Another piece to the others.....
BUCKY AND BOB - Present in spirit only....................

Year 2512 Fall New Cannan (Written by Blake and Jena)

~~cont. from http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=5715 ~~

The knowledge and understanding was clear as space, so Wash turned and headed up to the bridge. Into the black and into the safety of being away from this place. Pushing Serenity up and away, he sequenced her steady and looked down to Bucky and Bob. "It was just a card game," he pleaded, sighing as he leaned back in the chair and rubbed his hands over his eyes. They were looking at him rather pointed as well. Once Serenity was far out and on the next course Mal ordered her to be, Wash headed down to look for Zoe, knowing full well she might be resting in the infirmary. Zoe rubbed her fingertips over the weave that held wounded flesh together. It didn't hurt much anymore, an injection and a slap on the back from Mal had seen to that. A day or two and she'd be right as rain, not entirely healed but completely mobile. Movement at the door turned her attention and she raised both eyebrows. "We crashin'?" Running his hand along the door frame, he replied, "Good to see they didn't shoot off your humor." A little uncomfortable, awkward, he approached, "Look. About before." She tilted her head a bit as he spoke, fingers tapping against the bunk Mal had insisted she stay in for at least a few hours. Zoe didn't interrupt what Wash had to say, which might have had something to do with the drugs that were keeping the pain away. His eyes darted down towards the drumming and he wet his lips before blurting out, "I didn't mean for you to get shot. Okay? You didn't have to come all that way to bring me back. I would have. Well. I might have figured it out and given them the slip." "Yer part 'f our crew. We weren't gonna leave you behind. What kind 'f silly argument is that?" The Amazon shrugged, her manner quietly nonchalant and her words slightly slurred. "Don' hurt that much anyway." "Looked pretty worse before." A few steps over, as if he had medical knowledge, Wash nodded at the bandage, "Of course, it doesn't look too bad now." The faintest of smiles touched her lips, the woman leaning further back against the wall that served as a headrest. "Never does in the afterward. Just weaves an' flesh." A glance up at Zoe, Wash gestured to the air, "I want to thank you. For earlier. I meant what I said back there that you saved my life." "You ain't wrong, bu' it seemed ta be the thing to do at the time." He was rather cute when he was being apologetic. "Jus' have to make sure ya think through your card games." How many times had she told Mal the same thing? "I'll take that under advisement." Putting his hand along the side of the chair, he ran it down a bit before retracting it back. "I guess I best let you rest and all now. Get back to steering the boat." Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, Wash gestured back up to the front of Serenity. Zoe was quiet for a moment, almost allowing him to walk back out, then glanced at the door. She really didn't like being in the Infirmary, even healing she preferred the feel of her own quarters. "If ya have a moment on the way I could use a hand out 'f here." She didn't elaborate on the fact Mal wouldn't be pleased with her moving, but that came without saying. The near asking for help took him off guard but Wash moved forward and held out a hand. "Sure. If you're ready and done bleedin' and all." He smiled at her, standing next to the bed, waiting. "Skin seems convinced to stay all closed." Zoe accepted his hand, noticing that he had calluses across his palm and wondering if that came from piloting. "Though the catch is if the Captain catches us he'll like to put us both right back here."

"Then we better move quick." She was tough all right, her hands strong despite her weakened state and she took hold of him. And warm. Good thing for Wash he was never at a loss for words, "What stop am I droppin' you off at? Tenth floor? Lounge? Your bunk? Air lock?" Zoe shook her head, his sense of humor never failing to be more than slightly irreverent and often misplaced, but still humorous even if she didn't laugh. "Bunk will do fine. I suspect it'll be a might more welcomin' than the other options all said and done." "Mmm. Bunk. Sleep. Rest." He was talking robotic in his tone, "Go. Far. Door. Stop. That was some good advice, by the way." Careful, Wash eased Zoe up the stairs and through the kitchen. "Yeah...might be advice I take next time." As they progressed Zoe bumped into one of the chairs, her breath coming in a hiss as she did. "Ai-yah Tyen-ah."

The curse wasn't as quiet as she intended, but the sudden pain reminded her of just how mortal she was. A grimace for her, as if he could feel the pain, Wash looked at the chair, "I'll be sure to burn that later. Get it out of the way." Another bad bit of humor. "They keep doin' that. Jumpin' out and grabbin' people. Just the other night, I came down to the kitchen for a snack and two of them decided to claim my legs. Had me kissin' the floor and everythin'." "Kissin' the floor, mm?" She tried to focus on his jokes in order to ignore the fact her body was VERY unhappy with her and disliked being upright. "Did it taste good?"

"I think our Muscle, Dirk, dribbled some sauce from his plate, so it wasn't that bad." Another short flight of stairs and they were standing outside her room. "Well pretty lady," it was a bad impersonation of Mal but Wash didn't care. "I could be all gentlemen like and help you down, or you can shoo me away like the cattle and let you take it up from here." He was watching her. Wash's own building thoughts of late clouding his mind.

Her pride insisted she could make it down on her own. She'd done more with less before, but at the moment wasn't so sure that she cared. Which still might have been the painkillers speaking, but Zoe wasn't sure. "Never shooed cattle before. I suppose I can accept the help, long as ya don't go tellin' no one."

This was it. The sign he had been looking for.

