Smiling happily, she practically skipped down the corridors to the Commander's quarters. She had found a particularly interesting book on the marine life of Lake Cantaria on Betazed that she knew he would find as fascinating as she did. It was late, almost midnight, and she had been doing research in her room when she had stumbled upon it and decided to take it over to show Spock. I hope he's not asleep or busy or anything, she thought worriedly as she briskly walked to his rooms. I didn't even call him to let him know I was coming. He had basically told her that she had an open invitation to come over whenever she liked but she still liked to make sure she wasn't intruding. Once she got to his quarters, she hesitated only a moment before stepping up to the door. Recognizing her, it swished open and she walked hesitantly into the room.

"Spock?" she called out softly. The lights were on so she knew he wasn't sleeping. She stood there for a moment, wondering if maybe she should leave and then he came out of the bedroom. Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. He was wearing pants, but had lost his shirt somewhere along the way. She thought her eyes might roll back in her head at the sight of him bare chested. He was sinewy and lean with dark hair across the surface of his chest. How have I never seen him without a shirt before?! she thought as he stood there watching her flounder. She thought she might start frothing at the mouth. Suddenly she remembered that she had run out of her room without even paying attention to how she looked. She was practically wearing pajamas, just shorts and a tank top, and she still had her glasses on and her hair thrown back into a sloppy ponytail. Inwardly she rolled her eyes at herself. Real sexy, Beck, great job! she thought dryly.

"To what do I owe this late night, visit?" He asked, looking amused and a tad smug.

She gulped. "Erm...I was just researching some things...in a book...yes, a book! And I found something that I thought you might...enjoy reading about." She wondered if she wished hard enough if the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.

She could see that his pupils were dilated as he walked over to her and slid her glasses off the bridge of her nose, laying them on a nearby table. As she blinked to adjust he reached behind her and pulled the elastic band out of her hair, freeing it, sending it cascading down in brown waves. He leaned down to entwined his lips with hers fiercely but pulled away just as she was beginning to melt. "What book did you say you brought?," he asked as he turned and walked back into his bedroom.

Great. Our love of books has finally been the thing to turn around and bite me in the ass, she thought sarcastically as she followed him into the other room. How can he switch gears that quickly? I'm still thinking about his chest. And his arms. And his lips. And his... She let out a squeak of dismay as she saw him putting a black shirt on. "Why are you putting more clothes on?" she asked, barely able to get the words out.

He looked confused. "You seemed to be having trouble focusing. Did you not want to discuss the book?"

She resisted the urge to smack herself in the face. "Yes, I did." She struggled to gain composure. "It was about the eco system on Betazed, particularly in Lake Cantaria. I was wondering if you had heard of this particular species before?" She showed him the pages in the book that mentioned it.

He took the book from her and sat down on the bed, paging through it. He slid over to make room for her as she sat next to him, her chin on his shoulder as she read along with him. After a time she slid away and laid down on the opposite side of the bed, just watching him. I will not fall asleep, she told herself sternly. I want this moment to last forever.

But at this late hour, happiness gave way to fatigue and she was lost as soon as she closed her eyes.

...

She opened her eyes suddenly, startled out of sleep by some strange dream that eluded her. The room was dark, Spock must have turned the lights off sometime earlier. And speaking of Spock...she looked over and was surprised to see him sleeping next to her. He had never fallen asleep beside her before and it made her sigh happily to see him next to her in that way. He was under the covers and she was delighted to see that he had taken off his shirt once more. She ran a finger across his smooth cheek, relishing the peaceful look on his face as he slept. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, she began to slide herself off the top of the covers but before she had moved a few inches she felt the steely grip of his hand wrap around her wrist. Startled, she looked down to see his fathomless brown eyes staring up at her.

"You scared me," she laughed nervously. "I thought you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you as I left. It must be getting pretty late."

"I had a most startling dream," he said.

"Oh?" she asked, her heart still pounding.

"You were trying to tell me something, but I couldn't hear you."

"Hmmm, that is...odd," she laughed nervously. "What do you think it was that I was trying to tell you?"

He continued as if he didn't even hear her. "It would be illogical for us to protest against our natures, don't you think?"

"I don't...quite..." She floundered before checking the time. "I should get going."

He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment before he said, "Stay."

It came out as a command, but there was such a soft vulnerability laced within it that she felt her heart immediately melt. For a moment a thought flashed across her mind, bright as neon and screaming; here it is, this is the moment, but it was gone in an instant and she stopped thinking.

And started reacting.

Without hesitation she slipped under the covers, acutely aware that she was still only wearing a tank top and thin cotton shorts. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer until she was pressed up against his chest. She slid her leg in between his and could feel the hard length of him pressed against her thigh. She looked at him. His eyes were dark and full of unasked questions. "This is quite possibly the most forward statement I have ever made," he said. "But if I do not think I can keep on breathing if I do not...if we do not...right now..."

