Will Riker is in command of the bridge when Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi arrive. The two women were asked to come to the bridge but neither knows why they were summoned. They each take their seats to the left of the captain's chair. It's not at all unusual for them to be on the bridge, especially if the Enterprise plans communication with any other race. Deanna looks to Will for a clue to why they were asked here but he just shrugs.
The women sit and chat quietly with each other and with Will. The Enterprise is between missions, traveling through empty space. The only thing that seems unusual about the day is that they were asked to the bridge. Neither woman cares. They enjoy time spent here. Beverly wonders if perhaps one of them will be asked to sit in the captain's chair. They don't take command often but, with nothing going on, it's always good to get the time in.
About 45 minutes later, Captain Picard exits the turbolift and steps on to the bridge. Will immediately stands to relieve himself of command but Picard waves at him to sit back down. Picard glances at Beverly then says "Dr. Crusher, Counsellor Troi, may I speak to you in my Ready Room please?" He turns to leave and Beverly follows him.
Deanna looks to Will for a clue about what might follow but he shrugs again. Before she can leave, he says, very quietly so that only she can hear, "Uh oh. Daddy's mad." Deanna glares at him. He smiles. "It's OK Deanna. It will be OK." She starts to ask him if perhaps he mentioned her and Beverly's new relationship to the Captain but he shakes his head. "I didn't say anything. I told you I wouldn't. I've had no reason to." Deanna nods a thank you then stands to follow the Doctor and the Captain to the Ready Room. Will sinks back into the Command Chair with a smile.
As the door to the Ready Room slides open, Deanna is hit with a wave of emotion. She can feel fear, confusion, embarrassment even. Beverly is sitting on the edge of her chair, back perfectly straight, hands in her lap. The Captain mirrors her position except for his hands lying on his desk. Both are watching each other, trying to ready themselves about what they both know is going to be a difficult conversation.
Deanna sits gently on her chair. She glances back and forth between the Doctor and the Captain, trying to sort whose feelings are whose. Fear and anxiety, definitely from Beverly. Picard is uncomfortable, as he often is when dealing with the crew. Both are radiating embarrassment. Deanna smiles to herself. She knows they have a very long history with each other.
Jean-Luc is sure that he fell in love with Beverly the day that he met her. She was younger than him by more than a couple of years. She had just graduated from medical school and was considering starting her career in StarFleet. He thought she must be perfect. He found her extremely attractive with her red hair and bright blue eyes. She was smart and a great conversationalist. She loved all of the things that he loved. Books, theatre, classical music. She was also married to his first officer, Jack Crusher.
Out of respect, Jean-Luc kept his distance from Beverly. He knew he could never have her. Seeing her caused him pain and he didn't trust himself to be around her. He loved Jack as well. He was Jack's commanding officer but also his best friend. A friend would never allow himself to love another's wife. It wasn't who Jean-Luc was, or who he wanted to be.
The day that Jack Crusher was killed under his command was the worst day of his life. The day he had to tell Beverly and her young son Wesley was the second worst. He still kept his distance. The guilt about Jack's death was eating him alive. No matter how much he loved Beverly, he couldn't, he wouldn't, dirty his friend's memory. Over the years, they grew apart and he stopped thinking about her so much. Then, when he was tapped to command StarFleet's newest and finest ship, The Enterprise, he was surprised to find Beverly Crusher's name on his crew roster. It was obvious to both that they still cared deeply for each other but, they still didn't pursue any sort of romantic relationship. Jean-Luc was captain of an amazing new ship and both he and StarFleet were eager to see what she could do. Beverly was balancing being Chief Medical Officer for a crew of over a thousand StarFleet officers and their families and raising a teenaged son. Over time, they were able to work past the emotions of the past and form a tight friendship. Neither wanted to jeopardize that friendship or their careers by testing any romantic feelings they might still have. Deanna can feel all of this and more.
The Captain lets his eyes drift toward Deanna as she sits. She can feel his hesitation in starting the conversation. From Beverly she feels anxiety that they may be asked to curtail their relationship. Deanna is worried as well but it makes her feel good to know how much Beverly wants this, that she is prepared to take on Picard in her defense. Deanna carefully folds her hands in her lap and smiles at Picard. She hopes that the tension will abate and the three of them can get on to their business without anger or hurt feelings. She desperately wants to take Beverly's hand and comfort her but she knows that she needs to put those feelings aside and behave professionally. Later she and Beverly can console each other.
