Broken Promises (7/?)
Title: Broken Promises (7/?)
Author: gwenfrewi72
Rating: A or R
Fandom: Firefly
Spoilers: None
Summary: Post BDM. Mal wanders onto the bridge to think, only to discover Zoë there. Then he gets Zoë’s opinion on the current state of his love life.
Length: 619 according to Word.
Disclaimer: The great, almighty and powerful Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. own the universe and characters. I'm just playing with them.
Author's Note: Thanks to alsunwunderland for beta’ing this chapter for me. Feedback: is shiny and always encouraged, both the good and the bad.
Copyright (c) November 2007 Patricia Flynn
Broken Promises -Chapter 1
Broken Promises -Chapter 2
Broken Promises -Chapter 3
Broken Promises -Chapter 4
Broken Promises -Chapter 5
Broken Promises -Chapter 6
Scroll over Chinese with mouse to get translation.
* * * *
Mal spotted Zoë sitting in the pilot’s chair as he walked up the steps to the bridge. She was obviously busy doing something, so he figured he could slip in and sit awhile undisturbed.
As he sat himself into the copilot’s chair, Zoë glanced over at him. Noting that his facial expression and body language all screamed internal turmoil, Zoë opted to continue her research on the Cortex and leave him in peace for a while.
A few minutes later, Zoë sat back. Satisfied with the research she’d done and turned her gaze to the Captain. He’d obviously relaxed a bit, and now it was time for her to say her piece.
"Sir." Her voice broke the silence and startled Mal.
"Zoë." Mal turned his gaze from the Black and looked her in the eye. What he read there caused him to flinch. There was no way he was avoiding this conversation with her.
"I thought you said crew relationships complicated things."
Sighing, Mal smirked self-deprecatingly, "Yeah, and I just proved the rule."
"What happened, Sir?"
Running a hand through his hair, he replied, "I really don’t know."
"How can you not know? You got her pregnant, didn’t you?" Zoë was incredulous.
"Remember our visit to Triumph?" At Zoë’s nod, he continued, "Well, I got real drunk. There’s something about their home-brewed wine I can’t handle. Next thing I knew, I woke up with a naked River in my bunk. I don’t remember a gorram thing about that night."
Zoë’s eyes had widened in shock as Mal related his story and then narrowed dangerously.
"You didn’t take advantage of her, did you sir?" Zoë’s voice held a dangerous edge. One that Mal had heard directed to any number of other people over the years but never at himself. He now understood what made everyone fear her so much.
He swallowed nervously before he replied, "She assured me that morning that she initiated it. She knew I was drunk."
Zoë’s eyes scanned his face before she nodded, as if concluding that she believed him.
Sighing in relief, Mal turned his gaze back out into the Black.
"You’re gonna do right by her and the baby, aren’t you?"
Hearing Zoë mention the baby, it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Go se! I’m gonna be a father."
Zoë flinched internally. Oh how she wished she were hearing those words coming from Wash’s mouth instead of the Captain’s, but that was neither here no there now. Wash was gone and nothing in the ‘verse could change that fact.
Noticing Mal’s dumbstruck expression, she called out, "Sir."
After repeating it several times, he turned toward her and smiled. Zoë was taken aback. She hadn’t seen him smile like this since before Serenity Valley. It was all sparkling blue eyes and a big shit-eating grin. Zoë felt herself respond in kind.
"What are you and River gonna do about this?"
"We haven’t talked about it yet. She left me a note in my bunk informing me of my impending fatherhood." Mal beamed as he said the last bit. " She also stated that she didn’t need any further action on my part and she would take full responsibility for our child and herself."
"You agree with that?"
"Hell no." Mal said as he stood and started toward the door.
"Sir."
Mal stopped and looked back at her.
"Congratulations, Mal." Zoë grinned at him.
"Thank you." The joy was clearly evident in his voice.
Knowing that Zoë was with him, Mal strode briskly from the room.
Zoë turned and looked at the dinosaurs. "Guess the first baby on Serenity wasn't destined to be ours." She whispered as a tear crept down her cheek.
