February 11th

This morning was a pleasant change and surprise for Beverly. Her normally empty bed wasn't so this morning. She rolled over to find Aimé had joined her on her bed. The little kitten stretched out its lithe frame out. She let out a soft 'meow' as greeting before snuggling over to Beverly. Beverly lovingly patted Aimé and got an appreciative purr in response.

"Good morning Aimé. I trust you slept well."

Getting another meow in reply Beverly rolled over and out of bed. Stretching much like her familiar just did she felt her back straighten itself out. Sighing contently she continued on to the bathroom.

Once showered and dressed Beverly was deciding what she would do with her hair when she felt something brush past her legs. Smiling she saw the form of Aimé leaving the bathroom. Calling softly to her she heard Aimé come back. Picking up an old marron coloured ribbon she next-to-never wore, she dangled it for Aimé to play with.

Excitedly Aimé battered at the offending ribbon. Not getting the response she was after, Aimé pounced on it. Happily she used her claws and teeth to get a better grip on it and cease its constant moving.

Laughing to herself Beverly continued to play with Aimé for another 5 minutes before she had to return to what she was originally doing.

After fixing both of them a breakfast Beverly collected the last of her notes she'd taken home with her. Her mind was completely focused on her work for the day. She didn't feel so lonely anymore.

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Upon entering her office Beverly was surprised to find a green apple on her desk with a pad next to it. Picking up the pad she read;

An apple a day keeps the doctor away,

My doctor's cute so screw the fruit,

I'd be sick everyday to be in your care

Love

S.A.

To say the typed message wasn't what she was expecting would be the very least you could say. She refused to admit she was disappointed, but really she was. This was greatly lacking that something special that all the prior gifts had.

Sighing deeply she put both the apple and the pad to the side and went back to focusing on her work.

Not too long later Alyssa entered almost expectantly.

"Anything?" she asked moving up to give a report to Beverly.

"Mm-hm," Beverly softly replied offering up the pad with the typed message.

Immediately Alyssa noticed the lack of enthusiasm coming from her boss. After reading the pad she knew why.

"Okay," Alyssa said hardly believing what she was reading.

"Oh, I also received an apple," Beverly added holding up the offending fruit.

Alyssa took said fruit and looked over it critically.

"It's replicated. And you don't even like green apples!" Alyssa commented. "How can this be right? He goes from being incredibly romantic, and seemingly knowing all your favourite things, to replicating your least favourite kind of fruit! Hang on!" Alyssa grabbed the pad back from the table. Scanning through it again, a victorious smile formed on Alyssa's face. "It's someone else," she happily explained.

"Alyssa, I haven't had a romantic date in… well in a long while. And you expect me to believe that in the lead up to an old fashioned, practically non-existent, holiday I get two admirers that are to reveal themselves on said day? I strongly doubt it."

"But just look at it!" Alyssa exclaimed almost frustrated. "It's lacking all the smooth refined style that the previous ones have had. And it's just signed S.A., not Your Secret Admirer like the others. I'm telling you it's someone else."

"Okay, okay. Alyssa calm down. Let's not go getting you all over excited now," Beverly quickly reassured. "You've presented a very good and valid argument on why it could be someone different. I'll think about it more when I don't have patients waiting for me, okay?"

Claming herself Alyssa nodded quietly.

"I refuse to believe that someone can change their intentions that quickly. And if you don't mind me asking, you seem a lot less enthusiastic about who this could be today, why is that?"

Beverly gave a small shrug. "Seems like everyone else is more excited about who the mysterious person is than I am." An almost sad expression entered Beverly's face. "I also guess I've come to a realisation."

"How?" Alyssa pressed.

"I've just realised," Beverly cast a brief glancing at the door before continuing, "and this is to go no further than the two of us." She got a quick nod from the nurse.

"Of course."

"I've come to the understanding that they, well neither of them, are going to be the one person I want them to be. I don't want my feelings for another to ruin all of what they've done for me. To ruin any chance they could have. I really want to give this person a chance. They're doing so much for me, and I don't want to hurt them by setting a standard they can't possibly meet."

Alyssa gave a small sad smile, "I understand." A cheeky glint entered her eye before she added, "And you never know whoever they are maybe they could make the Captain jealous enough to make a move."

Beverly chuckled at this.

"Don't you have work you should be doing?" She asked swatting the nurse out of her office. Not even bothering to call her up on her comment.

"Just getting to that, but I needed to ensure the boss was in ship-shape first," Alyssa threw in a salute for good measure.

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That night Deanna, Will, Beverly, Geordie, and Worf were in Ten-Forward having dinner together.

"So, what you get today?" Will asked leaning in towards Beverly.

