Chapter 4- Just makin' sure
Summary: I'm just makin' sure…

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Simon was slightly startled by River's sudden movement. He held onto her tightly. Although barely audible, he made out the word, "Mal."

"It's alright, mei mei. The captain and the others are meeting Inara's friends-"

"No. No. No. No. It is not alright!" she struggled against his grasp.

"Sh, just calm down. He'll be back soon, I promise."

"Let her go."

"River-"

"LET HER GO!"

He let go and she ran for the door. He didn't want her leaving her room after what happened on Newhope. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"I don't want you wandering after what-"

She elbowed him in the chest, spinning around to face him. She kicked him, hard, and then punched him. He staggered back, collapsing against her nightstand. He lost consciousness before he even hit the floor and she was already half way through the cargo bay.

She hit the button to the ramp and ran up it as soon as it was at the right angle. She slid in between the open space, landing gracefully on the long green blades of grass on the other side without even slowing down. He was shot—again—and that's all that mattered. He was all that mattered.

She made it to the door. She kicked it down with her bare foot, still running at her top speed. The hinges gave way to the dancer's foot and she peeled down the hallway, only pausing to snap "Ty's" neck. He was really a Fed in disguise and Lihua and Michael Chi's killer.

****

"Mal!" Inara cried as she dropped to his side. One of the Feds grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to her feet.

"Take them. Two to a room. Make sure to tie them up tightly. We don't want any…interruptions…"

Zoe pulled her gun out with some difficulty. The cast on her hand was cumbersome to put it mildly. They caught onto what she was doing, restrained her, and took the gun.

Jayne would have done the same, but his wrist was broken and his other was still swollen. He tried to head butt the man coming at him. However, the stitches on the back of his head pulled and he stumbled back with a yelp.

Jayne was tossed in with Kaylee, Inara with Shepherd, and Wash with Zoe since Wash clung to her when they tried to split them up.

The two men in blue gloves towered over the firefly captain and Browncoat with identical smirks.

"Give us the room."

The rest of the Feds cleared out and they were left with Mal.

"So Captain,"

"here we are again."

"Where is River Tam?"

Mal looked up at them with a weak, but still cocky, smile.

"She's right here," River called. Mal looked up at her with wide eyes, not even bothering to hide the fear he was feeling. Gorramit River! Get outta here!
She ignored Mal's mental message and focused on the monsters in blue gloves. She took a step towards them, eyes locked on their dark forms.

"She doesn't want to play for you anymore. She isn't your toy."

"She won't be for much longer."

Mal slid towards a nearby pillar, hoping to find something to use to stand. His gun was nearby anyhow, but after last time he wasn't really sure what could kill them.

"She's like you. She doesn't die easily," River shot back.

The blue hands looked at each other, pulled the little stick out, and snapped it in two.

"We're playing fairly, River."

"One last playtime before she grows up," River said softly.

Mal was almost in reach of his gun. The blue hand closest to it kicked it away without even looking down.

"This is between River Tam and us, Captain Reynolds."

"We'll get to you eventually."

"Enjoy the show."

He hated how their words flowed together. It was just creepifying.

River stared them down before all three of them made an equal advancement. Then the fighting began.

A duck, a twirl, a punch, a kick, a dodge, it was all dance steps to her. She took a bad punch in the gut. Mal winced just watching her and then resumed his way towards the pillar. He didn't care what they said. He wasn't going to sit back and watch them beat on his sweetheart.

She kicked the one on the right hard enough to make him fall back, freeing up her time with the other one. Unlike Mal, she knew their secret source of freakish power. She tackled the one closest to her to the fancy marble floor and ripped open his shirt. Mal looked at her like, "What the hell?"

She reached the bright blue armor beneath and the connectors holding it to his body. She punched him and reached for the elegant porcelain chopsticks. He writhed under her as she dug in between his flesh and the armor. One side disconnected. She was about to free the other side, the last step before prying the thing off and being able to actual kill him, when the other grabbed her by the nape of her neck, effectively pulling her to her feet.

Her body twisted in away that both disgusted and amazed them all and her heel hit him in the forehead powerful enough to make a sick cracking sound. He fell back again and she returned to the one still bleeding on the floor. She pried it off, leaving the bloody, blue upper body cast abandoned on the floor.

