They had booked for dinner in the hotel's restaurant, which was supposed to be one of the best on the planet and one of the reasons that Katrina had chosen the hotel. The dress code was smart, so Katrina had dressed in a knee length, high necked red dress and black heels. She finished applying her makeup and turned to look at Tilly, who had just emerged from the bathroom in a deep blue wraparound dress that showed off her curves. She struggled for a moment to look away, but when she lifted her eyes to Tilly's face she realised the other woman was having exactly the same problem. They grinned slightly sheepishly at each other.

'We scrub up alright don't we?' Katrina commented.

'You look stunning,' was Tilly's response as she approached Kat and kissed her.

'Same to you,' Katrina replied, still grinning.

They were a little early for dinner so headed to the hotel bar first for a drink. The bar was an odd combination of cosy and grand, with groups of chairs scattered between plants that acted as screens. There was a man playing an instrument that reminded Katrina of a piano in one corner and the music drifted unobtrusively through the room, providing a gentle background atmosphere. They chose a pair of armchairs partially hidden behind a large fern-like plant and after a moment a waiter appeared with drinks menus and a small tray of snacks. The drinks choice was extensive and they were baffled by some of the ingredients that neither of them had ever heard of. The waiter seemed unsurprised and was happy to recommend something for each of them based on what they usually liked, and the resulting cocktails were as delicious as they were impressive to look at. They had fun experimenting with the nibbles, although Tilly's face turned a similar colour to her hair on trying the spicy nut-like fruits in the first bowl. Another contained cheesy biscuit type things that they both found curiously moreish and they had to refrain from filling themselves up before they even made it to dinner. After a few minutes, the waiter informed them that their table was ready and led the way through to the restaurant.

The restaurant was large and, Katrina realised after a moment, outside, though the foliage and the canopies blended so well it was hard to tell at first. Their waiter led them to a small table tucked behind a palm tree under a section of open sky. They placed their orders then sat, holding hands across the table and talking.

'This is like something out of somebody else's life,' Tilly admitted. 'I've never been whisked away for a romantic weekend before, let alone anywhere this nice.'

'I've never really done this sort of thing before either,' Katrina confessed. 'When I was younger I was much too focussed on my career to spend time on anything else.'

'Well it clearly paid off,' Tilly responded with a grin. 'You're still pretty young to be an admiral.'

'Yeah,' agreed Katrina, 'And now I get to make use of all those perks I earned and steal my girlfriend away at a moment's notice.'

'That is a pretty good perk,' Tilly laughed. Their food arrived and for a while they were mostly occupied with eating. More courses followed and by the time they had finished their dessert they were both stuffed.

'I was going to ask you to dance, but I'm not sure I can move now!' Katrina joked.

'Dance?' queried Tilly.

'They have dancing after dinner here,' Kat replied. 'Not like that club you dragged me to in San Francisco, proper old fashioned dancing.'

'Let's go see,' Tilly grinned, getting to her feet and holding out a hand to Katrina. She took it and they made their way back through to the bar, crossing to where the music was coming from and looking through to the room beyond. There were folding doors separating the two spaces, though these were currently pushed back to reveal a large room with a polished wooden floor and one wall missing. Instead there were ornate wooden arches holding up the roof and the space in between was open to the forest. There were sparkling lights of all colours hanging in the trees, extending the dancefloor out into the area beyond. These were reflected in the large mirrors covering the length of the interior wall opposite, making it hard to tell where outside began and inside stopped. Couples twirled in front of them, moving and spinning in all different styles. Together they crossed into the room and began to move in time with the music.

It was nothing like the dancing they'd done together at the nightclub; here they moved slowly, holding each other but drifting apart then back together in time with the music that flowed around them. The dance was fluid, with neither woman leading but somehow both anticipating the other's movements and matching them. Every time their bodies connected again after a step apart Katrina felt a spark ignite in her and from the way Tilly's fingers kept tightening around hers, she was sure she was feeling the same thing. After a while, Katrina realised they had moved out from under the canopy and were dancing under the stars instead. She leaned in and kissed Tilly, who responded with a combination of passion and stillness that would have confused Katrina had she not been feeling exactly the same way. They kept their fingers twined together as they danced, moving together as the evening continued.

'Do you want to head back to the room soon?' Tilly whispered after what felt like both forever and no time at all. Katrina murmured her assent and they wove their way out of the crowd and back out onto the lantern lit paths, the music fading gradually the further they walked.

'Wow,' said Tilly, the sound of her voice surprising them both. 'I've never felt anything like that before. Is telepathic music a thing?' Katrina chuckled quietly.

'I wouldn't be surprised.' She waved the fob in front of the door panel and let them in, the last sounds of the music disappearing as Tilly closed the door behind them. 'Did you want to have a go with your telescope?'

'Hmm, kinda,' Tilly replied as she approached, 'But there's something else I'd like to do more.' She slid her arms around Kat's waist and kissed her, the spirit of the dance still there in her movements. They made their way to the bed, undressing as they went and pulling each other down, their bodies tangling as they fell. Katrina moved on top of Tilly, relishing the slide of skin against bare skin. Their lovemaking was passionate but unhurried as they took their time exploring every inch of each other before coming together and falling asleep in each other's arms.

