Memory Lane

Chapter 3: Love, Tears, and Blood.

Rating: PG-13

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

Nivia sat in the corner of the room, terrified. She had just refused to tell the Alliance anything about River, so they had given her another dose. Now, she was going back through her memories, and saw them play out right in front of her. But, they weren't there, and only part of her knew that.

"I still don't see why we can't just tell them." Twenty-old Mal said as he and Nivia sat up on the hill, the two of them naked between two blankets, his arms wrapped around her.

"Because, if Nathan knew that you and I were together like we are, he would kill you." Nivia told him.

"But, Niv, we've been doin this little dance for almost a year. I love you, and I want your family to know. Hell, I want the whole gorram town to know."

She sat up, pulling the blanket closer to her as she did so.

"What did you just say?" She asked. She had admitted quite some time ago that, even at eighteen, that she loved him. But, he had never said it to her before. "You heard me," he said, a stupid smile on his face. "I love you."

She kissed him, and then put her head back on his chest, and listened to his heart beat.

"I wanna stay like this forever." She said, breathing in every part of him.

"Reckon we could, if you would marry me." He said, sounding totally serious.

She sat up again, and looked at him like he had grown three heads.

"Did you just ask me to marry you?" She asked, confused.

"Reckon I did." She shook her head, looking angry, and began to gather her cloths. She slid on her dress from under the blanket, then pulled on her boots and stood up. She began to walk away, down the hill.

"Niv, wait!" He yelled, running after her. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"What do you want me to say, Mal?" She asked, looking as though she was ready to cry.

"I want you to say that you'll marry me." He said, trying not to smile.

"You don't mean that," she said, certain that he was only thinking on impulse.

"The hell I don't!" He said, starting to look angry. "I've known you for five years. I know you better then anyone. Now, I don't know where my life is goin, or what I wanna do, or if I even wanna stay on this god forsaken planet! But, I do know two things. And those are that I love you more then anything, and I want you to be my wife."

"I can't." She said as the tears began to fall.

"And why the hell not?"

"Because you make me feel like I've never felt before. You make me feel like I don't gotta be strong. Like I can let you be strong for the both of us, like I'm aloud to be helpless. But I don't wanna feel like that. I can't. I need to be strong. I've got five younger brothers and sisters under me. I've gotta be there for them."

"Trust me, you'll never be helpless. You're the strongest person I know. And, you can still be there for your family. It's not like I'm gonna keep you from them. I love those little hell beasts." She laughed at this. He took her head in his hands.

"Listen. I've been thinkin about this for almost a year. But, you was too young when I started to, barely seventeen. But, now that you're eighteen, outta school, I feel like we're both ready." She sighed again, trying to hang her head. But, he gently pulled it up so that she was lookin at him.

"I love you. And the only thing I want right now is for you to be my wife."

She kissed his palm of his hand. Then, looked at him and said, "Ask me again."

He smiled and asked, "What?"

"Ask me again."

"Nivia Cassara Aress, will you marry me?"

She took a second before smiling and saying, "Yes."

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"How we doin?" Mal asked.

"We're only about two days away." Wash said, spinning around in his chair. Mal just nodded and walked away. "And he's usually so chatty." Wash said, sarcastically as Zoe sat down on his lap.

"He want's to get her back. He's been leavin his hatch open at night, just incase some one finds another wave from her. When I walk by, all I hear are those video cards. She's always been his one and only. Even through all those feelings he has for Inara, he knows that Nivia is always his. Like you're always mine."

"Really?" Wash asked, a stupid smile on his face.

"Don't make me say it again, husband. It makes me sound mushy."

Mal knocked on the door to Inara's shuttle. The answer came for him to come in, and he found her burning incense. "I need a favor." Mal said.

"What can I do?" She asked.

"When we get to the Alliance ship, I need you to act like you're there to work. With one of the soldiers. That way, I can get in, and get Nivia out, and some of 'um are distracted."

"I'll do what I can."

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Another dose, another memory.

"Nathan Jullian Aress!" Nivia yelled out, seeing her oldest brother in front of her.

"Nathan Jullian Aress!" Nivia yelled, storming into the house.

"What's wrong, little sister?" He asked, looking all too innocent, bruises covering his face, and his left hand was wrapped in a bandage.

"You know gorram straight what's wrong. I just left a dirty, bruised, and bloody Malcolm Reynolds. And, from the looks of it, he didn't do such a bad job hurtin you, either." Nathan didn't say anything.

"Look at me!" Nivia demanded, stepping closer to him. He complied.

"Why in God's name would you go after Mal?" Again, he didn't say anything. She punched him in the shoulder. "Answer me!"

"I found out about you and him! I over heard you and Alex talkin about what happened up on that hill!" Nivia's mouth hung open. She couldn't believe that Nathan knew that she and Mal had had sex. She wanted him to know that they were together, but not like that.

"And you saw it fit to beat him up?" She asked.

"He took my little sister's virginity. What was I supposed to do?"

"What I did when I found out that you and that girlfriend of yours were doin the same thing. Kept your mouth shut!"

Nathan didn't say anything until came the question, "Why him?"

"Why not Mal?" She asked right back. "I've known him for years. He's one of the best people I know! He's my best friend, we know each other inside and out. Believe it or not, but he knows me better then you do. Now, I'm gonna marry him, so I would appreciate it if you didn't fight with him anymore!"

She took a mental step back, realizing what she had just said. Nathan looked like he had just had a stroke of genius. "Mom! Pa! Everybody! Come in here!" The family had already been informed that she and Mal were together, but she wasn't really ready to tell them that they were getting married.

Daniel and Nicholas came in first, but at the same time as their parents. Then came Era holding Hanna's hand, and Aiden on Ava's hip. Nivia was giving Nathan the death stare when he said, "Mal and Nivia are-" Nivia threw herself at him. Literally. She flew through the air and landed on top of him, forcing him to the ground. He struggled underneath her as she pushed her arm onto his throat, trying to make him understand.

"Now you listen here. I understand that you're mad. But we're gonna do this right, make it a happy thing! And you ain't gonna do this wrong just because you're mad! You hear me!" He slowly nodded and she pushed her self back onto her feet. "Everyone can go back to what ever it is they was doin." When no one moved, she said, "Really, it's nothin. Everythins fine." She turned to walk out the door when she heard from behind her, "Nivia and Mal is gettin married." She stopped, then turned around slowly. She shook her head while scowling at Nathan, then turned to leave again.

"Nivia." Her father called. She turned back again. She didn't say anything, worried that no matter what, it would be the wrong thing.

But, her father was almost smiling. "We're gonna pretend that this didn't happen, and that your brother ain't the monkey's ass he can be. Now, you bring this boy over. Do this right."

She nodded. "Yes sir." Then, throwing one more scowl in Nathan's direction, she left.

"Yes sir." Nivia said, pushing herself closer to the wall. Then, as the memory ended, she fell asleep.

The general watched from the control room. "Give her one more chance to tell us. Then, step up the dose."