It was her scent that did him in. Not the incense or the candles or even her fancy bath smellies. No, it was her, pure and simple. Damn shuttle had even smelled of it after she left. A bit of nightblooming jasmine lingering around the edges to remind him that it was once more than just bare walls.

When he finally came to her, desperate to touch another living human being skin-to-skin after so much death, he spent a good 10 minutes just inhaling that scent. Inhaling her.

Buddha have mercy on his soul, but even her scent was enough to make him ache in places and in ways he thought he'd never get to have again.

He had a dim thought as he traveled down her torso that his three-day growth was probably scratching her up something fierce. On the other hand, the noises she was making didn't sound the least bit like complaints, and he'd heard enough complaining noises out of her the past two years to know the difference.

Down to the source of that maddening, intoxicating scent that had invaded his dreams and driven him near on round the bend for those two years. Nuzzling up against her core, he just wanted to breathe it in.

He wondered if she tasted half as good as she smelled. Only one way to find out for sure.

A quick flick of the tongue and he had nis answer. As did she, apparently, judging by the continual non-complaining she was doing.

Lingering for a bit, before realizing that the job needed finishing proper. Working his way back up, with that scent now permanently seared onto his brainpan. Taking the part of him that had ached for so long to get to this moment and slowly, carefully sliding...

"Mal? Mal? Are you OK?"

"Mmmm...yeah, darlin'. You just smell so good."

"Aren't you even going to kiss me?"

"Tell me somethin', Inara."

"'Something.'"

"You smell this good all over?"