Hey all,
I know this isn't my usual brand of fanfic but I'm in a geek mood and ST:TNG is the object of my affection...well a certain 5'8" redhead named Gates McFadden (aka Dr. Beverly Crusher) is the object of my affection but as most of you know I have a massive thing for redheads...anywho, this popped into my head after reading another TNG fic called 2011 by Ke Roth and after listening to "I won't give up" By Jason Mraz...so no I do not own the song, the characters belong to Paramount exceptions of Catherine, Joseph and whoever else I come up with that is not a cannon character. As usual I make no money from this, I do this for pure enjoyment, not just for myself but for my readers, and reviews.
Enjoy
SakuraWillow
"Until now Catherine and Joseph have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals. But from this day on, and every day after this day shall be shared and spent as one. By the power vested in me, by the United federation of Planets, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." Jean-luc Picard beamed as he finished the wedding ceremony of his helm officer Lt. Joseph Petersen and Lt. Catherine Barry, a sickbay nurse.
Joe grinned, taking Catherine in his arms and dipping her, making her giggle before he kissed her soundly, sealing the union of the young couple.
The small crowd that was gathered on the small beach under the Golden Gate Bridge erupted in applause. It was Jean-luc, after several moments, cleared his throat, effectively separating the newlyweds.
Catherine, who was blushing, turned to her captain, kissing him on the cheek "Thank you, sir" she smiled "I know it took some work for you for Starfleet to agree to this"
"It was worth the effort Lieutenant" he smiled
The couple retreated down the parted crowd and the crowd followed, into waiting tents for the reception. Jean-luc held back, as did his date for the evening, his CMO Dr. Beverly Crusher. Walking from the small platform that served as an alter he offered his arm to the redhead and she graciously accepted.
"That was beautiful Jean-luc" she beamed "perfect place too. This suits them both"
"It really does, it just wouldn't have been the same on the holodeck." he conceded
They followed the crowd into the tent and we're met with a lavish reception. Orchids and lilly's adorned the tables as well as crystal plates and elegant wine glasses. Finding their seats, Jean-luc and Beverly accepted the wine being poured, a vintage of merlot from the captains family winery, a gift from Jean-luc. Beverly glanced around, noticing the bride and groom had disappeared. She was about to comment when soft guitar playing began on the small stage near the head table. A young man sat on a stool strumming the acoustic vintage guitar and she recognized him as Joe's brother Jason. He began to sing a soft tune.
"When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?"
Beverly smiled and looked at Jean-luc, how appropriate for the young couple.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome Mr. And Mrs. Joseph Petersen to the dance floor."
The group applauded, watching as the couple took their places on the dance floor. A young girl, Catherine's sister Jennifer, joined Jason on stage, taking seat at a piano, and began to accompany her brother-in-law along with Lt. Commander David Craig playing drums and Ensign Aaron Savage playing a guitar similar to Jason's. The group seamlessly joined each other in the song, playing a waltz that the newlyweds effortlessly glided along the dance floor to.
"I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up"
Beverly silently wondered how much practice went into this little performance, but she expected nothing less from her nurse. She was not only a perfectionist, but a bit of a drama queen as well. She loved the attention, and she deserved it on her wedding day.
"I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
Still looking up.
I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up"
As the song ended, Joe dipped his bride and the room erupted in applause. Beverly smiled at Jean-luc, wiping a tear from her eye "Beautiful song, just perfect"
Jean-luc was lost in thought. The meaning of the song hitting him hard. It was the testament of the relationship he and Beverly shared. How ancient song from 400 years ago could effect him so was...
"Jean-luc?" Beverly concerned, shaking him from thought.
He took her hand, gently squeezing it. "They are a perfect couple" he smiled back
"I'll be gone for 5 days Cat" Beverly exasperated "your going to be fine"
"Yes, but with Dr. Selar and Alyssa going as well that leaves only me, what if there is a medical emergency?" Catherine worried
Beverly stopped and turned to her young nurse. "Cat, we are docked at Utopia Planetia, they have a full medical staff ready and willing to help if the need arises. Beyond that I highly doubt you will be treating more than a sprained ankle. There is nothing going on that would require the CMO on board so relax, you're gonna be fine." she smiled
Catherine took a deep breath and nodded "Ok, if you trust me"
Beverly smiled "Impeccably"
"Dr. Crusher? Are you ready?" Joe asked walking into sickbay, giving a wink to his wife.
"I will be in few, I need to run and say goodbye to the captain. Meantime tell your wife she will be fine" she laughed grabbing her bag "I'll meet you in the shuttle bay" she said beginning to walk out "Don't worry Cat, if you need me I'm a call away" she laughed heading out the door.
Once out of sickbay, Beverly tapped her com badge "Computer, location of Captain Picard?"
"Captain Picard is in the arboretum." The female voice of the computer stated factually
Heading to the turbo lift she hiked her bag higher on her shoulder and sighed. Another boring conference at Starfleet Medical. How she wished she didn't have to attend, but her work with synthetic protein was going to be the hot topic of the conference.
