Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 18 Jan 2004 17:43:13 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: louiseell@aol.com (louise ellis) Title: "Still There" Author: Louise Ellis Series: TNG Rating: PG Code: P/C Part: 1/? Archive: yes Summary: An alternate universe story that picks up ten years after Beverly has Disclaimer: no infringement meant, and comments welcomed. "Still There" (1/?) By: Louise Ellis "She's still alive." Jean-Luc Picard gazed at Admiral Davies unwaveringly. "I've been telling you that for the past ten years." "I know." Davies shook his head. "But now we have confirmation." "Confirmation?" Picard blinked. "Where is she?" "We'll be sending in a team, Admiral." Davies held up a hand. "No, we don't want you on it, due to security reasons." "Dammit, Paul. I need to be on that team." Standing, Picard strode over to the window and stared out at the countryside. "I need to know..." "And you will. The team will be going in to do surveillance, and then get her and if possible, several other potential hostages out." Davies watched Picard. "Several others? Where is she?" Picard turned. "I deserve that much." Davies took a deep breath, then decided. "On a Cardassian outpost. One of our agents in the Maquis saw her, passed along the information. She's healthy, and kept sequestered from the other captives; we were looking for someone else and found her instead. Apparently, she's the personal physician to the commanding staff, led by Gul Madred, as well as his physician for new...property." "Madred." He breathed out, fists clenched. "Which is why you will not be on the team." Davies finished. ****** "Maman." At the light touch, Beverly looked away from the plants she was inspecting and down at her daughter. Kneeling next to the girl, Beverly smiled and ran a gentle hand along the girl's cheek, absently rubbing at a dirty smudge. "What, cherie?" "I saw that stranger again." She whispered in Beverly's ear, causing Beverly to look past her and at the crowds in the marketplace, scanning the nearby beings and trying to see which one Felisa was talking about. "The one I told you about last week, who looks human. He was watching us again." "Very well, stay close to me. It's probably because we're the only two…like us in the market." With another look through the crowds, Beverly sighed at the all too familiar sight of the two ever present guards behind her, then stood as one took a step closer to them and made a gesture with his hand. "Let's finish up and get home then, shall we?" "Yes." The girl latched onto Beverly's hand, nervously following her mother's gaze toward the guard. An hour later, they were entering Madred's compound, Beverly carrying two bags of local herbs that she'd purchased. "The Gul wishes to see you." A guard met them, his leering gaze running along her body freely. "Very well." Ignoring the appraisal, she handed the bags to her daughter, managing a weak smile of reassurance as Felisa drew back from the guards. "Felisa, cherie, take these back to the shed and lay them out." "I know what to do, Maman." With a sigh, she took the bag and gazed up at Beverly, her small face concerned. "Will you..." "I'll be fine. Go on now, cherie, directly to the shed and our room." Brushing a kiss across the child's forehead, she turned towards the door, absently biting her lip nervously as she tried to imagine anything she or Felisa could have done to result in a summons, not that anything was needed. She'd learned the hard way that although he used her for her skills, she was also used as a plaything for his personal amusement, subject to any of his whims, unless he needed her as an object to place his frustrations on. Minutes later, she was entering Madred's office, automatically dropping her eyes to the floor as she stopped in front of the desk. "You sent for me?" Madred stood and moved around the desk to gaze down at her. "My dear human doctor, still proud and defiant in your own way after all this time." He touched her cheek with a light caress, then struck her, flinging her to the floor as she let out an involuntary cry. "I've a new group of arrivals I want processed. And you'll be happy to know, this is a group of mere slaves. No implants. Yet." "Yes, Gul." Slowly sitting up, she let the hate leave her eyes before looking up at him, trying to ignore the flaring pain. "In the regular location?" "Bay Four." He knelt next to her, his finger toying with the single tear trickling down her cheek as her eyes once again fell to the floor. "If only you weren't human." Wisely she remained silent as he chuckled. "But