To The Journey
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. This is an AU story.
Chapter Thirty-Three: I Always Will
Tasha's hands were shaking so badly she could barely fasten the back of her dress. Kate Pulaski finally took over and did the back up herself.
Someone tapped on the door. "You girls decent in here?"
Tasha glanced around at all the women in the room they had converted into a makeshift changing room. "Yeah, Geordi, everyone's decent. What's up?"
"Just a heads-up." He wasn't alone; he had a small, curly-haired boy on each arm. "Leah's not coming."
"What? Why?" But even as the words left her lips, Tasha knew why. After returning home the previous night, Leah would have learned one of two things. Either she had officially heard that her husband was dead, in which case the last thing she would want to do was attend a wedding, or he was alive, in which case she would need time to process this radical change.
"I don't know. But she said she wanted to talk to me when I brought the boys back."
Tasha looked into the Carey boys' beaming faces. They had no idea of what had just happened, whatever that was. "All right. Thanks for letting me know."
"You almost ready? I know Data's been in his tux for half an hour."
Tasha grinned. "Tell them to start getting set up."
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Data stood at the altar, watching as people walked down the aisle. Molly O'Brien and little Joe Carey, adorably walking side by side. Keiko O'Brien. Jadzia Dax. His own daughter. Beverly. Deanna. The young Vulcan that Tasha considered a sister.
And then he saw her, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Since the first time his emotion chip had been activated, he had thought she was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, but she completely, as humans would say, blew his mind in this moment. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she walked towards him on her uncle's arm.
The dress looked perfect on her, and the small part of his mind that was still very mechanical contemplated how much like her mother she must have looked for that to be possible. Her hair had been curled much as the night before, and a wreath of silk flowers was set on it.
Dave gently handed her off to Data and took a seat in the front row. She took his arm, and they walked together to stand before their Captain, who was beaming. "Since the days of the first wooden sailing ships, all captains have enjoyed the happy privilege of joining together two people in the bonds of matrimony. You have written your own vows?"
That had been Data's idea, and Tasha had agreed readily. Everything about their relationship was unique, why not this? He spoke for both of them. "We have."
"Speak them now."
Data turned to his bride, staring into her blue eyes. "Since the first time I met you, I knew you were special, that you would have great meaning in my life. My expectations were exceeded, and every day I am more pleased with that than the last. You have shared with me the most wonderful days of my life, and been there for me on the most difficult. I, Data, take you, Natasha Yar, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish above all others until death do us part."
Tasha met his eyes squarely. "You understood me at a time when very few people did. They said you couldn't feel, that you weren't human, but when I looked into your eyes, and watched how you perceived the world, I thought you were the most human person I had ever known. You've supported me through the worst days of my life, and shared my joy on the best. I, Natasha Yar, take you, Data, for better or for worse, to love and cherish above all others until death do us part."
Over Data's shoulder, she saw Geordi signal his girlfriend's four-year-old son, who stepped forward with the small, decorative box bearing the rings. Data took it from him and removed the smaller of the two wedding bands, which were white gold with a tiny sapphire ribbon run through it. He slid off her engagement ring and put the wedding band on her, then slid her engagement ring back over it before handing the box to her so she could remove his ring and place it on his finger, then handed the box back to the wide-eyed boy.
"By the power vested in me by the United Federation of Planets, I pronounce you husband and wife." He smiled even wider. "Well, Mr. Data, what are you waiting for? Kiss your bride."
He obliged, nearly lifting her clean off the ground as he kissed her passionately while the crowd cheered. As they broke apart, Tasha became aware that large numbers of small objects were pelting them, and she realized they were grains of rice. It only took one glance at Will's laughing face as they began to walk down the aisle to figure out who was responsible.
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Ding! Ding!
The crowd noise died down as Geordi tapped his glass with his spoon. He smiled, setting the spoon down but keeping the glass in his hand.
"The happy couple you see here," he began softly, "are two of the best friends I've ever been fortunate enough to have. Data, it's been ten years since we first met, and that instant connection we formed has lasted to this day." He swallowed as though trying not to cry. "Plain and simple, you're the brother I never had. Tasha Yar, you were one of the first people to look past the VISOR and really see me, and in doing that you gave me a gift I can never forget or repay." He raised his glass. "To the bride and groom."
The assembled crowd raised their glasses in the toast, and Geordi sat down. Asil stood then, quietly, not calling attention to herself as Geordi had, waiting for them to notice her, which eventually they did.
"Tasha assured me that I need not speak if I did not want to. But this is too important of an occasion for me to do otherwise." She glanced over at Tasha. "I would be remiss if I did not mention that this woman is possibly the reason I am alive today, because she risked her own safety to keep me safe. But that is not the end of it. You have been my mentor, my supporter, my friend, and most importantly my sister." She raised her glass as Geordi had. "As you say on earth, I wish you all the best."
"All the best," Deanna repeated, raising her glass. The others joined in, and then Data offered his arm to his new wife, leading her to the dance floor as their chosen song began to play.
