BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

GA1661

Trials and Redemptions: Chapter 9 - Milk Run
Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Things go smooth for once... sort of...


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1576    RATING: 0    SERIES: FIREFLY

Firefly, Serenity, and all related proprietary characters are the intellectual property of Joss Whedon and corporations with whom I have no affiliation. Said property does not belong to me, and the fictional story below is of my own creation. (I don’t own ‘em, just like to play with ‘em!)

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Inara was momentarily dumb-struck. “Excuse me? I could have sworn you just said River kissed you… not that there’s anything wrong with anyone kissing you as a general rule, but River… oh my, this will not end well.” Inara got up again and rushed back to the food, under the pretense of turning off the heating element to avoid burning the dinner, but in reality, Inara was just trying to stall until she could find the right words.

Jayne collapsed against the table, allowing his forehead to smack the wood with a loud thump. “See, this is what happens when yer nice to people. Gorram guarantee if anybody else finds out about this, I’ll be suckin’ vacuum in less than two days. Kaylee couldn’t possibly keep quiet, Zoë’d see it as ‘er duty to tell Mal, and if Mal or the doc find out, I’m a dead man.” Jayne clasped his hands over his head in exasperation.

Finally Inara regained her composure. Bringing a plate of food and a glass of water over to the table, she checked over her shoulder to find that River was still sound asleep on the couch before sitting down next to Jayne. “Well you need not worry, Jayne. I won’t say anything, as long as you’ll agree to be responsible about this and let me help both of you. And if somehow they do find out… well I’ll try to stop them from killing you… if I can help it, I won’t let them throw you out the airlock either. Although I suspect River might have quite the tantrum if anyone tries to hurt you.”

Jayne looked up to find Inara gazing intently on him, with a look of empathy in her eyes. Cautiously he nodded before beginning to eat. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes until Jayne took a break from eating. “How come ya didn’t assume it was my fault, or call me a lecherous hump or somethin’? Not that I ain’t grateful, but…”

Inara shook her head. “If I only know two things about this world, I’m pretty sure these are it… it is undeniable that teenage girls, no matter how brilliant or well-intentioned, will inevitably, from time to time, make foolish decisions without fully considering the consequences… and you, Jayne Cobb, despite your somewhat brash and crude exterior, are a champion and protector of women, not an abuser. She is just like your sister, Jayne… just like Jamie.” The mercenary tensed some, but he could see Inara was trying to make a point, so he nodded for her to continue. “River did something that could put you in danger, but she wasn’t thinking about that, she was acting on her emotions. If I am correct in my observations over the last two weeks, I think there is a strong possibility that she doesn’t just love you, Jayne, but has fallen in love, with you.”

Jayne’s face was decidedly panic-stricken. “How you can figure that’s any manner of shiny, ‘Nara, ‘cause from where I’m sittin’, no part of that’s any good… I put everythin’ on the line for Jamie, and what’d it get us? That whole gorram planet thinks she’s a whore, they gorram-near killed me, and I ain’t gotta family no more. This time, all I got’s what’s on this boat… and I don’t think it’s gonna be enough this time.”

Inara grabbed Jayne’s arm and squeezed hard in protest, forcing him to look at her. “But it will be, Jayne… it has to, because this time, if you don’t do the right thing, it will be worse than any lashing Jamie could have suffered. If you don’t take care of this the right way, you’ll finish what they started in the Academy. You know how River always talks about being broken. If you aren’t careful, you will break her for good this time. This is your chance to make things right, Jayne, for both River and Jamie.”

In an instant, Jayne’s face showed realization, then determination. “Dunno if I can ever make things right for Jamie, but I sure as hell ain’t gonna let myself be mentioned in the same breath as them creeps that messed with her head. Not ‘less someone’s talkin’ ‘bout how I killed every last one of ‘em… prefer’bly all slow an’ painful-like.”

“That’s the Jayne Cobb I’m friends with.” Inara smiled as she let go of his arm. “You go ahead and finish eating, while I heat up the rest for River. You can go get some rest, then I’ll wake her up and get her to eat, talk with her for a few minutes.” Jayne nodded and resumed his meal, now eating rather quickly, something with did not escape Inara’s notice as she began preparing River’s food. He wants to finish faster so she can eat sooner… he wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone, except perhaps me, but he’s worried about her… for her. He’s not scared of Mal or Simon, he’s scared he’ll hurt her. Inara glanced back over her shoulder from her position at the counter. “Don’t worry so much, Jayne. Having something to protect makes you stronger, because when you think you can’t possibly keep going, all it takes is a thought. A thought about what will happen if you don’t, and suddenly nothing else matters, you have to do what whatever it is you have to do. And you’ll do it, because you will find strength and conviction you never knew existed.”

