May 20, 2378 1355 Ready Room
Kathryn had promised Chakotay that she would tell Tuvok about their plans to marry, and she had had plenty of time to do it since making that promise, but she'd been procrastinating. She'd contacted B'Elanna and told her that she and Chakotay wanted to meet with her and Tom and Harry later that afternoon or in the early evening. B'Elanna had asked that they come to the Paris' quarters about 1730. So that was all set, but she hadn't told Tuvok yet. She just wasn't sure how to go about it. Should she explain how they had arrived at the decision or simple tell him about it, and then explain if he asked questions? She wasn't sure and every scenario she played out in her head made her feel like a teenager trying to explain herself. 'Well,' she thought to herself, 'I can't put it off much longer, I'm suppose to meet Chakotay in sickbay in 15 minutes and he's bound to ask me how Tuvok took the news.'
"Janeway to Tuvok," she said to initiate a commlink.
"Tuvok here," came the Vulcan's crisp reply.
"Please join me in my ready room for a few minutes, Commander," she requested.
"Of course Captain," Tuvok replied as he closed the commlink. "Mr. Kim you have the bridge," Tuvok said, as he made his way from the command center to the doors of the ready room. As he traversed the distance he wondered what the captain wished to discuss. Perhaps she wanted to talk about security issues arising from so many members of the crew having their contraceptive boosters neutralized. There had been a few altercations but nothing serious and it was the doctor's contention that the situation would ease in another few weeks as the men's testosterone levels finally reached equilibrium. Although the doctor did warn that there could be another period of unrest when the women began experiencing the effects of neutralizing their boosters.
"Good afternoon Tuvok," Kathryn greeted her Security officer and longtime friend as the doors to her ready room parted. "May I get you something to drink, tea or spring water?"
Kathryn's offer to provide him with spring water put Tuvok on guard. She knew Vulcan traditions well enough to know that offering a visitor water could place a meeting in a much more formal light. He decided to accept the offer. Not so much because he was thirsty, though if truth were told he was slightly, but as a way of recognizing that she felt this meeting was important. "Yes, I would appreciate a glass of spring water," he replied.
Kathryn requested two spring waters from the replicator; one slightly warmer than the other as would best suit a Vulcan's taste, and brought them over to the seating area in her ready room.
"Please sit with me Tuvok there is something I'd like to tell you," Kathryn said.
"Of course, Captain," Tuvok said as he sat and took the glass of water from her hand.
"No Tuvok, I want to talk to you as your friend Kathryn not as your captain," she corrected him.
"I see," said Tuvok, "and what does my friend Kathryn want to tell me."
Tuvok believed he had suddenly put all the clues together that had been before him for the past several days, well, in truth some of the clues had been there for years, and knew what his friend was about to say. He found himself almost anxious for her to reveal her secret.
Kathryn suddenly stood and began to pace. "I'm not sure how best to go about this," she said nervously.
Tuvok felt as though he were dealing with an immature daughter and if he were to admit to having feelings he would say at this moment he was impatient with his friend. "Perhaps it would be best if you merely stated the factual information first. Any necessary explanation can come afterwards," Tuvok advised her.
Janeway came back to the sofa, sat down and said, "Yes, yes I suppose you're right." She then turned to face Tuvok more directly and fixed her blue eyes on his brown and simply stated, "I have agreed to marry Chakotay."
Tuvok had been correct this was what all the clues were pointing towards.
"Congratulations, Kathryn, may you and your betrothed have many years of contentment together," he said in a manner that was almost warm, considering it came from a Vulcan.
Kathryn was a little taken aback, she wasn't sure what she'd expected of Tuvok, but an easy acceptance wasn't it.
"Then you approve of our marriage?" she asked tentatively.
"While I do not think it is my place to approve or disapprove of my commanding officers' personal affairs, I do approve of my friend's increased happiness. I also believe this marriage will be good for this ship and her crew," Tuvok replied.
"What makes you say that?" Kathryn asked, extremely curious as to Tuvok's reasoning about his last statment.
"You and Commander Chakotay have one of the finest command relationships it has been my privilege to observe; however, there are times when the two of you have been uncomfortable in each others' presence for personal reasons. I suspect those instances will diminish markedly and that the intimacy that marriage engenders may actually improve your command relationship," Tuvok responded.
"But Tuvok, what if we carry some personal issue into our professional lives, we could endanger the crew if we damaged our professional relationship." she said suddenly playing devil's advocate because Tuvok wasn't.
"I do not believe you will do so or at least not often and certainly not when it might endanger the crew. My suspicion is that you will 'keep each other honest' but if you wish, I will also be vigilant for any such intrusion of your personal life into your professional one," Tuvok said to counter her doubts.
