Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 29 Apr 2004 10:25:37 -0700 In: alt.startrek.creative From: whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com (whoa nellie) Title: Volte-face Author: Whoa Nellie (whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com) Series: TNG New 4/5 Rating: NC-17 Codes: P/Vash Summary: The most joyous time in the Picards' lives suddenly takes an Author's note: Feel free to archive to any pertinent site. Important detail: This occurs in the Double Entendre timeline after Reasons of the Heart (reminder: in this universe, Worf is Chief of Security and married to Deanna; there is no Crusher/Chakotay relationship and Riker still has his beard). 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/ Continued from Part 3 Several days later, Picard sat at the breakfast table watching Vash pick at a slice of dry toast. He set down his croissant and reached over to stroke the silky hair on the back of her head. "Morning sickness, ma petite?" "That is a horribly, sadistic misnomer. It should be called 'somewhere-between-queasy-to-downright-nauseous-all-day-long' sickness," she complained pushing away the plate of toast. "Have you talked to Beverly?" he asked picking up his cup of tea. "Beverly and Alyssa were less than sympathetic, in fact they were downright gleeful. To quote the good doctor, 'Yes! We want you good and sick, the more nauseous the better.' Apparently it is an indication that the hormones are at proper levels for this point in the pregnancy." Vash leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Carefully hiding a smile between sips of tea, he inquired, "did they offer any advice for how to deal with it?" "Just to try toast or saltine crackers to settle my stomach and snack throughout the day instead of large meals," she sighed not sounding optimistic about the approach. She brushed a stray crumb off her khaki work pants. There was another matter she wanted to discuss with him. A subject they had both scrupulously avoided. "It's been almost a week, Jean-Luc. When are you planning to get rid of 'her'?" Picard fidgeted in his chair and adjusted his uniform jacket. He took a deep breath and explained, "I'm still waiting for my orders on that particular subject. There seems to be some debate at Starfleet Command about exactly what should be done." She realized that Jean-Luc was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Wanting to reassure him, she was intentionally flippant. "Now, Mon Capitaine, you're not entertaining salacious thoughts of starting your own harem of Vashes." "Even I can't handle that much trouble," he chuckled standing up and taking Vash's hands in his to gently pull her up into his arms. "One Vash is enough for me." "Are you sure about that," her last word turned into a surprised squeal and her arms encircled his neck when he effortlessly swept her up into his powerful arms. He carried her several steps to casually flop down to sit in the easy chair by the sofa, settling her on his lap. "I have everything I could possibly want right here," he declared in a rich baritone while staring directly into her vivid blue eyes. "You silver-tongued devil," she cooed running her fingers through with the fringe of neatly trimmed hair on the back of his head. Ready to go on duty, Jean-Luc looked every inch the legendary starship captain he was reputed to be. Nestled in his lap with her body snug against the solid anchor of his masculine form, she found herself unable to resist temptation and claimed his lips with hers in a passionately-heated kiss. "Sickbay to Captain Picard," Beverly Crusher's voiced sounded over the comm and Picard broke off the kiss. "Picard, here, go ahead, Doctor," as he spoke, Picard discreetly signaled Vash by silently patting her twice with the hand he had on her hip. She slid gracefully out of his lap to stand next to the chair. "Captain, I need to see you in sickbay." "Acknowledged, I'm on my way." Standing up, he leaned in giving Vash an apologetic kiss her on the cheek. "Duty calls," she responded softly with an indulgent smile. "Je t' aime." "Je t' aime," he echoed back before turning to head out the door. .................... "What is it, Doctor?" Picard asked several minutes later as he entered her office. Beverly slid a PADD across her desk to him. "Vash is pregnant." "We've already had this conversation," he pointed out. "I know--" "The other one," she interrupted him. "The most recent medical scans of the alternate Vash revealed an early-stage pregnancy. Conception occurred less than a week ago." Picard felt nauseous, Murphy's Law had never seemed so sadistic as it did right then. "Is there any chance that she . . . " Beverly shook her head in response to his unspoken question. "She wasn't pregnant when I scanned her initially and genetic analysis confirmed that it's yours. What do you want me to do?" That was a loaded question; there were many things he wanted at the moment, most of which involved inflicting great bodily harm on that woman for creating this situation to start with. "Regardless of the circumstances, Doctor, I don't have the right to make any decision along those lines." "Jean-Luc," she said quietly, rising from her desk to walk over to him. "I'll ask that you keep this quiet until I've had a chance to tell my Vash," he continued. "Of course." "In the meantime," he sighed, "I apparently need to have another talk with our visitor." Leaving Sickbay, he stopped by Ten Forward. Guinan wasn't there so he took a glass of Aldebaran whiskey and sat near the window. He drained half the glass in one gulp and looked out into the vast blackness as it burned its way down his throat. He finally had everything he wanted with his Vash and their child yet somehow it had become ugly and twisted with this other Vash and that pregnancy. How could he want one baby more than anything and simultaneously want another baby--also his--to just disappear? That wasn't exactly right, he wanted the other Vash to disappear, but the other baby was his and he had a responsibility as well as a