Kira Beaumont awoke feeling cramped and stiff. It took her a moment to realize why. She was curled up on one of the elongated deck chairs on the porch, lying on her side with her arm dangling over the edge. Pinning that arm in place was Myles Roundtree, his head on her shoulder, sound asleep.
Seeing him peacefully dozing made her aware of exactly how lucky she was at that exact moment. She'd nearly lost him. He'd been mere steps away from dying when she reached him. After three days of racing to his aid, after their arrival the rescue itself had passed in a blur. She propped her chin in her free hand and gazed lovingly down at him, memorizing every one of his features.
He had a round, boyish face. Usually it was framed by tendrils of his longish hair until she'd made him try a shorter style, and now she realized she missed it. She would let him grow it again, she decided, smiling to herself.
His lips were wide, so ready to edge into that shy, sweet, familiar smile. And so soft. She stared, transfixed, only the faint urge to let him sleep after his ordeals over the past week stopping her from kissing him then and there.
His eyes were closed right now but usually they were bright and eager. She loved his eyebrows, smooth and delicate, and she simply couldn't resist tracing the line of one with her little finger. He sighed slightly, but otherwise didn't stir. Kira planted a tiny kiss between his eyes then settled back, letting him rest.
The two days after Myles' and the other's rescue had gone nearly as quickly. It seemed there were a hundred other scientists who needed to speak to Myles about his crew's discovery, and almost as many who wanted to thank her for her rescue efforts. It had nearly driven her crazy waiting for everyone to be finished with them - and it had shocked her when Myles himself had put an end to it all. He had announced he would be unavailable for several weeks following his harrowing escape, and simply left Navy debriefing quarters. He had walked out, one arm firmly around Kira, and told her he intended to spend every waking minute with her until she ordered otherwise.
Every waking minute had become the previous night, too, she smiled. They had sat together on the deck of her Cairns beach house, long after they'd watched the sun set. They'd told one another everything. Everything that had happened since they'd been separated, everything Myles had planned for Thunderfish - though Kira couldn't dwell long on her precious submarine, now abandoned to the depths no human could hope to reach - and every fear they had had about losing the other.
They had fallen asleep together, Myles sitting beside the deck chair she was curled in. It was here they both were now, Kira idly musing how in the Great Mother Ocean's name she'd been quite so lucky not only to have him back, but to have him in the first place.
Myles awoke to see a familiar and very beloved set of intent dark brown eyes gazing down at him. He wondered if anyone, anywhere, had ever experienced the rush of pure contentment that overcame him at the sight. He reached up to cradle her cheek gently, smiling warmly at her. "Kira." He whispered. "I thought I might have been dreaming."
She placed her hand over his, returned his smile, then leaned down to kiss him deeply. Uncomfortable as it had been sleeping slumped over her chair, he made no move to get away for several very long minutes.
Finally they broke apart and Kira pulled him up on the chair beside her. He wrapped both arms around her and leaned back, cradling her against his chest. Neither of them were quite ready to get up yet, too wrapped up in the simple act of being in one another's company to want to move.
"Myles?"
"Mmm?" He had half drifted off again, warmed by Kira's body against his.
"Let's get out of the house for today. Let's pack a picnic basket and find a deserted beach somewhere."
Myles would have followed her to the desert. "That sounds perfect." He murmured in her ear. They headed for the kitchen. It was still early, only just after sunrise, an none of her staff were awake yet.
Kira scrawled a quick note for Carter, her bodyguard/weapons officer/surrogate big brother, and for Frank, her tutor/communication's officer/surrogate father figure. She was brief, mentioning no co-ordinates, just that she needed the time to be with Myles and not to come looking for them unless they wanted to spend the next year cleaning the bilge with a toothbrush. Myles packed a haphazard assortment of food in a wicker basket, paying more attention to Kira than to what he was doing.
They set off hand in hand over the hilly land surrounding the beach house. It was a small mansion really, perfectly positioned for privacy on a rise a short walk from the beach. Myles and Kira didn't head for the water straight away, instead following one of the faint tracks winding through the vegetation. The trees were mainly palm or fig trees, with hibiscus and other shrubs flowing further back from the salty reach of the shore.
Kira hadn't felt so carefree in a very long time. Even the victories aboard Thunderfish didn't compare to this. She realized that since her father died, even with crew members who meant as much to her as family itself, she hadn't had anyone that saw her for who she really was. Carter would always see her as the little girl with the wicked sense of humor - the one it was his duty to protect. Frank, bless him, always looked out for her no matter what, but he was also duty bound to her, as his captain.
