Fic - Legacy-Betrayal Ch.1 - Mal/Inara
Aug. 22nd, 2006 09:52 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
druinsanity.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
firefly_fanfic
Title: Legacy - Betrayal
Authors:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
druinsanity and bashipforever
Summary: AU Takes place two and a half years after the end of the series. The movie never happened, but if you’ve read the comic book Those Left Behind, it did. Everything Inara has worked for in her life is finally happening but an old friend shows up, making her doubt everything she’s wanted.
Pairing: Mal/Inara
Rating: PG-13 - R
A/N: The title comes from an Emily Dickenson poem. This is a WIP but it is being updated daily so you shouldn’t have to wait for too long for updates.
A/N2: This is the sequel to a trilogy in this series. Please read Legacy before this to fill in any blanks. This second part is a month after the ending to the first.
You left me, sweet, two legacies,-
A legacy of love
A Heavenly Father would content,
Had He the offer of;
You left me boundaries of pain
Capacious as the sea,
Between eternity and time,
Your consciousness and me.
CHAPTER ONE
Mal walked up the metal steps towards the shuttle that he and Inara had shared for the past month. He carried his brown coat and shirt over one arm having had to remove them so that Simon could tend to the nick he'd suffered on his left arm while on the job. Things were getting back to normal. Another job, another injury.
He knew that Inara would more than likely be attempting to sleep at this hour. Seldom did he actually find her asleep until he was safe back on Serenity. Still, with a glance to the cargo bay below to make sure it was clear, he removed his boots as he neared the door to the shuttle so that the sound of them on the metal didn't wake her up.
Pushing aside the heavy velvet curtain, he set his boots down inside the door and then laid his coat and shirt on the couch. Inara was on their bed, still dressed and holding a book to her chest. A small smile curved on his lips at the sight of her.
He went to the basin of water and soaked the sponge in it before running the sponge over himself to bathe. He looked in the mirror that Inara used above the basin at the bruise forming on his cheek from the brawl that had ensued when both he and Jayne had been unable to keep their mouth's shut. Yes, this time they were both to blame and Zoe had quietly fought alongside them as always. Secretly he knew he’d been itching for a good fight going into this job and had been on the lookout for the opportunity.
He lifted the razor he used and began to shave the stubble that had grown on his face, trying to stay as quiet as possible so that he didn't wake Inara. Once the numb feeling wore off, he knew he wouldn’t be able to shave over the dark bruise for a few days without hurting himself. On a normal day, he wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
Inara stirred quietly at first, casting one arm out to Mal's side of the bed, searching for him. When she found his side of the bed empty, she jerked into wakefulness, realizing he was still on the job and she'd fallen asleep. "Mal?" she said sitting up, relaxing slightly when she saw him standing in front of the mirror shaving. She laid her book on the nightstand and got up. She walked up behind him, her arms circling around his waist, and placed a kiss to his bare shoulder blade. She noticed the bruise on his cheek first then the bandage on his arm and attempted to quell the panic rising up inside of her.
"You're hurt," she whispered against his skin. It was the first injury he'd had since she'd moved back on Serenity.
Mal looked to the reflection in the mirror that showed Inara behind him. "Just a scratch. Doc got me patched up real quick." He said, leaning forward to continue shaving.
He smirked lightly. "Needed a good old fashioned fight anyway. Been awhile. Lucky that the boys we was dealin' with fought for the Alliance. Made 'em kinda easy to anger between me and Jayne talkin'."
"I hope the other boys look worse than you do," Inara teased. She wanted to admonish him for getting hurt, tell him how much she worried or that she had spent more than half the night praying for him. She knew none of it would do any good. "You were careful though, right? And if you weren't, lie to me. I worry enough when you go out as it is."
"Alliance boys look a lot worse. Can promise you that." Mal set the razor on the back of the basin and turned around to wrap his arms around Inara. There were times when he still couldn't believe that she was here, that he was living in her shuttle... their shuttle, or that she actually loved him and they had nothing to hide.
