Being back in San Francisco for the next few months while he waited for the ship to be finished at Utopia Planetia meant he'd have a lot of time on his hands. Walker had provided his advice on how to occupy time. 'Jean-Luc, go down to that high-class bar that you like to try dragging me into, find the prettiest girl there, and take her home with you. Starfleet'll call when the ship's done.'

Walker always seemed to have better luck with that than he did. On the other hand, Starfleet had also just awarded him the Enterprise.

He arrived later in the evening. He didn't want to stay too long, particularly given that he was alone. Looking like he was dredging bottom for a date wasn't his intention. There were a number of lovely looking women, but none that caught his eye in particular.

He turned to find a gorgeous tall, red-haired woman sitting down on the stool next to him. Without a word, the bartender approached, drink in hand. He set it down in front of her with a smile, then turned and walked away. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. He turned toward her, but before he could say a thing, she began speaking to him.

"Do I know you?" She asked, obviously annoyed.

"I was wondering the same thing. You seem familiar, but I can't say where I've met you."

She gave him a quick once-over, "You're obviously Starfleet, probably an officer. My guess is you've seen me over at Starfleet Medical. Don't get any ideas." She turned her focus on the edge of the glass in her hand, still seated so she was facing toward the bar.

"No. That's not it." He answered firmly and quickly. "The sound of your voice is familiar too. If I'd seen you at Starfleet Medical, how would I know the sound of your voice?"

She raised an eyebrow as she turned her head back toward him.

He smiled awkwardly, "I'm Jean-Luc Picard. You are?"

"Dr. Beverly Howard. I know where we know each other." She took a sip of her drink, turned her head back toward him and continued, "Walker Keel."

"You dated him?" Jean-Luc asked skeptically. Walker preferred blondes- the petite ones caught his eye every time. She wasn't his style.

The woman laughed, "Hell, no. Walker's an old friend. Met him years ago; he's introduced me to a number of other friends of his. We've probably met at his burnt food gatherings he calls 'barbecues'. He's told me some good stories over the years about you."

"Then you have me at an advantage."

"Good. Word has it that doesn't happen very often," she said with a coy smile.

"What else does word have?" He asked, curious to know how he'd missed her before.

"Let's see," she began, as she set her glass on the bar then tapped her finger on the side of it. She turned n her stool just a slight bit toward him, which he took as a good sign. "You just got handed the flagship of the fleet on a silver platter. You have a bad habit of turning rogues into good officers, and good officers into great ones. Oh, and um, you and Walker are both 'love 'em and leave 'em' kind of guys."

He didn't bother to mask his surprise. What surprised him more was finding himself bantering back. "The first part I can confirm. It's true, though I'm unsure exactly how it happened. The second part I'd like to believe, but I'll let my officers' records speak for themselves. The third part," he paused and grimaced slightly, "Walker's better at that than I ever will be." He stopped and sipped the last bit of his own drink, as a means of regathering himself more than anything. "As for you, we've established that you pay attention to the rumor mill and Starfleet's political nuances. You worry that other officers don't respect you for the right reasons, so you push yourself to do twice as good a job as anyone else to prove the point, which is probably why it is Walker counts you as a friend. And you hide underneath your lab coat because you don't realize that men have imaginations, and we just dream up what's underneath there instead. How'd I do?"

She stopped tapping, and picked up her drink, sipping it as her cheeks turned nearly as red as her hair. "Not bad."

They both sat for a moment, silently eyeing each other up.

"Well, I have a busy day tomorrow. Nice meeting you." She said, as she set her now empty glass back on the bar as she stood.

"I'll walk you back." He said as he stood up as well.

"Don't bother. I'm a big girl."

"Okay, how about I walk in the same direction until one of us has to turn. After all, we've established we're both going the same way."

"Fine."

"Beverly? Beverly Howard?" Walker looked at his friend incredulously as he sat forward in his chair, obviously shocked. "Tall, knockout looks, smart as hell, Beverly Howard? You're kidding me, right?"

"No. I'm serious, Walker."

"Do you have any idea what you're talking about?" Walker asked, still unsure if his friend had completely lost his mind.

"If I did, would I be asking?" Jean-Luc replied grimly.

Walker steepled his fingers, "Listen, why don't you contact my sister, Melissa? She's not dating anyone right now. I know you two hit it off. Let's have a barbeque-- "

"No offense, Walker, but I want to talk about Beverly Howard."

"You really are serious about this." Walker said quietly, his face revealing his surprise. "All right, all right." He waved his hand as he sat for a minute, composing his thoughts. "Beverly walked through the fires of hell way too early in life. She's also the only person I've ever met who takes duty and loyalty as seriously as you do. She's a damn good doctor, and she loves it. It's nearly impossible to pry her out of Medical because of it. She likes Italian food, preferably with marinara, but she's pretty adventurous. She'll even taste test my concoctions. And Jean-Luc? Watch out. She's unpredictable. She'll mess you up inside without you even realizing it."

He smiled back at his friend as he stood up, "Thanks Walker, I'll talk to you in a few days."