"So, who has to stay at Harry's tomorrow?" B'Elanna nudged Tom back awake. "Hey, you fell asleep on me!" She pretended to look offended, but it quickly wore away as she saw how cute he looked. "You look really dishy!" She picked popcorn from last night's movies out of his hair.
"I look…dishy? Since when did you say dishy?" He laughed and shook his head, spraying the rest of the popcorn at her. "Okay then…you look…foxy!" He laughed at the expression on her face, right before she tackled him to the floor.
"Foxy?!" He flipped her over and nuzzled into her neck.
"No." He paused and met her eyes. "You look gorgeous, amazing, sexy, fantastic, beautiful, and your mine." He pulled her down to him and covered her mouth with his. "What were you saying before?" He picked her up and they say on the couch.
"I was just wondering if you knew who won the competition yet." She leaned into his solid chest and pulled a blanket around the two of them.
"No, Harry says a lot of people were wondering so he wants to announce it in the Mess Hall, if that's okay with you, babe?" He rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Yeah, that's okay. So, what do you want to do, we have 4 hours until our duty shifts?"
"Well, Harry wants us in the Mess Hall in three hours, but I have one final surprise for you, I've been working on it all week." He pushed the blanket off them both and stood up. "Just bring a towel, sunscreen and your beautiful self." He winked at her as she laughed.
"Smooth, babe, real smooth." She folded up the blanket and tidied away all the mess and leftover food.
"I have a gift for you, but you can't have it until we're there." He disappeared into the next room.
"Until we're where?" She waited for a reply but none came. "Tom? Until we're where?"
"It's a surprise, sweetie, but you'll love it." He came wandering back through with a large package.
"That's so stereo-typical Tom." She laughed but he looked hurt. "No, no, no, baby, the present, it's so stereo-typically wrapped. White wrapping paper with a big red bow." She hugged him tightly and he relaxed into her hug.
"Well, here. But don't let me see you in it. I'll meet you at Holodeck two in twenty minutes." He pulled on some long swim shorts and a t-shirt. "I gotta make some finishing touches, see you in a few." He kissed her and headed out the door. B'Elanna sat down on the bed and unwrapped the package her partner had given her. She looked down at the beautiful bikini and sarong in the box, neatly folded and placed on wrapping paper. She slipped on the bikini and pulled on a dress. She brushed her hair and applied some make-up that complimented the bikini. She grabbed the sarong and put in her purse with sunscreen and sunglasses for her and Tom. She headed for the door.
"Hey Kat?" Chakotay cooed as he left the bathroom.
"Yeah honey?" They both paused at the sudden use of intimate nicknames.
"Well, y'know that planet we're coming up to, and Tom and B'Elanna are spending a week on the little star or planet for their surprise honey moon? Well, there was another, smaller one, and I booked us three days on there, together if you'd like to." He lifted her a plate down from the high cupboard she had been trying to reach.
"I'd love to, that's so sweet. I promise, no work or anything. Just me and you the whole time." She kissed him and served him up some food she had been making. He was drying of his hair with a towel when she handed him the plate. "Why is everything in your kitchen so high up?" She laughed as she swept the remnants of a broken cup into the bin and put his chair back at his table.
"Well, I'm a lot taller than you, but I'll lower it all for you, I promise." He lifted her up to reach the new cup that was needed. He placed her down gently and she poured him some home-made herbal tea. "Mmmm, this is amazing. What's in it?" He sipped more of the tea and pulled on a t-shirt and pants.
"Err, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, lemon, and some honey. And it was green tea leaves." He poured himself another cup. "Well, it's amazing." She was rubbing her neck so he walked over and gave her a neck massage.
"You haven't given me a neck massage since we were back on that planet…New Earth." She leaned into the massage and rested her head against him. "You looked after me for a long time, even since then."
"That's because I've loved you for a long time, even since then." She tensed up beneath his touch and he stopped rubbing her neck. "What? I don't make bath-tubs by hand for anyone, or run out into thunderstorms for anyone, or just make up stories, only for the people I love." She turned slowly and looked at him searchingly.
"You've loved me since New Earth?" She implored.
"No. I've loved you since before that. I can't remember exactly when I realised I'd fallen in love with you, but it was a long time ago." He kissed her gently, brushing her hair out of her face.
"You were so professional all these years, why didn't you say anything? I had no idea."
"You were very 'StarFleet', you still are, and I admire that. I didn't want to put you in an awkward position, but it tore my heart out every time you would go on an away mission and get in danger, every time I was told you were in Sickbay, and it crushed me when any other man came near you." Chakotay felt exposed, but Kathryn was taking it all in, so he didn't mind.
"I had no idea, but I do now. But can I ask something?" She urged gently.
"Of course. Anything."
"Why did you wait so long, am I really worth it?" She immediately regretted asking the question, and blinked back tears.
"You weren't just worth the wait, you were worth the fight. I had to fight the want to just kiss you, tell you how I felt a million times, the fight to hit any other man who came near you, but I would wait twenty, thirty, seventy, I would wait forever for you Kat, I would fight anyone for you. I would do anything for you." She kissed him devotedly, and he returned it.
