Chapter 2

The Continuum-Infinity

Your continued interest in Humanity is no longer shared by the rest of the Continuum, Q.

So?

We question how the Q will benefit from the relationship you have established with the Picard entity.

It's not a relationship, said Q.

Nevertheless, your fixation resembles the human affection you have previously mocked.

Humanity will play a pivotal role in the future of the galaxy it inhabits and beyond. Am I the only Q who understands this fact?

You rely too much on your clairvoyant abilities, Q. Predicting the future is but one consideration when choosing to mentor an entire species, as you intend to do.

My intent is my own.

The long-term effects must be considered. The Continuum consists of far more than one Q.

I'm not the Q who started this study.

But you carry it on, even when the rest of us have come to realize the dangers. When Picard was a child, he brought more interest. His mind was open.

Picard will procreate eventually and then his offspring will be available for study.

Yes, but why Picard?

Why not?

Does your deceit know no bounds, Q? You are once again hiding your true intent. Careful that you do not forfeit your rights as a Q for your fixation on less developed species.

It would be too much to suggest that he was mortified; embarrassed, yes. Until now he'd never had any issues communicating with women he found attractive. But when you never expected to see someone again it was one thing. This was another. Beverly was attached to Jack, who was without question his best friend, and therefore, like it or not, he would see her again. He had very little control over what might happen next. He reminded himself that he had only met her twice and that she was not a member of his crew. Commanding starships was his life, and in just a few days when the ship was ready, he would return to that life and not look back. Most likely given Jack's track record, she would not be with him for too long. Any discomfort he had experienced in meeting the beautiful stranger would be fleeting.

Still, something was eating at him. This woman seemed different.

Now she had disappeared for the moment, which helped his confidence return. He roamed the party, running into a few people that he knew. However, Jack and Walker were nowhere to be found. Every time he thought of Jack, Beverly's image appeared in his mind. Annoyed, he gulped down several drinks. Around 10 pm when he was involved in a conversation with a woman he recognized but didn't really know, his communicator chirped. "Excuse me, uh..."

"Natalie," she responded, sounding insulted. He moved away so quickly, he didn't really notice.

He was wearing his civilian clothes and it took him a moment of searching his pockets to find it before he flipped it open. To his surprise, it was an encoded message. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, which was a bit blurry. Frowning, he tried to find a quiet spot to retrieve the message. There were none. He headed for the stairs, but when he reached the second floor he found it to be just as loud and packed with people.

"Where the hell does he find all of these people?" He muttered, heading for the stairs once more. His legs were wobbly. Too much alcohol and not enough food made him feel unsteady on his feet. When he reached the third floor, he had some trouble, as he always did, with Walker's old-style door handles. Smooth and round, he was never certain which way to turn it. Finally, he managed to maneuver the handle correctly and the door opened inward.

"For such a smart guy, I'm amazed that you always get thrown by that doorknob, Jean-Luc," came Walker's voice from inside the plush room. There was a small table adorned with an elegant tablecloth upon which sat food and drinks.

The only people in the room were Walker, Jack, and Beverly. Candles on the table made the lighting beautiful, and her eyes appeared a deeper color. He felt almost compelled to stop in his tracks when he saw her, but then remembered their secret pact, and he approached the table confidently. Jack and Beverly were holding hands, and they stood up together. Jean-Luc could not remember having seen Jack this happy, and yet a cloud of intense jealousy now filled his brain.

He stopped himself from turning and walking out of the room by putting on his most charming smile. "Hello..."

Jack's nervous giddiness was palpable. "Jean-Luc, I'd like you to meet Beverly Howard."

Still smiling, Jean-Luc extended his hand to her again, and this time her grip was more hurried, and she released his hand almost immediately. "It's a pleasure to meet you Beverly," he said.

"Thank you," she said, smiling back nervously at him. "It's so good to finally meet you. Jack's told me so much about your adventures together."

Picard raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Oh?"

Jack laughed. "Yeah, well...some of them, anyway."

Beverly squeezed Jack's arm. "Oh? What did you leave out?"

"Trust me, Bev, you don't want to know," Walker chimed in.

