Chapter 3

Mal stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He stood in front of it and crossed his arms. Lia stood up as he moved into the room, watching his every move. He stood at the end of the bed, his eyes dark and angry. Lia swallowed.

Wash looked shocked and confused. His mouth hung open. His eyes darted from Lia to Mal and back to Lia. "How did you find the ship?" He didn't let Lai answer but instead turned to Mal. "Where is Zoë, Mal? Where is my wife?" He got out of bed as he spoke.

Lia tried to prevent Wash from getting closer to Mal because she recognized that look in his eyes. But she didn't move fast enough. Mal grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"Don't you dare talk to me about Zoë!" He was inches from Wash's face. "You can't be Wash. Wash is dead."

"Mal!" Lia hissed, worried that someone would hear them. "Calm down. Please." She lay her hand gently on his shoulder.

He turned to her. "Ophelia, stay out of this." She backed away slowly and Mal set Wash back down on his feet. He didn't step away from him, though.

"Lia tells me that you're Wash. That she broke you out of some Alliance hospital. That the gorram government brought you back to life." Lia desperately wanted to protect Wash from her brother's wrath but there was nothing she could do.

"But I saw Wash die with my own eyes. I tore Zoë away from his body so she wouldn't suffer the same fate. I pulled the harpoon out of his body." Wash's hand went to the scar on his chest underneath his shirt as Mal continued. "I buried his body next to Book and Mr. Universe. I've had to move on, watch Zoë try and deal with life without him."

Wash had gone pale. The fact that he had been dead for so long and that everyone had been hurt must have finally hit him. His mouth formed a loose "o"-shape and he looked around the room, clawing at his chest. He looked like his legs would collapse and Lia pushed Mal out of the way and sat Wash at the end of the bed.

"Mal!" She whipped around to face her brother. "What about when we spoke before? Everything that I told you? You believed me then. What changed?" Her voice was angry but her eyes were pained.

He glowered at her. "Everything you told me could have been given to the Alliance. How do I know he's not a plant?" He stepped closer to her. "I have to think about my crew, mei mei."

"He's your crew, Mal."

Mal turned back to Wash. "Prove it. Prove to me that by some miracle, Wash has been brought back. Prove to me that you're not just some Alliance mole who's been lying to my sister."

Wash stood up, defensive. "What can I tell you, Mal, that will make you believe me?" he sighed and shook his head. "You want me to tell you about how you got me out of the infirmary after Zoë got hurt saving Kaylee? You want me to remind you about the button to call us back when Serenity was hurting and you sent us off?" He sat on the bed almost defeated. "You want me to ell you about what you said to Zoë in the galley after we rescued you from Niska?"

"You know full well we were just—" Mal stopped himself and covered his mouth. He looked at Lia and sat on the bed next to Wash. "Mei mei?" Lia only nodded as Wash put his face in his hands.

"God, this doesn't make sense to me. One minute I'm trapped in some lab, being poked with needles and asked inane questions. Next thing I know, this woman comes in, gets me out and brings me home." He looked up at Lia and then turned to Mal. Lia stood by them both, unsure of whom to comfort first.

Mal pulled Lia into the hallway as Wash nibbled at the nearly forgotten dinner tray she had brought for him. He closed the door and pulled Lia away from it. He opened his mouth and closed it, searching for words.

"You're right. It is Wash." She gave him that sisterly look that said 'I told you so.' "Don't tell the others yet. I need to talk to him. He has to know what's happened since he's been gone." Lia nodded.

Mal hugged her to him, squeezing her tight. She knew she was probably getting a hug that Wash should have gotten, but never would. "Everything happens for a reason, Mal." She pulled back and offered him a smile. "Momma always said that. He nodded and went back into Wash's room, closing the door and leaving her alone in the hallway.

Lia went back up to the galley and made herself a cup of tea. She sat at the table, alone with her thoughts. She held her face over the mug and let the steam roll over her face, soothing her.

So much had happened to her. She had lost her husband only to find her brother. There was so much he didn't know. She took a sip, letting the hot liquid slide down her throat. She felt the warmth spread slowly through her body.

