Comment: Finally, it's Riker vs. Picard face to face, and it's not going to be nice. Although help may be arriving from unexpected quarters...
It's a long way from reading to enjoying; but enjoying and reviewing? That comes in the same package:)) Please tell me what you think!
Chapter 6: Up close and personal
He knew it was him the instant the chime sounded. Hell, he knew it even before that.
Jean-Luc Picard had been waiting for his first officer's steps on the corridor outside his quarters for the last four days: eating, reading reports, going through the latest publications in archaeology, sleeping, in the shower - going through all the motions. But always in tension, always straining to hear those steps.
Sometimes he would just sit on the couch, bolt upright, staring at the door, fists clenched... and after a while he would slowly unclench them, blink unbelievingly at the red marks his fingernails had dug on his palms. Those were the moments he took a deep breath and asked himself: what am I doing? Why am I doing it?
Of course, there was no satisfactory answer, so he decided then and there that this would end. First thing the next morning, he would ask Will into his ready room, find some excuse, that Marie had been ill, or that he had been preoccupied finishing a tough paper... oh no, of course I'm not upset with you, Will, I am so sorry I should have given you that impression... Beverly? what about her? No, I didn't hear anything... oh, is that so? Well, congratulations, I wish you luck, she certainly is a fine woman, did you know I actually was sort of interested in her myself, once? Yes, long ago, well, time flies when you're having fun, hm?
Then there was next morning, and Will standing on the bridge, looking at him with those sad eyes and a diminishing flicker of hope, wordlessly pleading with him 'please talk to me, please look at me, please...' And Jean-Luc greeted him with the briefest of nods and a 'good morning, report, Commander' that could have chilled the Antares Nebula to icicles, and disappeared into his ready room as soon as Will was finished.
And now Will was standing in front of his door. It had taken him longer than Jean-Luc had expected, but finally he had decided to put words to his plea. And Jean-Luc knew what the answer would be.
No.
"Come!"
"Am I disturbing you, Captain?"
"Not at all! Have a seat. What can I do for you, Will?"
This was certainly not what Will Riker had expected. He had come here straight from Ten Forward, guided by the strong feeling that he had to deal with the Captain before he tried to speak to Beverly about his feelings, about them.
Deal with him. What an ugly expression. Jean-Luc Picard was not someone to be "dealt" with. He was a wise, an enlightened man, someone Will Riker had always deeply admired and respected. Seeing him smile now, and point to an armchair for him to sit down, Will felt his anxiety seep away and hope flared up instantly out of nowhere. Maybe it had all just been a terrible misunderstanding, maybe this wasn't about him and Beverly at all and he had just been imagining things...
"Well, I was about to ask you the same thing, sir. We haven't had a chance to talk since we all came back from shore leave, and - well, you seemed a little tense these days, distracted, so I was wondering... is everything all right, Captain?"
"I wasn't aware you had acquired empathic abilities, Commander."
"Excuse me?"
Still the smile. Only now Will noticed the strained edges around the other man's mouth, and the coldness that had never left his eyes. The sharp pain returned. For a moment he considered just leaving without another word. There really wasn't much to say, was there? But no, he had come to sit this conversation out, he would play the useless game.
"Wouldn't it rather be the ship Counselor's duty to point out to the Captain any distracted or tense behavior she might consider a possible risk?"
"Of course, sir. I didn't mean to imply any improper behavior on your part, only that... well, you've been acting strangely, so... so distant and - well, I'm worried about you. On... on a personal level."
"On a personal level."
"Yes, sir."
"Will, let me assure you, there is nothing to be worried about. I have returned well rested from shore leave, the ship and crew are performing at peak efficiency. I hope you are likewise - refreshed?"
If he hadn't known his Captain so well, Will would have been led to believe that he was being deliberately cruel. But, as much as every one of those calculated stupidities hurt him, he knew it hurt the Captain twice as much to say them.
That was when Will decided to quit: two could play a game, but he was folding.
Will leaned forward in his seat. "Please, sir, we need to talk about this. I never meant to cause all this - confusion. I didn't think it would affect everyone so much. In fact, I didn't think at all, and I should have, I should have known the rumors and speculations it would start. I am very sorry, and I want you to know that Beverly and I-"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Commander."
Always the smile, now paper-thin, meaningless, hollow.
Riker's patience snapped. He jumped from the chair. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! Do you think I can't see it? Every time you look at me, you are thinking about me and Beverly, shut up for one night and one day in my quarters, and you are listening to every stupid little ensign who has something to say about just what we were doing in there, and you are believing it! I don't understand you, Captain! You used to trust me, we used to talk about things, even when we disagreed."
For the first time since Will had come through the door, the Captain showed a genuine reaction. He stood up to face Riker. The smile vanished from his face, he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes to slits.
"This is not a disagreement, Will. This is betrayal."
Will gasped and actually doubled over, incapable of speech. That word, "betrayal", had hit him like a mean punch in the stomach. He didn't see Picard's hand, hovering for a second in mid-air, as if to catch him in his fall.
