And she'd said yes.

And that was when the delirium set in. He would never forget the look that crossed her face as he uttered the words, "Will you marry me?" God, she'd looked so beautiful in that moment...

But right now they were half-running down the corridor from the turbolift, hand in hand, giggling at nothing and everything. They'd just come from Harry's quarters. He was the first person they'd told, naturally.

He'd just stood there, staring, for a whole five seconds, then said, "You're not kidding are you?" in the most incredulous tone of voice ever. Then he'd hugged them both, and told them how happy he was. Tom knew B'Elanna was as glad as he was that their best friend was sharing in their joy.

But now they were on their way to inform the Captain, and after that, Chakotay. When Tom told B'Elanna about seeing the Captain the night before, she'd rolled her eyes. "What," she asked, sarcastically, "You didn't go see Chakotay too and ask for his permission to marry me?" But then she'd smiled. "I'm glad you talked to her, though. It wouldn't have changed my mind about wanting to marry you... But I'm glad we have her approval."

That was exactly how he felt about it.

And he couldn't wait to tell her. Chakotay on the other hand...

He couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about that. Even after four years, there was still a tiny bit of friction in their relationship. He knew the Commander had come to respect him and his abilities over time, but Tom was also fairly sure that he didn't support their relationship. Though of course he'd never said anything about it to either of them.

But perhaps his fears were for nothing. Hopefully Chakotay had moved past the animosity enough to see that Tom would never do anything to hurt her. Not if he could help it. She and Voyager were the two best things that ever happened to him, and he wasn't going to mess it up.

And if Chakotay asked, that's what he'd tell him.

But they had the Captain to see first, and as they rounded a corner they saw her. And stopped dead in their tracks. Because Tom's worst nightmare had just become a reality.

She was standing beside her door... KISSING CHAKOTAY!! He had her pressed up against the wall, and neither of them looked to be moving anytime soon.

Tom and B'Elanna, once they'd recovered from the initial shock, did the only thing they could. They slowly backed up until they reached the corner again, then darted around, letting out huge breaths of relief as they reached safety. They looked at each other, silly grins on their faces as they thought about what they'd just witnessed: conclusive evidence that their commanding officers were more than 'just friends'.

After a few seconds to gather themselves together, Tom reached out his hand once more to his future wife.

"Let's go," he said, and they began walking back towards the turbolift, "We can tell them both tomorrow."

the end

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