothing and rations, Captain.” Up in the cockpit Mal looked at Zoe and swore forcefully in Chinese. “Why didn’t they just stay here? Someone would have come,” he said earnestly. Zoe echoed his words in her own thoughts. At least they knew there was more than one of them now. “Get back up here you two, we need to get back to searching.” Mal clambered back out of the cockpit and climbed over to the where the shuttles were. This was the easiest way down the mountain so they could just fly along until they found them, if they were still alive. He came up behind River who was still at the controls. “She’s not there, is she?” said River quietly, upset that she could not help him. In her mind Inara had faded from view. It was not hard to do, Mal’s anguish was blocking all other thoughts she might be able to read. Mal put a comforting hand on her shoulder, comforting for both of them. “We’ll find her, River” he replied, “Get her started up.” Mal got on the com and explained that the survivors would have taken the path they were landed on, it was the most sensible. Karl came on the com as soon as he finished. “I scouted round outside, Mal. I think they would have taken the high trail.” “They would have taken the easier trail, the one leads down the mountain. We do all this talkin’ and we’re just wasting time. Do as I’m orderin’ you.” Karl looked around at Bane and Jayne who were dusting the snow off their coats and reluctantly spoke again. “Captain, you have to trust me, or go see for yourself. If they had climbed out of the cockpit, they would not have seen the other path.” Back in the other shuttle Zoe looked at Mal. He was torn between knowing which path the survivors should have taken, and Karl’s findings. The decision could mean further delay and Inara could be dead by the time he found her. He could not do it, but Zoe snatched the com out of his hand and spoke into it. “We’ll follow that upper trail and you shadow us. With that many sets of eyes we should not have any problems locating them.” River took off and over the other shuttle and Bane lifted off shortly afterwards. River flew low and close to the mountain, following the trail. After this much snow it might be difficult to spot them. She pushed away the thought that they were looking for bodies rather than live people. Bane flew further out from the mountain and slightly lower than shuttle one. Her full attention was taken up by watching her proximity to the rocks and the other shuttle, which she kept just ahead of her. There was silence between the three of them, as Karl and Jayne once again watched the whiteness for changes or objects. It was almost daylight now, so the light was much better, but it was getting harder to distinguish between ground and sky. Both shuttles were flying at a slower speed than before, making sure they did not miss anything. But for Mal the waiting was too much, he scanned the trail wildly, whereas Zoe was more methodical. He wanted to urge River to go faster, but knew it might mean they miss something. If Inara and any other survivors had been out all night, then the chances of finding them alive was getting more remote by the second. “Captain,” came Bane’s voice on the com. “Karl’s spotting something, we’re going down to look.” Mal did not reply, but River turned the wheel and followed Bane’s wake as she flew lower. The cliff dropped straight down at this point and Bane circled around where Karl’s sharp eyes had seen something. They all then saw the body, half covered by snow. Bane flipped the com again. “It’s a body. I’m landing.” There were a lot of trees at the base of the cliff, but she managed to land in a small clearing, only just big enough for one shuttle. River hovered the other shuttle within view, but not too low to blow snow everywhere. Mal’s grip on the com tightened but he said nothing. They watched as the three of them came out of the shuttle and ran through the trees towards it. The snow was deep and untouched, which made it difficult to walk. They came to the base of the cliff and Mal saw Bane on her knees, still wearing Jayne’s ridiculous orange hat. He held his breath as he saw her bring the com up to her mouth. “It’s a woman. It’s not Inara. She’s barely alive. Looks like she fell.” “Get her into the shuttle and turn up the heat. We’ll carry on looking,” he turned to his pilot. “She’s still out there, Albatross, let’s find her.” River did not need a second telling and Zoe and Mal grabbed a hold of something as she rolled the shuttle upwards and back to the trail. At least it proved that they had come this way. The body of the woman showed no signs of life other than a weak pulse. She was light enough to be carried easily by Jayne back to the shuttle. Bane ran ahead to get to the shuttle before him and to prepare for take-off. As soon as Karl closed the door they lifted off. “Pile the coats on the floor and undress her,” she called over her shoulder. Both Karl and Jayne looked at her. When she did not get an answer she quickly glanced around. “Wu de tyen ah! Do it, or she’ll die before we can get her back to Simon,” she shouted at them. Both men were less accustomed to Bane shouting, than they were undressing a strange women. Karl eased off the overcoat and Jayne pulled off her boots. Her foot was at a strange angle. “Think her leg’s broke,” he said. Bane got on the com again. “We gotta get this one back to Serenity, Captain. She’s