TITLE: "RED HANDED"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: Slight Zoe/Wash.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: New. SEQUEL to "ADJUSTMENTS"

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 have a rude awakening

and Captain Reynold's troubles lurch from bad to worse."

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.

"RED HANDED"

A "Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Nightfall planetside was always an odd affair. To Kaylee it felt wrong to be on the ground and not flying but until Serenity was repaired they would be going nowhere. She wished River goodnight and went for a last tour of the ship, her hand trailing along smoke grimed walls. Most of the mess had been cleaned up but it would probably be months before the Firefly was back to her pre-burn stage. She frowned, her mind struggling to comprehend why anyone would want to harm the ship. No doubt in her mind that this was a wanton act and no accident. At first she had held her tongue, reluctant to believe that anyone would do such a thing on purpose. It had been Wash who had stated what she realised in her heart to be a cold hard fact.

"This was a deliberate act of sabotage!"

She had stared at him, her heart sinking. Zoe had come in to see how they were getting on and caught the tail end of the conversation. Her reaction was immediate. "Sabotage? You mean some *qingwa cao de liumang* is responsible?"

They both looked up at the same time. Kaylee swallowed uncomfortably. "Didn't like to say anythin' till I was sure but no way was this an accident."

Zoe let rip with an even more colourful stream of Chinese invective, so ripe it made Kaylee's ears burn. Wash watched his wife pace angrily, his look thoug