(no subject)
Title: Feels Too Damn Much Like Home
Rating: R
Characters: Mal, Zoë, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, Inara with a brief
appearance by Bester
Pairings: Zoë/Wash
Love Story: Roger/Mimi from Rent
Word count: 6,869
Warnings: Pre-series so nothing to spoil
Prompt: Too Much
Summary: Zoë isn't ready for someone to come into her life, until she realizes she let him in anyway.
Notes: This is for shinyhearts Valentine's Day Challenge for
shanalle I hope you enjoy. Also thanks to my Wash for putting up with all my edits and assisting me. <3
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 7
After that, Zoë and Wash refused to be in the same room. Wash stayed mostly on the bridge. Zoë avoided going up there. She was confused by the whole thing, but too stubborn to say anything about it. She found that life didn't make sense without Wash in it. Everything else went on like it was fine, but she was in pain. Her heart felt like it was burning and her mind tried to figure out what went wrong. She had cried herself to sleep.
Kaylee found her in the galley one morning, absent-mindedly stirring a cup of tea. Zoë was lost in thought. She had opened her heart to him and it was shattered.
"Zoë?"
She looked up at Kaylee, startled from her thoughts. "Hello, Kaylee." Zoë watched the younger woman sit across from her at the table.
"Why is the warrior woman scared?" Zoë was surprised by Kaylee's question. "Why are you afraid to let Wash into your heart? You have to let go of the past to move on to the future."
"I know that, Kaylee, and I did open my heart to him. Things just got in the way." She looked back down at her cup. "You don't understand. It's not that easy."
Kaylee shook her head. "We live in times where no one knows what tomorrow is going to bring. So why waste time thinking about the past and the future. Focus on the right now." Kaylee stretched her hand across the table and placed it on Zoë's. "You're not alone."
*
Weeks past and they still avoided each other. Zoë tried to find a way to talk to Wash, but she couldn't. Mal rented one of the shuttles to a registered Companion, Inara Serra. She was beauty and grace and Zoë slowly found herself respecting her greatly. Inara wasn't blind. She could see that Wash and Zoë cared for one another. One evening, while Mal, Wash and Jayne had gone off to town to get supplies, she found the warrior woman on the cat walk, leaning against the railing.
"You love him." Zoë turned to look at her. "Don't you?" Zoë looked down into the empty cargo bay. "Then why are you fighting?"
Zoë was quiet as Inara leaned on the railing next to her. "I don't even really know." Zoë head elected to stay behind, hoping to think things through. And here was Inara vocalizing the one question to which she had no real answer.
Inara put her hand on Zoë's and turned to face her. "He loves you, too, you know. You two should talk about it."
Zoë turned. "I know. I've tried to find a way, I just--" She was interrupted by shouts and looked back down into the cargo bay to see Jayne and Mal carrying Wash. They lay him on the floor and Mal hit the button to close the doors.
Zoë flew down the stairs, Inara following her. "What happened?"
Jayne looked up at her. "Don't rightly know. Found him lying outside on the ground. Looks like he got stabbed." He and Mal picked him up and carried him to the infirmary. Mal cleaned the wound and stitched it up as best he could. Didn't look too deep, but he could have lost a lot of blood. Zoë held Wash's hand the whole time, tears in her eyes.
Mal looked at her as he finished bandaging Wash's side. "I've done everything I can." His voice was matter-of-fact.
Wash stirred and looked into her eyes. "I should tell you --"
"Shh." She gently squeezed his hand as Mal, Jayne, Kaylee and Inara hovered in the doorway.
"I should tell you I love you." He closed his eyes and his hand went slack in hers.
Zoë sat on the stool by his bedside. "Who do you think you are, leaving me alone here?" Tears rolled quietly down her face. Suddenly, something that had been playing at the back of her mind since he had come down to her bunk that night came to the front of her mind. She inched closer to him, clutching his hand tightly. Zoë began to sing softly, a song from Earth-That-Was.
"Your eyes
As we said our goodbyes
Can't get them out of my mind
And I find I can't hide
From your eyes
The ones that took me by surprise
The night you came into my life
Where there's moonlight I see your eyes
How'd I let you slip away
When I'm longing so to hold you
Now I'd die for one more day
'Cause there's something
I should have told you
Yes there's something
I should have told you
When I looked into your eyes
Why does distance make us wise?
