Trio

Part I:

Beginnings

2348 A.D. – 16 years before the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation

The man's arm felt like it was dangling. He had a feeling that if it didn't hurt so much, he wouldn't be able to feel it at all. What a way to ruin a good weekend!

Commander Walker Keel was enjoying his planetside appointment more than he thought he would be. When he'd first found out he'd be spending the next year at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, he'd wondered how he could possibly stand it. He'd spent the last fifteen years on starships. Planets were places to spend shore leave and then move on.

But here he was, back on Earth for the first significant amount of time since graduating the Academy… and enjoying himself. Acting as an aide for an admiral wasn't so bad… and then, there was the tantalizing bit of information that the Ambassador-class U.S.S. Horatio was scheduled to be completed just about the time his orders expired.

Keel didn't know how he knew, exactly, but he knew that the Horatio was going to be his. And, so, a year on Earth could be put up with, so long as the dangling carrot of his own command was in front of him.

He and the other aides got along well, although they certainly weren't the best friends he'd ever had. They frequented the same nightspots after hours and played in a Parrises Squares league together…

Which was his problem today.

He should know better, at his age, to be playing such an active sport, but Walker Keel was not going to let that snot-nosed Lieutenant Commander Dixon, think that.

Admiral Johnson's aide, Dixon, had insinuated that perhaps Keel, in his early forties, wasn't up to the challenge of Parrises Squares.

"I'll show you," Keel had thought. And then he'd wound up in the waiting area at Starfleet Medical with this dangling arm.

It was maddening.

"Commander Keel?" the receptionist was calling him. "Dr. Howard is ready to see you now."

Keel walked through the sliding doors into a small corridor. His arm throbbed with each step. A young woman wearing the same maroon jacket with Starfleet insignia that he was led him into a modest-sized exam room.

That was one difference between Starfleet Medical and the starship sickbays he was so used to… privacy.

The young woman was tall; high cheekbones, with a long red ponytail. On second glance, Keel noticed her insignia showed she was a sixth-year medical student, not a full doctor yet.

Keel was glad of that. He hated to think a creature this young was a full M.D.

"I'm going to examine you, now," she said, in that practiced way that only a med student would have.

"Wait a minute," Keel held up his good hand, "Don't I get a real doctor?"

The redhead's eyes got fiery at that. "I'm qualified for triage. Dr. Greenson supervises me. She'll be in to check on you later… Now, do you mind if I examine you?"

Before he'd had a chance to think it over, the woman was gently probing his shoulder. He had no idea how she was touching the arm without causing shooting pain, but she seemed to have a golden touch.

"Torn ligament," she finally said, almost under her breath.

"What was that?" Keel said.

"You've torn the ligament in your shoulder," the med student straightened up. "Let me go find Dr. Greenson and confer on treatment."

She ducked out the door and in a few minutes was back with a middle-aged woman. Keel checked her collar. Yes, she was the real deal. But all the two of them did was nod and murmur to each other. Keel heard "muscular regeneration," but that was about all he understood of the conversation.

In a minute, the older woman was gone. She hadn't said one word to Keel. He was stuck with the med student.

"You done this before?" he grunted as she rummaged in a drawer and found a small device about the size of a hypospray.

"Hundreds of times," Howard said as she started up the small regenerator and waved it in front of his shoulder, "On the holodeck, anyway."

That revelation made Keel jump, but by that time, she'd put the device down, and his arm was feeling better anyway.

"Now that arm will be tender for a day or two," she told him, half-smiling. "I wouldn't advise you to play any more Parrises Squares for awhile."

"You sound like a true doctor already," he joked. "What's your name, anyway?"

The redhead crossed her arms. From her body language, Keel took it she got hit on by single patients on a regular basis. Well, why wouldn't she?

"My name's Beverly Howard," she said, arms still folded, waiting for whatever was coming next.

"Beverly," he said, "That was my mother's name."

She came this close to rolling her eyes, but Keel was enjoying this, so he continued, "You're not married are you?"

"No," she said, "I'm busy." She turned to leave the room.

"Now, wait," he said, "I'm married myself. No, the reason I ask, is a couple of old friends of mine are going to be around next week."