Having finished River’s meal, Inara brought it to the table and set it at the seat next to Jayne’s. “For what it’s worth, I do not believe that the two of you as a couple would be a bad thing, in spite of what you or anyone else might think. And while I cannot make any decisions for you, I will help you if you let me, whatever you want to do. I just want you to remember one thing for me.” Jayne had finished eating and turned to face the companion. “Whether the two of you end up together or not, just being her friend seems to make all the difference to River. Just don’t stop being her friend, and that makes you good for her.”

Jayne turned away again, this time to look at the sleeping genius on the couch across the room. “I ain’t rightly sure what I gotta do… but if she thinks she likes me, an’ it ain’t gonna get me spaced… I oughta give ‘er a chance to find out fer herself. The ‘verse owes ‘er that much, at least… who’m I to say no?”

Inara smiled inwardly. “Go on then… get some sleep. Unless you’d rather be here when I wake River up in the next two minutes? I don’t want her food to get cold.” The mercenary brought his dishes to the counter and quickly cleaned up before making his way to the exit. He had just reached the door when Inara stopped him. “Come to my shuttle when you’d like to discuss this further. I think it would be best to avoid any accidental eavesdropping.” As Jayne disappeared into the hall and Inara heard his bunk-hatch quietly snap shut a moment later, she made her way over to the couch.

Knowing exactly how unpredictable River could be when someone else woke her, Inara carefully situated herself at the end of the couch near her head, and gently shook River’s shoulder. A second later, Inara regretted her choice. Next time I’m throwing a cup of water on her from at least twenty feet away… River had grabbed Inara’s wrist and was twisting it painfully. It would take only a little more pressure before the bone broke, and Inara was not enthused by that possibility. “Bǎo bèi, it’s only me, Inara… your friend? Wake up, River!”

Apparently hearing her name snapped River out of her drowsy, semi-aware state, and she immediately dropped Inara’s wrist, pushing herself to a sitting position, although still somewhat wrapped in the blanket. “Réncí de Fózǔ, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it!” River franticly looked around the room. “I was on the bridge… with hù wèi zhĕ… where is he? No, no, no, this cannot be happening! I scared him, and he ran away! Chuán zhăng is going to kill me!” River tried to get up, but was stopped by a hand on her face.

“Shh… bǎo bèi, everything’s fine. Jayne didn’t leave, he’s sleeping in his bunk. Now why don’t you come and sit with me at the table? I brought you food, from dinner earlier.” Inara stood up and peeled back the blanket a little, offering River her hand.

River nervously took hold and got to her feet. The two made their way over to the table, and Inara sat down across from River’s meal. River slowly took the seat she had been offered, and her voice was a whisper. “How much do you know?”

“Enough. Now eat… we can talk after, in my shuttle, but I want you to eat your dinner before it gets cold.” River opened her mouth to protest until she caught the stern glance on Inara’s face. “Relax, River. I won’t let anything bad happen. You and Jayne are both my friends, and I think each of you could use some guidance. So now that you know that, you’re going to enjoy your dinner.”

River finally complied, and fifteen minutes later, she was sent off to Inara’s shuttle to wait while the companion cleaned up the kitchen. Much to Inara’s surprise, when she arrived ten minutes later, she found River passed out on the bed. Well, that wasn’t really the plan, and yet somehow I feel relieved… Inara, you have to get it together! You promised Jayne you would make sure everything would be fine. Inara closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself. Carefully sliding off River’s boots and her dress, Inara tucked the exhausted teenager under the covers. A few minutes later, Inara was ready for bed as well, and after getting in on the other side of the bed, she was sleeping soundly, not even waking to notice that River had reflexively curled into her arms.

So when Mal arrived the next morning, typically entering Inara’s shuttle without knocking, he was more than a bit surprised to see a sleeping Inara holding an equally tired River. So much so that he accidentally kicked the statue Inara had near the door of her shuttle. “Son-of-a…” And then Mal was promptly hit across the face with a book that was launched by Inara from its place on her bedside table.

“Shh!” Inara’s harsh whisper and gesturing indicated that she didn’t want to disturb the sleeping teen; she had quite enough punishment from waking River the night before. “First, why can’t you knock? And second, why are you disturbing my sleep?”

