Mal walked into the dress shop. He felt like a fish out of water. A sales clerk came up to him. "Can I help you, Sir?"

Mal looked around to see if he knew any one and spoke a little above a whisper. "I need a dress."

The woman looked puzzled. "You are going to speak up Sir."

"I need a wedding dress."

"For your fiancée?"

Mal's face turned red. "For my what?"

"Your fiancée, your intended, the woman your going to marry."

"Marry?" Mal felt uncomfortable. "Its for my First Mate."

"Ok, what ever you want to call her. Her size?"

"What?"

"Her size sir what size dress does your First Mate wear?" Mal didn't think Zoë had a "size". He didn't like the idea of thinking of Zoë as a woman. Gave him a funny feeling in his belly. Mal made Zoë's figure in the air with his hands.

"I guess she's this big."

"You don't know Sir." The sales woman was getting irritated. She motioned for the models to come over. "Now, which one is the same size as your First Mate."

Mal looked the women over. None of them looked like Zoë. They where all pale and delicate. Nothing like his Zoë. "That one." Mal pointed to the more healthier girl.

"Good, Tandra come with me." Tandra model several wedding dresses for Mal, but none of them seemed right. Mal was growing tired of his search. Zoë would be happy with a new gun Mal thought. Then he looked in the corner of the store, there was a white dress hanging. It was beautiful. Simple, no frills, with a little color. "That one" Mal pointed at the dress. The sales woman walked over to get it. "No need to try it on, its perfect."

"Sir, we should really try it own, to see…"

"Nope its perfect." Mal walked out the store pleased with himself he bought Zoë a dress.

When he got back to Serenity Zoë was in the kitchen going over some last minute things for the wedding. Mal threw the box on the table. "Happy Wedding." And left. Zoë looked at the box a bit puzzled.

"Whatcha got Zo?" Kaylee asked as she came in. Kaylee was having more fun preparing for the wedding than Zoë was.

"Captain just gave it to me and left." It was a rather large box with a red ribbon around it. Zoë studied it. "Are you gonna open it or stare at it." Kaylee loved surprises. Zoë open the box it was a dress. Not just a dress the most beautiful dress Zoë had ever seen. Kaylee was in tears. "Oh, Zo its perfect, go try it on!" She got up, "Wait!" Zoë stopped. "Can't try it on in your bunk Wash might see. Bad luck if the groom sees the bride in her wedding dress."

"Don't believe in luck." Kaylee just gave her a look and Zoë headed to the passenger bunks.

Meanwhile Wash on the bridge going over his vows in his head when Mal walked in. "I don't have to tell, you if you hurt in any fashion. I'll be forced to stand by and watch her shoot you."

Wash turned around and looked at Mal. "I love her Mal."

"I'm saying, I'll be sad for a while cause I'll be out a good pilot." Mal smiled as he left the bridge. His Zoë was going to be married. Mal wasn't too keen on the idea at first. Not because Zoë was getting married it was because it was to his pilot. Wash was one helluva a pilot, but Mal wasn't sure if he was good enough for his Zoë. But he saw how happy she was, and he let it go. He was headed for his bunk to get some rest after his exhausting day when Kaylee ran over and gave him a big hug. "It's beautiful Captain. You gotta see her in it. She looks like a fairy princess." Kaylee took his hand and lead him to the passenger bunks where Zoë was. Mal knocked on the door.

"Kaylee I'm not going to twirl around anymore more for you."

"It's me." Mal slowly opened the door. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was the most stunning thing he had ever seen. There were actual tears in his eyes.

"Zo, you look…" for the first time Mal was actually a lost for words.

"Thank you." She looked at herself in the mirror. Mal just stared at the stunning creature before him. "Mal."

"Yeah Zoë."

"Your going walk me down the isle right and give me away?"

"Don't think, I can."

"Why?" Zoë sounded a little disappointed.

"Too hard." Mal walked over to her and stood behind her. She turned to him looking him in the eyes. She swore that day she could see his soul. "You got me this far, Mal. I just need you to take me a little bit further."

"What if I can't do, it when the time comes?"

"You'll find the strength."

"I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"Yes you are." They both had tears in their eyes at this moment. Kaylee stood at the doorway sobbing. "Oh Captain, Zoë."

"I better go and do some Captain like stuff, before Kaylee drowns us all with her tears." Mal left wiping his face.

Wash laid in bed excited about the day ahead. "Mr. and Mrs. Hoban Washborune. Mr. and Mrs. Zoë Alleyne." He couldn't sleep he was like a kid before Christmas. He tossed and turn until finally he got up and went into Zoë's bunk.

Zoë was awake also. She could never sleep before a big job and this was the biggest job of her life. She heard her bunk door open and someone coming down. She knew it was Wash. "Sweet-cakes you can't see the bride before the wedding."

