Inara found herself in a bar – again. Bars weren’t exactly her favorite place but sometimes one could even get relaxed in these places. The air was heavy with smoke and the air smelled of alcohol and beer. Men were talking or betting money on a card game and some were playing billiards. Laughing when winning, cursing when loosing.

Inara didn’t even know how Mal managed to drag her to another one of these crappy bars trying not to focus on how this man was capable of getting into her skin. Every thing is too complicated 2 months since Miranda. Inara took a sip of her drink. Perhaps she should give everyone and everything some time to heal from all the pain they’ve been through, especially Zoe. But her relationship with Mal was getting better. They had avoided bickering for a while. He had even made her smile. She thought, watching the twirling liquid in her glass.

“Inara Serra?” asked a haunting, thick voice from behind her.

“Dalton Joan?” she managed. He looked so the same and yet so different. He was much taller than when she last saw him as a twelve-year- old boy and quite handsome, though in Inara’s opinion, not as handsome as Mal. Dalton’s blond hair cut in the latest fashion, attractive over all. Inara couldn’t believe her neighbor would change like this.

“How are you? Long time, no see!” He laughed as he hugged her.

Yep! This was Dalton Joan, the boy down the street who used to play hide and seek with her and push her on the swing as their mothers talked in the park. He was one of her closest friends until she took off to be a companion, she loved him like a brother she never had. At school he used to lure her into a prank and never let anyone pull her pigtails.

“I’m fine,” Inara set her drink on the table in front of her and looked into the man’s weathered eyes. “I haven’t seen you in years! How are you fairing? Still doing business?”

“Definitely, I wouldn’t dream of leaving the ‘Joan’s’. It’s stressful but life is good right now.” He said smiling, his green eyes ogling. “And how’s your business? Still the priestess-to-be at House Madrassa?” “I’m not an active companion anymore, my new service is meditation.”

“I see…” Inara noticed his disappointment as he talked.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Mal sat on a bar stool sipping his beer. He was supposed to be watching the door for his contact a man wearing a red cap carrying a feather, but instead all he could see was Inara talking with that rich dandy? The stranger had been drooling after Inara since they entered that bar. His looks made Mal feel a might twitchy but Inara had spoken to the man as if she had known him for years. Mal realized that Inara could leave a place and have the whole damn bar drooling after her but this seemed different. He didn’t like this guy at all. He was flirting with his baby girl – wait! What was that? – Never mind… He hoped they’d get rid of him soon; his relationship with Inara was like a flower growing in his mother’s garden; growing, fragile and beautiful and he swore to himself he would protect it with his life. He won’t let her go again now that faith had given him another chance.

Mal sat thinking, his empty bottle of beer twirling around and around in his fingers. As he watched them walk towards him, he decided he really hated the man’s I’ve-got-filthy-money smirk

“Mal, this is Dalton,” Inara’s sultry voice introduced her to Mal,”Dalton this is Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, the captain of the ship I live on.”

They shook hands reluctantly and Mal’s sixth sense immediately told him that this man was no good. A chill ran down his spine, thinking that this man actually knew Inara.

Dalton nodded towards a table. They sat and ordered their drinks

“So captain…” Dalton tried to remove the tension as elegantly as possible “It must be quite a job captaining a ship; I suppose you’d be looking forward to hit land.” He took a sip of his drink as Mal put his glass down.

“Not at all. Nothing’s good as flying.” Mal replied with a curt smile. Inara felt herself turning rigid with tension; she was expecting Mal to punch this man any second. Dalton interrupted her thoughts.

Dalton turned to Inara with a look that suggested he was thinking of a ten penny whore. “Do you remember that capture we took before you took away for the training house? It just so happens I have it with me, here in our hotel. You must come with me to see it.” Mal couldn’t shake the nasty feeling that overcame him as Dalton spoke. Inara would hate him for it but he could not let her alone with this man, reluctantly he made the decision to follow them to the hotel. He didn’t trust this man and he’d be damned if he was leaving him free way to Inara.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Inara was feeling a bit strange as she followed Dalton, and even stranger when they arrived at the isolated room which he was opening. This place wasn’t of Dalton’s standards for sure. It was old, the floor made creaky noises. If she didn’t know better, she’d assume this place was haunted.