Mal motioned towards the cargo bay and left, while Inara carefully extracted herself from River, before scowling as she threw on a robe to follow. Inara found the intruder sitting on the railing in front of the opposite shuttle, glaring at her. “What the gorram you thinkin’, ‘Nara? I mean, I know you took womenfolk for clients, but really now…”

For the second time in a two minute period, Mal felt sharp contact on his face, but this time the cause was Inara’s open palm. “How dare you, Malcolm Reynolds! To insinuate that I would take sexual advantage, requested or otherwise, of a teenager who is clearly incapable of giving consent… if not for the people on this ship that need both of us, River included, I would leave this ship immediately, or perhaps I should simply shoot you for such an insult! And never mind how inappropriate it would be for me to sleep with another person, after I am this close from finally getting away from the Guild and the profession you hate so much, that I changed myself… for you! Malcolm Reynolds, you are the most irritating and ignorant person I have ever met, and in spite of that, somehow I still love you!” Inara slapped Mal across the face a second time, before storming back to her shuttle and locking the door behind her.

Mal had not moved an inch during the entire episode, and for another minute, he was still frozen in place. Only when he noticed a slight buzzing sound in the air did he move to investigate. Much to his horror, he found the source of the buzzing a moment later: one of the com-links had been left on in the adjacent hallway, only a few feet from where Inara had been standing. Stepping up to it, Mal cringed at the prospect of who may have been listening on the other end. Only it was much worse than he originally thought. “Who’s on the other end of this com-link?” But no one needed to reply, as Mal quickly discovered that the ship-wide broadcast function on the bridge had also been left on, as evidenced by Mal’s voice now echoing throughout the ship. With a groan, Mal shut off the com-link, and made a mad dash for his bunk, hoping to avoid any curious crew members with questions, slamming his hatch shut just as he heard another open somewhere in the hall. Only when the captain collapsed on his bed did Inara’s final words really sink in. She gorram loves me! Well if that doesn’t beat all…

Jayne had been sitting on the bridge when all of this occurred, and was initially outraged by Mal’s initial comment. Until common sense took over, and he remembered exactly who was talking. Inara’s rant was a bit of a surprise, but not entirely unpleasant, and the revelation that she loved Mal could only be good news for Jayne. Maybe if ‘Nara’s bein’ all distractin’ and the two of ‘em finally get together like they shoulda been a year ago, Mal won’t go ballistic when he finds out ‘bout his daughter takin’ a likin’ to me. An’ once Kaylee works over the doc, he ain’t as like to put up a fuss… well maybe that’s wishful thinkin’, but it would be nice. Gorramit, I was bein’ all productive-like ‘til that disruption! Now what the gorram was I doin’?

Jayne looked down at the Coretex link again, squinting a little to decipher the small text. Jayne was ecstatic to have come to the bridge after an early breakfast to find it not only deserted, but with several requests for meetings waiting for him. After sifting through almost all of the requests, Jayne was slightly frustrated by the fact that none of the best prospects that River had helped him select had responded. Most of the replies were either from small-timers, who couldn’t afford to buy more than one scope, or contained counter-offers which effectively stated they would not pay anywhere near his asking price. Trying to complete more than two or three transactions of illicit weapons sales in a day or two would be a really good way to attract unwanted attention from local authorities, and Jayne couldn’t afford to waste time haggling with buyers who weren’t willing to budge on their low-ball offers. So when Jayne got to the last request, and saw who the message was from, it was like his birthday, Christmas, and Thanksgiving all rolled into one. This particular buyer was the best prospect that River had identified, and even better, his reply indicated that he would be willing to purchase six specific military grade scopes, and if Jayne could provide those exact six scopes, there would be a payment even in excess of Jayne’s initial pricings: a nice round one million units of platinum. Jayne’s eyes quickly raced to the end of the message where the list of scopes was found. One by one, Jayne mentally checked off each of the list, and Jayne gleefully yelled in excitement after determining that he did indeed have all six models. “YES! Jesus, Buddha, an’ anybody else helpin’ out on this one, y’all are shiny! Those gorram feds are good for somethin’!”

So exuberant was Jayne’s celebration that he accidentally hit the button for the com-link on the bridge, which of course was still broadcasting ship-wide. As a result, the entire ship was subjected to said celebrating, including the sleeping occupant of Inara’s shuttle. River bolted upright in bed, nearly hitting Inara with her arm as she did so, who had been sitting beside the teenager on the bed reading the book that had previously been thrown at Mal. River looked around for a moment before realizing both where she was and the other occupant of the bed. And that’s when River noticed she wasn’t wearing anything but her panties. Blushing crimson, River quickly pulled the covers up to her chest, and turned to Inara. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember getting undressed and falling asleep in your bed. It was highly inappropriate, and I won’t let it happen again. Do you know where my… umm… bra is? Or any of my other clothes?”

