"It's all used up," River said at dinner. "Finished and grey. They'll throw it away now." She tilted her head to the side, hair falling in tangles. "I wonder if they'll scream when they fall."

After, reading the waves coming across the Cortex - floods . . . earthquakes . . . Osiris . . .dead . . . Osiris . . .Osiris - Wash's hands grew cold and he called for Simon.

"Isn't that?" he trailed off as he pointed at the screen.

"It was. Long ago." Simon spun away from Wash's sympathetic eyes.

River, curled at the foot of his bed, looked up at him. "The day is over and they're covered up," she said. "They're grey." She pulled her knees tight against her chest.

Simon nodded and sat beside her. "I know, mei-mei."

She reached out, toyed with the button on his shirt. "I didn't know it was such a long goodbye. I should have known." He made soothing noises, sweet little sounds as she rested her head in his lap. He combed through her hair with his fingers, and wondered what the end of days looked like from the outside, storms and screams swirling.

There were so many worlds, and the end of the day meant nothing out in the black.