You Shook Me All Night Long

Well, this was just her luck. Beverly paced around the small space of the cave she currently found herself trapped in, running frustrated hands through her think hair, tying it back, as pieces of small rock still tumbled down around them. Looking over, her gaze fell upon her fellow captive. He was squatting on the ground, tinkering with his comm badge, trying to boost the signal.

"Any luck?" She walked up to him, placing her hands on her hips and glancing down at him expectedly as he worked diligently with the limit tools he had.

Sighing, he stopped his efforts and looked up at her with apologetic eyes. "Yes – well no. I was able to boost the signal, but I'm still not able to contact anyone – either here on Velara or on the Enterprise."

She nodded, then echoed his sigh of disappointment. The earthquake had caught them off-guard as they were exploring the extensive cave system on the planet. The cave-in had separated them from the rest of the away team, and they had no way of knowing if their friends were alive – just as their friends, if alive, had no way of knowing if they had survived as well.

Considering their bad luck, they at least had limited supplies with them in her medkit. A few ration bars and a bottle of water. Hopefully, they would be found shortly and they wouldn't have to worry about staying alive after their supplies ran out.

"How long do you think we've been here?" She sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest.

Jean-Luc shrugged, looking up at the small crack in the rock that provided their only source of light. "Maybe a couple of hours?"

She looked at him, noticing a small cut on his head for the first time. "You're injured." Instinctively she reached up to touch his forehead.

He jumped slightly at her unexpected touch, then reached up himself to assess the damage. "Superficial." He smiled at her and she began rummaging in her kit for the dermal regenerator.

Kneeling in front of him, she tended to his wound and smiled at her work. "Not too bad if I do say so myself – considering we're basically in the dark and all."

"Don't let anyone ever tell you that you aren't gifted." He laughed and shot her a bright smile.

Scooting back, she propped her back against the cold stone wall and let her eyes flutter shut. It had been a long day, and she had been looking forward to crawling into her bed tonight after a long, hot shower. Apparently, the universe had other plans for her. She felt him move to sit next to her against the wall, his arm flush against her own. Opening her eyes, she chanced a look at him.

In the past few months since they'd met, she'd started opening up to him in ways she didn't think were possible. Being with him was comforting…almost as though she had known him for most of her life. She felt as though he allowed her to see a side of himself he hid from others as well. The way he looked at her. The way he spoke to her. She would be lying to herself if she didn't admit it felt wonderful to be the subject of his affection, though she wasn't entirely sure how appropriate it was considering they were both married to other people.

"Jenice and Jack are going to be worried." Beverly watched him open his eyes at the sound of her voice and lock on to hers in return.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the rest of the away team will find us shortly." He reached over to gently squeeze her knee as a show of support.

It was the first time he had touched her, and the electric jolt that shot from her knee to her heart caught her off-guard. She gasped softly at the feeling as her heart began to race with excitement. She had never felt anything like that in her life. What was happening to her?

Closing her eyes tight she shook the feeling from her mind. She was a married woman, and he was a married man. Chalking up her feelings to a side effect from the traumatic experience they had just been through, she pushed it from her mind.

"Captain, would you like to play a game?" She looked at him, one eyebrow quirked upward in question.

"Yes, but only if you call me Jean-Luc. We may be here for a while, and I think we are definitely past the point of formalities. Is that alright with you, Doctor – Beverly?" She nodded. "Now that that's settled, what game did you have in mind?"

Laughing softly, she crossed her legs and shifted her position so she was facing him. "It's actually an ice breaker game I learned at some god-awful medical seminar years ago. Basically, we take turns asking a question, but we both answer at the same time. Make sense?"

He nodded. "Sounds easy enough." He paused for a moment. "You first."

She smiled at him. "Okay. Mmm…what is your favorite color?"

"Blue." "Red."

They both laughed, realizing their favorite colors mirrored the uniforms they wore.

"Your turn, Jean-Luc."

He tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips. "What is your favorite hobby?

"Directing plays." "Horseback riding."

"You like to direct?" He looked at her with curiosity. "Do you have a favorite?"

Gazing over his shoulder as she thought, she shook her head. "Not really, but I am partial to Shakespeare. There's just something about A Midsummer Night's Dream."

She pulled her gaze back to his as she thought about her favorite lines from the play, surprised to find him intently staring at her. "That's my favorite, actually." They stared at each other intently before Jean-Luc continued, his voice just above a whisper. "Your turn, Beverly."

She thought for a moment. "What are you most afraid of?"

