They were curled up next to each other in her bed reading when he laid his book down in his lap. He'd been throwing glances at her for nearly an hour, but she was fairly involved in her paperwork and so far hadn't noticed his subtle attempts to get her attention.
He enjoyed dancing with her, maybe more than he should have. Getting to touch her while her body was up against his, seeing her hips sway and feeling her move like that gave him a warm, tingling feeling inside. Now that they were alone, he found himself overwhelmed by his attraction to her. He wanted to touch her some more and bury his face in her hair. His eyes kept turning in her direction. He took in the soft features of her face, the lines of her neck and collarbone. The curves of her body underneath her dress, but he always came back to her lips. He wanted to find out if they felt as soft as they looked, and he wanted to hear them whisper his name followed by the words, 'I love you.' He wanted to kiss her and couldn't keep himself from wondering how to approach. Should he ask for a kiss, or should he just lean over and surprise her with one? He was leaving in the morning and knew he might never get another chance to express his feelings.
He finally moved his hand over and gently touched her thigh. She turned to look at him. "Are you ready for sleep?" she asked. "Would you like me to turn the light off?"
"No," he replied as he reconsidered his approach and diverted his eyes away from hers.
"What is wrong?" she asked, furrowing her brow.
"Nothing," he said and picked his book up again. She gave him a sideways look but didn't press him and returned to her paperwork. After another few minutes, he managed to work up the courage to lower the book once more and turned to her. "Naseema?"
"Yes," she replied, keeping her eyes on her padd for a few seconds before she turned to him. As soon as her eyes met his, he leaned in and kissed her, shy but purposefully. When he pulled back, she was looking at him with shock, and the expression on her face convinced him he made a mistake. He expected an admonishment and to be promptly tossed into the hallway.
"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "I shouldn't have-" Then, her expression suddenly changed, and before he could finish, she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him toward her. He was so surprised when her lips met his he froze with his eyes wide open, and his hands suspended almost mid-air. When she broke away, their eyes met again, and for an instant, time stopped. They stared at each other, surprised, delighted, and overcome by their feelings until the smouldering cinders between them finally combusted. Elnor moved first, his arms went around her and he buried his mouth on hers. She took his face in her hands again and then slid them to the back of his neck to hold him closer, and before she knew it, his were in her hair. He grazed his tongue across her lips, and she welcomed his overture by parting them so he could slip his tongue in her mouth. Without breaking their kiss, he rolled himself forward to push her onto her back, and she tugged him down as her leg curled around his hip. She found the hem of his shirt and slid her hands underneath to glide them across the bare skin of his back. He caressed one of his down the side of her body to her thigh and then back up under her dress. She arched herself up into him, and he let out a muffled moan as he pulled her up with him, so she was straddling his lap, their bodies pressed together, faces still locked in sensual unity.
He let all his expectations and preconceptions fall away and allowed her energy to flow freely through him. He'd never felt so good, and even though he knew it had to, he didn't want this feeling to end. He wanted all of her. He wanted to go on this journey with her right to the end. He didn't care what the risks were or what he'd have to give up, and he didn't care how old she was or what anyone else would think. He experienced so much since leaving his convent, and she had been there each time he needed her even when he didn't know he needed her. She told him he should hold on until he found someone worthy of giving all of himself to, he found her, and she already had most of him. He wanted to give her the rest. He couldn't leave in the morning, never knowing if he'd see her again. He was going to convince her to come with him whatever it took.
She found his ears, and as she traced their outline, he shivered and groaned softly. "Please don't stop." His fingers pressed into her flesh as he tugged her hips closer and pushed his tongue into her mouth again. Goosebumps spread across his skin like ripples on a pond in response to the delicate graze of her touch, and his excited gasp forced him to withdraw from her lips briefly. "I don't want you to ever stop," he whispered.
She could feel how aroused he was, both physically and through her alien connection to him. She hadn't intended to let their kiss become so passionate, but she felt his love for her and became overwhelmed by those feelings so fast, the situation got away from her. She was drawn to him initially because he reminded her so much of those she loved long ago, but as she came to know him better, she could see how special he was in his own way. She hadn't met anyone like him in a long time. He was so open, honest, and innocently self-assured. He accepted her without fear or judgment, and she wished she was capable of giving him everything he wanted. He deserved that, and it made her sad to know his true feelings for her and everything he would have to give up because of them. It would kill her to do it, and she knew it would break his heart, but for his own good, she had to let him go.
