Chapter 8


2367 About three months ago…

He rolled underneath her on her narrow couch, and her mouth pressed into his so earnestly that he could feel the hard edge of the couch biting into the back of his neck. It was wonderful and awkward, but mostly it was just wonderful. He had never felt her body in this way, and he was as impressed by the strength of her arms and legs as he was awed by how soft she was in all of the places he had never dared gaze at for too long; but that he had always longed to touch. But it was the sounds she made, particularly those of her breathing that threatened to send him over the edge.

Now that they had taken the next step, well now that they had tripped into the next step really—here they were on her couch after an admittedly rushed dinner. They were still wearing their clothes and although he ached for her to touch him, he was embarrassed at how aroused he was already, like some kind of teenager who couldn't control himself. He didn't want to give her the impression that this is how he would always be. He did have control; he was experienced, although maybe a little out of practice. But even if he had been with a woman recently he had a feeling this would still feel new.

If she noticed she didn't seem to mind at all. Instead his arousal seemed to be matched by her own, and she was in the act of pulling her shirt up over her head when it happened again. He began to phase, and his hands which had been firmly planted on her upper thighs simply disappeared from view. He cried out in discomfort and in fear that she would realize what was happening. Her shirt was halfway over her head, when his hands disappeared and then reappeared, as she pulled it back down and stared at him with a startled expression. Her tousled hair and puzzled expression only made her more beautiful. "What? Are you okay?" She put her hands on his chest and shifted her weight. "Did I hurt you?" she asked softly. "I didn't mean to." Leaning down to kiss him again, she put her palm underneath his shirt, and traced her finger beneath his navel as his feet began to tingle as they did when his lower body was about to phase out of existence. He jumped. "No," he said hastily. "No you didn't hurt me…but, but I have to go!" To her obvious shock, he lifted her off of his lap, and stumbled to his knees on the floor. She fell back against the side of the couch and ran her hand through her hair with a legitimately stunned expression.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, watching him as he struggled to his feet and frantically pulled on his boots. He turned away from her both out of embarrassment and because he felt the dizziness threatening to overcome him.

"I—I'm sorry, Beverly," he said pulling on his light jacket.

"Are we going too fast?" she asked, getting up from the couch and approaching him. "It's alright, Jean-Luc… just tell me."

He shook his head and backed toward the door. "I don't feel very well…I'm very sorry, but I have to go."

She adjusted her shirt and folded her arms over her chest self-consciously. Things had been going so well and now he looked like he was going to throw up. Not the reaction she had been looking for. She bit her bottom lip and tried to make eye contact with him. "Well, will you at least stay so we can talk about this?" He wouldn't look at her.

"I have to go…."

Picard woke with a whimpering gasp in the early hours of the morning and it was still pitch black. His cheek was pressed into the deck of the shuttle craft in a smoky pool of sweat. He pushed himself up to a sitting position. Worf had fallen asleep sitting up against the wall. They had finished the engine installation and then fallen asleep from exhaustion.

He hadn't remembered until now what had happened between him and Beverly. He shouldn't have retreated from her that day. He should have stayed and told her everything. Instead he was lying in a pool of his own sweat dreaming of something that had happened to him literally in another lifetime. And now, he had to get to her. If it was the last thing he did before he disappeared again, he had to see her again.


2355 Malkatan Base

"I'm not familiar with these controls," Picard mumbled, his eyes roving around the cramped Ferengi shuttle. He ran his hands over the controls, unsure of everything he touched. Vigo bent down beside him and pointed at an oddly shaped lever. "I think this must be thrust…."

"This should be pitch and yaw then," said Picard, still not so sure as he touched a blue control in front of him and two white ones on either side of him.

The vessel suddenly rumbled underneath their feet as Commander Zev punched a control on the side of the wall. She shrugged. "It seems that was the main engine," she the rumble became a steady thrumming.

