Title : Goodnight and Goodbye (2/2)

Disclaimer : I am not Joss Whedon, and I do not own Firefly.

Synopsis : The Second War of Unification has started. Where does the crew of Serenity go next? Darkish.

Pairings : Mal/Inara, and hints of Jayne/Kaylee, Simon/Inara, Zoe/Wash, and Simon/Kaylee.

A/N : This is not intended to be sequel, but there are several illusions made to Decorum (http://fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=8463), an earlier fic of mine. If you haven’t read it, it shouldn’t make a difference.

Words : 2, 815

Chapter Two

***

Mal finds Zoe on the bridge, one of Wash’s plastic dinosaurs sitting in her hand. He doesn’t know what to say. Hasn’t for a long while now.

Lost Zoe for good the day he lost River. She went somewhere inside herself, somewhere she didn’t want him and the rest of them to follow. Aged her, too. Sometimes he can look right at her and barely recognize her.

“Zoe.” He pauses, one of his hands resting on the doorframe. He can feel the smooth hum of the engine under his fingertips. “Know what you’ll do?”

Zoe sets the dinosaur back down on the console. He can see her face reflected in the cockpit windows. She’s almost smiling.

“Thinking about joining up,” she says. “Training and the like.”

“Training,” Mal repeats. “Thought you didn’t care for the war anymore’n I do.”

“What I’m good at, sir,” Zoe says. “Sides, they’ll be needing my help, they all turn out like the doctor.”

Mal’s expression softens. Would never have predicted it, Zoe being the one to follow the doctor—looking out for the boy.

“Boy’s set on enlisting?”

“Don’t seem sure of himself,” Zoe says. “But he don’t think he’s got a choice.”

“ Ai ya ,” Mal says. “Kaylee…?”

“Reckon she’s moved on,” Zoe says. She picks up the dinosaur again. “Didn’t happen overnight, but with some time…” she trails off. “Might even be possible for me, one day.”

It occurs to Mal that maybe selling the ship is good for Zoe—that maybe she ought to have left a lo