Lying here in her quarters, in her bed, I find that absolute peace does exist.
Her sleeping body wraps itself around me. I can hear her breathing and feel her heartbeat. The air smells of her perfume and my lips still taste faintly of her kiss. She mutters my name in her sleep and I wonder if it has ever been spoken in that way before, in a way that causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
She moves. She is restless; it is quite warm tonight. I lift the covers from our bodies and push them to one side. She twists on top of me until her legs find a comfortable place to rest between mine, and her hands run along my sides until she drifts back into her sleep. My body still tingles from the touch of her fingertips and for a moment I consider waking her so we can make love once again, but she looks far too peaceful. Instead I brush her hair from her face and gently kiss her forehead.
“Goodnight Kathryn.” I whisper, and as I lay my head down she speaks.
“Chakotay, stay for breakfast.” I smile to myself, she never really eats breakfast, only has coffee, and I’m afraid that these days I’ve started to do the same. It gives us more time alone together before the protocol kicks in. We’ve now created a routine that suits us both. Breakfast consists of our morning shower together…What better way to start the day!