Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own any of these wonderful characters, or even the setting and world of Firefly. They all belong to Fox/Universal and Joss Whedon.

James Norrington and related belongs to Disney, Gore and Ted and Terry.

Setting: Takes place right after Insomnia.

Pairings: Kaylee/Simon, Mal/Inara

Down the Aisle

Chapter 2: The Reception


Captain Malcolm Reynolds stared at his glass as pale golden white liquid was poured in. His little mechanic was an actual married woman, married to his ship's doctor, a guy who was so cold and stiff when they had first met. He was indifferent to Simon at first, but that indifference turned to dislike and then to tolerance and then back to dislike when the doctor slammed a fist into his kisser, although Mal had to admire how the doc was able to land one.

"When are we going to get some real food?" Jayne Cobb grumbled as he picked at the small colorful plates of nuts, chocolate covered strawberries and cheeses. "I'm starving."

"After the guests of honor are seated," James Norrington said from Jayne's other side. "Captain, how is your finger?"

"My finger?" He stared his index finger, where he had pinched it from trying to get that gorram birdcage to open. There was still a noticeable pink line that was gradually fading away. "Shiny."

"Here they are," Inara Serra whispered as she ran her fingers down the sleeve of her bridesmaid gown. The material and the style wasn't anything near as fancy as the gowns she usually wore. Mal couldn't help to notice how it clung to her body. She looked better in that simple gown than any of her glittering frocks with layers and beads.

"Right," Mal returned his focus to the entrance of the hall they had rented. He should be the one to announce them. He was the captain. "Ladies and Gentlemen," He stood up with wine glass in hand. "Let us welcome the Tams." He held out his glass in a toast to the couple.

Kaylee and Simon entered as soon as the other guests had started to clap. She leaned against his shoulder, with that million-kilowatt smile on her face, waving to everyone she recognized while Simon had a small smile and he nodded at the guests.

Malcolm did not sit down until the newlyweds had taken their seat in the middle of the table.

"Now can we eat?" Jayne popped another hazelnut into his mouth.

Mal chose to ignore him. "Did you enjoy your big day?"

"It was wonderful," Kaylee gushed as she selected a strawberry. "I feel like a princess in a fairytale."

"I don't know if I come off as the prince charming type," Simon said. "Thank you, Captain."

"You do not have to thank me," Mal felt his cheeks warm up. He was not going to get sentimental and he wasn't about to allow Simon's words get to him. He was not Mr. Generosity.

"If he won't thank you then I will," Zoe said. "I have many reasons to thank you, and I don't just mean the food and an opportunity to wear a dress like this." She sliced her roll into quarters and ate a piece with some cheese.

"You don't have to say it," Mal held up a hand. He knew what she was really thankful for. The wedding meant she got to spend a longer time on Santo, and that meant more time to be with her son. Mal knew she wanted to spend more time with him, but wouldn't request it. It would be up to him to grant her a longer stay, even it was for a few months longer, and it would be better for her and the baby.

"I believe your request is about to be granted," James said as small bowls were set out in front of the bride and groom and the rest of the main wedding party.

"Shiny," Jayne smiled and was about to stick his fork into the mixture of greens, thin slices of avocado and mandarin oranges.

"Not yet," Mal grabbed onto the wrist of his mercenary.

"We have to wait until they start eating?"

"They might want to make a speech." Mal kept his eyes on the couple, but instead of raising wine glasses they were raising their forks and stabbing at their salads. "Never mind."

"I knew Kaylee wouldn't want to make a speech," Jayne shoveled some of the greens into his mouth and continued to talk and chew. "Didn't want me to starve."

"Yes," James said in an exasperated tone. "That is precisely why she did not want to make a speech."

"I know Simon would want to start blabbering about marriage."

"Actually I didn't," Simon stared at Jayne. "I was also hungry."

"One cannot argue with that kind of logic," Mal took a sip of his wine. "When are you going to make a speech? I want to know when I can tap my spoon against my glass and grab everyone's attention."

"Probably during the main course," Simon had speared a few leaves of baby spinach and an orange.

"When we get to the chicken," Jayne nodded.