like to die on us otherwise.” She waited a full half minute for an answer. “Do it,” came the reply, and Bane swerved the shuttle away from the mountain and headed back to the settlement. She glanced behind her again. The two of them had peeled away the sodden clothing and it was clear that the woman was a Companion or someone rich, at any rate, the material of her clothing underneath was too fine for the average person to afford. With the temperature in the shuttle rising, she pulled off her jumper and then her cotton long-sleeved shirt, leaving her piloting in her bra. “Get the rest of those clothes off and then put these on her. Ma-shong!” Jayne and Karl held their apprehensions, and personal thoughts, at bay and finished the task. There was a serious gash on the woman’s temple, as well as the leg which was fractured in several places and bits of bone protruded from the skin. Karl and Jayne had been in extreme situations before, but never these kind of freezing temperatures, more the other end of the weather spectrum. Bane, however, had been on enough newly terra-formed planets to know what was needed when someone was in this condition. She glanced around again. They had managed to put on the shirt and thick jumper. “Take off your tops an’ wrap yourselves around her an’ the coats to keep her warm until we get back to Serenity.” “Are you serious?” asked Karl. Bane swore profusely and wished she was not the only one who could fly and land the shuttle. “She needs body heat fast. For Buddha’s sake, do it both of you, or she dies.” Karl could see the serious concern on her face and the anxiety in her voice, she was not messing with them. Karl looked at Jayne and they lay down either side of the woman and wrapped their arms around her like a cocoon. They then avoided looking at each other. “There!” pointed Mal. Zoe squinted, but could see nothing until River flew in closer. River saw the dark shape where Mal was pointing and looked around for a place to land. The shape was positioned on the end of the trail before it dropped away to the valley below, and they all realised that if the person had continued a few more steps in the blizzard they would have fallen to their deaths. River could see nowhere to land safely. Zoe opened the storage panel and pulled out the rescue gear that was stored there. Mal had already pulled on his jacket and she lifted the harness over his head. The other end of the harness Zoe secured into a catch by the doorway. There was no discussion about who was going out to be lowered down to the snowy ledge, Mal opened the door and they were all treated to an icy blast of wind. River hovered the shuttle as near to the ground as she could, and Zoe lowered Mal out of the door. Mal shouted up to her before the distance between them was too far for her to hear him. “Faster! Let me go.” Zoe was not about to just drop the rope, or let it slide through her hands to burn, but she did hurry. She then felt it slacken as Mal reached the ledge and she then threw the rest of the rope out of the door, until all that was visible was the three foot or so attached to the catch in the doorway. River fought to keep the shuttle steady in the growing wind. Mal ran towards the shape he had seen and fell to his knees. It was Inara, her face had a blue tinge and most of the rest of her body was covered in snow. She had never looked more beautiful or serene. There was even a hint of a smile in her face. He bit back a sob and started to dig, lifting her up into his arms as soon as he could. He pulled the harness over her so she was sandwiched against him. Mal looked up for Zoe’s face in the doorway and levered his arm in a quick signal for her to pull them up. He could not bring himself to check for a pulse, but also could not tear himself away from the peaceful and happy expression on her face. As he saw the slack of the rope disappear he braced himself and tightened his arms around her. Then he touched his lips to kiss hers as the rope lifted them off the ground. River lifted the shuttle higher and slowly turned towards home. Zoe watched the motor for the rope to make sure it did not tangle. Mal rose up into view with his burden and she shut the motor off before reaching out to him. With his free arm, Mal caught her and she swung him in. “Shuttle one to shuttle two, we have Inara. On our way home,” said River, smiling broadly. She could sense Inara again. She was alive, but only just. Zoe pulled the door shut and locked it and River flew as fast as she could back to Serenity. “Turn up the temp, River,” ordered Zoe. She lifted the harness off Mal so he could lay Inara on the floor. Mal looked stunned into inactivity, but Zoe knew that time was their enemy. She undid the overcoat and speedily removed it and the other outer clothing. Mal was slow to respond, hypnotised by her face, but he soon snapped out of it, realising that they needed to be quick. Bane docked the shuttle successfully after the third attempt and as soon as it was bought into the belly of Serenity, Simon opened the door from the outside, blasted with a wave of hot air. Bane had informed him over the com what they had done to help the woman, and she had answered his brief but pertinent questions about her injuries. But it still shocked him speechless for a moment when he viewed the three intertwined bodies on the floor of the shuttle. As Simon knelt down to examine her, Karl