"Oh Tuvok, you are truly a good friend," Kathryn said her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"I would warn you though that your professional life could intrude upon your personal as well. You must guard against that too, especially when the relationship is yet new and tender. You must try to leave professional matters outside your quarters or at the least outside the bedroom." Tuvok advised.
Kathryn was a bit shocked to hear her Vulcan friend giving her marital advice so bluntly, but then again he was a married man with children and a grandchild.
"Remember you and the commander share certain qualities that are admirable in officers, such as loyalty and being conscientious about your duty, however these shared qualities and others like them can also strain a marriage. You can both carry your sense of duty too far and you tend to be too self-sacrificing. There is also the matter of your tempers. Yours is perhaps quicker than his, but his is also rather more prone to violent expression than yours. Bear in mind that all marriages have periods of disharmony and discontent," at her questioning look he added, "even Vulcan marriages. But if you remember why you wanted to marry him in the first place you will be able to ride out the storms that will inevitably come," Tuvok concluded.
"So do you think it is 'logical' that we get married?" she asked teasing her old friend a bit.
"Logical? Perhaps not, but human marriages are seldom based on logic. Were I a human, I might at this juncture ask you if you love Chakotay, but there is no need. I know you love him as he loves you; this is a truth that has been apparent to all aboard this ship for many years. And while it is true that marriages depend on more than love, for most humans it is a sufficient foundation for a marriage. I believe you and the commander do possess all the qualities that will grant you an enduring and contented union," Tuvok answered just a moment before a beep sounded at Kathryn's computer console.
"Oh that's a reminder that I must meet Chakotay in sickbay," Kathryn said as she stood up.
"There is nothing wrong with your health or the commander's is there?" Tuvok asked solicitously.
"No, we simply wanted to give the doctor our news, he was somewhat instrumental in our finally deciding to talk about and act upon our feelings," Kathryn answered.
"Indeed?" Tuvok said with his trademark raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I'll tell you all about it another time. As it is I need to go meet Chakotay before he thinks something's wrong," she replied.
"Then I will let you go and I shall return to the bridge," Tuvok said.
"Oh Tuvok, we haven't let all the senior staff in on this yet, so please wait until we've had the chance before saying anything," she requested.
"Of course Captain," Tuvok replied as he left the ready room.
Kathryn took the other exit from her ready room and caught the turbolift to sickbay.
May 20, 2378 1410 Sickbay
Just outside the sickbay she met Chakotay coming from the other direction. "So how did your call to your sister go?" she asked.
"It was wonderful, but even at 10 minutes it was way too brief and…" he trailed off.
"What?" she asked.
"I just wished I could reach through the screen and hug her," he said with a sheepish grin.
She reached over and put her arm around his waist and he put his around hers. "This might get us in trouble with the captain. We are after all still on a duty shift," Chakotay teasingly warned.
"I won't tell if you won't," she said with a laugh.
Just as they walked through the sickbay doors together she asked, "Did you tell her?"
"Tell who what?" the always-inquisitive doctor asked.
Janeway realized that the doctor's busybody attitude had given her the perfect way of introducing the topic to be discussed and so plunged ahead, saying, "I was wondering if Chakotay told his sister that we're getting married."
"The two of you are getting married?" the doctor said with obvious delight.
"Well, I guess I can delete that second directive now," he added with a huge grin.
"Yes, yes you can," Chakotay said then he turned to Kathryn, keeping the hand that was on her waist were it was and adding his other hand to the other side of her waist, he answered the question she'd ask as they had entered sickbay, "and yes, I did tell my sister. Actually I only told her I was getting married and she guessed it was you I was marrying," he told her.
"How did she do that?" Kathryn asked Chakotay.
"I too wondered that and when I asked her how she knew, she said, 'Your voice caressed her name and your face lit up when you mentioned her'," after confessing this to her Chakotay looked down at his feet and pulled on his ear, his trademark sign of feeling bashful.
"Oh Chakotay," Kathryn said and reached out a hand to caress his cheek.
The doctor suddenly realized that he was as useful to this conversation as a hairbrush and a hot lunch was to him, so he said, "Computer deactivate emergency medical hologram."
"Doctor?" Kathryn said.
"Oops looks like we ran him off," said Chakotay, "and I wanted to talk to him about something."
"What, the side effects of neutralizing the boosters?" Kathryn asked.
"Huh? Oh yes, I've had quite a few of the crew in to talk about it, and I thought I'd see what more the doctor knows." Chakotay answered, using Kathryn's supplied explanation to cover his real reason for wanting to talk to the doctor.
"So when are we suppose to inform the rest of the senior staff?" Chakotay inquired.
