THE NIGHT OF THE TWO MOONS

by Boz

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters - I’m just playing with them between episodes.

Rating - NC17. If you don’t approve of explicit sex scenes, leave now.

~*~

Asmim had been just what a battle-weary and stir-crazy crew needed. An enlightened, intellectual race, the Asmimians had welcomed the Voyager crew with a warmth which they had rarely encountered in the Delta Quadrant. The trade negotiations had been cordial and fruitful for both sides and the ship was bulging with all of the supplies they needed.

The crew had availed themselves of the many delights the planet offered. The Captain had taken opportunity to enjoy the galleries of kinesthetic art, and to wander in the spectacular perfumed gardens, amicably debating philosophy and culture with N’a’teth, the Prime Minister. The highlight for her had been attending a v’aneth concert, where a group of musicians all played one huge instrument, enticing from its depths the rolling sound of the oceans that surrounded the islands of Asmim, overlaid with melodies reminiscent of the serenity of the Asmimian hills and forests. The gracious hospitality of the planet and its people had soothed and comforted her and for the first time in a long time she could feel herself at peace with her surroundings.

The Commander meantime had hiked through the hills, reveling in the chance to let the spirits of this tranquil planet work their magic on his tired soul. His wanderings had led deliberately to the largest shrine in the mountains where he was able to meditate and bathe in the warm waters of the sacred springs, feeling more centered than he had in many months.

The younger crew members had spent their spare time in the many resorts surrounding the cities, taking time to relax and flirt and have fun. Everyone had enjoyed the opportunity to be apart and to pursue their own interests. This hadn’t diminished their desire to continue their quest, but seemed to reenergize and focus them as their time for departure grew near.

The formal farewells had been held, gifts exchanged and N’a’teth had offered the Captain the opportunity to spend the last few hours of her visit at his private beach house on a deserted island. She was delighted to accept, this might be her last chance for a real break for a long time and she was feeling so.........healed. Her curiosity was also piqued by the fact that this was ‘Rona’a’seth’ the ‘night of the two moons’, a rare occurrence when both of the fast-orbiting Asmimian moons were full at the same time. This would be a perfect place for her to take her leave-taking from this planet which had helped to soothe her soul and renew her faith in her ability to lead her people home.

She transported back to the ship just to satisfy herself that everything was in order and checked the returning crew manifests. She was thrilled to see that everyone had checked in. There was always that niggling doubt in a place like this that some of the crew might decide to stay, but they were all still with her and her determination was strengthened, yet she felt softened by the experiences of the last few weeks and resolved to set aside more time to relax. Her lips curled as she thought how surprised the Commander would be if he could hear her thoughts. They had only met infrequently during their time on the planet, just when formalities and negotiations were required and their dealings with each other remained at the formal level which she had worked hard to maintain.

Just before sunset she beamed down to the coordinates she had been given and found herself standing beside a small beach house curved into the side of the sand dunes as though it had grown there. She let herself in through the wide glass doors across the front and sighed with satisfaction as she saw the huge bed billowing with soft coverings and the round firepit in the centre of the room already set with logs.

As she turned around, her breath was taken from her by the view. A long curve of pure white sand disappeared from view in either direction and the sea glowed orange with the last rays of the setting sun. She skipped out onto the terrace, feeling energy fizzing along her veins. Inhaling the clean sharpness of the ocean air she realised, not for the first time that that was what she missed so much; weather, the feeling of rain soaking into her pores after a dry summer, the sharp brilliance of a frosty morning, cool winds off the ocean, lifting and regenerating. Suddenly she had to be a part of it and rushed back inside to find the bag she had tossed casually onto a chair.

She admired the length of fabric she had brought in the marketplace, holding it up as the blues and greens swirled in the light, echoing the swirling of the ocean outside. She shed the rest of her clothes and draped the cloth around her body, tying it under her armpits, sarong-style, and reveled in the feeling of the material, silken against her skin.

She sat for a while on the top of the dunes letting the warm evening breeze run its fingers through her hair as the perfect spheres of the twin moons rose above the horizon. She drank in the beauty of the sight in front of her; the beach bathed in the soft purple glow of the twin moons, and the waves glowing cold blue as each one disturbed the small phosphorescent plants that floated along its route. Running down to the water’s edge, she threw her arms outwards in exhilaration, raised herself to her toes and began to dance, swirling and spinning along the sand, body lined with the soft light of the twin moons.

*********

The Commander took a last look around the ship, satisfying himself that all was well for the night, then took himself to his quarters where he dressed in a soft white shirt and loose sand colored pants. In the empty transporter room he employed an old Maquis trick, changing the transporter programming so that in an emergency he would be beamed back on board, but the sensors would show that he was staying in the luxurious visitor’s villa which the senior staff had been allotted in the Prime Minister’s compound.

He transported himself down to the captain’s co-ordinates and found himself outside the cottage. A quick reconnaissance showed no-one inside so he lit the fire which had been set in the middle of the room, padded barefoot to the top of the dunes, saw her instantly and was consumed by her uninhibited exuberance. The hairs on his arms began to prickle as he felt her abandonment, her joy of being and he thanked the spirits of this place for the peace and healing they had brought to her

. He settled himself down, cross legged in the sand, prepared to wait, totally absorbed in the sight before him.

She knew he was there - had known all along. She could feel him with all of her senses and had no need to look.

