Human Touch

    Author:     L. J Broom
    Series: TNG
    Part:     1/1
    Rating: PG-13
    Codes: P/C
    Summary:    Post 'All Good Things' story. Beverly has a craving that she's afraid to satisfy so does some soul searching with some help to find a solution.

    DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns all the characters and other Star Trek stuff, but they don't own my mind or imagination. This is done purely for personal pleasure not personal gain.

'On Saturday Afternoons in 1963'
By Ricky Lee Jones

So hold on to your special friend
Here, you'll need something to keep her in
Now you stay inside this foolish grin
Though any day your secrets end
Then again,
Years may go by.

You saved your own special friend
Cuz here you need something to hide her in
And you stay inside that foolish grin
When everyday now secrets end
Oh and then again
Years may go by.



Chapter One:    'Frustration'


Personal Log Beverly Crusher.        Stardate XXXXX.X

"Alyssa went into labour today, well yesterday really, it's 0300 now, the baby was born at 0130. He certainly had us going, 23 hours she was in labour, no wonder I'm tired. It's all worth it though when you hold a newborn baby for the first time. Alyssa asked me to be his 'godmother', I agreed of course, she has become a very good friend and I'm honoured to be asked. They're all together now, Andrew is sitting with Alyssa and she's nursing the baby, they look so happy. I remember when Wesley was born, Jack couldn't take his eyes off him for hours, he just sat there staring at him while he slept. Sometimes I miss him so much."


Beverly closed off her log and sat back in her chair, remembering. After a few minutes she got up and left her office to check on the new arrival and family one last time before returning to her quarters for some much needed rest.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" she asked as she approached the new family. Alyssa looked up and replied.

"Yes, say hello to Jayden Christopher Powell"

"Hello Jayden, welcome aboard" she said softly as she gently stroked his head. "As soon as he's finished I want you to get some rest Alyssa, Andrew, you've all had a long day"

"We will Beverly" Andrew Powell replied "You could do with some sleep as well."

"I know, goodnight, I'll check on you tomorrow"

"Goodnight" they replied as she left sickbay.



By the time she arrived at her quarters, rest was the furthest thing from her mind. She went to her room to change, she picked up her usual long floral nightgown and looked at it with disgust before throwing it aside.

*Ugh, when did I start wearing these, they remind me of Nana's nighties. Surely I'm not so old yet.* she thought while searching through her drawers looking for another gown. *Now where is it? I'm sure I put it in here somewhere.* Eventually she found the ivory satin gown and robe that she was looking for. It was one that Jack had bought for her when he was home on shore leave. She had teased at the time that he'd bought it for himself as much as for her, lucky for him he readily admitted it. She sighed as she slipped it over her head, relishing the feel of the material against her skin, soft as a lovers' caress. It only came to mid thigh and was cut high on the sides, the straps were thin and it had lace edging that covered the tops of her breasts.

*Mmmm, I do love this, regardless of his motives in buying it, it makes me feel deliciously wicked and sexy.* She ran her hands over the material, imagining it was a man caressing her. She sighed and pulled the knee length robe on, and went to get some warm milk from the replicator. She made herself comfortable on the couch and placed the drink on the table, untouched.

*Damn, I'm just not tired anymore, I hate being overtired. Jack used to know what to do.* She reminisced fondly. With a sigh of frustration she rose and started pacing around her quarters. Her pace increasing as she became more agitated.

*Good one Beverly, that's the last thing you should think about when you're trying to relax. Now you've made it worse. I have to do something, talk to someone. It's much to late to wake Deanna. The holodeck! No, I've got nothing interesting, I'm not in the mood to program a new scenario, if only I had my new dance routines already.* She was wringing her hands together now, she was starting to feel alike a caged animal. Her thoughts confined to her mind, her body confined to her quarters. Without being aware of it she left her quarters, robe flapping around her. She strode down the corridor, fortunately there was no one to see her, though she wouldn't have been aware if there was, stopped at a door and pressed the chime several times before realizing where she was.

She wondered what to do, whether to wait for the door to open and have to explain herself or to just slip away. She'd started to turn away when the door opened to reveal a disheveled looking Jean-Luc. His initial expression was one of irritation at having been woken, which quickly turned to surprise when he saw her.

"Beverly!" he exclaimed "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked taking her elbow and guiding her inside.