"Well, I talked to B'Elanna earlier today, she said she would like us to stop by about 1730 and she's inviting Harry too. I thought we could leave there and go to the mess hall and tell Neelix our news. Then we can have dinner alone in my quarters," Kathryn said the last bit in a soft whisper that was definitely seductive.
"OK," Chakotay said, a little flustered by how Kathryn's dinner invitation was affecting him. "Um, I'm going to reactivate the doctor and talk to him about the booster situation, and then I'll finish this shift in my office. I'll pick you up at your quarters about 1715 to go to Tom and B'Elanna's, OK?" he asked.
"Alright see you then, sweetheart," Kathryn said as she stood on her tiptoes to reach up and give him a kiss on his cheek. She then turned towards the doors to sickbay so gracefully that she seemed to him like a ballerina executing a perfect pirouette. Chakotay stood and stared at the sickbay doors for a few moments, lost in his thoughts of the woman who had just left.
"Computer, initiate emergency medical hologram," Chakotay ordered.
"Commander, what more can I do for you today? Oh, I suppose you want the update on the side effects of the boosters. Is that it?" the EMH asked.
"Well that's my cover story," Chakotay answered.
"Your cover story?" the EMH repeated curiously.
"Yes, I do want an update on the side effects, but what I'm really here for is some help in figuring out Kathryn's ring size. I thought that you could use the holographic image you made of her during her last physical to determine her ring size," Chakotay said hopefully.
"Of course, commander," the doctor replied enthusiastically, glad to be helping the lovebirds. He called up the captain's records and projected an image of the captain.
The doctor could see that Commander Chakotay was very pleased by what he saw. "Computer using the projected hologram, determine the ring size of Captain Janeway," the EMH requested.
"Please state which finger of which hand is desired," the computer requested more information.
"Ring finger of left hand," Chakotay specified.
"The ring finger of Captain Janeway's left hand is size 4," The computer reported.
"Great now I can replicate an engagement ring for her!" Chakotay exclaimed.
"You know commander you could use the holographic image to check out how different rings would look on her," The EMH suggested.
"That's a great idea, Doc!" Chakotay said.
After a few trials and errors (he discovered large stones looked ridiculous on Kathryn's petite finger), Chakotay settled on a flawless, white round cut 1-carat diamond in a classic gold solitaire setting. He transferred the information to the replicator in his quarters where he would replicate it later.
"OK doctor, so about the boosters update," Chakotay prompted the doctor to report.
"Oh, yes," the EMH began to report to his executive officer and the ship's unofficial ship's counselor. "Well, a couple of things, first, you can tell the men that having the symptoms is actually a good thing because no man has had a return to fertility without experiencing his fair share of the symptoms. Second, the symptoms begin to fade after a few months, however their libidos will not return to the levels they were at when they were using boosters as it has been discovered that prolonged use of the boosters causes a slow decline in a man's sex drive."
"Well, I'll be damned," Chakotay said, interrupting the EMH. "So this decline in sex drive is so subtle most men don't notice its happening, right?" he asked the doctor.
"Yes, it is very gradual. Most men have attributed it to age or other factors like stress rather than suspecting the boosters," the EMH explained.
"Huh, OK so the guys just need to hang on for a few months or so and then things should calm down a bit, but their sex drives will be greater than the were on the boosters, is that the gist of things?" Chakotay asked the EMH.
"Yes, except-" the doctor said.
"Except what?" Chakotay inquired.
"Well, about the time the men's trouble with the testosterone surges begin to subside the women who are going to recover their fertility will begin experiencing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Primarily anxiety, mood swings, irritability and nervous tension along with weight gain, swelling of the extremities, breast tenderness and abdominal bloating. Some of them will also experience headache, craving for sweets especially chocolates, increased appetite, heart palpitations, dizziness or fainting, and fatigue. These symptoms only last for a short time and usually will precede the monthly menstrual period by a week or two. Also, the women who are going to have a rebound in their fertility will experience longer and more intense menstrual periods than they've been used to on the boosters with a concomitant increase in the discomfort associated with them. Unfortunately, unlike the men, these symptoms will not fade away with time for the women but instead will become a part of their monthly routine," the doctor concluded.
"Makes me glad I'm a guy," Chakotay said honestly as he started towards the sickbay doors.
"Indeed, but you are 'a guy' intimately involved with a woman, chances are you'll have the opportunity to experience her symptoms by proxy," the doctor warned.
"Thanks, I hadn't thought of that," Chakotay glumly added as he left the sickbay.
