SPOILERS FOLLOW...

SERIOUSLY! LOTS OF SERENITY SPOILERS!!

AVERT THINE EYES YOU TWIT!!

FINE THEN... if you really insist on reading it...

But don't say I didn't warn you!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zoë stood beside the entrance into the cockpit, leaning against the frame there, not actually able to set foot in it. Her gaze lingered on the dinosaurs on the dash there and she sighed. The dinosaurs looked solemnly back at her, no one left to play out their daily struggle for the fight between good and evil. She sighed for a second time taking in the fact that no one was coming back for them to recreate their downfall, to give them humorous relief in their monotonous days.

“Ah, my roar is mightier than yours. I am your King, and I will rule over all this land and I will eat your kind.” The accent changed slightly.

“Yes, but you will not see the end of our kind for a terrible… terrible… evil… horrible… thing, will happen to you before,” Zoë cleared her throat. He jumped, turning in his seat, dinosaurs scattering to the four winds. His innocent smile making her own self want to smile right back, flirting.

“Did you want something?” he asked, trying to sound casual as he tried to play with a moustache that was no longer there. Zoë attempted to hide her obvious smile.

“Captain just wanted to know when we’d be setting down at Beaumond.”

“Couple of hours at most. We in a rush?” Zoë turned from the cockpit,

“No rush.” She replied softly, smiling to herself.

Zoë descended the stairs back to the crew quarters, passing right by their bunk and into the mess.

“I’ve been thinking we should get away for a couple of days together, when we dock at Persephone. Just you and me.”

“Think the Captain might have something to say about that.”

“Screw the Captain, Zoë. We’re due leave. Hell, we’re overdue it.”

“I don’t doubt. Just think we should ask is all. Captain may have a job lined up.”

“Ta ma duh! Zoë, I don’t care about any ruttin’ job. Forget about the job, ok?”

“I think you may want to be taking those days on your own sweet cheeks if you,”

“Zoë! I wanna marry you!” That was the first time Zoë Ayllene had ever been speechless. He lowered his voice the second time he asked.

“I want you to be my wife.”

Zoë kept on walking, right through the mess, away from the distance smells of wife soup. She paused briefly at the door into the engine room.

“What if Bester comes back? Or the Captain?”

“You let me worry ‘bout the Captain.”

Zoë continued down towards the infirmary, almost at a run now as she tried to fight away the memories that clouded her vision.

“Next time I think I’ll worry ‘bout Mal.” His voice sounded more nasal than usual.

“You’ll live. Captain gets a bit emotional is all.”

“A bit emotional? You call a black eye and a broken nose a bit emotional? I hate to see what he was like when he lost the war.” Zoë stopped looking to his wounds, her face indiscernible now.

“Captain lost a lot in the war.” There was a long pause in which nothing was said before she looked into his bright blue eyes.

“I get it, Zo.”

Zoë stumbled out into the cargo bay feeling claustrophobic. She wanted off this ship now. He was everywhere, she couldn’t escape him. She stopped in the middle of the cargo bay and sat down breathing deeply as she tried to control the panic. She didn’t even hear River sit down beside her.

“You shouldn’t have left it.” Zoë looked up at River, inadvertently putting a hand to her neck. River held out her hand to Zoë.

“Left a part of you behind.” River let the necklace fall into Zoë’s hand, “Need all your parts now.” River reached out and brushed a stray tear away from Zoë’s face. “So much more precious.”

Zoë looked down at the necklace, the one she had left on his grave the one that had symbolised their marriage. She had missed it, had wanted to go back, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to Mal. Zoë looked up at River.

“You’re welcome.” River said smiling.

“I wanted to get you a ring, but I’m poor.” He smiled at her, “You’d think being the getaway driver for the criminal masterminds would pay better.” Zoë laughed as he tied the necklace round her neck. She kissed him,

“Don’t care if all you own is those ugly shirts, long as you love me.”

“Nothing wrong with my shirts!”

Zoë finished putting the necklace back where it belonged, round her neck, sniffing as she tried to dry her eyes. River offered her a hankie before asking something that Zoë had never expected,

“What was his real name?”

Zoë’s voice seemed to stick in her throat at that point. She hadn’t said his name since… She swallowed a couple of times before she looked up at River.

“Hoban Washburne.” River nodded before getting to her feet.

“Mother named him. Her little blue eyed boy.” River uttered before she left the cargo bay.

“I love you Zoë Ayllene.”

“I was thinking on changing my name, taking yours.”

“Hoban Ayllene?” he smiled, teasing her.

“As long as we don’t name any children we have after you.”

“First my shirts, now you insult the name my mother gave me. Remind me again why I fell in love with you?” Zoë kissed him, wishing she’d never stopped, but when she did Wash just smiled at her.

“I love you Zoë Washburne.”