Rumor has it [Hikaru/Paula]

[lt_paula]

Paula couldn’t concentrate. No matter how hard she tried to focus on the work that had accumulated in her absence, her mind kept wandering back to Hikaru. He was still treating her like she was made of glass. Every kiss and every touch was soft and tender, and whenever she tried to take things farther he just wrapped her in his arms and kissed her

Comments

[flying_katana]

Sulu had seen it, one of the Communication officers being kind enough to point it out to him while they were working out in the gym. It made him laugh, because everyone clearly knew he was head over heels in love with Paula. But he'd let it drift from his mind, forgotten until he saw Paula's message.

Private to Paula Collins

Yeah, I saw that. Funny what some people make up, right?

You don't believe it, do you?

[lt_paula]

Private to Hikaru Sulu:

Of course not. But I won't deny it's kind of hot.

When's your lunch break? I thought we could eat together.

[flying_katana]

Private to Paula Collins:

1300. Want to meet in the galley?

Hot? Really? You like thinking about that?

[lt_paula]

Private to Hikaru Sulu:

How about a picnic in the arboretum? I'll bring the food.

I can understand anyone wanting to kiss you. You're very good at it.

[flying_katana]

Private to Paula Collins

The only one I want to kiss is you. See you then, sweetheart.
It wasn't often he was invited for a picnic in the arboretum, but as he walked inside, Hikaru immediately wished he did this more often. So cool, so green, it was calming and drove his curiosity at the same time.

As he walked, his attention was drawn to the large trees, and he didn't immediately spot Paula.

[lt_paula]

Hikaru's reply made her smile. Paula glanced at the chronometer and saw that she had some time before she would need to leave. She attacked the work on her desk with a vengeance, wrapping up everything she could before it was time to go to lunch. By the time she was on her way to the galley she was humming, and she quickly put together a picnic of chicken, fruit, potato salad, and some luscious-looking brownies. She added drinks for both of them and was on her way.

She had just finished spreading their picnic out in a shady corner of the arboretum when she heard someone walk in. Looking up, she saw Hikaru and realized he hadn't spotted her yet. He was lean and strong and he moved with an understated grace, and she took the opportunity to just watch him for a moment, enjoying the view. At last Paula grinned and stepped out into view. "Hikaru, over here."

[flying_katana]

He turned in the direction of her voice. Paula was sitting in front of what looked like an amazing lunch. Thanking whatever providence brought her into his life, he walked over to her picnic spread. "Hello beautiful," he said, dropping down to sit next to her. "This is more than a little lunch, Paula - this is amazing."

Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. "Did I miss some special occasion?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

[lt_paula]

"No special occasion," she told him with a smile as he sat beside her. Paula turned her head to brush her lips over his, the kiss slow and lingering. "Just wanted some time alone with you." She kissed him again, tugging on his bottom lip just a little before releasing it. Her body was aching for him, and Paula was sorely tempted to just climb into his lap then and there but she refrained. Instead she reached for the plate of fruit and offered him a slice of peach, holding it up to his mouth.

"Busy morning?" she asked as he bit into the ripe fruit, the juice dripping onto her fingers and his lips. Paula wanted to lick it off, so she did, moving her hand with the rest of the slice away and chasing the taste of the sweet fruit with her tongue. She sat back with a grin when she was done, offering him the other half of the slice.

[flying_katana]

Hikaru felt himself pulled forward by her kiss, his own body following hers instinctively. But still, in the back of his head he could feel that worry, the concern that she wasn't ready for this, not after what happened to her. He never, ever wanted Paula to associate that attack on her with anything he did, and though it had been hard, he'd kept to himself as much as he could.

But right now, she was licking at his mouth, kitten soft, and he rumbled with pleasure. "A lot of busy work," he murmured, eyes sort of glazed at her overt playfulness. Reaching for one of the strawberries (he recognized from his own gardens, a nice surprise) he offered it to her, tracing her lips with the fruit before watching her bite into it. "You like that?" he asked, his voice low as he watched her eat it.

