At the end of their two weeks on Magellan, Captain Harken got the message that they had been hoping for; the presence of the people that had taken down the Academy had been requested to speak as witnesses against Blue Sun before the Committee.
When Harken brought this message to Mal, he suddenly acquired a look of worry.
"Relax, Captain. If they really wanted to arrest you, they'd have just sent me the warrants." Harken grinned evilly.
Mal snorted. "Offa that subject, Robert. I had a personal question I wanted to ask you."
"What is it, Mal?" Mal and Harken had come to respect each other during the past two weeks, and when not in command situations, they had begun calling each other by first names; working their way towards actual friendship.
"River and me aren't ones for needin' a shepherd or nothin', and we're figurin' that we don't feel much like waitin'. We wanted to ask, could you marry us onboard Serenity before we head back to Osiris?"
"We're heading to Londinium, but of course, Mal." Harken smiled.
It wasn't a very big affair, truth be told; the crews of Serenity, Lady's Revenge, Calamity Jane, and Walrus, along with select members of Magellan's crew, and the crew of Toscany as well as Captain Li's Blue Devil squad had been invited.
Kaylee had outdone herself, decorating the bay of Serenity as it hadn't been in...ever, and Magellan's cooks had helped Jenny prepare a buffet of food for the reception, which was being held in the Magellan's bay.
Mal stood at the makeshift altar, with Serenity's male crew beside him; Serenity's female crew stood on the other side, just waiting for River.
He shifted nervously in his nicest (only) suit; despite all of the waiting they had done, and the craziness of the past few months, he was unaccountably anxious about the proceedings.
He heard the music start, then his eyes caught a vision spun in gold and scarlet; Inara had given one of her nicest gowns to River, and the girl-no, woman-filled it out beautifully. The scarlet silk gown was threaded with gold, and embroidered with an intricate floral pattern. For so long thin and pale because of her afflictions and Simon's drug treatments, she had filled out since taking up with Mal.
Monty walked her up the aisle to the strains of a traditional chinese marriage song; River had asked the big man herself, and Monty was more than pleased to oblige. His newly grown beard was nicely groomed, and he wore his nicest clothing, with the long brown coat over all. Kaylee's capture unit was recording the entire proceeding.
"We are gathered here for a blessed occasion; it is a time-honored tradition of Captains the 'verse over, and a happy duty for myself. We are here for the joining of Malcolm Reynolds and River Tam, the celebration of a bond that cannot be separated, and a love that cannot be quantified." Harken's eyes sparkled, and everyone chuckled; it was clear who had written those last words.
"The couple have requested to speak their own vows." Harken looked to Mal.
"River, I think I've loved you ever since you came out of that box in the cargo bay." The crew of Serenity snickered at that. "I'm glad you came to be our Albatross, and even more glad that you came to me. Seems whenever I'm separated from you, my 'Verse seems just a little darker, and that can't be coincidence."
"Mal, from the first day I saw clearly on Serenity, I looked to you as first a guardian, then a friend...and finally, thanks to a little push from a friend, as something more." River winked at Inara, and the older woman chuckled. "I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Wherever you are is my home, ai ren."
"Do you, Malcolm Reynolds, take this woman?"
"I do."
"Do you, River Tam, take this man?"
"Dang ran!"
"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you Man and Wife. You may-"
Mal and River beat him to it. The kiss dragged on for a little (okay, a lot) longer than it should have, but finally they came up for air, looking a bit dazed. The spectators cheered gladly, and mobbed forward to congratulate the newlyweds.
The dancing and partying carried on into the night, until Mal and River slipped off to an empty Serenity.
Magellan was enroute for Londinium the next morning, when a bleary-eyed Mal appeared on the bridge of Magellan. Harken looked at him with something akin to amusement.
"Rough night, Mal?"
"Kaylee's engine wine's got some kick, let me tell ya. Not getting barely a wink of sleep don't help much." he said, grinning devilishly.
"Well, the hangover should be gone by the time we reach Londinium."
"Do you have any idea what we're heading into?"
"I think Minister Atwood wants you to reveal the true conditions of the Academy; I think he may even want River to testify."
"Not overly sure I'm comfortable with that."
"I wouldn't be either, Captain. She is one of the most reliable sources though."
When they approached Londinium, they were given specific instructions as to where to land and when to appear.
