Chapter 9

When they reach Paradiso, Mal and Jayne used the mule to deliver the cargo, and Kaylee, Inara, and Wash go out shopping for parts needed. Simon was in the Infirmary giving River the new batch of medicine.

"I'm sorry, Tiánxīn, I messed up and got you hurt." apologized Simon.

"Silly Simon, why are you apologizing? It was going to happen anyway." She said as she pulled him in for a hug.

"What? Then why did you tell me to go away?"

"You were going to die," her eyes started to overflow, and tears fell down on his shirt as she hugged him tighter, "I don't want to ever lose you."

Simon broke the hug and lifted her face so that their eyes met. He softly stroked the red skin with his thumb from where someone struck her. He kissed the mark left on his wife and preceded on kissing her.

He broke the kiss again, grabbed the syringe on the countertop, took her arm and injected her. She started to cry on his shoulder, again, till the medicine kicked in. He felt her slump down and caught her before she fell. He hates himself for having to do this, everyday; he feels like a monster when she tries fights him or cowers in fear. He feels as if he is responsible for her pain, as if he was the sole reason they hurt her and he's hurting her again. He picked her up and carried her to their bunk; he stayed watch, not wanting to part from her again.

XXXXXX

Zoë was looking for Velia, an unanswered question still stuck in her head. When Velia was doped after their escape attempt failed miserably, Zoë was now completely sure she heard Velia murmur something, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. It was already past 2200, and she was very sure that Velia was already in deep sleep. Zoë certainly didn't want to risk waking her up, 'specially if she wakes up in an uncontrollable rage or worse hunger.

Zoë decided that it could wait till breakfast, and went into the kitchen for a small protein snack before going to bed herself and was startled when her brown eyes met glowing red ones.

"Sorry," Apologized Velia, "I couldn't sleep too many ghosts."

"Ghosts of what?" asked Zoë, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Ghosts of my past that torture me to this day," responded Velia, Zoë snapped on the lights and Velia blinked rapidly to adjust, but Zoë was sure she saw gleaming tears forming in her eyes. "They never really left me, but today I was abruptly reminded of their presence in my life."

"Velia, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," said Velia as she wiped away a tear that finally fell.

"When we were back there in that room, I saw you whisper something after they doped you…"

"And curiosity is killing the cat, right?" interrupted Velia.

"Something like that, yeah."

Velia sighed deeply before responding with, "A few years ago, when I was kidnapped by Alliance, I was brought to a room and shortly after a little girl, not older than Inara, was brought in as well." She wiped at another tear and sighed again, "They were torturing her; they called her Experiment 3466535 while I was 3466534. I don't remember what they were injecting her with but I vaguely knew it was killing her."

"Is that why you cried when you were going to let the Reaver in you free?"

"Well, that and I wasn't all together certain I could control it when I… anyways, Ashley, the little girl, and I were practically family, as you might say. On the day she died, the 'medicine' was killing her, she was so weak, and I knew she wasn't going to make it. I asked them to skip that day, begged them, but they didn't listen to me." She started to cry, "It was if they wanted to kill her, she died in my arms after they left. I remember she asked me if we could go to a park or the beach when they let us go. Today when they doped me, all I could think about was her innocent face as she looked up at me and called me 'Mommy'. She died a month after they brought her in, just a month, no childhood, no happiness, just pain."

Zoë didn't say anything, just stood there and watched as Velia cried. After a while, Zoë walked over and hugged her, let her lean on her for a bit of strength and support. She felt as if the war wasn't the evil in this world, it was the men who likes to torture innocent souls.

"That's why when I saw Inara enter my shuttle," she looked down at her upturned hands, the marks from where her nails bit into her skin was still there, Zoë looked at them and didn't know what to say, "I could hurt her, I would let myself do it. And there's River, what she's been through also vaguely reminds me of Ashley. I see this ship and I see the crew, and I can't help myself from thinking 'how wonderful it is to have a family looking after you'."

"You're part of the family, too, you know."

"Thanks, Zoë"

"Thanks for sharing"

XXXXXX

When the group came back from delivering the cargo, they got a job on Persephone; they had to go to Canton to get a shipment of clay.

When they got on Canton, however, the men couldn't leave the ship because otherwise it was going to cause a heap o' trouble so it was Zoë, Ethan, Kaylee, Inara, River, and Velia who went to make the deal. Velia strayed from the pack however, and it was Zoë who did all the talking to the men in charge.

They passed Jayne's statue once again and Inara gleamed up and said, "Mommy, that looks like Uncle Jayne, don't it?"

"Yes Inara, here on Canton they look at Jayne ask a hero."

"That's shiny, ain't it?"

"Yes 'Nara, it's shiny."

XXXXXX

Velia walked through the residential homes and businesses and was stopped by a little boy, no more than 8, pull on her dress.

"Hey, miss, you got platinum you can spare?"

Velia kneeled down to look him in the eyes, her nails dug into her hands, reopening semi-closed wounds, "What you name, little one?"

"I'm Thomas." He gleamed, "And I'm eight years old."

"I'm Velia," She said as she reached into her pouch, pulled out eight pieces of platinum, and gave it to Thomas. "Thomas, how's life in Canton?"

"Well, if you don't get into bad terms with Boss Higgins, you live an ok life, just as long as you're ok with not having much to eat."

"And if you do get on bad terms?"

"I never met a man who has, all's I hear is he hurts ya… bad."

"Where does this Boss Higgins live?"

"Gosh, miss, you don't wanna meet him, not the Boss."

"What if I tell you that I can make everyone's problem disappear?"

"How are you going to do that that?"

"Well, I happen to be a Queen on a planet called Delrio, I can help everyone on this planet."

"You're a Queen? No way!"

"Yes way, now are you going to help me or not?"

"What can I do?"

"You can spread the word."

"What do you want me to spread?"

"Boss Higgins will not be in charge anymore."

"Ok miss," Thomas pulled her to the way of this ornate home, "That's where Boss Higgins lives… be careful, miss." He called to her.

"Will do, see ya later, Thomas."

"See ya, miss." And he left. Velia looked at the flamboyant exterior of the house, she wasn't sure if she was prepared to face another ruler without Ethan around; but she only steeled herself and decided she was not going to depend on her husband for everything, even if she dies from blood loss on her hands. She started to walk towards the place and when she got there, she hesitantly knocked on the door.

XXXXXX

Inara left the group to play with a little girl her age while Kaylee, Zoë, Ethan, and River were discussing some problems that arose.

"What's your name?" asked a little red-headed girl.

"I'm Inara, What's yours?"

"I'm Juliette," she responded, "I was named after my grandma, what about you, who were you named after?"

"I don't know."

"You never asked?" Juliette wondered.

"No,"

"I have an idea," she perkily stated, "Why not ask now?"

"Okay." Responded Inara and with that the two girls ran toward Kaylee giggling innocently.