Mal showed up at the door to Inara's shuttle right on time. For the past two months, she'd been giving him dancing lessons once a week in preparation for Kaylee and the doc's wedding.

Couldn't have the best man looking like a newborn calf out on the dance floor, after all. Especially when he'd have to escort inara as maid of honor. Can Companions actually consider themselves maids?

Truth be told, he also didn't mind that it gave him a perfect excuse to actually get to hold her. And Buddha be blessed, they actually had managed to not fight during any of the lessons.

Now, however, with the wedding only three days away (as Kaylee reminded everyone within earshot on a regular basis), this was the final lesson. Which meant that soon enough, they'd be back to a difference dance.

One that mainly seemed to consist of one step up and two steps back.

He was surely gonna miss what she felt like in his arms when this gorram wedding was all done. One more thing for him to remember her by alone at night.

The clock on the sidetable softly chimed when the hour was up.

"Hour's up, Mal. And I guess that's the last class before the big day."

"Time flies."

She smiled and moved to pour tea for them, a ritual they had picked up at the end of every lesson.

"You've made a great deal of progress since we started these lessons, Mal. I think you'll have the women lined up for a dance."

"Well, seein' as that consists of you, the blushin' bride, Zoe and the lil' albatross, that ain't sayin' much. Please...tell me I'm not expected to dance with Jayne."

She laughed. "Fortunately, you're off the hook for that."

Mal looked relieved. "Hey, Inara, can I come back again next week?"

She looked surprised. "The wedding will be over then. Unless there's another set of impending nuptials I don't know about."

"No. Just that, you know, never know when knowing how to dance might come in handy. For jobs and the like."

"Jobs? Mal, what jobs would you be taking where you think knowing how to dance would be useful?"

He thought for a moment. "OK, well, there was that shindig on Persephone. Needed to know how to dance for that."

"True enough."

"Or for, you know, sweeping the ladies off their feet."

"Plural?"

He grinned at her, stood up and extended an arm toward her for them to take up dancing again.

"Well, one in particular. Now can you show me that dipping move again?"