When I met my husband, he had already watched Star Trek, Supernatural, Stargate, both versions of Battlestar Galactica, and every CW show centered on DC characters. But he had never watched Firefly.

I brought it up a few times, to a yawning lack of interest.

At length, I just put in the first DVD and hit “play.”

(It helps that my husband is a sucker for a physical disc. I’ll spare you his diatribe about how if you only have the rights to stream something, you don’t actually own it. The fact that I, fond as I am of streaming, actually owned the DVDs of this show? That carried weight.)

We watched Serenity. He said nothing.

I had higher hopes for The Train Job, because hubs is a train guy. But the train in the show was not, it seems, interesting in and of itself. It is neither a real train nor based on a real train. Again, he said nothing.

Then we watched Bushwhacked.

He said, “I need to say those three little words you’re so fond of.”

I said, “Oh?”

“You were right.”

“You doubted me?”

“Honey,” he said. (My husband is from the mountains of North Carolina, and when he calls me “honey,” the word lingers, slow and golden, like ... well, honey ) “A TV show that was canceled halfway through its first season isn’t usually the best bet.”

We came to Our Mrs. Reynolds. “I’m so jealous,” I told him. “You get to see this for the first time!”

We finished the whole series in short order. cries shamelessly

Now all we have left is the movie.

Except… there’s one more treat waiting.

The first two novels I ever wrote—and finished—and actually showed to other people—were Firefly fanfics. One is a direct sequel to the film. One is a Wash/Zoe backstory novel.

Hubs, who is now my biggest Combined Service cheerleader, has never read my earliest novel-length works.

Readers: I think he’s just about ready.

Walking around: Malcolm Reynolds. He always likes to keep moving.

Fellowship: Inara Serra. You may think “Why not coitus, that’s obviously her,” but she is definitely one who takes delight in fellowship.

Deliciousness: Jayne Cobb. The easiest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but the easiest way to his pants is just to ask.

transcendence: Sheppherd Book. A man of the Lord.

goofing: Wash (Hoban Washburne). He’s just a silly guy!

amelioration: Simon Tam. He puts in so much effort to help people improve

coitus: Kaylee (Kaywinnet Lee Frye), she just wants smth twixt her nethers.

enthrallment: Zoey Washburne. She is loyal & focused. She is on her track.

wildcard: River Tam. She IS the wildcard!