You were the song all along
And before this song dies
I should tell you I should tell you
I have always loved you
You can see it in my eyes"
"Wash." She felt him hold her hand, though he was still unconscious. Zoë squeezed it gently. He turned his head to face her, his eyes half-open. Tears formed again but did not fall. There were not sad tears, but grateful tears, grateful that she didn't lose him.
"I'm sorry." He looked at her sadly. She reached out with her other hand to brush his hair off his forehead then gently trail her fingers down his cheek.
"So am I, bao bei. So am I." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. Kaylee smiled at them, but they didn't notice. "Thank God you're alright." Her eyes were filled with love for this man. He was the only one who had ever gotten her to show her emotions.
He slowly pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She smiled and looked down and Mal was struck by the power of their love for each other. Didn't mean he had to like it on his boat, but he glanced at Inara for a moment. Their eyes met and he looked away. Maybe he could like with shipboard romances.
*
A few days later, Wash and Zoë were married in a simple ceremony on Persephone. Wash took them out of the atmosphere, Zoë standing behind him, hand on his shoulder. As he set a course for their next job, he looked up at her. She smiled at him.
"How are you feeling today husband?"
His smile widened a little at the title. "Much better, wife." He reached his arm around her waist, pulling her to lean against him.
Zoë reached past him and set Serenity on autopilot. She stood up and grabbed his hand, smirking at him. She pulled him out of the chair, indicating that she wanted some alone time with her husband. He responded by slapping her behind.
They ran past Mal, who was on his way to the bridge with Jayne. No power in the 'verse could have stopped their honeymoon so the two men just looked the other way and headed up to the bridge. Wash pushed her against the bulkhead outside her bunk, now their bunk. "Welcome home, wife." He leaned in and kissed her deeply.
Her hands found their way around his back holding him to her for a moment. "Welcome home, husband." Her hands had now found their way down to his backside and she gave it a good pinch. She smirked and slipped from his arms and down to their bunk, laughing as he slide down behind her. The last thing any of the crew could hear before the bunk door closed was Wash growling like a dinosaur and Zoë laughing. Love, they had found, healed all wounds.
Rating: R
Characters: Mal, Zoë, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, Inara with a brief
appearance by Bester
Pairings: Zoë/Wash
Love Story: Roger/Mimi from Rent
Word count: 6,869
Warnings: Pre-series so nothing to spoil
Prompt: Too Much
Summary: Zoë isn't ready for someone to come into her life, until she realizes she let him in anyway.
Notes: This is for shinyhearts Valentine's Day Challenge for
shanalle I hope you enjoy. Also thanks to my Wash for putting up with all my edits and assisting me. <3
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 7
After that, Zoë and Wash refused to be in the same room. Wash stayed mostly on the bridge. Zoë avoided going up there. She was confused by the whole thing, but too stubborn to say anything about it. She found that life didn't make sense without Wash in it. Everything else went on like it was fine, but she was in pain. Her heart felt like it was burning and her mind tried to figure out what went wrong. She had cried herself to sleep.
Kaylee found her in the galley one morning, absent-mindedly stirring a cup of tea. Zoë was lost in thought. She had opened her heart to him and it was shattered.
"Zoë?"
She looked up at Kaylee, startled from her thoughts. "Hello, Kaylee." Zoë watched the younger woman sit across from her at the table.
"Why is the warrior woman scared?" Zoë was surprised by Kaylee's question. "Why are you afraid to let Wash into your heart? You have to let go of the past to move on to the future."
"I know that, Kaylee, and I did open my heart to him. Things just got in the way." She looked back down at her cup. "You don't understand. It's not that easy."
Kaylee shook her head. "We live in times where no one knows what tomorrow is going to bring. So why waste time thinking about the past and the future. Focus on the right now." Kaylee stretched her hand across the table and placed it on Zoë's. "You're not alone."
*
Weeks past and they still avoided each other. Zoë tried to find a way to talk to Wash, but she couldn't. Mal rented one of the shuttles to a registered Companion, Inara Serra. She was beauty and grace and Zoë slowly found herself respecting her greatly. Inara wasn't blind. She could see that Wash and Zoë cared for one another. One evening, while Mal, Wash and Jayne had gone off to town to get supplies, she found the warrior woman on the cat walk, leaning against the railing.
