It was Heliu's sixteenth birthday, and they were headed to Haven it had been twenty years to that day, that the broad wave about Miranda had went out. She always felt so much irony on her birthday. As much as a birthday was a day of celebration hers was a day of greif for everyone was well. Four years before she was born they had lost her Uncle Wash and Great Grandpa Book. Four years later her mother had died on that day given her birth. She had never been to her mother's grave, today would be the first day.
They touched down and all silently walked down the ramp. Mal and Inara hand in hand with Indie and Ryden. Simon had his arm around Kaylee with Jasmine and Ori holding their hands. Zoe and Allyene walked down besides one another not speaking, and Jayne and Heliu walked together lastly. She was nervous. They had planned this special event everyone was to say something on the moment.
Mal walked over to the graves first. "Today is a very special day. Twenty years ago today we let out an awful truth. That truth was plaguing our little Tross' mind. And I'm glad that we freed her. I lost a good man and a consuler twenty years ago. Now everyone here knows I ain't a man of faith, but he was a man of faith. His name was Derrial Book. A great man and an oddity for a Sheppard. I also lost the best damn pilot I had ever had. Hoban Washburn, but he gave us a great departing gift to us our young Allyene who would make her father proud as a pilot. Sixteen years ago we lost another great woman, she was a pilot a friend and was like my own daughter. We lost River. She was a troublesome and a heap of it, but she was our heap of trouble. She gave us another little Tross and we are here today not only to remember the souls we lost but the life that we were given. We are here today to celebrate Heliu's birthday." Mal walked over and laid a white rose on the preachers grave, a small dino on Wash's and a old worn drawing of Serenity that River had done on her grave. He then went and stood behind Book's grave.
Inara stepped up and she had tears in her eyes. "Honey that was a wonderous speech. I left Serenity eight months before the Miranda incident and then was used to set up a trap for our big damn heroes to come and rescure me. If they was really a bad peopele, they would have left me to die but he came to get me. All of know that I was once a lowly Compainon but Mr. Reynolds changed that. Sheppard book was a good friend to me and we enjoyed each other's company. He was a very good man. Wash was funny and zany and never had a unkind word to say to anyone. River was like my daughter and I miss her greatly but as Mal said this is a day of remembrance and celebration because she did give us all a beautiful baby girl is growing into a beautiful woman." Inara walked over to Books grave and placed a packet of rosemary next to the rose that Mal had placed. She then preceded to Wash's and laid a fake Hawaiian flower next to the dino. At River's grave she stopped and pulled out a small bottle and laid it next to the drawing. It was to represent tears. She then went and stood with her husband where her two children came to stand in front of her.
Zoe walked up next she looked as stotic as always. "I fought beside all three of these members that have been lost to us. Book was a man of few words but the words he spoke always held a wisdom even beyond his years. My Mister would have loved this, and he would have loved to have seen all you our beautiful children today. River was my friend and confidant she was more to me than most of you realized and as I found comfornt in that young girl I find it now in her daughter." Zoe walked to Book's grave and placed a pen of the arch angel Micheal on his grave, she then walked to Wash's grave and placed a picture of their daughter and one of his Hawaiian shirts with it. She than went to River's and took off her bootlace necklace and laid on it. Zoe walked over to stand with next to Inara.
Allyane came to stand where her mother had just stood, she was the only child that had remember anything of the three. "I never knew my Great grandpa Book, but I have stories, and I never knew my father but he lives through me. I was only four when River passed but she was my favorite. She told me stories of Earth That Was and played with me. She is also the one that started teaching me how to fly Serenity I remember her words clear as day, and from what I heard she knew that I would need to take her place, 'Allycat one day my sweet you and love will keep this old bird a flying and when the River is reborn you will be her haven until she meets her stone.' I didn't understand that for a long time, but she is right my best friend is and has been since the day that she came into this world sixteen years ago, Heliu Rayne." She walked over to Book's grave and laid a single yellow rose with Mal's white one, at her father's she laid her baby ring on it. At her aunt River's she laid a piece of leather down. She walked to stand by her mother.
Simon then took her place. He tugged at his ear like he always did when he was nevourous. "I came onto Serenity looking for a place to protect my sister until I could figure out what to do, I was not aware that what I would find there would be peace solace and a family. We do not always get along but we love one another. I found a father and a mother I never knew in Mal and Inara, a sister and a friend in Zoe, a wife in Kaylee and a brother in Jayne. I was made whole for the first time in my life. The day that we lost Book I lost a man of faith that would pray with me and look out for my distraught sister, when we lost Wash I lost the first on Serenity that had shown real concern for me and my sister and a friend. The day I lost my sister I thought God had taken his gift from me, but I realize now just as always she was leaving me with an even greater gift, a beautiful baby niece." Simon went to Book's grave and lay still capture of all the children of Serenity playing together. On Wash's a lay a book about dinosaurs on it, and at River's he lay a single stemmed purple rose. He walked over and stood next to Alleyne.
