**Here's a little bit of trivia you can impress your friends with- I don't own Outlaw Star, and I'm 99.9% anybody else on ff.net doesn't, either!**

Nobody had heard from Fred until nearly a month after Jim's 12th birthday. However, after overhearing his conversation with Gene on the video-phone, what Fred had to say was probably one of the best gifts Jim possibly could've asked for.

"What?!" he heard Gene ask.

"MARRIED! I'm going to have to get married to Reiko." Fred cried out in despair.

"But you told me that she had to win the....."

"I know, I know-" the merchant sighed "But I just heard from the Contest chairman yesterday. He informed me that since the two contestants that advanced to the finals weren't even Human, they would officially declare Reiko the winner by default. That makes it 5 years in a row! She's already got the ceremony planned for this weekend."

"And what do you want us to do about it? You're not planning on a rematch between me and her, are you?"

"Not at all- I'm trying to buy some time. Having you fight Reiko wouldn't buy me 30 seconds." Fred snapped. "I'm hoping to find a way to get this marriage annulled before the honeymoon." he shuddered.

"I don't get it. Why not just tell Reiko about your......"other amorous pursuits"?"

"Because she'd snap my neck like a twig if she found out. I need you to be my best man at the ceremony- maybe give a nice, long-winded toast to distract her while I slip away."

"There's no way..." Gene started to say.

"I'll call off the remaining debt you owe me. Think about it and give me a call."

Gene sat in stunned silence. He didn't think his presence at the wedding would mean that much to Fred. The last time he bothered to check, he still owed him a six-digit figure. Now, a day that he thought would never come was looming on the horizon. Starwind & Hawking would be in the black. Gene turned around and saw Jim standing in the doorway.

"Well partner, whaddaya say? You up for a wedding?"

"Yeah!" Jim yelled out exuberantly, pumping his fist in the air. Then he practiced making a mock phone call to Reiko Ondo, the future Mrs. Fred Luo. "Hello? Mrs. Reiko Luo? I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but...well. It seems your husband really likes little boys". The boy genius let out a hearty and malevolent cackle, trying to picture Fred meeting the in-laws.

Jim really didn't want to go, but figured sitting through a boring wedding ceremony would be a small price to pay for a future free of Fred's innuendo and advances. Gene had plenty of incentive to go- after the ceremony, whatever money Starwind & Hawking would earn would now stay with them. Melfina had seen movies and pictures of weddings, but had never been to one herself so naturally she was curious. She thought they looked beautiful. Gene was more than happy to have her along, since the sight of the two of them together might ward off the unwanted advances of some of Fred's other amorous pursuits hoping to get lucky with the red-haired outlaw. No force in the universe could keep Aisha away when word got out that there was going to be a big buffet at the wedding reception. On the other hand, Suzuka cooly declined attending the nuptials for a variety of obvious reasons.

**

The morning of the ceremony, it turned out the preparations weren't going over that well at Starwind & Hawking.

Aisha had found a new reason to loathe the human race and all of its achievements that morning. It came in the form of the powder blue taffeta dress that she was supposed to wear.

"Nggyaa...? This has to be a joke of some sort- a proud warrior like me wearing this frilly garment!" she complained as Melfina zipped up the back of the dress.

"You look fine Aisha." The bio-android reassured her.

"I don't feel fine." she pouted "I'd rather wear my uniform". Melfina seemed to like her taffeta dress just fine, and she looked good in it.

Aisha was about to go into the reasons why her dress was better suited for soaking up spills and waxing floors when they heard Gene out in the hallway, laughing quite loudly.

"You look like a little penguin waddling around!" they heard Gene snicker.

"GENE STARWIND, YOU SCUMBAG! I HOPE YOU ROT......." they heard Jim yell out over Gene's poor imitation of a penguin, followed shortly by the slamming of a door. Gene was still laughing when Aisha and Melfina went into the hallway.

"What's going on Gene?" Mel asked. Gene actually looked quite dashing and debonaire in his rented tuxedo. However, he wasn't acting the part.

"Oh......you should see it" he said between fits of laughter. "Little Jimmy in his monkey suit.....all he needs is a little fez and an organ to grind". This caused him to laugh even harder.

Aisha glared at Gene and was about to say something when Melfina started to gently haul him away, cautioning him that he shouldn't take every opportunity to have fun at Jim's expense. Aisha was going to give the outlaw a piece of her mind, but realized that she'd be wasting her time.

