Path: newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!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: "A Small Circle of Friends", 3 of 3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 998 Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 20:55:05 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1097873705 209.198.142.218 (Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:55:05 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:55:05 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85103 X-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 13:55:06 PDT (newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net) "A SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS"=20=20 "And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody, outside of a small=20 circle of friends." Phil Ochs, "Outside of A Small Circle of Friends" PART 3 OF 3 Very early the following morning, Jean-Luc Picard sat in a horseshoe- shaped booth in the hotel restaurant, sipping his coffee and=20 wondering idly whether La Forge and Worf were awake yet. When he=20 left the cottage, after shaving, showering and getting dressed, he=20 had had to step over the sleeping bodies of both human and Klingon=20 as they lay sprawled in front of the flat screen holovision set,=20 which was still on and set to the "Adult Entertainment" channel,=20 with the volume turned low. His brief glimpse at the screen had=20 shown him two nude Klingon women wrestling, their shapely, muscular=20 bodies covered with what appeared to be honey. He shook his head,=20 chuckling at the memory.=20=20=20 "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" a familiar voice said behind him.=20=20 He turned his head and saw Q standing there, wearing black slacks=20 and a black and red short-sleeved shirt reminiscent of the old=20 Starfleet uniform.=20=20 "Yes, it's reserved for an old friend of mine. Do sit down," Picard=20 told him with a smile.=20=20 Q sat down opposite the white-clad figure in tennis shorts and polo=20 shirt and looked around the restaurant cautiously. "Are we alone=20 now? Is all of your crew still tucked into their little beds?"=20=20 "Geordi and Worf were still fast asleep in front of the holovid when=20 I left. I'm sure that everyone else is still asleep too."=20=20 "Thank goodness!" Q heaved a sigh of relief and reached for his=20 hand across the table. He squeezed it and smiled into his=20 eyes. "Alone at last!"=20=20 Picard returned the affectionate squeeze. "Would you like coffee?"=20=20 "What, no Earl Gray?" Q teased him. =20=20 "I prefer coffee in the morning. But if you would prefer tea--?" "Coffee's fine," Q assured him. Picard poured him a cup from the=20 stainless steel coffee pot, carefully crafted to look like silver.=20=20=20 He also pushed the basket full of bread and pastries toward him.=20=20 Q took his time selecting a croissant, which he put on a napkin next=20 to his cup and saucer. He hastily switched it to a bread plate when=20 he saw Picard put his croissant on a bread plate. // This being=20 human takes practice! // he thought. They sat eating and drinking=20 in silence for a while before Q reached for his hand again. "Did you intend to play tennis this morning?" He nodded at Picard's=20 white outfit. "Or were you planning to elope with me?"=20=20 Picard laughed. "That may be the only way that we can consummate=20 this relationship, if my crew keeps interfering. You are still=20 interested in a relationship, I trust?"=20=20=20=20 "Yes, especially in the consummation. But there's no rush. I'm=20 willing to wait a reasonable interval. Say, after breakfast?" Q=20 arched his eyebrows at him suggestively. Picard laughed again and reached for another croissant. "I'd better=20 eat enough to keep up my strength, then!"=20=20 "We can always take this up to my room," Q hinted broadly.=20=20 "I don't even know where your room is. If I did, I would have had=20 you paged when I got here."=20=20 "Well, for future reference, I'm in room 17J, registered under the=20 name Quentin Connor. An alias I haven't used since the American=20 Revolution in the 1770's."=20=20 "Really? I suppose you're going to tell me how you witnessed the=20 signing of the Declaration of Independence."=20=20 "Yes, after I finished helping Ben Franklin design his wood-burning=20 stove. Brilliant fellow, but a bit sloppy in his dress and his=20 designs for his inventions=85" Q launched into a humorous anecdote=20 about the American Founding Father which Picard found highly=20 entertaining.=20=20 While Q was talking, he failed to notice the arrival of Riker and=20 Troi, both dressed for a day of sightseeing; they walked into the=20 restaurant hand in hand, gazing fondly at each other, until they=20 caught sight of their captain with Q. They both froze, staring in=20 horrified fascination at the entity; he appeared to be simply=20 talking to their captain. But they were sure that Picard was only=20 being polite, waiting for an opportunity to escape as soon as Q=20 could be distracted. With a brief, loving glance at each other, a=20 mutual agreement was reached between them to provide that=20 distraction.=20=20 Riker pasted a smile on his face as he steered Troi toward the=20 horseshoe-shaped booth. "Good morning, Captain! Fancy meeting you=20 here! And Q, too. What a surprise!"