She shrugged easily. "Okay."

Jean-Luc sat down at the table and surveyed his surroundings. Crossing his arms he lounged back in his seat. "An encoded message, Walker...really? I'm afraid I didn't have the time to decipher whatever it is you sent me."

Walker looked at him innocently from across the table. "It was timed. I knew you weren't in an appropriate place, so...I'm sure if you look now, it will make more sense."

Jean-Luc cautiously flipped open his communicator again. On the small screen were the words "Happy Birthday".

"Happy birthday, my friend," said Walker now smiling widely. Jack and Beverly echoed his sentiments.

Jean-Luc sighed and pocketed the device again. "Thank you," he said simply.

"Captain Picard isn't big on birthdays, isn't that right, Jean-Luc?"

He shrugged. "I appreciate the effort, but my birthday was a few months ago." He glanced up as Walker pushed a glass of wine across the table to him.

"Ah, you can't get out of it that easy, Captain," laughed Jack.

"Actually I didn't really expect you to show up tonight, Jean-Luc," said Walker. "I mean, I hoped you would, but you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to my parties."

"Maybe the problem is, you have too many parties, Walker."

"That's one of his problems, that's for sure," added Jack. "But," he said, pulling Beverly onto his lap and gazing up at her. "Without Walker's constant parties we might never have met."

She leaned down to kiss Jack, and Jean-Luc quickly averted his gaze.

"Be honest. Have you ever seen a more beautiful woman?"

Jean-Luc knew the answer to Jack's challenge, but something kept him from involving himself in his friend's emotional display. He remained silent, but no one seemed to notice. Certainly not Jack and Beverly. He could feel the slow burn of jealousy invading his chest.

Walker leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up. He was eyeing Picard, who had fallen silent and was staring oddly down at the floor. "You know, I've known Bev for years now ever since she was just a girl. And Jack, you're lucky because I thought she wasn't going to make it that night."

Beverly laughed and traced her hand lovingly down the side of Jack's cheek.

She had been stationed at Starbase 4, an assignment that had recently ended. Walker had wanted her to meet one of his friends and had invited her. Well aware that he was trying to set her up, she didn't mind. There was no one, aside from her grandmother that she trusted more than Walker. "Well I had picked up an extra shift in the starbase hospital, forgetting that you were throwing something, Walker; by the time I remembered, it was late." She was glad she'd gone, because she had met Jack that night, and her life had been changed immediately for the better.

"Bev's notoriously late," Walker continued. "In fact, she was late tonight, and I thought maybe you two ran into each other downstairs."

Walker was now staring at Jean-Luc with a rare intensity. Jean-Luc wasn't interested in giving Walker any information. He distinctly recalled Walker telling him about a woman he had wanted him to meet about six months ago. He had no right to feel angry with Walker. It wasn't Walker's fault that he had deliberately missed the arranged meeting. Truthfully, he was angry at himself. But if he acknowledged that he felt like a fool, he might not make it through this little meeting in a respectable manner, so he kept his expression completely even.

Beverly leaned against Jack and gave Jean-Luc a slight smile. "No...I think I would have remembered him," she remarked.

His face flushed with warmth. He didn't know whether to be angry or amused. She's enjoying this little charade.

"So, you were serving in a hospital on Starbase 4. You're a physician, then?"

She smiled. "I am now. I was finishing my last internship at that posting."

He took a sip of his wine slowly. "Starbase 4 is on the border of the Kan sector. Did you see any of the fallout from the Galadian civil war?"

Her face grew immediately solemn. "Yes. I worked in triage, where I witnessed a lot of unnecessary death. The Galadians used chemical weapons on each other. It was horrible, and often there was nothing we could do to reverse the damage done."

He put down his glass. "Despite the difficulty of your assignment, you made a difference." He wasn't trying to be condescending. He was entirely aware that the Galadian civil war had ceased a few months ago, in part because the atrocities being carried out on civilians were exposed. Many of the wounded had been patched up by Starfleet doctors and had lived to tell their stories and had increased public opposition to the war. Now he knew that Beverly was one of those doctors and without even knowing her, it gave him a sense of pride to know that they were on the same side.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference," she said, sounding a little defensive.