As the turbolift opened she suddenly felt a palpable feeling of dread. Passing it off as nerves she continued,"Deck 11" she commanded the computer.
Stepping off the lift she walked directly into the lush green arboretum and immediately spotted her target of interest. Jean-luc Picard stood talking with the science officer assigned to the care taking of this little piece of heaven on board the flagship of the fleet.
Clearing her throat he looked up and smiled, then dismissed the ensign. Walking over to Beverly with a smile "ready to go?"
She nodded "Lt. Petersen is waiting for me in the shuttle bay, that is if he was able to tear himself away from Cat" she laughed
He smiled "Hope you have good flight, too bad there is a ion storm and you can't teleport."
"Yeah, well at least you lent me the best pilot we have." she teased "See you in a few days Jean-luc"
"Have a good time Beverly" he smiled
She smiled back and turned on her heel, back to the lift, waving at him as the doors closed. He sighed, another missed opportunity, but she'll be back, she always is.
Beverly stepped into the shuttle and stowed her bag. Joe was sitting at the helm going over his preflight checklist. Beverly sat next to him and began to assist.
"Shuttle DaVinci to Enterprise, permission to disembark"
"Permission granted DaVinci, have a safe flight" Riker said over the com
"Opening shuttle bay doors" Joe said reciting his duties
Beverly looked out at the stars, after all these years in space they still awed her. She knew that once she saw earth, even though it wasn't her home planet, she would still gasp at the beauty of it from high above.
Joe pulled the shuttle out effortlessly and guided towards earth. True to form Beverly gasped softly at the big blue planet before her eyes. Joe looked over at her with a smile. "You too huh?"
Beverly grinned at him "Yep, never fails" She chuckled "I'm going to go over some reports before we get there, let me know if you need help"
"Thanks, but I'll be fine, Commander" he smiled
"I have no doubt Lieutenant" she said rising from her chair heading to the cabin in the back to her stowed gear.
Jean-luc stepped onto the bridge turning his attention to his first officer "Beverly get underway alright?" he asked
"They just left the shuttle bay, captain" he smiled touching a button on console. The view screen came to life bringing up an image of the shuttle.
Jean-luc watched for a moment, saying a silent prayer for them both.
Suddenly, it disappeared. A flash of light swallowed the shuttle whole along with it's occupants. Jean-luc didn't have to utter a word before his crew jumped into action.
"Scanning for tractor beams and cloaked ships" Data called out from opps
"There is a temporal disturbance 200 meters off port, captain, it's small but still there" Ensign Rollings said from the science station
Only one thing crossed his mind at that moment. Beverly.
Beverly had just sat down when Joe called for her "Commander?" He said unsure "I think I need you"
She sighed, standing and walking toward the front of the ship. "What is it, Joe?"
"It's gone, the Enterprise is gone, along with the space dock"
Beverly looked out, seeing nothing but dead space she turned to sensors. "What the..." Hailing Starfleet was the best option "Shuttle craft DaVinci to Starfleet command, do you read? This is Commander Beverly Crusher of the USS Enterprise, come in"
"Commander, they won't hear you" Joe said sadly "According to my calculations, Starfleet doesn't exist yet"
Beverly looked at him wide eyed
"It seems we have traveled back in time, and if I'm right, it's the year 2012."
"It's gone sir" Rollings announced softly
Jean-luc starred at the view screen in a state of shock. Gone in the blink of an eye. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath. "Find them" He ordered turning to his ready room
"Captain" Riker stopped him "Lieutenant Petersen"
Jean-luc sighed, the newlyweds. "Get Catherine up here now, I want to be the one to tell her, not have her hear it in passing."
"Yes sir" Riker said, but the response wasn't heard. Jean-luc was already behind the closed door of his ready room.
Beverly gripped the console. How, how in the universe did this happen? And how we're they going to get back?
"Ok, first things first, if I remember history correctly there is a space station in orbit, we need to avoid being seen."
"We could hide behind the moon" Joe suggested
"I'd rather land somewhere, conserve the energy on the shuttle. Who knows how long we will be here, we will need to replicate documents, and money, to be able to survive and hopefully we can keep a transmission on a loop so they can find us when they start looking in this time period" if they look here she thought.
"Area 51" Joe stated as if she would understand. Beverly looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. "Area 51 was supposedly a top secret military installation in the middle of the Nevada desert. The rumors were that it was where they did testing on aliens and their technology. Turned out it was a weapons testing facility but for years people thought they did experiments on other worldly beings." he explained "If we land there the lights of the shuttle will be passed off as another Area 51experiment. I could hide us from their primitive radar with a few adjustments to the shields." he said his hands flying over the controls.
Beverly sat back in her chair, looking out at the earth over North America. "Alright, let's do this"
In the back of her mind she said a silent prayer Hurry Jean-luc.