Authors' notes:  This story is for anyone who has panted their way through the final engineering scene in "First Contact" while watching the glistening, bulging biceps of Mr. Stewart.  In the words of one half of Whoa Nellie to the other, "When he's done climbing those cables do you think he'll climb us next?"

As always: Paramount owns all the marbles. We just have a lot more fun playing with them.
Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail.

Whoa Nellie's Picard/Vash Romance Fan Fiction Website is at:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/TimesSquare/Galaxy/7926/

Whoa Nellie's Sci-Fi Romance Fan Fiction Website is at:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/whoa_nellies2000

The Wolf with the Red Roses

 "Captain's log, the Enterprise is in orbit around the planet Tauree in the Gamma quadrant.  All indications are that the planet is uninhabited, although we have discovered an ancient Verathan outpost in a  tropical region of the planet.  The outpost appears to have been abandoned shortly after it was completed.  Archaeology Councilmember Vash and two of her assistants, Dan Guillermo and Trey Creighton, along with Lieutenant Kennely have beamed down to investigate the site.  My only concern is that the atmosphere is plagued by ion storms that make sensors unreliable and can intermittently interfere with transporters."

.........................

 The Verathan outpost consisted of five rectangular buildings positioned to form a pentagon with the largest building at the apex.  In that building, Vash stood at the far end of an immense rectangular room behind a semi-circular computer console.  Grey machinery covered the walls with long slabs of phosphorescent stone placed intermittently between them, which provided illumination.  She set her tricorder on the console and began downloading data files that she had found.  She hoped to translate this offshoot of the Verathan language and find out why the outpost had been abandoned.  The steamy, tropical heat had caused her brunette, shoulder length hair to stick uncomfortably to the back of her neck.  While waiting for the files to finish downloading, she walked over to her bedroll and other provisions to pull a hairband out of her pack.  Even though she was planning for her team to spend only a few hours at the site, she had ordered everyone to bring several days worth of provisions.  She was well aware that if a good-sized ion storm came through, the transporters could go down and change their plans.  Making her way back over to the console, she used her fingers to quickly comb her hair up off her neck into a ponytail.  A flashing indicator on the tricorder told her the files had been downloaded.  A sudden commotion from outside caught her attention.  Latching the tricorder to her belt, she headed toward the entrance and her ever-present security guard.  "Kennely, what in the devil is going on out here?"

 A large group of primitive hominids, roughly two dozen, had swarmed the site.  Amid the confusion, she spotted her two assistants unconscious on the ground.  Kennely was blocking the doorway and firing his phaser on its broadest setting, trying to prevent the natives from reaching them.  Before she could react to the scene in front of her, Kennely shoved her back inside the building.

 "They just appeared out of nowhere!" he yelled to her.  He slapped his communicator.  "Kennely to Enterprise, em--"

 Vash watched in horror as the hominids overwhelmed Kennely, wrenching the phaser out of his hands and throwing it down.  She tried to run but they were blocking the nearest exit and they were much faster than she was.  It took less than a minute for them to subdue her; one of the larger brutes slung her over his shoulder as if she were no heavier than a blanket.  They fled from the compound as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving behind the fallen bodies of the men who had accompanied her to the surface.

......................

 Materializing at the site, Picard demanded an update from his security chief. "Report."

 "The three injured have been beamed to sickbay, still no sign of  Vash.  We found her communicator on the floor in the building where Lieutenant Kennely was found.  A sweep of the perimeter turned up a trail leading off into the brush." Commander Lar gestured toward the general direction.  "The search team was just preparing to head out."

 "Very good, let's go."  Picard checked his phaser.

 "Sir," Lar began hesitantly.

 Picard cut off the impending objection.  "You can either come with us, Mr. Lar, or you can beam back up to the ship and commiserate with Commander Riker."

 "Yes, sir."  Lar signaled to the rest of the security team to move out.

 A kilometer into the brush the trail diverged, leaving them faced with a decision.  Picard took a security officer with him and followed the main path while Lar and the other two security officers followed the secondary path.  Tricorders couldn't detect much of anything because of the atmospheric interference so they were relying on age-old tracking methods--following broken branches, torn brush and faint marks on the ground.  Thirty meters further along, Picard spotted a familiar hairband wrapped around a tree limb which had been partially broken.  "That's my girl," he muttered.  He tapped his communicator.

 "Picard to Commander Lar."  He tried twice more with no response.  Turning to his security officer, he gestured back toward the fork in the paths.  "Communications must be down, go tell Commander Lar and his team that Vash came this direction."

