Baby of Mine
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Post-BDM, Mal narration. M/I, et al. This is not the ideal way to bring a child into the ‘verse, but because there’s so much love on Serenity, it seems to work anyway. Warm, fuzzy, happy moments interrupted periodically by angst and sadness. But it ends well…ish.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 4680 RATING: 9.0 (PG) SERIES: FIREFLY
A.N. This is what happens when you leave me vague comments like “I *heart* pregnancy fic!” (That’s you, EmpireX!) But I hope y’all enjoy my warped little world. Thanks to BEB for the last bit of warping and tweaking. And to AgentOmega and kacidilla for beta-ing.
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Alessandra was crying again. Mal moved quickly, hoping to quiet her before Inara woke up. Inara had been sick all week. Inara, Kaylee, Simon, Jayne… even he was starting to feel a little under the weather. But then, it might have just been lack of sleep from trying to pick up the slack for everyone else. It was more than a cold traveling around the boat, but Simon had run out of both drugs and ideas, and so they were heading for ground to re-supply. It would still take a day before they had new medicine.
Carefully, Mal lifted his baby girl out of the bassinette and carried her to the changing table, hoping a decent swaddle would quiet her. She had come into the world just five weeks ago with a solid mass of silky black hair and olive skin, looking so much like her mother that he could easily believe she had no father.
The baby let loose a shrill wail which Mal failed to muffle in his shoulder. The sound was echoed by a groan from Inara as she rolled onto her side. Mal rocked the baby against his shoulder, and carefully crossed the room to Inara, stroking her hair away from her face, pushing her gently back to the bed when she tried to sit up.
“Go back to sleep, ‘Nara, I got her,” Mal whispered. Alessandra quieted just long enough for him to believe his gentle words had served dual purpose. Inara opened her eyes, fighting exhaustion, and considered him uncertainly. She hadn’t slept in days – as much due to being sick as to being a new mother.
With a nod, Mal gave her permission to rest again while he tended to the crying infant. If it weren’t the first time Inara had slept in days, Mal would have handed the baby over eagerly, because the frustration and stress of a constantly crying child were getting to him and rubbing him raw
I don't know why, but for some reason, this line is simply inspired to me:
<quote>She had come into the world just five weeks ago with a solid mass of silky black hair and olive skin, looking so much like her mother that he could easily believe she had no father.</quote>
The river walk scene was wonderfully done, capturing that aspect of Mal and Inara's relationship that we so rarely see... just walking and talking, with no thoughts of how their attitudes clash.
Love that Inara wanted the baby to be Mal's; the fact that she could admit it says a great deal about how far they've come in their relationship...
The bit with the attack dogs was simply hilarious; Mal does have a knack for finding trouble wherever he goes...
And when Inara loses the baby, the whole ship grieves with her... such camaraderie, even for a life that had barely begun.
Kaylee's comment about how it took her seventeen hours to get an 'almost there' was great, and just the sort of humor I'd expect from her.
Thankfully, you kept Zoë alive in this fic, so she's still around to be her badass deadpan self. And Mal's line that Alessandra is just as much hers as his and Inara's... simply hearwarming.
And of course, you finished it off with one of Mal's patented quirky lines. Brilliant.
As ever, VB, a tale well-told.
You can't take the sky from me
I especially loved this line: "Every soul on this boat is one of mine. I’d’ve loved him like my own, and not just because you asked me to.” That beautifully sums up Mal's attitude to his created family. And helps remind us of Firefly's roots in surviving overwhelming loss. Beautiful writing!
While it warms the cockles - and maybe the sub-cockles, too ;D - of my heart to have participated in the final design of this...I have to say that even if I hadn't added my 2 bit of platinum, this would have been worthy of a perfect 10 anyway;D
I do have to note though I still find it...oddly unsettling...that the Guild would not have access to medical expertise that would allow for abortions of embryos without causing cumulative damage to a Companion's womb. 'Less it was a punishment of sorts....
BEB
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