Title: Aint Nothin' in the Verse Author: InaraxSerra a.k.a Lauren Rating: PG-13, nothing major in this one Summary: My first "Firefly" fiction. Takes place after BDM. Mal/Inara. Mal and Inara's feelings about each other finally come out into the open. Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, I am simply borrowing them for a while for my own amusement. A/N: This is my first attempt at the Firefly/Serenity-verse fic, I mostly write Buffy and Angel. I LIVE for reviews, but no flaming please. Constructive criticism is welcome. * * * *

Captain Malcolm Reynolds never could really find a way to put his feelings into words. He wasn't really a sharing kind of guy. Sure, everyone knew he loved Serenity. Serenity was his hope, his reason. The crew was a part of that. Hell, even Simon and River mattered to him now. River had become a skilled pilot as well, even though Mal always tried to keep an eye on her. No one had really spoken of Wash since his death, and no one knew what to say to Zoe, not even Mal. Mal missed having Wash around more than he could admit. Being aboard Serenity wasn't the same without his presence. Things had begun to go back to normal, whatever that may be, but there was still an underlying tone of sadness and mourning that Mal feared would never leave. He was far too familiar with death and loss, and no matter how much time passes, the pain will always be there.

It was hard to believe that almost three months had passed. Jobs were beginning to come more frequently now, and everyone was trying to get back into the rythm of things. Mal's mind drifted to Inara, as it often did. She still had not decided whether she would stay on Serenity or not, but she wasn't making any move to leave. It bothered Mal, not knowing. Part of him wanted to tell her that she couldn't leave, because he didn't want her to. He didn't want to lose her again. The other part told himself that he wasn't worthy of her. That he could never even dream about having someone like Inara. What he felt for her was the closest thing to real love that he had felt in a long while. Not since the war had anything but Serenity made him feel like it could fill the void in his heart. The problem was, Malcolm Reynolds wasn't good at expressing his feelings.

What would he be able to say? He couldn't just walk up to her and confess his feelings like a lovesick puppy. That wasn't him. He wanted to be honest with her, but something was stopping him. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly that something was, but it was there. Drumming his fingers on the kitchen table, Mal glanced up as someone entered the kitchen. He smiled to see it was Kaylee, only slightly dissapointed that it wasn't Inara coming to see him.

"Got something on your mind, Cap'n?" Kaylee asked with a smile before rummaging in the cabinets for something.

"Just doin' a bit of thinkin, is all." Mal stated, watching her. She had more of a bounce in her step now, if that was even possible, that her and Simon had started something. Mal was a bit wary at first, concerened for Kaylee's feelings, but he saw now that the doc seemed to have fallen for her as much as she did for him. In a way, Mal was happy for her. Seeing Wash die, and what it did to Zoe made Mal realize how precious love was, if you were lucky enough to find it.

"'Bout Inara?" Kaylee asked without hesitation, sitting down at the table across from him. Mal's eyes widened in defense.

"Didn't say that, just said I was thinkin'. You should learn to not be so gorram nosy." Mal said sternly, but affectionately. Kaylee merely smiled.

"Please Cap, ever since she decided to stay here on Serenity you two have been dancin' around eachother, and it's makin me dizzy. If one of you doesn't do something soon, then don't think I won't so somethin' about it."

Mal sighed, annoyed. "Shuǎ zuǐ pí, Kaylee, first off, Inara aint decided anything yet, second there aint nothin' goin on with me and Inara."

"Shuō huǎng zhē." Kaylee shot back, "Aint no reason to keep denyin' it."

"Keep denying what?" Came a voice from the doorway, and Mal froze.

"Nothing, nothing at all." He replied quickly, standing to face Inara. She was standing there, as beautiful as ever with a small smile playing on her lips. It always amazed Mal how graceful she was, even when she was yelling at him.

Kaylee grunted in dissaproval and Mal shot her a stern look. "Don't you got something you need to be doing?"

"Yeah yeah.." Kaylee groaned and gave Inara a smile as she left the kitchen.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her, Mal." Inara glided across the kitchen to make a pot of tea.

"I aint hard on her. Girl can take care of herself." Mal rose to help her, grabbing a mug for himself as well.

"That is true." Inara said, smiling with fondness for the girl. "Well," she began, changing the subject. "I do have something I wanted to discuss with you." Dread coiled in Mal's belly. He knew it was coming sooner or later, she had decided she didn't want to stay on Serenity. He tried not to be dissapointed as he braced himself for her to say it herself.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, and being back on Serenity these past few months... after going through what we did.." Mal cut her off.

"Well I can't blame you for wantin' to get back to your 'civilized life' after what happened." Mal chose his words carefully, not wanting to give away his true feelings.

"Mal..that's not what I was going to say. Can't you ever just listen for five minutes?" Inara snapped back at him, irritated. Satisfied that she could continue speaking uninterrupted, Inara busied her hands pouring hot water into the two mugs. "What I was going to say was that I realized I do not want to leave. Serenity has become my home..." Inara trailed off, not wanting to let her emotions reveal something she didn't want revealed. "I would really like to stay, Mal."

He didn't know what to say. He was so sure that she would want off of the ship eventually. He was having trouble comprehending that she actually was telling him she wanted to be there. "Well I'm sure Kaylee will be mighty happy to hear the news, don't know if she could have handled seeing you run off again."

Inara glanced down at her hands, knowing that she shouldn't have been surprised at his reaction. "Yes..Kaylee." She wanted him to say that HE was happy she was staying, but that wasn't what she was going to get. Mal was mentally kicking himself. Once again, he mucked things up because he couldn't admit his true feelings. Were things ever going to change?

* * * End of Part One, please review! Part 2 should be along shortly, and don't worry, it won't take too long for some Mal/Inara goodness, but it didn't feel right jumping right into it in the first chapter, because knowing Joss, that is NOT how it would have happened on the show. Hope you enjoy! Again, please review, the encouragement will help me continue! -InaraxSerra (Lauren)