Episode 1 - Act 3
Evey resumed her cooking when Kaylee returned with Simon. He prepared some juice in a few bottles. Kaylee was holding up hundreds of questions and Evey smiled at her. "So, is there any rosemary for the chicken?" Kaylee said no, but they had dill. "Well, that'll do. Back home we had this saying "we make do with what we got" is like "if life gives you lemons..." Simon completed the phrase "you make lemonade." Evey smiled at him.
"The captain says that phrase too." Evey added "I bet he does." She looked at Kaylee "C'mon ask away, we all know you want to." She started washing the chopping knives. "Know him long?"
"Since kids yes" Kaylee was suddenly excited. Simon started looking at Cole, who was reading from a tablet: pictures of ships and what seemed like blueprints.
"How was he like?!" Evey was amused "He was... charming… funny and he was a very good tracker. He didn't like the seriousness of the ranch though. He was a free spirit"
Simon added "that sounds slightly like him. The Captain's quite the gloom character now though." Simon decided to shut up when he saw Mal coming in with Zoe, followed by a very distressed Inara. He forgot about Cole and went to check on her.
"Did I hear my name?" Evey looked at him, she still couldn't adjust to the fact he was right there. Still, she smiled; it was what she did best around him. "Well, Kaylee was wondering how you were while growing up" Zoe gave the mechanic a disapproving look, so she took the last dish to the table and sat down. Mal continued ignoring anyone else that was there "And what did you say?"
Evey got mockingly serious "That you were awful and always made me feel bad about being an orphan of course" He gave her a heartfelt smile. She was alive and witty as always. She hadn't changed a bit. "That's true. I was terrible with you, always tugging at your braids..." He had to restrain himself from reaching for that rebellious lock of hair falling over Evey's face.
River rushed to the dining table and sat next to Mal, ignoring that little Cole was saving that seat for himself. Evey was taking the jars of juice to the table when Badger came into the room. Mal nodded at him and gestured him to sit for dinner. "Oh hello Miss Moonstone, I thought it was you at the ramp!" He took off his hat and kissed Evey's hand "Hello Mr. Badger" She smiled shyly at him while he headed to sit next to Zoe. "Always a pleasure to see you ma'am, are you joining the crew?"
Evey and Mal shared a look "No, just passing." Zoe didn't know what was happening but didn't like it. Mal then asked "You two know each other?" before Badger could say anything she rushed a reply "You don't live six months in Persephone without knowing Mr. Badger." She sat down next to her son and the big guy that had impolitely led them to their quarters. The refined woman was sitting next to Mal, and the familiarity between them only made her suspicions a reality.
Cole touched her arm and asked "Mama, can I say grace?" she looked around and realized it was probably best not to "Just keep it to yourself, ok?" He nodded and closed his eyes grabbing his mom's hand and extending his other hand to River. The pilot looked at him and then back at the hand and then back at Simon. River then grabbed Cole's hand and closed her eyes, imitating his gesture. Suddenly, half of the table was saying grace quietly along with him. Mal took a deep breath and keep on eating "Always the preacher's daughter..."
She looked at him with slight contempt "Always the rancher's son"
He threw his fork at the plate. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Kaylee was sitting right in front of Evey and kind of feared for her captain, she had the feeling this Evey woman could be scary. She wasn't wrong. "What's your problem with my father?"
"Don't like people saying grace"
"Since when?" There was a small pause when she couldn't keep quiet anymore "People have the right to believe whatever they want. And Cole wasn't praying out loud. I think it's a nice gesture from your crew to join him." She slowed down. Everyone kept on eating. Someone please say something soon was the running thought. But Evey couldn't help herself…
"Besides, I distinctly recall you saying grace before eeeeevery meal, even when we weren't at home" She cut a piece of chicken and started chewing, looking at him defiantly.
Jayne spitted all his drink due to laughter. Mal praying before every meal was just too funny.