=20=20 Picard was able to hide his annoyance enough to greet his first=20 officer pleasantly. "Good morning, Will." Q was barely civil to him, only because he knew Riker was a close=20 friend of the man he loved. "Morning, Riker. Counselor," he=20 acknowledged Troi with a shade more courtesy.=20=20 "Good morning, Q." Deanna greeted him as pleasantly as if he were=20 just another mortal, believing that if he was treated like a=20 gentleman, he would behave that way. "Good morning, Captain." She=20 did a quick scan of Picard to see if he was under pressure from Q in=20 any way. She was relieved to feel him so relaxed, with no sense of=20 threat or fear. Of course, that didn't mean that Q hadn't=20 influenced him somehow. She was determined to make sure he wasn't=20 being mentally manipulated. That would involve prolonged physical=20 proximity. So be it. Smiling warmly, she slipped into the booth=20 right next to Picard. "I hope you don't mind if we join you, sir."=20=20 "Not at all," said Picard politely, groaning inwardly. // Not you=20 too, Deanna! //=20=20=20 Riker quickly slipped into the seat opposite, right next to Q. Q=20 moved aside hastily, eyeing Riker as if he were a big, hairy, smelly=20 pet of Jean-Luc's who had decided to jump up on the couch next to=20 him. Riker bared his teeth at him in a phony smile, while=20 broadcasting his hostility on a level that even a non-telepath could=20 sense.=20 // Lay a hand on my captain and I'll break you in half! // Riker=20 thought. // You and who else, Monkey Man? // Q thought right back at him,=20 startling Riker momentarily.=20=20 // I mean it, Q! Don't even think of trying to harm him while we're=20 here! // Riker told him mentally, while smiling and saying=20 aloud, "We might as well order now. What'll you have, Deanna?"=20=20 "An omelet would be nice." She smiled at her fianc=E9 while saying=20 mentally, // Be careful, Will. Don't annoy Q or he's liable to take=20 it out on the captain. //=20=20 Forewarned, Riker made an effort to be pleasant to the entity,=20 remembering to say please when asking for the coffee pitcher.=20=20=20 After filling two of the many empty coffee cups on the table, he=20 passed one to Troi and grabbed a roll from the basket. As he=20 buttered it, he chatted with his fianc=E9 and the captain,=20 occasionally including Q in the conversation as well. But beneath=20 his veneer of courtesy, he kept making mental threats of what he=20 would do to the entity if he so much as looked cross-eyed at=20 Picard.=20=20 Q, who wasn't the least bit intimidated by the human after spending=20 the previous evening under the Klingon's baleful regard, retaliated=20 by sending Riker mental images of how ridiculous he thought he was.=20=20 He pictured him as a Mandrill baboon baring its' colorful buttocks=20 in threat posture, as a tiny Yorkshire terrier yelping at a huge=20 mastiff, and as a tribble in a chair before a console, squealing=20 angrily at a Klingon whose huge posterior was about to crush it.=20=20=20 Riker fought back by picturing Q as a clown, as a puppet whose=20 strings were being pulled by a shadowy figure labeled "Q Continuum",=20 even as the little man in the booth behind the fiery head of the=20 Wizard of Oz, admonishing a frightened Dorothy and her friends=20 to "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" That gave Q a=20 chuckle; he showed Riker his vision of the first officer as the=20 Scarecrow singing "If I Only Had A Brain".=20=20=20=20 While Riker and Q were assailing each other with insulting images,=20 Doctor Crusher suddenly appeared in the restaurant wearing a full- length, sleeveless yellow dress, with a cutout in the back exposing=20 her entire backbone and in the front revealing a still trim belly=20 and a full bosom barely concealed by a strip of cloth the width of a=20 sash. Long, silky white tassels covered her bosom from the neck=20 down to the tops of her breasts, and her stomach to just above her=20 belly button, while in back the tassels ended right above the curve=20 of her buttocks.=20=20 "Oh, Beverly!" Troi called as she waved to her. "Come join us! We=20 were just going to order breakfast!"=20=20 The minute the doctor saw Q and the captain sitting at the table,=20 she knew what her friends were trying to do. Determined to save her=20 old friend from harassment, she hurried over and squeezed in beside=20 Troi, complimenting her on her violet pantsuit. Troi responded with=20 a gracious comment about her dress. Both the ladies began=20 discussing fashion as Q quietly seethed. Catching Picard's eye=20 across the table, he sent him a mental query: // Shouldn't those=20 tassels be dangling from her nipples? // // I suppose your next suggestion will be that she do a little dance=20 on the table for us? // Picard inquired sarcastically.=20=20 // Not a bad idea! // Q sent him a mental picture of Beverly in a=20 mini-skirted version of her yellow dress, wearing white go-go boots=20 and doing a hip-shaking dance on the table.=20=20 // Now stop that! // Picard admonished him silently, wiping the=20 smile off his face in time to keep his friends from noticing.