Disclaimer: Star Trek and its characters are the property
of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: a pre-"Nemesis" vignette.
Dedication: For Seema.
Interlude
By Rocky
"You're very quiet tonight, Jean-Luc."
He looked over at his companion, admiring the deep blue velvet gown that
matched her eyes and set off her dark red hair perfectly. He smiled. "Are
you accusing me of neglecting you, my dear?"
She gave a throaty laugh. "Never." She held out her empty wineglass and observed
him carefully as he refilled it. "You do seem a million light years away,
though. Busy day?"
"You could say that," Picard said, leaning back in his chair. He glanced
sharply at the window, assuring himself that it was securely fastened. The
wind and the rain raged outside, a stark contrast to the warmth and comfort
within. "Though nothing compared to a day on patrol in the Neutral Zone,
for example."
"Very true," she acknowledged. "Having one's ship in spacedock--any planetside
assignment for that matter--is just a different type of keeping busy. And
expectations to the contrary, the workload isn't any lighter." She paused.
"How is the refit going?"
"Everything is proceeding according to schedule. It's just a minor upgrade,
after all--most of the work this time around involves the science labs."
He studied his own glass of claret for a moment, noting how the firelight
reflecting off the polished wood furniture deepened the wine's color to blood-red.
"But you undoubtedly know more of the details concerning that than I do."
"Undoubtedly." A faint smile crossed her face briefly. "You'll be leaving
Earth in another few weeks, then. Shortly after the wedding, unless I miss
my guess."
"Yes, as it works out, we'll actually be taking Will and Deanna to Betazed
afterward for their traditional ceremony--" he stopped.
She straightened in her seat and gave him a penetrating glance. "What's bothering
you?"
Picard hesitated, about to deny anything was wrong, then shook his head.
She knew him too well for any subterfuge. "I met with Will this afternoon,"
he said finally. "Specifically, about the opening for the Titan's
captaincy."
"And?"
"I told him it was a major opportunity for him, one not to be missed." Picard
sighed. "So help me, I told him he'd been spinning his wheels for years now,
and it was time he moved on."
"He had a number of chances earlier," she said quietly. "The Aries,
the Melbourne...yet each time he's been offered a command of his own,
he's turned it down."
"Exactly."
"In fact, I'm rather surprised the Admiralty approached him once more." An
errant lock of hair tumbled forward, hiding her expression. "They don't take
kindly to being refused, you know."
They sipped their wine in the ensuing silence. Outside, the rain had turned
to sleet and was striking the glass with increasing ferocity.
"Was he at all receptive to the idea?" she asked finally. Picard didn't answer.
Giving him a concerned look, she said, "Did he at least hear you out?"
"Oh, he let me finish," Picard said ruefully. "He waited until I was done
speaking my piece, then gave me one of those shit-eating grins of his and
calmly announced he had already accepted the position."
"Well, that's good news, if a bit surprising." The corners of her mouth quirked
up. "There are those who swore he'd never leave the Enterprise. Rumor
has it he's been waiting all this time for you to retire."
Picard snorted. "Hardly." He set his glass down on the gleaming mahogany
side table and rose to his feet. "When he first came on board, I was convinced
he wouldn't be with me very long--his ambitions for a ship of his own were
so transparent. And yet--" He sighed again. "Fourteen years in the XO position.
It's hard to believe this is the same man who once swore he was going to
break Kirk's record for youngest captain in the Fleet."
"Over time, I suppose his career began to mean less to him than other things,"
she said, reflectively. "Such as the opportunities for learning and personal
growth that he had with you." Giving him a significant look, she added, "Things
he wouldn't have had elsewhere."
Picard moved closer to the fire, felt its welcome warmth on his face. "I
won't argue--I'm the last person to advocate accepting a promotion just for
the sake of career advancement, not when you already have something you love,
a job you're good at." He broke off suddenly, remembering who he was speaking
to. "I'm sorry."
Aside from a barely perceptible stiffening of her posture, she didn't react
to his last statement. "Go on."
"There isn't any more to say," Picard said, studying the flames once more.
"Perhaps Starfleet Command at last made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Deanna will be going with him, of course, as ship's counselor."
"I expected she would. It sounds like an ideal situation, on all counts."
"It was time, past time, for him to go. To be his own man."
She came and stood at his side. "Then why do I get the sense you're not very
happy?"
Picard turned away, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. "I am happy for him,"
he said softly. "It's hard for a person who hasn't been in this position
to realize what it's like, years of having someone by your side, whom you
trust implicitly--more than you trust yourself, at times--and have grown
to depend on...You realize, though, that you're being selfish, worry you're
taking advantage of his loyalty and devotion, wonder what will happen to
your relationship when the regrets inevitably set in. So you try to encourage
him to move on, for his own good. And you mean it, you really do." Picard
sat down heavily, his shoulders slumped forward. "But there's still a sense
of loss when he actually takes you at your word."
"I know." She slipped her arms around his neck, her lips brushing the top
of his ear. "Believe me, Jean-Luc," Admiral Kathryn Janeway murmured, "I
know exactly what you mean."
Disclaimer: Star Trek and its characters are the property
of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.