connection toward it. He couldn't keep one without the other, yet keeping the alternate Vash around, if even only for the sake of their child, might cost him his own Vash and their child. His Vash had forgiven him and accepted what had happened but would she--could she--accept this? He set the now-empty glass on the table and rose to leave, silently acknowledging that he'd just handed this alternate an extremely potent trump card, which she'd undoubtedly use to her advantage. At least that made it unlikely that she would terminate the pregnancy; she wouldn't give up a hole card like that for any reason, she'd exploit it for all she could. .................... "Well," the alternate Vash drawled, not rising from her cross-legged position on the bunk. "Come to wish me bon voyage?" Picard motioned for the security guard to leave before crossing over to stand directly in front of her. "Doctor Crusher found something in her scan this morning." "I'm not going to make your life simple by dropping dead or spontaneously combusting from some sort of alternate universe incompatibility," she chortled. "You can't believe I'd be so obliging." "You're pregnant," he said sharply. The alternate Vash shot him a suspicious look, her hand moving to her abdomen. "What are you up to? I can't possibly be pregnant, I haven't had . . . " "That's right," Picard commented with a barely-restrained sneer. "You apparently conceived as a result of --" "Our mattress mambo!" she crowed with unholy glee. "Oh, Jean-Luc, this is just too perfect for words." "How so?" he asked, that sick feeling back in full force. "You can't send me back without my transporter now," she cooed with a big grin. Picard adjusted his uniform. "I can do whatever Starfleet orders me to do." "But you would be depriving me of any ability to care for your child," she argued, "unless you were planning to return with me. The little ball-and-chain not being understanding about us yet?" "There is no us and no, I'm staying here with my wife where I belong." "What about your child?" she threw at him. "You can't send me away without providing for your baby or do you have a woman in every port and illegitimate kids running all over the galaxy?" "No," he answered. "I am fully aware of my responsibility in this; however, my options in this matter are limited. Starfleet will determine how this matter will be handled." "But how they tell you to handle it doesn't have to be how you handle it," she suggested casually. "You could always tuck me away in a nice home somewhere. Your wife wouldn't have to know nor would your Starfleet and you could visit your child as often as you wanted. You'd still have the transporter and I would be out of sight so nobody would even question you when you said that you'd sent me back." "That suggestion isn't even worth commenting on," he replied evenly. She tried again. "You could request a special dispensation for me because of your child. My earlier offer does still stand, I can tell you where to find some pretty nifty trinkets." "And when the baby is born, I can petition for full custody and ship you back to your own universe anyway," Picard noted. The alternate Vash waggled her finger at him. "For shame, Captain, you're trying to pull a little bluff on me. We both know that your sense of honor wouldn't let you do that to me; for that matter, we both know that your sense of honor won't let me get hung out to dry as long as I'm carrying your progeny. Have you contacted Starfleet yet about the change in circumstances?" Without replying, he turned and walked out of the room. .................... That evening in the Captain's quarters, Picard sat at his desk and waited for his wife. He stared down at the ship's system report on the PADD in his hands, but he wasn't seeing it. His thoughts swirled aimlessly, wondering how in the hell was he going to tell his Vash about her alternate's condition. His head snapped up when he heard the door open and she walked in. Vash made her way over to the replicator. "Cranberry juice over crushed ice." Noticing the simple khaki jumpsuit she was wearing, he asked, "Did you have a busy day in the lab?" "No, not really, I was just doing some routine revisions on a journal article." She took a drink of her juice. "How was your day?" Deciding there was no reason to put off the inevitable, Picard stood up and tugged on his uniform jacket. "There has been a significant development with your alternate that seriously complicates matters." "Don't tell me, she's pregnant," Vash muttered her idea of the worst case scenario. His silence and carefully guarded expression only served to confirm what she desperately wanted him to deny. "Tell me she isn't pregnant." "Vash," his voice faltered. "Dammit, Jean-Luc! Tell me she isn't pregnant!" "I am so very sorry. She became pregnant as a result of our . . ." he was cut off when her glass impacted on the far wall in a thunderous explosion of glass shards and juice. "No, dammit to hell! This can't be happening, son of a bitch!" Vash exploded in uncontrolled rage. She must not have found Federation standard sufficient. She began hurling multiple vulgarities and obscenities at earsplitting decibels in different languages including French, German, Italian, Klingonese, Ferengi and numerous dialects Picard didn't even recognize. When the caustic barrage finally ended, she was standing half way across the room with her back to him her entire body visibly shaking with emotion. Walking over to stand directly behind her, he rested his hands on her shoulders and quietly pleaded, "Please, Vash. This isn't good for you or our baby." She nodded releasing a long shaky breath. When he wrapped his arms around her she leaned back against him allowing herself to be calmed and soothed by the tender strength of his embrace. He drew in a deep breath savoring the sweet scent that always lingered in her silky, brunette hair. "I know you're angry with me . . ." "No," Vash cut him off. Covering his arms with her own, her voice was quiet but adamant, "we could both could spend the rest of our lives