I know I know I know. I have forgotten the meaning of fluff. One of these days I promise.

It wasn't supposed to have been a secret and if it had been any other time, it wouldn't have been. But there was too much uncertainty, too many reasons that just saying the words would complicate everything even more. And, ta mah duh, it was already too damn complicated. Between the Operative, River, and Miranda, a baby just didn't seem like the thing to be mentioning.

Could be bumpy.

Always is.

Zoe would've laughed if she'd remember how. Instead she had walked out of the cargo bay, standing straight despite the weight of the secret pulling her down. It wasn't until she'd descended the ladder to the bunk - the one now belonged to her and her alone - that she allowed that weight to finally get to her. She couldn't make it to the bed, crumpling down to the floor without a moment's hesitation.

An anxious agony pulsed across her chest, wild energy building up. It was hot and rushed from her cheeks to her limbs, setting fire to each finger tip. One of Wash's dinosaurs lay sprawled across the floor a few feet away from Zoe. Without thinking, she grabbed at it and letting out a raw yell of emotion, flung the damn thing across the room. It smashed against the wall, one of it's limbs broke away and the two separate chunks of dino landed with a thud on the floor.

Zoe didn't feel better, though. It wasn't a release, not the kind she needed. Instead, she felt guilt mix in with just about everything else. That was one less toy her and Wash's kid would never have to play with. The same kid, Wash had never even known existed.