This chapter is for Athelina: Happy Birthday!!!! Hope you like the chapter!!!

Chapter Four: Endless Masquerading

"There you are," Adam said, walking onto the bridge.

Wash turned around in his pilot's chair and grinned, "Where else would I be? Someone has to fly this thing."

Adam sat down in the co-pilot's chair, "Thought I'd let you get us on course before I came looking for you."

Wash leaned back and gestured towards the black, "Flown this route so many times I could do it in my sleep."

"Isn't that how you spent most of flight school anyway?" Adam pointed out.

"Second in my class," Wash reminded him. "You weren't even in the top 50% of yours."

"Still can fly, though," Adam pointed out. Adam looked around the bridge, "Nice ship, looks like you got yourself a good thing here. How long you been flying with this crew?"

Wash shrugged, "Since just after the war. I flew a few jobs after the war ended but didn't stick with 'em long. Then I met up with Mal and Zoë…been here ever since."

Adam grinned, "One look at her….I'd have signed on too."

"Hey," Wash said, mock-threatening. "That's my wife you're talking about."

"You are going to have to fill me in how that came about," Adam said. "How a beautiful woman like that wound up with you…."

Wash smiled, "Just lucky I guess."

"You always were," Adam said. "Wish I was half as lucky as you.."

"You've got your share," Wash pointed out, his face becoming serious. "You survived that crash, didn't you?" He shook his head. "I still don't know how that happened?"

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"You don't remember?" Wash asked.

"I remember the ground rushing up to meet us…then waking up in the infirmary."

"We crashed," Wash said. "I was okay, banged up but nothing serious. I was trying to check if you were okay…alive even, but before I could we were swarmed with troops. I got hauled off one way and they took you another. I tried asking about you but they either wouldn't say anything or they hinted that you hadn't made it."