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 4: summary. Lies interfere with Mal's love life
Chapter 4
11 Years ago
Bella's and Mal's relationship progressed, when Zoe and Mal weren't on a job they would spend time at the bars Bella played at, sometimes Mal would join a game and Zoe and Bella would watch, conversation between them easy and light. Sometimes Mal would be at a job alone and Zoe would hang out with Bella. Zoe genuinely liked Bella but still worried that in the end it would be Bella and Mal, that there would be no ship, no life in the sky. They had not planned on staying as long as they already had since work was not as plentiful as it had been when they first came to stay. Whenever she mentioned it to Mal he would say they were doing alright and that they didn't know if things would be better anywhere else, they might as well stay put.
Zoe knew she had to do something soon when Mal stopped to look in the window at a jewelry store they were walking by, he said he was just looking but the fact that he looked at all made her extremely agitated, he noticed of coarse and she told him she was worried about him, about him and Bella, that they were getting too serious.
"What? What's too serious? Zoe, I thought you liked Bella." Mal sounded concerned.
"Well Sir it's just that I've noticed Bella has been pretty friendly lately with one of the men at the bar." Zoe said, though she didn't look him in the eye.
"Sir? We ain't on a job Zoe, and Bella's a friendly girl, exactly what are you trying to say." Mal's voice held a serious tone just short of anger.
Zoe had already said too much she knew, there was no other way to go then all the way, Mal trusted her explicitly and she had just lied to him, she had put herself in the position to make him choose who he would believe since she knew anything she told him he would go to Bella with.
That night Zoe cringed as she heard the first explosive argument next door. There were first loud voices, then shouting, she heard glass shattering and a door slamming, moments later Mal came storming in slamming her door and dropping into the nearest chair, head in his hands.
"Zoe, you sure what you saw?" Mal asked, his voice raw.
Her stomach flipped with the sound. When he looked up at her she saw something she hadn't seen in a while, a hint of the darkness that was there after the war. The look of betrayal that had haunted him.
"I...I know what I saw." She steeled herself to look into his eyes though her stomach was now churning as she held firm telling herself she would make it up to him.
His head dropped again and she felt relief from the hurt in his eyes "Who?" he asked.
She wasn't ready for that question "What?" she asked.
"Who's the guy?" He stood up headed to the door and turned around "She says there is no one else, I don't know what to believe, cause I know you would never lie to me, but Damn she's so mad, an when she looks at me, God help me I swear Zoe, I believe her it's like... no one ever looked at me like that before, like I'm special to her" He looked so disappointed.
"Mal, she's a card player, you've seen her, she can bluff with the best of them, it's deception, it's what she does."
"Why? I mean she wanted me to stay with her, if she wanted to see other men.. So exactly what did ya see and who was the guy?" he demanded.
Zoe was speechless, any man she named was likely to deny anything Mal accused him of and was just as likely to take a beating for something he didn't' do.
"Don't know, never seen him before or since." She said with as much conviction as she could muster.
"Well exactly what did you see? We're they kissin? Groping?" he said seeming to lose some of his anger.
"Nothing that obvious, I mean I didn't see anything like that, but she knew I was there, and she left with him."
Mal badgered a description from her then stormed off towards the bar. Zoe ran for the bathroom as soon as Mal left, the acid burning her throat near flew out of her as she emptied her stomach, she quickly got hold of herself, splashing water on her face. She had to go after him; he was likely to start a fight with any one in the mood he was in.
She hurried out the door stopping when she nearly knocked Bella over. She was there eyes red, tears still falling as she sobbed. "Zoe, what's got into him? You know I'd never... I love him, I thought he knew." Bella's cries came harder and Zoe put her arms around her, thankful her stomach was empty as the burning returned. Zoe said nothing but patted her back and smoothed back her hair.
"I can't imagine who it was you saw me with" Bella sobbed, pulling away as Zoe stiffened. Bella looked Zoe straight in the eye "What day was it? What did he look like?"
Zoe closed her eyes for a moment. "I thought so, I don't know what this is about, but you have nothing to worry about from me. I know you are Mal's best friend and I would never come between you, can't imagine why you'd think for one moment that I would ever cheat on him" Bella's voice was no longer hitching and Zoe saw determination in her eyes. She also saw that Bella had some inkling of the truth.
"Bella, I have to get down to the bar, Mal's gonna start trouble, I can feel it" Zoe said going around Bella, who shouted. "Wait, I'll go." She took off wiping at the tearstains on her face. Zoe felt conflicted. This whole mess was her doing and though the other two involved didn't deserve it she still felt it had to be done. Zoe sighed and slowly made her way to the bar.
When she arrived Bella was standing on the bar, shouting to the usual crowd, asking if anyone has seen any unseemly behavior from her, almost everyone started shouting back yes. Mal was being held by the owner and one of his bartenders after he had started a fight with the first man who generally resembled the description Zoe had given him.
Bella then said, "I mean with anyone besides this man." As she pointed to Mal.
There were only answers of no. Bella jumped down from the bar and went to Mal, signaling the men holding him to let him go.
"Mal, see? Not everyone would cover for me. I wouldn't do that to you, got no need for other men. I don't know what Zoe saw but it was innocent I swear."
They both stared into each other's eyes, Mal searching for the truth, Bella trembling, hoping he would see it. Finally Mal pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, there was some applause. Bella felt relief, though as she looked at Zoe somehow knew it was only temporary.