 Tucking the hairband in his pocket he moved slowly along the path, staying in the vicinity of where he'd found the band while he waited for the security team to catch up.  Part of him wanted to rush forward and find her, but it wouldn't do her any good for him to go blindly running into whatever the situation was.  His communicator chirped.

 "Picard here."

 Riker's voice came through, somewhat muffled by static.  "Sir, an ion storm is building up fast, communications are almost completely down and transporters are going to be unusable for at least the next eighteen hours.  Given the hostile inhabitants, we have to beam you back to the ship; we'll go back for Vash after the storm passes.  We've already beamed the rest of the security team back to the ship, prepare for transport."

 Picard tapped his communicator.  "See you in eighteen hours, Number One."  With that he slapped the communicator onto the nearest tree trunk and began following the trail of broken branches to find his wife.

.........................

 Still sitting at the mouth of the cave where she had been unceremoniously dumped four hours before, Vash divided her time between translating the data files on her tricorder and warily studying her primitive captors while they went about setting up their camp--so to speak.  As yet she had not seen any females or children causing her to wonder if this was some sort of hunting or warrior party.  Although this type of primitive society was much more Chakotay's forte than her own, she was beginning to formulate a hypothesis.  Three of the beings cautiously began making their way toward her.  'This isn't good,' she thought, noticing something inherently lecherous in their demeanor.  Her heart leapt into her throat when she heard a blood-chilling growl from just behind her.  The largest individual in the group, the one who had captured and carried her here, appeared from the cave, which sent her three would-be suitors quickly retreating.  He went back inside the cave and Vash decided that she really didn't want to know what he was doing.

 Hidden within the dense tropical foliage on a nearby hill, Picard watched the larger hominid briefly emerge from the cave to drive away the other three males.  The larger hominid's primal possessiveness of a male for a female was obvious and Vash's khaki workshirt and shorts did not disguise the feminine curves of her lithe silhouette.  From this vantage point, she appeared to be unharmed.  Returning her attention back to her tricorder, she seemed unruffled as if she assumed, and correctly so, that a rescue was to be expected.  He pressed forward through the foliage for a better look, ignoring the thin material of his t-shirt clinging to his damp chest.  Several kilometers back, he had discarded his uniform jacket and tunic when they became too cumbersome and oppressive in the hot, humid climate.  It was highly unlikely that all of the primitives in the group would congregate in one place for any length of time.  If he timed it right, several, quick, successive phaser blasts on the widest setting should stun most of them.  Taking careful aim, he fired.

 The distinctive sound of phaser fire drew Vash's attention away from the tricorder to find all of the visible hominids crumpled to the ground, stunned.  Looking like something out of an action-adventure holonovel, Jean-Luc stepped out into the clearing.  The glistening muscles of his well-defined chest and arms were powerfully evident in the grey, sleeveless T-shirt.  Her gaze traveled over his broad shoulders and the bulge of his hardened biceps as he held the phaser in his large hand.  'Damn,' she thought to herself in admiration.  Yearning to run her hands over those firm, masculine planes, she felt her pulse and breathing quicken.   'This planet is beginning to get to me,' she mentally castigated herself.

 Picard quickly closed the distance between them.  Reaching her side, he inquired under his breath, "are you injured?"

 "No," she mouthed, shaking her head and allowing him to help her to her feet.  She tilted her head toward the cave.  "Now would be a real good time for an emergency beam out."

 "Transporters are down due to an ion storm.  We're on our own for at least another fourteen hours," he told her, beginning to stealthily lead her away from the cave.

 Again Vash heard that blood-chilling growl from the cave behind them and whispered under her breath, "my boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble."

 Hurling Vash out of harm's way, Picard turned toward the sound of the hominid just as it lunged toward him.  He couldn't get the phaser up before the creature landed on him, knocking him onto his back and sending the phaser bouncing into the underbrush.  The creature severely outweighed Picard and the impact of the creature hitting him at full speed knocked the wind out of him.  He managed to barely get a leg under the creature and use its own lunging momentum to kick it off him, slamming it into the ground above his head.

 Picard scrambled to his feet, holding his side where the creature's shoulder had hit him and trying to catch his breath.  He quickly rubbed his sides, checking for broken ribs while he scanned the brush for his phaser.  Abruptly giving up, he realized that there was no way he would find the weapon in the thick tangle of vines and branches that lined the clearing.  He backed away as the creature slowly regained its feet.  It was easily a foot taller than himself and much more heavily built.  He moved back more, putting as much distance between himself and the hominid as possible.   The creature looked at Picard for several moments as if trying to come up with a plan.  Finally, it snorted and simply charged straight at him again.