Finally, she pulled away from him, and the shining euphoric look in his eyes filled her with both joy and regret. Breathing deeply, he smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "That was amazing."
"I must admit, I have wanted to kiss you for a while, Elnor, but we should not do that again," she replied. "I would never forgive myself if I lost control and hurt you."
"I've wanted to kiss you for a long time too, and I know I shouldn't have but..." he trailed off and sighed. "Can I hold you, just for a little while?"
She nodded, and they lay back down to face each other. He pulled her close and rested his head on hers. They stayed that way for a while, long enough for their breathing to synchronize, quietly basking in each other's warmth and company until Elnor finally spoke.
"Naseema, I'm sorry," he said. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but I couldn't help myself."
"What are you sorry you could not help?" she asked.
"I'm falling in love with you," he told her. "I think about you all the time. I want to hold you every night and wake up with you beside me every morning. I want everything, the good and the bad."
"I know the feeling," she replied with a rueful sigh.
"If you love me too, why can we not be together?" he asked. "Please, come with me. Picard wants you to come too, he told me."
"I wish it were that simple," she said. "I am still needed here, and even if that were not the case, you deserve to live a full life, Elnor, to fall in love with someone who can give you the things I will never be able to."
"Like what?"
"Like physical intimacy and the chance to grow old with the one you love," she told him. "I am capable of many things but not of those, and you would be sacrificing more than you realize. I would not wish for you to regret your choice one day."
"But it is my choice, and I have been paying attention," he said. "I am not unaware of those things. I know how strongly you feel about your responsibilities to the people on this planet, and I know you have dangerous enemies. I also know you will never age, and I will, and I know I will never be able to make love with you. I don't care. I want to share my life with you."
She sighed sadly again. "Elnor, you are so young, too young to-"
"I might be young," he said, interrupting her. "And there is a lot I have yet to experience, but I don't want to live a sheltered life anymore, and I don't want you to protect me from who you really are. I know you don't want to be alone anymore, and I know you want to love me, I can feel it. I can feel everything you feel right now. I just don't understand why you try so hard to fight against it."
"Elnor, I-"
"Don't say anything," he told her. "Please, just let me hold you while I still can."
She honoured his request and stayed there quietly in his arms until he was asleep. Fortunately, he was a deep sleeper, and once she was sure he wouldn't awaken, she carefully extricated herself from his embrace. After placing a delicate kiss on his cheek, she slipped out the door and headed to Jagger's room.
"Come in," Jagger called in a sing-song voice. When she entered, she found him sitting on the sofa, watching an old black and white movie.
"You cleaned your room," she observed with mild surprise.
"Yeah, you know, I don't want the admiral thinking I'm a bad influence," he replied with a smirk.
"After all this time, why do you not just admit you care what he thinks?" she asked with a laugh and a shake of her head.
"Because then he wins, and I can't be having that," Jagger said. Then he looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "So, where's the kid?"
"Sleeping," she sighed.
"Well, you obviously came here for a reason, so come have a seat," he told her as he cleared a space for her next to him on the sofa.
"Mind if I get a drink first?" she asked.
"Only if you get me one too," he replied. She went to the replicator and brought each of them a tumbler of ice, and a tall flask to share. She set them down on the coffee table, and he poured out their drinks as she sat down.
"I have made a terrible mistake," she sighed before taking a gulp from her glass.
"You let him kiss you, didn't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
"And it was awful because he's never done it before and the only one who's ever shown him how, is Salome, so you came here to get kissed properly because you know I'm amazing," he said with a teasing grin.
"No."
"You came here because he finally confessed to being in love with you, and when he kissed you, it forced you to admit you love him too, and now you're torn about what to do," he said, more honestly this time.
"Bingo."
"Well, it's obvious you need to leave with him tomorrow," Jagger told her.
"I cannot do that," she argued. "We are not out of danger here, and I cannot abandon all of you to satisfy my own selfish desires."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because that is a dick move," she said and looked at him with incredulity.
"You're so full of shit," he told her. "Don't use us as an excuse to bail on him because you're afraid to live again." She stared at him with her mouth open, shocked by his blunt assertion. "Look, Naseema, I know it's not what you wanted me to say, but that's how I feel about it. Nobody knows better than I do how awful the last twenty years have been for you. I've been here the whole time, watching you descend into a black hole of depression and alcoholism. You haven't been living you've been waiting to die, nay, hoping to die."