On his way back to his office, Chakotay remembered back to when Maliya began her menses, an occasion that was celebrated in his tribe. His father had joked about how now they had two women to tiptoe around twice a month. When Chakotay made the inarticulate comment 'huh?,' his father had affectionately cuffed his head and asked if he hadn't noticed that his normally sweet natured mother became a sharp tongued shrew twice a month? Chakotay didn't know what his father meant by shrew, but he did know that occasionally his mother could be uncharacteristically short-tempered or overly emotional. It made him uncomfortable when she was like that, thinking he'd have to look forward to Kathryn being that way was unsettling.
May 20, 2378 1445 Commander Chakotay's Office
Just after he reached his office and began reviewing some pads on his desk the door chime to his office sounded. He assumed it was another crewmember wanting to talk about the boosters, so he didn't bother checking who was outside his office but simply said, "Come In."
He was startled to look up and see Tuvok standing in front of his desk.
"Good afternoon Commander, may I speak with you?" Tuvok asked.
"Uh, yes of course." Chakotay answered nervously and motioned to Tuvok to take the chair opposite him.
He'd forgotten to ask Kathryn if she'd talked to Tuvok or not. On a day like today when he expected many visitors to his office he had learned to keep a carafe of coffee and a carafe of ice water on his desk so he could offer visitors a drink without having to use the replicator so often. He wondered if he should offer Tuvok some water, but the anthropologist in him warned that that could place the meeting tone at a different level that might not be appropriate. Before he could complete his pondering Tuvok interrupted his thought pattern.
"Chakotay, I ask you for a glass of water," Tuvok stated very formally.
Chakotay stared at Tuvok for a moment, wondering what was behind that inscrutable Vulcan facade.
"I offer you a glass of water, Tuvok," Chakotay said equally as formally as he poured glasses of water for both of them.
"So, you and Kathryn are to be married," Tuvok said in matter of fact way.
"Yes," Chakotay answered, trying not to sound nervous.
He wondered at this point if the Vulcan approved or did not approve. It was difficult to tell at this point, but his current aggressive nature made him decide to simply confront the situation directly.
"Do you have a problem with that, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked.
Tuvok did not answer immediately, not because he didn't have an answer, but because he was enjoying the Commander's discomfort. He would not admit that to anyone, but he was.
Finally Tuvok said, "No, Commander I have no 'problem' with your marrying Kathryn. However, I do feel it necessary to warn you that should you fail to keep your oath of marital fidelity or in any other way cause Kathryn extreme emotional duress, I would find it necessary to inflict great bodily harm upon you, at the very least I believe you would find it difficult to participate in procreative activities," Tuvok stated in his typically verbose Vulcan manner.
Chakotay sat in silence for a moment trying to translate what Tuvok had just said into common everyday Federation Standard instead of typical Vulcan obscure. Chakotay believed what Tuvok had just said was 'if he broke Kathryn's heart, Tuvok was going to bust his balls!' Once he was fairly sure of what Tuvok had said, he didn't know whether to be afraid or amused. Finally he decided on the latter and burst out laughing.
"Commander I fail to see the humor in what I have just said," Tuvok said in mock consternation.
"The hell you don't," Chakotay said continuing to laugh. Then considering the stern look on the Vulcan's face he decided he'd better pacify him a bit.
"OK, OK I swear I'll never break her heart. I love her too much to ever hurt her," Chakotay promised his voice losing its flippant edge and taking on a tender timbre as he said the last sentence.
Tuvok finally decided to let Chakotay off the hook. "Yes Commander, I know you do."
Tuvok raised his glass of water in a toast, "To you and your intended, may you enjoy a long and prosperous life together and may your union be blessed with children," he said.
"From your mouth to the ears of the Spirits, Tuvok." Chakotay said and then both men drank of their glasses of spring water. Just then the chime to his office sounded again.
"I think that must be my 1500 appointment, commander," Chakotay said to Tuvok.
"Then I should leave you to it," Tuvok said as he rose, took his glass to the recycler and then proceeded out the commander's office as Lt. Scott Rollins came in.
"Hi Scott, have a seat and help yourself to a cup of coffee or a glass of water," Chakotay said as he tried to get himself to focus for the last hour of his shift.
May 20, 2378 1605 Chakotay's Quarters
As Chakotay entered his quarters he felt as though it had been days since he'd been there last, it had been that eventful a day. After all, how many times does a man's adopted little sister have a baby, the woman he loves agree to marry him on her birthday and the sister he thought dead for nearly ten years communicate with him from 20,000 light years away. Add in his counseling sessions and top those off with his talk to the doctor and Tuvok's visit to his office and it had been quite a day. If he was honest with himself he could probably use a shower and a nap before he tackled this evening, when he'd be telling the rest of the senior staff about his and Kathryn's plans to marry and giving Kathryn her engagement ring.