 This time, Picard was able to avoid the charge, waiting until the creature closed the distance between them before darting out of the way.  As the hominid went by, he jumped on its back and wrapped his arms around the creature's neck.  Swinging wildly back and forth, the creature tried to throw him off.  Picard squeezed as tightly as he could, but felt his grip slipping.  A moment later he was thrown into the brush, his mouth hitting a small, broken log lying on the ground.  While struggling up onto his hands and knees, he noticed large drops of blood from his mouth splattered across the log.  Hearing the creature running toward him, Picard let loose a savage howl and grabbed the log, whirling around toward the hominid.  He swung the log toward the creature's leg hitting  just under its knee as hard as he could.  The creature's leg bone cracked and it staggered back.  Giving the thing no quarter, Picard lunged at his primitive adversary.  The hominid bellowed in fury, but could no longer support its own weight and collapsed with Picard on top of it.  The starship captain was lost in a red haze of murderous rage.  His only desire was to kill the male that had dared to take his mate.  He grabbed one of the thick vines that hung in the brush and wrapped it around the hominid's neck.  The creature was kicking, trying to get away, but its broken leg prevented it from getting any leverage.  Picard pulled the vine tighter around its neck and its hands clawed at its throat, however the vine was too tight and getting tighter with Picard pulling as hard as he could.  After several minutes, the creature's struggles grew weaker, still the captain did not stop.  He summoned every ounce of strength he had and pulled the vine as tight as he could around the creature's neck until the creature finally went limp under him.  Picard waited a few moments longer until he was sure the hominid was dead and then slowly released his grip on the vine around its neck.  Winded, Picard crouched over the dead creature.  He wiped the blood from his lower lip with the back of his hand and growled, "she's mine.  I saw her first."

 Vash watched the life-and-death combat from behind the cover of a nearby tree.  Cautiously emerging from her hiding place, she spotted Jean-Luc's phaser in the underbrush.   She retrieved the phaser and walked over to hand the weapon to him.  She caressed the broad shoulders, her hands dipping down to pull the wet fabric off of him.  He'd fought for her, she belonged to him and she needed to--

 Picard caught her hands as they started tugging his T-shirt out of his trousers.  Before he could ask her what she was thinking, he noticed the hominids that he had stunned earlier were starting to recover.  He raised the phaser taking on an alert protective stance in front of her.  "They're moving off instead of charging," he noted quizzically.

 "You've challenged and beaten the dominant male therefore appropriating the position of alpha male yourself." Unable to resist temptation, Vash laid her hand to rest on his upper arm enjoying the feel of the powerful muscles beneath her fingertips.  "Not that the alpha male position is anything new to you."

 Ignoring her last comment, he asked, "how much time do you think this buys us?"

 "Should be more than enough time to get back to the outpost site.  I've managed to translate the data files so I should be able to secure the main building of the outpost; there are shield systems in place around the compound if I can activate them.  We can safely wait in there until the transporters deign to transport again.  We have plenty of provisions, and I'm sure we can find some way to pass the time," she practically cooed the last part.

 "Go," he commanded, tilting his head toward the path through the foliage.  He waited a few moments to make sure they were not going to be followed and then headed into the foliage after her.

....................

 "So much for uninhabited," he commented ruefully as they trekked through the thick underbrush.

 "Having translated the Verathan data files, I've come up with a working theory about that.  What if the outpost was not abandoned?  Our primitive friends back there might be the Verathans, or to be more accurate, the descendants of the Verathans."  She made her way under a low branch while he held it up for her, making sure to brush against the hard wall of his body.  He smelled so primal, so masculine that it was all she could do to keep her mind on what she was saying.

 "Is this Vash Picard's theory of de-evolution?" he teased, very aware of how her utilitarian shorts efficaciously accentuated her long, shapely legs and the perfectly-proportioned roundness of her backside.

 "I didn't say it was a good theory," she drawled, a coy smile on her face.  Feigning insult, she continued, "Cut me some slack here, Johnny.  Some of this delves into Chakotay's and even Beverly's areas of expertise."

 "All right."  He held up his hands in capitulation.  "What have you got?"

 Walking together through the humid, jungle heat, Vash laid out her theory.  "The Verathan files contained reports of  increasingly numerous incidents of individuals exhibiting unusual behavior while building the outpost.  One of the last entries is by a Verathan scientist who discovered that the planet's vegetation secretes a substance with endorphin and testosterone properties that cause increased levels of both in humanoids, which results in primitive, instinctual behavior.  The scientist mentions working on how the effect can be counteracted but then the files come to abrupt end.  What if the Verathans didn't recognize what was happening in time to stop their loss of cognitive functioning and, consequently,  becoming primitive in nature.  Due to the evident use of standard tools, big-game hunting, and the use of fire, I'd place our friends back there on an evolutionary scale with Homo erectus.  Again, that would be Chakotay's area."