"Jagger, I am sorry," she said, lowering her eyes. "You are right, and I know it has not been easy for you or any of the others to live with me, but it is not that simple."
"Sure it is," he countered. "Everybody has noticed the difference since he showed up. You don't spend all your time shut up in your room drinking and crying, and I've actually seen you laugh for the first time in years. Elnor has breathed new life into you, and if you turn your back on that now, you're going to fall right back into that hole he's pulled you out of, I don't think I can watch that happen again."
"He is so young, Jagger," she said. "I fear he does not fully realize what he is giving up by pursuing this, and I do not think I can allow him to make that sacrifice."
"He might be young, but he's a lot more astute than you're giving him credit for," he replied. "I've been keeping my eye on him since he got here, and I see the way he looks at you. I've watched you two sparring, and he's not just duelling with you, he's making love to you the only way he knows how. He's all in, Naseema, and you're bonded to him, it'll crush him if you say no."
"I will never be able to give him a fully realized relationship," she argued. "That is not fair to him."
"You need to stop trying to live in the past while constantly worrying about the future. Seriously, just embrace the present and stop wallowing in your martyrdom, it's obnoxious," Jagger said as he downed the last of his drink and poured himself another one. "He knows what the score is, and you need to let him make his own decisions. If you didn't love him, this conversation would be going in a completely different direction, but I can see that you do, and if you let him go because you're too afraid to move on or for whatever other stupid reason you're telling yourself, then you're a fool. Picard would agree with me, and so would Data."
"Oh, I did not even consider Jean-Luc's reaction," she said and dropped her head into her hands.
"The old man isn't blind, Naseema. He can see all the same indicators I can, and I happen to know for a fact that he wants you to go with them almost as badly as Elnor does," he told her as he rested his hand on her back. "You're running out of excuses. We'll be fine, go."
She lifted her head and looked at him. "Have you spoken to everybody about this?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"We had a whole meeting just about this with doughnuts and everything," he replied with a satisfied smirk, but then his expression became serious. "We just want to see you happy again, and Elnor can do that, I know he can, he just needs you to give him a chance."
She exhaled another heavy sigh. "Perhaps you are right," she said. "I have been fighting these feelings because I am afraid. Afraid that I am betraying Data's memory, and afraid that if I let Elnor in I will only lose him too quickly, or he will realize that he needs more than I can give him."
"Look, despite the hard time I always gave him, I really respected Data. I'll even admit I loved him and I used to actually listen to most of the shit he said, so I can pretty confidently state that if he could, he would tell you that it's time to let him go," Jagger told her as his voice started to break. "What the two of you had was one of the most extraordinary things I've ever seen, and I know he can't be replaced, but that doesn't mean you can't make room in your heart to love someone else too, and that kid-that young man is ready to give you everything he's got."
Naseema looked at Jagger with appreciation, and as both of their eyes filled up with tears, he reached over and pulled her in to hug her tightly.
"I understand why you're worried," he said. "If I'd lost my mate, I'd probably be scared to try again too, but the kid's smarter than he looks, and he's the bravest eighteen-year-old I think I've ever met. He can take care of himself, and I'm hoping he's gonna take care of you too because you need it. As for the other thing, well, that never bothered Nasir and Elnor knew right from the word go what the deal was, and he still wants in. So, now that I've shot holes in all your arguments, what are you going to do?"
She started to cry again. "I do not know, but I promise I will take what you have said to heart, and I will not make this decision with a closed mind."
A wide grin spread across Jagger's face. "I know what that means, and man, am I going to miss you." He grabbed her into another hug. "Let's have one more for the road." He refreshed their drinks, and they clinked their glasses together. "Here's to you," Jagger toasted. "And your desperately needed fresh start, and here's to me, the greatest friend in the whole universe."
"Your modesty is inspiring," Naseema teased. "But thank you, Jag, I do not know what I would do without you. I love you."
"I love you too," he replied.
When Elnor woke up the bedside lamp was still on, Naseema's padd and his books were still in the bed, but he was alone. He pushed himself up and looked around the room. The bathroom light was on, so he rolled off the bed, and went towards the door.
"Naseema?" he called out quietly as he pushed the door open a little. When he got no answer, he opened the door all the way, but the bathroom was empty. He went back towards the bed and remembered the small courtyard. Springing over the bed, he eased open that door as well, but she wasn't outside either. Looking back into the room, he realized she was gone.
