"You always said you'd dance with me at my wedding, " she said as
she laid her hand gently on his arm.
Looking down at his glass and then into her eyes, he tried to push the words
past the lump in his throat. "Yes, I always did."
"Then will you dance with me now?" she could see how effected he was
by the question.
"You know I will, " his smile genuine as he took her hand and led
her to the center of Ten-Forward.
Laying her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and let his arms envelop
her. Swaying gently to the music, she couldn't help but let the tears well in
her eyes. "It's been a long year, " she whispered against his chest.
"Indeed it has, " he answered, the smile on his lips fading slightly
into a less convincing gauge of his emotions. The memories of the past year
flashed bright and hot through his mind.
He remembered the day that she had come to him; to tell him of the proposal
and her acceptance of it. He remembered how he'd felt as if he had been slammed
into a brick wall. But he had told her he was happy for her and offered her
his congratulations. Somehow he had always thought it would be him.
But things had changed; he had changed and he couldn't bear the thought that
she would be in someone else's arms, having someone else's children, growing
old with them and not him. So he had told her, laid it all on the line, as-it-were,
and in the end here they were, dancing in the middle of Ten-Forward at her wedding.
Sensing his emotions, she pulled back a little, so that she could look up into
his eyes and, unable to stop the tears, she let them fall.
He took her face in his hands and gently wiped her tears away with the pads
of his thumbs, as he had done so many times before. "I will always love
you."
She backed away from him as the music slowed, coming to an end, "I have
to go, " the questioning look on his face making her explain. "I have
to get changed before we leave on the honeymoon."
He held her, still, reluctant to let her go, wanting to make this moment last
forever.
As she was about to turn to go, the tinkling of metal against a champagne glass
drew their attention, as well as everyone else's, to the Captain. "It has
always been the happiest of duties for a captain to marry two people so much
in love. " And raising his glass, "To Will and Deanna, may your love
continue to grow stronger and deeper with each passing day."
Once again she melted into him, her tears of joy falling again unbidden. With
Will's strong arms around her, she looked up into his eyes as their friends
applauded their marriage. "Thank you for dancing at my wedding, "
the smile on her face the only thanks he needed.
"Hey, I always said I would, " he told her, lightly kissing the top
of her head and sending her off to get changed; they had a honeymoon to get
to, after all.
END