 "Dr. Crusher should be able to counteract any effects of short term exposure," Picard added while watching Vash pick up his tunic and uniform jacket from the spot along the path where he had tossed them earlier that day.  "They were becoming very uncomfortable in this heat," he explained in response to her challenging expression.

 "Most archaeology sites do not come equipped with environmental controls."  Noticing something amiss on his jacket, she asked,  "Where is your commbadge?"

 "Attached to a tree further up ahead."

 "I really don't want to know what happened that led to that," Vash rolled her eyes and started to walk again.  She let out a gasp when Jean-Luc reached out and quickly caught her by the arm yanking her roughly against him.  She gazed up into his handsome features; his penetrating, steel-grey eyes and the determination etched in the strong square line of his jaw sending a wave of desire washing over her.

 "Riker knows damn well I'd never leave you," Picard's voice was a deep, resonating growl.  His mouth descended on hers in a savage kiss thrusting his tongue inside to plunder and pillage the moist cavern.  Dropping his jacket and tunic, she wound her arms around to splay her hands against the back of his head to pull him closer.  As his mouth took command of hers, her soft moan of surrender drove his urgency up another notch.  At this rate, he would soon be tempted to take her right here and, under present circumstances, that was simply  not an option.  Fighting to keep a tight rein on his own needs, he reluctantly broke the kiss leaving both of them breathing unevenly.  "Primitive, instinctual behavior."

 "Uh-huh," Vash bit her lower lip her attention riveted on the man in front of her.  Her hands journeyed down the lean tapering lines of his torso to the waistband of his trousers feeling the taut muscles of his stomach through the thin, wet material of his T-shirt.

 "Vash," he rasped capturing her small hands at his waistband.  He brought them up placing a kiss on her palms before letting go and stepping back.  "Our primitive friends are still out there.  We need to get back to the outpost site."

 Briefly closing her eyes, Vash took several deep breaths struggling to regain control over herself.  Damn, it was so hot, she was so hot.  She used her fingers to comb her hair up off her neck while conceding with a small nod, "you're right.  We need to get to the outpost."

 Picking up his jacket and tunic off the ground, he rummaged through a pocket.  He pulled out her hairband handing it to her.  "This might make things more comfortable for you."

 "So, you found it."  She quickly pulled her hair up into a ponytail as they began walking again.

 "Uh-huh," he answered clearing some branches from their path.  Giving her one of his barely there smiles, he praised, "atta girl."

.......................

 Having reached the outpost site and activated the shield system, Jean-Luc had managed to get a weak signal through to the Enterprise.  Vash listened to the discussion about their current situation while cleaning up the meal she and Jean-Luc had finished and laying out bedrolls for that night.  Riker's voice was muffled by static, "we were very relieved to hear from you, Captain.  Commander Chakotay and Dr.Crusher both concur with Professor Picard's hypothesis.  Dr. Crusher says to assure you she can counteract the increased levels of endorphins and testosterone once you return to the ship."

 "Very good,"  Picard acknowledged standing at the computer control console.  The effects of the planet's vegetation were making him increasingly more restless.  The hyper vigilance he had maintained during his combat with the creature and their trek through the jungle, instead of subsiding, was now fueling a burning lust for Vash.   "What about transporters?"

 "The storm is larger than anticipated.  Commander LaForge says it will be another twelve hours at the earliest," Riker answered.

 Coming up behind Jean-Luc, Vash admired the way his uniform trousers conformed to the tight muscles of his thighs and back side.  Unwilling to resist the temptation, she cupped his butt firmly and sighed appreciatively, "take your time."

 "What did Vash say, sir?"  Riker inquired.

 There were times when Picard dearly wanted to turn his lovely wife over his knee.  The erotic connotation implicated in that course of action was definitely not where he wanted his imagination to go just now.  Ever since the kiss in the jungle, he had been repeatedly taunted by an impulse to rip her work clothes from her and take her hard and fast.  Once again, he sternly banished that particular train of thought forcing himself to concentrate on the topic at hand.  "Just take care of my ship, Number One, I'll handle things here."

 "Aye sir.  Riker out."

 Closing the channel, Picard looked back at Vash regarding her expectantly "take your time?"

 "I can't think of a more delightful way to spend twelve hours than being stranded with you, all alone, in a steamy, tropical jungle," Vash remarked, the anticipation alone enough to cause butterflies in her stomach.

