i'm a new comer around here so not too much hair pulling or biting ok? i promise i'll play nice...thanks a bunch! just a little something that popped into my head when i was going through my old collection of Disney movies. Enjoy, and let me know if it's any good and if i should continue this story or leave it as a one shot. People aren't mine and neither is Disney.

As Mal sat on the couch of the common room of Serenity he looked around and took in his current situation as he thought back to where he had gone wrong with his life. He had left home, fought a war, bought a boat and found a crew to keep her flying; he had been kicked, tortured, punched, slapped, bitten, shot and stabbed. He had killed people, lied, stolen and beaten lawmen senseless. He was most definitely not a child anymore, hadn’t been for many a year, but he could not figure for the life of him how he had ended up where he was. He had argued and complained, tried to pull rank and gave orders but it didn’t seem to do any good. He was stuck, he racked his brain but he couldn’t think of one legitimate reason as to why he dissevered the torture he was about to ensue. Surely all that stuff he did weren’t all that bad right? Nothing he had done deserved this treatment.

“Mei Mei why is it again that I am sitting here with you and the lil’ Albatross watching an old children’s movie from Earth-that-was? Shouldn’t we be doin’ something more important? I have captainy things that need doin’ you know.” He said as he stood up and tried for his best Captainy look to stare her down.

“Aw come on Cap’t you know we ain’t got nothing to do out here in the black, I just saw to Serenity not half an hour ago she’ll be fine for a while, movie’s not that long anyway.” Kaylee answered “Besides you know we ain’t anywhere near a planet so you got no jobs to set up, which means you got nothing better to do.”

“Well shouldn’t you be flyin’ my boat lil’ one? If we all crash into something and die I’m blaming you ya know” Mal turned his attention to River as he tried to think up an excuse to stop the torture he was about to endure but his attempts seemed to be futile.

“The human memory is fickle, makes you think you forget things. Encoding is an active process that requires select attention and sometimes needs enrichment by visual imagery. Once something is stored it’s never lost we just don’t know where to look for it, sometimes have to take a journey to find it.” River said as she turned her head towards Mal.

Damn girl had done it again, he tried to understand the girl he really did, she even seemed to be doing better since the whole Miranda episode but when she talked like this sometimes he thought it better not to say anything so as not to confuse himself more.

“That mean you forgot you was my pilot little one?” oh well he tried, never was one for doing what made most sense anyway.

“Serenity’s on auto-pilot” she gave him a glare “I don’t remember the movie” she looked away “gotta find it in my head.”

“Well once you find it then we won’t have to watch it right?” Mal tried talking his way out of his dilemma hoping maybe he could negotiate his way out of this situation.

“Won’t remember unless I see it Captain Daddy.” River smiled at him and pulled his arm till he sat down on the couch right between her and Kaylee and they started watching the movie. Apparently no negotiating in the verse would work now even with all his thievin’ and negotiating skills he was at the mercy of a young mechanic and his even younger pilot, he must be going soft in his old age.

“Where’d you get this old thing anyway? Simon get it off the Cortex for you?” he questioned eyeing both girls.

“Nah I was bored one night and found it myself, Simon won’t watch it with me, said something about having to stock the infirmary or somethin’.”

Ai ya why couldn’t he have come up with an excuse like that? Or better yet why had that worked for Simon and not for him? Doing captainy things is just as important right? He had a bad feeling about this movie, something weren’t right here and he aimed to figure out what.

“Besides this was my favorite movie when I was young, got some good memories of this here movie, thought I might share the good times with everyone else but it seems they’ve all run off.” She said with a pout in her voice, and was that a tear he saw forming in her eye?

Tzao-gao, he couldn’t stand seeing Kaylee all mopey-like, now he’d have to watch the Zhen sa movie whether he wanted to or not.

Mal resolved himself to his role and put an arm around each girl and let them snuggle up to him as the movie started playing past the opening credits.