"You love him." Zoë turned to look at her. "Don't you?" Zoë looked down into the empty cargo bay. "Then why are you fighting?"
Zoë was quiet as Inara leaned on the railing next to her. "I don't even really know." Zoë head elected to stay behind, hoping to think things through. And here was Inara vocalizing the one question to which she had no real answer.
Inara put her hand on Zoë's and turned to face her. "He loves you, too, you know. You two should talk about it."
Zoë turned. "I know. I've tried to find a way, I just--" She was interrupted by shouts and looked back down into the cargo bay to see Jayne and Mal carrying Wash. They lay him on the floor and Mal hit the button to close the doors.
Zoë flew down the stairs, Inara following her. "What happened?"
Jayne looked up at her. "Don't rightly know. Found him lying outside on the ground. Looks like he got stabbed." He and Mal picked him up and carried him to the infirmary. Mal cleaned the wound and stitched it up as best he could. Didn't look too deep, but he could have lost a lot of blood. Zoë held Wash's hand the whole time, tears in her eyes.
Mal looked at her as he finished bandaging Wash's side. "I've done everything I can." His voice was matter-of-fact.
Wash stirred and looked into her eyes. "I should tell you --"
"Shh." She gently squeezed his hand as Mal, Jayne, Kaylee and Inara hovered in the doorway.
"I should tell you I love you." He closed his eyes and his hand went slack in hers.
Zoë sat on the stool by his bedside. "Who do you think you are, leaving me alone here?" Tears rolled quietly down her face. Suddenly, something that had been playing at the back of her mind since he had come down to her bunk that night came to the front of her mind. She inched closer to him, clutching his hand tightly. Zoë began to sing softly, a song from Earth-That-Was.
"Your eyes
As we said our goodbyes
Can't get them out of my mind
And I find I can't hide
From your eyes
The ones that took me by surprise
The night you came into my life
Where there's moonlight I see your eyes
How'd I let you slip away
When I'm longing so to hold you
Now I'd die for one more day
'Cause there's something
I should have told you
Yes there's something
I should have told you
When I looked into your eyes
Why does distance make us wise?
You were the song all along
And before this song dies
I should tell you I should tell you
I have always loved you
You can see it in my eyes"
"Wash." She felt him hold her hand, though he was still unconscious. Zoë squeezed it gently. He turned his head to face her, his eyes half-open. Tears formed again but did not fall. There were not sad tears, but grateful tears, grateful that she didn't lose him.
"I'm sorry." He looked at her sadly. She reached out with her other hand to brush his hair off his forehead then gently trail her fingers down his cheek.
"So am I, bao bei. So am I." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. Kaylee smiled at them, but they didn't notice. "Thank God you're alright." Her eyes were filled with love for this man. He was the only one who had ever gotten her to show her emotions.
He slowly pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She smiled and looked down and Mal was struck by the power of their love for each other. Didn't mean he had to like it on his boat, but he glanced at Inara for a moment. Their eyes met and he looked away. Maybe he could like with shipboard romances.
*
A few days later, Wash and Zoë were married in a simple ceremony on Persephone. Wash took them out of the atmosphere, Zoë standing behind him, hand on his shoulder. As he set a course for their next job, he looked up at her. She smiled at him.
"How are you feeling today husband?"
His smile widened a little at the title. "Much better, wife." He reached his arm around her waist, pulling her to lean against him.
Zoë reached past him and set Serenity on autopilot. She stood up and grabbed his hand, smirking at him. She pulled him out of the chair, indicating that she wanted some alone time with her husband. He responded by slapping her behind.
They ran past Mal, who was on his way to the bridge with Jayne. No power in the 'verse could have stopped their honeymoon so the two men just looked the other way and headed up to the bridge. Wash pushed her against the bulkhead outside her bunk, now their bunk. "Welcome home, wife." He leaned in and kissed her deeply.
Her hands found their way around his back holding him to her for a moment. "Welcome home, husband." Her hands had now found their way down to his backside and she gave it a good pinch. She smirked and slipped from his arms and down to their bunk, laughing as he slide down behind her. The last thing any of the crew could hear before the bunk door closed was Wash growling like a dinosaur and Zoë laughing. Love, they had found, healed all wounds.