Hi everyone! thanks for the reviews...
And now it's time for things to get COMPLICATED......
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Serenity's Kitchen
'I hope she'll be okay.' Mal said as he walked into the kitchen where Inara was making her tea.
'Yes me too. She will be. She is a strong woman.' Inara said as she stared at the tea and waited for the water to boil.
'Do you want some tea Jayne?' Inara asked teasingly as she looked at the big mercinary who was looking in the cupboards for something to eat.
He grunted something negative. She smirked.
'Yes.' Mal said as he dropped himself in the chair. He was deep in thought. He couldn't get that image of Sivella being hurt like that out of his mind. He couldn't get the image of something like that happening to Inara out of his mind either. It drove him crazy. He looked up at her frele form. She was pooring water in two mugs.
'What do you mean with strong?' Mal asked as he remembered her comment.
Inara put the tea kettle down and made her way over to the table. She placed a mug in front of him and sat herself down in the seat opposite him. She missed Sivella already. It had been so nice to have her around. So warm, and friendly. Ofcourse it had brought some tension along, but luckily Sivella had dropped the 'stories' subject instantly.
'I've never met someone who is so honoust and sound. I don't say that we don't have our differences, but I love her deeply.'
'You love her? Thought you just sexed them up. Didn't know you actually fell for woman.' Jayne stated as he looked up from his work. He was polishing his knife as he ate the apple he had just cut it with.
'I love her as a sister yes. She is very dear to me.' Inara explained all the while remaining very calm.
'Inara, what are the rules if a client hurts you? You told me Atherton would be on the black list. But what will you do if a man attacks you, hurts you?' Mal asked.
Inara looked with surprised eyes at him. Where did this come from?
'You suddenly seem very interested in my job.'
'I always were interested.' Jayne stated on the background.
'What will you do?' Mal urged.
'Well..' Inara thought for a while. 'We had our training in self defence.'
'But what if that isn't enough?' Mal prodded. She read worry in his eyes and she didn't understand.
'Mal, you don't have to worry, this will not happen.'
'And how can you be so sure?' He asked between clenched teeth.
'Because I know how to read a man. We learned that. The moment I feel threatened I will not involve myself in anything with him.' She explained.
'And what if you misread?'
'I don't, that will not happen.'
Mal shook his head. 'Inara, I know about Sivella.' He said matter of factly.
She just looked up at him with her big eyes. 'Know what?'
Huh? Mal swallowed. That look on her face wasn't a good sign. Not good at all.
He studied her face shortly and then his eyes fell on Jayne. Maybe she didn't want to talk about this with Jayne present.
'You know, 'bout her..' Mal began as he gestured towards his back.
A confused cringe appeared in Inara's dark brows. She shook her head in confusion.
Mal swallowed. Sivella didn't tell her?! She had given her word that she would!
'I- uh..' Mal mumbled. Great, this is just great !
'What do you mean Mal? Why are you asking me these questions?' Inara asked alarmed. She put down her tea.
She suddenly got a cold feeling creeping up her spine. It was as if things started to fall in place. Things that had been off but that she had warded off just like that. Something had been wrong.
'What exactly did Sivella tell you?' Mal asked carefully.
'What do you mean?' Inara asked with big eyes. What did he know about her friend that she didn't?
'So she didn't tell you.' Mal said somewhat angry as he looked in the distance.
'Tell me what?' Inara urged, she was feeling impatience now.
' 'Bout them scars.'
Jayne looked up from the proteine bar he had found.
Inara swallowed deep.
'Scars?' She said weakly.
'What scars?!' Inara blurted out worried.
'I- She- She was wounded.' Mal stammered.
'What?! When?' Inara uttered in horror as she stood up in shock. She had to support herself on the table with both of her hands to keep herself steady. 'I saw no wounds!'
Mal swallowed as he looked up at Inara. He had rarely seen her this upset.
'Her back, it was covered in wounds. She didn't want to let anyone look at them.'
He explained.
It felt like a punch in her stomach that made her double over. This was like a nightmare. And she hadn't noticed a thing. She saw images of her and Sivella laughing, the pillow fight, their serious and teasing talks, she was like a sister. And I never noticed anything. She hid it from me.
