Mal found Zoë and Bester in the cargo bay playing cards. "Glad to see you still breathing." Mal noticed Bester trying to peer down Zoë's shirt as she leaned over to play her card.

"Any luck, Sir?" Zoë slapped Bester in the forehead for looking down her shirt.

"No, I talked to one guy, but he was an idiot." Mal laughed as Bester rubbed his aching forehead. "Good to see you all are getting along."

A month had past and they were still were parked on the planet. It was harder than Mal had thought to find a pilot who could fly a firefly. Bester was working out fine, he got the engine turning, and she was ready to fly, but no pilot.

"Why don't you try Paqueo?" Zoë suggested as she sat down on the crates they had in the kitchen serving for chairs. "Paqueo went and got himself married and got a bunch of critters." Mal said with a mouth full of food.

"Belle, she's good."

"Didn't she get shot?"

"Yeah, but she's not dead."

"I think she's dead Zo, she got shot in the head."

"Oh…well there always Bodie"

"Tsai boo shr there is never Bodie; I rather have monkeys fly Serenity than Bodie." Mal got up and went over to the stove to get seconds.

Bester walked in. "I know a chick that can fly, Mal."

"No" Mal and Zoë say together.

"Fine, just trying to help," Bester helped himself to some chow.

"What about Locke?"

"Locke, Sir? Do we really want Locke… with us in space? Sir, Serenity a pretty big boat but not that big."

"True. What is that?"

"I think that how he smells, Sir." Zoë shifted on her crate. They sat for a while thinking. Zoë put her plate in the sink.

"Did Tanaka ever respond to your wave?" Zoë asked as she cleaned her plate.

"Yeah, he gave me a name of a guy, practically gushing over this guy. If I didn't know Tanaka was a married man I swear he was sweet on this guy."

Mal handed Zoë his plate. She looked at him.

"Sheh-sheh, Zoë." Mal kissed her on her check, but she wiped it off. Bester also handed Zoë his empty plate, and tried to kiss her but all he got was a face full of her palm.

"Hoban."

"Sir?"

"Hoban, Tanaka's man, Hoban. He is supposed to be some flying ace and he has experience flying firefly." Mal walked in the cargo bay where Zoë is was taking inventory of the cargo they have secured for a job. She didn't like the idea of getting a job off planet with out a pilot to fly Serenity.

"He's meeting us here; Tanaka said he should be here in an hour or two."

"Here? I'm not sure that's a good idea, we have some illegal items on the ship…"

Mal cut her off, "Zoë, do you have to question everything gorram thing I do."

"Well, yes, Sir, especially when that gorram thing could get his pinched by the feds."

"Nobody getting pinched by the Feds. You worry too much." Mal patted her on her head.

Zoë rolled her eyes. "Shiny." She put down her clip board and walked towards the door. Mal turned around and there stood in the door way was the funniest looking little man Mal had ever saw.

"Malcolm Reynolds…" Zoë threw the little man against the frame of the ship and frisked him. "…And that is my First Mate Zoë…That's how they say hello where she's from." Mal said to the funny looking man with almost an embarrassing look.

"Wash." He looked Zoë up and down Zoë. She got to his crotch area where she stopped and looked up.

"Oh, sorry, that's not what you think, it's a…" he pulled out a plastic dinosaur from his pocket. "Rex."

Unimpressed Zoë continued her frisk. Wash jumped and giggled a bit. "Now that is, all Wash." He said in a high pitched voice. Zoë surprised stepped back a bit stopped frisking him.

"He's clean, Sir." She gather herself up and stood next to Mal.

"Good to know, no plastic toys will be killing us all today. Come aboard Wash I'll show you around." Mal lead Wash up the stairs to the cock pit. "Coming, Zoë?"

"Yes, Sir."

"She's shy our little Zoë."

Mal loved to see Zoë relaxed. A relaxed Zoë was few and far between. She always seemed like she was on the look out for something to attack them. That was a good thing most of the time, because most of the time something was attacking them. They rarely got leave when the war started. And when they did, it was spent sleeping. But it was Chen's birthday. Chen had transferred to another regiment a year ago after Peerist and he and his regiment was station on the same planet as Mal and Zoë.

"We gotta go, Zo, its Chen's birthday. It's not everyday a man turns 25."

"I don't want to go."

"Is it because, you have nothing to wear? Women make such a fuss." Mal said as he pranced around the room. Zoë laughed a bit.

"I just don't want to go, Sir."

"Well If I order you to go, you have to go then." Mal said matter of factly.

"Sir."

Mal walked over to her and took her by the shoulders and starred into her eyes. "Private Zoë Alleyne I am ordering you to come with me to Chen's birthday. I order you to have a drink and some fun." Mal had a way of about him that it was hard for Zoë to say no to.