On the other side of the bedroom door, Jim was sitting on the bed and fuming. It seemed the older he got, the more Gene made fun of him. Why did everybody take him for granted? He simply stared down at the floor and wished he was never invited to the ceremony. A rare day off like this should be spent sleeping in or doing some work on Ehefrau. His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"GO AWAY!" he yelled angrily, certain it was Gene on the other side.

"Jim.....?" he heard Aisha's muffled voice ask through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Only if you promise not to laugh."

She opened the door a crack and stuck her head through. "Don't worry about it. You look fine, like a little Gentleman." Aisha reassured him. Jim wished she didn't use the adjective "little".

"You look better."

"These vile rags aren't worthy of a proud Ctarl Ctarl warrior." Aisha complained as she sat down on the bed next to him. "I don't blame you for not wanting to go. But if you stay here, who's gonna keep me company?" she pouted.

"Won't the buffet be enough for you?"

Aisha thought about this for a moment. "But they won't be serving anything until after the ceremony. I don't know how long they're going to drag that out." She paused and looked at him. "You look just fine. Don't pay attention to what Gene says."

"Really?" Jim asked after getting up and standing in front of a full-length mirror

She nodded enthusiastically as she got up and stood next to him. Truth be told, she felt like laughing a little herself. Tuxedos in Jim's size? She had no idea they made them that small. Aisha gently ushered him towards the door. "Why don't you show Melfina?"

Almost as soon as the two of them stepped out in the hall, Gene pointed and began laughing again. "You look like a ventriloquist with your little dummy, Aisha!" Gene said. "How about you drink a glass of water while Jimmy's singing?"

"How about you bite me, Gene?" Aisha said.

**

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...." the preacher's voice echoed throughout the cavernous chapel. Perhaps it was a combination of preacher's voice and the chapel's acoustics, but they seemed to induce a coma on most of the Outlaw Star crew members. Melfina was taking in her surroundings with a wide-eyed awe while Aisha was struggling to stay awake. Ctarl Ctarl weddings often involved violent spectator sports and a huge feast. Neither had manifested themselves so far, much to her disappointment.

"Again, how much are we getting paid for being here?" Jim whispered to Gene as the preacher droned on and Fred cringed at Reiko's affectionate, come-hither stare.

"A half-million Wong debt write-off."

"NANI? We'll be in the black!?"

Gene nodded. "Don't blow it by falling asleep...."

To fight off the inevitable nap that was creeping up on him, the boy genius began daydreaming about all those expensive parts he could order for Ehefrau with HIS money to get her running again.

**

"This really was a beautiful ceremony." Melfina said wistfully as she looked around the reception area in amazement. They were in line to meet the bride and groom.

Gene wasn't as impressed. "Yeah, too bad it's all wasted on two people who aren't in love." Gene snorted

"AHEM" came a voice next to him. Gene turned around and was startled to see the bride with the reluctant groom. Reiko had pretty much heard every word he said.

"......as much as you and I are Mel." he said, clutching the bio-android's hand. Being among the first to hit the bar during the reception hadn't slowed down his survival instinct any. Although he had managed to escape Reiko's wrath, he was now digging himself into a hole with Mel.

"Oh Gene...." Mel gasped, her cheeks turning rosy. "You really mean it?"

Fred chuckled nervously "Gene! Hello! This is my lovely wife, Reiko.." Gene held out his hand, only to have it slowly and surely being crushed by Reiko.

"You look familiar...." Reiko pondered while she kept Gene's right hand in a firm grip. "Do you happen have a sister? About your height, blonde hair?"

"Uhh...heh heh. No, I'm an only child." Gene said, hoping that Reiko would let go.

"Don't be so modest, Gene!" Jim spoke up. "He's the half-brother of Jenny Starwind, the best ever fighter to use the Outlaw Brawling style! Would've won the Strongest Woman in the Universe title too, if it wasn't for some steroid-crazed Amazon who obviously cheated. You said so yourself, right Gene?" an evil grin that seemed to say "payback's a bitch, isn't it?" was on his face.

Instead of letting go, Reiko tightened her grip on Gene's hand as an angry expression came over her face. There was a soft crackling noise as Gene whimpered helplessly. Jim cackled a little as he walked away, ready to settle in for an evening of tedium at their table.

"Well, Gene. Anytime your half-sister's ready for some lessons in the Ondo Comprehensive fighting style, let me know. I'd be more than interested in teaching her a thing or two." Reiko said.

