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Summary: Having received a formal pardon from the Alliance for River and Simon Tam, the crew of Serenity are trying to rebuild their lives the best way they can... Picking up freelance work, and taking to the sky!
Chapter 1
Rise & Shine
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Serenity sat lifelessly amongst a bustling trader's settlement. Her shadow fell long across the sand strewn ground. It must have been nigh on night fall. Every living person who dwelled with the ship was undoubtedly enjoying the local brew in one of the many smoke filled bars… save for one person.
She lay silent in contemplation. This was the first time she bad been afforded any time alone; time to feel, and experience utter solitude. Sure, she had been around many great men and women, a great deal of whom she cared for, loved… and would even die for. But nothing affected her more than lying in her sleeping quarters alone. He should have stayed with her last night. The way his breathing grew softer and softer as he passed into unknown dreams. His breath often grazed her face, as she lay contemplating her fortunes of the long days work. He would always drop to sleep before her. In earlier times it was annoying but time had lessened her retaliatory shots with pillows.
She had learnt his ways inside out, as he had done for her. Always he rose before she did, and he would often stare down upon his beautiful wife willing her ever so gently to awaken before the responsibilities of his day forced him from their quarters. On those sweet mornings she would open her eyes slowly, knowing he was staring intensely upon her, though her focus had not yet adjusted. A loving smile would slowly spread across his lips as their eyes met. Pools of soft blue glistened somehow in the stark morning before the lights set their quarters ablaze. He would look into those dark eyes he so desired, and pass messages of unspoken love. He would gently caress her face with his finger tips, before grazing her lips with his.
Her head lay heavily upon her out stretched arm, as she lay positioned on her side like always.
She hated this; the way she hadn't shaken the habit of her arm snaking out to where her husband once lay. Her arm lay against the sheet heated by the warmth of her own body, not another's like it should have been…
"Wash…" she murmured faintly, as though she expected him to hear it.
She shut her eyes tightly, pursing her lips with frustration as through trying to rid herself of a deep annoyance. She couldn't quite understand what she felt… was it hurt? …Abandonment? …Anger?
No… A small voice spoke in her head.
"You're stronger than this."
She felt a pang in her stomach. One part of her ached to move on with her life, she was a woman of discipline, courage and honour. She was head strong and trained to face the harsh realities of war. But on the other hand, she had never lost such a huge part of herself; she wanted to feel – to release herself finally. It wasn't often the captain deliberately left her alone without a purpose, duty or role to carry out.
"Take care of Serenity." He had told her upon departing that day.
She read between the lines, and took his words as "Take care of Wash." The captain hadn't directly commented on Wash's death, and she was sure he wouldn't until she had mourned his passing. Although, it was highly unlikely the captain would bring Wash up at all...
Zoe dragged her eyes slowly around the familiar yet peculiar quarters. A dim green light made the metallic dominated environment, soft and aloof. It was too quiet in here, too suffocating. She still had her old habit of dumping her clothes on the floor. To hell with it, she was going to put on the same things she had worn the day before. She reached down and yanked up whatever garments she could find. Before long, she had on her bright orange top, sturdy cream work trousers and her combat boots. She pulled her hair back roughly, as though some kind of physical pain would lessen the psychological pain and forced it into a cascading ponytail of curls. She stepped towards the hand basin set within the wall, and ran the cold tap. She caught the water in her hands, and doused her face with it. The cold water was soothing, and refreshing. It felt good to send a shiver down her spine.
There was a light knock at the door…
Zoe knew instantly it would the doctor and his sister River. The captain very rarely let Simon and River off the boat even after their pardon from the Alliance, but today he had landed in a trader's settlement that was notorious as a refuge for those looking to avoid questions about their identity and past. Simon had been apprehensive about taking River off the boat, however he had picked up on the captain's vibe and agreed to leave out of respect for Wash and Zoe. Death was not something many people liked to encounter, but in the doctor's line of work he had become somewhat accustomed to it. He held a deep respect for those in mourning. Not that he had lost many patients at all through any fault of his own – for he was splendid at his job. He had been issued with patients who would not survive, even if they were under the most gifted doctor in the verse. He knew it was best to leave the grieving alone, if only for a little while. The doctor could see that Zoe was being courageous, and Wash's death had not impacted upon on her functionality within the team.