"That was my feeling exactly", she replied breathlessly.

He touched her shoulder, his thumb brushing along the exposed flesh next to the strap of her tank top and her eyes shut briefly at the intensity of his caress. "So soft," he whispered in her ear. "Are you this soft everywhere, I wonder?"

She could hear the smile in his voice even with her eyes closed. He got up and began to pull his shirt off. She started to take off her top, caught sight of him removing his clothes, and paused. How could any one person be so gorgeous? she thought, her heart pumping wildly. At this rate I'm going to have a heart attack before he even touches me.

He caught her staring at him and raised an eyebrow. "You do get distracted easily."

"Well, obviously!", she sputtered.

He smiled and very slowly undid the top button on his pants.

Rebecca pouted and crossed her arms. "Now you're just being mean."

He pulled his pants off and she feasted on him with her eyes as he stood there. She pulled her tank top off and slid off her shorts, leaving them in a small pile next the the bed. Now it was his turn to pause as he took in the pale curves of her body, flushed with desire. She slid to the edge of the bed. "See anything you like?" she asked, biting her lip and smiling shyly at him.

With a growl he moved towards her swiftly and slid his hands under the globes of her ass to shift her father back on the bed. Once she was where he wanted her his body fell on top of hers, effectively pinning her down with his weight. Her nipples were already hard and she stifled a moan at how good they felt to be pressed up against the warmth of his chest. His mouth captured hers in a scorching kiss. She darted out her tongue to lick his bottom lip and he responded in turn, colliding with hers in a tangle of wet head. His fingers threaded themselves into her long hair and he tugged gently, making her gasp. He ran his other hand down her side lightly, his fingers touching and teasing as light as a feather. The contrast between the hardness of his body on hers and the lightness of his touch made her dizzy. She let out a small mewl of pleasure as he allowed his thumb to brush against the hardened nub of her nipple. He pulled his mouth away from hers and moved it down to her breast, suckling and nipping with teeth and tongue until she finally cried out for mercy.

She ran her nails down his back as he trailed a finger down her side and drew it across her slick sex, circling her swollen clit with agonizing slowness. With a yelp she drew her hips away trying to get away from his ministrations but with a soft growl he moved his other hand to her hip and held her in place as he slipped a finger inside of her.

"You are so wet," he moaned. "How is it possible for you to feel this good?" He slipped another finger inside.

She reached down and grabbed his rock hard shaft and stroked him. "I need you inside of me, right now. Please."

A shudder passed through him and she guided him to her entrance, already swollen with need. He slid in easily, her walls fitting around him like a sheath. She cried out his name as he began to move in and out, slowly at first, then with increasing speed as he began to lose control of himself. She moved her hips in rhythm to his movements, panting as he drove deeper and deeper into her core with each thrust. It was sublime. It was rapture. Seeing this beautiful, wonderful man above her, completely losing himself in the softness of her body and the hot, tight way that she enveloped him. Suddenly the edges of her vision dimmed with white and a tremulous sensation of power shifted through her. She cried out again as she came, and her walls tightening around his shaft was enough to send him over the edge with her. Waves and waves of pleasure crashed over them as he unraveled deep within her. And for long minutes afterwards, neither of them could do anything but catch their breath as they looked into each others eyes.

He slowly lowered his body onto her so that he was cradling her in his arms. He kissed her brow tenderly.

She felt a soft vibration against her chest and she looked up at him in surprise. Are you...are you purring?

He cleared his throat. "Well, yes. It is a little known Vulcan biological fact that we can at times...purr."

She looked at him in amazement for a moment before she burst out laughing.

He flushed green. "I do not see why that would be amusing to you."

She struggled to get her laughter under control. "I'm sorry. It's not you, I was just remembering the first time I saw you and how for some reason you reminded me of a mountain lion or some other big cat. And now...to find out that you actually purr?! A trickle of laughter spilled out again before she could stop herself.

Spock looked as if he didn't know whether to be amused or embarrassed.

"It's okay," she said while still grinning. "I think it's cute!"

"Cute," he mused. "I still do not know if this is a good reaction."

"Oh it most certainly is," she said. "Let me show you." She leaned up and captured her mouth with his; slowly and gently. It felt so good to be here together; their voices hushed, limbs entangled, scents intertwining.

"Your heartbeat is accelerating again rapidly," he said. "Should I be concerned?", he asked wryly.

One thing she had learned since dating Spock was that Vulcans could be, at times, huge smartasses. She leaned up and bit his shoulder. "What do you think, Commander? And do you always have to notice everything?"