Mal finally got onto his feet. That's all he needed before he could get back into battle mode. He staggered over to the bloody not-anymore-blue hand. He grabbed him by his tie, dragging him to his feet. A few punches later, he finally snapped his neck. Mal paused and pressed his fingers to the body's neck. Nothing. Just to be sure he picked up the nearest gun, Zoe's, and shot him five times in various places.

River was still sparring with the other. Mal shot him in the head so he'd let up and fall down. It worked and River pried the armor off. He did the same to the not-anymore-blue hand that he did to the dead guy.

She turned to Mal and her eyes instantly found the red spot on his light blue shirt, right in the center of his chest. He was pale and swaying from side to side. She grabbed his arm and forced him to sit down on a table. She ripped open his shirt and pressed her hand to the gushing bullet wound.

"You should have stayed put. Your heart is beating faster than it normally should, sending more blood through your body. You might bleed out if you don't get help soon," her voice shook more than she did, and that was saying something.

"I'll be fine. Go free the others."

He put his hand over hers for a brief moment with a little smile. She nodded, furiously wiping away a tear with her crimson hand. She rushed off. While she was gone, he got up and kicked both bodies more than once.

"Just makin' sure…" he muttered to himself.

Jayne and Kaylee were the first to appear.

"CAP'IN!" Kaylee cried.

"I'm fine. Go get the doc 'n Jayne, get some grenades."

"Grenades?" Jayne asked.

"I'm just makin' sure," he repeated.

Jayne didn't ask. Any excuse to see a boom was okay with him.

Shepherd and Inara were next. They both fussed over him. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine."

"No offense Mal, but you have a large hole in your chest with an alarming amount of your blood gushing out of it and you look awful."

"I've been shot! I'm sorry if I don't look my best!"

Zoe arrived next. Mal gave her a confused look. "Where's-"

Wash followed closely behind, carrying River in his arms.

"River?" Mal asked. He knew that he shouldn't let his emotions take control, especially since a faster heart rate wasn't exactly a good idea at the moment.

"I'm alright," she said softly. She painfully wiggled her bare toes. Her feet were beat to hell. She took out seventeen guys, a door, and fought with the not-anymore-blue hands without shoes.

Zoe took over Inara's position of holding a napkin to his wound.

"Ow, not so hard!" Mal complained.

"Sorry, Sir. I'm just tryin' to save your life."

"Does anyone know about what happened to Lihua?" Inara asked hopefully.

"They were killed. They're in their bedroom…sleeping…" River said softly. Inara's face fell and Shepherd put a comforting arm around her.

"We're waitin' on Jayne, Kaylee, 'n the doc…" Mal informed them.

"About Simon…" River trailed off.

"Darlin'?"

Jayne, Kaylee, and a sluggish Simon darted—or in Simon's case stumbled—into the room.

"I got them grenades," Jayne announced.

"Zoe, could you set one on each of those guys' bodies?" Mal asked.

"Sir?"

"I'm just makin' sure."

Simon and Jayne helped Mal onto the stretcher and they all left for the ship. Zoe put the grenades down and quickly followed. Mal and River looked back at the pretty explosions inside the house.

"Playtime is over," River stated, feeling free for the first time in a long time.

****

"You did real good today, fly girl. Take it easy," Wash smiled as he set her at the kitchen table. Her feet were bandaged up and her right foot was fractured. Other than that she was in perfect health.

"MAL!"

"No, I'm fine."

"GET BACK HERE!"

"Nope."

Mal wobbled into the kitchen, flashing an arrogant smile at River. She wanted to help him walk, but her feet wouldn't allow it. He got to the table and sat across from her just as Simon ran in panting.

"Get back to the infirmary!"

"I'm good, doc."

"You were SHOT in the CHEST!"

"Ah that's nothin'."

"The bullet barely missed your heart and lungs! It was a ruttin' miracle!"

When the doc swore, it was serious.

"No. Let me be. I'll be back. I just wanna relax."

Simon cursed again and stalked off shouting, "If you die, it isn't my fault!"

River giggled. They sat in a comfortable silence for a bit.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good. You?"

"Good."

More silence. She looked at him briefly and then had to look away. She had almost lost him three times now. If she did lose him and he never knew. No, he would know. He had to.

"Captain, I…I need to tell you something."

"Okay…"

"Things keep happening and I want you to know in case things don't work out next time…"

"Okay…" he said hesitantly.

"I………I love you."

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