Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews! Here's a longer chapter. I think there are still three chapters before the ENDING!! Hope you like it!!

Inara's shuttle

Sivella stared at herself in the mirror. Reality came back to her very quickly now. In a short time she would meet her aunt again, she would stay with her family for one week and then the trial would begin on House Madrassa. Eventhough the Blake Brothers wouldn't be there, she still had to explain a lot and justify her actions. She sighed. She felt the muscles at the back of her neck tense.

'We'll be there in one hour.' Inara said enthusiastic as she walked inside and found Sivella at her make up table with something in her hand.

Sivella looked up and smiled.

'What is that?' Inara inquired.

'It's something for the scars. Simon says it'll make the scarring less. But... I don't know. They are deep.' Sivella said as she looked at her shoulder where a few deep cuts showed.

Inara touched the scar softly. 'There are a lot of good docters who can help you on Sihnon, you know that.'

Sivella sighed as she placed the tube on Inara's table. 'I don't know if they will be able to take away everything.' Sivella looked up at Inara in the mirror. 'Inara, I would really appreciate it if you... Well I know you all are busy and all, but if you could stay for a short while.' She asked carefully as she looked at Mal and then at Inara. 'I'll pay Mal ofcourse.'

Inara smiled. 'I already talked to Mal, and I'll be able to stay the week. And maybe longer if that is necessary.'

'Thank you so much.' Sivella said gratefully. She then looked down at her lap. 'I just spoke with Sheydra.'

'And?' Inara asked as she sat down on her bed and watched her friend.

Sivella looked up, Inara could see fear and sadness in her big dark eyes.

'She said that the Kali 3, the transport ship, crashed.'

'Are there survivors?' Inara asked worried.

Sivella swallowed and shook her head as she stood up and walked aimleslly through the shuttle as she looked at a far away point in the distance. 'I am very sorry for the people that have died.' She said as she finally looked at Inara. 'I don't know if I am that sorry for Edward and Rogan though.' She admitted as she stopped walking.

'That's understandable.' Inara said.

Sivella sighed as she walked towards Inara's cortex screen and fingered the silk material that hung in front of it as a screen. 'Yes maybe it is. But somewhere, deep down inside, I don't believe that they are dead. I'll only have rest when the bodies are found.'

Inara nodded. She could understand that.

'Nevertheless..' Sivella said as she let go of the soft material. 'Sheydra told me to come to court anyway because I have some explaining to do about some of the actions I took.'

Inara stood up now and walked towards Sivella. 'You have done nothing wrong.' Inara assured her as she put her hand on Sivella's shoulder. 'You helped Mary and David.'

Sivella's big dark eyes looked up at her. 'Then why do I feel so guilty?' She asked softly.

'Maybe it's easier to blame yourself instead of someone else.' Inara proposed in a caring and warm voice.

Sivella smirked and nodded. Yes, that was true. She walked away from Inara and stared at her suitcase.

'I can't believe that this is already the ending of our journey.' She said after a short pause.

'The ending of our journey? Don't be so dramatic!' Inara uttered teasingly .

'No, it is.' Sivella said as she walked back to Inara. 'We've been through so much.' She said as she took Inara's hands. 'And here we are, back on Sihnon. I am going to miss you very much.'

'As am I.' Inara smiled as she touched Sivella's upper arm.

'I'll even miss waking up next to you. I think Mal's the one allowed to do that now. Don't let me hear that you pushed him away again.' Sivella stated.

Inara sighed at that as she rolled her eyes.

'Ow Inara'. Sivella said again as she hugged Inara closely. 'Thankyou so much for everything. For being there for me.'

'We still have a week.' Inara reminded her as she held Sivella close.

'Yes, I'll even miss Serenity. There's so much going on here, with the crew. I'll miss that.'

'O and I already began packing some things.' Sivella said mischievously.

'Yes, I noticed that.' Inara said teasingly. Sivella had taken the liberty to place her suitcase on Inara's bed and litter it with all the clothes she had borrowed from Inara. In short, it was quite a mess Sivella had produced in a short time.

Sivella smiled with something that looked like relief in her eyes.

Inara smiled back, she knew that it did Sivella well to talk about other things then just the heavy things she still had to face.

Inara's eyebrows rose as she looked at Sivella who opened her suitcase. 'That's my dress!' Inara snapped as she hurried towards her quickly.

'O, Inara please.' Sivella said in an innocent tone as she took the dress out of her suitcase and held it in front of her. 'It really doesn't suit you.' She declared boldly. 'A woman should know when to give up something.' Sivella stated as she looked at Inara daringly.

