Story [Firefly] Till Death Do Us Part - Chapter 4 posted. 8/30

Ok, no offense to the fan fiction writers in this thread, but raise your hand if you're tired of seeing "Harry Potter" in several posts! And I like HP, but saturation, geez!

It's time I branch this place out. Since I found this thread, I was so thrilled in sharing my own works outside of the Star Wars galaxy. I have a few stories set in another 'Verse, if you will.

The following was my very first stab at Captain Tightpants and crew. After I got more familiar with Firefly, I realized that with the setting of Wash and Zoe's wedding, Inara may not have been with them at that time. That's what I love about fan-fiction. I'll just slap on the little tag of AU and voila!

As with my other works, enjoy and review as you see fit.


Till Death Do Us Part

Setting: Approximately a year and a half before the events of Serenity the TV pilot.
Chapter One : A Slight Diversion

The bullet whizzed by Mal Reynold?s cheek and missed it by mere millimeters. He swerved to avoid the hit and his momentum of his follow through forced him to face in the opposite direction of the gunfight. As Mal quickly turned back towards the action and raised his trusty pistol to fire at the source of the shot that almost sent him into permanent sleep, he shouted within range of two of his crew mates, ?How in the gorram hell do we get in these messes??

Crouching behind a storage crate for cover and also doing her part in joining the firearm fight was Mal?s wartime partner and loyal soldier, Zoe Alleyne. In between shots, she gave her answer to Mal?s rhetoric question that held that same serious tone but was meant to be sarcastic.

?Pure talent, sir?

His other crew mate who was present and also involved with covering fire was Jayne Cobb, the criminal who almost shanghai-ed them into taking Serenity if it weren?t for pure charm and wit Mal managed to use for luring Jayne into a spot on his own crew. After firing a shot from his shotgun, Jayne turned to Mal and shouted his thoughts. ?I told you, Mal, these warriors on Three Rivers can?t be trusted!?

Mal had to suppress a grimace at the fact that he was getting advice on who not to trust from someone who he would never trust farther than he could throw cow dung. The funny thing was that the guns they were being shot at with were the very same guns his crew had smuggled into Three Rivers from Beaumonde and had received payment for just hours before. Mal thought it would be simple to hand the freedom fighters their guns they fussed over to get, take their coin, and fly off and skedaddle into the black.

Oh, but do things go smoothly with his crew? Almost never. And they had a serious life-changing event to be held at week?s end. They had a lot to think about. Now they were in yet another firefight that seemed doomed from the beginning. The Three River?s so-called freedom fighters saw fit to exclude the fact from Mal that they aimed to use the firearms they smuggled in as a trade to the very planet?s government they were fighting against for food and security. Double-crossed by the double-crossers. And Mal and his crew fell snugly into the ruse.

Soon before Mal and crew began the trek back to Serenity, they were ambushed by the government?s version of their military. They were pros, Mal would give them that. They had pinned his crew down in a corner full of storage crates. At least it was good for cover.

Zoe had managed to quip between shots, ?I thought we were over these kind of situations four years ago?

?What kind?? Mal had to ask.

?The hopeless ones.?

Mal was getting tired of trading shots with these men and he reached into his pocket with his free hand and fetched the comm. He flipped then switch in hopes to reach his pilot, Wash. Nothing but static. ?Zoe, can you reach Wash??

After another shot, Zoe reached for her comm. Static. ?No go, sir. Think they might have a magnetic isotope field in use.?

?What, they?re jamming the signal??

?Looks like.?

?Tzao gao. And here I thought it couldn?

 

Nice start! You got the crew down great. Heh, boy do they not know how much they'll appreciate Simon when they pick him up...



And hey, I happen to like the Harry Potter fiction.

 

Nice start!!

 

?What, they?re jamming the signal??

?Looks like.?

?Tzao gao. And here I thought it couldn?t be stopped,? Jayne added.

Mr. Universe!

I laughed all the way up to the music cue, especially at the thought of Mal throwing cow dung. Liked the little bits of humor thrown in, like Wash calling for the doctor that doesn't exist. Just like the show!

