A/N: A thank you to all the lovely readers and reviewers. More Sky Song is coming, that is assured. But in the mean time, how about some shameless Mal and Inara fluff? :)

But She Can't Cook

Mal knows Inara is a woman of many talents, but he's hell bent on finding something the companion can't do. A series of snippets where Mal thinks on Inara's endless skill set, and her single flaw. Mal x Inara pure, shameless fluff.

.two. : dancing

"She's so...graceful. Ain't she, capt'n?"

Kaylee's eyes shimmered underneath the chandelier light as she admired the companion on the grand dance floor, in the arms of some unnamed, foolish man.

Rather than admit that the woman was a vision when she moved so effortlessly to the music, Mal responded with a swig of his drink, draining his cup of all its contents. After all, he'd been so lucky as to experience her ease of dance once himself. His fingertips still burned from the memory of having held her waist, of having her palms pressed against his. She always knew all the steps, all of the rules to almost every stylish dance of the season. She adapted to them much like a newborn butterfly adapted to its wings. Graceful was an understatement. It was no wonder everyone's eyes were on her whenever she entered a room, dressed in the finest of silks, her heavy skirts floating about her as she glided around on delicate feet.

"She's a real classy lady, she is," Mal conceded after much time had elapsed since Kaylee's observation.

He allowed himself a small glance, and instantly hated himself for it. He watched the way the other man held her, the way she smiled up at him adoringly, and felt the acid in his stomach churn. He never did wear jealousy well.

"Think she'd mind if I asked her for a few lessons? Not that I'd, you know, need 'em or anythin', but it would be kinda nice...," Kaylee asked rather bashfully.

Mal regarded his little engineer with a curious smile. Then, he shrugged, and replied nonchalantly; "You may as well ask her. Knowin' 'Nara, don't think she'd mind much at all."

And she hadn't.

It was how he'd ended up in quite a predicament.

He couldn't help it. He'd been walking into the cargo bay to see what the fuss had been all about, only to find most of his crew gathered around the three girls, while music played on in the background. He saw her then, barefoot and flushed, thick black curls coming loose from the exertion, and giggling like a girl half her age. She'd lifted up her skirts, and was dancing alongside Kaylee and River while they tried teaching her the steps to their made up routine. Even River had been enjoying herself, jumping around and mimicking Inara's nimble footsteps against the cold floors of the ship. There were smiles all around as each girl moved to the exciting beat of the music, mastering it without any difficulty. The laughter was contagious; Simon and Zoe both seemed equally amused by the exchange, temporarily forgetting all of the unhappy things in their lives.

That was when he'd been spotted.

Taken off guard, the captain was forced into the dance, despite his reluctance. Hands grabbed at his, and led him to the centre where all the excitement flourished. Kaylee had started it, soon followed by River taking him for a spin he could barely keep up with, before he finally landed in Inara's arms. He thought she'd protest, perhaps decline him, but she was having such a carefree time that she'd accepted him gladly, and they danced away a set of jumbled steps to the beat of the rhythm, and yet followed no particular rules or pattern. She laughed all the while, even when he'd step on her toes occasionally, or they'd bump knees.

Inara was a natural, and her honest joy was infectious. His mood lightened, and he entertained the notion for a while before having had enough fun and calling it quits for the evening. Or maybe, he just really liked having any excuse to be that close to her. Sweaty palms and a quicker heart beat were the symptoms. But she was having such a time that she didn't seem to notice the effect she had on him. She never really ever did.

"You're a good dancer, Mal. Just need some practice is all," she'd tell him later, coming down from the exhilaration of the exercise.

He never thought he'd see her sweat, but there she was, golden skin gleaming with a thin sheet of it, as her chest heaved with every breath she took in.

He ran a hand through his hair. "My Ma used to tell me I was born with two left feet. No amount of practice can cure that, 'Nara. Though I appreciate the effort."

She'd smiled at him then, sweetly and sincerely, tilting her head ever so slightly that it nearly took his breath away. He wanted to question her sudden amusement at his comment, but found his tongue was tied, much like a shy schoolboy trying to speak to the prettiest girl in town. His heart was a pitter patter no matter how much he tried to quell it.

" Malcolm Reynolds," she'd started, still smiling brightly at him, cheeks flushed pink, "I think that's the first time you've ever spoken to me about your family."

She left him then to mull over her words, turning her head and walking away, still very much happy with her latest revelation.

"Admit it capt'n; she's perfect," Kaylee told him, having snuck up on the pair when he hadn't been paying any attention.

She grinned up at him knowingly, wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively, her hands tucked into the deep pockets of her army green coveralls.

Feeling vulnerable, Mal retaliated the only way he knew how; "Yeah? Since when does a perfect woman take to burnin' down a man's ship?"

Kaylee pouted. "Aw, come on! She was only tryin' to help make you somethin' special for your birthday! Can't fault her for tryin', capt'n."

Mal laughed, and shook his head. "Way to a man's heart's through his stomach, l'il Kaylee, not through settin' fires to his gorram ship. Be wise for you to keep that in mind, too."

If the engineer had had a comeback for that one, Mal never did hear it.

A/N: Playing out some head canon in a lot of these. For example, the fact that Mal never talks about his past or his life before the war. I think it would be a pivotal moment in his and Inara's relationship whenever he does open up to her about some of those things. Also, I do feel like Kaylee and River bring out a childish side to Inara, and it's a welcomed change from her usual serious, mature demeanor. Blah blah, this author has rambled enough. You guys know what to do at this point. :)