Beauty Meets Beast

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based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon

Gecko never was one for the finer things as Cat stepped in another foreign substance, her nose filled with the smell of rotten food and poor whiskey. 'Ski was to the right and back of her, unusually silent for him, the thirteen cigarette he had had this day dangling from his mouth. Either the dream had stirred him sideways or the thought of what it could imply by way of her control worried him. All she knew was they both frightened her.

Mal moved on her left, his strong presence at least able to calm what nerves she still had left. It might have been a dream, but it made her feel guilty that something like that could come out of the very heart that belonged to him. Sadly, the beast had always ruled the sleeping hour, maybe the reason why she slept so little.

Jayne grunted behind them with Zoe tense and alert next to the fully armed man. Both made Cat feel strangely safe, the one could kill efficiently and the other could kill her. It was only this morning that she had pulled Zoe aside and told her how to kill the beast if it should arise and the warrior woman just stood, nodded, and stared.

To her, it was odd for someone to tell the woman who swore she'd end you if you made a false move, the way to take you down. After all, enemies don't roll over and expose their bellies in combat or explain their weakness to you. Cat, though, was different. She knew that once she lost total and utter control, there would be only one way to stop her and she wouldn't risk the lives of those she loved for the sake of trying to rescue the good side from the bad. Zoe nodded and then did something that took the assassin completely off guard. She offered her a hand in truce.

Cat smiled back at Zoe, who in the dark couldn't see and then ran her tongue over her teeth for the millionth time, always scraping it on the right canine. It has a point that was sharp, but still it was just that, a to