 

Pure Firefly! You've got everyone down perfectly.

If you have a PM list, I would love to be on it!

 

Hello. Non-Harry Plopper fan checking in. I like what you've got going here and have sung along as ordered. If you're planning on a PM list, be sure I'm on it. Thanks for the adventure!

 

Miana Kenobi - Now, I did say I liked Harry Potter. Just felt we needed a break away from all of those HP stories. Thanks for saying I got the crew down. Yes, they will appreciate Simon when he gets aboard. Didn't know if you wanted to be on a PM list so I didn't assume.

NYCitygurl - Thanks! Hopefully it'll be a great finish!

JadeSolo - Thanks! Funny thing about that music cue. When I revised it lately, that last line Zoe says felt like a great pause to put in the title. It was improvised.

Idrelle_Miocovani - Thanks. I tried to express not just what the Firefly characters say, but how they say it. Ok, you are the first on the official PM list!

Trika_Kenobi - (sorry, cant replicate your crossout in your name) Nice singing. Maybe I can do a Karyoke next time. You are also on the PM list.

And now, back to the show....

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Chapter Two: Recovery

Normally, the journey time to Arcadia would have been an hour. Thanks to Wash, that time was shaved to a precious forty minutes. Mal suspected that even if the commandos had any ideas of chasing them, they would have been eating a fine mix of dust and exhaust by now.

Arcadia had all the earmarks of being a distant cousin to Haven. Three Rivers was made up of dry land but Arcadia was nearest its equator which made the land and air dry with considerable humidity. It was something when even Three River?s government ignored you. As with Haven, Arcadia relied on mining ore and water as their income. Also like Haven, it was a place where new names were forgotten and old names were never remembered.

Once Wash found a clearing to land nearby the settlement, they hurried the still unconscious Zoe on her stretcher to find the nearest doctor. A young boy passerby led them to a small shack of an office and introduced them to an older gentleman. Very tall, white-gray hair, and a face that was hardened by weather but softened by life. Even his voice was soothing.

?What do we have here??

Mal explained what had happened, just not how it happened. Mal found it was far easier and safer not letting unknowns to have an inkling to their criminal tendencies. The tall doctor calmly delegated duties to the new crew so to help Zoe switched to the doctor?s medical room behind him. Once Zoe was at the mercy of the new doctor, the old man started examining her wound and checked her vitals. He then hooked her up to an I.V. and then looked over at the young boy who was watching along with the crew of Serenity.

?Go fetch your sister, Caleb. I think she may be needed.?

Young Caleb flew off like a bullet. The old doctor addressed Mal who he had already established as the leader of this group. ?She?s lost a lot of blood. We have to get that stopped before we can get into the wound and take the bullet out. She?s gonna need surgery. You administered the gauze??

Mal answered, ?Yes. It was all we had.?

?Well, it may have saved her life. I don?t have much in the way of professional facilities here, but I make do.?

Wash grew impatient. ?What does that mean? Can?t you fix her?? He turned back to Mal and he cried, ?Think we came to the wrong place??

Mal turned to his pilot. ?The doc?s going to do what he can, just as he says. If we had taken her anywhere else, she would have died.?

The doctor addressed Wash. ?He?s right, son. I apologize if my sense of humor gave you the wrong impression.? He paused and stated, ?This woman is special to you.?

Mal was impressed how the doctor bled some of his calm demeanor into Wash and worked. Wash replied, ?Yes. She?s my fiancé.?

The doctor took his arm and patted Wash on the shoulder and said reassuringly, ?I?ll take good care of her.? He looked at the rest of the crew and noted, ?Well, you?re all welcome to stay in the other room, but as you can see this ain?t exactly comfy with four people. I suggest using Carson?s next door as a waiting room. They got drinks and food.?

?You sure we

 

Awwww geeze. Zoe's okay, but the weddin's not gonna go down as planned. That pretty much figures with this crew, though.

Thanks for the update! Good work!

Trikes

 

I guess we could never expect the wedding to go as planned. Not with that crew.

