"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said no, Tom. Harry is not going to be the Godfather of our baby." B'Elana's arms were crossed and she had that look in her eyes. It was a look Tom knew all too well. It meant that no matter how hard he fought he wasn't going to be getting his way. At least, not without a major fight, a night on Harry's couch, several compromises and a lot of sucking up. While some issues he might let go of, he wouldn't let this one drop that easily.
"And I suppose Chakotay's the better choice?" He quipped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Yes, actually!" Her Klingon temper wasn't taking today off, that was for sure. "He's far more responsible. Not to mention older, more experienced…"
"Experienced with what?! Ex-criminals? No offense B'Elanna but Chakotay wouldn't be able to tell a baby from a boxing glove."
"Oh that's rich. Harry couldn't even keep his plant alive longer than a week!"
"Neelix gave him that plant because it was already dying, you know that. He thought Harry could try reviving it by playing his clarinet to it or some stupid shit like that." Tom rubbed his temples. This argument was giving him a headache.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." B'Elanna countered.
"But you've got to admit, it was very nurturing of Harry to try, and he didn't leave that poor plant alone the entire time he had it."
B'Elanna's eyes flashed, and Tom felt the sudden urge to duck. "I'm not letting you manipulate me, Tom Paris! Chakotay's my best friend and I want him to be the Godfather!"
"And Harry is my best friend!" Tom countered.
Next door, Ensign Kim rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. That argument just keeps going in circles… do you think we should tell them?" He looked over at Chakotay, who had made himself at home on Harry's bed. Chakotay was grinning from ear to ear and Harry narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"I remember that plant." Chakotay reminisced, and Harry groaned.
"Don't even start."
"What was it you called it? Luna? Leia?"
"Lyra." Harry mumbled.
"Lyra! That's it! You were so cute carrying that thing around…"
"Chakotay…" Harry was flushed an embarrassing shade of pink now. Fortunately, Chakotay seemed to get the hint. He didn't say another word about the plant, but he did open his arms in a silent invitation and Harry needed no further encouragement to crawl into bed with the man. He settled himself against Chakotay's chest just as the sound of shattering glass from next door reached their ears.
"We should probably tell them…" Harry restated his earlier question, and Chakotay tilted Harry's face toward his own.
"You mean that?"
"Of course… why wouldn't I?"
"It's just… it's a big step."
"It's been almost a year…"
"I know, I can't believe it's been that long already. But think about this, Harry. If we tell them, and they make both of us Godfathers…"
Harry nodded, knowing where he was going with this. "Then we're pretty much committing to possibly having to raise a child together. I know. But don't you ever think about that?"
"Having kids? With you?" Harry nodded to confirm. "Of course. Someday, I hope it's a possibility for us. I'm not in any hurry, though. I like what we have now."
"Me too." Harry agreed. "But it's not like being Godparents is going to change that. She's not our baby, after all, we just get to babysit once in a while and spoil her rotten."
"True… We can get her all hyped up on sugar right before we send her home."
Harry grinned, "That's the spirit. So we'll tell them?"
"Yes. We'll tell them. But to be clear… does this mean we're telling everybody?"
Harry paused, thinking. "I think so. It's been nearly a year, I feel good about us and besides… I'm tired of watching other people flirt with you. Maybe if they knew you were taken…"
Chakotay leaned in and planted a firm kiss on Harry's lips. "You're the only one I want, Harry. Whether people flirt with me or not, remember that."
"I will." Harry whispered.
"Now, how do you want to tell them?"
Tom and B'Elanna sat across from each other in the mess hall. It had been a long and trying night for the both of them, but after arguing in circles for several hours they finally called it a night, slept for about four hours, and now they were each pointedly trying to ignore the topic over breakfast.
"This jam is interesting." Tom commented, and by interesting he meant he'd rather watch the Delta Flyer be vandalized than finish eating it.
"Mhm." Was B'Elanna's response. And by that she meant she's pretty sure she may have just accidentally poisoned their child and the issue of selecting a Godfather would no longer be anything to argue over.
"Enjoying your breakfast?" Neelix cut in, his usual bright and chipper self that sometimes made B'Elanna want to throw herself out an airlock in the mornings. No one could be that much of a morning person, surely. Almost seven years of living on the same ship as Neelix still hadn't convinced her of it.
"What is this?" She motioned to the jam on her toast.
"I'm so glad you asked! I whipped it up last week after I heard about your big news… It's an old Talaxian recipe. Perfect for expecting mothers. It has lots of pre-natal vitamins. Of course, I probably should have let it ferment another day or so, but I was just so excited to see how you liked it."
B'Elanna threw down her unfinished toast. "Thanks, but I think the Doctor's got the vitamin thing covered with my five daily hyposprays."
The Mess Hall doors opened and the pair that walked through were certainly turning heads. It didn't take long to figure out why. Chakotay and Harry were holding hands. B'Elanna looked to Tom for an explanation, but all he could do was shrug. Neelix looked just as perplexed, albeit thrilled and Tom wondered if he was already planning a wedding meal for the pair. He didn't stay to share them though, as someone waved him over to the kitchen for service.
Chakotay stopped at the replicator and ordered for the both of them, then led Harry over to the table where Tom and B'Elanna were sitting. The married pair stared at them, waiting for an explanation. Chakotay handed Harry a bowl of oatmeal from the tray and a spoon before grabbing his own bowl and spoon.
"So, B'Elanna. How's that warp core diagnostic coming along?"
"It's almost done… Care to explain what's going on here?"
Harry jumped in, "I'm sorry, are we supposed to ask before sitting with you now that you're expecting a baby? I mean there's not really a need for a high chair yet but if you need more space, B'Elanna, I'm sure we can find a bigger table…?"
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
Chakotay pretended to look confused. "You mean the oatmeal…? I had a craving. Harry wanted to try it. It's really quite good, I programmed one of my father's old recipes into the replicator. Here, try a bite." He offered the spoon to her.
"How long?" Tom asked, his arms folded over his chest. He knew exactly what was going on, and he wasn't about to play these dumb games.
Harry broke into a grin that could have cured cancer. "It'll be a year next month."
"A year?!" B'Elanna exclaimed. "How the hell do you keep a secret like that for a year?!"
Chakotay shrugged. "We have ways. Unlike some people, for example, we take the time to make sure no one can hear us through the bulkheads…"
B'Elanna flushed, "We can be discreet!"
Tom choked on his bagel. She glared at him.
"I guess you heard us arguing last night then…?" Tom inquired. Chakotay nodded.
"Every word."
"Well then. This solves our problem, doesn't it B'Elanna?"
"How?"
"Well no matter who we pick, we may as well just be picking them both."
B'Elanna looked as though she wanted to protest, but looking at how Chakotay held Harry's hand on the table as they ate, and how Harry looked at Chakotay like he was the god damned centre of the universe… It was hard to argue.
She sighed, "Chakotay, Harry… Would you be the godparents to our daughter?"
"We'd be honoured."