"I .... I'm sorry to wake you Jean-Luc. I don't know what I was thinking. I should go. I'm sorry." she edging towards the door.

"Nonsense Beverly, come, sit down" he replied leading her to the couch and sitting next to her. He noticed then the nightgown she was wearing and felt his body starting to respond to her presence. "Now tell, to what do I this visit at 4 o'clock in the morning."

"I feel very foolish, I ... I couldn't sleep"

"Shh it's alright, I'm here anytime. What's troubling you?" he asked.

"I, well, it's hard to explain" she said with frustration.

"Take your time," he said patting her hand "I'm listening."

She looked up at him shyly before continuing.

"Would you hold me while I sleep." she blurted out.

"Hold you?" he queried.

"Yes, I just want to be held"

He watched her face while considering her unusual request. He noticed how tired she appeared, there were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was drawn tight and pale with exhaustion. He wondered how long it had been since she'd had a good nights sleep, he made his decision. Taking her hand in his he stood drawing her up as well.

"Come" he said heading toward his room "let's sleep."

She followed him meekly to his room, half ashamed at her request and half relieved that he was granting it. She noticed as he slid into bed that he only had a pair of boxer shorts on, then she realised that her own clothing was somewhat skimpy. She hesitated beside the bed, uncertain as to whether she should sleep next to him.

"Come on, Beverly" he said soothingly "It's alright, I don't bite, unless you want me to of course" he teased smiling.

She smiled back, shed her robe and slid in next to him. He put his arm around her waist and pulled the covers over them. He snuggled against her back and whispered in her ear.

"Sleep Beverly, sleep."

She sighed as she relaxed into his embrace. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

*************************************

Beverly woke slowly the following day, she hadn't heard the alarm so she stayed in bed a while longer. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, concentrating instead of enjoying her lie in. After a while she became aware of a scent permeating her surroundings, it was familiar to her however it's presence in her pillows was not.

Cautiously she opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She groaned as she did so, the memory of the previous evening returning to her. She carefully reached behind her, thinking that she could slip out before Jean-Luc woke, she discovered however that he'd beaten her to it.

She rolled over onto her back with dismay, his side of the bed was already cool, he must have been up for a while and was probably waiting for her to join him for breakfast.* Well, there's no way I'm going to sit across from at breakfast wearing this* she thought as she got up and headed to the bathroom, replicating a uniform and other necessities as she went.

Fifteen minutes later, feeling refreshed and suitably attired, she went into the other room only to find it empty. She felt slightly relieved at his absence, but annoyed at the same time. While she felt embarrassed about last night, she was also looking forward to seeing him as she did every day. Breakfast with Jean-Luc was one the things she looked forward to every day.

She noticed a PADD on the table and realised he must have left a message for her.

    Good morning Sleeping Beauty, you looked so tired last night that
    I thought it best that you sleep as long as necessary. Take the day
    off and relax. I told Doctor Selar that you wouldn't be in today, I saw
    how many hours you've logged the last couple of days, you deserve
    a day off. If you feel up to it would you like to join me for dinner.
    Jean-Luc

She threw the PADD down with disgust. *Jean-Luc how could you? Damn! I have things I need to do today, now everyone will give me odd looks if I go to work. How infuriating!* She ordered a coffee from the replicator and went and stood by the window, contemplating what to do now that she had the time off. She looked over at Jean-Luc's bookshelf and decided that as he was responsible for her situation, he could provide her with some entertainment.

She walked over and perused the titles, choosing a book of poetry by Byron. Feeling mischievous she left her night gown neatly folded on the pillow before she left to return to her own quarters.

She entered her quarters and went to her room to change into something more casual. She decided to wear a rose coloured floor length dress, with a full skirt, scoop neck and cap sleeves. She'd bought it on impulse on her last shore leave, but hadn't had an opportunity to wear it yet, it made her feel very feminine.

When she came out of her room, she noticed the message light on her terminal blinking. Wondering who it could be she went and retrieved the message.

    Beverly, where are you? I came by this morning to see if you wanted
    to come to the gym. You weren't there, I stopped by the Captain's
    quarters, he said he hadn't seen you, you hadn't come to breakfast.
    You weren't in sickbay either. Where are you? Call me. Deanna.