Without a beat, Mal took to a look of frustration and snapped, ?Inara is just a business partner!?

You can keep saying that, Mal, but we know better.

Glad Zoe's okay.

Nice update!

 

Ahhh, near-death experience. The true definition of "romance" in the 'verse. Wash's thoughts remind me of what Mal says to River in Serenity, about love keeping a ship in the air. But, doctor's orders - the ship's not enough.

Also, I like how Jayne said absolutely nothing in this chapter, and yet he had such a presence.

 

Idrelle_Miocovani - Yes, nothing can go as planned with this crew. Thanks for reading!

JadeSolo - I never thought about that with Jayne in this chapter. Though Kaylee doesn't have much of a part either but she always has a presence about her. Never fear, I will have them return in the next one, One more chapter after the next one (a total of four for those mathletes at home).

And speaking of Part 3...

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Chapter Three: Alternate Plans

As it turned out, Doc Randall Flynn had been at one long time ago, Shepherd Randal Flynn in his young adulthood. He had surrendered to passion and love when he met his beloved Aggie and he thereafter left the clergy. Due to the war starting to break out about a decade after, and the Alliance not putting it on their priority list, his Shepherd license was never revoked. Doc had been performing double duty as doctor and marrying folks in Arcadia nigh on twenty years. Doc had always had the medical capabilities even while he was a Shepherd, but he didn?t make it all official to have people call him ?doctor? until after he married Aggie.

That night, him and Mal agreed to let Wash and Zoe mull it over to have Doc marry them on Saturday instead of transporting Zoe early and risk more injury. Mal had no problem in telling his immediate crew about the proposed change in wedding plans. The original plan was to have the wedding on Beaumonde with catered food and drink after and with extravagant decoration. All planned, ordered, and payed for by Inara Sera. Now, with Zoe?s injury, those plans would have to be squashed. And Mal would have to inform the Companion. That was one talk, or more fair to say confrontation, that Mal was not looking forward to.

After Mal left the Doc for the evening, he went to Wash whom he found by Zoe?s side holding her motionless hand. Wash heard the proposal silently and he agreed, but he also felt he should wait until he could discuss it with his bride first. After all, it was her wedding as well. Wash thought it wouldn?t matter when it takes place, just that it does. But, he admitted Zoe deserves a decision too. Mal thought that fair and then he left Wash in Zoe?s presence for the night. Jayne was still nowhere to be found, but Mal had surmised that Jayne wouldn?t be shedding any tears over the change in venue. The only thing Jayne had been looking forward to was the free food and drink. Letting sleeping Jayne lie in bed with his newly found endowed woman, Mal didn?t even begin to look for him. He then headed back to Serenity to see Kaylee.

As Mal approached the ship, Wash?s words earlier echoed as he gazed at the outline of the Firefly against the fading light of the horizon. Mal walked up on the main ramp keeping to the extreme left and reaching out with his fingers to lightly touch the beginning walls of Serenity. He then headed to the engine room where he found his mechanic in the usual jumpsuit stained with grease and working. Her reaction to the news didn?t surprise Mal one bit.

?What about Inara? Kwong-juh duh, Inara is gonna miss the wedding. What is she gonna do with all that food? All those...strawberries...and cake, too. It?s not like we can go fetch her and come back by Saturday. And that shuttle would never make it here. I wonder if I could boost its drive motivators sometime to expand its range. No, it?s life support would never?.?

?Kaylee! Ok. That?s all well and known. Doesn?t seem we have much of a choice.?

?I guess Zoe and Wash don?t want to postpone.?

?He didn?t mention it when I told him of Doc?s offer. He wants to get it over with, but also wants to wait till Zoe wakes up to get her opinion.?

?Yeah, that?s the right thing to do, I guess. Is she all right??

Mal brought her up to speed on Zoe?s condition and afterwards he cherished his mechanic?s wide positive smile. It was what he needed right then.

Mal continued, ?I?ll send a wave to Inara in the morning. It?s in the wee morning hours on Beaumond

 

Loved the Inara/Mal scene. Great conversation between the two characters.