'And this happened now?'
'A few days ago.'
'Were it fresh wounds?' Inara asked quickly. Her eyebrows knitted together as she seemed to be deep in thought.
Mal swallowed as he remembered the bandages. 'Yes, and old ones. Her back was covered in bruises and scars.' He swallowed again when he saw the horrid look on Inara's face.
Someone abused Sivella and she hadn't noticed. And Sivella hadn't told her. 'I am doing well.' Sivella had said. She remembered the look on Sivella's face. The smile. So controlled. Sivella was the Queen of putting away her emotions. Control. This too was about control.
'Who did that to her?' Inara questioned in an emotional voice.
'She didn't want to tell. I told her to tell you, she promised me she would.' Mal stated, the emotion in Inara's voice made alarm bells go off in his head. She was always controlled, at least, most of the time. Her voice was always steady, whatever happened.
She didn't tell me. But she did tell Mal? A sudden fierce anger built up in her chest. This could only mean one thing… Could it not?
'But you ofcourse were allowed to see those scars?' Inara suddenly spat heatedly. She got a Nandi flashback and her eyes narrowed.
'Who now! What's that supposed to mean?' Mal said as he eyed her guardedly with his jaw clenching. He stood up now too. His nostrils flared in anger for what he knew was to come.
'She let you look at her and kept a secret with you while she knows me for almost her whole life? Why would she do something like that Mal? Why would she trust you while she doesn't even know you for a week?!' Her voice sounded hoarse.
This question was so easy to answer with something mean but he chose to say the truth. 'She promised to tell you.' He repeated.
'I can't believe this.' After everything she had told Sivella from her heart, Sivella hadn't mentioned anything about this and but she did tell Mal?!
'So you saw her naked?' Jayne asked in the background.
They both gave him an angry look.
'What? Just a question, didn't mean nothin' angry with it.' Jayne defended himself.
Inara felt heat coming up in her chest quickly now. And she recognised it as anger but not before the words just flew out of her mouth so fast that her brain didn't seem to be able to keep up with it.
'You seem to have a talent for seeing Companions naked don't you?' Inara snapped.
That was a very mean stab. 'Don't you start-' Mal warned heatedly as he pointed a finger at her.
'What? Wasn't Nandi enough for you? You just had to try-' Her voice broke and she had to control herself to not shout out loud.
That was it!! He stepped so close to her that she inhaled breath in shock instantly and stopped talking. Her mouth snapped shut as his eyes looked coldly down in hers. She could see a fierce anger in them.
'What's going on here?' Zoe asked as she stepped into the kitchen and saw Mal and Inara staring each other down. This didn't seem like one of their normal fights, she thought warily.
'Someone beat Sivella up.' Jayne said bluntly.
'What?' Zoe paused for a moment. Had she heard this right? 'When? How?' She asked confused.
Mal was still staring intensily at Inara who didn't seem to breathe anymore but just look up with big eyes at him. She swallowed as he turned away from her instantly, turning his back towards her as if she were forgotten.
'Days ago. She was wounded.' Mal explained, and he felt more stupid by the minute that he hadn't told anyone. It seemed the right thing to do at the moment.
'And Mal just forgot to mention that.' Inara snapped in an acid tone.
'Maybe the Guild knows?' Zoe said as she looked at Inara.
'I don't know.' Inara said angrily as she looked at Mal. 'Do you know maybe?' She asked sarcastic.
Mal clenched his teeth in anger at Inara's words.
'She said the Guild had taken care of everything.'
'Is she in any trouble now?' Zoe asked. 'There had to be a reason that she hid this from everyone, especially from Inara.'
'We're going to find that woman and bring her back here.' Mal said. He was sure that Sivella was in trouble. He wouldn't stop until he got to the bottom of this. He already walked away but suddenly halted and looked at Inara.
'No problems huh?' He remembered what Inara had said when she had asked him to take Sivella with them. 'Somehow it always get's complicated with you.' He stated coldly.
The Marketplace
Zoe sighed as she met Mal and Inara again. 'Kaylee and Simon went that way. We already went through this street an hour ago.'
