Wash stared at the woman who had once meant so much to him, and she stared back, her eyes flat and empty, betraying no emotion. He didn't move at all, even when the cold night air blew over him, causing his skin to prickle. The soft glow of the moon shone on her face, illuminating the scars that marked her skin. "You're still alive," he said flatly, breaking the long silence that had stretched between them. CT shifted her weight and tucked some hair behind her ears. "As are you," she replied. "And what, exactly, are you doing out here?"
The wind picked up the sand, swirling it around her legs, and blowing her hair over her face. She brushed it aside again and glared at him. "Well?"
Wash blinked twice, pondering the emptiness in his heart. Ever since he had been freed from Epsilon, he had felt nothing. Not joy, nor pain, not even anger when York had forgotten to feed the cat while he was out. When it came purring around his legs, meowing for attention, he had picked it up and stroked its fur, but there was no comfort. He thought further about CT's scars, and how not all of them could be seen, not all of them were physical. He wondered what it felt like.
She was tapping her feet impatiently now, annoyed that he hadn't answered. What had brought him out here, and why did he… why did he not seem to care that she wasn't dead? She bit her lip, holding back what she wanted to say because she didn't know how to say it. Instead she shouted, "Wash! Answer me!"
"CT…" he whispered.
"What?"
"Did I—did we love each other? I forget what love feels like."
She took a step back, unsure what to say. She hadn't been expecting him to mention that. "I…" her voice caught in her throat as she struggled to find the words. "I think so. But, I left. And you stayed. So I guess not anymore."
He frowned, trying to remember what it felt like to have emotions… to feel something. He reached out to grab her hand—they used to do that—but she jerked it away. Wash shrugged and sunk back into the sand, lying on his back and stared at the stars. He didn't know what else to say. Surprisingly, CT did the same. She settled herself into the soft sand beside him, but not too close. Apparently she didn't know what else to say either.