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Feb. 5th, 2006 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flybywashTen thousand miles above Greenleaf, Serenity drifts in a lazy orbit, ready to slingshot around toward the next quadrant.
"I still say we oughta just put the box inside another box and mail it to ourselves," Wash is saying as the command keys clatter under his fingers.
"I still say we oughta just put the box inside another box and mail it to ourselves," Wash is saying as the command keys clatter under his fingers.
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Date: 2006-02-06 04:43 am (UTC)"See, where you lose me is the mailin' it t' ourselves part. You ain't got any plans that involve us savin' on postage?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 04:48 am (UTC)From above, a high-pitched beep in triplicate. Wash shoots it a glance and leans to the right to select a few more dials.
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Date: 2006-02-06 04:53 am (UTC)"We got a wave comin' in?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:01 am (UTC)Wash stops.
Slowly, with far too much care, he touches the dials again, paling a little as he double-checks the trace route pattern.
"It's from Muir."
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:13 am (UTC)"Want me t' stick around?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:23 am (UTC)"Please. I'll even spare you my cooking for three weeks if you do," Wash says, and it's more or less steady. A beat, during which he just eyes the blank vidscreen; he finally puffs out a breath and continues under his breath, "Okay."
And with his other hand, he skims the "Accept Wave" button.
"Nĭ hăo, this is Firefly Serenity," he says in his best pilot voice.
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:23 am (UTC)A round-faced woman, wavy blonde hair half-curled around her ears, juts out her chin and folds her arms as she shoots Wash a cockeyed, 'well?' sort of look.
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:28 am (UTC)"Anneliese Washburne, I presume?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:36 am (UTC)Instantly, the pretense of anger vanishes. Anneliese drops her arms and complains to no one, "There goes my act. Sorry, I thought he was gonna be alone when he got this -- "
She's grinning, too, just as broadly.
"Yup, that's me. And I bet you're the famous Zoe, right?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:41 am (UTC)Zoe squeezes Wash's shoulder with one hand, still grinning.
"Sorry 'bout the act-spoilin'."
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Date: 2006-02-06 05:54 am (UTC)"Benny-boy?" Wash splutters, finally managing to find his voice.
"Ben-boy," Annie repeats, firmly. She regards Wash; her smile softens. "It's really great to see you, too, xíao dì. I missed you."
Wash laughs, a bit wobbly. "You just want to bring up all those embarrassing nicknames in front of my wife."
"Well, yeah." She shrugs, a wicked gleam in her eye. "That too -- oh, wait, speak of the devils," she interrupts herself, craning her neck to look at a spot to the right of the screen. "There they are -- Hey, Mom? Dad? I've got Hoban on band....Be right back, guys."
She disappears.
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:06 am (UTC)"...Benny-boy?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:13 am (UTC)"I tried to get everybody to call me Ben when I was nine," he mumbles, amused. "Annie insisted on changing it to Benny-boy, thereby forever ruining a perfectly useable nickname for the rest of my life.
"You hear that, Annie?" he calls, teasing, as he raises his head. "For life!"
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 06:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 06:23 am (UTC)She leans over to kiss his cheek consolingly. "Well. Promise I won't spread that one around?"
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:35 am (UTC)Smooch.
"Love you."
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:36 am (UTC)"By all means," Keane says, "don't let our one wave out of the whole month keep me from romancing your wife."
He smirks as Wash breaks the kiss. "Wei, son." And a nod to Zoe, "Nĭ hăo, Zoe.""
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Date: 2006-02-06 06:41 am (UTC)"Nĭ hăo, Mr. Washburne." And then she pauses, because this is the first time she's spoken to him, but she's been married to his son for six years, and heard a fair amount of family anecdotes.
Consideringly, "Keane?"
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Date: 2006-02-07 03:23 am (UTC)"You are old," Wash points out.
Keane points a finger at him. "And you, I'm ignoring." Wash just snickers. Keane continues, to Zoe, "It's a joy to meet you, m'dear. Or see you face-to-face, anyway."
Behind him, Anneliese sneaks back into frame, leaning a casual elbow on her father's shoulder. On the other side, another woman slips in, white hair swept back tightly: Phoebe Washburne.
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Date: 2006-02-07 03:46 am (UTC)"It's so good to meet you all, too."
