And then everything was gone. The Enterprise slammed into the Borg Cube killing the queen, and everyone on the Enterprise.
Everything was white, there was nothing around him, except the white. Slowly he rose and looked around, seeing just the white that was before him. He looked down seeing himself in his uniform, unsure of what was happening. It was familiar in a way.
"Jean-Luc! Nice of you to join me!" a voice Picard recognized came.
"Q!" Picard shouted, not seeing anyone around him, or anything, "What have you done?"
"Well isn't that rude? I thought we could exchange a friendly hello before you ask questions." Q replied.
"I don't want to play your games, tell me Q, now," Jean-Luc ordered. Just then, the human form of Q walked forward, appearing from thin air.
"But that wouldn't be fun, now would it?" Q replied laughing and walking forward towards Picard, "I'll tell you, if you answer me first. Why did you not just give yourself up?"
"It was a chance to free all of the Borg from the collective. I hoped that maybe the collective would no longer be there if the queen was destroyed," Picard answered, somewhat annoyed with Q, "Now what did you do?"
"Ah, you won't like it," Q said smiling with the hint of mischief he always did, "Let's see I've been watching you, and I must say your doctor is attractive."
"Get on with it, Q," Picard growled.
"Oh I made it so Earth was captured by the Borg," Q answered.
"What? Why? You little-" Jean-Luc replied not believing that he could have done something like this. It was just completely cruel, and didn't seem to have a lesson.
"Hey now, calm down Jean-Luc. I wanted to see if you would give up your life, and your crew's life for the Borg. All your species was freed, but you died, along with the ones you love, a big sacrifice you made there," Q laughed putting his hands up as if he was caught by the police.
"You..." Jean-Luc retorted, but calmed himself, "Undo it, change it all back, now."
"Nah I don't feel like it. Why should I?" Q asked smiling widely.
"Because… then you won't have me, or the humans as your play pets anymore," Jean-Luc replied.
"Oh! So you would let me play with you now? I thought you didn't like me messing with you," Q said acting surprised.
"We don't, but you still did anyways, just to satisfy your want for 'fun'" Picard answered, truthfully, even if he hated Q with a passion for all that he did to them.
"That is true Jean-Luc, but I don't think that's enough reason," Q replied pacing in front of him.
"What other reason could there be?" Jean-Luc asked confidently.
"Oh I don't know… wait I've got it! Get on your knees and beg me to undo it, yes that will suffice," Q laughed not expecting him to reply, but then Jean-Luc dropped to his knees and hung his head.
"Please Q, give me back my world, and my life," Jean-Luc begged, with a quiver in his voice.
"I don't know, you don't seem too wanting," Q replied.
"Please! I don't want to die, I don't want to lose Will, I don't want to lose my crew. I don't want to lose Beverly. I want to continue living, the world I had before we lost it to the Borg. I would die over and over again if it would mean saving them. Please, don't let them die with me. I want everyone, Humans, Vulcans, Klingons, everyone to live happily in a peaceful world. If that means I have to die, then so be it," Jean-Luc pleaded and looked up at Q, a tear in his eye. Q sighed.
"Fine, but only because you asked nicely, Jean-Luc," Q replied snapping his fingers. The white drowned away and Picard's surroundings changed, to the bridge of his Enterprise. He looked around and smiled spotting Riker, Deanna, Wesley and even Worf, no signs of Borg assimilation or anything.
"What just happened captain? Last I remember we were… slamming into the Borg ship," Riker asked.
"Our friend Q paid me a visit," Jean-Luc replied and the crew on the bridge nodded.
"I see, and somehow you had him keep us alive? What else did he change?" Wesley asked turning around in his chair.
"He said he would change it back to the way it was before the Borg attacked Earth," Jean-Luc replied, "Mr. Worf hail the nearest starbase, and check all systems. Mr. Crusher set in a course for Earth, I think we all need a little bit of short leave," Jean-Luc said before sitting down in his seat.
"They are responding captain," Worf stated.
"Put them through," Jean-Luc replied and a face appeared on the screen, an Benjamin Sisko from Deep Space Nine, "Sisko! What a sight for sore eyes."
"Right, Captain what do you want?" Sisko replied.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Picard asked.
"I was working in my office and looking through reports, and then you hailed, why?" Sisko asked.
"No reason, thank you for this information. We'll be on our way now," Picard replied. The transmission ended, and Picard looked around proudly.
"I am going to get checked up on by the doctor, and then get some sleep," Jean-Luc said standing up, "I suggest you do the same." Picard headed for the turbolift and told it to go to sickbay. As the turbolift moved Jean-Luc leaned against the wall, remembering everything that had just happened. Everything seemed so real, yet it didn't happen to anyone except those on the Enterprise. Just another one of those Q special jokes.
When Jean-Luc entered sickbay, he was immediately confined around two arms. Picard smiled and hugged her back, her being Beverly of course. When she released him, he smiled and spoke.
"I was coming for a check-up, to make sure I was all right," Jean-Luc explained.
"Who told you to come? I have to order you to come in for a routine check-up!" Beverly laughed.
"It was just me. I know the end of the universe is coming," Jean-Luc answered and walked over to one of the tables and sat down.
"Feels like it already has," Beverly replied taking out some of her medical tools and scanning the captain.
"I know what you mean. I feel like I just died, but yet here I am," Jean-Luc replied.
"Everyone here feels like that, or at least I do," Beverly answered, "You seem perfectly normal. I say some rest and relaxation is in order, but that's it."
"Is that an order?" Jean-Luc replied, not really wanting to leave the ship, since it was like home to him.
"Yes," Beverly replied and turned around to put up her tools in the kit.
"Right before the ship was 'destroyed' I realized something," Jean-Luc said standing up and adjusting his uniform to have it straight.
"Oh? And what was that?" Beverly replied.
"This," Jean-Luc answered and kissed her rose lips with his. Instead of pulling back, Beverly's eyes widened, but didn't retreat. When Jean-Luc pulled away he turned around and sighed.
"See you for breakfast?" Picard asked as if nothing had just happened.
"Y-yes," Beverly replied and blushed slightly and hid her face.
"See you then," Jean-Luc said and smiled slightly before returning to his official hard face. He walked out and went to his room, to sleep, and think.
Everything was back to normal, or better than normal, or maybe worse than normal, at least they had their planet, people and ship back. Everything seemed right.