Malcolm Reynolds’ crew landed on Avery with a sigh of relief as loud as Serenity’s engine. The dust had settled from Miranda and with no contacts, the little money the Alliance had thrown them and a space-weary crew, Mal had made the only decision that made sense to him.

“Time off,” he said to his assembled crew. “Took Zoë and I a good amount of time to find a planet that we got no trouble on,” he paused, mostly for Captain-y effect, “but we think we’ve found it.”

“Avery has apples,” River replied grinning.

“It does at that, in fact looks like we arrived just in time for their harvest festival, so you folks go play. Y’all earned it. Ship leaves at sunset in two days. Questions?”

Six sets of eyes looked at Mal, shaking their heads, smiling, excited to have permission to be capricious once again.

River hopped up to Inara like an excited puppy. ”Will you braid my hair before we go?”

“Of course, may I have some time to find a few ribbons and things? Will you meet me in my shuttle in ten minutes?” she asked standing up.

River nodded, “Captain, I need to see you on the bridge, please.”

Mal was out the door and into the hall. He poked his head back into the room and nodded. “I’ll be there directly,” he said walking away.

River looked at the remaining crew and grinned mischievously. “I have a plan.”

The crew walked off the cargo bay ramp and scattered faster then usual. Jayne had gotten a tip on a card game played by some of the orchard hands after dark. He and Zoë were off to make a little coin.

Simon and Kaylee took off in another direction hand in hand, with River behind them, babbling on about crafts. Mal and Inara realized very quickly that they were left standing alone.

Mal turned to watch Zoë as she walked off and feeling his eyes on her, she turned and winked.

Inara looked to Kaylee, but was surprised when River turned, grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

Open mouthed with surprise, the two turned to look at each other.

“Miss Serra,” offered Mal, “I do believe we’ve been set up.”

She raised her eyebrows, eyes warm, “I believe we have.”

“Still, it would be my pleasure to escort you,” he said bowing and offered his arm.

Inara took it laughing, and they caught each other’s eyes for a second seeing any number of things that caused them to look away. Hope, sparks of passion and that other thing, the thing neither one of them even wanted to admit they were thinking about.

You know… the thing that keeps ‘er in the air.

The moment passed, but was heavy between them as they walked off, arm in arm.

“I love this time of year,” Inara said. “The leaves never changed color on Sihnon. The seasons were so mild it was always green there. The trees are so pretty when they change. It is quite worthy of it’s own celebration.”

Mal nearly melted in the chilly air to see this part of her. She so rarely let herself be her in relation to whom she was expected to be. Mal had seen more of that woman in the last month or so, but it still gave him pause.

“Nara,” Mal said, looking off into the distance a bit, “I’m gonna make an educated guess and say that you haven’t ever been on a hayride.”

She shook her head and eyed him warily.

“Then I would be remiss in my courtin’ duties if I let this opportunity slip by,” he grabbed her and before she could protest, dragged her to the old, hay filled mule. “Ahem,” Mal cleared his throat and shook his head as Inara lifted the ends of her skirt to climb up. “For full effect,” he said, lifting her up at the waist and placing her gently onto the hay.

He jumped in next to her with a huff noticing the goose bumps that had formed on her arms where her shawl had fallen. “You cold, ‘Nara?” he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her arms with his hands. His touch left hot streaks on her skin as he went, which surprised her, but certainly warmed her up.

Not anymore, she thought to herself, but smiled at him. “Thank you, Mal.”

The ride was bumpy, as hayrides had been for centuries, the mule specifically tuned that way for the occasion, and they kept bumping into each other, blushing and moving away as they did. When the ride was over, Mal lifted Inara down and they found themselves inches away from each other’s faces, his hands still wound around her waist. The light in her eyes had never made her intentions more clear to him than they were at that moment and finally, finally, it felt right. It felt real.

“Excuse me,” nodded an oblivious farmer as he tried to squeeze between the two, lifting his young daughter on the back of the mule.

Pulling back from the near-kiss, Inara blushed a bit and Mal used it to pretend she was still chilly. “It’s getting colder as the night gets on. You want to get back to Seren-“

“No,” she said a little too quickly. Fast enough that Mal had to fight off his grin. “I have never been to anything quite like this, she backpedaled, ”It’s very charming.”

Mal nodded, “Border folk do know how throw a party.” He chuckled and looked around. “You know what you need?”