"You lived together?" Kaylee knew she shouldn't but it just came out. A bunch of yes and nos and kinduf came out from both of them at the same time. Evey explained further while Mal kept getting more and more upset. "Not like that, no. I mean, his mom took me in when my dad died. You see? He was the preacher and she was a widow. You know how much widows like their preachers", she giggled, but both Badger and Jayne snorted at the comment. She saw Mal's reproving look and decided to rephrase that "I mean, he was a nice guy, respectful of other people's beliefs, everyone liked him. My mom had died when I was little, so when I was left alone, she took me in, raised me as one of her own."
"And that's that." Mal's tone was final "And that's it" she resumed her dinner.
Inara's mind was rushing through the little information Mal had ever given about the woman in front of her and all the things Inara had put together. She feared though, that nothing could prepare her for what was to come.
"So you are like siblings!" Badger's timing was anything but perfect, though it did make Evey and Mal chuckle together for a little while, overlooking at each other with the corner of their eyes "No, he had enough siblings." An awkward silence followed, Kaylee was going to ask what she meant but Badger decided to change the topic since Mal seemed to be in a better mood "Do you know which time we're reaching Ariel?"
"Seemed" was a severe miscalculation.
Mal almost broke the jar of juice by setting it back at the table "We don't talk business at dinner." Cole was startled with Mal's reaction and unconsciously moved closer to his mom.
Simon then talked in a feeble attempt to calm everyone down "So Miss Eve, what did you do after war?" She looked around the table briefly "I've kept busy, took the jobs I could find. I had a little gentleman to raise you know." That was all she was willing to share. She smiled at Cole and kissed him on the top of his head.
Mal remembered the gesture. He couldn't eat anymore. "Eat your greens mister, come on." Cole looked disappointed "but I don't like them" she looked mockingly serious "Don't recall asking your opinion little man" he started eating them slowly.
"You didn't eat your greens at his age either." Payback time.
The crew knew too well how this would end. "Oh, thank you for saying that in front of my kid! Really appreciate it" they half grinned at each other. Images of arguments about groceries came to their head, especially one about an apricot on a quiet autumn dinner outside. Evey couldn't help biting her lower lip while looking down. Mal had to look away.
Dinner went on with everyone talking about their eating habits while growing up, with Mal making jokes and laughing in a different way than what they were used to. No cynicism or contempt in his jokes, just plain fooling. Even Badger and his henchman Tony, once he joined them for dinner shared some children stories. Apparently they knew each other since childhood.
Mal then talked "I remembered this summer with no rain, food was little and we couldn't grow that much stuff; Lou managed to trade 6 ducks you hunted for tomatoes and a bag of potatoes. The thing is, we weren't supposed to do those things. Robert went nuts at you"
"Yeah well, we had to eat something"
"You were a really good shot"
"Your mama taught me" another shared smiled. Inara liked this less and less by the second.
"Mama is a tough cookie Captain" Mal stopped smiling and his eyes went from Cole to his mother
"Tough cookie?" He remembered the first time he had called Evelyn that. She was around 8, he was 10. She was fighting a boy that was teasing Lou and had pushed Evelyn to the floor, cutting her knee. By the time Mal got to the kid, her ankle was sprained and her dress was a mess, but the other kid looked much worse. He got in the way and took Evey's place in the fight (much to her discomfort) carrying her home afterward. That was the first time he wasn't an asshole towards her. That was the first time she showed herself vulnerable to him. That's when everything started.
She cleared her throat "Lou called me that too at the front. Then everyone started calling me that and Cole picked it later." Then she realized that everyone was looking at them puzzled… They had done it again, left everyone out.
"Who's Lou?!" Jayne blurted out; he was tired of this memory lane topic and wanted in on the joke.
"I agree with Jayne here, you should let us in the joke, manners are everything" Badger zipped slowly holding his grin.
Evey's eyes went from Badger, to Jayne to Mal. "They don't know who Lou is!?" Mal looked ashamed of himself but kept her glance. "Robert? Lou? Never heard of them?" Kaylee shook her head slightly pointing a no, but she was scared of making everyone mad again. Evelyn then looked at Jayne "How long have you been flying together?!"