He smiled. "Only when it pertains to you." He kissed her, running a finger across her hip bone, circling near sensitive areas until she was left breathless with desire. She lifted her hips toward him in an effort to get him to continue. "It would seem," he murmured, "that my close proximity with you causes this response, so logically, the best action would be to keep my distance." He began to pull away and she let out an involuntary whimper and held onto him tightly.

He laughed softly, and the sound of it filled her with indescribable delight. Laughter, from him, was a very rare occurrence. Not that he wasn't a happy person, just that his happiness wasn't usually expressed in all the ways that humans are used to. So whenever he did laugh, as rarely as it occurred, it was the most heartwarming sound she ever heard.

With a suddenness that never ceased to amaze her, he slipped out of her grasp and positioned himself above her. Her heart spun wildly out of control and actually felt as it was going to beat its way up into her throat and choke her. "But what," she asked "if my accelerated heartbeat is a good response?" She bit her lip for good measure.

His eyes darkened. "If that is the case than perhaps it would be prudent for us to be as close as is physically possible."

She smiled. "Then shut up and come get me already." Wrapping her arms around his back she pressed him down onto her, loving the feeling of his weight against her. He tilted her chin back and devoured her mouth with his. She could feel him rock hard against her thigh, but as she reached down to touch him he grabbed her hand and whispered harshly, "Wait."

She froze. Did he really just rile her up to stop her so soon?

His eyes met hers. "I want to be inside you again," he admitted. "So badly that I almost cannot stand it. But...there's something I want to try first."

Her heart skipped a beat.

He brought his hand up and lightly pressed three fingertips to her temple and the side of her face. He leaned down, kissed the lobe of her ear and whispered, "Let me in."

She didn't have to ask him what he meant. She knew all about the mind meld that Vulcan's could preform, about the sharing of consciousness. It was an ability they used as rarely as possible, due to the intense intimacy it created between the two people. Spock was a very private person. That he even wanted to share this exchange with her made her want to weep with happiness. Normally, the thought of someone knowing her thoughts, her feelings, her self would make her stomach turn, as she was a very private person as well. And what if he doesn't feel the same way, he'll know how I feel and this will be the end of everything. All her fears, all her desires, all of her would be laid bare before him. What if he didn't like what he saw? What if there was something inside of her that made him never want to see her again? But despite that, right here, right now, with him...there was nothing she wanted more. Whether it was the end of everything or not, she wanted to be with him in this way.

Without hesitation she closed her eyes and whispered, "Yes."

Almost immediately she began to feel a soft pressure inside her head, a gentle tugging that was almost like being pulled underwater. Warmth spread over her as if she was being drowned in light. Suddenly, dozens of images and thoughts passed across her mind; the first time she had ridden a bike back on Earth, how much she loved the cool sweet taste of ice cream, the way the sunlight looked in her hair when she was underwater, thousands of tears, tens of thousands of smiles, the dark mysterious way the beach looked at night, the first time her and Spock kissed, these and many more flew from her and into him in bright colorful flashes. And at the same time...images passed into her that were unfamiliar...a bright dry planet red of ground and sky, a beautiful older woman with loving brown eyes, a father; tall and proud, the loneliness of childhood and then, the discovery of the joy of being alone. And she saw herself, various images of herself smiling and laughing. Overwhelmed she let out a gasp.

As quickly as it had begun it was over. Trembling slightly she clung to him as he breathed heavily into her neck. He pulled back from her and sat up in the bed, his hair mussed. She looked at him, unable to voice the tremulous feelings that coursed through her.

He stared at her silently, unmoving until she finally asked, "What...what's wrong?" She had never felt more vulnerable than she did at that moment. It was like someone cracked her open and was gazing into her very soul.

"You love me," he said simply, his eyes full of wonder.

She stopped breathing.

"And you've seen...into the heart of me, and now you know...I love you as well."

She started to cry.

He gathered her into his arms. She yielded without resistance, burying her face in his chest and blocking out everything but him. Neither said a word. They held onto each other. She finally unburdened her feelings and stopped crying. She closed her eyes, soothed by his hand gently stroking her hair and his lips tenderly kissing her temple, and inhaled deeply until she felt a calm wash over her, like honey poured onto the wounds of her heart. The fear of rejection and her uncertainty with how he felt for her was slowly being replaced with love and gratitude that she found Spock, a man who loved her unconditionally, in spite of all her faults.

He laid his forehead against hers. "I am yours, forever. I love you."

Her heart soared. "I love you so much," she whispered. "I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing you say those words to me."

A small smile flitted across his face. "That is good news, since I do not plan to ever stop saying them." He settled down beside her and she laid her head in the curving slope of his neck and closed her eyes, unable to believe that any one could ever be so happy.

And that night, for the first time in a long time, she wasn't plagued by dreams.

~*~ Finis