Unfinished Business

Chapter 31 : The Morning After

June 2273

He awoke, and lay there for some time, treasuring the feel of her soft skin against his. At length, he carefully disengaged himself from her, tucking the covers closely about her, and left the bed. He walked quietly about her quarters, memorizing everything that was there. When he had finished that, he went into her bathroom, and took one of the large soft towels she had there, and folded it and placed it on the floor, against the wall of her bedroom, and folded himself down to meditate.

When she drifted slowly awake, she did not at first remember what had happened the night before, and then she realized, with sudden fear, that he was no longer in her bed. She sat up quickly, and saw him there, against her wall, in that familiar pose, and relaxed. She would have laid back down again, but he opened his eyes, and looked at her. "I am here, Nyota."

"I see that you are. I'm sorry I disturbed your meditation."

He rose to his feet in one fluid motion and crossed the room to stand beside the bed, looking down at her. "I had completed my meditation. I am ready to resume our conversation, if that is your choice."

She looked into his eyes, and sighed softly. "Not before breakfast, Spock. Later."

He nodded, and she could feel his complete acceptance of her decision. "Perhaps you would care to shower, then?" He tried to hide his desire, but it was much too obvious, both through the link between them, and in the twitching of his lok, as he tried to subdue it. She laughed aloud, and threw off the covers, heading straight for the bathroom, with him right behind her.

She stepped into the shower stall, and he followed, closing the door. She waved her hand to turn the water on, and then adjusted it, making it somewhat hotter, for him. She felt him, then, through the bond, warm and sheltering, and shivered, just the slightest. It had been so long since they had done this. So very long.

She reached for the shampoo and turned about, and he bent his head down for her, the water flowing over him. She ran her hands through his hair, feeling the slick softness of it, like silk against her fingers, and felt him shudder from her touch. She rubbed the shampoo in, making great clouds of suds, and washed it out again, and handed it to him, turning about, and waiting her turn. His fingers were gentle against her scalp, massaging softly, causing her to sigh and lean into his touch. He bent his face and put it next to hers, their cheeks touching gently for a moment, heat flaring between them.

She put the shampoo up and retrieved the bath gel, squirting some out between her hands. And then she ran her hands all over his body, feeling the muscles shift beneath her hands, listening to his soft sounds of arousal until her own body was hot and demanding. When it was his turn to cleanse her body, his eyes were hot and dark, and he was making a continuous soft sound, almost a purr, that vibrated through his body and into hers. She closed her eyes, and allowed herself to fall into a haze of sensation as his hands caressed her.

It was not long at all before they were twined about one another, mouths locked together, bodies straining to be even closer than was truly possible. The long abstinence made every movement, every touch magnified, so that they blazed and burned with need. He lifted her up, and braced her against the wet wall, sliding into her body in one long stroke that made her cry out and clench tightly against him, wrapping her legs about him and clinging to his shoulders tightly with her hands. He growled, deep sound in his chest, warning her that he was loosing his control, and she cried out again as he began to slide back and forth, friction tugging at her body, his heat filling her up so completely that all she could do was wail in anticipation as his strokes became faster and then it was too much, and they were surrounded by the white hot heat, the light, the joy, the ecstasy, shattering together, clinging to each other, shaking with the power of what they had created between them.

When control returned, and his breathing was once more approaching normal, although his heart was still pounding in his side, he slowly lowered her, until her feet where once more on the floor, and waved his hand to shut off the water. They stepped from the stall onto the soft fluffy rug and dried themselves, moving slowly, like sleepwalkers.

They went into the bedroom, and she dressed herself in soft flowing garments, unlike the tightly configured uniform they wore on duty. She frowned when she saw that he had nothing else to wear, except what he had worn the night before, and went to her closet, taking down a small duffle. She went from dresser to closet, and filled the duffel with underwear, and a long tee-shirt to sleep in, and one uniform, and some casual wear, while he stood and watched, so full of longing and happiness that he did not trust himself to speak at all.

And then she led him down the corridor to his quarters, where he took her hand, and laid it on the touchplate, and entered the code that gave her full access to his quarters. And then they entered, and she put away what she had brought, and filled the duffle up again with things from his dresser, and his closet, while he changed into clean clothing. And then they returned to her quarters, and his clothing was put away, and the duffle went back onto the shelf.

He stood there, staring down at her, not knowing what to say. And then he saw, there on her desk, something that he remembered well. He turned and laid his fingers upon it, and she leaned against him. "You still have this."

"How could I not?" She picked up the small piece of driftwood, in two colors, twined so closely about one another. "You gave me this at the end of the happiest week of my life. It is not something that I will ever leave behind."

He bent his face down, and buried it against the soft skin of her neck, and treasured her. "I shall endeavor to give you many more such memories, to replace the ones that caused so much pain."

"And we won't hide anymore, not at all."

"No, we shall not."

And she was pleased, and laid down the driftwood, and drew him out, towards the mess hall for breakfast. And neither of them, at any time that day, or any day thereafter, thought to check the corridors to see whether they were empty or occupied, but went wherever they chose in full view.