He didn’t even make it twenty minutes into the movie before he wanted to think of some excuse, anything at all that would possibly get him out of watching a talking crab and flounder, not to mention all the singing, how in the verse do crabs sing anyway? And that octopus lady was all manner of creepifyin, let alone those little eel things that she had. He contemplating put his gun to his head but figured he could never pull the shot off in time with the two girls currently hangin on him like a jungle gym. Where were the gorram Reavers when you needed them?

Once again Mal tried to think of a legitimate excuse to leave the room and this fahng-tzong fung-kwong duh jeh of a movie but he looked down and saw their two smiling faces and couldn’t help but smile in return. ‘Zhòu mà I’m gonna have to watch this whole movie.’ He finally realized.

“Why’s that little lady listenin’ to that little crab thing anyway? I ain’t never met a crab that was smart enough to tell me anything worth hearing.” He asked no one in particular after a few minutes.

“First of all his name is Sebastian, not crab thing and he’s very smart for a crab you’ll see, just close your mouth and watch the movie cap’t.

“If you say so mei mei” and left it at that choosing to ignore the fact she had just given him a direct order and he obeyed without objection, wait, wasn’t he the captain on this boat?

Another song had just started playing when Inara decided to make an entrance into the room and took in the sight before her. Mal was resting comfortably on the small couch with Kaylee and River snuggled up on his chest and deeply immersed in what seemed to be some sort of cartoon that was singing about the highlights of living under the sea. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight and let loose a small chuckle while she studied Mal for a moment.

She had been trained as a Companion and as such she was excellent at reading people like a book and right now Mal was a very entertaining book. His body language and his eyes were saying two totally different things but she knew that even though he tried to make it seem like he was in pain at watching the movie, he was enjoying himself with the two young girls so at peace on his chest. It was so rare they had calms like this in their world and she knew Mal would do everything in his power to keep them happy, even if it meant listening to singing crustaceans. That was what she loved about that man, he would sacrifice his own happiness if it meant a smile from his crew.

Mal noticed Inara’s arrival and waited until the end of the song to nod his head in her direction and yell a quick welcome her way. “Mornin’ Nara, sleep well?”

“Just fine thank you, I see you’re having fun over there. What are you watching?” she asked with a smile on her face and a mirthful tone as she prepared herself some tea.

“Mei Mei what’s this thing called again?” he asked resting his chin on top of her head.

“The Lil’ Mermaid” she said quickly before shushing him and turning her attention back to the movie.

“Well there you go, you ever seen it? Lotsa song and dance and not nearly enough thieving if you ask me.” He said in a lowered voice as both River and Kaylee lifted their heads to glare at him for interrupting the movie again. “You wanna join? We got some room here on the couch.” He offered up lightly, motioning to an empty spot next to River on the couch with his head.

“As tempting as that sounds” she managed without breaking into a hearty laugh “I think I’ll pass this time. I don’t like to see movies from the middle and I’m not that fond of sea creatures.” She said smiling at his discomfort again.

’Ai ya there’s that smile again, how the hell she do that?’ Mal was sitting down and still felt his knees go weak, had he been standing when she did he was rightly sure he wouldn’t be anymore.

For some reason he seemed to be losing all sort of control around the female members of his crew, especially the beautiful Companion who had positioned herself next to the couch to say hello to the rest of the crew.

‘Hard to be captain of a boat and rule with an iron fist when you melt with a single smile or a tear. Zhòu mà women folk and their leaky eyes and feminine wiles’ Mal complained to himself ‘man like me’s got no chance in hell ‘ganist that and I know it, can’t help but notice they all do too.’ He remembered Kaylee’s order barely a few minutes before his thought.

Inara had stayed for a few minutes then chosen to take her tea back to the table just out of ear shot of the small screen the movie was playing on but not out of Mal’s eye sight. Every so often his mind would wander and his eyes would follow, it was a kid’s movie after all not much thrillin’ heroics to keep him occupied for long. Every time, his eyes and mind both seemed to end up on the same subject, namely the woman sitting at the table sipping her tea and minding her own business like she usually did.

