Boom, Baby, Boom ----------------------------------------- based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon

Darkness had fallen over the rescue mission as 'Ski held fast to the shotgun now resting between the eyes of the creature Cat had become. His finger twitched on the trigger as 'his whispered breath be heard counting. Five seconds before he'd kill her. She had asked him to, he would tell himself later as he returned to his solitary life, and that would be enough reason for him. After all, it didn't pay to attached.

"Don't kill her." Mal had walked up behind them and stood now on 'Ski's left, his eyes resting on Cat. She reacted for a second, her eyes flicking in their color before she hissed. Mal spoke again. "Give me the gun, 'Ski."

"Can't do that, Reynolds." He replied, but then sighed as his ears picked up the hammer of a pistol being drawn back. Barrel to his head, 'Ski glared at Cat, who cocked her head and smiled.

"Guess you lose." She replied darkly. He mouthed with words 'fuck you' to her before turning to Mal and his gun.

"Your funeral, Captain." 'Ski growled handing over his weapon before moving to release the beast on the helpless. Cat licked her lips as she began to take a step closer when the butt of 'Ski's shotgun slammed into the back of her head. It dropped her like a rock.

Mal then handed the makeshift bat back to 'Ski, who nodded approvingly. "One thing, though, Mal. If you ever put a pistol to my head again and take my gun, I don't care whose you are, I will end you. We got an understanding?"

"I think we do." The captain glared at 'Ski. "But, if you ever lay a finger on her that's not friendly, there ain't a place you can hide that I won't find you."

"That will be an interesting day indeed." His hand wrapped around the barrel as both shared a moment of understanding. Mal let go and knelt to feel for Cat's pulse. It was beating erratically and her breathing came quicker than it should. “Simon, need you here.” Mal waved at the doctor, who seemed to just look at him in confusion.

“I'm not going near that animal unless she's subdued by leather straps and steel buckles.” Simon stated.

'Ski was already in a mood and the only one of the bunch he kind of gave a damn about was in trouble. His hand brought the muzzle of the shotgun up again and pointed it at the doc. “She dies because you don't do something for her right now and to the best of your ability, there ain't a power in this 'verse that will stop my finger from pulling this trigger.”

“But you were just about to kill her yourself.” Simon argued, but 'Ski pumped the shotgun with a quick thrust of his arm and trained it back on the doctor.

“She asks me, too. Cat deserves to die in a gun fight with a bullet in her head, not to pass on because some rich asshole doctor was too scared or too proud to work on her.”

“She is the reason that my sister is the way she is. As far as I'm concerned to hell with her.” Simon didn't mean for it to sound as harsh as it came out, but one minute he was wanting her alive and the next...the images of her as that beast and then his sister in her place.

'Ski growled, a sound that would have done better coming from Cat and walked toward the doc. What Simon had accused his partner of put the mysterious man over the edge. Dropping the gun to the ground, his hand reached for the long knife at his side. In a second, the entire world was gonna see what this pompous ass was made of and 'Ski guessed it was yellow. Mal, though, got to him first. “You wanna blame someone, you blame me. I was the one who took her away, taught her what life was on the outside. You got a problem with her, you take it up wit me. All I know is this, Simon, you don't help her and I'll leave you and your precious sister here in this gorran nightmare.”

“Mal, she's monster.” Simon muttered, looking from the captain to 'Ski and back again.

“Might be the case, but she's mine and I ain't about to give her up, no matter what she be. And don't think 'Ski here feels much different.” “She owes me a favor. Want to make sure I collect.” 'Ski backed away and let Mal handle it, but the captain had better work fast or he would proceed his way. Fresh blood, even cowardly would wake the sleeping monster within.

Simon reluctantly dropped to his knees in front of Cat as Mal rolled her over. Still covered in drying blood, she could have almost passed for Sleeping Beauty, and a kiss would wake her from her eternal slumber. Too bad, a kiss was not what she needed.

