ath: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!news.glorb.com!postnews2.google.com!not-for-mail From: louiseell@aol.com (louise ellis) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW TNG: "Safe Haven" (P/C; PG-13) 1/2 Date: 21 Aug 2004 23:23:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 176 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 152.163.252.198 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1093155783 18446 127.0.0.1 (22 Aug 2004 06:23:03 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 06:23:03 +0000 (UTC) Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative:160506 X-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 23:23:05 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Safe Haven Author: Louise Ellis Series: TNG (P/C) Part: 1/2 Rating: PG-13 (suggestion of violence) After a disasterous away mission, Beverly Crusher finds her safe haven. No infringement intended....ASC archive only, please Safe Haven (1/2) By Louise Ellis Jean-Luc Picard entered his quarters, blinking at the unexpected dim light as he dropped the bag he carried just inside the door. "Computer, lights…" "Don't. Please." At the soft interruption, his eyes moved toward the couch and the figure huddled in the corner, the red of her hair glinting in the faint light provided by the viewport. "Computer, cancel request." Setting the padd he held down onto the table, he slowly crossed the room and looked down at Beverly. She was still clad in the sickbay issue pajamas, her legs drawn up and one arm wrapped around them as she rested her chin on her knees and stared at the passing stars. Her other arm rested on the back of the couch, a half filled glass in her hand. Glancing at the table, he saw an open bottle, one of the few he kept in a storage cabinet in his living area. Sinking down onto his knees, he carefully lifted his hand and pushed the hair veiling her face back behind her ear so he could study her face. "You need to have that taken care of. I hear you left before they could finish." "The worst was taken care of. I took a hypo. I'll be fine." She whispered, flinching only slightly as he lightly pushed her hair back farther so he could look closer. "It's a bruise. Minor abrasions. No fracture. The worst of the burns were dealt with." "Only a concussion. And other assorted injuries you're ignoring." Letting her hair fall, he moved his hand toward the arm around her legs, sliding it so his arm covered hers, and smiling slightly as she allowed him to lace his fingers through hers. "Should you be drinking?" "No." Lifting the glass to her lips, she took another swallow. "But right now, I don't give a damn." "I don't suppose you do." That comment earned him a squeeze of his fingers before he fell silent again, waiting as she remained still, her only movement the occasional lifting of the glass to her lips. After some time, Beverly finally spoke again. "I don't understand. I never do." A shudder ran through her, catching them both unaware as the now empty glass tumbled to the viewport ledge behind the couch, her hand grasping frantically before latching onto the fabric at his shoulder. "Shh." Jean-Luc slid up onto the couch facing her, wrapping his arm around her as she broke down into choking sobs, one hand still in his, the other moving from his shoulder to wrap around his neck as he held her, rocking her gently. Holding her, he rested his head on top of hers as she showed no signs of releasing him, her sobs continuing, but finally softening and not the heart wrenching ones she'd broken into initially. He had no idea how much time had elapsed with her in his arms when a soft buzz interrupted them, causing Beverly to tense again. "It's all right," he murmured, then raised his voice. "Computer, identity of person requesting entry." At the answer he nodded, "allow entry." Deanna Troi and Alyssa entered hesitantly, both stopping short at the sight of Beverly huddled in the captain's arms on the couch. "Sir?" "Counselor, Lieutenant." He managed a slight smile. "I've been expecting you." "Yes sir." Alyssa moved toward the couch and knelt down, scanning Beverly as she remained in Jean-Luc's arms. "Welcome back Captain." Deanna remained where she was, gazing at the tableau in front of her, mentally gauging how they were. The fact that Beverly was remaining in the captain's arms in front of them was telling in itself, but when Alyssa gently lifted Beverly's hair to get at the cuts and bruises, Deanna's breath caught at the empty depth of her eyes. The usual expressiveness seemed to have completely disappeared, leaving a pale emptiness as she stared into Jean-Luc's eyes, their connection being the only source of strength she could find after all she'd been through. When Alyssa finished, Deanna joined her next to the couple. "Beverly?" "Not now, Counselor." Jean-Luc continued to stare into Beverly's eyes. "We'll contact you later about setting up a time to talk." "Yes sir." Deanna glanced at Alyssa, who