Disclaimer: If I owned them would I really be writing this? Okay so I would be…you've got me on that one.

Author's Notes: A little note here, for the story below. The name of Jayne's gun comes from the October Dallas Comic Con. Someone asked Adam what the name of his gun was in the movie and he told us he hadn't named it. Then he decided Steve was the perfect name (and thus the gun in my story is named Steve, actually I might just write a little drabble about dear ole Steve so everyone knows why he named it that, yes I came up with a perfectly good reason for it as I wrote this chapter)

Also, since I know some of us wanted to know, Adam really does play the guitar (I know 'cause I asked). That was his guitar in the movie that the prop guys added some cut outs to so it would look more futuristic. He said he didn't have enough guts to play in front of a bunch of people "like…oh say, James Marsters…guy is nuts." (his words not mine)

Again it's kind of long (4,479 words), major thanks to the best beta ever. Kim, you're a lifesaver…no really, you saved my life by betaing this. I don't think I could survive spelling minute wrong one more time.

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Kaylee stared at the squat little man behind the counter as she tried to think of the best way to get him to drop the price on the power couplings they needed for Serenity. Weren't no way she was gonna intimidate him, and the likes of her impressin' him with all her techno babble were slim. She was either gonna have to flirt her way to a 150 credit drop, or talk 'im down.

Kaylee looked from Jeorge, spelt with a J but pronounced like a G, to the power couplins she had in her hands and sighed quietly. She looked back to Jeorge, and realized there weren't no way she was gonna be able to flirt him down in price thanks to Jayne. He just had to make fun of how he spelt his name, which were all manners of ironical if you thought on it, which she did, and out loud. Honestly, she was the only one that could make fun of his name an' how he spelt it without ending up dead or hurt.

Man could be all manners of intimidatin' though, which was good for the last time. Don't much care what his name is don't change the fact that Jayne was huge and scary lookin', got a fair price on everythin' even with him pokin' fun at Jeorge's name. But that didn't do her a lick a good this go round.

Kaylee sighed again and decided on option three, get 'Nara ta do it. Ain't a soul in the 'Verse she couldn't charm one way or 'nother. Even grumpy ole Jeorge was bound to change his price fur her.

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Inara stood amongst the aisles of parts and pieces of machinery in the shop. Kaylee had run off to collect all they needed for the ship which left Inara to wander the store by herself. Oh she could have shopped with Kaylee, but when it came to the ship and what made her run Kaylee became rather single minded. Maybe single minded wasn't the word to use?

"Hey 'Nara."

Inara stopped fiddling with the piece of tubing she had been eyeing earlier, the right word for Kaylee's state of mind when it came to her 'girl' leaving as she turned to see Kaylee standing at the end of the isle.

"I need your help with somethin'." Kaylee continued as she walked towards her friend. "It'll only take a sec I swear."

"How much cheaper should whatever I'm following you for be?" Inara asked playfully as she followed the young mechanic towards the front of the store.

Kaylee turned and stared at Inara, total shock painted on her face. "'Nara! Make it sound like all I do is use ya to get things." Inara cocked her head to the side stared at the girl in front of her, her 'yes, and?' look on her face. "Okay fine, this time it is that…but I don't always do it!"

Inara smiled brightly at the mechanic as sirens sounded off in the distance. Inara and Kaylee both looked out of the store's large front windows towards where the sound was coming from.

Inara would never tell anyone, but whenever she heard that sound and the rest of the crew was on a job she would tense. She was always worried that this time, that was for them. That this time when he got shot, that would be it.

"'Nara." Kaylee was looking at the companion a bit worried.

"Let's get the things we need mei mei. I think we might want to be getting back soon."

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The spot lights above cast harsh light onto the dark alley. Everything touched by it glowed in a harsh blue white, and everything outside of the light was cast into inky black shadows.

River stared up into the light as Jayne leaned back against the trash bin they were using as cover. He inched his way to the edge of the large metal box and stared out into the alley. Steve was sitting there, just a few feet away, an' he was sure he could reach the gun 'fore he got shot. As that thought filtered across his brain two shots rang off the side of the trash bin.

Okay, he was mostly sure he could reach his gun 'fore he got shot. Jayne squatted down and gave the alley one more look before he kicked his leg out into the open and towards his recently discarded gun. This was gonna be the last time he drops his gun on a job, 'specially since it was just to get the crazy girl out of harms way. The toe of his boot barely scraped against the barrel of the gun.