He was crushed. He couldn't believe she just left in the middle of the night without telling him. Why would she do that? He shouldn't have kissed her or told her that he loved her it was too much for her to handle but what a cruel way to tell him she wasn't going with him. He didn't know what to do. Should he stay here, sit on her bed and cry? That's certainly what he felt like doing. It would be better to go back to his own room, and then he could do her the favour of not forcing his attention on her if she didn't want it. He remembered the last time he felt like this. At least Picard said goodbye before abandoning him.
He was about to leave when she came in the door. "Elnor!" she exclaimed. "I did not think you would awaken while I was out, and I hope you weren't upset or alarmed." He stared at her for several seconds before he ran over, threw his arms around her and lifted her off her feet.
"I thought you left because of what I said," he told her.
"No, of course not," she said as she warmly accepted his embrace. "I am sorry I made you think that. I needed to talk to Jagger, and you are such a deep sleeper, I thought I would be able to slip in and out without waking you."
"I'm just happy you're back." He took her hand and moved over to the bed. "Will you come back to bed and stay with me?" he asked.
"Yes," she said with a smile. She reclaimed her spot, and he crawled up beside her and wrapped himself around her. He nuzzled his face in her neck, and she stroked his cheek. "I do love you, Elnor," she told him.
"I know," he said. "And it fills me with joy to hear you say it."
"It fills me with joy to say it to you."
"Does that mean I can do this?" he asked and kissed her neck. "And this?" He placed another kiss next to the first one. "And this?" He did it one more time, and she laughed softly at his flirtation. He sat up and leaned towards her face. "And this?" He moved in and nudged her nose with his before he pressed his lips to hers. She traced her fingertips along the points of his ears, which he seemed to really like and made a low rumble in his throat in response. Her action completely dissolved his lingering insecurities, and he parted his lips to push his tongue into her mouth. She accepted him with enthusiasm and wound her fingers into his hair. He pulled her over on top of him and wrapped his arms around her while she placed her knees on either side of his hips and rested her weight down. They continued to kiss and caress each other for what felt like it could have been all night, yet when she finally pulled away, it somehow seemed fleeting. "I could kiss you forever," he said with a happy sigh.
She smiled at him tenderly. "I do want to be with you, but I am afraid of making promises to you that I cannot keep."
"You don't need to make any promises to me," he replied. "A promise is a prison, and I don't want to be your jailer."
"You have been very honest with me, and I at least owe you the same," she said and took a deep breath. "I am afraid of the physical boundary that exists for me and that it means denying you the earthly pleasures that make being in love so fulfilling. I am also afraid to let you in any further because if I were to lose you, I do not think my heart could take it. I want to go with you, Elnor, but my fear keeps me trapped."
"I know you are afraid, but I wish you wouldn't be," he said as he moved his face close to hers. "I've known all along that sexual pleasure is something you will never be able to give me, and I cannot miss something I have never had. I may not be able to help how my body reacts to your touch, but that doesn't mean I feel denied, being able to kiss you and hold you close is enough for me. I want to be with you because of how you make me feel when we're together, not because I want to get in your pants." He raised an eyebrow as he repeated the idiom he'd heard from both her and Jagger.
She smiled gently. "I know you are not just trying to get in my pants, but someday kisses may not be enough for you, and I do not want you to make any sacrifices for me."
"I was raised to believe that most things worth having do not come without compromise, so I don't see that as a sacrifice I must make," he said. "It is merely an obstacle for us to overcome together. I meant what I said, I do not need you to make any promises, the only thing I ask is that you not give up on what we could have without a fight."
She blinked a few times, trying to stop her tears, but they spilled down her face anyway. "I do not know what I did to deserve you."
"I don't know either, but you're stuck with me now," he laughed as he wiped her tears away.
She smiled again as he touched his face to hers. "I will forever be grateful to you for what you have brought into my life, Elnor."
"Please come with me," he whispered. "I have never wanted anything more, not even my tan qalanq."
She pulled away to look in his eyes. "I wish I could say yes, but I do not know if I am strong enough."
He brought his hands up to hold her face. "Then don't say anything and let me pretend this isn't my last night with you."
She nodded sadly. "Pass me your book, and I will read for you. You need to get some sleep." She rolled off him, and he dug around in the sheets until he found it. He handed it to her, and she nestled back against the pillows as he laid his head on her shoulder and moved his body close, so it was touching hers. "Casino Royale?" she asked as she looked at the cover and rolled her eyes. "Did Jagger give this to you?"