=20=20 Q decided to annoy Riker by showing him a mental vision of the=20 doctor and his fianc=E9e as a couple of parrots, one yellow, one=20 violet, sitting on a tree branch and squawking happily. Riker=20 didn't appreciate it and retaliated by showing Q his vision of the=20 entity as a vulture. Q pictured Riker as a dodo bird, a=20 particularly stupid one that kept tripping over its' own feet.=20=20=20 Riker showed him a mental image of Picard as an eagle, flying=20 towards the sun, while Q the vulture flapped awkwardly far behind=20 him, shedding feathers as he went. Q visualized both himself and=20 Picard as eagles flying side by side toward the sun, while Riker, as=20 Icarus, attempted to follow them, only to fall to earth when the=20 sunlight melted the wax in his wings.=20=20 While Riker was wondering what he meant by that particular image,=20 Worf and La Forge showed up in the restaurant. La Forge looked=20 hungover and confused, Worf just looked hungover and mean. Both=20 looked considerably relieved when they saw their captain sitting=20 safely among his crew. As they ran up to the table, La Forge=20 said, "Captain! Sir, why didn't you wake us up before you left?"=20 "You were sleeping so peacefully, Geordi," Picard told him, smiling=20 at the younger man's worried expression. "And I didn't want to=20 risk angering a hungover Klingon."=20=20=20 "You both look as though you could use some coffee," the doctor told=20 them. "Why don't you join us?"=20=20 "Not again!" Q muttered as La Forge sat down by the doctor while=20 Worf squeezed in next to Riker. The booth, which was intended to=20 hold eight people, was starting to fill up. Only one space now=20 separated the captain and Q in the rear of the booth, as Picard's=20 dedicated officers and friends insisted on running interference=20 between him and their long-time nemesis. Q gave Picard an=20 exasperated look across the short space between them. Picard could=20 only shrug and look at him apologetically.=20=20 // I'm sorry, Q, // Picard told him silently, hazel eyes full of=20 regret. // I didn't invite any of them to this rendezvous. //=20 // I know you didn't. They're just trying to protect you. When are=20 you going to tell them that their protection isn't necessary? //=20 // I'm not sure they would believe me. // Picard looked around the=20 circular table at the crowd of well-meaning people, his expression=20 one of affection mixed with exasperation.=20=20 // What next?// Q wondered as he shifted position to accommodate=20 Worf's considerable bulk at his end. // Is Data going to show up=20 with his cat and order her to scratch my eyes out if I touch you? //=20 Right on cue the android appeared, mercifully without his cat. But=20 he was in uniform and had a serious expression on his pale, golden=20 face. "Ah, there you are, Captain," said Data, standing beside the=20 table as he peered at his captain at the back of the booth. "I=20 apologize for intruding on you during your vacation. But an urgent=20 message has arrived from Starfleet Command and I thought it best=20 that I deliver it to you personally."=20=20 "THAT DOES IT!" yelled Q, making everyone in the booth jump and=20 stare at him as if he had gone mad. Turning to Picard, Q told him=20 furiously, "I am sick and tired of these interruptions! I'll see=20 you when you're not surrounded by your small circle of friends!"=20=20=20 With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.=20=20 Picard looked around the table at his friends with an expression so=20 furious, they cowered in their seats. "Now hear this, all of you!"=20 he announced in his command voice. "I am in no danger from Q! He=20 simply wishes to know me better. He has promised to behave like an=20 ordinary human while we're in public. I even managed to get him to=20 promise not to use his Q powers to harm any of you. Now you've made=20 him so upset, he's gone back to using his powers again! If this=20 were a first contact situation, we would be on the verge of a war by=20 now!" "Sir, we were just trying to protect you," Riker told him.=20=20 "Yes, and I appreciate it, Number One. But I don't think your=20 protection is required any longer. I'm convinced that Q is=20 genuinely trying to have a relationship with me, and like all new=20 relationships it requires a bit of privacy. So could you and the=20 other five chaperones please go about your business?" "Forgive me, sir," Data interrupted, "but I was not aware of the=20 situation between you and Q. I beamed down because I really do have=20 a message for you from Starfleet Command."=20=20 "Very well, Data, you may stay. The rest of you are dismissed."=20=20 "But Captain=97" La Forge started to protest. "I said DISMISSED!" Picard glared at him so terribly that La Forge=20 hastily scrambled out of the booth and went to check out the=20 breakfast buffet on the other side of the restaurant. Everyone else=20 decided to follow his example. Soon the captain found himself alone=20 except for Data.