"I love you so much, Chakotay, I love you so much." She murmured, tears running down her cheeks.
"I love you too, Kat, I always will."
"Everybody can I have…Everyone can I…" Neelix desperately tried to gather everyone's attention, but the Mess Hall was just too loud.
"Everything okay Neelix?" Niccoletti walked up to the food counter, surveying the food before her.
"Argh, I need everyone's attention but it's just too loud." The bustling chef handed her a plate.
"I can help you there." She placed the plate on the side and stood up on a chair. "Hey, listen up! Our head chef here, Neelix has something to say, so be quiet." Neelix helped her down off the chair and thanked her, as all eyes turned to him.
"I'd…err…I'd just like to say…if you were interested in Tom and B'Elanna's contest, Harry will be reading the results in three hours here…so be back in three hours!" He quickly and hastily made his way back to the food counter as the noise in the Mess Hall climbed back up.
"Harry, Seven, what can I getcha?" Neelix brought over two plates.
"What have you got Neelix?" Harry questioned, looking over all the bowls of food.
"Well, I have been cooking lots of what the crew calls Delta-Food. I also have some of B'Elanna and Tom's favourites though, it's kind of their week, and everyone is buzzing about them and their news. I have banana pancakes, toast and something called brioche? The crew seems to really like the brioche. I also have our usual Delta-breakfast things over there" Neelix finished the grand tour of the food counter and moved onto the next people.
"What do you want Cupcake?" Harry was helping himself to a stack of banana pancakes and toast.
"I will try the brioche." Seven helped herself to a brioche and a pancake. "What is this?" Seven looked at the golden colour liquid in the jug.
"Oh, that's apple juice, I love apple juice, do you wants some?" Harry said, pouring a glass and setting out an empty one in preparation.
"I have never had it before." Seven looked at it suspiciously. "May I try some of yours?" He nodded and lowered his glass and handed it to her, swallowing his drink. She lifted the glass to her lips tentatively and took a sip.
"So do you like it?" Harry pressed, taking the cup from her hand and refilling it.
"I prefer other drinks, but it is nice. I will have some." She said, taking the second cup of apple juice form him. They walked around and eventually found a table in the middle of the Mess Hall and began to eat.
"Hey, you were exactly twenty minutes!" Tom greeted his partner.
"Yeah, I couldn't wait to see what you've got for me, I bet I'll love it though."
"Okay, come here and close your eyes." He picked up a picnic basket he had and he covered her eyes with his hands when she got to him. He tapped some details into the data PADD on the wall and the program appeared around them. B'Elanna could feel the sand beneath her feet and assumed they were on the Paxau or Tahiti programs. "What do you think?" He uncovered her eyes and she looked around.
"Oh my God, Tom, did you make this?" Tears brimmed her eyes as she took in the program.
"Yeah, especially for you." He took her into his arms as she began to cry.
"I can't believe you remembered." She murmured, her head buried in his chest.
"Of course I remembered, if it wasn't for this dream, we wouldn't have got back together. I want to make it real, to show you that our love is real. I know sometimes you have doubts, so know you know." He could feel her sobbing more into his chest. He pulled her away from him and wiped away her tears gently, kissing the sore patches. After she had gathered herself, she tried to wipe the mascara stains off his top.
"I'm sorry. Now your tops covered in my makeup."
"It's okay, I'll just take it off." He pulled the dirtied shirt off and threw it in the sand. He laid out the picnic blanket and wandered back over to her. He picked up a handful of sand and smudged it on the front of her dress. "Oh no, now it's dirty too, guess you'll have to take it off." She laughed at him and pushed him into the water.
"You want to see your gift then, can I show you now?" She asked, holding onto the bottom of her dress in anticipation.
"Yes. Show me." She pulled off her dress to reveal black bikini studded with small gems.
"Get out the water for a second, I have something for you." She pulled the box he had given to her out of her bag and handed it to him. He opened it up and pulled out a small, yellow data-chip.
"What is it, honey?" He looked at the piece of glass and turned it over and over.
"It's our…wedding." She shuffled awkwardly in the sand.
"You decided?" He looked at her joyfully and picked her up in his arms. "Do you want to look at it after this?" He looked at her carefully.
"Yeah, but there is one thing missing from this program."
"Computer…add Paris-Torres children holograms." They both watched as two small children, one boy about three, and one girl about two, appeared in the sand, playing and building sandcastles. "Want to go swimming?" Tom walked over the edge of the river and held out his hand. She took it graciously and moved into the water with him, just as their 'kids' came crashing in with them.
"Okay, I'll go load it up." Paris took the small data-chip and walked over to a socket in the wall, posting in and watching as it loaded up.
"So, do you want a full tour?" B'Elanna began to walk along towards the chapel. "It's quite complex, and long-winded."
"Tell me all about it. It looks incredible." Tom jogged up behind her and slipped hid hand through hers.
