Five Days and Five Weeks

Book 1 "Five Days" by Catherine Ellis


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Five Days - Part 2 of 3

Day 3

Picard didn't sleep well. He was plagued by the thought that he had let a significant opportunity pass by. Should I have followed her into the hotel? At the time his confidence had been dented by Taylor's presence. Later, back at the apartment, he tried to call her but his attempts were thwarted by a failure in the Azzari communications system. Left with nothing practical to do, he got himself a drink and stood staring out of the window. Surely their dancing together had meant something? Or did she behave like that with any partner? Please, please, don’t let it be flirting. The nagging worry had stayed with him till the small hours, when he had eventually fallen asleep.

++

Beverly was still angry with Taylor at breakfast time. The previous night when she'd demanded he let go of her arm, he had laughed and pretended it was all a game. They'd been inside the hotel before he'd finally let her go. She had made her way out again but by then Jean-Luc had gone. Should I have gone after him? At the time she dithered and left it too late. The evening had been going so well till they had met her colleagues. As they'd walked along she had been planning just how she was going to kiss him goodnight. It wouldn't have been the usual sisterly peck on the cheek, this time it would be a sensuous slow exploration of his lips. It wasn't only the missed opportunity that troubled her now. Would he understand why she had let go his hand? Would he guess that she had feared her colleagues would joke about it and embarrass him? Back in her hotel room she had tried to call him for over an hour but the Azzari communications system hadn't allowed it. It was still down when she tried to call him again before breakfast.

"Didn't you sleep well?" The words came from Adam Taylor as he seated himself at the adjoining breakfast table. Beverly his comment. He must have made a face in response as the people at his table suddenly burst into laughter. Beverly turned and glowered at him.

"For heavens sake," one of the others rebuked her, "stop being such a grump and join in the fun for a change."

Taylor smiled politely as if to imply he had forgiven her. If the others saw generosity in his behaviour, Beverly saw only menace.

++

Picard woke with a start. Someone was talking in the corridor outside the flat. He checked the time, 09:23. Beverly would already be in the first conference session. Damn! He had intended to call her first thing. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed his face. What had they planned to do that night? At first he couldn't remember, then his mind rolled back to a conversation on the first evening at the hotel. She'd half-heartedly invited him to another drinks do. He winced as he recalled how he had been behaving at the time. No wonder she hadn't seemed keen. Tonight he would make amends.

++

The fretful night was beginning to catch up with her. She'd been planning to take a nap during the lunch break but in the event she didn't even eat. Other delegates could dip out of the conference for a breath of fresh air or a snack but committee members were expected to be there all the time. After the last talk had finished she was left with only 30 minutes to change and rest before the pre-dinner drinks session in the lounge. A message from Picard was waiting for her in her room, "See you at 19:00". So he was coming. Was she pleased? She collapsed on the bed feeling exhausted. Please don't behave as you did on the first night! She forced herself to get up and made her way to the shower. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all he had made an effort with the Bollian sisters. She put on the dress she had brought for the occasion and looked at herself in the mirror. Surely his helpfulness hadn't be entirely motivated by their beauty?

"Dr Crusher?" She was about to enter the lounge when the hotel manager called her aside. "Someone told me you were the best person to ask. One of our porters has fallen down some steps and hurt his arm, do you mind having a look at him?" Beverly counted to five, there were over 80 doctors in the hotel, why did it have to be her! "Of course, where is he." Fifteen minutes later she finally entered the lounge.

The room has a buzz about it that hadn't been there on the first day. Most of the excitement seemed to emanating from a large group at the far end. As Jean-Luc was nowhere to be seen, Beverly got herself a drink and strolled over to see what all the fuss was about. From somewhere in the middle she could hear Richard Tomlinson's voice. He had been the main speaker that day with a talk that was both entertaining and interesting. She edged her way forward and suddenly got a clear view of what was going on. There in the centre stood Tomlinson and Jean-Luc surrounded by a group of admirers; mainly women she noted. She gawped, open mouthed.

"Ah! Beverly!," Professor Tomlinson beckoned her forward, "I'm glad you're here. I haven't congratulated you for bringing an archaeologist to the conference. I'd never have guessed how useful his perspective could be. John's provided me with some very useful ideas on why Diazic Fever wasn't as rampant 500 years ago as it is now."