shook her head slightly before speaking. "Doctor…Captain, if there's any more pain, I've left another hypospray on the table." She set the items next to the open bottle. "Thank you Lieutenant." Jean-Luc nodded slightly. "I'll…we'll contact you if anything else is needed." "Yes sir." Gracefully, Alyssa stood and glanced at Deanna before they turned and left the room. As the door slid shut behind them, Beverly shuddered again, but remained where she was as he reached up to run his fingers through her hair. "Thank you." He smiled slightly. "And how many times have you run interference for me?" "True." She took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Stay here for a minute. I'll be right back." He waited for her slow nod, then eased himself out from around her and stood. "Right back." He echoed, bending to press a light kiss against the top of her head as she remained huddled in the corner of the couch. When he returned, she hadn't moved, her arms still wrapped tightly around her legs as she once again stared out at the stars. "Beverly." "Hmm." She turned and gazed up at him. "Here." Bending, he gently helped her stand, sliding an arm around her waist to steady her as she caught her balance then moved toward the bedroom. "I thought you'd want to get out of the sickbay issue." "Yes." Stumbling slightly, she tightened her grip on him as they paused. "Sorry." "Don't be. Let me know when you're ready." He murmured and waited until she nodded slightly to begin moving again. As they ended in the bathing cubicle, he helped her remove the pajamas she wore, then eased her down into the steaming bath he'd drawn for her. "All right?" "Yes." Absently, she trailed her hand along the top of the water as he set a rolled up towel behind her head and neck. "You added…" "Mmm hmm," he nodded slightly, sitting back on his heels to meet her eyes. "Comfortable?" "Yes." She reached out and caught his hand as he began to stand. "Stay, please." "Very well," lacing his fingers with hers, he settled down. "Relax, cherie." Beverly sighed softly and obediently rested back against the towel he'd set behind her. Closing her eyes, she slowly let her body relax into the warm water. "Thank you." "Let go a minute." He squeezed her hand, then released it and quickly removed his uniform jacket, leaving him in the tank top he'd worn underneath. Taking her hand again, he reached across the tub and picked up a washcloth. Dipping it into the water, he gently began to bathe her. "Let me know if I hit anything…sore." "I will." Opening her eyes halfway, Beverly watched him concentrating, occasionally glancing at her. As he paused, dropping the cloth into the water and lifting his finger to wipe the tear trickling down her cheek, she let out a ragged sigh. "All I could do was…." "Not here." He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "Hold on for a minute." Standing, he lifted her to her feet and carefully dried her off before helping her into one of his pajama tops. "Come along." Leading her back into the bedroom, he settled her onto the bed, "on your stomach." "Why…" Beverly began to protest, but obediently eased herself down as he rapidly undressed and pulled on the pants that matched the top she wore before settling next to her. Lying on his side, Jean-Luc gently rubbed her back, making small circles as she stared at him. "Now." She took a deep breath. "All I could do was stand there…and watch. I've never felt so helpless in my entire life. Not even at Arvedda…or…ever." "I'm so sorry I wasn't here." Leaning forward he kissed her forehead. End part one NewMessage: Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!news.maxwell.syr.edu!postnews2.google.com!not-for-mail From: louiseell@aol.com (louise ellis) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: New TNG: "Safe Haven" (P/C; PG-13) 2/2 Date: 21 Aug 2004 23:24:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 226 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 152.163.252.198 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1093155867 18485 127.0.0.1 (22 Aug 2004 06:24:27 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 06:24:27 +0000 (UTC) Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative:160507 X-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 23:24:29 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Safe Haven Author: Louise Ellis Series: TNG (P/C) Part: 2/2 Rating: PG-13 (suggestion of violence) After a disasterous away mission, Beverly Crusher finds her safe haven. No infringement intended....ASC archive only, please Safe Haven (2/2) By Louise Ellis "You couldn't have done anything." She shuddered again and moved closer to him, her leg pressing against his. "God, Jean-Luc…" As he continued to gently rub her back, she let out a long breath. "They came out of nowhere. One minute we were escorting a group of children to a safe point to beam out, the next, there was an explosion, rocks and debris flying everywhere, both security personnel were