To The Journey

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. This is an AU story.

Chapter Twenty: The Ring Reveal

"Hey, Tasha, do you have a free hand?" Miles O'Brien asked from his position lying on his back under a console on the Defiant.

"I'm not an engineer, Miles." With the Enterprise repairs well underway, Tasha had migrated over to the Defiant, whose repairs had been delayed because O'Brien had made so many modifications to it that even Scotty couldn't make heads or tails of some of the systems. Fortunately O'Brien himself and a team familiar with his work and with the Defiant had arrived the day before. What she had thought she could accomplish other than a check-in she didn't know.

"That's okay, I'll tell you what to do. I know what has to be done, I just don't have enough hands."

"Okay, okay." She let him talk her through the repair. They were almost finished when Miles, trying to get into position in the extremely limited space, hit the nearby chair he was using as a tool bench and sent his tools flying in every direction. Including directly at them.

Tasha's right hand was caught up in some cabling, but her left hand was free and she pulled off a fairly spectacular left-handed catch of some tool she didn't even know the name for. However, as she did, her hand caught the light from the console. Or, more precisely, what was on her hand caught the light from the console. She didn't notice, but Miles did.

"Tasha, did I just see what I think I just saw?"

"What did you think you saw?"

"Hand me that, would you? That tool in your hand."

She reached out to give it to him, but instead of taking it, he just smirked. "I knew it!"

"What?"

"What's on your finger isn't exactly costume jewelry. Oh, and I don't actually need that. I just wanted to confirm a hypothesis, if you will. So when's the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date yet. He only asked me last night." And we spent the rest of the night with other concerns. Surprisingly, Data's experiences with the Queen hadn't made him hesitant in that particular area. When she'd asked the fifth time if he was sure, he had kindly asked her to shut up already.

"Who knows?"

"You're the first. We thought it'd be fun not to tell anyone, just to see how long it takes someone to notice, and of course once someone knows -"

"Everyone will," Miles finished, laughing. "That's how it was when I proposed to Keiko. Someone happened to walk by the Arboretum and the next thing I know the entire ship's congratulating me."

"Do me a favor and don't tell anyone on the Enterprise. The experiment's no fun if some ops officer who's not even a member of the crew anymore throws a wrench in things." She watched her tone, making sure it would come off as joking.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed."

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"Anyone?" Data whispered as he walked past her.

She shook her head. A more complicated explanation of what had happened with Miles would have to wait for somewhere more private, especially since they were trying to avoid any hints.

Geordi grinned broadly at her when he knew she was looking but didn't say anything, and from the look he shared with Data she knew he'd been in on it all.

Deanna practically skipped onto the bridge, and Will turned to her. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just sense happiness."

"From who?"

Another shrug. "It's in this area somewhere."

Geordi chose that moment to burst out laughing. Tasha resisted the urge to glare at him as she forced back her own grin and everyone looked at the engineer, who shrugged innocently and kept laughing until Data subtly hit him, and then he went back to his work still grinning his head off.

Picard just shook his head, used to this kind of bantering from his senior staff, especially while they were still in drydock being repaired. Of course, it helped that he'd noticed the rather obvious ring on his Chief of Security's left hand almost as soon as she'd stepped onto the bridge and was just waiting to see when someone else would catch on.

He didn't have to wait long. Jenna D'Sora stepped onto the bridge with a security report and still had half an eye on it when Tasha took it in her hand. Her left hand. The resulting "Oh my God!" brought the entire bridge to a halt. All except Geordi, who cracked up again, and Data, who joined him this time.

"Since when?" she asked, her voice still high-pitched with excitement.

"Wait, back up." Deanna was now facing them. "Since when what?"

Apparently beyond the point of rational speech, Jenna just grabbed Tasha's hand, holding it out as Exhibit A, as it were. Deanna shrieked so loudly that Picard winced and Will put his hands to his ears. She all but vaulted the console to hug her. Will caught on to what he'd seen a few seconds later, and Data found himself thumped on the back so hard he was almost thrown off-balance.

Picard was more reserved, but a smile split his face in two as he embraced the bride-to-be, giving him a chance to whisper, "I saw it right away. I just wanted to see how long it would take."

Stepping back, he regarded her like a father. "So, when's the happy day?"

"We have not set one yet." Data peeled Deanna off of him and joined his new fiancee. "We must consider other issues, such as location, before making such a decision." He shared a look with Tasha, a silent conversation, almost an argument, before she spoke up.

"There is something we wanted to ask though."

"Name it."

"When we do set the date - there's no one we'd rather have make it official than you. Would you do it?"

He was silent for a long moment, and she was worried he would refuse. But it was in a voice choked with emotion that he said, "of course I will."

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"How many did you get?"

"Forty-seven exactly. You?"

"I lost count at fifty."

As they had predicted, it hadn't taken long for the news of their engagement to spread. They had been endlessly congratulated as a couple, and once they had had to separate as individuals.

"So, the details."

"I don't want this to be just a big production. Don't get me wrong, I want big. We have enough friends for big. But I want it to be about us, not about putting on a show."

"All right. I suppose the first question is when. My suggestion would be April nineteenth."

"What's April nineteenth?"

A warm smile crossed his face. "You do not remember? The day we met."

"I remember the meeting. I didn't remember the exact date off the top of my head. The nineteenth it is."

"So then the next question would be where."

"A place that's special to us, big enough to hold everyone we'd probably be inviting."