Evey looked at Cole who was suddenly upset. River fixed Cole's hair behind his ear and pat him on the back slowly, in a nurturing way. She understands. She knows what it's like. Simon was completely puzzled at River's behavior. He had no idea what she was seeing, but whatever it was, was doing her good.
"But Malcolm, you never talked about them? We were family!" Malcolm answered before thinking "This crew is my family. They're all dead." The implications of that blurted line hit him before he could apologize. She was his family too, no matter what happened in the last 8 years, she was part of the family he had lost, and now she that she was back, Mal was doing what he did best: pushing her away.
"I can understand you not considering me part of your family, it's not like we cared for each other or anything right?" She found herself standing up arguing with an already stood-up Malcolm. These fighting seemed awfully familiar. He was ashamed of what he had just said, but was too proud to admit it "But Robert and Lou… they, they"
"I know!" he moved forward and Cole instinctively hugged his mom and buried his face in her clothes.
River looked at Mal "You scared him!" and she slapped him in the arm. Little Hope started crying because of all the excitement in the room so Zoe took her away, not before giving nasty looks to Evelyn and Malcolm. Jayne kept on eating without a care in the world while Badger savored the juice in his lips, hiding a half smile.
"Robert and Lou were dead Evelyn, you were dead until 3 hours ago, and I didn't even know he existed! What did you expect me to do?!"
"Look for us! You could've looked for us! Check! Find a grave! See if something had happened! And remember us, not just pretend we never existed Malcolm!" He held his breath.
Evey let go of Cole and asked him to get ready for bed. "I'll be there in a minute" Mal attempted to stop Cole but Inara's firm grip brought him back to reality.
"Robert's death is the reason why you joined! Lou followed you to the gorram war and no one in this ship knows about them?! That ain't right!"
Inara talked, without letting go of his hand "I know them." That upset Evelyn even more "Alright then, no one except your wh-companion knows them then. Brilliant, your mom would be so gorram proud of you"
"My mother would still be alive if you'd kept your word, so would Lou"
Evelyn's hand reached Mal's face with such a strength that he took a step back. He had it coming. "You just crossed a line Malcolm Reynolds." She was holding her sobs while walking away from them. He let go of Inara's hand and stopped Evelyn at the end of the stairs.
"Evelyn, please, I'm sor"- Her teary and angry eyes made him stop. She was never much of a crier, not before and certainly not after the war, but this was too much. She tried holding her tears and losing his grasp. She could've easily have done it, push him away even, but his touch always calmed her, even when she was incredibly mad and hurt by him. "They could've stayed alive if you hadn't left us for the war" It wasn't an accusation, she was just incredibly sad and felt completely alone. She looked at his eyes; he was in as much pain and confusion as she was.
She unconsciously placed her hands in his chest. Feeling her warmth near calmed him. They weren't children anymore, they knew how to hurt one another and they'd both went for the throat when they felt attacked. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on top of hers, caressing them slowly. She then realized where her hands had gone but didn't want to let go, not after so long.
She started whispering, realizing that they were probably putting on a show for the people on the upper floor "I joined the moment she told me Mal, I stayed with her to keep my promise to you. I wanted to go with you, but I stayed with her to keep my promise. We looked after each other. I only left her for a few days once, when we restocked the med supplies." He smiled and caressed her face slowly "At Hera, I remember."
She took a step back, fearing his proximity "I've kept my word, for as long as her wounds let me." She finally shook him off and kept going through the stairs to the cargo area. She wouldn't let her kid see her like this and she couldn't hold her tears much longer.
He hit the wall too hard; he wanted to hit himself for being such a jerk. He couldn't deal with all of this, with her being alive, with their past together sliding through his head every time she said something. Every look triggered a memory and most of them were good, were too good and sweet to let go.
Mal couldn't deal with all the people in the dining area right now, with his new family that would need to adjust, just as he would.
A little of blood started running through small cuts in his knuckles. He took the stairs back to the dining area. Inara's eyes were somewhere between sad and disappointed. Most of the crew was still there, along with Badger and Tony.
He cleared his throat and started walking "Show's over," walked passed Inara to the helm. River followed quietly.