The firelight cast eerie shadows over the crew as they talked, Mal and Inara, Jayne with Kitty on his feet dancing her around, and River smiling as Kaylee brushed her hair. Even Zoe looked happy, her dark lips smiling as Simon offered her a hand for a dance. Everyone was content, well, almost everyone.

Cat's body was almost to the point of a full recovery, stiffness in her ribs and muscles still caused her issues, but slowly it was beginning to fade. Simon had once again done wonders, even though her own healing had fixed most of the wounds. Still, dealing with Reavers was never fun.

Something on the wind alerted her, the smell of death from both a ship and its occupants. It wasn't a good smell and it was close by. Falling back into the shadows, her beautiful body morphed as the extra set of ribs popped into place to make room for a larger lung capacity as well as the growth of her heart. Whatever stiffness that was there was gone. Fangs dipped from her mouth lengthening as her nails turned into claws. Silently she thanked Kitty for her ability or the transformation for woman to monster would have never taken place, but with the smell of prey on the air, it was time for her beast to hunt.

With a final look to her crew, her people, Cat blended into the night and as she passed around the firelight as not to be seen, Mal thought he saw something out the corner of his eye. Like a warning wind before a devastating storm, she was gone.

"Zo, where's Cat?"

= = = = = = = = =

Saffron was trapped, not quite sure how she got into this particular situation, but knew without a miracle she was not getting out. Her hand hurt, the infection was spreading into the other digits and if she did not find a real hospital soon, she was lose the hand as well, but right now that was the least of her worries.

Around her, Reavers hissed, a scouting ship that had dropped out of the sky moments before and had stumbled up her as she rested at the abandoned farm north of the town she was headed for. Thankfully, Kaylee had took pity on her and had taken her halfway in the Mule and said it was another four miles to walk. Safferon figured she was do the other two in the morning, plus there was a river nearby if she could get the courage to climb down the cliff behind the house.

The Reavers had smelled her blood, the infection and as they slithered out of their ship, they descended upon her. It would be minutes and she would be gone. Somehow, she didn't think her quick wit would get her out of this one.

The first one grabbed her as the second ripped her shirt off her body, the green bra barely holding as his split tongue rolled over her skin. She screamed as the one holding her tasted the flesh of her hand, sucking at the bandage and laughing maliciously. Her mind repeated over and over again, this is how I will die.

Two others approached her as she cried out for mercy, something she knew they wouldn't understand. All four laughed and then moved in for another bite, two more shadows behind them making it six. She waited for the raping, eating, and cutting to begin.

In a flair of blood and guts, one of the back ones went down, separated at the waist as a shadow dropped upon them. Straining her eyes, Safferon tried to see what had caused it, and when the others released her, she found the first thing to hide behind.

= = = = = = = = = =

The beast could smell her prey and as she came closer to the small ship, her tongue lapped at her fangs. "Reaver." They had already claimed a victim, but the sound of her heartbeat made the beast realize she had come just in time. Grabbing a rusty discarded scythe blade from the abandon barn, her long legs covered the ground quickly and quietly.

Leaping into the pack, she sliced the air and her first victim, the force of impact driving the dull blade through the middle of him. The others released their prey when they saw and smelled their newest toy and she grinned when they did. Reavers were typical to every insane critter out there, you attacked them and they get sidetracked.

In a circle, they gathered around her and the beast just laughed. Surround the monster and you think you can take it, but how wrong they really were. Flexing her long claws, she attacked again, slicing into the nearest as she saw his mutilated face and skin. There was no holding back here, no emotions from her other half telling her she couldn't...shouldn't. This was what she was designed for, killing that which idiots created and protecting those who couldn't do it themselves.

A bite to her back made her turn as one of the others had jumped her, but it was of little concern. She was not Cat now and within seconds, the wound was closed, yet, her anger turned on the biter full force. With a strong back kick, she drove the Reaver against the stone wall to her right, reaching for a slab that lay beside her. With strength that her other half could only wish about, the beast tossed it into Biter, the sound of his ribs and back crushing reward of death as she felt the warm thick blood pooling under her bare feet.

The remaining three backed off a bit as she moved into the light from their ship, her legs and feet covered in the blood of their comrade. "Sexmeat want." The nearest one spoke, but the beast hissed loudly and shook her head. For some reason, her inner self wanted this one left alive and that is what she would do.

As the talker continued to repeat those words, one with a long hatchet came at her, the blade whistling as it passed by her head. Catching his arm on the down swing, she raised up her leg and snapped the bones in his forearm across it like they were nothing more than dry twigs. Hatchet wielder screamed, clutching his arm and dropping the weapon, her hand wrapping around the blade as he did. With a flick of her wrist, the homemade ax went flying spitting the face of the talker as he muttered sexmeat for his final time.

With a snarl, the beast snapped the neck of the Wielder, sick of hearing his cries of pain and then turned to the final creature. It whined pathetically as the beast smiled, knowing if she let it go, they would be back in far greater numbers. Walking over, she grabbed him about the collar and drug him toward the ship he had come in, stopping to pull the hatchet from the brains of the Reaver it claimed. Flicking some gray matter from the blade, she wrapped it in the back of Whiner's shirt, securing it so that it wouldn't come loose. She then stood behind the engine of the ship, its fan spinning in the redness of the lights, her fangs glittering as she smiled.

Her body moved away and sent Whiner flying as he hit the propulsion fan in a blast of red blood and bone, easily taken care of by the high powered motor. The blade though was another story. It whined and grated, before beginning to smoke, catching fire as the beast just calmly walked away. An explosion covered the background behind her in a beautiful display of metal as it struck her, burning her flesh, but not once did it the wounds stay longer than a few seconds.

Saffron came from behind the rock as she watched the body of the beast transform back into human, her red hair tossed in the wind from the destroyed and burning ship. "Thank you."

"I didn't come to save you, Saffron, if that's what you think." Cat's voice still carried her beast's makeup and it was gravelly.

"You can control it."

"No, but I gave her what she wanted...blood and she did what I needed her to...save you."

"And why would you do that? I thought you hated me."

"No, Saffron, I don't hate you. I pity you." Cat moved away and started to walk toward the cliff, water below rumbling in the distance. "But, I need you to answer questions and that might be a little hard if you're Reaver chow."

"I saw how you killed them. Why didn't you when...."

Cat turned in a fury. "When you turned those creatures loose on my family...You sold your soul to the Academy to get money for my reward and River's. Be glad I didn't let them just kill you."

"Your protocol is to protect humans."

"You're right, but not when they're stupid like you. Besides, you're alive. I had it under control."

Saffron raised her mangled hand. "You call this under control. He bit me, he bit my pinky off."

"Yes, he did. Might think next time about playing with something that can kill you."

It finally dawned on Safferon. "You let him?"

"Yes." It was matter of fact and honest.

"Why?"

"Because you wanted to control them and I taught you that you can't control that which was never meant to be."

"The doctors said it would work. That they'd obey me and kill my enemies. The reward for your family is great. We could have split it, could have been partners..." She looked down again at her wound, but Cat showed no emotion.

"I pity you, Saffron, I pity the fact you are so obsessed with control that you can't settle down and have a real life, but make no mistake. We are nothing alike."

A noise caught her attention. "My captain is on his way. I can hear the Mule as we speak following the tracks I left and the smell of the fire the destroyed ship has caused. He will find you and have questions to ask you, ones that you will answer truthfully and without your usual bullshit." She walked to the edge of the cliff, blood dripping off her soaked and tattered clothes. "And Saffron, if you lie to him and I find out, what those Reavers would have done to you, will seem like heaven when my 'other' half get through with you."

"Where are you going?"

"For a swim." She smiled, her mind calculating where in the river she should land to keep herself from hitting bottom. "Pray we never ever meet again." With that and a final salute with her middle finger, Cat stepped off the cliff to the darkness below. All that remained of her was the splash as her body hit the river.

Saffron turned to see the headlights foggy in the dust that formed and two men sitting side by side, one with a spotlight and the other driving. She recognized the driver as Mal. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for the moment of truth. =============================================

AN- chapter one begins three weeks earlier....