Legacy-Betrayal Ch.8 - Mal/Inara

[druinsanity.livejournal.com]

Title: Legacy - Betrayal
Authors: 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.

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7


CHAPTER EIGHT

The crew of Serenity was getting her ready to take to the sky when Book walked into the cargo bay to find Mal securing everything to take off. Book walked up to him and laid a hand on the box Mal was moving. "Got a destination in mind?"

Mal looked up and wiped his forearm over his brow, wincing slightly as he hit the still fresh cut above his eye. "Head to Persephone. Sure Badger's got somethin' we can be doin'."

He looked to Book for a moment, recognizing the look of concern on his friends face. "Thank you for the hospitality. Always good to get a real meal. Just gotta get back in the air... you know how it is... Work to be done..." You know how I am...

Book nodded. "They used to say sailors got restless being landlocked too long. I suspect that holds true for those who live their lives in the sky too. You're welcome back anytime. Left some boxes of fresh vegetables over there. Ladies made some bread, cakes and cookies. Should do you for a little while, at least until you get to Persephone."

Mal nodded, a silence dragging on as it always did when the Shepard wanted him to say something. "I'll be okay... ain't like it never happened before." He said, referring to prison. "Same uniforms different faces. Just gotta find some light is all..."

Book nodded. "Funny thing about light...sometimes you have to look for it. Sometimes it's right in front of your face. You've got a lot of light on this ship, Mal. Lot of reasons to find the light. Take advantage of that."

"I aim to... wish people would leave us alone is all..." Mal replied. "But wishin' never got anyone anywhere, right? Sure you ain't wantin' to come with?"

"Maybe someday when I've gotten Haven on its feet, for a small vacation," Book smiled at Mal. "Just remember, it's not about the obstacles that get in your way. It's about the way you overcome those obstacles. The obstacles are only as big as you let them be."

Mal nodded at Book and then looked up as Zoe walked in. Instantly the rock exterior was back in place.

"Wash says he'd ready when you are." Zoe said, and then gave the preacher a one armed hug. "We'll be missin' you Shepard."

"I'll miss you too, Zoe. Make this captain of yours visit more often," Book smiled at Zoe. "Be careful and I expect to see you back here for that wedding soon," he told Mal with a smile.

Mal looked back at the preacher and was still and quiet for a moment before nodding only slightly. "Yeah... we'll be seein' about that." He walked away towards the bridge to make sure everything was in order, leaving Zoe and the preacher behind.

Book watched after Mal and then shook his head slightly. He looked over at Zoe. "You'll call me if he needs anything? I can take a vacation from Haven for a few days if need be."

"I'm sure we can handle ourselves just fine, preacher 'less the captain gets thrown in jail again. Then we might be callin’ on you quick." Zoe said with a nod. "You do the same for us if there's anything we can be doin'." She offered as they walked towards the cargo door.

"Will do. Fly safe," Book told her as he stepped out of the cargo bay and watched as Zoe raised the door on the ship. He stayed there, watching until they'd taken off and disappeared into the sky.

**



Kaylee knocked on Inara’s shuttle door then pushed it open, stepping inside. A smile lit her face at the sight of Inara sitting on the couch. “Hey…you’re lookin’ all kinds of shiny.”

Inara smiled back at Kaylee. She’d found it was impossible not to do so. She patted the couch beside her. “I’m feeling okay,” she told the little mechanic as she sat down next to her. She did feel better but she was still taking pain medication on a semi regular basis. She still got tired and out of breath very easily.

“Capt’n’s takin’ care of you?” Kaylee asked as she sat down.

Inara smiled and nodded. “Yes. He’s taking care of me. I’m lucky if he lets me walk across the shuttle without his assistance.”

“How it should be,” Kaylee declared with a big grin. She got up and crossed over to Inara’s vanity. She picked up Inara’s brush from there and carried it over to the couch. “Turn ‘round. My turn to pamper you,” the red head grinned.

Inara chuckled very softly and even that made her chest ache. She turned with her back to Kaylee and closed her eyes as the mechanic ran the brush through her hair. “Mmmm, you’ve got a talent for this, Meimei,” she said after several minutes.

