Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss Whedon & Co; Heroes belongs to Tim Kring & Co. There is no original content. I just like playing in their sandbox.
A/N: Feedback would be lovely.
A dark man sat at a corner booth in a bar on Beylix. He watched the dancers in the centre of the floor move to the beat of the music. His drink sat before him, untouched. He was on the lookout. He knew what he wanted and was just waiting for it to walk through the door. He leaned back further into the darkness, letting it cloak his body and his mind. Then his attention was drawn to a group that had just walked through the door. He smiled to himself.
This should be fun.
Mal and River walked hand in hand into the bar, followed closely by Simon and Kaylee, who were laughing and talking. Jayne and Zoë were close behind. Everyone was happy and rightly so. They had pulled off another successful job and had gotten paid. No one got shot, which, according to Simon, was a miracle.
The Captain had decided to bring them all out for a round of drinks and some well-deserved fun. They sat down in a booth and ordered their drinks. River pulled Mal up from his seat and dragged him to the dance floor. Simon and Kaylee soon followed, leaving Zoë and Jayne to sit and watch the happy couples.
Mal allowed himself to be dragged to the middle of the floor. He wasn't one for dancing. The last few times he did it caused him trouble. But for his girl, he would do anything. The crew had responded well and with little surprise when he announced that him and River were a couple.
Kaylee thought it was romantic, but she thought most things were. Zoë had engaged in some good old-fashioned teasing. She joked about his long time policy against crewmember romance. But she was happy for him. She had known him for years and was pleased to see him find someone compatible in mind and spirit who loved Serenity as much as he did. Jayne's reaction was the most surprising.
"It's about ruttin time you two get together," he had said as he sharpened his knives. "Been makin' googly moon eyes at each other for months now. Was getting kinda sickenin' to watch."
Mal and River danced four dances, before Mal pulled away.
"I'm an old man, bao bei," he said as he gave her a kiss. "Don't have the stamina I used to." River winked at him suggestively.
"You had plenty of stamina last night," she whispered in his ear.
Mal chuckled.
"Reckon that's so," he replied. "You tired me out good and proper. Or not so proper."
River smiled and continued to sway to the music.
"One more dance, then I'll join you," she told him, twirling off into the crowd.
Mal walked over to where the rest of his crew were seated and ordered another drink. He watched as his little albatross spun and twirled to the beat of the music.
God, she's beautiful. Mal thought to himself. I'm the luckiest hun dan in the 'verse.
"That was some mighty fine dancing, sir," Zoë interrupted his thoughts with a smile.
Mal looked at her and grinned.
"Well, she certainly keeps me on my toes," he replied. He looked up to watch her dance, then stood abruptly.
Kaylee and Simon looked up at him, their intimate conversation interrupted. Mal scanned the room. He couldn't see River.
"Sir," Zoë inquired, standing beside him. "Everything alright?"
Mal shook his head.
"You see River, Zoë?" he asked as he continued to scan the room.
Zoë looked out into the crowded bar and shook her head.
"I'm sure she just went to the ladies room, sir," Zoë responded.
Simon stood up next to Mal and began scanning the room as well.
"No," Mal shook his head. "Something's wrong, I can feel it. Kaylee, go check the ladies room just to be sure."
Kaylee nodded and headed off in that direction. Mal then turned to Simon, who had become more concerned.
"Doc, I want you and Jayne to take a look around the dance floor. Zoë, come with me. Everyone, meet back here in ten minutes if you haven't found her." With that, Mal walked off, intent on finding his lost pilot, but she was nowhere to be found.
After the allotted time searching hopelessly for River, they returned to the table. Simon was frantic with worry and Kaylee tried unsuccessfully to calm him down. Mal took stock of the situation carefully, trying not to let his fear and anxiety show.
"We'll head back to the ship," he began. "If anything's happened, she may head back there."
"Sir," Zoë said quietly. "Do you think she might have been taken against her will?"
Simon looked up sharply at her question.
"I don't think…" Simon began to say.