"Good," said Picard, and pulled the neutralizer out of his pocket. He wasn't certain how it was supposed to work, but to get into the Singularity Net in which the Stargazer was still floating above the planet, they'd need to use it to get through in order to dock with their ship, and then they would need to use it again to escape in the Stargazer. So they weren't out of the woods yet. But Beverly had told him it would work. And he believed her.

He reached up and attached the neutralizer to the inside of the cockpit. It had some kind of magnetic property that allowed it to cling to the windshield. He activated it the way Beverly had shown him, and all the while he could feel Vigo watching him suspiciously.

"Where did you find that?" Vigo asked slipping into a seat behind him. Picard tensed. His instinct told him not to trust his tactical officer. The man was on the verge of cracking that much was clear. But after what Vigo had seen, Picard couldn't truly fault him.

"I'll tell you later," Picard said gruffly. He tried to concentrate on the alien controls, trying to force a familiarity that just wasn't there. It would do no good if he crashed the shuttle before reaching the Stargazer.

Zev sat down next to him in the co-pilot's chair. "Let's just focus on the mission, Vigo. Then we can talk," she said curtly.

Picard's spirits were lifted along with the shuttle, as it powered up and off of the landing pad. Up above them shimmered a force field of some kind. Hopefully the neutralizer would work on this as well. But as they approached the shield perimeter the shuttle began to vibrate violently.

"We're going to have to blast ourselves out," Picard shouted above the clamor.

"Initializing forward disruptor array," Zev shouted, pushing some buttons near her right arm. "I think," she added.

"Fire then," Picard shouted back at them. The Ferengi weapons were powerful—more powerful than the Malkatan force field and the shuttle slipped through mercifully.

"All clear above and below, Captain. No sign of the Malkatans," said Zev.

"Approaching the stratosphere," Picard announced, giving the thrusters some additional power. He actually broke into a smile as the clouds disappeared and they were greeted by the blackness of space. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest from the exhilaration. He slowed his breathing down as much as possible reminding himself that they were still not safe yet.

An alarm started to sound inside the shuttle and an orange glow bathed them. "Captain, reading a gravitational flux dead ahead," Vigo shouted.

"That's the Singularity Net," answered Picard. "Our ship is in there. Maintaining heading."

"Thirty seconds until intercept," said Zev.

He glanced up at the neutralizer. It was still activated by the looks of it, but he had no idea what to expect. "Get ready, brace for impact," he warned his tiny crew.

"Five seconds," said Zev. As they entered the Singularity Net everything inside the shuttle appeared to bend. And then in an instant they were through. Picard nearly fell out of his chair with exhilaration at the sight of the Stargazer floating like a ghost inside the black envelope of the Net.

"Eight hundred meters and closing," said Zev, her voice almost a whisper.

"How are we going to get in?" Vigo suddenly demanded. "There's no one to let us in."

Picard licked his dry lips. He'd given it some thought. There weren't many ways to get in without violence unless…unless the Stargazer's computer was awake and running.

"Find the communications array," he snapped. Zev and Vigo worked as quickly as possible to locate the right controls.

"I think this is it, sir," said Vigo nervously. "Activating," he said.

"Establish a link with the Stargazer."

"Aye sir, trying," said Vigo, his erratic behavior calming to a degree as his hands moved quickly over the foreign controls. "Link is up, sir," he confirmed after a minute or two.

"Nice work, Vigo," he said turning to the man with a smile. "Computer, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard," he said.

"Acknowledged," said the computer immediately.

"Computer, open the after shuttle bay doors. Standard docking procedures."

"Sensors read an unidentified vessel, approaching Captain," said the computer.

"Scan the unidentified ship," said Picard. "There are three life forms. Captain Picard, Commander Zev, and Lieutenant Vigo," he said.

"Scanning," said the computer. "Welcome aboard, Captain," the computer said as the shuttle bay doors opened slowly in front of them. Relief flooded through the tense muscles of his body and he relaxed into the chair. Zev said a prayer in Andorian and behind them Vigo let out a choked sob.

"We're home," Picard said quietly. He closed his eyes briefly as the tractor beam took hold of them gently and guided them into the docking bay. Thank you Beverly.