=20=20 "All right, Data," Picard sighed. "Please give me your message." Data dutifully repeated the message from Starfleet Command, which=20 turned out to be urgent only in the mind of the sender. Picard knew=20 him well, an elderly fussbudget of an admiral who always had to=20 check everything twice. He composed a diplomatic reply, instructed=20 Data on how to deliver it, and was soon eating breakfast alone,=20 feeling morose and annoyed with his well-meaning friends. After=20 finishing his croissant and coffee, he decided to forgo a heavier=20 breakfast and go to the tennis court to work off some of his=20 frustration.=20=20 **************** An hour later, Picard was trudging wearily back toward his cottage.=20=20 He had spent the last hour smashing a tennis ball over the net=20=20 again and again, sending the hotel's tennis pro scrambling to return=20 it before it beaned him or some innocent passerby. The game had=20 ended with a tied score and the exhausted pro advising him not to=20 play angry if he wanted to improve his delivery. His once pristine=20 white outfit was now soaked with sweat; he felt like an overheated=20 horse that has been ridden hard and put away wet. Smelled like one=20 too, from the occasional whiff he caught of his armpits every time=20 the wind shifted. Having worked through his anger, all he wanted=20 now was a shower and a nap.=20=20 On the path between the tennis court and the hotel, he passed a tall=20 palm tree wide enough for two people to encircle with their arms,=20 where he heard someone hissing, "Jean-Luc!" A startled Picard=20 stopped in his tracks and looked around.=20=20 Q popped out from behind the tree and beckoned to him. "Over=20 here!"=20=20 Relieved to see him again, Picard stumbled toward the palm tree. As=20 soon as he was behind it, out of sight from the path, Q grabbed him=20 and hugged him tight. He didn't seem to mind that Picard was all=20 sweaty and smelly from his recent exercise. "I'm sorry I lost my=20 temper earlier," Q murmured in his ear as he held him close.=20=20 "I'm sorry that my friends got on your nerves," Picard told him,=20 resting his head on one of Q's broad shoulders. "After you left, I=20 explained to them that I was in no danger from you, even that you=20 had promised not to use your powers to harm them." "Did they believe you?"=20=20 "I don't know," Picard sighed. "I'm afraid I sent them all packing=20 rather abruptly. Data, at least, had a genuine reason to seek me=20 out. The rest of them were there to act as chaperones."=20=20 "Why should a grown man need chaperones?" Q demanded. "A fat lot=20 of good they would have done if I did have dishonorable=20 intentions!"=20=20 "And exactly what sort of intentions do you have towards me, sir?"=20=20 Picard asked him playfully.=20=20 Q pulled back from the embrace, took his chin in one big hand and=20 looked at him hungrily. "You know exactly what my intentions are,=20 Jean-Luc Picard," he informed him, his voice and his eyes sending=20 shivers down Picard's back. "I intend to take you to bed and make=20 love to you until we're both exhausted. Then we can discuss whether=20 or not we want to go on doing it in the future."=20=20 The thought of making love with Q, now and in the future, sent a=20 jolt of pleasure to Picard's groin that made him hard as a rock.=20=20 His eyes got wide and glassy-looking as he pressed himself against=20 the length of the taller body before him. Q felt his hardness=20 pressing against his left thigh and it made him excited as well. He=20 pulled him closer and, holding the man's face between his hands,=20 kissed him hard.=20 Next thing Picard knew, he was leaning back against the wide-bodied=20 palm tree with Q all over him, kissing, touching, nibbling his ear=20 and neck, reaching under his polo shirt to caress him. It was such=20 a breath-taking experience that the captain found himself gasping=20 for breath between kisses. He managed to draw enough breath to say=20 his ardent suitor's name. "Q!"=20=20 "What?" Q responded breathlessly, gone glassy-eyed himself by now,=20 as he stood with his hands under Picard's shirt caressing his sweaty=20 chest.=20 "Before we go any further," Picard murmured modestly, "I really=20 would prefer to take this behind closed doors." "Oh! Of course!" Q was delighted to comply. "Your place or=20 mine?"=20=20 "I believe your room is closer than my cottage."=20=20 "Yes, it is, but=97" Q thought of them walking the long distance from=20 this path to the hotel, through the lobby and to the turbolift, all=20 the way up to the seventeenth floor with people going in and out of=20 the lift, then all the way down the corridor to 17P, both of them=20 sporting such obvious erections that Jean-Luc would surely die of=20 embarrassment before they reached the safety of Q's room. "My dear,=20 would you mind if I used my powers in public just this once, to get=20 us up to my room without delay?"=20=20 "Not at all," Picard told him. "In fact, I would prefer it if you=20 did."=20=20 "Thank you!" Q snapped his fingers and they both disappeared from=20 behind the palm tree on the path.=20=20 When they reappeared in Q's hotel room, Picard, now deprived of=20 anything to lean back against, started to fall backwards. Q grabbed=20 him before he could fall on his ass and held him close.=20=20 "I'm so glad you're flexible!" he told Picard.=20=20 "Yes, well, I'd have to be, to have a relationship with you." He=20 gave Q a quick hug and pulled back from him reluctantly. "Would you=20 mind if I take a quick shower first? I'm all sweated up from the=20 tennis court."=20=20 "Go right ahead." Q pointed him toward the bathroom. Once the door=20 was closed behind him, Q went about happily making preparations,=20 using his powers to put fresh sheets on his still unmade bed,=20 getting rid of all the dirty clothes he had left lying around,=20 adjusting the air conditioning so his beloved Jean-Luc wouldn't get=20 all goose-pimply from the cold, closing the crimson drapes and=20 lowering the room's lighting enough so that they could still see=20 each other without having to either grope or squint. Then he added=20 a couple of spicy-scented candles and a chilled bottle of champagne,=20 as well as a recording of "The Marriage of Figaro", on the stereo=20 unit built into the headboard. Satisfied with the romantic=20 atmosphere he had created, he shed his clothing with a snap.=20=20 Another snap and he was clad in a red silk robe. Then he sat down=20 and waited patiently for Jean-Luc to emerge from the shower. When the object of his affections emerged a few minutes later,=20 wearing only a white towel around his waist, it took every ounce of=20 self-control Q possessed not to pounce on him like a hungry wolf on=20 a lamb. He forced himself to remain seated at the foot of the bed=20 while Jean-Luc crossed the dark red carpet toward him. When he got=20 to the bed, Q rose and took him into his arms.=20=20 "That was quick," Q remarked.=20=20 "So are you," said Picard, wrapping his arms around Q's neck. "I=20 could swear the room didn't look this way when I went into the=20 bathroom."=20=20 "Oh, I just tidied up a bit," Q said carelessly.=20=20 Picard laughed. "Quite a bit, I'd say! I hope there was enough=20 room under the bed for all those dirty clothes I saw."=20=20 "Why would I hide dirty clothes under the bed? It's just as easy to=20 make them disappear. When I need them, they'll reappear on me clean=20 and pressed."=20=20=20=20=20 "How nice for you. Saves you quite a bit on laundry bills, I'm=20 sure." Picard moved closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I=20 would appreciate it if you'd clean my clothes when I'm ready to=20 leave. I can't bear the thought of putting them back on all damp=20 and smelly like that."=20=20 "I don't mind the way you smell, clean or dirty. But rest assured=20 your clothes will be clean by the time you leave." Q added, in a=20 much deeper voice, "Which won't be for a long time." He leaned down=20 to kiss him. Picard met him halfway. Then the sound of opera music=20 was the only thing that could be heard in the room as they kissed,=20 in a long, lingering fashion. The kisses became deep and wet as they opened wide to explore each=20 other's mouths. Picard's small, sensitive hands caressed the strong=20 body beneath the silk robe, while Q's bigger hands stroked the still- damp, soft skin of the hard-muscled body in his arms. He couldn't=20 believe that someone so much smaller than he could be this strong;=20 he was afraid of holding him too tight for fear of hurting him. But=20 when he tightened his embrace tentatively and heard only moans of=20 pleasure, not pain, he dared to explore a bit further, even be a bit=20 rougher. His hands cupped the shapely buttocks beneath the towel,=20 squeezing them, stroking them, causing the man he held to press up=20 against him a bit tighter, squeeze him a bit harder, urge him to do=20 more in that incredibly sensuous baritone voice.=20 Q finally grasped the towel and pulled it off, slowly, unwrapping=20 Jean-Luc's body like a gift. Jean-Luc offered himself as if he were=20 a gift, leaning back just enough to let the subdued light shine upon=20 him, turning his pale flesh gold. With a sigh of pleasure, Q=20 feasted his eyes on the banquet of delight before him as he untied=20 the sash of his robe. Just as he was opening the robe, there came a=20 loud knocking on the door of the suite, right outside the sanctity=20 of the bedroom door. "Housekeeping!" sang out a feminine voice.=20=20 Q let out a frustrated snarl as he closed his robe and brushed past=20 Picard, swearing a blue streak in Federation Standard English as=20 well as several other languages, Klingonese among them. Shocked by=20 his vehemence, Picard quickly stepped aside without being asked. As=20 Q left the bedroom, slamming the door shut, Picard became quite=20 concerned for the poor housekeeper and wished he had gotten a=20 promise from Q not to harm any other mortals in the vicinity while=20 they were together. "What the hell do you want?" he heard Q snarling outside.=20=20 "Oh! Forgive me, sir, I did not know you were here," came the=20 woman's voice; a native Risan by her accent. "I just came to tidy=20 up a bit."=20=20 "Well, come back later, damn it! I'm not alone!"=20=20 "I'm so sorry, sir. I did not mean to disturb you during=20 jamaharon." The woman's voice was sincerely apologetic; Risans were=20 as devoted to the art of pleasure as they were to their=20 families. "Why did you not put out the "Do Not Disturb" sign? I=20 would not have entered if the sign was on the door."=20=20 "I forgot! I had other things on my mind! Now would you please get=20 out? And put the damn sign on the door!"