Zoe trudged towards her door.
Sure enough she was face to face with Simon. His face was paler than usual and his eyes were bulging slightly.
"Alliance on your tail?" questioned Zoe sarcastically. She quirked one of her eyebrows inquisitively.
"When aren't they?" said the doctor, who inclined his head and shrugged his shoulders casually.
"Though it's nice that they're after us for fraternizing with known plunderers this time around." He smiled.
"Easy doc." Zoe said; though she smiled appreciatively at his humorous grin.
"Where is…" began Zoe.
"Here." Beamed River as her grinning face appeared around the edge of the doorway.
Her hair askew and her eyes inquisitive in that child like manner. She clutched at the doorway and peered unblinking into Zoe's eyes.
"May fourteenth. Your favourite colour was blue. My Ice Queen." began River.
Simon fixed her with a gaping expression. Zoe's eyes dropped as she bit down on her bottom lip, nodding all the while.
"… Cold and hard at first but so beautiful, that it's impossible to stay away." Zoe was still nodding, as she had completed the sentence that River had started.
"You're a mushy pile of snow." added River.
"My mushy pile…" added Zoe stoically.
"What's this?" said Simon, as his eyes flicked from River to Zoe and back again, his finger tip pointing from one woman to the other.
River put her hand to her mouth and proceeded to chew upon her fingertips lightly, as she stared at Simon in disbelief. He knew her well enough to know she thought he was completely incompetent for not comprehending the exchanges between Zoe and herself.
Zoe fixed the doctor with an understanding look.
"Wash took me to the snow on Ganymede and asked me to marry him there. The conversation that just came up between River and I preceded his proposal. I have never told a living soul about it."
"I'm sorry…" uttered Simon.
"She doesn't know that some things make people…"
"Its okay." said Zoe reassuringly.
"He still means it!" interjected River rather loudly.
Her large brown eyes bore into Zoe's, as she nodded enthusiastically.
"He means it as much now, as he did back then."
Simon reached out for River, and placed his hands gently upon her shoulders – looking deep into her face. He bent down slightly so he was eye to eye with her.
"That's enough River, I think you just need something to eat. Jayne was kind enough to purchase half a dozen apples for us all to share."
Zoe leaned down and reached for something beyond Simon's line of sight.
Simon looked back to River in confusion and heard the all too familiar noise of somebody cocking a weapon. Simon looked back to Zoe, his mouth gaping in shock.
"We're…. she…" Simon trailed off… a look of panic crossed his face.
He looked to River helplessly, who was smiling and admiring Zoe's shotgun.
Zoe dropped the shotgun heavily into the holster sitting across her waist, and looked from Simon to River.
"My husband is dead; ain't nothing in the verse can change that." She said in a tone of stating fact.
"He is worm food… yes." nodded River.
"His body temperature would have…" she trailed off as Simon turned to her. His eyebrows pressed in on each other in frustration as he shook his head at his sister.
"No River." he murmured disapprovingly.
"He doesn't have to be worm food though, the man who loves dinosaurs. We can bring him back!" nodded River, a determined look plastered upon her face.
"I'm not very partial to the idea of digging him back up, and living with the smell. It was bad enough when he was living." said Zoe in a deadpan tone.
It was obvious she had had enough; she stepped through the doorway, and looked Simon square in the face before looking to River and proceeding ahead. It was clear she was going to take her place at the helm of Serenity and await the arrival of the captain and the rest of the crew.
"Time is running out." said River as she looked vaguely off into the distance.
"Wash says she'll never agree, so we have to force her instead." nodded River, before she plucked the edges of her dress up in her finger tips, and skipped off along the metal bridge. Her boots clunking heavily as she went.