Helping Zoe with her door, Wash headed down first so he could reached up to ease her down. "I promise to never speak a word of it after I do my initial news blast on the air waves." Her room smelled nice. The cramped quarters were sparse, and only dimly lit, but the smell proved to be from a night blooming jasmine that was tucked off to one side, and very obviously well cared for. Once Wash was down Zoe began her own descent, her body protesting each step. It had hurt a lot less in the infirmary where she hadn't actually been moving so much. "What makes you think you'd survive the initial?"

If it where any other woman, he'd spout off on some manly BS but seeing as how hours before he was all but cowering behind in order to save his own skin, Wash decided against it. "I suppose I can't make that claim." Zoe's body was touched careful on her side as he helped her down the last step. The blond man had a firm hold of her elbow and eased her over to her bed. "You're the rare type that could probably take out a room full of courtin' men with one glare or kill me with a snap of my neck from your pinky."

She didn't protest as he helped her over to the bed, relaxing only as the weight came off of her leg and onto the bed. If they had a proper doctor on board more likely could have been done, but she wasn't about to complain. Wash's touch was nice too, not that she was going to complain about that either. "Likely..."

"So," he was brave for a man caught playing cards like he had his pants down, "Can I kiss you?" The dry witted humor that he had been feeding her disappeared for a mili-second, letting the seriousness of the question come through.

However, the 'verse had rules and Hoban Washburne still needed to be Wash, "That is, let me explain a little bit of that. I'm not askin' because you saved my life and this is some crazy aftermath." He glanced across her room at the plant before looking to Zoe once more. "There is some truth to that, for the adrenaline has been runnin' ever since, but that's not it. Also not to be misconstrued from today's emotions runnin' high, or I feel guilty because you've been shot or we've got some perverse Florence Nightingale thin' goin' on.

"Truth, plain and simple, is I've been wantin' to ask that since you came up and shocked yourself on my bridge." The serious look returned but his jovial behavior merged into that. "That's really all I've got to really say on the matter."

Wash continued to talk, but Zoe's brain only got as far as the kissing question before it stopped. He wanted to kiss her? After she'd shut him down and been mostly merciless in her commentary since he'd come on board? She'd told Mal that there was something about the pilot that bothered her, but him asking her that wasn't what she'd had in mind. She blinked several times, trying to catch up with the rest of what had spilled from his mouth. "Come again?"

A bit of that happy-go-lucky faded at her counter question and Wash felt a bit of his neck stiffen. She didn't out right slap him, which was good, but why he thought she would simply close her eyes and allow him this was a huge mystery.

There were two roads to take and he had to make a decision right and fast. If he pursued this, and she did understand him correct, things were going to become mighty uncomfortable aboard Serenity. Mal forbade this but the Captain had a lot of rules that Wash didn't follow. The other potential path was the road upon which Wash knew to be a safer embarkment: Fake it like he wanted to kiss her hand.

Oh well. You only lived once. "Kiss you. I'd like to kiss you." The thickness of the air that lingered was killing him. "Feel free to say no." He'd asked twice, which meant he was serious. Wash...serious...about anything. It was a big moment, and Zoe, for once in her life, wasn't sure what to do with it. Saving him had been easy, and she could admit to herself that she'd wanted to save him, and not just because he was proving to be a competent pilot.

She actually did rather like having him about. The whistling and humming, even the stupid toys made Serenity seem more like a home. She looked up at him and then a smile cracked her features. "You'd have ta get rid of the moustache." A smile crossed his face. "Done."

Gorram. That had been easy.

Looking down at her, as she lay on her own bed, Wash's mind began to ponder further on the possibilities. If she allowed him this, there might be more she would allow. Perhaps he'd know first hand what it was like to wake up just one time beside her in this room. He looked down at Zoe and admired her beautiful face, complexion and eyes. Dark, large eyes that held the weight of the world in them. Like Mal but not like Mal for out of the two of them, Wash would be money Mal could at least escape the label sometimes. Zoe wore it like a second skin.

And he did like that skin.

"You get yourself some rest now. I've got a date," he stood, reaching a hand up to twirl the end of his moustache for perhaps the last time for a while. "With a razor." Her answer pleased him and Wash couldn't help but wonder when and how soon he might earn that kiss. Perhaps after dinner he could play 'delivery boy' with her dinner.

A few hours wasn't that long to wait and not too soon either, in his mind. He looked so very pleased with himself that for a moment Zoe almost regretted giving him the opening, but there was something in that sparkle in his eyes.

She'd been courted by a lot of men...well...courted might be a strong word. A lot of men had wanted to sleep with her, she wasn't sure how far it went after that, but Wash was...different somehow. And Mal was going to kill her if she let it go too far, but it was nice to be...wanted. She could admit such to herself, but kept her tone deadpan. "Just make sure it doesn't take lessons from th' chair. That could be right messy." The painkillers were making every thing fuzzy and shiny and she really wanted to sleep, but wanted him out first. "Git going."

"I'm a 'gittin'." One raised jiggle of his eye brows and Wash turned to leave her bedroom. Like earlier, he had been given an order and as climbed the rungs, the blond man thought, 'Go. Shave. Clean. Stop.' It was a beautiful day out in the 'verse.

~~~fini for now~~~

Zoë Warren-(Written for by ZoeIWarren) First Mate
and
Hoban Washburne-(Written for by HobanIWashburne) Pilot