STAND AND DELIVER

Written by: DeSangro

Summary: On Shadow, a young Mal Reynolds defies his mother's wishes and commits an act that will forever mark his future-- he joins the Independence movement against the Alliance authorities.

Author's Notes: The title of "Stand and Deliver" is taken from the Mr. Mister song of the same name. I do not own Mal Reynolds, and I do not own the Firefly 'verse. Those are the creations of Joss Whedon.

Big thanks goes to Weerwolf for pointing out that Mal was indeed raised by his mother and "4o hands", and not by his father. This eventually led to this fic being beta'd and revised.

In the text, I have included a few grammatical errors, solely for the purpose of making the story feel more like something that Mal might think or say, though the story is not 'narrated' by him. I've tried to get a rustic feel to the dialogue of Mal, his mother, and his sister. If you feel that I could do a better job, or if my portrayal of Mal is un-canonical or out of character, please tell me! I have been a bit afraid to portray the main characters, because I was afraid that I couldn't find their individual 'voices', so please let me know if I am doing a good job, an awful job, or a job that needs improving! Thanks!

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There was a war goin' on!

There was a war goin' on, somewhere out in the black where the starships flew in the vast, cold nothing. There was a war goin' on, somewhere on distant planets where the soldiers all fought in the dust for honor and great causes.

There was a war goin' on, and in a perverse, childish fashion, Mal Reynolds wanted to be a part of it.

His mother, Ruth, would of course hear of no such thing. Mal was the only boy in the family and was therefore precious. Ruth Reynolds would sigh sadly whenever she overheard her son telling his sisters 'bout how he planned to "sign up--soon as the Independents put up a recruitin' booth!" Then Ma would have to "ta