Kathryn took extra care getting ready for dinner the next evening. She picked a silky, jewel green dress with a low V-neckline, long sheer sleeves, and a knee-length skirt with a sheer overlay. She wore black pumps and a pair of crystal teardrop earrings. Her hair had grown to reach her shoulders again, and she brushed it so the ends curled softly around her face. It had been awhile since she wore full make-up, and she found herself feeling nervous as she applied a red lipstick. She blotted her lips to soften the color and chided herself for looking too long in the mirror. She wanted tonight to be different. He had seen her for seven years as the captain in every capacity from conservatively dressy to lying at death's door under a sickbay blanket. Tonight, she wanted him to see only Kathryn the woman.

Chakotay took a deep breath as he straightened his black slacks and the collar of his white button-down shirt. His black vest was unbuttoned, and he debated once again whether to leave it that way. He had decided earlier that it might be too dressy buttoned, but left it on unbuttoned until he could see what Kathryn was wearing. He carried a half dozen pink roses in one hand while the other hand fidgeted with his belt as he walked from the parking lot to Kathryn's apartment. Telling himself that he was meeting Kathryn, a woman he'd had dinner with hundreds of times, didn't help. The "old man" felt like a teenager, and he could only hope she wouldn't notice.

She answered the door at his chime and was struck by how handsome he looked. She smiled and greeted him. "Chakotay, come in."

He'd never seen her look more feminine, her blue eyes bright, her face soft, and her red lips captivating. "Kathryn, you look breathtaking." He kissed her briefly before handing her the roses. "These are for you."

"Thank you! They're beautiful. I'll put these in a vase and then we can go."

He leaned against the kitchen doorway while she found a vase in the cabinet. She arranged the roses and placed them in the middle of the dining table. As she approached him in the doorway, he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss. The image of him in the shower flashed through her mind, and her knees nearly buckled as she leaned into him.

Chakotay no longer felt like an awkward teenager, but a virile man with the woman he loved in his arms. They breathed and tasted each other until he lifted his head with a soft groan. He touched his forehead to hers for a moment and then stepped back, his eyes traveling down the open expanse of her chest to her cleavage in the low cut dress. He lifted his gaze back to hers and asked, "Are you hungry?"

She flashed a crooked smile and in a husky voice said, "Yes, I am. Are you?"

His cheeks dimpled. "Very. We should go."

They both knew they weren't talking about food, and the longer they stayed, the harder it would be to leave her apartment. She took his arm to walk to his hovercar, and he rested his hand over her fingers.

"Where are we going?" she asked when they were in the car.

"A little Tuscan restaurant I heard a couple of professors talking about. It's about a 20-minute drive from here along the coast. I hope that's okay."

"It sounds perfect." She settled back in the seat and watched the sights through the window. He reached across to take her hand and asked about her day, glad to hear that it had been much better than the day before. He told her that his classes were beginning a lesson on the Vidiians, and that the Doctor would be joining in on Friday to talk about the Phage.

Kathryn laughed and said, "I guess you'll find out if your students like you if they come back to class Monday."

Chakotay grinned at her. "I've talked to the Doctor a couple of times to make sure he knows the time limits and understands that these are not med students. He seems eager to be involved and wants to do well so that I'll invite him back. The Phage had such a huge impact on Vidiian society and essentially devastated and completely changed a culture in a very short time. I think it's an important lesson for the classes to grasp."

She squeezed his hand. "You're right, it is. Maybe I'll slip in and observe a class."

"You're welcome anytime. You could take over for a day if you want." He glanced over at her. "In uniform, of course. If you show up in a dress, they'll be too distracted to learn anything. The uniform is enough for them to handle, as it is."

"Chakotay!" she laughed.

"What?" he chuckled. "You're a beautiful woman, Kathryn, and you were my beautiful captain in uniform for seven years."

"You're not easy to ignore either, Professor. I heard that all of your classes filled up before the first day of registration ended."

"It's a new area of study," he said. "The Delta Quadrant is a popular subject right now."

"Uh huh. Tell me, what's your female to male student ratio?"

"It's," he thought for a moment. "It's about… Oh no," he groaned.

