Surprises All Around

Okay, Wash knew that his wedding was never going to be normal. When he felt like being truthful, he had to admit to himself that he was still surprised that Zoe wanted to marry him at all. Although he’s pretty sure that he had fallen in love with Zoe within the first week of being on Serenity with her, he knew that he was too far beneath her to even dream of being in a relationship with her. Still, he found himself drawn to her, and was amazed to find that Zoe seemed willing to spend time in his company, as well. They gradually became close friends, and Wash sometimes found that he imagined their relationship could grow into something more as he sat alone at the controls. Still, he doubted that he could have been more surprised when Zoe casually mentioned that she could see herself married to him. It was only a week later that she asked him to marry her. Wash was still unsure if he actually managed to find the ability to answer her, but now they seemed to be planning a wedding. Wash wasn’t sure when they were going to get married, as it depended on Serenity’s schedule and the jobs that they could take, when they were going to be on any of the core planets. Zoe insisted that she wanted to get married in a real church, just like those that weddings were held in back on Earth-that-was. Wash quickly agreed, loving the glimpse of Zoe’s little-girl dreams, seeing exactly how Zoe had always imagined her wedding. Wash knew that it was these shimmering moments when Zoe reminded him that she was still all woman, that she had the same desires as any woman did, even behind all the guns and strength, that kept him falling in love with her, kept him mesmerized by her. Wash wasn’t sure how Zoe was planning the vows, but he wanted to surprise her by writing his own. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do so. Writing down how he felt was so difficult! Crossing out what he just wrote, he tried again.

~*~*~*~

Finally, Serenity was docked on Ariel, and Zoe quickly worked to organize everything so that they could get married before they needed to leave. Only Kaylee wanted to attend the wedding . . . Mal was too upset that she was marrying Wash, he couldn’t see what she saw in him, and Jayne just didn’t care much for weddings . . . so the church was going to be relatively empty, but Zoe continued to insist on it. As they walked into the church, both feeling a bit intimidated by its size and splendor, Wash slipped away to talk to the minister, and handed him a copy of his vows, which he had finally managed to write. Wash waited at the front of the church, breathless at the spectacular sight of Zoe all dressed in a white slinky dress. Kaylee slipped into a seat near the front, excited to see a wedding, and then glanced back to take a look at Zoe who was still waiting at the back of the church. Suddenly, Kaylee noticed the door open, and Mal and Jayne slipped quietly inside, each looking surprisingly presentable, and Jayne walked up to sit with Kaylee. Mal walked over to where Zoe stood, seeing the tears in her eyes. Zoe looked up at him angrily. “Don’t even consider stopping this wedding, sir! I respect you, sir, and that is why I let you know what was happening here, today, but if you think that means that you can come in and cause trouble . . . .” “Zoe, it’s okay. You know, you are all that I had to hold on to for a few years after Serenity. You’re all that kept me going, all that I could depend on. I trust you with anything, Zoe, and I am having trouble letting you go, even just a little.” Mal continued, after carefully wiping her tears away, “I still can’t see how Wash is good enough for you, how he could possibly be special enough for you. But I trust you, Zoe, and I know you are able to decide what’s best for you yourself. Besides, we both know that you’re the strong one in our friendship—I can’t stop you from doing something you’ve decided upon. You are the one who has to help me make decisions, but you’ve always been able to make your own. I couldn’t let you go through something this monumental believing that I was angry with you the whole time.” Zoe looked up at Mal, a little stunned at all that he had just said. “Mal? I have no one to walk me down the aisle. Could you do this for me?” Mal glanced up the aisle, and stood elegantly next to his oldest friend, walking slowly in step with the music. As he delivered Zoe to her husband, a silent look passed between the two men, and Mal walked back to the doorway of the church. He watched the beginning of the ceremony, and then slipped a little closer as he realized that Wash had written his own vows, wanting to hear them.

~*~*~*~

“I, Wash, take you, my beloved Zoe, my autumn flower, to be my wife. I give you my heart and my devotion, for I have little else to offer you, and even these you already have. I promise to cherish our union, and to hold it sacred, valuing it above all else, and trusting in our love from this day forward. I promise I will continue to love you more each day than I did the day before. I promise to laugh with you, to cry with you, to comfort, care for, and encourage you, and to grow old with you. I know that I will always love you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. From this day forward, my beloved Zoe, I pledge to be your constant friend, to respect you and to honor you, and to support your goals like they are my own. These things I promise to you, in front of those we love, today, and all the days of our life.” Zoe was again struggling to hold back tears. Kaylee glanced back, and just caught sight of the door closing behind Mal as he left the church. Zoe barely heard the shepherd beginning her vows. “Do you, Zoe, take Wash to be your . . .” Zoe waved his words away, staring up at the amazing man in front of her. “I, Zoe, take you, Wash, to be my husband and my constant friend, from this day forward. I promise to cherish you and to protect you, and to remain ever faithful to you and to the commitment we are making here, today. I promise to support you and to encourage you, to comfort you and to stay by your side forever. Only you can surprise me like you have today, and I promise to make every effort to continue to surprise you, too, and to invigorate our marriage and our lives by being open with you, by being honest with you, and by constantly taking advantage of all of the little moments we are able to spend together. Wash, I love you, I will always love you. In front of you and all those present here today, I promise to respect you for who you are, never just some imaginary person who I imagine you could be, and I promise I will be your equal partner in a loving, honest relationship, for as long as we both shall live.” As the newly married couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Kaylee looked through tear-stained eyes and realized that even Jayne had tears in his eyes, although he was making every effort to hide his reaction to the emotion that was embedded in the couple’s words. Quickly, the crew scampered back to Serenity, knowing that Mal would already be waiting impatiently for their arrival so that they could finish the next job.