(Disclaimers with Part 1. Thanks for reading through to the end--please, leave a comment if you enjoyed the story!)

"Fateful Hours" Conclusion by HawkMoth

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The journey back to the port wasn't the long painful walk Mal had anticipated. Not only did they have an escort, they went in style seated in an open patrol wagon driven by Constable Harris. The sheriff sent along another deputy to ride shotgun.

All seemed relatively peaceful as they drove through town. There were still lawmen on patrol in small groups, and not too many regular folks about. If there had been any major disturbances or civil unrest, they didn't see any evidence of it. Of course, they still didn't have any real idea of what had gone on after the attack on the rally.

The only thing Mal truly cared about was getting back to Serenity, and out of his disguise. His longing to be off this world and back in the sky was so strong that it was making his head ache again. He sat in broody silence, only half-listening as Book talked with the deputy, skillfully pumping him for information on the day's events.

It turned out that the plot had been engineered by Magistrate Langston's nephew, who was a commissioner in the next province. His plan, it seemed, had been to make it look as if the magistrate himself had been after his son, and cause a breach in the family and and the political factions.

"Wanted to move in and take over here himself," the deputy opined. "Only place he'll be moving now is a prison cell, alongside his hired goons."

Huh, thought Mal. Let 'em rot there. If only they had landed on a different day, or if their contact had chosen another place for the meet--timing was everything, and why was his always so lousy?

Dusk was settling in when they arrived at the port. Harris carefully maneuvered the transport through the roadways, following Book's directions. "This will be just fine, Constable," he said, urging a halt. "Our ship's just over there."

Serenity was still some distance away