rivers_bend

Title: Melon and Roses
Fandom: Firefly (Kaylee/Inara)
Words: ~2800
Rating: Teen
Thank you karaokegal for beta and all the questions.

Happy Christmas to the generous and brilliant kohl_rimmed_eye.



Kaylee figured it was worth risking the captain's wrath if he caught her to keep the ship on Greenleaf long enough for Inara to make the rendezvous. She was nearly a whole day late docking with Serenity. Kaylee had to take bits off the drive coupler and hide the grav boot to keep Mal from taking off before she was back. When Kaylee finally saw the green light indicating Inara was home, she put the engine back together and told Wash they could take off whenever he was ready.

'Narra didn't always join them for dinner when she'd been with her clients; they took her to parties and fancy eating places, so she probably wasn’t hungry for protein, even supplemented by the bits of fruit and vegetables they'd managed to pick up planet-side. Kaylee wasn't too worried the first night.

When she'd been at the drive coupler, Kaylee noticed that something green had spilled near the electrical relay so she spent most of the next day cleaning and replacing wiring and fuses. Wash was in the kitchen when she got hungry.

"Shepard made soup if you want some." Wash gestured towards the hotplate.

"Has everyone else eaten?"

"Zoe and Mal ate with Book, Jayne said he'd be in his bunk and took an apple with him. Simon took some soup back to River."

"What about Inara?"

"Haven't seen her all day. She probably stocked up when she was planetside."

Kaylee ate her share of the soup, thick with vegetables and tasty as only Shepard Book seemed to be able to make it. Wash told entertaining stories about his days in flight school. When Zoe stuck her head through the door and lifted an eyebrow, he stopped mid-sentence and followed his wife in the direction of their quarters.

Kaylee decided she needed to check the box of spare parts she'd left in the cargo bay. She happened to notice that the door to Inara's shuttle was shut tight as she passed. She didn't want to bother the companion, who could be sleeping, or busy, or just not want company.

The box didn't contain any of the parts she thought she'd use to boost the air flow efficiency, the project she had planned for the evening to keep her mind off Inara's continued absence. Kaylee had just about decided she'd take Inara some soup, when she heard Mal shouting for her. With a last look at the closed door to Inara's shuttle she went to see what the captain wanted.

He was complaining that the bridge was too hot. While she was on her back with her head in the climate regulator, she tried to bring up Inara's continued absence from the public areas of the ship.

"More work, less talk. A man's like to melt up here with that thing pumping out heat like that."

"I can work and talk at the same time, cap'n."

"Well, I'm not in the mood to fly and listen. Dong le ma? What that woman does is no business of mine, and it's no business of yours either."

Kaylee began to suspect that the captain and 'Narra had had another argument before they'd hit Greenleaf. Perhaps that's why Inara hadn't left her shuttle. Kaylee kept her mouth shut until she got the heat controlled. "There you go, cap'n, should be just right now."

"Shiny." Cap'n didn't sound like he'd know shiny if it bit him on the ass.

Kaylee slept in the engine room that night, feeling the need to keep an eye on her girl.

Everyone except Inara was at supper the next evening. Even River was joining in the conversation. Book was the first to bring up Inara. "We didn't leave anyone behind on Greenleaf, did we?" He looked at the empty chair across from him.

"Everyone knows they're welcome at this table. I reckon everyone who's of a mind to be here is here." Mal speared a slice of melon off the platter in the middle of the table with more force than was necessary.

"Are you sure she's ok cap'n? She hasn't left her shuttle in days." Kaylee knew she shouldn't bring it up again, especially when the captain had that twitch going on there in the corner of his jaw, but she was getting worried about Inara.

"What she does is her business. And I recall mentioning that we didn't need to talk about it again."

"But…" Kaylee couldn't miss the look Zoe shot her behind Mal's back.

"Don't you go bothering the woman. She thinks she's too good to eat with us, she don't need a grease monkey getting in her hair."

Kaylee cleared her plate to the galley. She managed to repress the salute, but not quite the words. "Aye, cap'n." She did say them quietly enough so that Mal didn't hear her. Watching the conversation around the table, she made an extra plate of the fruit they'd picked up on their last job and left it behind the stew-pot. The captain was as unlikely to do any cleaning up after dinner as he was to invite an Alliance crew for high tea; she could take it to Inara later.

***

Inara's shuttle was hot, the air close and stale. Kaylee put the plate of melon on one of the teak tables scattered around the room. She couldn’t see Inara at first, but then realized that the tangle of covers on the bed hid her huddled frame in their folds. "Inara!" Kaylee ran to the bed, dropping to her knees.

