Kaylee and River had been pestering Mal for over an hour to get to go for a dip in the creek at the planet they’d landed on. They’d followed him from one end of the boat to the other, towels and sun parasols in hand, until he finally relented.

“Fine! Shoo! Just no skinny dippin’. Goes double for Jayne. An’ don’ nobody come hollerin’ t’ me if ya get sunburnt!”

The girls chattered happily as they scampered down the gangway in their cheap flip-flops, followed by Simon, Jayne and Zoe. Mal was shaking his head at the exhuberance of youth when he caught sight of Inara, descending the stairs outside her shuttle.

She was wearing a white terry robe, fancier sandals than those of River or Kaylee, and carrying a basket, presumably filled with a towel and other bath sundries. He deduced she was joining the rest of his crew.

Was it a bad thing that he noticed she had on bright red toe polish? If so, it must be a really bad thing that somehow he couldn’t make the no skinny dipping rule apply to her.

“Off to join the mutiny, I see.”

“Mal, I would hardly call going for a swim to be a mutiny. You are welcome to join us.”

Prolly not a good time to ‘fess that he didn’t even have a bathing suit to his name. Or that his dreams that night were guaranteed to be full of not just a naked Inara, but one who was wet as well.

“No, y’all go on and join the others. Peace and quiet here’ll do me some good.”

She cocked her head at him as though she was about to say something, but then shrugged, smiled at him and followed the path out from the cargo bay that the others had taken.

Half an hour later, the peace and quiet was about to drive him monkeyshit. He lifted one arm and sniffed experimentally. Mebbeso a dunk would do him some good after all. And as long as he could find himself a secluded spot, he supposed it was OK to break the no skinny dipping rule on his own account.

Gathering up a towel and one or two of the fancy little soaps he’d kiped from Inara right before she left, he made sure Serenity was butt