Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Chapter Thirty-Three: Matrimony

Zoë skirted past Jayne in the hallway—returning his thankful grin as she swapped bunks with him. River was still feeling a bit groggy from the pain medication Simon had her on, and the big merc was planning on surprising her with the move.

Honestly, Zoë had considered swapping bunks with him sooner—she’d seen how small his bed was and could hardly imagine him being able to fall asleep comfortably. His feet had to hang off the end.

Carefully, Zoë placed her favorite photo of Wash on the wall where the gun rack used to be. Her husband’s perpetually smiling face warmed her heart all over again and the former soldier allowed herself to remember him. Their fights, their jokes, their love…

“I miss you, Wash-baby,” she whispered and gently touched the tintype image. “You wouldn’t believe what’s been goin’ on ‘round here lately…”

Her quiet voice filled the empty room for another hour as she recounted the current happenings to the ghost of her beloved.

*

Simon glanced up from his sister’s chart when Jayne entered the med bay. He greeted his soon to be brother-in-law with a smile and nodded slightly. “Success!” he exclaimed. “There’s no residual scar tissue and River is fine.”

Jayne reached out and squeezed his girl’s hand. “That’s great, Doc.”

“Need more bed rest,” River informed.

“Yes. One more day of staying off your feet and letting the captain fly the ship.”
River pouted.
Jayne was quick to cheer her up—kissing her forehead and grinning widely at her. “Cheer up, buttercup. Got a surprise for ya. C’n I carry her outta here?” he directed that last bit at Simon—with big pleading eyes that were entirely out of place on Jayne’s face.

Simon rolled his eyes at the pet name. “Sure. Just make sure she keeps taking the pain meds every four hours.”

Jayne nodded and scooped River into his arms with ease. He offered Inara, who just docked with Serenity fifteen minutes ago, a cordial nod in passing.

*

Late into the night cycle Zoë was awakened in an unfamiliar bunk by the sound of another hatch opening. Years of training forced her to lie still and listen carefully to find out who was mucking about so late. The soft noise of bare feet and the wisp of a long cotton T-shirt ten times too big for a petite frame proved Zoë’s prediction.

River.

Sighing, Zoë threw back the covers and exited her new quarters to check on the young woman.

“What are you up to, honey?”

River twisted in the pilot’s seat and keyed up a wave without looking. “Must call Ma,” she informed. “Kaylee fixed the wave on Kerry. It would be impolite to make a surprise visit again. Especially when there are preparations to be made.”

Zoë flopped against the console and crossed her arms over her breasts. “Kerry got some elaborate wedding customs?”

River shrugged. “No more than usual. But his family must be present. Especially his sisters.”

“Jayne’s that close to his sisters?”

“Family is very important to him. He was present for their marriages…”

Zoë looked a bit surprised but kept her thoughts to herself. Or, as best she could while sitting across from a reader. River merely focused herself on her task—finally making contact with the town sheriff.

She put on her best smile and waved daintily at the elderly man. “Good afternoon, Sheriff Forester!”

*

Harmony was practically bubbling with activity when Serenity landed a day later. Ma Cobb stood with Bruce faithfully seated at her heel—a look of uncontrolled glee had wormed its way across her aging face that took years away from her.

Jayne took three steps down the gangplank with River attached to his back like a limpet and was overrun by his mother’s huge Bullmastiff. The dog’s tail thumped heavily against his calves and the grin that colored the mercenary’s face was wide enough to dimple his cheeks.

“Hello, my handsome boy!” Ma Cobb greeted. She dragged his chin down more to her level and planted a smacking kiss on his cheek. She repeated the gesture (awkwardly) with River. “And hello, my new daughter. The horses’re all ready an’ the family is waitin’ down by Lake Charity.”

Mal and the rest of the crew—dressed simple but nice as Jayne had suggested—hung back slightly as though awaiting instruction. No one had a clue what to do next and it was written all over their faces.