*Damn, what am I going to tell her. I certainly can't tell her the truth. I can just picture her reaction if I told her. "I slept with the Captain last night, in fact I was still sound asleep in his bed when you dropped by." Better not to say anything, if she presses I'll just tell her I was having trouble sleeping so I took a sedative. She can't argue with that, she knows I suffer from insomnia on occasion. Now I have the rest of the day to try and work out what to say to Jean-Luc tonight. I think I'll hide out in the arboretum, it should be nice and quiet at this time of day. I can just sit, think, relax and read a little maybe.*

Picking up the book she'd borrowed from Jean-Luc, she left her quarters and went to the arboretum. She wandered around for half an hour simply enjoying her surroundings, before settling under a large tree in the corner furthest from the entry where she wouldn't be disturbed.

She remained there for the rest of the day, sometimes reading, sometimes just staring at nothing lost in thoughts and memories. She thought about what had prompted her to go to Jean-Luc last night, why she had felt so restless and on edge. She knew there was a reason, but try as she might she couldn't work out what it was. She became so lost in her musings that she wasn't aware of the hours that passed. That is until her stomach broke her reverie by complaining loudly about it's empty state.

She hurriedly left the arboretum when she realised the time, Jean-Luc would be waiting. She went directly to his quarters as it was after 1900 hours, she didn't want him to think she wasn't coming. She was eager to see him, more so than usual though she remained apprehensive about what to say to him.

She reached his quarters and quickly straightened herself up before pressing the door chime. She was waiting to hear him call for her to enter when the door opened and he was standing before her, he caught her by surprise. He smiled warmly at her and invited her in.

"Good evening Beverly, I trust you had a pleasant day?" he asked

"Yes, thankyou" she replied, she handed him back the book she'd borrowed. "I borrowed this, I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all," he replied taking it from her "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes I did, though I had no idea that you read such romantic poetry."

"Well, admittedly I don't read it often, but every now and then a little romance is good for the soul." he said as he headed toward the dining table.

She noticed as she sat down the music playing softly in the background. *Hmm, he is being most gallant tonight, he doesn't usually have music playing while we dine. I wonder what brought this on, I hope it's not because of last night. He hasn't said anything about it yet, I have a feeling that he understands, thankfully.*

Dinner progressed comfortably, conversation was light, frequently punctuated by comfortable silence's and long moments where they gazed at each other with more being said than words could express. As they finished, he came over and filled her glass, a new piece of music started.

"Thankyou" she said "Jean-Luc, what is that music playing at the moment?"

"Ahh, that's a traditional folk song I learned when I was Kamin, I played it at Batai's naming ceremony." he recalled fondly.

"Are you playing?" she asked, letting the haunting melody wash over her becoming one with music.

"Yes, I made recordings of all the pieces I learned." he replied. He held his hand to her "Would you like to dance?"

She replied by taking his hand. He drew her up and led her to the middle of the room. He had the computer dim the lights so the only illumination was from the candles on the table and the stars out the window.

They moved together slowly for a few minutes, with eyes only for each other. Then he drew her closer to him, she rested her head on his shoulder and they continued to sway to the music. They stayed that way for several hours, not even noticing when the music stopped.

As she slowly became aware that the music had stopped, she gently pulled away locking her gaze with his.

"It's getting late" she softly spoke "I should be going." She could see in his eyes that he didn't want her to go, but he didn't press her to stay, he didn't want to rush her and perhaps scare her away again.

She reached up with her hand and caressed the side of his face before leaning closer and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Thankyou" she said, hoping he understood her meaning.

"Anytime Beverly" he replied as they went to the door hand in hand. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Yes" she replied as she stepped into the corridor, only letting go of his hand as the door started to close. She walked down the corridor toward her quarters, the words of a song from a 20th century musical running through her mind accompanied by an orchestra.

" I could have danced all night ...."

***********************************************

She was up early the next morning, so decided to go to the gym before breakfast, she needed to work off some of that sumptuous meal Jean-Luc had prepared last night. When she walked in she saw Deanna warming up in one corner, she put her gear down next to Deanna's and started stretching.

"Good morning Beverly" Deanna said slightly surprised "haven't' seen you here in a while."

"Tell me about it, this last week has been so hectic." she replied casually.

"Uh huh, so hectic you took the day off yesterday. You never take days off, Beverly. Why?"

