Author's notes: Okay, this is the part with the wedding. I know
that some people have been waiting for this. As usual, a huge
thank you to Sammi Jo.
****************************************************
Part 7
Tom looked at the Captain, who was standing outside the door
to the First Officer's quarters, and smiled at her. "Come in,
Captain," he said.
"Thank you, Tom," the Captain said as she entered. "I'm sorry to
disturb you. I just wanted to see how Chakotay is doing."
Chakotay smiled at her. "I'm fine, Captain," he said quietly and
gestured for her to be seated. Janeway moved over and sat in the
chair that Harry had occupied earlier.
"Do you want anything, Captain?" Tom offered.
Janeway smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you, Tom."
Turning back to her First Officer, she asked softly, "Are you
sure, you're okay?"
Chakotay sighed in exasperation. "Why won't anyone believe
me when I say that I'm fine?" he asked. "I'm *fine*, just a little
tired."
"If you say so, then I believe you," Captain Janeway studied him
for a moment, then asked out of curiosity, "Who doesn't believe
you?"
Chakotay sighed quietly. "Tom isn't entirely convinced that I'm
out of danger," he answered.
Tom sat on the couch next to him. "It's just because I was so
scared when you were in sickbay. I was so afraid that you'd die,"
he explained. His eyes filled with tears. "I wouldn't survive
losing you. Even if we weren't bonded, I wouldn't survive your
death."
Captain Janeway lifted an eyebrow, puzzled by Tom's last
statement. "Bonded?"
Chakotay smiled slightly. "Yes. You know that Tom's half
Darrbakhian?" he asked. When Janeway nodded, he continued,
"Well, Darrbakhians bond mentally when they get married. It's
similar to the Vulcan ritual, but the Darrbakhian bond is
stronger."
Captain Janeway seemed intrigued. "Tom promised to tell me
about your wedding. I'd like to hear about it now, if you're not
too tired," she said.
Tom and Chakotay looked at each other, and then turned back to
the Captain. "No, we're not too tired," Chakotay said. "I'll let
Tom tell you about it, though. He has a greater knowledge about
the ceremony and can explain it better than I can."
The Captain turned expectantly to Tom, who took a deep breath
while he organized his thoughts. "Okay. I told you that
Chakotay proposed to me on our six month anniversary," he
began.
Captain Janeway nodded, encouraging Tom to continue. "At the
time, we were on our way to Darrbakh, and we agreed to get
bonded when we arrived there." Tom looked at his Captain and
explained. "We could've bonded immediately, but a newly
bonded couple need a week in total privacy to get used to the
bond, and we needed to be available in case of an emergency."
He stopped speaking to once again gather his thoughts before
continuing. "We were two weeks away from Darrbakh, but in
the meantime, we made a mind-link every night in order to get
used to each other's thoughts. A mind-link is similar to a Vulcan
mind-meld," he explained to the Captain.
Tom smiled and continued his story. "The day after Chakotay
proposed, I contacted my sister and asked her to tell my family
that I was getting married, and to whom." Tom stopped when he
heard the Captain's startled gasp. He looked at her questioningly.
"I didn't know that you had a sister," Captain Janeway said
quietly.
Tom's eyes widened. "Oh. No, of course you didn't. I'm sorry. I
forgot. Well, it's a Darrbakhian custom. Every child on
Darrbakh is linked to another child in a 'sibling-bond' when they
are a week old. They become siblings, and can't marry each
other. The bond prevents them from being attracted to each
other," he explained. "Where was I? Oh yeah. Telling the
family. Later that day, Rhiannon, that's my sister, contacted me
to tell me that our families were... concerned about the fact that
I was going to marry a non-Darrbakhian."
Tom looked briefly at the Captain. "The last person who did that
was my mother, and that didn't work out very well. My father
tried to turn her into a human," Tom explained.
"So of course I was a little worried about how they would
receive my lover when we arrived. As it turned out, I had
nothing to worry about. My family loved him from the start."
Tom smiled at the memory.
* * * * *
//The 'Crazy Horse' arrived at Darrbakh in the early morning.
Tom and Chakotay beamed down to the planet where Tom's
family waited for them.
When Tom and Chakotay materialized, Tom's family came over
to them, hugging and kissing Tom while laughing and talking.
Tom laughed as well, then he pulled back slightly and
introduced his fiancé.
