Disclaimer: They ain’t my characters and it ain’t my ‘verse and no money changed hands. Thank You List includes Joss and the gang for inspiration, Jacqui the Goddess of Jaylee for beta and a great deal of support and encouragement, and to my own dear big, bad man for providing certain, …er, technical resources and guidance. Bein’ as this is my very first fanfic, all comments, suggestions and feedback are most appreciated. If ya don’t wanna talk, please just click a rating. Can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s broke.

Waited Long Enough - Part Four: Girl Talk

In the candle-lit haven of Inara’s shuttle, Kaylee bent her head an’ almost purred with pleasure as Inara gently stroked the hairbrush through her thick, honey brown curls.

This ritual of mutual nurturance was precious to them both. Especially when Kaylee missed her folks back home an’ the Black seemed way too big an’ lonely, she turned to Inara, thought of her as a sort of big sister, someone she could share her feelings with, a source of comfort and guidance.

The companion’s highly trained eye had noted the recent tension on board Serenity, the kind of tension that could only come from love an’ desire gone awry. The ship’s crew were like family to her and she couldn’t help but be aware of their needs and feelings.

Sensing her friend’s confusion, Inara laid down the brush an’ turned Kaylee to face her. ‘What’s the matter, Mei-Mei?” she gently asked.

The girl’s dark eyes overflowed, as the tears she’d been holding back streamed down her pretty cheeks. “Why does lovin’ have to be so complicated, ‘Nara?” she choked out. “You’d think somethin’ that feels so good oughta make folks happy.”

“Yes, it does seem that it should.” Inara knew all too well reality wasn’t always so kind.

“Oh, ‘Nara, I don’t know what to do. I feel like such a dummy. Serenity’s a great ship and I love workin’ on her. An’ the crew – you folks are like a family to me. But a girl can get mighty lonely out here. First I got nobody interested in me, nobody