It was a beautiful day on Beaumonde and Inara decided to take Naomi shopping with her for pretties she lately was fussing about. Mal didn't agree at first but he knew that with that "Daddy...please?" whiny plea and that sad puppy look of a four year old, he was downright humped.

"Mommy...look at that one!" cooed Naomi as she saw a blue cotton dress with two butterflies on it, the dress was quite simple but is was also real pretty and Inara couldn't help but smile.

"You want to try it, sweetie?"

"Yes, please." Naomi grinned that 2000 watt grin which she inherited from her mama.

They went into the shop and the dress was perfect and they decided to buy it. Now it was for strawberry hunting for aunt Kaylee who was busy buying some parts for the ship.

"Thanks for the dress, mama" the girl gave her a kiss and she returned the favor.

"You're welcome, darling but it's getting late now so we just get the strawberries and get back home, okay?"

"Okay!" she squealed wanting to show everyone the five new dresses she got.

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When they arrived at the stand, Inara started to choose the berries when Naomi tugged her skirt a bit and pointed to a kitten which was obviously abandoned.

"Can we bring him to Serenity, mama?"

"I don't think daddy will keep it, honey. He said in the first place that no 'four-legged' is to enter Serenity unless it's his cargo."

"But he has no home!" She cried “And what's wrong with trying? If he says no, then I'll leave him but it's no harm in trying to find him a house." she reasoned.

The kitten was just across the street so it was safe to let her get him while she paid for the fruit. At least Inara thought so.

"All right. Get him while I pay these but don't say I didn't warn you." She said.

Naomi went to catch the kitten - and she did - she only had to let him go when she felt someone snake an arm around her neck pulling her to him. She tried to scream to her mommy but no voice came. Hell! She could hardly breathe!

Inara paid the sales person and turned around; expecting to see her daughter beside her but there wasn't a trace of her.

"Naomi?" Her maternal instinct told her that her baby was in danger and panic flew over her. She searched the whole street and asked people whether they saw her but no one did.

She ran to Serenity without knowing the kitten was following her.

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When she arrived, the crew was loading cargo to Serenity's bay.

"Hey darling! Punctual as always." smiled Mal when he saw his wife running toward him but immediately stopped when he saw she was crying.

"Honey, what is it? Where's Naomi?"

"SHE'S GONE!" She wailed and the crew stopped to see what was happening.

"What?" Mal was now stunned, trying to sink it all in.

"THEY TOOK OUR BABY AWAY!!" she sobbed harder.

Mal gaped then led her further onto the bay where the crew gathered. No one noticed the kitten entering as well.

"What happened, sir?" asked Zoe.

"Where's the lil' one?" asked Jayne, surprising everyone.

"I don't know." Mal said grimly as he rubbed his wife's back, trying to soothe her.

"We were at the market..." sniffled Inara.

“We bought everything and went for the strawberries. She saw a kitten and asked me to bring him with us but I told her animals weren't allowed on Serenity. We finally made a compromise that if you didn't want him, she would obey and went for the kitten across the street - I didn't see her anymore!" she began to sob again "I searched everywhere but nobody saw her." this time she burst like a fountain and Mal ducked her head in the curve of his neck - not knowing what to do.

After a moment of silence, Kaylee burst like Inara and Simon paled as he held his girlfriend. Zoe and Jayne let out a colorful string of Mandarin and River woke up in the infirmary as if she realized that was in a trap and cried.

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That night, Zoe checked out all the ships which took off that day - the ships were of slave traders. Mal heard in a bar that children were being kidnapped to work in the diamond mines but never thought his baby girl would be on a crap like those ships carrying her to god knows where.

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Mal found Inara in their shuttle, running her hands over the dresses she bought for Naomi which hung from their daughter's cot. She was crying silent tears and it broke his heart to see her like that. She picked a stuffed, colorful butterfly she slept with ever since she turned two and inhaled the baby scent of her little daughter. It was Kaylee’s present for her birthday and she called him ‘Buttons’ because of the big yellow buttons it had on the middle green part.

All of this was too much for her and she started to cry again.

"Inara-"

"I'll never see my baby again." she whispered bitterly as she moved into Mal’s arms.

"No. We'll get her back 'Nara, don't forget that she's my baby too. She's ours. I assure you who ever got her will be wishing he never was born when I meet him. We're already following a ship which I think she's on since it departed soon after you came."

He carried her to bed where he let her cry to sleep.

He vowed that those sons-of-a-bitch bastards will pay. Big time.

---------Unknown room in an unknown ship--------

Naomi's face and arms were bruised up because of her 'lack of collaboration' with the slave trader. she was locked up in an empty cell but she could hear sounds of other children. Two men entered the room and that's when one of them who probably was the boss slapped her capturer across the back of his head.

"Damn it, you moron!! I said 'capture' I don't recall saying damage!" he seethed.

"Sorry, boss but she wasn't easy to keep her under control."

"We're being followed by a ship. A firefly so I don't think it's alliance but what would happen if it was one of their silly tricks and see her. THEY'LL KILL US YOU IDIOT!!" he screeched.

"It is alliance." I jumped in "And I'm one of the most important experiments in progress so you'd better give me back to my masters... They might actually give you a reward." These were idiots from the beginning and I was sure that it was my daddy was following me - at the sound of reward the boss turned and faced me.

"Reward you said?"

"Big credits. You don't even have to work for your whole life."

"Mmm. If we find them behind us tomorrow, we'll give her back and quit this god damned job." he decided and he left. Leaving me with the rat who captured me.

I screamed out when he sliced my arm with his knife "When the boss sees that you're lying, he'll kill your parents and you'll pay for everything little scum bag."

"My daddy loves me and It's him that'll kick your ass and kill you." I said proudly.

With the last hit, he left me bleeding on the floor.

'Where's daddy? Why isn't he here yet? Why mommy isn’t here to hug me like she always does when I'm sad? Why isn't Simon patching me up? Why isn't Kaylee here to make me smile? Why ain't Zoe Jayne here to make me laugh when he says something rude? Why isn’t River telling me stories?” WHAT HAVE I DONE TO THEM TO ABBADON ME??'

The girl sobbed all night for her family to come back

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