With a deep growl, he pulled his leg back to the relative safety of the trash container they were hidden behind. Muttering a curse under his breath, he glared at his gun for a good long minute. Life sure was all kinds of fair, losin' his gun, getting' pinned down with crazy, getting' left behind by Mal an' Zoe. Yup, day was shapin' up to be just great! He turned to fully face his gun. Giving it one last good stare down he took a deep breath and lunged out into the open.

His hand wrapped around the barrel of his gun as a bullet hit the ground in front of him, sending a small amount of dirt into his face. With a grimace he pushed himself back to his original spot behind the trash container, gun in hand.

Jayne checked over Steve to make sure nothin' got broke when he fell to the ground. He breathed a small sigh of relief when the gun was fine, not even all that dirty from the fall. He liked this gun, been with him since just 'fore Miranda and it'd served him well at Mr. Universe's place. Hell it was almost as good as Vera, woulda been a mite upset somethin' happened to it.

Jayne looked at River, who stayed crouched down next to him. "Too much to ask that ya brought a gun?"

"No touching guns unless it's to save the crew."

Jayne growled at that. Stupid Mal, wouldn't even let the girl go on a job less'n it was just as a gorram alarm, never let her do anything 'dangerous'. It was a gorram waste of a government created super weapon if ya asked him, which no one did!

"Right…" Jayne nodded grimly and chanced one more look into the alley.

The Fed car continued to hover above them, the sound of two other aircraft landing nearby not lost on the two.

Jayne's eyes were plastered to the ever darkening sky above them, hoping he could see where the two other car's were landing so they could maybe go the other way. "That don't sound good."

River stared up into the sky as well, her hair whipping around her face as the bullets continued to fly in the alley next to them.

"We gotta get outta here girl." He said as his eyes scanned the alley for a way to escape their current problem.

River leaned around Jayne, her eyes scanning the alley for a moment. The Math came to her instantly, like breathing came to a newborn or a fish takes to water. This was what her mind was made for. Analyzing a problem and fixing it.

"Two Federal Alliance vehicles landed at the right end of the alley." Jayne stopped scanning the area to stare at the small girl next to him.

She cocked her head to the side for a moment before pointed to the building next to them. Jayne stared up to where she was pointing. There, silhouetted by the Fed's spot lights, was a group of about five men.

"Double cross."

"Well, that ain't suprisin'." He looked back to River, who was staring at him with wide and waiting eye's.

"What?"

"Now what?"

"Why ya askin' me?"

"We need a plan."

"Hell, my plan's to not get shot! I don't know 'bout you but that's all the plannin' I need."

River's face scrunched up in confusion. She shooks her head and leaned around Jayne, pointing to a large rundown building across from them. Jayne's eyes followed her outstretched arm. "Old, abandoned." She turned back to Jayne. "We can go through there. Lead us away from the gun fire…"

"And the Fed's." Jayne finished for her. He grinned and nodded in agreement. Building weren't that far, they could make it an' odds were they wouldn't get shot if they ran quick enough, especially if'n the guys on the roof kept shootin' into the main alley and didn't look over to where they were.

Jayne turned and looked back out to where Mal and Zoe were pinned down. "Okay," he turned to look back over to the old building then down to River "you stay behind me."

River nodded her consent as Jayne moved around her and to the other end of the trash bin. "Last thing I need is you gettin' your skinny ass shot" he muttered to himself.

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Mal glared up into the bright spot lights of the Fed's car, a special kind of anger filling his body.

Zoe blinked against the dirt the engines of the hover car above them kicked up and looked into the alley once again. River and Jayne were no where to be seen, somethin' she decided to take as good news, an' the shootin' had died down thanks to the Fed's.

"Sir."

Mal's head snapped to his side, a cold look in his eyes.

Zoe just nodded her head in the direction of the Mule. "Three sir."

Mal gave Zoe a small smile before they both stood, guns drawn and aimed in the general direction the firin' had come from earlier.

The two soldier's stood shoulder to shoulder, backs to the Mule, as they made there way down the alley. Gun fire, although less heavy then it began, still filled the alley. Shots pinged off of nearby walls barely missing the two.

Zoe lowered her gun and jumped into the Mule as soon as she could, moving to the controls. Mal was a good pilot but he had nothing on Wash, and if there was one thing Zoe had learned from all her time at the helm with her late husband it was how to drive.

