Chapter Twenty-one: So…
In the morning, Mal moved before anyone saw them together. It was a mutual decision to stop by Amelia's horse farm to return her weapons and extra explosives. Plus, she'd have an inside track for them. If they were going to be hunted by the New Independents and Alliance, they needed a heads-up.
Upon arriving at the farm only hours later, they found bullet holes, burn marks, explosive-made craters, and paralyzing darts stuck in the door. Simon knocked while Jayne and Mal poked around. Nobody seemed to be home. Then, they heard the unmistakable gallop of a horse. Amelia appeared behind a fence with a few scrapes and a wide smile.
"There they are. Serenity's crew. And, no casualties. No wonder the Alliance feared you all these years. You have done a wonderful thing. Really, quite impressive."
Mal nodded with gratitude. "Thank you, Amelia. I see you made it through their assault in one piece."
"Mostly," she smiled as she swung her left leg over the saddle. Her hands grabbed a collapsible crutch and she leapt to the ground awkwardly. "One of their darts got me in the leg. They only paralyze your body quickly if they get you in the chest. I managed to pull the thing out before the stuff spread. I think one leg is a small price to pay for ending a destructive war. I got my horses to take me where I need to go anyway."
"So, we did it? We ended it?" Simon wondered.
She grinned excitedly. "Both sides have lost support. The Unity has revealed our stance and our followers, and we're growing stronger by the minute. It's a little early to tell, but my sources say the war should only last another three months at the most. It's amazing how quickly the damage spread. As soon as the evidence was released, that was it. Suppliers, funders, soldiers, enablers—everyone is jumping ship on either side. In just one day, you managed to stop something that could have gone on for years. Incredible what a signal can do."
"That's good to hear. Have you heard anything about our ship bein' a target?" Mal questioned.
"Not a damn thing. Everyone is scrambling to pick up the pieces of their organizations. You are the last thing on their minds. They might come for revenge someday, but you're in the clear for now."
Kaylee timidly raised her hand like a kid in class. "So, what's gonna to happen to the new Reavers? Or the girls in the Academy?"
"My people have employed a group of fighters…call themselves Reaver Hunters. They'll wipe every Reaver from the Verse. As for the Academy, they are going to be forced to end the program. The parents and families of those girls are going to take them for every dime they have. There's no choice but to end the training and return the girls for good."
"Sounds like we did a good job, sir," Zoe discreetly smiled.
He beamed in response. "That seems to be the notion."
Amelia paused and hobbled to River. "Well, isn't this something? River Tam right before my eyes. Last time I saw you in person, you were in a cryobox. Before that, I only saw your sessions on film. It's good to see that they've gotten you back. How'd they do it?"
"The Alliance underestimates the power of relationships," River explained. "Thank you."
"You are most welcome. I have the left over money from this adventure. I'll pass it back to you so you can do something fun. Take a little vacation or something."
Amelia received her supplies and they received the change from her transactions. It wasn't a lot, but it was a decent enough portion. They said their goodbyes and returned to the ship to discuss how they should use their money. The contact was right: they needed something fun. In a flash, the idea came to Kaylee.
"Let's get hitched for real, Simon!"
Nobody disagreed. A wedding was a perfect occasion to relax and enjoy something beautiful. They chose to get married in a cherry blossom garden on Dyton, so the arrangements were made. The day of the event, the girls disappeared to get ready while the men tried to get into their suits. Simon was the only successful one, given his Core background, whereas Jayne looked so very comical all dressed up. Mal figured he was somewhere between Simon's tidiness and Jayne's hilarity.
The cherry blossom garden was absolutely stunning. There was a polite older gentleman to officiate the ceremony, and the only guests were various monks and nuns from nearby religious establishments. Mal couldn't take his eyes off River, who was in a gorgeous orange dress like both of the other ladies, and Jayne had the same issue focusing on anything other than Zoe. Mal faintly heard her whisper to him, "I could so hurt you."
When it began, Simon and River walked down the pink petal aisle and took their places. Jayne and Zoe were next, and it was quite amusing to see Jayne attempt to walk in the suit. Then, Mal walked Kaylee down and took his place next to Jayne. Their vows were exchanged, and Mal held eye contact with River the entire time. Maybe one day it'd be them.
"You are now married," the older man declared.
Simon and Kaylee shared a semi-inappropriate kiss, and that was the end. The guests applauded as the entire crew left the cherry blossom garden to celebrate in a nearby restaurant. Everyone laughed and told stories, completely forgetting the ordeal they had just experienced. As the joint opened a dance floor, Simon and Kaylee had their first dance as an actual married couple. Jayne pulled Zoe by the hand to join them, and she followed without complaint.
"Some wedding," Mal commented to River, who had sat right beside him.
"Very pink. I have petals in my hair."
He chuckled and picked a few hiding petals from her long locks. "I reckon that you'll be pickin' them out for a week."