'You really are on thin ice now.' Inara threatened. One of her favourite dresses! The nerve that woman had!

Sihnon, Aunt Petulia's Ranch

Sivella stood still the moment her aunt's ranch rose on the horizon.

'We could have landed nearer the house, then we wouldn't have to walk so long.' Jayne grunted annoyed.

'You could have, but I don't think the cows and horses would have liked that very much.' Sivella answered.

'It's fine like this, we aren't that far away.' Kaylee assured Sivella as she walked towards her.

'And it's still your aunts land ain't it?' Wash asked.

Sivella nodded as she took in the environment. 'Yes, I forgot how big it is here.' She said as she looked around her, the landscape was filled with long stretching meadows, a few of them were empty, but most of them were filled with horses and cows. Next to the large and cozy looking wooden ranch stood a big barn.

'You didn't tell me your aunts ranch is so blooming and became so large.' Inara stated as she walked up to Sivella.

Sivella smiled proudly. 'That only happened these last years, she's doing really well. I love coming here, being here. But I haven't been here since three years ago sadly enough.'

Mal looked around him satisfied. Inara smiled widely as she saw Sivella's aunt walking up to them enthusiastic. And Sivella's face drained of all colour instantly as she froze to the ground.

'Sivella?' Inara asked worried when she turned around and found Sivella was still standing there. She had never seen Sivella that pale and shocked. Even her eyes seemed to be a tinge paler then usual.

The one time she had seen Sivella this shocked was when the house mother had found out that she had used alchol before an exam to calm herself down.

'Sivella sweety!' Her aunt yelled as she grabbed Sivella in a tight hug.

'Hi, I'm Thomas McGarett.' Inara heard a voice say behind her. Inara turned in surprise and saw a tall man shaking hands with Mal.

'Is that firefly yours? It's wonderful!' Thomas stated as he pointed at Serenity.

Mal nodded proudly. 'You want to see it from the inside?'

Thomas nodded enthousiastic. 'Sorry, where are my manners. You must be Miss Serra?' Thomas said as he walked towards Inara and shook her hand. 'It's nice to meet you.'

'Thankyou, you to.' Inara said as she noticed how green his eyes were and how contagious his smile was. Yes, she could imagine this man to be very popular around woman. She almost couldn't imagine him being so rude towards Sivella, or him hating

companions.

'Miss Thenar.' Thomas said shortly but friendly as if he was talking to an superficial acquantence. He smiled broadly as he shook her hand.

Sivella reacted in slowmotion. Before she knew it Thomas was already walking away with Mal.

'Mal.' Inara wanted to stop him but was already too late when they were already walking back towards Serenity. Inara turned to aunt Petulia who took her in a hug instantly and noticed the look on Sivella's face.

'O sweety, it's so nice to have you here.' Petulia said as she pinched Sivella in her cheek. 'You could do with some food though.' She said as she looked Sivella up and down. Then her kind eyes fell on Inara.

Inara noticed how Sivella's mouth was half open. Not at all something a Companion was allowed to do. This prooved the effect Thomas had on her, Inara thought.

'And you, you've grown so much! Look at how tall you've become. And so beautiful!'

Petulia uttered as she fingered Inara's long hair.

'What... What is he doing here?' Sivella managed to say.

'O sweety, I'm so glad you're here.' Petulia said as she placed her hand next to Sivella's scar. 'Do you have more of those scars? Show them to me, I'll care for them.'

'The- I..' Sivella uttered.

Inara smiled. She remembered now how aunt Petulia was. She was always honoust, and straight forward, sometimes that might seem blunt. It was something Sivella must have inherited from her.

'Thomas, what is he doing her-?' Sivella began again in an unsteady voice.

'I heard you child.' Petulia said as she linked her arm with Sivella's and Inara's and began to walk. 'He's on vacation. Working with the horses. A good man he is! And a good help too.' Petulia said shortly. 'Come, let's get you both woman something to drink and eat. I want to know all about your journey here. And then all about your lives, and then all about your futures, and well- I want to know EVERYTHING.' Petulia quipped excited.

'Vacation? Horses but-' Sivella stammered as her aunt dragged her with. The man was so rich that he could buy hundreds of horses, and he didn't need to work at all. This is a nightmare...

Serenity

'This is the other shuttle, it's Inara's.' Mal said as he had shown all of Serenity and they ended here.

Thomas took a lacy shirt from the red sofa and held it in his hands as he stared deep in thought at it.