Broken Promises -Chapter 8
Author: gwenfrewi72
Rating: A or R
Fandom: Firefly
Spoilers: None
Summary: Post BDM. Mal wanders onto the bridge to think, only to discover Zoë there. Then he gets Zoë’s opinion on the current state of his love life.
Length: 619 according to Word.
Disclaimer: The great, almighty and powerful Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. own the universe and characters. I'm just playing with them.
Author's Note: Thanks to alsunwunderland for beta’ing this chapter for me. Feedback: is shiny and always encouraged, both the good and the bad.
Copyright (c) November 2007 Patricia Flynn
Broken Promises -Chapter 1
Broken Promises -Chapter 2
Broken Promises -Chapter 3
Broken Promises -Chapter 4
Broken Promises -Chapter 5
Broken Promises -Chapter 6
Scroll over Chinese with mouse to get translation.
* * * *
Mal spotted Zoë sitting in the pilot’s chair as he walked up the steps to the bridge. She was obviously busy doing something, so he figured he could slip in and sit awhile undisturbed.
As he sat himself into the copilot’s chair, Zoë glanced over at him. Noting that his facial expression and body language all screamed internal turmoil, Zoë opted to continue her research on the Cortex and leave him in peace for a while.
A few minutes later, Zoë sat back. Satisfied with the research she’d done and turned her gaze to the Captain. He’d obviously relaxed a bit, and now it was time for her to say her piece.
"Sir." Her voice broke the silence and startled Mal.
"Zoë." Mal turned his gaze from the Black and looked her in the eye. What he read there caused him to flinch. There was no way he was avoiding this conversation with her.
"I thought you said crew relationships complicated things."
Sighing, Mal smirked self-deprecatingly, "Yeah, and I just proved the rule."
"What happened, Sir?"
Running a hand through his hair, he replied, "I really don’t know."
"How can you not know? You got her pregnant, didn’t you?" Zoë was incredulous.
"Remember our visit to Triumph?" At Zoë’s nod, he continued, "Well, I got real drunk. There’s something about their home-brewed wine I can’t handle. Next thing I knew, I woke up with a naked River in my bunk. I don’t remember a gorram thing about that night."
Zoë’s eyes had widened in shock as Mal related his story and then narrowed dangerously.
"You didn’t take advantage of her, did you sir?" Zoë’s voice held a dangerous edge. One that Mal had heard directed to any number of other people over the years but never at himself. He now understood what made everyone fear her so much.
He swallowed nervously before he replied, "She assured me that morning that she initiated it. She knew I was drunk."
Zoë’s eyes scanned his face before she nodded, as if concluding that she believed him.
Sighing in relief, Mal turned his gaze back out into the Black.
"You’re gonna do right by her and the baby, aren’t you?"
Hearing Zoë mention the baby, it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Go se! I’m gonna be a father."
Zoë flinched internally. Oh how she wished she were hearing those words coming from Wash’s mouth instead of the Captain’s, but that was neither here no there now. Wash was gone and nothing in the ‘verse could change that fact.
Noticing Mal’s dumbstruck expression, she called out, "Sir."
After repeating it several times, he turned toward her and smiled. Zoë was taken aback. She hadn’t seen him smile like this since before Serenity Valley. It was all sparkling blue eyes and a big shit-eating grin. Zoë felt herself respond in kind.
"What are you and River gonna do about this?"
"We haven’t talked about it yet. She left me a note in my bunk informing me of my impending fatherhood." Mal beamed as he said the last bit. " She also stated that she didn’t need any further action on my part and she would take full responsibility for our child and herself."
"You agree with that?"
"Hell no." Mal said as he stood and started toward the door.
"Sir."
Mal stopped and looked back at her.
"Congratulations, Mal." Zoë grinned at him.
"Thank you." The joy was clearly evident in his voice.
Knowing that Zoë was with him, Mal strode briskly from the room.
Zoë turned and looked at the dinosaurs. "Guess the first baby on Serenity wasn't destined to be ours." She whispered as a tear crept down her cheek.
Broken Promises -Chapter 8