A Shared Moment

WARNING: The following story depicts sexual activity between two adults of the same sex. If you are under the age of 18, (or whatever is legal in your area), or if such depiction is likely to offend you, please do not continue.

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns all things Trek. Neither infringement nor profit are intended here. Personal satisfaction and the acclaim of her readers are the only gain this author seeks.

She would do it intentionally when she needed to relax, but sometimes she found herself drawn there unwittingly, needing the solace and quiet of the stars to ease her through an unsettling moment. Sometimes letting her forehead rest against the cool surface of the window to further soothe her. And right now she needed soothing.

It was her responsibility as ship's counselor to introduce herself to all new crewmembers, whether they had specific need of her services or not, and assess how they were acclimating. She enjoyed it. She felt it kept her connected and made the command staff seem less distanced from the rest of the crew. She'd also been able to head off a few potential problems by meeting with people early.

She looked at her reflection in the window, the dark of her eyes more pronounced against the backdrop of space, her hair lost against the black. Her face looked ageless in the glass, although it was the changes brought by age that had made her so introspective. How much had she changed?

The new ensign was assigned to hydroponics and the only thing wrong with her was that she stole Deanna's breath. As she looked up at the slender blond woman walking into her office her mind spun backwards in time and she was back in her rooms at the university on Betazed with her closest friend next to her pouring over texts. It was only years of self-control that brought her back to the present so she could introduce herself properly.

As she and the young ensign spoke, Deanna's eyes were drawn to the curve of her jaw and cheek, the gentle sweep of her eyebrows. The resemblance was remarkable, and Deanna found herself almost speaking the wrong name in the course of the interview.

The name played across her lips now, as she looked at her reflection against the stars. Did she remember too? Did she ever startle at someone with Deanna's features? Did she find herself staring out at the stars, recalling an event from years ago, mind and body remembering as if it were yesterday? She let her eyes close, welcoming the images. It had been some time since she had last let herself relive them…

Her name was Lyra; they were assigned as roommates for their post-graduate studies. She was quick, bright, as fair as Deanna was dark. She was studying the psychology of first contact and planned to request posting on a deep space vessel. They were friends quickly and comfortably. They shared themselves with each other easily, Lyra knew about Will, Deanna knew about Lyra's secret affair with the dean of the school of engineering. But nothing prepared them for the night of confidences that they shared before their final oral exams.

Lyra came tearing into their room, giggling, flushed, hair in disarray, almost hyperventilating. Deanna looked up from a book, smiling, dying to know what was afoot but feeling in a playful mood and deciding instead to torture her friend. "Hi there," she said non-chalantly.

Lyra bounced on the balls of her feet, clearly irritated at Deanna's non-interest. "Grrrr...don't make me come there and bean you with a PADD. Ask me what happened!"

Deanna hid her face behind her book. "Did something happen?" She managed to ask without squeaking with suppressed laughter. She reached out with gentle psychic tendrils and could feel her friend's frustration/amusement/excitement and...arousal? She put the book down. "Okay, okay, what happened?"

Lyra laughed again and sat down on the edge of Deanna's bed, then stood up, then sat down again. Deanna watched her bounce up and down. "Stop that and tell me already!"

"I just had sex on the back veranda with someone I just met." Lyra hid her face between her hands, still laughing.

"You did what?" Deanna asked, shocked.

"Oh god, I couldn't help it. We just started talking, then the talk turned provocative, and we were alone out there, and...well...one thing led to another."

Deanna blinked a little, then smiled. "But you had fun?"

"Oh, yes!"

"And so did he?"

Lyra laughed again. "He certainly seemed to, hard for a man to fake that kind of thing."

Deanna smiled again, then sighed softly.

Lyra frowned. "What is it?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing really. It's just it seems so fun when you describe encounters like that to me, but I don't seem to have what it takes to have one."

"But there's nothing wrong with that, not everyone is wired the same way. You're better off realizing that they're not for you than finding out the hard way that you can't handle them."

Deanna smiled ruefully. "It makes so much sense when you say it that way, but I still end up feeling a little jealous."

Lyra looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "Here, then, we'll let you experience it safely. If vicariously."

"What?"

Lyra pulled Deanna by the wrist next to her on the bed. "Remember it with me, it'll be safe for you, and you can taste a little of it."

"Are you serious?" Deanna asked.

"Completely," Lyra replied. She crossed her legs, turning to face Deanna on the bed, and Deanna did the same. They laced their fingers together lightly and shifted easily into an empathic link. Lyra was full Betazoid, so her reach was broader, but Deanna was very skilled and could match Lyra's depth, if not her breadth. Lyra led the way, and Deanna felt the familiar vertigo as Lyra rewound through her memories, pulling Deanna along with her.

