Inara paced her shuttle. Her top lashes almost touching her bottom ones. She was so tired. Why hadn't he asked her to stay? That was what she wanted to hear. No, don't go. Stay here; I need you.

She needed to sleep. Lying down on her bed she reached over to the dark cherry nightstand and set her waking chime.

She slowed her breathing and tried to let her mind wander into dreams. Just as she was about to fall asleep she heard a knock on her shuttle door. Sitting up quickly she cleared her throat and called, "Enter!"

He strode in as if he belonged and stood towering over her as she sat on the edge of her bed. "I can't believe you knocked," she said rubbing her eyes. "What do you need, Mal?"

"Could you ever be a poor person?" He asked her as if he were scolding her.

"I don't know," she replied coyly. "Poor at what?"

"I mean poor like me."

"Oh, . . . Do you mean a poor communicator, a poor loser, or a poor reader of women?"

The lines in Mal's furrowed brow became deeper. "I even knocked."

"I'm sorry," Inara relented, "I'm acting in a very unbecoming manner." She looked at her lap obviously in thought. After a moment she said, "Yes, I could be poor as long as I had good friends and family to love me."

Mal fidgeted and picked some imaginary dirt out from under his fingernail. "So . . .maybe if you could stay here and be poor and not be a companion anymore . . .."

Inara stood abruptly and clenched her fists. "You want me to change my entire being . . .everything I am . . .to stay here and be with you?"

Mal took a step forward and stared the small woman down. "Yes" He answered quietly.

Inara's fists relaxed and she met Mal's gaze, "Alright." She smiled softly.

Mal's brow smoothed and the corers of his mouth raised slightly. He placed his hands on Inara's shoulders and leaned down to press his lips to hers.

* ding . . . .ding . . .ding *

Inara opened her dark eyes and reached for the waking chime to turn it off without lifting her head from her soft pillow. She turned her face downward into the green silk to stifle her sobs.