Disclaimer: Not mine, no pay.

Thanks: To Jacqui, Josh and to Rion, my own personal BDH. You guys are the greatest.

Rating: PG-17, graphic violence

Remarks: Kaylee's been frettin' about Jayne and Mal's job is goin' to hell in a handbasket.

Set after “Objects in Space”. Inara has departed from Serenity and things on board ship are getting more difficult. Click on my name to read the backstory. They’re all backstory.

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Leaps of Faith

Chapter Ten

Jayne’s been nailin’ away at Emerson’s gang fast as he can clear and chamber rounds, doin’ his best to give the Captain and Zoë the cover they need.

Mal’s voice over the radio jerks him out of his head, launches him into action. He slings the sniper rifle over his back, clambers over the boulders and goes sliding down the loose scree of the slope, blazin’ away with the Deckler and yelling like a banshee.

At the sight of the big merc scrambling downslope, sprayin’ lead, Emerson’s wagon driver yanks the team around and hightails it, figurin’ he’d rather survive and it’s likely his bossman won’t.

The slope’s so steep, it’s all Jayne can do to keep his feet under him. He’s just riding it down on adrenaline, wide open, scramblin’, balls to the wall.

Mal and Zoë continue to return fire, but the low pile of crates doesn’t make for much by way of cover and Zoë’s bleeding hard. Mal glances over at her and tells her “You need to get that arm tied off. Here. “ He tosses her his bandanna.

“An’ Zoë, you aren’t allowed to die on me. That’s an order, you hear?”

She fumbles to bind off her arm one-handedly and grits her teeth. “Yes, Sir.”

The zip and crack of gunfire is all around. Mal peeks over the crates and fires again, trying to catch Emerson when he pops up over the dead horse to make a shot. Jayne’s hail of fire catches Emerson’s rema