A/N: I've been pondering an epilogue for Extra Cargo for a while now. And have come up with several possibilities, so I'm going to post all of the epilogues that I write and hope that one pops out as "the one." Ashleyder1, BrowncoatInTheStars, Countrygirl83, ermintrude421, The Frisky Firelily, gaben, jane0904, JasmineOotori1313, ksirrah, michelann, PowerStealerRogue, RionaEire, Skyrunner70, and everyone else that has followed, and reviewed Extra Cargo. You all mean the world to me!
Extra Cargo. The Epilogue:
Time had passed. In some ways too much, and in other ways not enough. So much had happened. Mal stared the little tin in his desk drawer, and then up at the seam on the wall of his berthing area. After Caroline had died he'd put most of her things into her little painted bunk and welded the doors shut; the constant reminders had just been too much.
He'd spent the better part of a week in a bottle, letting Zoë handle everything. More often or not Jayne had been with him; he'd cried more in that week than he ever had. He'd been jerked back to reality by his second-in-command who had threatened to leave and take the pilot if he didn't get it together.
And now… he stared at the little tin box and thought about the events that had happened. Had he made the right choice? Should they have put her next to Wash, Book, and Mr Universe? Would it have given her peace? Zaogao, damn it; would it have given him peace?
He closed his eyes for a second and thought about everything that had brought him here, to this point. Caroline, the Tam's, Miranda, the operative, …
Which made him think of his mother and Shadow. There was a saying she used to have.
If wishes were horses beggars would ride.
Wishin' wasn't going to make anything happen. Wasn't goin' ta change a gorram thing. Ma always used to say "If wishes were horses…" to him when he was wishin' that he didn't have to do chores or somthin' like that.
With one last look at plain metal box, slammed the drawer shut. He'd made the right choice. He'd bury Caroline next to his mother. Next to his mother on Shadow; it was only right that family was together. Until then, she'd stay here. And Buddha only knew when they'd get out that way again. It wasn't like anyone lived on Shadow anymore. Not since the war.
"If wishes were horses Beggars would ride." He muttered to himself as he got up from his chair and headed for the galley for a cup of coffee.
Zaogao—Damn it