"Doctors orders" she replied evasively.

"You've never done what other doctors have told you to before. Who was it?" she asked conspiratorially.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope, so what gives?"

Beverly contemplated her inquisitor for a moment, then decided her prepared excuse wouldn't hold up, she'd know she was lying, so she gave a version of the truth instead.

"The Captain decided I looked too tired yesterday at breakfast, so he sent me to my room. He said if I went anywhere near sickbay he'd have me relieved of duty. Happy?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, your holding something back. So what did you do?"

"I slept, read and relaxed. Nothing spectacular."

"So you're not going to tell me, then."

"There's nothing to tell." she said indignantly, after all the last part was completely true.

"We'll see. Are you ready?"

"Yup"

They spent the next hour putting each other through their paces. Beverly kept the conversation away from herself by talking about Alyssa's baby and gossiping in general. When they finished, Beverly rushed off, saying she had to meet Jean-Luc for breakfast, she didn't even wait to get changed, knowing that Deanna would start grilling her again if given the chance.

When she arrived at his quarters, she breezed in and headed towards his bedroom.

"Mind if I use your shower?" she asked as she ducked into his room.

Jean-Luc looked after her, a bemused expression on his face.

"By all means, be my guest." he said, though he doubted she heard.

She emerged from the other room a short time later looking terrific, face made up, hair perfectly coifed and feeling ready for anything. She noticed Picard's gaze lingering on her as she walked over to the table, it gave her a thrill knowing that he was watching and admiring her. Not that she ever let on, even though she occasionally went out of her way to wear clothes that were form fitting when in his company, she did so subconsciously.

"You put me in a very awkward position you know."

"Really, how?" he asked.

"I went to the gym this morning, Deanna was there. She wanted to know about yesterday. I think I may have slipped, I told her you saw me at breakfast and ordered me to take the day off. I later realised that she'd spoken to you and you'd told her I didn't come to breakfast. Now she'll be suspicious and it's all your fault." she accused

"Mine ... I believe that you're the one who came to my quarters in the middle of the night." he teased.

"Yes, but if you'd woken me up, this wouldn't have happened. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep a secret from Deanna when she really wants to know. She can be relentless."

"Well if she asks me again, I'll just tell her that you came in after she'd gone. That you'd overslept and that her ringing on the door had eventually woken you. How does that sound?"

"Good, but can you pull it off?"

"Oh she'll believe me. She knows I never lie to her." he chuckled "After all there's no point in lying to an empath."

They finished their breakfast companionably, Picard filling Beverly in on the previous days events. She kept up her end of the conversation but her attention was divided. She found herself watching him, first his hands, the little movements they made to emphasize what he was saying and remembering how soft they were to touch. Then her attention strayed to his arms, she watched the way the muscles flexed and remembered how secure she'd felt enclosed in them. She found herself craving his touch and wondered how long it would be before he held her again. She shivered in anticipation.

When breakfast was finished they went to the observation lounge for the staff meeting. As they were walking down the corridor she slipped her hand into his, keeping her gaze straight ahead so she couldn't see his reaction while relishing this slight contact.

She released his hand just before they entered the lounge, the others were already there and still she couldn't take her eyes off him. She took her place at the table and watched him walk to his seat at the end, admiring the view as he went.

She listened to the mission briefing with half an ear, while memorizing his facial expressions. She was peripherally aware of the looks Deanna was giving her but was unable and unwilling to turn her gaze away from him.

When the meeting was concluded and he left the room she suddenly became of aware of her surroundings again. She turned a sheepish gaze towards Deanna who was still sitting across from her.

"Tell me, do you remember anything that was said during the meeting?" Deanna asked.

"Of course I do" she replied defensively as she rose and left the room, Deanna followed. "Are you implying that I wasn't paying attention?"

"Not at all, I'm certain you were giving the Captain your full attention" Deanna replied teasingly. "Come on, tell me, I'm your best friend. Did he proposition you over breakfast or something?"

"Deanna!" she exclaimed indignantly "Whatever could make you think such a thing?"

"Gee, I don't know, perhaps the conflicting stories given by you and the Captain about yesterday, your extreme reluctance to discuss it and the fact that you couldn't take your eyes off him. What do you think?"

"I think you've got an overactive imagination." Beverly laughed.

