It had been almost six months since Miranda, and life had moved on slowly if not smoothly.
Kaylee and Simon had finally gone to the captain and told him that they wanted to set down dirt-side somewhere and get hitched.
Mal had been somewhat affronted that little Kaylee didn�t want to get hitched on his ship. He thought that she loved Serenity like he did and to not want to have her vows in her metal arms was bewildering.
When he had mentioned it to her, though, Kaylee had lit herself up like a super-nova and said she didn�t think he�d want Serenity to be decked with bows, ribbons, frills and lace, and she�d be tickled shiny if he wanted to marry �em, so if�n he didn�t mind�
It had taken some frantic back-peddling for Mal to get himself out of decking Serenity out like a blancmange and himself out of being pseudo Preacher, but Kaylee had agreed that they�d have to go dirt-side for her to find a really shiny dress and might as well get hitched down there while they were at it.
�Sides, they were less likely to get attacked whilst they were on the ground�not much less, mind, but slight.
There had been much merriment and Mal was relieved to see a smile on Zo�s face as they headed for Little Vegas, the wedding capital of the verse.
It was the place where, eight years ago, Zo� and Wash had gotten themselves hand-tied and the place conjured up good memories for the stalwart woman who still held her grief in her heart like a precious gem.
Jayne had muttered about landing on the place where all the tasty was taken, but Kaylee�s infectious smiles softened him and he agreed to be at the ceremony.
And it had been lovely.
The yards of silk and the cake that didn�t taste like protein bars and the way Kaylee found the perfect dress that made her look like a beautiful fairy meringue.
Simon managed to look stuffy in all new ways until Kaylee tried to feed him wedding cake and everyone had laughed as he tried to get chocolate frosting off his sparkly vest.
It had been a good day and they had danced well into the night with the others looking on or, in Jayne�s case, sliding under the table with enough drink to sink a small elephant.
�You not drinking, sir?� Zo� had asked and Mal smiled.
�Last time I got drunk I woke up with a wife. Here on Little Vegas, it�s like tempting fate with a rare steak. I�ll stick to juice.�
She�d laughed in understanding and his heart lightened to see her enjoying life again.
Then he looked up to see River dancing by herself under the stars, twirling and tapping her feet, waving her arms and swaying in the breeze and the smile faded a little on his face.
Zo� looked between the two and a shifty look crossed her face before she smoothed it away. �Look at little River there, all growed up.�
Mal started, giving his first mate an incredulous look. �She�s a kid.�
�If you say so, sir.� Zo�s tone clearly meant that she thought anything but.
�She�s seventeen.�
�Eighteen,� Zo� corrected, �And, if you don�t mind my saying so, growed up all in a hurry when she was with those tyen-sah duh uh-muo. She may have only eighteen years of life in that slim little body, but she got a hell of a lot in the brain. I�d say she�s older�n all of us.� She waited a beat. �Well, maybe not you.�
He glared at her. �Thank you, Zo�.�
�I�m not saying you�re too old, sir. I�m sure you have many exciting years of crime left��
�Thank you, Zo�.�
She smothered a grin. �Just saying she ain�t so young is all.�
Mal�s jaw tightened. �Don�t you have an elsewhere to be?�
Zo� walked away before she allowed the burgeoning smile to erupt. Oh that was all kinds of fun.
Mal let his eyes drift back to where River was dancing among the other loving couples, like a sprite passing on her youth and vitality to those they held.
Of course, none of the dancing couples realised that the sweet girl in their midst could tear them apart with her hands and wreak enough devastation to frighten even the coldest blooded Alliance operative.
Those who smiled at the innocence inherent in her steps didn�t realise that death walked among them.
At least that�s what Mal tried to tell himself; that she was death.
In reality, River was more alive than he was; she lived in the moment because, for all she knew, it would be her last.
The government had taken the childish assurance that she would live forever, that she was indestructible and despite the crippling pain of that knowledge, she danced on.
Mal respected that of her; that she had seen and heard the worst that the human race had to offer ands he still kept on walking and talking and breathing and dancing.
She was the strongest woman that he knew and using her age as a reason for his distance was an excuse that was fast becoming foolish.
But it was a kind of foolish he was holding onto for now.