"Highly improbable. Two days, seven hours, and twenty-six minutes would be a more appropriate estimate. Lead."
"What?"
She snatched him by his collar and dragged him to the dance floor and they moved around in lazy circles. After some time, the married couple went off to a cheap hotel for the evening and Zoe asked if she could buy Jayne a drink. He accepted and they went to the nearest bar, which was a good hour from the quaint and religious area. That left River and Mal alone in the ship for most of the night. Yes, alone. Without interruptions. While they walked back to the ship, Mal practiced his speech a million times in his head. It wouldn't be the same as before, but he figured it didn't matter how he said it as along as he did.
"Must remove a vast proportion of the petals from my hair," River told him while briskly moving toward her room.
He smirked fondly and quickly went to his bunk. After ditching the monkey suit and freshening up, he went to the bridge and cut off the intercom temporarily. He checked that all entrances were locked and that nobody had come back to the ship without him knowing. It was clear, so he tried to easy his nerves and locate his pilot.
Gently, he knocked on her door. "River?"
No answer. He looked in the other rooms and the infirmary. Where was she? He entered the cargo bay and glanced around crates, calling again, "River?"
Her upside-down face appeared directly in front of his. "Captain?"
"What in ruttin' hell are you doing?" he wondered.
"Hanging from the railings on the catwalk."
"That ain't safe."
"Then come up here and keep me safe."
Huffing, he went to the catwalk where she had righted herself on the railings. He sat beside her just as he had done once before. They idly swung their feet and he plucked up the courage to ask, "Can I tell you something?"
"Always."
"Well, before, when I talked to you on Mr. Universe's moon…I told you something. Something important. Something I've been runnin' from. See, the way it is…the way things are…I…" he paused, mentally kicking himself for messing up everything he planned to say. So, he blurted it out. "I love you."
She smiled and set her head on his shoulder. "I've known."
"Known?"
"That you loved me. Never heard you say it. Needed to hear it. Thought you may have told me before by how I felt and how strong I felt it. You need me. I need you. The Verse needed us. A firefly in the war. Caught lighting the darkness. We were supposed to stop the fighting. You sent that message for me. Thought it'd bring me back if you couldn't. Ending the war was only a bonus."
He smirked. "Yeah."
"But you did it on your own. Saved me. Thank you."
"No problem," he cleared his throat. There was long pause and he had to know. "Do you…you know…feel the same way about me that I do you?"
She gave him a typical River look. "Always have. Why do you think I never tried to kill you?"
"Well, I don't know."
"I promised that I'd always protect you. They didn't know I love you. They knew I love Simon. Wrote a stronger program so I wouldn't feel. But, I felt you. I felt you and I couldn't hurt you. Never."
His heart filled with relief and joy. "So…"
"So."
"Does this mean we're?"
"Yes."
"And you'll start calling me?"
"Mal."
"I like how you say that."
"Thank you, Captain."
"No more of that."
"Yes, Captain."
She laughed at the look on his face. They were pulled into each other's gravity, and they shared a tender kiss. That led to another and a mutual decision to make some coffee and sit up talking together in his bunk. He held on tightly as she went through some old Earth-that-was literature. It was several hours later when the intercom fuzzed with panic.
"Sir? Sir, is everything all right? The intercom was off and everything was locked down."
Mal was too comfortable to move, and so was River. However, she was able to somehow reach the intercom with her foot. She called, "We're fine."
They went back to their reading while Zoe and Jayne looked at each other on the bridge. Jayne smugly basked in his victory. "I knew it! I've been sayin' it! Now, you and the doc owe me!"
"Okay, you were right. I'm a little surprised, but not by much. At least, now we don't have to worry about them blubbering like children in the schoolyard."
"Nobody's got to worry about that stuff anymore."
They smiled and linked hands to go clean their guns. Simon and Kaylee were enjoying their honeymoon very much. The captain and his pilot fell asleep tangled in each other. For the first time, a new government was being put into place as the war ended. Everything was as it should be.
In the morning, Simon and Kaylee returned home to find Mal and River sitting next to each other. His arm was across her shoulders, and Jayne's arm was across the back Zoe's chair. When the newlyweds got to the table, Mal and River were sharing a kiss.
Simon saw the captain and his sister, shouting, "River!"
They paused and she stated simply, "We're a couple now."
As they resumed kissing, Jayne held out his hand. "Pay up, doc."
Everyone settled their bets before Kaylee and Simon joined the other couples at the breakfast table. Earnestly, Zoe and Jayne felt as though they were eating alone. The others at the table were busy using their mouths for other purposes. Jayne got an idea from their examples.
"Wanna kiss, Zo?"
She smirked and merely took his hand. "In good time, Jayne. I think there's enough of that at this table for now."
He grinned and returned to his protein mush. Yes, everything was most certainly as it should be.
End
A/N: Thank you for reading! It has been quite a while since I have written a Firefly story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.