"Perhaps I should go and talk to the Captain, perhaps he'll tell what's going on."

"By all means, go ahead." she said as she exited the turbolift. "he'll only tell you what I'm telling you, there's nothing going on. See you later." she finished as the doors closed on a frustrated Deanna.

The rest of the day passed quickly, mired in routine. There were no major emergencies to occupy her and very few minor ones. She tried to do some of the paperwork that always seemed to build up, but her concentration kept wandering. Images of him kept flashing through her mind, each one bringing with it a flood of thoughts and emotions. Eventually she gave up the pretense of working, instead spending the remainder of her shift 'oohing and aahing' over her new godchild until Andrew came to take them home.

She returned to her quarters and changed, again feeling the restlessness come over her. She tried reading through the script of the next play the theatre group was putting on, but was unable to concentrate on it. This was something entirely new for, she'd always prided herself on her ability to get done what needed to be done, she found it very disconcerting to find attention wavering like this.

She finally gave up on the script and pulled out an old photo album that she hadn't looked through for years. This album contained mostly family pictures, starting with her grandmother as a child. She took her time going through it, her parents wedding photo claimed her attention for a while, they looked so happy together, she wished she could remember them better.

She was far more relaxed by the time she got to the photos of her and Jack, until she got the weddings photos. There was one of Jack and Jean-Luc, Jack had his arm around Jean-Luc's shoulder and they both had broad smile on their faces, seeing it caused the restlessness to return. She made herself continue through the album, certain that she was looking for something in particular, though she didn't know what.

She found it shortly after, it was a holographic recording Jack had made for her when he was assigned to the Stargazer. She remembered him slipping it into her hand when she saw him off, he told to use it if she needed a sounding board while he was absent. She'd never needed it ... until now.

She took the chip from it's protective sleeve and left to find a free holodeck.

****************************************


Chapter Two:    'Jack'


When she entered the holodeck, she before her was the old flat where they'd lived when they were first married. The image of Jack was sitting on the couch, he rose when she entered.

"Hi Bev, if you're using this then I guess I'm away on assignment. I really wish I could be with you, but since I'm not I hope this program helps. It's fully interactive and uses the latest in holo technology, I've tried to make it as much like the real me as possible. So fire away my love, what's up?"

She stood for a moment just looking at him, it looked and sounded just like him. She wasn't quite sure how to begin.

"Hi Jack, um, I feel really awkward doing this.... I suppose first I should tell you that, um, You're dead. You died about 15 years ago."

"Oh Bev, I'm so sorry. Would you tell me..." he broke off uncertain.

"Yes, I think that's what I'd planned to do all along, I just hadn't realised it. I want your opinion on a few things but first you need to know about my life now." she said.

"Here, come and sit beside me. Sounds like this is going to take awhile." he said as he moved to sit down. Beverly came over to him and turned him toward, she looked intently into his face, searching.

"God, I've missed you." she finally said. It didn't matter that this was only a program, he was more real this way than her memories of him. There were times when she could barely recall what he look like. "Please, hold me."

He drew her into his embrace, hugging her tightly while she fought back the tears threatening to engulf her. After a few minutes she pulled back and smiled apologetically at him. He returned her smile then sat on the couch pulling her down next to him.

She spent the next half an hour relating to him everything that had happened to her since his death, right up until she was assigned as CMO to the Enterprise. Here she faltered, the only reference she'd made to Picard in her previous narrative had been in relation to his (Jack's) death and subsequent funeral. She wasn't sure how to convey the complexity of the thoughts and feelings she had about Picard at this time.

"Well Jack, this is where things start to get complicated. After your funeral I didn't see Jean-Luc Picard again until I managed to get myself assigned here. Can you guess what practically the first thing he did was when I came aboard?"

"No, tell me. What did the old coot do?" he laughed in expectation of an amusing anecdote.

"It wasn't funny I assure you. He came down to sickbay and told that if I wanted reassignment he'd authorize it. At the time I was furious. It wasn't until about a year ago that I found out his reasons." she paused, wondering if she had the strength to tell him the rest.

After a while she continued, she told him about the intoxicating effects of the Tsiolkovsky virus, and how surprised she was by the strength of her desire for him. She realised as she spoke that the desire awakened in her then had never left her, it had only become stronger. She told him about Wesley and the academy, and the regular breakfasts with Picard. She told him everything that had happened to them, their affairs, their arguments, right up to mission to Kesprytt.

