"Mariner, I need you on this mission," Ransom said, handing her a PADD.
"This is the mission to extract that diplomat, isn't it," she asked, her expression serious.
"I need your tactical skills. Things have escalated and we can't afford to wait for a Sovereign class ship to get here. The Aventine is also on the way, but they are still 5 hours out. The ambassador has signaled us through an emergency frequency, so there's no time to wait. We're going in full black ops mode," Ransom explained.
"What time do we depart?" she asked, feeling the gravity of the situation.
"In one hour. Just enough time to read the mission parameters, get prepped, and run through the shuttle pre-launch procedures. Dismissed." Ransom nodded to her.
She ran through the empty corridor to Boimler's quarters and slammed her hand on the chime. Boimler met her at the door, pulling her in quickly.
"I heard you got drafted for the away mission," he said, concern evident on his face. They knew this was a seriously dangerous mission: a mission for a specialized team, not Cali class misfits.
"It's going to be okay," she hugged him, knowing that he was worried, "I have to go read the mission brief and get into my tactical gear before we leave, so I can't really stay for more than a minute."
"Okay look, I was going to do this next week when we're at Douglas Station, but I don't want to wait," he said, putting his hand in his pocket.
Mariner froze as he got down on one knee. "I knew it!" she blurted out before she could stop herself, "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I blew that didn't I?"
"Not as long as you say yes," he laughed, knowing that nothing ever went the way he planned it when Mariner was involved.
"YES. Yes, of course! A thousand times yes," she squealed, both laughing and crying, "God dammit, why did you have to do this right before I have to leave?!"
He stood up and hugged her, laughing with her as he slid the ring on her finger.
"Oh my god," she gasped, looking at the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen.
"It was made from family diamonds… mostly from my grandmother and great-grandmother on the Boimler side," he said, holding her hand in his and admiring how the ring fit her perfectly, "So I figured you'd be motivated to keep the ring safe and as a side effect, you'd keep yourself safe."
"You just may have figured me out, Brad," she laughed, hugging him tightly and giving him a quick kiss, "I'll see you the second I get back."
Mariner was surprised to see Tendi suiting up in tactical black as well but remembered that Tendi had gone on a classified mission with Ransom a while ago and had earned a commendation for it.
Both attempted to read the mission parameters as they changed, tripping while climbing into their padded tactical suits. Mariner's hands were shaking, and she was dying to tell Tendi about Boimler's rushed proposal, but she promised herself that her parents would be the first to know.
They raced each other to the shuttle bay where Ransom was performing external checks on the shuttle Joshua Tree. Shaxs was inside the shuttle, sorting phaser rifles and helmets.
Mariner and Tendi sat down and took the last few minutes to read over the mission parameters one last time, ensuring they knew the plan for extracting the diplomat from the embassy, which would be patrolled by opposition soldiers.
Boimler watched from the bar as the shuttle Joshua Tree quickly left the shuttle bay. "Hey," Rutherford said, joining him at their usual table.
They clinked their glasses together in a toast. "To Black Ops Mariner," Rutherford said.
"And Tendi The Cleaner," Boimler added with a smile.
"You staying here until they get back?" Rutherford asked, swirling his drink around in his glass.
"Yep," Boimler said simply. He met Rutherford's eyes and they shared a silent wish that the ladies would arrive back safely, both of them knowing that the waiting would be the hardest part.
"I'll get the Diplomath game board," Rutherford said.
It was 0230 before any news came at all. Captain Freeman received a short burst transmission from the away team with a coded message indicating that they had been successful in retrieving the diplomat and were inside the shuttle on a return trajectory and requesting that sickbay be on alert.
"Lieutenant Farr, I'll be in my ready room. Alert me the second they return," She instructed, "You have the conn."
Mariner's arm was broken again, and she cradled it in the black sling that Shaxs had put on her as soon as they arrived back to the shuttle. "I would have had that dude if Ransom hadn't been in my way," she whispered to Tendi, who silently nodded.
Tendi was suffering from quite a few phaser burns but would be good as new once sickbay was available. Everyone else was returning to the ship battered and bruised as well, but alive. The ambassador, a Tellarite, was in the worst shape, with two broken legs. The away team had carried him back to the shuttle after a fire fight.
Mariner and Tendi refused to transport directly to sickbay, knowing that Rutherford and Boimler would be awake, waiting. "They are probably drunk as skunks in the bar playing Diplomath," Tendi whispered to Mariner as they saw the Cerritos appear on the viewscreen.
Boimler and Rutherford had watched the shuttle return safely to the Cerritos and hoped that everyone inside was safe too.
