As usual I didn’t make these characters I just get to play with them, all credit for creation goes to the Joss. To Washie, thanks again for the Beta, could have done it without ya, your comments always bring a smile to me face. People this woman deserves a prize. CosmicFugitive it must be said thanks for the help that night I was bashing my head against a wall and ya helped out with a bit of Mal speak (I don’t care that you said I did all the work! It was still helpful man). Eric Sardinas must be thanked for the title, there’s a lot to be said for learning from a bluesman people. But enough chit chat.

Killin’ Time Blues.

Inara stepped down from her shuttle’s airlock and walked out into the ship's hold. She surveyed the somewhat shabby but all the same loved ship she now felt was more home than anywhere else. Sighing contently and humming a tune she remembered from when she was a child she headed for the ship's galley.

It was funny, she mused, how something as simple as being held by someone, or just spending a night cuddled up against them could cast such a radiant glow on life. It seemed that the whole of Serenity had been tinted two shades of brighter drab and rust. She smiled as she slipped into the galley like a finely perfumed rose in the stream of an ornamental garden. Book was seated at the ship's dining table reading as he often pleased. He looked up to smile at Inara, but his expression flashed briefly to that of a far too knowing look.

"Fine day isn’t it."

"Mmmm…it does look that way." Inara smiled as she moved to the food lockers to fix herself some tea and perhaps a late breakfast.

"I trust that you found your silver lining Inara." Book smiled knowingly, closing his book. Inara smiled while dropping her gaze.

"Mmm… I think it found me more than anything."

"Humm…they often do. It's nice to know that in a universe this big solace can be found right under one's nose." Inara smiled at this, Book had a tendency to be a somewhat wily man at times and this didn’t surprise her. She could only suppose at how much he knew, or indeed what he knew, but this didn’t bother her. She was fairly sure nothing could today, even if Mal happened to be in a downright repugnant mood today.

"With prose like that perhaps you should have been a poet," she said playfully. Book laughed. "Well at times I find being a shepherd and a poet go, hand in hand… but I have dabbled." She smiled at this, returning to her tea, wondering what she would do with the rest of the day.

Normally a day or two before land fall would involve fixing an itinerary or contracting with her more favored clients on Persephone, however now business was not on the agenda. Indeed all she really wanted to do was spend near every waking moment with Kaylee; she didn’t care what they were doing, as long as she was with the other woman.

Inara suddenly felt a familiar ache resume its hold over her body. She sighed audibly causing Book to look up.

"Something bothering you Inara?" he asked in an even tone.

"No…do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all. Why waste a day without having good company." Inara laughed at this. She was certain Book was getting at something, but didn’t feel in the mood to pursue this line of conversation. She sipped at her tea and picked at one of the wonderfully coloured bits of protean that fed the crew, a little lost in wonderment about what to do with her time. She could visit Kaylee, to stifle the urge, but Inara had no illusions as to where that would lead. She reconsidered that option. If she wasn’t ready to tell people, she wasn’t ready for compromising displays of affection.

Inara looked up from staring into the abyss that was her tea to find Malcolm striding into the mess.

" ‘Nara! Good of you to grace us with your presence, and here was me feeling like we weren’t worthy company." Malcolm grinned at the companion. Inara rolled her eyes, she wasn’t in the mood.

"Well I’m glad to see you're in a good mood this morning Malcolm." She smiled as she stood, collecting her things to wash and slid into the kitchen like a cool summer breeze. Malcolm just stood next to the table somewhat dumbfounded at the lack of perceivable sting in her response. Indeed even Book registered mild amusement at her pulling the rug out from under Malcolm’s feet.

'Humm….,'the old preacher thought. She must have found a silver lining indeed and amused himself with observing Malcolm floundering for some kind of response.

"Uh…well... It is! Uh….that is to say, I am." Malcolm blinked, even for him this was painful, he could only imagine what Book was thinking. "Anyway, I came to inform you both that when we make land fall on Persephone we will be land bound for the better part of three days or so. 'R and R' and such like." He turned to Inara, who smiled again.