They had been all manner of civil to each other today and that thought alone put a smile on his face for a good long while, even managed to keep it through some song a rather odd lookin French fella sang as he tried to boil and stuff the little crab thing, what was his name again Bastion? Hell when Inara got up and re-filled her cup and returned to her seat at the table his smile was still placed on his face, never thought he’d stop smiling with his girls by his side and Nara across the way, what could possibly rain on this little parade? He soon found out the perfect way to ruin it as the beats of a few notes started playing in the background threatening another song. ‘Ain’t this music ever gonna stop?’ he sighed and readied himself for yet another song.

Percussions, strings, winds, words, There you see her, Sitting there across the way She don’t got a lot to say But there’s something about her

For once he stopped thinking about other things long enough to listen to the words of the song and found it to be quite interesting and the situation vaguely familiar, so much so his eyes seemed to have grown a mind of their own as they wandered back towards Inara as the song continued.

And you don’t know why But you’re dying to try You wanna kiss the girl

‘Oh no, this can’t lead to nothing but trouble if my brain keeps working the way it is right now’ he tried to focus on something else but kept listening to the words of the song despite all his efforts.

Yes, you want her Look at her you know you do Possible she wants you to There is one way to ask her It don’t take a word Not a single word Go on and kiss the girl

‘Huh, never been much for fancy words, usually slips up somewhere between my head and my mouth, always fancied myself a man of action…’ his mind trailed off his eyes still locked on Inara’s delicate form in the chair only a few feet away from him as he pondered the crab’s words. If he got up he could have her in his arms in less than thirty seconds and be kissing her in less than five seconds after that. ‘Damn crabs trying to tell me how to run my life, don’t need a preacher nor anybody else who was trying to tell him what to do.’

But then he thought about it for a second ‘hmm maybe this crab ain’t as bad as I thought.’ He contemplated, trying to decide if he wanted to get up and make the attempt. ‘Mama always did say animals was smart creatures maybe he’s got a point after all, though she never mentioned sea critters as being ‘specially smart.’ His heart and his mind seemed to have double teamed him and were slowly breaking through all his emotional walls that surrounded his feelings and his heart, but mostly just the ones that kept him at arms length from the one person he wanted more than anything but would never let himself have.

Then doubt crept into his mind as the walls started building themselves up again. ‘But what if she doesn’t want me? What with the bein’ a backwater petty crook and all, she probably wouldn’t give me the time of day, not to mention that zhòu mà not servicin’ the crew contract. I ain’t good enough for a woman like her anyway, all I can get are whores who grew up with the silly girl.’ He thought his mind returning to Nandi back at the Heart of Gold and those thoughts alone had him glued to his seat for the moment so he had no choice but to continue to listen to the child’s song that was strangely very intriguing.

Sha la la la la la, my oh my Look like the boy too shy Ain’t gonna kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la, ain’t that sad Ain’t it a shame, too bad He gonna miss the girl

Alright the feihua song was mocking him now. How had a children’s song written so many years ago been written so perfectly to suit him? And why did it make it sound like he was a wimp? He was no coward, he was a captain of a gorram space ship, not a whiney little prince wannabe on a rowboat who couldn’t kiss a girl! He had more courage than that right?

Now’s your moment Floating in a blue lagoon Boy, you better do it soon No time will be better

She don’t say a word And she won’t say a word Until you kiss the girl

‘The not saying a word part is the thing that’s got me a bit skittish’ he absently thought but loosened his grip somewhat unconsciously on the two girls resting on him and shot another glance at Inara. ‘But if I don’t do it she never will…’ he quietly and rather quickly got up from his spot, getting only some mild protests from the two girls left without a pillow but too thoroughly engrossed in the movie to care too much and very slowly took a few steps toward Inara.

Sha la la la la la don’t be scared You got the mood prepared Go on and kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la, don’t stop now Don’t try to hide it How you wanna kiss the girl

He took a few more small steps toward her direction and she finally turned her head to face him as she noticed his boot clad foot steps coming her way. “Well now Mal, skipping out on the movie already are you?” she teased.