"Heights." "Failing."

He looked at her with curious eyes. "Heights? And here I thought we could go rock climbing as soon as we escaped from our little cave."

Laughing, she shook her head. "Not a chance." Smiling at him, she tilted her head to the side and let caught his eye. "Failure? Really? You always seem so confident, so sure of every call you have to make."

Sighing, he nodded as he looked at her intently. "I've never admitted that to anyone before – at least not out loud. Although, I'm sure Deanna has sensed it in me at times."

She reached over to lightly place her hand on his. "Thank you for sharing that with me – and don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Grinning, she squeezed his hand quickly before pulling away. "Your turn."

He took his time thinking of a question. Obviously, they were passed the ones that would just scratch the surface. "What do you regret the most?"

"Getting married too young." "Not having children."

After a few moments of awkward silence, she tried to lighten the mood. "Well, that game progressed quickly." After a moment she caught his eye. "Why didn't you have children? I've seen how you are with Wes, you would have made a great father."

He exhaled loudly. "Jenice was clear she didn't want any, and with my work I was never around to make an argument for the contrary. Maybe if I was, she would have been open to it, but raising a child or two on her own…no." He looked past her at the wall, and she reached out again, this time to hold his hand. At her touch, his eyes found hers once again. "Married too young?"

She shook her head. "Well, Jean-Luc…it seems we each have something on the other now. I've never said that out loud to anyone either." She gave him a sad smile. "Don't get me wrong, I did – do – love Jack, but I was only twenty-four when we were married – still at the Academy…" Her voice trailed off as she collected her thoughts. "I don't know. I just…" This time she broke their gaze and looked down.

He reached out and touched her shoulder, urging her to look at him. "What is it?"

"Do you ever feel like you are growing apart versus growing together?" He nodded, and she continued. "I think Jack resents me for being further along in my career than he is in his own." She paused, and he waited for her to continue. "Things have been strained since we came aboard the Enterprise."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Maybe you could both speak with Deanna? Try to get things back on track."

Beverly nodded, then quickly shook her head. "I've already asked, he refuses." She moved to place her back against the wall once again, feeling his warmth against her. "At least he's still a great father to Wesley."

"Wesley is a great kid. I would think it would be nearly impossible not to love him."

Beverly grinned, elbowing him in the arm. "He's very taken with you, Jean-Luc. He still talks about the tour you gave him. I think he'd join Starfleet tomorrow if he could."

"You know, when Wesley grabbed my hand that day…it made me realize how much I do want children. Still." His tone was somber, and he reached out to hold her hand once again. "If we're being honest, I think Jenice and I have grown apart as well. Probably did a long time ago, but it was never evident since being apart was part of our normal lives. Now that we are together every day…" He shook his head, unable to continue. Beverly squeezed his hand, silently acknowledging she understood.

After a few minutes, her voice cut through the thick silence. "Favorite holodeck program?"

Light was leaving their little cave, but she could sense he turned to her and smiled, pulling her hand closer towards his body as he did so.

"Dancing." "Dixon Hill."

They continued talking late into the night. No topic was off limits, and they found themselves laughing at each other's sordid stories, mostly from their youth and respective times at the Academy. Eventually, sleep claimed them both. Beverly falling asleep with her head on Jean-Luc's shoulder. Jean-Luc's arm protectively around her, keeping her warm as the cold night air seeped into the cave.

The sudden banging coming from the wall of fallen rock pulled them from their sleep. As her eyes fluttered opened, she found herself still curled up next to Jean-Luc, her head on his chest and hand on his stomach. His arm had relaxed and had fallen to her waist, but he was still holding her tightly to him. They shared a quick look, neither seemingly wanting to pull away from the other, but the incessant pounding reminded them of where they were. Once fully back to their senses, they scrambled to their feet and rushed towards the sound, calling out to whomever was on the other side.

Finally, they were able to make out Will's voice. "Captain! Doctor! Are you in there?"

"Yes, and we're both fine. Happy to hear your voice, Number One."

"We'll have you out of there shortly, Sir. Communications are still down, so we have to dig you out the old-fashioned way."

As the conversation ended, she looked up at the man standing next to her. When their eyes met, another thrilling jolt of electricity rocketed throughout her body. It was obvious the air between them had changed overnight. The man she was looking at now meant much more to her than the man she beamed down to the planet with the morning before.

Oh boy was she in trouble.

You Shook Me All Night Long, written by Angus Young, Malcolm Youn and Brian Johnson, performed by AC/DC