A moment after, the Captain turned away from his First Officer, clearly indicating that there would be no further conversation on this subject - or any other.
Will straightened, and there was nothing but sadness in his voice when he spoke: "Well, maybe it is, sir. But are you sure about who is betraying who?"
Jean-Luc's head moved sharply to the side, but he didn't turn around. " Be careful, Commander. I didn't give you permission to speak freely. That will be all, Commander. You are dismissed."
Five steps away from the Captain's quarters, Will ran into Beverly. He didn't know where he was going, all he could do was listen to that word ring in his head, betrayal, betrayal, all he could see was those cold eyes and the back the Captain had turned on him. For a wild moment he thought "maybe it's an alien intruder, that's not the Captain, it can't be, it CAN'T", and he even felt relieved for a second.
"Will! Are you all right?"
"Oh! I - Beverly! I've been meaning to talk to you, I..."
"Yes, I know, I've been horrible to you, but - Listen, Will, you look awfully pale, are you feeling well? Maybe I should walk you straight to sickbay..."
"No, I'm fine, really. I just-" He took a deep sigh. "I just talked to the Captain."
"Oh. I see." When he was silent, she gently put a hand on his arm. "And?"
"And? And nothing, Beverly. It was like talking to a wall. 'I don't know what you mean' and 'I fell perfectly all right' and 'everything's swell', that's all I got. Only a wall wouldn't accuse me of betrayal, and he did."
"He did what?"
Will couldn't help but noticing that she did the same eye-narrowing trick as the Captain. Maybe she had picked it up from him. Or he from her. Anyway, she looked much nicer when she did it. Much, much nicer.
"He said that pursuing a relationship with you is akin to betrayal. Something along that line."
"I can't believe this!! Just who does he think he is? HE was the one who stood me up for Vash the cosmic bed-hopper! Oh no, he's going to hear me out on this RIGHT NOW!"
She was about to stomp away furiously, but Will caught her by the shoulders.
"Wait! Don't go now, not like this. Having a fight with him will only make things worse. Besides, what's the point? We don't even have a relationship, at least not the kind he thinks."
Beverly had calmed down outwardly, but Will knew her well enough to be wary of that certain sparkle in her eyes. With his hands still on her shoulders, they stood and looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth. And it wasn't a quick kiss either. After a long moment, she ended the kiss with as much determination as she had begun it.
"Well, now we have."
"Uh... now we have what?"
"The kind of relationship everybody thinks we have. Or at least we took a step in the right direction." She smiled sweetly. "Would it be all right for me to go and talk to Jean-Luc now?"
It's a long way from reading to enjoying; but enjoying and reviewing? That comes in the same package:)) Please tell me what you think!
Chapter 6: Up close and personal
He knew it was him the instant the chime sounded. Hell, he knew it even before that.
Jean-Luc Picard had been waiting for his first officer's steps on the corridor outside his quarters for the last four days: eating, reading reports, going through the latest publications in archaeology, sleeping, in the shower - going through all the motions. But always in tension, always straining to hear those steps.
Sometimes he would just sit on the couch, bolt upright, staring at the door, fists clenched... and after a while he would slowly unclench them, blink unbelievingly at the red marks his fingernails had dug on his palms. Those were the moments he took a deep breath and asked himself: what am I doing? Why am I doing it?
Of course, there was no satisfactory answer, so he decided then and there that this would end. First thing the next morning, he would ask Will into his ready room, find some excuse, that Marie had been ill, or that he had been preoccupied finishing a tough paper... oh no, of course I'm not upset with you, Will, I am so sorry I should have given you that impression... Beverly? what about her? No, I didn't hear anything... oh, is that so? Well, congratulations, I wish you luck, she certainly is a fine woman, did you know I actually was sort of interested in her myself, once? Yes, long ago, well, time flies when you're having fun, hm?
Then there was next morning, and Will standing on the bridge, looking at him with those sad eyes and a diminishing flicker of hope, wordlessly pleading with him 'please talk to me, please look at me, please...' And Jean-Luc greeted him with the briefest of nods and a 'good morning, report, Commander' that could have chilled the Antares Nebula to icicles, and disappeared into his ready room as soon as Will was finished.
And now Will was standing in front of his door. It had taken him longer than Jean-Luc had expected, but finally he had decided to put words to his plea. And Jean-Luc knew what the answer would be.
No.
"Come!"
"Am I disturbing you, Captain?"
"Not at all! Have a seat. What can I do for you, Will?"
This was certainly not what Will Riker had expected. He had come here straight from Ten Forward, guided by the strong feeling that he had to deal with the Captain before he tried to speak to Beverly about his feelings, about them.
Deal with him. What an ugly expression. Jean-Luc Picard was not someone to be "dealt" with. He was a wise, an enlightened man, someone Will Riker had always deeply admired and respected. Seeing him smile now, and point to an armchair for him to sit down, Will felt his anxiety seep away and hope flared up instantly out of nowhere. Maybe it had all just been a terrible misunderstanding, maybe this wasn't about him and Beverly at all and he had just been imagining things...
