More fluff featuring these two. Title borrowed from E. M. Forster.
Katrina willed the turbolift to go faster as she descended through the ship towards engineering. She was drawing a few odd looks from the crew members sharing the lift with her, presumably due to her civilian dress, and while it didn't bother her as such, she just couldn't be arsed with it today. Pointedly ignoring everyone else, she left the lift on the engineering deck and made her way through the corridors.
Tilly had taken a position in engineering on the Arturo following her promotion to Lieutenant, but in the couple of months that had passed since Katrina hadn't managed to make it over to visit. That was one of the reasons she was so anxious to get to engineering quickly; it had been the longest gap between 'dates' they'd had so far and she had really missed her girlfriend.
The doors to engineering swished open as she reached them and she stepped inside. She scanned the room quickly, smiling when she found the person she was looking for. Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly was talking to a crew member on the other side of the room as she packed up for the day. Her companion fell silent as he noticed Katrina and Tilly turned around in confusion to see what he was looking at. A massive grin burst onto her face and she launched across the room.
'Kat!' she shrieked with glee, leaping at Katrina so that she was forced to catch her. Tilly wrapped her legs around Kat's waist and kissed her.
'Hey baby,' Katrina murmured against her lips. 'Miss me?'
'Damn right,' affirmed Tilly, leaning in for another kiss. Someone cleared their throat next to them.
'Excuse me, Lieutenant,' said a voice, and Tilly untangled herself from Katrina, who lowered her to the ground but refused to let go of her hand.
'Yes Ensign?' Tilly said, turning. The speaker was a pompous looking man in his early thirties, shorter than both Tilly and Katrina and with dark hair slicked across his scalp.
'Might I ask what you're doing bringing a civilian into engineering in the first place, let alone engaging in this sort of behaviour?' Katrina could feel Tilly radiating amusement at his mistake, but she squeezed her hand gently to let her know she'd handle this, before stepping out from behind Tilly.
'My apologies, Ensign,' she said. 'Let me assure you that Lieutenant Tilly had no idea I was coming to meet her today, and I did time my arrival to make sure that she would be off duty when I got here so as not to interrupt her duties. I am also a member of Starfleet, so there are no problems with area restrictions. However, if you'd like to make a complaint, my name and rank are Katrina Cornwell, Vice Admiral.'
The man blanched and backed away, shaking his head and stammering nonsensical apologies. Out of the corner of her eye Katrina could see everyone else in the room sniggering, or trying hard not to. She offered him a polite smile and turned to Tilly. 'Shall we?' Tilly slipped her hand through Katrina's arm and they left the room. They managed until the doors had shut behind them before exploding into laughter.
'Oh my god, that was actually the best thing ever!' exclaimed Tilly, clutching at her sides. Katrina wiped her eyes, braced against a bulkhead.
'I shouldn't have done that,' she said, shaking her head and straightening up. 'Ah well.' She grinned unrepentantly. 'Let's get out of here before they all come out.'
'So what brings you to the Arturo?' Tilly asked as they made their way to her quarters.
'You,' replied Katrina. 'You think I'd be delivering orders dressed like this?' Tilly grinned and eyed Kat's outfit; it wasn't anything too over the top but she'd left her shirt open at the collar and the trousers were fairly figure hugging. Paired with the heeled boots she was wearing it was probably dressier than anything Tilly had previously seen her in and she knew she looked good.
'I wish you did,' was the girl's response. Katrina laughed. 'Seriously though, you're here just to see me?' They had reached Tilly's quarters and Katrina stood back to let Tilly enter the code before following her inside.
'You remember how you told me once I was really good at presents?' Tilly blushed; she clearly knew exactly what Katrina was referring to. 'Well, Happy Birthday!'
'I never told you when my birthday is,' Tilly said, suspicious.
'No, but your Mum did,' replied Kat with a grin. Tilly groaned. 'What, you don't like presents?'
'This is the sort I do like,' Tilly conceded, moving closer now they were alone. Katrina met her for a kiss, then pulled back slightly.
'I'm not the only present. The other part is a posh hotel with a huge bed.' Tilly smiled.
'That's really sweet Kat. But you know I can't just take off.' Katrina looked slightly sheepish.
'I may have organised leave for you,' she admitted. 'I didn't want you to think I was overstepping but I raised the possibility of you taking some time off with Captain Aziz and she okayed it immediately. So if you want to, we can go. If not..' Katrina was starting to worry this whole idea had been a huge mistake, but Tilly cut her off.