"Of course," he said evenly.

Seeming to realize he didn't mean any harm, she gave him a slight professional nod, settling back in her chair. He tried not to stare at her, and instead finished his drink quickly.

"Don't mind Jean-Luc," said Jack. "He's got a phobia about doctors. Our CMO has to go hunting for him every time he's scheduled for a physical."

Beverly seemed slightly amused by that, but not surprised. "Oh?"

Picard shook his head. "That's not true. Not completely..."

"That's alright," said Beverly. "I've already been warned about Starship captains."

Walker snorted and reached over to clap Picard on the back.

Picard lifted his eyebrows. "Warned?"

She just smiled back mysteriously. "Not that I have any immediate plans to serve on a starship," she added.

"Ah. Well, I should be going. Beverly, it was wonderful to meet you. Jack, I'm very happy for you both," he managed. He certainly meant those words, but they sounded forced to his own ears.

"Wait, wait, where do you think you're going?" demanded Jack, scrambling to his feet. He began rummaging around behind him.

"I am instructing a class tomorrow morning," said Jean-Luc.

"Class? Likely story," said Walker, getting up as well. "Hold on, we've got something for you."

He struggled not to roll his eyes but stood patiently waiting.

Finally, Jack produced a dark blue garment. He walked around the table to face Jean-Luc, and handed the hastily folded garment to his friend.

"You guys didn't even bother to wrap his present?" Beverly was asking with mock surprise.

The room grew silent as Jean-Luc unfolded the coat. It had a strange feel under his fingertips, and now saw it was embellished with gold embroidery. The elbows of the coat were slightly worn, but aside from that, it was a thing of beauty. His breath caught with emotion. "What...what is it?"

"It's a naval captain's jacket from early 19th century France," Walker said. "We wanted to do something for you since there was never a formal ceremony for your promotion to captain-at least none that we were able to share with you." He walked over and he and Jack helped put the jacket on. "It's the real thing-been refurbished, of course, otherwise it would probably be falling apart."

Jean-Luc fought back the myriad of emotions he was now experiencing. He felt Beverly watching him, and didn't want to display a single shred of weakness, so he kept his eyes straight ahead while Jack and Walker pulled the jacket on. Walker stood back and looked at him, he glanced at Jack, who was nodding approvingly. "Looks great. Looks like you were born to wear this. How does it feel?"

Jean-Luc shrugged, as the jacket was a little tight around his shoulders, but closed nicely in front. "It's wonderful. I don't know what to say."

Jack poked him in the chest. "Just say thank you. No need for a speech." Jack winked at Beverly. "This guy knows how to give a speech."

"Thank you," said Jean-Luc.

Walker turned to Beverly. "He looks great, doesn't he?"

"Very handsome," she confirmed, looking on. Jack turned and walked back to her and leaned down, whispering something in her ear. She looked up at him, and they were again laughing quietly.

His brain foggy, and feeling he needed to make an exit, Jean-Luc tucked the antique captain's jacket under his arm. "Thank you for this amazing gift. I couldn't ask for better friends. Goodnight everyone."

11 AM the Next Day

Starfleet Academy

Picard waved the young man out of the way. "No, no, with your head tucked down, you won't have the right leverage."

He moved into position. "Watch how I keep my chest and head straight up," Picard said, crouching on a wrestling mat. Several students stood watching nearby in a semi-circle. "From this position, I've got both hands linked behind his knee, and if I push off the mat with my left foot, I can send him up and backward, like this," he demonstrated, lifting his opponent upward by his leg. The young man staggered backward on one leg. Picard let the student's leg go and the man regained his balance quickly returning to a grappling stance.

He took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his eyes. His heart was beating much too fast. He was in very good shape, and this had not been a heavy workout for him. "That'll be all for today," he said curtly.

"Sir, are you coming back tomorrow, or will you be shipping out?"

He nodded. "If you can all be here at 0600 let's fit one more lesson in before I leave."

"Thanks, sir."

"Dismissed."