and Jayne peeled themselves away and stood up, both feeling awkward. Simon spared a second to tell them that they had done the right thing and probably kept her alive. Back on shuttle one, Mal had enveloped Inara in his own bare-chested embrace and Zoe had covered them both with their coats. Even Zoe with all her injuries and dices with death, had felt more than a little squeamish at the sight of Inara’s unnaturally bent arm. She stood up and went to the com. Mal looked down at her unconscious form, at least she was starting to lose that blue tinge to her face. He adjusted his position slightly so there was not as much pressure on his arm between the floor and Inara’s weight. He heard Zoe telling Simon their ETA, then he heard Simon asking about Inara’s injuries. He looked down at her face again, if she survived he would unlikely have the opportunity to be so close to her again. Without makeup and affectation she was even more beautiful than normal and this was how he dreamed about her at night. His lips were on her head and he breathed in heavily, tightened his arms. He could feel her getting warmer, but she still did not stir. He would not allow himself to believe they had got to her too late. Mal carried Inara to the Med Bay and laid her on the main couch. Simon had been working feverishly before and now he had another patient, so his efforts needed to be doubled. He gave the quickest glance around at all the people invading his area, there were those that could help, and those who could not. “I have a lot of work to do. Zoe, I could use your help as well as Bane’s. The rest of you wait outside.” Mal took a stance. “Now, see here. You don’t order me what to do on my ship.” Bane could see Simon’s urgent need to work. She looked to Karl and Jayne for help and Karl touched Mal’s arm. “We can see what’s going on from out here, Cap’n. Let’s leave the doc to it.” Kaylee appeared in the doorway, watching her man do his thing. “Come on, Cap’n,” she beckoned. “You know ‘Nara’s in the best hands.” Mal said no more, but conceded to their urgings. Simon moved into action. Before Inara arrived he had started to set the other woman’s leg with Bane’s help, now he needed to set Inara’s arm. It was a bad break, the bone piercing muscle and blood vessels, but not the outer skin. “I wonder who the other woman is,” muttered Jayne to Karl in a quiet voice. “Oh, that’s Sheydra,” piped up Kaylee. “She’s Inara’s friend.” Mal turned to her, glad of Kaylee’s infectiously light company. “And how would you know that, mei mei? Don’t remember you takin’ no shore leave on Sihnon in the recent past.” Although it was clear Inara was not out of the woods yet, he was inclined to feel more relieved now she was in Simon’s capable hands. “Last capture I got from ‘Nara. She introduced her. She’s a Companion too.” Jayne looked over into the Med Bay. She did not look much like a Companion. In fact she looked like the kind of girls he grew up with. Karl watched Bane in the Med Bay, she still looked ridiculous in Jayne’s hat. But then, so did Jayne. He had seen yet another side to her today, she may be annoying sometimes, but she could certainly be counted on to come through when things were tight. May be what annoyed him was that she seemed to have so many talents, as did all the women on Serenity. Apart from Simon, he wondered if all the men were not just spare parts. No, he corrected himself, that was not true, Mal was the brains and their steering wheel. He could now admit that he was more than just a gun hand or ex-con. And Jayne, he glanced across at the man transfixed by the blonde, a self-confessed merc, with tendencies to heroism. They were all there as individuals with a use and purpose of their own. He wondered what Inara’s was and he was not referring to her occupation. Karl looked across at River, who had crept down silently and was sitting on the stairs looking into the Med Bay through the window. These were the moments when she loved her brother the most. Simon was a magician and out of nothing he was bringing back Inara’s life. It would take Mal’s presence to bring her back completely though. She looked across at the others. Kaylee was perfectly comfortable with the notion of sitting in the middle of three bare-chested men. River had to admit that as a newly fledged adult it made nice view from her point of angle as well. For a split second she wondered what Stan’s chest looked like, was it hairy like Jayne and Karl’s, or hairless like Mal’s. Bane came out of the Med Bay, it had been hard work setting bones, and pretty disgusting too. She reckoned she would never want to hear another bone cracking like that again, especially her own. Simon and Zoe were laying heated blankets over both patients. He then handed her a syringe. Bane really wanted to sit down and now that the modifications had been done in this area, there were less places to sit. She sat on the floor and propped herself against one of Karl’s legs, joining in the vigil with the rest of them. She and Karl were the strangers here, neither of them had known Inara well enough to be much affected if she did not pull through, but Bane was well aware that to Mal she was more than just ex-crew. If she died, things would change on Serenity and not necessarily for the good. As if he was reading her worried thoughts, she felt Karl’s hand rest on her shoulder ever so lightly, absently rubbing one of her