Disclaimer: Firefly belongs to Joss Whedon. If this story works at all it's because of him

HAWKS AND DOVES (Part 2)

(Mal has decided Serenity's crew are going to rescue his old commanding officer from an Alliance jail. Meanwhile Simon is completing the last job)

It was getting late, way past the time they were supposed to have been back on Serenity and Simon had begun to panic. How had he managed to lose her? One minute, she'd been at his side, witnessing his vain attempt to haggle with the store keeper and the next she was gone. He went out onto the porch and scanned the market square and field beyond, shading his eyes against the dying rays of the sun.

No sign of her. And no real idea of where to start looking. He prayed that she hadn't been kidnapped because he really didn't think he could go through all that again.

One thing was certain; he couldn't go back to the ship without her. Mal would kill him. Jayne would kill him. And the others would probably help. He had a sudden vision of Book saying a few words over his dead body, his face set in an expression of grim satisfaction.

Not that he would go back without her. There was no question of him abandoning Kaylee in this one-horse town full of brawling yokels. She was as dear to him now as she was to the others.

“Lost summat, son?” a rough voice asked.

Simon turned to see a squat, middle-aged man with a ruddy face beaten by the weather, alcohol and life. His clothes were old and tatty, but on his chest he wore a sheriff's badge. Relief and fear battled within Simon.

“My fr.. maid servant, officer. Thank you for your concern.” He touched the ridiculous hat Mal had made him wear – supposedly so that he would “look more like normal folk” - in a gesture of respect and employed the Core-world accent that life on Serenity was gradually eroding. “She seems to have wandered off.... Frightful nuisance.”

The sheriff nodded wearily. “Women's all the same. See summat pretty an' away they go in search of it..” He spat the tobacco wad