'Are you kidding?! Of course I want to! You're the actual best!' Tilly was grinning so much Katrina had to match her, and returned the younger woman's kiss with equal enthusiasm. 'What's the plan?'
'Well, my ship is in the shuttlebay so you just need to pack some things, then we can go,' Katrina replied, still grinning.
'Dating an admiral is awesome,' muttered Tilly, shaking her head. 'Ok, give me five minutes.'
Tilly had kept on repeating similar sentiments on seeing Kat's ship (just a standard runabout but still fairly new so in good condition), on learning their destination, on arrival at their destination and now as they checked into their hotel. Katrina hadn't been here before but had talked to some colleagues and taken their recommendations. Talgar Prime was an up and coming resort planet, both classier and more exclusive than Risa but with similar levels of luxury if you knew where to look. The weather was warm, bordering on tropical but without the mugginess and Katrina was perfectly comfortable in what she was wearing. The hotel reception was palatial, with white stone walls and gold everywhere. They walked up to the counter and were greeted by a woman with very pale skin, very dark eyes and no hair.
'Welcome to Talgar,' she said with a smile. 'My name is Shwna, how may I help you today?'
'I've got a reservation under Cornwell,' Katrina said. Shwna's smile became even wider.
'Ah, Admiral.' Katrina raised her eyebrows; she hadn't informed them of that. 'Please do not be alarmed, we pride ourselves on keeping up to date with current affairs. It is a pleasure to welcome you here.' She finished tapping away on her screen, then stepped out from behind the counter. 'I will show you to your room personally.'
She placed their luggage onto a small trolley which followed them as she led them out of reception, through the door opposite the one they had entered through. The door took them outside, into gardens with foliage that reminded Katrina of the rainforest back on earth, albeit much less dense and growing less high. There were stone paths twisting off in all directions and Shwna led them down one of these. Night was falling so the paths were lit by small lanterns set along the sides every few feet, so the twinkling of lights led the way off into the dusk. After a short walk, she turned down a smaller path that branched left off the main one and stopped outside a stone building.
'Here is your room,' she said, handing them two key fobs. 'If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.' She removed their luggage from the trolley and bowed before heading back up the path. Katrina looked at Tilly.
'Shall we?' she asked with a grin, and Tilly nodded enthusiastically. Katrina waved the fob in front of the panel and the door clicked open. It was made of heavy wood but swung easily inside as Tilly pushed it. The lights flickered on as they entered.
'Wow,' said Tilly, and Katrina had to agree. The room was large, slightly cooler than the air outside, with an enormous bed covered in a dark green bedspread dominating one wall. Nearer them were two armchairs in a matching colour, with a small table made of dark wood between them. There was a desk just beyond the armchairs and a replicator behind that, though it blended in so well with the rest of the furniture it took Katrina a moment to identify it. The far wall was all glass and looked out onto a wooden patio. Tilly opened the door next to them to reveal a luxurious looking bathroom, then closed it again and turned to Kat. There was a slight look of panic in her eyes and Katrina jumped in before Tilly could begin.
'Don't you dare protest and say it's too much,' she stated firmly. 'It's my choice and I wanted to.' To her relief, Tilly relaxed.
'Okay,' she said. Then she grinned and her eyes lit up again. 'This place is awesome!' she screeched, and Katrina winced as the girl bounced around the room, opening cupboards and peering into drawers. When she reached the French windows, she stopped and turned to Katrina with a look of delighted disbelief. 'Have you seen what's out here?!' Without waiting for an answer, she slid the door open and bounded out. Katrina chuckled and followed her.
The patio was wooden and surrounded by a handrail, save for a gap in the middle where a small flight of steps led down into the forest. The sky directly above them was clear, however, and was rapidly filling with stars as the sky darkened. The evening air was warm and scented with various smells from the forest. On the patio itself, there were two chairs and a table, two sun-loungers and a hot tub. Tilly was standing leaning on this last, looking into it as the water bubbled and steamed. Katrina crossed to her and slipped her arms around her waist from behind, leaning her head on her shoulder.
'I thought it might remind you of some of the good bits of our planet,' she said quietly. Tilly turned in her arms and kissed her with an intensity that surprised her; she found herself going weak at the knees and clutched at Tilly to stay upright. Her head was reeling as she pulled back.
'I wanted to tell you how much I love you, but I couldn't find the words so I thought I'd just show you instead,' Tilly explained breathlessly. Katrina chuckled.
'I love you too.'