Title:  Roommates Part Twelve
Author:  Cheryl Forbes
Fandom:  Star Trek:  Voyager
Pairing:   Chakotay/Tom Paris
Rating:  NC 17
Series:  12 of 12
Email Address for feedback: forbesc@skyia.com
Disclaimer:   Voyager and her crew belong to Paramount and not me.
Whatever.

Summary:  The "date" commences.
 

"Computer time?"

"It is 18:45 hours."

"Damn!"

Trust Chak to be "right" on time, Tom mused from his latest position
sitting on the lounge with his hands clasped and his arms drawn
between his knees.

In the last half hour he had alternately tried sitting at the table
trying to look interested in the chessboard and lying sprawled in the
other room on the bed in an effort to look casual for Chakotay's
arrival.  Both had failed.  So here he sat on the lounge with his
knees knocking back and forth nervously waiting for his "date" with
the commander to begin.

As he waited he thought about changing again.  He'd almost worn his
blue silk "come fuck me" shirt but guessing that this meeting
wouldn't be just an excuse for Chak to get "some" he had decided on a
pressed white shirt and tight black jeans.  He looked down at
himself.  Yeah he'd stick with this outfit.  It was sexy and demure
at the same time.  Perfect for saying "yes" because he was almost
certain that was what this night was about.

Chakotay was going to propose.  There just wasn't any other
explanation, right?  The commander already had everything else from
him he could give other than that one thing, a formal commitment.
Tom rose and then sat back down again, doubt playing havoc with his
emotions.  Gods please let it be that.

As the lieutenant considered praying to the Spirits for help the
cabin doors swished opened and the commander entered.  Tom bolted
upright and met him halfway.

"You're early."

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll do better next time."

Tom repressed an urge to laugh.  Shit he must really love this man if
he was starting to appreciate his lame sense of humour.  Chakotay
gingerly placed a soft kiss on his quivering lips and stood back.

"You look good Poocuh."

"You too."

Oh now "that" was lame.  Chakotay looked more than good, he look
great.  He wore black trousers with a matching jacket over a white
dress shirt.  It was sort of the same version of his own outfit but
classier.

"Thanks."

Chakotay took his hand and took him back over to where he had been
keeping vigil earlier.  After they sat, the commander took his other
hand and held both in his own caressing the backs with his thumbs.
Tom's nervousness spiked and he reverted to form.

"So is the "date" starting now?"

An understanding smile formed on the commander's lips as he nodded
and spoke without betraying any of his own emotional turmoil.

"Tom, ever since I was a boy I have been trying to understand my
father's teachings.  When I was younger I rebelled against them and
when he died I embraced them.  However it wasn't until I became a
part of this special group of people on Voyager did I think I finally
understood them.  For the first time in my life I was at peace with
my culture and myself.  However all that changed five weeks ago."

Chakotay took a cleansing breath before continuing.

"All of sudden that hard-earned peace and sense of control was gone
and my world was in turmoil again.  At almost every turn you
challenged my beliefs and continually surprised me by making me see
things in a new light."

The commander hand went up to stroke Tom's cheek and the somber front
melted.

"That's when I truly heard my father's voice for the first time, in
you."

"Me?"  Being lumped in with such a man as Kolopak humbled Tom and
scared the hell of out him.  He couldn't even live up to the
aspirations of the Admiral let alone someone as noble as Chakotay's
father but if the incredible man in front of him thought he could,
then he would try with all that he was.

"Yes Poocuh, you.   He knew that life wasn't perfect and that things
happened beyond our control.  But it was up to us to live that life
anyway with our hearts free from hate and our minds free from worry.
That's something I see you do everyday."

Tom laughed, he heard something similar when he was growing up.  Not
from the Admiral, but from his mother who he supposed would not have
been able to suffer her husband without it.

"Chak, my mother said the same thing but with her own particular
twist."  He kissed the broad palm on his face and with as much
seriousness as he could muster he repeated her axiom.

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade."

It was the commander's turn to laugh.  Just as he disliked Tom's
father without ever meeting him, he loved his mother.  He would have
liked to ask for her blessing for what he was about to do.

The pilot watched how his love's eyes shone and his dimples blossomed
when he was happy.  He knew this was something he wanted to watch for
the rest of his life and he wanted the rest of his life to start
now.  Chak probably still had something real profound to say before
he actually got to the point but the point was there was really only
one thing left to say.

"Marry me Chakotay."

To say that the man was dumbstruck would have been an
understatement.  Tom didn't know what Chak's next reaction would be
but when it happened he was the one that was dumfounded.  Chakotay
grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the lounge.

"OK, let's go."

"What?"

Chakotay looked at him with mock impatience.

"You said you wanted to get married, right?"

"Yeah, but."

The commander pulled him across the room and out into the corridor.
Tom's confusion was increasing by the minute.

"We're going out?"  As the turbo lift's doors closed he pressed his
body against the first officer's.  "I was kinda of hoping we could
stay in tonight and you know," His fingers slipped the length of his
intended's torso settling on the only seemingly responsive part of
him. "Celebrate?"

The commander caught the errant hand and kissed the fingertips before
answering.

"I do want to celebrate.  Trust me, OK?"

Tom looked at him quizzically.  He was pretty sure that the commander
had accepted "his" marriage proposal but this sudden urge of his to
go out and party made him think twice.

