Act Three

“You know,” Len said, getting onto his feet, “your urge to protect Inara is really quite endearing – something the back of my head can testify to. It warms the heart, and all that.” He began to head for the door, but Mal’s hand gripping his shoulder firmly stopped him dead in his tracks.

“How’s about you answer the question, son?”

Len glared daggers at Mal. “Fine,” he said, relenting. He shrugged off Mal’s hand and sat back down. “It’s nothing, really. I just have this thing where I like to bet on races and the likes –”

“Lemme guess. You’re on the dodge ‘cause you owe some unpleasant folk a lot of petty cash, and you figured a sister who is a bonafide Companion might offer to help you get rid of your debt.”

Len stared at his feet. Scratching his head awkwardly, he mumbled, “Basically, yes.” Suddenly Mal realized how young he looked – and probably still was. He had a big mouth, no doubt about that, but all in all he was just a kid in trouble. Len looked up and added quickly, “But I am real happy to see her. She’s turned into one hell of a woman...”

A smile tugged at Mal’s lips. “Can’t say’s I argue with that.”

A little more comfortable, Len’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “So... why aren’t you two together, exactly? I mean, all that tiptoeing around one another I just witnessed…” He shrugged casually. “She clearly likes you and you clearly like her. Have at it already!”

Mal closed his eyes and tried to chase away the images that Len’s words provoked. “It’s a mite more complicated than that.”

“Yeah, that’s what she says, too, but I always figure things are only complicated ‘cause people make them complicated.”

Mal sighed. He really hated it when people made a valid point. “It’d never be anything, with her bein’ so gorram perfect all the time, and me bein’ just my own self.” He shook his head. “I can’t see how anyone can be so perfect all the time. I bet she’s awful tired,” he said softly.

“My sister is not perfect, Captain Reynolds. She just hides h