Chapter 8: Emotional Hurricane

Lola sat in her room staring critically at the décor. It was certainly a far cry from what she was used to and the thought of spending the next two nights all cramped up pained her. She knew she should be grateful that she had escaped Persephone safely but old habits die hard and she had a habit of expecting the best. Growing weary of her surroundings she lay down to have a nap but was interrupted by a knock at the doors. She slid the door open to reveal Inara dressed in a deep blue sari and holding a teapot.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you” Said Inara as she glided past Lola and set her teapot and cups down on the desk “Mal told me that he had taken you as cargo and I thought I would take it upon myself to offer you my company, and some tea of course.”

“That is most kind of you” Replied Lola, giving Inara the first genuine smile her lips had formed since she boarded Serenity.

Inara poured two cups of steaming hot tea and then, cup in hand, sat daintily upon Lola’s bed, arranging her skirt carefully with her spare hand. Even though her eyes were focused on her sari she could tell Lola was looking at her. She could feel the burn of Lola’s gaze so much so that it made her slightly uncomfortable. Eager not to endure any more staring she pursed the only topic they had in common.

“So, Mal tells me you trained as a Companion”

“No completely.” Admitted Lola “I trained as one for a while but soon came to realise that life as a companion would be too restrictive for a woman such as I and so I left. However, I did not want all of my training to go to waste and so I became a diplomat soon found myself on Persephone. It seems that having a woman doing all the talking works wonders, as I’m sure you’d understand”

“All too well” Replied Inara, sipping her tea but never taking her eyes of Lola.

“I suppose you’re wondering how a woman of such supposedly high status came to be on the run. I admit it must sound odd” Said, smiling once again.

“Not as odd as you might think”

“To cut a very dull story short, my mother passed away recently. She wasn’t a wealthy woman but she did have a few rare treasures, one of which she left to me. She told me that although it was her most precious possession it was also her most illegal one and that she was entrusting it to me because she knew I would keep it safe. I knew that I could not keep it safe on Persephone so I decided to flee to Beaumonde. I know people there who will be able to meet my request.”

“That’s a very noble gesture” Said Inara gently “If somewhat foolish”

“My mother was very dear to me and I consider breaking the law a small price to pay for ensuring that her dying wish does not go unfulfilled” Replied Lola, her eyes dark with resolve

“I know of others who would surely agree with those sentiments” Said Inara, smiling

“Yes” Said Lola “Forgive me for asking but the doctor…he’s not by any chance Simon Tam, is he?”

Inara stiffened and looked up at Lola, trying to conceal her alarm. She tried to formulate an excuse that would sound plausible but then suddenly, to her surprise, Lola started to laugh.

“I am so sorry” She said, smiling reassuringly “I did not mean to alarm you and I don’t mean to turn Simon in. Even if I were the kind of person who would do such a thing to people who have so readily helped me out, I am sure you can see why there would be no benefit for me. If I were to report Simon then I am sure you would not hesitate to report me. I was merely curious as to how a fugitive such as he ended up on Serenity”

Inara let out a sigh of relief. Admittedly none of the crew had taken into consideration that fact that Lola might identify Simon and River. They weren’t used to taking human cargo and unlike with Saffron they hadn’t been on their guard. Having said that, Inara knew better than to take stranger’s words as truth. She made a mental note to inform Mal about their situations and to keep a close eye on Lola. So far she hadn’t seen anything that caused her to mistrust her but Lola had Companions training and she was therefore well schooled in that art of deceit.

“I hope you don’t think me rude” Continued Lola” But I am still a little tired and would very much like to rest for a while.”

“Of Course” Said Inara, standing up “I’ll leave you to rest and then perhaps you will join us for breakfast tomorrow?”

“I’d be delighted”

*****

Simon lay on his bed, his head full of conflicting thoughts. He had kissed Kaylee. He had kissed her and part of him was ecstatic about it but another part of him was cautious. He had guarded himself against his feelings for Kaylee for so long due to the risk of losing his sight of the mission: his mission to help River. Ever since he had figured out that River was in trouble at the academy he had devoted his entire life to freeing her and then to curing her. He had used all his time, his money and every ounce of his strength to save her from the torture she was having to endure and now he was on Serenity things had not gotten much easier. H still had no idea what was wrong with her and every time he began to settle in on Serenity and began to think he could be happy here something would happen to remind him that he was still a fugitive and that he could never settle down anywhere ever again.

Enter Kaylee. He could tell she liked him from the moment they met but it took a while for him to truly notice her. He remembered the first time he had become aware that he felt something for her. It was one evening, about a week before they had landed on Persephone for the second time and he had been sitting in the Kitchen alone after yet another unsuccessful day with River. Kaylee had walked in, humming some tune under her breathe and hadn’t noticed him until he gave small cough. She had sat down with him and they had talked. Just small talk at first but then he started telling her about his childhood and then the months leading up to his retrieval of River. She had listened silently the whole time, drinking in his words and when he had finished she had taken his had across the table, looked him in the eye and told him how brave he was. It was in that moment that he noticed just how beautiful she was. However, he had known that he could never give her the attention she deserved and so he had tried to ignore his feelings for her even though they kept growing every day. And now he had kissed her.

He sighed, got up off the bed and headed towards the kitchen hoping that a strong drink might take his mind off things until the morning. He walked into the kitchen rubbing his tired eyes and noticed Kaylee sitting at the table, nursing a mug of alcohol. She looked sad and it broke Simon’s heart. She lifted her head when she heard him enter but didn’t quite look him in the eye.

“Hey” She said, her voice quiet

“Hey Kaylee”

There was a long pause as Simon racked his brains for something to say that might cheer her up but as usual the words just wouldn’t come.

“I missed you after dinner” Said Kaylee, still not looking at him

“Yeah, I had to take care of River”

“I figured”

Another long pause.

“Look, it’s late I should get to bed…” Began Kaylee

She started walking towards her bunk but Simon stopped her.

“Listen, Kaylee” He Began “I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you since dinner but I’ve just had a lot on my mind. I don’t regret what happened between us but I am worried that we might be taking things too fast. I really, really like you Kaylee but I have River to worry about. I just…don’t know if we can be together right now. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you it’s just that I can’t give you my full attention and that’s not fair to you. I hope you understand”

“I understand” Said Kaylee, blinking back tears “I-I have to go to bed

She ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face leaving Simon standing alone wondering if he’s just made the biggest mistake of his life.