Chapter 6
Vicki Ann woke up and moaned. She had the biggest headache in the history of the world. "What the-?" she whispered to herself. A tiny memory floated to surface. Guinan telling her that the new waitress had screwed up and given them Saurian Brandy. "Oh, no." She glanced at the floor and saw her dress thrown in a heap in the corner, along with a tuxedo. "Oh, no." She rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping Julian Bashir. Vicki Ann covered her face with the blanket. "Oops."
Vicki Ann grabbed her robe and tiptoed into the living room. She sat down at her desk and turned on the viewer. "Dr. Troi to Dr. Crusher."
Beverly appeared on the screen. "Good morning. Vicki Ann." She noticed Vicki Ann's pained expression. "What's wrong?"
"There was a mix-up last night in Ten-Forward and Nikki gave us Saurian Brandy instead of synthehol. I don't remember much about last night, except the fact that I was really thirsty."
Beverly grimaced. "Get some rest. Doctor's orders."
Vicki Ann smiled slightly. "I was hoping you'd say that. Would you speak to the captain for me?"
"Sure. Hope you feel better. Crusher out"
"Not much chance of that happening." Vicki Ann went over to the couch and collapsed.
Julian Bashir awoke from a very interesting dream. He and Vicki Ann had gone to Ten-Forward and gotten very drunk. They'd come back to her quarters and ended up in bed together. He didn't need a psychiatrist to tell him what that dream meant. He had feelings for Vicki Ann. He rolled over in his bed and tried to go back to sleep, but something didn't seem right. He opened his eyes again. He gasped. In the corner, rolled up into a ball, were his clothes from the night before and a familiar red dress. He looked at the night stand. On it was a picture of Vicki Ann and Deanna. A command uniform was draped over a chair, ready to be worn. "Oh, no," Bashir whispered, knowing that to speak in a normal tone would make his head pound even more. But where was Vicki Ann? He got up and put on his pants and walked into the other room. Vicki Ann was asleep on the couch in her robe. Her desktop viewer was opened. She had obviously called in sick. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and covered her with it. Then he went back into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed.
Deanna and Riker walked down the corridor from Riker's quarters. They passed Vicki Ann's quarters. "Let's ask her to join us for breakfast," Deanna said.
Riker nodded and rang the bell.
Vicki Ann jerked awake. She'd fallen asleep on the couch. The doorbell was ringing. She'd better answer it before it woke up Julian. She bolted for the door and opened it. The doors opened revealing Deanna and Riker. "Hello," Vicki Ann said, smiling.
"Good morning," Deanna said, stepping in. "We thought maybe you'd like to join us for breakfast before we go on duty."
Vicki Ann glanced around nervously. "No, actually, I'm not feeling very well and Beverly ordered me to stay in bed."
"What's the matter?" Riker asked.
"Oh nothing. Just a headache," Vicki Ann replied.
"Well, if it's nothing, then why did Beverly order you to stay in bed?"
Vicki Ann shrugged and quickly glanced behind her. "I don't know. You know doctors."
Deanna looked at her sister. "What are you so nervous about?"
"Me? Nervous? I'm not nervous. What makes you think I'm nervous?" Vicki Ann replied.
"Well, you keep looking around and I sense it from you," Deanna told her.
Vicki Ann laughed nervously. "I think you are imagining things. If you don't mind, I'd really like to go to bed."
Riker sat down on the couch. "We're not leaving until you agree to go to breakfast with us."
"I really don't feel well. Maybe tomorrow. Now will you let me sleep?" Vicki Ann pleaded.
Riker noticed a black tuxedo coat draped over the back of the couch. "What's this?"
Vicki Ann looked even more nervous. "That's Julian's. He left it here last night."
"He came here last night?" Riker asked.
"After we went to Ten-Forward, he walked me home. Come on, I'm really tired."
"And why is that?" Riker asked, grinning.
"Because I don't feel well, okay?" she replied.
"Up late with Julian?" Riker asked.
Vicki Ann looked shocked. "I can't believe what you are insinuating."
"I'm not insinuating anything. But, if you think that, maybe it's true," Riker replied.
"Get out," Vicki Ann said, trying to push him off the couch. When he refused to move, Vicki Ann heaved heavy sigh and sat down on the couch and crossed her arms across her chest. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. That new bartender messed up last night and gave us Saurian Brandy instead of synthehol. I don't remember much, but I do remember being very thirsty and I think I remember kissing Julian. The next thing I knew, it was morning, our clothes were in a heap on the floor and Julian was lying in bed next to me."