 "A tropical jungle where the plants secrete a substance that over stimulates all of our basic biological drives, resulting in primitive, instinctual behavior," he cautioned a little more sharply than he had intended.

 "Gives a whole new dimension to the old saying 'going native,'" she retorted mischievously, openly ogling the virile man standing next to her.  The fact that that Jean-Luc had insisted on staying behind to rescue her was not lost on Vash.  Suddenly serious, she gazed up at him through her lashes, "thank you for coming after me."

 "You're my wife.  I would fight to the death to protect you, " the powerful timbre of his voice reverberated with the fervent pledge.

 Remembering him fresh from battle, having fought for her, the epitome of raw masculinity, the butterflies in her stomach hardened into a knot of desire.  She lifted her arms over her head, her hands freeing  her hair from the hairband and combing the tresses out with an almost feral purr.  In a passion-laced whisper, she coaxed, "je suis a toi, Mon Capitaine.  Prends moi."

 "Vash, damnit!" he exploded his voice thundering through the chamber.  Annoyed by the damp material, he stripped his T-shirt off over his head angrily tossing it to the floor.  He spun on his heel to face her.  "I killed that pathetic creature with my bare hands and I felt satisfaction in it."

 "Sir Guy," she said breathlessly, tantalized by the sight of his lean, hard body stripped to the waist.  Every movement he made revealed the tightly leashed strength contained in his sculpted muscles.

 "That was one of Q's fantasies," he snapped curtly even as his eyes hungrily raked over her enticing curves.  The simple khaki work clothes reminded him of that first night they spent together in the cave on Risa.  "This is all too real."

 Wanting to bare herself to him and feeling constricted by her clothes in the tropical heat, she kicked off her boots while unbuttoning her work shirt to peel it off.  She started to tug her thin, muslin T-shirt out of her shorts.  "How many more times will you kill for me?"

 He seized her wrist to stop her from removing her T-shirt.  "As many as I have to.  You're mine, nobody else's, ever."

 "Always," Vash sighed wantonly.  A shiver of need raced through her entire body at his touch the sensation spreading across her breasts, the nipples hardening against her clothes.

 He entangled his hands in her silky hair and forced her face to his, powerfully crushing her lips beneath his own.  Plunging his tongue into the moist recesses of her mouth, he released her hair and gripped the fabric of her T-shirt, ripping it from her and discarding the shreds on the floor.  Swiftly, he unfastened the waistband of her work shorts, allowing them to fall to the floor.  His hard arousal throbbed painfully; his lust for her rising to an almost excruciating level.  Wrapping one arm around her waist to force her supple curves tightly against him, he backed her up against a nearby wall.  He braced his palms flat against the wall on either side of her shoulders.  He broke the kiss and pulled his face back slightly; her lips were passion-swollen and a heated flush had swept up her ivory skin.  With every ragged breath, the lush curves of her breasts rose and fell threatening to spill over the lace edging of her delicate white lace brassiere.

 "Please Jean-Luc . . . don't stop . . . please don't stop," Vash panted, his intense gaze coursing over her entire body like an actual physical caress.  Her body instinctively responded to him, pulsing uncontrollably and dripping wet with unsatisfied need.  Her eyes followed her hands while they glided along his powerful arms, lingering on the solid, bulging biceps.  The muscular wall of his chest was enhanced by rippling pectorals and coarse chest hair.

 "You're wet for me," he snarled in a predatory whisper, his nostrils flaring slightly.

 Once again meeting his gaze, her tongue darted out of its own volition, to moisten her lips.  "Yes."

 His body demanded satisfaction, urging him to claim and possess her for himself.  Lowering his  face to hers, he rasped hoarsely against her mouth, "Your scent is driving me out of my mind."

 Vash's mouth was seized by his in yet another demanding kiss, the coarse rasp of his tongue along the sensitive depths sending heated waves crashing over her.  She wrapped one leg around his hip to pull him tightly against her.  Her breasts were crushed against the expanse of his chest, grazing solid muscle, which tormented her already inflamed nipples.  She rocked her hips against his in response to the erotic pressure of his hard length pushing against her through the fabric of his trousers.  She quivered from the sensations gasping into his kiss.  Just on the edge, she involuntarily whimpered as he suddenly stopped their movements.  His hot, powerful hands sparked against her skin as they slid up her stomach to her breasts, his thumbs teasing the aching peaks through the lace of her bra.

