Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. (Except for Maxine. She's mine) I’m just playing. No money being made.

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A new story line to recharge my Muse. Set outside my “Allanverse.” Just to see what happens. Set about a year and a half post Serenity. Story line has the standard pairings of Mal/Inara, Simon/Kaylee. Also had River/Jayne. Zoë... we'll you'll have to read it.

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A/N:

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New Blood

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Chapter Four

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“May I join you?”

Jayne just grumbled and looked up from where he was cleaning his guns,”Whatever,” he growled after a moment.

Figuring that was as much conversation she was going to get, Maxine took a seat at the opposite end of the table from the mercenary.

Laying out a cloth, Maxine opened her gun cleaning kit and laid her pistol on the table. With practiced ease, she dissembled the gun and carefully laid the parts out.

“That a Callahan?” Jayne's deep voice asked.

“Forty-five, semi-auto. Fifteen shot clips with one in the chamber,” Maxine replied automatically.

“Good gun,” Jayne grunted. After another minute he continued, “Kinda big for a girl, though.”

“I'm stronger than I look,” Maxine replied as she ran a cleaning patch through the barrel.

“Have to be iffin you load em' heavy. What ya' runnin... one eighty five grain?”

“Two hundred,” Maxine replied as she eyeballed the barrel.

“That's got respectable power,” Jayne conceded.

“What does River use?”

“I got her a matched pair o' nickel plated FN's in forty cal. She's also got a pair o' New Glocks in nine millimeter. Got silencers fer them.”

“Quiet and sneaky.”

“That's m' girl.”

Maxine smiled as she began reassembling her pistol. She and Jayne were actually having a conversation. Maxine decided to take the plunge as she pulled out her backup piece, a small frame thirty-eight Semi auto.

“Hope you don't mind me asking, but... kinda hard not to notice the age difference...”

Jayne looked up from his work and stared at the redhead. Maxine didn't flinch from his gaze, “She's the