Dvorovoi Part Six
By Karen Page
She decided to do some exploring herself and walked out of the sitting room into the kitchen. It was large, spacious and very modern. On the breakfast bar, there sat a computer.
She stared at it for a moment and then excitedly went to it. She had no intention of contacting the Enterprise, she wanted to do some more research and hopefully come up with more an idea of what exactly Devon was. He had unintentionally given her a few more insights.
She activated the terminal and came up short when the information displayed was in Spanish. It said in pretty colourful writing; Bienvenidos al planeta Belleza. Esperamos que disfruten de su estancia. Si necesitan cualquier cosa durante su estancia, no duden en contactar con nosotros. Si desean usar el idioma Estandar de la Federación, pulse el botón azul. She slammed her fist on the counter in anger and decided to come back to it after she had composed herself enough to think straight.
She glanced down at her uniform and decided a change of clothes and a shower was in order. She replicated some new clothes and went in search of the bedrooms and the en suite bathroom.
Jean-Luc, Deanna and Bailey had been travelling for nearly three hours mostly in silence. Jean-Luc and Deanna had discussed a few approaches in regards to the mission, but they had only been stalling for time whilst they waited for Bailey to come back from her room down the hall.
"Is she still upset?" Jean-Luc asked breaking the ten-minute silence as he sipped his earl grey.
"She is," Deanna replied. "But to be honest, I don't think there is any point in prolonging this. She'll be even more upset when we question her. The inhibiter I gave her is working at full capacity now."
"I just want to know what in the Universe she was playing at bringing that creature onto my ship!" Jean-Luc exclaimed putting his tea down rather harshly.
"I get the feeling Bailey didn't have any idea what Devon was planning," Deanna replied softly. "She feels betrayed. At the moment her whole world has come apart."
"We should have discussed this fully on the Enterprise then left her behind," Jean-Luc said. "She is only going to hinder our efforts to rescue Beverly. She is emotionally involved."
"Aren't you?" Deanna asked, her eyes burning into his until he looked away. Deanna decided to soften the blow. "We all care deeply for Beverly."
"She is emotionally involved with the perpetrator of the crime," Jean-Luc replied, trying to keep his cool. Deanna had just basically said that she knew he was in love with Beverly. But then again, why wouldn't Deanna know? She was after all an empath.
"When we talk to her," Deanna said nodding in agreement. "I will try to assess her devotion to Devon."
"I for one am not waiting any longer," Jean-Luc said sitting back in his chair. "Picard to Ensign Howard."
"Coming," Bailey replied knowing exactly what the Captain wanted. Bracing herself, she left the somewhat comfort of her room and went to face him.
Jean-Luc and Deanna sat at the conference table, both sipping tea and watching her every movement as she joined them at the table. She noticed that Deanna had a computer terminal in front of her. No doubt she would be logging every detail of the upcoming conversation into the computer.
To be truthful, Bailey was amazed that they had waited this long to talk to her about Devon in more detail.
"Right Bailey," Jean-Luc began. "I think you know why we have called you here."
Bailey nodded. "Yes sir," she replied dutifully.
"We want to know everything that you know about the creature named Devon," Jean-Luc explained. "We need every advantage here. No matter what cost, we need to get my CMO back. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," she replied. "I'll do my best."
"Yes you will," Jean-Luc assured her.
Bailey swallowed hard and glanced at Deanna, who gave her a brief reassuring smile to help her relax a little. Deanna must have been sensing her fear.
"What is Devon exactly?" Jean-Luc asked as Deanna tapped a few keys on the computer in front of her.
Bailey looked down at her entwined fingers before looking up at the Captain again. "I don't know," she replied hesitantly.
She swallowed hard as controlled anger flickered on Jean-Luc's face.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Jean-Luc snapped, glancing at Deanna.
"She's telling the truth Captain," Deanna interjected.
"Yes I am!" Bailey added.
"Why don't you tell us what you do know?" Deanna suggested.
Bailey waited for the Captain's nod before continuing. "After my parents died, I was sent to live with a friend of my mothers. She was a single mother of a girl a couple of years older than me. I was nine and she was eleven," Bailey recited. She made sure she had their full attentions before continuing.
"I didn't get along with Lesley, my foster sister. In fact she could be a right bitch when she wanted to be. She started being troublesome at school and then got even worse. She was hell at home and led a gang of school bullies. Elizabeth, my foster mum, was going through hell with her. It took a few months before she realised all the trouble started when I arrived. So basically I was told to keep myself to myself. I wasn't allowed to eat with them etcetera," Bailey pursed her lips, trying to hold back the feelings of hurt. "Anyway, this meant I spent a lot of time alone in my room. That's when Devon showed up," she added looking at them both in turn.
"When you were nine?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Yes," Bailey nodded. "Almost ten. I suppose looking back on it now, that I was vulnerable. He told me that he wanted to be my best friend. I know that seems silly now, that I would fall for that, but I was nine years old. Devon looked like a nine-year-old boy. We grew up together. I didn't have any friends at school, I was always on my own and to have the offer of constant companionship was too good to be true."
"He didn't…" Deanna's voice trailed off.
