Disclaimer: Joss Whedon et al own the characters, ‘verse and everything else in them. I’m only playing with his toys and not making a single bit of credit off this.

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: finding your way can take you to all kinds of places. Post-BDM.

One other thing: Jayne uses the clothesline and head drop at the heist on Lilac, not the Maidenhead. Sorry for that.

Chapter three

The town of Bountiful was the founding planetary fathers’ idea of a good idea. Optimism had run high in settling that town on Harvest. They posted advertisements all over the Core worlds picturing green pastures with fat cows. Come live the old west, the ads had said. Live the life of a pioneer, but with full amenities. With a name like Harvest, how could you fail?

Families flocked, bringing much sought after cash and hope. They landed, built homes, barns and the town proper. And the planetary fathers were happy.

Until the glich that no terraformer bothered to mention could happen. Seemed the planet went through some sort of seismic activity every four-hundred years or so that rendered it dry. Cows thinned and died, their bleached bones littering the landscape around Bountiful. Some folks left, others felt themselves made of tougher stuff and plugged on. When rain did come, there was jubilation and excitement, but with the ground dust, the rain only made mud. And mud was just too hard to til.

The effect was a dying town and townsfolk that were tough and ornery.

Jayne’s mother was no exception.

With her head titled down, Louise Emma Jayne rolled her eyes up into the shopkeeper’s face. “Now, Bill, we both know what’s goin on here. Let’s not pretend.”

Bill the shopkeeper kept silent.

“You think that jus’ cause I’m in the mourning way that you think you can take monetary advantage of a poor old lady.”

“Now, Emma, don’t be that way. Times are tough all over. Ask anyone from the Rim an’ they’ll tell you.”

Emma crossed her arms. “I have.” She nodded over her rig