She laughed. "I thought so. Don't worry, when they figure out that it actually is a very interesting subject with a good professor, who is unavailable by the way, things will even out. In the meantime, you've made a lot of young women the life of the party when they can be the first regale everyone with tales of the Delta Quadrant."

He shook his head at her. "You are definitely taking over for a day, in that dress, and I'm going to kiss you in front of every class when I introduce you."

They were laughing so hard, he almost missed the turn to the restaurant.

They were seated at a quiet table toward the back of the dining room. The restaurant was beautifully decorated in Tuscan countryside charm with dimmed lighting and soft instrumental music playing. Both the wine and the food were excellent, but Chakotay was focused solely on Kathryn. He had caught glimpses on occasion in the Delta Quadrant of the woman she could be, and in some ways he felt like he was getting to know her for the first time, though the desire for her that had simmered just under the surface for years was fully present. Her smile, her piercing blue eyes, her pale skin with a light dusting of freckles across her chest, and the soft curl of her hair brushing her neck made his heart skip and his breath catch.

"What is it?" she asked.

He realized he'd been caught staring at her, and smiled softly. He hesitated for a moment, then answered, "You." He reached across the table to take her hand. "You've known for a long time that I loved you, and now I find myself falling in love with you all over again."

She gazed into his eyes and laced her fingers through his. "I can't say the first time I realized what I felt for you. It seems like a lifetime ago, yet brand new. I have loved you, Chakotay, and I'm in love with you, too."

They kept their hands clasped across the table as they finished the meal and another glass of wine. When they left the restaurant and were driving back down the coast, Chakotay pulled over along a quiet stretch of beach. "How about a walk along the shore?" he asked.

"That sounds nice," she said with a smile.

When they reached the sand, they left their shoes behind and started off hand in hand down the beach. The moonlight shimmered across the water, and the sounds of the gentle waves breaking on shore drowned out the faint sounds of the city. Kathryn felt as if they were the only two people in the world at that moment, and it brought back memories of New Earth where they had been the only two people.

They had been strolling together for several minutes when Chakotay stopped and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. Her lips met his as their bodies gently swayed together and his hands caressed her. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and gripped him tighter as passion built between them. She felt a sudden cold spot on her shoulder and leaned her head back from him. A light rain was beginning to fall, and they both looked up at the sky as the drops grew heavier.

Chakotay looked around and spotted an arched alcove on the side of the building nearest them. "We'd better take cover. Come on." He grabbed her hand and they ran for the building, the cool rain increasing steadily. By the time they made it under the dark alcove, his black hair was shimmering with raindrops, and she could feel the rivulets down her bare ankles and feet. They leaned against opposite sides of the tight space, laughing and trying to brush the water from their hair and clothes. The sheer sleeves of her dress were damp and cold against her skin, and she shivered. He moved over to her and wrapped her in his arms, his body covering hers as he pressed her into the corner of the alcove to keep both of them dry.

He gazed down at her still grinning. "We may be here for a while," he said. "I wonder if you have enough pull to get Headquarters to beam you an umbrella."

She laughed and shifted her back against the wall, which caused his hips to slip tighter against hers. "I'm not sure I want to find out," she replied, her voice husky. "I'm rather enjoying this at the moment."

"Well then, we'll just have to stay here and hope the rain doesn't end too soon." He watched a pearl of water drip from her hair onto her chest and slip over the curve of her breast into the V of her bodice. He slowly traced the shining trail with a fingertip from her collar bone to the valley between the swells of her breasts. She leaned her head against the wall and arched into his touch. He followed the line of her dress over her other breast and watched tiny pinpricks rise over her skin.

"Are you cold?" he asked softly.

"No, not at all." She kept one hand around his back while the other unbuttoned his shirt until she could slip inside to feel the heat of his broad chest. Her small hand was cool, and his skin quivered under her delicate fingers. He groaned and ran his tongue over and between her lips as his hand cupped the underside of her breast. His thumb slid over the material to her nipple, the peak pushing against her dress.