down…I…when I regained consciousness…" her voice trailed off for a moment as she closed her eyes. "You don't have to tell me." He whispered, "I can read the debriefing…" "I wish you'd been here for it." She opened her eyes, studying him. "So do I." He'd been returning from a conference at Star Base Five when the message about the attack on the away team had been received by the ensign piloting his shuttle. He'd immediately ordered an increase of speed, but hadn't arrived until after the confrontation had ended. She'd been debriefed by Will Riker, who he'd seen briefly upon his arrival, but after assuring his First Officer that he would follow up with him the next day after reviewing the reports, Jean-Luc had immediately continued to Sick Bay, where he found that Beverly had quietly eluded the medical staff and security and disappeared after receiving treatment for the worst of her physical wounds. The medical staff had been frantic, since her combadge was still in her office, where they'd placed it after removing it from what was left of her uniform jacket. Figuring the odds, he'd spoken with both Deanna and Lieutenant Ogawa before leaving Sick Bay for his quarters, where as expected, he'd found Beverly. "Will did it?" "Will and Deanna's assistant, Lieutenant Devries. Deanna was with the…" her voice trailed off. "The children." He finished for her. "The children." She echoed softly, her eyes closing again. "When I regained consciousness, or, to be more precise, when I was brought around, someone was holding me against his body, like a shield, his hand was all over me, my uniform was ripped, and he had his hand…his other arm was around my neck. There was a phaser against my forehead with that hand…." Jean-Luc moved his hand to gently brush her bangs off her forehead, revealing the patch of shiny new skin on her temple and cheek, her hair shaved back slightly to allow the area room for the regeneration that had been necessary to replace the skin that had been burnt. "Here?" "Mmm hmm." She nodded slightly. "He was yelling at me. He wanted to know where we'd come from, how we were getting away…I couldn't think, I was barely conscious…he kept saying we were stealing from him, and if I didn't tell him…and before I could say anything, he began shooting at the children. He kept the phaser where it was and just kept shooting, hitting arms and legs, the children were screaming, the burning on my face, everything just combined and I just reacted…" "Reacted?" He touched her cheek. "And that's how…" "Worf's training." She whispered. "All I remember is screaming for the children to run, grabbing the one who held me…then suddenly there were security personnel everywhere. And then we were brought back to the Enterprise." "All the children survived." He continued to trace her cheek. "Some were injured, but they all survived." "I know both my security personnel were killed in the original attack, the other nurse with me was injured, but survived too." Beverly's eyes had taken on a distant look. "The children are all right." "Yes, they are." He soothed her. "He was insane, Jean-Luc. He just kept shooting, the phaser was burning me, his hand," she shuddered again, "it was all over me, and the others were all screaming, yelling…I just…" "Did what you had to do." Jean-Luc finished for her. "Yes." She shifted onto her side, pressing against him as he mirrored her move, sliding his arms around her protectively. "I hate it." "I know." He kissed her forehead gently. "Can you get some rest? Try to?" "You don't have to go to the bridge?" Beverly lifted her head and looked up at him. "You just got back…" "Will can take care of what's needed until tomorrow." He smiled down at her as she relaxed against him. "He's forwarded the crucial reports to my computer and assured me that everything can wait until the morning." "Thank you," she breathed out softly, then dropped her head, nestling into him again. "I felt so helpless, there was all the shooting, he had me so tightly, it wasn't until he thought I wasn't going to be any trouble that he loosened his hold." "He underestimated you." Still rubbing her back, he murmured toward her ear. "He started injuring children, not knowing what that would do…" "Mmm." She pressed closer to him. "Couldn't let him..." "Try to rest, cherie." Continuing the gentle massage of her back, he nuzzled her hair. "I'll be here to hold you." "I know." He felt her lips curve slightly. "Why I came here." She sighed softly. "Not leave me alone?" "No, I'll be right here, Beverly." He kissed her forehead. "Just rest." "Try..." Finally letting exhaustion take over, Beverly relaxed against him with another soft sigh. Jean-Luc continued to gently rub her back until he was sure she was completely asleep, then carefully eased out of the bed, tucking the covers securely around her. Returning to the bathing area, he quickly cleaned up the clothes and towels and mopped up the spilled water from the tub before returning to the main room of his