Things weren't perfect yet. He still had extreme moments of insecurity where she was concerned. Sometimes his thoughts about life in general got so dark that they would draw him in with them. Memories of war, prison, beatings, and Sihnon seemed all too real. Inara had caught him staring off into space more than once and somehow, she always seemed to know how to jolt him back into reality. Smiles were still few and far between and only when he and Inara were alone. He was trying to work on that though. His crew needed him to work on it if not for himself, then for them.
"M'always careful." Mal said, repeating the words he always told her when she reminded him to be careful. "Didn't you know that?" He tilted his head slightly attempting to look as innocent as possible.
"It's harder to remember when you're hurt though," she told him, reaching up to ghost her fingertips over the bruise on his cheek. She placed her hand against his cheek then slid it down his neck and over his shoulder to just above the bandage on his arm. "Simon says it's alright? Did you need stitches?"
"Just a weave. It'll heal soon enough." Mal answered her. "You're s'pposed to be sleepin’. Didn't mean to wake you." He reached up to slide his thumb just under one of Inara's eyes along her cheekbone.
“I can't sleep with you gone. You know that. I worry too much," Inara answered, leaning slightly into his touch like a cat. "I'm surprised I fell asleep at all. I guess Hemingway wasn't as interesting as I remember," she smiled.
"A little long-winded." Mal nodded in agreement as he led Inara across the shuttle towards the bed. "Guess that means I don't gotta feel bad 'bout needin' sleep since you had none yourself." He got into the bed and turned to hold an arm out to Inara. The look on her face was so telling. He knew it still surprised her when evidence presented itself that he actually did read literature worth reading.
"Gonna make me sleep by myself?" Mal asked, only half joking. He never could sleep anymore unless Inara was next to him.
"No, but only because it's just a weave and a bruise," she smiled at him as she took a nightgown out of one of her trunks. "But if it had been more serious, you'd be sleeping alone," she said as she slipped out of the dress she wore and slid her night gown over her head and let it slide down her body. They both knew she was joking. If he'd been more seriously hurt she'd be right beside him, angry and upset but right beside him. She slipped into bed, laying her head on his shoulder. "So, is Hemingway regular reading material for a ranch hand and space pirate?" she asked. On occasion he'd say something that indicated that he was more literary than he let on and she was always curious about it.
Mal nodded slightly, his arm circling around her shoulders to hold her to him. "'Round my ma's ranch it was. Conjure it just stuck with me. I ain't stupid... I mean most people underestimate my smarts and I like it that way. Gives me the upper hand. Ain't schooled like you and the doc but I ain't a ben tiansheng de yidui rou neither. Got my own kind of smarts... got enough."
"I didn't mean to imply...I know you're not stupid, Mal. I've never thought you were," Inara told him as she hooked one leg over his leg and snuggled closer. "Sounds like I would have liked your mother. I wish I could have met her." Although, given Mal's opinions on her previous profession, Inara wasn't entirely sure Mrs. Reynolds would have been pleased to meet her, much less to find out that her son was in love with her.
"She was a character. Wouldn't take crap from anyone and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. Hands respected her." He closed his eyes. "She was a good woman." Mal half smiled into the dark room.
After a moment his smile faltered and he shook his head. "M'only half the man she raised. Ain't so sure she'd know me anymore if she were still alive. A lot about me changed when I decided to volunteer… and even more after the war." It was still awkward talking about himself to Inara. Since she'd come back to Serenity, they'd lain awake talking for hours about this or that. When it got to the subject of the past, many times they'd change the subject or clam up. Mal didn't want Inara to think worse of him for things he'd done in the past and he knew Inara felt the same way.
"There's nothing wrong with change. All of it has made you the man you are," Inara told him. "I wouldn't want you to be any one else or any different."
"You're sayin' that now... you've already been after me for how different I am than you." Mal said lightly, his eyes still closed as he held Inara to him. "'Bout leavin' my clothes everywhere and the like..."