Inara barely suppressed a giggle. Wow, I knew she isn’t a morning person, but she’s really out of it when she wakes up. Well at least she didn’t make the same assumption Mal did… or hear that absolutely insane conversation. Seeing a curious expression on River’s face, Inara realized in horror that River caught some of what she had been thinking. “No need to fret, dear, you are always welcome here. Your dress is on the chair, your boots are under it. You weren’t wearing a bra yesterday.” Inara wanted to move away from that previous line of thought as quickly as possible, and it showed in her face.

The totality of what Inara had thought and said finally caught up with River, and if the teenager’s blush could become a darker shade of red, it would have. “I must apologize, I didn’t mean to listen to your thoughts, but you were being too loud.”

“You fell asleep on the bed before I came back. Do you remember anything from last night?”

River froze, midway through sliding back into her dress. While Inara had been talking, she had gotten out of bed and, carefully keeping her back to the companion, made her way to the chair and began getting dressed. Oh Réncí de Fózǔ, what did I do?! Not that I don’t like her, but what if I slept with her? She may as well be my mother! Feeling rather naked still, River finished getting into the dress, still facing away from Inara. And what will Jayne say? Jayne?! Oh no, Jayne! I remember telling him… telling him everything! He’ll hate me now! “You can’t tell anyone… he’ll kill me!”

Inara’s eyes widened in surprise. “Bǎo bèi, what are you talking about? Who do you think is going to kill you, and why would you think such a thing? And you still did not answer my question.”

Hù wèi zhĕ, chuán zhăng, gē ge, does it matter? Please tell me it was good for you… can’t remember anything, but at least if you enjoyed it, then it would be worth it… no idea what I did, had not previously slept with another female before, or anyone for that matter … please tell me it was good?”

Inara couldn’t help herself. She knew it would probably hurt River’s feelings a little, but she didn’t care, it was just too funny not to laugh. When River spun around with a horrified gasp, Inara tried to regain some semblance of control. “Don’t worry, bǎo bèi, you still haven’t slept with another female. Although I’m sure that if you were so inclined, you would be excellent.” Inara wheezed out the words in between gasps and fits of laughter, and by the time she finished, River’s facial expression had gone from relieved (that there was no need to worry) to indignant (that Inara found it funny) to mortified (that Inara would say such a thing, although not surprising considering her occupation… if anyone would know, Inara would). “Perhaps our discussion of yesterday’s events can be put on hold. I can tell you might like to wake up a bit more first, and I would like to see what made Jayne so excited that he felt the need to broadcast it to the whole ship. Would you care to join me?”

River nodded in agreement and slipped into her boots. “Hù wèi zhĕ is on the bridge.” River stared off into space for a moment as Inara finished getting ready to leave the shuttle, then a wide grin came over the teenager’s face. “Did not think it was possible, but it happened! Better surprise than mine even! Quickly now, have to go!” Inara had barely put on her shoes before River was practically dragging the poor woman to the bridge.

The pair arrived just as Simon and Kaylee exited her bunk, who were apparently equally curious as to Jayne’s outburst. Zoë stepped out of the kitchen as well, holding a mug of coffee, and the assembled group made their way cautiously onto the bridge. Jayne was so engrossed in carefully crafting a reply to his buyer that he hadn’t noticed the newcomers until Zoë tapped him on the shoulder. The mercenary spun quickly in his chair to find the source of the interruption. “Gorram, Zoë! Scared the gŏu shĭ outta me!”

Zoë raised an eyebrow in response before peering over the console. “Who you writing to, Jayne? If it’s someone important, you might want someone to look it over first, needs a bit of work.”

Jayne scowled before turning back to the console. “Wasn’t done yet… was gonna ask one of you more educated types when I was though, ‘cause it is important, seein’ as how this guy wants to give Inara a million gorram platinum for six of her fine choices in weaponry.” A smile formed on his face as he contemplated getting the whole deal done before the end of the day, if everything went according to plan. “An’ I figure if I’m quick ‘bout this, we can get those gorram blood-suckers ‘Nara thought were friends paid off ‘fore we gotta leave Persephone.”

