Marry Me
Song: Amanda Marshall

"You know what?" she asks as we wander down the ship's corridor after the movie ends.

"What?"

"I wanna laugh until I cry."

"Why?" I ask as I look at her.

"I've never done it before," Hoshi answers with a shrug.

"Okay. Well, I wanna wake up with you each day til the day that I die," I tell her with a bit of a nod.

"You should be good then," she tells me. She's still sore about me stayin' out all night with Malcolm and Jon last shore leave.

"Hey, ya gotta loosen the lead some times!" I say with a smile.

"Sorry," I add quickly when I see the look on her face. "When we get home, we should head to New Orleans, and watch the parade."

"I love Mardis Gras," she says as she lies down on the bed.

"And take funny pictures and eat jambalaya and drink lemon aid."

"Now you're talkin'," she said with a smile as she pulls me down next to her.

"And then, maybe, before we call it a night, you'll marry me," I say with a bit of a shrug. She looks at me for a moment, trying to figure out if I'm joking or not.

"Are you joking?" she asks.

"Well, maybe we should drive until we get lost and lay in a field while I point out the Southern Cross first. Yer always tellin' me how you can never find it."

"I didn't think you'd remember that," she says with a smile. She studies me for a moment more. "I know that you love me more in a minute than any one could in a life time, but . . . " she trails off as she starts to think about things. I lie down and pull her with me, wrapping my arms around her.

"Remember that time, dancin' in the parking lot," I start.

"While the band played inside," she finishes. "And you swept me off my feet."

"So, baby, marry me," I say again. "Ya got nothin' to lose."

"Charlie, I have a lot to lose," she starts.

"Come on, even Malcolm took the plunge with Liz."

"And if Malcolm jumped off a cliff, would you follow him?"

"Is there water and you at the bottom?" I ask with a smile. She swats at me.

"This is serious Charlie!"

"Is this about you wanting to wait until we get home? 'Cause, I mean, I'll wait, but we don't need no preacher man readin' from the good book."

"I will not be married by a Star Fleet captain," she says as she pokes my chest with her finger. I take her hand in mine and keep going.

"And you don't need no fancy dress!" I hesitate when I see the look on her face. "Because you don't need one! You look absolutely fabulous in anything and everything."

"That's better," she says.

"And there ain't no ceremony full of vows that I took, from the moment I metcha, I have been blessed."

"Honey dripper," she whispers.

"So, we should make a toast," I say as I kiss her. "Here's to you layin' here next to me, until the end of time," I kiss her again.

"They'll be iffy about letting us serve together."

"I'll demand it," I say. "Wherever you are, I wanna be and anything that means anything to ya, means everything to me." She thinks about this for a moment.

"Can we sneak out the back door, while they're throwin' the rice?" she asks.

"Yeah. And they'll talk for weeks, but we're all we need," I say as I roll her under me. "So, if you're free?"

"Marry me," she finishes as she kisses me senseless.