"Really?" Beverly replied, failing to hide her surprise. "You obviously have hidden depths, Mr Galen." She flashed him a smile across the top of her glass.

"Mr Galen," one of the admirers piped up, "do you know anything about Henoain society?" Beverly couldn't hear the rest of the question, but watched as Picard listened and responded to the woman.

"Dr Crusher?" The call came from someone behind her.

She let out a little sigh and mouthed see you latter. to Picard. Five minutes later she was still stuck with the same person.

"… which, you see Dr Crusher, is why my paper ought to come before Dr Mareet's."

Beverly shut her eyes and counted to five, again. "I understand why you might feel that way, David, but we can't go rearranging the programme at such short notice. Dr Mareet's presentation requires the presence of several Azzari assistants. We can't expect them to reorganise their day just to suit you."

"Nevertheless …" The man continued, but Beverly had stopped listening. She took a glass from a passing waiter and turned her attention to Picard. It was hard to believe he was the same aging sullen figure from the first night. Today he looked fit and full of life, a fact that hadn't escaped the notice of several other women in the room. One of them was talking to him now. Beverly couldn't hear what was being said but the body language was revealing. The woman was obviously making a play for Jean-Luc and from his smiles she feared he wasn't totally immune to her charms. Crusher decided to join him lest he succumb to the advances.

"If you'll excuse me David." She cut him off mid-flow and started to move away.

"Beverly!" Someone grabbed her arm and held her back. I hate it when they do that! She turned to find it was one of the older professors. "Beverly, I want you to hear what Adam has to say. I think he has some very interesting ideas to put before the research funding committee." To her dismay the Adam he spoke of was Taylor.

++

Picard smiled politely to the woman. She was pretty to look at but her repetitive conversation was boring him. He glanced at Beverly in the hope she would come to his rescue, but no such luck. She was standing with her back towards him talking to someone. Picard edged to his left to see who it was. Taylor! Again! His self-confidence took a dive till he reminded himself that they were only talking.

++

Much as she disliked the man Taylor's ideas were good ones, she had to admit it. She mustn't let animosity cloud her good judgement. The projects he was recommending the committee should support were worthy candidates, but did he need to speak so s-l-o-w-l-y! Beverly was itching to turn round and see what Jean-Luc was up to. She could almost believe Adam was speaking slowly in order to annoy her while himself having an excellent view of what Picard was up to. Her suspicion of his movites was enhanced when he suddenly remarked "I see your old friend has an eye for a beautiful women."

Beverly turned quickly and caught Picard laughing with Annouk. Why did it have to be her! On any scale of female attractiveness Annouk scored full marks. A human female in her 40s she had a stunningly beautiful body and clothes to match. Beverly had seen her operate several times. To her everyman was a potential conquest to be played and flirted with, What was more disturbing was that she had an intelligence and drive that would appeal to Jean-Luc. As she watched smiling happily she decided not to approach, not while she'd be outshone by his present company. Instead she asked Taylor and the professor to excuse her and headed for the ladies cloakroom.

To her relief the place was empty. She sat down in a chair and closed her eyes. Whether five seconds or five minutes passed she would never know, but the next thing she was aware of was the door opening and Annouk was walking in. The woman looked even better up close. Damn her!

“Dr Crusher, how fortunate. I have been wanting to speak to you.” As she spoke she went to the mirror and started freshening her make-up. “John Galen – your Enterprise colleague – he’s not your lover is he?”

Beverly was so surprised by the question all she could think to say was ‘No’.

“Good. That’s all right then. I wouldn’t want to 'trespass' on a friend’s territory.” Annouk gave Crusher a quick smile as she headed for the door. "Back to the fray then! Bye."

"Trespass on my territory!" Beverly leapt to her feet as her stomach tied itself in knots. Had Annouk already encroached or was she just planning to do so? Jean-Luc had obviously being meeting delegates during the day. If he'd become friendly with Tomlinson then why not with Annouk.

"But he wouldn’t, would he?"

It wouldn't be the first time he had indulged in a holiday 'romance'. The name Vash came to mind. Jean-Luc had given into that particular temptation and Annouk was certainly in the same mould. Why shouldn’t he? seemed the more relevant question. His recovery was going well, physically he was up to it, and it wasn't as if he'd had other opportunities. She and Jean-Luc might have been getting on well this week, but she had never given him reason to think sex was on offer.