Ma Cobb snapped her fingers together to get Bruce’s slobbery attention and nodded toward a wagon just across the docks. “It ain’t much, but it’s held up fer three other weddin’ parties. Jest don’t step on them vines and flowers…”

Jayne clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and had the beautiful dun horse Sunshine walking toward him—dark black tail flicking against her golden hide in either a sign of joy or flies. As soon as the big man mounted the animal and tucked River in front of him on the saddle, the onlookers whooped and hollered.

Clearly, out of all the noise, Mal made out the words: “About gorram time!” from more than one person.

Gonna be one of them days, he mused to himself.

*

Lake Charity stretched out for miles and reflected the setting sun against its still waters. The shoreline was flanked by the women of the Cobb family all dressed in plain blue cotton frocks and barefooted in the sand.

Ma Cobb joined her daughters and motioned for her sons to move the wagon. Jayne carefully dismounted his horse and removed River’s shoes.

“Her feet touch the ground anew,” he intoned—repeating words he’d heard at so many other weddings before. He wrapped his hands around her small waist and lifted her into the air—holding her there as Matty led Sunshine away.

River fisted her toes in the sand once Jayne set her on her feet and continued to stare in his oceanic eyes.

“Eyes meet and souls laid bare through and through,” he finished the traditional words and toed his cowboy boots off.

Quietly, Jayne’s sisters, sister-in-law, and mother all began to sing a melodic tune in a tongue that Mal didn’t recognize. Ma Cobb followed Jayne and River knee-deep into the waters and held their clasped hands in hers.

“Lord, bless my boy and this wonderful girl as they take this step in their lives,” she said—her voice clear enough that Mal and his crew knew she’d done this sort of thing more than once. Beside him, Mal felt Inara step closer and thread her thin fingers into his—pressing their palms together tightly as they watched Jayne and River slide their simple silver wedding bands on each other’s hands. The odd pair waited as Jane Cobb wound a vine of blooming moon flowers around their clasped hands and spoke in that same strange language that the captain couldn’t place.

Zoë, unaware of her own actions, gently took his free hand and smiled out at the newlyweds still standing in the lake

“Dieu vous bénisse et vous garde,” Ma Cobb finally said after a moment of silence. Jayne smiled brightly and drew forth one of River’s most brilliant grins—causing Simon to tighten one arm around Kaylee’s shoulder.

She was so happy…

The newlyweds kissed with smiles—a feat damn near impossible but somehow they managed.

Jayne’s brother Carl left the small audience with Sunshine in tow. He led the animal into the lake and waited as Jayne and River leaned down to let the soft current of the water gently pull the moon flower vines away from their hands. They mounted the horse once again and followed the shoreline toward the setting sun.

Ma Cobb lifted the hem of her dress out of the water and slogged back to shore with a huge, familiar looking, grin on her face.

“Finally!” she slapped Mal on his collarbone. “’Bout time my boy got hitched.”

“Where’d they go off to?” Zoë asked.

Ma Cobb raised one eyebrow at her. “No one ever told ya’ll ‘bout Kerry’s customs? They’re gonna be out in the open fer two days roughin’ it. Nothin’ more solidifyin’ in a marriage than havin’ to rely on one another fer basic needs…”

“Two days?!” Simon yelped. Kaylee tugged on his ear in an attempt to shush him.

“Carl an’ Matty set up a campsite about three miles down the shore when River waved Sheriff Forester couple nights back. ‘S tradition. Ya’ll are welcome to stay on the ranch and wait fer ‘em. I got apple pie on the menu fer tonight…”

Mal perked up. “Sounds shiny, Ma Cobb.”

“Good, ‘cause yer doin’ the dishes.”

*

River slid down Jayne’s arm and landed silently on the soft ground—one eyebrow raised at the blankets and pillows arranged carefully beside an fire pit that already glowed with heat.

“Family set this up—‘s tradition,” Jayne offered up at her confused thoughts.

“Tradition?”

“When folks get hitched on Kerry, they spend two solid nights outdoors reconnectin’ with nature and whatnot. Somethin’ about finding out where we all came from an’ doin’ that together.”

