TITLE: "INDEPENDENCE"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: No specific pairing.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "The crew of Serenity finalise a tricky deal not

realising that the Captain will pay for it later."

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.

"INDEPENDENCE"

A "Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

He was slowly getting used to the manners of the man. The many intonations of that softly spoken voice that could inject calm leadership into the frantic heat of battle. An oddly affecting drift of tenderness in a sentence otherwise devoid of concern and certainly not grammatically correct. The soft play of humour inserted into grim reality like a buffer against the harshness of it all. For their sakes not his. The quiet steel of a man not to be crossed. Or toyed with. A fierce unspoken protectiveness for what was his and that included his crew. Underpinning it all was the man's personal code of honour. Battered, yes. Tarnished, no doubt. Intact? Hell, yes. Mostly. A lot like the man himself except for one thing. He hid his battle scars like the modest man he was at heart. He did not parade them as signs of manhood. Would show no weakness. The war had given him that. And like the rest of his few possessions it was held close to his chest. His crew saw what he thought was best for them to see. Pain was nothing to be shared. Was he afraid it would infect them too? Or concerned that they would get too close? Come to understand the very depths of his being in a way too intimate for his liking? What it was that made their Captain keep flying? So many nuances. Uncharted depths. The pool of this man's eyes was very