Love

They stood at a distance, unobserved by the remaining crew of the Firefly. "Here I lie, my beloved Zoe," spoke the semi-muscular one on the left. "My beautiful autumn flower who finds me less attractive now that I'm all corpsified and gross." Wash smiled to himself as he watched Zoe slowly approach, wearing a slinky white dress. He wiped his eye briefly.

"Why the tear," the black haired man in the middle asked. The older man on the right just gave a knowing smile, hands behind his back.

"She'll be fine, Wash," Book reassured quietly. "They all will, in time."

Wash didn't say anything. He just kept smiling as the rocket ascended to the heavens. Yes, they would be fine. Still, he was worried. It seemed to be his role; worrying about his wife.

The three watched over the next few days as the crew repaired the ship. All of them worked tirelessly, Simon and Kaylee taking occassional unplanned 'breaks' of the type that made Book move to another part of the ship and give them privacy. The second time this happened, Mr. Universe pointed out, "What does it matter? They can't see us. Besides, his sister's right there." Wash chuckled at the reasoning of the Cortex genius known only as Mr. Universe.

"We can't stay here forever," Book pointed out once as Wash watched Zoe in the cargo bay.

"I know," the pilot sighed. "I'm just...not ready to leave her." Book merely nodded, unsure wether Wash meant Zoe or Serenity. It seemed likely he was referring to both.

Mal came into the crago bay, Zoe giving a simple, straightforward, buisness-like report as she approached him. "Think she'll hold together," Mal asked quietly, referring more to his second in command that the ship they stood in.

"She's tore up plenty, but she'll fly true," Zoe replied before leaving to make sure everything was secure. On whim, Wash followed Mal to the bridge. He smiled when he saw his dinosaurs on the console, as if they'd been carefully placed there. River was sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

The ship roared to life under River's control, rising smoothly through the rainstorm. Wash smiled as Mal spoke of love and how it helped in flying. The Captain was right. Love kept Serenity in the air. Wash turned to see the Shepherd and Mr. U standing nearby. They had heard Mal's words. "They loved us, you know," Wash said. There was a pause of contentment. "Let me say goodbye to my wife. Then we'll go. Let's help keep this boat in the air." He moved towards Zoe's bunk, ready to see her again, hoping he could somehow let her know, even in death, he could still help the ship fly.

As Wash left the bridge, Book smiled when a dinosaur toy fell to the ground. River picked it up gently, Mal still at the controls. "Wash was here," River smiled, holding up the fallen toy as proof. "He wanted to see us safely off. Now, he's going to help us fly." Not bothering to wait for the Captain's reaction, River returned to her seat and the controls. Love did help Serenity fly. Wash had proven that to her on countless occasions without ever speaking of it. Now, he and Book and Mr. Universe would help them keep flying. They would never be forgotten and would always be loved, memories of their voices and their laughter and tears all embeded in the Firefly, adding to her magic as she sailed through the black.

A/N: Well, there you have it. My first fan-fiction. Now, I have to come up with something else to write...