On Board Serenity

In the Black

Mal knocked on the door to Inara’s shuttle, and realized that while trying not to make a habit of being polite, he had inadvertently done exactly that. He tried to remember back to how things had ended the last time he was here, and found that the events were still crystal clear in his mind, despite everything else that was clouding up his thoughts. Kaylee was still missing, River had been taken, Zoe was recovering from wounds that should have killed her, the girl Anne was still a threat, and now Book was presenting more unanswered questions. Thoughts that should be forefront in his mind were for some reason being pushed aside by the memory of what had happened between him and Inara, memories that he couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried. He had even asked Jayne to hit him hard, no consequences, just to try to get his mind off of Inara. Jayne had complied, and put a bit more joy behind the punch than he should have; but now Mal had the memories and the pain of a throbbing cheek, along with a fine-looking black eye.

He raised his hand to knock again, but realized that the door was already open, Inara standing in front of him. He chastised himself for disappearing into his thoughts.

“Hi,” he said, and then chastised himself for not saying anything else.

Inara, however, wore her mask well. Her face spoke of complacency, as if she had no problem with the man seeking entrance into her private sanctuary. “What can I do for you, Captain?” she asked.

Captain. So that’s how it’s going to be.

“I, uh, I just wanted to let you know that Zoe’s recovering well, just, uh, in case you were wondering.” Stupid. Great job putting together words there, Mal.

The Companion’s shoulder’s dropped slightly, as if Mal had said something other than what was expected, and now she could relax. Her mouth turned upwards ever so gently, and Mal found himself transfixed by the lusciousness of those red lips, and his words turned to mush in his brain.

“T