'She's a difficult woman that one.' Mal said softly, guessing that Thomas was thinking about Sivella.

Thomas looked up at him.

'But honoust, true, figure she has a good heart on her. She really cares 'bout people, like Inara does. That Blake, she changed after that. He beat her up pretty good.' Mal stated.

Thomas nodded. 'I'd like to squeeze the life out of him.' He said with clenched jaws.

Mal nodded. 'We met your brother, he helped us.'

Thomas nodded. 'Yes, but too late.'

'Nope, he came just in time. She would've been death if it weren't for him.' Mal saw Thomas' muscles contract in pure rage at his last words.

'I want to see Blake pay.' He said in a dark, angry voice.

'O, he will pay. I don't think the Guild let's go so easily of persons like himself.' Mal said as Thomas lowered the lacy shirt on the bed again.

'This is Sivella's.' Mal said as he grabbed a shawl and threw it at Thomas. He figured that Thomas thought the shirt was Sivella's.

Thomas took it and stared at it. It's the only thing she took with her, and the clothes she had on her. Should have known somethin' was wrong from the beginnin'. Fancy Companion like her with nothin' more then one suitcase. She lost that one too. Borrowed everythin' from 'Nara.'

'He took everything from her.' Thomas concluded.

'She's a hurt woman. Doesn't want others to care for her. Wants to solve everythin' herself. Comes in trouble 'cause of that sometimes.' Mal said as he sighed and looked around. He wanted Thomas to know this. Sivella could use all the help people wanted to offer her.

'I should have noticed something earlier. But we were too busy fighting each other.' Thomas said as he walked towards Inara's dresser and stared at it.

Mal smiled at that. He knew what that was like. 'The woman doesn't show what she doesn't want to.' He said as he remembered the last weeks with Sivella on board. 'It's that I ran into her while she was bathing, otherwise we would have never known, would have just left.'

'What did he do to her?' Thomas asked as his nostrils flared. 'What did you see?'

'Maybe you'd better ask her.' Mal said carefully.

'I want to know. Please tell me, she won't show me.'

'She's got a lot of scars an' wounds.' Mal said.

Thomas clenched his fists. He couldn't bare it that Blake had hurt her like that, had hurt her skin, had abused her.

'I didn't even like her in the beginning. I didn't like Companions. They are fake, that's what I always thought. But Sivella, she had something around her. Something else. I could see it in her eyes. I always thought that they would play you and manipulate you. You would never know when she would speak from herself or from her training.'

Mal nodded.

'I just wish I would have gotten to know her better, maybe then I would have noticed-'

'You probably wouldn't have found out anyway, she didn't even tell Inara that something was wrong. You shouldn't blame yourself like that.' Mal said.

Thomas sighed and nodded softly. 'Maybe.' He simply stated.

Living room, Petulia's Ranch

'We'll get you all inside. We've got dinner ready, I bet you are hungry.'

Mal smiled at Sivella's aunt and nodded. He hadn't expected Sivella's family to be so down to earth. They followed to the cozy looking ranch with the porch.

'I hope you all like a good stove with flesh.' Aunt Petulia said.

Inara studied Thomas. He seemed very nice, he was quite handsome and his eyes were a dark green. They stood soft. He had a radiant smile as he helped Kaylee to sit.

'You work here?' Kaylee asked as she smiled at him.

'Yes, and I'm having a vacation.' He answered.

'Ow how nice!' Kaylee said. 'It's so nice here!'

Inara studied Sivella who was already sitting on the table on the other side. An untrained person would think that Sivella was just eating, and listening to the conversation but not participating. But Inara could see that she was having a big turmoil in her head. She could see it in the way Sivella's eyes shifted. How her eye lids just tensed slightly. How she held her breath every now and then.

'Seems like a nice place here!' Kaylee almost chirped.

Thomas nodded. 'It's very nice out here. There are a lot of mountains, nature, there's even a stream nearby.'

Inara noticed how Sivella clenched her jaws and quickly drank some water.

'And how long will you be staying here?' Inara asked interested.

Thomas smiled.

'As long as he wants.' Petulia answered for him. 'A nice gentleman like Thomas is always welcome.' She stated as she looked at Sivella pointedly.

Inara stopped herself from raising her brow as she looked at Sivella. Sivella seemed oblivious of her aunts remark, but Inara knew better. She knew that Sivella was at this moment as alert as could be, that she noticed everything while she pretended not too. She regretted that Sivella had obviously chosen to ignore Thomas.

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