If she was looking for a fight she would not find one today, no, he had other things in mind today. He was taking his time in making his move in her direction with no discernable emotion on his face as to his purpose and she noticed his rather slow and cautious approach. “Do you need something Mal? Maybe some tea?” she gestured holding up her cup of tea.

Sha la la la la la, float along And listen to the song The song say kiss the girl

Sha la la la la la, the music play Do what the music say You gotta kiss the girl

You’ve gotta kiss the girl You wanna kiss the girl You’ve gotta kiss the girl Go on and kiss the girl

By the last chord of the song everything in him was shouting at him to do something and everything in the verse seemed to want him to do this one thing also so he had no choice but to comply. With his mind thoroughly made up that he was insane for listening to a children’s movie for advice on his love life but didn’t care in the least, he threw caution to the wind and did the one thing he never thought he’d allow himself to do. He intended to do exactly what the song told him and he pulled Inara from her chair with one quick but gentle movement and stood her in front of him.

“Mal what’s..” that was all she got out before his lips connected with hers and she could not form a coherent sentence anymore. The initial shock wore off quickly as she realized that no, she was not dreaming; Mal was actually kissing her. The kiss was gentle but passionate and she couldn’t help but go a little weak in the knees. She immediately responded and let out a small moan from somewhere in the back of her throat when he parted her lips and his tongue found hers for the first time.

‘Ren ci de Fo zu, have I died and gone to heaven?’ she never wanted it to end. He tasted like fresh apples and coffee, no doubt from this morning’s breakfast but there was a little something spicy she could only describe as pure Mal. She was intoxicated by his scent so close to her nose, the brown leather coat that she always wished she could wrap herself up in and the smell of his cotton shirt drove her crazy and she loved every second of it.

Never in all her years as a Companion or her training had she felt this sort of passion from one kiss. She tried with all of the will power she had left to take control of the kiss but she found that despite her training she couldn’t do it. She had yet to meet a man that could best her but it seemed as though she had finally met her match, Malcolm Reynolds was too much for her and she enjoyed every second of her defeat, enjoyed being drowned in his love and didn’t even consider doing a thing to stop it. If he was giving it freely who was she to refuse something she wanted just as much?

She gave in completely and wrapped her arms around his neck and snaked a hand into his hair to feel the soft locks of brown she had so long dreamt of running her fingers through. He responded with a groan of his own and wrapped his arms around her waist and surprised her by picking her up off the floor and gently sitting her down on the table with her legs slightly apart so he could stand in between them. If it was possible he deepened the kiss and she found even more passion in his actions and the rest of the world seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them and that hot passionate kiss.

From the couch Kaylee and River were smiling at each other, the movie momentarily forgotten in leeway of their giggles. “Told you it would work” River couldn’t help but smile. “He’ll never doubt crabs again either.” And with that they let out a round of giggles and returned to the movie the newly joined couple just a few feet away totally forgotten.

When the burning in their lungs from the lack of oxygen was too great to ignore any longer they were forced to pull back from the kiss. He looked straight into her eyes and the two passed a glance at each other that seemed to both ask and answer all their questions without any words being said.

Inara felt the heat building in her depths and the only thing on her mind was getting Mal all the way to her shuttle before she jumped him. All of the things he had meant to say where left unsaid in his head as she slid off the table delicately and gently took his hand and pulled him from the room down the hall to her shuttle.

‘Never let it be said that crabs were stupid animals, mama was right, you should always listen to em’ was his last discernable thought before his mind was over run by what had just happened. He had kissed her and she had not pulled back, wo de ma she didn’t pull back, that means he might have a chance!

The insistent pull on his arm toward her shuttle gave him even more hope as they reached the hatch and the doors slid open and back closed again just as soon as the two of them set foot in the shuttle. He had no idea that just one kiss could start this chain of events but it was a chain he more than willing to follow to whatever end.

