Fade Into You

Her head was spinning. What was she doing?

Stealing a slight glance at the man standing next to her in the turbolift, she felt her stomach flutter in the anticipation of being alone with him. She knew this was a pivotal moment. She knew that, depending on what happened tonight, their lives could be forever changed.

Truth be told, she had missed Jean-Luc terribly the past month. As her relationship with Jack had continued to deteriorate, she found her thoughts wandering to Jean-Luc regularly. Did he miss her as well? Or had he been successful in repairing his relationship with his wife? It took all of her strength to stay away…and then tonight happened.

One look at him from across the room and she knew. Her heart had burst as their eyes locked. As they danced through the night every cell in her body knew she was where she truly wanted to be – in his arms. It felt like home.

Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath. Was she ready to do this?

Exiting on to the bridge, Beverly relaxed as she noticed the room was empty. She shot Jean-Luc a questioning look, then followed him into his ready room.

"Do I want to know why the bridge is empty?" She tried to use humor to cover the nervousness of her question. Would he really have dismissed everyone from the bridge to sneak her into his ready room?

He looked at her, eyes twinkling. "We're docked, remember? No need for a bridge crew at the moment."

"Ah, yes. Makes sense." She was nervous. More nervous than she ever remembered being before. Wrapping her arms around herself, she made her way across the room to stand behind his desk, looking out into the stars.

From behind her, she heard him open a cabinet, then chuckle lightly. "Do you think we can mix Saurian brandy with champagne?"

Staying rooted to her spot, she smiled softly. "Let's find out." She didn't say another word as he poured their drinks. The pop of the cork, the sound of liquid splashing into the glass…sounds that both excited her and made her instantly anxious. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly as she tried to center her thoughts.

Was she ready to do this?

She felt him near her before she heard him. Opening her eyes, she kept her gaze focused out the window as she heard him place the glasses on his desk. Taking note of his reflection in the window, she watched as he came up closely behind her, reaching up tentatively to slide his hands down the bare skin of her arms. Shuddering at the simple yet erotic touch, she finally allowed herself to relax.

He leaned in, breath hot against her ear as he whispered. "You look absolutely stunning tonight." He leisurely ran his hands back up her arms, then back down again. The warmth of his touch spread throughout her entire body, lighting every nerve on fire. Every cell in her body wanted to turn around and kiss him, yet something was holding her back.

Were they ready to do this?

His hands moved from her arms. Catching his eye in the reflection of the window, she watched his eyes darken as he ran a single finger achingly slowly down her spine. Another erotic touch that shot a jolt of excitement through her body. Heart beating incredibly fast, she peered over her shoulder and caught his eye. He leaned into her, resting his forehead lightly against her temple. He was so close she could feel his heart beating heavily against her back, matching the drumming in her own chest. Their breaths had become shallow, and the air around them was charged.

The moments felt like hours as they relished in being so intimate. Suddenly needing to see his face, she twisted around in his arms. His hands found her waist and he pulled her hips flush to his. Any question she may have had about his desire for her was gone in an instant as she felt his arousal against her body.

Looking up, she gazed into his eyes. Eyes that were now filled with a craving she had never seen before. Reaching up, she let her fingers trace the curves of his ear as her other hand rested over his heart.

Trailing his hands up her back, he moved his hand to caress her cheek. "Beverly." He whispered her name and she melted into the moment. She knew he was asking her permission to kiss her. She knew this was the point of no return. If she shook her head, he would let her go and they would go back to being friends…but if she nodded…

If she nodded, they would become much more.

Was she ready for this?

She nodded.

Looking at her with pure love shining in his eyes, he smiled and closed the distance between them.

His soft lips met hers in a searing kiss. A kiss that unexpectedly sent bolts of lightning through her veins and caused stars to burst behind her eyelids. Holding on tightly to the back of his neck, she pulled him towards her as their mouths opened to deepen their connection. Never in her life had she experienced a kiss like this. It was like two heavenly bodies crashing together, causing waves of intense energy to radiate into every corner of the universe.

After a few minutes, he broke the kiss resting his forehead against hers as they both swallowed hard and started to catch their breath as they leaned against the cool glass of the window for support.

"Oh wow." Was that her voice? I didn't sound like her voice.

"I've never…" His voice trailed off and she smiled knowing that his brain was working about as well as hers at the moment, which was essentially not at all.

She managed to nod, pushing him back slightly to look into his eyes. Smiling, she used her thumb to wipe smear of lipstick from his bottom lip. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Indeed." Returning her smile, he reached up to take her hand in his. Leaning in once again, he claimed her lips with his own in another burning kiss. Her hands moved to clutch his biceps as his made their way down her sides, resting on her hips. She felt his thumbs making lazy circles on her hip bones as he pulled her firmly against him.

Moaning into his mouth, she tore her lips from his. "Jean-Luc?"

"Hmmm?" He grunted a response as his lips found the tender flesh of her neck. Instinctively she tilted her head to give him better access. What was she going to tell him? She couldn't remember as she let herself fade into the sensation of his hot mouth on her skin. His hand pushing aside the thin strap of her dress as his lips made their way across her shoulder snapped her back into reality.

"Jean-Luc." Summoning all of the strength she had, she gently pushed him back. "We have to stop." She felt him curling his fingers into the fabric of her dress as she gave her a confused look. She smiled and slid her hands up his chest to the warmth of his neck. "What I mean is that if we don't stop now, I'm not going to be able to control myself."

Smirking, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"As much as at pains me to say it…yes." She pressed herself closer, not wanting him to think she was having second thoughts about their choices so far. "Once we…" Her voice trailed off as she grinned wickedly. "There isn't any turning back after that." She started playing with the short hair at the back of his head again as her expression became serious. "There are other people involved who are going to get hurt. I just want to take things slowly...make sure this is really what we want before we take the next step."

Nodding, he took a slight step back. "You're right. We need to do this the right way – we need to be sure." Turning, he took her hand in his and led her to the couch, grabbing their drinks along the way.

Settling into the cushion, she took a sip of the savory liquid. Feeling it burn a trail down her throat, she swallowed and turned to face him, curling her legs under her. "So, what do we do now?"

Shaking his head, her turned his body towards hers. They were a couple feet apart now, and she already missed the heat from his body burning into hers. "I have no idea. I've never been in this situation before." He smiled sadly at her as the husky sound of his voice elicited another wave of desire in her chest.

Licking her lips, she gently bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. It was her idea to take things slowly, she had to control her feelings. "I'm sure we'll figure it out." Was that her voice? It sounded an octave too low.

His eyes bore into hers, become dark with desire. And instantly it was back. The charge of energy that immediately radiated throughout the room whenever their eyes locked.

Placing her drink on the coffee table, she swiftly moved into him and kissed him quickly, yet passionately. Sitting back slightly she reached out to place her hand on his chest. "You know we're screwed, right?"

Laughing whole-heartedly, he nodded. "Utterly."

Fade Into You, written by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, performed by Mazzy Star