Mal was near the minister and stared at the vacant aisle. Jayne was playing with his jacket. Zoe, Kaylee, and Inara were dressed nicely on the opposite side of the minister. Simon was with River at the opposite end of the aisle. The brother and sister pair began to walk towards the group at the front.
They were the only ones in the chapel on a planet. River's parents didn't show up but it didn't bring down her spirits. All she was concerned with was that her true family was there. When Simon and River made it to the front, Mal felt confident. With this confidence, his hearing was muffled and he barely made the correct responses. This seemed to be the situation with the genius standing next to him. His hearing returned to normalcy when the minister told him he would kiss her.
At their little reception that consisted of liquor, Mal couldn't his eyes off of his bride. His heart swelled at the thought of her in his life. It also ached at the thought of her not being in it.
No power in the 'verse could damage the love that Malcolm Reynolds felt for River Tam- Reynolds.