"I'll keep my eyes closed, Snuggems." Wash made his way to the bed, tripping over something.

"You ok?" Zoë laughed. He pulled the covers up and snuggled up to her. "I am now."

"Hey Zoë."

"Yeah Wash."

"Guess what?"

"What, Wash."

"We're getting married in the morning." He said it in his sing songie way. Zoë just laughed.

"Hey Zoë."

"Yeah Wash."

"Guess what?"

"What, Wash."

"We're getting married in the morning." He slapped her on butt this time when he said it. There was a time in Zoë's life if a man slapped her on the butt, he would have a boot in his chest and a gun to his face, but she liked it when Wash did it.

"Hey Zoë."

"Wash, Ima going to kick you out of here." He was quiet for a moment. He turned her around so she was facing him.

"I told you the groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding." She could tell he was serious by the look on his face. "Why you say, yes?"

"What?"

"Why'd you say to me?"

"Now I really going to have to kick you out if you have to ask me that question." Zoë was a bit upset.

"I'm serious baby, why you say yes."

She took a deep breath. "Because you didn't ask me to choose."

"I would never do that."

"I know." He just laid there looking at his beautiful bride to be. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He would never make her choose. He knew she loved him, but in the back of his mind, he thought if he made her choose, she would choose Mal over him. He couldn't deal with that, so he decided to share her with Mal.

"Hey Zoë." He starred deep into her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Yeah, Wash."

"Guess what?"

"What, Wash."

"We're getting married."

"Yeah we are." He pulled her closer to him so he could feel her heart beating. They just laid there in the quiet, waiting until morning when they were to get married.

"Get up." Mal pulled the covers off the sleeping Zoë. She just grumbled and pulled them back on her. "Get up, I want to show you something." Zoë just turned the other direction, and pulled the covers over her head. "Zoë get up!" Mal tipped the cot over throwing her on the floor.

"Gorramit." Zoë got up and rubbed her aching side.

"I told you to get up didn't I. Get dress." Zoë grumbled and went to get dress.

"What is it? It better be good." Mal had a huge grin on his face. "Oh it is Zo, oh it is." She followed Mal as he lead her down the street and around the corner. "Where are we going, Sir." Zoë's stomach growled she hated getting up early if she didn't have to. "Patience." They finally stopped at a ship yard. "We're here!" Mal open the gate. There were a bunch of space ships on the lot.

"Sir?" She thought it was the concussion talking when Mal said he wanted to buy a space ship. He must have had more head trauma than she thought. They walked by a few ships until they got to the ship Mal had bought.

"There she is." He pointed to the ugliest ship in the yard. Zoë just shook her head. He had gone completely off his rocker if he spent money of that ship.

"That one, Sir?" He turned and smile at her. She hadn't seen him this happy or proud in years.

"That's it, Zo, that's our freedom." She followed him as he open the door. "Well?"

"You paid money for this... On purpose?" They walking into the cargo bay the ship. Mal extended his arms.

"Come on, Zoë. Serious. Whaddya think?" She looks at him. "Honestly, sir. I think you were robbed."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Robbed? What, no. What do you mean?"

"Sir, it's a piece of fei-oo."

"fei-oo Okay. So she won't win any beauty contests, that's true enough. But she's solid.

Ship like this, be with ya 'til the day you die."

"Yessir. Because it's a deathtrap."

"That's not... you are very much lacking in imagination."

"I imagine that's so, sir."

"C'mon. You ain't even seen most of it. I'll show you the rest. Try to see past what she is, on to what she can be."

"What's that, sir?" She grabbed his arm and pointed to something on the floor.

"Freedom, is what." She pointed again and he looked down.

"No, I meant -- what's that?"

"Oh. Just step around it. I think something must've been living in here. I tell ya, Zoë, we find ourselves a mechanic, get her running again. Hire on a good pilot. Maybe even a cook. Live like people. Small crew, them as feel the need to be free. Take jobs as they
come -- and we'll never be under the heel of nobody ever again. No matter how long the arm of the Alliance might get... we'll just get us a little further."

"Get her running again?"

"Yeah."

"Sooo... not running now?"

"Not so much. But she will. I even know what I'm gonna call her. Got a named all picked out..."

FYI

Just is just my POV of how things happened. Hoped you enjoyed it. This was my first f.f I wrote it months ago, just hadn't posted here. Because I wrote it a while ago I have no idea what the Chinese is or even if it's Chinese.

Wash's song is Big Boy Toys - Aaron Tippin just change the words a bit

Mal's war speech Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or Give me Death"

And the last conversation between Mal and Zoë of course isstraight out of "Out of Gas"