For a while the two queens of Darrbakh studied the man who
was going to marry their nephew. They took in his darkly
handsome looks, his calm serenity and, most important, his
obvious love for Tom. The two queens smiled at each other and
then at Tom before they greeted Chakotay.
"Welcome to Darrbakh, Chakotay. I am Rinora, the Queen of
Khenat," the silver-haired of the two women said and kissed
Chakotay on the cheek.
"Thank you, Queen Rinora," Chakotay said seriously.
Rinora chuckled. "You will soon be part of the family, so you
don't have to use any titles," she said softly and stepped back to
allow the other woman to greet the Maquis Captain.
The golden-haired Queen came over to kiss his cheek.
"Welcome to Darrbakh, Chakotay. I am Jalba, the Queen of
Sche'all," she said, then she turned back to Tom with a smile.
"Everything is arranged for the wedding ceremony. It'll take
place in the temple on 'Dragon's Island' in a couple of hours. The
rest of the family, including your sister and her family, are there
already, taking care of the last details."
Tom threw a quick glance at Chakotay, then asked, "Can we
invite the crew on the ship? We'd like to have them there."
Rinora and Jalba looked at each other briefly. "Of course. You
can invite whomever you want. You know that, Ishaan," Rinora
answered.
Tom shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I wasn't entirely
sure," he said and blushed at Rinora's incredulous look. "So,
what do we do now? Are we going to 'Dragon's Island'?"
Jalba gave him a surprised look. "Ishaan, you know what
happens before the wedding ceremony. You lived here for six
years as a boy. Why do you ask about it?" she asked puzzled.
Tom bit his lip, then he sighed. "I'm just nervous, I guess," he
admitted. Chakotay moved over to stand beside him, and slid an
arm around his fiancé.
Jalba and Rinora smiled with pleasure at the sight and stopped
worrying. It was obvious that this man loved their nephew. "All
right, Ishaan, since you're nervous and because I suspect that
you haven't told Chakotay, I'll tell you what's going to happen,"
Jalba said. She paused to gather her thoughts, then continued.
"We'll beam to my palace for the naming ceremony. Meanwhile
the crew of the 'Crazy Horse' will be beamed to 'Dragon's
Island'. After the naming ceremony, we'll fly there for your
wedding."
"Oh. Yeah, of course," Tom said. Then the four of them
moved to stand on the transporter pad and were beamed to the
Royal palace in Sche'all.
When they arrived, a servant came to escort Chakotay to one of
the guestrooms, where he could bathe and change into the
clothes he was going to wear at the naming ceremony. Tom
went to his own room to change.
An hour later Chakotay was shown into the salon where Tom
and his aunts waited with a priestess. Chakotay moved over to
stand beside Tom, who turned to him and explained the
ceremony. "The priestess is going to say a prayer and then ask
for your Darrbakhian name, which my aunts have chosen. Then
she will repeat it to you, draw a line along your hairline and end
the ceremony with a blessing. It won't take more than half an
hour," Tom told his lover.
Chakotay nodded and turned toward the priestess, who started
the prayer. She spoke in a language that Chakotay had never
heard before, and he glanced questioningly at Tom. His lover
smiled briefly before leaning close and explaining in a whisper.
"She speaking in the ancient Darrbakhian language, asking the
goddess to accept you and watch over you."
Chakotay nodded silently and turned his attention back to the
priestess. Tom had told him that all Darrbakhians believed in a
goddess, who had created everything.
The priestess finished her prayer and turned to the two queens.
"What name have you chosen for this man?" she asked.
"Talishen Biraan," they answered in unison.
The priestess turned to Chakotay. "You are now Talishen
Biraan, with the human name Chakotay," she said, then dipped
her index finger in a bowl, coating it in a yellow substance.
After removing her finger from the bowl, the priestess made a
line along Chakotay's hairline. She stepped back and spoke once
more, briefly. When she was finished, she bowed slightly before
turning and leaving the room.
Jalba and Rinora turned to Chakotay. "Now you're a
Darrbakhian citizen, and can always come here if you need
someplace to relax. You can also turn to one of our embassies if
you need help, or are in trouble of some kind," Rinora informed
him.
"You will also be addressed as Talishen Biraan by any
Darrbakhian you meet," Jalba added.//
* * * * *
Tom stopped talking when Captain Janeway made a small
sound. He looked at her questioningly. "What is it, Captain?"
