Title: Seven Days To Bliss
Summary: The crew of Serenity lands on Kaylee's home world. Kaylee and Simon are getting married. Zoe and Wash try to teach their son the art of being in a wedding. River makes Jayne twitchy. Mal tells a couple of ladies he loves them. Oh, and Book gives his 'special hell' speech!
Rating: PG -13
Spoilers:Over a year after 'Serenity', some spoilers from the movie. Slight spoilers for the R. Tam sessions.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I never did. River speaks lyrics from 'Colorblind' by Counting Crows, I stole a scene from a 'Firefly' episode.
Author's Note: For Angie, whose a Mal/Kaylee fan. She wanted a fic in which Mal and Kaylee kiss. My muse gave me this….sorry, Angie. I have no beta, so any mistakes are so mine.
Serenity landed on Kaylee's home world on a Monday, the following Sunday she was married. Little Kaylee married someone, that if you had asked two years, she would have told you she'd never marry.
And her marriage wasn't the only thing that happened that Kaylee thought would never happen….
Monday:
Monday morning, they landed. The crew of Serenity was greeted by Kaylee's whole family. Her parents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, everyone, they all came to see the boy Kaylee wanted to settle down with. Kaylee had smiled widely, grabbed Simon and River's hands and introduced the two Tams as her husband to be and his sweet little sister. Mal, Zoe, and Wash reintroduced themselves and Wash proudly showed off little Rex. Inara was graceful and awed the folks. Book, who had come in from Haven, happily talked with everyone. And Jayne, he pretty much stayed to himself.
By early afternoon, the crew had easily settled into the town of Kaylee's birth. Book had taken to talking with the local Shepard. Kaylee had busied herself by going home to visit with her family; she had brought Inara, the Tam siblings, and the Washburne family with her. Jayne had disappeared, leaving Mal to believe that the mercenary had gone looking for trim. As for Mal, well, he took the time to think about the changes that were taking place on his boat. Everyone just seemed to adore breaking his rules.
Inara had spent the morning at Kaylee's childhood home. The home was full of love and Inara was sure that it was a bold opposite to the homes she, Simon, and River had grown up in. Kaylee's whole town was like one big happy family, with everyone knowing everyone and always willing to help and tease; it reminded Inara of Serenity in more ways then one. The planet made Inara secretly happy that she had stayed on Serenity after Miranda and Mr. Universe's.
Looking through her dress trucks, Inara pulled out a slinky red dress and pulled it gently on the ground beside her. It simply would not do. The dress she was searching for had to be womanly and yet innocent; slink just would not do. The Companion paused and tried to recall if she still had that sky blue dress that had had a small tear in the sleeve.
" 'Nara."
Inara inwardly smiled and slowly turned around to see Mal standing in her shuttle. He was standing just at the entrance and he seemed mildly uncomfortable. "What have I told you about coming into my shuttle without my invitation?" She questioned him with mischief in her eyes.
Mal never missed a beat. "That it's manly and impulsive?"
She gracefully stood and felt a smile tug on the edge of her lips. "Mm, I believe I actually told you-don't. Especially with Kaylee and Simon's wedding approaching." Mal just blinked. "Kaylee's asked that I be her matron of honor and she's asked River to be a bride's maid." Mal still didn't seem to understand why all that girly stuff meant he just couldn't walk into the shuttle. "Mal, I'm supplying River with her dress. What if you were to walk in on her changing?"
The captain considered that for a moment. Over the time he had gotten to know River, he had come to think of her as the ship's mascot; she was their very own little albatross. Mal had also come to think of the girl has a daughter of a sorts. So, the idea of seeing her changing was less then pleasing.
"Right. I'll knock till Sunday." He scratched the back of his neck. "I jus', wanted to say hey. So…..hey."
Inara shook her head with a smile. "You didn't come here just to tell me hello. What do you really want, Mal?"
For a second he considered saying 'you', but decided against it. It was too forward and a bit soon for that kind of thing. "To see you." Yeah, that was much better.
Inara's smile softened and she moved closer to him. "That's very sweet."
"I do have my moments." He offered her a sweet grin. "So, you got a date for this shindig on Sunday?"
The Companion looked mildly insulted. As if, she couldn't get a date for a simple wedding. "Of course I do." They were now mere inches from one another. "I naturally assumed we would be going together. Was I wrong?"