Inara sensed the faintest hint of death and decay in the air as Dalton opened the door. “Where are we?” she asked scrunching her nose.

“My temporary room, it’s not much…” Inara looked at him and noticed that he wouldn’t meet her eyes. He wasn’t telling her something and now she started to regret coming with him.

Dalton led her into the room, it was decorated with expensive furniture and ornaments, the rugs were made of the finest material – so was the bedspread of that big inviting bed.

Hearing the door being locked sent a chill throughout her body.

She started towards it taking small calculated steps. “We are on the Sans de Lion are we not? I be the view from your balcony is divine.”

She did not get three steps before he grabbed her arm, plunging a needle deep under her skin. “Oh, no could things get any worse?” her mind asked as the world around her faded to black.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Inara woke with a start, immediately feeling the ties binding her arms and ankles the rigid iron frame o the bed. She pulled and wriggled for several minutes, eventually giving up realizing there was no way of escape. Looking around, she began to recognize her surroundings; she was sitting up on the bed in Dalton’s room. Luckily he was nowhere to be seen. , she again tried to force the bindings but no such luck!

“Uh-uh sweet pie. That’s not how it works.” She had not heard him enter the room, concentrating as she was upon freeing herself, his voice dripped of the arrogance of a slave owner. His smirk caused a sense of panic to rush throughout Inara’s confined form. She’d seen that look on many men – but Dalton wouldn’t rape her – he was her friend - he just couldn’t!

She tried to scream but no voice came as he caressed her cheek with his hand. But she could tell he would not be satisfied with a simple caress. He moved in closer, his hot breath against her neck. She tried to free herself by trying to untie the rope with her index finger. At last, desperate to go home her thoughts drifted to Mal. she wondered if he’ll come and save her or just assume she’s with this hundan.

Dalton’s hand reached under her blouse and cupping her breasts. Inara couldn’t find her voice. All she could think was “Mal”, he had told her that places like these were dangerous like its people and the look he gave her when she told him that she’d be right back showed her that he really had a bad feeling and he was right. Unconsciously, she mouthed Mal’s name. As the despair and fear for what might happen in the next few minutes finally hit her, she used his name as a mantra to take her elsewhere, away from the here and now. . It was a mistake thinking of mal, saying his name was even more so because he saw it. Dalton slapped her. Her face stung, and she felt a small trickle of blood making its way down her cheek.

“YOU WHORE!” he yelled. He hit her again and again only stopping when he saw her arms beginning to turning purple. Inara felt her face begin to swell; she struggled to remain conscious, it taking all her effort to open her eyes. When her eyes finally fell upon his face tears were running down his cheeks.

“You don’t deserve him luv, he’s just a piece of trash who deserve no better and that ship is just a flying piece of feihua. You deserve to be happy on a cruise liner with me… let me make love to you -” Inara trembled with fear and shaking her head. He was wrong; so wrong.

Just as Inara had resigned herself to the awful reality of what was about to happen she heard the door slam open with a bang.

“GET OFF OF HER; YOU TAMADE HUNDAN” He raised his gun, and for a minute Inara thought she was going to shoot her, but seconds after the shot rang out, she felt the ropes holding her fall souse. Suddenly Dalton was pulled off of her. She swooned coming around to see Mal running towards Dalton. He punched Dalton and sent him flying on the table where they struggled to knock the other’s pistol off, that’s when Dalton got hold of his gun.

Inara heard the shot before she saw the metallic glint of the pistol in Dalton’s hands. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and fell to the ground, there was another shot and for a moment she worried that Dalton had shot Mal but relaxed when she saw him hovering above her. He was talking but she couldn’t understand what he was saying, she then gave into sleep. ------------------------------

You know what to do to get the next part, right? Give me comment-berries :)