Beverly turned back around, a don't-kid-a-kidder look on her face.

"I'm serious," Keel vouched. "My friends Jack and Jean-Luc of the Stargazer are coming for shore leave. I just got the news this morning. They're both intelligent, devastatingly handsome and, the reason I mention them… available."

"I really don't think so," Beverly said, moving toward the door again.

Keel wasn't about to give up that easily. Jack Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard both needed a woman in their lives. He couldn't believe he was playing matchmaker, just like all the old married couples used to do to him when he was single, but they needed it, dammit.

"Tell you what," he said. "Do you ever go to The Mizenmast?" That was one of Starfleet Command's favorite watering holes. Everyone went there sometimes.

"On occasion," she said.

Keel nodded, "Well, I'll make sure Jack and Jean-Luc are there Tuesday night. You show up, I'll introduce you. No pressure."

Beverly's face was inscrutable. "I'll think about it," she said. "But I do work a lot of nights."

"That's all I ask," Keel said.

The Mizenmast was packed Tuesday night. There were three ships in orbit, so their crews added to usual crowd.

Beverly couldn't believe she had actually come. It's not like she'd dragged her girlfriends out against their will, by any means. In fact, Elizabeth, her roommate, had said, "Let's go out tonight, forget studying."

But it had been Beverly who had suggested coming here. She didn't know why. That Walker Keel had been persuasive. She wasn't desperate to meet this Jack Crusher or Jean-Luc Picard… she was a med student, she didn't have time for a social life… But she was curious.

She and Elizabeth found an empty highball booth up away in a corner. It seemed a safe enough spot to scout the crowd. And soon enough, she saw Walker Keel…

And he saw her.

He waved over the crowd and shouted something. She couldn't hear it over the noise. She couldn't tell who was with him and who was just part of the mob.

But soon, he was nearing the table. "Hello there," he said, "Mind if we sit down?"

Elizabeth scooted over, and there was room for the woman and man that were with him.

"I'd like you to meet my wife, Mindy," Keel said, indicating the petite, curly-haired blonde in civilian clothes sitting beside him. "And Lieutenant Jack Crusher of the Stargazer…"

Beverly looked across the table at the Lieutenant. He met her eyes immediately and smiled. He had a nice smile.

Jack was 30ish…tall, broad-shouldered, with a strong jaw line… and intense eyes.

She could think of nothing intelligent to say. So, by means of introducing herself, she simply said, "Beverly Howard…" and stuck out her hand.

He took it and held it a moment longer than he had to. "Pleased to meet you, Beverly."

She loved the way he said her name, but feeling like she was sitting there with her tongue hanging out, she took back her hand and said, "I thought Walker said you were going to be joined by a friend."

"Oh…" Jack said, "Jean-Luc went home to France for the day. He should be back soon. He and his brother will get in a fight and he won't want to spend the night."

Keel put an arm around his wife and said apologetically, "Jack's right. Jean-Luc went home to see his mother, but Robert will make his life a living hell while he's there. I bet he's on his way already."

"Oh," was all Beverly could think to say. This was too much information to comprehend about someone she hadn't even met yet. "That's fine."

She looked back at Jack. He was smiling in her eyes again. "Would you care to dance?" he asked.

Beverly looked at Elizabeth. Her friend was nodding her head in Jack's direction and smiling. She turned back to the Lieutenant. "That'd be fun," she said.

He didn't bring her back to the table until last call, and by then, it was empty. "They must have all gone home," she said.

Jack offered her his arm, "Well, then, m'lady, may I offer my assistance as your escort back to your quarters?"

"You may, good sir." She took the arm and they set off on the short walk back to Starfleet Medical.

"Well, I'm glad Jean-Luc didn't show up," he said as they strolled in the night with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Beverly turned to him in surprise.

Jack grinned. "You might have decided you liked him more than you liked me and I knew the minute I saw you, I didn't want that to happen."

She smiled and relaxed again.

"Not after dancing like that," she said softly.

Jack turned to look down at her, "You're quite the dancer, yourself."

He could see her embarrassment. "Oh, I said the wrong thing."

