I do not own Firefly or anything belonging to the franchise. I do own most of this plot and Halo and my friend owns Nikita Shen. The fic is rated for language (in English), violence, blood, gore, drinking, smoking and sexual situations. Please enjoy responsibly.

Space Dementia.
Chapter Three. Space For Passengers.

Niki walked behind Jayne and Halo back to Serenity, watching her friend's arms flop about uselessly as they walked. Jayne had punched out the guys Halo had picked a fight with and then picked up the unconscious woman and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes; Niki was glad he had come, because she wasn't sure how she would have gotten Halo out of there otherwise. There was blood dripping out of her mouth and nose and Niki was almost sure there would be more injuries once they got her to the sick bay and the doctor examined her. Her long hair, usually bound in a complicated knot at the back of her head, had started to come loose and was swaying in time with Jayne's steps, but her hair and blood were the only things out of place. Somehow, her clothes and weapons had remained intact and in place during the scuffle, except for a bit of dust across her back and shoulders.

Niki was worried about Halo.

Before their colony had been attacked by Reavers, Halo had hardly ever had any alcohol. Ever. And her anger had mostly been taken out on a punching bag or in the manual labour she preformed around the colony. As their lives had worn on around the Verse and money and food and shelter had become scarce her drinking had increased, like the booze was the only thing that took the edge off. The alcohol had brought her temper to the forefront for the entire world to see along with a desire to fight like none Niki had ever seen. No matter where they went, she always found a bar to drink and someone at least twice her size to fight. Naturally, violence worked its way into other parts of Halo's life and had produced the angry, sometimes irrational and hot-headed woman who was currently hanging unconscious over Jayne's broad shoulder. Niki was sure that if she wasn't stopped, if Halo didn't find something else to occupy her time, if she didn't find steady work, she was going to get herself in a fight with the wrong person and she was going to end up dead.

Niki sighed and promised herself she would talk to Halo, for all the good it would do. Maybe she should take up drinking.

When they were back on the ship, preparations for take-off began and the metal began to rumble around them. It wasn't as loud as Niki had expected it to be. The trio made their way through the cargo bay to the sick bay where the doctor, Simon, was organizing the new medical supplies they had brought on board. Niki stayed long enough to make sure Halo was in good hands before she left; she didn't do too well with the sight of blood coming out of the people she cared about. She could always find something else to do.

Jayne laid the woman down on the examination chair rather roughly and turned to Simon. "She was knocked unconscious in a fight," he said.

"Why am I not surprise?" Simon turned to look at his patient, but at that moment Halo sat bolt upright, head spinning around and arms flailing like she was looking for someone to punch. "Jayne! Hold her down!" the doctor ordered.

For a brief second, Jayne considered telling the younger man off for ordering him around, but it was clear he wouldn't be able to hold Halo down and dope her up at the same time and if anyone needed doping, it was Halo. He moved around to her shoulders, but before he could push her back down, she whirled around and backhanded him across the face hard enough to make him stop for a moment, blinking. "Bitch!" He wrapped his arms around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides and she squirmed and threw her weight around, trying to escape; she still thought she was fighting those men in the bar. "Hey Doc, you wanna hurry it up here?"

"Let me go!" Halo screamed, trying to throw her head back into Jayne's face.

"I don't think so darlin," Jayne grunted as he tightened his grip.

Halo screamed, wordless, and tried vainly to wiggle free. Simon approached, the wary look in his eyes contradicting the determined set of his jaw, and pressed the needle against Halo's neck—the only bare skin he could easily reach. Halo went stiff and then her eyes closed and she slumped to one side in Jayne's arms. The big man let her go and she fell off the side of examination chair, her head hitting the metal platform on the way down and cutting a fresh wound in her forehead. Bright red blood dribbled onto the floor.

"Well shit."

"Could you pick her up please?" Simon asked.

Jayne frowned and then picked the once again unconscious Halo up and set her roughly down on the table, her head rolling to one side and a soft noise escaping from her mouth. A drop of blood rolled down over her eye from the wound in her forehead. Jayne's frown remained as he turned and walked from the medical bay while Simon began stitching Halo's new head wound closed.

When Halo awoke a few hours later, she was lying on the chair, covered with a blanket. Her trench coat had been removed and was folded neatly on the counter, leaving her back exposed through the low back of her shirt. It stuck to the chair beneath her. Her hair was messy—she could feel it slipping out of the complicated knot—and she felt like she weighed about a million tons. She assumed they were on Serenity now, since she could hear the faint noise of the engines and feel the boat shifting, so she knew there was artificial gravity, therefore, the only explanation for the heavy feeling was medication. She'd been doped. The injured woman groaned and tried to sit up. She managed, despite the swimming head, although she had to put her hands over her eyes because the light hurt her head.

Then she doubled over and threw up, all over the nice shiny floor.

The noise brought someone running into the room. When Halo could focus her vision long enough to see who it was, she found a man wearing a crisp white shirt and a vest of some kind. He looked way too neat and clean to be aboard a spaceship and he looked soft, like he had grown up in some cushy life. Why he would have given all that up for a life star-hopping, Halo couldn't say. Nor did she really care. Halo narrowed her eyes at him and tried to get off the table, but the man pushed her back into place. Doped as she was, Halo was easy to push around. She growled at who she assumed was the doctor, but he just gave her a thin smile and started checking her vitals.

"What the hell happened and why do I feel like shit? Who are you?" Halo asked, rubbing her head.

"My name is Simon," he said in a tone that suggested maybe he was hiding something, keeping something back. Or maybe that was the drugs. It was probably the drugs. "You were in a bar fight last night and then when you tried to attack Jayne for keeping you still, you fell and hit your head. I had to give you a sedative to calm you down."

