Title: A Smuggler & a Gentleman

Rating: G

Pairing: M/I

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing

Author's Notes: Due to my work schedule, I can honestly only ever work on this on Sat evenings and Sundays, so I probably won't be posting at all during the week. I figured I'd post what I have so far so you guys get a general idea of where I might take this story.

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“Where is he?” Inara asked Zoe as the rest of the crew gathered around the cargo bay waiting to see her and the Captain off on their first non-related criminal outing together.

Kaylee was ecstatic to finally see the two people she admired so much finally making a go of it even though Inara knew Mal and Zoe were the only ones that knew he was doing it strictly as a favor to her.

Although, the word strictly could be used loosely since they are talking about the Captain and Inara.

Zoe simply smiled that enigmatic smile like she knew something nobody else did while her husband Wash stood beside her with a grin and a waiting joke if the crew needed one.

Simon, Jayne and Book on the other hand stood by quietly making chore bets to see how long the Captain would last and River, for the most part, looked particularly calm throughout the whole situation. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone considering her growing control of her reading abilities.

“Ooh, here he comes!” Kaylee jumped excitedly while everyone waited in rapt attention. They could hear the light sounds of Mal’s footsteps, and when he finally appeared, no one was prepared for the sight they saw.

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The men’s jaws dropped. Kaylee ogled. Zoe looked smug. River smiled proudly and Inara stood—transfixed at the transformation of the man she had always thought to be a rugged, uncivilized and totally not a part of her world. In just seconds, everything she thought she knew about Malcolm Reynolds blew up in flames, and from its ashes rose a man she didn’t quite expect to come out of it.

Dressed in a black tailored 2-button notch tux that fit his frame perfectly, he wore a