"Well really. I just want things pretty in here," Inara answered. "And one of these days I'll get up in the middle of the night, fall over your boots and break my neck."
"Never let that happen..." Mal said, his arm tightening around Inara. "'Sides... all them pretty rugs got paddin' in 'em. Noticed that last time we were on the floor. They're too soft to break any bones."
"Oh you noticed that did you?" Inara laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his collarbone.
Mal nodded. "I did... course I'm guessin' we could test it out again just for closer inspection." He teased, his eyes still closed, but a small grin playing at the corners of his lips. "Wouldn't want you to fall and break anything valuable... which on you would include your entire bein'."
"Oh I wouldn't oppose testing it out again. Just to make certain of course," Inara teased. She watched him with a smile, reaching up to touch the corner of his mouth. She loved seeing him like this, smiling and joking. She'd caused him so much pain; it was nice to be the cause of such happiness too.
Mal sat up, guiding her out of the bed with a playful tap to her backside. "Well get on then... gotta make sure you're safe." He followed her onto one of the plush rugs in the shuttle, and settled himself on top of her.
She tunneled her fingers in his hair, settling him against her. "You sure you're feeling up to this inspection?" Inara asked, her fingers brushing against the bandage on Mal's arm.
Mal nodded against her neck as he nuzzled it gently. "Oh I'm up for anything that's havin' to do with your safety, 'Nara. As your lover I’m wantin’ it and as your captain this inspection’s an order."
"Mmmm, well in that case...Carry on, Captain Reynolds," Inara purred as she dragged her fingers up Mal's back and down again. She arched up into him, her head going back to expose the long line of her neck. "I wouldn't want to interfere. Just let me know exactly how I can help."
"You just lay back, darlin'... let me take care of you." Mal whispered, gently moving the silky fabric of her nightgown off of her shoulders. It was moments like these when Inara could make him forget that there was Alliance, jail cells, or anything else. It was just the two of them, and she was here with him. She wasn’t leaving and that was more than enough for him.
Authors:
druinsanity and bashipforeverSummary: AU Takes place two and a half years after the end of the series. The movie never happened, but if you’ve read the comic book Those Left Behind, it did. Everything Inara has worked for in her life is finally happening but an old friend shows up, making her doubt everything she’s wanted.
Pairing: Mal/Inara
Rating: PG-13 - R
A/N: The title comes from an Emily Dickenson poem. This is a WIP but it is being updated daily so you shouldn’t have to wait for too long for updates.
A/N2: This is the sequel to a trilogy in this series. Please read Legacy before this to fill in any blanks. This second part is a month after the ending to the first.
You left me, sweet, two legacies,-
A legacy of love
A Heavenly Father would content,
Had He the offer of;
You left me boundaries of pain
Capacious as the sea,
Between eternity and time,
Your consciousness and me.
CHAPTER ONE
Mal walked up the metal steps towards the shuttle that he and Inara had shared for the past month. He carried his brown coat and shirt over one arm having had to remove them so that Simon could tend to the nick he'd suffered on his left arm while on the job. Things were getting back to normal. Another job, another injury.
He knew that Inara would more than likely be attempting to sleep at this hour. Seldom did he actually find her asleep until he was safe back on Serenity. Still, with a glance to the cargo bay below to make sure it was clear, he removed his boots as he neared the door to the shuttle so that the sound of them on the metal didn't wake her up.
Pushing aside the heavy velvet curtain, he set his boots down inside the door and then laid his coat and shirt on the couch. Inara was on their bed, still dressed and holding a book to her chest. A small smile curved on his lips at the sight of her.
He went to the basin of water and soaked the sponge in it before running the sponge over himself to bathe. He looked in the mirror that Inara used above the basin at the bruise forming on his cheek from the brawl that had ensued when both he and Jayne had been unable to keep their mouth's shut. Yes, this time they were both to blame and Zoe had quietly fought alongside them as always. Secretly he knew he’d been itching for a good fight going into this job and had been on the lookout for the opportunity.