"Well, you weren' right. A man's suppose t' do the asking." Mal cleared his throat. "You can't just assume I'll ask you." Inara raised an eyebrow and Mal just knew she was enjoying watching him try to ask her without making it seem like it was her idea and that he was asking her. "Sunday, Kaylee and Simon's wedding…you think you can bring yourself to be on my arm?"
She gave the arm a look. "You will wash it first, won't you?" The captain looked mildly shocked that she'd ask him a question like that, again. "Mal, of course I'll go with you." She gave him a smile. "We have been spending more time together and I think a public outing would be the next step." Mal returned the smile at that. "Besides, the only other man I could possibly go with is Jayne," Inara wrinkled her nose up. "and that would be like going with a trained ape. You're the much better choice."
Even though he was slightly hurt by that comment, Mal did have to agree with it.
Simon and River Tam sat side by side on the wooden bench outside the Frye home. River's head was on Simon's right shoulder and the two of them were watching as Kaylee's younger cousins played in the front yard. Kaylee was inside the small house, chatting away with old friends and family members. It was all very sweet, but Simon and River weren't very good with that sort of thing. They had grown up with their parents and their parent's friends. They hadn't had a big family to play with; in fact, it was always Simon and River, not Simon, River, and their playmates.
"River," Simon spoke softly to his sister. "you know my marrying Kaylee isn't going to change things between us."
The idea that River might become jealous of Kaylee or decide that Simon no longer needed her had been going through Simon's mind for the past couple of weeks. He depressingly wanted to be sure that River understood that he still loved her; that no matter what happened, it would always be Simon and River.
"You take care of me and you love me." River told her brother in a 'duh' sort of way. "It's the way it's always been. Always will be. Simon and River. But, it can also be Simon and Kaylee." She looked up at her older brother's face. "Nothing bad will come of it."
Simon smiled and patted her leg. "Good, I'm glad."
Off in the distance, the huge figure of Jayne Cobb could be seen. Oddly enough, it looked like the merc was walking back and forth; it looked almost like he was trying to decide if he should walk over to the house or if he should just walk away.
"Now, what do you suppose he's doing?" Simon wondered, more to himself then to River.
"'I am folding and unfolding. Pull me out from inside.'" River muttered in reply.
Simon glanced down at his sister. "River, mei-mei?"
River sat up straighter and pointed to where Jayne was. "Jayne. It's confusing for him." She stated sadly. "To come or not to come, that is the question." She looked at Simon and smiled brightly. "He'll come when he's ready. Afraid."
Her brother smirked. "Jayne? Afraid of what?"
River turned back to watch Jayne for a moment. All his confused and self-hating thoughts were now playing in her brain, like some kind of looped record. She spoke calmly and almost sounded bored. "Afraid we'll know. Afraid we'll know how he really feels."
Simon opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped when Kaylee poked her head outside the front door. "Come on, you two. Mama wants to know what kind of food ya'll like." She offered her hand and Simon took it. He paused and took one of River's hands before the three of them walked back into the house.
Tuesday:
"Now, a lot of people play down the roll of ring boy." Wash explained to his son, Rex. The tiny toddler was sitting at his father's feet and was currently playing with two toy dinosaurs and a toy space ship. He was also ignoring his father. "However, the role is always important. You hold the rings, Rexie." Wash reached down to pick his son up. "Without you, the whole thing just stops. You're the pilot of the wedding!" Wash smiled at Rex and made a couple of faces. "Yes, you are. You're the pilot." Rex began to laugh.
"You sure you want to be comparing the two?" Zoe asked as she entered the bridge. "Ring boy isn't as important as it sounds."
Wash covered Rex's little ears and gave Zoe a faux angry face. "Zoe! Our boy has the most important role in the wedding, and don't you forget it." He uncovered Rex's ears. "You tell your mother, Rex."
Rex just made a few noises that one year old children make before he reached out for Zoe and she took him. "He can't even hold the pillow the rings go on." Zoe pointed out.
Wash just shrugged. "Lambytoes," he gave her a serious look. "this is a big deal for Rexie. 'Sides, it was really just Kaylee's way of tryin' to include everyone in the wedding."