"Sir, I am not going." It was hard to say no, but that never stopped Zoë from saying it.

There was a knock at the door. Mal went to open it. It was Chen and he was on crutches, he had lost a leg. Mal stood there with his mouth open.

"Howya doing there Sarg?" Chen gave Mal a pat on the back as he hobbled in the room. "Bao bay, you look good." She tired not to stare, but she couldn't help it. This was not the same cocky sunnabitch Chen that she knew a year ago. The same guy who at every chance try to get to her to notice him. "Chen, happy birthday, man." Mal had to break the tension.

"Sheh-sheh, Sarg I heard that you and Zoë where here and I had to make sure that the lovely Zoë would be coming out with us tonight to celebrate this auspicious occasion." He said as he looked her up and down. She was wrong he was still cocky.

"I glad you're here maybe you can talk her into going, I ordered her to go, but she a stubborn one, our Zoë." A large man came into the room.

"Hey, Mal, Zoë." It was Monty bigger, uglier, hairier, and louder than ever. Apparently he had already started the party.

"It seems that we have ourselves a reunion of sorts." Mal went over and hugged his comrade. Monty of course gave Mal a big bear hug almost crushing him. Monty went over and kissed Zoë on the cheek.

"What about me? I'm the birthday boy!" Chen said as he tried to stand up as straight as he could. Monty went over and picked him up and planted a big wet one on the lips. "Happy birthday Danny! Now there's drinking to be done. Mal!" Monty and Mal left the room singing the Browncoat Anthem. Zoë and Chen were in the room alone. They stood there in silence for a while.

"It happen about 8 months ago. I stepped on a gorram land mine, and lost my leg. Didn't have you watching my back." Chen hobbled over to a chair and sat down. "Now they got me doing paper work in the offices. Once a Browncoat always a Browncoat." He had a small smile on his face. Zoë sat in a chair beside him. She just looked at him.

"I wrote you, almost everyday. I know that you had to of gotten some of them." Zoë was feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment. She had gotten his letters but never wrote him back. It was too hard for her. She didn't want to admit it but she did have a slight crush on Chen. "Zoë." He grabbed her hand. "I laid up in that hospital for days. It gave me a chance to think."

"Don't" Zoë stood up and walk to the other side of the room.

"Don't what Zoë? Don't feel, and don't tell you that I laid up in that hospital for days thinking about you. Thinking about when we win this war, that maybe we could have a life together." His voice sounded shaky.

Zoë didn't say anything she didn't have anything to say. Complicated. She hated complications. Chen got up and headed for the door defeated. Zoë followed behind him grabbed him turning him slightly so that they were looking eye to eye. He seemed different to her at the moment. Not the cocky soldier, but someone she cared about and someone who cared about her. She froze. Zoë's head was telling her one thing and her heart another. She didn't know what to listen to her. Chen made the choice for her. He kissed her. At first she didn't kiss him back, but then she let go. Let go of everything and let the moment happen.

"Excuse me." Zoë pulled away. It was Mal. "I'm so, so, so, sorry, but Zoë we gotta go. Just got orders that we have to pull out." Mal felt guilty for depriving Zoë of her pleasure. Zoë didn't say anything and went to start packing. "15 minutes Zo, then we gotta leave." Mal said as he walked away. He looked at Chen standing at the doorway. "Make it 25."

Chen hobbled over to Zoë. She was busy packing. "Hey, Zoë slow down. You're not leaving now." She ignored him and continued packing. "Zoë." His voice was stern. She stopped and looked up at him. "This time write me ok." He bent down and kiss her on the head and went to the door.

"Danny"

"Yeah."

"Happy Birthday."

Chen hopped out the door with a big grin on his face. He gave Mal a hug.

"Happy Birthday, Danny." Mal said with a boyish grin on his face.

"Thanks, Mal." He paused a moment. "Mal, take care of our Zoë."

"Zoë doesn't need me to take care of her."

"Yeah she does."

Mal headed back to Zoë's bunk. Then Chen yelled. "Don't tell her I said so, she'll chop my other leg off."

"I ain't a fool man." Mal shouted back. He walked back to Zoë's bunk. She was all packed up. She looked different to Mal.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, fine sir."

"Good. Zoë and Danny sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N…" Zoë punched Mal in the arm.

"Ouch" Mal rubbed his arm. "G. First comes love then comes marriage then comes the baby in the baby carriage." She hit him a gain, harder. Mal just rubbed his arm and laughed. Zoë laughed too.

"You wear it well."

"Sir? Wear what well"

"Happiness. You should do it more often. That's an order Private."