“Learned from the best,” Kaylee quipped as she continued to brush Inara’s hair. “You started plannin’ your wedding yet?” The excitement the young girl felt at the prospect of a wedding laced her voice.

Inara smiled, her eyes still closed. “It’s just going to be small. We’ll have Shepard Book perform the ceremony on Haven. I’ve been thinking about my dress.”

Kaylee squealed at that. “Is it gonna be one of those white, fluffy, ruffled things?”

Inara laughed, wincing at the pain it caused. “No…I was thinking something much more simple, elegant and red.”

“Red? You can’t have a red weddin’ dress. S’posed to be white,” Kaylee argued.

Inara shook her head slightly. “Kaylee…a white wedding dress signifies virginity. We all know I haven’t been that in a long time. I won’t insult Shepard or Mal by wearing a white dress.”

“But red is what…well…harlots wear red,” Kaylee stammered as she brushed Inara’s hair erratically. “I ain’t callin you a…I mean you know that.”

Inara smiled and reached up to put a hand around Kaylee’s wrist. “I know you aren’t, Meimei. The last time I wore a white dress was the night of the debutante dance.” At Kaylee’s furrowed brow and confused expression, Inara offered more explanation. “Twice a year at the training house there is a ball, the grandest on the planet. All the companions newly turned eighteen attend. It’s a companion’s first ‘job’. Her virginity is auctioned off, discreetly of course. We all wear white dresses for it.”

“Well that’s just…awful,” Kaylee said, horrified.

Inara shook her head. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Anyway, I don’t want to wear a white dress again. I’ll find something pretty.”

“Don’t matter much what you wear, you’ll be gorgeous. Bet the capt’n will think so too,” Kaylee said her customary beaming smile back.

“I hope so.” Inara paused a moment, then smiled. “I’m rather hoping you’ll be my maid of honor.”

Kaylee dropped the brush and squealed, her hands going to her mouth. “Really?” she said after a moment.

“Really,” Inara smiled. “Of course you’ll have to help me dress the day of the wedding and do my hair and do my makeup. You’ll have to wear the pink dress you wore on Persephone.”

Kaylee squealed in delight again and impulsively hugged Inara cautiously so not to hurt her. “I gotta go tell Simon!” she said as she started out of the shuttle. “I’ll come back an’ finish brushin’ your hair later!” she promised as she rushed out the door to find Simon.

**

Mal had been trying to keep himself busy all day. It wasn’t that he was avoiding Inara, seeing her was just a reminder of what he'd let happen to her. And since he'd told her even just a little of what he'd went through in prison, he worried about what she thought of him. On most days he only saw her for a few minutes at a time until he was tired enough to sleep.

He'd confined River to her room on Serenity and the doctor had agreed that for now, it was for the best. Eventually, he knew he would need to go talk with her also. Right now his temper wouldn't be able to handle it. It was good to be in the air again. Every now and then he would go to the bridge and just look out into the black to make sure it was still there.

By the evening time he knew Inara would start worrying and wondering where he was. He made his way to the shuttle stopping to do something here and something there, drawing it out until he entered unannounced to the shuttle as always. He still found pleasure in that small act even though he was living there now too.

He was surprised to find Kaylee there and the room seemed to go quiet with his entrance. "Well, if you're busy woman chattin' I can come back later." He looked over to Inara, making sure she was alright and felt almost relieved for the excuse to get back out. "Be back later." He turned towards the door.

"No! Wait Capt'n." Kaylee knew Inara had been worried about him, and the last time she'd seen the captain earlier that day he'd been working himself to a frenzy trying to keep himself busy. "Was just leavin'." She squeezed Inara's hand. "I'll come see ya tomorrow too." She hugged her then walked past Mal. "Night capt'n."

Mal nodded and turned back inside the shuttle. He pulled the curtain in front of the door closed and then sat on the couch to remove his boots. "How're you feelin'?" He asked Inara around a yawn that he couldn’t stop.

"Alright," Inara answered. "I get tired and out of breath easier than I like but I haven't taken as many pain pills today. Simon visited for a check up earlier and said the wounds were healing well. My lungs sound fine. I missed you though," she told him, moving closer and putting a hand on his leg. “How are you doing?"