Mal walked onto the bridge as Jayne was finishing that last thought, having heard the entire conversation as it echoed through the hall. “Can’t say as I ain’t pleased that we only gotta deal with one buyer ‘stead of three or more, but do ya realize that you got the com-link on, and it’s broadcastin’ to the whole gorram boat?”

Jayne sheepishly reached over and flicked the com-link off, then over his head to turn off the broadcast mode. “Better, Mal?”

“Much. Now if ya wanna meet with this buyer of yours, I suggest ya do it today, preferably sooner than later. Lord Harrow needs us to make a milk run to Whitefall, an’ before anyone throws a fit, it ain’t for Patience, wouldn’t have taken it if it was.” Mal paused for any other objections, but none came, so he continued. “So we’re gettin’ outta here as soon as he brings over our cargo, an’ he said he wanted to do that tonight after dinner, maybe early tomorrow morning latest.”

This, on the other hand, did draw protests, the loudest being from Jayne. “Aww, c’mon Mal! I promised I’d take xiăo hè into town, get some stuff she needs. We just got here, an’ even if we get this done soon as the guy shows up with the money, we ain’t gonna barely have time for nothin’ else! That’s even assumin’ the guy ain’t gonna yank us around or nothin’… and I sure as hell ain’t gettin’ off this rock without the gorram money for ‘Nara.” Kaylee, River, and Inara nodded in agreement, while Zoë just looked on with amusement, and Simon couldn’t decide whether it would be worse to irritate Mal or risk River’s wrath for not taking her side. Neither option was particularly appealing, especially now that his sister apparently had her own personal bodyguard.

Fortunately Mal caved a little and saved Simon from having to make such a decision. “Well then, I reckon you best be hurryin’ along with whatever it is y’all need to do. I ain’t promisin’ nothin’ just yet, but maybehaps we don’t need to leave tonight. Zoë, need to see you later, we gotta meet some friend of Lord Harrow’s this afternoon, somethin’ to do with the milk run.” And before anyone could change the subject to his earlier altercation with Inara, which he had no wish to discuss, Mal breezed out of the bridge just as quickly as he had entered.

Zoë blinked in confusion before regaining her senses, and promptly departed for her bunk. She still had some packing to do if she was going to be ready to move out and allow Simon and Kaylee to move in. Simon gazed warily at Inara for a moment, and getting a glare in response, decided a hasty retreat was in order. “Come with me, Kaylee, let’s get something to eat.”

Once they departed, only River, Jayne, and Inara were left on the bridge, and the teenager promptly shut the door before depositing herself in Jayne’s lap. The mercenary was still in the pilot’s chair, and River wanted to read what he had finished so far, and as far as she was concerned, sitting with Jayne was a welcome bonus. Being in close proximity to Jayne seemed to have an unusual effect on her, calming but different from the soothing presence of Inara or Kaylee. Further investigation was definitely needed, but first she had a job to do, and the teenager studied Jayne’s draft of a response. “Clear and direct. For typical clients, would be excellent.” River then proceeded to delete the entire response, and began typing one of her own.

Jayne nearly threw her off his lap in frustration. “Gorramit, xiăo hè, I spent almost a half hour on that! An’ I was feelin’ all proud, on account of ya sayin’ it would be excellent! Why’d ya get rid of it?” The only thing that kept Jayne in control was the knowledge that River rarely did anything without a good reason… or at least what she thought was a good reason.

“It was good work, hù wèi zhĕ. You even managed not to sound like someone from the Rim, which was a good choice, but it still would not have suited our purposes. Piào liang fū ren would not write the same way you do. Remember that she is the one who has the scopes, and she is brokering her own deal. If the buyer received the response you were drafting, they would have been suspicious. An educated individual such as a Companion would never allow someone else to write a response in her stead.” River finished what she was writing a moment later. “Here, read this… what’s different about this from what you wrote?”

Jayne studied what she had written as Inara looked on. “That was what I was tryin’ to do, but I guess bein’ from the Rim, I ain’t smart ‘nough, or somethin’.” When Jayne looked back up at River, it was evident that the mercenary was extremely disappointed that River was so easily dismissed his efforts, even if she was right.