[lt_paula]

"Mmm, I do," Paula murmured as she finished the bite of strawberry, her eyes on his. She could see the spark of hunger and knew he was enjoying this as much as she was. She ate another bite of berry and then licked the juice from her lips. "I had a lot of busy work, too," she told him. "And then I overheard some of my department sighing over that story of yours." Paula handed him a plate of chicken and potato salad, then took her own and began to eat. "It was quite the distraction."

Her eyes were sparkling as she regarded him. "You left in a hurry this morning."

[flying_katana]

"Had to meet with Pavel to discuss some possible route changes," he murmured against her lips as he leaned in to kiss her again. Hikaru had a feeling what this was about, how she had looked disappointed when he carefully pushed her away that morning. But each time he felt like getting closer, he remembered that look on her face, scared and alone and violated, and all he wanted was to protect her, not take advantage of that.

Time had passed, and clearly Paula was ready for more, so Hikaru told himself that he had to get passed it all as well. "So, tell me what you know about that person writing those stories."

[lt_paula]

"Route changes?" Paula perked up at that, curious. "Anything of interest?" She nuzzled against him, more interested in those kisses than in eating lunch. At last she sat back and nibbled at some chicken, caught mid-bite by his inquiry. Paula looked up, eyebrows raised, and drank some tea before replying.

"I don't know much at all," she admitted. "Whoever it is, he or she is good at covering their tracks." Paula shrugged, popping a grape into her mouth and chewing it slowly as she considered the idea. "It could be anyone, really. But on this ship, I can't imagine the secret will last for long." Either the computer geniuses on board would track them down, or the author would spill the beans sooner or later. Nothing could stay secret on Enterprise, it seemed.

A smile tugged at her mouth and she abandoned her lunch for the time being, sliding closer to Hikaru. "Have you read the others?"

[flying_katana]

"Orders came for us to survey a new area, closer to the neutral zone. Nothing out of the ordinary, really," he added, "but several reports have commented on the recent sightings of Klingons in the area."

Hikaru ate half his sandwich in two bites. "I did," he admitted. The writing wasn't all that great, but the subject matter had been quite fascinating. "I might have asked Jim about the one on the captain's seat."

The bridge crew had been more than a little snarky the morning after that story appeared. "Let's just say its a good thing that the captain has a sense of humor and that the commander is completely unflappable."

[lt_paula]

Closer to the neutral zone... Paula wondered if there was anything behind the sightings. It sounded like they could have an interesting time of it out there. "Sounds like things might get exciting for a while." She just hoped the excitement would be less harrowing than the past few months had been. They could use a straightforward mission after all that had been happening on board.

She nodded, distracted by the brush of his arm against her. "Whoever's writing them, I think they're sweet on Commander Spock. He's been in two already." She chuckled softly when he mentioned the one with Jim. "What did he have to say about it?"

"Now the one with Admiral Pike..." Paula shrugged, her lips curving up in a crooked grin. "That one wasn't bad. And I told you already, but the one with you was sweet." And subtly hot, which she'd definitely been in the mood to pick up on. "I wonder who'll be the next victims," she mused.

[flying_katana]

Hikaru snorted quietly. "Yeah, guess Starfleet wants its money's worth from us." On the one hand, Hikaru understood, even looked forward to the adventure. He hadn't signed on to be bored. "No one's said anything directly about coming into contact with Klingons, but its more likely than not we;ll run into each other at some point, if the ship lingers out there too long."

He finished his sandwich and started in on some fruit, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Spock's been the way he always is. He commented on some grammatical error, then got back to work." Hikaru laughed, thinking about his own. "I gotta admit, I'm not sure I'd be so calm if I read about myself blowing Admiral Pike."

[lt_paula]

"Yeah," Paula agreed. She wanted adventure, too, but part of her worried, wanted to make sure they all got through it safely this time. "From the sound of it, they'll keep us on our toes." The chance to find new worlds to explore was why she'd enlisted in the first place.

Paula ate another strawberry, licking a stray droplet of juice off her bottom lip as she listened to Hikaru describe Spock's reaction. "I wonder if he's really that calm all the time," she mused. "Surely not." His next words distracted her from the idea, though. "Oh?" Paula grinned, her eyes dark as she leaned in to nuzzle his ear. "I probably wouldn't be that calm, either."