"Come in," Beverly Crusher called as the door chimed. She set aside the book she had been studying from and smoothed her hair unconsciously. She wasn't expecting company, yet, somehow, instinctively, she knew who it was.
"Hello," he said without preamble. "May I sit down?"
"Of course," she said, her words feeling somehow forced and awkward as though they were meeting for the first time.
They stared at each other, as though they had suddenly become sparring partners and each was analyzing the other's ability. After a few minutes Beverly raised her eyebrows, and then said in a voice laden with expectation "Are you waiting for me to say something?"
"No. I just wanted to talk to you about what happened the other night."
"I know what happened Jean Luc. I was there, remember."
"Yes, I know, but it was a mistake. I didn't mean to let myself loose control. I had too much to drink, and I put your relationship with Jack in jeopardy, as well as my friendship with him. I'm sorry." He paused, his stomach in a knot.
"Jean Luc," Beverly said, "I was there. You were not drunk. You kissed me because you wanted to. It was your heart that inebriated your inhibitions, not alcohol." She didn't know how she knew this, but she did. She felt embarrassed now by the weight of the words and turned shyly away from him, her pale cheeks flushed.
Picard choose his next words carefully. The situation was difficult anyway, and tossing off rash comments might only serve to make it worse. "And what belied your inhibitions?"
"What do you mean," she asked as though galled by his statement. "Do you think I enjoyed what you did to me? Do you think I felt something for you? If you do, you've come off me a bit, Jean Luc. Jack is my husband, and your best friend. I think the greatest service you could do for him now is to end this conversation before it finds its way to places in which you don't want it to be. I love Jack, and I am him wife. There's nothing more to say."
Picard would have backed away, but something stopped him. A voice inside was begging him, pleading with him to push forward, to move on. He had to tell her. He knew he would not rest until his heart lay, open and bleeding, at her feet. He had tried to skirt the issue, but she had captured him in his own character. Now he felt there was no choice but to move forward and make his feelings known.
"I love you," he whispered. It was not so much a statement as it was a plead for a response. His gaze held her steady, and though he was afraid, he did not look away. Neither did she.
"Jean Luc, no," she said. Her voice was soft and breathy, as though she did not trust herself to speak. Something inside of her was pulling her to him. It was as though she were being forced to confront everything that was in her heart. She tried to turn away, but something would not let her. She wondered where these feelings had come from. She had never felt anything for Picard before, but now it was as though she were seeing him with different eyes, as though some part of her knew something she had never before been aware of.
He stepped around the table and knelt before her, his eyes leveling her. It was as though he could read into her very soul. She trembled, afraid of herself more than him.
Their eyes locked, and he leaned forward, kissing her nose, her eyebrows, and her neck before placing his lips upon hers. There was something about it that felt so right that she didn't even resist. It was as though she had found the meaning of her life in his kiss, something she had never felt with Jack. His gentle touch made sense out of chaos. It was as though they had shared a lifetime much longer than their own waiting for this moment. Beverly melted into his arms.
Which is when Jack Crusher walked into the room.
* * * * *
Q smirked, staring at the screen. "I considered stopping this," he told Wesley, "But I'm glad I waited. This is too good to miss. Ah, lower life at its best."
"What did you do," Wesley snarled. "How did you make them do this? My mother loved my father. How dare you force her to betray him like this."
"How dare I " said Q incredulously. This, my dear boy, was your doing. You picked the wrong focal point. With the feelings they had for each other implanted in their heads, what did you expect to happen? They can't help it." He smirked, his grin dripping with satire.
"But, I thought, my father.." he stammered, looking lost and alone.
"You thought wrong dear boy," said Q. "Just watch the wheels of fate work. It's fascinating, really. Some destinies will never be denied. No matter. I suppose we can let this play out, if not for entertainment, then to teach you a lesson in selfishness. You strayed from the objective, trying to fulfill your own wants and desires." he laughed, but it was not a pleasant sound. "Now watch as your reality turns inside out…"
Wesley looked on in horror.