The sun was bright as they walked along the paths, streaming through the trees. Occasionally, he saw a glimpse of another cabin through the forest, but mostly they were surrounded by a natural environment. He noticed how quiet she was and realized that he didn't have much to say, either. Or rather, he had too much to say. Too much to say before they were going to be separated again, entirely too soon-

He felt her slide her hand into his as they walked, and it calmed him.

"Don't get lost in another universe, Jean-Luc. I'll be waiting for you in this one."

He chuckled at her gentle scold, hearing the undercurrent of amusement in her voice, and he squeezed her hand. "I feel as though we should be making more plans, but I don't know how long I will be on the Enterprise."

"I know. I feel the same way. But when you come to Earth, I'll be there. And we have today, and tonight, at least."

He glanced over and saw her small smile as she looked at him. "We do have today. In many ways, it's more than we've ever had before."

"Have you heard from Wesley?"

She didn't look up from her padd, her reading, as she nearly imperceptibly shook her head. "No word for about eight months, now. The last time he sent me a message, he was in a quadrant the Federation has barely even explored."

He pulled her closer against him, pressing his lips against her hair, noticing the fresh mint scent, wondering how it got there or if that was just the way her hair smelled. "I'm sure he's fine," he murmured. She sighed and nestled under his arm, as if she was seeking comfort from his touch. He was going to miss the closeness when they were apart.

"Beverly, would you consider marrying me?" Merde, where did that come from? Well, he had thought about it over the years, but just in passing, and these past few days he had thought about it more seriously, but not in a way that he intended to share with her. It was a secret hope, a tender spot in his heart that he treasured and wondered about, but he didn't want to ask for too much too soon-

"Perhaps. We can think about it once we're together on Earth." And she lifted her head and pressed a kiss against his cheek, pulling back and smiling at him, threading her fingers through his. "That wasn't a no, Jean-Luc. Let's see what happens."

She had forgotten just how content she was when they were together. On the Enterprise, they spent a fair amount of time together, even beyond breakfasts. But there had always been the awareness of the crew, the ship all around. Tomorrow, they would be back in uniform and go their separate ways to fulfill their duty. But today, they were very deliberately living as though they had all the time in the world.

They had been sitting on the couch, both reading quietly, when he ended the companionable silence to ask about Wesley. She had known he was going to speak several moments before he actually did so; she had sensed when his thoughts sharpened and he wanted to say something, to ask her something. When he asked about Wesley, she wasn't that surprised; she wondered what Wesley would think if he knew how her relationship with Jean-Luc had changed, deepened.

And then when he asked her to marry him? Well, that certainly caught her off guard, but the look on his face made it quite obvious that he apparently didn't mean to ask her out loud. Which was fine. It was too soon to...well. It was too soon. They had to make it back to each other on Earth, first. Too many variables, too many what ifs that made her nervous. But she kissed him on the cheek, willing him to understand, and he softened under her gaze, nodded. Yes, he understood. It was too soon. It wasn't a no; it was just too soon.

Then his gaze sharpened, and his look made her stomach flip in anticipation. She could read him, and once again she realized that they were well matched. He leaned over, plucked the padd out of her hand and pressed his mouth against her neck. She found herself tongue tied, not able to speak, the slide of his fingers across the back of her neck as he nuzzled her jawline causing her to exhale a breathy sigh.

He captured her mouth and it was restrained, yet hungry. She gripped his forearms in appreciation and let herself fall into the sensation of being in the arms of the man she loved.

She was burning up. Her skin felt like it would ignite.

After having been carried (carried!) to the bedroom amid a riot of mutual giggles, she was laying on her stomach on the bed and her skin felt so hot, so sensitive it was all she could do to stay still. He was pressing open mouthed kisses down her spine as his hand gripped her hip. His fingers were between her and the bed, sliding against her hipbone in a way that made her imagine them between her thighs.

She squirmed and whimpered and felt his other hand slide between her legs, so close to her swollen lips. So close! She was so hot she could feel his warmth radiating off his arms and chest and she was sweating but she didn't care, she just needed him to touch her, to caress, to give her relief. She wiggled, trying to get him to move his fingers where she needed them and he pulled his hand back and suddenly smacked her bare cheeks, startling her immensely. What the hell.

"Ow! Damn it, Jean-Luc-" She started to lift her head in disbelief to look at him - and he flipped her over onto her back and she lost what she was saying, because seeing this side of him was just so utterly unexpected (well, no, actually, it made sense - he had always been a passionate man, and the two of them had this precious, wonderful privacy, and she felt the connection too, and she fed off of his streak of control and possessiveness, reflecting it back to him, and it was good because really she adored it) and she was nose to nose with him and his face - his face. God. It was as if all of his attention he ever had was utterly focused on her.

She swallowed, nervous. Excited, aroused, but still...a little nervous.

He grabbed one thigh and pushed it up against her chest and with the other hand he slid his fingers across her nub, beginning a steady swirling caress, and she arched her back as a strangled sound escaped her throat. He maintained the pace, staring down at her, and her inner walls clenched with need.

And then he pushed her leg down to the side and slowly, deliberately entered her as he continued to slide his fingers against her. She closed her eyes with a moan.