She steps away from Wash's chair a little, which brings the belly into better view, and lays one hand on it.
"An' it's a bit early for introductions here, but...this is Naomi."
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Date: 2006-02-07 04:08 am (UTC)His gaze shifts primarily to Annie.
"Her full name's Naomi Anneliese Warren-Washburne. See, now you can't punch me, I'm naming my daughter after you."
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Date: 2006-02-07 04:09 am (UTC)"Is she, now," Phoebe says softly. She reaches around Keane to give Annie's hand a quick squeeze. "It's a beautiful name, you two. We'll be thrilled to meet her when she's born. I couldn't believe it when Hoban said we were going to be grandparents...."
"Own up. You're in cahoots. You're both trying to make us feel old," Keane interjects with a mock-stern look. It's easy to see where Wash got it from; it's a lot harder for him to hold it when it keeps going back to Zoe's belly, immediately softening every time he looks.
"Has the pregnancy been easy on you so far?" Phoebe asks.
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Date: 2006-02-07 04:18 am (UTC)"More or less...ain't got much basis for comparison, but it ain't been any harder than I expected."
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Date: 2006-02-07 04:26 am (UTC)"Breach birth," Phoebe agrees, as Wash groans theatrically, rolls his eyes, and mouths, 'see?'
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Date: 2006-02-07 04:48 am (UTC)Then, to Phoebe, "Friend of ours gave birth recently and spent all night in labor, so I'm hopin' I'm in for an easier time there."
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Date: 2006-02-07 05:02 am (UTC)She looks interested.
"Not somebody else on your ship? All I can think of is your mechanic and...what was the other woman's name, Inara?"
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Date: 2006-02-07 05:03 am (UTC)"No, no, it ain't anybody like that. It's, uh." Time to play the Let's Not Make Mom Think I'm Crazy game, apparently. He exchanges looks with Zoe and shrugs. "Sort of a mutual friend. We met 'em on a job last year, been keeping in touch since then."
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Date: 2006-02-07 05:08 am (UTC)"Hard to stay in touch with people sometimes, in the black. but we've met some that're worth the effort."
How they keep in touch with them doesn't need to be specified.
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Date: 2006-02-08 04:15 am (UTC)The silence that follows borders on awkward, but is mercifully brief. Annie's the one to break it.
"So have you heard anything new about dropping by sometime?" she asks
Wash chews his lip, eventually -- reluctantly -- shakes his head 'no.' "We're still working on that part," he admits. "Work's been a little scarce out on your end of the galaxy."
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Date: 2006-02-08 04:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-08 04:44 am (UTC)A beat. Anneliese arches an eyebrow at him and smirks.
"Okay, and you," he adds, pointing at Annie, as Keane tries (and fails) to hold in a snicker, "are not supposed to have a mind that's deeper in the sewer than mine. Out."
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Date: 2006-02-08 04:45 am (UTC)Phoebe just tactfully covers her mouth to hide her own smile.
"Sorry, Zoe," Anneliese adds. Affecting a mournful sigh, "Wish I could say that we were never like this, but, well."
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Date: 2006-02-08 04:58 am (UTC)"Well, I figure I can save any complainin' about my in-laws 'til I get a bit more used t' havin' 'em."
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Date: 2006-02-08 05:12 am (UTC)"He does not," Phoebe interrupts, gently swatting her daughter on the shoulder. "He gets to behave like he's properly welcoming her into the family."
A swift glance back to Zoe; in that instant, the unspoken like it should have been six years ago comes and goes. She smiles, a bit crookedly.
"We'll try not to give you anything to complain about."
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Date: 2006-02-08 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-08 05:28 am (UTC)"An' I knew what I was gettin' myself into, with that."
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Date: 2006-02-08 05:44 am (UTC)Even Annie and Keane, not as perceptibly nervous as Phoebe, sneak tiny, relieved looks at each other.
This first meeting goes both ways, and despite the disasters with Hoban's family and his first two girlfriends (ask them about those stories sometime), they were...girlfriends. This is his wife.
His wife of six years and the soon-to-be mother of their granddaughter and niece, no less. Approval's not so much of an option here as acceptance.
But, their tiny smiles say, it looks like the latter's not going to be much of a problem after all.