TITLE: "THE WAY IT WAS"

SERIES: UNFIINISHED BUSINESS

CHAPTER: 5. Sequel to "MEANS TO AN END"

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

PAIRING: Zoe/Wash Kaylee/Simon Mal/Inara

RATING: PG-13

SUMMARY: "The captured crew are released but

separated from the Captain. River has a plan.

Meanwhile Mal finds out the reason for the

elaborate set up."

"THE WAY IT WAS"

A "Firefly" Story written by

Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

"What do you mean you can't find him?"

Lem's expression turned sour at the accusation in her voice. "Must'a switched off his transponder."

Her expression darkened. "He deliberately ditched the job."

Lem Turner didn't say anything. He had known the scheming *pofu* long enough to know that she could hold a grudge longer than most men lived. If there was a dark, smelly pit up the ass end of *diyu* this woman would shove Jer right up it. He wanted no part of her notion of revenge. Lem was careful not to mention that the job she was talking about was not the one she had hired his friend to do.

"Can you find him?"

He shook his head. "*Bu qu*. Best you can hope is he'll surface this side of the Great Divide."

"There's no such place."

Lem said nothing. What he suspected wasn't based on fact and they both knew it but his sixth sense was seldom wrong. Kind'a like the itch he was getting in the back of his neck. He wanted to be gone but had to handle the leaving part without too much haste. Didn't want Saffron arranging some sudden and extremely painful death. Not that she would handle it herself but that witch had a thousand ways to leave a man at death's door without doing her own dirty work.

Once the wave was shut off Lem leaned back in his seat and let out an explosive breath. "That's one huge gorram shit