Addicted

Chapter 6: A Past Unforgotten. (PT. 1)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: If I said I owned them, I lied.

Author's Note: Just a note, there is some mention of Inara in here. It's not really bad, it's only one comment. I'm not bashing her. She's one of my favorite characters, but how do you think Nivia would feel?

Nivia met River in the hold. She seemed... Nivia wanted to say giddy. "So, you're the famous Nivia." Simon said, coming down the stairs. "River's told me a lot about you. She's excited to start working with you." He told her. Nivia smiled.

"Yah, well, I wanna work with her, too. I'm assuming you know the whole, 'your sister's a mind reader' thing."

"Yah, but only recently." He smiled. "So, you an Mal are... married?"

"Yah. I'm not sure for how much longer, though."

"No, you two will work it out. It's clear that his inside feelings are still love." Simon looked at River confused, but Nivia knew what she meant.

"Hay Niv!" Kaylee called from the balcony. Nivia looked at River. "I'll stop by again tomorrow, is that okay?" River looked at Simon with pleading eyes. He smiled. "Yah, that will be fine." Nivia nodded, then met Kaylee at the top of the stairs.

"You never gave me a proper greetin." The mechanic said, opening her arm's. The two old friend's hugged, then talked for a few moments. "So, who are you goin with on this ol' boat?" Nivia asked.

"Oh, there's nobody." Kaylee said, suddenly shy. Nivia took a good, long look at her friend before smiling and saying, "The Doctor." Kaylee didn't say anything, she just smiled.

Then, she changed the subject. "The Cap want's you to stop by." Nivia sighed, then walked down the corridor that led to Mal's room. She knocked on the door. It opened, and she stepped inside. Mal stopped in mid step, and she knew he had been pacing. "Hay there, darlin." He said.

"Hi." She said, stepping further into the room.

"What'cha doin?" She asked. He laughed. "I was just thinkin about the time that Nathan almost killed me when he found out that I was the one who..." He trailed off as he laughed. She smiled, too. She had planned on naming their son after her oldest brother, Nathan. Nivia's father had died in the war, leaving her mother alone with eight kids. Nathan had been the oldest boy, the first born, and Nivia the oldest daughter, the third born. In order, it had been Nathan, Daniel, Nivia, Hannah, Ava, Nicholas, Eara, and lastly Aidan. While her mother worked, Nathan and Nivia had assumed the role of the parents, but Nathan still protected her like his little sister. When he had found out that her and Mal had taken their romantic relationship to the next level, he hadn't been happy.

"Kaylee said you wanted to talk to me." She said.

"I was hopen we could talk about us."

"Fine with me, Cap." She said, leaning against the wall. This was going to be very hard for Mal. He wasn't good with words. Or feelings. He was just gonna have to what was on his mind. What ever popped in, he would say. Oh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. So, they stood in silence.

"What happened?" Nivia finally asked.

"The Alliance." Mal answered. "They took everything from me. And you."

"I lost everything in that explosion, Mal. My mom, my brothers and sisters, our son. You."

"You never lost me, darlin." He said, walking closer.

"It feels like it. You left, and didn't come back for five years! I reckon you never would'a come back at all if you hadn't done that job for Clayborn. Is that not true?"

"You asked me for time. I gave it to you."

"I didn't ask for five years of time! Yes, I needed to take some time, deal with things, but I didn't think you would just jump into bed with the first gal you met!"

"I deserve what ever you got to throw at me, but don't bring Inara into this. She didn't do nothin."

"You're right. But I'm still mad as hell at you."

"And you got every right to be. But if you would just let me explain-"

"Do you have an explanation? Cause I'd love to hear it. Make me believe that you ever cared about me, because right now, I don't really believe that." Mal looked her straight in the eyes, and she could see the hurt in his.

"I was so in love with you, I couldn't stand it. You were all I thought about. And I loved Nathan with ever' thing I had, and when we lost him, It killed me. I just wanted to get outta here, get back at the Alliance any way I could. I wanted to kill every one of those scoundrels for what they did to you. They put you in the hospital for cryin out loud! We didn't think you were gonna make it. And I sat by your side every second until you woke up. So don't you dare say I never cared 'bout you."

She pushed herself off the wall. She had no idea what to say. But, she didn't have time to really say anything. "I wanted to come back, but every day I was away, it got harder."

"But do you understand where I'm coming from?" She asked him.

"Not to say you didn't loose nothin, but I lost my mother, and my seven brothers and sisters, and my son. In one night. How was I supposed to deal with that?"

"I could'a helped you-"

"There was nothing you could'a done. I'm almost glade you left, but gorrammit, Malcolm, I missed you like crazy." He didn't say anything. She looked down at the floor, and caught a glimpse of her ring in the process. Then she remembered what River had said. "He still wears his, too. On a chain around his neck."

Nivia took a step closer and reached her hand down the front of his button down shirt. She felt the chain, warm from his body heat. She pulled the chain out from it's hiding place beneath his shirt. On the end of it, was a Silver band. She looked up at him, and even though there were tears in her eye's in her eyes, he could see the happiness in them. He bent his head down and, for the first time in five, long years, his lips met hers. The kiss grew more passionate, and after a few minuets, they pulled away.

"Why, that was the last thing I expected from you, Captain." She said sheepishly.

"I'm just full of surprises." He said with a smile.

"You should do that more often." She said.

"Kiss you, I reckon I wouldn't mind that much."

"Smile." She corrected. He pulled her into his arm's. "I've missed you." He whispered into her ear.

"I've been here the whole time. You just had to find me again." She told him. She suddenly remembered her previous appointment. "I have to go meet Alexandra." She said.

"Can I stop by the house tonight?" He asked.

"I reckon that'd be just fine." She said, turning around. He watched her walk down the corridor. She could feel his eye's on her, so she called, "And bring your tools! It's about gorram time you fixed that leaky roof you promised me you'd fix five years ago!" Mal just laughed.

Another thing he hadn't done for too long.

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Mal opened the creaky door and went inside. "Don't you space cowboy's knock any more?" Nivia asked coming in from the kitchen. "Nah." He replied, kissing her on the cheek. After awhile, he asked, "So, his room..."

"Just the way you left it." She replied. Then, after a few moments of thinking it over, he asked, "Can I..."

"Sure," she said, taking to the stairs. She opened the door to Nathan's nursery, and stepped aside so that he could go in. He slowly stepped inside.

Mal looked around. Not a thing looked out of place. This was all just so serial. He had once been a light hearted, fun loving, care free man. And then he had lost Nathan. And Nivia, in a sense. He just stood there for awhile, until he heard Nivia walk up behind him. "Over the last couple a days, I've learned that you're not one to show emotion these days." She said. "But... you can here. It's okay."

He turned around, and his eye's were glassy, (A/N: now, I realize how unlikely it is that Mal would EVER cry, but think of the moment here, people.) A few lone tears running down his cheeks.

"Why, Malcolm Reynolds, are you cryin?"

"I reckon I am." He said, pulling her close to him. This caused her to start crying, but it was okay this time. Because she had him to hold her.

More of Nivia and River next chapter, promise!