"Your husband seems rather put out with you," remarked Thomas Theisman cheerfully as he and Honor made their way out of ATC. "Could it have something to do with how thoroughly you handed him his head on a platter?"
"Well," said Honor modestly, her eyes twinkling, "in all fairness, you were on flag deck, too. I suppose I can admit just this once that it wasn't only me who did the handing."
"You give me too much credit, my lady!" Theisman carried on the game, enjoying the moment. Admiral White Haven had been rather put out with his junior wife for beating him so handily in the sim, but Theisman had seen the admiration in his eyes, too. And, Theisman thought with a smile, he wasn't the only one doing any admiring. On both a professional and personal level, it was a thing of beauty to watch someone as good as Duchess Harrington in action, particularly when he himself wasn't on the other side.
Now Honor reached out a hand to still him, her eyes focused on something he couldn't see, and Theisman paused as they came around a bend and he caught a glimpse of Admiral Oversteegen and Commander Hearns, their heads bent together. Despite the distance he could hear them clearly, and he gasped a little as Honor turned glowing eyes on him. He smiled back at her, his own eyes just a little damp.
"Abigail," Oversteegen was saying, and his heart was in his voice. "Abby, darlin', I know how much I'd be askin' you t' give up. You're a Grayson princess, and I'm an outworlder. Our home would likely be Navy ships and space stations, unless we have a few weeks in Landin' or at Saganami Island. And you know no one could guarantee how often we'd be together. But I had t' ask. I love you, Abby, and I want t' share my life with you. Will you marry me, darlin'?"
The tears spilled from Honor's eyes at that, and she held her breath, obviously willing them on. Theisman, too, found himself caught up in the spell; he knew Oversteegen by acquaintance and Hearns only by name, but he couldn't help himself. You really are an old romantic, Tom, he thought wryly, his eyes glued to the couple meters away.
"Yes," a soft Grayson accent said clearly, but she was stifling a sob. "I don't care about what you think I'd be giving up, Michael. The Navy is my home now. The Navy and you. Whatever happens, whatever we have to face next, I want to share it with you. Yes, Michael, I'll marry you, and thank the Tester you asked!"
Of course they kissed then. Theisman turned away, knowing they deserved privacy for this at least, and found himself meeting Honor's eyes. She smiled a little tearily, and murmured, "I think perhaps we'd best find an alternate route."
Smiling back at her, still glowing inside from what he had just seen, Theisman offered her his arm. "Shall we, my lady? That sim won't debrief itself. I'm sure your beloved husband will thoroughly enjoy hearing just where he went wrong."
Grinning like a 'cat in a celery patch, Honor took it.
Michael and Abigail never even knew they were there.
Author's Note: You know how sometimes, once in awhile, a pairing that should never have occurred to anyone grabs you by the heart? Well, thus I fell for the unlikely pairing of the compassionate conservative captain and the Grayson girl who wanted to hate him. You can thank "The Service of the Sword" for that one, as I read the last few pages and lost my heart both to Michael Oversteegen and to this very unlikely pairing. I hope you enjoyed this little ficlet, and I sincerely hope that this isn't the last I write about my new Honorverse OTP!