"A Darrbakhian citizen? Just by getting a Darrbakhian name?"
she asked incredulously.
Tom chuckled quietly. "Yes. A Darrbakhian child is only
accepted as a citizen of Darrbakh after the naming ceremony,"
he explained.
Janeway sighed. Chakotay looked at her for a moment. When he
noticed that she seemed to be overcoming her amazement, he
smiled wickedly. "Actually, I'm not just a Darrbakhian citizen,"
he said. When the Captain looked at him, he continued, "I'm also
a member of the Royal Family."
The Captain blinked in surprise, and Tom laughed. "Well, it's
true. Chakotay became a part of the Royal Family when he
married me," Tom said.
Captain Janeway nodded in understanding. "All right. You were
telling me about your wedding day. What happened next?" she
asked.
Tom leaned back in the couch and smiled. "Well, we went back
to our rooms to change for the marriage ceremony, then we flew
to 'Dragon's Island', where everyone waited for us. Then we got
married," Tom said and remembered the ceremony.
* * * * *
//Tom and Chakotay stood, facing each other, in the temple on
'Dragon's Island'. The high priestess of Darrbakh had just
finished the prayer that started the marriage ceremony. Now
they would create the 'marriage-bond' and join their minds
forever.
Tom smiled gently at Chakotay. Then he lifted his hand and
brushed his fingers against Chakotay's temple, establishing a
mental link.
To the Maquis crew it seemed like the couple just stood there,
looking at each other. But they weren't. Tom and Chakotay were
deepening the mental link Tom had established, creating an
unusually strong bond.
Memories from Tom's life flashed through Chakotay's mind.
Pictures from an early childhood on Earth. The first time he saw
Darrbakh. When he met his sister for the first time since he was
born. His mama's sadness. The mischievous amber eyes of his
sister when she thought of another prank. His 16th birthday. His
mother's death and her funeral. That was the last time he'd cried.
The order from his father to return to Earth. Living with his
father's disapproval, being forced to repress his Darrbakhian
nature. Entering Star Fleet Academy and hating it. His only joy
there was flying. Meeting Ro Laren. After four years, his father
had finally allowed him to go on vacation on Darrbakh. He went
home and decided that he would never return to Earth. His
father had been angry when he found out that Tom was staying
on Darrbakh.
Chakotay gasped quietly when he felt Tom's emotional reaction
to Owen Paris' anger, and the younger man halted the flow of
memories to mentally calm his beloved. After a moment Tom let
the memories flow over Chakotay again. He showed the Big
Man the previous time he was on Darrbakh. Conversations with
Rhiannon and the rest of his family. The joy of being home.
Letters from Ro Laren. Attending to his royal duties. Enjoying
Darrbakh's nature. Flying. Then Ro had called him with the
offer to join the Maquis. Tom had thought about it and made a
background check on Chakotay. Deciding that he wanted to help
the Maquis, Tom had contacted Ro and agreed to meet her
Captain. She had told him where the meeting would take place
and Tom had spoken to Queen Rinora, who let him use one of
Darrbakh's ships to get there. Tom had waited in the bar for
about an hour before Ro had arrived with Chakotay.
Tom stopped the flow of memories, saying, #That's enough for
now. The rest of my memories can wait until we're alone.#
#The rest? You mean there's more?# Chakotay asked.
#Yeah, but not that much. It's mostly details,# Tom replied.
#Now it's your turn to show me *your* memories.#
#All right,# Chakotay said, then he let his memories flow over
both of them.//
* * * * *
Tom's reverie was interrupted by Chakotay's fatigue. He looked
at Kathryn. "I'm sorry, Captain, but we'll have to stop now.
Chakotay needs to rest," he told her. He thought for a moment
and then added, "I'll tell you the rest of the story another day, if
you're interested."
Captain Janeway smiled. "Oh, I definitely want to hear the rest,"
she said as she rose from her chair and moved to the door,
followed by Tom. "But, as you said, I can hear that another day.
Right now I'll leave, so the two of you can get your beauty sleep.
I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow morning. Good night." With
that the Captain left.
When the door closed, Tom walked back to his spouse and
extended his hand. After pulling Chakotay to his feet, he softly
said, "Come on Love, let's go to bed."
Walking hand-in-hand, the two men went into the bedroom.
After removing their clothes, they slid into bed and snuggled
into each other's arms. Within moments they were both asleep.