The BLTS Archive - In This Moment by Jennifer Presley (jlpresley@aol.com) --- Disclaimers: Paramount owns all but the words and their order. Author's Note: This is just to get these characters out of my brain-I have other fish I want to fry, but these two won't leave me alone! This is also the product of two songs, though I've done myself proud, and have refrained from quoting them for once. (But fans of Journey and Aerosmith should be able to figure them out!) --- The quiet sound of her breathing fills the Starfleet shelter,the gentle rise and fall of her chest her only movement. She's curled up next to me, her head pillowed on my shoulder, one arm splayed across my chest. I've been awake for hours now, just watching her sleep. She's normally restless when asleep, almost as if the demons that haunt her waking hours follow her into slumber. Tonight however, her movements are few. A twitch here, a sigh there. She even smiled once; I wish I could know what could have brought that smile to her face. I'd be egotistical to think it was my lovemaking abilities...but isn't it healthy to have at least a little ego? And there is no doubt in my mind: what we experienced tonight was *love*making, not just sex. I had never dared hope that this moment would come, but now that it has, I don't want to ruin it. I've waited long enough, a lifetime it seems. And now that I have her here, in my arms, I feel like everything is right with the universe. She is mine. And I am hers. Our world consists of the two of us, an unexplored planet with an abundance of natural resources for us to live off of, and even a monkey for a pet. I never thought I could be satisfied with so little, but I feel blessed to be here, with this woman. I'm still afraid though, afraid for her. I know this isn't the life she imagined, and I don't know if she'll be able to give up her dream of returning home as easily as I can. For me, it is simple: when I'm with her, I'm home. It doesn't matter if it's here, or on Voyager, or Earth. There is an old saying that home is where the heart is, and my heart is with her. It has been ever since I first laid eyes on her on the viewscreen, and will be with her until the day my spirit leaves this existence. She stirs, and I gently rub my hand up and down her arm, lulling her back into sleep. I want to make her feel safe, protected...loved. I want to give her some of the peace that she's given me, through her trust and now love. I don't doubt that she loves me, and through the story of an angry warrior, she knows of my love for her. My eyes are starting to close, and I try to fight the urge to fall asleep. I don't want to wake up in the morning, and find this was all a dream. But more than that, I want to be able to see her, to hold her, and to feel her warmth pressed against me. I would stay like this forever if I could. --- If someone had told me two years ago that I'd be on a deserted planet, with a Maquis rebel in my bed, I think I would have laughed. That, and have recommended some serious counseling. I had everything I wanted and needed: a loving fiance, a dog, and my ship. Now I have a prefab shelter, a monkey, and Chakotay...though not necessarily in that order. And I'm happy, really and truly happy. I'd have never thought that I could be content with so little, yet at the same time, I feel like I have everything. And it's all because of the man who is currently wrapped around me, sleeping soundly. (Even snoring a bit, truth be told.) I can't imagine my life without him. He has become everything to me, and I've never felt so cherished as I feel now, knowing that the heart I can feel beating underneath my cheek belongs to me. I take a deep breath, relishing this moment. Suddenly, I feel his arms tighten around me. I look up at his face, and find his expressive brown eyes are full of love, and watching me. I smile at him, hoping that the depths of my own emotions are visible to him. They must be, because he dips his head down, and brushes his lips against mine gently. An overwhelming feeling of peace fills me, and I return his kiss. We are home. --- The End