"Yes I know Malcolm, plenty of time to get my Whorin’ done." She responded in a purposefully bad rendition of his accent, smiled once again, then slipped out of the galley as gracefully as an albatross taking flight.

Malcolm stared after Inara, then turned to Book who was having trouble keeping himself from laughing.

"Whi…did…I…You see that!" Malcolm’s dumbfounded and exasperated expression was worth a thousand words. A poem even, Book thought.

"The…the nerve of that…Tchen wah…ungrateful…Whore!" Malcolm threw up his hands and stormed out a little redder in the face and a lot hotter. Book laughed, shook his head then quietly resumed his reading. Even Serenity had its not so serene days, he mused.

Inara felt as if time had slowed so much that it had become tangible, like something one could bottle, thick and viscous like the oils she had used with Kaylee when they first kissed.

She had decided it best to amuse herself in her shuttle as much as possible, feeling her hunger burn hotter than a great fire that threatened to consume all of her being. She couldn’t help but feel that some part of her training should have warned her about this, about these feelings of all consuming passion, instead all she remembered were the lessons in psychology. Learning to recognise it was one thing, learning to cope was another. Perhaps one didn’t, perhaps one just lived with the feelings and did things to occupy one's mind, be it meditation, perhaps cold shower or even perhaps self directed release. Inara mused on any number of options intermittently while looking at possible destinations for her and Kaylee. She became a little lost in some rather alluring photos of a lovely guest house in the more quaint areas of Persephone’s wilderness, imagining the time spent in the plush beds with Kaylee, or bathing together in the luxuriant bath tub. Hummm… Book would probably have something admonishing to say about the thoughts she found herself lost in, till they were shattered by a knock at her door.

"Cheeng jeen. Who is it?" Inara asked, regaining a somewhat forceful control of her body and its actions. She looked up from the computer in her shuttle to see a rather sheepish looking Simon standing in her doorway. She smiled.

"Ahh….I’m not bothering you am I ?," he asked in his ever so proper and polite way.

"Not at all, and how may I help the dear Doctor?" her tone of voice was pitched to put him at ease, it appeared to have the desired effect.

"Well I was just wondering…um…this is kind of. Well, with the, and um…" he trailed off looking at something that seemed to take all of his will power to look at on the wall to the right or Inara.

"Simon if it’s important I’m sure you will find the words."

"Well…yes it's kind of about me not being able to with er…someone."

"Oh?" Inara asked, trying to sound genuinely inquisitive as she felt her stomach lurch.

"It's Kaylee, and I don’t want to put you out; I was just wondering, because you two are both such good friends…um…if…"Simon sighed then looked at Inara directly, with the eyes of a man who knew he was putting the other person out, but that the other person would be polite anyway. More so the eyes of a man who knew he was hopelessly in love, and hopeless at it. "Was wondering if you knew of plans Kaylee might have for land fall, what with the leave we have and all."

Inara suddenly felt a little ill. Like a sea of pestilence and iniquity had dredged itself up from about her. She knew it was foolish, Kaylee had said that she loved her, and she knew she did; it was just that…she wanted Kaylee to be hers.

Perhaps it was more the thought that her love for Kaylee was so strong and so powerful that she, somewhere, hoped that no one else would have such feelings for her. Inara sighed, not knowing quite how to respond. She paused trying to summon all of her composure and training, like a safety blanket for her whole being.

"I’m not sure, perhaps you should ask her. I take it this means little River is getting better?" she smiled, and once again had the feeling that this was to calm her nerves more than to show genuine warmth.

"Well yeah she does seem to be getting better, I…hehe…It's funny, she used to tell me that I should have asked you, or talked to Kaylee weeks ago, then she stopped.” Simon shrugged. “ Ah, anyway, thanks Inara, I know it’s a bit of a pinch." He smiled.