"He didn't touch me," Bailey said with a half smile. "Well not like that anyway. We kissed quite a bit when I was…" she thought about it for a while. "…Fifteen, maybe fourteen. But that was it."
"But you said something about merging," Jean-Luc interrupted.
"That happened later," she replied with a half smile that reminded Jean-Luc immediately of Beverly.
"How?" Jean-Luc asked seriously.
Bailey blushed a little and glanced at Deanna for help. Deanna looked down at her keyboard. "Well…" Bailey mumbled, "The usual way."
"The usual way?" Jean-Luc asked.
Bailey realised that Jean-Luc wanted it spelled out to him, so that no mistakes could be made. She could feel her cheeks burning and took a deep breath before continuing. "Devon could become corporal. It was as if he were a human male. He aged at the same time as I did. We are the same age. So it was just like… as if… like he was a human lover. Nothing was different."
"Oh," Jean-Luc said filling with dread. His mind immediately went to Beverly. She wasn't a child when she met Devon, and from what he was hearing he knew that Devon must have moved in on Beverly pretty quickly.
"Go on," Deanna said, trying to keep her own emotions in check and deal with the Captains. She knew that he was thinking exactly the same thing as she was.
Bailey frowned, "I've finished. We just stayed together and Devon went everywhere that I went. He came with me to Starfleet. He was always with me. When he speaks, no one else can hear him. When he becomes corporal, no one else can see him. They can bump into him though," she added with a grin. "He had to learn to dodge out of peoples paths."
"Anything?" Jean-Luc asked Deanna.
Deanna looked up from the screen. "The computer is analysing all the information for the nearest matches. I have asked it to search for any alien, entity or physical phenomenon. Hopefully it will come up with something we can use."
An idea suddenly came to Jean-Luc. "Did you ever do this Bailey?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Search the computer for Devon?" Bailey asked and Jean-Luc nodded. "Nope, it never occurred to me."
Jean-Luc rolled his eyes, she had replied a little more flippantly than he liked. "What else can you tell us about him?"
Bailey bit her bottom lip gently. "What else do you want to know?" she asked after thinking for a while and coming up with nothing.
"How to get rid of him for a start," Jean-Luc replied icily.
Bailey bristled at Jean-Luc's attitude, but caught a warning glare from Deanna and swallowed her acerbic remark before she had uttered it. "I don't know," she replied. "I have never needed to before. Usually when he pissed me off, I'd tell him to leave me alone and he did."
Deanna's eyes widened at the curse words escaping from this seemingly innocent looking young lady. "But he always came back?" Deanna asked, trying to ignore the Captain's anger. He was seething. It seemed that Bailey knew, just like Beverly did, how to wind him up.
"Yeah always," Bailey replied, softening a little. Deanna had a way of calming her down somehow. She didn't know whether Deanna was using her empathy on her again.
"Oh!" Bailey said suddenly remembering something. "This past week, Devon was hardly ever there, especially in the night. He said he had a hobby or something. We argued about it," she looked at the Captain. "You caught me arguing with him. Do you remember?"
"Yes I remember," he replied.
Deanna was patiently looking at the computer terminal waiting for the search results when she felt Bailey's sudden change of emotion. Bailey went from being angry and hurt at the way Jean-Luc was acting as if what was happening to Beverly was all her fault, to sadness and regret in one foul swoop.
"What is it?" Deanna asked, looking up to find that Bailey had lowered her head.
Bailey looked up, fresh tears were spilling out of her violet eyes. "I can't believe I've been so stupid," Bailey muttered, trying to control her emotions. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
It was heart wrenching to watch and Deanna climbed to her feet and pulled Bailey into her arms. "You weren't to know Bailey," Deanna cooed.
The scene in front of the usually stoic Captain was beginning to tug at his heartstrings. It was only then, that he truly believed and realised that Bailey had been tricked by a very clever and conniving entity. Devon had used and abused her since she was a child. He had used her fragility and vulnerability and innocence as a small-orphaned girl against her.
"Bailey," he said softly.
Bailey opened her eyes and peered at him through her tears. "I'm sorry Captain," she said in a syrupy whisper.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he replied and gave her a tender warm smile. "It's me who should apologise. I haven't been in the best mood with you."
"You're forgiven," she replied with a small half hearted smile.
Deanna had to suppress a giggle at Bailey's cheek. She was about to add something to the conversation, when the computer signalled that it had finally finished its search and that the results were ready for viewing.
She let go of Bailey and touched her cheek tenderly before rounding the table and returning to her chair in front of the computer.
"Okay," Deanna said making herself comfortable. "Lets see what we have."
Jean-Luc and Bailey waited patiently for Deanna to delete the entries that were of no use and to find one that was the nearest match. She read a few entries aloud, but Bailey dismissed them. It wasn't until she has gone into a subfolder of demons, spirits and ghosts that they found what they were looking for.
There were several descriptions that matched Devon's in some areas but not in others. Jean-Luc and Bailey both moved their chairs so that they could see the screen as well.
They scrolled through the demons and through the ghosts and finally came to spirits. It was here that they found the first mention of the Dvorovoi. Deanna read the brief information out loud to make it easier on the others leaning over her shoulders trying to see.
