Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Ida Vega-Landow" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: Christmas Slash II: "Silent Night, Lonely Night", Part 2 of 3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 306 Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 17:55:03 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1103565303 209.198.142.218 (Mon, 20 Dec 2004 12:55:03 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 12:55:03 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86073 X-Received-Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 09:56:12 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) REP,COR: STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "SILENT NIGHT, LONELY NIGHT" P/R, NC-17 Part 2 of 3 Author: Ida Vega-Landow, a/k/a Slasherfem =20=20=20=20 PART TWO Picard blinked, tore his eyes away from the enticing sight of=20 Riker's chest hair and shook his head, and said contritely, "Oh,=20 hello, Mr. Riker. I didn't know you were still on board." "Is everything all right, Captain?" Riker reiterated his=20 question. "I passed the Ten-Forward Lounge on my way to Transporter=20 Room Three, and I thought I'd drop in to see if you needed help=20 getting away. I knew you'd be too polite to just pop in and pop out=20 again, so I wanted to give you an excuse to leave early. When I=20 couldn't find you, I asked Guinan if you were there. She said you=20 never arrived. I=97" Riker looked embarrassed. "I got a little=20 concerned, sir, knowing how conscientious you are about making=20 public appearances. It just didn't seem like you to skip the annual=20 ship's Christmas party after saying you would be there. So I=20 thought I'd better check on you, just to be sure." As he spoke, the captain regarded him with bleary eyes. Riker=20 noticed how disheveled he was and how he smelled of wine. He didn't=20 smell of perfume, though, nor was there any trace of lipstick on=20 him. So at least he was alone. Riker didn't know why that bit of=20 information made him feel better. All he knew was that earlier this=20 evening on the bridge, he'd had the impression that the captain had=20 been about to tell him something. His bright, hazel eyes and open=20 smile had made Riker feel warm inside, warm and trusting enough to=20 let him know he had no particular plans for Christmas. But when he=20 mentioned beaming down to San Francisco, the light in Picard's eyes=20 had gone out and his smile had dimmed. After that, he had cut the=20 conversation short, before Riker had a chance to invite him to=20 accompany him down to Earth. //Why is it so hard to get close to you?// Riker wondered. //Nobody=20 should be alone on Christmas Eve.// The fact that Picard was alone,=20 as well as drunk and depressed on Christmas Eve, was of great=20 concern to him. Councilor Troi had once confided to him how the=20 number of patients she treated for depression always seemed to=20 increase during the holidays, as well as the number of suicides and=20 suicide attempts. He knew that his captain was a sensible man, not=20 the kind who was easily overwhelmed. //He probably got that stiff=20 upper lip from one of those British boarding schools he attended as=20 a boy,// Riker thought fondly. If captivity and torture at the=20 hands of the Borg and the Cardassians didn't break him, why should=20 mere loneliness? But then again, even the strongest people had a=20 breaking point, especially where their emotions were concerned.=20=20 Seeing Picard like this made him fear that the captain was near his=20 own breaking point.=20=20 //I've got to do something to cheer him up. Maybe if I got him out=20 of his quarters and made him mingle...// Riker smiled and spoke=20 encouragingly. "Come on, Captain, don't spend the whole night alone=20 in your quarters. There's a whole roomful of people eager for your=20 company in Ten-Forward."=20=20 "Oh, the Devil take Ten-Forward and everyone in it!" Picard=20 snapped. "I'm not going down there tonight!" He turned away and=20 headed back to his chair and his drink. Startled, Riker stared after him in astonishment. "But Captain, you=20 always go to the ship's Christmas party!" "Not tonight! I'll be damned if I go to that bloody party full of=20 losers one more time!" Throwing himself into his chair, Picard=20 leaned down to pick up his glass, almost falling out of his chair as=20 he did so. Catching himself in time, he raised his glass in a=20 mocking toast. "Here's to the losers, God bless `em all!" He=20 drained what was left and sat back, staring into the depths of his=20 empty glass. "Did you know your captain was a loser, Will?" he=20 asked conversationally. "I lose everybody that I care about sooner=20 or later. That's why I'm alone this blessed, bleeding Christmas=20 Eve. Even my own crew can't stand to be alone with me for too=20 long. Who could blame `em?" Alarmed by his captain's defeatist attitude, Riker entered the room,=20 letting the door shut behind him. "That's not true, sir! You know=20 your crew holds you in the greatest respect and=20 affection." //Especially me,// he thought. "Yes, the captain of the ENTERPRISE is held in great respect and=20 affection," Picard said ironically. "But no one gives a fig for=20 Jean-Luc Picard." "You're wrong, sir," Riker told him earnestly. "There are people=20 aboard this ship who care for you more than you know." "Well, if they do, it's news to me. Be a good lad and fetch me that=20 wine bottle over there, will