"You did say yes, didn't you."

The doors of the lift opened depositing them on Deck 6.  He was
propelled by what he hoped was his groom to be down the hall to the
doors of holodeck two.  He stopped at the entrance, grabbed Tom's
biceps and looked into his slightly unfocused eyes.

"I love you Tom Paris and I want you to be my husband.  Are you sure
you want the same thing?"

For about two seconds Tom thought about making some sarcastic remark
reminding the big guy about who asked who before he was totally
swallowed up by those ebony brown eyes and realized that no, it was
time to be a grown up and not class clown.

"Yes Chakotay for now and forever."

Those killer dimples assaulted him and a smile so beautiful it made
him forget everything and everyone that had ever hurt him formed on
that handsome face.

"Good answer."

Together they walked through the arch.

********

Pink on, pink off, blue on, blue off, pink on..

Tom threw a hand up and peeked through his fingers to get a better
look at the building.   It was small, pinnacled and what he guessed
would be considered quaint if it weren't for the two eight foot
flashing bells that adorned it.

He gave Chakotay an incredulous look before walking closer to the
structure.   He pointed his finger at the white double doors,
Chakotay nodded and he shrugged before grasping one of the long
gilded handles and opening it.

The candle glow made him blink as he entered with the commander's
hand at his elbow.  As his eyes acclimated to the lower level of
light, he saw that he was at the foot of a long aisle bordered by
pews crested with large silk pink bows.  As Chakotay urged him
forward a foot music started and familiar voice he couldn't quite
place, began singing "I can't help falling in love with you".

"Come on baby, our place is up front."

Taking another step he heard the shuffle of feet and the rustle of
clothing.  There were people sitting in the pews and as they stood he
saw the familiar faces of friends and colleagues and when he looked
back down at the end of aisle he saw Captain Janeway patiently
waiting.  That's when it hit him and he turned to face Chakotay.

"Elvis, right?  That's Elvis singing."

"Tom."

Before the commander could say "Obiwan Kenobi" Tom grabbed him by the
lapel and hauled him back outside the chapel.  After escaping the
interior, Tom took one look up at the neon bells, fell to the ground
and lost it.

Chakotay was stunned as he watched Tom sit down on the holographic
curb with his head in hands and his shoulders shaking.  Spirits what
had he done.  He had planned with the help of half the crew a wedding
that he thought would appeal to Tom's love of 20th century lore.  He
had foregone his own desires to have a more traditional native
ceremony to do something more impromptu that he had hoped would
please his intended.   He sat down on the curb.

"Tom?"

The lieutenant raised his head, his face wet with tears.  As a
stricken Chakotay began an apology his lips were capture in a
passionate kiss that forced his back to the sidewalk.  Tom maneuvered
his body to straddle his lap and brought him back up to a sitting
position.  As the lieutenant wiped a sleeve across his tear stained
cheeks, he saw the mirth glinting in his ocean blue eyes.

"Oh gods Chak, a Vegas wedding?"

"Yes, I thought you would appreciate the gesture."

Tom hugged him close hiding another bout of laughter in his shoulder
before falling back and biting his lower lip.

"Please tell me you're not pregnant and your father's hiding in the
back with a shotgun too."

OK now Chakotay was totally confused, as 24th century men like him
didn't understand the meaning of the words tacky or cliché.

"No, I'm not.  Tom are you OK?"

The deadpan seriousness of his lover's remark sent Tom backward on to
the street clutching his stomach his breath hitching with repressed
laughter.  Seeing the Chak wasn't getting the joke he got a hold of
himself and tried to explain.

"I'm sorry baby but that was all just so.so unexpected."  He saw his
lover's alarm. "But if you're willing to getting married to the
sounds of the King singing in the background, I am too."

He stood up and offered his hand in more ways than one to the man
that was his whole world.

********

"Oh fuck say it again."

"I take thee,"  Chakotay kissed a pale calf and thrust forward. "Tom
Paris,"  Tom braced his hands and lifted his hips. "As my, oh
spirits.."

"Quick Chak, say it, say it..."

He looked down at the other half of his soul and tried to concentrate
on the words he wanted to hear as he pumped his devotion to those
words into him.

"My husband.my husband."

Tom's cock became a fountain as he continued to physically confirm
his commitment, repeating his litany with each thrust of his hips.
He released his hand from a delicate hip to dip his fingers in his
partner's release and as he licked the salty sweetness from his hand,
a pressure born of love and passion exploded from him.

"Oh Tom, oh Tom.Tom!"

He let his mate's leg fall from his shoulder and collapsed on his
back beside him.  Immediately he was engulfed by slender limbs and
felt soft kisses across his chest.  He brought his arms around the
suppliant body and kissed the damp curls of golden hair nestled under
his chin.

"I love you."

The declaration brought a beautifully flushed face up to his.

"I know."

He kissed the damp forehead before settling back into the warmth of
what was now their marriage bed.  It had been a long and extremely
stressful day for him and he was ready to succumb to a blissful rest
with his beloved in his arms.

"Chak?"

"Yes Poocuh?"

"I love you too."

He held his beloved tighter to him and thanked the Spirits for
pirates, Mikans, meddling moral officers, ex-borgs, shy ensigns, an
over protective superior officer and finally his father for the gift
in his arms.

"I know, Poocuh I know."

THE END.