"Dvorovoi," she read. "Slavic household spirits of male sex who copulate with the female members of the family to which they have attached themselves. Dvorovoi are extremely jealous and may strangle a human mistress if she proves unfaithful."
Bailey sat back in her chair. "Devon tried to strangle me this morning," she said in a scared voice.
Jean-Luc and Deanna both turned to face her. "This is it?" Deanna asked hopefully.
Bailey pulled the zip down on the back of her uniform to show them the red strangulation marks left on her neck from Devon's attack on her that morning.
"And he strangled Jamie Peitx," Jean-Luc added.
"I'll get some more information on the Dvorovoi," Deanna said turning back to the screen. "Hopefully it will tell us how to… exorcise him."
It took a few seconds for some more information to appear. Deanna again read it out loud. "Male yard spirits from "dvor" - yard. Like the domovoi, he usually resembles the male head of household and has preferences as to the colour of pets and livestock. He is usually malicious and sometimes, but not often, deadly. He is appeased by placing a shiny object, slice of bread and piece of sheep's wool in the stables while saying "Master Dvorovik, I offer you this gift in gratitude. Please look after the cattle and feed them well." If he is completely out of control he is punished in the following way: The head of household wove a three-tailed whip from a corpse's shroud, dipped it in wax, ignited it and whipped all corners of the cattle shed and manger, hoping to beat the spirit into submission." She finished and turned to look at the others frowning.
"He's a farm spirit?" Jean-Luc said in disbelief. "That doesn't sound right."
"This reference is very old," Deanna said. "It's a Russian folk tale."
Bailey, who up to this point had sat in relative silence, spoke up. "Do you think, that with all these centuries passing, that Devon, or the Dvorovoi has somehow evolved?"
Jean-Luc nodded his head in agreement. "I think you must be right Bailey," he said slowly. "The other reference to the Dvorovoi was much more modern."
"Um…" Bailey mumbled. "Where I was living, back on Earth, with my parents, used to be a farm. My mother converted the old farmhouse and the barn into the surgery. She was a Doctor." Suddenly the colour drained from Bailey's face.
"What is it?" Deanna asked urgently.
Bailey took a deep shuddering breath and jumped to her feet, tears of anger and frustration streaming down her cheeks. "My mum was strangled!" she cried suddenly making both Deanna and Jean-Luc jump at the intensity of her outburst. "She had been alone with me for five years before my dad came back from his deep space mission! My dad must have made love to my mum and Devon strangled her because she proved unfaithful!"
In a fit of total fury and rage, Bailey threw her chair across the room. Jean-Luc and Deanna both had to hold her to stop her from doing any more damage.
It took Deanna and Jean-Luc over an hour to calm her down; eventually they both thought it would be best for her to go to her room and try and sleep. They could both tell she was exhausted and it was now almost two in the morning.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," Bailey mumbled before she walked soberly down the corridor to her room.
After she left, Deanna went back immediately to the computer and Jean-Luc sat beside her.
"I have found some more," Deanna said running a hand through her thick black hair.
"Only read out the parts that are relevant," Jean-Luc replied.
"Okay…" Deanna agreed distantly. "Right, I have searched for anything relevant to the merging or host choosing."
"Do you think the Dvorovoi's perchance for picking pets and livestock's colour may have something to do with Beverly and Bailey's red hair colour?" Jean-Luc asked.
"I was thinking the same myself," Deanna said looking back at him. "Devon may be treating them the same way as the ancient Dvorovoi cared for the animals on the farm. Sort of a mix between the copulation with the female species of the household and the animals."
"I agree," Jean-Luc said. "Which at least is a good thing."
"What makes you say that?" Deanna asked in surprise.
"Well he took care of the animals," Jean-Luc replied. "He wouldn't let them be harmed in anyway."
'I hope you right,' Deanna thought as she nodded and looked back at the screen. "Right here we go," she said, sitting up straighter in her chair. "In regards to hosting it says; The Dvorovoi are very precise when it comes to choosing a host. They usually prefer a female with their favourite hair colour between the ages of thirty and sixty-five," Deanna read, she glanced at the Captain at her side. "Which is why he probably left Bailey and went after Beverly."
"Agreed," Jean-Luc nodded.
"Dvorovoi have been known to switch hosts, before their current host has died. This usually occurs when the Dvorovoi has been existing within a host that is either too old or too young." Deanna read on. "If the Dvorovoi's current host dies, or is strangled for being unfaithful, the Dvorovoi can lay dormant within a family member for up to ten months during which time the Dvorovoi gets used to his host. After this period of lying dormant, the Dvorovoi must proceed and initiate the hosting. This is achieved by copulating with the host. After the hosting is complete, the host is compliant and welcomes the Dvorovoi into her life."
"In some rare cases," Deanna went on, "The Dvorovoi have been known to use children as their hosts as a last resort. This usually occurs when the only female left in the household is a child. The Dvorovoi befriends the vulnerable child and has often been mistaken for a common childhood trait, the imaginary friend. The Dvorovoi must initiate the hosting as soon as the host reaches the age of sixteen. The Dvorovoi often acts as a best friend, then boyfriend as the child nears the age of consent."