Inara frowned. This was not productive, and creating a rift between the two, after they had finally been growing closer, was not going to be tolerated. “Stop that, Jayne. You are most certainly not stupid, and I am sure River did not mean to insult you. Just because you lack the formal education that some other people have, or because you were not raised in the Core, that does not mean that you are incapable of being helpful. For a first effort, that was an admirable attempt, and I am sure that if you were interested in learning some of the things that River or I were taught, you could do so. There is no shame in admitting that you wish to better yourself.” Inara read over River’s response again. “River, you need to work on your colloquial expressions. Otherwise, this is merely passable work. This will do for today, but I expect you to study this before we reach Whitefall, and you will explain to me why this would not fool a more experienced individual.” Inara made two alterations and sent the reply on its way before leaving the bridge, shutting the door behind her again.

River got up from Jayne’s lap and made her way to the co-pilot’s chair. “I did not intend to hurt your feelings. However, piào liang fū ren has sufficiently demonstrated how you felt after I criticized your work. I am sorry.” River spun the chair away from Jayne, drawing her knees to her chest as she faced the wall.

Jayne wasn’t sure of what he wanted to do. On the one hand, it did feel good to know that he wasn’t the only one who wasn’t perfect, and that although River was a genius, she wasn’t either. But at the same time, he wanted to rip Inara’s arm off and beat her with it, for making River feel bad. Something about seeing the teenager sad ate at the mercenary, and he did not like the feeling at all. He wanted to go do what he always did to relieve stress: go down to the cargo bay and lift weights or exercise until he was too tired to do anything but sleep. Yet he also wanted to go across the deck to where River was sitting and try to make her feel better.

The indecision left Jayne paralyzed in his seat for a good five minutes before he decided to compromise. Opening the door again, Jayne walked back to the co-pilot’s chair and picked River up. Swinging the surprised girl over his shoulder, Jayne ignored her verbal protests, as well as those of Simon and Kaylee as he marched through the kitchen and down to the cargo bay. Adjusting the weights on the bar with his free hand, Jayne slung River down onto the bench before pushing it backwards into position. “We got three hours ‘til we gotta escort ‘Nara on the drop. First half of that, you an’ me are gonna lift, then we’re gonna go get ready. Now, yer gonna give me two sets of ten before I let ya up.”

Ninety minutes later, both were quite worked up. Jayne had intentionally kept the weight low, just enough to provide some resistance, and it woke both of them up, so to speak. Each headed to their respective rooms to clean up and change, and thirty minutes later, Jayne and River met up in the kitchen. Inara was already there, eating a bowl of soup. She gestured to the stove top, where there was a large pot containing more soup. “Help yourselves, I just finished making this a moment ago. What time is this meeting?”

Jayne looked at River, who nodded for him to proceed. She was going to defer to Jayne’s experience, as the only job River had ever worked on had been interrupted by a Reaver attack. Jayne smiled at the teenager before grabbing a bowl, getting some soup of his own, and sitting down across from Inara. “Drop is goin’ down at two, local time, and it’s just past one now. Mind if I explain a bit of how I think we oughta go ‘bout this? Not that y’all ain’t bright, but ya ain’t criminal masterminds, an’ I’m thinkin’ we don’t wanna be caught with our pants down if somethin’s fishy.”

“Not at all, Jayne. I was actually hoping you would have some ideas. I’ve never dealt with arms dealers before, I do not wish to make any mistakes that get us all shot.” Inara grimaced, as she realized that last part was a very real possibility.

“Well, seein’ as Mal’s too gorram busy meetin’ with some friend of Harrow’s and he had to take Zoë with him, I figure this one’s all on me. Sure as gŏu shĭ ain’t takin’ Kaylee with us, and the doc might be okay with a gun, but he’s twitchy.” Jayne caught River’s confused glance from where she was standing by the stove, getting some soup. “Guys like this hate twitchy, so he’s out. That just leaves us three. Figure we take your shuttle, park it on somebody’s roof nearby, approach on foot. You walk a bit ahead of the two of us, all fancified and such. Introduce yerself as Ms. Serra, tell ‘em ya got a package fer a Mr. Browning.”

Now it was Inara’s turn to be confused. “I thought our client’s name was Walters?”

Jayne shook his head. “It is, but it’s rude to say a buyer’s name out loud, never know who’s listenin’. Any legit buyer’s gonna know that Browning was one of the first gun-makers back on Earth-that-was. Lets them know you have the scopes, but that you ain’t some newcomer or a shill. Ya think Mal’s paranoid ‘bout how he does business, arms dealers make him look like a kid sellin’ lemonade. All manner of serious, but as long as ya keep the chatter to a minimum, they won’t have nothin’ to complain about.” Jayne pushed his bowl away, having finished his soup. “They ask why me and xiăo hè are there, you say we’re yer bodyguards, but I think they’ll probably get that when they see her carryin’ the case with the product. They ask to see the product, you tell ‘em you wanna see the money first. They make a fuss, you gotta stay firm tell ‘em ya don’t think they’re serious and yer gonna be on yer way. Once ya make sure all the money’s there, have ‘em set it on the ground. Xiăo hè hands ya the case, and ya open it so it faces them, but just enough they can see inside. They give the all-clear, you shut it and after they step back, put it down next to the money. Pick up the money, say thanks for doin’ business, and that’s it.”