It was tempting for Beverly to think of Annouk as a predatory tramp, but she knew that was doing the woman an injustice. Maybe she was just more sexually active than herself and more generous with it. Beverly sat down too forcefully and hit her head against the wall.

“Fool! Why didn’t you have the sense to offer him a bit of enjoyment?”

But she still could! She sprang up again and hurriedly freshened her face and arranged her hair. This time she was heading to the lounge with a mission. If anyone was going to satisfy his needs it was her.

The room was emptier than when she had left. Taylor was still there but Picard and Annouk were nowhere to be seen. Fear made her legs feel weak. Her mind filled with images of Annouk ushering him into her bedroom, of Annouk removing his shirt, of Annouk running her hands …. She shook her head to quiet the visions, but it they wouldn't stop. Should she go after them? Jean-Luc would be furious with her if she did. Someone was talking to her but she couldn't comprehend the words.

"Do you want a drink, madam?"

"Yes." She stuttered. "Yes." She grabbed the nearest glass and gulped most of it down. Get a grip on yourself. She attached herself to a group where someone was telling a long tedious story, Beverly pretended to pay attention but in reality she was operating on auto-pilot. Her head ached with regret. If only! If only! The conversation flowed on fuelled, in Beverly's case, by several more glasses of a local wine. She was drinking more than she should, but didn't care. The alcohol had a wonderful mind numbing effect; it also loosened her inhibitions.

"Martin! It's good to see you." The man who had just approached was someone she had known at medical school. She had been rather taken by him at the time. Now as they talked, she was reminded of why she had liked him and he her. Before long the pair of them had detached themselves from the rest of the group and were continuing their conversation in private. The smiles, the eye contact and the glances up and down on another's bodies were all indications of more than talk on their minds. If she had thought her behaviour was private she was mistaken. Her flirting was obvious to everyone around her, as was her inebriated state. A friend tried to draw her away but failed on her first attempt. She tried again, mouthing a message to Beverly from behind Martin’s left shoulder. In her inebriated state it took Beverly several seconds to decipher the repeated message. Eventually it got through and struck like a cold sponge. He's married! Oh God, he's married! She'd learnt he was married on the first day of the conference. However others might behave, Beverly had promised herself she would never ever seduce someone else's husband. She had seen too many marriages ruined by weak spouses and selfish so-called-friends. That wasn't going to be her. "I'm sorry Martin, I've forgotten I was supposed to meet someone." She left him immediately and made her way to the hotel lobby

The first sight to greet her was Picard stepping out of the lift. He was straightening his jacket with that self-satisfied little tug she knew so well. Any regrets she'd had about not satisfying him herself were instantly forgotten. Anger at his betrayal was her only emotion. Emboldened by drink she stormed over, hoping for a fight.

"Had a nice time have you?" she asked sarcastically. "You'd better check you haven't caught anything. You're at least the fourth man she's bedded this week!" The words were almost spat in his face.

Jean-Luc's response was total bafflement until he noticed her state.

“Whatever you have to say Beverly, would be better done outside.” He gripped her firmly by the elbow and marched her out to the garden.

"What the hell’s going on?”, he demanded.

The sudden shock of the fresh air made her incapable of speech. Picard continued, his voice sounding crisp and sharp. “Dr Penar invited me up to his hotel room to see some ancient medical instruments that have been in his family for generations. Common courtesy required me to pay them proper attention. When I return to the lobby you start accusing me of .. of I don’t know what. So I repeat my question – What the hells going on?"

By now Beverly's face was burning with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Jean-Luc, please, please, forget I said anything."

"No. That's not good enough. What did you think I'd been doing?"

She tried to avoid his eye but he held her chin and forced her to looked at him.

"Very well." She swallowed nervously. "Annouk asked me if you and I were lovers. When I said 'No' she said ‘that was all right then, she wouldn't be playing in my territory’.”

Picard suppressed an urge to laugh and snapped back "So you thought I was off indulging in a sexual opportunity?"

"Yes." She mumbled.

“.. and you were concerned I might over exert myself?” This time he let his amusement show.

“Something like that.” Beverly coughed apologetically, relieved to have been offered an excuse for her outburst. "Did Annouk actually offer you ...?"

"Beverly!" He was surprised at the question. "If you must know, yes she did, at lunch time … and I declined."