Mal quickly interrupted, "We don't know anything. Let's head back to the ship and figure this thing out."
As they left the bar, the crew didn't notice that the dark man, who had sat in the corner watching them, was no longer there.
River moved to the beat of the music. The rise and fall guided her dance and she moved with grace on the floor. She looked up and saw her Captain watching her dance and she smiled at him. She used to dance for herself, until she found someone to share the dance with. Right now, her dance was for him.
Mal looked away for a moment, listening to something Zoë said, and River stopped.
She could feel him before she saw him. She felt his darkness tick-tock it's way across the floor and it threatened to overtake her. It was stifling and cold and dampened every feeling. She reached out with her mind and tried to find Mal, but the dark was too much. She felt a body move behind her and a hand grabbed her arm.
"If you come quietly with me, then I won't kill your Captain," a low voice hissed in her ear.
She reached out and probed his mind and his intent. The images flooded her and invaded her psyche. She staggered and gasped at what she saw. She looked at Mal and saw that he was still distracted. She knew he wouldn't see her leave. No doubt, that is what this stranger intended and had been watching for.
The man pulled her toward the back door, away from her crew.
Silently, she begged for Mal to look in her direction, but the bar was too loud and he didn't hear. River sensed she had no choice, so she followed the man out of the bar and into the dark night.
"What do you want with me?" she asked when they were outside.
The man gave a low chuckle and pulled out a needle filled with fluid. In one swift motion, he jabbed her in the arm. He began to drag her away from the bar, in the direction of Serenity. Finally, he spoke in that low baritone voice sending shivers up River's spine.
"So many answers to that one little question," he said turning his face toward her.
River couldn't make out his features in the night. The man spoke in a deep monotone, cold and emotionless.
"I want to see how you work," he said. "Now, hurry up, we have to get to your precious ship before your crew mates discover your absence. I have a lot of work to do."
They reached the ship a few minutes later and the man entered the access code to gain entry. He pulled her inside the cargo hold and River caught a glimpse of his face for the first time. He was tall and lean with short dark hair. He could be counted as handsome upon first glance, but further inspection revealed an evil that overtook his soul. It was his eyes. They were dark and full of anger and hate. He looked at her and River felt his eyes pierce her soul. She turned away quickly and felt the fear seep in and it threatened to drown her. She knew that she had been taken by a man as powerful as her and that scared her. She thought she had no equal in the 'verse except for Peter Petrelli. Now she knew better. This man could overpower her easily.
He pulled out a piece of rope and a gag and proceeded to bind her wrists and gag her mouth. She tried, but she could not bring herself to fight him. She felt his amusement and knew this was part of his plan.
"Tsk, tsk, little River," he said as he tied the rope tightly twice around her wrists. "I expected a bit more of a fuss from you. I didn't think you would go so easily. Or, are you conserving your energy? That's probably a wise idea. You're going to need it for what I have planned."
River felt unable to respond. Her tongue felt like it was dead weight in her mouth and her feet felt heavy. She stumbled as the man dragged her on to the bridge of her ship and sat her down in the pilot's chair. He pulled out a capture and began speaking into it.
River realized slowly that he was leaving a message for Mal to find. Halfway through his message, he pulled her into the frame, dragging her down onto his lap. She looked wide-eyed at the vidscreen in front of her, unsure what to do or how to act. She felt nauseated and dizzy and realized as she fell unconscious, that the substance he had injected her with was taking effect.
The man chuckled and looked down at her. She was beautiful and now she was his. She was his shiny new toy. He was going to have so much fun figuring out what made her tick.
The man turned off the capture and hoisted her up in his arms. He walked back down to the cargo bay and exited the ship the way they had come in. A few feet from where Serenity was docked there was another small vessel, large enough for just two people. He lifted River in and strapped her into one of the seats. He looked over at Serenity and watched as the crew entered, searching for their lost crewmate. The timing was perfect. He smiled to himself and imagined what was occurring within the ship at this moment. Then, without wasting anymore time, he strapped himself in next to River and took off.