But Myles... here he was, brilliant and talented, one of the most valued people on the place of the planet... and he'd chosen her.
Myles knew she was deep in thought by the way her nose crinkled slightly. It was an endearing habit, he thought to himself, one he knew well. He knew all Kira's little quirks and expressions, knew them so well than even with his eyes closed he saw her face, smiling, laughing, her eyes filled with love and happiness, the way they had been this morning when he woke up.
Being a genius had it's drawbacks. His work was everything to him, his life filled with colleagues but never anything more. Until one day, three years ago now, when he'd gotten a call from a young heiress who wanted his technology onboard her submarine.
Before Kira, he'd had no family, no friends, merely people he worked with. Before stepping aboard Thunderfish for the very first time, he hadn't actually had a purpose. His socially conscious mind had kept him drifting from project to project with environmental groups, growing sick of people and organizations who were trying to use him for his inventions. Kira had given him something he'd never dreamed of. She'd accepted him, pulled him out of his shell, given him a purpose for both his mind, and his heart.
She was his family, and he loved her more than life itself.
They found a tiny, deserted strip of beach nestled in a curve of the coast. They paddled, talked, paddled again. A sly kick of a wave towards Kira turned into an all-out splash fight. Shrieking and laughing, heedless of clothing, they tumbled together in the waves. Soaked, happy, they emerged dripping and staggered laughing up the beach, arms around one another's shoulders.
Myles peeled off his shirt and top layer of shorts to dry off, left rather self-conscious in his boxer shorts, sitting in the sand beside the picnic basket. Kira was slightly better prepared, removing her top and board shorts to reveal a simple black one-piece bathing suit that turned Myles an interesting shade of red and turned his thoughts a long way away from water fights. They ate a mid-morning snack from the basket then sat propped against the trunk of a palm tree while their clothes dried. Having a half-naked Kira lying by his side filled Myles with both a perfect kind of terror and a sharp longing. She had the sort of body the tabloids were always raving about. Slim body, long legs, perfect copper-coloured skin. He stammered his way through the next few questions she asked him, trying desperately to get grip on himself.
Eventually, Kira sat up and caught his chin her in hand. "Myles, for heaven's sake stop blushing, and stop worrying. We already discussed that nothing between us needs to be rushed, remember?"
Myles squirmed a little, sand crunching under him. Kira had leaned a little closer to him to deliver her words and he could feel the heat coming off her body. That wasn't helpful.
"Thats-" His voice rasped and he took a deep breath before trying again. "That's the problem. You have no idea what you do to me, Kira. It's... a little frightening."
Her eyes softened and she let him go to run her hand soothingly through his hair. "That's ok, Myles. Besides." Her eyes took on a mischievous gleam as she pressed a kiss to his collarbone. "Don't you think I feel exactly the same way?"
After a few seconds it took him to unfreeze, he grinned his wide, silly grin at her. "I hardly think this is a place, anyway." He voice was a touch huskier. "I had something a little more... private in mind."
She met his eyes with the warmest, most heart-melting look he could remember seeing. She understood. She would wait for him, and never dream of pressuring anything between them. He pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his head in her hair and inhaling her familiar scent. Part ocean, part the coconut sunblock she used, but mostly just the utterly comforting smell of Kira herself. Nothing could be more calming to Myles.
They dozed off again, still wrapped in each other's arms. Myles was first to wake this time, when the sun had shifted far enough their shade was retreating. He gently woke Kira and they moved to the other side of the trunk where the shade persevered.
Myles looked down at the woman he loved. "Kira?" He asked softly.
"Yes?"
"This is going to sound cliched, because it's something I've re-written a thousand times and that I could never make sound right." He was rushing, blurring his words together, but Kira knew it was a sign of his nervousness and she sat up so she could see into his eyes. He met her dark gaze earnestly, taking both her hands in his.
"You've done so many things for me I can't ever begin to repay you for them. You've been patient enough to share me with my work, and understand what it means to me. You've stood by me and forgiven me for things no one should ever expect you to. You've given me a home, a reason, a life... but most important, you gave me your love. There's nothing more important to me than you, Kira. I... I had to tell you that. I love you. I want to stand by you for the rest of your life, I want to marry you and maybe have kids someday and be a part of your world."
He finally paused for breath, leaving Kira rather breathless herself and with traitorously damp eyes.
"Oh, Myles. You are my world. I love you, too."