In a twist of irony, the one thing he'd wanted most of all had been the one thing he'd needed to let go. And let go he had. Somehow the whole incident had allowed him to look at it from a different angle and now he's just enjoying their friendship, an entirely platonic one, and hopefully their command relationship won't suffer for it, either.

"Does that mean I get an official position as your liaison?" Because everyone knew he was the buffer between her and everyone else when she got too worked up. "If I do become your secretary, you'll need to find a replacement for your First Officer and I don't think you'll want to hold auditions in the middle of the Delta Quadrant. Next thing you know, Neelix will jump for the job." And as much as Neelix has become an integral part of their crew, no one wants him in a real command position. He doesn't have the training or the understanding of Starfleet rules and regulations to play the part in a way as unbiased as it often requires.