Inara looked over at River, who nodded in agreement. “What if I mess up? What if they attack us?”

Jayne scoffed. “A gorram Registered Companion? Are you insane? Even criminals know that messin’ with yer friends in that Guild gets ya a death sentence. An’ that’s if yer lucky enough to get caught by Feds… you don’t wanna know what the Guild does to lowlifes who couldn’t afford to be purchasin’ services, even with a full year’s earnin’s, if they’re stupid enough to hurt a Companion. Wouldn’t matter what ya were doin’ there, they’d find a way to make it all go away.” A wicked gleam entered Jayne’s eyes. “Besides, you got two of the best bodyguards in this whole gŏu shĭ ‘verse. Things go pear-shaped, you just hit the ground and find some cover.”

Luckily for all involved, no such thing occurred. In fact, Jayne was a little nervous at how smooth everything went down. But two hours later, Inara was walking into a bank closely escorted by Jayne and River, the latter carrying a large briefcase with the promised payment. The only hitch in the entire plan was a nervous teller balking at the amount of currency he was being asked to deal with. But when he called over his manager, the woman recognized Inara, having purchased her services a few years earlier, and assured the teller that he should do as Inara asked. After all, “it would not do to upset a Registered Companion with the backing of the Guild.” The teller flushed red, and a few moments later, Inara had sent the Guild its money and she still had nearly eighty thousand credits left over. Jayne insisted that she leave the legitimate currency in her accounts, despite Inara’s objections that she could not accept the money. Jayne looked up at the chronometer on the wall; it was nearly three local time, and Mal would not be back from his meeting until after five. “We can argue ‘bout this all night if ya really want, but ya mind if we let River go ‘bout town a bit? Promised I’d take ‘er while we was still dirt-side, and I figure we ain’t gonna get another shot for a bit if Mal’s fixin’ to leave when we get back.”

River smiled brightly, and Inara could not help but agree. It was only when the trio has gotten halfway to the general store, where River was planning on purchasing a number of supplies that the teenager stopped in the middle of the street and groaned in frustration. Jayne had been walking a little back from Inara and River to avoid drawing attention, but he caught up to them quickly, rather alarmed by the sudden outburst. “What is it?”

River couldn’t look up at Jayne or Inara. “Was not anticipating we would have time for this. Forgot that I need funds in order to purchase goods, or place an order for future purchases, and I did not bring any with me. Not that I have any to bring, always had gē ge with me, never had my own money before. He would never let me buy my own things, so there was no need to give me money.” River sighed, having successfully avoided crying and making a bigger scene. “Can’t go back to the ship now anyway, or we will not have time to return. But without funds, I cannot make purchases, so continuing this venture will be fruitless.”

This new information irritated Jayne. Not only had River become so dependent upon Simon to see to her basic needs that she was not even given her own money, but now his carefully contrived plan to allow River to have some fun for a few hours without her brother’s constant nagging had been obliterated. Even if he gave River money to do her shopping, her good mood was ruined. “When we get back, I’m thinkin’ someone needs to be havin’ words with the doc. ‘Nara, ya got ‘til then to convince me you should be the one doin’ it ‘stead of me. Ain’t right, a near grown woman bein’ dependent like that.”

Inara silently agreed with Jayne’s assessment of the situation, but she wasn’t ready to give up on River’s fun afternoon just yet. “Well then, it looks like I have about two and a half hours to take care of that. Bǎo bèi, where would you like to go first?”

River snapped her head around towards Inara. “I thought we were going back to the ship. I have no means to purchase any of the materials I am interested in obtaining.”

Inara slipped her arm over River’s shoulders, coaxing her to continue walking down the street. “Do not worry about that. Jayne and I will take care of it. There are things you need before we leave, and it is my understanding that you may also wish to get some other things.”

River looked up at the slightly taller Inara, then back over her shoulder at Jayne, who had taken up a position trailing the ladies by a few feet. “I do not wish to take advantage of the generosity of either of you, so I cannot accept your money. Perhaps I can offer labor or services in exchange for said funds?”