"That explains what happened to Bailey," Jean-Luc said slowly. "It does look as though she was right in regards to her mother. Devon had no other place to go after murdering her mother."
"Devon was just biding his time inside Bailey," Deanna said nodding at Jean-Luc.
"Where did Devon come from?" Jean-Luc asked.
"We need to do some research into Bailey's family to find that out," Deanna replied. "But if Bailey's father was only away for five years, that's the longest that Devon could have been with her."
"Agreed," Jean-Luc replied. "Someone else in their family may have been the host."
"Her grandmother?" Deanna wondered out loud.
"Her grandmother died before her parent's did," Jean-Luc said nodding. "That's a possibility. Have you found anything pertaining to this?" Jean-Luc asked.
"One moment," Deanna said taping in a few commands. "Okay, there's not much. The Dvorovoi usually pass from female to female in the family, dating back across the centuries. In some cases, the Dvorovoi can be summoned by a spell and may only last for a short time," she glanced at the Captain. "They even give the spell here," she said before continuing to read. "They complete the task they have been summoned for and simply disappear afterwards. In this case, the Dvorovoi does not require a host and therefore does not take one. The Dvorovoi is closely related to the Dimorovoi. This spirit lives inside the house but does not harm or even show himself to the household.
"If the Dvorovoi is present for considerable lengths of time and has not been passed down through the generations of the household, then several cases have been known where the Dvorovoi has been summoned either accidentally or purposely. It typical cases, the first host of the Dvorovoi uses the ouija board and accidentally brings the Dvorovoi into existence."
"Perhaps somebody in Bailey's family once played about with an ouija board?" Deanna suggested.
"It is a possibility," Jean-Luc agreed. "It doesn't by any chance tell us how to exorcise the Dvorovoi?"
"No," Deanna sighed. "But it does give a list of contacts who may know some more than what's we have already found out. I'll send them all a letter. Hopefully someone will know how to help us."
Jean-Luc sat back in his chair and stretched the muscles in his back. "We should be arriving at Belleza tomorrow evening at about nineteen hundred hours. I intend to do my best to have a plan of action ready to set in motion."
"I better contact Belleza and find the address of the Villa where Beverly is staying," Deanna said turning back to the computer. "And find somewhere where we can land the Yacht. It's a lot bigger than a shuttlecraft."
Jean-Luc nodded and went to the pilot's chair to check on their course and destination.
"I found her villa," Deanna called moments later. "It's on the south coast of a country called Barcelona, right on the bay. It looks beautiful and is extremely isolated. I have also been informed that there is a large plateau in the mountain just above the villa itself. We can land the Yacht there."
"Good work Counsellor," Jean-Luc said with a smile.
"All we have to do now it wait for the replies to the letters I sent out about the Dvorovoi," Deanna added slumping down in the chair beside him.
"Well Deanna," Jean-Luc said turning to the Counsellor. "You look exhausted, especially after your trip back from the conference. I suggest you make use of the bedrooms."
"I think I will," Deanna said climbing slowly to her feet. "See you in the morning."
Beverly had taken her shower, and utterly exhausted she had laid down on the large oval bed in the master bedroom and fallen asleep.
That was where Devon found her when he arrived back from his exploring a few hours later. He stood in the doorway for a moment gazing upon her beauty. She was wearing a pair of pyjamas buttoned right up to her neck, and Devon knew it was because she was afraid of him.
Devon didn't want Beverly to be afraid of him; he wanted her to feel safe, as safe as he could keep her. He was capable of great feats and would do anything in his power to protect her from any danger. All she had to do in return was love him and keep him a secret. After he had successfully switched hosts, he would have to deal with Bailey. This would mean he would have to "snuff" her out. It was something he disliked to do, but it was nonetheless something that he had to do. He had never been totally compatible with her anyway because she wasn't a pure blood. She had alien DNA, something that caused him pain and discomfort everyday. The death of Bailey's foster parent and sister was another one of the "snuffs" that he considered a necessity. Finding out that Bailey actually had a living relative, was the greatest news this Dvorovoi had ever heard. He had planned everything, even getting Bailey expelled from the academy. He had done all of this for the woman lying on the bed in front of him.
He approached her slowly and lay down behind her, pulling her close to him. Beverly opened her eyes as Devon pulled her close to him. Her mouth went dry and she licked at her dry lips.
"Are you awake?" Devon whispered softly in her ear.
She didn't answer and instead burst into tears. "I can't take this," she sobbed. "I don't know what to do…"
"Come on," Devon said, thinking that a new tactic and a better location might be in order. A bed seemed to suggest things. He had no intention of forcing her into doing something she didn't want to do whilst they were here and away from prying eyes. As far as Devon was concerned, now he had all the time in the world to complete the merging.
He held his hand out to her after climbing off the bed. "We need to talk," he added.
Beverly didn't take his hand, but did get up and follow him down the stairs and out onto the balcony. It was beautiful outside, in the distance just above the sea on the horizon; the golden suns of Belleza were gradually rising to bring the world daylight.
They stood in silence for the moment, marvelling at the paradise they were surrounded by. Beverly's hair gently swayed around her face in the breeze and Devon watched her as she leant on the railing quietly crying into the early morning darkness.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Devon said softly.
