Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own any of these wonderful characters, or even the setting and world of Firefly. They all belong to Fox/Universal and Joss Whedon.
James Norrington and related belongs to Disney, Gore, Jerry and Ted and Terry.
A/N: This series of ficlets takes place after Browncoats at World’s End. You don’t have to read it, but it would explain how an 18th century commodore came to be aboard Serenity
Saga: There is a saga? I guess since most of these fics will be after “Browncoats at World’s End” and continue after each other it is a saga.
Chapter 7: Beauty Sleep
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“That is what you have to keep doing.” Inara Serra said. She had tried to convince Simon to not dwell on what might go wrong for his and Kaylee’s upcoming wedding. She told him to think about the positive, visualize his dream wedding.
“Be like Kaylee,” He stepped away from the banister. “Just think about her and be like her.”
“Where are you going?” She sat up and adjusted her gown. Sitting on those stairs for too long could cause soreness, or maybe it was because of how she sat.
He paused on his way back to his cabin. “I’m going back to bed.”
“Remember what we have talked about.” She didn’t need to remind him of anything.
“Still fresh on my mind, good night.”
“Good night,” she hoped he would be able to get back to sleep. She needed to get to sleep herself. Lack of sleep would equal lack of health and lack of health could affect her appearance and she wanted to look her most desirable when she arrived on Santo.
Great, now she was thinking shallow thoughts. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. That was one of the first things she was taught when she had started her Companion training. There were no ugly people, only those with ugly thoughts and ugly actions. Even those why may be plain or had a nose too big, or eyebrows too bushy, or even buck teeth or a facial mole were trained and through kind words and slight psychology taught to believe they were beautiful, and after a few clients they could pay to fix their teeth, had a few imperfections removed, tweeze and sculpt their eyebrows, or even receive a new nose, if they chose too.
“I don’t want to look unwell,” Inara corrected herself as she stood up. She wanted to look healthy and she needed to sleep to maintain a healthy appearance. She did not want bags under her eyes, or for her eyes to be bloodshot. Clients might mistake her for being drunk or ill and if they believed one of the two they could report her to the guild, and she wanted her record to remain pristine.
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Her shuttle was neither too warm nor was it too cold. She might not want to pull up a few sheets to cover her yet, but she did want to treat her pillow. She spritzed on a mixture of geranium and patchouli oils onto her pillow. Aromatherapy might help her get the required sleep. She would have also lit some incense but she did not have stick of the fragrance she needed. She did have some lavender scented crystals for her humidifier. That should do.
“A comfortable temperature, decent fragrance, and now for the right music.” She placed the crystals into the optional fragrance slot of the machine and went to her music box. She had great variety of songs programmed to set the mood and even had a few selections for sleep. She selected the mix containing jazz, classical, and even a few country ballads.
As soon as her head brushed against the pillow she thought about the upcoming wedding. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know Kaylee would probably ask her to help plan. There would probably be questions about food the young mechanic would deem to be fancy and the kinds of music. Knowing Kaylee she would want to recreate the yearly ball on Persephone, except there would be no punching.
Damn it. Inara opened her eyes. She was trying not to think about Mal. He was the reason she couldn’t sleep. She had to follow her advice and think about the positive.
Think about the wedding. There would be dancing and plenty of respectful people to dance with, including James. He had most likely been invited to several elegant events and knew how to dance There was something else to look forward to. She and James would have plenty to talk about on the station while she helped him select new clothing, until then she would invite him into her shuttle for tea, conversation and a few games of chess, and on Santo they could have a few fencing matches. She could convince the former commodore to help her get Mal agree to more lessons.
There her mind went again. She could not stop thinking about the captain. Why did she care about his past? Why did she care if he had slipped into his past military mode again. She had nearly dealt with his soldier side on Miranda. Why did it bother her to watch him in action, following orders, doing drills? Was it because she was used to the sometimes brooding, sometimes mischievous petty thief?
“Maybe I should try to eat something.”
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Inara paused in the hallway containing the crew’s bunks. When she entered the galley she realized she didn’t want to eat or drink anything, not even tea. She thought of taking a walk around the ship that might help her push all thoughts of Mal out of her head. The only problem was she was about to walk past his bunk and knowing she was even closer to him than before had brought him back to her mind.
“The stars,” she closed her eyes and continued to the cockpit. She would sit in one of the two chairs and look out at the stars. The tranquil appearance of the stars would be enough to help her forget.
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The stars would have helped, if that damned captain weren’t at the helm and asleep in the pilot’s chair.
“Son of a bitch,” she whispered. Her eyes fixed on Mal’s sleeping form. Here he was sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world while his presence in her mind kept her awake.
