TITLE: "BALANCING THE SCALES"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: No specific pairing.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: SEQUEL to "20/20 VISION"

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Rafe and his hands battle the fire in a race

against time. Badger learns that Simon is not as weak as

he thought and Inara finds help unexpected."

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly'

are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"BALANCING THE SCALES"

A "Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

The noise was almost deafening after the quiet, with folks weary from their day's labour and settling in to bed down for the night. The calm shattered in a way destined to put panic into the heart of every man. Fire. One of the worst enemies imaginable. Everyone turned out, eager and anxious to help put it out. No one had gone to bed yet so that was in their favour. Hal Larkin was mentally kicking himself for leaving Mal to go on up to the house alone. Peary and Brooks must have been watching and waiting, biding their time. Maybe they had overheard his conversation with Mal and realised their opportunities for mischief were about to come to an end. That last notion bothered him more than anything making him feel complicit through negligence though in truth he could not have known this would happen. Didn't help a mite not with the worry that the man in question might already be beyond the saving.

A quick line of men formed between the barn and the outside pump, leather buckets passing from hand to hand. Everyone eager to play their part, anxious faces lined with concern. Hal could not see the *laoban*, turned his head every which way but there was no sign of him. Ben and Todd were running down from the big house, M