"Well, if he was lying in bed next to you, I'll bet you did a lot more than kiss him," Riker replied, laughing.
Vicki Ann hit him with a pillow. "It's not funny."
Riker continued to laugh.
Vicki Ann replied, "Well, unlike some people this doesn't happen to me everyday!"
Riker was shocked. "There's no need for that."
"Now you know how it feels," Vicki Ann replied.
"I tried to warn you last night. And besides you know what they say, when the wine goes in, the truth comes out," Riker told her.
"Thanks a lot. Now will you two go?"
Deanna nodded. "Come on, Will."
Riker couldn't resist another joke. "Okay. We'll leave you alone with Julian."
Vicki Ann hit him on the arm. "Will you stop that? Now get out of here!"
He obeyed and followed Deanna.
As the doors hissed shut behind them, Vicki Ann leaned back against the couch and sighed. How did she, the sensible doctor, keep getting herself into these messes? She heard movement in the bedroom. Julian emerged, looking as ragged as she did. She smiled slightly. "Good morning."
"What's good about it? I've got a headache the size of the Milky Way," Julian replied. He joined her on the couch.
"Tell me about it," Vicki Ann replied.
"So, how much do you remember about last night?"
"Not much. I remember drinking a lot, I remember Guinan telling us about the Saurian Brandy, and I remember us kissing. The rest I figured out when I woke up this morning."
"It thought it was all a dream. Ten-Forward, getting drunk, coming back here. . . . ." Julian replied, his voice trailing off at the end.
"What should we do about what happened?" Vicki Ann asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we should just let things take their course. You know what they say, when the wine goes in, the truth comes out."
Vicki Ann held back a laugh. Then she grew serious. "What are you saying? That you have feelings for me and that's why you did what you did and not because you were drunk?"
"Maybe."
Another memory found its way out of Vicki Ann's subconscious and into her mind. Julian pushing hair away from her face and kissing her neck. She remembered smiling and rolling over toward him and kissing him passionately. She remembered feeling happy. She smiled at Julian. "Maybe we should let things take their course and maybe we shouldn't." She leaned forward and kissed him the way she had the night before.
Julian, surprised, pulled away from her and asked, "What are you doing?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Taking a risk." She kissed him and they fell back onto the couch. A few moments later, a navy blue robe was thrown into the corner, along with a pair of tuxedo trousers.
Riker and Deanna walked onto the bridge. They sat down at their posts and Picard turned to Deanna and asked, "Where's Vicki Ann?"
Deanna glanced at Riker. "Well, uh-she-uh. . . ." Deanna was interrupted by Picard's comm badge.
"Crusher to Picard."
Picard tapped his comm badge. "Yes, doctor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Vicki Ann isn't feeling very well. I ordered her to stay in bed for the day," Crusher replied.
"Is she all right?" Picard asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine as long as she gets some rest. Crusher out."
Picard looked at Deanna. "She's sick. Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know, sir."
Vicki Ann tied the belt of her robe. She went over to the replicator. "Raktajino."
"Make that two," a voice called from the bedroom as Vicki Ann carried the drink to the coffee table.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Please don't mention food, Vicki Ann."
Smiling, she replied, "Sorry."
Julian emerged from the bedroom in the tuxedo shirt and pants from the night before, except he didn't tuck the shirt in. As Vicki Ann got Julian's drink, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the side of her neck.
Laughing, she scolded him. "You're going to make me drop it."
"So?"
"So I don't want to spill raktajino all over my robe."
"Oh, poor baby."
"Shut up, Julian."
They walked over to the couch and sat down. Vicki Ann laid her head on Julian's shoulder. "What's going to happen when we take you back to the station?"
"You could come with me. I could always use another doctor." He thought about that. "No, I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't take you away from the Enterprise, away from the helm."
Vicki Ann looked up at him. "Oh, Julian, that's so sweet." She kissed him. "Well, we'll just have to try to arrange shore leave together. And if we can't then we can visit each other."
Julian sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's the only thing we can do. But what if it doesn't work?"
"There's an old Earth saying: We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. How about we do that?"
"That sounds good. That coffee helping any?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel better. How about you?"
Julian nodded. "Much better. What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be sick." She thought about it. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?"
"I mean let's not plan anything. Let's just do what we feel like doing. If we want to sit here and do absolutely nothing, fine. I wouldn't mind just lying here with you, just enjoying being with one another." She smiled at him. "Not that we can't do other things."
"That sounds good."
"Which?"
Julian grinned. "Both."
Riker and Deanna sat in Ten-Forward eating lunch. "Wonder how Vicki Ann is feeling?" Deanna commented.
