On the morning following their third night together, Kathryn woke to find Chakotay staring out of the window of his hotel room. The first dawning sun through the partially drawn drapes cast a sliver of golden light across his body, highlighting his slim waist and muscular arms and thighs. To Kathryn, he looked like a statue cast in dark marble, reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman gods.

She stretched noisily so as not to startle him. "Good morning." When he didn't reply, she added, "Chakotay, what's wrong?"

He turned then and smiled at her somewhat sadly. She reached out a hand, beckoning him back to bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress beside her, he leaned over to kiss her, but she wrapped her arms around his back and then twisted her body sideways. Chakotay had no choice but to follow her motions, and they ended up lying on their sides facing each other, his legs trapped between hers with the blanket between them.

"What's wrong?" Kathryn repeated, cupping his face with one hand. "Why do you look so troubled?"

He reached between them to free the blanket and then pulled her nude body flush against his own. Kathryn shivered as her warm flesh came into contact with his cool skin. Chakotay kissed her, not passionately but tenderly, running a caressing hand down her back and over her hip. After a few moments, she pulled back, looking at him questioningly, and Chakotay finally spoke. "The conference ends today."

Understanding dawning, Kathryn nodded. "And we'll be leaving."

"Yes," he sighed.

She snuggled closer against him. "I don't want to either, but at least we still have a few hours. The Honshu will be making a small detour to pick me up, but they're not due here before 1400 hours. Have lunch with me before I leave?"

"Of course." He played with her long hair. "These past few days with you have been..."

"Incredible? Overwhelming?" Kathryn suggested, nibbling along his jaw.

Chakotay chuckled. "I was going to say 'magical', but incredible and overwhelming certainly fit the bill as well."

"Not to forget extremely satisfying," she added and swirled her tongue around his earlobe.

The next moment, she giggled in surprise as he rolled onto his back and pulled her with him, hoisting her atop his body and holding her in place with one strong arm around her waist. His left hand cradling her face, he looked deep into her eyes. "When is your next shore leave?"

Kathryn kissed the thumb that grazed her lips. "In about three months. I'll be on Earth for two weeks."

Chakotay's eyes lit up. "Do you have any plans yet?"

"My mom's birthday. She's turning 60 and has a big party planned. Apart from that, I want to visit a few friends, but nothing definite yet."

Chakotay's hand moved down her side, fingertips brushing lightly across the swell of her breast. "If the Academy accepts me, I'll be stationed in San Francisco by then. Would you consider spending some of your leave with me?"

"I'd love to." Kathryn lowered her face to his for a soft kiss that stretched into a promise. When she came back up, she frowned. "What if they don't accept you?"

"Then we'll have to find another way." Chakotay brought both his hands up to frame her face, threading his fingers into her hair. "I want to see you again, Kathryn. I don't care where or for how long, as long as it's soon."

Kathryn felt his heart against her ribcage, beating as fast as her own. "I'd love to," she repeated, her voice slightly choked. Chakotay's words echoed her own feelings; she wanted to see him again as soon as possible, and if there had been a way to prolong the conference or her stay on Kelvaris, she'd gladly have done so.

One of his hands curled around the back of her neck to draw her head down, and their lips met in a kiss that was both tender and passionate, a prelude to yet another confirmation of their mutual attraction. Half an hour later, when they reluctantly acknowledged that they had to get up and get ready for the day, Chakotay held Kathryn back when she tried to slip from the bed. She turned, and was captivated by the flow of emotion she perceived in his eyes.

"Kathryn, I...," Chakotay began but then hesitated.

Kathryn placed a finger across his lips. "Don't," she whispered and leaned over to kiss him again, stopping any words he might have tried to utter. She thought she knew what he was going to say, in fact she'd almost said it herself earlier when she'd held him in her arms and never wanted to let go. However, they'd known each other for less than a week, and only time would tell if their feelings would last or were merely a temporary infatuation.

Chakotay kissed her back but then held her at arm's length, regarding her seriously. "I promise I'll call you the moment I hear from the Academy."

Kathryn smiled and slipped from his grasp, throwing a look back at him before she disappeared in the bathroom. "I'll hold you to that."

They went to breakfast together and surreptitiously held hands through the first lecture of the day, but afterwards had to part for the last session of different workshops. Kathryn consoled herself with the knowledge that they'd at least be able to share lunch before going their separate ways.

However, as it turned out, they didn't even get to properly say goodbye. The USS Honshu, Kathryn's ride back to the Al-Batani, was early and on a tight schedule, and the Honshu's captain ordered her to beam up the minute her workshop ended. As she hurried out of the room, her destination the hotel's very own transporter pad, she frantically looked around for Chakotay and finally spotted him on the other end of the lobby, talking to several people.

At the same moment, her communicator came to life. "Honshu to Lieutenant Janeway."

"Janeway here," she answered mechanically as she started toward Chakotay's position.

"Lieutenant, we expect you aboard within two minutes. Otherwise we'll be leaving without you."

Kathryn stopped. She had to turn back now, or she wouldn't make it, and she couldn't afford to miss her ride. "Understood," she said, her throat tight, and closed the channel.

Chakotay was still deep in conversation and didn't see her. After one last look at him, she turned and hurried to the transporter room.

-==/\==-