“So there I was, unconscious and dying, and you guys just leave me there,” Wash began, pretending to glower at them, but his face was to swollen with bruises to make a face all. “Sorry ‘bout that,” Mal apologized. “Sure, sure, I know, with the Reaver’s coming and all, you kinda had to go and make sure you didn’t die,” Wash said. “Anyway, I woke up in an infirmary. Some Alliance guy had seen the Miranda wave, and thought it would be the nice thing to do to tell me that my body had been replaced with someone else’s, and I was going to be held hostage. So…..I might get another flogging or round of torture if they find out I contacted you, but I felt I should warn you that falling for any trap these guys set for you will not be the smartest thing to do.” “Wash, baby, I love you so much,” Zoe nearly whimpered, tears glistening in her eyes. “I love you, too, baby….I gotta go,” he said suddenly, glancing over his shoulder. “Don’t expect any more contact. And don’t…..try to find me.” With that, the wave ended, and Zoe fled. She wasn’t sure where to go, where they couldn’t find her. She needed to be alone, so she snuck into the spare shuttle. Her husband wasn’t dead, after all, but he was being tortured. It made her feel worse, because if he was dead his suffering would be over. Seeing his bruised and puffy face had made her feel horrible, and tears began to slip down her cheeks when the Cortex she was next to flipped on of its own accord. “Zoe Alleyne Washburn?” a grim looking official asked. “We have your husband. We know he just contacted your ship, and we are prepared to make a deal.” “I’m not the captain, you should’ve- How did you know I would be here?” “Brain probes. Very painful. Are you prepared to listen, Mrs. Washburn? We had a proposition for you,” he said. “What?” Zoe responded suspiciously. “We have decided that together you are much more of a threat than separated. So, if you kill all of your crewmates, you can have your husband back.” *~*

“Making choices isn’t fun,” mumbled River. She and Jayne had returned to the platform above the cargo bay and were sitting there silently, passing a bottle of Kaylee’s engine brew back and forth. “You can say that again,” rumbled Jayne. “Soon, we’re all going to have to face a much too big decision to handle by ourselves. We can’t split up, or we’ll be alone. Making choices is worse alone,” muttered River. She sighed and snuggled into his side, and he jumped a little, but relaxed and slowly wrapped his arm around her. “Scared, Jayne?” “No!” he protested, holding her tighter. “I know when you lie, remember? Is Mal interrogating Lola alone?” River asked. “Yeah, ain’t no way she’ll overpower him,” Jayne said. “No. She could. Just doesn’t want to,” River murmured, pushing her face against the soft cotton of his shirt. *~*

“So. You’re telling me you were planning on gettin’ yourself all manner of unconscious, ‘cuz you weren’t really plannin’ on doing anything?” Mal summarized what the slender girl had him. “That was the plan. It worked beautifully, didn’t it?” Lola said, a cocky smile on her face. “Why not just talk to us?” Mal asked, puzzled. “Alliance needs to think I’m dead, and that River killed me,” Lola informed him. “This way, it’s almost true.” “You’ve caused me a whole mess a trouble, little thing,” Mal told her. “Just because I am a clone does not mean that I am an asexual being- I’m not,” Lola said dryly. “I’m not even sterile-.” “Ah! Wode ma, stoppit, please!” Mal exclaimed, backing away. “Truthfully, could River kill you?” “I expect it if I ever betray you.” Mal frowned, and walked out of the room, locking the door behind them. “I understand. You need to ask your psychics- one of whom is my younger sister, the other my clone, if I can be trusted!” she called after him. *~*

Zoe rested her forehead on the cool metal wall, arms dangling uselessly by her sides. She looked up and ran a finger along the dirt encrusted metal of her favorite gun. *~*

Mal came into the kitchen and caught sight of Inara making tea, her mouth set in a firm line. He could tell she had been disturbed by the wave from Wash, and he came up to her and wrapped his large hands around her hips. They exchanged a small, sad smile, and Inara leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder. “’Nara, I-,” he began, but she placed a slender finger on his lips. “You need to go talk to Zoe first,” she murmured, and turned so that he could kiss her. He nodded, kissed her once more, and made his way down the hall, but Zoe was already stumbling down towards him. “Zoe- you alright?” he asked her, eying her. “Yes, sir, I think I might be soon,” she replied, staring down at her hands, tracing the lines on her palms with her eyes.