Mal moved around the opposite side of the Mule gun still raised. The gun fire remained clustered to the middle of the alley, where the Branning brothers were still pinned down. Seemed the two groups had little interest in the crew of Serenity, which was honestly a refreshing change of pace for them.

The Mule took off out of the alley as soon as Mal had climbed on, and as soon as the light from the Fed car faded away Mal allowed himself to relax a bit. Didn't seem like they was in a chasin' mood, which boded well for them. "Radio Simon on the ship, tell him to get the bay opened and call Kaylee and 'Nara back."

Zoe grabbed up the radio and was met with nothing but static. "I'm not gettin' anything sir."

"What?"

"Radio's down."

"No! No, Kaylee said she'd fix the comms 'fore she left."

"She said she'd fix the Cortex feed 'fore she left, didn't say anything about the comms."

Mal glared at the passing scenery, they needed to get the whole crew back so they could leave as soon as possible. Longer time they spent planet side there're more things that could go wrong, an' the last they needed was for more to be goin' wrong on 'em.

"Can we radio the shuttle from here?"

Zoe squinted against the rushing wind. "No, sir."

Mal let his head fall back against the headrest of the passenger seat. "Figures. Okay we get back, send 'em a wave, they should get it quick enough, an' as soon as River n' Jayne get back we're gone, spent enough time here already."

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The door splintered and cracked flying open with little effort. One well placed foot or shoulder and the door might as well not even be there for all the good it did.

Jayne scanned the room, gun at the ready. He cautiously entered the room, giving it another scan as he walked into it.

River walked after him ever graceful, even in her giant combat boots. Jayne finished scanning the next room over before turning back to River.

"No one's here." She said in a small voice. The way she said it made him feel like she weren't really talkin' to him but more to the room itself. It was unsettlin' to say the least.

He looked at her angrily. Hell, he was all kinds of pissed so glarin' at her only angrily and not much worse were a sign of great restraint on his part. "Why didn't you tell us they was comin'?"

Rivers head snapped to look over at Jayne. She studied him for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out the best way to word her answer, or maybe just the simplest way to word it, she was talking to Jayne after all. "Wasn't listening to them. Captain wanted to know the others thoughts, so I was concentrating on them." She said staring at the big man who was armed and glowering at her. "When I stopped listening to them I heard the others."

"Oh yeah, lotta good that did us!" Jayne shouted and moved away from her toward the door on the other side of the room. "Pinned down by a bunch of ruttin' farmers with the Fed's right on there heels."

"It's not my fault." She stated firmly. He was becoming very annoying.

"No, but you could have warned us! Hell, what's the point of being a mind reading genius if'n you ain't gonna do any mind readin'?"

River simply glared at Jayne, not feeling it necessary to even try arguing with him.

"That's what I thought." He smiled smugly and left out the door.

River followed after him glaring at his back the entire way. It was times like this she really wished she could kill him with nothing more then her brain. "Ben tian sheng de yi dui rou."

Jayne stared behind him at River. "What?"

She looked up at him, her face a mask of indifference. "What are we doing now?"

Jayne frowned down at her. He knew she just said somethin' mean. "We're headin' to the docks like Mal told us to." He explained to her as if she was a small, very stupid child.

He turned and began walking again, her eyes following after him. He could just feel her glaze cutting into his back, or maybe it was burning into his back. Gorramit, he didn't care what it was doin' just that she was doin' it and it was buggin' him.

He groaned as the sound of yelling became clearer and clearer. Just his luck, he was stuck with the crazy girl on the wrong side of a wall of angry village folk and a bunch of cops.

"Great…"

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Kaylee and Inara left the aircraft store, several bags in hand, and began making there way to Inara's shuttle.

A large crowd was gathered in the middle of the street, yells filling the air around them.

"What's goin' on?"

Inara shook her head to Kaylee's rhetorical question. "I don't know." She turned to look at Kaylee. "Why don't you take these bags to my shuttle and I'll see if I can find out what's happening."

Kaylee nodded and took the two bags Inara had been caring and continued towards her shuttle.

Inara moved towards the bustling, and obviously angry, crowd. She scanned the mass of people until she spotted several local and not so local law enforcement officers.

"Excuse me?" She asked, instantly slipping into her companion roll. She gave the local officer a brilliant smile as he turned to her. "I was wondering if you could tell me what was going on?"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, ma'am, just had a bit of trouble in town today with some illegal imports. We're settin' up a few check points 'round the city."

