Title: A Real Flower
Author: LadyyLuna (Note, not my LJ name)
Word Count: 1,774 (According to MW)
Disclaimer: Joss is Boss! Bow down you lowly creature!
Rating: R (Very light R, but to be safe)
Genre: Angst
Pairing: Mal/River
Characters: River, Mal and Inara. There is mention, but not so much of Zoë, Simon, Kaylee and Jayne.
Timeline: Post-Serenity
Summary: River's feels jealousy towards the relationship between Mal and Inara, which doesn't last long, and once it ends she decides to do something interesting that might help her end up exactly where she wants... or will it?
Author's Note: This is actually 2 of five gifts I wrote for a very good friend of mine, but this piece stands alone. As in, it’s not a series, and it is actually based on a drabble (a fic of 100 words) I wrote some time ago. I was too lazy to create a new idea so I just chose to elaborate the drabble. Oh and the “flower” quote said by River is actually from the movie “House of Flying Daggers.” It just fits her, and I wanted to use it, so I did.

Warning: My muse forced me not to use Inara's name throughout the whole fic LOL It was her way of kind of portraying River's jealousy on the situation through a better light. Hey, she's the genius behind my operations, so I couldn't question her on that one. So all the Bold 'She' and 'Her' (plus there is one part where She is referred to as Other) are meant for Inara and they all start with a capital letter. Don't jump on my bones for it! Please?

A Real Flower

River had never experienced jealousy in her life. It was an alien emotion to her, and at first, she didn't comprehend it properly. She wasn't jealous of her brother's relationship with Kaylee, although some people would've expected it due to the fact that Simon was her everything just as she was his, but River accepted Kaylee as her jie jie. She did feel envy towards their relationship. She couldn't help but want something just like it, but it wasn't likely to be given to her since no one in the Serenity gave her half as much attention as Simon did, and due to the obvious, she couldn't have Simon that way.

But there was the captain, a man who named her his pilot, and it was the 'his' that always caught her attention. It was a title that she wore proudly, but had never dared to ask for. It was like a gift dangling in front of her that she had been afraid of reaching for due to the risk of someone taking it away. Malcolm Reynolds took that gift from the air and handed it to her, without explanations or hesitation. He told her to fly and she did. That's when it started, their pilot/captain relationship that evolved dangerously inside of her. He would order her around, orders she'd obey without hesitation, and he'd pat her on the back or the head (it didn't matter to her where as long as his hands were the ones doing it) as a sort of felicitations.

That's when she began seeing another gift dangling in front of her, but before she could even attempt to reach for it, someone had already taken it away. That was the night River knew what jealousy was. She had her eyes closed when she felt them doing things she had wanted to do with him, but she wasn't the one in his arms. She didn't speak for an entire month. Everyone was worried, especially Simon, as he tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Even Mal tried to get her to talk, but she barely even blinked. It even went to a point where Mal threatened to take away her piloting privileges, but she simply gave him the 'You're a boob' look and walked away knowing he wouldn't fulfill his threat.

He needed her as a pilot. It was the only way he needed her and the only thing she was to him. The Other was what River could never be. A Flower of beauty and poise that River could never hope to become. River was a weapon, a broken mirror he wouldn't touch because it would bring him seven years of bad luck. But wasn't she supposed to be his albatross? She wanted to be that and more, especially if it meant his eyes would shine the way they did when they looked at Her. River stopped her silence and decided to keep her inner turmoil to herself. River would often watch Her, trying to see if there were ways she could become what She was for him, but there was no manual in Her mind.

It wasn't a surprise for River when they both parted ways, after accusations and insults were exchanged, but she felt no sorrow over it. No, Her sorrow would have no place within her. She had endured emotions she wished to have never encountered after countless months of feeling them together. She didn't hate the Woman, that much she knew, but she did envy (and this is where the jealousy took control) what She was for him and what they had shared together. River made the calculations in her head, after Mal ordered her to set course for Sihnon, and started adding figures that only made sense to her. She came to an incomplete conclusion that answered some of her questions. Saffron, Nandi and now Her. What did they all have in common? Companions. Although, Saffron was never identified as a Companion, even She admitted that the woman must have obtained some Companion training due to the woman's many talents.