"Probably spending 'quality' time with Julian," Riker replied.
"You're rotten. For all we know, they might not even be speaking to each other."
"I wouldn't count on it. Did you see the way they looked at each other last night? They looked like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
"They did not. And besides, who was acting like a lovesick teenager a few weeks ago?"
Riker shrugged. "Not willingly."
"What are you saying? That if it had been up to you, you wouldn't have acted like that and therefore probably hindering out chances of getting back together?"
Riker swallowed, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully. "No, not at all. I guess it wasn't that bad."
"That's good. So, do you like Julian?"
"I've met him before. He's . . . nice. It's just that this whole thing doesn't fit my impression of him."
"Well, this whole thing isn't like Vicki Ann either. She doesn't jump into bed every time she meets a member of the opposite sex like someone we know."
"Now, now. There's no need for that. What are they going to do when he goes back to the station? That is if they decide to pursue a relationship."
Deanna shook her head. "Tough decision, isn't it? Sound familiar?"
Riker nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I hope things work between them. I hate seeing Vicki Ann get hurt."
Riker nodded.
Deanna continued. "They are so cute together and they really do love each other and-." she stopped. "What was that?"
"What?"
"That emotion I just sensed from you that you desperately pushed away."
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Will." Deanna closed her eyes, reaching out for the emotion and tried to get in into her grasp. Once she had it, she opened her eyes. She looked at Riker, a look of disbelief on her face. " It was jealousy. You did love her, you liar. You let her convince you that you didn't so that the possibility of us getting back together was still open. You didn't want to commit to her because you were afraid of losing me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Vicki Ann! You put her through all that pain just so that you could be safe."
"Deanna, I didn't know. I didn't mean to-."
"You have to tell her."
"Why? All it will do is harm things with her and Julian."
"She has to know."
"No, she doesn't."
"Yes, she does. Will, if you don't tell her, things are over for us. Forever."
He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. Hell hath no fury like a sister of a woman scorned, Riker thought to himself. "Alright."
"Now go."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"But what about lunch?"
"Forget lunch. This is more important. Go."
Riker saluted her. "Yes, sir." And he trudged off as if he were going to a firing squad because that is exactly what Vicki Ann was going to do to him. Kill him.
Vicki Ann woke up and moaned. She had the biggest headache in the history of the world. "What the-?" she whispered to herself. A tiny memory floated to surface. Guinan telling her that the new waitress had screwed up and given them Saurian Brandy. "Oh, no." She glanced at the floor and saw her dress thrown in a heap in the corner, along with a tuxedo. "Oh, no." She rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping Julian Bashir. Vicki Ann covered her face with the blanket. "Oops."
Vicki Ann grabbed her robe and tiptoed into the living room. She sat down at her desk and turned on the viewer. "Dr. Troi to Dr. Crusher."
Beverly appeared on the screen. "Good morning. Vicki Ann." She noticed Vicki Ann's pained expression. "What's wrong?"
"There was a mix-up last night in Ten-Forward and Nikki gave us Saurian Brandy instead of synthehol. I don't remember much about last night, except the fact that I was really thirsty."
Beverly grimaced. "Get some rest. Doctor's orders."
Vicki Ann smiled slightly. "I was hoping you'd say that. Would you speak to the captain for me?"
"Sure. Hope you feel better. Crusher out"
"Not much chance of that happening." Vicki Ann went over to the couch and collapsed.
Julian Bashir awoke from a very interesting dream. He and Vicki Ann had gone to Ten-Forward and gotten very drunk. They'd come back to her quarters and ended up in bed together. He didn't need a psychiatrist to tell him what that dream meant. He had feelings for Vicki Ann. He rolled over in his bed and tried to go back to sleep, but something didn't seem right. He opened his eyes again. He gasped. In the corner, rolled up into a ball, were his clothes from the night before and a familiar red dress. He looked at the night stand. On it was a picture of Vicki Ann and Deanna. A command uniform was draped over a chair, ready to be worn. "Oh, no," Bashir whispered, knowing that to speak in a normal tone would make his head pound even more. But where was Vicki Ann? He got up and put on his pants and walked into the other room. Vicki Ann was asleep on the couch in her robe. Her desktop viewer was opened. She had obviously called in sick. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and covered her with it. Then he went back into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed.
Deanna and Riker walked down the corridor from Riker's quarters. They passed Vicki Ann's quarters. "Let's ask her to join us for breakfast," Deanna said.
Riker nodded and rang the bell.