"That was nice of her." Zoe shushed Rex and put him back down on the floor, so he could play with his toys. She watched their son for a moment before looking back at Wash. "I just keep thinking that he might try and eat the rings."
Wash thought about that for a beat and then looked down at Rex, who was currently trying to eat his toy space ship. "Well, maybe I could act as co-pilot for this mission." Zoe nodded in agreement.
Jayne found River in the dinning room and his first thought on finding her was to quickly walk away. He didn't listen to himself and instead, Jayne walked right into the room. River was sitting at the table, her back to him, and she was muttering crazy-speak to herself.
"These are the ones that take you. They chain you down and….no, no….no magnets. And you can't even brush your teeth and…and no one loves you. And…they're scared that you gut your mattress for no reason or maybe a reason they don't understand. Dress you up like a gorram doll, show you off like a dog. And their sins and secrets wash over you. Stupid son of a bitch, he…shocks the hope away…they cut it out! Cut it out, cut it out!"
Jayne stood, frozen in place, as he watched River. She was cutting or tearing something. He could hear the sound of cloth being ripped. "Uh, River?" Where in the hell was the doc or Kaylee or Mal or Book when you needed them? Jayne nervously walked to the side of the table.
River was cutting the Blue Sun labels off cans of food, drinks, and even pieces of clothing. She was violently cutting with a large knife that Jayne didn't recognize as one of his. Who in the hell would give River a knife?
Before he knew it, River had glanced up at him. She looked utterly insane through her dark hair. "I am in covered in skin. No one gets to come in." The girl told Jayne in a matter of fact voice.
He sat in the chair next to her and gently pulled the knife out of her tiny hands. "Look, that's over and you're suppose t' be better. Ain't nobody comin' after ya, dong ma?" He paused in thought for a moment. "I thought ya were suppose t' be less crazy?"
River gave him a look that made him all kinds of twitchy. "Sanity is subjective." She grabbed onto one of the Blue Sun food cans and violently ripped the label off. "Good, bad, good, bad. Days are just modes of time that are given by the cycle of a planet around a sun."
Jayne opened his mouth, but it was River who spoke again.
"Mustn't touch. No touching guns. Don't give moonbrain Reavers… River…Reaver…
River…don't give gorramed moonbrained River weapons. Don't…let her see the torch." She looked deeply into his eyes and spoke with an eerie calm. "Can't keep secrets from me. Every gorram person is so loud!" Jayne was about to speak, but he was stopped by River, who suddenly threw a can against the wall. "BEE-jway! BEE-jway! BEE-jway!" With that, she jumped out of her chair, causing it to fall. "It's getting awfully crowded in here." Before Jayne could move, River had run out of the room and toward the passenger dorms.
He stayed sitting there for a long while before he cleaned up her mess.
Wednesday:
"Oh, juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean-jan…" Mal chuckled as Simon entered the general store. The doctor was dressed in one of the ugliest suits that Mal had ever had the misfortune of seeing. It was brown and truth be told, it looked like something that had come out of an animal's backside. Simon shot Mal a dirty look. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but you look…who dressed you?"
"Mrs. Frye." Simon replied miserly. "It was the suit Mr. Frye wore when they were married twenty-six years ago." He adjusted the jacket, which was three sizes too big. "I'm here to get it resized."
Mal had to let out a small laugh at that. The doctor really did look like he was drowning in animal shit. "Don' worry none, Simon, I'm sure Kaylee won't even notice the color of the suit. She'll be too busy trying to figure out how t' put both ya'll's names on her letters." He shook his head and chuckled again. "Oh, it's a good day." Mal gave Simon a pat on the shoulder. "Good day."
Simon gave Mal a look as the captain of Serenity headed out of the general store. Really, the suit wasn't that bad, was it? Simon looked back down at the suit. God, he really did look like he was drowning in animal waste. The things he did for the women he loved.
Book entered the common area of Serenity, plate of breakfast rolls in hand. Both Simon and Kaylee were in town getting their wedding cloths ready, and that meant that the task of baby sitting River had fallen to him. Not that Book minded, over the time that he had known River, the two had developed chemistry. Though, they still had the odd fight about the bible being broken.
"What are we up to, bao bay?" Book casually asked. River was sitting in one of the leather chairs, a notepad on her lap and a colored pencil in her hand.