That's when she came to the final conclusion, to become his flower she would have to go to the garden where all the flowers bloom. She didn't tell anyone this, at first. She enjoyed having his company again and acquiring the attention that only she imagined could go further than their pilot/captain relationship. Zoë had already noticed by then. She was the only one who realized why River had been behaving oddly during the time she refused to speak, especially after she found River staring at Her occasionally and leaving the room or looking down when they were together. Kaylee noticed it too, but decided to keep it quiet. Simon was clueless and Kaylee thought it'd be better if he was. Jayne didn't care for it and She... River always thought She would have noticed, but she didn't blame Her. She was probably to busy sleeping in Mal's arms to care for the world around Her.

But River knew that Zoë knowledge on the matter was rather extensive regardless of the fact that both women barely spoke. River once took the liberty to read Zoë's thoughts on the situation and they confused her. The woman thought River was just a child with a crush... but then another thought joined the previous and created the confusion inside River. Zoë thought she could be just what the Captain needed. A reader that could see the things he'd never say for himself, a symbol of what he fought for against the Alliance, a lingering hope that meant the war wasn't over and they could still win. She was, in essence, his albatross.

This made her want to move forward with her plan, so she did. She spoke to Her first and She was incredibly surprised towards River's request. She told River that Companions started at a younger age and that there was the danger of the Alliance finding her through the Guild, but River insisted. She could be Her unofficial student. She would be Her servant, if She preferred, but River just wanted a chance to get that training and maybe even become a Companion, although the latter was less important. She just wanted the training. When the Woman asked why, River simply said, "I want to become a flower. Need to pick up the petals from the ground and put myself together first. I can learn that from you." After further persuasion, the Woman agreed, but only if her brother approved.

Mal was the first to find out, as he overheard bits and pieces of the conversation River had with Her. Mal's anger surprised her. He didn't want her to become a Companion. It caused a bigger argument between them and River simply watched as they cut at each other with words that seemed to drive them further apart. Of this, River did feel guilt, for it wasn't her intention to cause Her such turmoil. She just wanted to reach for that gift that dangled in the air now, free for claim, but to do this she had to become a flower and to become that she had to do it through Her.

Simon was very difficult to convince, but once River stated she was old enough and not the little girl he saw her as, he had no choice but to allow it. The fact that River threatened him with things he knew she would fulfill made him forfeit his plan to drug her while they dropped Her off and left Sihnon. Mal's anger was indescribable now. River studied him, trying to find the cause for his anger and even questioning him about it. He kept his defenses up with his sarcastic remarks, one in particular caused Her to hate him even further after overhearing his insult, "Hey, you wanna go becomin' a whore, don't let me stop ya. Shiny goal you've set for yourself, sure as hell picked the perfect teacher for it."

When River left there were a few frowns, but it was Mal's anger that never disappeared. She arrived at the Training House like a child reading a new book she had never been given until now. She simply walked about, taking in everything she saw, absorbing the colors, the lights and the beauty of it all. It was beautiful, a life which she could've happily joined, but she knew she didn't have to anymore. She had been wrong. She left, giving Her one last smile of appreciation before she did and an apology for any trouble she might have caused Her. She knew the Woman would be better off without a reminder of the life She had walked away from and the man who had broken Her heart again. Now it was River's turn, but what she wouldn't let anyone know was that when it came to Malcolm Reynolds, her heart was prepared for the damage.

She walked onto the ramp just in time. The cargo was being loaded by Mal when he noticed her. There was a sting of surprise on his face, but it quickly faded behind the sarcasm, "Whorehouse got too crowded?"

River smiled. She could see the gift dangling in front of her and this time she would reach for it. She walked toward him, conscious of the pleasant fact that they were alone since Jayne was accompanying Kaylee and Simon at the market to keep them out of trouble (orders from Mal) and Zoë had taken leave when she noticed River coming. She'd thank her for that later.

"Not particularly. Wanted to be a flower for you, but then I realized the truth. Real flowers bloom in the wilderness," and with that she put her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. The kiss didn't last long, she didn't want to give him enough time to push her away, but it was just enough for her to treasure it and write her name on the present's wrapping.

She smiled once she let him go and began walking towards the steps, having full knowledge of the fact that Mal was literally cemented to the spot and even his lips were still puckered up after the effects of the kiss. Finally, he reacted before she could walk up to the cargo bay's catwalk, "Where you headin' to?"

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a solemn expression, "A Real Flower can find her place in the wild," and then her face adopted a mischievous grin that made the hairs on the back of Mal's neck stand, "I'll be in your bunk."

The End