"The mission to Kesprytt was a turning point in our relationship. By this time we were friends, I'd have to say he is my best friend. We were kidnapped by the Prytt, who were under the mistaken impression that we planned to arm the Kes against them. They put these psionic implants into our cerebral cortex's, the aim being to obtain the details of our mission directly from our minds. We were able to escape them, but the implants had an unexpected side effect. We were able to hear each others thoughts. It was quite unnerving at first, but it was fun as well, as long as we kept to surface thoughts. I let slip my thoughts on his posterior view and his reaction was.... well let's say I still get a kick out of the memory. That night when we camped I found out that he was in love with me, and he had been since the first time we met. He tried to put it in the past tense, but I could feel what he was feeling. If anything his feelings had become stronger over the past few years. All that time and he never said a thing, can you believe it?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yes, I can" Jack said softly.

"What?" Beverly asked in surprise.

"I can believe he'd never say anything, he'd feel honor bound to remain silent." he replied.

"You knew?"

"Beverly, I knew Jean-Luc was in love with you, just as I knew he would never compromise you, us."

"How.... " she trailed off.

"Jean-Luc is a very passionate man Beverly, in a quiet understated way. In all the time I knew him I never saw him look at another woman in the same way that he looked at you when he thought he was unobserved."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"What would you have me say, do really think you'd have wanted to know that my Commanding Officer and best friend was in love with you?"

"No, I... I guess you're right," she admitted "you never told him that you knew either, did you?"

"No, although in retrospect it might have been better if I did."

She queried him further about his statement, but he refused to elaborate further. He asked her to continue with her narrative, which she reluctantly did. She relived the pain of her grandmother's death and her subsequent seduction by Ronin. She told him about the future where she'd been married to and divorced from Picard, including her fears for the possible illness he may face. Finally she told him about the last few days, her fascination with his hands and the ache she felt for him to hold, touch her, how confused she was about it all. As she did so she realised what the problem was, she wanted him.

"Beverly, why did you back away from after Kesprytt?" Jack asked.

"I... don't know, I guess I wasn't sure if I could trust what we felt when we were linked, I needed some time to absorb it all. What we'd experienced was very intense, I didn't want to rush into something based on those feelings only to find it transitory." she replied.

"And now?" he pressed. When she didn't answer he continued. "Do you love him Beverly?"

She looked at him searchingly before answering.

"Yes" she said quietly "I think I do."

"Do you feel ready to pursue a more intimate relationship with him?"

"I... yes" she replied.

"So why don't you?"

"It's easier said than done Jack, I've been keeping a distance between us for so long, I'm not sure if he's still feels the same."

"Trust me Bev, remember I know Jean-Luc too maybe even better than you. He's been in love with you for nearly 25 years those feelings don't just go away. I'm sure he still wants you, it won't be as hard as you think to bridge the gap, after all you never had any trouble seducing me. In fact if memory serves you pretty damn good at it." he replied, chuckling.

"Funny Jack, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly 25 anymore and much as I hate to admit it, it's been a while since I actively pursued someone let alone seduced someone."

"Alright, I think I can help you out, I remember something he told me once, a sort of fantasy of his. So listen up and I'll tell what you should do" he whispered conspiratorially.

"I can't believe I'm getting advise from my dead husband on how to seduce his best friend and my Captain." she said sarcastically. "Besides," she continued "that's not what I want from him, Jack."

"Oh, really" he said mockingly "a moment ago you said you did, think Bev, what do you want from him?"

"I don't know.... companionship."

"You already have that, try harder."

She frowned at him while wondering what is was she wanted from Jean-Luc. *It's true, I do have his companionship and friendship, the kind I always supposed I'd have with Jack when we were old. But I'm not old yet, at least I don't feel old. Why is it so hard accept that I want him physically too.*

"I guess I'm afraid, afraid that one day he'll turn up in my sickbay and I won't be able to save him."

"That's just an excuse, and you know it. The truth is Beverly that there is no reason not to, you've just been giving him the same excuses for so long that you've come to believe them yourself."

She thought about it a few minutes and concluded that he was correct.

"You're right. Damn you know me too well, even after all this time."

He laughed at the expression of annoyance she displayed, same as she always did when she had to make a difficult admission.