A small lift of his shoulders in a half shrug and then Mal nodded. "Shiny. Little tired. Got a lot of work done today... Have you looked out?" He got up and pushed aside the drape that separated the rest of the shuttle from the bridge. "Stars." He looked back to Inara, a small grin on his lips as he thumbed his suspenders off of his shoulders.

Inara got up and walked slowly over to the bridge. She knew if she went too fast she'd end up breathing too hard and it would worry Mal. She leaned against the pilot's chair and smiled. "That's a nice view...It seems like a long time since I've seen those."

Mal began to unbutton his shirt before hesitating and stopping. Inara was standing and already looking winded. He sat in the chair at the helm and pulled Inara down into his lap resting his cheek against her shoulder as he stared out into the black.

"You're doing my job again," she teased him, running her finger down the slice of bare skin exposed by his half unbuttoned shirt. "If you keep that up I'll be useless and there's no room on Serenity for useless people."

"Ain't hardly useless. Well, you are now bein' shot an' all but once that heals up... you know how to shoot a gun now." Mal said, not sure how he'd handle seeing Inara hold a gun again even as he said the words.

"True," Inara smiled at Mal. "I'll be able to help out on jobs. That'll be nice...helping keep Serenity up here where she belongs." She looked back out at the stars as she said it and rested her head against Mal's. "I like that you're protective but I'm glad you aren't putting me in this cocoon...another cage. I want to help out Serenity."

"You will, darlin'. Promise you that." Mal nodded, his arms wrapping tight around Inara. "Headin' to Persephone. See if Badger has any work. Usually does."

Inara nodded. "Perhaps I'll be well enough to go see him with you, finally meet the infamous Badger," she smiled and sighed contentedly. Mal's arms around her made her feel safe and loved. “I love that, you know...when you call me darlin'," she said in a hazy, sleepy voice.

"Like that, huh?" Mal said, realizing that for the first time. "Doubt we'll take you planet side this first time, 'Nara. You won't be up to full strength." He said honestly. "Some of Badgers men ain't much in the trustworthy way. Can probably help with the job he gives us if it ain't too much legwork."

"Let's keep it that way," Inara smiled. "I like being the only one." She furrowed her brow and nodded. "I'm likely to be stir crazy from staying in the shuttle by the time I'm okay to walk around. You'll have to take me out on the mule sight seeing."

"Once you can walk more'n a few steps you can walk about serenity... and then we'll find you someplace to set foot on that ain't a ship, I s'ppose." Mal said.

"I'll be content just to walk around Serenity," Inara answered. "I love our shuttle but it gets old quickly when I'm in here all the time, particularly while you're working somewhere else."

Mal bowed his head, his gaze lowering from Inara's and even from the sight of the stars out of the window. Guilt suddenly rose in him that he’d been avoiding the shuttle. "Was just busy today is all. Had... captain-y things to be doin'."

"Hey," Inara whispered, putting her hand against Mal's cheek and her thumb under his chin so that she could lift his gaze back up to hers. "It's okay. I understand. Kaylee entertained me anyway and I sleep a lot. You had things to do. I can't and don't expect you to neglect that just because I'm sick."

Mal quirked an eyebrow and looked back to Inara worriedly. "You're sick?"

"No, I didn't mean sick...just hurt," Inara reassured him. "And getting better."

Mal nodded slightly and looked back out of the window. "Had me worried there for a minute."

Another bout of silence drew out between them for a few moments before Mal began talking, about what he wasn't sure. "When I was little, my ma used to make this stew when I was sick. She only made it when I was sick cause she said it had magic to be makin' me better." He trailed his fingers through Inara's hair as he spoke. "One time I faked bein' sick just to get some of the stew. Ain't rightly sure why, just wanted some. She made the soup and I guess I forgot to be sick... cause she found out I was fakin' it. Got madder than a rooster in a hen house. Said God was gonna get me for lyin' to her like that. Got a whoopin' like nothin' else, but then I caught her laughin' 'bout it to some of the ranch hands."

A lazy smile had spread over his lips as he'd told the story. "She made me the stew when I asked for it after that though. Said she could put the magic healin' into whatever she made anyway..." He trailed off, his voice growing quiet and then to nothing.

