Title: Taking Up Arms – Part 3 of 3

Author: hisgoodgirl

Rating: PG-15 for Adult language, violence

Characters/Pairing: Crew, ofc, omc. Jayne/Kaylee, minor references to Mal/Simon.

Timeline: One year post BDM; seven years later.

Disclaimer: All belong to Joss. I got nada.

Word Count, Part Three: 3,335

A/N; During the American Civil War, a group of soldiers-turned-outlaws called Quantrell’s Raiders terrorized the Kansas-Missouri area. This story was inspired in part by their impact on the settlers of that region. Originally written for the Summer_of_Jaylee community at LiveJournal with the prompts ‘sun’ and ‘water’. If you read and enjoy this story, please take just a minute to let me know. Hover for translation.

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Taking Up Arms

Part Three

Jayne was carefully making his way up a dry gulch toward the rocky overhang where he anticipated being able to get a glimpse of the situation below. He wasn’t sure what he might see, but every hunch he had was telling him the bastards who took his girls would be holdin’ 'em there. The narrow trail petered out, leaving him with a flat face of rock to traverse. His keen eyes scanned the rock face for any grooves or handholds. Satisfied he had a route he could work with, he slipped his rifle strap over his head and shoulder and balanced the weapon against his back. He hated heights, always had, but this was the only way he knew to reach where he needed to go. As he turned to begin the tenuous journey across, he thought he heard soft movement behind him. Was it a lizard scuttling on the rock or someone following him?

Slinging the rifle into firing position, he spun quickly, only to have the barrel halted in its arc by an iron-hard grasp. If the late Shepherd Book himself had appeared on the trail before him, Jayne could have been no less surprised. Before him stood River Tam. His jaw dropped open and his expression was one of utter bewilderment.