"Well, I was about to ask you the same thing, sir. We haven't had a chance to talk since we all came back from shore leave, and - well, you seemed a little tense these days, distracted, so I was wondering... is everything all right, Captain?"
"I wasn't aware you had acquired empathic abilities, Commander."
"Excuse me?"
Still the smile. Only now Will noticed the strained edges around the other man's mouth, and the coldness that had never left his eyes. The sharp pain returned. For a moment he considered just leaving without another word. There really wasn't much to say, was there? But no, he had come to sit this conversation out, he would play the useless game.
"Wouldn't it rather be the ship Counselor's duty to point out to the Captain any distracted or tense behavior she might consider a possible risk?"
"Of course, sir. I didn't mean to imply any improper behavior on your part, only that... well, you've been acting strangely, so... so distant and - well, I'm worried about you. On... on a personal level."
"On a personal level."
"Yes, sir."
"Will, let me assure you, there is nothing to be worried about. I have returned well rested from shore leave, the ship and crew are performing at peak efficiency. I hope you are likewise - refreshed?"
If he hadn't known his Captain so well, Will would have been led to believe that he was being deliberately cruel. But, as much as every one of those calculated stupidities hurt him, he knew it hurt the Captain twice as much to say them.
That was when Will decided to quit: two could play a game, but he was folding.
Will leaned forward in his seat. "Please, sir, we need to talk about this. I never meant to cause all this - confusion. I didn't think it would affect everyone so much. In fact, I didn't think at all, and I should have, I should have known the rumors and speculations it would start. I am very sorry, and I want you to know that Beverly and I-"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Commander."
Always the smile, now paper-thin, meaningless, hollow.
Riker's patience snapped. He jumped from the chair. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! Do you think I can't see it? Every time you look at me, you are thinking about me and Beverly, shut up for one night and one day in my quarters, and you are listening to every stupid little ensign who has something to say about just what we were doing in there, and you are believing it! I don't understand you, Captain! You used to trust me, we used to talk about things, even when we disagreed."
For the first time since Will had come through the door, the Captain showed a genuine reaction. He stood up to face Riker. The smile vanished from his face, he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes to slits.
"This is not a disagreement, Will. This is betrayal."
Will gasped and actually doubled over, incapable of speech. That word, "betrayal", had hit him like a mean punch in the stomach. He didn't see Picard's hand, hovering for a second in mid-air, as if to catch him in his fall.
A moment after, the Captain turned away from his First Officer, clearly indicating that there would be no further conversation on this subject - or any other.
Will straightened, and there was nothing but sadness in his voice when he spoke: "Well, maybe it is, sir. But are you sure about who is betraying who?"
Jean-Luc's head moved sharply to the side, but he didn't turn around. " Be careful, Commander. I didn't give you permission to speak freely. That will be all, Commander. You are dismissed."
Five steps away from the Captain's quarters, Will ran into Beverly. He didn't know where he was going, all he could do was listen to that word ring in his head, betrayal, betrayal, all he could see was those cold eyes and the back the Captain had turned on him. For a wild moment he thought "maybe it's an alien intruder, that's not the Captain, it can't be, it CAN'T", and he even felt relieved for a second.
"Will! Are you all right?"
"Oh! I - Beverly! I've been meaning to talk to you, I..."
"Yes, I know, I've been horrible to you, but - Listen, Will, you look awfully pale, are you feeling well? Maybe I should walk you straight to sickbay..."
"No, I'm fine, really. I just-" He took a deep sigh. "I just talked to the Captain."
"Oh. I see." When he was silent, she gently put a hand on his arm. "And?"
"And? And nothing, Beverly. It was like talking to a wall. 'I don't know what you mean' and 'I fell perfectly all right' and 'everything's swell', that's all I got. Only a wall wouldn't accuse me of betrayal, and he did."
"He did what?"
Will couldn't help but noticing that she did the same eye-narrowing trick as the Captain. Maybe she had picked it up from him. Or he from her. Anyway, she looked much nicer when she did it. Much, much nicer.
"He said that pursuing a relationship with you is akin to betrayal. Something along that line."
"I can't believe this!! Just who does he think he is? HE was the one who stood me up for Vash the cosmic bed-hopper! Oh no, he's going to hear me out on this RIGHT NOW!"
She was about to stomp away furiously, but Will caught her by the shoulders.
"Wait! Don't go now, not like this. Having a fight with him will only make things worse. Besides, what's the point? We don't even have a relationship, at least not the kind he thinks."
Beverly had calmed down outwardly, but Will knew her well enough to be wary of that certain sparkle in her eyes. With his hands still on her shoulders, they stood and looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth. And it wasn't a quick kiss either. After a long moment, she ended the kiss with as much determination as she had begun it.
"Well, now we have."
"Uh... now we have what?"
"The kind of relationship everybody thinks we have. Or at least we took a step in the right direction." She smiled sweetly. "Would it be all right for me to go and talk to Jean-Luc now?"