Halo blinked at Simon. "Are you a doctor?"

He smiled and nodded. "I am." He looked down at the information he'd collected from her vitals. "Other than a few bruises and that cut on your head, you're fine."

"Other than you drugged me." Halo wanted to curse and swear and scream at the doctor, but she didn't. She didn't even try to hit him. Instead she sighed and attempted once again to stand up. She made it to the floor, but her knees buckled and sent her to the floor. Simon caught her awkwardly and lowered her to the floor so she didn't give herself anymore wounds. "Fuck, what they hell did you give me?"

Simon put his wrists against her forehead; his skin was smooth she noted and she knew he hadn't spent that long on a ship and he wasn't accustomed to work. Her initial assessment had to be correct. "You're not having a bad reaction to the sedative. Just don't try and move too fast and you'll be fine."

"You'd better hope so," she snapped, sparing the energy to glare at Simon. "I don't want to be in here any longer."

Niki appeared at the doorway then. "Well then I must have excellent timing." She grabbed Halo under the arm and helped to her feet with Simon on the other side. "I can take it from here. It's not the first time I've had to deal with Halo under less-than-stable circumstances."

"Shut it."

Niki smiled at Simon around Halo. "I'll make sure she doesn't run off or get in any fights or anything."

Something crossed Simon's face, like he'd protest, but then he nodded; he may not have much experience working, but it seemed he had experience dealing with difficult people and he knew not to push, especially when one was belligerent. He nodded and watched them leave the sick bay, shaking his head slowly from side to side. He set about cleaning up the medical bay.

Niki and Halo trudged over the metal floors and up a set up stairs, Halo leaning heavily on her friend. At the top they had to stop for Halo to rest, but after a few moments, they were up again and crossing a catwalk with no idea where they were going. Niki settled Halo with her back against the railing in the middle of the catwalk and then dropped to a sitting position across from her, arms crossed loosely across her stomach and a rather exasperated look on her face.

"I thought you said you knew where we were sleeping?" Halo snapped. "This ship ain't that big."

Niki just shrugged.

"What are you two doing?"

Niki and Halo looked up and found a slight woman standing at the entrance to one of the shuttles. She had curly black hair and dark eyes that seemed almost black in contrast to the red and gold robes she was wearing. The way she held herself spoke of confidence and comfort and there was something about her that just seemed familiar to Halo. The older of the two women rolled her head up to look at the newcomer, the motion enough to pull her over to her side on the metal catwalk.

"Are you all right?" the elegant woman asked, kneeling beside Halo.

"The doctor sedated her and it hasn't worn off yet," Niki answered.

The woman turned to face Niki. "Why isn't she in the medical bay?"

"Halo hates sick bays."

Not bothering to contain a sigh, the woman gestured at Niki. "Come on and help me get her up. She can rest in my shuttle; it's closest."

Niki climbed to her feet and swept her friend into a semi-upright position. Halo groaned and mumbled something unintelligible; the sedative didn't seem to be wearing off very fast. With the woman's help, Niki manoeuvred Halo into the shuttle—which turned out to be richly decorated in reds and golds like her outfit—and lay her on the couch. Halo's eyes rolled around the room and a confused twist took over her mouth.

"Thanks," Niki said.

"Not a problem. My name is Inara. I assume you two are the passengers Mal brought aboard at Persephone?"

"That's us. I'm Nikita Shen, Niki for short and that's Halo—no last name. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I will go get some shuteye."

Halo watched Niki leave and then turned to Inara, her features bunched in thought as she tried to figure out why the woman looked so familiar. "What's a companion doing on this ship?" she finally asked.

"I rent this shuttle from Mal so I can conduct my business freelance," she said as she settled herself in front of the low table. "It's my home. The crew is my family. I chose this place." She smiled as Halo nodded and then gestured to the tea set in front of her. "Would you like some tea? I was just making some when I heard the two of you outside." Halo nodded again and Inara began to prepare a cup. "Halo is an interesting name."

Feeling a little more herself, Halo slowly sat up and accepted the tea. "It's not the name my parents gave me."

"Why did you change it? If you don't mind me asking."

"I ditched it after I quit my companion training when I was thirteen." Halo almost laughed at the look Inara gave her; she liked this Inara. "Yeah, my parents enlisted me in the ranks of pleasure when I turned twelve. I didn't take to it, so I left." She paused over her tea and briefly wondered why she was so at ease talking to this woman about things Niki had only learned a couple years into their relationship. Of course, the confusion vanished when she remembered that Inara was a companion and it was her job to make people feel at ease to talk. Stupid drugs.

"Mind if I ask why you left?"

"I didn't like the idea of not being myself, of having to tailor myself to the client's desires." She settled back against the couch. "Would you mind if I slept here for a bit? My legs still feel like they're made of lead."

"By all means."

Author's Note.

So, I know there are people who are uneasy about this fic, and I understand. I know how tight the fandom is around Firefly and Serenity and believe me, I mean no disrespect. If you are unsure about this fic with its OCs, you may want to turn away. I won't be offended. I'm writing this fic for me and my friend who are being Halo and Niki and for anyone who wants to take a look. I'm doing my best to maintain the spirit of the Verse here, and I apologize for any mistakes.

Moving on from the serious stuff, writing this fic is a lot of fun and I'm glad there are people who are enjoying it.

I didn't know what to call the chair thing that's in the sick bay on Serenity. So you get examination chair, examination table, or just chair or table while they're in the medical bay. They won't be in there that often, so it doesn't matter that much. If anyone knows the term, just lemme know. If there even is a term beyond examination chair.

Next Chapter: Catching Up.