River took over the descent; the simple narrow little 18 karat gold band Mal had been able to pick up gleamed off of White Sun as they approached planetside. Lady's Revenge, Calamity Jane, and Walrus fell in beside them as they maneuvered for re-entry; they had clearance for a Parliamentary landing pad nearby to Parliament; the building was said to be an exact duplicate of Parliament on Earth-that-Was.
"We've heard from some of the families of the victims, and seen incontrovertible documentary proof of Blue Sun's involvement in heinous experimentation; now we will hear from the proverbial horse's mouth exactly what this Academy did, as well as some of the other dirty little secrets that have come to light in these proceedings."
The double doors at the end of the hall opened, and Mal Reynolds strode in, brown coat flapping, followed on the right by Zoe, and on the left by River. Behind followed all of those who had participated in the raid on the Academy. Forewarned, the guards had permitted them to keep their weapons.
"They have requested that I not identify them all, but one of their number has stepped forward, wishing to tell her story. The Committee calls River Reynolds to the witness stand."
River walked up, 'dressed to kill' in her normal dirtside working clothes, and stood in the witness box. She placed her hand on the reader pad, and the electronic announcer gave her maiden and married names.
"My name is River Reynolds, formerly River Tam...and I was a victim of the Academy." She saw the assembled faces turn to shock and horror at the concept.
By prearrangement, a video player began showing the video labeled the R. Tam Sessions, nicked from the Academy database.
Jamie felt a chill of horror as he saw the video again; he had never really been able to banish the sight from his mind, even in the 8 months since he had been discharged; he turned away, so as to avoid any further exposure to it. Inara held him, and they both closed their eyes.
Simon felt a tang of regret as he watched; he had never seen this particular video, and was suddenly overcome with sadness that they had been able to do this to his baby sister.
Two pairs of eyes in the room were watching not the video, but River herself; she steeled herself and looked into those eyes; she knew they would be waiting for her after this session dispersed, and the thought brought little comfort, as she tried to keep out the images from everyone's minds around her.
One by one, their stories were told; for most here, this was the first time they had heard any of this. The Academy, the hunt of the Tams, the discovery of Miranda; no stone was left unturned. The gathered audience, and by extension the people of the entire 'Verse, saw for the first time that they had seen only a fraction of the 'Verse around them.
After brief discussion, the committee stood and closed the session at end of day.
"We have a brief announcement. The Parliament has issued a general pardon to all of those involved in the destruction of the Academy project. No action shall be taken against them; indeed, they have rendered a great service to the Alliance, and shall be rewarded for their courage and moral character." The fact that the Parliament was missing nearly a hundred of its 350 members due to ethics, corruption, and war crimes charges went unremarked.
"Second, the Parliament has reached an agreement that Blue Sun shall be broken from its near-monopoly status and split into its constituent businesses. The exact details will need to be determined, for which purpose the Alliance is searching for experts in the field of economics and business ethics.
"This session is closed for the day. We declare a recess for two days, and will meet again to continue the investigation at that time." he cracked a gavel.
Mal put an arm around River's shoulders, and they made to head for the door. Suddenly River stiffened, and thought Someone approaches. Be polite, and keep your gun in its holster.
Bao bei? What's wrong?
A voice behind them caused Mal to jerk around, as though a puppet on strings; River turned more slowly, a controlled spin.
"River!" a voice shrieked; a shape hurtled towards her, and nearly tackled her. The shape resolved itself into an older woman with blonde hair, wearing fine clothes.
"Mother." a somewhat muffled voice said. A man pressed by Mal, joining the hug. "and Father."
"River, my darling. You're alright!"
"It's been a long time coming." Mal said softly.
"Who are you?" the man asked suspiciously.
"He's my Lao Gohng." River said quietly.
"Your Husband? What-" the woman said startledly; the man scowled at Mal, looking at him as though he had 2 heads.
"Yea, that would be me." Mal said dryly; Temper, bao bei. he heard.
"That's impossible, we-"
"I love him very much, Father. We are joined by love, bond, and law."
That started a shouted argument between River and her father, and Mal stood off to one side beside her mother, both of them looking like parents watching unruly children. The argument attracted attention; a Cortex reporter came near, looking for a story, but he was scared off by a very burly, very angry looking Jayne.