He lifted the razor he used and began to shave the stubble that had grown on his face, trying to stay as quiet as possible so that he didn't wake Inara. Once the numb feeling wore off, he knew he wouldn’t be able to shave over the dark bruise for a few days without hurting himself. On a normal day, he wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
Inara stirred quietly at first, casting one arm out to Mal's side of the bed, searching for him. When she found his side of the bed empty, she jerked into wakefulness, realizing he was still on the job and she'd fallen asleep. "Mal?" she said sitting up, relaxing slightly when she saw him standing in front of the mirror shaving. She laid her book on the nightstand and got up. She walked up behind him, her arms circling around his waist, and placed a kiss to his bare shoulder blade. She noticed the bruise on his cheek first then the bandage on his arm and attempted to quell the panic rising up inside of her.
"You're hurt," she whispered against his skin. It was the first injury he'd had since she'd moved back on Serenity.
Mal looked to the reflection in the mirror that showed Inara behind him. "Just a scratch. Doc got me patched up real quick." He said, leaning forward to continue shaving.
He smirked lightly. "Needed a good old fashioned fight anyway. Been awhile. Lucky that the boys we was dealin' with fought for the Alliance. Made 'em kinda easy to anger between me and Jayne talkin'."
"I hope the other boys look worse than you do," Inara teased. She wanted to admonish him for getting hurt, tell him how much she worried or that she had spent more than half the night praying for him. She knew none of it would do any good. "You were careful though, right? And if you weren't, lie to me. I worry enough when you go out as it is."
"Alliance boys look a lot worse. Can promise you that." Mal set the razor on the back of the basin and turned around to wrap his arms around Inara. There were times when he still couldn't believe that she was here, that he was living in her shuttle... their shuttle, or that she actually loved him and they had nothing to hide.
Things weren't perfect yet. He still had extreme moments of insecurity where she was concerned. Sometimes his thoughts about life in general got so dark that they would draw him in with them. Memories of war, prison, beatings, and Sihnon seemed all too real. Inara had caught him staring off into space more than once and somehow, she always seemed to know how to jolt him back into reality. Smiles were still few and far between and only when he and Inara were alone. He was trying to work on that though. His crew needed him to work on it if not for himself, then for them.
"M'always careful." Mal said, repeating the words he always told her when she reminded him to be careful. "Didn't you know that?" He tilted his head slightly attempting to look as innocent as possible.
"It's harder to remember when you're hurt though," she told him, reaching up to ghost her fingertips over the bruise on his cheek. She placed her hand against his cheek then slid it down his neck and over his shoulder to just above the bandage on his arm. "Simon says it's alright? Did you need stitches?"
"Just a weave. It'll heal soon enough." Mal answered her. "You're s'pposed to be sleepin’. Didn't mean to wake you." He reached up to slide his thumb just under one of Inara's eyes along her cheekbone.
“I can't sleep with you gone. You know that. I worry too much," Inara answered, leaning slightly into his touch like a cat. "I'm surprised I fell asleep at all. I guess Hemingway wasn't as interesting as I remember," she smiled.
"A little long-winded." Mal nodded in agreement as he led Inara across the shuttle towards the bed. "Guess that means I don't gotta feel bad 'bout needin' sleep since you had none yourself." He got into the bed and turned to hold an arm out to Inara. The look on her face was so telling. He knew it still surprised her when evidence presented itself that he actually did read literature worth reading.
"Gonna make me sleep by myself?" Mal asked, only half joking. He never could sleep anymore unless Inara was next to him.
"No, but only because it's just a weave and a bruise," she smiled at him as she took a nightgown out of one of her trunks. "But if it had been more serious, you'd be sleeping alone," she said as she slipped out of the dress she wore and slid her night gown over her head and let it slide down her body. They both knew she was joking. If he'd been more seriously hurt she'd be right beside him, angry and upset but right beside him. She slipped into bed, laying her head on his shoulder. "So, is Hemingway regular reading material for a ranch hand and space pirate?" she asked. On occasion he'd say something that indicated that he was more literary than he let on and she was always curious about it.