She pirouetted to the edge of the water and threw her hands skywards in a last crescendo as though she was calling to all the ancient gods of all the seas in the galaxy. He held his breath as she was silhouetted in the moonlight, standing at the apex of the conjoined paths of light that seemed to beckon her to keep on dancing across them and on into the universe.

He strode, soft-footed across the sand and wrapped his arms around her, calling her back, offering her a new path. She leaned back into him for a moment, then turned in his arms and opened her mouth to speak.

He placed two fingers across her mouth.

"Shhhh, remember, no names, we are two strangers who have just met, dancing in the dark," and he pulled her closer as they began to dance along the sands. There was no need for music; the waves gave them rhythm and the two moons hanging ripe and full in the darkness lit their way as they lost themselves to the music of the celestial spheres.

The tide rose inexorably as they felt the responding pull in their very beings. As the sea nibbled away at their strip of sand and the moonlight dimmed, he felt her shiver, and still without talking, danced her up the path through the dunes to the door of the cottage.

They stood wrapped around each other watching the purple moonrays spear across the water as the last orb slid below the horizon and they were left bathed in the crystal light of the stars that had become their home. They turned into each other’s arms and reached for each other, mouths seeking in searing kiss that jolted them from head to foot. The tides were pulling deeply at them now and their hands began to seek bare skin, sliding clothes slowly out of the way, pooling them at their feet until they stood, naked, using fingertips to explore what eyes couldn’t see, trailing sparkles of starlight up and down each other’s spines.

Eventually she stopped his hand in mid-flight and grabbed it, pulling him through the door towards the bed, unwilling to lose contact for more than a few seconds. She kneeled on the bed, leaving him standing as the firelight gilded his skin, towering over her like a statue of Poseidon, ruler of the seas. She worshipped him with her hands and her eyes and then her mouth, covering him with soft kisses, but missing all of those places that his eyes begged her to touch.....down one side of his body and up the other, then with a gleam in her eyes she took one nipple into her mouth, sucking down on it, hard, and he groaned and lost his footing, tumbling onto the bed beside her. As she went to continue her task, he gently grabbed both her hands and pushed her onto her back. Fastening his gaze on hers, he started mimicking her, slowly kissing and licking his way down the side of her body, causing her to squirm and try to move herself to just where she wanted him to be, but he was relentless, ignoring her, tantalizing her. Finally, his tongue reached her navel and he thrust it in and out in a foretaste of what was to come.

She felt the moisture rising and tried to reach for him, to guide him. "Not yet," he whispered and took her nipples one at a time into his mouth sucking hard and pulling them gently with his teeth.

Suddenly his hands were holding her legs apart, and he paused above her, eyes the colour of the earth reaching for her gaze . He drowned in the deepening blue ocean of her eyes as he flowed into her with one long thrust causing them both to gasp with delighted surprise. Rising and falling, ebbing and flowing, they matched their rhythm to the rhythm of the waves beating against the dunes outside. They both felt the ancient tides that had ruled the universe since time immemorial, rising through them urging them to completion and at the last moment as they both fell over the edge and couldn’t hold back, they cried out each other’s names.......

"Kathryn......."

"Chakotay......"

and their world splintered into a thousand sparks of starlight, but they knew they were complete, reborn.

They lay in each other’s arms for a long time alternately dozing and murmuring the soft incoherent words of lovers. He eventually got up to put some more wood on the fire, and sat there cross-legged, magnificently naked, staring at the flames as though he was absorbing their essence. She watched contentedly for a while, then crept up to him, slid into his lap and grinned at his instant reaction. There was no need to speak. She reached down between them and stroked the length of him whilst his fingers reached into the moistness between her legs, long gentle strokes, then pushing down with his thumb until she gasped and pushed his hand away, lifted herself and slid down onto the length of him as they each watched, foreheads touching, sharing the breath that was their life force. It was long and slow and sensuous. She could hardly bear the sensations of skin sliding over skin, her senses were so heightened, and when she felt him begin to tense, she screamed with the joy of it and took him with her.

It was a long night and a short night as they dozed and woke, explored and tasted each other, made leisurely love as the sun rose over the horizon, then swam together in the warmth of the early morning sea.

They spoke little. Both of them knew it was a place out of time, that soon enough they would have to face life again.

All to soon it was time for him to go. They walked to the transport site arm in arm; she drew his face down to hers for a long last kiss, tongues exploring; the heat was rising again and she broke it off, but not before he had pulled her hard against him. Just as the twinkle of the transporter took him he whispered "See what you do to me" and arrived on the transporter pad with the blue flame of desire he saw in her eyes buried carefully inside him.

For the rest of the morning she drifted aimlessly along the shore, gathering the empty shells of small mollusks to take back with her and not thinking about anything but how happy she was and how long it might be before they found another planet for shore leave.

She transported back just in time for a quick shower before her afternoon shift. Arriving on the bridge she found the commander already in his seat and shot him a secretive grin when she winced as she sat down - she knew that wouldn’t miss his attention.

"Welcome back Captain," he proclaimed. "I trust your shore leave provided some much needed relaxation?"

"Oh yes, that it did," she replied with a wide smile for everyone on the bridge. "Now Tom, get us out of here, warp six and Harry, let me know when you find another M class planet. Preferably uninhabited......." and she handed the bridge to her first officer and took herself into her ready room where she wouldn’t enter all of the details of her shore leave into the ship’s log.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~finis

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