Firefly fic: Once A Thief
Dec. 1st, 2010 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseTitle: Once A Thief
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing/Characters: Inara, River, Mal/Saffron
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 610
Prompt: For the darkship prompt meme "take everything you've got" and for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
100_tales prompt #074 Decisions
Summary: With Saffron onboard, Mal isn't the only one questioning her loyalty
Warnings: None
Notes: post-Serenity. Takes place after Unbound but stands alone if you just take it as read that Saffron is once again onboard 'Serenity' - and in Mal's affections
"You know she's just playing you," Inara told Mal. After all that happened on Miranda, he'd thought their relationship had turned a corner. Turned out the next stretch of road was just as full of bumps and dead ends as the previous ones. So he wasn't inclined to take her word for it, seeing as maybe she was jealous but not willing to admit it. It was Nandi all over again.
---
"Saffron," Mal asked River. "You think she's playing us?" There were advantages to having a psychic onboard.
River paused, fingers hovering over the flight controls. "Playing you?" she asked pointedly.
"Answer the question," Mal replied sternly.
"Hard to tell."
"What do you mean, hard to tell?" Mal took the co-pilot's chair and spun it to face her.
River sighed. "Not easy reading someone's mind. You often think about killing Jayne but you've not done it yet. Thought is not action."
"I'm of a mind to stop her before she gets to the action."
"The problem is, she doesn't know herself," River explained. "She's conflicted. You've helped her and she wants to repay that, but she's been a thief a long time and she's not used to trust. Not giving it nor being worthy of it. Subconsciously she feels unworthy, could sabotage herself."
"More the sabotaging us that I'm worried about," Mal said. "So it's not a question of if she'll turn on us, but when?"
"Nothing is fixed," River said. "One the one hand, she's making an effort to fit in, to be part of the crew."
True. She'd even cooked, though the least said about that the better.
"And on the other?"
"She's planning to take everything you've got." River shrugged. "She just hasn't decided which yet."
Realising that was all the advice he was going to get, Mal stood and moved to the doorway.
"I'd take precautions," River said over her shoulder, adding with a wicked grin, "all kinds."
There were definite disadvantages to having a psychic onboard.
---
"That was almost worth the special hell," Mal whispered.
Next to him, Saffron giggled. She ran one hand through her hair, still highlighted in blue from a disguise she'd worn on their latest job.
"I'm skilled in many areas," she said.
Mal's eyes widened as her hand moved beneath the covers. "Again? So soon?"
"Well if you can't keep up the pace…"
Mal grabbed her, held her down and blew raspberry kisses on her naked belly. Saffron shrieked in protest, snatching up a pillow and beating Mal with it until he stopped.
"You're insane," she giggled when he drew back.
"I know." Mal lay down alongside her once more, trying to get his breath back. "You know, River thinks you're planning to cross us, take everything I've got."
"And what do you think?"
"That it's possible and, given past experience, probable."
Saffron nodded, not in the least insulted.
"I couldn't take everything," she said at last. "Your crew. They're loyal to you. They love you. I could never take them."
Mal propped himself up on one elbow. "You could get them hurt. And that I couldn't forgive." It was a warning that she'd do well to heed. When he thought that had sunk in, he leaned over and kissed her.
"Of course, you're one of the crew now," he said. He turned off the light and snuggled down, fidgeting with the pillows for some time before he got comfortable and began to snore softly.
---
Saffron stared up at the top of the bunk. One of the crew. One of the family. It didn't do to rob family, but what was a thief like her going to do? She'd been faced with many tough decisions in her life, but this was going to take some serious figuring out.
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing/Characters: Inara, River, Mal/Saffron
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 610
Prompt: For the darkship prompt meme "take everything you've got" and for the
100_tales prompt #074 DecisionsSummary: With Saffron onboard, Mal isn't the only one questioning her loyalty
Warnings: None
Notes: post-Serenity. Takes place after Unbound but stands alone if you just take it as read that Saffron is once again onboard 'Serenity' - and in Mal's affections
"You know she's just playing you," Inara told Mal. After all that happened on Miranda, he'd thought their relationship had turned a corner. Turned out the next stretch of road was just as full of bumps and dead ends as the previous ones. So he wasn't inclined to take her word for it, seeing as maybe she was jealous but not willing to admit it. It was Nandi all over again.
---
"Saffron," Mal asked River. "You think she's playing us?" There were advantages to having a psychic onboard.
River paused, fingers hovering over the flight controls. "Playing you?" she asked pointedly.
"Answer the question," Mal replied sternly.
"Hard to tell."
"What do you mean, hard to tell?" Mal took the co-pilot's chair and spun it to face her.
River sighed. "Not easy reading someone's mind. You often think about killing Jayne but you've not done it yet. Thought is not action."
"I'm of a mind to stop her before she gets to the action."
"The problem is, she doesn't know herself," River explained. "She's conflicted. You've helped her and she wants to repay that, but she's been a thief a long time and she's not used to trust. Not giving it nor being worthy of it. Subconsciously she feels unworthy, could sabotage herself."
"More the sabotaging us that I'm worried about," Mal said. "So it's not a question of if she'll turn on us, but when?"
"Nothing is fixed," River said. "One the one hand, she's making an effort to fit in, to be part of the crew."
True. She'd even cooked, though the least said about that the better.
"And on the other?"
"She's planning to take everything you've got." River shrugged. "She just hasn't decided which yet."
Realising that was all the advice he was going to get, Mal stood and moved to the doorway.
"I'd take precautions," River said over her shoulder, adding with a wicked grin, "all kinds."
There were definite disadvantages to having a psychic onboard.
---
"That was almost worth the special hell," Mal whispered.
Next to him, Saffron giggled. She ran one hand through her hair, still highlighted in blue from a disguise she'd worn on their latest job.
"I'm skilled in many areas," she said.
Mal's eyes widened as her hand moved beneath the covers. "Again? So soon?"
"Well if you can't keep up the pace…"
Mal grabbed her, held her down and blew raspberry kisses on her naked belly. Saffron shrieked in protest, snatching up a pillow and beating Mal with it until he stopped.
"You're insane," she giggled when he drew back.
"I know." Mal lay down alongside her once more, trying to get his breath back. "You know, River thinks you're planning to cross us, take everything I've got."
"And what do you think?"
"That it's possible and, given past experience, probable."
Saffron nodded, not in the least insulted.
"I couldn't take everything," she said at last. "Your crew. They're loyal to you. They love you. I could never take them."
Mal propped himself up on one elbow. "You could get them hurt. And that I couldn't forgive." It was a warning that she'd do well to heed. When he thought that had sunk in, he leaned over and kissed her.
"Of course, you're one of the crew now," he said. He turned off the light and snuggled down, fidgeting with the pillows for some time before he got comfortable and began to snore softly.
---
Saffron stared up at the top of the bunk. One of the crew. One of the family. It didn't do to rob family, but what was a thief like her going to do? She'd been faced with many tough decisions in her life, but this was going to take some serious figuring out.
