Disclaimer: Mal & Co. are not mine, just borrowed, all characters not present in Firefly/Serenity were created by me.

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It was a sunny morning when the wave came, the one that would cause Mal to gather his scattered crew together once more. The sunlight poured through the window as he sent waves of his own, mocking him with its joy and light. There was nothing joyful or light about today.

They gathered together on the grass, standing in the shade of the trees. They listened as the preacher said his words, watched as the ritual was completed. A man stepped forward and dropped a rose on the ground, his little daughter crying too hard to do so herself.

Afterwards, Mal stood alone. He watched the area they’d been standing in before, knowing that the last of his soul would forever lay there. The man who had dropped the rose came up to him and spoke.

“Thank you for coming,” he said. “You thought I wouldn’t?” Mal asked without turning. “Never crossed my mind. But thanks,” the man hesitated. “It’s strange, you know, I feel like I should be sadder, grieve more, but all I can think is that they’re together again and it’s all she ever wanted.”

The two men stood in silence.

*********

Zoe stood by the grave, staring down at the rose, completely and utterly lost as to what she should do next.

“Missed talkin’ to you, Lambie Toes,” came a voice from behind her. “Missed listening, Husband,” came the response.

Wash came up behind his wife and hugged her tightly. She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace.

“Want to stay a little longer?” he asked. Zoe gave the rose one last look. “No. We can go.” “Good,” said Wash, putting his arm around Zoe’s shoulders as they walked away. “We’ve got some catching up to do.”

Wash reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. He flipped it open and began to read the first page to himself.

“You kept a list?” Zoe asked, eyeing her husband. “Well, didn’t want to forget anything,” Wash said absentmindly as he scanned the page. Suddenly, he dropped his arm from Zoe’s shoulders and hit her in the back of the head.

“Hey!” Zoe yelled, moving away from Wash. “What was that for?” “Your little suicide rampage! Do you have any idea how much more horrible the whole Oh-My-God-I’m-Dead moment is when you’re watching your wife…” Wash trailed off as they walked past Mal and his companion. They both stopped for a moment and looked at the men.

“You did good, Zoe,” Wash said softly, kissing her temple. “Best son a man could hope for.” “We did good,” Zoe answered as she reached up to wipe the tear from her son’s face, pulling her hand away at the last second. “I hate to leave him.” “I know,” Wash said. “But it’s time.”

With that, Wash put his arm around his wife once more and they continued their walk, disappearing into the dusk.