Thanks to everyone who left feedback on section 1. Yes, this is a re-posting, in fewer, larger increments, now that the story is complete. You may also have seen it on fanfiction.net under my given name, Mary Kroll. Please enjoy.

There was no friendly truck waiting for the crew of Serenity when they landed again on Janus. It would take several trips on the mule, but there was nothing for it. Jayne was grateful for the focus of the work and the drone of the vehicle as it rumbled to the warehouse and back. Mal had a lecture primed for him, Jayne just knew. Every sidelong glance the captain took in the mercenary's direction promised a high-handed dictum on his behavior, assumably relative to Kaylee and his declaration a few nights since. He was so deliberately fixated on his task that he never noticed the two men watching him from their position across the street, pistols strapped to their thighs.

The bulk of the day was gone before the last crate was deposited in the building and the short stack of wrinkled bills was deposited onto Mal's hand. Jayne and Zoe sat on the back of the mule, waiting, as professional banalities were also exchanged.

“Cobb?” one of the men yelled as he and his partner loped across the street. “Jayne Cobb?”

No sooner had Jayne turned his head but the two had each grabbed him by an arm and hauled him up.

“Gun dan!” Arms weary from shifting boxes all day and taken unawares, Jayne's wrists were in cuffs before he knew it.

“Jayne Cobb,” the taller man began, “you are bound by law.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, gents,” Mal stepped in front of them, but the shorter man shouldered him out of the way as they muscled Jayne between them. “That's my hired man you're absconding with.”

“See this?” the taller man pointed to a pitted metal badge on his left chest. “This means we're the law and we'll abscond with anyone's hired man we see fit, especially when he beats a man to death in our town.”

“I'm Deputy Lonnie Gibson,” the younger of t