(Zoom in slowly on Wash's dirty and bloody face, partially obscured by his own arm and the relative dark light in the room. The words of Inara pleading for Wash to regain consciousness or for anybody to help them fade distantly into.. )

(Fade on Zoe's face. She appears to be lying on her stomach, resting chin on crossed arms. We see a bare shoulder.)

ZOE: I think it's strange. I mean, I think I should worry that we haven't found him yet.

(Shot of a puppy playing with a blue dog toy)

WASH: Found who? ZOE: You know. You'd think he'd have shown up by now.

(Shot of Wash cleaned up and in a burgundy smoking jacket, looking down at Zoe)

WASH: Oh. Him. Well. He will. He's just not ready. ZOE: You're not worried? WASH: I never worry here. (Smile) I'm safe here. ZOE: You don't know everything. About us. WASH: Is there something I should know? ZOE: No. But there will be.

(Wash smiles, reaches for something.)

(Shot of a paintbrush dipping into ink jars.)

WASH: So ominous of you. That's not our place, to look to the future. ZOE: The river will not come to us, fiddler...

(tight close up of Wash's face)

ZOE: ... Listen to me. I am your ocean. Take it to the river.

(Wash frowns)

WASH: Don't have time to think about that. You know we have to get to the edge. We have to find him.

(The camera pulls back so we can see Zoe is lying face-down on her bed, naked, and Wash is painting on her back.)

ZOE: No. I don't know that. WASH: Yes you do. ZOE: You never preached to the choir, my fiddle.

(The look on his face indicates WASH realizes something important. It's a look of mild shock at first.)

WASH: You don't know me so well.

(And then disappointment.)

(Shot of Wash dipping the paintbrush again, moving it across to Zoe's back, which is covered with chinese symbols.)

ZOE: I know you've never been to the edge. You might miss something important if you hurry. WASH: I don't want to leave here.

(Zoe twists back to look at Wash)

ZOE: Why not?

(Wash stands up, looking down at Zoe. He turns away toward a dark red curtain. Walks over to it.)

WASH: It's so bright. The star that guides me. And I feel someone has walked this path before me. Worn my boots. Slept in my bones.

(Pulls back the curtain to reveal a brightly sunlit desert. The light falls on Zoe, who looks over. Wash looks back at Zoe, still holding the curtain open.)

WASH: That someone once breathed life into the broken river, and and that someone becons me now. Becons us. Unfinished business. It knows I'm the pilot, and you're the second, but it knows us by other names. Other masks.

(Wash looks back out to the desert through the window. Shot of the desert, scattered plants and rocks. We briefly see something moving, then it's gone.)

ZOE: It knows us all. WASH: It thinks we've swam these shores before. ZOE: Don't be afraid. We have.

(Shot of the puppy stalking forward toward the camera, in slow-motion.)

WASH: But it's waiting for us. ZOE: It is us, lover.

(TO BE CONTINUED)