[JP] Cmdre Kalianna Nicholotti & Cmdr. Genkos Adea - Without You, Part 2

[Marissa Jeffrey]

((A Few Hours Later))

The two of them lay in the sand, Genkos twirling a lock of Kalianna’s raven hair around a slender forefinger. He breathed deeply, inhaling the heady scent of her mixed with the salty smell of the sea.

Rolling over onto his side, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, fully aware he was a living cliche.

Adea: Let’s do something fun.

Smile almost permanently set on her face at that point, she raised an eyebrow.

Nicholotti: Not that we weren’t fully enjoying ourselves already…but I get the feeling you have something in mind?

Genkos looked over at the rich blue ocean, then back at Kalianna, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The waves of his thoughts washed up on the beaches of her mind, not all that different from the way the ocean did not far from where they lay.

Adea: You ever swum in your Betazoid suit?

The impish grin took over any other looks that might have tried to appear on her face.

Nicholotti: Not in this lifetime. Sounds…exhilarating.  

What she had done as a so-called troublesome teenager, well, that was another story for another time. Regardless, she was certain it wasn’t anywhere close to this in depth or feel. Playful grin on her face, her eyes sank deeper into his as the breeze gently washed over them. Genkos raised an eyebrow in a coquettish fashion.

Adea: Well then…

Nicholotti: No time like the present.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she shot him a dare-you look. Quick as a flash he was running towards the beach, his left leg aching but he ignored it, choosing instead to focus on the most efficient way to divest himself of what little clothing he had on.

Adea: Race you!

By the time he’d issued the challenge, he was already in motion. Jumping up after him, she laughed.

Nicholotti: That’s cheating!

Stumbling as he pulled down his underwear and tried to keep moving whilst also getting it off, he managed to kick his pants into the sea. He didn’t care, at least not then, but instead crashed into the waves, an expression of both surprise and joy mixing on his face.

Adea: Bloody hells, that’s cold!

Kali dove head first into the waves, popping up above the surface in time to hear his exclamation and see bits of their clothing drifting towards the shore in the endless cycle of waves. The chill sent bumps all over her skin as she made her way towards him.

Nicholotti: Didn’t quite think that through eh?

She grinned, reaching for him when she got close enough. Raven locks spilled out into the water around them like a separate creature, encompassing them both as they settled into the up and down motion of the water. While night, in its typical sense, had passed into the early morning, darkness still covered the sky and only the stars offered light by which to see.

That suited her just fine, since her crystalline eyes could see alright in the dark, and finding their way by feel seemed to be the better method anyways. Genkos, on the other hand, had to rely on the dim light, and squinted at her in the twinkling starlight.

Adea: No! It’s bloody cold!

Nicholotti: Best way to stay warm is to stay close.

And keep moving, of course, but that method she didn’t voice. He drew himself closer to her, their bodies hugging beneath the freezing cold water (well, not actually freezing, but cold enough) and then was surprised when a shimmer of blue danced out of the dark depths of the water just then, shimmering around them and the various articles of clothing that had almost made it to shore. Soft trails of light swirled around them and along the shallow waves next to the shore, much to her delight. Genkos let out a soft cry of surprise.

Adea: What is it?

Nicholotti: Bioluminescence.

The scene was almost magical as she pulled herself closer to him, skin against skin, as the blue swirls captured her attention. This was the truth behind the idea that light could only shine in the dark.

Nicholotti: It’s quite beautiful.

Genkos, however, was looking at her long dark hair, one hand caressing a curl softly as it floated past.

Adea: That it is.

Noticing he wasn’t at all looking at the water, her face melted into a look of pure affection. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

Nicholotti: I don’t think we’re looking at the same thing.

Genkos kissed her softly on the ear, tasting the salty seawater that was gently lapping at them both. He tried not to show the disgust on his face, and failed utterly.

Adea: Oh, ugh….

Kali laughed, seeing the shadows of the face he was making in the light of the bioluminescent beings and with her own improved night vision.

Nicholotti: Not what you expected?

Adea: Salty.

At that, she grinned.

Nicholotti: Am not.

Genkos let out a passionate sigh of wistful remembrance. He missed the times when every night could have been like this, but now they served on the opposite sides of the quadrant, they had to make these moments they did have together count.

Adea: I’ve missed this.

As they had gotten lost in the light from the depths, the waves had slowly pushed them towards the shore. It was here that the bioluminescence seemed to explode in all directions as the sands from below were kicked up by the churning of the waters closer to where the sand met the sea. A line of blue shimmers ran the length of the beach as if making a vain attempt at mirroring the starlit skies above.

Nicholotti: How can we make this night last forever?

Adea: I hear there are certain drugs Talos can get a hold for us. ::he grinned:: I guess we just have to live in the moment.

The time between when they got to see each other grew wider with each passing month. Moments like these were rare and if the universe would allow it, she wanted to freeze them.

Nicholotti: That’s easier said than done…

Genkos planted another kiss, this time on her only slightly salty forehead, and felt in the water for the small of her back. Keeping her close, he tilted his head so that the moonlight shone on her face just so. Combined with the bioluminesce, the soft lighting made Kalianna look simply like the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.

Adea: Let’s never stop falling in love

Kali smiled adoringly up at him for a long moment before meeting his lips with hers and opening her mind so that there was no question of how she felt. In that way, and in the swirling colors that danced both outside and within their shared minds, that moment truly did last forever.

-----------------------

 

Commander Genkos Adea MD

Chief Medical Officer

USS Artemis-A

G239502GS0

And

--

Commodore Kalianna Nicholotti

Commanding Officer

USS Eagle

R238605KN0