Shortly after the shuttlecraft had dropped Beverly and Jean-Luc off at the port near their destination, the two officers found themselves sliding out of their respective roles and into that of two people on a vacation. Without the confines of being the captain, Jean-Luc allowed himself to walk a little closer to his companion as they headed for the lodging he had pre-arranged ahead of the shoreleave.
Beverly felt her hand brush against Picard's multiple times as they strolled together, and she definitely noticed the pleasant lack of distance between the two of them. She decided to cherish the closeness and bring it step forward by taking his hand in hers when she felt it brush against hers again. At the contact, Jean-Luc stiffened briefly, but then he responded by squeezing her hand and running his thumb along the back of it as their arms swung in unison, sending a small shiver down Beverly's back in response. He smiled gently at Beverly as they walked along, the smile increasing when she returned it with equal warmth.
The sun was shining brightly on the planet, and Jean-Luc appreciated how the light made Beverly's hair appear to be aglow, giving her an ethereal presence. Just for a moment, both Crusher and Picard allowed themselves to walk in companionable silence, the stress of their duties falling away with each step towards the cottage that awaited.
Turning down a gravel road that was lined by old, tall trees that led up to a small log cottage with a large front porch, Beverly said with a small gasp of appreciation, "Jean-Luc, it's beautiful."
"I hoped you would think so. I have to admit that I am looking forward to our time here."
"Anything in particular, Jean-Luc?" she asked with a smirk, letting him know that she was teasing him.
"Ah, well," he said with a small smile and a raised eyebrow in return, "I was particularly excited by the trails here. There are some great spots for bird watching."
"Of course," she replied, still sporting the teasing smile.
Dropping back into the companionable silence, Beverly released Picard's hand as they approached the door of their lodgings. Turning the doorknob and opening the front door, Beverly led them into the front room which contained a fireplace with an antique couch and a small dining table further into the room. She could also see the doors that led to the two bedrooms in the cottage, alongside the open wall into the small kitchen. The room had the same woodsy feeling that the planet supported, living up to its name of Silvestria Prime.
Setting her duffel down beside the couch, Beverly turned to Jean-Luc and said, "I'll take the first room, if you don't mind."
"No, that's quite alright. Would you like me to take your bag for you?"
"I think we both know I can handle myself, Jean-Luc, especially with a bag," she said with a raised eyebrow.
Seeing his flash of disappointment, she amended her statement. "But I'll allow it this time, thank you," she replied, deciding to allow for his traditionalism and his gesture of good faith for just a moment as they settled into their lodgings.
Picking up his companion's duffel, Jean-Luc walked into the room furthest from the kitchen. He placed the bag beside the small dresser and turned to find Beverly standing in the doorway to the room holding his bag.
"Turnabout is fair play Jean-Luc. You carry mine, I'll carry yours," she said.
Not willing to argue the matter anymore, even if playfully, Jean-Luc crinkled his eyes and sighed dramatically, "Of course. Carry on."
Feeling an odd, but quite pleasant, thrill at Jean-Luc's eagerness to participate in their shared teasing, Beverly backed out of her room and headed for Jean-Luc's. As she deposited his bag, she momentarily hoped that by the end of their stay, there wouldn't be any need for the separate rooms. That thought gave her a brief wave of anxious anticipation that trailed her as she turned out of the bedroom.
Once their duffels had been equitably placed in their respective rooms, Beverly came back into the front room and rubbed her palms together with a hint of impatience that covered her budding nervous energy.
"Well Jean-Luc, are you going to take me on this hike or will I be reduced to traversing the terrain with only my tricorder as a guide?" she asked with the sarcastic raise of an eyebrow.
"Certainly," he said, stretching an arm out in invitation, "the woods await, Doctor."
A couple of hours later, the pair found themselves nearing the peak of the mountain trail Jean-Luc had led them on. Very aware of Beverly's fear of heights, he had opted for the more densely forested trail that would allow them to hike a greater distance while also staying away from the edge where she would be able to see just how truly high in altitude they had come.
On their hike, Jean-Luc had proven to not be the navigator on land that he was in the stars, so Beverly's inclusion of her tricorder had been quite useful. Of course, she had teased him good-naturedly about his supposed "experience" as she directed him where to go. In truth though, Beverly was quite enjoying herself.