Beverly glanced at him briefly; he stood next to her on her left leaning on the railing. "I find that hard to believe," she replied.
"I'm sorry for everything I have done," he replied. "I was desperate."
"You are a murderer!" Beverly exclaimed. "You murdered Jamie Peitx!"
"I didn't," he replied. "Bailey did it."
Beverly looked him right in the eye. "Bailey did not do it," she said between clenched teeth.
"She did," he lied. Not having a conscious, it was easy for him to not allow the outright lie to register on his face.
Beverly didn't question him further about Jamie's death. She wasn't convinced and only knew that she believed Bailey was innocent. "Why me?" she asked. "Why did you leave Bailey?"
Devon took a deep breath. "Beverly," he said. "Believe me when I tell you that you are special. You took my breath away when I first saw you."
Beverly rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that!" she snapped.
"You are fiery aren't you," he chuckled. "You don't know anything about me. Well not enough to judge me so harshly."
"Obviously where you come from, violating someone isn't such a big deal," Beverly snapped. "You make my skin crawl!"
"Listen to me for a moment," he replied. "I had to do that, you would never have been able to see me if I hadn't."
"I don't want to see you!" Beverly yelled.
"Calm down," he said moving to stand behind her.
As soon as his fingers touched her as he wound his arms around her from behind, Beverly shuddered. The attraction between them was electric. Her pulse rate quickened and she swallowed hard.
Devon grinned with satisfaction; the last time they had made love had obviously worked a lot better than he thought it had. Devon had the power to appear in the corporal form of Beverly's dream man. Although Beverly would never have admitted it, Devon turned her on.
"I only want to protect you," he whispered softly, his lips on her sensitive ear. "I will protect you from harm and keep you safe. You never ever have to been alone again. There will be no more crying yourself to sleep at night because you're lonely."
"I don't," she protested weakly, she was shaking with the intensity of his touch. Something inside was warning her that something here was very wrong.
"Yes you do," he whispered back. "I've seen you do it. I'm not going to interfere with your career. I'll go wherever you want me to go. We can go back to the Enterprise. You'll be able to be the Chief Medical Officer. You can go to breakfast with the Captain. You can even go out to functions and dances with him. Nothing will change; except for the fact you'll no longer come home to an empty room. I will be there waiting for you. I'll do anything for you."
Devon slowly turned her around in his arms so that she was facing him. The early morning sun sparkled on the wet tear streaks on her beautiful face and he tenderly wiped them away with kisses.
Beverly's stomach flipped over with the desire she was feeling for this entity. Her breathing was staggered as she closed her eyes and allowed the erotic feelings to wash over her.
His lips finally met hers and despite herself, she kissed him back hungrily, wrapping her arms around him as she attempted to merge her body with his.
"I want to make love to you," she heard him whisper in a hoarse sexy voice as he devoured the silky skin of her neck. "I want to kiss you all over."
Beverly felt heady with his words and the wondrous sensations he was sending throughout her body. Her knees buckled under her Devon caught her and swept her up into his arms. He carried her inside, but they got no further than the rug in the middle of the living room floor, their lips locked together in constant battled the entire way.
He eased her to the floor, straddling her thighs and pulled back to get a look at her. She gazed back up at him and watched mesmerised as he slowly unbuttoned her white pyjama top. He spread the top open and smiled in delight before lowering his mouth to the swells of her breasts.
Beverly arched her back from the floor towards him, her fingernails clawing at the pile of the rug beneath her. Devon felt so good; she had no idea why she had been denying herself. Devon was right she was lonely; she hated coming home from work or dinner with Jean-Luc only to be alone.
Devon was an answer to her prayers, not exactly the right answer, but very close. Beverly lost herself in her senses, closing her eyes to block out her the appearance of her lover. She had no idea that she was playing with fire; she was skating on the edge. Devon had her right where he wanted her now. Soon, she would have no doubts about him. Soon she would accept him into her life and not question where he came from. He would be in her life and Beverly wouldn't know any difference.
The release came almost instantly, her stomach tightened and then the incredible wave of pleasure tore through her body, igniting her senses. She cried out in response and arched her back off the floor, her fingers clawing the rug beside her. Beverly kept tumbling over and over the edge, acutely aware that Devon hadn't stopped pleasuring her. Beverly passed out.
Devon smiled and lay down beside her and pulled her into his embrace. She was his, all his. There was no way she would be able to resist his touch now.
Beverly awoke moments later to feel Devon's fingers slowly stroking her hair; he leant over and kissed her temple.
"Great wasn't it?" Devon asked, lifting his head from her shoulder.
"Mmm…" Beverly mumbled; it was the best she could come up with under the circumstances. She wriggled underneath him and Devon slid off her body and pulled her into his embrace.
"Sleep my love," he whispered into her ear.
"Morning," Deanna said as she joined Jean-Luc at the table in the living area of the shuttle.
"Morning," Jean-Luc replied, rewarding her with the briefest of smiles.
"Did you actually go to bed at all last night?" Deanna asked as she helped herself to some of the food Jean-Luc had laid out on the table for them.
"I managed to sleep a few hours," Jean-Luc replied.
"Has Bailey surfaced yet?" Deanna asked as she buttered a piece of warm toast.