=20=20 "Yes, sir, of course. Again, my apologies." The sound of the suite=20 door opening and closing, followed closely by the sound of Q's=20 footsteps heading back to the bedroom.=20=20 When he opened the door, he found Picard in the bed and under the=20 red satin sheets. "I'm so sorry, Jean-Luc," he said, his face still=20 red with anger and embarrassment. "I forgot to put out the "Do Not=20 Disturb" sign" while I was making my preparations. How could I=20 forget something so simple?" "You did say you had other things on your mind," Picard reminded him=20 mildly. "Don't worry, Q. Humans make mistakes like that all the=20 time. It's part of being mortal."=20=20 Q sat down beside him on the bed and hung his head, his hands=20 between his knees. "I wanted everything to be perfect for our first=20 time," he mourned. "I was looking forward to this day as eagerly as=20 a thirsty Bedouin looking forward to the next oasis. How can so=20 many things go wrong in less than 48 hours?"=20=20 Picard petted his shoulder consolingly. "Cheer up, the worst is=20 over. Humans have a saying, "Bad things happen in threes". This is=20 the third time we've been interrupted, so I'm sure we'll remain=20 undisturbed for the rest of the day." "Oh, I hope so!" Q sighed. He turned to look at his beloved, whose=20 hazel eyes were aglow with sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Jean-Luc," he=20 repeated, feeling the need to apologize over and over again to this=20 wonderful man for being so understanding and patient. "I did so=20 want everything to be perfect for us."=20=20 "Nobody's perfect. Even Q's can make mistakes." Picard stroked his=20 back soothingly through the silk robe. "Let's lie down together and=20 snuggle a bit. As soon as you're ready, we can make love."=20=20 Q, nothing loath, did as he suggested, shucking the silk robe so he=20 could hold Jean-Luc's perfect naked body against his own between the=20 satin sheets. It was pleasant, at first, just lying there holding=20 each other, sharing body heat against the coolness of the satin.=20=20 But after a while it wasn't enough. They started kissing and=20 stroking each other, exploring with lips and fingertips to find each=20 other's erogenous zones.=20=20=20 Q discovered that his human body had quite a few spots that felt=20 unbelievably good being stroked, licked, nibbled, rubbed, pinched or=20 sucked. Not just the more obvious places either; his earlobes and=20 the sides of his neck, the soft skin on the insides of both arms,=20=20 even the soles of his feet tingled when Jean-Luc touched him in each=20 area in a different way. Naturally he had to reciprocate, so he=20 also nibbled on his earlobes, bit with increasing hardness on either=20 side of his neck, stuck his tongue in Jean-Luc's navel and rubbed=20 his feet. Foot rubbing gradually led to back rubbing, with Q on=20 top. As he worked on Jean-Luc's back, he could feel how relaxed he=20 was getting. Gradually his hands went lower and lower, until he was=20 rubbing the man's buttocks.=20=20=20 The human silently showed his willingness to be entered by spreading=20 his legs and arching his back. Thus encouraged, Q made warm, spicy- scented oil appear on his hands so he could prepare them both. He=20 carefully inserted one oily finger into Jean-Luc and worked it in=20 and out. The sounds of pleasure that accompanied this action made=20 him eager to do more. He inserted a second finger, causing him to=20 moan and tighten up. Q paused briefly, letting him get accustomed=20 to it before continuing. When he was loosened up enough, Q inserted=20 a third finger. This one made Jean-Luc moan more loudly, with mixed=20 pleasure and pain. Q increased the amount of lubricant on his=20 fingers and spoke to him soothingly, reassuring him of his love.=20=20=20 When he finally got him loosened up enough, Q stroked his generous=20 erection with his free hand, getting it all oiled up. Then he=20 removed his fingers and used his hand to guide his erection into the=20 hot, tight opening before him.=20=20 Q heard Jean-Luc gasp, then felt his rectal muscles tighten up and=20 loosen spasmodically around his cock. He held back, resisting the=20 urge to thrust forward until he felt Jean-Luc open wide for him.=20=20=20 Then he entered him slowly, sheathing his long sword inside the=20 scabbard that felt as if it had been made for him. He managed to=20 fit his whole length inside, then paused, savoring the sweetness of=20 the moment. It felt so good, so hot and so tight in there! He=20 kissed the back of Jean-Luc's neck and told him just how good it=20 felt.=20=20 Picard couldn't believe he was lying on his belly in a satin-sheeted=20 bed, letting another man take him like this. He had expected to=20 feel violated, used. But, aside from some brief moments of pain, it=20 was surprisingly pleasant. Q's passionate voice telling him how=20 good it felt only added to his pleasure. As they lay locked=20 together in love, Picard didn't think about who was fucking him or=20 what he might do to him; all he could think about was the pleasure=20 he was getting and the anticipation of more pleasure to come. When=20 Q began to thrust in and out of him slowly, Picard let out another=20 gasp, this one of pleasure. "Oh! You have done this before!" he=20 exclaimed.