Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 12 Feb 2004 16:30:16 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com (whoa nellie) Title: The Goddess FaQtor Author: Whoa Nellie (whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com) Series: TNG New 2/4 Rating: NC-17 Codes: P/Vash, Q Summary: During her adventures with Q, Vash tried to stay out of Author's note: Feel free to archive to any pertinent site. This occurs in the Reasons of the Heart timeline. As always: Paramount owns all the marbles. We just have a lot more fun playing with them. Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail. Whoa Nellie's Picard/Vash Romance Fan Fiction Website is at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Galaxy/7926/ Whoa Nellie's Sci-Fi Romance Fan Fiction Website is at: http://www.geocities.com/whoa_nellies2000 The Goddess FaQtor "You'll find a god in every golden cloister And if you're lucky then the god's a she" --One Night in Bangkok Continued from part 1 The turbolift ride to the bridge was silent, Will Riker and Deanna stood behind the Captain and Vash. Commander Lar had taken a different turbolift stating that he needed to stop by his office before the staff meeting. Picard wore a controlled, impassive expression while standing at parade rest with his hands clasped behind his back. Vash was a stark contrast, leaning against the wall of the turbolift in a casual hip-hitched pose. Although not actually smiling, she looked insufferably pleased with herself. 'I don't think Vash is conscious of the captain's current mood,' Will thought to Deanna. 'To the contrary, she is very perceptive of his moods,' Deanna responded impishly, 'and well aware that many things are forgiven after a really good blow job.' 'Deanna!' Will turned to stare at his wife in disbelief. Deanna looked back at her husband with open amusement. 'Right now our captain is a fascinating study in conflicting emotions. He is irritated, frustrated, and completely exasperated; however, he is also intrigued, tantalized, and sexually aroused. The situation with the Sharian painting embodies everything about Vash that drives him to complete distraction. To quote your father, he doesn't know whether to shit or wind his watch.' 'This senior staff meeting should be an entertaining end to our evening,' Riker thought back. 'Dinner and a show,' Deanna mentally quipped as the doors opened to the bridge. Picard gestured for Vash to preceded him out of the turbolift and onto the bridge. Smiling sweetly at the on duty personnel, she gracefully made her way toward the observation lounge. The captain found that he could not help but notice the subtle sway of her hips as he followed her. Entering the observation lounge, he nodded to Data, Geordi LaForge, and Beverly Crusher who were already seated at the conference table. Vash walked around the table to sit next to Beverly and Deanna followed, taking the chair on the other side of Vash. He groaned inwardly realizing he was facing an encounter with the trio in a senior staff meeting. Will took his usual seat next to Data. "Well, someone certainly has his pips all bunched in a knot," Vash noted under her breath to Beverly and Deanna while making herself comfortable in her chair. The comment prompted Beverly to want to ask what happened during the Sharian reception; before she could pose the question, the doors to the observation lounge opened and Commander Lar walked in followed by Chakotay, who flashed her a quick grin. It was immediately obvious to Beverly that Chakotay knew something about what was going on. She could see her husband struggling not to laugh and amusement lit his soft brown eyes while he studiously avoided looking in Vash's direction. Picard waited a moment for everyone to take their seats. "Your report, Commander Chakotay." "Yes, Captain." Chakotay rose and moved to the large viewer in the front of the lounge. He tapped a few controls and on the viewer appeared the painting depicting Vasharia from the Sharian capital's Great Hall. Out of the corner of his eye, Picard saw Vash gaze up nonchalantly at the ceiling. A collective gasp filled the room. Beverly barely choked down her 'oh shit' comment. "Oh my God!" Geordi muttered in disbelief. "It is a magnificent piece of art with aspects reminiscent of different Earth masters such as Michelangelo, Monet, Degas, and Renoir. Most curious though is the figure's resemblance to Professor Picard." Data paused in his analysis, taking notice of the captain's pained expression. "Oh." Riker heard Deanna's amused voice in his head. 'I think Data just figured out why we're all sitting here.' "Mr. Chakotay, please." Picard gestured to the ship's anthropologist to continue. Chakotay took a deep breath and was careful not to actually look at Vash. "As you know, the planet Sharia was originally a colonized by people from the Verath system. Professor Picard's own work on the Verath system cites the Verathan civilization reaching its height around 30,000 years ago. The only thing that remains of the Verathan culture on Sharia is a few mythical archetypes including the ancient Verathan goddess Vasharia, the planet's name sake. Vasharia was the Verathan goddess of fertility, inebriety and music " Sharing an amused glance with Vash, Beverly quipped softly, "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll?" "Doctor," Picard chided. He knew the trio sitting together would not bode well for him. Silently willing himself not to laugh