Inara felt the sunlight hit her shoulders, but she felt so cold. Mal was pacing in the lush room behind her while she stood on the balcony of the training house. Every time Mal’s boots hit the floor, Inara felt a pang in her heart. Her heart was getting heavier and she felt like her back was going to break from the weight.

Finally, the thuds came to a stop and Mal whispered, “How long have you been lying?”

Inara looked down at her hands. “I don’t know...they just keep slipping from me like they were my real words.”

He sighed and walked further into the room. Inara started to look over her shoulder, but stopped. Looking at Mal would break her heart.

“Where can we go from here?”

Inara bit her lip as Mal asked that. She loved him too much. These fantasies she had of them together were hopeless and hopeful. She squeezed her hands. “We can’t...”

Mal started walking towards her again. “Why not?”

“My reputation,” said Inara, saying the first thing that came in her head, “If we went through with this, my reputation would be on the line. I’d lose everything I ever worked for...”

There was a pause, then Mal asked, “Are you lying again?”

Inara blinked back tears. “I don’t even know anymore...”

Mal let out a small groan. “Well, what are we going to go from here? Fake a friendship? Force some sort of half dead smile and pretend everything is okay?”

“Well, we might, because I can’t think of anything else!” shouted Inara, her voice echoing through the room. She started crying, hiding her eyes in her sleeve. Mal walked closer and squeezed her shoulder. “Inara...”

Except it wasn’t his voice. It wasn’t even male. “Sheydra?”

“Wake up, Inara...”

Inara’s eyes fluttered open. She had fallen asleep in a bench on the balcony. Mal was nowhere in sight. She let out a small sigh of relief. “Thank you for waking me, Sheydra.”

“Is there something wrong, Inara? You looked very disturbed.”

“It was nothing,” said Inara, getting up, “It was just a bad dream...”