"Should we wait here?" Rutherford asked.
"I'm sure Mariner knows I'm here," Boimler laughed, raising his 5th or 6th drink in the air. He had stopped counting at 0300. Waking up for duty was going to be lots of fun.
He thought he might be hallucinating her appearance but he wasn't sure until Mariner talked. "Are you drunk?" she whispered, appearing out of nowhere in the bar.
"Oh my god, you're okay," he whispered loudly, falling all over himself to pull her into his arms. She smelled like phaser fire and grass, but he buried his face in her neck, his hands shaking as he realized just how worried he really was.
"Except a broken arm, but that's not a big deal," she said with a smile, enjoying the rare sight of Boimler shit faced and emotional, "I promise I'll go straight to sickbay as soon as I get you back to your quarters." She looked over to see that Tendi was having the same conversation with Rutherford, who was also completely lit and smiling goofily. They shared a "can you believe this?" look with each other.
Mariner's left arm was broken, so she had to be sure to support Boimler on her right side. He was relatively cooperative and followed her to his quarters, stopping every so often to tell her how much he loved her.
She got him into his quarters and got his uniform jacket off so that he would be a bit more comfortable, but she couldn't help him any further due to only having one functional arm. "You need to lay down and go to sleep," she whispered to him, gently pushing him so that he sat down on the side of the bed.
"You can't stay with me tonight?" he asked, reaching up to run his hands up her sides, "You look super-hot in your tactical gear, Becky. I can't believe you're going to be my wife. You're so beautiful."
"I have to go to sickbay. I will definitely see you at breakfast, where you will have a nasty hangover," she laughed, kissing him on the forehead and pulling him close for a hug. She knew he would regret all those drinks in the morning but decided to cut him some slack because he had obviously been worrying about her the whole time.
Mariner arrived in sickbay as Captain Freeman was getting a briefing from T'Ana. Ransom was standing nearby, looking commanding but also like a meathead. Shaxs had returned to the bridge to check on Delta shift.
She climbed up on a biobed next to Tendi, patiently waiting her turn, thankful for the painkillers that had been in the first aid kit on the shuttle.
"Alright, Mariner, let's see the arm," T'Ana came over, tricorder and bone knitter in hand, "WOAH, look at that rock!"
"Shhhhh, I have to tell my parents first!" Mariner shushed her, also looking over at Tendi to indicate that she had to be quiet too. Luckily, Captain Freeman hadn't heard T'Ana and was still talking with Ransom near the ambassador's biobed.
By the time she was done in sickbay, it was 0630. "No point in going to sleep now," Mariner decided, grabbing a towel to take a shower and get dressed for the day. She only had one duty shift left before she had a day off, so she just had to make it another 12 hours or so.
At 0730 she rang the chime on Boimler's door, wondering if he would even wake up or if she would have to override the door. A few seconds later, the door slid open and Boimler waved her in, his hand on his forehead as he hunched over at the waist, still in partial uniform.
"I regret drinks 4 through 7," he croaked, sitting back down on the couch.
"Let me get you some pain meds and some electrolyte water," she said, kicking into caretaker mode.
"Computer, electrolyte water with lemon, cold. Two analgesic tablets, maximum strength," she ordered from the replicator, taking the drink and pills over to him.
"Do you want me to have Tendi bring something from sickbay?" she asked, gently sitting down next to him and patting his thigh.
He choked down the pills with a drink of water and sighed. "Probably."
"Mariner to Tendi. Can you do me a favor?"
"Tendi here. I'm already on the way."
Within seconds, Tendi rang the door chime and Mariner hopped up to answer it. "I just sorted out Rutherford, so I knew I'd need to come here too."
"Boys," Mariner chuckled, rolling her eyes.
Tendi gave Boimler two hyposprays and within seconds he was feeling better. "God, why did I drink that much on a work night?" he groaned.
"Somebody was worried," Tendi elbowed Mariner.
"Two somebodies," Mariner laughed.
Tendi side eyed both of them before slyly saying, "I'm going to need to hear the story of that ring sometime soon. But I'll be quiet for now."
"I'd rather go on that mission again than have to tell my parents, but unfortunately I owe them the courtesy," Mariner sulked and crossed her arms.
"At least let me see it," Tendi said, holding out her hand. Mariner extended her hand and Tendi smiled sweetly. "You guys are so cute; it's disgusting."
Mariner laughed and hugged Tendi, who waved goodbye and snuck out of the room as quickly as she had arrived.
"Well, I think I'll live now," Boimler sighed, carefully standing up from the couch and grabbing his uniform jacket.