'Her engagement ring!' Chakotay thought and suddenly went to the replicator to produce the ring he had decided on in the sickbay. He also programmed in a simple dark blue velvet-like box to keep the ring in. Then as he stood before the replicator and took note of the large balance of rations he had, he decided to do something he hadn't done in a long time, splurge on something for him. He decided he would get some new clothes, a Guayabera or Mexican Wedding Shirt with its trademark 4 pockets and embroidery, a pair of medium brown cotton drawstring pants with side seam pockets, matching socks and a new pair of brown leather loafers. After his clothes materialized, Chakotay decided he'd have a snack, in case the dinner Kathryn cooked proved inedible which was likely, and then take his shower and try for a short nap. Oh yes, and he'd transfer a few replicator rations to Kathryn's account in case she needed them for dinner or an addition to her wardrobe.
May 20, 2378 1605 Kathryn's Quarters
As Kathryn arrived at her quarters after the day's duty shift she wished she could go right over to Chakotay's quarters, but she realized he probably needed some time to decompress. It had, after all, been a fairly eventful day for the poor guy. Actually it had been a pretty good birthday for her. She decided to plan their dinner then take a bath and get dressed. She would serve her grandmother's vegetable biryani, a spicy South African version of the vegetarian rice entrée, along with a cucumber and tomato riata, they'd have a nice rosé wine with dinner and then tiramisu for dessert with some brandy. Satisfied with her menu, Kathryn headed for her bath.
After a luxurious bath Kathryn stood in front of her wardrobe and decided there was simply nothing in it that was appropriate for an engagement announcement get together. She headed out to the replicator to check her account and found the rations that Chakotay had transferred to her. 'That man!' she thought to herself, 'he's incorrigible and terribly sweet'. "Well" she said aloud, "as long as he's paying for them the clothes ought to be something he will enjoy seeing me in."
Kathryn then proceeded trying to decide what to replicate. She settled on a knee length black circle skirt in a Bajoran silk that had a beautiful body and drape to it and a light blue V-neck button-front T-shirt in a soft cotton knit. She decided to wear a simple pair of sandals that she had in her closet. They had a much lower heel than the boots she wore on duty, 'but maybe Chakotay would like towering over her,' she thought to herself. As she went through her underwear drawer she settled on a sexy white lace bra with a simple front clasp and matching panties. Even though she didn't plan on letting him see her bra and panties tonight, somehow having sexy under things on would make her feel more feminine. She decided to be daring and not wear a slip or any hose. Bare legs were sexier.
Kathryn probably didn't realize it at the time and even if she were peripherally aware of it she wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was setting the scene for seducing Chakotay tonight, even though she'd made him promise her only this morning that they would wait until after they were married to consummate their relationship.
She finished slipping on her sandals and just as she was dabbing her perfume on her pulse points the chime to her quarters rang. "Come in," she called out as she walked from her bedroom into the living area.
Chakotay walked into Kathryn's quarters carrying his present for Miral and stopped as he caught site of her. She was gorgeous and the top she wore showed off beautifully the heart necklace he'd given her. She too was busy looking him over, he looked incredibly handsome in the off white Mexican wedding shirt and brown slacks he was wearing. Suddenly the space between them evaporated and he was holding her and kissing her, then suddenly he stopped and looked puzzled.
"What's wrong Chakotay?" Kathryn asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out, something feels different," he said, still mystified.
"Oh," she said, suddenly sure she knew what it was, "I'm not wearing my boots."
Chakotay looked down and realized that was exactly what felt different. She was a good 7 or 8 cm shorter than normal. He realized maybe for the first time that she had to be a good 16 or 17 cm shorter than him. He grinned as he realized that without her 'command boots' her forehead lined up with his lips. He kissed her forehead and then said, "I think I can learn to live with this."
"Well you better, because what you see is what you get," Kathryn said.
"Promise?" Chakotay said with a smirk.
"Oh, you!" she said as she playfully hit him, and then grabbed up the afghan she'd made for Miral. "Come on lets go before we're late."
"OK," he said grabbing her hand and leading her to the turbolift.
"Deck Nine," he ordered as he pulled Kathryn into the turbolift car with him. As soon as the doors closed and he knew they were alone his lips descended on hers. She gave into his advances for a moment then pushed him away.
"Would you quit acting like a green ensign with his first crush?" she chided him.
"Computer halt lift," he ordered.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "We're going to be late."
"Ah come on give a guy a break. Can't you let me have just one little fantasy come true?" he said with an almost irresistible pout on his face.
"And just what would this fantasy be?" she asked in spite of herself.