"Okay." She inhaled deeply. "We will have the main ceremony in this chapel, and there is enough seating for all the crew. The Captain wants to do a ship-wide comm of the ceremony, and I will enter from down there, because the girls in Engineering say I have to. My room for preparations is just down there, and yours is just here. The Ceremony will be afterwards, people will begin to make their way to the other holodeck where there will be a restaurant. Neelix said he wanted to hand-cook all the food, and some of the crew have volunteered to help. I have already made a seating plan. What do think?" B'Elanna turned to Tom, who was taking it all in keenly.
"I think it's going to be the new best day of my life." He kissed her gently, reaching his hand up to the side of her face. He caressed her cheek lovingly, holding onto her.
"What was the previous best day of your life?" B'Elanna quizzed him, removing the data-chip from the wall.
"The day you said you'd marry me."
"Aww, you're such a hopeless romantic Tom, what was the one before that?"
"The day you told me you loved me." B'Elanna laughed gently at his answer.
"Let me guess, the one before that was the day we first met." She said jokily, walking back over to him but a serious look was across his face. "What?" She looked at him carefully for a minute, realising he was blushing profusely. "It…it was?" She put down her purse and the basket and walked over to Tom. "Really?" He nodded gently and looked into her eyes.
"You're the only good thing that's ever happened to me Be, the best thing I've ever known. I love you more than anything." He stroked hair away from her head and traced his fingers along the ridges on her forehead.
"…Really?" The doubt in her voice was un-miss able.
"Don't doubt it Be, it's the truth." He pulled her into a tight hug. "This wedding looks amazing Be."
"I hope you'll like it tomorrow." She pulled back and picked up her purse and he picked up the basket.
"As long as you're at the altar with me, I wouldn't care where we were." Tom held her hand as they headed towards the Mess Hall.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. The guests of honour have arrived!" Tom and B'Elanna walked in, they had decided to make a quick detour and get into uniform before going.
"Harry, I though you said you were just going to tell us, I thought we said no big deal." B'Elanna shook her head and laughed, trying to dodge the doctor, but not quickly enough because he had already take the picture.
"This was better. Okay, now, let's get down to business. On day one, Tom hand-made B'Elanna dinner and set up a night of movies on the couch, what do we vote it?" Harry looked around and pointed at Samantha Wildman. "Sam, what do we vote it?"
"I'd say a six." Sam, looking round the room, was mostly agreed with.
"Okay, the score is seven-nil to Tom! Day two, B'Elanna home-made him breakfast, lunch, tea and watched Captain Proton episodes all night, what do we vote it….Neelix?"
"Oh…err…eight!" Neelix seemed quite content with his answer.
"Okay, on Day three, and this is a good one, B'Elanna established a secret messaging connection with Tom, what do we vote it? How about you Commander?"
Chakotay looked angry at the fact that he had been disturbed, there was fifty people at the front of the crowd desperate to vote, yet Harry had picked him. "Five." Chakotay turned back around a slumped down in his chair.
"Okay, then, she hand-made him pizzas and they had a picnic in a Jeffries tube." A wave of 'ooo's and 'wit-woo's' and whistled washed across the crown. "What do we vote it, Tuvok?" The crowd fell silent and all eyes fell upon the Vulcan.
"An eight would be an appropriate score." Everyone laughed at his formality in this situation.
"Okay, on days four and five they were locked in the Brig, but I have been informed by B'Elanna that she wants to personally rate Tom a nine for how kind and funny and attentive he was. The score is now twenty-one to sixteen on B'Elanna's side. Finally, we have B'Elanna going on a Captain Proton adventure for Tom, which Seven will vote on."
"A five!"
"Okay, the score is twenty-six to sixteen meaning that-" B'Elanna pulled Harry aside and whispered something in his ear. "We have a final entry, and I think the Captain can vote on this one." All eyes turned to her, and she stood up ready.
"Bring it Harry!" Laughter erupted from the crowd.
"Okay, about two weeks ago, Tom and B'Elanna decided to have a child. After the wedding they will terminate birth control and so on. Tom first brought up the subject and B'Elanna was originally on edge about it. In fact, so on edge, she broke up with him and punched him, sending him to Sickbay." B'Elanna felt uncomfortable as this bit was said, so Tom wrapped his arms around her to show it doesn't matter. "B'Elanna had a dream that night, making her realise just how much she loved Tom, and did want to have kids with him. The next day, she apologised, and explained to him her dream. He recreated the dream on the Holodeck as a way to confirm their love and show her just how real it was." Everybody turned to the Captain and not a single person made a noise.
"It has to be a ten!" Everybody cheered and congratulated the two until someone stepped out and spoke.
"Doesn't that make it a tie?" The room fell back into silence.
"What do we do now?" Harry asked, and everyone turned back to the Captain.
"How about…Tom stays with Harry, and B'Elanna can stay with me?" The Captain put out there, as the couple considered the option.
"Sounds great to me!" B'Elanna raised a glass of water she had into the air. "To a tie!" The crowd of happy crew-members and friends cheered. Tom leaned down and kissed B'Elanna lovingly and lustfully.