"Mei-Mei." Inara's voice was quiet, but she had a smile on her face. "You came." She was sweating and her hair lay in lank snarls on the pillow.

"What's wrong? Do you need me to get the doc?" Kaylee tried to smooth damp tendrils from Inara's cheek. "Have you been sick all this time?"

"I don't need the doctor. Could you just--" Inara coughed weakly. "Could I have something to drink?"

Kaylee went to the jug on the table. There was only half an inch of liquid on the bottom. She suspected it had been there for the three days since they'd left Greenleaf. She found a cloth and dipped it in the jug, using the water to wipe Inara's face. "Let me get you some fresher water." She remembered the fruit. "There's melon, do you want some melon?"

Inara's smile brightened. "That would be lovely."

Kaylee brought the plate over and ensured that Inara had the strength to feed herself. She watched even white teeth sink into the melon's green flesh, a trickle of juice escaping Inara's lips to run down her chin. She wanted to wipe the drip away, but there was grease under her nails, and Kaylee was sure Inara wouldn't want any of the mess of engine room anywhere near her. Kaylee found a bottle of water and a clean glass, helping Inara sit up to drink it. The movements allowed the smell of sickbed rise up to overwhelm the aroma of cut melon.

Inara drank the whole glass down and was holding it out for more when Kaylee remembered something about how people weren't supposed to drink too quickly when they'd been too long without fluids.

"Are you ok? Did you drink too quickly?"

"Sweetie, I'm fine. I'm much better now. I've been taking medicine. I just should have started taking it a bit earlier."

"If you're sure." Kaylee eyed Inara closely, saw her hand steady on the glass, the hint of color in her cheeks. Her gaze shifted to the sheets, wrinkled and damp. She remembered her mother coming in with fresh sheets when Kaylee was little and had caught one of the fevers that were always sweeping through the port before they started getting innoc shipments more regular-like.

Inara lifted one of her impossibly pale, slender hands and pushed her hair back. It stayed behind her ear for less than a second before falling again.

Kaylee took the water glass back and moved the plate of melon. "Could you move to the sofa, do you think, if I helped you? I'll change your sheets. I'll even help you wash. If you think you're feeling up to it."

Inara looked hopeful for a moment, then discouraged. "There's not much water."

"We're landing on Beaumonde tomorrow to pick up a package. We'll fill up the water tanks then. There's more than enough in the recyclers for a bath." Kaylee held out her hand, wanting to help Inara stand, but afraid to invade her personal space.

Inara took hold of not just Kaylee's hand, but her whole arm, pulling herself forward until she could put an arm around Kaylee's waist. Kaylee stiffened in surprise, hiding her response in the action of setting her feet to get the leverage needed to half-lift Inara from the bed.

After getting the sheets off the bed and leaving it to air, Kaylee poured out a bowl of warm water. She found Inara's box of soaps and oils, creams and lotions. She wanted to bury her nose in the box, but just laid it on the table. "Come here." Kaylee laid a towel down next to Inara. She took the sponge from the bowl and held it out to the companion, but Inara didn't take it.

"Could you..? Do you mind?"

"My hands are all rough. And I can't seem to get the--"

"Yi ji huang mui. You're cleaner than I am."

Kaylee decided she couldn't argue with that. "Do you want me to wash your hair?"

"I'd like that."

Inara lowered her gown and moved to the floor. Kaylee averted her eyes from the curve of breast she glimpsed before Inara's back was turned. Embarrassed by her shyness, she moved to the cupboard to find another wash-bowl. She didn't think she could explain to a woman as sophisticated as Inara why seeing her like that made Kaylee blush.

She'd never washed another woman's hair before, but her sister used to wash hers for her when they were girls so she knew what to do. She found Inara's shampoo in the box. With a last look at her work-stained hands, Kaylee tipped Inara's head back and poured a stream of water over her hair. She'd never realized quite how much hair Inara had. All swept up like she usually wore it, it was hard to see how thick it was. Kaylee worked her fingers through the strands, trying to get enough water into it.

The shampoo smelled of roses and spices and exotic things that Kaylee associated with being a companion. Sometimes she wished… Kaylee knew she was born to talk to ships, that she would never want to do anything else, but she did sometimes envy Inara the pretty things she had and the way she could talk to anyone. She was so elegant, and poised…

Kaylee smoothed the shampoo between her hands and massaged it into the dark hair dripping into a bowl at her feet. She tried to be gentle, but Inara leaned back into her hands and fingers so she used more pressure. She could feel the tangles wrapping around her fingers as she worked the lather down the tendrils. "Am I hurting you?"

