A/N: Hi. This is my first fic, any feedback will be appreciated. Hope you all enjoy it. Also, a big THANKS to my beta, Chazzer.

Disclaimer: All things belong to Joss.

Just a Touch

By abbeygirl

Part One

Just a touch. That’s all it is. A shoulder to lean on when no one else is around. A single touch and it means so much. It helps us to remember what it is to be alive. It grounds a person. Makes things not so lonely. And it doesn’t demand anything in return.

Mal is well aware that everyone on the ship has been healing since Miranda. The pain from the loss of Book and Wash will never be far away for any of them. The ship’s crew has changed a bit. Jayne works out more than he ever did before. He always needs to be doing stuff when things are bothering him.

Inara is gone for good. She is a Companion; it is all that she has ever known. She can never change that without completely losing herself, not even for him. So he let her go, rather than adding more tension to the situation on board the ship.

Zoe has become very introspective since Wash’s death. She’s been putting to paper everything she loved about Wash like his quirks, some of his best jokes, funny stories or whatever came to mind. A couple of the other crewmembers have even jotted down some of their favorite memories of Wash in her book as well. Hell, even Mal has contributed to the collection. She also writes about how Wash’s life affected hers and how his death has as well. It has been therapeutic for her and without it everyone on the ship is sure that she would have withered away to nothing.

The only truly positive thing that happened from the experience is Kaylee and Simon’s blossoming relationship. They try to be very discreet about it all. They don’t want to flaunt their newfound happiness in the wake of so much pain. Whether they know it or not, it has been helpful for the rest of the crew to see the tenderness of them simply cuddling in the common area and