Title: Tales of a Would-be Hostage

Chapter: 6/??

Author: thefalloficarus at livejournal

Characters: This chapter: Kaylee, River, Simon, Mal, Zoe, OC Marisol

Spoilers/Warnings: Completely Alternate Universe. River never went to the Academy, certain characters have WAY different backgrounds. There's a character death in this chapter. Trust me, it's for the best, I can't write for this character worth beans.

Note: plot bunny passed on to me by lj user whitemoonflower. Sorry I've forgotten to credit you till now, and thank you so much for sharing this idea with me!

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Chapter 6: The Dangerous One

River was dazed, half in dreamland when the door clicked and opened. She looked up bored, prepared for Mal, but gasped when she saw her brother walk through the door.

"Simon!" She cried, grateful to see him alive, well, and carrying two plates of food. "Are you okay?" She asked, shifting in her seat, still tied to the chair.

"I'm fine." He said, setting the plates of food down. He looked behind him, and River caught site of Mal in the doorway. "If you think I'm going to sit here and feed her, you're sorely mistaken." Simon said, leaning over his sister and beginning to untie her.

Mal sighed from the doorway and turn exasperated eyes towards River. She got the impression that he was trying to tell her Simon was being a bigger pain in the ass than he'd expected, and she felt a swell of pride. "No funny business, ya hear?" He said pointedly at her and then shut the door, locking it behind him.

River rubbed her wrists when they were finally free, and then threw her arms around Simon, hugging him tightly. Simon gripped back with an equal force, and River knew in that moment that he had worried about her throughout the entire surgery.

"I can't believe they tied you up." Simon whispered indignantly once River was finally free.

"I'm the dangerous one." River replied, taking a plate of food gratefully.

"What?" Simon asked, starring at her as if she'd sprouted a second head.

River rolled her eyes, stuffing a large bite of food in her mouth. "When you go into battle, or business, or surgery you assess what is going to be your weakest point of attack, and what area/person provides the most danger. Of the three of us, I'm the most dangerous." She explained.

Simon winced and chastised, "River, chew your food before speaking please." He watched her then, and stirred the food on his plate. "Besides, how are you the most dangerous? I was the one with the scalpel in my hand."

River rolled her eyes. "Simon, did you ever think to use that scalpel?" She asked, earning a puzzled look in return. "To say, take one of their people and insist Kaylee and I were released unharmed, or at least brought out to you so that you knew we were safe?" River asked, stuffing another bite into her mouth ravenously, watching Simon's face fall after each of her suggestions.

"No." Simon admitted, defeated.

"I know Simon, and that's okay." River said, setting her fork down and reaching the free hand to him, caressing his cheek gently. "You're a healer, and that's something to be proud of. When you stepped out there onto the docking bay, it was so you could heal, you didn't have anything else on your mind. When I stepped out there, it was with the potential to kill. It's always been that way Simon." She paused settling her hand in her lap once more. "It's why the dinosaurs always ate you first." She said, jokingly, referring back to their childhood games.

Simon laughed a quick chortle, but the smile it caused died almost immediately. "Do you actually think you would have killed Karl?"

River looked at her brother, starring hard for a long moment, and then shook her head and picked up her fork, and resumed eating. "Yes. If he hurt you or caused you to get hurt, I would have shot him."

"Shot him, yes, but killed, you said killed before. You can't honestly tell me you could have killed him Mei mei."

River flinched and hunched down a little, concentrating on the food on her plate. "I just did Simon."

Simon was silent a long moment and then tentatively reached out and put a hand on his sister's knee. "River, you've got time to actually taste your food, I promise. So please, smaller bites and chew with your mouth closed. You weren't raised in a barn, and you could choke."

River smiled, looking up at him, and a laugh spilled forth from her lips. "Oh Simon, how could they have been so wrong, you are truly the dangerous mastermind of this outfit."

Simon blushed and shook his head, and they finished their meals in silence.

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If Mal didn't know any better, he'd have guessed his luck had changed for the better. At first, he wasn't so sure if his karma could survive kidnapping a doctor and holding several people hostage. His initial dread was only aided by the Doctor's refusal to treat Zoe any further unless River was moved to a room with him and Kaylee, and allowed to remain untied. Mal had been reluctant to allow River the freedom of roaming around her room untied. He hadn't been blind to the evil glares she occasionally shot him, and he worried that if left to her own devices she might find or make something sharp and pointy and seek some vengeance before finding a way to take over his ship. Simon, of course had been adamant, insisting that his sister was just a girl, and Mal wondered how on earth he had ever thought that blind fool of a genius could have ever wed the seemingly untamable River Tam.

In the end, they haggled and agreed that once Zoe was well enough to be moved to her own room, River would be moved to the infirmary where she could be watched through the large glass windows, and Simon would be kept with their friend, Kaylee.