"Oh, well, my ship is in the docks."

"Don't worry, ma'am. We'll have the whole thing sorted out 'fore tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked in disbelief "But, isn't that quite a long time?"

The young man smiled at her. "Sorry, ma'am, but it's the best we can do. You can start makin' your way through the check points, but odds're you ain't gonna make it back to your ship 'fore they shut down the docks."

Inara stared at the young man before her, this was bad. "Thank you." She said quietly before moving away towards her shuttle and Kaylee.

They were in trouble, and that meant Mal would do something very stupid. It was his way. When he was in trouble, he either did something extremely brave or something insanely stupid.

Inara stared at the blocked off roads and the surging crowds, held back by a small wall of Alliance soldiers all of whom were armed. "Oh, I hope he hasn't gotten himself shot."

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"Gorramit! I wish I'da gotten shot!" Mal yelled as he stared at the few patrol men stationed at the edge of the docks. "Woulda been less trouble then all'a this!"

Three police stood, a small road block between them. The Fed backup must have been caught up at the moment, woulda been a much bigger road block and a good deal more men had they been there. Good thing they had gone the long way 'round, the roads must've been blocked to high heaven they'da gone through town.

"Only three of them sir, we could plow through. Serenity ain't that far in."

Mal nodded grimly, this weren't lookin' to be one of there better days. "We don't get to the ship soon…"

"We ain't leavin." Zoe finished for him.

"Do it Zo'." Mal ordered, sitting back in his seat.

Zoe revved the Mules engine and charged towards road block. The police got out of the way as the Mule crashed through the small road block, sending small bits of wood flying.

The Mule sped along the dock and towards Serenity, Mal punching in the bay doors opening code as they got near.

Simon walked out of the infirmary at the sound of the bay doors opening. He stood in the doorway of the cargo bay and watched as the Mule pulled in. Mal jumped out of the passenger seat and marched towards the stairs.

"What happened?"

Mal continued to march up the stairs and pointedly ignored the doctor.

"What happened!" Simon asked again, louder and a good deal more annoyed then before.

"Deal went South, as usual." Zoe offered stepping down from the Mule, and moving towards the stairs to follow Mal.

"No, Zoe, this weren't exactly usual." Mal shouted over his shoulder, taking the steps two at a time. "We usually get shot at, we usually get double crossed. Hell, we even got to run from the Feds some of the time, but we ain't ever gotten split up. Not like this."

Simon stared after the two, only half way up the stairs himself. "The Feds...what happened?"

"Not rightly sure." Zoe turned to look at the doctor as he entered the mess hall hot on her heels. She stared at him as stoic as ever as Mal stormed onto the bridge. "Just know we got fired at then the Feds showed up."

"Zoe! Bridge now. We're leavin'." Mal shouted from the front.

"Wait, what! What about the others? We can't just leave them!" Simon was frantic; there was no other way to describe it.

He was scared for River. This was exactly why she shouldn't go on runs with them; it wasn't safe. They had been fired at, and then the Feds had showed up. He seriously doubted that whoever decided it was a good idea to shoot at the crew would much care about one young girl, and the Alliance didn't exactly share a love for the Tam siblings.

"Simon, we don't leave now. We ain't gonna." Mal told the doctor, in the calmest voice he could muster. He felt for the doctor. He understood how hard it must be for him. He wasn't just leavin' the girl he cared for behind, but his mei mei as well, an' who knew if she's okay or not. "Feds been tightenin' down on the planets they feel they got a claim to ever since Miranda an' you know that."

Zoe took the second controls as Mal started getting Serenity ready to fly.

"They're bound to be shuttin' down the docks an' doin' searches." Mal continued to explain to the doctor.

"They might've seen the Mule. If they did, we're as good as dead they search us." Zoe added, a hint of anxious fear in her eyes, betraying her usually stoically calm attitude in tense situations.

"We take off, head to one of Harvest's moons an' hold out 'till they relax some. We'll be back to pick up the others 'fore you know it, Doc."

Simon looked from Mal to the view of the grassy rolling hills out of the front window. Large black clouds were gathering on the horizon, and Simon couldn't help but feel that they echoed his mood perfectly.

He breathed out and stood a little straighter as Mal flipped the three overhead switches and Serenity took off.