“Without my kit, I'm not sure what I can do for her.” The doctor felt her pulse again and then checked for any other damage he could see. Amazingly, there wasn't even a scratch on her, even where the shotgun had connected to her head. “I don't get it. She should be awake and running circles around us or killing everything in sight.”

“ Ski, any ideas?” Mal spoke worriedly as her partner shook his head.

“Last time this beast of hers showed its face, we ended with her under me and both bloody messes. It was a roaring good time.” He smiled with a little sarcasm in voice. A look from Mal made the statement all worth while. “Never seen her like this and I've seen a lot.” “Well, I'm sorry both of you. I can't do anything for her.” Simon stood and watched 'Ski for fear he would raise his bloody gun. Instead, the stranger nodded and walked over to where Dr. Green's body lay. Shotgun to the man's nose, he spoke. “Know you're not dead so unless you figuring you want to be, you make my wife whole again. Dong ma?!” 'Ski had gotten past the nice stage the minute everything went south, which would have been the moment he said yes to Cat, but as of right now, even his pissed off stage was waning. Homicidal was next on the list.

The doctor opened one eye very cautiously and then the other. He looked up at the barrel and then at the man holding it. Cat had always chosen who she associated with based on their strengths and weakness, the weaker the associate, the more she treated them like children and the stronger the individual, the more apt she was at trying for a real relationship. Henceforth, this being the reason she had picked Mal to mate with and to return to when needing the sense of belonging and the way she had clung to Inara in her younger days as she was trying to figure out her femininity.

'Ski, though, served no purpose for her, yet, she clung to him sometimes even more so than her captain. Dr. Green wanted to know why. “It's in a state of shock. If you let me up and put the gun away, I will try to fix it.”

“Call her an it one more time.” 'Ski snarled as he watched the doctor carefully. Green stood, dusting off his black slacks and blood stained shirt. He gaze over at Simon and Inara before walking toward his precious weapon and Mal. The captain glared at him, hand resting on his gun. His cold blue eyes never left Green as the doctor began to examine Cat.

“You make any funny moves and I'll let 'Ski here drop you.” Mal sneered.

“Won't be no letting involved.” Her partner grinned darkly, the shotgun dropped, but his hand gripping the knife like it was part of him.

“How could a knock to the head put down your perfect weapon? Seems a bit easy, don't ya think?” Inara had been silent, but her concern for her Canary was evident in the way she spoke her question. She didn't like to see death and after the display by Cat, there had been enough to last her a few long years, but even she wanted 'Ski to pump this doctor full of lead.

“The hit didn't drop her, Young Lady. She did this to herself for some reason. Probably to protect you.” Green felt her head again, then let his hands travel down to her chest. A click from a loaded gun stopped him. “What you need from there, I can get you.” Mal sneered.

“I can't figure out what went wrong if you don't give me access to all of her.”

“Did that statement seem pretty unsettling to you?” Mal turned to 'Ski, who nodded his head.

“Last time, you had full access you turned into this beast, if I remember her stories right.”'Ski added.

“Ain't Genetics grand?” Green smiled and reached to pull a long dark needle from his pocket, filled with a deep purple tonic. Removing the cap, his hand moved to inject Cat's arm. A bullet just over his head stopped him as the slug embedded itself in the wall. 'Ski's pistol still was smoking as he prepared to shoot again. “Care to tell us what that is?”

“It will revive and calm her. Just something to bring her out of this state.”

“That better be all it does.” Mal echoed the warning, the doctor returning to the project at hand. Gingerly, he felt for a vein so that the tonic would go straight into the bloodstream and straight to her heart.

The sharp needle pierced the skin, but only for a sec as Cat jolted awake, grabbing the needle from her arm and slamming it into Green's jugular. The doctor looked in surprise as she drained the solution into his neck. “Bye bye, Dr. Green.”

Cat rolled out of the way as her partner took this as a sign to fire. The sweet doctor's head ceased to be, the loud blast echoing through the room. 'Ski then turned the gun on her and smiled. “Give me a sign, Cat. Let me know it's really the bitch I married.”

“Married?” Mal questioned, but Cat simply grinned from ear to ear and promptly flipped 'Ski off.