The stuffed dragon hung from her soft little hands as she ran through the ship calling for her mother and father
The stuffed dragon hung from her soft little hands as she ran through the ship calling for her mother and father. They smiled as her blonde pigtails bobbed up and down as she spotted them. It was times like these when Reese seemed like neither of her parents but both at the same time. Her smile was all her own and her eyes gleamed like neither of theirs ever had. Yet her energy much like her fathers and her strength much like her mothers.
"Mommy!" Reese shrieked as Mal grabbed her from behind and spun around.
"Reese's pieces why ya screamin' like that?" Kaylee asked as the girl was spun again.
"Uncle Mal stop." Reese ordered.
"Hey no one gives orders round here except me." Mal said strictly, putting Reese on the ground. "And of course you must listen to your parents." Mal added quickly when he noticed Zoe glaring at him.
Reese had stopped listening at 'no', grabbed the dragon off the ground and dusted it off. She then ran over to her parents and took a seat on Wash's lap. Everyone took their seats at the table and started to eat dinner. Reese watched how her mother ate slowly spinning the noodles around her fork then eating it in one big bite. Reese tried to spin the noodles onto her fork but they wouldn't stay. Then giving up on the task to see if her daddy ate in an easier fashion. Wash ate the noodles with chopsticks and slurped the noodles instead of taking them in with one big bite. She reached for the chopsticks and took them from him causing him to chuckle.
"Sweetie I kind of need those." Wash chuckled as Reese tried to use them properly.
She tried and tried to get the noodles on her chopsticks but they wouldn't stay. She finally got frustrated and decided her hands worked better than the chopsticks or the fork. Zoe and Wash broke first followed by Kaylee and River. Inara and Mal tried to hold it in but failed miserably when Jayne let out his bellowing laugh. Preacher and Simon managed to keep their laughter in until Reese looked up to see what everyone was laughing about and they saw that her bowl of noodles barely got into her mouth. The table was bursting with laughter and Reese just looked around. She didn't understand anything she couldn't comprehend why they were laughing. Her chin started to quiver and her messy hands clamped Wash's shirt. She dug her head into his chest and started to cry. Wash stopped laughing as concern fell on his face. Everyone slowly stopped laughing and went back to their food but when Reese didn't stop crying Zoe decided it was time for mommy to step in.
"Wash I got her," she whispered trying not to disturb anyone's meal further.
Zoe picked up Reese and headed to hers and Wash's bunk.
"No mommy," Reese whined reaching for Wash.
"I'll come say goodnight in a second baby." Wash reassured his little girl.
Zoe started to walk away from the table again but Reese started to cry in protest. Zoe kept walking and Reese kept crying. Zoe knew that Reese was going to be stubborn and she wouldn't stop crying until Wash came. Reese looked up at her mom and whipped her tears away.
"Mommy?" Reese asked cautiously.
"Hm?" Zoe replied.
"Are you mad at me?" Zoe's usually stone expression cracked and she stood inches from the door.
"What?"
"Are you mad at me?" Reese asked again.
"No," Zoe set her down so she could go down the ladder, "sweetie I'm not mad at you. What gave you that idea?"
"I don't know." Reese said stepping off the ladder and shrugging her shoulders in a very Wash-like fashion.
"Come on get over here." Zoe said patting a spot on the bed in the middle of the room.
Reese walked over and tried to get up on the bed. She was having a hard time but wouldn't let Zoe help her onto the bed. Finally she got onto the bed and she sat in front of Zoe who started to take out the pigtails that stuck out from the side of her head. Even though Reese was only about four she was already used to these kinds of sit-downs she and Zoe shared almost every night. Reese liked them the most on days when Zoe, Mal, and Jayne had gone out on jobs. It was a reassuring talk or sometimes just a hug that let her know that Zoe was still there that her mom would never leave.
"Come on what's wrong?" Zoe asked pulling her daughter into a tight hug.