"We're on our way somewhere and the lift stalls," he started to set the scene when she interrupted.
"You stopped the lift, it didn't stall." she corrected.
"Details, details," he countered. "I back you up into the wall of the lift," he said as he demonstrated "and start…kissing you…senseless" he finished the sentence between passionate openmouthed kisses. "And…"
"And nothing," she said as she weakly pushed him away with her hands.
"Remember the promise you made to me this morning?" she asked slightly breathless from his kisses.
"What promise?" he said, trying to feign forgetfulness.
"Don't give me that, you know what promise. The one you made right after I said I'd marry you," she said in mock anger.
"Oh you mean that superstitious, medieval pledge to forego lovemaking until we are officially husband and wife?" he asked petulantly.
"This morning it was only Victorian." she teased. "You DID mean it when you promised we could wait, didn't you?" she asked anxiously.
He looked at her and not only saw the woman he desired, the woman he loved, but also a very vulnerable woman who desperately needed him to agree to this one eccentric request.
He sighed heavily. "Yes, I meant it. But that doesn't mean I like waiting and it doesn't mean it's going to be easy for me. But I love you and if waiting is what you need, we wait," he finished with a sigh.
"Vorik to occupant's of turbolift car 2," the young Vulcan's voice sounded clearly in the car.
"Janeway here, Ensign. Is there a problem?" she asked.
"That was the question I was about to ask. Is there a malfunction that has caused the lift to be stopped between deck 5 and 6 for the last 44.7 seconds?" he asked.
"Uh, no there's no malfunction Ensign, the commander and I simply stopped the lift to have a conversation and it took longer than we realized. We will return the lift to normal operation now. Janeway out," Kathryn looked at Chakotay for an instant and the both busted out laughing. "Computer resume lift," she managed to say between giggles.
Just as the lift stopped on deck nine they stopped laughing and made the rest of the journey to Tom and B'Elanna's quarters in companionable silence.
May 20, 2378 1720 Paris-Torres Quarters
Meanwhile in the Paris-Torres quarters, Tom and B'Elanna set out some hors d'oeuvres and 5 champagne flutes on their dining room table and placed an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne in it next to the table.
"Are you sure they're coming down here to say they're getting married?" Tom asked B'Elanna.
"Yes, do I have to place a bet with you to convince you of that?" B'Elanna said testily. "Think it through flyboy, what did Chakotay say to you this morning just before he put Miral in the captain's arms?
"I've just enlisted your daughter's cooperation in getting Kathryn to agree to make us one of these of our own," Tom replied, trying to sound like Chakotay. "But that doesn't necessarily mean he's asked her to marry him."
"Oh right, Chakotay's going to ask her to have his baby but NOT marry him? I certainly hope Miral takes after me, in certain areas." B'Elanna said in a teasing tone.
Before Tom could think of a good comeback the chime to their quarters sounded. Tom moved toward the doors and called out, "Come in."
A casually dressed Harry Kim entered the Torres-Paris quarters bearing a gift, wrapped in white paper with a pink bow. B'Elanna said "Hi Star Fleet, what have you got there?"
"A present for Miral," Harry said with a smile.
"Oh, that's so sweet!" B'Elanna said as she took the present from him and took it to the table.
Behind B'Elanna's back Tom and Harry looked at each other and mouthed the words 'so sweet?' to each other, wondering what happened to the B'Elanna they knew and loved.
Noticing the five glasses on the table Harry said, "So who are we waiting for?"
Just then the door chime sounded again.
"You'll just have to wait and see," B'Elanna said.
As the command team entered Tom and B'Elanna's quarters, the three friends noticed two things; one, how happy they both seemed and two, how much they looked like a couple in love. Greetings were exchanged all around and the baby afghan and Chakotay's wrapped gift were added to Harry's.
"So where's the guest of honor?" Chakotay asked.
"She is in her Mom and Dad's bedroom, sleeping like the little angel she is," Tom answered.
"Aren't you supposed to be napping when she is?" Chakotay asked B'Elanna.
"Oh, that only applies to human mothers. Klingons are made of sterner stuff," B'Elanna replied.
"Yeah well, last I checked you were still half human," Harry interjected.
"Yeah, well a person can only nap so much, especially when her friends stop by with presents," B'Elanna said as she tried to herd everyone over to the table.
"Let's open some presents!" B'Elanna said enthusiastically.
Tom picked up the afghan and stroked it gently, "Captain this is beautiful. When did you find the time to make something like this?"
"Please Tom, when we're gathered in your quarters for something like this call me Kathryn and you too, B'Elanna, OK?" she requested and they nodded uncertainly.