"She'll try again."

Picard laughed. "In that unlikely event, I shall decline again."

Any other day she would have stopped her questioning, but the drink made her bold "Why?"

Picard searched for the right words, "Shall we say … the prospect doesn't appeal."

"Why not?"

"My! You are persistent today, Doctor.” He was embarrassed but also enjoying the excitement of straying into subjects they didn’t normally discuss. “How shall I put it ... Annouk is a very beautiful woman but do I want to be the next notch on her bed-head or the next subject in her study of sexual performance amongst older men?" With a remarkably good imitation he pretended to be Annouk recording a study note "Subject 843, a human male in his 70s performed adequately but with little enthusiasm. Rating 5 out of 10."

Beverly laughed out loud, she was so relieved he found Annouk's advances unappealing.

"How about you?" Picard asked. "Has Taylor invited you to his room yet?"

In her current condition she wasn't sure she knew the answer. "That would be telling."

The ground began to tilt beneath her feet. Jean-Luc grabbed her arm again, but this time to stop her swaying.

"I think you've had enough of conferences and formal dinners for today. You and I are going to spend the rest of the evening on the beach.”

++

Picard sought out Tomlinson and explained that Beverly would not be joining them. The professor wasn't surprised.

"What got into her? It's not like Beverly to drink like that."

"Just a silly mistake. She skipped lunch and didn't realise how potent the local wine was. She's treating herself now but I don't think she's up to the dinner."

"Understood. I'll give her apologies."

++

The hypospray worked wonders, her head felt mentally alert if a little delicate. She washed her face in cold water and changed into something more suitable for the beach.

"What's that?" She asked when she saw the bags Picard was carrying.

"Food. I thought we'd have a picnic, assuming your stomach's up to it."

Beverly peeked inside one of the bags. "When have you ever known me refuse good food?"

He led the way down onto the beach. "By the way you'll have to work for your supper. When it gets darker I want some more dance tuition. There were a few steps last night that I couldn't get the hang of."

"It's a deal."

Beverly fell into step beside him as they made their way along the sand. After her earlier outburst it was a relief to be back into the familiar pattern of their platonic friendship. She hadn't forgotten her resolution to be more 'generous' with him in future but tonight wasn't the time. If she made advances now he would take it as a form of apology and refuse. She must to bide her time and wait for a more favourable opportunity.

Day 4

"Left, right, turn, twist." As she waited for the lift to come, Beverly practised one of the dance steps she and Jean-Luc had made up the night before. The evening had gone remarkably well, Jean-Luc had shown a talent for dancing that was comparable to her own. When the empty lift arrived Beverly stepped in, still humming happily to herself. Two floors later it stopped and Adam Taylor entered. She tried to stay calm, but nearly every muscle in her body tensed up. Taylor said nothing, just positioned himself opposite and fixed his eyes on her face. A cold smile creased his lips and Beverly guessed its cause – he was enjoying her fear.

The urge to hit him was almost uncontrollable. Strike before you are struck! Only the impossibility of explaining such an action held her back. How could she convince anyone of the threat he posed? To her relief the lift slowed and came to a halt on the fourteenth floor. As the doors opened Taylor suddenly spoke to her.

"Still I'm glad to hear you're feeling better Beverly." His tone was calm but slightly sarcastic. "I wouldn't want to see you like that again. Not very ladylike."

His words were for the benefit of the three female delegates who were entering the lift. They giggled on hearing the famous Dr Crusher being rebuked for her drunken behaviour. Beverly fumed silently, clenching her fists and only just keeping her temper. Anyone watching would have thought it was her who posed a threat to Taylor rather than the other way around.

++

"Hello John. Been working hard?" Tomlinson joked as he joined Picard at the café table.

"Very," Jean-Luc replied, "which is more than can be said for you. Playing truant again are we?"

"Not this time." He laughed. "The talks are over for the day."

Picard looked over the professor’s shoulder towards the hotel.

"If you're looking for Beverly she's not there. She’s taken a group of delegates to a local clinic to see a demonstration of some unusual tissue regeneration techniques they’re using."

"Aren't you interested."

"It's a long time since I dealt directly with patients. Only the practitioners went with her, though I did notice Adam Taylor joining the party."

"Oh." Picard let slip his disappointment.

"John? … You're not under the impression she likes him are you?"

