Duncan stepped out of the shower and rubbed his hands over his face, brushing off the excess water. Not long later he had shaved, keeping his tidy stubble to the length it always was just barely darkening his face and wrapped a towel around his waist. He was up early, as was normal for him and he didn’t worry about the noise the shower might make. Lily slept deeply enough for both of them and as long as he kept the smell of coffee away from her, she would stay asleep until he woke her up.

Duncan ran his hands through his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. It had been a long year, no one could argue that. His family was fuming at the ears that the scion of their family had been tucked away on a ship with a less than stellar reputation, especially after the events that had taken place on Outpost 42 and among the remnants of the Romulan homeworld. Still, Duncan smiled. He got to wake up every morning next to Lily and his sister Bronwyn was turning all shaders of different colours as he avoided his familial duties and focused instead on his work and his fiancee.

Turning, he exited the bathroom and made his way to the replicator. Moments later and he was filling a tray with an assortment of dishes that would make any chef or critique cringe. English scones with jam, pancakes with syrup, toast with peanut butter, juice, coffee, yogurt and fresh fruit all laid out neatly on the tray. Heading through the door to their bedroom he paused inside and looked at his Fiancee. Lily lay sleeping on the bed looking peaceful and content, and so she should have. Lily was the kind of girl that moved at full speed and total energy until she didn’t, and at that point only coffee or scoobie snacks would rouse her from that sleep before she was ready.

Her hair was splayed over the pillow, evidence of her moving around in bed. She was mumbling like she often did in her sleep, but she was smiling. What she was saying, Duncan had no idea and sometimes, when he could understand the words he could only blink in wonder at the kind of things that ran through his future wife’s subconscious. Sometimes it was enough to make even him blush, or make notes to ask her later which invariably turned into a story about This one time, at the medieval faire or such. Duncan would listen and give the required hums and hahs when needed, if only because he found her chirpy storytelling and passion for life adorable.

Duncan put down the tray beside her on the table and watched her a moment, a slow smile spreading across his face as he watched his sleeping beauty. With one swift movement he swung one leg over her, straddling her and then kneeling on the bed so that her arms were under the covers, her long and delicate neck exposed to his judgement. Leaning down, he ran his lips over the soft skin and then gently blew on the spot they had just touched. “Wake up time, Miss Locksley,” Duncan said, using his best English butler voice but then, he took a deep breath and blew a loud raspberry on her neck, letting it ring out and linger until she started to squirm.

Lt Rhodes, CSO