big_damn_hero | Doin' the work...it saved me, really...

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Doin' the work...it saved me, really...

Mal emerged from the bridge, heading for the mess hall where dinner was finishing up...he just hoped to high Heaven somebody had saved him a share of the fresh veggies they'd managed to get their hands on when last they hit planetside. Kaylee wasn't no Shepherd Book, but she could cook a bit, and those carrots she'd fried up looked pretty tasty when the wave had come for him over the Cortex...

When he arrived at the mess hall, he found only Inara remained, Jayne off in one corner cleaning his knives while Kaylee bustled about cleaning up from cooking.

"Just finished chattin' with Old Man Jubal on Halford." he declared, absently rubbing the back of his neck as he headed over to the kitchenette to see if his plate had been moved or not. "Looks like we got a job waitin' there if we move quick like...transportin' some grain, seems they got a shortage they're fixin' to do something about. You got any appointments that'll get interrupted with us goin', 'Nar?"

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Inara set her journal down and looked up at Mal with the smile she reserved only for him--which, of course was not necessarily a compliment, as she managed to inject a fair amount of amusement/tolerance/annoyance into that barely there quirk of lips. "So long as we can make it back to Persephone within the month, it should be fine," she replied lightly, watching him frown down at the place on the counter where he'd left his plate. "It's in the oven, Mal. Kaylee didn't want it to get cold before you got back."

Mal made a noise of grateful confirmation, peeking into the oven with a triumphant grunt. Removing his plate, he kicked it shut again and plucked a slice of carrot up, popping it into his mouth with an appreciative smile as he wandered over to the table and settled down next to Inara, peeking at her book. "What's that you all got there? Writin' about all your Companion-type escapades?" he quipped, chewing on a piece of food.

Inara instinctively pulled her journal closer to her, thinking to herself that there sat the very last person she'd want reading a single word of it. And not for the reasons he was thinking. "Wouldn't you like to know," she drawled, her tone lightly teasing as she closed her ink bottle. "Halford...yet another planet on which I'm incapable of finding any respectable clients." She tried to inject some cool bitterness into her tone, but couldn't quite manage it. Slowly but surely, her appointments were becoming fewer and further between. She told herself it was all Mal's fault, that the planets he was taking jobs on were selected to keep her out of work, or that the entire incident with Alliance, concerning River and Miranda had damaged her reputation...but the truth was, her offers were plentiful. She was simply finding herself more and more...particular, when choosing her clients.

"Well, you ain't exactly been kickin' up too much fuss about makin' yer appointments as of late, y'know." Mal pointed out, swallowing before plucking another slice of carrot from his plate and offering it to her. "Carrot?"

"Just because I've tried to be fractionally more sympathetic towards your 'thieving', Mal, doesn't mean you can take advantage of my patience," Inara pointed out, raising one slender eyebrow at his offered carrot slice. "And the last time you washed your hands was...when, exactly?"

"Just now, in the kitchen!" Mal replied in protest. "And I ain't takin' advantage of yer patience. It's a genuine, bona-fide obseervation and whatnot." He paused, offering her the carrot again. "You ain't taken a lotta jobs lately."

Damn him. "I thought our arrangement was 'I stay out of your thieving, you stay out of my 'whoring'," she replied even as she accepted the offered food. "I can promise you my income is sufficient. I'll make my rent on time, as always." She fell silent for a moment as she chewed slowly, glancing down at her closed journal. "My reputation isn't what it used to be," she finally admitted. "A lot of my former clients were...unsettled. By the recording from Miranda. The Alliance is in total disarray, Mal. Not many people are seeking out a Companion's services, and to be honest, those that are certainly aren't after mine." And the ones that were...*she* certainly didn't want to spend any time with, no matter what the offered payment.

"Well, seein' as how you been in on my thievin' at least a time or four," Mal drawled with a smirk, "ain't it only polite and civil-like that I get in a bit on yer whorin', even if it's just to up and satisfy a little smidge of my prurient curiosity? Yes, I know a couple big words...don't faint."

At her admission, Mal sobered a little, staring down at his plate. "Well, we all made our choice." he murmured, popping another carrot into his mouth. "Said it at the start, anybody not amicable with givin' the Alliance a real hurt didn't have to." He paused, looking up at her again. "That mean you regret what you done?"

"No," Inara replied quickly, the word firm with conviction. "Mal, no, that isn't what I meant. What we saw on Miranda was..." She trailed off with a soft sigh. He knew exactly what it was. They both knew all too well, and he certainly didn't need her to elaborate on it. "We did what was right. It's just...it's difficult for me to explain." I don't have a grasp on it my own self, she thought. How can I possibly explain it to you? She'd never been anything but a Companion...but to continue being what she was meant leaving Serenity. And Serenity held so much of her heart, that to do so would be like leaving her skin behind.

So why couldn't she just say that? Why couldn't she just tell him exactly that, word for word?

Because she was afraid--terrified--of what he might say in reply.

Mal nodded, then stared at his plate again, plucking a portion of a protein square up and munching on it thoughtfully.

"Well...I ain't gonna take you back to the training house." he declared with quiet conviction. "That much I'll gorram guarantee." Maybe he couldn't say it outright...what he felt, what he wanted, what he *needed*...but he wouldn't take back his one and only real admission of what he truly felt. He knew now...life was too ruttin' short for that.