"Making a flower grow." Was the teen's reply. She didn't seem to even notice that Book had entered the room.
The Shepard walked over and looked down at the drawing; it was a large yellow flower. "Oh, that's very good, River." He offered her a smile, but River didn't notice. "I'm going to put the rolls here," he set the plate down on the table. "and then I think I'll go back to my reading."
River looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "It's a good day."
"That it is." He patted the top of her head and smiled at her again. "Everyday is a good day to be alive." With that, Book picked up one of his old books and took a seat on the sofa. "Good day."
Kaylee and Inara sat in Kaylee's childhood bedroom. The Companion brushed the mechanic's hair as the two discussed Sunday's wedding. It was perhaps the biggest event in Kaylee's life and her whole family was trying their hardest to make it perfect; they had even given Simon a suit.
"It's just, he always looks so swai and that suit is just so ugly. It's an old piece of gos se, but my Daddy loves it." Kaylee let out a little sigh. "He's going to look so awful in it." She glanced up at Inara. "Ya don' think we could maybe get Mama and Daddy to let him wear one of the suits he came aboard Serenity with, do you?"
Inara put the brush down and gave the idea a moment's thought. "Honestly?" She let out a small laugh. "I think you'd have an easier time getting Jayne to be polite to River for a whole day."
Kaylee shook her head. "Now, that ain't so, 'Nara. River thinks Jayne's her friend now. I bet Jayne's real nice and family-like with River when nobody's watchin'."
Inara looked doubtful, but she didn't voice that. Instead, she simply said: "I suppose people can change. Before you know it Mal won't be calling me childish names just to get my attention." She sighed to herself and picked up the brush again. "You're very lucky, Kaylee. Simon's a real find, mei-mei."
The younger woman smiled to herself. "Don' I know it. Just wish I didn't have to wait eight whole months for him to make a move!" The two friends shared a laugh. "Cap'n'll come 'round." Kaylee stated after a moment.
Inara's reply was silence.
Thursday:
Wash, Zoe, and baby Rex had been given the day off by Mal; they had been instructed to have a nice family day that was sure to make the whole crew want to puke when they told the tale at dinner that night. The only problem with that was that Kaylee's home world-or more importantly her town-didn't exactly have a lot in the way of entertainment.
That meant the little family ended up back at Kaylee's childhood home; a home was certainly filled with all kinds of people. Thankfully, the bench right outside the house was empty; that gave Wash the chance to teach Rex more about being the ring bearer. The pilot sat the little boy between himself and Zoe.
"Okay, so it's the big day and you got the rings. You're walking down the aisle and suddenly you have to go to the bathroom. What do you do, Rexie? What do you do?" The little boy just laughed at his father. Wash smiled happily; he loved making his son laugh. "Okay, laughing could work. You could laugh or you could pass the ring to me. I am a way out of it."
From the other side of the bench, Zoe rolled her eyes. Really. "Wash, Rex has no idea what you're talking about."
Wash looked at Zoe. "Baby, he knows. He's a Washburne, this is just like flying. You'll do great, won't you?" Wash picked his son up and gave the boy a tickle, Rex laughed. "Yes, because you are smart like your mother and you have your father's skills."
Zoe had to smile at that. "Honey, I really don't think he knows what is really going on. But, you do what you do." She leaned over and gave Wash a kiss.
Jayne entered his bunk to find Kaylee. The girl was holding up a handsome black tux that looked like it was made for him. "This," Kaylee began. "is your tux for the wedding on Sunday. Don' get it dirty."
Jayne made a confused face. "I'm in the weddin'? Thought I'd jus' wear my best shirt."
"Not the whore visitin' shirt!" Kaylee protested. "Not on my big day, Jayne Cobb." She pushed the tux into his meaty hands. "You're in the weddin' and you're walking River down the aisle." She gave him a little smirk. "You're her new best friend, after all."
"I ain't her friend!" Jayne protested, though it didn't seem to do any good.
"You walk River down the aisle and you smile." She poked Jayne in the shoulder. "You do it and you smile wide and happy!"
Jayne opened his mouth to protest again, but Kaylee just breezed past him and climbed up the ladder. She left Jayne to stare at his tux as if it were an object that he had never seen before.
