Kaylee took another sip from her teacup and set it between her fingers, beginning to fall asleep. Her eyes opened when she felt someone pull her tie out of her hair and brush through it with their fingers. She breathed deep and could smell exactly who it was.

"Hey 'Nara, what'd ya take my tie out for?"

Inara walked around Kaylee to sit beside her. After sitting, she continued to brush her hands through Kaylee's hair. "Simply because your hair looks much better when you let it down."

Kaylee smiled softly, skin glowing as she did so. "Thanks, 'Nara. I ain't really been takin care of it, since ya was gone. I missed ya, wished ya'd come home, so ya could brush my hair."

Inara smiled. "Follow me to the shuttle?"

Kaylee grinned and nodded, standing and following Inara.

Within about two minutes they were in the shuttle, sitting, and Inara had a brush swimming through Kaylee's hair. Kaylee breathed in the delectable scent that was Inara and her home. She'd missed Inara and she'd missed the scent that sifted through her senses now.

It had only been around three or four months since the incident with the Alliance and Miranda, and she had yet to get back into their familiar ritual.

Kaylee closed her eyes and inhaled softly as Inara ran a hand along her neck and shoulders. Inara's skin was like cinnamon silk, and her touch had always had the effect of driving Kaylee mad.

Inara widened her smile while speaking. "You still have the most beautiful hair, Kaylee. I'd grown to miss being able touch it this way."

Kaylee smiled in response to the compliment. "Thanks, 'Nara"

"My hair ain't no where near's nice as yours though. Wonder if I could be pretty's ya one day."

Inara stood up and walked around so she was facing Kaylee, then she sat, legs crossed. She reached forward and brushed hair behind Kaylee's left ear. She took in the face before her and smiled. "Beautiful."

"Kaylee, you are as beautiful as I am. Perhaps more. It's very different that it seems. I have all my scents, and my expensive clothing and soft fabric draped room. You on the other hand, just have your overalls, a smile, and a grease covered face. You're the most beautiful person I know. And it's just naturally so. That's better than any makeup and expensive dress will ever be."

Inara reached for a mirror and held it up in front of Kaylee. "Do you see what I mean?"

Kaylee shook her head. "No."

Inara exhaled and shook her head in mild frustration. "Kaylee, don't let what Simon or anyone else does strip you of your beauty. You are a beautiful young woman, believe it. What would I have to do to convince you of that fact?"

Kaylee blushed in reaction to a sexual image that popped into her head and stared down at the deck of the beautifully draped shuttle.

Inara raised an eyebrow in question, then grinned. "And here I thought I was imagining your looks from afar. It seems my imagination wasn't far off." She smiled softly at the embarrassed engineer. "Is that what you need, Kaylee?" She placed her hand gently on Kaylee’s face, softly rubbing her thumb along her cheek.

Raising her head, Kaylee spoke meekly. “I don’t know, ‘Nara. That’s kinda ‘barrassin, I thought I was bein’ slick, ya know.” She smiled softly.

“Think of it as a thoughtful gift from a friend.” She leaned in and kissed Kaylee, asking once more before continuing with “her gift” to the engineer. When Kaylee reciprocated the kiss with a hunger she’d seen in her eyes many a time, she stood up, bringing the engineer with her to the bed and sitting down.

Two hours later, Kaylee left the shuttle standing tall, confident, and finally seeing in her self something which others had seem for years.