"Mei Mei" – Little Sister
Zoë smiled as Kaylee fiddled with her dress, smoothing it over her body. The girl had been so excited when they announced their engagement 3 nights before (right after a particularly long, and a particularly good, session of sex), and had immediately forced Mal to bring her into town to get a bridesmaids gown.
"Oh my God! Married? You two are gettin' married? Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!"
Wash and Zoë chuckled, Wash blushing a little, as the two stood hand in hand before the young crew-member, foreheads touching, almost exactly like the day they had returned and told her they were, finally, going to give this a shot.
"Well, when is the weddin' gonna be? Are ya gonna do it someplace shiny? Can I be in it?"
Kaylee's enthusiasm was enough to push the daunting task of telling Mal their news to the back of their minds.
"Of course you can be in it, mei mei…" Zoë cooed, walking over to put an arm around the glowing woman. "In fact, I was wonderin' if you could be my – "
"BRIDESMAID?" Kaylee finished, almost jumping underneath Zoë's embrace, who simply nodded, a look of pure happiness in her eyes.
"And the wedding is going to happen here, actually. On our last day." Wash said, answering her question from earlier.
"Wash was born 'ere, and I was born vessel-side, so we figured it was perfect." Zoë finished, gazing lovingly at her pilot. Kaylee had tears in her eyes.
"That's gorram beautiful, you two! Shiny, is what it is! I gotta go find the Cap!"
Wash stood awkwardly in the cargo bay, adjusting his tie (he couldn't afford a tux… so he settled with his usual Hawaiian shirt, a relatively new pair of black dress pants, and the tie). Both Mal and Jayne were there with him, not speaking a word. Jayne because… well, he rarely spoke any words appropriate for a wedding, and Mal because he wanted to make it "abundantly clear" that he didn't necessarily approve of this union. But he still sported a little smile.
"I'm sorry… a wedawhat?"
Zoë and Wash stood behind Kaylee, bracing themselves for the explosion, as the girl remained completely ignorant to the look of terror on Mal's face, still bouncing.
"A wedding, Cap! These two are finally gonna get hitched! I'm gonna be Zoë's bridesmaid, so I'll be needin' you to come into town to get me a dress!"
Mal just stood there, mouth hanging open. "Wha- … a wedding?"
"I proposed, Mal." Wash said, a joking tone to his voice, trying to ease the tension. Mal turned to him, mouth still agape.
"I'm surprised you found the guts, Pilot" Mal retorted, resorting to sarcasm to get him through this moment of utter shock. "She coulda killed ya in a second if she thought you were bein' too forward. You sure you're ready for that kinda commitment?"
Zoë rolled her eyes as Wash just stared at Mal, an awkward smile on his face.
"I'll only kill 'im if he deserves it, Captain. But seein' as the wedding will be happenin' on your ship, we'd appreciate your blessing."
Mal's eyes shifted to look at Zoë, who had taken on her official stance, but couldn't wipe the grin off of her face.
"My… my blessing?" He asked, dumbfounded.
Zoë and Wash both nodded.
"Well… seems I've got no choice, now have I?" He said, throwing his arms in the air.
"Oh Cap, this is gonna be shiny!" Kaylee exclaimed before wrapping her arms around his waist.
After she and Wash had left the room, Zoë strode over to Mal's side, hands clasped firmly behind her back.
"Sir?"
Mal didn't even seem to realize she was standing beside him, still staring forward.
"Sir, I'd like to ask you to hear what I'm sayin' for a second, if it's not too much."
Mal turned towards her, his face showing the shock he felt. "I'm listenin'"
Zoë took a deep breath, "You were my Sergeant durin' the war, Sir, and now you're my Captain. You know that I value your opinion – "
"Then value it now and do not get married." Mal said, his voice commanding, but Zoë didn't flinch.
"I'm not askin' for your opinion on my marriage, Sir. Nothin' you can say will make me change my mind. I'm askin' you if you could be my best man."
Mal's eyes widened, "Your… best man? Shouldn' you have a… best woman, or what not?"
"Maid of honor, Sir. And I think we can skip out on traditional weddin' rules this time 'round."
Mal was silent for a moment, and then, to Zoë's utter shock, a broad grin swept across his face.
"I'd be honored, Zoë."
She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Thank you, Sir."