?What about Inara? Kwong-juh duh, Inara is gonna miss the wedding. What is she gonna do with all that food? All those...strawberries...and cake, too. It?s not like we can go fetch her and come back by Saturday. And that shuttle would never make it here. I wonder if I could boost its drive motivators sometime to expand its range. No, it?s life support would never?.?



Gotta love Kaylee. That was so her.

Great update!

 

"And your fantasy of knowing everything just terrifies me.?

Business as usual between those two.

A shindig on Serenity! As it should be. But I, too, am sad they'll miss out on the great food. Vows, schmows.

 

Idrelle_Miocovani - I love Kaylee. I believe there is a force that compels a person to never hate or even dislike her. I tried to express that in her constant thinking of making things better, and her utter disappointment when she can't.

JadeSolo - Yes, the banter between Mal and Inara has to have an underlying current of passion that is unspoken. Yeah, a shindig on Serenity, and this time, no sword fights!

Thanks for commenting you two. They say if you reach one person you've succeeded.

The finale, Part 4, awaits....

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Chapter 4 - Wedding Blister

Upon hearing the Serenity crew?s new plans for the wedding, Doc Flynn was overcome with joy. He had insisted on inviting a few of the town folk to attend. Things around Arcadia were depressing enough as it was, and Doc said a wedding would do good to allow cheer back into the town for a spell. Zoe and Wash didn?t mind, for even their attendance at the original location of the wedding on Beaumonde was to only include the immediate crew, Inara, and some of her Companion friends.

This event also gave the town a chance to shine on supplying the food for the reception. The food quality wasn?t going to be on the same level that Inara was providing, but only Zoe and Wash were the only ones not complaining on that. Kaylee, to no one?s surprise volunteered for decoration duty.

?Just so we don?t see not a one painted flower,? was Mal?s only condition to her.

Wash had soon started the set up of a cortex outlet in the hangar of Serenity for a secure extended wave to allow Inara see the festivities live. Since Zoe had been ordered by Doc Flynn to be bedridden at least one day, Wash spent that first day after Zoe awoke finishing the added wave. Zoe, however, still felt helpless and a little guilty that all of this was being rearranged because of her. To assure her that it was not to be faulted by anyone, Wash made sure that on every hour he worked on the wave, he stopped for a break to check on his fiancé.

Jayne showed no interest in helping with anything so he spent the days and nights in the throes of Hattie?s passion. Mal let him be but intended to use him the day of to help with chairs for the hangar?s conversion into an altar.

After the day of rest, Zoe escaped her bed and began to start walking around ever so slowly. The wound itself mended well, thanks to Doc, but pain was still there and it multiplied when she walked. Doc had offered her a cane to use but she wouldn?t hear of it. Wash was present when she took her first steps post surgery, and as soon as she refused the physical support of the cane, Doc turned to Wash and remarked, ?Strong-willed, this one. You?re gonna have your hands full.?

Wash shot back in a heartbeat, ?On Saturday night, I certainly do hope so.?

After a few hours of practicing to walk with Wash helping her as she went, Zoe got to walking normal again with minimal pain. She then requested that she had to get to her bunk and fetch something. Wash had quickly said he would go with her, but she actually refused for him to join her. She requested Kaylee. Not one to go against his fiancé?s insistence despite his confusion, he called for Kaylee. As Kaylee walked with Zoe side by side heading toward Serenity, she asked while making sure Wash was well outside of earshot, ?Time to try on the wedding dress??

?That?d be an affirmative.?

Sooner than they imagined, the day of the event came. Jayne was, in fact, persuaded to help with getting a tarp up on either side of the hangar to hide supply crates and other things the crew wanted unseen. Kaylee went to work on the decorative tinsel and paper-mache flowers she had made the previous day. The chairs were set up toward the back of the hangar and a small podium was provided by the town folk for the newly titled Shepherd Flynn.

And on that Saturday?s mid-afternoon, Zoe and Wash?s wedding finally took place albeit an alternate location. Th