"And as to the time to make it - I found crocheting the baby afghan much more productive and enjoyable than the normal ways I fill the waking hours when I'm in the grips of another bout of insomnia," she replied.
"Hey, wait a minute, I thought your main way of filling the waking hours when you're battling insomnia was to call me up," Chakotay protested.
"I only do that on the third or fourth straight sleepless night," she responded to everyone's startled looks.
To break the awkward silence she said, "So what did you guys get for Miral?"
Harry handed his present to B'Elanna and she made short work of the wrapping. When her hands encountered an isolinear chip she asked, "What's this Harry?"
"I used my clarinet to make some recordings of various lullabies," Harry responded.
"Oh Harry, that's so thoughtful I'm sure Miral will love them," B'Elanna gushed and again Tom and Harry exchanged looks that said they wondered when the woman they knew would return.
"And what about you, big guy, what did you get for Miral?" Tom asked as he started to unwrap the present Chakotay brought.
When he got the outer wrapping off, he realized the present itself was very tightly wrapped in the box. As he started to remove the wrapping he heard a distinct rattling noise.
"A baby rattle?
"Yes," Chakotay answered, just as Tom unwrapped it enough to reveal that it was much more than a baby rattle. It was a work of art, obviously handcrafted by Chakotay with loving care. Suddenly everyone was talking at once and asking to hold the beautiful hand-carved baby rattle.
While Harry and Tom and B'Elanna were otherwise occupied Chakotay pulled Kathryn close enough to him to whisper in her ear, "Someday, I'll make one like that for our baby."
Kathryn turned to look at him and, as she fought to keep the tears of joy from falling, asked him, "Shall we tell them now?"
"Tell who what now?" Harry asked, truly in the dark.
"Yes, but you tell them, I don't think they'd believe me," Chakotay answered.
Kathryn gave him a bit of a glare, but then smiled and said, "Well as long as we have this champagne here to toast Miral's birth, we may as well add something else to celebrate. Tom pour everyone a glass please," she requested. She waited for everyone to be handed a glass and then paused to see that she had everyone's attention, as she did Miral cried.
"Hold that thought," B'Elanna said, "I think Miral wants to be included in this event."
She reemerged with Miral, who quieted shortly after she was handed to her father.
"OK, I guess Miral says you can go on with your announcement," Tom said.
"Thank you, Miral. Well, this morning shortly after Miral was welcomed aboard Voyager, Chakotay asked me to marry him and I accepted," she barely managed to complete her announcement, when the gathered friends began to congratulate her and Chakotay.
She would later never be sure who said 'that's wonderful' or 'its about time' but the 'Three Musketeers' as she had dubbed them were obviously thrilled for their command team. As toasts were made to the happy couple it also became obvious to Chakotay that B'Elanna was overdoing, so he adroitly maneuvered Kathryn and Harry and himself out of the Torres-Paris family quarters.
"Well Harry, we're off to the mess hall to let Neelix in our news," Chakotay said as the three of them headed towards the turbolift.
As they entered the lift Chakotay requested deck two, then Harry said "Deck six, well once you've told him your news it will be all over the ship in no time."
"Yes, well we did make him the last of the senior staff to know on purpose." Kathryn grinned as she made that comment.
"Actually, we plan on letting Neelix tell everyone by interviewing us on his next 'Briefing with Neelix' program," Chakotay added and Harry nodded his head giving assent to the plan.
As the turbo lift stopped on deck six Harry stepped out then held the doors and said with a huge and very sincere smile, "Congratulations again, I can't think of two people who are more deserving of happiness than you two."
As the doors closed Kathryn turned to Chakotay and said, "Its so good to see that our senior staff is so happy for us and so supportive."
"Yeah, well I wasn't so sure about Tuvok at first," Chakotay said.
"What do you mean, you weren't so sure about Tuvok?" she asked truly curious.
"Well, he dropped by my office this afternoon and he said to me and I quote" at this point Chakotay did his best imitation of Tuvok both in the timbre and cadence of his voice and in his posture, "Commander I have no 'problem' with your marrying Kathryn. However, I do feel it necessary to warn you that should you fail to keep your oath of marital fidelity or in any other way cause Kathryn extreme emotional duress I would find it necessary to inflict great bodily harm upon you, at the very least I believe you would find it difficult to participate in procreative activities."
Kathryn's eyes grew large and she said with concern in her voice, "Oh my, I'm not sure I know what that means but it sounds serious."
The turbolift opened on deck two, as Chakotay responded. "It would be if he weren't just pulling my chain,"
Chakotay leaned against a bulkhead not wanting to go into the mess hall until they finished this particular conversation.
"What?" Kathryn said.
