Katherine & Q Ch. 07
Katherine had been torturing herself over the Wesley/ Stargazer/ fathers thing for days. Wesley had noticed how withdrawn she’d become, and had even passed up the chance at “alone time” twice. It was completely out of character for her. Just what, he wondered, was going on? His traitorous thoughts went where they always did-that she was finally tiring of him. He had always thought her interest in him was a fluke…some inexplicable gift of fate. Their end, he had always assumed, was inevitable. Maybe she was finally trying to tell him something. Get him to do the dirty work? What was going on in her head?
Picard was tormenting himself over the same conversation. He had been shocked to hear the words coming out of his own mouth, and to his daughter, no less. Maybe he’d needed to say the words to someone, anyone. But he had noticed, too, that Katherine wasn’t herself these days. Something seemed out of tune with her. She was unfailingly polite, and the act was almost good enough for someone who wasn’t close to her to believe that everything WAS just fine with her. But she had let him get to know her better than that. He wondered if she had talked about their conversation with Wesley, or worse, Beverly. However, both were treating him with absolutely no change. The boy’s eyes, however, watched his daughter with worry and a glimmer of fear.
Jean-Luc realized that this is just what came of having a daughter you were close to. Things got messy. And now, dear god, things were going to get messier. He sighed, and pressed for entry to the cabin.
“Kath-Sir?” Wesley paled at this unexpected appearance of his captain/lover’s father at his door.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
Katherine wouldn’t send her father to break up with him for her. She was too grown up for that, right? Maybe something had happened that made the captain not approve of them? Some new regulation about fraternizing? Her status as a diplomat had kept their relationship safe…had her becoming a permanent member of the crew affect their relationship? Why did they both serve on the same ship as their parents for chrissakes?
“I need to discuss something uncomfortable with you, Wesley.” Picard sat down, as the boy was obviously too worked up to remember to offer one.
“Discuss something?”
“I’m going to talk to you about a conversation I had with Katherine a few days ago. It may shed some light onto your current relationship with her-or rather, why she has seemed so distracted for the past few days.”
Wesley gulped. “Yes, sir.”
Picard took a deep breath and then told Wesley all of it. Katherine’s not-so-subtle probing into his relationship with Beverly, his guilt over Wesley’s father’s death, his feelings for Beverly. He watched a thousand emotions flicker over Wesley’s face as he continued to talk. He finished by saying “Son, I can remember, in vivid detail, the look on your face and your mother’s when I told you Jack had died and it was my fault. Beverly and I have made a peace, of sorts, and have become friends since we began serving together on the Enterprise. You and I have never talked about it, as adults.”
“No, sir, we haven’t. But I can tell you that I’m certain my father knew the risks of serving on a crew, any crew, no matter how good the captain is. I remember that he loved his job. And I can understand why he would have wanted to serve under you. I respect you sir. And I’m sorry that things went wrong on a mission, and part of me will always regret growing up without a father. But I don’t hate you. I don’t blame you. And neither does my mom. And sir, if I’m being honest, while I appreciate your telling me all this, I think you should be having the conversation with my mother.” Wesley’s voice wavered once or twice, but stayed firm for the most part. “I think I need to go and talk to Katherine. I know my mom is in her quarters for the night, if that’s information that would interest you.”
Without waiting to be dismissed, Wesley left his cabin.
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So many things made sense to him now, and he knew that he needed to talk to Katherine now. He could lift the cloud around her, and make it all better. He let himself into her cabin. She seemed startled to see him, and dropped something. He leaned down and picked up a blue bracelet and handed it back to her. She took it wordlessly, and quickly set it to the side, looking up at him expectantly.
He told her about the meeting he’d just had with her father. Wes told her he understood why she’d been feeling so conflicted, and that everything was out in the open. With no small amount of pride, he grinned when he recounted telling Picard to go see his mother.
“I may have just put the final piece of match making into play,” he practically crowed.
They talked long into the night about the whole issue, Katherine needing more than a quick reassurance that he didn’t blame Picard for what had happened to his father. Drained, they fell asleep next to one another.
Katherine felt a guilty moment of relief when her last thought before sleep captured her was “thank god he didn’t ask about the bracelet.” She wouldn’t have lied if he had asked, but she had such a large collection of jewelry that he’d probably never question the origin of it.
*************************************************
Beverly was just as surprised as her son had been when Jean-Luc appeared at her door. Initially she thought he was there to pick up where they had left off the last time, but when his first words were of Jack, she discarded that hope. Jack’s ghost, it seemed, was doomed to keep them apart forever. So she was shocked when he finally got around to admitting that Katherine had, in the course of conversation, forced him to admit both to her and to himself the depth of his feelings towards Beverly and his fears that there was nothing to be done about them.
Quietly, she let him finish talking. A moment of absolute silence passed, and Jean-Luc nodded, stood up and began to walk to the door. Beverly had been awash in emotion, but she realized that Jean-Luc thought she had just rejected him. Quickly, she maneuvered herself between him and the door.
