Author's note: Sorry for the long delay in updating. Partly real life got in the way, partly I got hooked on another fic and also, meeting Marina Sirtis again completely blocked me for a while. If you haven't met Marina, try to because she is totally awesome. She is, however, very unlike Deanna Troi and this fused my brain for a while. I promise to do better from now on.
Deanna resisted the temptation to fidget or pace, knowing that either would increase the already high tension on the Bridge. It was two hours since Jean-Luc had explained to the crew what was going on and the crew's tension had been rising ever since. The Enterprise crew were highly trained professionals so there was no panic (although Reg Barclay had already been to Sickbay to vent twice) and no outward signs of stress but to an empath the crew might as well have been shouting in her ear. They were still at full stop and even those completely uninvolved with the technical side of running the Enterprise were feeling uneasy.
Deanna took a deep breath and ran through a mental exercise to reinforce her shields. The effect was minimal. Normally, there were so many different emotions being felt by all the people aboard ship that it felt like the emotional equivalent of white noise, always there but usually not distracting. Today, everyone was worrying about the ship and their safety and the unified anxiety was battering against her shields, making her heart race and hands clammy.
A chime alerted her to a padd message and with relief she read that Paul Fisher had verified that all of the programming relating to Life Support was correct. Feeling some of her own tension leaching away, Deanna forwarded the message to section heads then sent the summary to the Bridge terminals. A wave of relaxation passed through the ship and Deanna bit her lip to avoid gasping as the pressure against her shields vanished. Everyone knew that with working Life Support they could wait to be rescued for over two years and that they were only two weeks away from Starbase 81 at warp four.
Feeling almost euphoric, Deanna settled back to wait for more updates.
Jean-Luc mopped his face with his towel before exiting the holodeck and going back to his quarters to shower. He had ended his day by doing an uphill run and was pleased that his body could still perform to a high standard.
When he got to his quarters, he realised that it was later than he'd thought; Deanna was already off shift, sitting on his sofa. As he entered their eyes met and suddenly showering was the last thing on Jean-Luc's mind. Deanna's eyes darkened as she felt Jean-Luc's arousal and she said,
'I want you.'
'I want you too.'
Jean-Luc walked over to the sofa and pulled Deanna into his arms. They kissed and their bond formed and arousal rushed through their bodies. Jean-Luc unsealed Deanna's uniform top, pushing it off her shoulders. Deanna tugged impatiently at Jean-Luc's exercise top until he yanked it over his head, allowing her access to his chest. She ran her hands over his chest and arms, loving the feeling of his muscles under her hands. Jean-Luc got Deanna to raise her arms and removed her undershirt and bra at the same time then began kissing her below her chin whilst kneading and scratching her breasts. Deanna moaned and her increasing arousal looped through the bond to Jean-Luc, increasing his arousal in turn. As the feedback loop continued, Jean-Luc and Deanna lost awareness of anything except each other and the pleasure that they were both feeling.
They yanked each others' remaining clothes off then Jean-Luc lifted Deanna so she was sat on the dining table. He sat on a chair and lifted Deanna's legs on to his shoulders then used his hands and mouth to bring her to orgasm again and again.
Coming down from yet another orgasm, Deanna realised that Jean-Luc was uncomfortably aroused so she pushed his head away gently and slid off the table, straddling the chair he was on. She joined their bodies and began to move. Jean-Luc groaned and began moving too, driving them upwards until they climaxed together. As they climaxed, Deanna heard Jean-Luc's voice in her mind again,
* Deanna, ma belle. *
* Jean-Luc... *
Feeling relaxed for the first time in hours, they moved to the sofa and curled up together.
Beverly looked at the calm and apparently impassive face of Selar. They had been friends for years now and Beverly had become adept at reading the tiny changes in Selar's expression. Currently Selar was amused but slightly frustrated. With complete justification, Beverly admitted; what she was doing was completely illogical even by human standards. With a sigh, Beverly tried to explain,
'I know I'm supposed to be going off shift but I want to monitor Paul's condition for a bit longer.'
'For what purpose, Beverly? His condition is unlikely to change for at least another twenty-four hours and probably not for a great deal longer.'
'I know...'
'So the logical course of action is to go and eat and sleep now, before there is any change.'
'Yes it is.'
Selar waited but Beverly remained rooted to the spot, eyes fixed on the monitor displaying Paul Fisher's vital signs. With an inward shrug, Selar decided to play her trump card,
'If you are staying, Doctor Crusher, would now be a good time to run through the amendments to the inventory procedures sent by Starfleet last week, to see if any of them are applicable to Sickbay?'
'What?...All right, you win...I'm going!'
With a resigned shrug, Beverly left, merely pausing to say,
'Call me if there's any change.'
'Yes, Beverly.'
The Sickbay doors shut behind Beverly and Alyssa Ogawa said,
'Well done, Doctor.'
Selar simply nodded acknowledgement but deep inside of her a little bubble of happiness formed at being able to help her friends. The despair that had haunted her a few weeks ago had gone and once again this was her home.
Jean-Luc and Deanna both woke at zero-one-twenty-two hours when the impulse engines started. Deanna felt Jean-Luc's relief like an almost palpable caress, running through her whole body; they were no longer dead in the water. As she turned over to go back to sleep, Deanna felt the entire atmosphere of the ship changing as the whole crew rejoiced at the Enterprise moving once more.