"No. It's ok."

Kaylee was pretty sure that was two answers. She squeezed as much of the soap from Inara's hair as she could, before pouring another cascade of water over the dark tresses. When it was clean she wrapped a towel around it. She re-filled the water bowl with warm water and began to sponge the sweat from the back of Inara's neck. She washed the silken skin of Inara's back, wanting to follow the sponge with her fingers, breathing growing shallow with the effort of keeping to the task at hand.

She'd felt Inara's arms around her, Inara's fingers on her face or in her hair, her head on Inara's shoulder, but she'd accepted long ago that these sisterly gestures were all there would be. Never in all her dreams had Kaylee gotten this close to touching Inara like this. Even in her bunk at night, Inara's cool hand on the back of her neck was as close an intimacy as she dared consider. A world of education and sophistication separated the two women. Kaylee could not compete with the ambassadors, politicians and society members Inara let into her bed.

A whimper from Inara broke through her thoughts. An unguarded sound of pain. "'Narra? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I…" Inara's hand had moved to her waist.

Kaylee dropped to the floor next to her friend. "Let me see." She pulled Inara's hand away and saw a gash, about the length of her index finger, along the top of Inara's hip bone. Its edges were knitting together, but it was red with the vestiges of infection. "What happened? Who did this? Let me get Simon. He needs to look at this. Why didn't you go to him as soon as you got back?" Kaylee knew she was talking too much, but she couldn't stop.

"There was a disagreement. My client didn't want me to leave. Don't worry. He's been blacklisted now." Inara was trying to cover the wound again.

"Huh choo-shung tza-jiao duh tzang-huo!" Gently, as if to make up for her angry words, though they weren't directed at the woman in front of her, but whoever'd done this to her, Kaylee sponged around the cut. "Bao bay, why didn't Simon fix this for you?"

"I think there was something on the knife. Or in the drink he gave me. I was so tired I could hardly dock the shuttle. I didn't know how bad it was. I thought if I could just get a little sleep first…"

"Are you sure it's healing? You've been taking something?"

"It's much better now than it was. Don't worry. Please. It was only the water stung a bit where I wasn't expecting it."

Kaylee looked again, and it did seem the wound was healing. Suddenly she realized her face was only inches away from Inara's breasts. She tried to look at Inara's face, but only made it as far as her throat before she felt her face getting hot again. She handed the sponge to Inara. "I should make the bed." She pushed the bowl around to Inara's side and all but ran to the trunk where Inara kept her linens. She'd get Inara back in bed and then she'd go. She could ask Simon to come and check on her. That was safer.

By the time she had fresh sheets on the bed Inara had finished her bath. When Kaylee looked up she was wrapped in a piece of silk and was releasing her hair from its towel turban. "Kaylee, will you comb my hair for me?"

"I was going to go get Simon to look at that knife-wound for you."

"I don't need the doctor. Just to rest." Inara held out her comb and sat on the edge of the bed.

Kaylee had no choice but to take it; to sit behind Inara and lift the still-damp tresses, work the comb through the tangles. Again and again the back of her hand accidentally brushed against the bare skin of Inara's shoulder as she worked through the knotted curls.

When the teeth of the comb finally slid easily through Inara's hair she turned and looked at Kaylee. "Will you lie with me for a while?"

Kaylee looked at the clean sheets. "My clothes are dirty. Your sheets are clean."

Inara smiled as she laid a finger on Kaylee's overall. "I guess you'll have to take your clothes off in that case."

"Are you… But you told the captain that you wouldn't, well, service any of his crew."

"You'd be doing me a service."

"But…" Kaylee watched in awe as Inara let her silk wrapping drop to puddle around her waist.

"Take off those clothes and come here and hold me." Inara looked soft, and sweet, and like no one Kaylee could win an argument with. Not that she wanted to. Her boots gave her a little trouble, her fingers trying to work faster than the buckles wanted to accommodate, but she managed to get out of her clothes and into the bed before she could change her mind.

They lay face to face and put their arms around each other. "I'm sorry my hands are rough," Kaylee apologised into Inara's neck.

"I love your hands, bo bay. They're so sure and strong. They always seem to know the right thing to do."

"With an engine maybe. But this-" Kaylee ran a tentative finger down Inara's spine, "I've not… with a woman anyway…"

Inara arched into her touch. "You're doing just fine."

"Will you teach me?"

Inara lifted Kaylee's face from its hiding place in her hair and kissed her. "Everything you want to know."