Back in Space

Beverly turns around to face Guinan.

„What do you know about this girl?"

Guinan smiles. Beverly takes her drink from the counter and turns around to watch Wesley and his friends. All of a sudden she feels a hand sliding down her back and the warmth of a face next to her ear. Her heart starts to pace up at the familiar, yet long absent, smell, that particular male scent. The hand rests on the small of her back some moments longer, fingers caressing her through her uniform before they retreat slowly.

Her body seems to move backwards on autopilot. Her shoulder touching the shoulder of the man standing behind her. He leans in toward her ear and finally she can hear his rich deep voice whispering.

"See Beverly, no need to worry."

Beverly takes a small step to the front turning around to face the Captain. A sight rarely seen in Ten Forward. She knows he is a very privat man and slightly feels uncomfortable around so many people. In their eyes he is the captain and not a person. Many of the crew feel slightly uncomfortable when they meet him off duty and he knows. So he prefers to stay alone in his quarters, go to the Holodeck or spend some time fencing in the gymn.

She wonders what made him come here. She looks at him questioningly. He smiles. His hazel eyes reflecting her porcelain skin framed with her red hair. Her face softens.

"How come the Captain is in Ten Forward", she askes teasing him.

"I wanted to welcome my new CMO properly this time and invite her for a drink", he answers with a low voice his eyes never leaving her eyes.

Beverly cannot help but smile at him tenderly. She is lost for words for the time being. His gaze is awfully intense on her face. His voice low and deep exclusively speaking to her gives her shivers down her spine. So she cannot move but just has to soak in his presence. She nodds.

Picard scans the room for a table and finds a small seduced place in a corner next to a viewport. He places his hand onto her back again and motions his head towards the table he has chosen. Feeling his warm hand on her back she starts to feel slightly dizzy at the intensity of their being here together right now. She acknowledges the table and both of them start to move towards the table.

They sit down facing each other and as their eyes lock, the world around them seems to disappear. Beverly hears her son laughing but it seems to her, he is light years away. They barely notice Guinan serving them drinks. They are here now. Sitting at that table together. A man and a woman.

"I am glad you are back", Picard states.

Beverly nodds giving him her best smile.

"I am glad to be back."

Silence threatens to creep between them. Both no longer used to sitting together in a bar privately.

"I missed this",

Beverly states her eyes taking a stroll around Ten Forward and gazing out into the stars to rest on him again.

He grabs his glas lifting it slowly from the table. Their eyes locked he toasts.

"To new beginnings!"

She reaches for her glas, raises it and answers him with his own words before they both bring their glasses to their lips and take a sip from the red-orange liquid. She puts down her glas again, her eyes never breaking his intense look. She starts to brush over the rim of her glas with her index finger. Picard smiles.

„Tell me about your year at Starfleet Medical."

Noticing the tension leaving her body she starts to relax. At the same time she wonders why she had been so tense. This is the Enterprise. This is Jean Luc. She had known him for longer than she would allow herself to admit.

They have a history together. They were friends once, when life was still easy. They were young and wild. Jack, Walter Jean Luc and Beverly. When she met him the first time she was already Jack's girl.

She had been attracted to Jean Luc the minute she met him. He had that certain thing that made her wanting to melt into him. And she knew he was attracted to her. The way he had watched her, the way he tried to be close to her, the tension building up between them. It was obvious to both of them. But she was with Jack then. And she had decided to stop playing what-if games in her mind some time ago.

„It was great at the beginning", she starts.

„You know how much I love new challenges!"

He smiles and he nodds encouraging her to continue. She winks at him.

"And I had a great office with an incredible view over the bay", she adds laughing.

Jean Luc smiles broadly admiring her spirit. All this reminds him so much of the young Beverly he had known. It is as if they were back in San Francisco, strolling along the beach chatting.

They had been doing this a lot. He and Beverly would walk along the water, chatting, laughing. Every touch was electrifying. Walter and Jack would play ball, fight, behave like boys. People passing by might have taken Jean Luc and Beverly as lovers, but in the end of the day she went home with Jack. He however would feel guilty allowing himself to be in love with his best friend's girl.