=20=20=20 "Are you sure you haven't?" Q teased him, seeing how much he enjoyed=20 it. He kept on thrusting slowly, savoring the sensation of sinking=20 into a hot, tight passage. When his lover began pushing back to=20 meet his thrusts, he knew it was time to go faster. It made them=20 both groan with pleasure as he began pounding into him, hard and=20 fast. He kept up the pace as he sensed his lover's pleasure,=20 feeling his excitement and anticipation as his climax approached.=20=20=20 He held back his own climax until Jean-Luc finally exploded in=20 ecstasy, shouting joyfully as he came. Q timed his own climax so=20 that they could come simultaneously, sharing the joy.=20=20 Afterwards, they lay on their sides, Picard's back to Q's front, Q's=20 arms wrapped around the human's waist as he kissed the nape of his=20 neck. Picard couldn't remember the last time he felt so loved and=20 cherished. Just as he was on the verge of falling asleep, a=20 familiar beeping sound started coming from the bathroom.=20=20 "What the devil--?" exclaimed Picard before it hit him. "Oh, no!=20=20 My comm badge!" "Where the hell did you hide your comm badge?" Q demanded. "I=20 didn't see you wearing it!"=20=20 "It was under the left lapel of my shirt! Oh, merde!" Picard=20 groaned.=20=20=20 "Merde, indeed," Q muttered. "Why don't I disable the damn thing=20 from here? You can always say that it malfunctioned and you never=20 heard it."=20=20 "If I don't respond, they'll start a door-to-door search for me,"=20 Picard warned him. "I've been missing for quite a while now and=20 you're nowhere to be found, so by now they've surely put two and two=20 together. Especially Worf."=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 "Worf can count that high?" Q asked with feigned awe. Picard gave=20 him a dirty look over his shoulder and climbed out of bed. Q=20 followed him into the bathroom, where Picard picked his shirt up off=20 the floor and flipped up the left lapel to reveal the gold-and- silver Starfleet comm badge. Before he could touch it to activate=20 it, Q said "Wait! Tell them you're responding from the beach! That=20 isolated part, where we had the picnic yesterday."=20=20 Picard shrugged and said, "As you wish." He then touched the comm=20 badge and said, "Picard here."=20=20 "Captain, are you okay?" Riker's voice asked anxiously.=20=20 "Yes, Will, I'm fine. I ran into Q again and we've been enjoying=20 some time together. On the beach," Picard added hastily. "We were=20 just about to have lunch. Why don't you join us?" Q shook his head=20 at him frantically to no avail. "Gladly, sir! Just let me get your coordinates and we'll beam there=20 immediately."=20=20 "This is not an emergency, Mr. Riker," Picard told him=20 severely. "You can use your own two feet to get here, same as we=20 did." He gestured to Q to lean closer and whispered in his=20 ear. "Can you rearrange the coordinates so it looks like I'm=20 calling from that section of beach?"=20=20 Q nodded and waved his hand over the comm badge. Not a second too=20 soon, for Riker said, "All right, Captain, we've pinpointed your=20 location. We'll be there as soon as possible. Riker out."=20=20 Picard sighed. "Trust my mother hen of a first officer to find me,=20 even when I don't want to be found!" "We can still get there ahead of him, if you'll allow me to use my=20 powers?"=20=20 "Of course! We're not in public, so you can do as you like. "=20=20 "I thought I did that already?" Q said innocently. Picard gave him=20 another dirty look. "All right, all right! Let's get dressed." He=20 snapped his fingers and Picard found himself freshly showered and=20 once again wearing his tennis whites, which were cleaned and=20 pressed. Q was also wearing white shorts and a polo shirt, but his=20 had a patch on the left breast with a gold "Q" and "P" intertwined=20 on a grapevine in a gold shield.=20=20=20 "Isn't that rather obvious?" Picard asked, seeing the patch.=20=20 "How else are we going to get it through their heads that we're=20 together now? Or are you ashamed?" Q challenged him.=20 Picard shook his head. "No, never. I just didn't want to shove it=20 in Riker's face."=20=20 "I'd like to shove something in his face, but since I made you a=20 promise it'll only be my fist. I am allowed to defend myself if he=20 swings at me first?"=20=20 "Of course you are, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. Can you=20 get us another picnic lunch?"=20=20 "The same as yesterday?"=20 Picard thought a moment and said, "No, let's have rice and sushi=20 today. You'd better throw in some roast beef sandwiches for Riker=20 and brownies for Troi as well."=20=20 "All right, I'll even include beer and steamed shrimp for Geordi and=20 Worf. I can't stand the thought of watching Worf eat creolas=20 again!" Q shuddered at the memory. "Does the good doctor have a=20 favorite food you'd like to add?"=20 "No, Beverly's fond of shrimp too."=20=20 Q held out his right arm and a fully loaded picnic basket appeared=20 on it. "I guess the champagne by the bed will have to wait," he=20 sighed. "Why should it? Take it along," Picard urged.=20 Q smiled and added the bottle of champagne to the basket with a=20 thought. "All right, let's go!" He took Picard's hand and they=20 both vanished.