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Annabelle O'Halloran

Dinner Date

For the first time since the academy, 1st Lieutenant William Tomlinson was nervous. None of the missions he’d flown nor any problems he’d had with the Captain or the XO made him into as much of a bundle of nerves as he was right now. He tried taking deep breaths but they were shaky at best. The stage was set, the time was drawing close and he was as nervous; almost as scared as a first orbit cadet. Anna would find the note on the bed they shared as soon as she came off duty and she would come to him, probably wondering what kind of screwball thrill-seeking situation he wanted to put her into this time. Will couldn’t help but smile at that thought. Whatever happened, he knew he loved her with all his heart and now all he could do was wait.

 

* * * * *

His note had said to meet him in Holodeck 2 at 1800 hours for a special occasion and Anna was still wondering what that meant because coming from Will -- that might mean anything. He loved surprising her with one hair-raising adventure after another and could be surprisingly creative. The big challenge had been on deciding what to wear -- he usually at least gave her a hint. But not this time, and so she’d decided that a special occasion called for a special dress and had opted for a black silk in a halter style that he hadn’t seen before. It had a black lace overlay and was deceptively elegant and...would be completely inappropriate if it turned out that he’d programmed an adventure in honor of some esoteric anniversary which involved running with bulls (she still didn’t understand why that was an event) or navigating a storm in a hot air balloon (a favorite to date). Feeling a little thrill of anticipation, she tapped the control panel and stepped across the threshold as the doors slid back.

 

Anna found herself in what appeared to be an elegant foyer, dimly lit by a small chandelier centered over a small pedestal table. There was a piece of parchment lying on the table which simply read: “follow the ribbon”. Looking down, starting just beyond the table, there was a white ribbon on the floor which led into a corridor off the little entryway. She followed it and found herself going up a flight of stairs and down another corridor until reaching a set of french doors which upon opening, revealed a patio illuminated only by candlelight and a star filled sky.

 

A table with a service for two had been set up for an elegantly romantic dinner. Turning slowly, she absorbed the beautiful setting, enjoying the warm, balmy breeze that smelled of heliotrope and primroses. She wondered what the occasion was, knowing it didn’t really matter. Will was very good at coming up with creative scenarios, the only real purpose of which was for them to enjoy spending some time together away from their work environment. He was such a romantic, she mused, thinking as always of how lucky she was while wishing he would hurry up and make an appearance. It had been a longish day and she missed him.

 

As if on cue, Will silently walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently pulled his Anna to him and hugged her warmly, “Good evening, my love. I do hope you like what you see here.” He kissed the back of her neck before turning her around to face him. No matter how many times he saw her like this, his breath was always taken away by the beauty he held in his arms. “You look beautiful, my dear. Are you hungry right now?”

 

“Good evening, to you too,” Anna replied with a delighted smile, thinking Will sounded oddly formal. She looped her arms around his neck and stretched up to kiss him lingeringly before leaning back to meet his gaze. “I love what I’ve found here; it’s a beautiful setting, Will,” she assured him. “I am hungry -- and have been wondering what’s under the covered dishes.”

 

He was even dressed more formally than usual she noticed. Very handsome as always, but his easy smile was missing and she wondered at it; it wasn’t like him to be so serious when they were alone together like this. “So, what’s the occasion, flyboy?” she asked lightly.

 

Will smiled but didn’t immediately respond as he led her to the table and helped push her chair in as she sat down. He then acted as their waiter, taking a moment to pop open a bottle of very fine, non-replicated wine. He let the wine breathe a bit as he spoke softly, “A very special occasion, my love.” Will poured a glass of wine for her and then one for himself. Picking up his glass, he sat across from his love and held it up in a toast, “To life and love.” He smiled so warmly at her that you would think the room’s temperature went up a few degrees.

 

Rather dazzled by the warmth and intensity of Will’s smile, Anna automatically lifted her glass to touch it to the rim of his, echoing his words before taking a sip of the wine, which was delicious. “The wine is wonderful...just like everything else you’ve arranged here tonight.”

 

Anna reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. She had a sudden thought that perhaps Will had arranged all this because he had something to tell her that he knew she wouldn’t like. Maybe a very dangerous mission was being planned. The words of his toast actually leant themselves to this theory, didn’t they? Anna took a deep breath, keeping her gaze fixed on his. “Will, sweetheart, what’s this all about?”

 

Will saw worry play across her features as she spoke and he figured that her anxiety stemmed from his being a fighter pilot. He’d been going to wait until dessert but if keeping her in suspense like this was causing her distress he would fast forward to it.

 

“Love, there is nothing bad to tell you,” Will stated with a smile. “In fact, I hear that this is an event that most women look forward to with baited breath.” He slipped his hand out of hers, got out of his seat and slid around the table. As he moved, he made sure that Anna could see the small black jewel box in his right hand.

 

Will had planned this evening to surprise her with a proposal! Anna realized with stunned surprise as she caught sight of the small box in his hand. He often mentioned their future; usually in the context of saying something jokingly about when they had kids and she always teased him back but it had never occurred to her to think about when they might do anything official. She just thought of them as...together, knowing she could rely on him and his feelings for her as completely as he could rely on hers for him. But of course to Will, that would eventually mean a ring as well as the traditional wedding service his parents had gone through. It was the way of his family; the expectation he’d grown up with. She’d been raised differently but now that this moment had apparently arrived, she was filled with anticipation.

 

“You always manage to surprise me, Will but this time you’ve really outdone yourself. It never occurred to me that this was on your mind,” Anna finally said softly, almost breathless with a growing feeling of overwhelming happiness.

 

Will couldn’t help but smile at seeing her so overwhelmed as he got down on one knee and looked up into her eyes. “My father used to say that if something looks too good to be true, it usually is, but if it is true, then take it and run with it.” Will opened the box and revealed a gold ring, rubies and diamonds embedded along the band, with a 2 karat princess-cut diamond on top. He took the ring out of the box and held it up to her. “This ring has been in my family for six generations and now it will pass to you if you want it. You are too good to be true Anna, and yet, you are the real deal, so I plan on taking you and running if you agree.” Will took a deep breath, “Annabelle O’Halloran, I love you with all my heart and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

 

Taking the box with shaking fingers, Anna didn’t even look at the ring; her eyes were locked on Will’s, knowing the love she saw there was reflected back to him from her own. “I love you so much,” she replied quietly as she took his hand and gave it a gentle tug to draw him up. “William Tomlinson, it would be my privilege and greatest joy to be your wife. Yes! Of course I’ll marry you,” she exclaimed with a brilliant smile, her eyes bright with unshed tears as she threw herself into his arms.

 

Will laughed with pure unadulterated joy as he held his Anna closely. “Gods above, I love you Annabelle.” He pulled back slowly so that he could look at her beautiful face. He used his thumb to brush away a single tear that slid down her angelic face. He brought his face to hers and kissed her deeply for what seemed an eternity of bliss. When that kiss ended, Will took the ring out of the box and slid it ever so gently onto her finger as if her hand were made of delicate porcelain. He then kissed her hand before meeting her eyes and saying, “Anna, I can’t describe how happy you’ve made me.” Turning back to the table, “Now how about we eat a bit of dinner and then move on to dessert?” he asked with a sly smile.

 

Still bemused from his kiss -- not an unusual occurrence -- food was the last thing on Anna’s mind. “I’m looking forward to a lifetime of dessert, Will,” she told him, her smile radiant. “A lifetime together.”

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