The traditional obligatory offering to Boss Joss. Love the work, got bored, and decided to to run with it!

This is a story co-written with a very good friend of mine, aka DeanWinchester here on FF.net. Action, adventure, drama, sweet Kaylee/Simon stuff, and BIG DAMN hints of Mal/Inara.

..................................

There was no time to react, not as everything still whirled around them in a storm of violence and gunfire.

Tearing away from Mal, Inara lifted her pistol, taking a stray shot at Draedon and hitting him in the shoulder. The commander dropped his pistol in shock, knocked sideways to the ground.

The thug bursting towards Mal was met with a flying fist strike to the face by Inara, who’s sprinted forward to cut him off. The lumbering man recovered quickly, taking a thick swing at the Companion’s face.

She broke the blow defensively, trapping his wrist between her own as she twisted her arms together. Inara lifted a knee up abruptly, striking the man square between the eyes, and then punched him in the face, effectively knocking him out.

She winced as the skin on her knuckled split at the impact against the thug’s nose, but she paid little mind to it as she sprinted back towards Mal’s fallen body.

“Mal!” She called out, panic-stricken. She stumbled to the ground, gently rubbing a hand on Mal’s back. She carefully turned Mal around onto his back, and she saw the two bullet holes, blood pouring forth from each wound.

“Oh God…” This wasn’t happening, she though in a rush of dread. She pressed her hands into the bullet wounds, applying as much pressure as she could, but the blood was pumping out of him too strongly. He was going to bleed out. “Wuh do tyen,” she let out in a sob, “Mal? Mal!”

..................................

Kaylee’s voice whipped her back into attention, and as she lifted her head, she caught the last glimpse of Mal taking several shots directly to the stomach. “Cap’n!” She screamed out in horror as he hit the ground hard.

Simon put his arm