Mariner stepped closer to him to straighten his hair and fix his jacket. "Oh shit, we have to go tell the captain before the rumor mill starts, don't we?" he asked, realizing why Mariner was making sure he looked perfect.
"Gotta rip off the band-aid. You can decide when we tell your parents." She smoothed the front of his jacket.
"Okay," he took a breath to steady himself, "Do you want to see if she's on the bridge now?"
"Mariner to Freeman, are you in your ready room?"
"Freeman. Yes, see you in a minute."
"She suspects something," Boimler groaned.
Mariner knew she'd have to do the talking, so she blurted it out the second the door closed. "Mom, we're engaged."
Freeman sighed, and Mariner wasn't sure how to interpret it. "Maybe I will be able to get some grandchildren finally," Carol said, sitting back down at her desk.
Mariner frowned and crossed her arms, but Boimler burst out laughing, releasing the tension in the room.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant. I hope you know what you're in for, joining this family," the captain smiled.
"Captain, I have to warn you that as soon as my mom finds out, she's going to want to host you and the admiral for dinner," Boimler cringed slightly, looking over at Mariner for help.
"Mom, it was easier than dealing with the Dooplers," she chimed in, "I've already been for my introductory dinner."
"The only problem is… she hates Starfleet," Boimler added.
"Oh, that sounds lovely," Freeman said sarcastically, laughing.
"Do I need to call Dad?" Mariner asked.
"I have a call with him in an hour to update him on the rescue mission, so I will fill him in," Freeman said, "Go get some breakfast before your shift starts."
Boimler and Mariner made it into the turbolift before dissolving in relief. Mariner blew out the breath that she had been holding and then reached over to hug Boimler. "My hands are still shaking," he laughed.
The captain waited for the admiral's face to appear on screen before gloating.
"Good morning, Carol," Admiral Freeman greeted her.
"So, about that extra week of shore leave…" Carol said with a smirk.
"She actually said yes?" he said, surprised that his daughter would ever agree to follow a tradition of any kind.
"Faster than I ever thought she would," she smiled, "I always knew they had a special kind of connection, from the second I asked him to spy on her and he refused."
"She's a good officer when she wants to be. Maybe she will stay out of trouble now, give us some grandkids, rank up and follow Lieutenant Boimler to a Sovereign class," he mused, smiling.
"Zo, we're going to have to plan a wedding," Carol grimaced.
"I'll start working on the guest list. Should we book the ballroom at Douglas Station or Starfleet Headquarters?"
After dinner, they took a walk to the arboretum to spend a little more time together to celebrate their engagement.
"So…" Mariner tried to keep a straight face, "when do I get to tell all the 'grape girls' that you're mine forever now?"
Boimler cringed. "I forgot that we haven't told my parents yet," he groaned.
"What time is it there? Maybe we could call them now," Mariner suggested gently. She knew this was something Boimler was not looking forward to doing, and she was sympathetic but also glad that they had told her parents right away.
Boimler did a quick search on his PADD to check the time in Modesto. "Looks like 1600. My dad gets home around 1700, but he already knows."
"How does he know?" Mariner asked, confused.
"How do you think I got the ring?" he winked at her.
"Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about it! That's what that couriered package was!" Everything started to click for Mariner.
"Should you call your mom alone then? Like should I not even be on the call?" she asked, assuming that there might be tears or something and she wanted to avoid experiencing that.
Boimler sighed. "You know, I have no idea how she's going to react. Maybe I should do this alone really quick. Sorry, I know that's kind of shitty."
"You know her better than I do. Don't apologize," Mariner said, giving him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Okay, I'm going to run to my quarters. Wait for me in the arboretum. This shouldn't take long… either she disowns me, or she will grudgingly accept it. Wish me luck!" He jogged off down the corridor toward a turbolift.
Mariner figured it was time to make some calls of her own, so she sat down on a bench in the arboretum and put in a call to Will Riker and Deanna Troi. His first officer answered the communication on the bridge and patched her through to the captain's ready room.
"Mariner!" Riker shouted from his desk. Deanna was leaning over his shoulder with a smile on her face.
"The pleasure of your company is requested at… my wedding!" Mariner blurted out, knowing that Riker loved a party.
"Of course, we will be there! Who's the lucky groom?" Deanna replied before Will could make any lude comments.
"Brad Boimler," Mariner said, waiting for Will's reaction.
"BRAD BOIMLER?! Mariner, I should have seen that coming. All he ever talked about was you when he was on the Titan," Riker laughed heartily but Mariner's black heart warmed a considerable amount.