“No,” she said quietly.
“No?”
“No, I don’t blame you for Jack’s death. No, it hasn’t stopped our friendship from blossoming over the years. No, I never thought we’d get here. No, I don’t want you leave. And most importantly, yes. Yes, I care about you. Yes, more than as a friend. Yes, I’ve been in love with you for at least three of the past five years. Yes, I want you to stay here tonight,” Beverly stepped in, placed her hand on his cheek, and led the unusually docile Jean-Luc’s mouth to her own.
She let her closed lips rub against his. Her tongue flicked out and traced his before he opened his mouth.
“No talking. No more talking, Jean-Luc.”
“No more talking,” his voice was thick with emotion as one by one the barriers around his heart fell.
Their lips met again and this time they opened to let their tongues explore each other’s mouths. His arms came around her to pull her tight, one at her waist and the other high on her back. He let his lips burn a trail from her lips to her neck, causing her to sigh his name. She bit his ear softly breathed his name into it.
They took an hour just to kiss, to make up for all the missed kisses. They kissed softly, deeply, hungrily, and greedily at times. Then hands began to move, sliding under uniform cloth. Somehow, although neither remembered how, or who’d suggested it, they ended up on Beverly’s bed. Clothes began to disappear as if by magic.
Picard was whispering in French as his kissed his way from her wrist back to her neck and then down into the valley between her naked breasts. He stopped for a second, and rested his head on her breasts as her hands caressed his head and encouraged his exploration. His hand cupped her right breast and his thumb slid over her nipple, causing her to sigh with pleasure. He moved, and his tongue began to flick her nipple, sending flickers of pleasure lower, and her hips to move against his. She felt like she was literally on fire with his touch. Finally. Dear God, finally.
She reciprocated, letting her hair come unbound. She straddled him, and let her red hair tease his chest. He had surprisingly sensitive nipples for a man (not that she hadn’t had any lovers, just none that had appreciated this move as much as Jean-Luc) and she tortured him by mixing teasing his chest with her hands, her mouth and her hair. The combination of sensations was giving him at least as much pleasure as she’d been given.
The only moment when there was any hesitation was when the final layers had been shed and they were pressed against one another. He whispered for her permission, although his need was obvious. She moaned it, and Jean-Luc could see nothing but her emerald eyes as he slowly slid into her wet, welcoming body.
They made love tenderly the first time. Holding one another in the aftermath, both had tears of joy. They talked hesitantly, for the first time, of what could be between them instead of pretending there was only business. Beverly was worried about what their children might think and laughed when Picard said that Katherine was firmly in the “what’s taking so long” camp and that Wesley had made it clear that he wasn’t going to stand in their way either.
Picard was shocked when he found himself ready for a second round. This time, though, there was urgency, passion, and familiarity. He stayed the night, and thought that there had been few moments in his life that were happier than the smile that Beverly gave him in the morning.
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Q, meanwhile, was staying quiet. He hadn’t left the Enterprise, although he was certain that Katherine would be surprised to find that out. He’d taken to observing her at all hours again. He had seen the moment with the bracelet, and felt the strange emotion he could only call guilt over sneaking a peek at her thoughts that evening. The emotion of triumph over her relief was much more familiar, and he was happier dwelling on it, rather than the guilt.
When she had finally shown the book to her father and shared it with the Corps, and not looked at his bracelet in a week, he knew he had to do something.
“Katherine?” He was careful to address her first and await her permission to appear. He had figured out that the outright appearing was not something she found enjoyable.
“Q?” Q couldn’t decide what emotion was in her voice. But it didn’t seem to be disapproval or fear, so he decided it was okay to appear.
“How have you been?” What kind of inane chatter was this and who had replaced his personality with this polite, toadying creature?
“I was wondering if you had gone. Not creating diplomatic fires just for me, I hope?” she smiled at him, and he almost grabbed at his chest when it felt like his human heart had stopped beating.
“Well, now that you mention it, I have. Twenty little fires just for you. Kidding!” he said when her eyes grew large. “You really do have to learn to loosen up, Katie.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me that you’re just the man to do it.”
“I could be.” Without thinking, Q leaned in and kissed her.
Katherine was shocked that he was actually kissing her. Without realizing it, she began to kiss him back, part of her reveling in the feel of new lips upon hers, and the excitement that came with a new lover. When she found herself pondering what he would be like in bed she pushed him away and said “No!”
But it was too late. Neither of them had heard the observer to their little enter. But they both heard it the doors his open for that person to leave in the extreme silence that came after she rejected him. Their heads swung in unison at the departing figure.
Katherine realized in horror that the person to witness the kiss in all its glory had been Beverly.
“Oh my god, what have I done?” she whispered, her hand coming to her mouth.
Her horrified eyes met Q’s.
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