The BLTS Archive - Time's Orphans
#6: A Time to Love
by Kiff (Kiff47@yahoo.com)

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This is the sixth installment in my "Time's Orphans" series and
follows "A Time to Mourn," "A Time to Gather Stones Together," "A Time
to Heal," "A Time to Kill," and "A Time to Seek."

Thanks to Britta for beta-reading.

---

"Chakotay."

"Mmph?"

"Wake up.  He's back."

I open my eyes and look at Tom, standing in the bedroom doorway with a
big grin on his face.

"He's back?" I ask, sitting up.  "Fred?"

"Uh-huh.  Come here, old man.  You have to see this."

I yawn and throw back the covers.  "All right.  I'll be along in a
minute."

Tom moves out of sight, and I swing my legs over the side of the bed,
reaching for my moccasins.  The morning air is cool, and I take a few
moments to wrap myself in a fur jacket before following Tom into the
main room of our cabin. 

"He's out here," Tom says from the front door.

"So where's he been all this time?" I ask. 

I don't really expect Tom to have the answer to this.  Fred's been
gone for the better part of a month.  Neither of us has seen him in
our wanderings, and he hasn't been showing up at the door for free
handouts, either.  We had begun to fear that something dire had
happened to our reptilian friend.

"I'm not sure the question is where he's been," Tom says, stepping
aside to let me look out the door.  "I think it's what he's been up
to."

I blink.  There's Fred all right, and with him are three little
lizardlings about half his size, looking up at us with those same
orange eyes.

"Well," I say, squatting down for a better look.  "Fred, you're a
daddy."

He stares at me and makes a soft clicking sound.

"Do we have any food for them, Tom?"

"I gave them some cat guts already.  They ate them up in no time."

"I wonder where their mother is," I say.

"Maybe Fred is their mother.  Maybe we've been wrong about 'him' the
whole time."

"Could be.  He -- or she -- has surprised me plenty of times since
we've met him -- or her."

Tom laughs.  "This is getting too complicated.  Either way, Fred is
Fred.  And I'm glad he's back.  So are we going to name these little
ones or not?"

I smile up at Tom.  "I suppose we should."

Tom looks the little family over.  "Okay.  The one on the left looks
like a Joe."

"Joe it is."

"And the middle one is Sally."

I straighten up and look at Tom.  "How do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't.  I just think it would be nice to have a girl around."

"A girl, huh?  Something wrong with the present company?"

Tom pauses, then smiles dangerously at me.  "Not at all."  Before I
know what's happening, his hands are on my shoulders, and his mouth is
on mine.  I relax and open up to him, enjoying his taste.

He breaks the kiss and runs a finger over my lips.  "Delicious."

"You're not so bad yourself," I reply.

We look at each other for a long moment.  "Hold that thought," says
Tom at last.  "We still have another kid to name.  You can do the
honors this time."

I turn back to the lizard family.  Joe and Sally are racing around in
a circle while Fred watches them.  The third baby is looking at me,
almost as if he or she is waiting for instructions.

How much do these creatures understand us?  I remember how Fred had
helped me rescue Tom after his fall last year, how he had brought us
food in our makeshift camp until we had been well enough to return
home.  Tom and I had spent hours trying to figure out the strange
clicking language.  We could judge Fred's emotional states and
communicate a little using gestures, but that was about it.  It was
increasingly clear, though, that Fred understood us better than we
understood him.  And some of this understanding had been passed along
to his children.

I take a step toward the lizard baby.  He stands his ground, looking
up at me.  He has no fear.

"Little brave one," I murmur.  "Your name is Tobi."

"Tch!" Tobi says, then races off to join his siblings.  Fred bobs his
scaly head in my direction, clicks out some kind of command to his
family, and they all disappear into the bushes.

"Amazing," says Tom behind me.  "They're getting smarter and smarter."

"Or we are," I say.

