It starts in my soul...

[lt_paula]

Paula lounged by the pool, her head arms folded beneath her head as the sun warmed her back. She was half-asleep from the heat and the fatigue of her late night, and she stretched and yawned, wiggling into a more comfortable position on the chaise. The party to which Jim and Leonard had been invited had gone on until the early hours of the morning

Comments

[flying_katana]

It wasn't as though this was strictly vacation. Everyone was heading up to the ship in turns, making sure their departments were getting fixed, all evidence of the Klingon attack gone. The bridge was shiny as ever, and Hikaru had spent a few minutes in his chair, looking over the instrumentation, and getting familiar with some upgraded computer system

[lt_paula]

The splash drew her out of her light doze. Paula blinked and raised her head after a moment, then smiled when she saw a familiar dark head in the pool. Propping her head on her arms she lay there watching as Hikaru cut cleanly through the water, lazy and warm and content to enjoy the view for the time being. Soon enough, though, she decided to move, the lure of the cool water too enticing to pass up.

She sat up and stretched slowly, then reached for the water bottle she'd brought down with her and took a drink. Paula got up from the chaise and went to sit by the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water as she watched Hikaru finish his laps. He was so strong, his body lean and muscular from all his training, and she knew how he loved the water; salt water especially, but she'd seen his eyes light up when he'd spotted the pool outside the hotel and had known he would enjoy it.

[flying_katana]

They had a pool on board the ship, and Hikaru enjoyed swimming laps to keep himself fit and in shape, but there was something special about being under the sun, the water warmed through the rays, the heat on his back as he paddled toward Paula, sitting pretty as a picture on the edge.

"Hello beautiful," he told her, his arms reaching up around her legs. "Have a good nap?" he asked, lifting his fingers and dripping water down her thighs.

[lt_paula]

His hands felt cool as they slid over her skin, her body warm from baking in the sun all afternoon, and the droplets of water made her shiver just a little. Paula shifted as he moved closer, her hands reaching to cover his. "I did," she confirmed as he rested his arms on her thighs, floating between her knees. "How's the ship looking? Good, I hope," she said, one hand reaching up to run through his wet hair, making it stand on end. She would be going up to attend to business tomorrow, making sure the labs were cleaned and the repairs were on schedule, but for today she was content to enjoy a little well-earned downtime