"Should I bring my trombone?" Will asked Deanna, who shook her head.
"Absolutely!" Mariner interrupted.
Boimler reappeared as she was wrapping up the call to the Titan and Mariner pulled him into the frame. "Captain Riker!" Boimler said, shocked but still attempting to be formal.
"Good choice, Lieutenant! Marriage is the greatest adventure of all!" Riker congratulated them.
"Send us the invitation, we will be there! Can't wait to see you!" Deanna chimed in before they said goodbye.
"Are you serious? You and the Rikers are on friendly call terms?" Boimler said, incredulous.
"You do realize that this is going to be a high-profile wedding, right? I'm going to have to wear a big fancy dress and get my hair done and everything. I know my dad, and he's got a guest list a mile long by now, and you're going to shit a brick when you see who's on it," Mariner laughed.
Boimler looked a little paler than usual, so Mariner put her arm around him to steady him. "Tell me what she said."
"It was the strangest thing… she was happy for me," he said in a soft voice, still in shock.
"Wait, what? I was expecting a blow out," Mariner frowned.
"She likes you," he said, "and as predicted, your parents are invited to dinner when we go on shore leave again."
"This is going to be a shit show," Mariner laughed as Boimler's PADD alerted him to an incoming call from Earth.
"BRAAAAAD!" Angelica yelled as soon as the call connected. Chad and Eddie were in the background making vomiting motions.
Boimler put his arm around Mariner and pulled her close so that they were both in view of Angelica.
"Beckett! Listen to me right now…" Angelica said seriously, "You guys need to do exactly what you want to do for your wedding. Don't listen to anyone else. If you have to run away somewhere and elope, then do it. PROMISE ME."
Now knowing the story behind Angelica's broken engagement, she understood exactly where she was coming from.
"I promise," Mariner said, leaning her head against Boimler's, "but first I want to ask you to be one of my bridesmaids."
"Seriously? Oh my gosh, I would be honored," Angelica gasped. Boimler looked over at Mariner with a smile; it had been a surprise to him as well.
Mr. Boimler leaned into the view screen, having just arrived home. "Congrats, son," he said, waving, "Angelica is over the moon about having another woman in the family."
"Hi Beckett, dear," Mrs. Boimler chimed in, coming into focus as she came up behind Mr. Boimler.
"Hi Mrs. Boimler," Mariner said in her best cheerful voice.
"No more of that, there are going to be multiple Mrs. Boimlers now! You can call me Catherine," she said, Boimler nearly choking on his own spit.
"Thank you!" Mariner smiled, stepping on Boimler's foot.
"I told Bradward, but I'd love to meet your parents as soon as possible the next time you're on Earth!" Catherine continued.
"Thanks Mom, I told her. We will have to check the admiral's schedule," Boimler interjected, trying to cut off the conversation.
"Well, we can't wait to see you both again. Everyone is very excited," Mr. Boimler said, also working to end the call.
"I'll be in touch next week when we get to Jupiter Station," Boimler said hurriedly.
"Bye! See you soon!" Mariner took pity on him and helped close out the call.
They were silent for a minute as the chaos of the call ended.
"I know you're worried about your mom screwing things up, but it's going to be okay," Mariner comforted him, "Who knows, it could be my mom who screws things up!"
Boimler chuckled and pulled her in for a hug, "You look exhausted, and I know I am."
"I didn't go to sleep after we got back, so I'm running on adrenaline and raktajino right now," she said, realizing that she really was exhausted, "but I am off duty tomorrow, so maybe I will be able to sleep all day."
"Come on, you can sleep in my quarters so no one wakes you up," Boimler said, offering his hand to her as they stood up. He walked with her to her bunk so she could grab some clothes as she yawned every few seconds, and as soon as her head hit the pillows in his bed, she was asleep.
Getting out of bed the next morning was nearly impossible for Boimler. His arms were wrapped around her and he watched her sleep for a few minutes before forcing himself to get up.
He dressed quietly in low light so that he wouldn't wake her. He couldn't help but smile; she looked so peaceful, her ring sparkling in the low light as she stretched her arm across his side of the bed.
Realizing he had gotten out of bed, Mariner glanced around the room, her eyes falling on his figure in the low light.
"Hey," he whispered, "I didn't want to wake you."
"I hate that you have duty today," she replied, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Starfleet life," he chuckled, coming over to sit next to her on the bed, taking her hand.
"Tendi says we should write holonovels instead," Mariner said drowsily, smiling.
"Sounds fine to me."
"Let's get you in the captain's chair and then we can figure out the rest of our life," she smoothed the shoulders of his uniform with a smile.