Kaylee and River had been pestering Mal for over an hour to get to go for a dip in the creek at the planet they’d landed on. They’d followed him from one end of the boat to the other, towels and sun parasols in hand, until he finally relented.

“Fine! Shoo! Just no skinny dippin’. Goes double for Jayne. An’ don’ nobody come hollerin’ t’ me if ya get sunburnt!”

The girls chattered happily as they scampered down the gangway in their cheap flip-flops, followed by Simon, Jayne and Zoe. Mal was shaking his head at the exhuberance of youth when he caught sight of Inara, descending the stairs outside her shuttle.

She was wearing a white terry robe, fancier sandals than those of River or Kaylee, and carrying a basket, presumably filled with a towel and other bath sundries. He deduced she was joining the rest of his crew.

Was it a bad thing that he noticed she had on bright red toe polish? If so, it must be a really bad thing that somehow he couldn’t make the no skinny dipping rule apply to her.

“Off to join the mutiny, I see.”

“Mal, I would hardly call going for a swim to be a mutiny. You are welcome to join us.”

Prolly not a good time to ‘fess that he didn’t even have a bathing suit to his name. Or that his dreams that night were guaranteed to be full of not just a naked Inara, but one who was wet as well.

“No, y’all go on and join the others. Peace and quiet here’ll do me some good.”

She cocked her head at him as though she was about to say something, but then shrugged, smiled at him and followed the path out from the cargo bay that the others had taken.

Half an hour later, the peace and quiet was about to drive him monkeyshit. He lifted one arm and sniffed experimentally. Mebbeso a dunk would do him some good after all. And as long as he could find himself a secluded spot, he supposed it was OK to break the no skinny dipping rule on his own account.

Gathering up a towel and one or two of the fancy little soaps he’d kiped from Inara right before she left, he made sure Serenity was buttoned up all nice and tight before taking the path down to the creek.

Rounding a bend, he spotted his crew from a distance. Zoe was sunbathing, while the girls were having a game of King of the Creek, with Kaylee on Simon’s shoulders and River riding on Jayne’s, each trying to knock the other off their perch.

He made a note to have a chat with his little bird about what Jayne’s intentions might possibly be, before remembering that she prolly already knew. Hell, having that chat with Jayne would be more fun and less creepifyin’ anyways. Might even get to be some threatenin.’

Just beyond there looked to be a good secluded spot. In retrospect, it hadn’t occurred to him to wonder why Inara wasn’t with the rest of the crew until it was too damn late. Clearly, she’d had the same notion as him as far as skinny dipping.

She looked like a syren out of some story he vaguely remembered his Ma reading him, halfway out of the water, with her backside turned to him and wet hair streaming down. He could hardly breathe, staring at her. His brain was telling him he’d best quietly back out of there and find another spot. Parts of him further south had another opinion on the matter.

Suddenly, she sprang up and dove underwater. Between the flash of that very expensive backside he got an eyeful of, and the fact that when she popped back up out of the water, she was facing him head on, he knew the southern hemisphere had won the battle.

Sweet Merciful Buddha, there was no way in Creation he was going to not be plagued in his sleep with endless fantasies involving her perfect breasts, with water gently running down her body and the sun shining behind her. He was a dead man.

Just then, when he took an involuntary step back, he accidentally stepped on a small twig. Inara looked up at the snapping sound, crossed her arms in front of her and quickly sank back down in the water.

“Mal?”

Swell. Not only was he a dead man with the beginnings of a hard-on, but now he had himself some serious explaining to do.

“Yeah, uhh, sorry ‘bout that,” he called out from behind the bushes. “Was lookin’ for a secluded spot to take my own bath.”

“Well, if you hand me my robe over there, I’ll finish up here.”

He did the only polite thing he could and turned around, backing himself toward the water, holding out the robe behind him until he felt her grab it.

“Hey, Inara?” With his back still to her.

“Yes, Mal?”

“How…how come ya called my name? I mean, I coulda been anybody. Kaylee. One of the locals. Hell, even Jayne. Didya know I was there?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious, ‘sall.”

Unexpectedly, she laughed. “Mal, you are not a man given to idle curiosity. Were you spying on me?”

Mal decided the fact that she didn’t sound mad was a good sign.

“It was just...You reminded me of a story my Ma used t’ read to me. All about heroes and ancient gods. Anyways, in this one part, there are these beautiful water creatures called syrens. And you just reminded me of that, ‘sall. Didn’t mean to intrude or nothin’.”

“As I recall, the syrens lured sailors to their deaths.”

“Helluva way to go out, though.”

She laughed again. “I knew it was you.” In a voice that seemed to say that she didn’t mind that fact.

He idly wondered if she would smack him for turning around. “How’d ya figgur?”

“You’re a sailor, Mal.”

He took a deep breath. “So does that mean if I turn around, you’ll kill me?”

“Well, it would be, as you say, one hell of a way to go out.”