'We didn't take the marketplace yet, we will do that.' Mal said as he pointed to a road southwards. 'We'll find her.'
'There!' Mal said after a while as he pointed at a slender woman in the distance. Inara nodded and they hurried over to Sivella.
'Inara.' Sivella uttered surprised as she turned to see who had grabbed her arm.
'What are you-' She stopped instantly as she saw the look of horror on her friends face. 'What is wrong?' Sivella asked worried as she studied Inara's face.
'You lied to me.' Inara said with grief in her eyes.
Sivella looked at Inara and then her eyes rested on Mal. She gave him an angry look. He had told her.
'Yes I did.' Sivella admitted through clenched teeth.
'Why?' Inara asked in a soft tone. She didn't understand.
Sivella sighed annoyed. 'I lied Inara, because it's none of your bussiness.' She said with raised brows.
'What?' Inara asked, not understanding. Did she hear this right? Did Sivella just say that it wasn't any of her bussiness? She must have misheard this.
'You heard me.' Sivella said in a clear and stern tone as her eyes seemed to bore in Inara's.
Mal narrowed his eyes. He could clearly see that the worried look in Sivella's dark eyes had made place for something else. And he didn't like that something. The look on Sivella's face could be called mean.
Inara inhaled breath in shock. Sivella had never talked in that tone to her.
'What do you mean? I don't understand. You know you can tell me everything.' Inara said as she swallowed. Sivella must be in very much trouble.
'There is nothing to tell Inara.' She simply said, her eyes had turned cold.
Mal never thought that he would ever see that look on Sivella's face. The woman had had such a friendly and warm energy around her the moment he had met her that he had never even guessed that she could even look angry if she wanted to. But he had been wrong.
Dead wrong.
Her face had turned cold now instantly and there was nothing left of anything friendly or warm. The place here would freeze over if that were possible.
'What are you doing here Inara? Is that what you came to tell me?' Sivella asked uninterested. As she eyed Inara with a look as if Inara was inferior to her. 'I've got things to do, places to go.' Sivella stated coldly and impatiently.
'I want to know why you told Mal and why you didn't tell me.' Inara paused shortly. 'If you are in any trouble, we can help.' She offered.
'I am not in any trouble. And I didn't tell Mal, he ran into me by accident, it's a simple as that.'
Inara eyed her friend. Something was off, she didn't understand. She didn't know Sivella like this at all.
'Sivella, I don't understand. Why are you acting like this?' Inara asked confused.
Sivella sighed loudly this time. Not hiding her impatience anymore.
'Are you deaf?!' Sivella snapped. 'I just told you that my life is none of your business.' She said bluntly as her cold eyes took on hostility. She didn't try to hide the fact that she was obviously fed up with Inara.
Inara looked with horror at her friend. She couldn't believe how Sivella was acting, it hurt her. And the look Sivella gave her…
Sivella and she had never fought. Maybe about small things, but it had never been ugly. And this, the things she was saying... This was nothing for her. She would never- but at the same time she did. And the way Sivella looked at Inara, it was pure hostility that stood in her dark eyes.
'Sivella, what is wrong with you? You know that I will do anything to help you. You can trust me.' Inara tried again as she took a step towards her. Worry filled her words.
Sivella shook her head. 'There is NOTHING wrong with me Inara. I am just through with my old life, I changed. I am not the same anymore. That I didn't want to tell about my wounds was my choice. It's something that is in my past. And that is over, arranged. Nothing more. Why can't you just take that from me?!'
'If it were over, you wouldn't have hidden it from me.' Inara stated as she took a step towards Sivella, her eyes stood angry now too.
'And you're saying that, because you know me so well right?' Sivella said sarcastic.
Inara wouldn't believe it. Sivella was actually challenging her.
'This isn't like you. You are not like this.' Inara continued harshly.
'You don't know who I am!' Sivella suddenly shouted at Inara. Inara took a step back in shock.
'While you have been sitting in your luxury I have been through the most awful things you can not even begin to consider!'
