**************
1000 Ships
Nine
"I saw you, and I knew chances just don't come 'round again, not like this."
**************
A warm breeze flitted past, lifting Beverly's hair and dancing it across her face. She raised a hand to push it back, and Picard lifted his own, tucking a strand behind her ear. As he did their fingers met, and again a powerful current moved between them.
"Beverly, I have been miserable without you." His eyes were lit with passion and sorrow. He would not give her an excuse to turn him down again. He set his open heart at her feet. It was already shattered beyond repair – there was little more she could do to hurt him now. But she was also the only one who could make it take flight again. Picard was an explorer and had made a life of venturing into the unknown. He took a deep breath in as he embarked on this next adventure.
"Jean-Luc." Her eyes searched his, and found everything she could have hoped for. Oddly, she had no urge to cry. She smiled widely. "Jean-Luc." She reached up and cupped his jaw in her hand. "I am so sorry." She had caused him so much suffering.
He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, brushing her knuckles with a kiss. Both shuddered at the gentle contact. "There is no need to apologize Beverly. All I ask is that we may simply move on from here, with open hearts."
There was no way of knowing what had done her in – the warm spring evening, his deep hazel eyes, or her own fragile resolve. She cried out softly as she leaned toward him, resting her head on his shoulder. His almost knees buckled as she did so. It was not so much a gesture of passion as of trust and absolution, an acknowledgment and resolution. There was no mistaking the passion in her touch, however, when she reached up with her mouth and captured his. There was no way to describe how he felt, the culmination of twenty some years of unrequited desire.
Their kiss deepened, and Picard felt himself losing control. His stomach jumped and his pulse raced. He could not help but utter a soft moan. This only compounded her passion, and she slipped her hands into his jacket, roughly running her them across his chest. He pulled her tighter into his embrace and dropped his hands to her waist.
For Picard time froze. He became unaware of his surroundings, and focused exclusively on the feel of her body against his, the touch of her lips on his. The way she smelled, the way her chest heaved against his. He brought his hands up to her neck and enmeshed his fingers in her silken hair.
Beverly was swept up in her own desire. She felt at his shirt and began unbuttoning the front, desperate to feel his skin. She succeeded momentarily, and thrilled as she ran her fingers over his chest and stomach, both hard but not unyielding. Still their kiss deepened more.
Her fingers against his skin brought Picard back to the present, and Crusher whimpered as he broke their embrace. He almost lost himself completely when he saw the look of unbridled lust in her eyes.
"Jean-Luc please." Her hands continued to roam over his body and he nearly cried out again.
"Beverly." His voice was thick and muffled with passion. He reached into his pocket and fumbled around until he finally grasped his comm.
"Admiral Picard to transport center 23. Two to beam directly to my home coordinates in LeBarre, France." The center took a moment to locate his records, and he and Beverly were already back in each other's arms by the time they felt the familiar blue tingle sweep over them.
When they rematerialized, they were a minute's walk away from his estate, on a moonlit path surrounded by grape vines. He took her hand and began to pull her toward the house. She stopped abruptly and pulled him back to her, devouring his mouth again. She pressed up against him and sighed, which elicited another groan from him. Slowly she began backing them into the vineyard.
"I'm not going to make it back to the house, Jean-Luc." She stepped back and turned, holding his hand and she moved among the thickening vines. They did not provide much cover, but in the soft moonlight they would do. She was a woman of passion, and now that the objective was clear, she would not wait another second.
"Beverly." Picard's tone was one of amazement. He had often dreamed about what it would be like to be with her, but never in his wildest imaginings did he envisage this explosive scenario. It excited him to the core.
Safely shrouded in the lush foliage, Beverly pulled him to the ground. Briefly, he appreciated all that was before him in this moment – the woman of his eternal dreams, his land, his life. Then he was transported to another world, one that consisted of Beverly Crusher, and where he was incapable of any coherent thought.
He remained that way until a beam of morning sun pierced through the rustling leaves and settled on his face. Holding her tightly to him, he looked over as the sun caressed her ivory skin and lit her hair on fire. He closed his eyes once more and laid back as a hint of a breeze flitted over him. He had done more than his share of traveling through time, but for the very first time, Jean-Luc Picard knew that he had found his own eternity.