you?" The captain gestured over his=20 shoulder with his empty glass, which slipped from his hand and went=20 flying across the room, landing on the carpeted floor in a tinkling=20 pile of broken glass. "With respect, sir, I think you've had enough." Riker feared that=20 more alcohol would only increase Picard's depression; he was=20 determined to protect his captain from himself. "Why don't you come=20 with me to Ten-Forward, for a bite to eat? You don't have to stay=20 for the party." "I told you, Mr. Riker," Picard said, over enunciating each word=20 with drunken emphasis, "that I am not going to that bloody,=20 miserable gathering in the Ten-Forward Lounge. Why should I=20 advertise the fact that I'm alone on Christmas Eve? Why should I=20 pretend to be jolly, amidst a crowd of fellow losers who are also=20 pretending to be jolly? Everyone knows they're there because they=20 couldn't get a bloody date. And everyone is hoping that they'll be=20 leaving with someone by the end of the evening. But I'm the bloody=20 captain of this ship. I don't have the luxury of bringing home a=20 beautiful stranger for the night, because it'll be all over the=20 bleeding ship by morning! Then it'll be like Nella Daren all over=20 again. You do remember Nella, don't you, Will? She was the last=20 person who loved me. She loved me so much, she transferred off this=20 miserable tub so our relationship wouldn't endanger my command."=20=20 Picard laughed bitterly. "That's rich, isn't it? Abandoning your=20 lover to show how much you love him! Or was she just being cruel to=20 be kind? You know, `In order to save the relationship, we can never=20 see each other again'." He leaned forward and covered his face with=20 his hands, his shoulders shaking with bitter laughter that sounded=20 closer to tears. Riker felt his heart go out to him, this brave, noble man who was=20 too proud to admit he was lonely. Throwing aside all formality, he=20 went up to Picard and knelt before him, put his arms around him and=20 held him close, until he stopped shaking and fell silent.=20=20 Embarrassed by his display of weakness, Picard waited until he had=20 gotten a hold of himself before daring to speak again. "I-I'm=20 sorry, Will." He kept his head down, so his voice was muffled=20 against the other man's broad shoulder, hard muscle covered by soft,=20 bright blue silk, which felt strangely comforting. "I guess I've=20 taken a drop more than was good for me." "No need to apologize," Riker assured him gently. "We all take a=20 drink out of the wrong bottle now and then." He kept holding him=20 close as he stroked his back with one hand. Picard allowed himself to be comforted until he started getting too=20 comfortable. The unconscious sensuality of the younger man's=20 caresses gave him a feeling of being more admired than pitied.=20=20 Reminding himself that he was the superior officer and thus the more=20 responsible one, he managed to pull himself away from Riker without=20 revealing how reluctant he was to do so. "Thank you for coming,=20 Will. I'll be all right now."=20=20 "Are you sure, Captain?" Riker asked, still holding him loosely=20 around the waist as he knelt before him. "Yes, perfectly. I guess I'd better go to bed, sleep all this wine=20 off. So you see," Picard said, forcing a note of joviality into his=20 voice, "there's nothing to keep you on this ship any longer."=20=20 "Yes, there is." Riker clasped his hands behind Picard's back,=20 pulling him closer. "I wouldn't feel right about leaving you alone=20 in this condition, sir. Why don't you come down to Ten-Forward with=20 me, so I'll know you aren't alone on Christmas Eve?" Picard sat and stared into his blue eyes, trying to think of a good=20 reason why he shouldn't be out in public with the man he cared about=20 on Christmas Eve. Feeling his arms wrapped around him, and the=20 strength hidden in them, made him long to return the embrace. But=20 where would it go from there? It might start out warm and snuggly,=20 but what if Riker suddenly pulled away in embarrassment and told=20 him, "I'm sorry, sir, you got the wrong idea about me"? Taking refuge behind his command persona, Picard said gruffly, "I=20 told you I'm not going to that pathetic gathering in Ten-Forward,=20 Will. There's nothing you can say to make me change my mind." "How about `please', sir?" Riker said with a smile, tightening his=20 embrace ever so gently around Picard's waist. Picard suddenly found it hard to breathe. Not because Riker was=20 holding him too tight, oh no. The fact that Riker was holding him=20 at all was exciting enough. That he didn't seem reluctant to do so,=20 even seemed to take pleasure in doing so, was making it very hard=20 for him to send him away.=20=20 //But I have to do it,// he argued with himself. //It's for his own=20 good.// So he put his hands on Riker's broad shoulders, preparing=20 to push him away. "No, I am not going anywhere with you tonight,=20 Will Riker," he said determinedly. "I'm sure that a handsome young=20 fellow like you has better things to do on Christmas Eve than keep a=20 lonely old man company." "You're not so old, sir," Riker assured him, his blue eyes=20 bright. "And I'm not that young." "Yes, but=97" Picard found himself stroking the broad shoulders under=20 his small, sensitive hands. "See here, Will, you needn't feel=20 obligated to keep me company tonight. Nursing your captain through=20 a fit of depression isn't part of your duties."