Picard takes a deep breath. "I've asked you here, I want to talk to you both…" Deanna feels the same jolt of energy move through her that Beverly does. They've been found out. Picard knows about their relationship. She searches his feelings hoping to know what he's thinking. She doesn't sense jealousy. This both surprises her and makes her feel better about being in love with someone that she knows he also loves. She can feel the sadness. And a bit of fear. This cannot be an easy conversation for him. She would never tell him but she knows that he's just a little bit afraid of both her and Beverly. That makes her smile.
Picard takes Deanna's smile as encouragement. He purposely avoids Beverly's eye and looks at her. "Counselor Troi, I've decided to assign you new quarters." That surprises her. Changing quarters is almost unheard of. If a change is needed, she usually handles the switch and the explanation. She knows this has to have something to do with Beverly.
The Captain clears his throat. "Your new quarters will be Deck 4, 405." Beverly looks up. "Jean-Luc, that's right next to…" Picard looks toward her and clears his throat again. "Yes. It is." Deanna is confused. She didn't recognize the number, she doesn't know the significance of the move. "I've decided to give you adjoining quarters." Beverly stares at him and Deanna can see him squirm just a bit. He's trying to avoid her direct gaze, his hands unconsciously tugging at the bottom of his jacket.
"Why?" Beverly asks. Picard looks even more uncomfortable. "I…um…I can't have you two sneaking around anymore." "What?" Beverly snaps. Deanna can feel her confusion and anger. "What? Why? How do you know?" Picard's cheeks begin to turn red. "Beverly. Please don't ask me that!" Beverly sits back but she doesn't look amused. "I get it. Thank you" she says, her tone more official than friendly. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything Captain…" Picard waves his hand. "You don't have to ask my permission to date another crew member, Doctor." Beverly takes a deep breath. She can feel calmness from Deanna sitting next to her. She wraps herself in it. Hostility, even from embarrassment, it isn't going to get them anywhere. She softens her voice. "Thank you. It's up to Deanna though. She's the one who will need to make the move. She's the one who should decide." They both turn and look at Deanna.
Now that she is on the spot, Deanna can't think of an answer. Is this serious enough to make a move like that? Taking the new quarters will be essentially the same as saying she's moving in with Beverly. They've not talked about any of this. How is she supposed to make a decision like this? She can't without knowing what Beverly is thinking. She looks at Beverly, hoping for some sort of message. A signal telling her what she should do. She searches for Beverly's mind but gets nothing. Picard senses her hesitation. "I'll leave you two to discuss this then" he says as he stands. Beverly stops him. "I think we can give you an answer" she says.
Beverly looks at Deanna. She reaches with her mind. She can feel Deanna's mind now. They both feel the same thing. They turn back toward Picard simultaneously and nod. Picard narrows his eyes. "I don't want to know what just happened do I?" Beverly shakes her head. "We'll take the new quarters" Deanna says. Picard smiles at her. She stands. "I guess I have some work to do then" she says as she stands and leaves the room. Beverly doesn't move and neither does the Captain.
The door slides closed behind Deanna and Picard turns his attention to Beverly. "I'm sorry Jean-Luc" she says quietly. "I wanted to tell you. I, well, I was waiting to see where it was going." The Captain waves his hand at her in dismissal. "It is OK Beverly. You don't need to report to me on your personal life." She nods. "I understand. But as my friend, I should have told you. As my Captain as well. And we weren't 'sneaking' per say. We wanted to keep it quiet. Until we knew. Neither of us planned this. It's just something that happened. I love Deanna. I always have. This new, whatever it is, it was a bit of a surprise. I suppose I was, I don't know, embarrassed? Unsure?" Picard waves his hand at her again. "I understand Beverly. I do. I don't choose to share my personal life either." Beverly smiles. "I know." Picard smiles back. They are both remembering his friend Vash. She came to visit once, not realizing that Jean-Luc hadn't told even his closest friends about her.
"But this is different isn't it?" She asks him. "Because we work together. Because what we do could have major implications for the crew. I should have told you. I know that and I am sorry." Jean-Luc stands and moves around his desk to Beverly. He takes her hands and pulls her to her feet and into a tight hug. "I love you Beverly. I want you to be happy. I can see that you are happy now and that makes me happy too. That's always been what I've wanted for you. I realized a long time ago that I wasn't the one for you. That we were better off as friends. I do love you though." Beverly feels tears come to her eyes. "Thank you" she whispers. He pulls her tight one more time then lets her go. She smiles at him. "I love you too Jean-Luc." He returns her smile and she slowly turns toward the door. Back on the bridge, she glances at Will to see him smile and wink. She feels her cheeks pink as she hurries to the TurboLift to go find Deanna. They have a lot of work to do. Together.