22nd April 2005 can't come soon enough for me, which is when the next helping of real Joss Whedon-quality Firefly (not my pale imitation) will become available.

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CHECK MATE: Counterplay.

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Zoe breathes a sigh of relief as the mule's engine starts to turn. She'd calcuated that with a bit of covering fire from Rudi and Brandy, she and Mal stood a better than even chance of escaping from Monty's indifferent band of hired men, but she's glad they didn't have to put the math to the test.

As she goes up through the gears, she remarks almost conversationally, “Had me convinced you were really gonna do it for a while back there, Sir. Kill Monty.”

Mal grunts. “Had my own self convinced, Zoe.”

She knew it. Saw the darkness rise up in those angelic blue eyes of his till he looked like the devil incarnate. Then saw it ebb slowly back, sucking the murderous rage back down like sea-water through shingle. Trouble is, ain't no holdin' back the tide – wave has to break eventually.

“Shame the Shepherd wa'n't there to witness the other cheek-turnin'. Would've made his day. Seems to think soul-savin's a two-for-one deal. Plannin' to slip through the Pearly Gates on your coat-tails. Claim the credit for bringing you back to the Lord.”

“Only place he's goin' with me is Hell,” Mal replies coldly, staring dead ahead. “I ain't turned no cheek. Jus' wanna visit justice on the right person.”

“Seems to me it's lookin' for payback's what got us here in the first place,” Zoe says quietly, almost as if she's talking to herself.

They drive the rest of the way in silence, Mal biting the inside of his cheek as he goes over the many ways of inflicting pain life has taught him whilst Zoe wonders how she's going to drag him back from the abyss this time.

When Serenity's familiar outline appears in the distance Mal says suddenly, “Talkin' of payback - that husband of yours is gonna make my life a misery once he knows he was a gorram war hero. Can't promise you I won't space him if he starts wit