So, I was listening to music for inspiration when lo and behold, it came – in the form of a Matthew Good Band song, which is not surprising for me. She's got a new disguise . . .

Meant as the final sequel to Calibre, and Weight, but should stand just as well on its own.

Oh, and if Mal seems to be a little uncharacteristic in his meanness, just assume he and Inara had a spat earlier in the day, 'cause they usually have.

Summary: Inara's got a new disguise, and Jayne doesn't seem to care.

Appearance

by

Kel

"Got a new disguise, have you?" Mal asked with one of those good natured smiles designed to get under Inara's skin. His words changed the giddy atmosphere of the room where Inara had been showing her new dress to a delighted and awed Kaylee.

"Captain!" the mechanic admonished as Inara huffed, his 'still a whore' comment clearly implied.

"What?" Mal answered defiantly, hauling out his captain-voice. "This here's a galley, not a catwalk."

Inara smiled icily at him. "And god forbid anything nice should be in it."

Mal opened his mouth to tell her how it wasn't God that decided who traipsed about his boat, but upon glancing at Shepherd Book leaning against the counter giving him a pointed look, thought better of it. By the time he decided to come up with a different retort, Inara was turning to storm off in a flutter of fabric.

"Ain't a disguise, anyway." She paused at the words, as Jayne spat heartily on a whetstone and began to sharpen a wicked-looking knife. The room went silent, everyone taken aback by his defense of the companion. Jayne took a moment to break his air of disinterest and look at their shocked faces. "What? Sometimes a body just wants ta look fetchin'. Don't make it a disguise."

Inara blinked, then opened her mouth to say something when he shrugged and returned his concentration to the blade. "Um," she stuttered, "Okay."

She turned and left for her shuttle. Kaylee did not follow after her like she'd thought she might, her anger at Mal forgotten the second Jayne had said something admirable.

Mal was just glad Simon wasn't there. If the doc'd felt like going nuts when people had wrongly looked up to Jayne, then he didn't know what the boy would do if he saw Jayne actually acting gallant.

And one moonbrain on his boat was enough.

End.