"That's true," Tom says in a low tone, stepping up behind me and
putting his hands on my shoulders.  I lean back, and his arms slip
around my waist. 

"I thought you might like to see them, Chakotay.  I knew you were
worried about Fred."

"Thanks."

Tom pulls the jacket aside and kisses my neck.  "Want to go back to
bed?"

"I might," I say with a chuckle.

His hand reaches between my legs.  "How much persuasion do you need?"

I turn my head and catch his mouth with mine.  "Not much, mister.  But
you're keeping me away from my morning chores."

Tom squeezes a little harder, and I gasp.  "I've made a slight change
in the duty roster today, old man."

"Oh...really?"

"Yes."  He pulls me into the bedroom.  "First job of the day is to
inspect the plumbing."  He yanks down his pants.

"Aye, *Captain.*"  I'm trying hard to keep a straight face.  It's not
easy to suck a guy's cock when you're laughing.

Tom sits on the bed, and I kneel in front of him.  I suck the tip of
his cock into my mouth, running my tongue along the slit.  He grunts
appreciatively.  I lick up and down his shaft, cupping his balls with
one hand.

"Oh...oh, gods..."

I breathe deeply and take him in as far as I can.  His breath whistles
sharply through his teeth, and his hands reach behind my neck.  He
pumps into my mouth, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

Then he pauses.  "Oh!  Oh, shit!  I'm coming...."

I grab his hips as he empties himself into my throat.  He rocks back
and forth, moaning and gasping.  I keep him deep in my mouth until
he's finished, then release him.

"I'd say the plumbing is in top shape, sir."

Tom chuckles weakly.  "Excellent work, Commander, but I think the
job's only half done."

"Half done?"

"We've only examined one section of plumbing.  I'm afraid I'll have to
take charge of the second inspection."

I like that idea.  "Acknowledged, sir."

Tom reaches for the drawstring on my pants.  "It's a privilege to work
with such a cooperative and competent crew." 

He pulls me onto the bed and proceeds to give me a very thorough
examination indeed.

---

"I take it back, Tom.  I'm not going to get up after all.  Think I'll
just stay in bed."

"S'okay.  Age has its privileges."

"Meaning?"

"I thought the meaning was pretty clear."

"Are you implying that I'm not pulling my weight around here?"

"Not at all.  You pulled some pretty mean weight just now.  I thought
you might need a little time to recover, that's all."

"Want to test that theory, fly-boy?"

His fingers creep up my thigh.  "Aha!  We have a winner here, folks!"

"And what have I won?"

Tom leans over my cock.  "A lifetime supply of blow jobs!"

---

"Tom."

"Mmmmm?"

"I probably should get to work on the garden."

"Why?  I thought you finished up all the weeding yesterday.  It rained
a little last night, so the plants don't need watering.  What else
needs to be done?"

"It rained?"

"About an hour or so.  You didn't hear it?"

"Not at all."

"Well, it did.  So forget about the garden.  We have plenty of fresh
fish, two baskets of nuts, and at least one big bowl of berries.  I
don't need to hunt today.  Let's take the day off from work."

"A holiday?"

"Well, Chakotay, it *is* a holiday, isn't it?"

I try to think.  "November twelfth again?"

"Got it in one.  Six years."

"Six years."  I untangle myself from Tom's embrace and sit up.   "Tom,
I'm sorry.  I lost track of the days again.  I meant to make you
another anniversary gift."

He puts a hand on my back.  "Don't worry about it." 

"I know how much these days mean to you."

"I said don't worry about it.  Here's what I want.  Spend the day with
me.  No work.  Just play.  Just be with me."

"Well..."

Tom is stroking my lower back with a feather touch that I find
impossible to resist.  "Come on, Chakotay.  Whatever it is, it can
wait."

I turn and smile at him.  "All right."

"Good."  He continues to run his fingers over my skin.  "Lie down and
I'll give you a back rub."