Then Deanna was looking through Lyra's eyes at the handsome man across the table from her. She could feel as Lyra had felt, her skin already warm, heart rate accelerated, torso leaned forward towards the stranger, a suggestive smile on her face. She looked up into the eyes of the man, saw the desire echoed there, knowing that they were only moments away from physical contact. Lyra/Deanna glanced around the veranda, secure in their solitude, and stood up. The man stood with her, wonderfully tall, stepping quickly around the table to her, hands sliding up her arms and neck to trace gently over the line of her jaw while his lips closed over hers. Her arms encircled his neck, mouth hungrily matching his kisses, eager for his hands to rid her of her clothes. He quickly obliged, and she matched his actions, stripping his tunic and pants from his body in seconds.

Deanna was full aware of Lyra's mind beside hers as she thrilled to the feel of the man's hands on her skin, and the intimacy of the contact, the feel of Lyra's pleasure alongside her own intensified the physical sensations she was reliving through her memories. Deanna's throat closed as the man slid his hands behind her, grasping her ass firmly, cupping her in strong hands and lifting her to the table. Her legs slid around his hips reflexively, her toes drawing slowly up the backs of thighs as she coaxed him closer. He needed little encouragement and moved between her legs, his erection pressing up her inner thigh, inching closer, drawn by the wet heat radiating from her. His mouth was on her neck, kissing, biting, breath already harsh against her skin. She moaned softly against his shoulder, pushing her hips toward him, aching already for the feel of him inside her, wanting, so ready…

An involuntary cry escaped Deanna's lips as the link was broken and she blinked, momentarily startled, at the room around her. She looked at Lyra, breathless, made more so by the wild look in Lyra's eyes and the heaving of her chest. She looked at Lyra, mesmerized by her mouth, the light pink of the tongue she could see through her parted lips as she breathed raggedly. Deanna became so thirsty for the taste of Lyra's mouth that she could not hold back, knew that Lyra did not want her to, and she leaned across the short space separating them on the bed and kissed her deeply. Lyra opened her mouth to meet the kiss, tongue gliding over Deanna's as their bodies leaned closer. Deanna felt Lyra's hands brush over her, lightly tracing down her breasts, and her nipples tightened at the contact even through her clothes. She reached her own hands under the hem of Lyra's blouse, letting them slide slowly up her sides, shivering at the electricity of her hands against Lyra's skin. She reached the round curve of Lyra's breast and opened her fingers wide to drink the feel of it against her palm. Lyra's nipples were as erect as Deanna's and she inhaled sharply as Deanna's fingers played over them. Deanna eased the blouse over Lyra's head and lowered her mouth to the breasts Lyra offered. Her lips closed over one nipple and she couldn't help but moan as the sweet taste of it spread through her mouth. She circled the tight bud with her tongue, then grazed it gently with her teeth before closing her lips onto it and sucking hard. She slid her hands over Lyra's chest, squeezing her other breast as she sucked greedily on the one captive in her mouth.

Lyra was breathing in rough gasps, her own hands pulling Deanna's clothing off her. As Deanna released her breast, Lyra placed her hands on Deanna's shoulders, pushing her back onto the bed as she kissed her. Deanna's body relaxed against the bed, pliant under Lyra's hands and lips, feeling the sparks from Lyra's mouth as she kissed slowly down her body. Lyra's hand reached low, drawing slowly back up Deanna's legs, moving between her thighs and easing them apart. Deanna's legs opened willingly and her back arched as Lyra's fingers slowly spread her and stroked over her wet lips. Deanna gasped as Lyra traced slow, tight circles around her swollen clit, and she pushed her hips forward when the fingers slipped deep into her, stroking against the inner walls with infinite skill. Lyra caressed her firmly, mouth kissing over Deanna's skin, until she heard Deanna's breath change as she neared climax. Then she eased her fingers out, shifting her body, turning until she could reach that ready, wet area with her mouth, and Deanna could reach hers. Deanna reached up with both hands, pressing Lyra's thighs apart, reaching up with her lips and tongue to lick slowly over Lyra's wet seam. Lyra shuddered as her own mouth sank down onto Deanna's lips, matching her stroke for stroke. They licked and sucked, tongues darting in and around the other until the moment before orgasm, when they opened their minds again to the other, sharing in the pleasure of the last seconds as they pushed each other over the edge, near screaming against each others skin as their tongues penetrated deeply to draw out the final contractions.

Keeping the link open, Lyra moved back, encircling Deanna with her arms, resting her lips against the soft skin of her neck as their breathing slowed. Deanna turned her head, looking with affection at Lyra's lovely face, noticing for the first time the sensual curve of her jaw and cheek, the graceful sweep of her eyebrows…

Deanna came back to herself, image unchanged in the reflection in the window. She looked past herself and into the stars again, wondering. She and Lyra had lost touch after they'd accepted their first assignments, despite an incredible connection that had remained. She wondered now if she ever drifted through Lyra's thoughts, sent shivers down her back the way she was feeling now. She sighed wistfully at the expanse of gem sprinkled darkness before her and turned to walk away when she felt it. A small nudge, almost a caress at the edge of her awareness. She smiled, recognizing the touch. Yes, Lyra remembered. And if Deanna concentrated hard, she could almost detect the shivers. She smiled again and left her quarters, ready again to face the rest of the crew.

finis