Never Without You Again

Chapter 18

9 months later...

Hannah's POV

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm," Jim says into the microphone as all of Starfleet listens. "To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil in ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us, but that's not who we are. We are here today to rechristen the USS Enterprise, and to honor those who lost their lives nearly one year ago. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship, he had me recite the Captain's Oath, words I didn't appreciate at the time. Now, I see them as a call for us to remember who we once were, and who we must be again. And those words? Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before."

Everyone claps as Jim ends his speech. As the ceremony comes to a close, Pavel taps my shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he asks.

"Of course," I reply.

He pulls me aside for a moment. He shifts nervously. He then looks into my eyes.

"What is it?"

"Hannah Aidan McCoy," he starts. "From zhe day I met you, I have fallen for you. You have been zhe love of my life since I laid eyes on you. Your hazel eyes still take my breath away. Your courage, determination and willpower inspire me every day. I love every part of you. You point out things you consider to be flaws or your quirks, but to me... they make you perfect. You've encouraged me and cared for me. You've given me more love than I could've ever asked for. You've taught me what life can truly be when you are willing to make it your own. We've taken on rogue Romulans, an active volcano and a 300-year-old superman. We've been on so many adventures... and I'm ready to go on the greatest adventure yet wizh you."

As he says this, he kneels down on one knee and produces a small box from his pocket. I feel my heart nearly stop as I realize what's going on. The box opens to reveal a beautiful ring. I look to see that we are surrounded by the crew of the Enterprise. Dad and Jim stand side by side in the front. Both of them are smiling at us with tears in their eyes.

Is this... is this really happening or am I dreaming...

"Hannah McCoy," Pavel asks. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I say with tears now sliding down my face as he slides the ring on my finger. "Yes!"

He lifts up, puts his arms around my waist and presses his lips to mine. Tears stream down both our faces. I hear applause come from around us. Dad walks up to me and hugs me. I think he's crying the hardest out of all of us. After dad walks back over to Jim, I turn back to Pavel... now... my fiance.

My mind is in complete shock. I can't even describe the joy I feel right now. I'm going to marry the man standing in front of me...