"Its ok Simon, I like to help if I can. I guess the rest is up to you and her." she tried to sound as warm as possible. He smiled and then excused himself, leaving Inara to brood, something she felt she was becoming increasingly too accustomed to. Inara tried as best she could to push worries out of her head and went back to her console, eventually deciding that she should bathe and that any worries couldn’t be forced. 'In their own time', she thought, ' I cant force things; I didn’t in the first place and they worked out well.'

Inara breathed slowly and deeply, trying hard to clear her mind and reach some state of balance. Kaylee loved her, she knew it was true. Kaylee was nothing but a warm ball of sweet loving honesty, but still she brooded. Simon was attracted to her, but Inara wanted all the sweet mechanic's love and affection; she wanted so hard to be Kaylee’s one and only. The sweet younger woman made her feel complete, whole and Inara couldn’t help but wonder, was it normal to feel this way? Was this kind of jealousy ok, was it sanctioned by the unwritten book on relationships? Inara felt adrift in an ocean of doubt.

Time passed slowly. It took Inara a moment or two to hear the knock on her door.

"Wh…who is it?"

The door was pulled open a little at this and Kaylee’s head peeked in. "Only me ‘nara." Kaylee’s eye’s darted out the door, then back to Inara. Inara felt herself smile. It radiated out of her being harder and brighter than black pearls. Time felt suddenly less stagnant.

"Hang on bao bai." Kaylee ducked out again for a moment, then returned smiling and pulling the door to.

"Capt’n was out there." Inara noticed Kaylee was carrying a bag which she dropped next to the door before advancing toward Inara with playful tiger-like menace. Kaylee pounced on the somewhat unsuspecting companion, pulling her to her chest and pressing her lips against Inara’s roughly, slipping her tongue in to brush against the other woman’s partially closed teeth. Kaylee’s surprisingly soft feeling hands pressed against the base of Inara’s neck and the side of her head. She moaned softly into her little lover.

Reluctantly as always Kaylee pulled back from the kiss, smiling and licking Inara from her lips. She held the taller woman by the waist looking up into her deep eyes.

"Just wanted to say hi. And drop of some stuff for tomorrow…told the cap’n you were gunna’ be droppin’ me at a bed and breakfast on ya way through. Hope that was ok." Inara smiled, pecked Kaylee on the cheek.

"Of course, Sweetie…I just want to be in a place where we can…I can…" Inara looked away hoping to find the words, she looked back to Kaylee’s expectant face. "It seems like it's been so long since I had you near me. I… "

"Shuu…Persephone bao bai. Tomorrow." Kaylee kissed Inara shallowly then pulled back smiling. Inara could only smile back, she felt every little bit of her brooding melt like ice under a desert sun.

"I love you bao bai," Inara said. This is perfectly placed, right here Kaylee pressed herself into Inara’s body, firmly placing her lips to Inara’s cheek.

"Course ya do…" She whispered into the taller woman's ear. "That’s why I love you." Kaylee pulled back slowly, motioning that her time was limited. Inara smiled, then a frown crept over her brow.

"Simon asked me before…about your plans…" Inara stopped feeling suddenly guilty, she could have said something more, deterred him somehow without bringing attention to her feelings for Kaylee. No, all she had done was tell him to find out for himself. Inara felt like a fool again, she raised her eyes to Kaylee, she was smiling.

"Yeah I know. He came by while I was re-wirin’ the grav boot. Told him I was seein’ an old friend… sweet boy, but…" Kaylee looked at Inara, smiled. She didn’t need to finish the sentence, it wasn’t important, still Inara felt relief wash over her like November rain. She sighed.

"Ill see you tonight bao bai?"

"Promise." Kaylee smiled. Inara beamed. With that the mechanic left, no doubt to get done what she had to delete get done in an awful hurry. Inara knew she was going to find she had too much time again, but that didn’t matter. All the better to prepare for her sweet, beautiful lover.