I love, love, love the Mal/Inara segment. It's so true - Mal turning to someone else, trying to be a good mate, but completely trapped by the desires he won't admit he has. And I love your handling of Inara as well - not the bad guy, not a damaged flower... just not the right girl.

Once again well done. Hope to see more in the future.

...gape

[insert chinese swear for astonishment here]

How do you DO these things? It was sad, it was painful, it was hopeful...

This is what fic is supposed to be like. Cannot wait for the next installment.

I've read all of your Mal/River series so far, and I'd just like to say that I like the way you're handling it, getting into Mal's psyche and, well I guess you'd call it his saviour complex, both him doing the saving, and whoever's saving him. The way you handled the Inara issue was good, treating it like no more than a habit, his wanting her, and then getting that out of the way with a failed relationship, cos he's trying to ignore his feelings for River, shooting himself in the foot over the whole issue really.

And finally I liked how you let Jayne be the one to pick up on Mal's feelings towards River. He's probably the only one on the ship who wouldn't have a problem with it, simply because he isn't burdoned with morals like the rest of them (not to say that a Mal/River relationship is immoral, but Simon's not exactly going to be clapping his hands with glee, and I think even Zoe might have a word or two to say). And I like Jayne's whole "she's a woman now, so it's ok to look at her thing," I can so see him doing that.

wow. very beautiful.

Please...please...don't stop...

Zholla