Summary: Takes place after Generations.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns 'em, I'm just playing with 'em.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. "Computer, what is the location of Doctor Crusher?" he asked.
"Doctor Crusher is in her quarters." Came the neutral reply.
"Is she alone?"
"Affirmative."
He rose and put on his robe. He stepped outside his quarters and looked around. There was no one else in the corridor. He took his time walking to her quarters, trying to see through the haze in his mind and think of the right way to say he just wanted a shoulder. When he arrived at her door, he pressed the chime but received no answer. He pressed the chime a second time without answer. The computer said she was alone in her quarters so he felt a little more secure using his override command to open her door. He glanced around before stepping in. The ambient light from outside the ship lit her quarters. He took a few steps in and stopped when he saw her lying on her bed. Only in his dreams had he seen her like that. He slowly walked to the threshold of her bedroom.
She worked later than normal tonight. When she entered her quarters she didn't even turn up the lights. She turned her door chime off and went straight to her room. She stripped off her uniform and slipped into her silk nightgown. She thought about getting some warm milk but she wanted her bed more. She sat down at the foot of her bed and slid back. She stretched and propped up her right leg. Her nightgown slipped down exposing all of her right thigh. She closed her eyes. She rested her left hand at the base of her thigh and ran her right hand through her hair.
The look on her face and the position of her body made her observer think she was doing more than relaxing. She thought she heard something and paused. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look into her living area. Jean-Luc was standing in the doorway to her bedroom.
He hadn't realized he moved after he laid eyes on her. Being caught made him loose his breath. "I…" he stammered and shook his head. "I...I'm sorry." He said as he turned around to leave.
"Jean-Luc…" she whispered as she remembered. Deanna told her about his family but by that time it was too late. The Enterprise was on a crash course for the planet below and busy was an understatement in the aftermath. She called out to him but he didn't stop. "Wait!" she commanded as she pushed herself off her bed. He stopped in his tracks. She stood just outside her bedroom door and calmly said, "Please, come back." He turned around and stepped back in her quarters. He didn't look at her. She slowly walked over to him. Mere inches between them and now he couldn't avoid looking at her. Her body was directly in the path of his downcast gaze. His eyes were still puffy and a little red. The pain aside, she swore she saw something else in his expression. She put her hands on the sides of his face. He closed his eyes as they began to fill with tears. She looked at his lips. They were trembling. She thought about stopping them with a kiss but gently touched his lips with one of her thumbs and kissed his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered "I'm sorry, Jean-Luc. I'm so sorry." He slowly responded to her embrace. He wrapped his arms around her back. She felt so warm and alive. One arm moved to encircle her waist and his other arm moved up her back between her shoulders trying to hold as much of her to him as he could. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deeply as his sobs racked both of them. His tears formed an endless trail down her neck and chest. A few minutes passed and his sobbing quieted and his breathing slowed. She pulled back but kept her hands on his shoulders. He loosened his grip and his hands fell to her hips. He blinked the remaining tears from his eyes and was able to focus again. His eyes fell on the wet stream down her neck to her chest and under her nightgown. As he inhaled deeply his eyes continued their path down her body. It felt like a dream to him at that moment and time stopped. This didn't go unnoticed by her.
She cleared her throat and said, "Why don't you sit on the sofa and I'll get you something to drink." He blinked and when he opened his eyes he met her gaze and complied. When he walked away, she retrieved her robe from her bedroom. She used it to wipe away his tears on her chest and put it on. She wrapped it around her as best she could without a tie.
She emerged and ordered warm milk from the replicator for them both but stood there for a few seconds longer. She shook her head at herself then took a deep breath and walked their drinks to the living area. She handed him a cup and set her milk on the table in front of the sofa and wrapped her robe around her as she sat close to him. She picked up her milk and took a sip. He sat with his elbows resting on his legs. He held his cup with both hands and stared at the warm liquid. She continued to hold her cup while she clasped his right arm and rested her head on his shoulder. He blinked his acknowledgement of her presence and sipped his milk. She took one more sip of her milk and set her cup on the table. She kept her right hand on his arm but used her left to slowly and gently rub his back. She rested her chin on his shoulder and watched his face.
Her mind began to wander. She slid her right hand from his arm up his chest to his bare skin. She didn't stop there. Her hand slipped under his robe and up to his other shoulder. She tilted her head and moved closer to his neck until her lips made contact with his skin.
Suddenly, she was ripped from her fantasy by the movement of him taking a sip of his milk. To keep from startling him, she removed herself from him slowly. He looked at her face and she smiled coyly in return. She slid further back into the sofa and angled her body toward him and tucked her legs under her. She lightly rubbed her face and rested her left arm on the back of the sofa. He sighed and set his cup on the table next to hers. He slid back and leaned into the sofa and let his head fall back. He turned his head to look at her face and she smiled at him. She shifted to cover the little bit of space that separated them. As she shifted and put her hand back on his arm, her robe fell open. It caught his attention immediately. He turned his head back to look at the ceiling.
"I h…" he started to inquire if he interrupted her earlier but stopped himself. "I-um, I couldn't sleep. Actually, I was asleep but something woke me." She watched him. His brow furrowed a little with the thought of what woke him. She gently squeezed his arm urging him to continue. "I dreamt I was there." As he continued to speak, his voice became hoarse. He told her what he had learned of the accident then finished telling her of his nightmare. "I was there and there was nothing I could do but stand there and watch them burn. All I could do was watch." His tears began to fall. "Their screams woke me. It seemed so real. Part of me wants to know what exactly happened but I don't want to be haunted by that knowledge." He picked his head up and covered his face as his tears continued down his face. She wrapped her arms around him and felt his body being racked with sobs. She kissed the back of his neck as she began to cry herself. He turned toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his face against her neck and breathed as deeply as he could. The smell of her had a calming effect on him at the moment. His respiration slowed and he rested his head against her shoulder. He opened his eyes to meet her collarbone and her open robe. She was running her hand up and down his left shoulder. The motion was causing her nightgown to reveal the slightest glimpses of her breasts to him. He closed his eyes tightly and unknowingly tightened his grip on her waist. This woke her from her consoling and she became increasingly aware of his breath on her chest. She swallowed hard and opened her eyes unsure of what to do. He had just lost his family. She didn't want to push him away but this wasn't the time to finally make the first move. It was then that she realized what else it was she saw in his eyes when he came to her quarters. Guilt. He felt her body tense and he loosened his grip and sat back. With one arm still behind her back and the other still on her waist, his gaze wandered up her body to her face. He squeezed her hip gently as he kissed her cheek.
"Thank you. I think I'll try to sleep." He said then rose from the sofa and left her quarters.