Author: Tinadoll (aka Tina- That’s me!)

Setting: After BDM- No Wash or Book.

Rating: R to NC-17.

Spoilers: Yes.

Author’s note: REPOST. Don’t remember if this chapter was Beta’d or not. I try to do the best I can editing by myself but you can do nice by just ignoring all the mistakes.

Chapter 14: Might as well have been walking on the Sun. It was dark when she left. But she liked the night. She clicked on her eye to make sure no one was following her and to make sure there was no one waiting for her. There wasn’t. Badger wasn’t that stupid. She walked down the hill and saw Serenity still sitting there and it had finished refueling. She wondered why it was waiting there for her. Oh yes, because she might have money. She entered the cargo bay and commented to herself: “Honey, I’m home,” There was no response. She hurried to the infirmary and everyone was waiting there, including Inara. They had been all sitting around waiting for the Captain to wake back up. Zoë was leaning against the door with her usual non-readable self. Maria, without uttering a word, tossed her the money and then proceeded to the bridge to warm up the ship. They needed to get out of there fast. As she walked out the door she saw Zoë barreling toward her. “How?” she asked, very rigidly. “How what?” she asked, as she walked down the stairs back to the common area. “The money, how did you get the money?” she said, she looked like she was about to strike Maria. “The power of persuasion,” she said, stepping into the cargo bay. If there would be a fight she would stand her ground there. She added “And negotiation.” Zoë was about to say something when Kaylee interfered. She had come out to keep the peace. “It don’t matter none Zoë, just matters that the Captain is gonna get better and if need be, we have the coin to take him to a real hospital,” Zoë nodded in agreement.

“You can do whatever you want,” Jayne said, interrupting “But I wanna get paid first. If you wanna waste good money on a dying man that’s your deal.”

Zoë was going to say something when Maria interrupted her. He had no time for Jayne and his greedy behavior.

“We need to get up in the air and get out of here, Storms a brewin’ and we don’t wanna get caught,” Maria said, keeping the knowledge of Lady Yoshida to herself. “Permission to take off, ma’am,” she said, it came out forcefully, but she meant it. Zoë nodded again and added: “Take off and we will continue this chat when we get up in into the black,”

There was something about her tone that Maria was wary of.

“Yes ma’am,” Maria said dutifully. And headed off to the bridge.

Zoë turned her attention to Jayne. She was now acting Captain “Get out of my face your greedy son of a bitch,” she said uncharacteristically.

“You don’t tell me what to do, you ain’t the captain.” he said, defiantly.

“Hey Cobb,” Maria said from the crosswalk. “At the moment-Yeah she is.” Jayne gave her a really dirty look and stormed off to his bunk. Zoë looked up at her with a hard look and Maria said nothing and went off back to the bridge. *** Then they were airborne.

She called on the speaker: “We are airborne Zoë, what heading?”

Zoë called back and told her to head to Three hills. Maria set in a course. She knew that it was a semi-civilized planet that was still vastly Independent friendly.

But it was 7 days away. 7 days in the black.

7 days with them.7 days to have him get better.

Risk she was willing to take.

After awhile she turned on the autopilot and went back to the cargo bay. Once she got down there she saw Zoë coming at her and said “We will be there in …” but Zoë interrupted her by slugging her.

Simon’s lips grew tighter. Kaylee and Inara gasped and River ran and hid.

Jayne peaked from the common area and said, “Not like I didn’t see that coming,”

Maria had had about enough. Jayne didn’t make a move. Maria moved to hit him too-but decided against it. Zoë was still coming at her.

Zoë hit her in the gut and Maria doubled over instinctively. Zoë then attempted to elbow drop her back but Maria caught her arm and with a flick of her wrist she got Zoë on her back. They would have gone longer but a booming and authoritative voice came from behind them all.

“ENOUGH,” said Capt Reynolds who was on his feet. He looked like he wasn’t close to death anymore-but he didn’t look well.

“YOU,” he said to Maria “Get to your Bunk-NOW!” He was furious. She hurried off.

He turned his attention to Jayne.

“I want you out of my sight too,” he said. Jayne was about to protest and Mal just said “Now.”

No one had seen him this mad since Haven. Jayne obeyed but he gave the other man a look of hate.

After second thought, Mal stopped him “Go guard her.” He meant about Maria Jayne nodded. His attention turned to Zoë. “I let you get command and THREE SECONDS later they are near mutiny.” He said with a grimace. “I have never felt so wanted,” and there was the sarcasm. He was going to be all right.