Reese snuggled in closer to her mother. She wrapped her arms around Zoe and burst into tears. Zoe, somewhat shocked, rubbed Reese's back until the tears subsided. They sat in silence for a while until Wash walked in. Wash had never walked into a moment like this usually he walked in shortly after Zoe had either tucked in or had started to read a book to Reese, but he had never walked in on them talking. Zoe glanced up at Wash and motioned for him to come sit down.
"Sweetie?"
"Yes mommy."
"Time for bed." Zoe said placing a soft kiss on Reese's forehead. "Daddy is going to tuck you in tonight."
Reese stood up and waited patently for Wash to get in front of her and fearlessly jumped off the bed into her daddy's waiting arms. Zoe watched the very different exchange and smiled when Reese let out a small giggle. All the fights Zoe and Wash had had over this issue of kids ended the day Reese was born. Now every time Wash sees that beautiful little girl's face his face lights up. Zoe couldn't believe that Reese was about to turn four and it still only seemed like yesterday since she was born. Wash was so happy to see their beautiful Reese for the first time. She probably could have said anything and his smile wouldn't have left his face.
"Mommy?" Wash asked jokingly.
"Yes?" Zoe replied rolling her eyes.
"Reese wants to say goodnight."
--
Wash walked into the room to see Zoe already fast asleep and he could hear Reese snoring. Just to check that she wasn't messing around he went to the far corner of the room to check on her. Reese was lying on her side with her dragon dangling from her hand that was hanging over the side of the bed. He smiled and readjusted her arm so she could be more comfortable. Then he went to go get himself ready for bed.
"Daddy?" Reese shot up out of her sleep and looked around. "Daddy?" She called more persistently.
"Hold on sweetie." Wash called from the other side of the room. "Let me"
"I'm scared," she whispered probably hoping that Wash hadn't heard it.
"Sweetie why are you scared?" He asked.
"Mommy wasn't there?" She looked down at her fingers and then started to freak out. "Mommy wasn't there! She was gone! I couldn't find her! You told me to make sure she was ok!" He ran over to Reese and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Sweetie, mommy's right there," he said pointing to Zoe. "It was a dream."
"No it wasn't!" She yelled at him tearing away from his grip.
"Sweetie I'm right here," Zoe said sitting in front of Reese.
Reese lunged toward Zoe wrapping her arms around her. "Mommy!"
"I'm right here," Zoe said again rubbing her daughter's back. "I'm right here."
Wash sat down next to Zoe but she motioned for him to go and lay down while she got Reese back in bed. Wash looked down at her uncertainly but when she gave him the look he got up and walked to the bed. Zoe sat on the floor rocking Reese back and forth humming softly.
Reese sat in her arms for a while but pushed away and crawled back into bed. Zoe didn't move from the floor till Reese turned to face the wall. Zoe looked back at Wash got up and walked back over to the bed. They sat quietly for a while neither one able to sleep while thinking that Reese might wake up again. Finally they let their eyes close and before to long they were sleeping.
Wash woke up the next morning to a foot in his face and Zoe laughing. Reese had gotten out of bed and crawled in with them shortly after they had fallen asleep. Through the coarse of the night she had found away to get her foot in Wash's face and Zoe had woken up to find her like that.
"Who…wha…whoa?" Wash groaned rubbing his eyes.
"Shh, she's still sleeping," Zoe, laughed pointing at the source of the now audible snoring.
Wash laughed at his daughter and gently moved her foot from his face. She felt him moving her foot and went to roll over. Her hand went straight to Wash's arm as she started to fall but Wash grabbed her and placed her between him and Zoe. She relaxed as she laid her head on Zoe's lap.
"I don't think we should wake her up quite yet," Zoe whispered running her fingers through Reese's hair. "And after last night I think I'll talk Mal into giving us vacation time."
"Wait why after last night?" Wash asked.
"Well I've been up for a while," Zoe shrugged, "Simon said it might have had to do with us putting our lives in danger on a daily basis. He said that maybe going to see family or maybe just going out to dinner with her would help."