"Well, when I ran what he said through a little translation in my head, I realized what he was saying was if I broke your heart he was going to," Chakotay stopped he wasn't sure he should use the phrase 'bust my balls' with his fiancée "uh well, make me very sorry I had. After wondering for a second whether I should be worried or not, I decided not to be and I laughed at him," Chakotay said.
"Ooh, you like to live dangerously don't you?" she said with a laugh.
"Well, he put on that Vulcan façade about not knowing why I was laughing but when I said I wasn't buying that and after I assured him that I loved you too much to hurt you, he finally gave in and even drank a spring water toast to us," Chakotay replied.
"Let's see if we can manage to tell Neelix our news without getting wrangled into having to have dinner in the mess hall," Chakotay said as he began walking down the corridor.
"Oh, we won't have to," Kathryn said very determinedly.
"What makes you say that?" Chakotay asked, as they approached the mess hall.
"Because it's my birthday and the birthday girl gets to have things her way." Kathryn said as she breezed through the mess hall doors. As Chakotay followed her into the mess hall he thought that it didn't have to be her birthday for Kathryn Janeway to get her way, but he was wise enough to keep that thought to himself.
"Greetings Commander and Happy Birthday captain! What can I get you for dinner?" Neelix practically bounced with his delight at seeing the captain and Chakotay together and looking like such a handsome couple.
"How about you just get us some coffee and come and sit down with us for a minute?" She replied.
"All right," Neelix said anxiously as he headed off to the replicator. He wondered if there was some problem but the captain and commander seemed very happy. Neelix brought a tray with a carafe of coffee and three mugs to the corner table the command team preferred.
"So was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Neelix asked.
"Yes, Neelix we were wondering if we might appear on your next Briefing with Neelix show?" Chakotay inquired.
"Well of course anytime you want to, was there something special you wanted to discuss on the show?" he asked sensing there was something more to the command duo's request.
"Well, yes there is," Kathryn said as she shared a conspiratorial grin with Chakotay, "we'd like to use your show to announce our engagement."
"Engagement? Engagement - as in you're getting married? The two of you?" Neelix said excitedly.
"Yes, yes, now calm down Neelix unless you want the big story for your show to be undermined by lots of rumors," Chakotay warned Neelix as he scanned the room to see if anyone noticed Neelix's behavior.
"Oh yes, of course. Let me see, most of tomorrow's show has already been pre-taped but I could interview you live about 0730? Do you have a preference for the interview location?" Neelix asked suddenly all business.
"Where would you suggest, Neelix?" Kathryn asked.
"Well to keep it a secret I'd suggest your quarters, that is which ever quarters you're sharing now," Neelix replied.
"We're not sharing quarters yet, Neelix," Kathryn corrected Neelix's assumption as Chakotay fidgeted in his chair, obviously uncomfortable with her comment. "Let's do the interview in my quarters, all right?" she suggested.
"That will be fine, I'll be there about 0725 to set up the holocamera." Neelix agreed as he cast a sympathetic look at Chakotay.
"Good, we'll see you then," Kathryn said as she stood and took Chakotay's hand and started for the door.
"Are you sure I can't get you something special for a birthday dinner?" Neelix said.
"No, thank you Neelix, but I'm looking forward to a quiet replicated dinner in my quarters with my fiancé," she said.
The walked in silence to the turbo lift and Chakotay remained quiet through the short lift ride, as they headed towards her quarters Kathryn stopped and asked Chakotay, "What's wrong?
"Nothing," he said with a sigh.
"Come on don't give me that. What's bothering you?" she prodded.
"May we discuss this in your quarters, please?" he almost pleaded.
"All right," she said and quickly moved to her quarters and keyed in her access code.
Once they were inside Chakotay immediately faced her and launched into an answer to Kathryn's previous question about what was bothering him.
"Did you have to tell him we aren't sharing quarters? I mean, its no one's business but our own. I'm not complaining about your wanting to wait until we are married to consummate this relationship, but most of the crew is going to assume that we are living together. It's what most of them would do under the same circumstances," he grumbled.
"Why is this bothering you so much?" Kathryn asked.
"I don't know, I guess its probably just some sort of stupid male ego thing or something. Look I'm letting you have what you need; can't you return the favor here? Can't you let us keep our living arrangements private for now?" Chakotay requested earnestly.
"Yes, yes I can do that for you. I won't out and out lie about our living arrangements, but I also won't go advertising them either. Will that keep that male ego of yours intact?" she asked teasingly.
"What makes you think its intact now?" he asked with a laugh, and then he pulled her towards him and held her as he said, "OK, now how about some food, I'm starved?"
She laughed and freed herself from his arms and headed towards her replicator, "You set the table and I'll get the food."