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Scotty lay on his berth stroking Mira's hair. It was nearly thirty years ago now, but experiences like that don't fade with time. Lesa had given him a new way of seeing his universe. Because of her he had reached for other strange new worlds and found his life among the stars. He had previously thought that the cost had been his heart, but since Mira he saw that he had been wrong again.
Mira turned out the light. Apparently the transponders and couplers could wait. She curled against him and locked one leg tightly around him as if to never let him go.
Scotty adjusted the pillow and made a place for his left arm somewhere behind her head. Okay, so he wasn't getting up tonight. That was all right with him.
In the morning he would dig out the paintbrushes and package them to send to Janice Rand on Earth via the next mail ship. Janice would appreciate them and they belonged on Earth.
Besides, he had no use for them anymore.
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