"I guess we can see my parents since we are stopping on Paquin," Wash groaned. "They still haven't met Reese yet. I can't remember if I told them either."
"Do they even know you're married?" Zoe asked sarcastically.
"Well my mom might remember and maybe my sister. Actually it would be kind of fun to see Max again. Maybe we should stop by at least to see how Max is doing." Wash said a little less sarcasm in his voice. "I don't think you ever met my dad didn't come to the wedding and all."
"Well my parents only ever hear about you they've never actually seen you." Zoe said. "I think I sent them a capture of you and Reese last time we stopped at the postal station."
"Maybe we could make a stop on Salisbury too," Wash suggested, "unless we get a job on Paquin we can be there in a few days."
Zoe looked at Reese who was slowly waking up. "Sounds like a good idea. My parents would like it."
"Mommy?" Reese asked groggily.
"Hm?"
"I'm hungry!" She exclaimed all of a sudden not so tired.
--
Wash and Zoe walked down Serenity's ramp onto the dirt ground of Paquin. Reese ran out ahead of them with the dragon hanging out of her hand. This was the first time Reese had been let off-ship at Paquin since most the time they only stopped here to pull a heist. She was excited to be meeting her Grandma and Grandpa but she didn't exactly know why her dad was being so tense.
"Daddy let's go!" She exclaimed running back to grab her father's hand.
"Sweetie slow down," Zoe laughed as Kaylee walked up next to them.
"She keeps runnin' like that and she'll burn out," Kaylee laughed looking at the little girl that was trying to drag Wash. "Well have fun."
"Daddy!" Reese cried as she started to get frustrated.
"Wash I think it's time to go," Zoe said looking over at her husband.
"Do we have to?" He whined.
'And I wondered where she got it from,' Zoe thought. "Yes we have to go." She said taking his hand. "It's only for the day."
"Oh fine." Wash said looking at Zoe.
"Can we go now?!" Reese asked starting to get impatient.
"Yep we can go now!" Wash exclaimed mimicking his daughter's energy.
"Yippy!" Reese exclaimed skipping ahead.
"Whoa wait a sec you stay by your mom and I ok?" Wash said running to grab her before she ran into the street.
"Ok." Reese said as Wash picked her up.
"Daddy we've been walking for hours," Reese whined stomping her foot.
"We've been walking for ten minutes."
"But my feet hurt," she continued to whine. Then her eyes lit up and she looked at Wash.
"What is going on in your sneaky little mind?"
"Can I ride on your shoulders?"
"Maybe in a few minutes."
"That means no."
"No it doesn't"
"Yes it does."
"Zoe?" Wash whined.
"Pick her up and she'll stop."
Wash did so and the rest of the trip was quiet except for the occasional 'Are we there yet' and the 'I'm hungry'.
Finally they got to the small house and Wash put Reese on the ground. He and Zoe walked behind her as she ran up to the door and rang the doorbell. When the door opened a young woman step out and greeted them. Her features were a lot like Wash's but her hair was more of a red than a blonde. When she saw Wash and Zoe and then Reese her eyes went wide.
"Hobie! You and Zoe had a baby!" She ran to Wash and Zoe pulling them both into a tight hug. "Why didn't you tell anyone? What's her name? Oh she's so cute!"
"I told mom guess word didn't get out." Wash mumbled then looked up at the girl. "Max you look different?"
"Yep," she looked down at her slightly swelled stomach, "mom doesn't like the father much but dad hates him so what's a girl to do."
"Hi I'm Reese!" Reese exclaimed ending Wash and Max's conversation.
"Oh that's such a pretty name," Max said looking at Zoe and Wash.
"Sometimes Auntie Kaylee calls me Reese's Pieces." Reese said bringing her dragon up to her face.
"Who's that?" Max asked pointing at the dragon.
"Oh this is my dragon," she said hugging it tightly. "Nana Cobb got it for me."
"Oh," Max said even though she didn't know who Nana Cobb was. "Does your dragon have a name?"
"Umm… well no."