Picard blustered slightly, "What's there not to like?"

"Well for starters, Taylor's been spreading the rumour that she's angry at him for rejecting her advances. I don’t believe it myself, from what I've seen I think it's more likely the other way around."

++

Given the choice, she’d have rejected his request to visit the clinic, but that would only have given credence to the lies she suspected he had been spreading. During the lunch-break she had seen him talking to the young women who had been in the lift. As he spoke they had looked in her direction and laughed.

On the way to the clinic Beverly had managed to avoid being near him. However during the demonstration Taylor manoeuvred himself into the space directly behind her. As the procedure progressed he edged forward until Beverly could feel him breathing inches from her neck. With him so close she found it impossible to concentrate on what was going on.

"So what do you think Dr Crusher? Would the technique work on humans?"

"I … I … " She couldn't answer, she hadn't been listening.

Luckily someone jumped in and answered the question for her. Then someone else spoke. By the time the discussion finished Beverly had recovered enough to thank their hosts and to lead everyone out. As before she avoided being near him but only until they reached the entrance to the hospital grounds. There, to her horror, the others deserted her, saying they had other engagements and would not return to the hotel till later. One of the group even suggested to Taylor that he should see Dr Crusher back to the hotel. He graciously promised to take care of her and wished them all a pleasant evening. When they were out of earshot he turned his gaze upon her. It was the same cold look she had seen in the lift that morning. Fear froze her to the spot.

"Was it an interesting demonstration?" Picard's familiar voice swept over her like a protective shield. Her first instinct was to rush over and hug him but she didn't want to give Taylor the satisfaction of seeing her relief. Recovering her poise she replied nonchalantly, "This is a pleasant surprise, John, what are you doing here?"

"Richard told me where you were. I thought I'd come and see you home."

"That won't be necessary", Taylor broke in, "I will be escorting Dr Crusher. We have some professional matters to discuss, so if you don't mind... ". He gestured for Picard to leave.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I promised her captain I'd look after her." His voice was calm and reasonable but his body language conveyed his resolution.

Taylor stared at Picard with such intensity that Beverly feared an attack. Jean-Luc stood his ground. The two of them stared at one another like cats on the verge of a fight, then suddenly Adam's manner changed. He became charming and good-humoured.

"In that case Beverly, I'll see you later." With a polite nod to Galen he walked briskly away. Picard and Crusher watched him go, both equally amazed at his rapid metamorphosis.

"He's enough to make Worf nervous".

Beverly gripped his hand. "Thank you, thank you." she whispered and squeezed his hand even tighter. Not only was he there to protect her but he also shared her opinion of Taylor. "I was beginning to think it was all in my mind."

"Not a bit of it. The man's dangerous. What did he mean by I'll see you later. "

"There's a meeting we're both due to attend. And before you tell me to skip it, I can't. It would be extremely rude and unprofessional. Several delegates have requested research facilities to further their studies. If I don't turn up valuable projects may be turned down."

Picard reluctantly accepted her argument. "In that case I'll ask Tomlinson to keep you company."

"Jean-Luc, don't embarrass me. It's not necessary."

Changing into Commanding Officer quicker than Taylor into saint, Picard gripped her by the arms and shook her. "Beverly! The man is dangerous. There is no shame in accepting protection. Why do you think I took Worf with me to Lynart? Besides Richard won't mind, he'd already noticed Taylor's behaviour towards you. So don't be a fool, let the two of us help you."

"If you put it like that ... ", she tried to joke it off but could see how worried he was. "I'm sorry. I'll accept the protection, really I will. You don't know how good it will feel to have someone watching my back."

He let go his grip and lifted a strand of hair out of her face. "How long before your meeting?"

"Two and a half hours."

"Then in the mean time let's do something that'll take your mind off Taylor."

"Good idea. How about visiting the Archaeology Institute?", she suggested. "You can show me what you’ve been working on."

"Ah" Picard sounded thrown. "There isn't much to see."

"Nevertheless I'd like to visit the Institute, it must be a remarkable place."

"How do you mean?"

"It's the only building I know that leaves its occupants looking as if they've spent all day on the beach."

Picard squirmed and looked at his feet. "I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you've been doing has obviously done you good. Are you going to tell me what it is or are you too embarrassed to say?"

"You've guessed already, I've been on the beach."

