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1000 Ships

Two

"The devil I know is starting to look awfully kind. But the new road is an old friend."

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Before he'd even become aware of it, Picard's life had settled into droll a routine. The new crew had demanded much of his attention. They were all fine officers, but they were young and unaccustomed to working with him or each other. Picard had come to take for granted the way his crew had functioned for the past decade, anticipating each other's needs and filling the gaps. The new senior staff had grown closer over the past months, but there was a stiffness in the way they related to their Captain that Picard found frustrating. They were eager – he was cautious. They were quick, and he circumspect. They were young. And Picard was, well, he was no longer young.

Though he had been mulling it over for some time, Jean-Luc Picard acknowledged to himself that he had made a decision. His time on the Enterprise was nearing an end. The Admiralty had been available to him for a while. Many back at Starfleet HQ had been encouraging him to advance, in their own tactful way. It was time to move on. He'd been offered an ambassadorship, but what really interested him was the Academy. He wondered if Jackie Brand would have him.

In that moment the room around Picard seemed to brighten. Suddenly the projects and problems waiting for him on the ship seemed trivial, easily surmounted. He summoned up an image of the vineyard and smiled at the thought of returning. Tending the vines, working the land. His mind betrayed him then, and Beverly crept in. It was insidious the way she appeared to him – he would read something and want to share it with her. He would enjoy a particular book and want to discuss it with her. He would remember a moment and want to reminisce with her. His missing her had not abated, simply shifted to a dull emptiness. He knew he would be near her again if he moved back to Earth, and try as he might he could not suppress the small amount of hope and joy that filled him at the prospect.

They had not spoken since her departure. In the end, the separation had been mutual – but Picard was beginning to wish he had been more persistent. Their last days together had been, on the surface, typical. But disappointment and tension had been a steady undercurrent. Ever since Picard's last encounter with Q, he and Beverly had been plagued by misunderstandings and miscues. His knowledge of the potential future between them had tainted his interactions with her. While he cherished the memory of their fleeting kiss in his ready room, she knew nothing of it. She had not felt what he had, not experienced the singular moment of bliss and peace the brief connection had engendered in him. All she knew was the story he told upon return, of their marriage and divorce. While he had tried to convince her that the timeline was not certain, it had only served to scare her further away from him. An invisible wall had shrouded her. When they met for breakfast, their conversations had been almost as always, but she was careful to steer him clear of any meaningful discussions, artfully leading him off course with leading questions and biting humor. Slowly she'd distanced herself from him, and each step backward had torn at his heart.

Now he would be living and working virtually next door to her. It was the right move for him professionally and personally. He was ready to leave his transient life in space, to search for roots and permanence on Earth, return to his homeland. Perhaps this was his last chance to build that real family he had come to yearn for. Picard was a man of action, and a man used to getting what he set out for. But Beverly Crusher was a volatile element. Would he be able to convince her that he could make her happy?

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Picard's shuttle cruised into the main bay at Starfleet HQ in San Francisco. It had taken him longer than he'd hoped to make arrangements to leave the Enterprise and begin at the Academy, almost a year. The change in command on the Enterprise had been a joyous event – he'd been truly elated to hand her over to her new Captain, one William T. Riker. It had required a bit of cajoling on his part to secure the spot for his former first officer, but he had been quite emphatic in his request.

The majority of the old crew had turned up for the ceremony, save Data and Doctor Crusher. She'd sent a vague message declining the invite. Uncharacteristically, Picard had pressed Deanna for details on Beverly, but she had little to offer. While she'd been in frequent touch with the Doctor, Beverly hadn't shared much beyond the ins and outs of her days with the Counselor. Troi insisted that Crusher seemed genuinely happy, and that had sated Picard a bit.

Still, it was with a turbulent stomach he disembarked the craft. Now Admiral Picard, he smiled to himself as young cadets snapped to attention and offered to assist him with his luggage. He accepted stiffly and strode toward the exit. He would go immediately to the vineyard, where he would settle in for a week or so before officially beginning his tenure at the Academy.

He made his way to the local transport station. Checking to ensure that all his possessions had survived the trip, he secured himself in the bustling shuttle and prepared for the short ride to LeBarre. As soon as he had settled in, he would contact Beverly.

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