 Picard pulled open the front clasp of her brassiere nestled in the center of her cleavage, his hands rough in his haste.  Impatiently, he swept the flimsy material aside to reveal her breasts with their lush roundness and ivory skin tipped with deep rosy peaks.  Cupping the firm mounds in his hands and caressing them possessively, he buried his face in the curve of her neck.  Savoring the taste of her, he sucked strongly at the sensitive skin along the side of her throat, leaving lovebites at the tender junction between her neck and shoulders.  Without taking his mouth from her, he reached down and ripped the flimsy material of her underwear away, tossing the shreds to the floor.

 "Jean-Luc," Vash moaned passionately.  The heat from his tongue along with the sharp pull of his mouth caused her to roll her head back, baring her throat to him.  Reeling from the exquisite sensations flooding over her, she arched into his large hands as they traveled roughly over her body, demanding access to every curve.  A gasp of surprise escaped her lips, her arms instinctively encircling his neck when she felt herself being abruptly swept up into his muscular arms.  He effortlessly carried her across the room and fell to his knees on the floor laying her down on the bedroll.  The carnal heat in his steel grey eyes pinned her in place as he quickly stripped off his boots and trousers.  She purred in heated anticipation at the sight of his powerful, masculine body glistening slightly beneath a sheen of sweat.

 Picard captured both of Vash's tiny wrists in one of his large hands to draw them up above her head while stretching himself out full-length to cover her body with his own.  He wasted no time with preludes, his knees urging her supple thighs farther apart and impaling her with a single, powerful thrust.  The cadence he set was a furious rhythm of intense hunger, his body taking total possession of hers.  The slick depths of her body were hot and tight, gripping him with each thrust, frantically clenching at him.   Even when her body shuddered violently around him with her first release, he didn't stop, thrusting into her harder and faster.  Fiercely, he pounded into her, driving himself deep inside her with each stroke.  Her hips rocked under him, welcoming every forceful thrust and demanding more.  Again, his mouth latched onto the smooth, creamy skin on the side of her neck.  He felt her buck strongly beneath him screaming his name as she orgasmed.  He thrust into her twice more before holding himself deep inside her while his own body convulsed.  Releasing her hands, he braced his hands on either side of her shoulders and raised up to hover over her.  His eyes traveled down the length of Vash's nude body seductively sprawled beneath his.  It wasn't enough for him, he still needed more from her.

 With her hands resting on the masculine slope of his shoulders, Vash struggled to catch her breath while spasms continued to race through her body.  With each shudder, a small whimper punctuated her ragged breathing.  Her whimpers became a gasp of astonishment and her eyes widened in surprise feeling him harden deep inside her again.  Her entire body was still highly sensitized and throbbing erotically from the aftermath of her releases.  Her gaze locked with his and she found herself held captive by the fierce, unbridled lust emanating from those piercing grey eyes.  God, he was so hot and hard; he filled her completely.  A low growl from the back of his throat was her only warning before he resumed driving into her with rapid-fire thrusts.  Once again, that familiar, carnal ache built steadily with each powerful stroke of his body into hers.  She could feel every ridge of his hard length driving into the heated depths of her body.  His body claimed her over and over, the forceful thrusts sending torrents of intense pleasure flooding over her.  The overpowering pressure mounting inside her magnified every sensation, adding to her raging need.  Her hands clutched at his back, drawing long, red welts as the tension that had been building in her at last reached a fulminating crescendo.  A primal scream ripped from her throat as her entire body rocked with an overpowering orgasm that came in wave after wave of pleasure crashing over her.

 His roar of triumphant conquest merged into a feral duet with her cry of passion.  He savagely thrust into her over and over, feeling her quake uncontrollably around him before her entire body collapsed, overcome with ecstasy.  With one, last, powerful thrust, he held himself buried inside her as his own explosive release ripped through him.  His breathing labored from the physical exertion, he rolled off to lay on his side next to her pulling her back to him.

 Vash snuggled back, her hips nestled against his own.  Jean-Luc's damp, coarse chest hair tickled her back, his muscular arms holding her tightly to him while a large hand possessively cupped one of her breasts.  In spite of her complete exhaustion, she slowly opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at him.

 "Sleep," he hoarsely murmured.

 Hours later, she was roughly awakened by his strong, powerful hands roaming over her.  She drowsily opened her eyes to find him hovering over her.

 A guttural noise escaped his throat, a desperate, libidinous command.

 She shifted her legs and arched her body, surrendering herself to him in a timeless fashion.  He buried his hard length deep inside her and she howled in pleasure at the sensation of complete fullness.  He began driving into her with determined thrusts, forcing her hips to match his frantic pace.  His mouth descended on hers in a fierce kiss, plunging his tongue past her lips to possess her mouth as boldly as he was possessing her body.  His groan of satisfaction followed her soft moan of release closely.  Twice more during the night he woke her in the same manner.  He seemed insatiable, each time he took her even more voraciously than the last.