"It's a pheasant." Mal corrected.

"Peasants?" Jayne blinked. "What are we, Reavers?"

Mal's grip on the handle of his fork increased. "Pheasant." His upper teeth pressed down against his bottom lip and he exhaled. "Pheasant."

"It is a type of bird," James explained. "I thought Mrs. Tam had told you."

"She just showed me the picture." Jayne shrugged. "I thought it was a picture of chicken."

Mal sighed. Hopefully the would make it through the rest of the reception without Jayne saying anything else that…well Jayne saying anything at all.


Kaylee used graceful precision as she cut the meat off from her pheasant into small, dainty bites. She wanted to appear like the elegant bride she had dressed up as, and that meant no gorging on food like a little piglet. She mimicked Inara's eating habits and even noticed River was eating with the same level of manners. Well it did make sense. River grew up in a fancy house along with Simon.

"Are we ready for our speeches?" Simon asked as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"Pretty much," Kaylee stared down at her plate. She had nearly cleaned it off. There was only the pheasant bones left along with just a little bit of the fancy herbed potatoes. She felt full, too full for any more strawberries or the cake. "Got no more room in my tummy." She reached for her wine glass and pulled back when she saw that it was near empty.

As if on cue, one of the members of the catering staff approached her and refilled her glass with the berry blush.

"Thank you," Kaylee smiled at the young woman before she took a sip.

"Captain?" Simon nudged the captain with his elbow.

" Oh yeah," Mal stood up with his half filled glass and tapped the end of spoon against it. "Everyone," He looked around, waiting for the rest of the guests to quiet down. "Everyone may I have your attention please? We all have something to say."

"You go first," Simon whispered.

"You're the groom," Mal whispered back.

"And you are the captain, and you are still standing."

"Well seeing as I am already standing I might as well go first," Mal chuckled. "I knew Kaylee for a while, ever since I saw her talent and knowledge of machines. She felt drawn to Serenity and she has been the best mechanic I have ever known. I met the doc a few years later, saw his skill was an equal match to Kaylee's, except he heals people instead of machines. There was a time when I used to be against the idea of crewmates getting married together. I was an idiot at that time."

Kaylee turned to face Zoe for a few seconds before she returned her focus to her captain.

"A big idiot. I later saw that the whole love and marriage thing did not get in the way of work and I am glad now that both members of my crew are wed, means they wont fall for any land bound folk and leave my ship." He paused while weak laughter rippled through the crowd. "I hope you two have many happy years together."

"Thank you," Simon said before turning towards the bridesmaids. "Would the Maid of Honor have anything to say?"

Inara set her glass down before she stood up. "I remember Kaylee was the one who first truly welcomed me aboard Serenity. She and I became best friends very fast. She always said a word of encourage to me before I went to meet up with a client and there were times when she was hard at work and I brought her some food. I remember meeting Simon and it was a refreshing to speak with a well-groomed young man who had manners. I noticed Kaylee had a crush on him when she first saw him. I encouraged her to pursue her crush. I knew Simon was the right guy for her and they will have many happy decades together."

"Thank you," Simon said once the applause had died down. "Kaylee and I appreciate that you all came to see our wedding. I know what I am about to say will sound stupid, or odd, but I think there is a part of my memory that is a mantle. A mantle made of gold." He coughed once and took a sip of wine. "This mantle is where I store my happiest and most treasured memories. One of those memories that are placed on this mantle is when I first met Kaylee. Right next to it is a memory of when we first kissed."

Kaylee sighed and stared at her new husband. What he was saying was not stupid, nor dull. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever said in a long time.

"There is a new memory placed on the mantle, one that is very recent. It is the memory of Kaylee walking down the aisle, of her standing by my side of us saying that "We do" and our kiss. I know this mantle will continue to grow, as our memories together will be added." He coughed again. "This sounding wrong. I want this to be perfect and magical and everything."

"It is," Kaylee said. "It is the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said. It is like the poetry in some of Inara's books, please continue."

"I just want to say I love you Kaylee and I hope that everyone will find the right person and experience the same amount of love that I feel for you."

