based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon ---------------------------------------------

“Sir, is that a Reaver?” Zoe whispered as they watched the creatures before them begin to tear into the bunker as well as the open area around it.

“It looks to be that way.” He was overly quiet for a man who was usually loud. His eyes were on Cat as she made her way toward them.

“What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away from me.” She leaped over the outcropping they were hiding behind. “Get your men as far away from here as possible. I thought I was clear on that.” It was unlike her to be so forthcoming, but she was scared for their lives. Reavers were dumb and easy to outmaneuver, at least when it came to her, but the nasty creatures loved hunting humans.

Mal looked at her. “Seems to me, Cat, that's exactly what I'm doing.” His eyes caught hers as she realized just what he meant. She wasn't just their guardian any more, she was part of their unit.

“We made the rest of the men stay where they are, up in the hills a good ten miles away. Was gonna come by myself, but Zoe wouldn't let me.”

“Told him he should listen to you. Figure anything that'd scared you the way this mess did, we had no place sticking our nose in.” Zoe cast a glance over to where the creatures were, the screams echoing from the man Cat had just let them kill still shivering down their cores.

“And you say I should listen to her.” Cat growled, grabbing their bags as she pulled them away from the old bunker. “We need to go before they get bored.”

“Can we out run them?” Zoe asked as Cat growled, long fangs dipping her mouth, ones Zoe had never seen before.

"We're going to have to." Her lips covered them quickly, hiding them as she shared a look with Mal's second. They didn't have time to play ask and answer or to argue with why the hell they had come back for her.

She grabbed the both of them and pushed them forward, her long body between the Reavers behind them and the open fields in front. "Move...now!" Her body twisted as the first hit her, catching her middle as they both fell to the ground. Mal turned to put a bullet in its head, but Cat had already thrown it off her snapping its neck. "I said MOVE!"

Zoe fired her gun as a Reaver appeared over the outcropping Cat had jumped over moments before, something the resembled human hair dangling from its mouth. It dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as Cat motioned them on. "Keep going and whatever you do....DAMN IT, keep going."

Her body was changing, fingers becoming claws and her long fangs finding their way out of her mouth to her bottom lip. Silently she thanked the dark that Mal and Zo couldn't see clearly. She felt her catlike body coming over to instinct, but as of now, she had enough control to tell it what was prey and what they needed to protect.

Claws found the first, embedding into its soft neck, slicing the head from the body as she tossed it to another, blood turning the catcher into a cannibal as others pounced on the newly dead body. Someone screamed and Cat's green eyes catch the sight of a Reaver on Zoe, the gun knocked to the ground as well as she. It had began already to tear her clothes off as Mal tried to defend her, but had three others surrounding him. Bullets weren't always affective in stopping them, but there was a surefire way to end their attack.

Zoe screamed again, trying like hell to reach the knife at her side as another monster joined the party, her shirt almost completely gone and her pants had been torn to a point of almost being removed. The one on her opened its mouth in a cry of victory, its hand trying its twisted hard member from the ragged pants. It planned on raping her and the other was going to watch. Its open mouth smelled of human blood and flesh, copper and decay as she almost lost her lunch, Again it screamed, but this time, it didn't get a chance to close its mouth.

Long claws wrapped themselves around either side of its gaping hole and with a jerk, Cat or at least what seemed to resemble Cat, ripped its jaw away from its head before finishing the job by pulling the rest of its head clean off. The second looked at her for a minute and then went to run, but Cat had other ideas. Twisting her long legs, she drove her booted foot into its stomach with enough force to shatter the ribs, making them perfect knives to drive into the vital organs of the heart and lungs.

"Are you okay?" She growled leaning to help Zoe up, the dark skin covered in blood, ut thankfully not her own, and handed her the button up shirt that wrapped around her waist.

Zo stood looking at her, the fangs, the claws, the eyes and just nodded. Mal came up behind them, his gun barking as he fired into the onslaught. Cat heard another hissing mob approaching as she cast a look at Zoe. "Zo, are you okay?" he asked over Cat's shoulder.

It was the second time someone had asked her and this time Zoe could see what Cat didn't want Mal to see. "Yes, but we best get going." She slid around so that the Sarge wouldn't see what Cat had become and pulled Mal toward the way out. "Cat will protect our backs."

"Yes, Sir." Cat spoke in a harsh voice, only because it had become hard to speak with a mouth full of fangs. She appreciated the warrior woman and what she had done....though as Cat flipped back around to see red eyes ready for slaughter, that it was Zo's way of saying thanks.

***********

Hours later and the Reavers were in the distance, Cat knowing though they had escaped them, they needed to get off the planet. It was up to the Alliance now to clean up the mess. She had found a small lake so they all could wash off the blood, more so Mal and Zoe, who had gotten covered. Cat could care, though as a 'human', she acted like it just so neither would suspect that the blood was nothing more than sweat to her.

Still, she let the cold water slid across her bare body finding a place where the reeds covered the sight of her. It wasn't because she was shy, but to let her beautiful body return back to its human qualities. Her finger ran over the scratches that were healing as the water slid over them. She removed splinters and rocks watching as Zoe dipped her dark form into the water, still trembling from her ordeal.

There was no sight of Mal, but something behind her in the reeds caused the beautiful woman to dip down deep. A scent caught her nose and she knew it was safe. "I'm lookin' the other way...I promise."

"I was just about finished." She wanted to say something else, like she wouldn't have minded even if he did look.

"Need to talk when you're decent."

"Okay." She walked out, grabbing for her clothes and quickly sliding them on. As Cat emerged from the reeds, Mal stood shirtless. Her belly burned as she let her eyes crawl over the strong muscles that rippled as he breathed.

"You could have finished." She felt his eyes appreciated the white tank and torn pants that exposed very long perfect legs.

"I was."

"You went over my head." He tried hard to sound harsh, but it was hard to when the savior of your unit stood in front of you looking like an angel.

"I had to. I had to protect you." She felt him close the gap between them and for the first time, the sense to flee wasn't there. Instead, she drew closer, the warmth of him driving her crazy.

"I'm not worthy of your protection." He looked at her mouth, at her eyes, and for a moment, there was no war, no planet...just them.

"Yes, you are. I am meant..." His lips didn't let her continue and Cat couldn't help, but let her arms find their way around him as his did the same.

"Sargent," Zoe spoke behind them, part of her not wanting to interrupt, but knowing their men were waiting. "We need to go. Our men are waiting to know if we are still alive."

Mal let her go, but reluctantly as he turned to Zoe. "Right, but we need to get our story right. Ain't none of the men need to know just what happened tonight."

"Agreed." Zoe looked at Cat and smiled slightly. "So, what's our story?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping you came up with one." He laughed, taking her arm as they began to walk away. Cat stood watching them realizing for the first time, she had found a place to belong, a family who would do anything to protect her even though she didn't need it....and for once, something warmed in Cat's heart.

"You coming, Cat?" A voice broke her from the thoughts as Mal turned to look at her.

"Yes, sir." She smiled running to catch up as she thought. 'I'd follow you anywhere.'