He watched briefly as the cadets filed out of the gym. He grabbed his water bottle and drank it all. His head pounded, reminding him of his excess the night before. He was dehydrated and felt dizzy, so he leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. Closing his eyes he was greeted by an image he'd seen the night before while trying to defeat restlessness and fall asleep. Beverly.

His heart began to pound ferociously. The damned mechanical heart was destabilizing again. He'd been warned about this in his last physical, and the doctor had prescribed him something to regulate the heart's functions for the time being. The implant needs maintenance, Doctor Schreiber had said. He brought a hand up to his chest, and then reached into the pocket of his sweatpants. He quickly injected the hypo into the base of his neck, and he could feel his heart begin to level out. He felt better, and let the hypo clatter to the floor carelessly.

Another image of Beverly flashed through his mind. Something about her steady gaze last night had left him shaken. She had been able to lie a little too easily to Jack and Walker, but then, so had he. Their secret pact, at first seemingly innocent now weighed on him. He was now very anxious to ship out.

He wiped at his eyes angrily, and then tore off his sweat-soaked shirt and threw it at his feet. He turned back to the bench and picked up a fresh shirt. Still annoyed, he pulled it down over his head. He grabbed his duffel bag, but when he looked up at the doorway, she was standing there.

"What the hell?" he murmured.

Beverly Howard smiled and walked into the gym. A doctor's med kit was slung over her shoulder. "Hi," she said.

"Hello." He glanced at his sweaty shirt on the floor and suddenly felt cold. "How long have you been here?"

She hesitated. "I saw the last part of your instruction. I confess, when you said you were teaching a class this morning, I didn't expect this. Jack said you wrestled, but-"

"So you just came to watch me teach..."

She walked closer. "Not really. Jack suggested I surprise you with an offer to go to lunch. Sorry to surprise you, but I wanted to wait until you were facing me. Doesn't seem all that fair that I keep sneaking up behind you."

It's not fair at all. "Jack wants us to go to lunch?" He watched her quizzically.

"I told him I wanted to get to know you better, and he suggested lunch. He said you basically eat one meal a day." She bent down and picked up the hypo he had dropped to the floor. "What's this?"

He reached out to take it back, but she held it just out of his reach. "Nothing, please give it back."

She studied it with a trained eye and handed it back. "This has multiple doses, you shouldn't just toss it on the floor like that. Unless you want to break it."

He put it back in his pocket silently.

"You're not going to tell me what it's for, are you?"

"No."

"I'm a doctor, maybe I could help."

He forced a smile. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm fine. And...thank you also for your offer of lunch, but I am afraid I must decline."

"Why?"

He squinted at her. Was she serious? "I don't think it's a good idea...that is why."

"Because you asked me out last night, and now you're embarrassed?"

"If that is what you'd like to think-"

"It's the truth, isn't it? Your ego is hurt. It's okay to admit it."

"My ego is quite intact, thank you. I simply misjudged last night, that's all."

"I don't mind that you asked me out."

"Nevertheless, I regret it."

"Fair enough. But it doesn't mean that we can't be friends."

He merely looked at her.

She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor. "I think we need to clear the air."

"Beverly, we're leaving tomorrow-"

"That's why we need to clear the air. You and I both know that Walker wanted us to meet. He wanted to play matchmaker, and it didn't work out because Jack and I met first. And now I'm in love with Jack." The statement was so clear as it echoed through the empty gym.

He winced involuntarily. "Did Walker say something to you, last night?"

"He didn't have to. I tried to get him to confirm my suspicions last night, but he refused. Anyway, as soon as you told me your name downstairs at the party, it all became clear."

He didn't intend to ask her what had become clear, as every aspect of his personal relationships now seemed anything but clear.

"Jack and Walker want us to be friends, Jean-Luc. Can we at least try?"

"Of course," he allowed, pulling his duffel bag over his shoulder. He glanced at his communicator, which was beeping at him. It was a priority message, which meant that something significant had occurred. "Thank you for coming by to see me. Perhaps we should postpone our lunch, though. I need to attend a briefing on my next mission."

She smiled warmly. "Alright." She extended her hand, which he shook firmly. "Until next we meet, Captain."