Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, just writing for fun!

Sorry for the delay, I have been out of town for the past two weekends and haven't been too inspired as of late. Hope you guys like it! Please comment!:D

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Inara cringed as the hatch to Mal's bunk opened with a loud creaking noise. She had quietly slipped from his arms early that morning, all the emotions from last night spent, and now she just wanted to hide. She couldn't face him, everything was still raw and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself or what she had ventured into. She leaned back making sure to listen for footfalls, just to reassure herself that he was still asleep. She emerged from the opening and pulled the hatch closed as silently as possible, then stood in the hallway. Inara didn't know where to go. Her shuttle was still filled with the trappings of a life she may possibly no longer be a part of and the hatch she faced held a man that confused her even more than the situation she was in now.

"'Nara?"

Inara turned quickly to face Kaylee, who was standing at the base of the steps inside the galley. Inara felt the urge to run but resisted as Kaylee smiled brightly, one hand rubbing the left side of her very pregnant belly and the other carrying a plate of fresh fruit that they had picked up just the other day. Everyone on the ship spoiled Kaylee with little gifts of fruit or sweets, even Jayne had bought her a full bag candy, though he gave it to her in private, not wanting the rest of the crew to see his softer side. Inara's eyes began to well when she thought of her friend being so delighted in sharing the treasure she had received. Kaylee had beamed when she opened the bag and Inara appropriately responded with a smile of her own, but it was just a guise, a trained pretext to hide the overwhelming heartache she experienced every time she laid eyes on this precious girl.

"Hey you," she responded as she collected herself and made her wa