Inara smiled at Mal's story, reaching over to touch the corners of his lips as he smiled. His smiles were still infrequent enough that they took her by surprise. "I don't know how your mom would have felt about me but I would have loved her simply because it's obvious she loved you so much."

She leaned her head against Mal's again and put her hands over his across her stomach. "I wasn't allowed to have chocolate when I was little except for special occasions. My nanny knew that but every Tuesday she and I had a special occasion that no one else knew about. It was Princess day. I'd put on this tiara my mother had gotten me then Nanny and I would sneak out into the garden beneath this giant Willow tree we had growing near this little creek. We'd crawl underneath the leaves and sit there in our green palace. Nanny always brought chocolate on Princess days."

"My ma loved me too much I'm thinkin' Got away with damn near anything. I mean I got whoopin's when I was bad but... Weren't a whole lot that was bad enough for that." Mal said.

He studied Inara as she told her story. "Guess them princess days stuck... still a princess." He said lightly, somewhat relaxed.

Inara laughed softly. "I'm not good at much else. I was raised to be a lady from nearly the day I was born. The only difference between a lady and a princess is the tiara and the title. Sometimes I wonder if Mother always wanted me to go to school to be a companion or if the plans were something much more along the lines of marry someone rich and the guild house became a way to get me out of my father's house as soon as possible."

"You're more'n any of that, 'Nara." Mal said, bringing his fingers to her chin to turn her head to face him. "Got a good life now. Here with me." The realization was more for himself than her. How could he ever even think of taking her back to the guild house? He needed her here and she needed to be here. "You like it here, right? Here with me?"

"I love it here and I love being here with you," Inara told him, her brow furrowed slightly. "Serenity is everything I wanted my father's house to be while I was growing up. It's filled with love and family. It's okay to touch the walls and eat in any of the rooms. It's okay to scream in the cargo bay or run up the stairs. I'm with people here who love me. Serenity is home." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Before the guild house I wanted all the things little girls want. Before everyone told me I couldn't have it, or that I shouldn't. Before I got old enough to realize there were more frogs than Princes...before I got old enough to be scared of someone that would turn me into my mother...before all of that, I wanted you."

Mal hugged Inara close to him, holding onto her as if she were a life raft keeping him afloat. "You got me, 'Nara. Just scared of what I'll do to you... already got you shot. Had to tell the Alliance you were a High Priestess to get you in there. Might not have taken you without it."

"I wondered why they kept calling me Mistress Serra," Inara smiled at Mal. She turned slightly in his lap so that she could press a kiss against his temple. "You had nothing to do with me getting shot. And if the Alliance hadn't taken me then...I would have died knowing you want to marry me. My soul would have come back looking for yours. I don't want to die, Mal. I'm terrified of it in fact. I want to live a long life with you. I want all the things I was told I couldn't have with you, but if something like that happens again, I don't want you taking me to an Alliance hospital." Almost unconsciously she reached up and ran her fingers feather light across the still healing cut above his eye. "I don't want to be responsible for this ever again," she whispered.

Mal shook his head. "No 'Nara. I ain't promisin' anything like that. They was the only ones close 'nough to fix you. Woulda banged down their door and held 'em at gunpoint if I had to." His voice carried such conviction and emotion. "I ain't losin' you... not when it feels like I just got you, dong ma?"

Inara sighed softly and flitted her fingers through Mal's hair. She understood his reasoning. If it'd been him she would have done the same thing, even if she'd known a horrible fate awaited her. Better me than him she thought. "Dong ma," she said resignedly. She leaned in and pressed a butterfly kiss to the cut above his eyes. "I almost wish you'd held them at gunpoint. They'd have treated you a bit better then."

"Was outnumbered, 'Nara... by a couple hundred. Woulda ended up dead." Mal said, "Not that I wouldn't have done it. You know how I can be with my stubborn side. Just wasn't a better option."

Inara cupped Mal's face in her hands and placed a tender kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for wanting me alive enough to go through this for me," she said as she kissed the cut just below Mal's eye again. "I wish I could take it away."

"Thought you were likin' my scars..." Mal said, with a small grin. He bowed his head so that he was close to her.

