Disclaimer: No infringement of copy right was intended. Everything firefly comes from the mind of Josh Whedon

Rated: PG

Comment: Sorry it took so long for the next installment but i had some comuter problems:)

Title: Leaving - Part 2

Something was going on but Kaylee just couldn’t put her finger on it. Dinner was being prepared by Book and the Cap’n had been like this all day, she didn’t know if it was the lighting or a bad nights sleep, but the Cap’n seemed older some how. Just sat there drinking his tea, not saying a word to nobody. Looking around the room she saw that everyone else was secure in there routines, Jayne was sitting two chairs down from the Cap’n, in a world of his own, rubbing Vera with a diaper. Simon and River were playing another game of chess, they were short games and Simon always lost. But, the Cap’n, she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Your fingers are slippery, the Bird is trying to leave its cage with a broken wing”, River sometimes scared Kaylee. The comments she made weren’t always random or meaningless, some just had a higher meaning, “Check mate!” She announced.

“I don’t know why I bother any more”, He looked up at her and Simon’s smile moved her thoughts. He was so handsome and proper-like, with his white shirts and waist coats. He was so clean, she would love to see him covered in nothing but then motor oil….She stopped herself from thinking on it any further, she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

“Don’t want to have this conversation again Honey!” Zoe strode into the room like a general going to war, and Wash was right on her heals.

“Well pardon me for over thinking Lamy Toes, but this happens to be one of those giant uber-desitions and we shouldn’t be rushing into. I killed my goldfish!” This same conversation had been in play for weeks.

“Hell, I’ll impregnate her”, Jayne blurted, wedging himself into the conversation.

“Wasn’t Irana supposed to have been back by now, dinner is almost ready”, Book had skilfully changed the subject, allowing Wash and Simon to pick-up there jaws off the floor. And the preacher was right; it was vary unlike Inara to be late.

Mal was thinking the same thing, “Wash contact Inara see what’s going on.”

* * * *

Inara sat perfectly still, hands in her lap and back straight, while they ransacked her shuttle. Tarring fabric and pulling out drawers, she knew it was more about scaring her then actually looking for something. But she would not give them the satisfaction. If they were going to kill her, she was prepared to die with their skin under her fingernails. What she wasn’t prepared for, was to hear a familiar voice.

“Inara Serra, it’s been to long”, Inara could feel the bile rise in her throat as Markes Haymen walked on to her ship with two other important looking men by his side “Your looking good. What? You have no words of welcome for an old friend?” Inara was finding it hard to regulate her breathing; she knew why he had come. “Well, haven’t we had some beautiful weather lately?

“As much as I’m enjoying this little chat of ours, in the sake of saving time, why don’t you just tell me what you want? I know you didn’t go through all this trouble to seek my opinion on the weather”, He smiled like a lion about to kill it’s pray. Grabbing a chair he situated him self in front of her, face to face.

“I wanted to chat first, that’s the sick thing, catch up and stuff. I know a civilized conversation may be hard under these circumstances. What do you want to talk about?” Although he kept his swagger smile his eyes were full of fierce determination. Inara couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to. “I know why you’re here Markess. The only thing I can say to defend my actions is that it was war, I was too young, I caused a lot of people pain and if I could take it back…” It happened so fast, the hit knocked her right off the coach and she was on the floor, she could feel and taste the blood from her nose. He was still smiling when he kneeled to help her up, like she was a child that had fallen and scraped her nee. Her eyes were stinging with tears that she was trying to hold back.

“You can’t know why I’m here, I didn’t come for excuses or brain dead apologies” He placed her roughly back on the coach, “And I didn’t come here to kill you. However, if you try to manipulate me with your companion training again, I’ll cut your tongue out.” “The money is dirty Markess; it won’t bring any one back. You have to know that?” His face changed for only a second, she saw the sadness and loss of a young boy, before it was clouded over by something darker and his smile returned.

“You killed my brother, don’t you think I should be compensated? When I have that money, no one in this verse will be able to stop me from reaching my brothers objective” Inara couldn’t believe what she was hearing

“You know I won’t help you”

“I was hoping you would say that, because I really want you to suffer for everything you’ve done.” He stood and turned to address the two men he entered with; Inara had almost forgotten they were there. They were both tall and muscular; she recognized one of them from years ago. Thadius Rains was his named, he was Markess’s best friend but he had always scared her. “Enjoy the ride”, he patted them on the shoulder on his way out the door, “make sure she tells you everything she knows about Atari”

* * * *

Mal was worried; it had been over two hours. She was punctual, Inara wouldn’t be late without sending a communication and she wasn’t responding to any of there’s.

“Anything?” Mel asked Wash for the tenth time.

“Nothing. There’s nothing wrong with the com, no static, and the ship ain’t moving.” Mal was looking closely at the monitors over Wash’s shoulders, and he felt his chest tighten.

“Something’s wrong! Zoe, go prep the other shuttle, Jayne you too, we’re going out there”, He walked off the bridge and Kaylee fallowed.

“You don’t really think she’s in trouble do you?”

“I don’t know Mei Mei, but I would rather be proven wrong”, he wanted to be proven wrong he didn’t what to think about how right he could be. If anything happened to her Mal didn’t know what he’d do.

* * * *

They left the ship and walked, Jayne went on ahead to scout out the area, Mal was scolding himself with every step. He walked in to her shuttle looking for a fight. He was hurt that she was leaving and wanted her to be hurting too. He was such a dai limang!

“Sir, do we have some kind of game plan here?” Zoe had been walking beside him this whole time and could almost read his thoughts; she knew the way Mal felt about Inara, She’d known for a long while now.

“Once we here from Jayne we’ll come up from the south and around to that wooded area, should give us a visual advantage and plenty of cover.” He swung his riffle on to his shoulder and checked the round in his side arm.

“What if she’s not there, been taken off world or....”

“One thought at a time Zoe”, that’s all Mal could say to stop her from killing him.

* * * *

Thadius Rains had vary much enjoyed that. The whore didn’t scream as much as he would have liked but they got what they came for and that’s all that counts. He walked out of the shuttle and breathed the fresh air, wiping his hands with a towel.

“Well did you get it?” Markess never had the stomach for torture but he enjoyed the fruits of its labour.

“Yeah, she was hiding it under one of the floor panels of her shuttle. I have to tell you I’m impressed, she held out longer then most war hardened men, twice her age”, that was no lie Thadius hadn’t seen that much discipline in a long time, all for a piece of plastic. He handed the card to Markess and felt his sense of justice.

“We have much to do”

The gun fire took them both by surprise; three men were dead by the time they reached cover. They didn’t have time for this.

“Twitch and we’ll send you to hell!” Mal couldn’t see Inara, and there was no movement from the shuttle door.

“We got what we came for!” Markess shouted back, he nodded at Thadius, who could always read his thoughts, and they made there way back to there shuttle in a blazes of bullets. One caught Markess in the arm but it was only a flesh wound. Taking off they left there hired men behind to fend for them selves.

Mal couldn’t get to her shuttle fast enough and when he met what awaited him on the other end of that door, the air left his lungs.

“Inara? Inara!”

To be continued…………