"Mmhmm," he replied and reached over to show her the right page.
"Just so you are aware, humans do not behave this way," she said.
"Jagger said it was practically his biography," Elnor told her, and she laughed out loud.
"Of course he would say that," she said, shaking her head at her friend's ludicrous ego. "He does love his sexist trash."
"You don't like the book?" Elnor innocuously asked.
"I am sure it is entertaining," she replied. "I have read a few from Jagger's collection featuring this character, and they do have their charms, but it would have been nice to read one where the women do not all throw themselves upon Mr. Bond as if he possessed supernatural sexual powers or something."
"You possess supernatural sexual powers," he pointed out, and she laughed again.
"Fair enough."
"Do Jagger and the other males have the same effect on women as you have on men?" he asked.
"They do, but it is not as strong, and it has never been as much of an obstacle for them," she explained. "Historically, women have not been as sexually aggressive as men and Jagger, in particular, is not so much interested in conquests of that sort, as much as he just likes the attention. It took a very long time for human men to realize they were not entitled to a woman's body, so fortunately for me, I am much stronger than they are."
"Nobody should ever feel entitled to someone else's body," he replied and squirmed uncomfortably as he recalled his experience with Salome.
"No, they should not," she agreed as she nuzzled the top of his head.
"You were the one I was dreaming about that night," he confessed. "I wished the dream was real, and that was when I realized I was in love with you."
"I am sorry she ruined that dream for you," Naseema said quietly.
"I never again want to feel the way she made me feel afterwards, but I don't know if I would have even had the dream in the first place without her, so I don't regret that part, and I feel the same as in my dream when I kiss you now. Salome can't ever take that away from me," he said.
"That is the lovely thing about good memories," she told him. "They will always be with you for as long as you want to hold onto them." He opened his mouth to speak again, but a hard yawn escaped instead. "You must sleep soon, or you will be completely exhausted tomorrow," she gently insisted. "If you rest your head in my lap, I will stroke your hair until you fall asleep."
He nodded languidly and gave her a soft, sweet kiss before he repositioned himself. He slid the hem of her dress up past her knees as she loosened his hair from its fastening and combed her fingers through it. He let a contented sigh escape and stroked his hand lazily up and down her legs as he began to feel drowsy. "Your skin is even softer and more beautiful than in my dream," he said before yawning again.
She laughed softly. "Dare I ask what I was doing in this dream to make you so happy?" She could feel a smile was spread across his face as he sighed with satisfaction again.
"Right now, I want to keep it only for myself, but someday I hope to tell you everything in that dream," he replied. "However, I will admit you were naked, as was I."
"Was it your first sexual dream?" she asked.
"No, but it was the first one that was so vivid and felt so real," he told her. "I hope I have another one tonight."
"I hope so too, my love," she said. "You should try to sleep now." He squeezed her thigh tenderly in appreciation for her romantic epithet. Then she turned off the bedside lamp, so only the glow of the fireplace remained and continued to run her fingers over his head until he finally dropped off.
About an hour later, her door chimed, and when she beckoned the visitor inside, she was surprised to see Picard come through the door. He immediately noticed Elnor in the bed, head in her lap and hand on her leg. She saw Picard's eyes widen before he quickly diverted them.
"You can relax, Jean-Luc, everybody has their clothes on," she teased.
"I'm sorry to intrude at such a late hour, but I was hoping I could have a word with you," he replied. "Perhaps we should step out of the room?"
Naseema placed her padd on the nightstand. "I believe we will be alright here," she replied. "He is very tired, and I do not think he will awaken if that is what you are concerned about?"
He finally forced himself to make eye contact with her. "No, I suppose not, I just wanted to-to," he said awkwardly.
"Oh, for crying out loud, come over here and sit on the bed already," she said exasperatedly. "You are such a puritan. He is only sleeping, and everybody knows he is in here, so stop behaving as if it were some dirty secret."
He chuckled at her chastisement and came over to sit near her feet. He folded his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wasn't unaware that he's been regularly spending the night here. I just wasn't expecting you to be in bed with him, or for him to appear quite so...comfortable."
"Would you have preferred broken furniture and noise complaints?" she asked with a saucy grin.
"No, I would not," he replied with an exasperated sigh and a look that begged her to stop teasing him.
"You need not be so concerned, my lord," she quipped, imitating his English accent. "The young master's virtue remains intact."
