Baby shower - closed to invitees

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe's really got not good gorram idea why River insisted on brunch this morning of all mornings. Her day off from the store, the morning her back has actually decided to ache, but at the insistent knocking on her door, she finally gets up

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[gorramvera]

Jayne felt like a yu bun duh fool as he stood in the waffle place holding a pink gift bag that had pink tissue paper peeking out the top. After helping Zoe with the crib, he had gone out shopping for presents for her baby and even a day later he still wanted to shoot himself because of it. Damnit, he wasn't really good at this sort of thing but Zoe was part of the crew and this whole baby shower seemed important.

Tilting his head, he waited till Zoe had a moment alone so he could give her the presents. Glancing around, he wondered if there was somewhere he could put the bag down since he felt stupid holding it.

[makemeastone]

"There's a table." She pointed where she'd put the gaily wrapped gift she had chosen. She cocked her head and peered at him, she hadn't seen him since he'd been younger him. She was trying to see the boy.

[gorramvera]

The boy was there sometimes, if you looked at him just the right way, but years of being away from home (and his mother) has caused the boy to grow up. All the killing and fighting has made him hide beneath a hardened man who tried to hide the fact that he had a heart of any kind.

"Right." He glanced towards the table. "The party looks good." He grunted after.

[makemeastone]

"I wasn't supposed to invite men," but it should be obvious that Zoe didn't really know any women.

[makemeastone]

River had no way of knowing really if the party was adequate or not, and she knew (of course she knew) that Zoe hadn't wanted to come but it was nice with all the pink.

"We have to shower the baby," she'd answered Zoe, then patted her belly. It was her duty as the closest thing to a female friend Zoe had in the village with the others all gone.

After she'd assured Zoe she wandered off to see what other people had decided to come. She was still hazy on if men would be attending... and since that was all she'd invited it might be a bust.

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe's left a little speechless, but after eating and fully waking up, she finds River again, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you. This is real nice. Baby's lucky she's got you. And me too."

[makemeastone]

"Kaylee and Inara would have done it..." but they were gone, so that left River.

[bigdamnherosir]

"I know . But you did real good. You get the baby a present?" she asks, sitting down, hand on her belly.

[likeswifesoup]

This thread most definitely happens last! Mostly for Zoe, but reactions are always good

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!" It had become Wash's mantra as he used every ounce of skill he had as a pilot to avoid both the Reaver ships (poor, poor Serenity, made to look like a Reaver ship) and the Alliance in the firefight that was going on all around them. He wasn't interested in them, he just wanted to get clear. Get clear, find Mr Universe, end this mess.

The angle of descent was all wrong as they tried to land on Mr Universe's moon. He knew it, but there wasn't enough power in the boat to compensate with, not after all the damage to Serenity. It was coming in too hard when he hit the deck, wincing as his beautiful ship bounced and scraped her way to a halt. It looked like they weren't going to make it when suddenly everything was still, and he could see daylight where it should be, and not pouring into the ship because he'd crashed it

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe's leaving the baby shower, one hand on her belly, one hand carrying a gift bag full of baby bath towels and washcloths. When she turns the corner to the hotel and hears something hit the ground, she looks over, trying to figure out if it was a new arrival who needed help.

Staring, it's the hair that grabs her attention first, and then his head is up, looking around, and she can't move. She just stares, telling herself that people who look like others show up all the time. Hell, there's that book guy, Castle, looks just like Mal.

Her heart still clutches, and Zoe still can't help but hope. But she won't make a gorram scene. So she waits, watching and hoping.

[likeswifesoup]

Wash catches sight of a familiar cloud of hair round her head, then looks fully at her... now confused, because as far as he remembers, she wasn't pregnant.

He walked towards her. "Zoe, bao bei? What...?" He can't put into words how gorram confused he is right now, cause it is and isn't Zoe.

[bigdamnherosir]

When he talks - address her - she drops the bag that's in her hand. It's him. It's Wash, and the last time she saw him she'd been strapped to a chair, seen the debris coming at him and didn't even have time to react. She couldn't yell out a warning, couldn't push him out of the way. She'd watched it happen and been pulled away by Mal to go fight.

"Bai ri meng..." She begins, making herself take a step toward him. "Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing."

When she's close to him, close enough to really see, her eyes flick to his chest. No wound. She never uses his first name, the only two times she has were to make fun of him when they met, and to repeat vows at their wedding. But as she looks at him, one hand reaching out, she doesn't even think twice about it.

"Hoban?"

[agentriley_finn]

Riley felt a little out of place, but he was still here. He liked Zoe and he wanted to celebrate her upcoming baby. Thankfully Buffy had helped pick out some clothing for the baby - A red dress, A winter outfit, a onsie, an owl outfit, a stripped onsie, and a denim hat. They had worked hard to find clothes that were entirely pink and girly as Riley knew how Zoe felt. He also got Zoe a diaper bag filled with diapers because Buffy had said that was important. There was also a finger puppet book.

Now Riley stood there with his gifts, wrapped, and hoped that there wasn't 'pin the sperm to the egg' like Buffy said.

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe's been laughing with River, so glad that the girl is happy, in a good mood. When she sees Riley though, she gets up from the table.

"Finn, I didn't know River invited you," she laughs, shaking her head. "Glad you made it out."

Lucky for him, Zoe's not so much into games like that.

[agentriley_finn]

He smiled as she approached and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, I fit the requirement of you knowing me so I was invited." His smile warmed more from the sheepish sort of one he had before. "But I'm glad I could come and celebrate. Every expectant mother deserves one of these."

He had seen one of his sisters have one and his sister had been all excited about it.

Riley looked down at his gift bag with the contents wrapped inside. "I brought you gifts, too."

[bigdamnherosir]

"That's the way to my heart," she laughs before taking the gift. "You didn't have to do all that, you already got my position as unit leader," she teases.

[timeto_wakeup]

It turned out bedding was not easy to wrap, so Simon had thrown himself at the mercy of one of the gift shop employees, and they'd put everything in a pretty little bag with tissue and curls of ribbons. He hoped it would at least somewhat match River's mural.

He set the bag on the table, and rather awkwardly stood with hands clasped behind his back, looking around at all of the decorations.

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe looks up from where she's been talking with Riley, and excuses herself when she sees Simon. She makes her way to him, eyebrow raised.

"River did a fine job plannin' this. And she surprised me." Though Zoe's not so shocked that River can keep a secret that well.

[timeto_wakeup]

"She's very excited about the baby," Simon agreed with a small smile, then remembered the point of the party and picked up the gift bag. "Ah...this is for you--for the baby, I mean. River wanted me to make sure the bedding matched her mural, but I'm afraid they don't make accurate star charts into sheets."

[bigdamnherosir]

Zoe laughs softly, unwrapping carefully and pulling the package out. "It's great, doc. Thank you." Putting it back in the bag, she looks at him, hand over her stomach.

"Not tryin' to slight your co-workers in the clinic, but I think I'd prefer havin' you deliverin' the baby. And that goes for when Mal wants to stay planet side for a while."

It's simple - she trusts him.