tattooed scar ridges with his thumb. She found it very soothing after the last stressful couple of hours. Jayne leaned over and fished his hat off her head. Well, at least she was not cold now, she thought. * * * * * * * * Inara’s eyes fluttered open. She had no idea where she was, other than it was some kind of medical facility. She frowned when her memory was triggered. There was something familiar. She heard someone sigh and looked down at her feet towards the noise, he had his head in his hands. It was Mal. Inara had no strength to speak or do anything. She closed her eyes and let the tears of relief escape from underneath her eyelashes. She was safe. He had rescued her, the big damn hero. She slept. Mal got up from the chair and walked over to Inara sleeping on the centre couch. Simon had said that if they had been brought in even an hour later, then his Med Bay would now be a morgue for both women. He dared to hold Inara’s hand and he smiled when he realised it was warm to the touch. He hoped she would wake up soon and tell him he was insufferable and nothing but a pirate, or a scoundrel – he like that one the best. She still looked so pale, he did not want to leave but staying here would only prolong the agony of waiting for her to wake up. He lifted up the hand he held and kissed it in farewell. Jayne had been waiting for Mal to leave the Med Bay for two hours. He was exhausted, as he had been lifting weights and doing other things in the gym while he waited. When Mal finally climbed the stairs Jayne popped his head around the Med Bay door. He glanced behind him again before stepping in and walking up to where Sheydra lay, looking so beautiful. He reached out to touch her cheek and then stopped himself when he saw how dirty his hands where. He grabbed a stool to sit on and then held her hand. Inara woke up and looked for Mal again but he was not there. It was then she remembered Sheydra, her friend, who had fallen off the cliff. She wanted to speak to someone and tell them to go and look for her. She turned her head and saw Sheydra on the other couch. She was alive too and Inara thanked Buddha profusely. Was that Jayne holding her hand? She thought she must be hallucinating again, but realised she was not, the orange hat gave it away. She watched as his head drooped in weariness and then rested on the blanket and then she fell asleep again too. Jayne was still sound asleep with his head on the edge of the bed, when Simon came in to check on his patients. He said nothing to Jayne as he came awake and realised where he was and stood up. He waited for Simon to say something in comment but he did not, so he left. ~ * ~ “Simon tells me you’ll pull through,” Mal said quietly. He had waited for her eyes to open before coming into the Med Bay, knowing that she could still take his breath away. After his most recent examination Simon had tilted the couch so she was propped up a little. Mal brought round the stool so he was sitting between her and Sheydra. Inara smiled. “I still don’t know how you came to rescue us. When I asked Simon he kept saying the story was for your telling, not his.” Mal put his hand on the blanket, but his fingers rested about an inch away from her hand. Now she was awake he was once again unsure of himself. “I could ask how you came to be on St Albans too. We came to spend Christmas here with Tracey’s family.” Inara showed the recognition in her expression, she remembered the last time they had been on St Albans. “We were on our way to Delaware to be with Sheydra’s family.” Mal did the mental calculations, St Albans was roughly on the route between Sihnon and Delaware. “Any idea what bought you down?” he asked, and put his hand over hers, trying to be nonchalant. Inara did not pull her hand away. “None. After the first jolt we tried contacting the cockpit, but there was no answer. It then got a little rough.” “They got a brief distress call here,” explained Mal, “Pretty much all they got was the word ‘Reavers.’” Inara flinched and Mal clasped her hand tighter and carried on talking. “People here say that Reavers sometime patrol in orbit, but never break atmo on account they don’t like the cold.” “Do you really believe that?” Inara could not but Mal shrugged. “Evidence is clearly there. They could have come in, would’ve also discovered Serenity, but they ain’t appeared.” Sheydra stirred on the other couch, she had so far not woken up at all and Simon had said it was likely to be her head injury. Now that she had moved, it meant that she would hopefully wake up. Inara realized there would not be many more opportunities for them to be alone. She lifted up her hand and brought Mal’s hand to her lips. “Thank you, Mal,” she said softly kissing it. Mal’s belly did a flip flop and he tried to control his feelings but he was speechless – not even being able to think of a witty comeback. She lowered her hand again and Mal ran his fingers up her arm, finally catching her eye. “It’s good to see you again, Inara. Even if I almost had to watch you die.” Mal did not want to their moment to descend into one of their fights. Neither did Inara apparently, she was feeling sleepy again but desperately wanted to stay awake, to prolong the moment. Mal played a gentle battle with her fingers. “Mal, I –“ Mal could not hold back any longer, leaned forward and kissed her. Inara responded, bringing her hand up to cup the side of his face.