"I love you," Kaylee said. "I think I fell in love when I first saw you. You were wearing a nice shirt and vest and pants and sunglasses. Your hair was combed back real nice and you were very clean, too clean for a place like the Eavesdown docks. I thought you were cute from the distance," she watched him smile and blush. "And as you came closer I could see that you really were. I kept telling myself that he was wasn't going to choose Serenity, but you did, and I apologized for not looking nice." She reflected back to that day. She was a kimono jacket, a shirt, shorts, and sandals and had he hair up in baos. She remembered how she wished she had an actual dress.

"You did look nice," Simon smiled. "Kaylee you are always beautiful, even when you are dripping wet from being caught in the rain or covered in dirt and grease, you are gorgeous."

"I remember when we first held hands. Yours was so warm and comforting and when we almost kissed that one time. Your hand brushed against my hair and we were leaning forward. I will never forget those moments, nor forget our future moments." She took a deep breath. I guess we could thank Inara. She knew I liked you and she may have a sixth sense about us. She knew you liked me and wanted us to get together and knew we were meant to be. There were a few who didn't."

The Captain coughed and leaned back. His eyes were staring up.

"But I wasn't about to allow that to discourage us, and after we had our fight against the Reavers and patched Serenity up we did have our kiss, and it was the most beautiful kiss. I felt like I melted in your arms." She was gushing and she knew it. She didn't want to bore her guests with the sugary sweet details. "We were meant to be together and here we are." She leaned forward and closed her eyes and didn't open them until she felt Simon's lips on her and could hear the crowd clap again.

"Before we start the music," Simon said once the kiss had ended. "Does anyone else have anything they wish to say?"

"I do," Caleb Frye stood up. "I remember when I first met the good doctor. Now every father will tell you that nobody is good enough for their little girl."

"Daddy," Kaylee sighed and covered her face.

"I took one look at this clean and well educated young man and thought that she fell in love with a prince charming. Now he sure was pretty and smart and got his job done, but was he strong enough? My Kaylee told me how he bravely went in to rescue their captain from an evil man while she hid and they both fought against Reavers. Well after hearing that I knew she found the perfect man. I am proud to call Simon, son."

Kaylee smiled sheepishly as she stared at Simon and the rest of the men. Her husband had a similar smile and was blushing. Her Captain had an eyebrow raised. Jayne was trying to keep from laughing. Only James nodded along.

"Thank you," Simon toasted Kaylee's father. "Dad." He drained the remaining contents of the glass and stood up. "Kaylee would you like to dance?" He held out his arm.

"I would love to." She stood up and accepted his arm.

The organist and string quartet were only hired to perform during the wedding ceremony. They did have music in the form of DJ box, owned by Matthew, Monty's navigator. Matthew loaded the box with several discs before he pressed a few buttons. Thin beams of colorful light covered the ceiling in pale dots while the first song started to play.

"Hey Matt," Monty cupped his mouth. "Can we kill the light show?"

"Sorry, Captain." Matthew apologized and pressed a few more buttons. The lights died down, but the music kept playing.

"I love this song," Kaylee said as she and Simon entered the center of the room. It was a romantic ballad that was a popular hit on Kerry when she was twelve. It was the first song she danced to at a school function.

"It is perfect for our first dance," Simon said as the two waltzed around.

"Everything has been perfect," she leaned close and placed her head against his chest.


Simon wished the feeling would never end, and in a way he knew it wouldn't ever, even long after the music had stopped. He inhaled the scent of Kaylee's hair as they continued the dance.

Once the second song had started more couples had taken to the dance floor. He had watched as Inara asked James to dance and Jayne took Zoe out to the dance floor. Even River had grabbed a confused Malcolm by the arm so she could dance with someone. Simon did feel a little bothered about his sister dancing with Malcolm, but he knew it was only a dance between friends.

"Son, you don't mind me cutting in?" Mr. Frye said once the song ended and a new one started.

"I don't mind," Simon said. Many fathers danced with their daughters on their wedding day.

"We won't be long." Kaylee smiled.

"I know," Simon sought our Kaylee's mother, but she was dancing with her eldest son.

"Doctor Tam?" Petaline approached him. "You wouldn't mind a small dance?"

