Chapter Seventeen

When Kathryn lazily opened her eyes and seen her surroundings, it took a minute for her senses to catch up with her last conscious memories and tell her she wasn't where she remembered being. But where before she would have become a trifle alarmed, she still felt... content. And why wouldn't I be, she thought with a slight smile forming as she took note of the warmth of her mate spooning her, I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring that feeling, before Buffy stirred in her sleep, tightening her grip for a second, hugging her closer. Given that Buffy's left hand had somehow found itself around Kathryn's breast, it made for a wake-up call indeed.

Biting back a hiss at the heat that began crawl through her veins, Kathryn was shocked at the strength of the blaze beginning to build. If this is what Buffy's been fighting, it's a wonder she held out as long as she did!

Buffy stirred again, responding, the captain mused, to me even in her sleep causing the fire to flare again, a burning sweet promise of things to come.

Fully awake and roused, Kathryn carefully turned on her other side, taking care not to jostle her mate any more than needed. Once she was facing Buffy she took a moment to watch her mate's face as she continued to sleep, taking note of both the slight smile of contentment gracing her lips, and the low rumble of her purr that was her response to whatever she was apparently dreaming about. And I can bet I know what she's dreaming about given where her other hand seems to automatically gravitate to! Kathryn thought wryly, with a mental groan of lusty approval as Buffy's right hand tightened on her ass.

Unable to control herself, Kathryn began slowly stroking her mate, taking care to do so gently. She gently brushed her fingertips across her breasts and her sides, causing Buffy to stir a bit more vigorously, as the sensations being invoked began drawing her fully awake.

Reaching between her mate's legs, Kathryn rubbed the rapidly moistening slit there, causing her mate to arch her back and emit a sound partway between lustful growl and contented purr.

'N'mina?' came her mate's drowsy mind-call, the undertones emphasizing the fire Kathryn was stirring so deliberately.

'Yes.' Kathryn moved fast, knowing that Buffy would want to participate, but unwilling to allow her to interrupt what she'd wanted to do for the last few days. Sliding her way out of Buffy's arms and down her body, until she could reach exactly where she wanted to be...

...And Buffy's eyes flew open as Kathryn began to feast on that most sensitive of locations. Her back arched and her one of her hands grasped the bedding around her, and her other found a hold in her mate's hair as the fire began burning in earnest. As her mate continued her oral assault, Buffy's head rolled from side to side as the pleasure mounted rapidly.

The climax was as shattering as it was sudden, as Kathryn gave her one more lick up her pussy and latched herself to the clit, rolling her tongue along it and sucking strongly enough that Buffy gave a strangled scream and arched her back to the point only her head and her heels remained touching the bed, grinding herself helplessly into Kathryn's face in an attempt to prolong the pleasure. Oh, yes, sweetheart, Kathryn thought blissfully. Give it to me. Pushing her harder, she sucked on that hard clit and plunged inside with three fingers, taking up a hard, fast rhythm and using her other arm to push her mate back down to lie flat on the bed. She hummed in her pleasure, not the purr that Buffy was capable of, but close enough that it vibrated through the sensitive nerve ending on the body beneath her and she nearly climaxed herself when the younger woman came again, screaming her name. Pushing her body up, she kissed Buffy hard, making her mate moan to her own taste, as she straddled a hard thigh and began to move urgently. Almost immediately, Buffy's hands moved down to grip her ass and help her along. Massaging and spreading the globes so that Kathryn shivered as she felt suddenly exposed.

"Oh God." Kathryn groaned, her new instincts forcing her to hold back her climax in preparation for what was coming. "Oh God, Liz, please."

In response, Buffy flipped them over, running her tongue down the side of Kathryn's throat, leaving a trail of fire. Kathryn sunk her nail into the muscles of Buffy's back with one hand and gripped a handful of shimmering blonde hair in the other, nearly growling her demand. "Damn it, Liz, do it!"

Unable to resist any longer, Buffy sank her sharp teeth into the flesh between Kathryn's neck and shoulder, just enough to lightly puncture the skin and get the coppery taste of her mate's blood on her tongue. As before, the bite threw them both into hard orgasms, too consumed to even cry out before they sank into peaceful oblivion.

Up at their favorite spot on the cliffside opposite the waterfall, Faith and Willow reclined lazily, absorbing the pleasure that the other two were giving off.

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

When Kathryn awoke several hours later, Faith and Willow were asleep next to them, squeezed in tightly against Buffy's back. Surprisingly, she found herself comforted by the sight, rather than shocked as she suspected she should have been, especially since they were all completely naked. It just looked and felt right. She looked down at her new mate, feeling the low burn in her belly, but content to just watch her sleep. She suspected that the desire was something that she was going to have become used to, but figured that it was a small price to pay for the contentment that she felt alongside it.

With gentle fingers, she traced those relaxed features, smiling when Buffy began purring in her sleep and shifting to give her better access. Moving her hand up to tangle in the blonde hair, she dug in her nails and scratched Buffy's head like she used to way back when. The purring grew louder, nearly vibrating the bed, as Buffy's amber eyes blinked open.

"Good morning, N'mina." She said sleepily.

"Good morning, honey." Kathryn smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fantastic." Buffy grinned. "I have a new home, I have you, a new life, you, and a fresh start." She rolled them over until Kathryn was beneath her. Eyes sparkling with happiness, Buffy kissed her. "Did I mention that I have you?"

Kathryn laughed, tangling their legs together. "You did mention it once or twice, yes."

"I love you, Kathryn Janeway." Buffy said softly, kissing her again.

"I love you too, Buffy Summers."

Just then, the comm chirped into the silence of the room. "Prime, I am ready."

Not recognizing the voice, Kathryn looked up at her mate with a raised brow.

Buffy sat up, pulling Kathryn with her. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to tell her mate that her ship was alive.

"Kathryn over the last few days, I have been sensing an awakening consciousness. I'm not sure why the others haven't sensed it, but I suspect it's because they were focused on me, and my focus was so scattered that I just happened to notice it. It wasn't until we began the mating process yesterday that I realized that it was new."

Kathryn looked astounded. "Are you saying that a child was born on this ship and already has coherent thoughts?"

Buffy shook her head. "Nothing so simple. Kathryn, the consciousness belongs to Voyager herself. Whatever Dawn did, it "woke up" the ship. Voyager is alive."