He did appear innocent while he slept. Maybe it was because he wasn’t joking around and calling her a whore. Maybe it was because he hadn’t just returned from a fight, covered in bleeding wounds, causing her to worry. Maybe it was because he wasn’t barging into her shuttle to make fun of her high society lifestyle, or maybe it was because he wasn’t in soldier mode.
“I know you did not mean to, and you really didn’t scare me when we were on the Intrepid. I may admit I was frightened about your safety when you engaged in a sword fight.” She thought of him in the classic Royal Navy uniform while he swung his sword. “I did not lie when I told Simon I thought you looked good in that uniform and I’m glad you kept it.”
Mal did not say anything. His breathing shifted and sounded like he sighed before he continued to sleep.
“Go on and sleep. I know you have been through a lot, and if you had some decency we could talk about it, but you have to keep entering my shuttle uninvited.” She stared at him. Maybe in his dreams he was no longer hurting. “We will talk more in the morning.” She leaned forward to give him an assuring peck on his forehead.
Piercing blue eyes opened. “What are you doing?”
“Mal,” Inara nearly stumbled back. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” Mal sat up higher. “I have been awake for a while.”
“You have?” She felt her chest tighten. He had heard everything. “For how long?”
“Probably for as long as you been standing there. What are you doing?”
“I can’t sleep. No one can on this ship, not since we got back.”
“I thought you were supposed to be good at lying.”
“I am not lying.” She wrung her hands. Why did this man vex her so much? “I am telling half truths. Everyone had trouble sleeping. They may be asleep now.”
“And you want to talk about why you and I can’t sleep?” He raised his eyebrows.
“I did,” she lowered herself into the co-pilot’s seat. “I’m not sure.”
“Is it because I am awake,” he crossed his arms. “How did I scare you on that ole navy boat?”
“Because you didn’t call it a navy boat when you were aboard, because you were the total opposite of yourself.”
Mal raised a hand. “I would think Jack Sparrow was the total opposite of folk like the commodore.”
“Not all military men are the same.”
“No we aint,” he breathed deeply. “I bet it was because I was acting more like the respectful folk you are used to on Core planets, and you thought I could never be like that.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. It would do no good to lie to him. “I never thought you could.”
“I was in disguise. I didn’t want to get caught. You were there.”
“It wasn’t just that. The way you fought along with them. Some of those soldiers admired you.”
“They were good folk,” Mal nodded. “They didn’t want to be ruled by some organization and a fancy man who was obviously overcompensation for something,” he smiled briefly, possibly at what River had revealed about Cutler Beckett. “I helped them be free of them. The commodore and I both helped free them.” His smile faded. “Now he is my commodore.”
“You did seem to form a brotherly bond with him.”
“Still doesn’t seem right we had to take him.”
“We will help him adapt.”
“And you are going to take him shopping. I bet you are looking forward to that.”
“Why does everyone assume I will?” She stared out at the stars. “It will be fun shopping with a complete gentleman.”
“Probably going to invite him to your shuttle and spend a lot of time with him.” Was that jealousy in his voice?
“Maybe, but he is your crew member.” She refused to look at Mal. “and I won’t hole him up. River is going to want to spend some time with him.”
“They spend even more time together and I am going to have another wedding to help plan.”
“You also noticed it?” She had seen the way River had looked at the former commodore and the way she spoke about him and easily defended him.
“What?” Mal nearly stood up. “I was just joking.”
“I think our little River is attracted to him,” she was not going to tell Mal about the crush she suspected River once had on him. “I don’t know if he sees her in the same way.”
“He sees her as a friend, course he’s even more tightly wound than the doc. Living here might loosen him up.” He closed his eyes. “And why are we talking about this? My job isn’t to play matchmaker.”
“Just be a good captain, which you are.”
“That is all I try to be.”
“And a good captain will listen to those aboard his ship.”
“What are you trying to bring up?”
“How many times do you have to be attacked by a swordsman before you agree to more lessons?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Do not start this again.”
“You have two teachers now.”
“Not going to happen.”
“I’m not going to stop asking you.”
“You will,” he stepped away from the chair. “That’s final. My word on my ship is final.”
“Fine, then I will ask James to pester you into agreeing.”
“I’ll give him the same order.” Mal crossed his arms again.
“Even though it may be one of the few thing similar to his time?” She closed her eyes and leaned back. Arguing with him was wearing her out.
“Maybe a few lessons, but not all the time and it won’t be you giving them.”
“As long as we agree.”
“We didn’t agree.” His voice was starting to sound even more distant.
“I like…to think…we came,” she paused to yawn. “To…a compromise.”
“It’s that what you think then fine.”
It was fine. She won another argument against him. His stubborn pride won’t allow him to agree, but she won and was ready to indulge in the slumber that was her reward.
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Replies: Ogreatrandom, thank you or the review. Mal’s chapter would be the last for this story, but the wedding will be another story in the future.