quarters, pausing only to assure himself that Beverly was still sleeping soundly. Recorking the bottle and replacing it in the cabinet, he picked up the padd he'd left on the table and activated it as he continued to the replicator. "Earl Grey, hot…one cup." Taking the steaming cup, he started to read the transcripts from the various team members reports, finishing with Beverly's debriefing. She'd concisely reported the selection of her team, and listed the security detail as well as the engineering staff that had accompanied them to see about the ship. Then related the locating of the downed ship, and finding the children alive, as well as two of the teachers that had been taking them home to Starbase Five from a field trip before their ship had developed technical problems. She and the rest of the staff had been taking the group of survivors back to the beam up point, the ship having come down in an area of rocks with a magnetic content that played havoc with their sensors, when they'd been attacked, ambushed from both sides of the trail. She surmised they'd been observed, since the attackers took out the security team first, then the medical personnel. When she regained her senses, having been hit by a rock fragment from the original explosion, she'd been held as a shield against the arriving security team, while her captor and another man had shot at the children, trying to create a diversion so they could escape, having underestimated the firepower and crew members arriving to assist the original team. She had explained that her attack and retaliation against the man holding her and his partner had come about in a purely reflexive manner, and she'd been able to not only overpower and critically injure the one holding her, but used his weapon to severely injure the other man before the security team moved in to rescue the children and remaining medical team members. As he'd expected, she'd downplayed her own injuries, using her hair to shield her face, and had overseen the triage and transport of the others before returning to the ship, and it was only when she'd nearly collapsed toward the end of her debriefing that Will had realized the severity of her injuries and had her transported directly to Sick Bay, where she'd undergone immediate surgery for the regeneration of the skin on her face as well as the concussion she'd received and the three ribs that had been broken. With a sigh, he shut off the padd and set it back down on the table next to his empty tea cup. Activating his computer console, he scanned the messages and files he'd been sent while he was gone and determined none were urgent before lifting his head at a low moan. Quickly pushing back from the table, he returned to the bedroom and sank down on the bed and ran his hand along Beverly's hair, stroking it softly until she stopped moving and quieted back into sleep. With a soft sigh, he returned to the living area and set his cup in the recycler before picking up his case and taking it back into the bedroom. Setting it to the side, he slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around Beverly as she unconsciously nestled into him. Pressing a soft kiss to her exposed cheek, he closed his eyes and sighed softly. She so rarely let her guard down, he'd almost forgotten how much it took out of her and how vulnerable she could be. The few times it had happened since they'd taken their relationship to a more intimate level, he always wondered how she'd dealt with it on her own. They'd spoken of it once, and she had mentioned a correlation between those times and extensive research she'd completed, unable to sleep and unwilling to disturb anyone, even him. When she turned in his embrace, he looked down to see a glimmer of blue. "Go back to sleep cherie." "Still here?" Beverly blinked up at him as he brushed her hair back behind her ear. "As promised." Jean-Luc smiled gently. "You only slept about an hour." "Still sleep." She returned his smile sleepily. "Skin itches." "I suppose you want some of that lotion you gave me?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Please?" Rolling onto her back as he slid out of bed, Beverly stretched then resettled against the pillows, eyes shutting again. When he began to gently rub a lotion onto her newly healed skin, she sighed in soft relief. "Thank you." "Shh." Tenderly, he covered the shiny skin with the lotion. "Better? And do you need the hypo that Lieutenant Ogawa left?" "Better, yes. Thank you. No hypo." Leaving her eyes closed, she waited until he'd set the container to the side and settled back next to her, then ran her hand along his chest, lightly holding onto his top. "Read debriefing?" "Yes." He brushed a kiss across her lips. "Very complete. Now sleep, Beverly." "Not leave?" She mumbled. "Not tonight." Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her gently. "Sleep, cherie." "Sleep. Safe." With a sigh, she drifted off as he watched over her until following her into darkness. NewMessage: