Blue Sun Room FICTION - GENERAL

When You Can't Do That...

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Zoe and Inara deal with Mal's death.

CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 3181    RATING: 9.0 (PG)    SERIES: FIREFLY

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Word Count: 1255

Spoilers: Allusion to post BDM.

Characters/Pairing: Mal/Inara, Zoe/Wash

Rating: PG

A/N: Well, it's been forever and a day since I've posted something. Written for 'Mal is Dead' challenge - so, obviously, character death follows. Many thanks for the challenge, dearest!

When You Can't Do That…

by 2x2

"No! Let me go!" screamed Inara, fighting the arms the pulled her back behind cover, beyond reason as she struggled to get to his side.

"Inara! Inara!!" The crack of Zoe's palm against the Companion's soft cheek sounded loud as a gunshot, but it had the desired effect as the other woman went still in shock

"Mal…" she whimpered, struggling again but Zoe shook her head and grabbed the woman's arms.

"Listen to me. Inara! Listen to me. You put it out of your mind!" she shouted, her heart closed to sympathy as the other woman's face crumpled.

"I can't—"

She shook Inara, hard, cold eyes meeting wet. "Don't you *dare* make his death mean nothin'," she growled, fully aware of the gasp of anger and hatred the other woman directed her way and not caring, knowing Inara needed that emotion right now to keep going. If that meant she would have to bear the brunt of the Companion's grief, so be it.

"You can go ahead and hate me all you want," she said. "Just so long as you take that hate and that anger and you use it, Inara. Use it to survive, use it to drive you. Use it for revenge. Just don’t let it pull you under, or it'll drown you. It'll drown us both."

"Are you speaking from experience," the Companion spat coldly.

"I am," Zoe replied, colder.

Inara's gaze wavered, the grief that she fought to control flashing over her face as she swallowed, but it was enough. She drew in a shuddering breath and the steel that Zoe had always admired in the Companion was back, stiffening the woman's spine and resolve.

And then they were moving again, which was all that mattered at the moment.

Comments
Saturday, 03 March 2007 19:02
First to comment, oh yeah!

Oh, how that one hurt! Honestly. There were tears. I hate the thought of Mal dead, and for Inara, no less! But you got the characters voices exactly, and it was beautifully written!
Saturday, 03 March 2007 19:11
Oh! god...smack me! I'm so glad I logged in today. This is as close to character perfection as one can write. Mal's sacrafice; Zoe, a soldier, first and foremost, hating it, but following Mal's orders, and Inara's grief and then strength.
Zoe and Inara blaming each other and then moving forward together.
Muy buen, gracias
Saturday, 03 March 2007 22:13
:Sob: I should know better by now that to read any fic where Mal dies.....I just can't take it. Especially the idea of him dying alone....:sniffle:

This was a tearjerker to say the least - I can handle reading about all manner of horrible things happening to Mal so long as he makes it back in the end and has his crew by his side. This - utterly hearbreaking. I won't be reading it again because it's too hard.....but you did an amazingly good job writing it.
Saturday, 03 March 2007 23:05
Ohhh...I am speechless, 2x2! Completely and utterly speechless from how painful and brilliant this was! The moments of barely-controlled fury between Inara and Zoe about what they had to do and their individual desire to blame the other for not staying with Mal? Honestly thought you had Joss tied up and working away under your supervision;D

BEB
Saturday, 03 March 2007 23:23
Can't believe you killed Mal. While I could so easily see him giving his life for any one of his crew, the idea of him dying alone really hurt. And then to be left, lying in the street like that. That's an image that will haunt Zoe and Inara until their dying day. Ali D
You can't take the sky from me
Sunday, 04 March 2007 13:50
This was unbelievably good - so painful and so poignant. It's so perfectly in character I hope you don't give Joss any ideas! The only other fic that made me tear up like this was the LAST time you killed Mal in 'Cold Knowledge'. Yes, you're really, really good at killing Mal - could we have something really fluffy now?
2X2
Sunday, 04 March 2007 19:18
Thank you everyone for your very shiny comments!

avalonsmommy, I'm so pleased that you found my character's voices to be exact, that is glowing praise indeed. And the tears! Thank-you so much

Platonist, what can I say? I don't think I've ever received a better compliment than to know my characterization was done right. Thank-you.

jetflair, I'm sorry that it's so hard to read that you'll never read it again, but at the same time I'm glad you had such a reaction to it.. Means I did my job, so thank-you.

BlueEyedBrigadier, I'm so glad you liked it, and to render you speechless, I'm speechless :o) Thank-you!

AMDOBELL, yes, it was a very sad situation, and I think you're right, that will haunt them both for the rest of thier days. Thanks.

Katesfriend, thank you so much, I'm so pleased it was in character, and can't help but grin a little at your reference to my other story, and how good I am at killing Mal *g* it's really not my only talent! ;o) I'll do my best to try for something fluffy in the future, but I'll be honest, it's not my strongest suit. :o)

Thanks again, everyone.

WHELP
Sunday, 04 March 2007 20:27
Woah
Monday, 05 March 2007 05:30
Wow. Intense. One of those where I had to stop reading, get up and pace, get a drink, and then come back and finish. I saw "Mal" and "death" and I was like, Oh, hell no, I can't read that right now... but then I saw it was by you, 2x2, and I just couldn't pass that up...

I think I'm gonna go cry, now. But not before I beg for the final installment of "Choices"! (And I'm crossing my fingers that you're not REALLY gonna kill Mal off - cuz I don't think I can handle that! *sobs*)
Monday, 05 March 2007 05:48
"We left him there, to die in the street alone," Inara hissed and Zoe closed her eyes, her husband's voice drifting through her memory –

Oooo, poor Mal. Zoe shouldn't have to leave Mal to die again--War Stories was bad enough. This was beautifully written, although part of me wanted to see it play out the other way round--with Zoe losing it and Inara having to force her to go on . . .
Tuesday, 20 March 2007 04:14
Awwww... *sniff* this was heartbreakingly sad, but beautifully written. Seeing the title I kinda expected the speach from War Stories, ya know, Whn ya can't run, ya crawl, and when ya can't crawl, ya find someone to carry ya...
ELLAGREGGS
Monday, 29 March 2010 18:52
Well done. Very in character for both women, and some nice turns of phrase. You made it very vivid with a few choice words, like the image of Zoe packing up their 'negligible gear.' I could easily see Mal making Zoe promise to save Inara, and Zoe's emotional arch was very in character, too.
2X2
Monday, 29 March 2010 21:21
Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was done well and in character :o)

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