It took all of Inara’s learned self-restraint not to just rip his clothes off but she managed to take a few deep breaths before his lips were attacking hers again and all the control she usually had was gone again. After a moment he left her lips and trailed hot kisses down to her neck and stopped and sucked at a choice spot right above her shoulder that had her almost growling in pleasure. She couldn’t take this for much longer but she couldn’t seem to find the strength or the will to move from his touch. Never had she imaged one man could make her feel this way, let alone a space ship captain that she had a knack for arguing with and pissing off. She couldn’t think anymore when he slowly trailed a hand up her side and let it rest on a breast and then teased it through her dress, tian Yesu why were they both still fully clothed?

The second her mind wrapped around the concept her hand reached out and started unbuttoning his shirt. In no time at all he was shirtless and he caught on to her idea and without moving his one hand that was currently occupied, managed a quick glance over her shoulder and had her dress unclasped and in a pile on the floor by her ankles in a matter of seconds. ‘Always was a little slow on the uptake weren’t you Mal, always have to have someone push you in the right direction’ she almost laughed at the thought but then lost all ability to talk when he pushed her back toward her bed and gently laid her down as his mouth trailed kisses down from her neck and latched on to her other breast. Wo de ma he was good, never would she doubt the skill of one Malcolm Reynolds. After some long minutes his mouth moved from one breast to the other, his free hand now entertaining the one his mouth had left. It took all her strength to pull his head back up to meet her lips and they were lost in another soul searing kiss. She somehow found enough wit to reach down and pull his suspenders from his shoulders and unbutton his pants through the passion of his kiss and was proud of herself when her hands only stumbled twice in the process.

Inara was at a loss for what to do, usually Companions ‘serviced’ the clients, not the other way around, he was doing this all backwards, she was not used to allowing herself this much pleasure and had half a mind to turn the tables on him and started a trail a hand down his chest as the other wrapped around his head and held him in place. Her hand was getting dangerously low and Mal was not far enough gone not to notice but could not stop her before she reached her destination. She had his simple cotton boxers pulled down and she held him in her hand, hardening at the mere feel of her soft grip on his sensitive skin. “Lao tian ye Inara” he got out in a slightly audible moan. “Don’t think so bao bei ,” he playfully scolded grabbing her hand and pulling it back up to place a kiss on her palm, “none of that, you’ll ruin all the fun.”

She was lost again and this time she didn’t care, she had tried to take control, to do what she was trained to perfection to do and he was having none of it, she finally gave in to him as his hand trailed down her stomach and pulled any articles of clothing left between them as it went. His hand came to rest slightly below the junction between her thighs and she couldn’t hold in a shiver as his hand slid up the inside of her thigh and she felt him inside her. His pace was steady in and out, his thumb rolling her bundle of nerves he so cleverly found and assaulted. After she clawed at his back during another heated kiss he reluctantly left her lips and trailed a hot wet trail down past her perfectly shaped breasts down to her belly button where he stopped and dipped his tongue in and around her navel before continuing on his journey to his real destination.

If she had thought he was skilled with his fingers she had another thing coming. The moment his fingers left her she whimpered at the loss of contact but then she felt his tongue and her eyes rolled back in her head and she let out a long and low moan. “God Mal” she managed to gasp between the heaving breaths she was trying to take to stay in control of her own body.

‘Oh god, she tastes like peaches and cream, I could do this the rest of my life and never tire of this woman’ was the only thought occupying Mal’s brain at the moment aside from what he was doing with his tongue. When he added his teeth and bit down lightly and sucked she had lost control and took no shame in screaming his name into the emptiness of her shuttle. He lifted his head slightly after making sure he had not let any of her juices escape him and kissed his way back up to her mouth until he has holding her until she stopped shuddering and she opened her eyes again being greeted by that lopsided grin she had always loved. She pulled his head down to hers again and kissed him hard, she could taste herself on his tongue and it was driving her crazy. She was not supposed to be losing control like this, everything she ever learned had flown out of her head when she had cried out his name and all she had left was the burning in her gut for him and the love in her heart that she had not dared unleash until now.

