Power Struggle

Prologue: The Calm Before the Storm

"Wesley is getting suspicious."

"Hmm?"

Beverly Crusher rolled over and poked her companion in the ribs. "I said, Wesley is getting suspicious. And you've stolen the covers again."

"Hmm." An arm appeared from beneath the stolen covers, snaked its way around her waist and hauled her closer. "Better?"

Crusher sighed in mock exasperation, then snuggled closer to her companion. "Much." After a second, however, she straightened back up. "But you still haven't acknowledged my first statement."

"You sound like Data when you talk like that," Jean-Luc Picard mumbled complainingly. His eyes remained closed, but popped open when he felt the weight of her stare on his forehead. "All right," he sighed, pulling himself up to join her in leaning against the cushioned headboard. So much for sleeping in. He rubbed a hand across his eyes and blinked blearily at Beverly, not quite awake, at least not enough for this conversation. "Wesley is getting suspicious. Suspicious of what?"

She regarded him out of steady blue eyes. "Of us."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "You've mentioned something to him?" There was an undercurrent of unease in his voice that he hoped she didn't hear. It was possible that Wesley still resented him for convincing the boy to come clean after that mess at Starfleet Academy a few months prior. It was equally possible he was completely over it, but Picard had no way of knowing since he hadn't spoken to Wesley since then. From what Beverly had shared with him, her son was working diligently to make up his lost year, but that was about all he knew.

"Not yet," Crusher replied. "Nor did I plan on it, not until we'd discussed it first. But I don't like keeping him in the dark, not about something as important as this."

Nor should she, Picard realized. Their relationship was hardly a secret, but it wasn't exactly something they displayed in public, at least not on the ship. They still kept separate quarters, and if their breakfasts together no longer involved travel time on most mornings, well, that was no one's business but their own. Of course Will Riker knew exactly what was going on, as did Deanna Troi, but they had thankfully kept any comments to a minimum. "Beverly, it's perfectly fine with me to talk to Wesley about our relationship, especially since I would very much like it to continue. As, I hope, do you."

She poked him in the ribs. "You know how I feel about you, Jean-Luc." Her mischievous expression faded, replaced by an intensity Picard found disconcerting. "You know how much I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured in reply, pulling her close for a heartfelt kiss that left them both breathless. Before things could continue further, however, Beverly pulled away under pretense of fluffing her pillow.

"Well then, I think it's time I told him we were involved. That we're in a relationship."

They both fell silent as they thought about the implications of her words. Although their current relationship had its origins in near tragedy – they'd finally acknowledged their feelings for each other after the ship and crew had been hijacked by bodiless entities calling themselves the League of Uxmal Pirates – things couldn't have been better between them. It had been six months; although Jean-Luc had been content to leave things as they stood, he had always known it couldn't last. This trip to Risa had been their first public outing together, and he was sure their coinciding leaves had raised a few eyebrows. Leaving Wesley – and his own family – out of the loop any longer made no sense at all.

"You're right," Picard finally said. Crusher gave him a suspicious look. "No, I mean it," he insisted. "There's no need to keep our relationship a secret, from your son or anyone else. I'd like to introduce you to my brother and his wife and son." Well, not so much Robert who disapproved of anything Picard did just on principal, but he felt it was important to let Beverly know that he was in complete accord with her on this. That he wasn't just indulging her request. That he committed to this relationship at the same level.

"Good." Crusher's voice oozed satisfaction. "I was afraid you'd argue with me. After all," she added dryly, "everyone knows how much you value your privacy."

The eyebrow rose once again, then waggled rakishly. "Just how much detail were you planning to impart?"

Crusher responded by whipping her pillow around and hitting him with it. "Don't be an idiot!" she exclaimed with a laugh, hitting him again for emphasis. Picard merely raised his arms to protect his head against her attack. "I'm only going to tell him we've been seeing each other." Another raised eyebrow, another hit with the pillow. "Don't raise that eyebrow at me, mister!" She laughed. "I won't tell him how much of you I've been seeing! Especially since we came to Risa!"

Picard's response was to grab Crusher's pillow away from her and wrestle her back under the covers.

oOo

Two days later, proclaiming that she needed a break from lounging under the Risan sun, Beverly announced her intention to go shopping. "I'll probably be here most of the day," she warned Picard as they neared the gates to the famous bazaar. "You've managed to keep me distracted this long – and don't think I haven't appreciated it! – but the need to shop is beginning to weaken the barriers of common sense."