"There must be more to it than that. 10 minutes of sunbathing and you'd be bored stiff. I know you’ve been talking to my colleagues, four of them have mentioned you during their talks and another 5 have told me you had helped them. How did all that come about?”

“It’s a long story, shall we walk to the beach while I tell you?”

As they headed off Beverly put her hand into his.

“Taylor won’t harm you here.” He assured her.

“Do I need to be under threat to hold your hand?”

“No.” His face broke into a smile. “Not at all.” He said and let out a satisfied little sigh.

“Come on,” she reminded him, “Give. How did you come to help all those people?”

"Do you know the café near the hotel with the blue sunshades?" She nodded. "That's where I've been having my lunch. Your fellow delegates like to pop out occasionally for a bit of fresh air. Tomlinson was the first. You'd told me he was a wine connoisseur so it wasn't difficult to strike up a conversation. After that it just snowballed, more and more of them would come over for a chat. I really didn’t help them that much. Peter Lyndon was worried about the wording of some of the paragraphs in his paper. They read well on paper but were difficult to understand when spoken. I just helped him with a bit of rephrasing. Kcharpt was concerned that the audience might not understand his Kalerian speech rhythms. You know the kind of thing – his voice would go up where a Standard speaker's voice would go down. All I did was find another delegate who was willing to read his paper for him."

"A simple solution, but it worked! His paper was exceptional, it would have been a real shame if we'd had to struggle to understand it. So what else?"

“Let me see ... Oh yes, Hartley. He was showing me his moving 3-D model of the spread of the Bridonoff virus across some planet. I mentioned that the images reminded me of a dying neutron star and he suddenly said ‘That’s it!’ and rushed off back to the hotel. God knows what idea I sparked.”

Beverly laughed and bumped his hip affectionately at this tale.

“Go on.”

"You mustn't think the help was all one way. You know how I had this idea that the Yenowa reached their surrounding star systems in the 8th millennium rather than the 9th?"

"I remember. Some snotty archaeologist professor dismissed it as 'the kind of thing one expects from an amateur'."

“That’s the one. Well Zenoffa has the evidence that supports my theory. His historical database of viruses shows that Yenowan illnesses were unknown outside their own system until the 8th Millennium but started appearing elsewhere from that period onward.”

“I bet Zenoff enjoyed helping you. He gets teased about his obsession with that database, but it’s contents can be very useful, as you’ve found out. Have you sent the snotty professor a message?”

“I thought I’d give Zenoff the pleasure of doing that, he was the one who found the evidence to prove my theory.”

She stopped walking and turned to look at him.

“Beverly? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. I was just thinking what a kind, generous man you are.”

“Really?” He laughed. “Remind me to remind you of that statement the next time we have a heated disagreement.”

“I said you were ‘kind and generous’, I didn’t say you were always ‘right’.”

“I stand corrected.” He replied laughing and they resumed their walk.

“There’s somebody you haven’t mentioned – Annouk. How did you get to be on such good terms?”

“Ah, well her story is rather different.”

“I thought it might be.”

Picard ignored her teasing. “When she first came over to the café a Batanian couple were already there. Annouk’s feet were hurting her – you know the kind of shoes she wears – so she slipped her shoes off and put her feet up on a chair so that the sole’s of her feet faced the Batanian woman. The husband was furious, he jumped up and was about to grab Annouk when I managed to get between them.

“Why was he so angry?”

“On Batan, showing the soles of your feet to someone is extremely insulting – like certain hand gestures are amongst humans. By putting her feet up Annouk had impugned his wife’s honour. Fortunately, after I had explained the cultural misunderstanding he calmed down a bit. I’ll give Annouk credit for her behaviour after that. When I told her that the way to apologise in Batania was to kneel and bow, she did so to the woman with no reservation. After that the couple were very friendly towards us.”

Beverly looked at him. “No wonder Annouk was taken with you?”

Picard gave an embarrassed little cough and looked away. They walked on in silence for a while, Beverly thinking back to the moment Annouk had asked if Galen was her lover. She’d assumed it was a form of ‘one-upmanship’ on Annouk’s part. But maybe I misjudged her, maybe she did genuinely want to avoid disrupting a relationship?

“This way.”

Picard led her along a path and up a small hill.

“Wow!”

“Spectacular isn’t it?”

“I didn’t realise what I’ve been missing through being in the hotel all day. I’ve never seen the the tide out this far out.”