"From which?" Beverly calmly replied taking a sip from her drink.

"Which? There's more than one?" Deanna enquired.

"Well Alyssa seems convinced there re two. But the absence of a second gift leaves me doubting."

"But why would she think there's a seconded?"

"Because the gift this morning was lacking ... 'the smooth refined style the previous ones have had'. That was what Alyssa said anyways. It was a green apple with a note that had a short poem bout doctors and fruit. I must admit compared to the other gifts so far it does seem… below the standard, but I feel bad judging them."

"Doctor Crusher?"

A waiter came up and was offering a holo-pad to Beverly.

"Yes?"

"This was left for you."

He handed over the holo-pad and a small folded paper. Beverly activated the holo-pad.

A deep computerised voice came;

'Doubt the stars are fire,

Doubt thou the sun doth move,

Doubt truth to be a lair,

But never doubt I love.'

Then another computerised voice spoke again;

'It is not night when I do see your face,

Therefore I think I am not in the night;

Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company,

For you in my respect are all the world.

Then how can it be said I am alone

When all the world is here to look on me?'

After both voice stopped Beverly opened the folded paper to see written;

'All my love Your Secret Admirer'

"Well," Beverly softly replied, "I guess that confirms it. There are two of them."

"Two of what exactly?" asked Geordie.

Worf was also giving the three of them a perplexed look.

"Right. You guys don't know," Will exclaimed almost laughing at them. "Our dear Doctor here has gotten herself not just one but two secret admirers."

"You're surprised?" Geordie replied. "I'm not. Actually I'm sure there's really more out there." He then turned to the Councillor, "Deanna, how many people in this room have had a crush on the Doctor here?"

"A lot. Just under half the people, I'd estimate."

"See. I mean I can name a dozen people, crew and civilian who have."

"Come one Geordie," Will tried to dismiss. "You can't possibly have that confirmed."

"Oh? Commander, a few years ago, you would get the same look in your eyes when talking to, or about Dr Crusher as when you would talk about Risa. Are you telling me you didn't have a crush?" Geordie leaned in towards Will a grin plastered on his face.

Will shifted a little uncomfortably. "That was quite a few years ago now."

"But it's true." Geordie continued to grin at him.

"What about you?" countered Will trying to get the focus off him.

"I've had a crush on Beverly too."

"What!?" Beverly was shocked at Geordie's revelation.

"Well it was quite a few years ago now. Before this one's," he said indicating to Will. "I'd get all the schoolboy nerves whenever I was around you. I managed to hide it pretty well, but then it just felt weird and a bit wrong."

"Why did it feel wrong?" Deanna interrupted, her own confusion at this part was evident.

"Because it didn't feel right having those sorts of feelings for one of my closest friend's mother. Sorry Bev, it's nothing personal, but it just felt even weirder than my first crush."

"None taken," Beverly replied. "If so many people have had crushes on me, how come I haven't had any dates for such a long time?"

"Because of one of two reasons. They either thing you won't return their feelings or they accept the 'female senior staff off-limits' rule."

"Off-limits rule?" Beverly asked annoyance tinged in her voice.

"Yeah, it's an unofficial rule that the older, but lower ranked, officers follow. They view you as unavailable, because of your friendship with the Captain. Any other relationship would interfere with your friendship, and no one wants to annoy their commanding officers, let alone Captain Picard." Geordie explained.

"What about me?" Deanna asked. "You said female senior staff. That includes me."

"Yeah, well no one wants to get on the bad side of Tweedle-dum, and Tweedle-dee here," Geordie said indicating to Will and Worf respectively.

"What?" Deanna exclaimed.

"Well everyone knows of your relationships with both of them. They don't want to risk things ending sourly, and have to face either of these two."

"So I guess that explains our lack of ship dates," Beverly commented to Deanna. "But how come I still have difficulty off-ship? People can't be following that same unofficial rule."

"Well, yours isn't so much a ship based rule as," Geordie loudly cleared his throat before finishing quickly, "aFederation-widerule." He then quickly took a big gulp of his drink before Beverly could process what he'd said.

Shock entered Beverly's face. "What was that!?"

Will couldn't fight his grin at this turn of events.

"He said it's a Federation-wide rule."

Groaning Beverly let her head slump forward.

"I guess I should be grateful then that not just one, but two people are willing to go against this 'Federation-wide unofficial rule', shouldn't I?"

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Eventually, the conversation moved on to other things, but Deanna couldn't help but notice Worf's lack of enthusiasm towards the conversation. Not to mention the odd feelings she got from him when Beverly spoke of her earlier present. Despite him not knowing about the admirers at that point.

Deanna decided Worf was definitely acting odd about Valentines Day…