"I told you, not to worry. I have some plans that will keep me busy," Picard assured her, not for the first time that morning. His companion seemed to feel as if she were abandoning him, if only for a single day. "Remember, there are several archaeological sites I'm interested in visiting. I'll meet you back here around dinner time. Will that be long enough?"

"Probably." Crusher grinned at Picard's expression of mock horror; the sun was barely over the horizon, and the prospect of an entire day spent shopping was enough to give any man the collywobbles, as Nana Howard would put it. "If I don't show up by bazaar close at sundown, come in after me!"

"Agreed." Picard gave her a chaste peck on the cheek and waved good-bye as she disappeared through the gates.

oOo

Beverly appeared around the agreed time, give or take a few minutes. Picard was sitting on a bench, and rose to greet her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting!"

Picard kissed her warmly and took her hand as they navigated through the crowd. "I hope you're hungry, because I'm starving," Crusher announced as they emerged into the relative quiet of a side street. "I haven't eaten since this morning!"

A smile was her only response. Crusher smiled back, squeezing Jean-Luc's hand as they strolled down the street. This vacation had been perfect, exactly what they needed. It had been a particularly trying year, and the ship's five-year refit was a welcome relief to everyone on board. The ship's CMO hadn't been to Risa for years, and was more than willing to accept Jean-Luc's invitation to join him after visiting her son on Earth. The beaches were magnificent, the atmosphere relaxing and the shopping, as she'd just proven to her satisfaction, was superb. It was everything she'd hoped for, and more. It was a chance for them to explore their infant relationship, away from the often-chaotic confines of the ship.

Right now, however, the only thing Crusher was interested in exploring was a good meal. And she spotted the perfect place… "Look! It's that restaurant Will recommended," she exclaimed, taking Jean-Luc's arm to drag him laughingly across the street. "The food had better be as good as he claims," she added as they entered the main door.

Jean-Luc was fairly quiet during the meal, but Beverly hardly noticed, swept up in her own enjoyment as she was. She asked him how his day was; receiving a bare "educational" as an answer, she continued to chatter brightly about the shops and beaches and food with a bubbling enthusiasm that made her feel like a teenager. Picard seemed content to watch and listen to her, smiling and making occasional comments.

"I think I've been talking too much," Crusher said with a smile as they headed back to their hotel. Picard's response was a brief kiss, to which she enthusiastically responded.

It wasn't long before they reached their hotel; the restaurant was closer than she'd thought. She'd have to keep that in mind, Crusher noted. The food had been quite good…

She stopped short as they entered their room, looking around in dumfounded amazement at the number of packages she'd managed to accumulate during the course of the day. They'd been delivered to the hotel as soon she made the purchases and now lay in piles, both on the floor and covering every horizontal surface of the room – with the single exception of the bed. Their Risan hosts had thoughtfully left that piece of furniture clear. "Did I really buy this much? I didn't realize I had it in me…"

"Apparently you do," was Picard's response. She turned to tap him playfully on the chest, only to have him grasp her wrists and pull her closer for a hungry, passionate kiss that left them both breathless. Picard kicked the door shut behind them as Crusher responded to the kiss, pressing her body against his and twining her hands behind his head.

Picard maneuvered their bodies smoothly around the piled packages as they remained locked in each other's arms, stopping only when they reached the bed. Their clothing came off easily, courtesy of Risa's more than casual dress code. Both wore simple shorts and shirts and very little else. Sandals and underclothing topped the rumpled heap on the floor as passion flared.

They were both ready and more than ready as they fell onto the bed, Jean-Luc raising his body above Beverly's as he pressed fervent kisses along her neck and chest. He was smiling again, and Crusher felt a tiny frown crease her forehead. There was something about the smile that made her uneasy, something dark and possessive. Surely that look of triumph in his eyes was just her imagination? Thought fled, and she closed her eyes as a dizzying feeling of ecstasy consumed her.

But it wasn't her imagination when she opened her eyes afterward to see her lover gazing down at her with an ugly, gloating smile distorting his features. And it wasn't her imagination when he said softly, chillingly: "My dear Beverly, you've no idea how much I've looked forward to this moment. Six months is a long time to wait, but you've certainly made it worthwhile."

Crusher's eyes widened in horror. The voice was that of Jean-Luc Picard, but the words belonged to someone else, someone she'd never thought to hear again; Asrun Narve, Commander of the League of Uxmal Pirates, whom she'd long believed safely back in exile on their storm-swept prison planet.

She screamed.

Author's Note: Here it is, the long awaited beginning to the seqel to my story "Playing With Power". Sorry for the delay, but I am having to retype this silly thing by hand. Hope I've whetted your appetite!