Seeing that there was a clearing up ahead in the flora-dense ground, Jean-Luc thought he would give them a break where they could rest in the shade from the heat of the sun. The momentary respite would give them a chance to talk and he was increasingly ready to discuss what he had been thinking about nearly nonstop since early in the morning. The practiced banter and ease of closeness he had shared with Beverly throughout the morning on the shuttle and on their way to the cottage had reinstated his confidence and made him hopeful for her own eagerness in starting a formal relationship.
Of course, there would be intricacies they would need to discuss, but the time in between the Kes-Prytt mission and today had seen their bond grow stronger in unexpected ways. His time-jumping experience with Q had allowed him to see where their being together as something other than friends could go.
Thanks to Q, he had seen that their marriage in the alternate timeline had ended in a divorce, though the reasons behind it were hidden behind the Irumodic Syndrome his future self had suffered. The kiss he had shared with Beverly in the erased present timeline had promised something greater, and though Beverly would never remember it, Jean-Luc knew that he would never forget it. He hoped with fervor that he wouldn't have to remember only that moment. Clearing his throat in an attempt to clear his mind, Jean-Luc glanced behind him to see Beverly's appreciative gaze as she found his eyes. Smiling back, he continued on, enjoying the silences they shared and reveled in just as much as their teasing.
Following Jean-Luc on the trail definitely had its benefits. Oh, Beverly was given the security of the everyday "outdoorsman" Jean-Luc thought himself to be, but she was far more appreciative of the constant and undisturbed view of his backside as they hiked upwards. Not for the first time that day, Beverly was grateful they were no longer mentally linked. Jean-Luc would have turned as red as his uniform back on the Enterprise at some of her thoughts. Chuckling to herself, she completed the last few strides required to catch up directly with Jean-Luc as he came to a stop in the small clearing.
Sitting down against a sprawling tree trunk next to Picard, Beverly took a generous drink of water from her canteen as she took in the sites around her. Looking over at the man next to her, she smiled and placed her right hand out, palm up, in invitation. Jean-Luc responded instantly with a soft smile and a threading of their fingers.
Leaning into the moment, and forcing down the rising anxiety in her chest, Beverly started, "Jean-Luc, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you."
At the sound of that all too familiar phrase, Picard felt his artificial heart speed up. He responded with a slight tilt of his head to indicate that she had his full and undivided attention. In fact, she had had that for the better part of twenty-five years, even if she had not always been at a point where she could, or would, reciprocate it beyond that of friendship.
"Jean-Luc," she began again with a slight catch in her voice, "remember that dinner after Kes-Prytt?"
"Of course," he replied hoarsely and he thought that he hadn't stopped thinking about that night in some capacity. He had regretted every moment that he hadn't followed her when she had left his quarters, in fact.
"That night, I told you that, perhaps, we should be scared about being more than friends, and to tell you the truth I still am," she said looking down at their joined hands. "But, I think that the greatest loss would be losing each other without ever seeing how far we could go, even if it meant that I could potentially lose another loved one. Because, Jean-Luc, as you have known since Kes-Prytt, and hopefully before that, I do love you. Very much. You are the person I can always rely on emotionally and personally. We know each other better than I sometimes care to admit. I may still be afraid of losing you one day, because realistically, in our line of work, it will happen to one of us - but in the meantime I am more than ready to share love and life with you, if you'll still have me."
Beverly lifted her watery blue eyes to Jean-Luc's equally emotional hazel gaze and at the relief and adoration she saw in it. The seconds of his answering the door early that morning felt like the highest warp they could reach in comparison to the moment before her. That dread however, was momentary as Jean-Luc moved his face closer to hers, and with his free hand, he cupped her cheek as he leaned forward to press his lips to hers in the way he had that night months earlier. This time, instead of pulling away, Beverly leaned into it and gently returned his kiss. She could taste the saltiness of his lips from the sheen sweat surrounding them both from a day spent hiking.
After a few long moments, Picard pulled a few centimeters away so that he could see her face once again.
"Beverly, there is nothing I would like more," he said in a low, choked voice before returning to her lips, this time turning the kiss a bit deeper when she lifted her own free hand to his chest in a caress.
After some time, they both had to come up for air, but neither wanted to be too far away. As they parted, Jean-Lus let his forehead rest against hers as he looked deep into her eyes. He reveled in the contentment he saw there, and for the first time since they had set out that afternoon, he was more than ready to return to the cottage. He also hoped that they would no longer see the need for the separate rooms.
Beverly did too.