Kes shifted slightly, snuggling into the warmth of the body lying full length along her own. Arms and legs enveloped her, and though relaxed in sleep, held her close. Near her right ear, loud in the silence, she could hear the slow rhythm of a heartbeat, and feel the gentle rise and fall of breathing. Afraid she might break the gentle magic, of feeling so warm and so safe, she barely opened her eyes.
Black. Neelix never wore black, she thought, her mind still foggy. Following the seam line in front of her slitted eyes, she caught the glitter of a communicator pin, then a splash of muted wine. A starfleet uniform, not Neelix. Then, it came back to her, as much as she remembered before succumbing to the cold. The lashing rain, turning so quickly to ice, and the wind. Running with Tom as they sought shelter from the storm. She had been so cold. So terribly cold. And so sleepy. She did not remember exactly when she lost consciousness. Tom had thought he had located a cave. He must have. It was a warm cave.
She shifted slightly so she could see his face. He looked remarkably childlike, and innocent when he was asleep. The few times he had been confined to sickbay, she had been too concerned about his health to watch him sleep. The classically sculpted, lines of his face, took on an almost spiritual peace. The picture hardly fit his reputation. He would probably be insulted to know she found him childlike, but she saw the softness in complimentary way. She wondered if the face she now saw mirrored the spirit he kept so carefully hidden. She had never completely believed the things the crew men and women on Voyager said about him, yet the hardened, experienced, devil may care, persona he so carefully maintained seemed molded by those opinions. Defensive tactics, she thought hazily.
Shifting her weight, she rested her head against his chest once more, listening the steady beat of his heart. The cave was lit by a diffuse glow from the cave mouth, it must be near dawn. With a deep sigh, she settled and allowed herself to drift lazily in and out of sleep, reveling in the comfort and warmth of his closeness.
****
Something was tickling his nose. He reached up to brush the annoying thing away and as he did so the slight weight resting against him shifted, and he tightened his arms around it. Then he heard a muffled giggle. Starting suddenly awake, he looked down into large blue eyes, and a disheveled head of fair hair, and remembered where he was and with whom. She tilted her head, watching him through tangled bangs, a puzzled crease forming between her brows, making her look for all the world like the old Manx cat his mother had owned when he was a small child. The mix of lively curiosity and concern, made Paris uncomfortable.
"You're all right?" he said, then realized how obvious the statement was.
Kes nodded, light dancing in her eyes. "Yes. And warm."
Her hand came up to brush the side of his face, and he realized she was still clothed in his gray turtleneck. And little else, he remembered. The relief that had rushed through him as he realized Kes was awake and alert, was replaced by the liquid warmth of desire as he remembered how closely he held the Ocampa to him and what he had been dreaming shortly before he awoke. Don't even think it, he told himself clamping down on thoughts and emotions far to tempting. He pushed her away slightly, reluctant to release her completely, but not trusting himself to hold her near.
"The doctor was right. Your ears really do turn decidedly orange," Kes murmured "though I would call it pink."
It was his turn to give her a puzzled look. And was rewarded again with her laughter, a light, sound like crystal wind chimes on a warm evening, delicate and ethereal. He decided he was not going to ask what had prompted the Doctor's observation. Instead, he pulled farther away from her. The cave had warmed, and though his fire was reduced to glowing coals, there was enough heat left to maintain a comfortable temperature. He was about to sit up when her face lit, and she smiled, radiantly, reaching out toward him again.
He felt the puzzled expression crease his brow once more, just as her hand stopped inches away. Then he saw why she had smiled. Splattering her delicate white skin, dancing across her fingers, and flowing through them to stain the wall behind was a rainbow of color. Kes sat up, smiled at him then crawled to the mouth of the cave. Rolling to his back, Paris watched as she sat transfixed. During the night, ice had coated the grassy fronds he had used to cover the mouth of the cave, using them as a weblike support, until the entire mouth of the small depression was sealed by a glassy wall, cutting off the frigid wind, and preserving the heat from his small fire. It had probably saved their lives, by conserving their body heat in this confined space. And now, clear wedges of ice, acting like prisms, split the morning sunshine into shafts of color.
Kes sat back on her heels before the frozen shield, delighted by the simple beauty, and Paris found his heart echoing her pleasure.
"It's lovely," Kes said, turning to him with a smile.
"Yeah," he agreed, though it wasn't rainbows he was watching.
Kes reached out, touching the frozen wall with one slender finger, tracing the patterns of grasses and ice, transfixed, and herself transfixing.
If you only knew how many times I daydreamed about having you alone, Paris thought. Then dashed the dream as he had done before. He and Neelix had come to an understanding about their mutual feelings for Kes. They had even come to be friends, as much as Paris allowed any relationship to develop into friendship. He had told himself over and again, that he could never have Kes, had almost forgotten how much he had wanted her and yet, there were dreams.
Dreams to be forgotten.
"I guess that means the sun's up," Paris said, to distract his own thoughts.
"Yes, and the storm is over." Kes started to turn in his direction, then stopped, her eyes closing. Her hands went to her head, massaging her temples.
"Kes," Paris felt his heart skip with concern. Getting to his feet, ignoring the lingering ache in his knee, he collected Kes' tricorder, and moved to kneel beside her, scanning her vital signs as he did. Her blood pressure was terribly low, as were her blood sugar levels, her heartbeat slow and faint. "Kes, talk to me." Reaching out he took her wrist in his hand. Though she claimed to be warm, her flesh was cold to his touch.
Looking at him, her eyes frosted, and unfocused. As he took her shoulders in both hands, she stared at him, then slowly became more alert.
"Dizzy," she said simply.
"I'm not surprised." Paris answered. "You haven't eaten in several hours. And you haven't completely recovered from the cold. I'm sorry Kes, but I think we need to break down this wall. Its beginning to melt anyway. I'll scan the area for possible food sources."
"All right." Kes looked down at her attire. "While you're gone I'll dress."
Paris nodded. Glad she didn't ask how she had come to be clad in his shirt. She seemed unfocused and slightly disoriented. Sitting up, with her blood pressure so low, must have contributed to the dizziness. He needed to find food fast.
"It's gotten warmer outside." Placing his shoulder against the ice wall, he leaned his weight against it and was rewarded with a satisfying crack as the ice gave beneath the pressure. Chipping away the shards of frozen water and grass, he looked out, and heard Kes gasp behind him. With good reason he thought. The world outside, the same world that had raged in potent fury yesterday, had become a frozen wonderland. The sky was once again clear and crystal blue, the trees and undergrowth, like the grasses in the cave mouth, were glazed with ice, shimmering as morning sunlight glinted from ice crusted branches and leaves, posed like lead glass figurines polished to perfection. Around him he could hear the steady drip of thawing ice and the rustle and chirrup of small animals stirring to activity.
It truly was lovely. Leveling his tricorder outward, he began to scan the immediate area. The chronometer indicated it might be several hours before Voyager could attempt routine contact or rescue depending on the degree of interference caused by atmospheric and solar disturbances. In the meantime, this small cave would provide sufficient shelter, making food and water their first priority.
The tricorder bleeped decisively.
"What is it?" Kes asked, peering over his shoulder.
"Life sign. Large enough to be human."
"From Voyager?" Kes asked.
Paris could hear the hope brightening her tone. Hope his next word crushed into oblivion. "Kazon." he answered softly.
****