Ma Reynolds-Lilly, on Shadow.

[badinlatin]

It's been a quiet day on the Reynolds ranch, even though Sallie feels more tired than usual.

Gettin' old, there, Sal.

She had just hired two new hands a week ago, and already Sallie feels like she doesn't need to keep an eye on them every second; they know their way around the land, and usually finished their work early. Sallie likes to tell herself that its because of her cooking that she always offers when they come to the house announcing their departure for the day, even though she knows it's just to pick up the day's pay. That doesn't change the grateful smile Sallie enjoys elliciting through pie.

This is possibly why, at the heavy rapping on her door, Sallie moves to answer it with two slices of sweet potato pie balanced on a plate in her hand.

Comments

[awesome_lilly]

Standing on the other side of the door is an Alliance officer, dressed in regulation uniform. Okay, the cap is tilted at a slightly more rakish angle than regulation, but otherwise Lilly Kane completely looks the part.

"Sallie Reynolds? I'm Lieutenant Kane. I need to ask you a few questions about your son, Malcolm Reynolds."

She talks the part, too. The neutral tones were very carefully practiced in the bar until Veronica declared she sounded just like a cop.

[badinlatin]

Sallie carefully and quickly turns to put the pie down on a countertop before returning to the door.

She never invited the Alliance officer in.

"How can I help you, Lieutenant?"

Maybe point you in the direction of the nearest secondary school? Just how young is the Alliance trainin' folk these days?

[awesome_lilly]

"I'd like to come in, please," Lilly replies coolly. "This is an official government matter."

She pulls a slim plastic ident card out of her pocket and hands it to Mrs. Reynolds. The words Anglo-Sino Alliance are plastered across the top, but beneath them a picture is attached.

Lilly and Mal, arms around each other and wearing grass skirts as they grin madly at the camera.

"I think you will find my identification is sufficient proof of the importance of this situation."

One eye flickers in a tiny, quick wink.

[badinlatin]

So that's where Mal learned to let his eyes fall wide.

For a moment, it's all Sallie can do to not immediately snicker at the photograph. She manages, however, and stands to one side to allow the 'officer' through.

"Certainly, officer."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly steps through the door, nodding to the subordinate (bodyguard) a certain Andronicus Crowley had provided her with.

"Mrs. Reynolds and I will need privacy, please."

As soon as the door is closed behind her, Lilly breaks into a grin.

"Hi, Mal's mom! I'm Lilly, I'm a friend of his and the crew's. I'm so sorry about the Alliance thing, but it was totally necessary for keeping this all on the downlow."

[badinlatin]

"Yes, yes of course; I somewhat imagined it from the delightful photo of Malcolm you had with you." Sallie continues to laugh, eventually wiping her eyes before continuing, "But what are you doing here? Is he alright?"

[awesome_lilly]

"He's fine," Lilly assures her. "He's just being extremely mu ji at the moment."

She takes a breath, prepared to explain.

"Okay, so there's this thing he's doing that's all important to him and he really wants you there, right? Only because of the stuff that happened last time he was here, he's totally worried about contacting you. So basically he's all mopey 'I want my Mommy' little boy combined with the practical 'Generally all of my plans suck' Captain and so I just took matters into my own hands."

She beams.

"See, my plans generally don't suck."

[badinlatin]

Lilly talks quite differently than most people Sallie speaks with on a day-to-day basis. This doesn't mean that she doesn't understand her, just...that it takes a minute.

"I'm assumin' the 'thing' you're referring to is the ceremony with Miss Inara. She waved me about it, since I couldn't arrange to go."

A pause, then Sallie's blue eyes seem to brighten.

"You said you had a plan, then." Understated, but with a look of great hope.

[awesome_lilly]

"I do," Lilly says happily.

"Me and the guy out front who's in on all this are going to take you off for questioning on the whereabouts of your son, or so everyone will be led to believe. They will think we're holding you overnight at an Alliance facility for interrogation, but instead we're totally going to sneak off to Mal's ceremony and surprise the hell out of him."

[badinlatin]

Sallie almost looks as though she is about to cry. Probably would, if a million and one questions didn't just materialize in her brain.

Most important of which, "Whatever will I pack?"

[awesome_lilly]

Now this is something Lilly can help with. She frowns, thinking intently.

"It's gotta be something we can fit in a small overnight bag, and of course once we get to the temple there's going to be like, a zillion fancy robes we could borrow for additional looks. What have you got?"

[badinlatin]

Sallie ushers Lilly back to her bedroom, animatedly poking through her old armoir in the corner of the space, until she moves on to the boxes above the armoir, removing a cream-colored formal dress. Modest, but very obviously one of the more precious items Sallie owns.

"...Yes, no, maybe?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly smiles warmly, reaching out to very gently touch the fabric.

"It's beautiful, Mrs. Reynolds. You'll look fabulous in it. Mal's totally going to cry when he sees you."

[badinlatin]

Sallie covers her mouth with one hand as she looks alternately between the dress and Lilly.

"I might cry when I see him, really."

[awesome_lilly]

"I'll bring tissues for both of you," Lilly promises. She smiles.

"Also? Waterproof mascara."

[badinlatin]

"Suppose that means I don't need to pack makeup, then. Good thing - I haven't owned makeup in the longest time."

No one to impress, you see.

Packing her small amount of essentials into a carryon bag, "Where is the temple? Somewhere on the Rim? Persephone?"

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly has no idea where the temple is, of course, aside from the planet's name.

"It's on Angel, actually. The... planet."

She thinks it's a planet. The Crowley-provided pilot is doing the driving, after all.

[badinlatin]

Sallie's eyes go wide.

"Angel? That's...so far into the Core. He's goin' there on purpose?"

Apparently, the temple being on Angel only serves to make Sallie more nervous.

[awesome_lilly]

"Yes," Lilly says.

"But it's a good purpose. And a legal one, which helps too."

[badinlatin]

"Legal usually ain't in Mal's vocabulary, but it's nice to know he's getting some grammar lessons when I'm not around."

Sallie stands in front of Lilly, bag slung over one shoulder, ready to go. But first:

"You want pie to-go? Don't have much else to thank you with, for all this - you must've gone through a fair bit of trouble to arrange this, Miss Fake-Lieutenant."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly glances at the pie. It's fairly tempting, but she shakes her head.

"Sadly, I don't think I can keep up the Fake-Lieutenant whisking you off to interrogation deal if I leave here carrying pie. It's bad enough that I totally look too young up-close anyway."

[badinlatin]

"This is true indeed. I had wondered about that. How old are you, anyway? Not really knowin' my son to be friends with pretty young things such as yourself."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly does not think now is the time to explain Milliways to Mal's mom.

"Aw, thanks. I'm actually much older than I look, I uh... just have an excellent skin care regimen."

"So! Have everything you need?"

[badinlatin]

Sallie eyes Lilly sidelong. There's a story there - she'll press Mal for it, much later.

"That I do, miss." A beat, then, "'S a long way to Angel, Lilly. You might have to share what exactly was going on in that picture of yours."