Morning found them still twined together and they took their time waking up, exchanging sleepy kisses and caresses. Katrina slipped a hand between Tilly's legs, earning her a sleepy chuckle from the other woman.

'You are insatiable,' she murmured against her lips.

'Only for you,' Katrina responded, dropping down the other woman's body to taste her. Tilly came crying out Kat's name as she fisted her hands in her hair before returning the favour. When Katrina's breathing had returned to normal, she gave Tilly a long kiss.

'Happy Birthday,' she said as she pulled away. Tilly grinned.

'Thanks,' she responded. 'I'm having the best time.'

'Oh, don't you want your other presents then?' Tilly pulled back and frowned.

'Kat, you've already taken me away for the weekend and bought me a souvenir. Don't tell me you've got me other things too.'

'Not much,' Katrina reassured her. 'But your Mum sent some bits over too. She said she figured they were more likely to get to you on time if they went via me.' Tilly grinned and sat up in bed while Katrina went to fetch them. She returned with a small pile of parcels, topped with a chocolate cake. 'Breakfast?' Tilly's face lit up.

'Yes please!' They made quick work of the cake, though Tilly declined Kat's offer to sing. She leaned forward to swipe some chocolate icing off Kat's upper lip with her tongue, then accepted the first parcel she handed her. The packages were mostly from Tilly's relatives; some home-made cookies and knitted gloves from her grandmother, some jewellery, chocolate and speciality tea from her parents. Her brother had sent a couple of drawings that his children done that depicted Tilly in her uniform, which made the girl go slightly damp eyed behind her smile. There was just one package from Katrina, which Tilly opened last. It was a framed photograph of the two of them on Tilly's graduation day, taken by Tilly's parents. They had their arms around each other's waists and were smiling at the camera in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.

'It's not much,' Katrina said apologetically, 'The weekend was sort of your main present.' Tilly silenced her with a kiss.

'It's perfect. Thank you.' She grinned. 'Now I don't have to look up your personnel file every time I want to remember what you look like.' Katrina laughed.

'Your mum sent it over – I've got a copy on my desk too.' Tilly narrowed her eyes.

'You seem to be having a lot of contact with my mother.'

'Not really. Just a couple of messages and the presents. She misses you.' Tilly sighed.

'I miss them too. But Starfleet is my home now.' Katrina squeezed her hand; she knew exactly what the girl meant.

After they had showered and dressed, they went for a walk. They had to leave mid-afternoon to make sure they got back to the Arturo promptly so they chose one of the shorter circuits that would lead them through the forest and back to the hotel. Despite being so close, they didn't see a single other person on the walk and spent their time spotting local wildlife while enjoying the rare quiet. The circuit took them out near their room and they headed back to have lunch there. They ate on the patio, finishing with the rest of Tilly's birthday cake. When they were done, Tilly slid onto Katrina's lap, straddling her for a kiss. Katrina brought her hands up to rest on Tilly's hips and returned the kiss.

'I don't think I've ever had such a good birthday,' she said when they pulled away. 'Thank you.' Katrina responded with another kiss. 'You've set the bar pretty high though, now what am I going to do for yours?' Katrina laughed.

'You'll have to find out when it is first,' she pointed out. Tilly laughed in return.

'Challenge accepted.' She kissed Katrina again. 'Now am I allowed in that hot tub yet, Doc, or do I have to wait for my food to go down first?'

'You could wait for something else to go down first,' Katrina suggested and Tilly swatted her.

'Behave!' She climbed off Katrina's lap and stripped off her clothes before getting into the tub. 'We can't spend all weekend having sex or I won't be able to answer when people ask me what we did.'

'Your girlfriend just whisked you away for a weekend in a nice hotel, people will be surprised if you didn't spend all weekend having sex,' Kat countered as she joined Tilly in the water.

'I am not giving everyone I work with a detailed account of my sex life!' Tilly stated. She narrowed her eyes. 'Is that what you're going to do?'

'Of course not!'

'Good. Come here then.' They made good use of the hot tub, staying in each other's arms afterwards until it was time to pack up. Tilly had trouble tearing herself away from Kat for long enough to pack her bag and kept distracting her with kisses. Eventually they were all done and they let themselves out of their room for the last time to check out. The shuttle ride back to the Arturo seemed to take no time at all and before they knew it they had docked in the shuttlebay. Katrina turned to Tilly but was surprised by how miserable she looked.

'Where are you headed now then?' Tilly asked with an attempt at her usual tone. Katrina raised her eyebrows.

'Right now? I'm taking my girlfriend back to her quarters to drop her things off, then I'm hoping she might join me in mine tonight before I have to leave tomorrow.' A delighted smile broke out on Tilly's face.

'You didn't say!'

'Sorry baby,' Katrina apologised with a kiss. 'I didn't think I needed to. I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning after you're on shift. Gotta make the most of trekking all the way out here.' She grinned and stood up, taking Tilly's hand. 'Now let's go celebrate the rest of your birthday.'