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 4: summary. Lies interfere with Mal's love life
Chapter 4
11 Years ago
Bella's and Mal's relationship progressed, when Zoe and Mal weren't on a job they would spend time at the bars Bella played at, sometimes Mal would join a game and Zoe and Bella would watch, conversation between them easy and light. Sometimes Mal would be at a job alone and Zoe would hang out with Bella. Zoe genuinely liked Bella but still worried that in the end it would be Bella and Mal, that there would be no ship, no life in the sky. They had not planned on staying as long as they already had since work was not as plentiful as it had been when they first came to stay. Whenever she mentioned it to Mal he would say they were doing alright and that they didn't know if things would be better anywhere else, they might as well stay put.
Zoe knew she had to do something soon when Mal stopped to look in the window at a jewelry store they were walking by, he said he was just looking but the fact that he looked at all made her extremely agitated, he noticed of coarse and she told him she was worried about him, about him and Bella, that they were getting too serious.
"What? What's too serious? Zoe, I thought you liked Bella." Mal sounded concerned.
"Well Sir it's just that I've noticed Bella has been pretty friendly lately with one of the men at the bar." Zoe said, though she didn't look him in the eye.
"Sir? We ain't on a job Zoe, and Bella's a friendly girl, exactly what are you trying to say." Mal's voice held a serious tone just short of anger.
Zoe had already said too much she knew, there was no other way to go then all the way, Mal trusted her explicitly and she had just lied to him, she had put herself in the position to make him choose who he would believe since she knew anything she told him he would go to Bella with.
That night Zoe cringed as she heard the first explosive argument next door. There were first loud voices, then shouting, she heard glass shattering and a door slamming, moments later Mal came storming in slamming her door and dropping into the nearest chair, head in his hands.
"Zoe, you sure what you saw?" Mal asked, his voice raw.
Her stomach flipped with the sound. When he looked up at her she saw something she hadn't seen in a while, a hint of the darkness that was there after the war. The look of betrayal that had haunted him.
"I...I know what I saw." She steeled herself to look into his eyes though her stomach was now churning as she held firm telling herself she would make it up to him.
His head dropped again and she felt relief from the hurt in his eyes "Who?" he asked.
She wasn't ready for that question "What?" she asked.
"Who's the guy?" He stood up headed to the door and turned around "She says there is no one else, I don't know what to believe, cause I know you would never lie to me, but Damn she's so mad, an when she looks at me, God help me I swear Zoe, I believe her it's like... no one ever looked at me like that before, like I'm special to her" He looked so disappointed.
"Mal, she's a card player, you've seen her, she can bluff with the best of them, it's deception, it's what she does."
"Why? I mean she wanted me to stay with her, if she wanted to see other men.. So exactly what did ya see and who was the guy?" he demanded.
Zoe was speechless, any man she named was likely to deny anything Mal accused him of and was just as likely to take a beating for something he didn't' do.
"Don't know, never seen him before or since." She said with as much conviction as she could muster.
"Well exactly what did you see? We're they kissin? Groping?" he said seeming to lose some of his anger.
"Nothing that obvious, I mean I didn't see anything like that, but she knew I was there, and she left with him."
Mal badgered a description from her then stormed off towards the bar. Zoe ran for the bathroom as soon as Mal left, the acid burning her throat near flew out of her as she emptied her stomach, she quickly got hold of herself, splashing water on her face. She had to go after him; he was likely to start a fight with any one in the mood he was in.
She hurried out the door stopping when she nearly knocked Bella over. She was there eyes red, tears still falling as she sobbed. "Zoe, what's got into him? You know I'd never... I love him, I thought he knew." Bella's cries came harder and Zoe put her arms around her, thankful her stomach was empty as the burning returned. Zoe said nothing but patted her back and smoothed back her hair.
"I can't imagine who it was you saw me with" Bella sobbed, pulling away as Zoe stiffened. Bella looked Zoe straight in the eye "What day was it? What did he look like?"
Zoe closed her eyes for a moment. "I thought so, I don't know what this is about, but you have nothing to worry about from me. I know you are Mal's best friend and I would never come between you, can't imagine why you'd think for one moment that I would ever cheat on him" Bella's voice was no longer hitching and Zoe saw determination in her eyes. She also saw that Bella had some inkling of the truth.
"Bella, I have to get down to the bar, Mal's gonna start trouble, I can feel it" Zoe said going around Bella, who shouted. "Wait, I'll go." She took off wiping at the tearstains on her face. Zoe felt conflicted. This whole mess was her doing and though the other two involved didn't deserve it she still felt it had to be done. Zoe sighed and slowly made her way to the bar.
When she arrived Bella was standing on the bar, shouting to the usual crowd, asking if anyone has seen any unseemly behavior from her, almost everyone started shouting back yes. Mal was being held by the owner and one of his bartenders after he had started a fight with the first man who generally resembled the description Zoe had given him.
Bella then said, "I mean with anyone besides this man." As she pointed to Mal.
There were only answers of no. Bella jumped down from the bar and went to Mal, signaling the men holding him to let him go.
"Mal, see? Not everyone would cover for me. I wouldn't do that to you, got no need for other men. I don't know what Zoe saw but it was innocent I swear."
They both stared into each other's eyes, Mal searching for the truth, Bella trembling, hoping he would see it. Finally Mal pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, there was some applause. Bella felt relief, though as she looked at Zoe somehow knew it was only temporary.