“What do I need?” her skin was shivering, but her core was warm and bright.

“Cider.”

Inara found a bench for them to sit on as Mal returned with two steaming cups of sweet smelling liquid.

“Better?” Mal asked as he sat next to her, taking a sip himself. She nodded and smiled as he looked up at the night sky. “You really love it up there, don’t you?”

“It’s where my home is. Whatever is left of it is up there. My momma used to sit with me in the meadow outside the barn and point out constellations and formations to me. Liked to tell me that my head stayed up there ‘til someone told me no. Then my feet hit the ground runnin.’”

They laughed; the shadow that always fell over his face when he talked about his home delayed, but present. Inara put a hand over his.

“She would have been proud of you. You know that, don’t you?”

Mal nodded, “I can only hope.”

Breaking from his reverie and eager to change the subject he suddenly felt the hand on top of his, “Aiya woman, you are freezin’. “Here,” he cupped her hands and brought them to his lips and blowing warm air into the space between them. After a few minutes neither of them had let go and both were surprised and enthralled by how easy and comfortable it all seemed. Mal pulled back first.

“Getting late,” he stumbled, eyes darkening. “Think I should be headin’ back. Need to do a few things before the rest of the crew gets back.” Inara nodded and took his arm to walk back to the ship with him, hiding her disappointment under her years of training.

Nearly half way back to the ship, Inara stopped at a vendor selling candied apples. She watched with a good deal of awe as a dark skinned man in a chefs hat dipped an apple in melted caramel and then rolled it in chopped walnuts. “That is the most decadent thing I have ever seen,” she said, eyes wide.

“Then we had best buy you one,” said Mal as he began walking towards the booth’s register.

“Oh, Mal, no it’s fine. I didn’t mean-“

“Too late,” he said grinning slyly and handing her the apple that the vendor had been making. He had a candied one for himself. “Ain’t too often a fancy lady such as yourself gets to enjoy the simple things-“

“Hey, fella, why don’tcha win something for your lady there?” Mal was interrupted by a barker from a nearby shooting game.

Mal waved as they walked by.

“Aww, come on! What, are you worried you’ll embarrass yourself in front of your girlfriend there?” The barker had guessed, and correctly, that Mal was both an excellent shot and a man who could not turn down a challenge. The five bits he got for a game would still turn a profit, even if he did have to give away a prize.

Inara cringed at last statement, hoping this would not end, as most of their outings did, with a fist fight. Mal saw the look on her face as he turned to face the barker. “Fine,” he said, jaw tightening and eyes narrowing. “’Nara, if you would hold this please?” he asked, handing her his apple.

“Mal,” Inara took the apple and said, voice pleading,” Just shoot the ducks, please?”

“You just worry on choosing your prize, Darlin’. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Five pings in a row and all the tin ducks were down. The barker nodded, “Little lady, whatever you want is yours.”

Mal looked over the prizes, a variety of stuffed animals, model airplanes and other cheap trinkets he could not imagine Inara ever keeping in her shuttle. It was then his eyes fell on the bags of goldfish in the middle of the table. One in particular caught his eye. Swear it looks like that fish is looking at me like he knows somethin’ I don’t, Mal thought a little uncomfortably.

“I’ll take that one,” Inara said picking up the bag with the creepyfying goldfish in it. “Thank you, Mal. I love him. I have the perfect bowl for him too.”

She wrapped the bag in her shawl, “Now we really do have to get back, I don’t want anything to happen to our new crew member here.”

“The fish is crew?”

She grinned “He is now.”

The ship was still empty when they arrived and Mal walked Inara and the fish to the door of her shuttle. She was holding the bag that had the fish in it with both hands.

“Well, I think the crew needs to be severely punished for settin’ us up like this,” said Mal, his smile and the twinkle in his eye contrary to his words.

“Oh, yes”, Inara said grinning, “thirty lashes.”

“Don’t go tellin’ Jayne that, he’ll take you up on it.”

“Mal, I had a wonderful time,” Inara put the fish safely on the floor to put a hand on his arm to make sure she had his attention. “Thank you, truly.”

“Inara,” he said leaning into her,”do you think I might, well I guess I’m askin’-“

“Mal,” she said, tilting his chin up to assure he looked her in the eye. She let her fingers slide around to the back of his neck and looked up at him. ”You would be remiss in your courtin’ duties if you didn’t.”