"I love your scars. Every single one of them," Inara answered as she glided her fingers over the scars on his body, finishing as she always did with the one on his ribs that Atherton had given him. "I wish I could take away the pain behind them though. I wish I could take away all the darkness so that there's only light in your life."

"Take all that's behind 'em away and you wouldn't have me." He paused a moment before continuing. His fingertips trailed lightly over her jaw line. "'Sides, I got a light right here. Just gotta remember it's here."

"I'll remind you," Inara whispered as she leaned in and kissed him softly, letting it linger and grow deeper but still remain tender. "I love you, Mal." She smirked slightly and chuckled. "Those words were so hard to say for so long and I don't know why. Now I don't want to stop saying them."

"Like a drug... once you start can't ever get enough." Mal said, brushing her hair back off of her shoulder. "You're still gonna marry me?"

"Do you still want me to?" Inara asked, leaning into Mal's touch.

"Don't want you to get hurt..." Mal bowed his head, his eyes closing for the moment. His life seemed to be wrought with nothing but pain lately. Something good would happen and then it came crashing down. Could he really put Inara through this roller coaster ride?

He couldn't be without her. She was like the air he needed to breathe, and his ship he needed to stay airborne. "I want you to though. Want you to marry me... be mine."

"Yes, I still want to marry you," Inara answered, a slow smile slipping across her face. "And I'm already yours. Marriage doesn't change that. It just makes it legal on most of the planets." She touched the scar in the middle of his chest that Niska had given him and took a deep breath. "Promise me again you won't let me be like my father. I don't want you locked in a cage anymore than I want to be in one."

"'Nara, you wouldn't be lockin' me in a cage. First of all I ain't so good at stayin' in 'em 'less I'm beaten, cuffed, and drugged. You'd never do that to me. Second, you said you was lovin' me. Cages ain't any part of lovin'." Mal said.

Inara nodded, her fingers still tracing the scar in the middle of his chest. She laughed bitterly after a moment. "Isn't it fun dealing with all the issues he left me with? That's the good thing about facades. They hide the mess."

"The mess is part of you... ain't so bad way I see it." Mal said, watching as her fingers traced over his scar. "You're always touchin' my scars... the messes behind 'em. S'only fair I get to see your messes too."

"I don't mind your messes. They're sexy and scarred and give me reasons to hold you and touch you more often," Inara told him with a smile. "My messes just make me say no when I want to say yes. They turn me into something I don't want to be." She paused a moment and let her fingers trail up to the scar on his shoulder. "One of these days he's going to die and leave me everything. I'll sell it all and keep Serenity in the air for years. Eventually something good will come of that house and that life."

Mal's fingers slid from Inara's chin up to her cheek. A small, soft smile played at his lips and he shook his head as he looked at her. "It already has..." He whispered. "Sooner you see that, the better." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss against her lips.

Inara kissed him back, her hands sliding up his chest and shoulders to tunnel in his hair, pulling him closer. She broke the kiss and dipped her head, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, drowning in the scent of him. She sat folded into him like that for a moment, just breathing him in.

"S'go to bed." Mal said after a few moments. "Been a long day and I'm a mite tired." He lifted Inara and carried her to the bed, laying her down first and then removing his shirt the rest of the way before crawling in after her to rest on his side. One of his arms rested behind his head and the other draped across her stomach.

She turned on her side to face him, burrowing into his chest, her nose in the hollow of his throat. She rested one hand on his chest, feeling the thump-thump of his heart beneath her. The other hand rested at the nape of his neck, pulling him in as close as she could get. "I thank Buddha for you every day," she whispered against his skin.

Mal thought of a million witty come backs for that one. For now, he opted to keep his mouth shut. He didn't need it, and neither did she. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Hours later Inara closed the top drawer to the bedside table and glanced at Mal asleep beside her. She carefully slipped out of bed and logged onto her comm. It took only a few moments to sign into the email address she'd been instructed to use.

Peresphone. Going to talk to Badger.

I.S.

As soon as she'd sent the brief message she turned the comm off and slipped back into bed, burrowing into Mal. He stirred slightly and she shushed him with a soft kiss to his collarbone before closing her eyes and falling back asleep again.