She looked up, "No… it's just that… I did toy with the idea of drama school instead of Starfleet Academy. I wanted to be a musical actress. Of course, that got out my freshman year and everyone began calling me the 'dancing doctor.'"

Jack knew better than to laugh, so he switched subjects instead. "How did you decide on a career in medicine… and Starfleet then."

"My grandmother was a healer," she told him. "She raised me. I barely remember my parents. I knew I could do good work, like she does, by joining Starfleet." She switched sides, "Now, how about you…"

"Oh, I can't remember ever not wanting to be out among the stars," he looked up and smiled. He lowered his head and gazed at her moonlit face. Beverly's skin seemed almost porcelain in this light. He brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen from her ponytail.

Both of them leaned in, not even aware that they were doing it. Their eyes were liquid, running together. Their lips were touching… softly… and then parting. Tongues touched and then parted and then searched each other out again. Their whole bodies seemed to be melting into each other under the moonlight.

What should have been a ten-minute walk took them a little under an hour.

Jack woke up on the Keels' living room sofa. He squinted. Judging by the angle of the light coming in the windows, he had slept in and then some. He wasn't used to Earth-time yet, anyway… and then to stay out as late as he did with Beverly…

Nothing too unchaste had happened, but once they'd got to kissing, they hadn't seemed able to stop. He shook his head, trying to focus on the here and now. But it was difficult. It almost seemed like he and Beverly had known each other forever.

"Well, sleepy-head," called a familiar voice from the kitchen. "I thought I got in late last night, but I heard you come in an hour later." Captain Jean-Luc Picard came in to the room, holding two cups of steaming coffee. He had his uniform on, even though he wasn't on duty, and wasn't scheduled to be for days, but as a concession to comfort, he had left the flap on the neck of his maroon officer's coat open. But Jack knew some officers who did that when they were ON duty. He handed one mug to his first-officer.

"Thanks," Jack said.

"Well?" Jean-Luc said, sitting down in the chair across from the sofa.

Jack took a sip of his coffee. He felt more energetic already. "Well, what?"

"Don't keep me in suspense, Jack. Why were you so late? Don't tell me Walker actually managed to fix you up with someone."

Jack smiled broadly, "Wait 'til you meet her. You're going to love her."

Picard hadn't expected to take Jack's statement so literally. But later that evening, when Jack walked up to him at The Mizenmast holding the hand of a tall redhead, his heart flipped.

She was beautiful.

"Beverly Howard, I'd like you to meet Jean-Luc Picard," Jack smiled. "You'll get to know him pretty well, I imagine, he'll be the best man at our wedding."

Jean-Luc panicked for a moment, had they really become engaged in so short a time? But then he saw Beverly elbow his friend, and their laughter and realized it had been one of Jack's many jokes.

Oh, and he was never very good at this sort of thing, anyway!

He held out his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Beverly." Her hand was long, with long fingers. It fit perfectly into his oversized paw; even though she seemed to be around the same height he was, perhaps even taller.

He immediately hoped she wouldn't notice his hair was thinning, his hairline receding. How stupid was he being at the moment, anyway?

She shook his hand, "I hope we're going to be good friends, Jean-Luc. Jack has told me so much about you already."

"Hardly anything bad," Jack grinned.

They both seemed so happy, in a way that Jean-Luc had never been. He felt alienated to his own best friend. There, across the room, was Walker with Mindy, chatting away. And here, Jack had finally found someone…

Someone perfect.

Jean-Luc's heart throbbed. He had to leave… NOW. He raised a hand to his forehead to remove a bead of sweat he hoped no one had seen. "It's been delightful meeting you, Beverly," he nodded in her direction, "but I'm afraid there's some business on the ship I've been putting off and really must attend to. If you'll excuse me."

As he stepped outside the crowded bar, the cool wind from off the bay made him feel almost better. One wouldn't think, at his age, hormones would be such a problem… but he had just seen a beautiful woman… and acted like a fifteen year old.

A night on the ship might be just the thing for him to recover from this sudden attack of infatuation. Besides, he didn't want to wait up, wondering where Jack was and what he was doing.

"Picard to Stargazer, one to beam up."

Back inside The Mizenmast, Beverly and Jack hadn't noticed anything wrong. They were too busy dancing.