"I haven't seen her since we sent her to bed last night," he replied. "I think I'll go and check on her."
Jean-Luc got up and went and knocked on Bailey's door. It opened almost immediately and Bailey stood the other side, still dressed in the same uniform as the day before. "You didn't sleep at all did you?" he asked.
Bailey looked up and for once saw the sensitive eyes he usually hid from others. "No," she replied as she tried to unsuccessfully stifle a yawn. "Too many things going through my mind."
"Same here," he replied with a warm, albeit brief smile. "The Counsellor and I are going to try and come up with a plan of action. We would appreciate any insight you could give us."
"I'll just be a minute," she replied. "I better get washed and changed."
"We'll be next door. Breakfast is on the table," he added. "If you're up to it."
"Thanks," Bailey replied.
Jean-Luc returned to the living area of the ship and took his seat at the table. "It's going to be hard on her," he said ruefully.
Deanna nodded. "I think that what Bailey is going through, is a lot worse than what Beverly is going through," she replied as she picked bits off a croissant and nibbled them delicately. "And I can't begin to imagine what it feels like to know that the… man Bailey has been in love with for all these years is responsible for her parents deaths."
"Do you think she will be able to handle what we are about to do?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. "If I had known all of this before we left, I would have left her back on the Enterprise and spoken to her over communications."
"Bailey is very strong," Deanna replied. "She won't show her feelings, just like Beverly. Beverly has perfected the art of personal detachment as a Doctor. She pushes her feelings deep inside and portrays only professionalism. She has done it for so long, that she sometimes does it in her personal life. Bailey is just the same. But I think her detachment from her feelings has stemmed from her horrid childhood."
"If only she had come to live with Beverly all those years ago," Jean-Luc said distantly. "She may have brought Devon along with her, but she would have been spared all those years of seclusion while she lived with Elizabeth and Lesley."
"And in such a close knit situation," Deanna added nodding. "Devon would have been spotted earlier."
"Exactly," Jean-Luc nodded. "And if Bailey is as like Beverly as I think she is, she probably won't be able to hide her anger either!" they both chuckled at the thought.
"It is healthy," Deanna said with a grin.
Bailey appeared in the doorway looking clean and a little refreshed after her quick shower and change. She was pulling a brush through her fiery hair as she took a seat at the table. "I didn't sleep last night," she said for Deanna's benefit. "I was doing a bit of research of my own on the computer in my bedroom."
Jean-Luc raised his eyebrow. "Did you find anything?" he asked.
"Just some information that explained a lot of things to me," Bailey replied. "I don't think that I'm so stupid now. The Dvorovoi are very intelligent beings. I don't think that I would have seen through his masquerade even if I had looked. Everything he did, makes sense to me now."
Deanna listened as Bailey spoke, knowing that Bailey had buried her feelings deep within herself so that she was able to function. She would have her work cut out for her after this was all over.
"I read the notes you had made too," Bailey added. "I don't think my grand mother was connected to Devon. She didn't live anywhere near us and died of a disease. Besides she had black hair."
"Okay," Deanna said. "Your grandmother will be ruled out for the moment."
"Um…" Bailey mumbled. "Maybe I should tell you a little bit about my mother."
The look on her face intrigued the two senior officers at the table. "Go on," Deanna said when Bailey looked at her expectantly.
"The people in the village where we lived used to call her a witch," Bailey said slowly. "Not that we were backwards or living in the dark ages or anything. What it was was because my mother was into magic. She had bookcases full of books on witchcraft and spells. She was a writer as well as a Doctor. She had about eight books published. All fantasy novels, about witches and wizards, ghosts and spirits. I mean it makes you wonder whether she did accidentally conjure up Devon. Or that maybe she was feeling lonely and did it on purpose, thinking that she could control him and get rid of her spirit lover before Dad came home on shore leave?"
Bailey stopped babbling and looked at her companions to see if they thought she had gone mad or something. "Well?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"So you think your mother brought Devon into the world?" Deanna asked, trying to get her head around the matter of fact way that Bailey had given the news.
"Yes!" Bailey snapped. "Isn't that what I just said!"
"I wonder if this maybe pertinent to getting rid of Devon," Jean-Luc said ignoring Bailey's outburst.
"It could be," Deanna replied. "When one of the people on the list of contacts get back to us, we can ask them."
"Hasn't anyone replied?" Bailey asked, disappointment evident in her tone of voice.
"Not yet," Deanna said sadly. "Hopefully they will hurry."
"They had better do," Bailey stated. "Because the longer Beverly is with Devon, the more she becomes attached to him. Every time Devon… copulates with her, her resistance to him diminishes. Eventually she won't want him to leave her. She will also deny all knowledge of his existence and probably won't be happy to see us when we arrive to rescue her."
Jean-Luc sighed. "We should be there at about seventeen hundred hours. I've increased our speed after reading that on the computer myself last night."
"So we know where she is staying?" Bailey asked.
"Yes," Deanna replied. "I contacted Belleza and found the villa and apparently she checked in by opening the front door sometime yesterday. So Beverly is definitely there."
"That's good," Bailey said with a smile. "At least we won't have to hunt around for her. It's a pretty name for a planet. It means Beauty in Castilian."