"We better hurry up! We don't wan' Wash to run away, 'cause he will, if he's left in a room alone with the Captain for that long."
Zoë turned to face Kaylee, who had gone to change out of her usual floral tank top and jumper bottoms, into a pale pink dress that was fitted on her torso, and then puffed out at her hips, stopping at her knees. The girl looked like a doll.
"Well, he ain't alone with him! He's got Jayne!" Zoë retorted sarcastically, making both of them laugh.
"At least he was easier to convince to get cleaned up than the Cap'n was!" Kaylee said, giggling.
And he had been. Kaylee had forced both Jayne and Mal to clean up for the wedding. While Mal had put up a bit of a fight, Jayne was surprisingly accommodating, apparently having a soft spot for weddings.
"I've never… been asked to be in a… weddin' before…" He mumbled as Wash told him the news. "And… ya want me to be yer groom's man?" Jayne looked up at Wash hopefully, tears in his eyes. Wash almost laughed.
"Uh… yeah. That… would be great, Jayne." He stumbled, not able to get anything else out before the man picked up the pilot in a crushing bear hug.
"This means so much to me, Wash! Thank ya!"
"Everythin's shiny, Cap! We're comin' down!"
"Alright, Kaylee. Let's get this shindig over with." Mal replied good- into the intercom, deciding to put aside his own opinion for the day.
Wash looked up expectantly as Mal strode to his end of the cargo bay.
"Well pilot, the women are finally ready. Time for Serenity to have her first wedding."
'And may it be her last…' he added mentally.
Wash just smiled nervously at the Captain before walking outside, standing on the ground right next to the ramp leading onto the ship. Already standing there was the law-man they had hired from the village. It was the son of the man that had married Wash's parents, and had given him a "family discount" for his services.
Wash stood, hands clasped in front of him, bouncing up and down on his heels, a mixture of nervous and ecstatic. Jayne strutted over, standing beside him, and Mal remained in the cargo bay, waiting for Kaylee and Wash's soon-to-be wife to arrive.
No family was present. Wash had lost all ties with his since the war, and was not intent on revisiting them. Besides, Zoë and Wash had both agreed that their home was the ship now, and their family was the people on it. And they wanted to keep it that way.
Suddenly, the sound of clinking from the grated metal staircase made Wash's head snap towards the cargo bay, where he could now see the pink-clad woman descending into the big room. Kaylee held a small bunch of flowers (daisies, of course), and seeing her made Wash's heartbeat calm down by a few beats. It was hard to be nervous when you were looking into Kaylee's smiling face, which was probably glowing more than Wash's.
The woman slowly walked over to where Wash and Jayne were standing, taking her place on the ramp of Serenity, where Zoë would soon follow.
"Jayne!" Kaylee whispered urgently, and Jayne jumped, turning around and fumbling with a small radio. When he had finally gotten through the static, a wedding melody was playing, and he straightened back up beside Wash, throwing Kaylee what he thought was a discreet thumbs up.
The sound of the song made Wash's stomach turn, but all negative thoughts disappeared when he looked over to the cargo bay, and saw Zoë.
The dress fell on her slim but curvy body with perfect grace, and her hair cascaded in a waterfall of curls onto her shoulders, the light of the sun embracing her silhouette. She wore no makeup, and her feet were bare, but standing there in her silk gown, a bouquet of red lilies in her hands, Zoë was by far the most radiant, stunning, perfect being any of them had ever seen.
Wash couldn't take his eyes off of her, and while he managed to stop his mouth from dropping, he couldn't stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. Surrounded by a halo of glowing light, she was every image he had ever had of an angel.
Zoë's eyes found his, and her breath caught in her throat. There he was, her pilot, looking handsome in his black pants and his tie, but what made her smile was his floral shirt, a piece of him that brought back her confidence, making her less shaky (inwardly, of course. Outwardly, she was as stoic as a goddess).
Their eyes held for a few moments before she turned to look at Mal, and nodded. The two walked, side by side, down the middle of the cargo bay, Zoë's eyes never leaving Wash's. Everyone was crying except for her, Mal and the law-man, who was patiently waiting for her to take her place next to Wash. When she finally got to the edge of the ramp, Mal walked to stand beside Wash, and Zoë's bare feet stood at the edge of the ship. She smiled warmly at the man in front of her before handing her bouquet of flowers to Kaylee, and reaching her hand out to take his, gripping it with all of the strength she had.
