"Have Gun, Will Travel" pt. 1.5

Mal looked back at River, the wind whipping his face as another bullet whizzed past his head. "What do you mean, landlock?!" Mal jinked the Mule to the left to avoid a pallet of crates with Blue Sun markings on them. His comm buzzed, he pulled it out. "This better be good, I'm a mite busy at the moment!" * * *

Simon stood at the gangway to Serenity, the comm to his ear. He was just out of sight. "Captain, I have a problem. There's men guarding the ship." Mal shouted "What do you mean there's men guarding the ship?!" so loud that Simon pulled the comm away from his ear. "Well, there are men... men with guns standing around the ship... and they've all got uniforms."

"Alliance?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"Bribe 'em."

"What?!"

"Bribe THEM!"

"With what?!"

"Are you carryin' a million squar in that sack, or a pile of laundry?!"

"Aside from the fact it came from Badger and it's probably counterfit to be laundered, yes."

"You never even met Badger, how could you know that?!"

"Nevermind, what do you want me to do?"

"Soft currency or hard currency?"

"What?"

"Bills or coin?"

"Bills..."

"Tell the guards it's laundry and that you're the cook. Tell 'em that you know where the captain keeps the petty cash and that if they lift the landlock you'll give them all of it. If they agree give 'em 250 thousand. NOW" There was an audible beep and Mal hung up. Simon stood up, dusted his designer black trousers off and sighed to himself. "Now I'm a petty thief AND a con-artist." He shook his head, picked up the sack with the money, and headed towards Serenity. * * *

Another bullet zoomed past Mal's head, the second Mule was back on their tail with the side-gunner now driving. He was firing one handed while the other Mule was still intact with two. "Jayne, what the hell is goin' on back there?!" Jayne ejected yet another spent clip from Vera and slammed a fresh one home. "The drivers' are good Mal!" River looked at Mal then back at the pursuing Mules. "Captain, slow down... let the one with the two miscreants pull along side, I'll use the gravity of this moon to come down on top of them." Mal, still angry, screamed back at her. "WHAT?!" Zoe shouted back at Mal. "Let one of 'em pull alongside." Mal grunted and slowed enough that the mule with the two thugs pulled alongside almost immediately. River closed her eyes, pulled out Jayne's bowie knife and jumped onto the other mule, driving the knife into the gunner's fore-head faster than he could aim at Mal's mule. The driver pulled out his own weapon and trained it on River, but Zoe's shot took him in the head between the eyes while Jayne continued to fire at the last Mule. River jumped back onto the Mule, it shook as she landed. "That was a mite unsettling...." Mal trailed off after seeing River's handiwork. A bullet hit the windshield in the front, and Mal lost his patience. "Gorrammit Jayne, isn't he dead yet!" Jayne looked at Mal and took a bullet in the shoulder. He screamed in pain, then there was a thud and he screamed no more. Mal glared at the road ahead of him, it was straight and relatively empty. "Everyone hold on." he said as loud as he could. Mal pulled the emergency brake, swiveled the mule so that it faced the pursuing vehicle and in one smooth motion he pulled out his weapon and aimed by instinct. The shot was beautiful, taking the driver in the left eye and popping out the back of his head, the body fell to the left and pulled the Mule into the side of a building. Mal spun the Mule around and floored the throttle again. "Everythin' lookin' clear back there, Zoe?"

"All clear, sir." said Zoe.

Mal breathed a sigh of relief for the moment and drove at a more leisurely pace back to Serenity, Jayne not saying a word.

When the crew arrived at Serenity there were no guards and Jayne was knocked out. "Mal looked at him. "What happened? Shock?" River smiled. "He was making to much noise, so I kicked him." Mal sighed. "Zoe, you wanna help me with this?" Mal and Zoe pulled Jayne out of the mule, Kaylee began pulling the mule into the cargo bay while Simon ran down the steps. "What happened?" he asked, looking at Jayne's shoulder where he'd taken the bullet. "Badger got uppity." Mal said, moving up the steps with Zoe and carrying Jayne. The kept moving into the infirmiry, placing Jayne on the table. "You'll be happy to know that they only took the two hundred and fifty thousand AND lifted the landlock... something about our licensing not being in order." Said Simon to Mal. "I assume you have more to do, so I won't keep you... but Zoe, I am going to need you to help me dig this out of Jayne's shoulder. It's in pretty deep." Mal ran out of the room and bounded up to the bridge where River already sat at the controls. "We need out now..." he hit the intercom control. "Kaylee, I need engine power now! I don't want some uninvited guests... those scary men that were back at the office."

Kaylee flew from one end of the engine to the other, checking and double checking it for any problems. "Captain, as long as you take our exit easier than our landing, I think we'll be okay."

"You think?"

"Well, Captain, it ain't like you're a pilot... just try to go easy on 'er... Serenity's not a new ship."

Mal sighed and flipped the three switches that powered on the engines, he then lifted off and pushed Serenity skyward. A call came in. "River you think you can handle this?" River gave him a look as if he'd just asked her put engine coolant in her mouth. "Okay," Mal said at the look, "nevermind." Mal took the call, seeing Badger's face on the screen.

"Oh, Badger. How are you? Did you get the presents I left?"

"Mal, I got a problem... you mind comin' back?"

"After you just sent me some of your goons with guns blazing? I think not."

"Mal, trust me... I had nothing to do with that."

"Badger, I trust you about as much as there's air in space."