Mal nodded slightly, his arm circling around her shoulders to hold her to him. "'Round my ma's ranch it was. Conjure it just stuck with me. I ain't stupid... I mean most people underestimate my smarts and I like it that way. Gives me the upper hand. Ain't schooled like you and the doc but I ain't a ben tiansheng de yidui rou neither. Got my own kind of smarts... got enough."
"I didn't mean to imply...I know you're not stupid, Mal. I've never thought you were," Inara told him as she hooked one leg over his leg and snuggled closer. "Sounds like I would have liked your mother. I wish I could have met her." Although, given Mal's opinions on her previous profession, Inara wasn't entirely sure Mrs. Reynolds would have been pleased to meet her, much less to find out that her son was in love with her.
"She was a character. Wouldn't take crap from anyone and didn't let anyone tell her what to do. Hands respected her." He closed his eyes. "She was a good woman." Mal half smiled into the dark room.
After a moment his smile faltered and he shook his head. "M'only half the man she raised. Ain't so sure she'd know me anymore if she were still alive. A lot about me changed when I decided to volunteer… and even more after the war." It was still awkward talking about himself to Inara. Since she'd come back to Serenity, they'd lain awake talking for hours about this or that. When it got to the subject of the past, many times they'd change the subject or clam up. Mal didn't want Inara to think worse of him for things he'd done in the past and he knew Inara felt the same way.
"There's nothing wrong with change. All of it has made you the man you are," Inara told him. "I wouldn't want you to be any one else or any different."
"You're sayin' that now... you've already been after me for how different I am than you." Mal said lightly, his eyes still closed as he held Inara to him. "'Bout leavin' my clothes everywhere and the like..."
"Well really. I just want things pretty in here," Inara answered. "And one of these days I'll get up in the middle of the night, fall over your boots and break my neck."
"Never let that happen..." Mal said, his arm tightening around Inara. "'Sides... all them pretty rugs got paddin' in 'em. Noticed that last time we were on the floor. They're too soft to break any bones."
"Oh you noticed that did you?" Inara laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his collarbone.
Mal nodded. "I did... course I'm guessin' we could test it out again just for closer inspection." He teased, his eyes still closed, but a small grin playing at the corners of his lips. "Wouldn't want you to fall and break anything valuable... which on you would include your entire bein'."
"Oh I wouldn't oppose testing it out again. Just to make certain of course," Inara teased. She watched him with a smile, reaching up to touch the corner of his mouth. She loved seeing him like this, smiling and joking. She'd caused him so much pain; it was nice to be the cause of such happiness too.
Mal sat up, guiding her out of the bed with a playful tap to her backside. "Well get on then... gotta make sure you're safe." He followed her onto one of the plush rugs in the shuttle, and settled himself on top of her.
She tunneled her fingers in his hair, settling him against her. "You sure you're feeling up to this inspection?" Inara asked, her fingers brushing against the bandage on Mal's arm.
Mal nodded against her neck as he nuzzled it gently. "Oh I'm up for anything that's havin' to do with your safety, 'Nara. As your lover I’m wantin’ it and as your captain this inspection’s an order."
"Mmmm, well in that case...Carry on, Captain Reynolds," Inara purred as she dragged her fingers up Mal's back and down again. She arched up into him, her head going back to expose the long line of her neck. "I wouldn't want to interfere. Just let me know exactly how I can help."
"You just lay back, darlin'... let me take care of you." Mal whispered, gently moving the silky fabric of her nightgown off of her shoulders. It was moments like these when Inara could make him forget that there was Alliance, jail cells, or anything else. It was just the two of them, and she was here with him. She wasn’t leaving and that was more than enough for him.