Friday:
Inara found Mal in her shuttle on Friday night. She had spent the whole day at Kaylee's family home and as far as she knew, Mal had spent the day 'doing business' with Badger over waves. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise to find him in her shuttle. He hadn't known when she'd be back.
"Mal, please tell me you haven't been sitting in my room all day." Inara asked as she began getting her tea things out. "I'd hate to think of you being unoccupied all day long. I know work's been slow, but to spend all day just sitting in my shuttle-"
"BEE-jway!" Inara whirled around and gave Mal one of the iciest looks he'd ever been given. Running a hand through his hair, Mal tried to make it better. "I'm…that came out wrong. It's just I've been sitting here a good two hours and I had it planned and you were rambling on."
"I do not ramble." Inara shot back. "You were rude to yell at me like that. What is so important that you have to tell me to shut up?"
Mal awkwardly cleared his throat. Once upon a time, he had tried to tell Inara how he felt and she had left. Well, this time it would be a bit different. He'd lay it all out on the table before he'd let her speak. "Inara, promise you won't say a thing 'till I say you can." Inara looked doubtful. "Just promise."
She nodded and Mal took another breath. "Okay. Simon finally asking Kaylee to marry and Zoe and Wash having a baby, well it's got me thinking. And, I can't promise you nothin', and I ain't looking for anything from you. I'm just feeling kind of truthsome this week." Inara was staring at him and somehow she had moved closer to him. "Life's too damn short for ifs, maybes, shouldas, and couldas. I learned a lot during our time apart. I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to do this. Inara, I…" The right words caught in his throat. "Inara, I…"
"Mal," Inara injected. "there's something that we…that we both should have said a long while ago. But, we're both too stubborn and prideful to just say it." She took a deep breath. "And I know." She told him softly. "I'm just sorry it's taken us this long."
"Ah," Mal was caught off guard. "Inara, I don't think you understand me."
Before Mal knew what was going on, Inara's hand was on the side of his face. "Mal, I know. I feel the same, it's really all right." And before Mal could say anything else, Inara's lips were on his. Before Mal's brain could react, his hands were on Inara's waist and he was pulling her to him.
Mal really was having a good week.
Saturday:
Book stood by a large oak tree, bible in hand, as he watched River with one eye. The teenage girl seemed to be utterly popular with the boys of Kaylee's town. Every time River was off Serenity, the boys seemed to swoon around her and say things like: "Ms. River, could we have the honor of a lunch?" Book thought it was sweet, but Simon and Mal had demanded that someone watch her at all times, just to be sure one of the boys didn't take advantage of her.
That meant that Book was to keep one eye on her, even though there was no reason to. River seemed to enjoy the attention, but she didn't seem at all interested in the boys.
"W'at in the hell is she doing?" Book looked to his right to see that the growling question had come from Jayne. "That's five boys, ain't it? Girl's goin' get herself knee deep in trouble."
Book chuckled to himself. "Oh, I'm sure River knows what she's doing. A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone."
"Says you." Jayne retorted. From her spot some yards away, River giggled at something one of the boys whispered in her ear. Jayne had to stop himself from running over to punch the boy. "Girl's gonna get drug off somewhere and then w'at?"
Book gave Jayne a sideways look. "Jayne? Is there something you'd like to tell me? You seem awfully concerned with River's flirting habits."
The big man tried his hardest not to blush. "No! Jus' don' want anyone blaming you or me if she goes missin'." He sifted his weight from foot to foot. "I-" Jayne trailed off when he noticed that River and the best looking of the four boys were walking toward him and the Shepard.
"Look." River pulled the boy's hand to make sure he was standing beside her. "Grandfather Shepard and my Jayne meet Blaine."
"Blaine?" Jayne chocked back a laugh. "Your name is Blaine! Ta ma duh, w'at in the gorram hell did you do t' your Mama before you was born?"
Book ignored Jayne. "I'm Shepard Book; the grandfather term is strictly a figure of speech for River." He shook the young man's hand. "This is Jayne."
"My friend." River told Blaine happily. "We like each other, now."
Jayne just glared at the young man before storming off in a huff. He left the Shepard and Blaine utterly confused; River knew what Jayne was bad about. Book made his excuses and went off to find Jayne.