“The rocks are full of beautiful pools and sculptures carved by the waves. Do you want a closer look or would you prefer to have something to eat first?”

The beach was appealing but so was food. “My stomach would rather visit this famous café first.”

“Good, so would mine.”

The hill was steeper on the sea side and ended with a one metre drop onto a path. Picard jumped down first and then caught her as she followed. The ease with which he carried her weight was noticeable. Beverly ran her hands over his upper arms. “You didn’t get your strength back chatting in a café all day. What else have you been up to?”

“It would be easier to show you. This way.”

Near the café was an area of the beach where two small wooden boats were laid up. A elderly man and teenage boy were painting one of the boats with great care. As Picard and Beverly approached the boy waved to them.

“Have you been sailing?” She asked.

“Not yet. We haven't finished rebuilding the boats.”

“John!” The boy shouted to him. “Which of the boats should we name 'Beverly’?”

Beside him, Picard heard her let out a surprised laugh.

"I think we should let the real Beverly decide?." He shouted back. When they reached the boats he introduced her, "Beverly, these are my friends and workmates, Caroud and his grandson Mardio."

The old man put down his paint brush and came over to have a closer look at Jean-Luc's companion.

"It will have to be the skiff, John. You can't name a flat bottomed boat after such a beautiful woman."

Beverly laughed and thanked him. "I'm honoured Caroud, but also surprised. John's been keeping all this a secret."

"He's been our metalworker, making the pulleys, the clamps and anything else the boat needed. With his help we've made more progress this last 5 days than in the previous 50."

"May I take a closer look."

While Mardio showed Beverly the boats Picard fetched them all a drink from the café.

"What's the flat bottomed boat for?" She asked Mardio.

"That was John's idea, if you look inside you'll see there's a window onto the water. He thinks tourists will pay to be shown the underwater life around here. We had no idea it was anything special."

++

After enjoying a snack at the café and hearing how Jean-Luc had come to help with the boats, Beverly accompanied Picard over to the rocks. "This way he called." Heading off excitedly towards his favourite pools. Some where only a few centimetres wide, others like small swimming pools. All of them contained multicoloured seaweeds and marine creatures. "What do you think?"

His boyish enthusiasm was enchanting, Beverly couldn't help laughing.

"I know, I'm behaving like a eight year old on his first sea-side holiday."

"If you are, then so am I. It's a wonderful place. Come on, let's sit over there and watch the tide come in."

Jean-Luc led her to a rock where they could watch the waves edging their way inwards. An easy silence fell over them - like an old married couple - Beverly reflected. She had never reached that stage with Jack, too little time together. In fact she had spent more time with Jean-Luc than she ever had with her husband. Such thoughts usually prompted feelings of regret or anger but not today. Today it just seemed like the natural order of things.

"I think you ought to reproduce this on the holodeck. I want to come here again." She nestled closer to him for warmth.

"Your wish is my command." Picard clicked his figures as though he were Q. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Make Taylor disappear?"

"Sorry. For that you'll need the real Q. In the meantime you'll have to make do with the Richard and John body-guard service." It pleased him to see her smile.

"You know it's not just the threat he poses that disturbs me. It's the violent feelings he arouses. I've fired at people before now but it's always been in self defence. With Taylor it's more personal, I find myself wanting to attack him."

"He'd make a good Romulan." Picard reassured her. "They use the same tactic - get your opponent so fearful and angry that they lose control and attack you. Taylor's goading you, remember that and you won't be tempted to fall into his trap."

"I will."

"How long will the meeting last?" He asked.

"Last year it was four hours."

"Four hours!" He had been hoping to see her after it was over, but if it took that long …. "I hope it's worth it."

Beverly stood up, leaning on Picard as she did. "It is and I'd better get going."

Jean-Luc walked with her to the hotel and stayed until Tomlinson appeared. "Don't leave her alone with Taylor", he whispered to Richard, "not even for a minute."

++

Back at the beach, Picard took a brush and carefully painted the name 'Beverly' on the side of the sailing boat.. He was pleased with how their relationship had progressed over the past few days, but had it gone far enough? Would they fall back into their professional relationship once they returned to the Enterprise? He had a day and half left before they were due back onboard. If he wanted things to change he needed to act, and act soon.



End of Book 1, Part 2 of 3

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