"Right" Gene said in a cracking falsetto as the pressure on his hand increased "I'll be sure to tell him....her...I mean her. I'll tell her!"

**

At the table, Aisha had just finished an entire tier of the wedding cake and polished off her second bottle of champagne that evening. Getting drunk wasn't much of a concern for her, since the Ctarl Ctarl had an accelerated metabolism. Champagne was just another word for "expensive Terran grape juice" as far as she was concerned. Using a cloth napkin, she wiped away frosting and crumbs from the corner of her mouth. A chair on the other end of the table slid out and a very bored-looking Jim Hawking took a seat.

"Come on, Jimmy! Don't be shy." Aisha held out her hand and the two of them found themselves on the dance floor. "Follow my lead." she said. Despite his best efforts to do so, it was quickly becoming apparent that young James and two and a half left feet and couldn't keep up with Aisha. Jim was about to give up on dancing altogether when the band started playing a slow song from Old Earth.

Words like violence

Break the silence

Come crashing in

Into my little world

"Maybe I should sit this one out." he mumbled self-consciously.

"Already?" she sounded disappointed. However, instead of taking a breather, Aisha had managed to coax him to stand on top of her feet. He took one hand and wrapped the other around her waist while Aisha's free hand rested on his shoulder. This made dancing so much easier for him.

Vows are spoken

To be broken

Feelings are intense

Words are trivial

Pleasures remain

So does the pain

Words are meaningless

And forgettable

"Everybody should have a partner like this." Jim said, looking up. He began blushing uncontrollably when he realized that his observation wasn't limited to dancing. If Aisha noticed this, she decided to let it slide for a change. It felt so good to be this close to her. He remembered when the ground started to shake at the Grave of the Dragon- he never felt so safe as when she protectively wrapped him up in her arms. It was as if nothing- not even the elements themselves- could harm him as long as she was around. Since then, he had found himself in her arms every now and then, whenever she thought he was in danger, and almost always hoping she would never let go.

**

Fred really didn't want to go on his honeymoon with Reiko, and was hanging all over Gene- practically begging Gene to go in his place.

"Geeeeneeee......." Fred whined quietly.

"No more toasts, Fred. Take it like a man!"

"But Geeeeeeneeeeee......" was all the merchant could say.

Gene sighed in disgust. He wasn't sure what was worse- the lovey-dovey doe-eyed stares that Melfina had been giving him since that little slip while being introduced to Reiko or Fred's constant pleading. For him, the evening was awkward at best.

**

Jim took that opportunity to make himself scarce. He slipped away and found Aisha in the garden with a glass of champagne. She was so different from the Aisha of a few months ago, yet very much the same. She no longer seemed obsessed with Dragonite or regaining her prestige and seemed to take pleasure in the simple joys of life. Then again, she's still just as loud and boisterous and energetic as before. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"I thought tonight would be much worse" she said, picking up a glass of wine and taking a sip."This isn't as long as a Ctarl Ctarl wedding. When my one of my uncles got married, the ceremony and feast went on for days..."

"Really? What was there to do?"

"You wouldn't have had to worry about it, kids weren't allowed to attend." She said as she affectionately tousled his hair.

"I'm not a kid- I'm twelve years old!" Jim retorted angrily, doing his best to pull away. His hand found her waist as he tried pushing off of her.

Aisha suddenly stopped ruffling his hair and let out a surprised little yelp as she stood up.

"What's wrong Aisha?" Jim asked. For a moment, he was afraid that maybe he had aggravated some unseen battle wound of hers.

"Nothing." she said, a little too quickly as she cautiously sat back down. Jim knew that Aisha was good at many things, but she made a terrible liar.

"Are you sure?". His hand deliberately brushed up against her side. This time Aisha practically jumped up and shrieked. She wasn't in pain, it was something else.....

"You're ticklish, aren't you Aisha?". Dammit! How come he didn't find out about this sooner? It would've made a great equalizer for all of those times she embarrassed him in public.

"No.....I'm not...." she started to say, again- demonstrating at how bad she was at lying. Jim looked at her "Well, OK. Maybe just a little."

"Really? I had no idea." Jim smirked as he reached towards her waist again. This time, Aisha's hand shot out and gently but firmly clamped around Jim's wrist.