1000 Ships
Nine
"I saw you, and I knew chances just don't come 'round again, not like this."
**************
A warm breeze flitted past, lifting Beverly's hair and dancing it across her face. She raised a hand to push it back, and Picard lifted his own, tucking a strand behind her ear. As he did their fingers met, and again a powerful current moved between them.
"Beverly, I have been miserable without you." His eyes were lit with passion and sorrow. He would not give her an excuse to turn him down again. He set his open heart at her feet. It was already shattered beyond repair – there was little more she could do to hurt him now. But she was also the only one who could make it take flight again. Picard was an explorer and had made a life of venturing into the unknown. He took a deep breath in as he embarked on this next adventure.
"Jean-Luc." Her eyes searched his, and found everything she could have hoped for. Oddly, she had no urge to cry. She smiled widely. "Jean-Luc." She reached up and cupped his jaw in her hand. "I am so sorry." She had caused him so much suffering.
He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, brushing her knuckles with a kiss. Both shuddered at the gentle contact. "There is no need to apologize Beverly. All I ask is that we may simply move on from here, with open hearts."
There was no way of knowing what had done her in – the warm spring evening, his deep hazel eyes, or her own fragile resolve. She cried out softly as she leaned toward him, resting her head on his shoulder. His almost knees buckled as she did so. It was not so much a gesture of passion as of trust and absolution, an acknowledgment and resolution. There was no mistaking the passion in her touch, however, when she reached up with her mouth and captured his. There was no way to describe how he felt, the culmination of twenty some years of unrequited desire.
Their kiss deepened, and Picard felt himself losing control. His stomach jumped and his pulse raced. He could not help but utter a soft moan. This only compounded her passion, and she slipped her hands into his jacket, roughly running her them across his chest. He pulled her tighter into his embrace and dropped his hands to her waist.
For Picard time froze. He became unaware of his surroundings, and focused exclusively on the feel of her body against his, the touch of her lips on his. The way she smelled, the way her chest heaved against his. He brought his hands up to her neck and enmeshed his fingers in her silken hair.
Beverly was swept up in her own desire. She felt at his shirt and began unbuttoning the front, desperate to feel his skin. She succeeded momentarily, and thrilled as she ran her fingers over his chest and stomach, both hard but not unyielding. Still their kiss deepened more.
Her fingers against his skin brought Picard back to the present, and Crusher whimpered as he broke their embrace. He almost lost himself completely when he saw the look of unbridled lust in her eyes.
"Jean-Luc please." Her hands continued to roam over his body and he nearly cried out again.
"Beverly." His voice was thick and muffled with passion. He reached into his pocket and fumbled around until he finally grasped his comm.
"Admiral Picard to transport center 23. Two to beam directly to my home coordinates in LeBarre, France." The center took a moment to locate his records, and he and Beverly were already back in each other's arms by the time they felt the familiar blue tingle sweep over them.
When they rematerialized, they were a minute's walk away from his estate, on a moonlit path surrounded by grape vines. He took her hand and began to pull her toward the house. She stopped abruptly and pulled him back to her, devouring his mouth again. She pressed up against him and sighed, which elicited another groan from him. Slowly she began backing them into the vineyard.
"I'm not going to make it back to the house, Jean-Luc." She stepped back and turned, holding his hand and she moved among the thickening vines. They did not provide much cover, but in the soft moonlight they would do. She was a woman of passion, and now that the objective was clear, she would not wait another second.
"Beverly." Picard's tone was one of amazement. He had often dreamed about what it would be like to be with her, but never in his wildest imaginings did he envisage this explosive scenario. It excited him to the core.
Safely shrouded in the lush foliage, Beverly pulled him to the ground. Briefly, he appreciated all that was before him in this moment – the woman of his eternal dreams, his land, his life. Then he was transported to another world, one that consisted of Beverly Crusher, and where he was incapable of any coherent thought.
He remained that way until a beam of morning sun pierced through the rustling leaves and settled on his face. Holding her tightly to him, he looked over as the sun caressed her ivory skin and lit her hair on fire. He closed his eyes once more and laid back as a hint of a breeze flitted over him. He had done more than his share of traveling through time, but for the very first time, Jean-Luc Picard knew that he had found his own eternity.