She heard soft footsteps enter the galley and opened her eyes to see Inara. The Companion smiled almost apologetically and moved to make herself so tea, while addressing Lia.

"I'm sorry. Please don't let me disturb you." Her voice was soothing, wrapping around Lia like a warm blanket.

"No, it's fine." Lia smiled warmly. "Please, join me."

Inara smile and sat down next to Lia. The women sat in silence for a few moments. It was a comfortable silence, almost as if they had been friends for ages. Lia opened her mouth to speak, but Simon walked in and the question died on her lips. They all exchanged polite greetings. Inara saw that Lia had wanted to speak and stood, indicating that she should follow her. Lia smiled at Simon as she left.

Inara walked to her shuttle. It was beautifully decorated in warm tones. Lia couldn't help but smile. Inara sat on the couch and Lia did the same.

"What were you going to ask me before, Lia?"

Lia smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was wondering what was going on between you and my brother." She felt blush creep up her face as Inara looked shocked. Lia felt bad as the Companion started to stammer. Lia continued, embarrassed, "I don't mean to probe, I'm just curious. I've never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you."

Inara smiled. "The captain doesn't know what he wants. And I'm not the type of woman who would wait for him to make up his mind."

Lia nodded, her respect for this woman growing. "That is a valid point. He could never make up his own mind." She sipped her tea.

"He must have been an interesting boy growing up."

"He was one of those boys who swore never to marry," she laughed. "He always teased me for wanting the traditional wedding. Big, fluffy, white dress."

Inara was laughing, too. She sighed softly as her laugh died. "Sounds like Mal." Lia had grown quiet. "And what about you? Did you get your fairy-tale?"

Lia shook her head. "Not the wedding of my childhood dreams. Life had changed too much." But she smiled. "But Alex was better than any husband I could have imagined." She put down her mug and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

Inara put her mug down too and moved closer to the younger woman. She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Lia started to cry. Inara's hand moved to rub her back soothingly, trying to comfort her.

"He's gone," Lia whispered as her sobs began to subside. She turned to Inara. "There was so much I had to tell him."

Inara offered her a gentle smile. "I'm sure he knew." Lia shook her head and started to cry again. Inara felt a sudden protectiveness for this woman and pulled Lia's head to rest on her shoulder.

How could Lia tell her? She felt ridiculous. She lifted her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break down. I need to be stronger." She took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "Thank you, Inara." She smiled and stood, taking the mugs with her and leaving a slightly perplexed Inara behind. 'That woman is hiding something,' Inara thought to herself as the shuttle door closed.

Lia went back to her bunk and began to unpack her bags. She was putting the last of her clothes away as she heard a knock on her door. "Ching jin," she called.

Wash poked his head in. "May I?"

She smiled at him. "That would be why I invited you when you knocked." He came in and closed the door behind him. Mal didn't want anyone to know he was there yet. He sat down in a chair as she pulled out some books.

"Whatcha got there?" He pointed at the books.

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," she said, placing the thickest one on the shelf above the small desk. The next book up was a rather tattered, leather-bound volume. "This was given to me when I was little. It's a book of fairy tales. I wanted to share it with my children." She smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry," came his quiet response. She put the rest up quickly. Most of her things had been unpacked already. "Anything I can help you with?"

Lia surveyed the room. "Well, you can hand me that bag," she said, pointing. He picked it up and a piece of paper fell out, but Lia didn't notice. She began to pull out all her files on Wash and what had been done to him, organizing it.

Wash picked up the piece of paper. It was well worn, folded countless times. He glanced at Lia and unfolded it to see if it was important. His eyes went wide. He looked back up at her. "Lia?"

"Hmm?" she said, turning. She saw him holding the paper. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a moment. Everything came crashing down on Lia at once as she felt her legs collapse beneath her.

Wash knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. He understood everything now. He rocked her gently. "Everything will be ok." He looked around the room and she took the paper, clutching it in her hands. "It will be okay." He prayed it would be.