throwing accusations at each other and blaming each other for what happened with our respective alternates. We would both be right, but it would destroy our marriage and we would lose everything we have. I don't like to lose and I certainly don't intend to lose you." He gently turned her to face him. Cupping her cheek with his palm, he slipped his thumb under her chin to bring her gaze up to his, "You will never lose me, Vash. Nothing could ever change my love for you or our baby." She placed a tender kiss on the palm of his hand. Getting back to the subject at hand, she asked, "knowing my alternate is pregnant, what do you intend to do?" "At this point, my options are very limited on that matter. Decisions made by Starfleet Command and your alternate will determine my next actions to a large extent," he sighed with defeat. "What do you want?" she searched his face. "What I want may be irrelevant," he told her. "Not to me," she reminded him as she took both of his hands in hers and led him over to sit on the couch. He sat down facing her. "Due to the dangers inherent with contamination of the timeline or the existence of a potentially unstable quantum fissure, Starfleet Command thoroughly investigates any possible threat posed by a crossover such as this. However, command could very well decide that your alternate's appearance here was completely inadvertent, ordering me to return her property and send her back to her own little universe. Until this morning's little bombshell, I was actually hoping Command would order me to do just that." "Have you told Command about her pregnancy?" He shook his head, "no, not yet and I'm not relishing the idea of explaining it either." "You didn't tell them you had sex with her," she observed, her voice tightening slightly. Picard allowed her the brief flash of emotion; after all, she had been through a great deal over the last few days and all of it while her body was adjusting to the bombardment of hormones from the pregnancy. Holding her small hands in his, he kept his tone gentle, "I knew how hurt you would be having certain details in the official records and I couldn't bear to hurt you anymore than I already had. In my report I only referred to a short period of mistaken identity and left it at that. I will continue to do my best to keep the specifics of this situation as private as possible." "Talk about literally making discretion the better part of valor. Thank you, Jean-Luc. I do appreciate it," she replied, pacified by the tender concern reflected in his eyes. "Does my alternate know about her condition?" "Yes, I told her myself." "Oh, I'll bet that was a fun conversation," Vash commented with a sarcastic roll of her eyes while leaning back against the couch. "She immediately began haggling, attempting to procure concessions from me by using the pregnancy for emotional blackmail." He stood up and paced across the room fighting to rein in the turbulent emotions the alternate Vash had provoked in him during that last confrontation. "With or without her transporter device, she will most likely be sent back to where she came from. I would never even see this part of me, let alone be able to be any kind of a father for the child. Once back in her own universe, she could terminate the pregnancy or sell the baby to the highest bidder and I would never know." Vash could hear the pain, anger, and self-reproach in his voice. He had been so overjoyed at the news of her own pregnancy, elated by the idea of fatherhood. She hated the dreadful quandary her alternate's actions had put him in, she could only imagine how agonizing it must be for him to have this part of himself being 'held hostage'. Suddenly, her own suffering paled in the wake of the enormity of his. She tried to blink back the tears stinging her eyes, crossing the room to hold him. "Oh, Jean-Luc, I'm so sorry." He tenderly kissed a tear from her cheek, his voice low and poignant, "shhh, this isn't what I want for you or for us. When I first found out you were pregnant, I had planned to spend the next nine months treating you like a queen, pampering and spoiling you like never before; indulging your every whim." "And that would differ from my life with you so far, how?" she managed a small tremulous smile. He gently stroked the smooth skin of her cheek. "You deserve so much more. Right now, you should be the center of attention. I want you to focus on your own pregnancy and enjoy the anticipation of having a new baby on the way. The other situation is my problem to deal with." She leaned into his caress. "Your life is my life, you must know that by now. What's yours is mine, remember? I'm a strong woman, Jean-Luc, you don't have to shield me from any of this, you can share it with me." "Vash . . ." "Mon Capitaine, is any of this going to be solved tonight?" she cut him off. Seeing him shake his head no, she took his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom. "I'll make you a deal, for the rest of the night we both focus on enjoying the anticipation of having a new baby on the way and starting tomorrow anything that needs to be faced, we face together." Wordlessly, Picard picked her up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down, he briefly allowed her to draw his face down for a long, passionate kiss. When he felt her hands opening the fastenings of his uniform, he stopped her. He shifted to lay beside her and settled her against him, snuggling close. "I just want to hold you," he murmured softly. .............................. End Part 4 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. 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: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Thu Apr 29 21:57:56 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n43.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.67.18]) by eagle (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bjnhxC13NZFji1 for ; Thu, 29 Apr 2004 18:57:39 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13510-1083290255-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah