Disclaimer: The usual, Everything contained here is owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

***

It had been a long time since Inara Serra Reynolds had taken a walk down memory lane. It had been a long time since she had felt compelled to.

She lay awake, Mal's arms wrapped around her, holding her close. She felt so warm and safe in those arms, like she belonged. With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled into him, recalling one of the best days of her life.

...

It was about seven years ago now. They had been on the planet Angel and it had been winter. She remembered this because of the way the snow had clung to her eyelashes.

The sun had been rising, it had been dawn. The snowy landscape was bathed in orange light, taking one's breath away. She hadn't slept well and the light had called to her, drawing her outside. It must have been the same with him as well, he was standing out there alone, his breath visible in the freezing air.

Coming up beside him, she lay her hand on his arm, his warm cotton coat felt inviting compared to the silk one she wore over her gauzy gold nightgown. Smiling, he glanced at her.

"Don't you know it's cold out here?" he asked.

Not as cold as I am without you, she remembered thinking. "So is space." she said.

"True, I suppose." He turned to face her, "Though..." he trailed off, and she thought he had forgotten to breathe.

She looked down to make sure she was completely covered, seeing nothing out of place, her gaze returned to him. Smiling, she asked, "What?"

A blush crept up his face, and he blinked furiously like snow had fallen into his eye. Drawing in a deep breath, "Nothin'."

Her eyes took on a more serious tone, and her breath came a little sharper to her, partially due to the cold. She reached out and touched his arm, it had seemed the right thing to do.

Looking down at it, he looked back up at her. "It's just..." he trailed off again, "You wouldn't want to hear it anyway." he said, his gaze returning to the landscape.

"Were you going to insult me? Is my whoring nature apparent in my appearance this morning?" she asked, looking down.

His gaze returned to her sharply, a look of slight hurt on it. His head had turned so swiftly, it had drawn her attention back to it, and she knew she had misjudged. It was a pang of hurt on her heart.

"No, 'Nara, I wasn't going to insult you." he said, his tone saddened.

"Mal, I'm sorry..." she said, drawing her jacket tighter around her. Trying to bring the conversation around into a more pleasant direction, she asked him, "What were you going to say?"

His tone still had a biting sharpness to it, but it had softened some. "I was just going to say... how beautiful you looked this morning." the smile crept back to his lips, "Like a goddess, with the sunlight coming up behind you and snowflakes in your hair."

Her eyes grew foggy with what might have been unshed tears. The breath stopped in her throat, and a she shivered, even as a warm blush splashed across her face. Her body trembled, and she had to shake her head slightly to clear the numbing sensation. "Mal... I..." she couldn't pull a coherent sentence together.

It was sudden, so sudden she was hardly aware of it at first. But then, the pleasure and happiness was so acute it was hard for her mind to stay numb. His kiss was so warm and passionate, just as she had dreamt it would be, only hundreds of times better.

When he drew back, she shivered at the removal of his pleasant warmth. Taking off his warm cotton coat, he pulled it around her. "Don't you know it's cold out here?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled, biting her lip to conceal her blush. "I'm not so cold anymore." she said. "You?"

"Never been warmer." he said, drawing her into his embrace. There she had rested, warm and safe, with a feeling that she belonged there.

...

She gave another sigh of contentment and drifted off to sleep.