The strange look on the Doc's face didn't go unnoticed, and every time Mal was on food delivery duty he had to hide the chuckle that threatened to bubble out of his chest when he opened the door to their room, causing Simon's face to burn a bright red.

River had turned out to be a very docile hostage, and after the first day and a half of nothing happening, Mal realized a guard on her 24/7 wasn't really necessary. Never-the-less he liked the security that the glass walls of the infirmary offered his crew. Being able to see her hands and feet when they dropped off food, or brought her to the bathroom made him feel that much safer, even if she was behaving herself.

Despite her proper and amiable attitude, Mal still found himself outside the infirmary each night, watching as River ate, read, or slept. On night five, when it was almost time for his hostages to leave, Mal realized he finally felt himself relax-- Zoe was on the mend, his captives were behaving themselves, and were downright friendly to his crew when they met, and in less than 3 days time he would be free of them, and life would return to normal.

He sat, watching River watching him, and thought just how much things had changed, when Inara walked up to him sitting silently beside him. She turned and watch River, who in turn moved away from them and pick up a book.

"Inara?" Mal said, turning to look at her puzzled.

"Mal." She returned, turning away from the young woman in the glass cage.

He sat there, starring at her, and then turned back to River, a scowl on his brow. He noticed, for a moment, her eyes above the book. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds and he could swear that they were smiling at him. 'No, not smiling,' He thought, 'laughing.' That realization made his frown deepen and he watched as she lowered her eyes to the pages of her book.

"Mal." Inara spoke softly.

"Gorram it, what Inara?" He asked shortly. He watched her react, watched her face fall, and he didn't apologize, didn't feel sorry. He suddenly felt interrupted and harassed as if she'd intruded on his private time, a personal moment. He grimaced then, and thought, 'That's ridiculous.' And realized he should apologize, even though he didn't feel completely wrong. "I meant 'what'." He said mildly. It wasn't an 'I'm sorry', but it was as close as he got. "I'm just a might irritable lately on account of the additional people 's all."

"You should get some sleep then." She said gently, looking hesitant after the reproach.

Mal laughed, a quick sound, loud and deep. "And leave our little Albatross here to escape and take the boat?" He asked shaking his head. "I'd rather be irritable."

Inara turned again to watch the reading River. "Ah, yes, because she's so violent and seething with captured rage." She replied, deadpan.

"You didn't watch her turn a man's own weapon on him: his finger squeezed down on the trigger so far that any movement should have made him shoot." He turned to her now, a look of caution and something else shining in his eyes. "I swear Inara, you shoulda seen her. If you'da blinked you'da missed her." He nodded to River then. "I think our girl's been misjudged her whole life, and she counts on it. I ain't survived this long by being a blind fool, and trust me when I say, for every moment she's being watched, she's watchin' you. If we don't watch her here, late at night, when our guard is low, she'll be out faster'n you can spit." He smiled at Inara then and added wryly. "Not that you spit, of course."

Inara laughed, a light amused trill, which faded with the realization that the something else shining in so brightly in Mal's eyes was awe. He was awe struck by their young captive. This knowledge caused something inside her to bristle. "Mal, why don't you go get some sleep?" She offered. "I'll stand watch."

Mal looked puzzled at her unusual display of care and generosity towards him and shook his head. "And if she breaks out you'll what, wrestle her to the ground with your well defined and well hidden whoring muscles?"

"What exactly was your master plan if she decided to break free?" Inara asked sharply, silencing Mal with her anger at his preferred nickname. "She hasn't tried to escape under your watch, I'm sure she'll sit tight for me as well."

Mal hesitated then, there was no real reason for him to turn her down, and sleep would do him well, and yet he didn't want to leave. "This is my mess Inara." He said finally. "Everyone's made it abundantly clear that what I did was stupid, and that's fine. For Zoe's life, I'll suffer a little stupidity and take the consequences. If it means a few nights without sleep…" He sighed.

Inara turned and saw River starring at them, as if she could hear them speaking. She looked wild with her long dark hair hanging free, falling around her face and tumbling down her back. She was a tiny girl but she had a presence about her that made her seem fast, strong… intimidating. Despite this, there was a look on her face that was mild, gentle, almost pitying. If Inara didn't know better she would have thought River had heard them, but she hadn't, it was impossible. No, the only person that had heard Mal's confession was Inara herself. She reasoned that she was projecting her feelings towards Mal onto their young captive, and that the person feeling sorry for their captain was her alone.

With a sigh, Inara placed a hand on Mal's knee as an offer of comfort and understanding. Immediately she felt him stiffen under her touch and she looked at him, her chest barely moving as she searched his eyes, hard and silently. Finally, after a moment without finding what she was looking for she shook her head and left, leaving Mal to watch her walk away, alone with his hostage and his guilt.