..........................

 "Doctor, she's starting to come around." Alyssa Ogawa called out.

 The nurse's voice was the first thing to seep into Vash's awareness.  With what felt like an inordinate effort, she forced herself to open her eyes, looking up to see Beverly Crusher.  She realized that she was in Sickbay back onboard the Enterprise and moistened her lips to whisper.  "Jean-Luc?"

 "He's fine," Beverly assured her.  "I've already released him; although, I'm sure he's here somewhere skulking around my Sickbay waiting for you."

 "My team?"

 "Dan and Trey suffered very little exposure to the planet's vegetation and only mild concussions from the attack," Beverly replied while checking the biobed's readings.

 Remembering how fiercely her security guard had fought against overwhelming odds to protect her, Vash was almost afraid to hear the answer to her next question.  "What about Kennely?"

 "He took a pretty brutal beating, but he'll be able to return to duty in a few days.  Typical security officer, he kept swearing he wasn't injured that badly and couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to beam back down to search for you," Beverly remarked with a hint of affectionate exasperation in her voice.  The doctor turned her attention back to her current patient.  "You were the one with the longest and most severe exposure to the planet's vegetation.  Your neurotransmitter and hormone levels are now back to almost normal, so I'm going to go ahead and release you from sickbay.  I want you to take it easy for a day or so and give your body time to get back to it's own particular equilibrium."

 "All right," Vash nodded.

 Beverly turned and handed a PADD to Ogawa.  "Alyssa, please take this to Dr. Selar in the lab."

 "Yes, Doctor," Alyssa replied, taking the PADD and leaving the cubical.

 "Oh God," Vash gasped attempting to sit up only to find that certain muscles were quite sore and she was naked beneath the biobed's blanket.  The previous night's events came flooding back to her.  Realizing the sight she and Jean-Luc must have been, her face went prickly hot.  "How did we get back onboard?"

 "Chakotay and Data beamed down to sedate the two of you and then we beamed you directly to sickbay."  Beverly gestured to a small pile of clothes neatly folded on a chair next to the biobed.  "I thought you could use a fresh set of clothes."

 "Thank you," Vash replied, reaching for her clothes to get dressed.

 Beverly handed Vash a small hand mirror after she finished dressing. "It's apparent that conjugal relations between you and the captain became rather intense."

 "I love those Starfleet euphemisms," Vash quipped examining the lovebites that marked the skin of her neck.  "Damn, those are rather impressive hickeys.  Jean-Luc is going to go apoplectic when he sees the aftermath of our, as you called it, 'intense conjugal relations.'  Initially, he attempted that resolutely-stoic- starship-captain routine concerned about the effects of the planet's vegetation."

 "You just can't resist testing the limits of that legendary Picard self-control," Beverly smiled knowingly.

 "Guilty as charged," Vash confessed, laying the small mirror aside and straightening her collar to hide the lovebites.  She looked up at her friend, her eyes sparkling with mischief.  "Now, what kind of researcher would I be if I hadn't extensively tested the effects of the planet's vegetation on such a paragon of pure masculine virility."

 "Excellent point," Crusher concurred before prompting in a conspiratorial tone, "and your results?"

 "Five magnificently feral demonstrations of male prowess," Vash informed her smugly wearing a Cheshire cat-grin, "that I remember anyway."

 "Five?" Beverly gasped in awe.  Seeing Vash nod, she couldn't help but wonder about the effect on her own sexy husband.  "Perhaps, Chakotay, as the ship's anthropologist, and I, as chief medical officer, should beam down to do a collaborative study to follow up on your findings."

 "Ooooh, I'd highly recommend it," Vash encouraged enthusiastically.

 "Well, I don't," Picard's deep voice resonated from the doorway behind them.  "which is a perfect illustration of why I'm a starship captain and you're an archaeologist."

 "Spoilsport," the two women lamented in unison.

 The captain leaned against the doorway. "Isn't someone missing here and don't you usually have these conversations over vast amounts of chocolate?"

 "We'll be sure to fill Deanna in on everything over vast amounts of chocolate tomorrow," Vash quipped impishly.

 "Of course you will," Picard replied dryly.  "Doctor?"

 "She's fine."  Beverly turned to Vash.  "You're fine, go home and take Captain Bly there with you."

...................................