Suddenly she rolled him over onto his back and straddled his hips so close to his shaft that he shuddered at the sensation she was creating. Finally feeling somewhat in control she took her time attacking his body in an attempt to return the favor he had gifted her with. He never considered himself much of a taker, so he surprised her this time by flipping them back over and pinned her down to her silk sheets. He kissed her again and she almost fought his move until he felt him at her entrance and she couldn’t hold back any longer “please Mal, please” she whispered into his kiss.

Inara Serra begging? Surely he was imagining the whole thing, ‘Nara don’t beg…does she?’ He pushed the thought to the back of his head a question to ask her at a later time and focused on the task at hand. He managed to stop kissing her long enough to look her in the eyes and he saw the love and desire in her eyes and the answer to his unasked question, yes she was ok with this, with him, with them. He slid into her with a powerful thrust and she cried out again in ecstasy. He started out slow and gentle but soon after her urging his pace quickened and he lifted one leg and rested it over his should to give him a better angle.

She was falling apart again, she had no idea which way was up or down, she had lost all her senses except the ones he was torturing with his motions, all she knew was her intense pleasure and she could have died right then and there and been satisfied with her life. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer so he sped up again and reached a hand between them as she screamed his name out for the second time that morning and at her exclamation he felt his own release in a burst of colors and stars and banners.

She lay spent beneath him still shuddering as he calmed himself down with several deep breaths and rested his head on her sweat covered chest drained of all his previous energy. She opened her eyes and had tears in her eyes as she stroked his hair as they both attempted to regain their breath.

He looked up to flash her a smile and give her another kiss before he rolled over but stopped when he saw her tears. ‘Wo de tian a , I am such an ass I must have hurt her’ he couldn’t help but think as he gently brushed a tear away from her cheek before another few fell and he couldn’t help but kiss them away. “What’s the matter bao bei , did I hurt you? Duì bu qĭ. She couldn’t help but smile at his tenderness, leave it to Mal all rough and tumbley, to have a gentle side. At his words she lifted his face in her hands and kissed it. “No bao bei you didn’t hurt me, you have nothing to be sorry for, these are happy tears.”

”You mean you ladies can cry when you’re happy too? Ai ya I don’t think I’ll ever understand you” her only response was to give him a lingering kiss before he finally felt reassured that he really hadn’t hurt her and he rolled over and drew the blankets up over both their sweaty bodies. He kissed her one last time before curling an arm around her waist and drifting off to sleep with her snuggling into his chest before she did the same. They would worry about everything else later, right now they had each other and that may not be much, but it was enough for them.

Back out in the common area Simon walked into to find Kaylee and River happily watching the end of the Little Mermaid, with grins spread wide over their faces. He was about to ask what was going on when River said “The prince found his princess and now they get to live happily ever after” and turned back to watch the end of the movie. Taking the hint that she meant the movie was over and he had missed the end, he turned to leave the room and ran straight into Jayne.

“Watch where yer goin’ doc” were the only words exchanged and Simon left back towards his bunk.

Jayne made his way over to the couch with the two girls on it, looked up at the screen they were watching and promptly sat down right in the middle of both of them on the couch. Kaylee gave him a confused look for a second before scooting over and making more room for him and in return of her questioning glance he said simply “What ya lookin at? I love this movie, my sister use ta make me watch it all the time with her when we was growin’ up, did I miss the part with chef Louie yet?” he asked looking at Prince Eric and Ursala’s failed marriage attempt, clearly noting it wasn’t over yet. River smiled and replied “Yeah, but we can always rewind it” she wanted to hear that song again in honor of the real life prince who finally got his princess.

Translations to the best of my ability/knowledge

mei mei: little sister

Tzao-gao: Damn it

Zhen sa: piece of nonsense

fahng-tzong fung-kwong duh jeh: knot of self indulgent lunacy

Zhòu mà : damn

Ren ci de Fo zu : merciful Buddha

tian Yesu = sweet Jesus

wo de ma: mother of God

Lao tian ye : Jesus

bao bei: sweetheart, precious/treasure

Duì bu qĭ : forgive me, I’m sorry