Inara shook her head in confusion. 'And this is your way of solving your problems? By pushing me away, by pushing everyone away?' Inara asked confrontingly as she frowned her brows. If someone had mutilated Sivella's back there had to have been trouble. A lot of it.
Sivella took such a threatening step towards Inara that Mal took a step towards her too to protect Inara.
'I am not pushing everyone away. Just YOU.' She barked.
Those words felt like a punch in Inara's stomach. Her face froze momentarily when she saw the cold hatred in Sivella's eyes being directed at her again.
Sivella grabbed her own face in frustration. 'Maybe you should TAKE THE HINT!' She barked.
Inara was too shocked to say something.
Sivella took another step towards Inara.
'Do you really think you can tell me something about problems?' She barked.
'Don't make me laugh! Look at yourself!' She eyed Inara from top to toe. 'I can safely say that I pity you. You're too weak to stand up to things that are staring you right in your face!' She bit at her. 'You're just a spoiled woman who has never been through anything.'
Inara swallowed the hurt away of these words. 'What is this?' Inara whispered. 'What did I do wrong?' She said in such a confused and hurt voice that it almost tore Mal's heart apart.
'I'll explain this to you again. You seem to have lost part of your precious brain by flying too long with those petty thieves.'
'Watch what you're sayin'!' Mal spat out warningly. He had heard enough of this. He couldn't take Sivella insulting Inara like this any longer.
Sivella sent him a very filthy look. 'Stay out of this Reynolds. Or has Inara become so weak that she can't take care of herself anymore?' Sivella directed her gaze at Inara again. She didn't seem impressed by Mal's warning at all.
Mal clenched his teeth in anger. If Sivella were a man he would have punched him right in his face.
'I am not your friend anymore.' Sivella announced. 'I just want to go home. That is all.' She said in a tired and bored voice. 'Goodbye Inara.' She put her hood over her head again and moved to walk away but Inara grabbed her arm again.
Mal noticed how Inara's eyes were filled with unshed tears and how her full bottom lip trembled shortly.
'Why? Why did you do this Sivella?' Inara asked. She just had to know. This didn't make any sense!
And again, in one day Mal got to hear that emotional raw voice come out of Inara's mouth. He knew very well what that meant. This was the Inara without the walls, without the mask. This was her hurtin' very badly. Very badly.
And he hated that.
'I didn't tell you about my wounds because I don't trust you. You are not a real friend to me, you weren't for a very long time. I just needed the ride to Persephone. I just used you, nothing more.' She gave Inara a few seconds to let that sink in. 'I used you.' She repeated as if she wanted those words to sink in very good.
The knuckles of Mal's fists became white.
Sivella looked up at Mal and smiled when she saw his clenched fists. Mal narrowed his eyes. Was she laughing at him? It sure seemed that way. He couldn't believe it. Did the woman just make a deal with the devil? She had changed so much since he had seen her last. Had she fooled him this well?
Sivella turned around to walk away again.
'No!' Inara said as she took Sivella by her shoulder to stop her. Sivella turned around and pushed Inara back hard. She would have fallen if she hadn't bumped into Mal's chest. Inara's mouth fell open in shock.
Mal wanted to move towards Sivella angrily but he felt Inara's grip around his upper arms to hold him in place.
'What? You want to attack a Companion?' Sivella challenged Mal with the coldest eyes Inara had ever seen on her. The satisfying smile on her face gave Inara the chills. 'Please do! And find out what will happen. I'll make sure that they'll break you down instantly!' She threatened Mal.
Mal inhaled breath angrily. 'I don't care what you say to me-'
'O please… Indulge me-' Sivella said as she paused. '-but you do care about what I say to Inara?' Sivella laughed shortly. 'The lot of you really are pathetic. Please, go lick your wounds somewhere else, it makes me throw up.'
Mal wanted to move towards her but Inara grabbed his arm. 'Don't.' Inara whispered weakly. She sounded as if she was beaten. All the power had gone out of her voice.
'I never want to see you again. Leave me alone! And the same goes for you!' Sivella snarled as she once again turned and left.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Please let me know what you thought?? There will be a next chapter ofcourse!! And I promise you still lot's of Mal and Inara time to come!!