Thanks for the feedback. Just FYI, I looove writing fight scenes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John’s cerulean eyes widened.

Simon’s brilliantly blue eyes widened.

The blonde growled and charged the doctor, slamming him violently into the wall in the corridor. Once in the hall he grabbed the rungs of the ladder leading up towards the second deck and leapt up them to disappear.

River, laughed as Simon was dazed and slumped against the wall. “Little boy can’t play rough.” Untangling herself from her spot on the bed she wafted over to him, chuckling all the while in her usual, less than sane fashion. She could have told John about Simon, but she hadn't. He had payed all of his attention to her because she was so confusing that he had completely missed Simon who had been trying the creep up on her to force her to take her medicine.

Her brother rubbed the back of his head as his sister came skipping out the room without a care in the world. Wincing he gave her a sore and confused look as Kaylee saw him on the floor and disheveled, gasped and hurried over.

“What happened?!” She helped him to his feet, finding he was wobbly and rather heavy. “Did River..”

“River did not beat me up.” He grunted as he stood up by himself and blinked a few times, his body weaving a bit while it found it’s center. Simon had to put his hand on that wall as Kaylee seemed fuzzy to him.

“Simon’s too weak to play fun.” His sister chortled as she spun lithely, playfully. “He can’t take it, poor Simon.”

Her brother’s blue eyes stared at her.

She gave him a wide grin. “I’m sorry I’m so strong.”

“It wasn’t River.” He exclaimed.

Kaylee folded her arms. “Then who did it?”

“Some blonde guy… I think..” He rubbed the back of his head brunette again. “Ow…” pulling his hand back he felt something warm and tacky. It was blood on his fingertips. Which, he quickly hid from the mechanic as she was sure to freak.

“A blonde guy.” Kaylee uttered skeptically. “Wash did it?”

“No, this guy was big, muscled… he didn’t have a shirt on, his hair was in a ponytail and I think he was barefoot.” Looking up at her he saw her doubtful face along with an arched brow.

“You dippin’ into that medicine a’yours?” The mechanic asked.

“Kaylee, I’m not on drugs.” Simon huffed.

“Love is a drug.” River announced as she left them both confused.

Simon’s eyes widened even more and he shook his head to compose himself as they both seemed to be in a very awkward position. “Look, I know what I saw.”

“I don’t know if ya haven’t noticed but there’s no one on board like that,” Going over to him she checked the back of his head to feel a nice knot coming in underneath all of that glossy brown hair she just wanted to run her fingers through. That, and the blood that stained her fingers.

“Ow.”

“You got knocked good," She said worriedly.

"It's nothing." He told her. "Still concious, little bit of blood, I'll be ok."

"Simon..."

"Look, I'd need a doctor to confirm if it's a concussion or not, and since we don't have another one lying around, there's nothing really to do." "Come on Honey, let’s at least get ya some ice.” She sighed and gave him a nudge.

“I know what I saw.” Simon mumbled.

“Riiight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jayne heard something.

He rose from his seat at the kitchen table, peered out into the corridor and looked around. There was no one though as he let out a grunt, shrugged his shoulders and went back to his work.

Not seeing that John was braced on the ceiling above him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thanks.” Simon took the cool pack as he was sitting on the couch in the common area and placed it on the back of his sore head that had developed a scab already. He stiffened when Kaylee rather naturally sat right next to him with no gap between their bodies, yet relaxed as she gave him one of her smiles. “I’m telling you, I saw what I saw.”

“Simon,” She sighed “ain’t no big muscled blonde fella without a shirt on in this boat.”

“Sounds like a mighty handsome fella.” Mal said as he and the rest of the crew filtered in as they had heard the crash.

“Man of your dreams perhaps?” Jayne teased, giggling along at the thought of Simon being sly. “Explain why you don’t got no interest in ‘lil Kaylee.”

Kaylee glowered at the big mercenary.

“Could you be more of an ape?” Simon huffed dryly.

“No need for teasin’.” Mal said as he rested his thumbs on his belt and looked to their doctor. “Best you tell us what happened though cause it sounds mighty peculiar.”

“Blonde?” Ru said as she stepped in, leaning against the doorway with a furrowed brow as everyone turned to her. “Describe him.”

“Um… tall… muscular, hair was in a ponytail, no shirt no shoes?”

Her brown eyes riveted to the captain. “Where were you guys before you met up with me?”

“Harvest.” Wash responded.

“Kao.” She swore and took off to the bridge. “Mal,”

He caught up with her as everyone clustered and followed.

“Get your passengers locked away somewhere safe, everyone else needs to be packin’.” She told him while stopping at her door.

“What?!”

“’Member that man I was chasin? He stowed away on Harvest.”

Malcolm’s mouth gaped open. “But we woulda seen him by now.”

“No you wouldn’t have, he’s a fed and he’s as inconspicuous as a ghost if he wants to be.” She said while opening up her door. “Everyone needs to be armed, he’s killed before so it’s not a concept he’ll think twice about.”

Mal nodded his head and turned around, going back to everyone as Ru went to go strap down to the nines for their little hunting expedition. “Looks like we got someone on board.” He announced seriously. “Now listen up, Inara and the rest of the passengers I want you in your rooms with the doors locked. Kaylee, you lock yourself in the engine room, Wash seals himself on the bridge and the rest of us lock and load.”