I do what he says, and soon I feel the warm pressure of his hands on
my shoulders.  Tom always takes his time with back rubs.  I close my
eyes and breathe slowly, concentrating on the feel of his skin on
mine.  It is a sensation similar to what I experience when I go into
my meditative trances.  I am safe and very much at peace.

"Chakotay."  Tom kisses my ear.  "Wake up."

"Hmmm?"

"You fell asleep."

"Huh?  How long?"

"About fifteen minutes or so."

"Sorry about that."  I rub my eyes and look at Tom.  "What were you
doing all this time?"

"Watching you."

"Really?"  I sit up.  "That couldn't have been very interesting."

"I like watching you sleep."

"Well," I say.  "That's awfully...romantic of you, Tom."  I'm a little
embarrassed, so it comes out as sarcastic.

"And what's wrong with a little romance?"

"Nothing, I guess."  Now I feel silly.

"I realized something while I was watching you."

"What's that?"

"I love you."

My mouth goes dry, and I can feel myself flushing.  This is
ridiculous.  There's no one else here.  Spirits, there's been no one
else for six years.  Who am I kidding?

"That bother you, Chakotay?"

"I...well, no...."

"Don't shit me.  It does.  Well, that's okay.  I mean, it's not like
there's anyone else here that I can say that to, right?  Might as well
be the only other person within eight parsecs."

"Tom...."

"Let me finish, okay?  I'm only going to say this once.  I don't care
why I feel this way.  I may have always felt something for you, even
when we were still on Voyager, and I just wasn't brave enough to admit
it.  Or maybe it's something that only would have happened because
we've been thrown together like this.  I don't give a shit.  I love
you, and that's it."

I look away from him and let this sink in for a few seconds.  Damn. 
He's not saying anything that I don't already know...or don't already
feel.

"Well, Tom, that's good to know, because I happen to love you, too."

I hear him exhale, then chuckle.  "That wasn't so hard, was it, old
man?"

I lean down to kiss him.  "I guess we're stuck with each other now,
huh?"

He strokes my hair.  "Yep."

I kiss him again, and we don't stop there.

---

"You know, Chakotay, this is about the best sex I have ever had."

"Mmmmm." 

"I think we should take more days off and just stay in bed."

"Fine by me."

"And I want to be on top next time."

I snort.  "If there *is* a next time."

"What?  Are you saying you're finished after three rounds?"

I swat Tom's ass.  "Hey, there's *plenty* of ammo left in this gun."

He slaps me back.  "I'm kidding you, you big lunk.  I was just
remembering that we haven't had anything to eat all day, and it's
almost noon."

"You have a point there."

Tom sits up.  "I'll fry us some fish if you'll get the greens together
and pour the wine."

"Wine?"

"The bottle's in a corner of the fish pen.  Finished brewing it
yesterday.  Happy anniversary."  Tom plants a kiss on my cheek, swings
his legs over the side of the bed, and leaves the room before I can
say anything more.

---

I find the bottle just where he said it would be.  I open it and take
a cautious sniff.  It smells wonderful.  We haven't had a good bottle
of wine for a couple of years at least.  Tom has tried time and again
to get the berries to ferment properly, mostly without success.  But
he seems to have gotten it right this time.

I make a quick salad of early spring greens and set out our wooden
plates and cups.  I wait until I see Tom coming back to the house
before I pour the wine.  He has two filets, which he tosses on our
indoor grill.  Then he walks to the table, picks up his glass, and
sniffs it.

"What do you think?"

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

He smiles, but then his expression grows serious.  "To old friends,
gone and missed."

"To old friends," I echo.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Fred and
his family appear around the side of the house.  I tip my cup in their
direction.  "And to new friends, here and cherished."

"To new friends," Tom says, following my gaze, then returning his eyes
to mine.  "Much beloved."

"Yes," I whisper.  "Beloved."

We drink.  The wine is pungent, sharp, and delicious. 

Kind of like our lives here, I suppose.

---

The End