 That evening, Vash spent the better part of an hour reclining in a large bathtub nearly overflowing with copious amounts of jasmine-scented bubbles.  The luxuriating soak helped to soothe the residual soreness in her over-taxed muscles.  A tranquil smile underscored her dreamy expression, memories of the night before filling her with a sense of utter sexual contentment.  After dressing for bed, she made her way over to stand in the bedroom doorway looking out into the cabin's main room.  Still in uniform, Jean-Luc was at his desk staring intently at a PADD.  In an impish singsong tone, she inquired, "wha cha doin?"

 "I'm working on my report to Starfleet Command and trying to decide on a discrete way to recount the more prurient events of last night," Picard answered without glancing up.  A hint of exasperation crept into his voice.

 "Am I to understand that you have issues with what happened last night?" she baited.

 He looked up from the PADD to see Vash standing in the bedroom doorway.  The rich satin of her amethyst-colored negligee skimmed her curves to fall into sweeping folds around her legs.  The plunging scoop neckline and thin spaghetti straps revealed the lovebites that marred the delicate skin of her throat and chest.  He tossed the PADD to the desk.  "Merde, the situation never should have progressed to the point it did."

 "Are you about to scold me for my blatant apathy regarding the effects of the planet's vegetation while I utilized my feminine wiles to provoke you into ripping the clothes from my body and ravishing me all night long in numerous outbursts of unbridled, carnal lust? " she cooed unabashed.

 The naughty glint in her vivid blue eyes along with the playful smile on her face told Picard his wife would have no compunction about doing it all over again.  Leaning back in his chair, he tugged on his uniform jacket and muttered, "why must you continually play with fire?"

 "It's what I do," Vash retorted in a flippant tone with a regal toss of her hair.

 "Damnit Vash!  That vegetation altered my brain and completely obliterated my self-control," he snapped remembering how he had ultimately lost his struggle for self-control.  He might have been able to maintain his control if not for the fight with that creature.  The primal rage followed by the satisfaction he felt at killing the thing had allowed the effects of the vegetation to completely permeate his brain.  From that point, the descent into animalistic madness had been unstoppable.  He had been consumed with a primitive  need to stake his claim on her, ferociously taking her over and over again.  He was suddenly struck by how delicate she appeared.  In a tone softened by chagrin, he began to voice his concern, "I could have easily injured you --"

 "Injuring me is not what you were so zealously attempting to do last night," she quipped, cutting him off with a dismissive wave of her hand.  His expression clearly showed just how stunned he was by the implication of her remark.  She so enjoyed pushing this man's buttons.  Nonchalantly leaning back against the doorway, she continued,  "you seem to be under the misconception that you were the only one being effected by the planet's vegetation.  I would like to remind the captain that the ship's chief archaeologist was on the planet longer and had more exposure to the planet's vegetation."

 "Your point?"

 "The human female inherently wants to mate with the alpha male, the male who will result in the finest possible genes for her offspring along with providing the offspring's highest chance for survival and ability to pass on its genes.  My own primal drives and emotions were even more heightened than yours.  You're a powerful man, Jean-Luc Picard, virile, resourceful, determined, confident, a starship captain, the very embodiment of the modern day alpha male."  Pausing for effect, Vash allowed her eyes to sweep over him appreciatively.  "I wanted you from the very first moment you stepped into the clearing.  After watching the way you fought for me, I would have done anything to get you to bed me.  What happened was exactly what I needed, what I wanted, to happen.  I even left my mark on you if I recall correctly; although, I'm assuming that someone in Sickbay got the delicious task of healing the scratch I left on your back.  This delightful interlude went way beyond even  my wildest sexual fantasies about you, and that's saying something.  Admit it, last night was incredibly hot."

 "With you it always is," he bantered back in a charmingly wry tone.  In light of her obvious contentment, he was having a hard time sustaining any irritation with her or himself for that matter.

 "Ooooh, you're such a silver-tongued devil or maybe you're a wolf with red roses," she retorted playfully.

 "Wolf with red roses?" he asked.

 "It's a poem by Marvin Lee Aday written in the late twentieth century."  Vash slowly sauntered across the room toward him while reciting the poem in a sultry, bedroom voice.
"On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Will he offer me his mouth?
Yes
Will he offer me his teeth?
Yes
Will he offer me his jaws?
Yes
Will he offer me his hunger?
Yes
Again. Will he offer me his hunger?
Yes
And will he starve without me?
Yes
And does he love me?" she said, now standing in front of Jean-Luc's chair, between the desk and him.

 "Yes," Picard responded in a deep resonating baritone gently pulling her down to sit across his lap.

 Vash slid her arms around his neck and brought her face to his.  "Yes.
On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Yes," she whispered the poem's last few lines against his mouth just before claiming his lips with hers in an impassioned kiss.

***FINIS***