DISCLAIMER: Star Trek: Voyager and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures; no infringement of copyright is intended. The story however belongs to me.
Written in February 2017 for VAMB's Winter Picture Prose Challenge 2017. The picture which inspired this little vignette was of a brightly shining sun.
Sunday Afternoon
by Hester (hester4418)
Sunlight slanted through a gap in the curtains, slowly moving across the quiet room. One bright ray touched the corner of the wooden crib, casting light and shadows over the delicate carvings adorning the double headboard.
Two babies with skin of golden honey lay slumbering, small hands clutching stuffed toys. The girl's brow furrowed under her mass of dark curls, taking offense at the glare trying to disturb her repose. For just a moment, her sapphire eyes opened and squinted at the light. Then she turned her head, sighed, and fell back asleep.
The boy lay in the shade, untroubled by the sun, his shock of red hair an unruly mop. Whenever he was awake, his deep brown eyes and dimpled smile dazzled the crowds, but now he slept quietly, mouth slightly open. 'Mix and match' their uncle Tom called them. Mommy's eyes, daddy's hair, and vice versa. And both had the tempers to match.
The girl's hands flailed, catching butterflies in her dream. Her brother's lips smacked with the imagined taste of his new favorite treat, his grandma's caramel brownies.
The door was ajar.
In the next room, all was equally quiet. Here, the window stood open, and a breeze ruffled the white curtains. The warm air carried the scent of roses from the garden outside, gently caressing the man and the woman stretched out on their bed.
Their hands were clasped in sleep, the deep sleep of parents knowing to take a nap when the babies were down.
The picture was far removed from how their friends knew them − high-strung and energetic, and untiring in the face of many difficulties and hardships. Always putting everyone else's safety first, to the point of risking self-destruction.
No more. Their days of sacrifice were over, replaced by the sweet new reality of Earth-bound family life. They held each other in a loving embrace, bodies cuddled close, their hearts closer still.
This was peace.
-==/ The End. \==-