"You speak Castilian?" Deanna asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Bailey replied. "It's the one good thing that I ever learnt from Elizabeth and Lesley. They were ancestral Spanish."
"That might come in handy," Jean-Luc said pushing the plate of croissants over towards the redhead at the other side of the table.
"Thank you," Bailey said helping herself to one. "Could you pass me the coffee too?"
Jean-Luc poured some of the steaming coffee into a mug and handed it to her. "I seem to recall you telling Beverly and I at breakfast last week, that you didn't like coffee."
"Well I don't dislike it," Bailey replied. "Its just not my thing. But I didn't sleep last night and I need to feel wide awake today, so caffeine it is!"
They spent the rest of the morning in companionable silence, each of them with their own private thoughts. It wasn't until after lunch that they finally got what they were all waiting for.
The computer chirped and made Deanna, who was quietly reading a book in the chair next to it, jump. She immediately opened the message to find a reply to one of the letters she had sent the day before.
"Captain," she called happily. "We've got a response!"
Jean-Luc came out of the cockpit and joined Deanna at the computer. Bailey, who had also heard Deanna's call, came out of her bedroom where she had been snoozing all morning with the door open just in case a message came through.
She waited patiently for Deanna to begin reading the message in her exotic accent.
"His name is Pedro González," Deanna said. "This is what he says. I am sorry it took so long to reply to your message. I have just this minute got back from Risa. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I would be glad to help with this case. I have worked on such a case. Granted that it was one hundred and seventy one years ago, but I believe I am the best man for the job. None of the other people on the contact list have dealt with a Dvorovoi before. They are extremely rare and I am sorry to say that I am excited by this case. Do not hesitate to contact me at any time and I will give you all the help I can. Yours sincerely Pedro González."
"Contact him," Jean-Luc ordered.
"Yes sir," Deanna replied.
Bailey watched as Deanna contacted Pedro González and handed over the conversation to the Captain.
"Can you explain to me what you already know about this Dvorovoi?" Pedro asked.
Jean-Luc explained everything that had happened up until now and Pedro listened in attentive silence. Bailey inched round Deanna's side to get a look at the old man on the screen. To be honest Bailey could hardly believe this man was almost two hundred and fifty years old. He certainly didn't look it.
"Is this Bailey?" Pedro asked as Jean-Luc finished. He had caught sight of Bailey peering at him over Jean-Luc's shoulder.
"Yes," Jean-Luc said moving over so that Pedro could see Bailey properly.
"I am so sorry for you," Pedro said. "You are such a young beautiful thing. Nobody should have to go through this. Especially not a child like you."
Bailey was about to protest that she wasn't a child, but Deanna took her hand and squeezed it. "I just hope you can help my cousin," Bailey said to Pedro.
"It should be easy enough," Pedro replied.
"Easy?" Jean-Luc asked in amazement.
"Yes," Pedro replied. "It's simple really. It was never easy in the past, practically impossible in fact. But with today's medical advances, as long as you have a Doctor nearby it's easy."
"We don't," Jean-Luc replied. "At least not exactly. Beverly is the Doctor."
"Ahh!" Pedro exclaimed. "Well let's hope…" he thought for a moment to remember the Dvorovoi's name. "… Devon hasn't completely merged with Beverly. You may need her help with this. Before you attempt anything you must speak with Beverly to determine the situation. If Devon hasn't completed the merging, Beverly will be afraid, on edge if you like. At no point during this meeting, must you let it be known to her that you know of Devon's existence. As soon as Beverly knows that you know about Devon, Devon will also know. We might have a problem with Bailey regarding this. Devon, at the moment is still merged with you my sweet child. You will still have some pulling power over him, but not as much as you used to now that he is in the process of taking on another host. At all costs, unless it becomes totally necessary, we must keep you out of the line of fire. You must stay away from both Devon and Beverly. This is vital to your survival. If Devon discovers that Bailey is present, it will complicate matters later on, but not to worry. The procedure will have to be carried out on you and Beverly simultaneously."
"What procedure?" Jean-Luc asked the burning question, he just wished that Pedro would tell them now.
"I'm coming to that," Pedro replied, annoying the Captain further. "What you will need to do is make Beverly and Bailey die."
"What!" squeaked Bailey from behind Jean-Luc.
Jean-Luc held up his hand to silence her. "Please go on Pedro," he said ignoring Bailey's annoyed grunts at his side.
"It's simple enough," Pedro said with a reassuring smile. "I'm not familiar with Human physiology, but I am told that you can make someone die and bring them back to life again with the proper medical treatment. This has been used hundreds of times before, I'm even as sure to say that perhaps Beverly herself has used this procedure before."
"She has," Deanna replied. "On me years ago."
"Did she?" Bailey asked, her eyes wide. She didn't like the thought of this one bit. What if something went wrong and they couldn't bring her back?
"I'll explain later," Deanna replied hastily.
"When the only possible hosts for the Dvorovoi have been extinguished," Pedro went on. "The Dvorovoi will simply cease to exist. He will no longer be here."
Jean-Luc seemed to ponder this over. "We could try and get Beverly's help on this matter," he said thinking out loud. "But of course that might not be possible if Devon has completed the merging. I suggest we contact Dr Selar on the Enterprise and see what she has to say."
