Captain Jayne Cobb stood on the hot, dusty high street in Paradiso on Georgia staring down his opponent. As was the history on Earth That Was, so it was now with gunfight showdowns. They very rarely happened. It was just too easy to gun someone in the back than to face them down man to man. Face to face. But, Jayne Cobb was never a man to back down from anything. That was why he was the captain.

His opponent's upper lip was so shiny with perspiration, that Jayne could see it from 20 yards away. The breeze kicked up again, and Jayne's black hatbrim creased slightly in the wind. He never took his eyes off his adversary.

"Get 'im Cap'n!" came the slightly shrill cry of Kaylee Fry. She had been in the captain's bed more often than not lately, but, then again, Captain Cobb's bunk never seemed to lack of female companionship. Speaking of companionship, Inara Serra, registered Guild Companion waved a lace and silk handkerchief at him from the second floor of the nearest saloon. Kaylee sent a stabbing glare at the hooker, and then turned just as quickly so that she didn't have to remove her eyes from her beloved captain.

"That's right, sir. Get him good." These words were delivered breathily, lustily and with as much sexual meaning as the english language could pack in without getting too dirty. Jayne tipped his hat to Zoe Warren. She had also been sharing his bunk lately, and it was her honor he was protecting today. The man Jayne was having the showdown with seemed to think that Zoe was his personal property for some reason. Captain Cobb meant to see an end to that.

"Zoe, see to the kids, will you?" Jayne said, motioning vaguely at a mudpuddle that held two squalling, lanky, dirty boys. One was fair haired and throwing mud at a dark haired young man, who had a fair amount of mud in his mouth.

"Wash! Simon! Get out of there this instant!"

"Awwww!" they said in unison. Wash turned at the last second and hurled a vast ball of mud into Simon's mouth.

"I'll