Round 5, Challenge 3, Zoe

[vae]

Title: Further than close
Author: woodsong_1978
Character: Zoë Alleyne
Rating: PG-13
Question: #3) What has come the closest to breaking you?
Disclaimer: Zoë doesn't belong to me. She belongs to Wash, and then to Joss. Just so you know.
Author's Notes: She really doesn't want to say! Spoilers for War Stories and BDM.
Comments: Craved. Con-crit always welcome.

Breaking me? You sure you've earned the right to ask me that question? 'Cause when you're asking what came closest, you're making the assumption that it ain't never happened. That I never broke, and I ain't convinced you deserve to know the truth of that.

There's folks I'd answer that for. Folks that know me. Folks that put themselves on the line for me and mine, and I've done the same for them. You ain't among them. Don't know you. Not sure it'd be worth my while making the effort. Breaking, now, that's a personal thing. Pretty near personal as you can get, and it's a weakness. Any fool knows not to show their weak points to the enemy. Ain't saying you're an enemy, but I wouldn't count you a friend. Friends know me well enough not to ask that kind of question.

There's something I'll give you. Been a few things came close, and each one of those I'll tell you ain't going to work against me now. There was a time before the war. Time before I signed up, when I got hurt through my family. That came close, but it didn't break me. They ain't a weak point now. Ain't one of them left.

There was the time I figured that Wash and the captain were being held by Niska. If I'd let it, that could've broken me. Them, too. You already know it didn't.

There was the moment I felt Wash die. Moment he left my life. That came damn close. Wasn't that, though. Thing that broke me, that came a few weeks after.

No. I ain't going to tell you what it was. You figure it out. You'll get it wrong. No point me telling you when you've already decided.