She could feel him hardening against her and thrust her hips. He continued to tease her nipple while his other hand slid to her buttock and pulled her tighter to him. There was something erotic about being outside with the rain falling around them as they hid in the dark, narrow archway. He bent his knees and pushed his erection against her, the friction of their clothing only adding to the sensations. She moaned and slid her body up and down his, her mound throbbing as the tip of his hard sex rubbed over it. He broke the kiss and dropped his head to her neck as they gripped each other. Her soft noises sent tingles down his spine, and his hand on her buttock slid between her legs, feeling the swollen lips of her sex through her clothing.

She gasped and writhed against him as distant thunder rumbled around them in the night. "Oh god," she moaned.

Chakotay worked his fingers under the bodice of her dress and into her bra, sliding his palm over her bare breast and tweaking her nipple. He wanted to see her and thrust his hips against her again as he pulled the soft flesh from her dress and looked down at her. The rain hid the light of the moon, but he could make out the dusky pink of her nipple against her creamy skin. He could feel himself losing control as he bit down on her neck and then licked his way to her earlobe.

"Kathryn," he panted.

"Please, don't stop."

"You're going to make me lose it."

"Yes," she hissed. "Make me come, Chakotay."

He growled in her ear and slid the length of his erection over her. He lifted the side of her dress that was against the wall and slipped his hand down the back of her panties. He felt her heat and pushed his fingertip into her wet core, his sex throbbing with the friction of his clothes.

"You're so wet," he groaned. He moved his hand from her breast to the back of her thigh and lifted her so he could reach her better, her arms holding on around his neck. His finger slid through her moisture to her pearl, and she muffled her cry in his hair. Thunder rolled through the air around them, and the rain pounded on the sidewalk as he circled her clit and bucked against her. Her body tightened in his arms, and he knew that when she climaxed, he would follow. He lifted her thigh higher to open her legs and slipped a finger inside of her while he pressed against her swollen button.

Her wet heat clenched around him, and his erection swelled inside his briefs. She gasped and ground her hips down on his hand. A loud clap of thunder vibrated through the alcove and was met by her cry, her head thrown back against the wall and her body arching. He felt her walls clamp around his finger as the orgasm raced through her, and he was lost. He bucked his hips hard against her, wedging her into the corner as his seed spilled into his clothes.

Their bodies were locked together as they moaned against each other, and each twitch of his pumping length trapped between them sent a ripple through her heat. Finally, their tremors slowed, and he lowered her leg to the ground. He slipped his hand from her underwear and smoothed down her skirt, then held her against him and briefly kissed her, still trying to catch his breath. She shifted her breast back into her bra and dress, and dropped her head to his shoulder.

"Gods, Chakotay," she moaned as she hugged him to her.

He chuckled and caressed her hair. "I hope nobody was watching."

"Two minutes ago, I didn't care. Can you imagine the headline? Vice admiral and Academy professor caught in public lewd act."

He laughed and kissed her hair. "I guess we'll have to check the news releases first thing in the morning." He stepped back from her and took off his vest. He held it out into the rain, and then wrung it out until it was damp. He glanced at her and said, "I need to clean up a little."

She moved away from the corner and motioned for him to take her place. She hid him from view as best she could while he unzipped his pants and wiped himself off with the vest. When he was finished, he turned around and tugged her backward to him, lifted the back of her skirt, and pulled down her panties. He gently cleaned between her legs as he kissed her neck. He straightened her clothing again, and she leaned back into his arms.

He rested his head against hers and said, "I love you, Kathryn."

She held onto his arms around her waist. "I love you, too, Chakotay."

The rain was letting up and the thunder had moved off into the distance again. Soon, the only sound was the drip of water from the wet buildings around them. They held hands and walked back to the beach and the car, picking up their shoes along the way. The drive back to Kathryn's apartment was quiet, their hands clasped between them and the lights of the city flickering around them. He walked her to her door, and their kiss goodnight was long and tender.

"Should we still meet at the pool tomorrow night?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think I'm going to need the workouts to keep up with you."

He laughed. "I believe the words 'don't stop' were yours." She blushed and grinned, and he caressed her cheek. "I'll be waiting for you. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Chakotay. I love you."