Mal put up with the arguing for a few more seconds, then finally interrupted.
"If you two are finished arguing, maybehaps you could introduce us, River?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, looking chagrined.
"Gabriel and Regan Tam, this is Malcolm Reynolds, my Lao Gohng."
"Malcolm, it is very nice to meet you." Regan said politely.
"And you, ma'am."
"You're...her husband?" Gabriel said, unbelievingly.
"I believe that's what Captain Harken said yesterday." Mal said with a smirk on his face. River's glare convinced him to wipe it off soon though.
"Osiris law is that the parents must approve the marriage."
"Then it's a good thing that we weren't married under Osiris law." Mal said darkly, starting to get annoyed at the man. Regan comprehended his stormy face, and moved to shush her husband.
"I simply do not approve!" Gabriel bellowed, ignoring his wife.
"Mr. Tam, let me make myself clear. Either you be polite about this and accept the fact that we're married, and I'll make every effort to ensure you can be part of River's life; or we leave this place forever, and you'll never see her again. I know what River would prefer, but I will not stand for your interference in this matter, dohn ma?" Mal's speech had intensified somewhat as he started talking; Gabriel's face blanched at the realization that Mal was fully capable of doing what he threatened. The determined look on River's face told him the rest of the tale. She would stay with this off-world...yokel, without fail.
Finally, his tongue thick, Gabriel croaked out "My apologies, Mr. Reynolds. I fear the shock of seeing River again has unbalanced me a bit. By way of further apology, perhaps you and River would like to have dinner with Regan and myself?"
"That would be fine, Mr. Tam." Mal said, a cool grin on his face.
Regan saw Simon standing to the side with the others, who had been unwilling to get drawn into that particular spat, and rushed to him, taking him into a quick embrace.
"Simon! We haven't seen you in years!"
"Mother, Father." Simon said coolly; he wasn't quite so excited at seeing his parents again, after the last time he had seen them, nearly 4 years before.
"Arentcha gonna introduce us?" Kaylee said hopefully.
"Mother, Father; this is my wife, Kaylee."
"Your wife? That's so wonderful, Simon!" Regan said, hugging Kaylee quickly. Kaylee beamed at the acceptance from Regan. Gabriel had an odd look on his face, but a combined stern glance from Mal and River told him that maybe he should keep his mouth shut. "So nice to meet you, my dear." he said somewhat coolly, greeting her politely.
"I'd reckon there's more than a few tales as need tellin'." Mal said. "Conjure maybehaps we should all go to dinner."
Serenity's crew and the Tams actually retired to an estate a few miles from the Parliament building; Charles Atwood had offered his estate as a place for the crews to stay while they were on Londinium.
Over dinner, Gabriel and Regan Tam were introduced to the whole Serenity extended family, and heard many stories. Regan had immediately fallen in love with Kaylee's bright spirit, and although a bit unsure of Mal at first, the stories of River's chase of him in their early days after Miranda softened her mood toward him; she could see their love burning brightly.
Gabriel was still feeling a bit resentful of Simon, Mal and these others; something in him refused to accept that these people were good enough for his daughter to be around. About the time they got to the story of Miranda, though, he began to warm up. His daughter had changed, both for better and worse, and entirely because he put her in the Academy. The day's revelations had quickly destroyed his previous notions and faith that the place had been what he believed; he realized that his claim of control over River's life had been irrevocably lost.
He watched more closely now, and saw the little things that she did, that he did, that they did between themselves; he could sense their connection, at a level deeper than he could imagine. He began to realize how a girl as strong-willed as River could fall in love with this old pirate.
"He prefers being called a Gentleman Thief." River said, her eyes twinkling. Gabriel sat, stunned; had she just pulled it out of his head?
"Yes, ba ba. You heard my story on the stand; I'm a Reader." She put her hand on his, and not all of what they did was bad. It gave me new ways to make connections with others.
Mal saw the reconciliation happen before his eyes, and was glad; he hadn't wanted to be the cause of a division between River and her parents.
Had some trouble writing these last few chapters; R and R please! Storyline definitely drawing to a close for now; keep on the lookout for little vignettes regarding events that are referred to but not explained. Also keep on the lookout for stories regarding OC's, including possibly the Lady's Revenge and Calamity Jane.