She said she didn't know what she wanted to do yet after Miranda...and he still thought it was the best damn answer she could have ever given to a question.

Inara glanced up at him in surprise, uncertain of exactly how to take...what he'd just said. It was a change from his previous statement of 'I wish like hell you was elsewhere.'

It almost felt like he'd read her thoughts...like he'd read her indecision and was asking her not to leave. Which was silly. He didn't know what she was thinking, but still...

"Not even...not even if I asked you to?" she asked hesitantly, studying him curiously.

Mal didn't look up at her...couldn't look up to face her as she said it. Even still, he could...*hear* it, the decision made in her tone. Wasn't nothin' special, just the way a body had of talking when it was absolutely certain of something.

"Are you?" he replied simply, fascinated with his plate...

...at least until the ship bucked under of them, knocking Mal clean out of his chair.

"Ai ya tyen ah, son of a ruttin'...River! Zoe! What t' gorram hell's wrong with my ship?!?!" Mal called out in surprise.

"Not exactly sure, sir...River's steady at the controls, but something out there...some kinda light just swallowed us up, then nothing but stars."

Zoe's steady, even tones over the comm did nothing to soothe Mal's jangled nerves. "We still on course for Halford?"

"Sir...at the moment, I'm not sure *where* we are.

Inara opened her mouth to reply, but before her lips could form the words, they were both hurled out of their seats unexpectedly. She hissed sharply as she fell heavily on her hip, then struggled with her skirts to get to her feet again, clinging to the edge of the table for balance.

"Sir...at the moment, I'm not sure *where* we are."

"What does that mean?" Inara breathed, dark eyes wide with nerves. "Mal...?"

"I ain't got the foggiest notion...but I aim to find out." Mal muttered, struggling to his feet, pausing only long enough to help Inara stand before he headed for the bridge. "Zoe, if you busted my gorram ship..."

But he got no answer as he found Zoe, River, and even Jayne up on the bridge, just staring out the window.

Mal was about to complain when he took a moment to look out himself...and for a good solid moment, wasn't quite sure what he was looking at only because looking at it was so gorram ruttin' mother-humpin' *impossible.*

"That ain't Halford." he declared in shock.

"No, Mal...it ain't." Jayne replied, his voice coming out oddly quiet, almost awed. "I ain't never seen much in the way of pictures, but..."

Terraformed moons didn't look quite the same...never seemed to look the way a real honest planet did...and this was one planet Mal had seen a few old historical images of, once or twice...

...but again, it was *impossible.*

Mal took a couple steps forward, gawking in amazement at the blue-green sphere that hung before them, swirling with the brilliant white vapor of clouds and the craggy brown and green masses of land.

Earth-That-Was.

At a time like this, there was only one thing a man could rightly say.

"Go su."

Inara accepted Mal's hand up and adjusted her skirts modestly before she rushed after him. When she saw him go so still just inside the bridge, she felt a surge of real fear--if it was enough to stun Mal...

"That ain't Halford." he declared in shock.

"No, Mal...it ain't." Jayne replied, his voice coming out oddly quiet, almost awed. "I ain't never seen much in the way of pictures, but..."

"What?" Inara asked insistantly, stepping onto the bridge and squeezing in next to Mal to see out the viewport...

...She felt her jaw go slack, her lips part in amazement at the beautiful little blue planet turning in the distance. She'd seen the pictures too...far more than probably anyone on the bridge, save River.

"Run tse de fwo tzoo, ching bao yo wuomun..." she breathed, longing to wrap her hands around Mal's arm, keeping the impulse in check. "No, that can't be..."

"You said a mouthful." Mal managed to quip, reaching out to touch the viewport window. He was dimly aware of River off to one side, spoutin' off about time and space and rips in the universe and how it ought not to be messed with...

Just as River went tearing off, Mal cursed and gestured for Zoe to take the controls. "Get us into orbit...Jayne? You 'n me are taking the shuttle down...I wanna see if this is for real or not." Because if this was Earth-That-Was...*the* Earth...

Ai ya tyen ah...they were in the black without a boat.

"No--Mal, don't," Inara protested, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. "We shouldn't--we should turn around and..." And what, exactly? She had no idea, but the idea of floating out here while Mal and Jayne flew down to a planet that shouldn't even exist anymore wasn't at all what she wanted to do. "I'm going with you," she finished with firm convicition. "I'll pilot the shuttle--you never could fly either of them worth a damn."

"That ain't happening, and you best not argue with me." Mal replied flatly. "I don't know what kinda historical-type learnin' you got, but I ain't got much...God knows what's down there and if it's dangerous? I ain't havin' you in the middle of it. If all that little albatross's prattlin' means a damn, then we don't even know *when* in the 'verse we are!"

"Which is exactly why I'm going with you," Inara replied starkly. "You saw how River reacted--Simon needs to stay with her. And besides the two of them, I've had the most formal education. I've got the best change of figuring out *when* we are." Her features and tone softened a bit before she spoke again. "I can't just sit here and drum my fingers while you--while you both could be in the middle of the Enlightened One only knows what."

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Doin' the work...it saved me, really...

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