Life’s Too Short- Part Three

These characters aren’t mine, but comments on them are nice!!! ☺

“Kaylee? Honey, are you in here?” Inara stood in the doorway to the engine room, looking in. She saw nothing at first, and then caught sight of an overalls-covered behind sticking out from underneath the main engine. Kaylee, the cheerful mechanic, twisted her head around and peered out at her. “Oh, hey, ‘Nara! Can you hand me that wrench there?” Inara gingerly picked up the wrench and gave it to Kaylee, stepping carefully over a few small piles of wiring and parts. “Where’s Simon? Mal said he was here with you.” “Oh,” Kaylee grunted, head back beneath the engine, “He’s somewhere up near the infirmary, I guess.” Her elbow gave a violent spasm back towards where Inara stood, and then she crawled out from beneath Serenity’s heart with a grin. She was holding a twisted piece of metal in her hand and looking triumphant. “Got it!” “Pulling Serenity’s teeth?” “She was getting some trouble with this thing, an’ we don’t really need it.” “Well,” Inara said as Kaylee tossed the part into one of the piles, “I was wondering.” “Yeah?” Kaylee turned to fully face the Companion, and put her hands on her hips with a smile. “The Captain told me we were landing on Whitefall in a few hours.” “Whitefall?” “Yes, he says everyone’s making a fuss about that.” “Well, Cap’n can handle himself.” Inara chuckled. “Yes, I suppose he can. Anyway, I wanted to know if you’d like to go with me in my shuttle to Orion.” “Orion? But that’s just a little moon.” “One of my past clients lived in a delightful city on Orion, and I’d been wanting to shop there since we were so close. Would you like to come?” “Oh, yes!” Her face lit up. “Really?” “Of course. I’ll go talk to Mal.” Kaylee’s face fell. “He won’t never let us go.” Inara smiled at the younger woman, and Kaylee thought she saw something downright wicked in that smile. “Oh, yes. He will.” Kaylee stared at Inara, then grinned. “You gonna use your wiles on him?” “I’m going to ask him politely.” “Oooh. Cap’n don’t stand a chance!” “Let’s hope not,” Inara said, laughing. She felt giddy all of a sudden, and bold. Maybe River was right. Maybe she could use this shopping spree idea to find out exactly how Mal felt, and exactly how much power over him she had. Stay or leave? The question still lingered, but Inara pushed it to the back of her mind. For now, she was staying, and what better time to find out whether she and Mal had a chance? Inara left Kaylee at the infirmary, where the mechanic and her doctor were sure to find something to do, and went looking for Mal. She found him sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of something hot. He was staring into space with a little smile on his face, and for a moment, she just watched him. She loved these little moments when he didn’t know he was being watched, because she didn’t have to worry about what to say or what to think, and neither did he. Then, she stepped in and cleared her throat. “Mal?” “’Nara,” he said, tilting his head. “Want coffee? Or what tends to pass as coffee on this boat?” “I’m fine, thank you.” She sat down across from him and rested her chin on her hand. “Kaylee and I were wondering if we could take my shuttle and go to Orion while you were on Whitefall. We have some shopping to get done.” “I want everyone on the ship during the job. May get tricky. May have to leave in a hurry.” Inara rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised? Mal, we’ll be fine. You can meet us on Orion if you have to leave early.” He took a sip of coffee and shook his head. “Ain’t gonna happen, ‘Nara.” “Oh no?” “Oh no.” “I disagree. It is going to happen, Mal, because I’m asking very nicely and there is no reason not to let us go.” He put his cup down and stared at her. “You arguing with me in regards to a direct order?” Aware that this was a starting point towards either agreement or certain doom, Inara took a deep breath. “Yes.” After all, she’d never had a problem with arguing with him before. “I am the captain of this here boat, and I say no.” Inara remembered the boldness she’d felt in the engine room. She was a trained, certified Companion. One of the best there was. She could handle Mal Reynolds. Inara ran the backs of her fingernails over her hand in a slow, sensuous gesture that was meant to excite feeling where there was none. She licked her lips and noted with satisfaction that Mal was looking a little uncomfortable. He blinked at her. Inara stood, and Mal stood quickly too. He didn’t want her to tower over him. Weren’t right. He was the captain here, after all! But