Not According To Plan
Chapter Two: Memories
Siciline had gotten a job at a bar soon after she first arrived on Beaumonde, the Maidenhead in fact. That's where she and Mal had met for the first time. She had a pretty face and an attractive body, a prime candidate for a bar waitress, especially at this bar. No one had told her that directly but she'd guessed the reasons for her immediate hire. Not that she was complaining. She spent her days doing whatever she pleased, which was next to nothing most of the time. But her wild nights made up for her relatively uneventful days. Looking back, she had actually been there quite a while, until one particularly wild night.
It was a relatively ordinary night but the crowd was more lively than usual. It was late but people just kept filing in; Mal had been one of them. He had been there picking up a new job from Fanty and Mingo. Siciline remembered serving them, she remembered him looking at her.
After that the night had blended together until what appeared to be two rival gangs started a bar fight of epic proportions. Siciline and the other girls did their best to break it up and in the confusion a grimy tattooed hulk of a man grabbed her and dragged her away. When she tried to defend herself he hit her and some other angry drunk tried to steal the tattooed man's prize. Her screams went unheard as they started fighting each other, with her in the middle. She was knocked unconscious among the badly-aimed blows and it was Mal who rescued her from the brawl.
Siciline had woken up in Serenity's infirmary as Mal cleaned her wounds at three in the morning. She was disoriented and ached all over. She had immediately panicked, fallen off the operating table and knocked herself unconscious. When Siciline woke later, she was in a spare bunk in the passenger quarters, tucked in snugly so she wouldn't hurt herself again; Mal was asleep in a chair next to the bed.
When she woke the next morning she heard people moving outside, and found the door was locked when she tried to investigate. Mal came later, when the ship was quiet.
"You had quite a night."
She nodded, stopping when her neck hurt.
"I remember you. I served you and those twins, right?"
"Yeah."
"Where are we?"
"I didn't know where to take you so I brought you to my ship. Sorry I locked you in. Crew's nosy and loud, nothin' you needed the state you were in."
"Well, thank you."
They watched each other in silence for a few moments.
"I expect you'll be wanting to get home soon. Would you like something to eat first?" Mal offered.
"No, thank you. I don't think I have the stomach for anything just yet, but I would feel better if you'd escort me home."
"Certainly."
Beaumonde was much more pleasant during the day. Siciline could tell Mal was making note of the way they came as they walked through the sunny streets, the moons high in the sky.
"Well, here I am," she said, stopping at the entrance to an apartment building. "Number 67."
"Keep yourself out of trouble, can't guarantee I'll be around next time."
Siciline smiled sweetly. "Thank you for rescuing me," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Goodbye."
Mal watched as she went inside, waved to the man at the front desk and turned out of sight.