Vicki Ann jerked awake. She'd fallen asleep on the couch. The doorbell was ringing. She'd better answer it before it woke up Julian. She bolted for the door and opened it. The doors opened revealing Deanna and Riker. "Hello," Vicki Ann said, smiling.
"Good morning," Deanna said, stepping in. "We thought maybe you'd like to join us for breakfast before we go on duty."
Vicki Ann glanced around nervously. "No, actually, I'm not feeling very well and Beverly ordered me to stay in bed."
"What's the matter?" Riker asked.
"Oh nothing. Just a headache," Vicki Ann replied.
"Well, if it's nothing, then why did Beverly order you to stay in bed?"
Vicki Ann shrugged and quickly glanced behind her. "I don't know. You know doctors."
Deanna looked at her sister. "What are you so nervous about?"
"Me? Nervous? I'm not nervous. What makes you think I'm nervous?" Vicki Ann replied.
"Well, you keep looking around and I sense it from you," Deanna told her.
Vicki Ann laughed nervously. "I think you are imagining things. If you don't mind, I'd really like to go to bed."
Riker sat down on the couch. "We're not leaving until you agree to go to breakfast with us."
"I really don't feel well. Maybe tomorrow. Now will you let me sleep?" Vicki Ann pleaded.
Riker noticed a black tuxedo coat draped over the back of the couch. "What's this?"
Vicki Ann looked even more nervous. "That's Julian's. He left it here last night."
"He came here last night?" Riker asked.
"After we went to Ten-Forward, he walked me home. Come on, I'm really tired."
"And why is that?" Riker asked, grinning.
"Because I don't feel well, okay?" she replied.
"Up late with Julian?" Riker asked.
Vicki Ann looked shocked. "I can't believe what you are insinuating."
"I'm not insinuating anything. But, if you think that, maybe it's true," Riker replied.
"Get out," Vicki Ann said, trying to push him off the couch. When he refused to move, Vicki Ann heaved heavy sigh and sat down on the couch and crossed her arms across her chest. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. That new bartender messed up last night and gave us Saurian Brandy instead of synthehol. I don't remember much, but I do remember being very thirsty and I think I remember kissing Julian. The next thing I knew, it was morning, our clothes were in a heap on the floor and Julian was lying in bed next to me."
"Well, if he was lying in bed next to you, I'll bet you did a lot more than kiss him," Riker replied, laughing.
Vicki Ann hit him with a pillow. "It's not funny."
Riker continued to laugh.
Vicki Ann replied, "Well, unlike some people this doesn't happen to me everyday!"
Riker was shocked. "There's no need for that."
"Now you know how it feels," Vicki Ann replied.
"I tried to warn you last night. And besides you know what they say, when the wine goes in, the truth comes out," Riker told her.
"Thanks a lot. Now will you two go?"
Deanna nodded. "Come on, Will."
Riker couldn't resist another joke. "Okay. We'll leave you alone with Julian."
Vicki Ann hit him on the arm. "Will you stop that? Now get out of here!"
He obeyed and followed Deanna.
As the doors hissed shut behind them, Vicki Ann leaned back against the couch and sighed. How did she, the sensible doctor, keep getting herself into these messes? She heard movement in the bedroom. Julian emerged, looking as ragged as she did. She smiled slightly. "Good morning."
"What's good about it? I've got a headache the size of the Milky Way," Julian replied. He joined her on the couch.
"Tell me about it," Vicki Ann replied.
"So, how much do you remember about last night?"
"Not much. I remember drinking a lot, I remember Guinan telling us about the Saurian Brandy, and I remember us kissing. The rest I figured out when I woke up this morning."
"It thought it was all a dream. Ten-Forward, getting drunk, coming back here. . . . ." Julian replied, his voice trailing off at the end.
"What should we do about what happened?" Vicki Ann asked.
"I don't know. Maybe we should just let things take their course. You know what they say, when the wine goes in, the truth comes out."
Vicki Ann held back a laugh. Then she grew serious. "What are you saying? That you have feelings for me and that's why you did what you did and not because you were drunk?"
"Maybe."
Another memory found its way out of Vicki Ann's subconscious and into her mind. Julian pushing hair away from her face and kissing her neck. She remembered smiling and rolling over toward him and kissing him passionately. She remembered feeling happy. She smiled at Julian. "Maybe we should let things take their course and maybe we shouldn't." She leaned forward and kissed him the way she had the night before.
Julian, surprised, pulled away from her and asked, "What are you doing?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Taking a risk." She kissed him and they fell back onto the couch. A few moments later, a navy blue robe was thrown into the corner, along with a pair of tuxedo trousers.
