workworkwork | For Zoe

The one thing that Wash had an overwhelming sensation of was dark. It wasn't as if they were in complete darkness, but it was a lot less than what he was used to, especially as he missed the sunrises you could see nearing planets on Serenity.

When they'd been released from the central customs area (which was like no customs area he'd ever seen before), he and Zoe went exploring, walking through the guest quarters, but Zoe was on edge, like he'd never seen from her for a very long time, if at all. "Zoe, sweetie. That's the fifth room we've checked now," he pointed out. They were both exhausted, but Zoe showed no signs of stopping.

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Zoe wakes up with a start, breath hitching a little. Even in their bunk back home, there was always a little light at least. Different than these things they've got. But she relaxes quickly, the familiar warmth of Wash next to her.

Pushing herself up, she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Everythin's still the same?"

Wash gently stroked Zoe's shoulder, trying to help her calm down - at least so he claimed. Truth was, he needed the comfort as well. "'Part from the skitterin'. Reminds me of what you said about Serenity when Mal bought her, that somethin' was livin' in her."

Zoe pulls a face. "An' she was planet side then. Who knows what's in here."

Reaching over, she lets her fingers tangle with his, thumb grazing over his wrist. "I keep waitin' for somethin'. Don't even know what. Just glad you're here."

With her free hand she rubs her face, then gets out of the bed with a quick kiss to Wash before heading into the small bathroom. When she comes back out, she's splashed water on her face and sits on the edge of the bed again.

"Maybe we should both just...sleep." And maybe that's when someone would ambush them, but they can't keep sleeping in shifts forever.

Wash just shuddered, subconsciously moving closer to his wife. "I really don't wanna think about that, hun," he said, looking around nervously.

As Zoe went to the bathroom, he pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms round them, huddled in him himself. Zoe's attitude, and the strangeness of this place really were upsetting his normal calm, scaring him more than he'd ever be prepared to admit, even to Zoe. He forced himself to relax as she returned. "You sure? Could do with some sleep, it's gotta be said."

Zoe lies down and curls around her husband, head resting close to his. "Don't know what else there is to do," she says with a frustrated sigh. "And if somethin' happens, won't do us any good to be asleep on our feet."

She knows he's more on edge than he's letting on, and that she hasn't been helping much. Too many days in her past of quiet and then ambushes have made her a little paranoid.

"True," he said, settling as he nestles against Zoe. At least that is familiar. He didn't quite know what he'd do without her there, and she's comforting to lie against.

"It'll be easier to figure out tomorrow," he said, the sleep that he'd been trying to fight for the last couple of hours close by, but then he jumped as he heard another skittering noise. "Or not."

Zoe doesn't jump, but she does tense up, listening hard in the dark.

"Would feel a whole hell of a lot better if I knew what that was." Or not, seeing as how she's sans gun. But it's the unknown that downright unnerves her.

"Don't even know if there is anything to figure out, or when tomorrow is," she says and comes as close to huffing as she ever gets.

"I wish I knew," Wash said fervently, moving closer to Zoe. "Enough to make a man scared of the dark. Or not. But, you know... creepifying." Downright creepifying. It made some of what River said make sense, and that was scary.

"Tomorrow is when we figure out it is," he said, shrugging. He felt like that on the bridge sometimes, when he pulled all nighters.

There's only one sure way Zoe knows of to distract herself and him both, so she kisses him softly, then lets her head rest against his shoulder.

"We're together. I figure that makes us stronger than anyone else here. No one else seems to have a familiar person with them."

The distraction worked, and Wash let himself relax against her a little.

"An' we stick together as much as possible," he said. "Not always gonna be possible, but for the most. We know how each other thinks." And that was a huge advantage, even with his limited understanding of tactics.

Zoe nods; they're good at silent communication. "Plus, like you said earlier, havent heard anyone speakin' Chinese, so we gotta be in a group, stratagize...I say we break away from English."

She can't help it when she yawns, and she rubs her face tiredly. "Thinkin' of some other stuff I wanna do. Get a feel for all the people, namely. Who's likely to crack if this keeps up, who's potentially dangerous. All that."

"As long as it don't upset anyone," Wash pointed out. "Folks might not take kindly to suddenly talkin' in Chinese." But that was Wash. Always wanting to keep the peace.

"I ain't gonna be much use for that," he admitted, though he wasn't bad at reading people. Just didn't want to think badly of them.

Zoe, for her part, isn't as interested in what other people think as her husband is. But that's mostly par for the course. If she's not comfortable, she'll either speak in Chinese to Wash or be silent. She's not trying to make people uncomfortable, she's just trying to be smart. Not her fault if she can do it in a way others can't.

"You can read people fine. Look, outta the two of us, you're the nice one, I don't mind about that, ever. But any one of 'em could be a plant, getting info on us."

She's very obviously not letting her guard down, her stubbornness shining through.

"You really think that they could be plants?" Wash said, frowning worriedly. "Zoe, light of my life, that's paranoid, even for you."

"This whole place doesn't have you the least bit paranoid?" she asks in disbelief. "Where did these lights come from? They just appeared? No one knows where they came from?"

Zoe raises an eyebrow, looking at her husband.

"How did we get dressed? How did they know our sizes? Hell, even I have trouble remembering what size if I wanna buy you anything. How do they know just what we wanna eat?" Wash said, running his hand through his hair as he tended to do when he got nervous. "Thought about it all, an' it terrifies me. But there's also the curiosity about where we are, an' those things. One thing I do know - we ain't the only ones in this position. Everyone is in exactly the same place we are, thinkin' the same things."

"Least I ain't the only one paranoid, then," she says as she moves onto her back again, staring up at the dark where the edges of light fade in.

One of her hands slides to his though as she lies there. She keeps reminding herself that he's right - this isn't a combat zone. There's no reason for her to be this tense, or more tense than the rest of them anyway. It's just that she hates surprises. Hates not being able to plan. Hates when her own life is out of her hands - all things she thought she mostly left behind at the end of the war.

Wash curled up against her, his head on her shoulder as they lay there. He can only guess at how she's feeling, but he knows her well enough, had to deal with the nightmares the war had left her.

"No, bao bei, you're not the only one. This is me, remember." He knew how insecure he could be, and he knew Zoe knew it as well. "But I can't live for who knows how long, paranoid. I can't do it." Even when he argued with Zoe, he was likely to be the one to apologize first, just so things could be back to normal.

Quiet for a long time, she finally gives in with a heavy sigh.

"I know. You're right. I just..." One hand moves to his hair, fingers gliding through it. "Bringin' back memories, that's all."

Wash smiled at Zoe, his hand curled around her waist. "I know, baby." He'd worked with Zoe a long time, helping her get over the nightmares the war had left, and he hated seeing her like this. "We'll figure it out, together."