then, perhaps it's better this way. Go." He gestured toward the door. "Return to me when you complete your processing." With a nod, Beverly gracefully stood and exited the room, waiting until the door closed behind her to reach up and touch her cheek. "Damn." Looking at the blood on her hand, she sighed, then followed the guard who nudged her with his rifle. Entering the Bay he'd indicated, she picked up a piece of cloth pad and dabbed at her cheek, then picked up her tricorder. "Hello old friend." Her lips twitched as she absently caressed its scarred sides, the only tool he'd allowed her to keep, a dear reminder of the life she'd once had although she was only allowed access to it during her medical work and all non medical files had long been investigated and erased. "Human, now." One of the guards gestured with his whip. "Very well." With a sigh, she continued on into the Bay and began the long and tiring process of evaluating the new captives. Several hours later, she wearily returned to the two small rooms they lived in. "Felisa?" She glanced around the living area. "Cherie, where are you?" "You were so long..." Felisa's voice trailed off as she ran in from the back room. "Your face. He hit you again." Her small face hardened at the sight of a jagged cut high on her mother's cheek, the blood now dry and crusted around the wound, livid bruises covering her cheek. "I'm fine." Managing a smile, Beverly caught sight of a pitcher and cup on the table. "You made tea, thank you." "Here Maman." As Beverly sank down and poured a cup, Felisa dampened a cloth and washed her mother's cheek, her little hands moving gently around the swollen cut. "Did you bring the plaser?" "No. I didn't think of it and they were watching too closely. It's all right, it will heal on its own. The others have." Beverly held out an arm. "Come here, cherie." Felisa silently obeyed and they held each other on the couch. "You got the herbs prepared for drying?" "Like you taught me." Felisa stroked her mother's hand then looked up at Beverly's drawn face. "Why does he hurt you?" "You're so young." Beverly sighed. "I'm so sorry, love. You should be having fun, not working..." "I'm with you." Felisa smiled and cuddled closer. "Tell me again about my father?" "Your father." Beverly closed her eyes, a slight smile touching her lips. "He's a brave and sensitive man." With a choked sob, she fell silent for a moment. "He was a brave and sensitive man. He would have loved you very much." "Maman?" Felisa looked up when Beverly remained silent for a few minutes, frowning at the tear running down Beverly's cheek. "I'm sorry cherie." Wiping her cheek, Beverly shook her head. "Perhaps later. Let's get to bed for now, it's been a long day." "You didn't eat anything." Felisa's frown deepened, eliciting a soft laugh from Beverly. "And you, young lady, are just like your father was. Always insisting I shouldn't forget to eat." She smiled fondly. "I'm not hungry right now." "Very well." Felisa slid off Beverly's lap and caught her hand. As they moved across the room to the small bed, she glanced up at her mother and sighed. "I'll be fine, cherie." Beverly touched the light panel and sank down wearily in the velvety darkness, ignoring the pain running through her body from both her first audience with Madred when all he'd done was strike her cheek, and when she'd returned to his office after processing the new slaves, when he'd amused himself with the inducer he'd had placed in her chest years before. She wasn't even sure how much damage he'd done, her threshold and definition of pain changing daily. But, when she came back to the small rooms she'd lived in since giving birth to Felisa, and saw her daughter, any pain was worth the chance to live another day. "I've got you." "And I've got you." Felisa cuddled into Beverly as they both sank into sleep, shivering in the damp night air. The next day, Felisa was once again working with the herbs when a tiny fold of paper fell out of one of the bundles. Frowning, she glanced around and opened it. Gazing at the symbols on it, she didn't hear Beverly's footsteps, but she did hear the gasp as Beverly stared at the paper. "Maman?" -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Mon Jan 19 00:00:35 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n12.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.67]) by condor (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aIrxl2FY3NZFjK0 for ; Sun, 18 Jan 2004 21:01:19 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-12949-1074488441-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.