Simon shook his head. "I wouldn't mind at all." He took her hands into his. "How is the Heart of Gold?"

"Business has been good," Petaline said as they moved their feet to the music. "Many clientele keep showing up, both men and women alike."

"So you do service girl folk," Simon blinked when he realized he had repeated a question Kaylee had once pondered.

"Of course we do," the young mother laughed. "We service anyone who has the money and is willing to follow the rules."

"How is Jonah?"

"Growing like a weed and toddling everywhere he shouldn't be. I think I have lost my pregnancy weight by chasing him, of course he doesn't just have me, he has dozens of aunts and uncles looking after him. One of the girls is looking after him right now."

"It is good to hear he is healthy," Simon said "He was the first child I delivered. I was a bit nervous at the time."

"You were excellent," Petaline smiled. "I doubt he would be your last."

"He wasn't. I helped deliver Zoe's son."

"I have heard," Petaline twirled around with him one last time. "I believe he won't be your last. You are an excellent doctor and I knew you would make a good husband some day."

"Thank you," Simon separated her and turned to face Inara. "Inara, would you like to dance?"

"It was the reason I came here," she took Simon's hand into her own. "How is Petaline?"

"Everything is good," Simon sought out Kaylee. His new wife was dancing with Malcolm. "Her bordello is doing well and her son is healthy."

"I have seen him," Inara said as the beat picked up. "Good idea to dance after we eat, burn off some calories before we dine on cake."

"I just wanted to dance with Kaylee." He smiled at Kaylee before he searched for River. "I think she also just wanted to dance."

"I can't blame either of you." Inara said as they separated their hands and moved their arms to the beat. "Kaylee loves to dance."

"So do you," Simon said. "And so does…River." His eyes widened when he found her with Jayne. He felt every hair on his body stand up straight. "With Jayne."

"Where?" Inara turned her head towards the direction Simon was staring at. "Oh. She just wants someone to dance with."

"But Jayne?" He could not remove his eyes from the way the big lummox was trying to dance. Thank god it wasn't a slow dance.

"Who would you rather see your sister dance with?" Inara stared into his eyes.

"Anyone, but Jayne."

"Are you certain?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Of course I am certain."

"I noticed you were a little nervous when she asked Mal to dance."

"Maybe I was, but he is a better choice."

"I think I know," Inara chuckled. "It was like how Kaylee's father said. You think there is no one good enough for your sister."

"What are you talking about?" Simon blinked. "I was just talking about dancing."

"For now, but not long from now she is going to fall in love." She held up her hand. "The alliance had messed with her brain, not with her heart and that is where love is formed. There have been great geniuses with physiological disorders that were able to fall in love. You are going to accept this reality that someday your sister will fall for a man who will love her in return, and that may be sooner than you think."

"I know. I just don't want to think about it, not now."

"I know, enjoy your wedding." Inara stepped away from him when the song ended.

Another romantic ballad began to play. It was a song Simon knew, a song from the late 20th century by a group named after land vehicles, fitting how the song was titled "Drive."

"Kaylee," He wanted to dance with her to this song.

"Right here." She appeared by his side.

He held out his hands. "Shall we?"

She didn't even have to answer. She just grabbed his hands. "I also love this song."

"So do I," he thought about what Inara had to say when he searched for River. He could tolerate the fast pop song, but if she were dancing with Jayne to this he didn't know what to think. To his relief he found her with James, and he felt somewhat pleased.

"Mal and Inara are dancing together," Kaylee placed her head against his chest. "Isn't it sweet?"

Simon nodded. He didn't look at Inara or the Captain. "Not as sweet as you." He swayed along with her.


Replies

Jsygirl: Thanks. This fic continues in a saga that followed after my Potc/Firefly crossover. At the end Serenity couldn't move unless Norrington was onboard.

Spawn of Kong: Nah Yo-Saff-Bridge was obviously left off the guest list. I had to sneak in a Coupling reference. I may sneak in other references to other shows and movies the cast have been in.

Ogreatrandom: Thank you

AFW: Thanks

Jas-theMaddTexan: Thanks. Well no one has gotten drunk yet