More Than a Lifetime #5: Return to Normal

Chapter 5

Dani awoke the next morning in Will's arms. The alarm that had ripped her from her peaceful slumber was still blaring. "Computer, alarm off," she said groggily. The alarm ceased and the room was blanketed in silence. "Computer, time."

"The time is 0700 hours, two minutes, 24 seconds," the computer chimed.

Dani sighed. "Will," she said. "Will?" Will groaned. "Will, it's time to get up," Dani said in a sing-song voice.

"No reminder needed, thanks," he said, struggling to open his eyes.

Dani sat up and looked over her shoulder at a yawning Will. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his vision. Slightly dazed blue eyes stared up at Dani as she leaned over and kissed their owner.

"Mm..." Will moaned. He wrapped his arms around Dani's waist and pulled her closer. "We've got time for just a quick one, don't we?" he asked.

"No, no, no," Dani said, pulling away from Will. "Time is ticking." She snorted. "I would've never thought I would ever be more concerned about the time than you are." She sat up. "I've got to go shower." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"Mind if I join you?" Will asked, rising to a reclining position on the bed.

Dani pretended to ponder over the decision. "Hmm...it would save time." She looked at him. He was so cute when he woke up in the morning. His hair was disheveled, sticking out every which way, and a slightly sleepy gaze still graced his blue eyes. She realized then just how much she'd truly missed him these last few months.

"Come on," Dani said, inviting Will to join her in the bathroom. Will smiled and didn't waste any time in following. As he was following her, he noticed the little triangular mark on her lower back. Her very lower back.

"What is this?" Will asked. "I've never seen it before." He hadn't noticed it last night or any other time before that.

"What?" Dani asked, as she turned on the sonic shower.

"This," Will said touching the little design at the base of her back.

Dani looked over her shoulder and down at the spot Will's finger was touching. "Oh. It's just a tattoo."

"A tattoo?" Will repeated. Was she trying to be funny? "I can see that," he said. "What is it of?"

Dani turned and faced Will. "You have seen it before," she insisted.

Now, Will was downright confused. He'd seen Dani naked about a million times, and he'd never seen that mark on her before.

Dani, deciding to finally put an end to Will's confusion, told him what he wanted to know. "It's the mark of my father's people. It's the same mark that's on my dad's forehead."

His curiosity piqued, Will turned Dani around and kneeled to have a better look at his new discovery. It was the same mark that he'd seen on Chakotay's forehead. He traced it lightly with his finger, causing Dani to giggle a bit. He rose to his feet, and she turned around to face him once again.

"When did this happen?" Will asked.

"The night of the Academy graduation," she replied. "I had a little too much to drink and had a Klingon buddy of mine draw it on for me."

At this confession, Will's eyebrows rose in amusement. A grin instantly appeared on his face. "You? Drunk?"

Dani ignored Will and the turn he was taking with that last comment. She instead turned her attention back to the sonic shower.