Book found Jayne in the cargo bay, lifting weights like there was no tomorrow. Book wasted no time: "River Tam is a very bright and beautiful girl. She's also not all there and she is very much still a child." Jayne looked up at the preacher. "Your feelings for her haven't gone unnoticed; at least not by me." Book was speaking with a calm that Jayne did not like. "If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very speciallevel of hell, Jayne. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater." Before Jayne could form a reply and firmly deny having feelings for River, Shepard Book had left the cargo bay and gone back out into the sun.
Sunday:
On Sunday, there was a wedding. A somewhat surprising wedding for all involved.
Kaylee was fairly certain that she had never been more nervous, not in her whole life. She was getting married, married to a doctor from the Core. It was a dream come true and it was also a dream Kaylee was sure that she's awake from at any moment. Could a poor mechinc from the sticks and a fancy doctor from the Core really work? The thought that Simon was just with Kaylee because there was no one else and that one day he'd grown tired of her, had been a thought that had always been in the back of her mind, at least until he had asked her to marry him.
Things seemed to be coming together now. Staring at herself in her small bedroom mirror, Kaylee couldn't help but smile at herself; she was all dressed up in her long, white, wedding dress and her hair was flowing over her shoulders.
"Well, aren't you a sight." Kaylee smiled at Mal threw the mirror. "Simon's sure to lose his ability for speech."
Kaylee turned around and offered him a large smile. "Thanks, Cap'n." She took a deep breath. "I'm nervous, myself."
"Ain't we all?" Mal paused for a moment and tried to clean some imaginary dust off his black tux. "Heard Simon's gettin' to wear a tux, too. How'd you two pull that off?"
Kaylee shrugged lightly. "Just told Daddy it'd be more classy." Her parents didn't want Simon thinking they were poor trash.
Mal nodded. "Quick question, little Kaylee, you really love Simon and he loves you?" The look on Kaylee's face was all the answer he needed. "Good, cause I'd hate t' kill the doc." He chuckled lightly. "River would kill me."
Kaylee walked over to Mal and gave him a little hug. "I love my captain." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and Mal kissed the top of her head. "You'll see, everything will work out just fine, Cap'n."
Mal thought about Friday and Inara, about Zoe and Wash and their son, about Simon and Kaylee getting married, about everything. People sure did love to break his rules and maybe, in the end, that was all right.
River tied her big brother's tie with quick moments and grace. It was the biggest day of his life and she didn't want him looking like an idiot. "Don't fall." She told him with a little smile and a hug. "You'll be fine."
"I feel like I might be sick." Simon responded.
From his corner, Wash laughed and handed little Rex the pillow for the rings.
"Don't feel too bad, Doctor, at least you aren't wearing brown." Mal laughed as he walked past the siblings. He spotted Inara, all dressed in a beautiful blue and slik dress, come walking into the tiny room in the front of the church. "Inara." Mal's eyes locked on hers. "Hi."
"Hello, Mal." Inara gave Mal her best smile before looking over at Simon. "You look very handsome, Simon. I've come for River."
"Starting soon!" River gave Simon a quick kiss before bouncing out of the room. Inara shared one last look with Mal before following River out.
The wedding of Kaylee and Simon was held inside the old wooden church at five o'clock on the Sunday evening. In the front of the church, Simon stood with Shepard Book and in the back, the crew of Serenity prepared to take their walks down the aisle.
Zoe held a sleeping Rex and Wash held the rings, trying to remember how he had told Rex they all went. Inara and Mal quietly talked in a corner, and every now and again someone would hear one of them laugh or see a blush. River danced around with her flowers, quietly singing to herself; Jayne was notably staying as far away from her as he could. And little Kaylee was nervously holding her father's hand.
Out front someone began playing the church piano. Wash offered Zoe is arm and the two began their walk down the aisle. River gave Jayne a sideways glance before taking his sweaty arm; she practically skipped down the aisle, as he marched gruffly down it. Mal and Inara were next, he offered her his arm and she took it with a secret smile. Then, it was Kaylee's turn. She ended up practically dragging her father down the aisle.