"May I remind you that there will be no less than two full moons tonight? A child such as yourself shouldn't be provoking me, otherwise I cannot be held responsible for my actions." Aisha said.

"How many times do I gotta tell you that I'm not a kid?!" he yelled, blushing.

On one hand, he was in denial that he had a crush on her- it was the normal 12-year old thing to do. He could just imagine Gene cooing out "Aww! Isn't that cute? Little Jimmy has a crush on the cat-girl!". Somehow, it would've been much worse for him if Aisha dismissed his feelings for her as a silly preteen crush. This was something he knew he'd never outgrow. There was much more to it than that. If nothing else, he owed Aisha his life.

"I'm sure there's gonna be another wedding soon enough." Aisha remarked as she demurely finished off the glass of champagne.

"Huh?" Jim asked. For a moment he thought Aisha was reading his mind.

"Don't act so surprised." she said "You saw the way Mel was looking at Gene all night. It'll only be a matter of time before he breaks down."

"Yeah- I guess you're right." he replied, a little disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"She's pretty good for him. He seems to be less of an asshole when she's around."

Only slightly Jim said to himself. "You know, for a second, I thought you meant somebody else." he said. Shit! Why did he have to say that out loud.....

"Who....?" Aisha asked, looking at him. Jim said nothing, and was unable to look away from her blue-green eyes. It dawned on Aisha what he meant.

"You....and me?" she said, unable to stifle a laugh. She couldn't help herself, it was just something that caught her off-guard. Aisha was uncomfortably aware that it sounded like she was mocking him, and the profoundly hurt expression that she saw on Jim's face confirmed this. She didn't mean to offend Jim, it was just....if a mature and worldly woman such as herself was still too young to consider marriage, then certainly a boy Jim's age was way too young to entertain thoughts like that. But she knew there was something quite different about him, that he wouldn't remain a boy forever. Even as a child, he treated her better than any male- Ctarl Ctarl or human- ever could have. Truth be told, she was somewhat flattered by Jim's remark. She was thinking about kid's stuff when she was his age, and assumed that even somebody Jim's age, no matter how mature they acted, would still have those child-like flights of fancy.

Oddly enough, a few minutes before Jim showed up, Aisha was reminiscing about how she shocked her parents when she was a little girl by openly declaring that she would rather have a scholar or intellectual as a mate instead of an Imperial Ctarl Ctarl officer. Her mother and father thought that was some sort of gaffe that little girls made every now and then and set about convincing her that she would be so much happier marrying a warrior. She played along with that notion for the sake of humoring her parents but silently, she never wavered from her desire to spend her life with an intellectual. Ideally, she wanted a mate that would challenge her both physically and intellectually- encouraging her to be stronger and smarter. If she had to choose between strength and intelligence in a mate, she would take intelligence. Now, in a rather bizarre and roundabout fashion, the Ctarl gods had somehow answered her pleas. Once again, Aisha involuntarily laughed as she looked at Jim.

However Jim was in no condition to try and gauge her thoughts. He broke away from her gaze and hung his head in despair- sorry he even brought it up, sorry he had gone to the wedding and now he was sorry he had even met her. Tears were starting to brim in his eyes. Part of him was angry at Aisha for laughing so quickly- why did she always treat him like a little boy? But he was more angry at himself for pressing the matter when he felt it should've been left alone. What could've been a beautiful evening was now ruined by one slip of the tongue. What was he thinking? Aisha was right, he was just a kid and nothing more. He couldn't help it, he suddenly felt so alone, insignificant and empty when he felt a familiar hand gently ruffle his hair. Jim looked up again.

"A girl could do a lot worse." Aisha smiled down at him. Her gaze returned to his face and Jim understood that she didn't mean to laugh off the idea- not at all. It was just a little bit ahead of its time, that's all. There was no telling what the future held. The two of them looked at each other; the familiar, somewhat mischievous glint in Aisha's eyes told Jim that it was a beautiful thought, and although he shouldn't rush matters, he shouldn't give up on the idea, either. Off in the distance- a million miles away as far as either one of them was concerned- they heard the band resume playing.

All I ever wanted

All I ever needed

Is here, in my arms

Words are very

Unnecessary

They can only do harm

She then held out her elbow. "What do you say, Jimmy? Are you up for another dance?" she asked.

"You bet!" he beamed enthusiastically.

Together, the boy genius and the taffeta-clad Ctarl Ctarl walked arm-in-arm back into the reception hall for one more dance that evening.

THE END