Angelle is mine, the rest belongs to Whedon ==================================================

Timing....the act of knowing when the right time is the right time and making sure you don't miss that mark or you never know what might occur. An example of good timing is shooting somebody in the head before they turn their gun on you. Bad timing is after they've done shot you and you lay dying in your own blood. This was about as important.

Jarvis...the commander that Ole Scar tried to take a bite off, but instead tore into his leg with the massive tail...well, he was leading me back to my little hotel room that the purple bellies decided to keep me in. Problem was I wasn't too fond of sharing it with a room mate, at least not a female one. Now, there was a certain ship's captain that might keep me in there, but then the Alliance would get a whole new lesson on how to use the brig to your utmost advantage. Going to end that there before this conversation gets too racy and I get so far off tract that getting back on would take another six pages.

Alright, so....we are back with me and Jarvis walking back to my cell where Inara is waiting to be questioned concerning the whereabouts of said ship's captain. Unfortunately for her or actually fortunately, she would never have to make that date, because I had decided, it was high time we broke out.

All Alliance cuffs have one small thing in common, they all are magnetically sealed, only being released by a key, which causes the magnetic pulse to be disrupted. The black metal rings around my neck give off the same pulse when struck together. Guess who had silently slipped off those when she was being interrogated. And you thought I was just tossing my drink 'cause I was pissed. ]

Slipping one on each of my thumbs, I waited until Jarvis and I were alone in the hallway and between security cameras, before I made my break. A quick click and the cuffs fell as I took my right foot jabbing it hard into his wounded leg. Screaming like a stuck pig, my hands found his pistol and I placed it against his temple.

"You shoot me and you'll never get out of here."

"I'm not gonna shoot you, you ass." I snarled. "Be a waste of a gorram bullet."

"Piece of shit Browncoats think you're all so..." The but of the pistol went into the back of his skull before he said anymore.

"Just couldn't shut up, could you?" With a smile, I grabbed his arms dragging him...I am here to tell you, the man weighed a ton...and dumped him in the small cleaning closet. It had a couple broom bots in it, but if they are anything like the ones on the other Alliance ships I've had the pleasure of being a prisoner on...god that sounded bad....well, it would be another hour or so before anyone would find him. Hopefully, by then, me and 'Nara would be on the little ship headed out.

Before you ask, I had no idea whose ship it was, but it had to be better than trying to get a small Alliance scout ship and pray the bigger ship didn't blast our asses out of the air when it saw our escape. Once the little ship was space borne, we'd find out who was flying it and demand passage back to the Bayou....at least, that was the plan....literally. I didn't have a plan B.

Around the corner I ran, passing through the big doors as Inara caught my eye and walked up to the force field. "What are you doing?"

"Gettin' us the hell out." I smiled and tapped the numbers that unlocked the field, the very ones I had watched Jarvis enter when he shut it. The lights blinked once and then fell as Inara slid out.

"How are we going to get out of here?"

"A little ship just pulled into the space dock. If we can avoid the cameras and guards, we should be able to sneak on board. Might even have a shuttle we can steal."

"You know how to fly one?" She whispered as we began walking back down the way I had just come.

"Well, I was kind of gonna leave that to you. I mean I can't do all the work."

She looked at me, a strange stare before shaking her head. "What?" I asked finally.

"Just thinking how perfect you and Mal are for each other."

"Why's that?"

"Because that's exactly what he'd assume of me." She laughed as we both shared another look, my feet guiding us toward the space dock, praying I could work around all the people as well as the machines.

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"You sure about this?" Inara whispered at my side, both of us just above the large Cargo bay, a large piece of glass looking down inside. We could see two small ships, both no bigger than the Space Jumper of Gunner's back on....wait....was that?!

"Lao tian ye." I spoke as Inara shook her head at me.

"Angelle Marcs. Watch your...." She stopped as something near the one ship's ramp moved. "Lao tian, bu." A breath and she spoke again. "Is that...is that a..."

I only nodded completely speechless as my eyes watched the largest monster in my swamp stroll his happy ass of my Gunner's little ship. He stretched his long snout and issued a very loud, very long bellowing cry. From the other ship, which only now did i realize was one of the shuttles off a Firefly transport ship, no guesses as to what ship I am talking about, came a slightly smaller, but equally as menacing male gator, which I could tell from the extra small tail was one we called Stubby.

"You know your future hubby is behind this." Inara spoke at my side, but I still couldn't take my eyes off the beautiful lizards. They swung their massive weight as alarms began to sing, guards not sure what to do with something that doesn't easily die like a Reaver or a Browncoat.

"Do you see him?" I finally muttered, not sure if I was talking about Mal or commenting on my big boy doing what he did best....acting like he was getting ready for a smörgåsbord.

"Angelle Marcs," A voice behind me made me turn as there stood Mal, his blue eyes none too happy with me at the moment, but damn was I glad to see him and his brown coat. "You know what kind of danger I had to go through to come save your ass."

"I was doing fine on my own." I yelled back, not sure why. "Besides, I couldn't leave 'Nara by herself."

"So gettin' caught seemed the best thing to do?" He huffed at me. "And endangerin' your friends and family so they could get you?"

"Well, ain't like I thought you'd come try and rescue me." I growled as Inara moved to say something, but Mal raised his hand.

"What the gorram hell did you think I was going to do? Let the Alliance take you. I lost the war, watch my men slaughtered. Lost members of my crew 'cuz some Alliance hu dan couldn't take no for an answer. I ain't losing you, Angelle, ain't losin' another thing I love." He caught my eyes and I stopped, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I should have thought more."

"Yes, you should of, but I probably would've done the same thing." He looked at both of us reaching out to pull me into his arms. "I'm glad you both are alright, but let's get the hell out of here while the purple bellies are distracted."

I turned as I broke his embrace, pointing to Scar making a mess of the Bay. "You brought Ole Scar up here and released 'm in their cargo bay?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And just how you plan on getting him and Stubby back down to the Bayou?"

His eyes sparkled as I saw that evil little smile creep on his face. "Figured I'd leave that to you. Can't have me doing all the work."

I shook my head as I heard Inara's song like laugh echoing behind me.