Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 25 Jan 2004 16:27:26 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: louiseell@aol.com (louise ellis) Title: Mistaken Place Author: Louise Ellis Series: TNG Part: 1/1 Rating: PG Codes: P/C Archive: yes Summary: Just a little P/C fluff, sometimes you get so tired, you're not Disclaimer: As always, no infringement meant, etc, but comments are welcomed! Mistaken Place By Louise Ellis Beverly sighed softly and rolled over, opening her eyes as her nose bumped against something solid. Blinking groggily, she squinted in the dim light, finally realizing she'd once again fallen asleep on her couch, as she had more often than not over the last week, when she'd been able to grab a few minutes of rest. Managing to struggle to her feet, she blindly moved through the dim room to her bedroom, absently pulling her dress over her head and dropping it on the chair, followed by her underwear. Hesitating only a moment, she slid between the sheets and fell back into the darkness of sleep, too tired to even think about finding her pajamas. Several hours later, the alarm sounded and she rolled over and reached for the control, only to hit a solid body. A very real and solid, warm, male body in her bed. Struggling out of sleep, she frowned, her hand still searching for the alarm control, which was not where it was supposed to be. "Beverly?" At the single word, in an extremely familiar baritone, her eyes flew open in shock. "Jean-Luc?" "Alarm off." As the noise ended, he turned his head to meet her gaze, her hand resting on his chest, where it had landed while groping for the alarm control. "Good morning?" She blinked. "Why are you in my bed?" When he simply raised an eyebrow, she leaned up on an elbow and looked around the room, color rising in her cheeks as realization set in. "Oh," she finally managed to get out in an strangled whisper. "You fell asleep on my couch as we were talking." He smiled slightly. "You were exhausted, and looked so comfortable I didn't have the heart to wake you, or even try to move you. I thought you'd sleep through the night, and just covered you with a blanket before I went to bed." "I…" Closing her eyes, she fell back into the bed with a groan. "I thought…" At a loss for words, she simply shook her head, cheeks flaming in embarrassment. "Would you like something to wear?" It was the rare occasion when she lost her composure, and he couldn't resist a bit more teasing. Which might help distract his mind and body from the fact that from what he could tell, every inch of her was bare, at least the parts he could feel resting against his body. "To wear?" Realizing she didn't have a stitch on, Beverly simply pulled the covers over her head with a groan and pulled the leg that had slid across his while she slept back over to what she supposed was her side of the bed. "Can you just….go somewhere or something? I'll get out of here in a minute." "Could you go back to sleep for a bit?" Reaching over, he gently tugged down the cover so he could see one eye under mussed red hair. "You've not slept much the last few days, your staff has everything under control now that the last of the colonists have been taken care of and returned to the planet, the virus completely eradicated. You told me last night that you've the majority of the reports done, you can sleep some and finish them this afternoon." "You make it sound simple." She sighed, but remained where she was. Technically it was highly inappropriate, but she was so warm, and comfortable... "You won't tell anyone where I am?" "You mean, will I let the rest of the senior staff know that you're missing the morning meeting because you're asleep in my bed?" Jean-Luc chuckled, "I don't think I'll phrase it exactly like that. Or bring up what you're…not wearing." "Stop it." Reaching out, she pushed at his chest so he fell back next to her. "You know what I mean." "I know what you mean." He chuckled. "You're easier to tease in the morning when you're sleepy." "I'm going back to sleep." Closing her eyes, she turned her back to him and tightened her grip on the sheets. "Please reset your alarm for ten hundred hours. Manual shut off." "I'll reset it." Sitting up, he leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. "Rest, cherie." "Thanks." She whispered as he slid out of the bed. With another soft sigh, she let herself drift back toward unconsciousness accompanied by the strangely comforting sounds of Jean-Luc moving around his quarters, preparing for his day. When she heard a click on the table next to the bed, she blinked, then focused sleepily on the tray holding a stasis tea pot and cup. "It'll stay warm until you're ready for it." Jean-Luc knelt next to the bed to gaze at her. "Go back to sleep." With a slight smile she reached out and touched his cheek. "Again, thanks." "You're welcome," leaning forward he kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep, Beverly." "Yes Jean-Luc." With a final stroke of his cheek, her hand drifted back under the covers as her eyes shut again. "Night." With a chuckle, he stood, then gazed down at her as she sighed back into sleep. Turning on his heel, he silently left his quarters. Several hours later, Beverly once again rolled over, reaching for the alarm and this time, managing to hit the control before slowly sitting up and pushing her hair back out of her face. Looking around the room, she raised an eyebrow at the sight of Jean-Luc's robe left on the foot of the bed, something she knew he didn't normally do. Taking the offer, she reached out and picked it up, then pulled it on before turning back to the tea pot he'd left next to the bed. A few minutes later, tea cup in hand, she had crossed his living area to the replicator when the door slid open, causing her to turn, a panicked expression on her face. "You're up." Surprised, Jean-Luc blinked at her as the door closed behind him. "Just." Relaxing slightly, Beverly tilted her head and gazed at him. "Forget something?" "No," he smiled, realizing she was wearing the robe he'd left out in case she needed something to pull on. "I was on my way to meet Will for a working lunch and thought I'd see how you were." "For lunch?" Her eyes flew to the chronometer. "I told you to set the alarm for ten!" "It's only an hour later, you needed the rest." Crossing the room, he took the plate she'd just replicated and set it on the table. "Sit." Silently she obeyed then looked up at him. "I borrowed your robe." "I thought you'd need something." He smiled and slid into the seat opposite her. "Feel better?" Stalling for time to gather her thoughts, she picked up the croissant she'd replicated and took a bite before replying. "Actually, I do. Did I miss anything this morning?" "Nothing you can't catch up on. We're en route to Starbase Seventeen to resupply and pick up a few new crew members, a basic rotation." He watched her finish the croissant, then sip the tea. "I had copies of Data's and Deanna's reports sent to your computer." "Thank you." She smiled at him. "I should get to them then." "And I should get to Ten Forward. Feel free to replicate anything you need." He stood, and gazed down at her. "You're sure you're feeling better?" Beverly stared up at him, her mind wandering as she searched his face. When he frowned and moved around the table to kneel in front of her, a concerned expression on his face, she absently reached out and traced his cheek before answering. "Really Jean-Luc, I'm fine. The extra rest helped." "You went away there for a moment." He suddenly realized his hand was resting on her bare knee. "I know." Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. "Come to dinner tonight?" "I'd like that." With another light caress of her knee, he stood. "Eight?" "Bring wine." She stood, ending up face to face with him. "Please?" "Very well." He attempted to read her enigmatic eyes, forgetting he needed to be on his way. "I'll see you then." Her lips curved up. "You'll be late for your meeting with Will, and I need to get dressed and go to Sick Bay." "I rather like what you have on now." He teased lightly. One eyebrow raised in amusement. "Bring it with you tonight then," she teased before slipping around him and moving into the bedroom, the door sliding shut behind her. "Bring…" He blinked, then stared after her in surprise before recovering enough to force his feet to move toward the door to the corridor, trying to force his thoughts from Beverly in his robe back to the lunch meeting he was about to attend. With a sigh, he shook his head, her teasing smile remaining in his mind as he continued toward Ten Forward. -- 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 ???@??? Thu Jan 29 00:37:19 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n37.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.105]) by merlin (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aM4o734C3NZFlq0 for ; Wed, 28 Jan 2004 21:06:47 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13013-1075352022-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.