at Beverly's remark, Chakotay continued, "Although most of the rites surrounding her have been lost, Vasharia continues to represent the Sharian culture's epitome of feminine beauty and sexuality. Because the Sharians do not have the genetics required for blue eyes, the goddess's vivid blue eyes were fabled to be the result of her birth from the blue waters of the sea. Her web-like jeweled gown was said to have been created for her as a token of affection from the stars themselves." Vash gave a regal toss of her hair and a coy smile. "My, how flattering." "Professor Picard," Captain Picard's tone was more than a touch admonishing while gesturing toward the painting. "I don't think it is going too far out on a limb to suggest that this is no mere coincidence." A familiar flash of brilliant light filled the room and Vash disappeared from her chair to reappear with Q standing alongside of her next to the viewscreen. The entity cupped her chin and raised her face. "30,000 years and she doesn't appear to have aged a day." Although he had read reports about Q, Lar had never actually encountered the entity; nonetheless, he was instantly on his feet moving toward Q. The Security Chief tapped his communicator, not surprised when it didn't activate. He tried again as he positioned himself between the intruder and his captain; the communicator remained silent. "Stand down, Commander," Picard sighed wearily. This was the perfect end to the perfect evening. "Usually one finds such brainless bravado in a Klingon, not a Betazoid. So where is Worf, my favorite microbrain?" Q taunted sardonically. "Sir?" Lar asked meaningfully under his breath, his eyes not leaving the intruder. "She's all right, he won't hurt her. We have an understanding," Picard assured Lar. "That understanding does not include hot-headed Betazoids. Now where should I send you to cool off?" The entity raised his hand. Vash quickly grabbed Q's raised hand interposing herself between her former security guard and whatever fate Q had planned for him. "Q, don't!" "Very well," Q shrugged, lowering his hand. "It seems you enjoy the protection of Madame's favor, for now." Lar stepped back but did not return to his seat. Instead, he stood at the side of the room at parade rest, his eyes never leaving the entity. "Sir," Chakotay spoke up. "Chuckles! What happened? Did Kathy finally find someone with a bigger tattoo?" Q crowed. Picard had often considered sitting down with Captain Janeway to compare notes on Q; however the flirtatious diminutive and insinuating tone Q had used while referring to Janeway left him wondering if Vash and Janeway should be the ones comparing notes. He turned to Chakotay. "Yes, Commander?" "We can't make him leave until he deems to do so. May I suggest we ignore him, maybe he'll get bored and go away," Chakotay offered. "Hope springs eternal, huh, Chakotay," Geordi joked from his seat. "It's worth a try." Picard glanced between Geordi and Chakotay. Tugging on the white jacket of his dress uniform, Picard sat back down in his chair and addressed his wife, "Would you care to explain yourself, Professor?" Vash glanced over her shoulder at the image on the viewscreen before facing Jean-Luc. "The Verathian's largest city-state was located near an ocean coast; they held a immense festival commemorating the vernal equinox and the growth season. It was a wonderful celebration with carnivals, music, food, fruit wines, and dancing, the largest of these revelries took place just outside the city on the actual coastline with the ocean making a spectacular backdrop. Q popped me in to observe this particular carnival on multiple occasions over a number of years." "Something tells me he didn't just simply pop you in to observe at a discreet distance." Picard reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Well," Vash innocently studied the ceiling tile. "What kind of Frenchman are you, Jean-Luc? Women like Vash should always make an entrance. Each time she appeared on the highest bluff in her jeweled gown with the waves crashing up from below," Q proclaimed melodramatically. "While I'll admit I appreciate your flair for the dramatic," Vash put her finger over Q's lips to silence him. "Don't help." "How many times over how long, exactly?" Picard demanded, exasperation with his wife creeping into his voice. "Around 60 times over 300 years, give or take," she admitted with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She inspected her perfectly manicured nails. "The temple was only there the last few times." "The temple was only there the last few times?" Picard echoed incredulously. "And it never occurred to you to correct the situation?" "When someone asks you if you're a goddess, you say yes!" Vash retorted in a flippant tone, throwing her head back and her arms open. Q heard a laugh escape Chakotay. "Oh my, is Chuckles actually developing a sense of humor? And while working for Picard no less? What would Kathy say?" "You can leave any time now, Q," Vash offered. The entity was not helping her case. "Leave? When I have a ringside seat to a Picard lovers quarrel?" Q appeared delighted at the prospect of witnessing such an occurrence. "My wife and I are not having a lovers quarrel. This is a senior staff meeting with the ship's chief archaeologist in attendance. In this situation, my feelings toward Vash are irrelevant," Picard countered curtly. Q mimicked Picard's tone. "My feelings toward Vash are irrelevant. Now, where have we