"Alright smarty pants. What do you think I should?"

"Okay, perhaps an outright seduction isn't appropriate at your advanced age," he teased "but I still have a foolproof plan. Listen up."

**********************************************

As she walked back to her quarters she thought about the plan Jack had laid out for her. *Do I dare, what if he has changed his mind, he could put me in the brig for this. Oh who are you kidding Beverly, If he's not interested he'll say so, you will have completely embarrassed yourself and that will be the end of it. Just keep thinking his hands, hmm, his arms, so strong. And his butt, all those times you've had the urge to touch it, the tantalising glimpses of his chest when he wears that green top with the open front. That's definitely done it, the craving is back!* she entered her quarters and quickly prepared to put the plan into action.

When she was ready, she slipped out of her room, checking to make sure the corridor was clear, she went to his quarters. Stopping at the door she took a deep breath before continuing, *This is it Bev, the point of no return* quickly she entered the entry code he'd given her and slipped inside before she had a chance to change her mind.

She left her bag on the couch and walked over to his sleeping area. She stood in the entry watching him for a moment. He didn't look very comfortable, he was lying ramrod straight on his back with hands crossed over his stomach, a slight frown present on his brow. She quickly removed her robe, concerned that he might wake up. She was wearing a forest green silk night gown that she'd replicated especially, it was semi-transparent and clung to her form without being constricting.

She went over to his bed and gently eased under the sheet until she was lying on her side next to him. He hadn't stirred a muscle. She watched him for a while, noting the even rise and fall of his chest. He was wearing a pair of silk pajamas, the top was open almost to his navel. She made herself comfortable, pressing up against him, hooking one leg over his and placing her free arm over his with her hand resting lightly in the middle of his chest. His arm was nestled between her breasts, she savoured the contact. A small sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

*******************************************

She started to wake in the morning when she felt something lightly touching her face, she batted it away with her hand and snuggled deeper into the pillow. In a minute or two the touch returned, this time she also felt a gentle blowing against her eyes, slowly she came fully awake and opened her eyes. She saw Jean-Luc's smiling face in front of her and smiled in return.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise? not that I mind of course, I think I could get used to waking with you in my arms." he teased.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Sleeping Beauty meant to be woken from her slumber with a kiss from her Prince Charming." she replied sleepily.

For a moment surprise registered on his face, then the smile returned and leaned forward to touch his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. As he withdrew she spoke again.

"I think I could get used to waking up like this everyday." she said with a sigh.

"You still haven't answered my question." he prodded.

"Oh well, I thought I'd save myself the bother of walking over for breakfast in the morning. More convenient and this way I get to stay in bed a little longer." she teased in return.

"Ah, convenience."

"Yes.... well and the fact that I love you."

"You love me." he repeated, stunned.

"I'll repeat it in case you didn't hear properly the first time. I love you, Jean-Luc Picard."

"I'll never tire of hearing that. I love you Beverly." he said as he gathered her close to kiss her again, more passionately.

********************************************

Epilogue

It was mid-morning before Jean-Luc and Beverly arrived on the bridge. He'd reported in earlier with the excuse that 'Doctor Crusher has insisted he have his quarterly physical'. Will Riker couldn't resist making a comment when he saw the smile on the Captain's face.

"Beverly, why aren't my physicals as much fun as his, I'm sure I don't enjoy them as much as he appears to." he teased, his mirth increasing when he saw the telltale blushes that appeared on both their faces.

"Indeed, Number One. I enjoyed it so much that I think I'll have one every day." he said trying to be sarcastic, the broad grin that lit up his face giving him away.

He coughed as though to clear his throat before continuing.

"You have the bridge, Number One, I'll be in my ready room." He was half way to the door when he turned back.

"Doctor Crusher, a moment please." he said indicating toward the door.

"Of course" she replied casually, quickly following him in.

When the door had closed, Will looked at Deanna, an eyebrow raised. //Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Imzadi.//

//Absolutely, positively, unequivocally yes.// she replied.

They both burst out laughing, Data turned at their outburst a quizzical expression evident on his face.

"Sir, may I ask. What is so amusing? I see nothing funny about physical examinations."

This brought a fresh round of laughter.

"Later Data, later." Will replied.

"I will never understand human behaviour." Data said regretfully as he turned back to his console.



The End




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