"A tall order."

"Hey, what about the house in Pennsylvania? The one where we had Christmas?"

"The house is big, but not big enough."

"But the property is. We could use the house for the wedding party and other people we're close to and ask everyone else to either get a hotel room or beam in the day of. It'll be warm enough to hold an outdoor wedding, and I've heard Weather Control is pretty good about accommodating major outdoor events."

"Perfect. So - the wedding party? Best Man is, I believe, obvious."

"Well, yeah. Asil for Maid of Honor, if she'll agree. Then on your side of the aisle we have Will and Worf, and on mine we have Beverly and Deanna and Lal, of course. And what would you say to including Jim on your side? As a favor to me?"

"I do not mind. I know he is a close friend. I would like to include the O'Briens as well. Molly could serve as our 'flower girl'."

"Perfect. What about ring-bearer?"

"Leah Brahms' oldest son had been my idea."

"And a good one it is. Very well, that rounds out the party."

"Will you be asking someone to walk you down the aisle?"

"Uncle Dave." Data had met her father's long-lost brother once while they were on Earth.

"You will need someone to fill the mother's traditional role as well."

"Data, there was never a scripted traditional role! But," she added, "for the more unofficial duties, I'll ask Kate Pulaski and Julia to help me, and you have Juliana on your side. I think the biggest problem will be relegating Deanna's mother to a secondary role."

Data shuddered theatrically and they both laughed. "I believe that is everything."

"All the basics. From what I've heard, wedding planning isn't quite this simple. We'll remember a hundred small details next week or next month. But yeah, we've got the big stuff in place."

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"Your call sounded important."

"Important, but personal, as I said. I really meant for this to be understood as less of a priority than a meeting or whatever. I hope I didn't pull you away from anything official."

"Actually," Admiral Paris admitted with a grin that made him look more like his son than she had ever seen him, "you did, and thank you so much."

She laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"There's an old joke that says a camel is a horse designed by a committee. I'm beginning to believe it. What did you need?"

"There's, uh, something I should tell you." She wasn't actually entirely sure how to say it. She hadn't had to tell anyone else, they'd figured it out themselves. "I'm, uh, getting married in April."

"Well, that's n- wait, you're what?"

She waved the ring on her left hand at him. "I'm getting married in April."

"Well, congratulations." He shook his head in amazement. "It seems like just yesterday I was presiding over your mother's wedding. Was that -?"

"Uh, no." She hadn't thought of that. "No offense, but we, ah, asked someone else."

"Your Captain." He smiled at the surprised raise of her eyebrow. "I've seen from a distance that you're quite close with him. I've never met anyone else who would willingly be demoted from first officer, twice no less, to serve as Chief of Security. But I assume you didn't call me down here just to share the news."

"No. We wanted to use the house in Pennsylvania for the wedding. Actually, that monstrosity that passes for a backyard. It's yours so I thought I'd ask."

"Of course you can. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Come to dinner tonight. Moira and her kids are coming too. We'll make the announcement official."

"All right."

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"Remember what I said about the entire ship knowing before the day was out?"

"Yes, of course."

"I think I misspoke." Tasha gave a rueful smile. "I think the entire state of Virginia will know before the day is out."

Julia had needed no prompting at all to notice the ornament her husband had missed, and had promptly crushed Tasha in a hug before announcing it to the entire house - meaning Moira, her husband and their two children - and probably the whole neighborhood, judging by her volume. Moira had recieved with a smile and a shake of her head, clearly used to her mother's enthusiasm.

"Well, everyone we wanted to tell personally knows, correct?"

"Not quite. I was planning to tell Uncle Dave and Asil tomorrow. Hopefully the gossip mill won't spread it over the entire continent before I get the chance."

"I doubt that. But there is something more productive we could do than worry."

"Don't you ever get tired?" she laughed.

"My stamina is unending, if you will recall. I am always 'ready and willing if you are'."

"Well, for tonight," she grinned, "I certainly am."

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"Have you been waiting long?"

"Not so long. What kept you?"

"I didn't count on my uncle." Upon hearing that his favorite niece (I'm your only niece arguments had gone nowhere) was engaged, he'd all but paraded her through the streets, and he and Alan had insisted on bringing her down to the restaurant where they'd first met and announcing it to Joseph Sisko and the other guests. She'd gotten away only when she'd insisted she was going to be late, and even then they'd kept her long enough to make her concern come true and she'd been five minutes late for a meeting with one of the most punctual people she knew. "I don't know him that well, and I didn't expect him to make the scene he did."

Most people would have asked why he made a scene. Asil wasn't one of them. She knew Tasha would tell her if and when she wanted her to know. "What did you want to see me about?"

"I have news for you." Asil only nodded, and Tasha continued. "I'm getting married."

A very slight smile crossed her face. "My congratulations."

"Thanks, but there's something in particular I wanted to ask of you."

"What?"

"In Earth customs, the bride selects one woman that she has a particularly close relationship with to stand up next to her at the wedding. You're the closest female friend I have. Will you do it?"

"I'd consider it an honor."

Tasha did what few humans could get away with doing and hugged her Vulcan sister. "I knew I could count on you."

"I do have one question."

"Yes?"

"What exactly do I do?"

Tasha burst out laughing. "I'll send you a list."

If I screw up on the wedding planning, I'm nineteen and happily single and I've been to five weddings in my whole life, only one of which actually included me in the party. Just assume some things have changed between now and Trek time.

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