Love me tender
Love me sweet
Never let me go
You have made my life complete
And I love you so
Love me tender
Love me true
All my dreams fulfilled
For my darling, I love you
And I always will
The song, like much of what they had elected to play at the wedding, was from the twentieth century music collection that had gotten a significant boost after their visit to Zephram Cochrane, who had been only too happy to supply them with several thousand songs which they were able to download from a data storage device. Data had shuffled through to find a series of appropriate options, and then run them by Tasha to come up with final options.
As they started in on the second verse, she realized Data was singing along. She smiled and laid her head on his chest. At this moment, life seemed perfect.
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Data smiled at his mother as he stepped away from her at the conclusion of their mother-son dance, heading back to his bride as the music changed to a faster tune and people began to dance, swinging her out onto the floor just as the recorded voice of the long-dead Roy Orbison began to sing.
Every time I look into your loving eyes
I see a love that money just can't buy
One look from you, I drift away
I pray that you are here to stay
Anything you want, you got it
Anything you need, you got it
Anything at all, you got it
Baby
As they danced, she glanced around the room. Will and Deanna, a tentative couple at best, were dancing together. Captain Picard was dancing with Beverly. She laughed when she saw Worf, looking for all the world like he wanted people to think he was resistant, but not like he actually was, as he swung his wife around. Ben was dancing with Kassidy. Geordi, short his partner of choice, was dancing with Lal. A group of eight or ten young kids was dancing in a circle.
The song ended and another couples song started. A few people cleared off the floor, but Tasha was pleasantly surprised to see that Will, Deanna, Beverly, and Picard all stayed. Then Data pulled her close, and she couldn't see anything.
You have never once let me down
Still waiting for me to come around
And I fall in love again
More and more each day
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The cheers of their well-wishers still rang in Tasha's ears as they materialized in the transport station on the tiny island where they had reserved a honeymoon suite.
Despite its vulnerability, this ancient island had remained mostly untouched by World War III, considered just not important enough to bother with. The old cottages and hotels had needed updates, but the image had been preserved.
Data was watching her as she stared out the window. His hand came up to her back, and he began to unlace her dress.
She turned to face him, taking his lips in hers, vaguely aware of him reaching behind her to tug the curtains shut before he let her dress fall away. As he lifted her onto the bed, he whispered a line from a song they had considered but ultimately rejected as being too much of a story for a wedding-type dance. "My darling, you were wonderful tonight."
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Geordi's first thought was that Leah looked terrible. Her face was red and puffy as if she'd been crying. George seemed to notice too. "Mommy, are you okay?"
"Mommy's fine, sweetheart. Go on inside, get out of those clothes. I'll be there in a few minutes." She shooed both of her boys upstairs. "Geordi, we need to talk."
"What's wrong?" He reached out to take her in his arms, but she pulled away.
"You haven't heard then." She sniffed.
"What are you talking about?"
She picked up a data PADD and pushed it into his hands. He glanced down at it, seeing that it was open to a news page.
MISSING SHIP FOUND ALIVE
Fourteen months after being officially declared lost with all hands, a messenger from the USS Voyager has arrived to set the record straight.
Three days ago, the Federation was visited by Voyager's emergency medical hologram...
Geordi looked up, needing no more context to know what was upsetting Leah. "Your husband?"
"I'm sorry."
He knew what she meant. If he had been dead, she would have nothing to apologize for. "Leah..."
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I love you. I do. But I love him too. When I thought he was dead it was all so simple. I could love you both." Her voice hitched in a sob. "But now - I can't be unfaithful to my husband, Geordi. I made him a vow, till death do us part. I can't go back on that. But this isn't fair to you, I know you love me as much as I love you."
"Leah." He laid his hands on her arms. "I'm going to make this easy for you." He leaned forward and kissed her, clinging to her, relishing the sensation before he let go. "That's it. So long as you're a married woman, that's our last kiss." He closed his eyelids over his implants in an attempt to stop his own tears. "Goodbye, Leah."
"Geordi, wait."
He turned. "Yeah?"
"The boys, they - they look up to you. They love you. Whenever you're on Earth, you can come by, see them, take them out, whatever you want, like you do now. I'm not going to separate you because it would make my life easier."
"Thank you." He meant it. It had all started with Leah, but he hadn't stuck around the boys because it was convenient or to impress their mother. He cared for them. They had become like his children. Leah had no legal obligation to let him see them, but she would anyway. He turned back and, before he could second-guess himself, walked out the door.
Yeah, I'm ending it here. I have no clue how to write a honeymoon, so the story will pick up upon their return. The four speeches were hard enough to write.
As for whose life got more complicated - no one is pregnant, but I'd say Geordi's life just got complicated! A bit more light will be shed in the next chapter.
The songs in this chapter are Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley, You Got It by Roy Orbison, and Kelly's Song by Shawn Mullins. The song they decided not to use but that Data quoted was Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. I wanted to write in songs for the father/daughter and mother/son dances, but the only song I could think of was Sunrise, Sunset and apart from the fact that it would leave me one short still, it didn't seem appropriate for this particular wedding considering the histories of the characters.
Please review.