Author's Note: I'm so, so very sorry it took me so long to post this. I couldn't figure out how to approach it, things kept coming up, you know the excuses. Thank you for being so patient. You guys are the best! And, again, I am really sorry. It turned from a little spell of writer's block to truly ridiculous. If it helps, I've been working on a few other projects, though I haven't published them yet, so keep checking my profile for updates. (If you haven't burned me in effigy for the wait.)

Here we go.

Annette Washburne was thoroughly happy. As she'd just discussed with Kaylee, she was looking forward to spending time with the boy worked in a tea shop in Athens, who she'd talked with several times, and found witty, charming, and, she had to admit, fei cahng ke ai. Kaylee had listened and agreed that he did indeed sound quite nice.

Anne's smile faded abruptly when she saw Kaylee talking with her father.

"Anne," her father began seriously. Anne shot Kaylee a poisonous look, and she looked appropriately shamefaced. "What's this I hear…'

"I'm 17!" Anne blurted out.

"Uh…"

"I'm 17 and I still haven't been on a date! I know that you're my father, and it's your job to treat me like I'm 2, but I'm not, and I need to grow up sometime!"

Wash studied her for a moment before saying, exasperated, "Zoe!"

His wife appeared in moments. "Problem?"

"Your daughter wants to go on a date in Athens."

"Shiny," she said, "Ke ai ma?"

"I hardly see how that…" Wash started futilely, but they ignored him completely.

"Fei chang ke ai." Anne said.

"Well, have fun. Don't get kidnapped." Zoe said, then, to Wash, "Call me if anything important comes up."

She strode off.

"And don't you have a ship to fly?" she called over her shoulder.

"Oh right. That thing." He trudged off towards the bridge, leaving Anne and Kaylee together.

"You told my dad?" Anne asked, infuriated.

"You know I can't keep secrets! Anyway, it's still hard to think of Wash as your dad. I never thought he'd grow up. And I'm still not convinced he has."

"Remember, everything guys say is a lie. Including what I just said." They were standing by the entrance of the ship, and Wash was unwilling to leave without giving his daughter advice.

"Zai jian, baba." She said, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, "Zai jian mama. Zai jian, Serenity!"

The date was fun. Anne didn't know much about pop culture, and Rory (the boy from the tea shop) didn't know much about ships, but they still made good conversation. Anne left it wanting to read several books he'd mentioned, and Rory left it wanting to see Serenity. She agreed that she should him around, if her parents and the captain thought it was okay, but in her mind she was thinking about how embarrassing her parents were going to be and, oh God, Uncle Jayne… but she didn't voice any of her fears out loud.

So, she ended up leading him by the hand through the crowded streets, searching for both her parents and her ship. They were both giggling, dazed, and happy.

"There they are!" she said, spotting one of her dad's distinctive bright shirts in the crowd. Before she called out to them, she witnessed something strange.

The two were walking when they ran into a tall black man in a plain grey shirt. The moment she saw him, Zoe stopped, her eyes blazing.

"You!" she hissed.

"Who?" It took Wash a moment to recognize him. "Him?" he said when he figured it out.

The other man seemed a bit puzzled by Wash, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he said, "I have no quarrel with you. We-"

Zoe laughed a bit bitterly at this. "You…" she repeated. Then, she leaned towards him, and said something quietly to him. Anne couldn't hear what she was saying, but she could feel the ferocity in her words.

The man seemed perfectly calm. (Which was very surprising, because Anne had never met anyone who wasn't afraid of her mother when she was angry.)

"Do you still feel that way?" he said, coolly.

Zoe glanced at Wash, and noticed as she did Anne, with Rory on her arm. "I haven't forgiven you," she said coldly, "but I think I've moved on."

The whole event reminded Anne inexplicably of an incident from her childhood.

Anne was 12 years old, and very proud. When her parents had explained to her that their career was not entirely legal, she'd imagined that she knew all the family's secrets.

How wrong she was.

It was the usual story; the deal had gone wrong, a disagreement about prices; it happened all too often. Except this time, it had ended with a bullet in Zoe's stomach. By the time they got her to the ship, she was unconscious and had lost a dangerous amount of blood. Most of the crew crowded into the infirmary.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Wash asked Simon. Anne didn't think she'd ever seen her father so concerned.

"I need room to work," Simon muttered distractedly, his mind on the task at hand.

A few people left the infirmary, and everyone made room. Wash backed off, but his eyes never left his wife.

"Mommy?" Anne asked softly, grabbing her mother's hand.

A minute later, Simon swore for the first time in years.

Everyone grew tense. "Captain…" Wash said, "if she doesn't make it…"

"I know what you're thinking, and it's too risky." Mal said.

"She'd do the same for me," he said fiercely, "she has done…"

"That was years ago."

"Does that change anything? I-"

"Anne, leave the room," Mal said quickly, "I need to have a word with your father."

"Don't you talk to her that way! She's my daughter!"

"And I'm the captain of both of you."

They stared at each other for a moment. Pure contempt was etched on Wash's face, while Mal simply looked furious.

"Anne, leave." Wash said finally, his eyes never leaving Mal's face.

"But-"

"Just leave."

"Come on, Anne," Kaylee said softly, taking her hand and leading her from the room. She could hear them shouting the moment she left the room, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Later, Zoe pulled through thanks to Simon's care, and things between Wash and the Captain returned to normal. But Anne never forgot it.

"What was that about?" Rory asked.

Anne shook her head.

Secrets.

She wondered if she'd ever know them all.

~The End~

Author's (second) Note: Again, I'm very sorry about the delay. Thanks to anyone who was patient, and everyone who commented. (*cough* Lala *cough*)

I learned a very important lesson with this story:

Never try to make a story up as you go along.

My description of this story was ,"A brief story of the life of Annette Washburne." Remember when it was mostly about Anne? Those were happier days. (And it really, really wasn't 'brief.') If you're willing to give me a second (or third, or fourth) chance, I'm working on two stories right now:

A Dollhouse/Firefly crossover set during the events of the "Epitaphs"

A post-series pre-movie Firefly story.

By the way, the accidental "Arrested Development" reference was the fact that Wash's daughter was named Anne, and in one episone of AD, Alan Tudyk (who played Wash. If you didn't know that, I'm very disappointed in you. You call yourself a Browncoat?) played Anne's father. (And I got a little too excited.)