Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or it's characters.

Inspired by Philip Philips "Gone, Gone, Gone", TNG S5E26, S6E1, and Skillet's "Not Gonna Die".

2020 edit: I actually... didn't change this one. I fixed the spelling, some grammar, added a date... Other than that it is the same as last year. It works perfectly for the overall story I have planned.

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24rd century…

Even as she concentrated on adding just the right amount of spice to the glass, Guinan heard the door open and someone enter ten-forward. There weren't a lot of customers who came at this hour. Those who did were usually content to use the replicators.

"I'm afraid to interrupt."

Glancing up from her stirring, Guinan greeted her friend with a smile, "Captain... You didn't have to come all the way down here." She knew he'd have it no other way. She would extent the offer anyway. "I would have been more than happy to have come up to you."

"And miss all this?" Picard admires Guinan's many glasses full of various liquids. "I haven't seen such a complex operation since the Academy lab final in exo-chemistry."

"It's a Tzartak aperitif. It's very, very touchy. The trick is to change the evaporation point of the main ingredient. You want the temperature where the liquid goes to vapor to be a half a degree below the body temperature of the customer."

Guinan loved sharing her knowledge with others. To be the speaker for a change, and not always the listener. That was only one of the reasons her and the captain were such good friends.

"That way", she continued, "when the liquid touches the tongue, it evaporates, and the flavor is carried entirely by the vapor. A few molecules off, the vapor point crashes and poof- it's all gone. All of it."

Another reason she valued his friendship so much was how he could discern and pick out when her words had a different meaning. Over her many years, Guinan has learned how to advise and teach in such a way that got the other to reason for themselves how to proceed. Rarely has she needed to spell it out for them. Even rarer still for Picard.

Approaching the bar, he asked, "What is it you wanted to see me about?"

"I hear you're sending an away team down to the surface."

Today was one of those times. This was too important to beat around the bush.

"Uh-huh."

"Are you going?" She prodded.

"Well, now, this is rather unusual. For you to be curious about an away mission."

"Maybe it's an unusual away mission."

Just because she wasn't beating around the bush, didn't mean she had to give everything away.

Interested, the Captain says, "If you have something to say, I'm listening."

"Starfleet captains don't usually accompany away teams."

"It's general policy." He nods, unsure where Guinan was going with this.

Getting straight to the point she says, "This time you have to."

"Why?"

Staring him in the eye she stresses the importance of this action. If Captain Picard didn't go on this mission, there was no telling what would happen. And what wouldn't.

After the Captain left her company to join the away team, Guinan began the process of perfecting her Tzartak aperitif again. As she added a viscous blue liquid to a glass of green, she thought back to the early days. Back when he was still an acquaintance to her.

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Gripping the bench and mourning the loss of her favorite hat, Guinan turned to her driver, "Do you know how to drive this thing?"

"Ah, I would say yes. But given I've nearly driven us into a building twice now" ,he said, bringing the horses to a stop ,"I think we both know the answer to that."

...

Shaking her head fondly, Guinan raised the final product to her lips. If all went well, they would have many more happy memories to come.

She would treasure those memories long after he was gone.

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Later...

1800s…

"Nurse!"

Beverly Crusher turned to face the local doctor, discreetly hiding the tricorder in the folds of her apron.

"If you can handle things here, I've got a meeting with the board of patrons."

"I'll try to manage."

He nods, leaving her to her work. Once he's gone, Dr. Crusher joins her fellow crewmen, La Forge and Deanna Troi, by one of the many patients in the ward.

"There, by that bed, I can see an afterimage of triolic waves. They've been here recently." La Forge says, staring at the empty bed across the room. "I'd say within the last 24 hours."

"That's the bed where the man died last night." Crusher realizes.

Deanna points over to the patient they stand beside. "This man was complaining about a strange doctor and nurse who visited that patient. Perhaps they're still in the hospital."

With a look to each other, La Forge and Deanna leave to search for the culprits to the string of murders they had discovered taking place in this era.

Dr. Crusher stayed behind, taking a moment to ease a patient's cough.

Not long after the other two had left, a doctor with a snake head cane and a well-dressed nurse enters the room. When Crusher spots them she instantly realizes they're the ones they're after. She sends out a distress call on her comm badge before approaching the two aliens. Hopefully she can prevent another death by their hands.

"Do you need any help, doctor?" She picks up the clipboard of the patient they've stopped by. "Dr. Apollinaire felt he had entered the algid state. He was cyanotic, pulse unobservable." Lowering the clipboard, she notices the cane in the "doctor's" hand. "That's an interesting cane."

The aliens glance at each other consideringly. The male lifts the medical bag in Crusher's direction.

Realizing the threat for what it is, she backs up in fear.

Before anything can happen, Riker, La Forge, and Captain Picard rush into the room. They subdue the aliens, forcing them to retreat.

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Running out of the hospital, the time travelers scanned the streets for escape routes. Spotting a familiar face, Riker calls out. "Data!"

Commander Data pulls up to his friends in his borrowed carriage, ensuring they all got on safely.

"Boy, are we glad to see you." La Forge greets.

"I suggest we postpone greetings for another occasion." Data says, politely hurrying his friends along.

"Agreed. Get us out of here." Picard orders from in the carriage.

"Here they come!" La Forge shouts, hanging on from the back.

With that Data cracked the reins and the horses ran off down the street without further ado, quickly losing the police officers.

Halfway to the safe house Riker felt a weight on his shoulder.

"Captain!" Deanna shouts.

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Captain Picard whips around, his eyes flitting from tree to tree.

"Where am I?"

A sound, like someone sniffling, causes to turn around once more. Standing before him was a little girl with choppy black hair in a blue dress.

Not fooled by the child-like appearance, he snaps, "Who are you? Where am I? Why have you taken me?"

The child keeps her head down, her fists shaking at her sides. "You're ruining everything."

"Are you working with the Devidians?"

The girl doesn't answer. Her shaking does eventually lessen and she reaches a hand up to wipe away her tears.

She raises her head, her eyes hidden behind her uneven bangs. She tilts her head, staring thoughtfully at the captain.

"Well?" He prompts.

In response, she smiles sweetly.

And reaches for his hand.