River waited for him to hitch Sunshine up to the post further down the lake front and return to the fireside. “Your home world is very poetic.”

“Ain’t no more poetical than the next, darlin’.”

River hopped in his lap and tugged lightly on his sideburns. “More so than Osiris. Planet full of arranged marriages and love means very little.”

Jayne cupped the back of her head and gently ran his nose along her cheek. “Know why else newlyweds stay outdoors in the middle of nowhere?” he asked, his breath teasing the sensitive skin at the corner of her mouth.

“Hmm?”

He tilted his head again—the stubble on his cheeks running along her soft chin as he leaned in really close to her ear. “So they can make all the noise they damn well please,” he whispered hotly.

River shuddered and gripped the hair at the nape of his neck. His mouth moved slowly against the delicately smooth skin just behind her earlobe and River tightened her hold on her new husband as a shot of pleasure ran straight down her spine and tightened her nethers.

“Ai ya, tian ah…” she groaned

Jayne pulled her body closer—draping her long legs around his hips and almost crushing her against his chest. His long fingers teased the zipper at the back of her grey dress and River tugged frantically at his buttoned shirt.

Do ya really wanna go this fast?

River glared into his eyes and yanked his shirt open—sending buttons flying into the fire pit and beyond.

Sex. NOW. We have two whole days.

Jayne shrugged and lowered the zipper.

River smashed her lips onto his and slid her arms out of the thin straps.

Faster!

Jayne sucked on her lower lip and yanked the dress down hard enough to rip it down the middle. He pushed her back into the pillows and blankets and sucked hard on one nipple. He teased the other with his fingertips and tried to remove his own clothing with one hand. River hooked one leg around his hips and used her own—shaking—free hands to undo his pants. She didn’t even bother with pulling his clothes down all the way—instead leaning down hard on her elbows, tilting her hips up and pressing her slick cleft against his erection. Jayne hissed against her breastbone and angled his entire body to dip into hers in that blissful completion that they’d been missing for the last few days.

The groan that started in the back of her throat heightened into a scream that Jayne had never heard coming from her.

His eyebrows popped wide open and he stared at River’s joyful face.

“You okay?”

“Better…” she answered breathlessly. “Better than okay…”

Jayne shifted backwards slightly and yanked his shirt off. River groped at his abdominal muscles in an attempt to keep in contact with him—her nails gouging red lines against his tan skin.

With his pants still gathered around his knees, Jayne leaned back down and sucked on her neck hard enough to leave a mark. She yelled into his ear and they fell into a new rhythm that was more animalistic than anything they’d ever done before.

They bit, scratched, howled, and greedily ate at each other’s mouths—both selfishly trying to reach completion before the other.

River squeezed her inner muscles twice around Jayne’s rigid member and screamed.

The pitch of her voice echoed across the still waters of the lake.

Jayne gasped into the hollow of her throat and came so quietly that River wondered if he was alright. The feel of his hot breath ghosting across her sweat-slick skin had her relaxing into the curve of his body as he fell on his side.

It took them about fifteen minutes to recover.

“God, I love you, xuan ni,” Jayne whispered into River’s tangled hair.

River pressed her lips onto his cheek just below his eye and leaned her forehead against his. “And I love you, huan ren.”

“Mrs. River Cobb,” Jayne grinned.

River Cobb grinned right back at him and traced a path around his mouth where his goatee was slowly growing back.

“We will make a great team.”

“We make a great team, darlin’.”

She burrowed further into Jayne’s arms and idly felt him tug his pants off the rest of the way and drape a thick blanket around them both.

As they drifted off to sleep beneath the stars, Jayne’s mind wandered to the future—one he’d never really seen for himself before. Life to a ripe old age with his wife by his side—the only being in the ‘verse worth more than ten percent, full rein of the kitchen, and his own bunk.

She was worth everything.

TBC...One last time.

Translations:
Dieu vous bénisse et vous garde: God bless you and keep you
Ai ya, tian ah: Goddamn (loose translation)
Xuan ni: Pretty girl
Huan ren: Handsome/clever man