"I loved teaching. I loved answering question. I loved being in charge."

Beverly continues. Jean Luc smiles. A small laughter leaves his throat at her last statement. She stops talking, pulling her eyebrows up.

"I can imagine that", he says jokingly.

Beverly nods to make him continue.

"You must have missed to order around your Captain and discuss the prime directive though..."

Beverly looks at him, her mouth opening but not being able to form an answer. Finally she had composed herself enough.

"I am not that bad!"

She insists.

"Oh yes you are!"

He says, his tone very earnest not allowing a word against this statement.

Beverly lets out a breath not knowing what to say.

Jean Luc smiles at having her speechless. He bents over the table to brush his hand over hers.

"But I wouldn't want you any other way."

She looks up to him, than back on his hand that still covered hers. His touch burns like fire. When he notices that his hand is still covering hers he gives her a small squeeze before removing it and leaning back in his chair again.

Beverly continues telling about her year on earth. She had loved teaching. Loved answering questions. Loved research.

"So what happened?" Jean Luc inquires after a while.

Beverly sighed.

"Bureaucracy got in my way."

She takes a sip from her glas and continues. Jean Luc nods knowingly.

They keep on chatting about whatever comes to their mind. Unaware of their surroundings time passes until they are one of the last tables still occupied when Beverly all of a sudden draws out of their conversation and looks around.

Noticing that almost everybody has left she turns towards Jean Luc again.

"Computer. What time is it?"

She questions.

"It is 0100 h."

The mechanic voice echoes into their ears.

"We have completely forgotten the time Jean Luc."

She brushes her hair from her face.

"I am sorry. I have to get started early tomorrow. I have to get going. Thank you for the evening."

She pushes back her chair slowly. Jean Luc nods getting up himself.

"Let me accompany you!"

She raises her eyebrow.

"I know my way around",

She states.

Jean Luc smiles at her. But she can see that he is slightly hurt.

"Of course you do!"

Beverly looks him in the eye and brushes her hand over his arm.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I had a lovely evening and I simply didn't want you to feel ..." her voice trailed of, not knowing what to say.

"It is ok Beverly", he says.

They leave Ten Forward together and make their way to the nearest Turbolift. Walking in silence their arms brush against each other every now and then. They are both aware that they are walking way to close to each other. But every touch sends a shiver down their bodies that none of them is willing to give up. Finally reaching Beverlys quarters they stop in front of her door. She turns towards him. Looking him in the eyes she feels like melting away.

"Thank you for the lovely evening!"

She is giving him his best smile. Picard slowly closes his eyes and opens them again not being able to hold the intensity of her gaze.

"I enjoyed spending it with you", he says.

He wants to touch her so badly. He wants to brush the strain of hair out of her face just to touch her skin. He wants to kiss her. Feel her lips against his mouth. They both fall into silence again. Not wanting to part but still not able to go on from here. Just before Beverly starts to turn around he remembers Data's concert.

"Data will play in a concert the day after tomorrow in Ten Forward", he states.

"Will you join me?"

He asks hopefully.

He eyes light up.

"I'd love to!"

Knowing they will meet again privately again soon their hearts become lighter. There is no need to be scared parting any longer. Beverly puts her hand on his upper arm and slightly squeezes his biceps. She draws close. Her hair tingles his nose and he inhales her own sweet perfume when she places a small kiss on his cheek. Too surprised to react he receives the kiss and stands dumbfounded when she turns around, wishes him Goodnight and disappears into her quarters.

Slowly he turns around and leaves for his quarters. As soon as he is inside he starts to undress and puts on his robe. He orders a cup of Earl Grey and stares through the viewport watching space. His thoughts are lost in her.

Having her back in the Enterprise is like getting a second chance. When she had joined his crew two years ago it was awfully difficult. They had not seen each other for years and guilt was still all over his live. Slowly they had started to rebuild their friendship. He highly respected her as an officer and a doctor. She is smart and wise. She never holds back her opinion. She is clear in what she wants and says and does.

Over her year on the Enterprise they were getting more and more comfortable with each other. She started to be his friend and then she had left. He was hurt. Finally she was back in his life. And this time he did not intend to let her slip out of his life again.