Duplicity
Pairing Mal/other
Rating pg
feedback: Yes please deementedb@aol.com
Archive: fine with me.
Disclaimers: Characters are not mine, just moving them around to my liking
Spoilers: little reference to Ariel
Summary: A betrayal from the past finally catches up. Chapter 2: summary. Mal has a relationship
Chapter 2
11 Years ago
Mal and Zoe lived on Callebo. They had been out of the war for a while; Mal had a dream of owning his own ship. He and Zoe worked hard saving every credit they could, they even shared a room in a boarding house to save money. That was where Mal met her, She was also a boarder. She was consistently friendly towards her gruff neighbors, sometimes bringing over extra food she had cooked in the communal kitchen. Zoe wasn't fooled, she knew what this woman wanted, she wanted to entice Mal. Zoe wasn't really 'involved' with Mal, they would take the occasional tumble when they were both drunk but essentially they would always be 'just friends'. This woman didn't know that and here she was trying to snatch Zoe's man from right under her nose.
She would knock on their door, plate in hand, Zoe would try to refuse it though her mouth would be watering and her eyes could hardly leave the plate, Mal would come to the door, smiling, showing off his dimples. The woman, Bella, would explain she had a good night, made too much or just wanted to share her good fortune with her neighbors. Soon her and Mal were fast friends, when she wasn't out making money she would cook for the both of them, she never excluded Zoe in anything and Bella and Mal got closer.
Within a few months Bella was sharing the dream, she and Mal shared a room, giving Zoe a room to herself. Soon Bella was even contributing to the savings for a ship, though Zoe had a feeling Bella might just try to change Mal's dream into her own. In truth Zoe saw that Mal was happy, he had been dangerously depressed after the war, he was obsessed with his goal of owning a ship to the exclusion of almost any kind of joy or recreation, he pushed Zoe and himself hard. Bella was at first a means to a well cooked meal for free, then she was a friend, now Mal's lover was making him happy.
It turned out that Bella was a gambler, small time, cards mostly. She had good days and bad; when it was good she would give a little to Mal's ship fund, some she saved for the bad days and some for food, which she always bought and cooked. She was sweet and loving towards Mal but wouldn't put up with his overbearing ways; She was diplomatic and smart, knowing when to give in to him and when to stand up for herself. Zoe grudgingly knew that Mal respected that in her and quite possibly loved her for it. Mal and Bella made a good couple and Zoe knew she should be happy for him, yet something was bothering her, she didn't want to believe it was jealousy since romance between her and Mal could never work out, maybe it was still jealousy over how close the two had become, instead of only taking his and Zoe's opinion's into consideration Mal now counted Bella's as just as valid.
Zoe and Bella had a comfortable relationship, Bella seemed to feel that Zoe was a part of Mal, she didn't feel any jealousy over the time or jobs the two spent together. As far as Bella was concerned, Zoe was a close, personal friend
Pairing Mal/other
Rating pg
feedback: Yes please deementedb@aol.com
Archive: fine with me.
Disclaimers: Characters are not mine, just moving them around to my liking
Spoilers: little reference to Ariel
Summary: A betrayal from the past finally catches up. Chapter 2: summary. Mal has a relationship
Chapter 2
11 Years ago
Mal and Zoe lived on Callebo. They had been out of the war for a while; Mal had a dream of owning his own ship. He and Zoe worked hard saving every credit they could, they even shared a room in a boarding house to save money. That was where Mal met her, She was also a boarder. She was consistently friendly towards her gruff neighbors, sometimes bringing over extra food she had cooked in the communal kitchen. Zoe wasn't fooled, she knew what this woman wanted, she wanted to entice Mal. Zoe wasn't really 'involved' with Mal, they would take the occasional tumble when they were both drunk but essentially they would always be 'just friends'. This woman didn't know that and here she was trying to snatch Zoe's man from right under her nose.
She would knock on their door, plate in hand, Zoe would try to refuse it though her mouth would be watering and her eyes could hardly leave the plate, Mal would come to the door, smiling, showing off his dimples. The woman, Bella, would explain she had a good night, made too much or just wanted to share her good fortune with her neighbors. Soon her and Mal were fast friends, when she wasn't out making money she would cook for the both of them, she never excluded Zoe in anything and Bella and Mal got closer.
Within a few months Bella was sharing the dream, she and Mal shared a room, giving Zoe a room to herself. Soon Bella was even contributing to the savings for a ship, though Zoe had a feeling Bella might just try to change Mal's dream into her own. In truth Zoe saw that Mal was happy, he had been dangerously depressed after the war, he was obsessed with his goal of owning a ship to the exclusion of almost any kind of joy or recreation, he pushed Zoe and himself hard. Bella was at first a means to a well cooked meal for free, then she was a friend, now Mal's lover was making him happy.
It turned out that Bella was a gambler, small time, cards mostly. She had good days and bad; when it was good she would give a little to Mal's ship fund, some she saved for the bad days and some for food, which she always bought and cooked. She was sweet and loving towards Mal but wouldn't put up with his overbearing ways; She was diplomatic and smart, knowing when to give in to him and when to stand up for herself. Zoe grudgingly knew that Mal respected that in her and quite possibly loved her for it. Mal and Bella made a good couple and Zoe knew she should be happy for him, yet something was bothering her, she didn't want to believe it was jealousy since romance between her and Mal could never work out, maybe it was still jealousy over how close the two had become, instead of only taking his and Zoe's opinion's into consideration Mal now counted Bella's as just as valid.
Zoe and Bella had a comfortable relationship, Bella seemed to feel that Zoe was a part of Mal, she didn't feel any jealousy over the time or jobs the two spent together. As far as Bella was concerned, Zoe was a close, personal friend