=20=20 "I don't mind, sir. All I want is to be here with you. I like=20 being here with you." Was it his imagination, or was Riker leaning=20 closer to him as he spoke, so softly, so earnestly=97one might think=20 he actually cared about the lonely old man he held in his arms. //Don't flatter yourself, Jean-Luc. He just feels sorry for you,=20 that's all.// This thought was like cold water on Picard's libido;=20 he let go of Riker and leaned back in his chair in an attempt to=20 distance himself. "I think perhaps you had better go, Will." Was=20 it drunkenness or desire that made his voice sound so unsteady?=20 "Do you really want me to go, sir?" Riker loosened his embrace and=20 sat back on his heels, as if preparing to rise. "Just say the word=20 and I'm gone. I don't want to impose on you." He cocked his head=20 and looked at Picard with open affection. "But I want you to know=20 that I meant what I said about wanting to be with you. In fact, I'd=20 rather be here with you tonight than anywhere else."=20=20 Picard stared at him in astonishment. "You mean you'd really rather=20 be with me than in some San Francisco bar, where you'd have your=20 pick of all the young and beautiful?" "The young and vapid, you mean. They're nice to spend the night=20 with, but I'm looking for someone I can spend more than a night=20 with. Someone I won't be embarrassed to be seen with the morning=20 after. Someone charming, sophisticated and=97experienced." Riker's=20 grin let him know exactly whom he had in mind. "If you know someone=20 like that, would you please tell him there's a lonely young man=20 aboard your ship who'd love to spend some time with him?" Riker=20 rose to his feet. "I guess I'd better go. If you decide what you=20 want to do tonight, please hail me. I'll be in my quarters." He=20 turned and headed for the door. Picard leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and told=20 himself: //You're mad, utterly insane. It'll never work out, he's=20 too young for you, hasn't your experience with Nella taught you=20 anything?// All this wise advice did not stop him from opening his=20 eyes, clearing his throat and saying, "Will?"=20=20=20 Riker paused just before he got within sensor range of the=20 door. "Yes, Captain?" he said, looking over his shoulder at the=20 lonely man sitting in his chair across the room.=20=20 Picard saw Riker looking back at him hopefully. If he'd seen=20 smugness, he would have dismissed him with no further word. But=20 just knowing that his young friend wanted to be with him as much as=20 he wanted to be with Riker gave him the courage to speak. "You=20 don't have to go, Will. I may not fancy a night in Ten-Forward, but=20 I-I do fancy you, and I know that-that I'd rather spend the night=20 with you than with anybody else."=20=20 Riker turned and headed back to the chair where he was sitting. He=20 stood over him for a moment to ask, "Are you sure?" When Picard=20 nodded, he knelt before him again and put his arms around him.=20=20 This time Picard returned the embrace, holding him close enough to=20 feel Riker's beard against his cheek. All the pent-up sexual=20 tension he'd been holding inside seemed to leak out of his body like=20 air from a balloon, leaving him limp and relaxed in Riker's arms. After spending a few minutes silently stroking him, Riker took the=20 older man's face between his hands and kissed him on the lips.=20=20 Picard suddenly found it hard to breathe again. Riker let him come=20 up long enough to gasp for breath before resuming the kiss. As they=20 kissed, Riker kept on stroking him, touching, petting, caressing him=20 on all his vulnerable spots. Even the back of Picard's neck came in=20 for a sensual rub, perhaps as an excuse to pull his face nearer so=20 he could kiss him harder. French kissing began just as Picard put his hands inside Riker's=20 open shirt to caress his hairy chest. Riker let out a brief gasp of=20 his own to indicate his pleasure, then slipped his tongue inside=20 Picard's mouth while allowing him to pull his silk shirt out of his=20 jeans and slip it off his shoulders. Moans and sighs of pleasure=20 accompanied the captain's exploration of Riker's thick thatch of=20 chest hair. Finding his nipples amidst the hair and pinching them=20 between his sensitive fingers almost made Riker come in his pants.=20=20 He sucked on Picard's tongue while his hands fell to his lap to=20 caress his thighs, then fondle his crotch. Picard felt his already throbbing cock become harder under Riker's=20 touch. He tried not to betray his eagerness, but couldn't stop=20 himself from thrusting his hips forward, pressing his bulging crotch=20 into Riker's hand. The next thing he knew, his uniform trousers were pushed down to his=20 ankles and he was looking down at the back of Riker's dark head as=20 he eagerly sucked on his captain's cock. It didn't take very long=20 for him to come inside the hot mouth, emitting a cry of astonished=20 pleasure as he sank back into the depths of his chair. While he was=20 still recovering from his orgasm, Riker rose up on his knees and=20 embraced him again, then asked huskily, "You want to go to bed?" "Yes," Picard whispered, uncertain whether it was embarrassment or=20 excitement that kept his voice low. He wasn't sure if he could even=20 stand up after a climax so intense. But Riker solved the problem by=20 picking him up and carrying him to his bed. TO BE CONTINUED... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: