Zoe sat on her bed and sighed in relief as she pulled her boots off. She had been on her feet since the early hours of the morning, but had finally been allowed to take a break now that their latest job was done. Mal was around somewhere, but everyone else was off enjoying themselves on the planet. Zoe was much too tired for that.

After letting her aching feet rest for a moment, Zoe stood up again to brush her teeth. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she took a step closer to it and sighed yet again. She looked absolutely terrible. Almost as bad as she had in the war, though there had been more important things to worry about then, so she hadn't known or cared what she looked like most of the time.

She put her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes.

That was when she felt the gun being pressed against the back of her head.

"Surprise."

Her eyes snapped open and her eyebrows shot up. "Jayne?"

She heard the gun being cocked. "Surprisin', ain't it?"

"What are you doing?"

"Put your hands up on the mirror where I can see 'em."

Slowly, she complied. "How much money are you gettin' for this?"

"A whole lot more than you got, that's for gorram sure. Enough to get my fam'ly off that hellhole of a planet and give them a decent place to live with some to spare. Someone out there has got one big grudge against you and the cap'n."

"You plannin' on killin' the cap'n too?"

"Already have done."

Despite her best efforts, a shiver ran down her spine. "What about loyalty? What about all the things we've done for you?"

"Oh, I do appreciate all that, don't get me wrong... But a man's gotta have his priorities. And I'm afraid my fam'ly is more... prioritized than you."

"Jayne..."

"No more talkin' now. I've only been doin' it so far as a courtesy to you, 'cause of all you've done for me an' all. I have to get it done afore the others come back."

Zoe had a mental image of Wash coming back to find her dead body and had to blink hard to fight back a tear. Then she stood up straight and proud and banished all emotions from her mind. "Okay. Do it then." She didn't doubt for a moment that he would.

"Right." Jayne pressed the gun harder against her head.

Zoe concentrated all her thoughts on her husband, heard the gun fire, and then thought nothing at all.