heard that before . . . Oh yes, now I remember." Suddenly the body of Sir Guy of Gisborn appeared on the floor with Robin Hood's bloodstained broad sword sticking straight up from his gut. Vash rolled her eyes. "My Q, that's vivid. One problem, Jean-Luc had his sword with him when he burst into the tower where I was being held." "Detail, details. Who wants to bother with keeping all those minor points of continuity straight," Q said dismissively, waving a hand. The body disappeared. Ignoring Q for the moment, Picard grumbled, "I'm not looking forward to yet another visit from Mr. Dulmer and Mr.Lucsly of the Federation Department of Temporal Investigation. " "Not a problem," Vash observed blithely "Really?" Picard crossed his arms over his chest. He couldn't wait to hear this. Vash's voice was smug. "Agents for the Federation Department of Temporal Investigation do the investigation and then present the report to the Federation Science Council's expert in the area to determine if there was any potential damage to the flow of the timeline. Who is the Federation's most respected expert in Gamma Quadrant antiquity?" "That would be you, Professor Picard," Data acknowledged. "Thank you, Commander." Vash gave a regal toss of her hair and flashed a triumphant smile at her husband before going over to sit down between Beverly and Deanna again. As Vash walked past, Q praised her, "Again I must say, you're good, you're really good." Beverly leaned over Vash to whisper to Deanna, "How does she do that?" Vash giggled as Deanna whispered back to Beverly, "I don't know, but I'm taking notes." Deciding to get back to the subject at hand, Chakotay looked over at Vash, his own interest in ancient civilizations piqued. "Being able to actually converse and interact with the Verathans must have been tremendously informative." Vash's eyes sparkled with love for her work. "The insight into the Gamma Quadrant's ancient civilizations was invaluable; imagine having a living, breathing Rosetta Stone to work with." Chakotay addressed the rest of the command staff. "Professor Picard's work on the Verath System and the interconnected communications network the Verathans devised to conduct trade with other systems was key to unraveling certain mysteries about other ancient civilizations in the surrounding systems." Picard responded somewhat dryly, "Commander, no one here would even presume to debate the considerable significance of Professor Picard's work on the Gamma Quadrant." Vash retorted under her breath, "that's wise." Picard continued, "still, we must decide if we should inform the Sharians in order to rectify the situation." Vash looked at him baffled. "Why? All I did was converse with the Verathans for information on their culture; there were no parting of seas or raising of mountains. The rites surrounding Vasharia have been lost, now only the image and the name remain. The planet's Chief Administrator believed my appearance and name were just a coincidence." Chakotay shot an apologetic glance toward Vash before speaking up. "Unfortunately, there is a small group of very fanciful philosophers who have begun to theorize that Vash maybe the reincarnation of the goddess." "You're kidding," Vash leaned back in her chair laughing. On either side of her, Deanna and Beverly were also having a hard time keeping a straight face. Picard regarded the trio. "I fail to see the humor in this situation." Vash smothered the last of her giggles. "It's not as if I'm planning the triumphant, mythological return of the all-powerful Vasharia." Picard turned on Q, giving his most commanding glare. Throwing his hands up, Q gasped in shock, "Vash, super-human powers? Oh please Picard, even I'm not that reckless; still, you're left with to tell them or not to tell them, that is the question." Returning his attention to Vash, the captain sat back in his chair and continued in a firm, commanding tone, "I want you to prepare a complete and detailed accounting of every minute you spent with Q. Aside from this, I would like to know if there are any other unpleasant surprises we can expect in this region of space." "Pushing the envelope on death-defying stunts, please direct your attention to the center ring where Johnny Picard is attempting to give his wife, the goddess, a direct order," Q announced as if he were PT Barnum himself. Picard and Vash both spun toward the entity with a menacing, "Q!" "I know when I'm not wanted, no one has to drop a house on me," Q complained, raising his hand and disappearing in a blinding flash. After a long moment, Data spoke first, "Sir, Starfleet precedent would suggest that, in this situation, it is up to the Captain to decide a course of action. Captain James Kirk was faced with a similar situation on Sigma Lotia II and chose not to reveal the pertinent information to the society. The inhabitants of the planet, the Lotians, patterned their entire society on the gangsters of early twentieth century Chicago. A pre-space travel society, it seems the Lotians had found the book, "Chicago Mobs of the Twenties" among the wreckage of the USS Horizon, an early Federation starship that crashed into their planet." Unable to help herself, Vash quipped impishly, "I want it noted that on my planet no one is running around with tommy guns and butchering the English language." ............ End Part 2 .............. -- 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 ???@??? 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