PART SIX

*

Picking up tired feet. Back from a far horizon.

Cleaned up and brushed down. Dressed to look the part.

Fresh from God's garden, I bring a gift of roses...

To stand in sweet spring water and press them to your heart.

But this badge of honour is of tarnished tin.

Light your guiding beacon to bring this fisher in.

A Gift Of Roses – Jethro Tull

*

[Yes, I've used this song before as well! It's mostly 'Mal' in my mind;

the first and last lines are the main 'hook' this time]

[But first, a brief honeymoon interlude and then other people have to make up for lost time...]

[So, warning for major sexing up before we go much further]

*

Jayne's jaw dropped, “What in all the ruttin' seven sphincters of hell is Mal doing as President?”

Roberts blinked slightly at the colourful language, not being adapted to Jayne as yet, “A good job, by all accounts. The clean up here and on Ariel has gone very well; the old Alliance leaders are dead, awaiting trial or in prison. The police and armed forces have undergone a purge. Reynold's overseen new laws to make the system less top heavy and more egalitarian. Everyone over eighteen gets the vote across the 'verse, with triple checking against dodgy ballot box shenanigans. There's been something of a redistribution of wealth and there are squads out there checking on the terraforming on the more unstable worlds and moons, to see if things can be improved. Welfare's improved a fair bit across the 'verse and there's a couple of teams of hardened ex-military types have formed Reaver hunter squadrons, mopping up that problem as much as they can. Oh, and you guys on Serenity have benefited from a binding lifetime's immunity from prosecution and harassment, as long as you don't do anything *too illegal!”

Vera grinned, “We've got a licence to misbehave!”

Jayne rubbed one hand through a significant growth of full beard, “*I want me a licence to shave!”

Vera looked at him, “Leave it for now, it's different and sexy.” She stroked the soft thickness with a certain gleam