Sequel to "Driving Lessons" and "Welding Hearts" by Isobeljones2000 - please read them first! You can find them both on WattPad.

Contains Shellington x Dashi and Kwazii x Tweak.

Chapter One

"What's up with Shellington lately?" Tweak asked Kwazii, as their sea otter friend entered the launch bay, clearly in his own little world, not seeming to notice them, "He's gotten mighty strange these past couple days."

"I don't know, Tweak," responded her sweetheart, clutching her paw tenderly as they sat inside her workshop where she was doing some repairs on the Gup B, "It could be that he's got another science project on his mind."

Now Shellington was studying the contents of a tiny blue box, fidgetting nervously.

"What could be in there?" whispered Tweak furtively.

Kwazii got out his telescope for a peek. His girlfriend only hoped he didn't accidentally spot something Shellington wouldn't want him to!

"Shiver me whiskers!" he exclaimed, "It looks like a pearl! Maybe Shellington's started an oyster farm."

"Let me see that!" Tweak snatched the spyglass for a better look.

Kwazii was right. He was carrying a tiny pearl in the box, but there also appeared to be something underneath the pearl - no, wait, attached to the pearl. What could this all mean...?

It was then Dashi whizzed down the OctoChute, landing on her feet gracefully.

Shellington quickly hid the box behind his back, his heart racing. It was now time for him to ask Dashi a question that had been bubbling up inside of him for many months.

"Um...Dashi?" He could feel his stomach fluttering.

"What is it, Shel?"

Now we're going to find out what he's been up to...thought Tweak and Kwazii almost simultaneously.

"Er...well..." Shellington desperately tried to remember the words he had been repeating in his mind over the last few days. He drew out the blue box and showed her its contents.

"It's a pearl," observed Dashi.

"A freshwater mussel pearl, to be precise. They're an endangered species so they're under conservation in my home country of Scotland." He could feel his cheeks turning scarlet.

"Is that for me?"

"Um..."

Why was he making this so hard? The question was simple enough.

Shellington got down on one knee, holding up the open box.

"Dashi?" he asked, "Will you marry me?"

The pilot's paws flew to her face in surprise.

I don't believe it! thought Tweak. Everything made sense now!

"I mean...you don't have to...I was just asking..."

He was unable to say any more as Dashi swiftly grabbed his arm and wrenched him into a kiss. Shellington dropped the ring in surprise, but soon wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace.

"Hooray!" cried Tweak all of a sudden, nearly bouncing right out of her workshop.

Shellington jumped out of his skin and toppled straight into the nearby water, dragging his startled fiance with him. Tweak went horribly red as a splash the size of a miniature tsunami leapt over the side of the pool, just as Captain Barnacles emerged from the OctoChute.

The captain stood there for a few minutes afterward, absolutely dripping wet. Dashi and Shellington rose to the surface in complete and utter horror.

Then, Barnacles broke into a fit of laughter. "A little bit of water never hurt anyone!"

Relieved, the others started chuckling too. Of course nobody minded getting wet - they were the Octonauts! They lived, worked and studied underwater. There was rarely a day when they stayed dry.

"Are you all right, Dashi?" asked Barnacles as she clambered out of the water.

"Never better, Captain," she responded, shaking herself dry gently, "Shellington and I just got engaged."

The captain beamed. "Congratulations! This will be the first time we have held a wedding ceremony on the OctoPod." He frowned. "I assume you are going to be married on the OctoPod, aren't you?"

"Don't worry about that, Captain!" said Shellington, as his sweetheart helped him out of the pool, "Dashi and I have plenty of time to make our decisions." He put his arm round her shoulders. Dashi's cheeks turned slightly pink.

Tweak and Kwazii had strolled over now.

"Congratulations, Shellington!" said Kwazii.

"You too, Dashi!" chirped Tweak.

Barnacles went over to a nearby computer and pressed one of the keys. The absent crewmembers appeared on sections of the screen. "Octonauts - I have an announcement to make. Shellington and Dashi are getting married."

Peso cheered and jumped in the air with excitement.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Professor Inkling, putting down his book, "It has been a long time since I last attended a wedding."

As for the vegimals, they just hopped up and down for joy, squealing in delight, especially Tunip, who was over the moon to find out that his best friend had finally found himself a wife.

"Calm down a bit!" said Shellington, "We've still got plenty of arrangenents to make. I haven't even made a guest list yet." Dashi rested her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Shel," she reassured him, "We'll get it all sorted."

It was then Shellington noticed the blue box he'd dropped on the floor. He eased Dashi off his shoulder and picked it up. Resting on one knee, he slid the pearl ring onto her thumb (for indeed she had no fingers).

"It's beautiful, Shellington."

The sea otter arose, taking hold of her paw. Kwazii found himself slipping his own paw into Tweak's, who squeezed it affectionately. The pirate kitten couldn't help but wonder if maybe...just maybe...one day he would be presenting her a similar ring...but not just yet. They still needed to see whether they would get to that point.

"When do you plan to have the wedding?" asked Barnacles.

"I haven't really thought about it," replied Shel with a grimace.

Dashi gave his paw a squeeze. "Shellington and I will think it over, Captain. We may need a little time to decide!"

"I would be more than willing to conduct the ceremony," offered Barnacles.

Dashi turned to the green bunny engineer. "Tweak? Would you like to be a bridesmaid?"

"Sure thing, Dashi!" cried her friend, bouncing wildly in excitement.

Shellington went over to the computer. "Tunip, would you like to be the best man?"

The vegimal gasped and slapped his fins over his cheeks. He started leaping around ecstatically and was soon joined by his friends.

"I take that as a yes," reported the doctor.

Dashi and Tweak started nattering away about their dresses, whilst Kwazii gave him a pat on the back. Shellington stared lovingly at his fiance, hardly able to believe he'd been able to muster up the courage to ask her out in the first place, let alone marry her. Dashi had really brought out the best in him during the past few months they'd been together, and he had Peso to thank for helping him realise she actually felt the same way about him that he did about her. Mind you, it had been Tweak who had encouraged him to ask her on that first date. He had received a lot of support from his fellow crew-members throughout his entire romance with Dashi. He began to chill a little bit on the subject of the wedding - with friends like his, there was nothing he had to worry about!