Once everyone was in place, Book began. "Friends, Family, and God, we come together today to join Simon Tam and Kaywinnet Lee Frye in holy matrimony. Now, I have had the pleasure of watching these two grow from strangers to friends to much more and I must say it's been an emotional ride for all of us." Book let out a small laugh. "I think we all remember the week Kaylee refused to speak to Simon because he unknowing insulted her favorite childhood story. And we all remember the three days that Simon was annoyed that Kaylee had spent all night in the engine room instead of with him." A few members of the crew laughed at the memories.
"But, all that is over now. Young love often has fruitless fights and these two were not immune to it. However, now they are getting married and I think we can all agree it's about time. So," Book looked over to Simon. "if you'll repeat after me. I, Simon Tam,"
"I Simon Tam…."
The wedding of Kaylee Frye…or rather, Tam and Simon Tam was considered to be one of the best the town had ever seen. It was agreed that the whole wedding party was damn pretty to boot. After the wedding, the town threw a party in the town square. The whole place was filled with tables, tents, foods, and even a place set aside for dancing.
Kaylee, still beeming, grabbed Simon with one hand and River with the other, and began reintrouducting them to everyone as her husband and her mei-mei. Simon was having a hard time remembering everyone's name, but with a little help from his little sister and his new wife, he was doing fairly well.
Meanwhile, Mal had his arm around Inara's shoulder sat at a table with Book, Zoe, Wash, and baby Rex. The small group was laughing, smiling, and talking. They all looked content and shiny. Jayne was notably all alone at other table, watching River out of the corner of one of his eyes.
For hours, the party raged on. At the end of the night, Simon and Kaylee headed to the town hotel and the honeymoon suite. A few minutes later, Zoe and Wash headed back to Serenity, baby Rex sleeping in Zoe's arms. That just left Book, Mal, Inara, River, and Jayne.
Jayne watched the four of them talking and laughing; Zoe and Wash had taken Rex to bed and it was getting late. This led Jayne to think that he could innocently suggest walking River back to Serenity, seeing as she was just eighteen, a child really. 'Course thinking of River as a child just made Jayne feel guilty and dirty. So, he put a stop to that and decided that young woman shouldn't walk home alone. Yeah, that sounded better.
"Jayne, finally joining the party." That was Mal. He was giving Jayne a knowing smile and for a moment Jayne thought he was caught. Mal would throw him off Serenity for sure. "Or are just sad 'cause they don' invite whores to weddings."
"Mal!" Inara gave him a pointed glare.
From across the table, Book and River shared an amused look. And it was Book who spoke next: "Oh, I'm sure Jayne's just been enjoying the fine food Kaylee's family prepared."
Mal didn't look so sure and Jayne found himself shifting uncomfortably under the captain's eyes.
"Tired." Everyone turned to River, who had suddenly spoken up in that little girl voice of hers.
Jayne opened his mouth, but Inara beat him to it: "It is getting late, isn't it, sweetie?" Inara stood from the table. "I'll bring you home."
Book stood next. "Oh, I'm feeling a mite tired myself. I think I'll join you ladies."
Jayne tried again, but this time Mal beat him to it: "Yeah, I could turn in, myself. All this excitement makes a man wish for his bed."
And suddenly, before Jayne even knew what was happening, the four people were headed back to Serenity, without him. No one even seemed to notice that he wasn't walking with them. Jayne stared after them, Mal holding Inara close and Book holding River's hand, the two seemingly helping each other over the rocks in the dark.
Jayne wished more then anything that he was holding River's hand instead of Book. Watching them go, Jayne couldn't help but shake his head. The more things change, the more things stay the same. He had gone and fallen for the crazy girl. She made him twitchy, but for different reasons now. Well, if everyone else could get their happy endings, he could too. Even if he had to wait a while, Jayne was that come the end of his life, he'd have River beside him.
-Fin-
Translations:
Ta ma duh!"F me blind!"
BEE-jway."Shut up."
Oh, juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean-jan…"Oh, this is a happy development..."
dong ma? "understand?"
mei-mei "little sister"
gos se"crap"
bao bay"sweetheart"
Swai"cute"
A/N 2: So ends the three part 'The More Things Change' series. I know what you're thinking: 'What about River and Jayne?' Well, that will all be explained in 'Counting, Dancing, and Courting' (working title), a one shot that focuses just on Jayne, River, and Jayne's growing feelings for her and her feelings for him. Look for it sometime within the next two weeks.