TITLE: "FIGHTING BACK"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: Zoe/Wash. Kaylee/Simon. Mal/Inara.

RATING: G.

STATUS: Sequel to "UNSEEN FORCES".

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: None. All Firefly stories archived at Fireflyfans.net

SUMMARY: "Paul decides to finish what he and China began. The

Alliance are determined to locate the siblings and Zoe hears a plan

too intriguing and tempting to pass up."

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.

"FIGHTING BACK"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

He knew that he should wait for Gillion to get back but patience had never been his strong suit. China had always admonished him about his tendancy to rush in where angels feared to tread but with her presence in his life Paul had scaled down his impulsiveness. With his wife gone there was no such restraint any more. Leaving had been hard but he left no note, no explanation. Gillion was nothing if not skilled at reading the writing on the wall even if it was in invisible ink. It was one of the things that he admired about his brother in law almost as much as he was frustrated at the man's rigid faith in following the tenants of the Underground. For Paul, all he had left was a dangerous legacy. One he could not afford to allow to stagnate until, as Gillion would put it, 'the need outweighed the risk'. Damn the risk to *diyu* and back, what did he have to lose?

So he packed light and left locking the door behind him. Oddly enough, the moment his feet touched the open road it felt as if a gigantic weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had no idea where he was going and no plan beyond some inner instinct driving him forward. China was the one who meticulously planned everything. Pau