Shara was having lunch with Karissa's family at a little restaurant off the park. She had been invited and had assumed that Karissa was as well, but when she got there, she found only Amalie, Ryan and Joshan Bentara.
"Where's Karissa?" she asked with a smile as she took a seat at the table.
"She had to work," Ryan replied.
"But we're delighted you could make it," Amalie smiled. "We've been wanting to get to know you better and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to chat."
Shara being taken a bit off-guard didn't know how to respond as a waitress came to take their drink orders. As she left, Shara was still surprised. "Really? You want to get to know me?"
"Well, of course," Ryan replied with a smile. "We want you to feel as though you're a part of the family -- which you very much are to Karissa. We want to make you feel as much like family with us as well."
"Tell us about your childhood," Amalie said with her dark eyes bright and curious.
"Oh... well... uh... all I know is that I was born on Laconia II. I was told my parents had died in some sort of freak transporter accident and was raised by my Uncle," she said softly.
"Oh, you poor dear," Amalie replied.
Shara shrugged. "After I met Karissa I found out the truth. I may not have had parents at all... and the man who raised me wasn't my uncle. He was a very cruel man," she said quietly.
Amalie immediately put her hand on Shara's. "I'm very sorry. We didn't mean to stir up any hurtful memories."
"Actually before Karissa they were far more hurtful. My 'uncle' was raising me to be cold, calculating... basically someone that wasn't very nice," she said softly as she looked away. "I got into trouble a lot of trouble. When I first graduated the Academy I was transferred to four different ships in three years -- the last being the Ronin-A. It took Karissa beating some sense into me before I realized that I didn't have to be that way," she said. "It was then that Karissa and I became friends and I got let in on the secret of what we were. That was hard for both of us, but I think it was a lot harder on Karissa. For me, in some odd way it was almost a relief. It meant I wasn't really Bakar Mikori's neice." She shrugged.
"I guess that would be a relief," Ryan nodded. "And so you and Karissa together have become quite a powerhouse." He smiled.
"Well, sometimes," she smiled. "It's true no one would want to mess with us. But all in all, we're really there just to support each other. I don't know where I would be with out her."
"And I know she feels the same about you," Amalie replied. "She told us you helped her through quite a bit with Ryan's death."
Shara shrugged her shoulders. "I only did what I could," she replied. "That tore her up so bad I wasn't sure she'd recover."
"Well, I'm glad you've had each other," Amalie said. "Sisters in every sense of the word." She smiled brightly.
"Does this mean that Shara is going to be my sister too?" Joshan said excitedly, as the waitress came back with their drinks. "For real?"
"If she wants to be," Dr. Bentara replied smiling, gazing from his son to his new daughter.
Shara smiled. "You were really serious that night weren't you?" There was surprise and delight in her eyes.
"Of course we were serious!" Amalie smiled and laughed softly. "So what do you say? Want another family?"
"You mean a real one?" Shara replied. "I would love nothing better." Her smile was bright and her dark eyes sparkled. "Thank you," she said, her eyes almost misting. "Karissa was the first one to show me what it was like to have family. I can't believe I'm really part of her family now!"
"And you will always be," Ryan replied.
"Yeah! That means you have to come play with me!" Joshan replied with his impish grin.
Shara laughed. "I promise I will!"
"Now, there is something we want to talk to you about," Ryan replied, smiling still but with a serious note in his voice. "It regards us and Serenity..."
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