So there I was taking a break from making my Inara costume for Dragon*Con, chatting with AgentOmega, when I made the mistake of asking “What should I do next?” Now, anyone who knows AgentOmega knows he has an insatiable desire for Mal/Inara fics, so his natural suggestion was that I write a nice bit of Mal/Inara fluff occurring after they get together. And although I’ve taken a long break from Firefly fic to work on an original story, I decided to oblige. So here it is.

*~* Forever’s First Kiss

“One, two, rock step,” Mal counted the rhythm as he practiced the dance in his bunk. The music was solely in his head, lest he be overheard by someone above deck. He pretzeled his arms around his imaginary partner, spun her out, then brought her in for a dip. It was all in the legs – a stripper back on Beaumonde taught him that just last night. Mal wasn’t really the bachelor party type, but Simon had insisted and Jayne wasn’t about to turn down a trip involving alcohol – especially since Simon had offered to pick up the tab. So the three of them had headed to town for a bachelor party of sorts, and Mal ended up spending half the night getting dance lessons from a stripper – a rather short, spindly lady with more knowledge of ballroom and court dancing than one would expect from a woman in her profession. Mal wasn’t accustomed to underestimating people like that. He reached for his capture and replayed the dance lesson, watching his arms, wishing he had someone to practice with who wouldn’t spill the beans to Inara. Four days from the wedding, and he intended to spin her and dip her at every conceivable opportunity from the first kiss to the first dance. He only wished he could practice with her once or twice so they were in agreement on where her arms went… As of last week he’d been adamant that they wouldn’t have a formal first dance because it was a silly tradition and he only knew a few different court dances and didn’t like any of them. Inara had shrugged her agreement, probably grateful that he’d agreed to any form of ceremony at all – and in a church no less! He figured he could get the music to the band by way of Inara’s little brother, and make sure that a few other couples would join in before too long. He only knew the three moves and everyone would have their pictures within the first five measures anyhow. Mal shut off the capture and went to prowl around the ship. Maybe find food from the galley. He wasn’t quite sure what had possessed them to not see each other the three days before the wedding, but it was driving him absolutely stir crazy. He went to the bridge first to check the status of things, even though they were mostly powered down and had been planet-side for a week. You never know. Inara may have called and left a message… No such luck. But on the plus side, it was after midnight. Three days till the wedding.

*~*

Inara was sharing a bed with Kaylee, but she considered getting up and going to the couch. Not that her young friend kicked or anything. She just felt the need to be alone with her thoughts and the couch seemed better for that. Leaving Serenity had been a bad idea. She should have made Mal leave. Men need a hot shower, a towel, and a tux to prepare for a wedding. Women need so much more, and Inara kept finding things she’d left behind. Her face soap, her walking shoes, her sanity. She’d shared a bed with Mal for three years, and now three days apart was supposed to satisfy her parent’s twisted sense of propriety. But then, it had been her idea, and it did seem very romantic at the time. Inara rolled out of bed, but didn’t make it to the couch before she fell into pacing, starting to think she’d spent too much on the centerpieces. Spent too much on the flower arrangements. Spent too much on the whole affair! Still, it was nice seeing her family together. Her old friends. Mal’s old friends. They’d had the rehearsal dinner at a ranch owned by one of Mal’s friends from the war. They’d grilled fresh beef and thrown horseshoes until the wee hours of the morning. Inara had never seen her parents engage in something so rustic, and yet they seemed to love every minute of it. She laughed at the memory. It had been a good night for them to part before the wedding. Both happy, filled with good memories of the day. They wouldn’t see each other again until the wedding. Twisting the ring on her finger, Inara tiptoed into the other room to admire her dress again until she felt tired enough to sleep.

*~*

Mal was nervous for many reasons. He was nervous he’d forget the words he was supposed to say. Nervous he’d try and put the ring on the wrong finger like he’d done in the rehearsal. Nervous about what this meant for the rest of his life. He stood at the front of the aisle, trying not to think about the ring of sweat he felt on his collar and at the same time wondering if the suit rental place charged extra for stuff like that. He’d already lost two buttons on the vest. The bridal party began their entrance two-by-two. Kaylee first, on Monty’s arm. Zoë was in a dress, but stood at his side as Best Woman. Inara’s little brother was on the opposite side as Man of Honor. Inara’s parents had protested and he’d been sure Inara would succumb to their will, but she’d stood her ground on that point. It didn’t make sense to flip it about. It just didn’t. Kaylee’s firstborn dropped rose petals down the aisle, stopping half-way down to give her daddy a kiss. Simon bent down graciously to receive it, then shooed his little girl onward to the front. She dropped the basket of petals and ran to Kaylee’s side and held her hand. Stifled laughter rippled through their audience. And then the music changed. The world was white with the light of a thousand suns and smiling angels. Mal felt his knees go weak and his eyes mist over as he watched his bride walking down the aisle. Her face was painted its normal shade of gorgeous, but her expression was the most priceless and genuine he’d ever seen. Peace. Comfort. Happiness. Home. He was suddenly glad they’d spent the last three days apart. And that they would spend the rest of their lives together. If asked later, he couldn’t say for sure if he attended the ceremony. All he saw was Inara. All he felt was joy. And when the time came for the first kiss, he wrapped his arms around her, turned her to the side, and took her into that dip he’d been practicing the last four days without her. She laughed in surprise, but held him just as she was supposed to. As if they’d been practicing together. Their lips met for a brief forever, and Mal caught himself justifying a longer kiss with the excuse that people needed time to get their pictures. When he brought her up again, she leaned her forehead against his. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” He smirked deviously, nipping her lips once more. “Day’s not over yet.”

*~*