Disclaimer: See chapter 1 which you can find at my profile page.

AN/ Finally another chapter up! Sorry for the wait! This chapter should clear up what’s been going on in my head. Hopefully people will like it. If not, let me know what strikes a false note. Still, it’s only a bit of fun and I hope people won’t be too upset with me messing with verse cannon just a bit!

Updated now thanks to my beta Little Moppet and a very useful comment from Grace Macy that reminded me that I had forgotten about poor Wash. Here's the new version with all Wash scenes fully restored and digitally enhanced.

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Chapter 10

Encounter

Mal released a silent breath of relief as the tall man dressed in dappled green relaxed in submission, letting the odd z-shaped weapon in his hand drop into the dirt. Then his muscles tensed again as his eyes locked with Zoë’s past the guy’s greying temple. Her dark face was even graver than usual, the soft curves cut with deep grooves and her full lips flattened into a tight line.

She jerked her head towards the buildings behind her. “There are two more hidin’ back there, sir”, she told him quietly.

Mal scanned the dusty buildings but could see nothing. He brought his gun up to a more prominent position to hold it at shoulder height, the barrel mere inches from his prisoner’s forehead. “If either of you care more’n a shiny penny for this fella’s hide you’ll be wanting to come out nice an’ slow!” he called out roughly.

He was gratified to see two figures emerge slowly from the shadows, a compact blonde woman and a spectacled guy in a wide-brimmed floppy hat, their guns held high in a non-threatening position. They threw the weapons towards Zoë at the eloquent jerk of the muzzle of her Mare’s leg carbine. In a somewhat dangerous move, considering the circumstances, the one in the silly hat took a step towards them, hands held palm out.

“We really don’t mean you any harm.” He spoke out in an earnest voice. Mal didn’t blame him for