The two never looked away from each other.
"We have gathered here today to partake in the joyous union between Zoë Alleyne, and Hoban Washburne. You are all witnesses to this marriage, and if anyone has any objections, please speak now."
The only sound that could be heard was Jayne blowing his nose into a hanky.
The law-man continued without hesitation.
"Today, we are here not only for the union between these two people, but of these two worlds. Hoban Washburne, born planet-side, has decided to step off the land to be with his beloved Zoë Alleyne, born vessel-side. Together, the two will embody love, companionship, trust, and loyalty. You may now speak your vows."
Wash took a deep, shaky breath, and reached his other hand to grasp Zoë's, looking into her eyes. If he could have seen anything beyond them, he might have laughed at Kaylee jumping behind them. He opened his mouth to start, but couldn't get the words out.
Zoë smiled.
"Hoban, Wash… Pilot."
Everyone chuckled as Zoë took control.
"You were the very last thing I expected to enter my life. And when I first met you… you were the very last thing I ever wanted to enter my life…"
Zoë looked down at their entwined fingers, willing herself to say the words she had been planning for so long.
"You… cared for me, you protected me, you defied me."
Wash cast her a sheepish grin at the last part.
"And on top of all that, you were… you. Strong, caring, funny, and surprisingly persistent."
More chuckles.
"I never wanted you to enter my life… because I knew I'd never be able to watch you leave it. Hoban Washburne, you have made me whole again. And, for that, I plan to keep you forever. No questions asked."
Wash was crying unabashedly, and with the final line of Zoë's speech, he managed to pull together the courage to say his.
"Zoë… you are very, very scary."
Everyone laughed at that, Jayne managing to let out a bellow even through his monsoon tears.
"I have never been so scared of another human being in my entire life!" He continued, adding some joking humor into his voice, before turning serious.
"But it wasn't your freakishly high strength that scared me, or your weapons… it was your eyes. Your eyes could hold me prisoner from here until the ends of the 'vers, Zo. They could steer me wherever they wanted to go, and I would have no complaint."
Zoë shivered, a tear slipping down her cheek. Wash reached up to wipe it off.
"I told you… that I would never let you fall. That I would leap off of that edge with you and fly you anywhere, everywhere. But I lied."
Everyone was listening now, curious at where this was going. Zoë's eyes furrowed, Wash's words making her worried.
"I could never let you fall… because then I would fall. I told you I'd be your pilot, Zoë, but what's a pilot without wings? You're my wings now, and you can fly me wherever you want – I will always be there with you. Just please… don't ever stop being my pilot."
Wash and Zoë stared at each other, the rest of the world having disappeared. Their eyes were like earth and sky, connected into one powerful entity of love. As the law-man continued his official speech, the two hardly listened.
"Do you, Zoë Alleyne, take this man, Hoban Washburne, to have and to hold, from this day forth?"
"I do." Zoë said, her voice stronger than she expected. Wash couldn't help but smile in relief.
"And do you, Hoban Washburne, take Zoë Alleyne, to be your lawfully wedded wife, from now until the end of time?"
"Absolutely…" He whispered, unable to find his voice, worried it would crack. Zoë squeezed his hand gently, her lip quivering.
"Then by the power rested in me, I now pronounce you husband, and wife. Hoban, if you would now take the voluntary step onto Serenity, to complete your path from planet to vessel."
Wash took the small step onto the ship's ramp, his eyes and hands never leaving Zoë.
"And now… you may kiss the bride."
"Yes, you may." Zoë confirmed, causing another chuckle to run through the group, before letting out a little squeal of surprise as Wash lifted her into his arms and kissed her as passionately as he could.
Kaylee let out a sound that was between a squeak and a yell, tears flowing down her cheeks; Jayne blew his nose, again; and Mal, to all of their surprise, was smiling happily at the two, clapping.
Of course, Wash and Zoë didn't notice any of this. When their lips finally parted and Wash had set Zoë – his Zoë – back on the ground, the two stood there, foreheads touching, arms wrapped securely around the other, gazing into each other's eyes.
"I love you, husband." Zoë mumbled, wrapping her hand around Wash's neck.
"I love you too, wife." Wash replied, a sheepish grin on his face before planting a sweet kiss on her forehead. "I will always, always, love you…"