what was she doin’ with her eyes? How’d she get them all big and glossy and… wiles. She’s usin’ feminine wiles on me! Mal backed up, but Inara was around the table and right there in a flash. She put a hand on his arm. Oh tsao gao de ta ma de, Mal thought. I was supposed to be in control here! “Please, Mal? Just a little shopping trip.” Her breath was on his cheek. “Um.” Inara smiled invitingly. It was going just as she’d hoped. He was flustered, wanting her, and trying not to show it more than he already was. Oh, this was perfect! Inara felt triumphant. He wanted her. That was obvious. But he also cared about her, or he would have never been so awkward. “Kaylee’ll be so happy,” she murmured. “Uh, yeah, ‘magine so.” She put her other hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Mal jerked backwards and strode across the room, putting the kitchen table between them. Inara stood, startled and confused, staring at him. “Mal, what-“ “I know what you’re doin’. You’re usin’ wiles to get me to say yes, and it ain’t gonna work.” “I-“ “Don’t think I don’t know. Anythin’ happens between us, it’s gonna be real.” Inara straightened, shocked. “What?” Mal was shocked his own self. Had he really said that? He hadn’t meant to say that. “Never mind.” She walked over to him, her eyes narrowed. “No, Mal. What did you say?” “I said never mind, ‘Nara!” “You’re a coward, Mal Reynolds!” It was his turn to stand, blank-faced. “Excuse me?” She was mad. That was plain to see. But what was gettin’ him so confounded was that she was showing it, without a care in the world. “You- I don’t even have the words! You’re a… a gorram lily-livered coward!” Mal did a double-take at that. A what? Had Inara just cursed him out? In as weird a way as he’d ever heard? “Okay, I got the coward part, and the gorram, but what’s a-“ “Don’t you dare turn this around! You have crossed my limit, Captain Reynolds!” Oh. Captain Reynolds, was it? She was gonna get all icy and probably never talk to him again, and Mal wouldn’t- couldn’t- have that. Before he knew exactly what he was about, he snatched her up by the waist and lifted her off the floor so she couldn’t storm off the way he knew she’d been about to. Inara gaped at him, but there was no fear in her eyes. Panic, maybe, but not fear. He kissed her. He was already damned for the one act, might as well make the most of it. For a second, she didn’t move. Then, her hands were fisted in his hair and she was kissing him back. Mal let her slide down his body until her feet once again rested on the floor, wrapping his arms around her waist. He felt fire and life fill him until he could hardly stand it. He’d not felt so good since before the war. Inara couldn’t remember a thing from her Companion training. She didn’t really need it, she knew, but she couldn’t remember it all the same. She thought kissing Mal would be remarkable, and by kissing, she meant with both of them fully conscious, but that thought had not prepared her at all for the reality. Suddenly, a loud whoop sent the two of them staggering backwards in opposite directions, looking dazed. Jayne, River, Kaylee and Simon stood clustered in the doorway, each wearing ridiculous grins. “Oh, ‘Nara, you’n Cap’n got together at last!” “All right, Mal,” Jayne said with a lewd wink. Mal felt his face redden, and watched Inara’s do the same. Go se, how he sometimes hated his crew. He was mouthing things, no sound coming out, waiting for his voice to come back so he could scathe them. Then, the four people in the doorway parted like the seas and in walked Zoe. She looked from the Companion to her best friend and back again, her face expressionless. Then, Zoe folded her arms. “Well, it’s about gorram time,” she said flatly, and then gifted them with a small smile. “Jayne, you owe me ten credits.” “What!” Mal cried, finally getting his voice working. “You had a BET!” “Been goin’ for some time now, sir,” Zoe said. She looked more pleased than she had looked in a long time. Yep, sometimes Mal really hated his crew. “Uh, ‘Nara, you can take the shuttle. We’ll meet you on Orion,” Mal said. He was the strong one, the captain of the ship, but somehow, she had all the power. Damn it. “Thank you, Mal,” Inara said, and she was looking only at him. What were they going to do now? What the hell were they going to do now? “I… uh… I’ll just go wave Patience.” “You do that, sir,” Zoe said wryly. They did, after all, have a job to do.

TBC: next: More Jayne and River stuff, some Simon/Kaylee, and, of course, Mal/Inara must deal with how their dynamic has changed. And there’s always Patience, naturally.