“I might be of some assistance.” Book told the captain.

“You’ll be of assistance in your bunk.” He reiterated.

“We kill this fella?” Jayne asked.

“Let’s try to capture him first.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone was locking themselves up in their compartments.

Well, almost everyone.

“River?” Simon searched high and low for her as she had once again seemed to have become translucent. “River we need to go to our rooms… I’ll stay with you….”

“What are you doin’?” Jayne growled as he was patrolling the area with all of his weaponry on and Vera in his hands.

“I can’t find River.” He exhaled in exasperation.

“Better find ‘er and git to yer room, there’s a killer loose. Ain’t gonna be responsible for ya if ya end up all… dead ‘n such.”

Simon watched Jayne swagger off.

"RIVER?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoe had her gun poised as she walked the catwalk of the cargo bay. Her muscles were tense as she had her armor on, wondering how the hell someone could be stowed away on Serenity for so long without them knowing. Two weeks the fugitive had been living on their boat. Fifteen days of living alongside them with their knowledge. That didn't sit with the first mate well.

Something dripped from the ceiling.

She looked up just as another droplet of sweat dripped down off of the face of the prey they were hunting. Immediately she whipped her gun up to shoot, yet he grasped a bar and swung his legs down, kicking her in the jaw with his bare heel before letting go and flying in the air like a gymnast over the railing. Twisting in the air to land in a crouch on the cargo bay floor.

“Wo fa xian ta!” Zoe shouted as she scrambled to her feet. Looking down and aiming at him as he raced away, she fired, and missed. “Down below! Passenger bunks!”

She raced down the stairs to follow. Mal, Zoe and Ru all converged on the area at the same time. Just in time to see John pounce at Simon, grabbing him, roll to a stop and in a crouch with his arm locked around the doctor’s throat as they all pointed their weapons at him.

“Let him go.” Malcolm ordered. “No need to hurt the stupid, stupid, doctor who don’t follow my orders.”

“I was looking for my sister.” Simon choked out.

“I think we can have this conversation later.” Zoe growled as she took a step in.

John tightened his grip on his human shield’s windpipe.

“Drop him, or I swear I’ll drop both of you.” She announced.

He bared his teeth at her. “Drop the guns.”

“You got no where to go, Clayton.” Ru told somberly as she knew his hands were in the right position to break the doctor's neck. "You let him go and maybe we’ll amuse of the idea of dumpin’ you on some planet instead of turning you in or puttin' a slug in your skull.”

“I want a shuttle.” Squeezing Simon harder so he started to make a gagging noise.

“That ain’t gonna happen prettyboy.” Malcolm replied, looking past John to see Jayne creeping up from behind. “Come on, give him back and this don’t got to be messy.”

“It could get really messy.” Ru reiterated, buying time with the chatter.

The captain nodded his head and quipped back. “Yeah, you wouldn’t think it but blood’s amazingly hard to scrub offa these walls. Really don’t wanna be scrubbin’ for the next week.”

Sensing the lug behind him, he threw Simon at the others, slammed his hands onto the floor and launched himself up with them with his feet going up first, twisting to turn himself arounf in the air. They crashed into Jayne as his body arched and he propelled himself forward in that direction, landing on his feet, knotting his fists together to swing them and knock Jayne on the head to further incapacitate him before taking off. All before the other three could recover enough to fire a bullet as Simon had hit them all like bowling pins.

“This is not a fun day.” Mal huffed as he tossed Simon aside and took off after the fugitive. Stopping he saw the ladder and went up.

“I’m fine by the way.” Simon coughed sarcastically while everyone abandoned him slumped against a wall.

John grabbed him when he was up at the top, pulled him up and threw him against the wall.

Malcolm slammed the butt of his gun into the other man’s temple.

At that point, their stow away snapped.

He stopped thinking, all he saw was his prey, and all he thought of was the orders given to him at the Academy to destroy the target. The blow didn’t phase him as he head butted the captain.

He was dazed after their skulls connected. “What kinda freak…” Grabbing the other man’s forearm he twisted it to get him down on his knees, kicking his legs out from under him. Yet John dropped to the floor, rolled his shoulder and actually tossed Malcolm to the other side of the kitchen, sending him crashing into the table. “Ok…” He scrambled to his feet, his face bleeding. “That’s… that’s…” He weaved and touched his forehead as his vision doubled. “There’s two of ya…”

John let out a crazed, non-human battle cry, eyes glazed over and wild. He charged, ready to finish Malcolm off by ripping out the arteries in his neck.

Ru came up from behind and bashed John over the head.

He whipped around and slammed his fist into her stomach in blind rage. It was all about the kill as they clashed. He swung a fist at her.

Her artificial hand caught it and crushed his knuckles.

He roared in pain as she gave him a swift knee to the nether regions. Berserk with orders of murder flashing across his mind, he threw his weight forward and they landed on the ground, wrestling. Fighting her punch for punch he grabbed the knife strapped to Ru’s thigh.

Zoe shot him in the back twice.

The knife clattered to the floor.

Ru pushed him off of her and leapt to her feet. “Thanks.” She touched her bloody lip and looked at the blood.

“My pleasure.” She cocked her gun and circled him as he struggled, yet ultimately passed out.

“I coulda done...” Mal slurred before he hit the floor.

Jayne raced in with Vera gripped in his hands. "What'd I miss?!"