"We would need cortical stimulators and portable medical equipment," Bailey said surprising them both. "I'll check out the little sickbay here and see what we have got."
"Make it so," Jean-Luc said nodding at her.
"She's full of surprises isn't she Captain?" Pedro said adding a wink for good measure. "That is a common side effect of being merged with a Dvorovoi," he added after Bailey had had time enough to leave the room. "Any information that Bailey has read or seen, she will be able to memorise with ease. It makes her one of the most intelligent people you are ever likely to come across."
Jean-Luc nodded. "Will this ability finish once Devon has disappeared?"
"To be honest," Pedro replied. "I am not sure. I think I have given you enough information to go on. If you need anything else, I am at your disposal. Thank you Captain. González out."
Jean-Luc turned to Deanna and couldn't help showing just how worried he was in his expression. "I just hope Pedro is justly as confident in this as he appears to be."
"He is," Deanna replied. "Shall I contact Dr Selar?"
"Not just yet," Jean-Luc replied. "We need to assess the situation with Beverly first. Pedro said not to alert Beverly that we know about Devon. So I suggest that I should visit her alone," he said running his hand over his scalp. "I could tell her that I decided to take some shore leave and join her whilst the Enterprise is being repaired after a mysterious incident."
"You could also say you were worried about her sudden departure," Deanna suggested. "I think she will be expecting you to question her about it. Why she just upped and left and disobeyed your orders to come back to the ship."
"Yes," Jean-Luc replied. "She would be suspicious as to why I hadn't asked her otherwise."
Bailey returned to the living area. "It's looking good," she said placing portable resuscitation pack on the table. "We have everything we need," she said sinking down into a chair opposite her companions. "Except a Doctor."
"Dr Selar will be able to guide us," Jean-Luc said. "She could even give us virtual lessons using the sickbay here," he added to Deanna.
"I'm trying not to let your casual discussion of my death bother me," Bailey muttered under her breath.
"Bailey," Deanna said in a soft voice. "There really isn't anything to worry about. A few years ago, I was in a similar position. A man used me to control all his negative emotions. He flooded my brain with them and in one day I aged decades. I was about to die and the man wouldn't let go of his hold on me. So Beverly stopped my heart and I died. The man was forced to let go of me and as soon as the link was broken, Beverly revived me again."
"But Beverly is going to die as well," Bailey moaned softly.
"Don't worry," Jean-Luc said impatiently.
"How can you tell me not to worry?" Bailey demanded, jumping to her feet. "It's not you who has to die!"
"Ensign!" the Captain warned. Bailey quietened a little and Jean-Luc turned back to Deanna. "We have to make a plan of action Counsellor. Decide in which order we are going to do this."
"First of all we have assess Beverly's… status with Devon," Deanna replied.
Bailey listened as they went on and on about the upcoming rescue mission and ignored her completely. She was beginning to boil on the inside, her temper mounting. She had tried unsuccessfully to add her input to the discussion, but Jean-Luc just held up his hand to silence her.
"Why aren't you listening to me!" Bailey demanded in a loud voice, stopping Deanna and Jean-Luc's discussion instantly.
"Ensign," the Captain said in a low even tone. "You are a subordinate officer. When we require your help in this matter, we will ask for it."
"Beverly is my cousin!" Bailey yelled.
"You are being insubordinate Ensign," he warned glancing at Deanna.
"I don't give a damn!" Bailey cried. "To hell with Starfleet!" she rounded the table and stood face to face with Jean-Luc.
"Do not make me relieve you of duty Ensign!" Jean-Luc snapped.
"Let me save you the trouble!" Bailey said as she tore her comm. badge from her uniform top. "I quit!" she yelled, dropping her insignia onto the table.
"Aren't you being a bit rash?" Deanna asked, moving to Bailey's side.
"No I am not!" Bailey snapped at Deanna. "You can't tell me this is a Starfleet mission either!"
"Of course it is!" the Captain snapped. "One of my senior officers has been taken from my ship against her will."
"Don't give me that!" Bailey yelled. "Are you telling me that you would have rushed to the aid of Geordi LaForge?"
"Of course I would," Jean-Luc replied. There was nothing he could do now to discipline Bailey, she wasn't under his control anymore.
"Yeah right!" Bailey snapped. "My arse! You wouldn't have gone personally and you know it! Commander Riker would have gone! And he would have stopped you going this time, but didn't because it is Beverly that we are going after and not someone like Geordi! He didn't even bother to argue! He knew it would have been fruitless and a total waste of time! You are rushing to help Beverly and it's for personal reasons and not professional!"
"Bailey!" Deanna snapped, tugging on her arm. "That's enough!"
"I want him to admit it!" Bailey said as she roughly shoved Deanna away.
To Deanna's surprise she watched as if it were in slow motion as the Enterprise's Captain took off his own insignia and dropped it onto the table. Not once has his eye contact strayed away from Bailey's intense glare.
Deanna watched them for almost a minute before she realised they had both turned their attention on her. Swallowing hard, she followed suit and removed her own insignia and dropped it next to the others on the table.
End of part six