"That was far too much information, but thank you," Picard replied with a smirk.
She looked at the old man affectionately. "I still cannot help but give you a hard time about your Victorian sensibilities," she replied. "Now, what is it you came to see me about at such a late hour? The servants' tongues will wag should you be seen."
"Alright, alright, point taken," he acquiesced. "I suppose I'll have to get used to that...and this." He motioned towards Elnor with one hand, and Naseema looked at him quizzically.
"Have you decided to extend your stay?" she asked.
"No, we will be leaving orbit in the morning, but I am hoping..." he paused and took a breath. "I'm asking you to join us."
"Is Mr. Rios alright with that?" she inquired as she raised an eyebrow.
"I believe he will be," Picard replied.
"Have you not spoken to him about it?"
"I have, I've also discussed it with Jagger, Simon, Juliet, Aronnox, Alton, and Elnor, of course," he replied and smiled awkwardly as her eyebrows climbed higher with each additional name. Then he sighed, and a compassionate expression took over his features. "I want to take you back to La Barre to live with me."
She straightened up in surprise. "Jean-Luc, I do not know if I can-"
"Please, hear me out," he interrupted with a raised hand. "I can see how the last two decades have worn you down, Naseema. Everyone in this community cares about your well being, and we all believe you need to step away from this life for a while. It's time to stop focusing on duty and focus on yourself. You need to move on, and I honestly don't think you'll be able to do that here."
She swallowed, and Picard knew she was about to argue with him. "Jean-Luc, I do not-"
He cut her off. "Come back to Earth with me. The vineyard is peaceful and quiet. I have several more books planned that I could use your help researching, and the village could use a music teacher."
She stared at him with an amused expression. "Are you attempting to entice me with paperwork?"
"If not for me, then perhaps for Elnor?" he offered and glanced down at the sleeping form draped over her. "It would mean the world to him. He's already hopelessly in love with you, but he won't stay behind without me. Naseema, he's been disappointed by me enough for one lifetime, please come with us."
Her eyes started to glisten. "I am not unaware that the last twenty years have managed to consume most of the good left in me, and I am no longer the person you knew. Jagger has already tried to convince me I must go, but I am unsure if that is in anyone's best interests. I am afraid I have finally become what everyone feared I already was."
"A weapon with a pulse," Picard said.
She nodded and looked down at Elnor. "I know he is in love with me, and as hard as I tried to fight it, I could not keep myself from falling in too. I want to honour the bond I formed, but I am dangerous and you were right, I am far too old for him. It would be better if he left tomorrow and forgot about me. He deserves someone his own age who can share his life with him in ways I will never be able to."
Picard closed his eyes and sighed, "If there's one thing I've learned in the past two decades, it's that Romulans let go of their feelings about as easily as the Feeonix do. I abandoned him for fourteen years, and even though he was rightfully angry with me, his loyalty never wavered in all that time. He won't be able to simply move on, and I don't believe you've become so dangerous you can no longer be around others. I can see the effect he has on you. He tempers that side of you, and I dare say, he makes you happy. Why do you want to walk away from that?"
By now, she had tears running down her face. "I do not know, I just-I cannot-what if I lose him?"
He became Captain Picard again in that instant, knowing it was the only way she would listen to him. "I've never known you to let fear dictate your actions, Naseema, and I don't know why you seem to feel you don't deserve to be happy again, but you would be foolish to stay here and continue living in shadows. What Elnor needs is someone who can keep up with him, someone who can share their centuries of experience with him, and teach him things I will never be able to. He needs guidance and acceptance, and attention, and affection, he needs you."
The fact that he mirrored her own words back to her didn't escape her. She wiped her tears and nodded as she pulled in a deep breath. "I know, Jean-Luc, but I am so afraid."
"Then come home with us, let him temper those fears for you and help make an old man's last years memorable ones," he replied. "I don't expect an answer right now, but promise me you'll think about it."
She nodded again. "I will see you in the morning, Jean-Luc," she whispered and held out her hand to him. He accepted it and squeezed. "Just be aware that if I accept, I will still be a total pain in your ass," she added.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he told her with a smile. He released her hand and stood up to leave, but as he reached the door, he turned to look at her again, his smile turning to a sly smirk. "I might not even complain when you inevitably break my furniture."
"Of course you will," she replied with a gentle laugh. "And you will always try to get the last word."
He shook his head and chuckled as he went through the door but quickly turned before it closed. "I usually get it too."