Chapter 10

"He said all that?" Kaylee's eyes held a disbelieving wonder as she hung on Inara's every word.

"Word for word, mei mei."

Kaylee buried her head in her hands. "Simon finally says somethin' all poetical an I'm not there ta even hear it."

Inara stood and took Kaylee's hand. "Why don't you come to my shuttle, get cleaned up and go see Simon. I'm – sure he could use your company right now. He was pretty upset when he walked out."

"Prolly doesn't even want to see me."

"I'm fairly certain he does."

Kaylee shrugged uncertainly at Inara but slipped out of the hammock anyway, her wish to put things right with Simon warring with her desire to slink into the darkest corner and do nothing but cry.

The two said very little as they made their way to Inara's shuttle. The older woman slid the door open slowly, quietly and invited Kaylee to precede her.

When Kaylee stepped around the curtain hiding the door from the rest of the interior, her heart fluttered and she inhaled sharply.

Simon lay awkwardly on the couch, sound asleep, one arm thrown over his eyes, the other draped at his waist.

Kaylee turned to Inara, who simply smiled, her eyes dancing.

"I'll be in the passenger dorms," Inara whispered as she trailed the back of her hand down Kaylee's damp cheek. "Stay here tonight. Work it out. He loves you."

Kaylee bit her bottom lip and nodded, tears filling her eyes. She hugged Inara tightly and whispered, "I know." Kaylee stood unmoving until Inara left, closing the door securely behind her. She stared at Simon for a long moment before walking to his side and kneeling beside the plush couch. As she stared down at him, she could see the barely visible streaks on his cheek. She reached out to brush her finger over one pale line, her heart twisting.

As soon as he felt her finger, Simon's eyes snapped open. He sat up swiftly, blinking sleep out of his eyes. His heart lurched at the sight of Kaylee, red eyed and kneeling beside him. He looked around quickly, hoping Inara was nowhere in sight. It wouldn't look good for him to be sleeping in here with Inara. And he'd already made a mess of things tonight. He didn't need any other misunderstandings to complicate matters further.

"'Nara told me what you said to the Cap'n."

Simon swallowed thickly. "I meant every word." He wanted to reach for her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her tears away. But he had no right to do that, not after the way he had hurt her.

"I shouldn't have run away. I missed your poetical speech."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth but he wanted to explain. His heart pushed the words out of his mouth before he could stop them and he leaned forward and slid his hands around her cheeks. "Kaylee, I – I would marry you in a heartbeat. But it's not fair for me to ask you to share the life and name of a fugitive. I can't do that to you. I – I love you too much to condemn you to such an unknown, dangerous fate."

"Everythin's a big unknown out here in the black."

"But not everyone out here is on the Alliance's most wanted list."

Kaylee nodded and leaned into his hands, taking comfort from his gentle touch.

"It's not fair of me to ask you to wait until River and I are free. That day may never come. I – I have nothing to give you, and I want to give you everything your heart desires. It's – difficult –"

She knew it was hard for him to admit those words to her. "I jus want you."

His heart melted and he drew her into his arms with a heavy sigh. "It's all I have to give."

"It's enough." Kaylee clung tightly to him and when he tilted her head to press his lips to hers, she accepted the kiss with an excited fervor he never thought he would ever feel again.

He kissed her mouth, her cheek, her closed eyelids, her ear, reverently holding her and murmuring words of love.

When she pushed him back against the couch and straddled his hips, he reluctantly tore his mouth from hers and glanced nervously around the room.

"'Nara said ta stay here t'night." Her fingers worked on his shirt buttons, quickly pulling them through their holes.

Sharp breath hissed through his teeth when she impatiently pushed aside the material and ran her palms up his firm chest. Her fingers danced across the warm skin, tugging at each firm nipple before sliding around his neck.

Their tongue's danced in the soft candlelight, urgent kisses driven by an even more urgent, primal need to connect, become one, to drown their brief sorrow in overwhelming love and passion.

When he would have taken his time, slowly showed her with his mouth and hands how much he truly did love her, she pushed his hands away and rolled her hips against him, causing him to inhale sharply.

"Kaylee –"

"Nothing proper. Not tonight. Not right now." The desire and lust radiating through Kaylee's eyes burned through every nerve in his body. "Please. Just show me how much you want me."

Inara woke to a soft knocking on the doorframe to the bunk across from the one she had borrowed for the night. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, tightened the robe about her slim waist and cracked the door open so that she could see who was stalking the hallways at this time of night.

She was not surprised to see the large, partially shadowed form of Malcolm Reynolds standing outside of his medic's closed door.

She watched with amused, twinkling eyes as he opened the sliding door and then closed it again, after realizing that there was no one was asleep within. He stalked away with a huff, and Inara followed him, her footsteps light on the metal floor beneath them.

Before she could stop him, and mildly amused to be looking at this from the outside, he strode quickly up the steps to her shuttle and slid open the door. She hurried after him, hoping that he hadn't disturbed the occupants inside.

As she stepped into the darkness, she collided with his back and he craned his neck around to stare incredulously at her.

"Looking for me?" she whispered, wrapping a hand around his arm and drawing him out of view of the bed.

He glanced back at the sleeping couple, contently wrapped in one another's arms and allowed her pull him behind the drape that served to hide the aesthetically unappealing door.

"Looking for Kaylee. Thought she might be in here with you. Wasn't in her bunk – or Simon's."

Soft music cycled in the background, drowning out any noise they made.

Inara's eyes held an amused twinkle. "Well, I don't think she would appreciate being disturbed right about now."

Mal cast a glance in the direction of the bed. "I noticed."

"You can apologize to them in the morning." Inara dragged him out of the shuttle. "Let them sleep."

He shot her an indignant look. "Who said I was going to apologize?"

"What are you doing stalking around my shuttle in the middle of the night then?"

He couldn't find a suitable answer quick enough and she quirked an amused eyebrow. "You know you wronged them tonight and even through that thick head of yours, you know you them an apology."

Mal scowled at the frustrating woman he refused to admit he loved. "What I owe them is my business, Inara. I'd 'preciate you stayin' out of it."

"When you start staying out of mine, Mal. I'll start staying out of yours." She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him staring after her with narrowed eyes.

TBC