Kaylee came up next and she had been crying. "This is so sad, yet so shiny. Book was kind and always bought me strawberries, they are my favorite, and Wash always made me feel like a girl and told me I was pretty when some Boob was too clumsy with his own danged words to tell me. River was my friend and play mate. I miss them all so very much but I have a gift from them all. And its Heliu's birthday so even though we are all sad its still shiny." Kaylee walked over to Book's grave and laid a strawberry on it, at Wash's she laid a bracelet that he had made her down, and at River's she laid a set of jacks on top it. She walked over to her husband and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Jayne walked up next and there was no denying that the large man had been crying. "I ain't one on big words or nuthin. I do have some for today, and I want to tell the whole gorram truth. I felt like River was nuthin but trouble when she first came a board. She was stark raving mad. She cut me across the chest with a butchers knife because I looked better in red, I backhanded her, tried to sell her out, saved her and her brother's ass when I realized that they did mistreat the girl cuttin on her brain and all, I then bought her apples to make up for it seeing as how they were her favorites. After Miranda her Moonbrain wasn't so moon brained and I started to fall in love with her. We dated and married then gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. We lost her that day, but we found footing without her and raised a beautiful little angel. I don't know if ya know it or not Darling but ya name was supposed to be Serenity Rayne, ya mama wanted that to be ya name but the day before you was born she said that events would change and the River would need to be reborn, so when she died I knew what she meant, I couldn't call River Rayne, so ya Mimi and me decided to use the Chinese word for River and Rayne so that ya was still named River. I miss ya ma so much bao bei but I wouldn't take nuthin for ya. I also miss Book he was a good friend to me and Wash was the best ruttin Hoop ball player ya could have on ya time. Jayne walked over to Book's resting place and placed a baggy with pages in it on his marker, "that's them pages Riv was trying ta fix out ya bible preacher." he walked over to Wash and laid down a small box of bottle caps down, "I know ya would laugh at this old man, but kept every cap from our poker games that ya might like them." When he came to River's grave tears sliently rolled down his face and he placed an red rose with one of her hair ribbons with his wedding ring tied to it on her grave. He leaned down and kissed the could marble stone. He went and stood next to Kaylee and she reached her hand out to him he took it.
Heliu stood there and watched crying sliently. This was the best birthday present they could have given her, they gave her a chance to say goodbye to her mother. Mal looked at her "Tross I got something I want ya to have take real good care of it. He walked to the girl and handed her a ring made of nine copper wires, "Your mama gave me this after the Miranda incident said it was a caption's ring, there is a piece of copper for each on of us on there." She hugged him and he hugged her back and dropped a kiss on her head the way he did her mothers so many years ago.
"Sweety I have something for you as well," Inara held up a beautiful red dress that was just the right size. "Your mother wore this to mine and Mal's wedding. She told me that I would know when to give to you after she was gone. I think today is apporaite." Heliu kissed her Mimi's check and gladly expected the gift.
Zoe and Alleyne walked up and handed her a moving capture. River was holding her and smiling if you didn't know how the story ended you would think that everything was right in verse with the smile on her mother's face and look of pride in her daddy's eyes. Heliu hugged them fiercely she didn't know how the gifts could get any better.
Simon and Kaylee presented her with an old shoe box when she opened it, it was full of pictures of her mother as a child and pictures of Kaylee and her mom. It was wonderful and in the very bottom was her and her daddy's wedding album.
Jayne had snuck back to Serenity. To retrieve his gift, he came back and he looked down at his daughter, "I've got something real special sense you keep insisting on going out on dangerous jobs with his and fighting with them knives I want to give ya something of ya mother's. You have heard the stories about her taking down a forty five reavers with nothing but two blades a sword and an axe. I would like to give you memory and truth." He handed her the blades and she was speechless, she had never seen the blades that they said her mother had killed the room full of nightmares with.
She reached out and took Memory from her father it was the sword. As soon as she touched it. She saw a women wearing a red flowing gown bare foot stand before her, "My percious Heliu I'm so sorry to depart from you as early as I did, I want you know that I never meant to abandon you, and I never did. Your father had known since the moment that you was born, that one day you would see me again." The ghost of the girl walked over to her and kissed her check and whispered in her ear where only she could her "Your stone awaits you my child, he will be a good stone as was your father." River turned and walked to Mal and Inara, "Caption Daddy Mama Nara thank you for watching out for my daughter. I miss you so terribly much." She kissed Mal on the check and "I love my Caption." She walked to Inara and hugged her. "I love you mama." She turned and went the Warrior Woman and Alleyene. "Wash sends his love and he is proud of his girl. I miss you." Zoe let tears fall that she had not shed in years as the young woman they missed most touched her hand. She walked to her brother "Silly Simon I always have to take care of you, well always did, Kaylee you do much better than I do. I love you jie jie and gege." "We love you Mei Mei."
She finally made her way to the one she wanted to hold so very much. "Man with a girls name. I miss you bao bei. I am so glad of a night you are still open to my dreams and my visits." "Crazy never could do it with out ya. Darling. I still wish I could join ya." She walked over to her husband and stood on tiptoes and kissed his lips and whispered into them "My Ai, you will not have to wait long, she will be waiting with open arms when he comes home. She loves you Jayne and we will always find eacher other." With that she disappeared.
Heliu took Truth in her other hand, she was hit with a vision of the future as soon as she touched it, her mother's last gift and been the gift of reading of truth.