Soriana felt the captain's bristling indignation before she stepped into the ready room, and it made her smile.
"You wanted to see me, captain?"
"Indeed, counsellor. Have a seat." The man's jaw flexed slightly in an annoyed clench as he tossed the pad dramatically on the desk. "What is this?"
"It's an ethics write-up, sir. I'm the ship's ethics officer, remember. Anticipating possible issues is part of my job."
"And what could possibly have given you the idea that the scenario you outline could be necessary to consider?"
She stared at him silently for almost a minute, but the captain matched her gaze with his own. "I'm a telepath."
"And your telepathy has caused you to decide that a hypothetical romantic liaison between a ship's commanding officer and its chief medical officer requires a detailed analysis and discussion."
"That's the size of it, sir."
Over the subsequent half minute, Soriana very carefully kept her smile from growing any wider as she felt the direction of her captain's thoughts. Finally, he asked, "And it is your genuine, professional opinion that such a relationship would be… ethical?"
"Entirely, sir. May I go, sir?"
"Dismissed. Ah, hold." The captain stood to match Soriana, who had already rose to quickly depart. "Counsellor, I don't know what you think you saw in my mind to justify this, but I want to assure you that you are entirely mistaken. Disabuse yourself of the notion at once. Do I make myself clear?"
"Abundantly, sir. But…" the Haliian took a half step toward him and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Do remember that yours aren't the only thoughts I'm sensing."
Before Picard could recover from his sudden fluster, his counsellor fled the room.
*****
Soriana keyed in the access code to the holodeck, taking her charge by the hand. "I know these little Earth destination programs aren't usually your thing, but I guarantee this Paris program has something quite unique."
"Are you sure that I-"
"Trust me, Beverly. The scenery is great… and the cafe patrons can be quite enchanting."
*****
Jean-Luc soaked in the ambience as he waited for Jenise. There was always something magical about a Paris cafe, and this program had captured it perfectly.
"Pardon, Monsieur, but I have a bottle of, ah, 'genuine' champaign here for you, compliments of a friend. With this note," the waiter handed him the handwritten missive.
"Merci, Edouard," he said, but the holodeck doors opened before he could read the note.
What surprised Jean-Luc the most upon seeing Beverly walk through those doors, was the fact that it wasn't the least disappointing. To the contrary, Doctor Crusher in a simple cocktail dress was the best sight he'd beheld in ages.
She seemed as surprised as he was, but he saw in her face that the surprise was just as pleasant for her. To confirm his guess, he opened the note… and after reading it, he handed it to Beverly.
"Never relive an old memory when you have the chance to make a new one. -S.T."