Riker and Deanna walked onto the bridge. They sat down at their posts and Picard turned to Deanna and asked, "Where's Vicki Ann?"
Deanna glanced at Riker. "Well, uh-she-uh. . . ." Deanna was interrupted by Picard's comm badge.
"Crusher to Picard."
Picard tapped his comm badge. "Yes, doctor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Vicki Ann isn't feeling very well. I ordered her to stay in bed for the day," Crusher replied.
"Is she all right?" Picard asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine as long as she gets some rest. Crusher out."
Picard looked at Deanna. "She's sick. Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know, sir."
Vicki Ann tied the belt of her robe. She went over to the replicator. "Raktajino."
"Make that two," a voice called from the bedroom as Vicki Ann carried the drink to the coffee table.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Please don't mention food, Vicki Ann."
Smiling, she replied, "Sorry."
Julian emerged from the bedroom in the tuxedo shirt and pants from the night before, except he didn't tuck the shirt in. As Vicki Ann got Julian's drink, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the side of her neck.
Laughing, she scolded him. "You're going to make me drop it."
"So?"
"So I don't want to spill raktajino all over my robe."
"Oh, poor baby."
"Shut up, Julian."
They walked over to the couch and sat down. Vicki Ann laid her head on Julian's shoulder. "What's going to happen when we take you back to the station?"
"You could come with me. I could always use another doctor." He thought about that. "No, I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't take you away from the Enterprise, away from the helm."
Vicki Ann looked up at him. "Oh, Julian, that's so sweet." She kissed him. "Well, we'll just have to try to arrange shore leave together. And if we can't then we can visit each other."
Julian sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's the only thing we can do. But what if it doesn't work?"
"There's an old Earth saying: We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. How about we do that?"
"That sounds good. That coffee helping any?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel better. How about you?"
Julian nodded. "Much better. What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be sick." She thought about it. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?"
"I mean let's not plan anything. Let's just do what we feel like doing. If we want to sit here and do absolutely nothing, fine. I wouldn't mind just lying here with you, just enjoying being with one another." She smiled at him. "Not that we can't do other things."
"That sounds good."
"Which?"
Julian grinned. "Both."
Riker and Deanna sat in Ten-Forward eating lunch. "Wonder how Vicki Ann is feeling?" Deanna commented.
"Probably spending 'quality' time with Julian," Riker replied.
"You're rotten. For all we know, they might not even be speaking to each other."
"I wouldn't count on it. Did you see the way they looked at each other last night? They looked like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
"They did not. And besides, who was acting like a lovesick teenager a few weeks ago?"
Riker shrugged. "Not willingly."
"What are you saying? That if it had been up to you, you wouldn't have acted like that and therefore probably hindering out chances of getting back together?"
Riker swallowed, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully. "No, not at all. I guess it wasn't that bad."
"That's good. So, do you like Julian?"
"I've met him before. He's . . . nice. It's just that this whole thing doesn't fit my impression of him."
"Well, this whole thing isn't like Vicki Ann either. She doesn't jump into bed every time she meets a member of the opposite sex like someone we know."
"Now, now. There's no need for that. What are they going to do when he goes back to the station? That is if they decide to pursue a relationship."
Deanna shook her head. "Tough decision, isn't it? Sound familiar?"
Riker nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I hope things work between them. I hate seeing Vicki Ann get hurt."
Riker nodded.
Deanna continued. "They are so cute together and they really do love each other and-." she stopped. "What was that?"
"What?"
"That emotion I just sensed from you that you desperately pushed away."
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Will." Deanna closed her eyes, reaching out for the emotion and tried to get in into her grasp. Once she had it, she opened her eyes. She looked at Riker, a look of disbelief on her face. " It was jealousy. You did love her, you liar. You let her convince you that you didn't so that the possibility of us getting back together was still open. You didn't want to commit to her because you were afraid of losing me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Vicki Ann! You put her through all that pain just so that you could be safe."
"Deanna, I didn't know. I didn't mean to-."
"You have to tell her."
"Why? All it will do is harm things with her and Julian."
"She has to know."
"No, she doesn't."
"Yes, she does. Will, if you don't tell her, things are over for us. Forever."
He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. Hell hath no fury like a sister of a woman scorned, Riker thought to himself. "Alright."
"Now go."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"But what about lunch?"
"Forget lunch. This is more important. Go."
Riker saluted her. "Yes, sir." And he trudged off as if he were going to a firing squad because that is exactly what Vicki Ann was going to do to him. Kill him.