Jayne shook his head. “Nope. You ain’t gonna do nothin’ but tell us what it is you want. We’re gonna buy it for ya. Then when we get back to the ship, we’ll see about you gettin’ yer own money, so ya ain’t gotta ask yer brother every time ya want somethin’. Dŏng ma?” River opened her mouth to protest, but Jayne gently pushed it shut. “No arguin’. Now c’mon, we only got a couple hours, an’ we ain’t getting’ another shot at this for a while.”

Two hours and twenty minutes later, Jayne landed the shuttle in back of the group’s last stop, where Inara and River were waiting outside the store with their new purchases. Quickly loading up, Jayne had them in the air again in five, and five minutes later, Inara had carefully docked the shuttle to Serenity, where they were greeted by an irate Mal. “What the gorram is wrong with you, Jayne? There’s a reason we have portable coms, you can’t be bothered to take one?” Mal finally noticed the shuttle floor which had been packed with shopping bags. “I assume the Guild got paid, but was it really necessary to go on a shopping spree?”

“I did take a gorram portable com, but it’s the biggest piece of gŏu shĭ I ever seen. Stupid thing stopped workin’ after an hour. An’ this stuff ain’t for me… me and ‘Nara bought it for River, on account of she needed stuff, and for some reason, she ain’t got any money that’s hers.” Jayne was trying to remain calm, getting in a fight with Mal was the last thing he needed. “We ain’t late anyhow… dinner ain’t for another half hour, and ya said the cargo ain’t comin’ ‘til after.”

“Well if you had a working portable com, you’d know that Harrow and his friend had the cargo with ‘em at the meet, and we gotta leave pronto. Drop’s gotta be made in two days, an’ we don’t get paid if we’re late. Whitefall’s a good forty-six hours out, and we already spent two waitin’ for you to get back here.” Mal sighed in exasperation. “We gotta be there two hours early, ‘cause it’s s’pposed to be a milk run, but I ain’t countin’ on Patience not knowing what’s goin’ down. Yer goin’ up in the hills like last time, coverin’ me, Zoë, and River. An’ all of that means yer late, on account of yer humpin’ around town with no workin’ com!” When it was apparent there would be no response from anyone, Mal threw up his hands in defeat and marched off to the bridge, determined to get Serenity up in the air as soon as possible.

Jayne scowled after the retreating captain. “Yeah? Well… nice to see you too!” Jayne made a rather obscene gesture at Mal’s back before ducking back into the shuttle. “So… aside from Captain Grump… success?”

River smiled. “Thank you both very much. Today was indeed a success.” River hugged Inara first, then Jayne, before looking up at the mercenary. “Please explain the purpose of that gesture you made towards the chuán zhăng. I have never seen it before.”

Jayne would have obliged her, but Inara clasped her hand over his mouth. “That was a rather crude and appalling display of immaturity. I sincerely hope I never see you repeating it towards anyone, River, or I would have no choice but to tell Simon. And you can rest assured he would not be pleased at all.” The note of finality in her voice indicated that Inara was indeed quite serious and that was the end of the discussion.

But before anyone could say anything else, the ship rocked slightly as Mal’s voice came over the com-link. “Strap in, everybody, lift off in three, two, one… next stop, Whitefall, and I swear to every deity I can think of, if we’re late and don’t get paid, it’s comin’ outta Jayne’s hide!”

*****Just less than forty-six hours later*****

By some miracle, Serenity arrived on Whitefall with just enough time for Jayne to get ahead and scout, and still allow Mal to make his delivery on time. The drop was to be made in a clearing inside of a large canyon, with rock walls hundreds of feet high. River and Zoë were sitting in the back of the mule on top of the cargo as Mal drove the mule around the last section of rock which was blocking their line of sight. They had arrived at the clearing with three minutes to spare, but much to Mal’s dismay, in the center of the clearing sat the buyers, surrounded by fifteen men with guns, and Patience sitting on a large rock. “Gorramit… milk run, wŏ de pì gu!”

**********

gē ge – brother (older); jiě jie – sister (older); mèi mei – sister (younger)

piào liang fū ren – pretty lady; chuán zhăng – captain

nǚ zhàn shì – female warrior; hù wèi zhĕ – bodyguard

bǎo bèi – precious; nī zi – little girl; xiăo hè – little lotus

Dŏng ma? – understand?; gŏu shĭ – shit; wŏ de pì gu – my ass

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