You know, if you read the above comment, it could very well be SANDS who was stuck somewhere and needed the bitter couple to help Mal come spring him.

If it was dangerous enough, that could knock off Ramon's lifedebt. And it could be Mal helping Sands. Which is the kind of NICE CONSTRUCTIVE thing that's good for people. Heck, if she was hurt in the effort, we could even get Random shoving her into Sands' arms and saying 'if she gets shot, it's YOUR FAULT, now get into the van' while pulling out a gun to give them a bit of cover.