The ship rose into the air with no problems, something Mal was very excited about, meant the Alliance hadn't gotten to land lockin' anyone, which meant they hadn't gotten to sending out any patrol to stop ships from leavin'.

Mal allowed himself a small smirk. They'd gotten the pay, the Fed's didn't catch 'em, and he hadn't gotten shot. All in all it was lookin' to be one of their finer days.

The ship entered atmo, a might bit smoother then it entered too. As the ship continued through it began to shake viciously.

"I remember this part." Mal muttered under his breath.

The ship bucked violently and began to shake harder. "I think this is worse then before." Zoe shouted over the sound of the ship's shaking.

As they left atmo, the shaking came to an end and was replaced by something that Mal compared to being shot. The ship gave one more fierce buck, and everything went black.

"What the hell just happened?"

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"She's gonna shake apart 'Nara!" Kaylee was anxiously pacing, wringing her hands in front of her and sniffling as she tried to fight back tears. "Without the parts she needs the ship aint gonna make it much furthern' atmo at the best…. An' at worse…"

"Kaylee." Inara cut her off before she could let the images of the worse case scenario play out in her mind. The companion walked over to the still pacing girl and took her by the shoulders. "I'm sure they're fine. They always are." She offered a small smile to the frazzled girl as she sat her down on the couch in her shuttle.

"Yeah, always." Kaylee said bitterly, angrily wiping at the tears she couldn't keep in. "'Cept the time Capn' got shot, or the time River, Simon an' Jayne got caught by the Feds, or the time the Cap'n died, or the time Zoe got thrown 'cross the room and was knocked out for more'n a day, or the time…"

"But they're all still here." Inara again cut her off.

Inara had this dance memorized. This is what happened when something went horribly wrong, which was pretty much all the time, so she was ready for it each time. Kaylee would cry and blame herself, or just cry and think up the worse possible thing that could happen, and Inara would comfort her. Inara would sooth the girl's overly worried mind, which would help sooth her own overly worried mind. Comforting Kaylee, making her calm, brought calm over Inara that no amount of meditating could in these situations. If it weren't for Kaylee, Inara would be the one pacing the room and fighting back tears.

"They're all still here, and perfectly fine Kaylee." Inara offered Kaylee a sweet smile, one she saved for use with her family on Serenity. No client or fellow companion was ever privileged to this smile. Well, Mal had never seen it either, but that was for completely different reasons. "If I know anything, it's Malcolm Reynolds ability to live through anything…He's like a cockroach that way."

Kaylee sniffled lightly and gived Inara a watery smile. "Ain't nice to be comparin' him to bugs," She wiped at her watery eyes with the sleeve of her mostly clean coveralls. "'Specially since he could be floatin' up in atmo in itty bitty pieces."

Inara gave Kaylee another one of her smiles and pulled the girl in for a hug. She laid her cheek against the top of Kaylee's head and rubbed comforting circles on her back. "A cockroach can live for a week without its head."

Kaylee gave out one small sad snort of laughter and smiled at that.

"I'm sure they're fine Kaylee." Inara squeezed the girl a little tighter in what she hoped could pass for a hug considering their position and already tight embrace. "Watch, everything will turn out just fine."

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"Everything's gone to hell!" Jayne shouted over his shoulder to the small girl following him.

Jayne stomped toward the docks, plowing through the bustling crowd. River following in the wake his larger form created.

They had marched straight to the dock, just like the captain ordered. Through more'n there fair share of Feds and check points and the whole gorram trip was starting to wear on Jayne's last nerve.

He was fuming, furious, livid even. Ain't two ways about it Jayne was pissed. Took him an' the girl damn near an hour an' a half of walkin' to get to the gorram docks, a trip that took a matter of ten minutes on the Mule. Granted it mighta had somethin' to do with all the check points, but that weren't the point! Point was he had spent entirely too much time tryin' to get back to the gorram ship, an' all thanks to some ju tou farmers and the yang gui zi Alliance.

His strides began to lengthen and pick up in speed as they neared Serenity's docking spot. The sooner he got on the boat, the sooner they could take off and he could be done with this whole ruttin' thing. He turned the last corner and came to an immediate halt which caused River to almost collide with him.

"Where the hell is the gorram ship?"

TBC

The only way to write is to listen to the Firefly soundtrack non-stop and type like mad, that's what I learned last night.

Okay folks, what do you think? Be honest, it'll help make me better.