Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me, they are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox.

Feedback is always welcome.

Takes place shortly after the series ended. This is not what I thought I'd be writing next. But it does give me a chance to explore Wash and Zoë, a pairing I haven't dealt with before. For that I have to thank Sarah J., her comment about being a Wash/Zoë shipper is what started this chapter off. It gets a bit odd towards the end, that's either my head cold typing or River got upset that Wash took over what was supposed to be her chapter. :-)

Many thanks to William Topley and The Blessing for their song "Delta Rain", it helped inspire this piece.

River sings bits and pieces of it to Jayne.

Chinese translations:

Mei-mei: Sister

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Wash sat on the back porch watching the sun set. It was a beautiful red and gold. He heard Zoë come up behind him on the dry, wooden planks. He could tell she felt at ease here by the fact that she didn't try and hide her boot steps. Felt her warm arms around him as she leaned down to kiss his check, his sweater in one of her hands.

"Thanks lambie toes, getting a bit chilly out here." he said as he turned to kiss her back.

"Thought you might be," her breath caressed his neck as she replied. She tucked the sweater around him like a blanket.

She would make a really great mother, he knew that. Knew it wasn't fair of him always finding excuses not to let her be one. He just wasn't sure he'd make as good a father. Too much of a child himself. There was no doubt in his mind when they did have children who would be the one to discipline them. And it sure wasn't going to be him. It scared him that something might happen to her, leaving him alone to raise a child. He could handle the thought of raising one with her, but doing it without her wasn't something he was ready for.

Lately though, it had occurred to him that something might happen to her before they got a chance to have a child and then he would have nothing at all of her. And that thought scared him even more.

"Zoë, sweetie?" he found himself saying, "you know that child you've been wanting to meet? I've been thinking I might want to meet 'em too..."

He heard her sharp intake of breath, then she was sitting on his lap. Looking deep into his eyes to make sure he was serious.

"Why now, Wash?" she asked, not upset, more curious...and needing to be sure he meant it. His Zoë thought she was all unreadable, but he'd learned some of her moods. Not as good at it as Mal was, except on this subject. This one, him and Zoë had danced around enough times he could read her pretty well on. This one and that whole making love one, he could read her moods quite well on that topic also.

"It still scares me Zoë, but I am figuring out that having a kid won't stop bad things from happening," he owed it to her to try and explain things, "won't cause them to happen neither. And all the sudden it scares me more that something bad might happen before you got to meet your little one then something bad happening after. Or that something bad might never happen and I would have wasted our lives worrying about it."

Then she was kissing him, making it impossible to explain any further. Of course, she never was one that needed a lot of words. More a woman of action, his Zoë. Strange, he could already hear the pitter-patter of little feet. Zoë pulled away from him and smiled over his shoulder, "Hello River."

He turned and watched as River settled onto the porch next to him and Zoë. He tried not to laugh, really, he did. But she was wearing that silly hat Jayne's mother had knit him and a sweater that looked like it had been made to match. Where in the world had the girl found them?

"His bunk," she said, pointing to the hat, "and the living room...was almost done..." indicating the sweater. Wash could see now that the neck was ragged where it had not been finished off. Poor thing could almost do the backstroke in that sweater, but she was beaming up at them like she was wearing the finest clothing in the 'verse.

And the girl's crush on Jayne had gone from being highly amusing to deeply disturbing when Matty had told Jayne what his mother's dying words were.

"Why?" she was looking up at him with a puzzled look on her face, "same feelings as before...why are they different now?"

"Yes Wash, why?" Zoë asked him, this was one of the times he couldn't read her, but he had a feeling he was stepping on thin ice. And since when did the girl make so much sense? And answer his thoughts so, blatantly? Like he'd actually spoken. He looked from one to the other, lost for words. Fortunately, River turned her attention to Zoë.

"Doesn't bother you?" hardly seemed fair that River had to ask Zoë that after she'd just read his mind. She giggled at him and explained. "Your mind shouts, Zoë 's doesn't...I don't "read" your mind, I", she frowned, as if trying to find the words she wanted. "..."pick up" thoughts you let go...probably could read it...but that would be rude...to much information anyway...don't really need too...don't want too..."

"So, what you're saying is you don't go into our minds, even though you could," Zoë asked, "you just pick up any stray thoughts?"

"Can't not pick them up...they are just laying there and I trip into them..." River was looking at Zoë intently now, "feelings are similar...only there are more of them about...not as solid as thoughts so they bleed out more...but because there are more of them I can sometimes...go on to a different one...just can't block them out or push them away..."

She stopped when Simon gasped behind them. "Mei-mei? Is...is that what it is like for you?"

Wash could see the relief in her eyes as she nodded to her brother, but she also looked sad. It really was rather sad. So far, everything she had been able to tell about what was going on in her head had been said to others, not to Simon. Even though she must have realized he and the others had come out onto the porch, she had still been talking to Zoë.

He could imagine this was causing Simon a great deal of pain as well. It would be bad enough trying to deal with what they had done to her but now he also had to deal with her being able to talk to everyone but him. Wash found his gaze drifting over to Jayne. He was scowling down at her, but there was something different in it this time. Almost like it wasn't her he was scowling at, but the ones that had done this to her. Wash got the strangest feeling he didn't want to be anyone that had ever hurt River.

He'd just about bet Mal had a similar expression on his face, but he was standing behind him so he couldn't be sure. Inara and Kaylee both looked like they wanted to smother the poor girl in hugs. Book was looking thoughtful, someday he'd figure that man out. And Zoë, well, if he didn't know her any better he'd say she felt nothing, only the dangerous glint in her eye said otherwise.

"So," he asked, trying to break the ice, "where are our hosts?" Not up to his usual standard of wit but it was the best he could think of, nothing about this situation lent itself to a lighthearted quip.

"Shoo'd us out so's they could clean up." Jayne turned his scowl on him.

"What, you didn't eat all the plates too?" Wash knew he could count on Jayne to give him an opening.

"Stop it..." everyone's eyes went to River as she stood up and glared at Jayne, effectively cutting off any retort he was about to make. Then her eyes turned to him and Wash almost vowed never to taunt the big man again. "no insulting or baiting..." her dark eyes moved back to Jayne, "no scowling or ripping of limbs...tonight is about healing...not about giving River a headache..." she looked back and forth between them again, then commanded everyone, "now sit."

Wash watched in amazement as they all found places. He knew it wasn't precisely out of fear, more like shock. But it still made quite a sight.

Simon and Kaylee ended up on the porch swing, Mal in the other chair, Inara settling onto the footstool next to him, Book leaning on the railing and Jayne plopping down where he'd been standing. River gave a satisfied nod and sat down in Jayne's lap. Wash couldn't stop the grin forming at Jayne's obvious discomfort, but River was giving him that look again so he forced it off his face. He was more then happy to watch that look move on to Simon and Mal, stopping them before either could voice an objection to her choice of seating.

"So," Mal drawled instead, his voice getting that tense, captainy tone. "We jus' gonna sit here and...heal?"

"I was thinking we could sing campfire songs..." River replied calmly. She looked at Mal, her head tilted to one side, and smiled as she started to sing, "I'm a little coconut, lying on the coco ground, everybody steps on me, that is why I'm cracked you see...I'm a nut...I'm a nut...I'm crazy..."

Wash was sure he'd never heard that one before, have to remember to teach it to his dinosaurs.