"Look, some of my lieutenants thought I was going soft... they wanted that money back. They sent the men after you, they tried to kill me... lucky for me some of my men been takin' lessons from your crew on loyalty.'

"Can't say I blame your men for turnin' on you... You bein' slimey an' all."

"Listen Mal, I'm sorry for the way things have gone down between us. I want you to know you can trust me when it comes to money."

"Yeah, like that landlock you put on Serenity."

"What landlock?"

"Uh huh, that's what I thought. How much did that cost you?"

"Oh, THAT landlock. Just wanted tomake sure you weren't takin' advantage. Things checkin' out on you is a rareity. This time it's level, though."

"Shiny."

"Are you going to come back, or do I have to find meself someone else?"

"We're on a new job, Badger. We'll see you when we get desperate."

Mall cut off the call, sat back in the pilot's chair and let out a sigh. He heard the light footsteps he knew to belong to Inara.

"What's with the sigh."

"Long day."

"You don't seem hurt."

"Jayne is, but he seems to be getting that way a lot though..."

"Where are we headed?"

"St. Albans."

"Why would we go someplace so cold?"

"Tracey's folks are there, we can drop them some of the money from getting rid of the lassiter and hide out there before we move on. Tracey's dad, George, told me that there's a pilot on a layover there we might want to talk to... and St. Albans is only a few days out."

River interrupted their conversation. "That's not what she means by cold..." Mal looked at Inara. "Well the, what DO you mean by cold?"

Inara gvae River a dirty look, River stuck her tongue out back at her. Inara looked at Mal. "Can we talk... in private?" Mal looked out the forward viewport to see Serenity breaking through the atmosphere and the comforting light of the stars finding their way in. He looked back at Inara, finally feeling comfortable. "Okay," he said, "You lead the way."

Inara guided Mal to the dining room, it appeared to be empty. Mal closed his eyes, seeing Wash and Shepheard book talking during some journey while they were both still alive and well. He opened them, seeing that he was alone with Inara. "What can I do for you Inara?"

"Talk to me."

"About?"

"I think you know."

"If I knew, do you really think I would ask?"

"I don't know Mal, you've become something of a mystery to me."

"How's that?"

"I don't know... ever since Shepheard Book and Wash died, you've been... diferent. More charitable... you seem to care more about people than when I cam aboard Serenity."

"And?"

"And I think that just maybe, while you were making an effort to not pay attention to Shepheard Book, you listened to what he had to say. I think it made you a better man, but he had to die for you to realize it. I think Wash's death hurt you too, he's someone you'd come to aceept as family... just like Zoe. I really think that the only family you truly have... the only family you really want... well, I think they're all here on this boat."

"What are you gettin' at, Inara?"

"Mal, I'm here... now. I won't be forever, so you have to make a choice."

Mal snorted. "What choice?" Inara looked down at the table, then up at the walls... the walls were hand painted by Kaylee to be almost cheery. She looked into Mal's eyes and almost lost herself in them. "Mal, you can be married to this ship... or you can let yourself fall in love with someone. You won't get hurt." Mal scoffed. "Fall in love with who? Safron? She was a con artist... Nandy? She's six feet under.... You?" Inara looked hurt. "Anyone, Mal. This isn't healthy." Mal simply looked at her a moment, considering his words carefully.

"This ain't healthsome? Well, excuse me Dr. Inara. I got a whole lot ridin' on this boat and her crew, I gotta love them as much as anything in this 'verse. This is my home, they are my family. And what are you?"

"Mal, I don't want to fight with you."

"Well then why did you start one?"

"Mal, you're taking this the wrong way completely!"

"Care to explain... I ain't so bright sometimes. Maybe a couple to many shots to the head durin' the war."

"Mal, I've been in love with you since we met." Mal's mouth hung open for a moment while the weight of the words hit him...

"But... uh... wha-?"

"I've dreamed about you, I stayed on Serenity when it was dangerous... I stayed on Serenity when I was losing money... I've been a fool for staying here waiting for you. I'm tired of waiting. It's been two weeks since we finished fixing Serenity and I've been waiting for you. I don't want to wait any longer, I'm here to be with you. To stay with you. To love you." A single tear dripped down her cheek. "I'm not the one too stupid to see it, I just want to... I want to slap you so hard that you'll see this burden I've been carrying for so long. Since before the Heart of Gold." More tears began running down her cheeks, Mal walked over to her and slipped on arm around her waste, another arm snaked up her under her arm and up her back... his hand cupping the back of her head. He drew her to him and kissed her fiercely, drinking in the spicy taste of her lips... smelling the sweet smell of her hair. He released her and she nuzzled her nose into his shoulder, then rested her head upon it. Tears streamed down her face, as they stood there together... as one.

"That's enough to make a person vomit." Jayne said gruffly as he walked into the dining room. Immediately Mal and inara took three steps away from each other. "That was..." Mal started, "I was sad..." Inara began to explain. Jayne smirked at them. "I heard and saw the whole thing... Next time, Mal, just take her to your room and have your way with her. Ain't no reason for you to make everone else sick with your... loving crap..." Jayne walked out of the dining room and toward his bunk, mumbling in Chinese to himself. Inara looked at Mal. "Well, you'd think that at some point he had human emotion." Mal looked at the ground. "Yeah... We'll talk later." Inara looked at him. "Always later."

Please, stay tuned for "Have Gun, Will Travel" Pt.2