“Why we still talkin’ ‘bout this? It’s been decided,” Mal said, more than a little irritated that Inara was still blocking his path.

“It has not been decided, Malcolm Reynolds,” Inara said angrily. The only thing stopping her from stamping her foot was years of Companion training.

Mal took her by the shoulders and set her out of his way physically. Climbing the ladder of his bunk, he said, “Ain’t arguing the point any more, woman. Just ‘cause I’m putty in your hands down here don’t mean I ain’t Captain of this boat everywhere else. And long’s you’re crew, you’d best learn not to fight me when it comes to the job.”

Inara let out a huge sigh of frustration as his feet disappeared up the ladder. That man could be the most infuriating man she’d ever met. He was categorically opposed to her joining him on jobs, and now that she was not a Companion anymore, that left her with very few options as to employment. They had argued for the two days it had taken them to get to the drop point, and Inara had made absolutely no progress in getting him to budge from his recalcitrant position. To be truthful, she had never met a man that she couldn’t persuade to her way of thinking, given time and opportunity, but Mal was a different sort altogether.

She pondered the problem while he and Jayne were gone, trying to figure a new angle of convincing argument. She could think of nothing, and went to her shuttle, in no mood to hear the recounting of the tale of thrilling heroics that they would no doubt have on their return.

Though she closed her shuttle door, she could clearly hear when he returned, as he was bellowing orders at the top of his voice. Yelling something about getting the hell out of the world, he sounded none too happy by whatever had happened. She pulled the pillows over her ears to block out the sound, and fell asleep still annoyed.

Sometime later, in Serenity’s night watch, she was awakened by Mal’s heavy steps outside her shuttle. Stepping inside, he crossed his arms and leaned again