=20=20 **************** When Riker and the rest of the senior officers of the ENTERPRISE=20 arrived at the isolated beach, hot, tired, thirsty and worried sick=20 about their captain, they found him and Q sitting on a red-and-white=20 checkered picnic blanket, eating sushi and drinking champagne.=20=20 "Captain!" Riker rushed up to the blanket and then stopped dead,=20 staring unbelievingly at the sight of Captain Picard and his old=20 nemesis peacefully eating together. "Captain?" he said in a puzzled=20 tone of voice.=20=20 Troi caught up to him a moment later. "Sir, are you all right?" she=20 asked.=20=20 "Never better," Picard assured her as he picked up a piece of=20 yellowtail with his chopsticks. "Sit down, all of you. Have some=20 lunch."=20=20 Crusher, La Forge and Worf had now caught up to them and also stood=20 staring in disbelief. "Jean-Luc, what is this?" asked the doctor,=20 who had changed into denim shorts and a green top.=20=20=20 "It's a picnic, Beverly," Picard explained patiently. "And you're=20 all invited."=20=20 "Yes, now will all of you please sit down?" Q told them impatiently,=20 a piece of squid dangling from his chopsticks. "You're rocking the=20 boat!"=20 The doctor sat down cross-legged by her old friend the captain.=20=20 Troi sat next to her, Riker beside her, all three of them staring at=20 Picard in a baffled way. La Forge and Worf sat on the opposite side=20 of the blanket, both eyeing Q suspiciously.=20=20 "Sir, what is this?" La Forge asked.=20=20 "It's a picnic, Geordi, like I said before. Q, could you pour them=20 all some champagne?"=20=20 Q produced five champagne flutes from the picnic basket and filled=20 them all from the same bottle he and Picard were drinking from,=20 passing one to each of them. Then he refilled Picard's glass and=20 his own. Picard thanked him and raised his glass in a=20 toast. "Congratulate us, everyone. We're celebrating."=20=20=20=20=20 "Sir, what are we celebrating?" La Forge asked.=20=20=20=20=20 "Our new alliance," Picard explained. "Q's and mine." He smiled at=20 his lover, who smiled back and clinked glasses with him.=20=20=20 "What sort of alliance?" Riker asked suspiciously. "The same as yours and Deanna's, Willie boy!" Q informed=20 him. "Since we're not as formal as you two, no ceremony is=20 necessary. Jean-Luc just wanted his friends' blessing."=20=20 "This is obscene!" Worf declared in a bass rumble. "Captain, how=20 can you form an alliance with this--this creature?" He glared at Q=20 as if he suspected him of having bewitched his captain.=20=20 Q glared back at him. "Why shouldn't he? We're both adults.=20=20 Granted, he is much younger than I am, but still old enough to think=20 for himself. We've known each other for years and we've finally=20 gotten to know one another intimately=97" "You don't mean=97" Crusher stammered, staring at Q, then at Picard,=20 in a dazed way.=20=20 "Yes, Beverly, I mean exactly that!" Q informed her.=20=20 "Give it time to sink in, Q," Picard advised him gently. "I'm sure=20 it's a great shock to them, after seeing us at odds for so long."=20=20 "That's putting it mildly," Riker muttered.=20=20 "Well, I, for one, am happy for you both," said Troi the=20 peacemaker. "I always suspected that there was some sort of=20 attraction between you. Why else would Q keep coming back?"=20=20 "Because he's a pain in the ass!" Riker declared loudly, staring at=20 the entity with undisguised hostility. "Speak for yourself, Will!" Q retorted. "You know, I think I liked=20 you better with the beard. It covered more of your face!"=20=20 "Kiss my ass!" Riker snarled, knowing he was taking his life into=20 his hands by insulting Q, too angry to care by now.=20=20 "Gladly! But you'd better mark the spot where you want to be=20 kissed, because you look like a complete ass to me!" Riker lunged at him, spilling his champagne, only to be held back by=20 Troi and Picard. "Will!" Troi pleaded with him, both her little=20 hands clutching one of his big arms.=20=20 "Control yourself, Will!" Picard warned him, keeping a firm hold on=20 Riker's other arm. He looked warily at Q, who gave him a sardonic=20 smile in return. "Don't worry, Jean-Luc. I won't do anything to him that Beverly=20 can't fix." "You see?" Picard told his furious friend. "He's willing to put=20 aside his powers for my sake, at least where my friends are=20 concerned. The least you can do is put aside your hostility!"=20=20 Riker shook off his fianc=E9e and his captain and addressed Q man to=20 man. "Q, if you ever do anything to hurt Jean-Luc Picard or=20 endanger him, I will stomp you underfoot like a Terran cockroach!"=20 he declared. "So will I!" Worf growled.=20=20 "If I ever do anything so stupid, the both of you are more than=20 welcome to kick my ass!" Q stated. He looked at Jean-Luc with=20 naked devotion, his dark eyes smoldering. "He's as safe with me as=20 you are from me. All of you! Why can't you get it through your=20 heads that I only want to be with him?" "Q, I understand," Troi told him gently. "I can sense how much you=20 care for him. It feels sincere to me. As long as that feeling=20 lasts, you have my blessing."=20=20 "And mine," Crusher added reluctantly, trusting her empathic=20 friend's feelings more than any spoken words, no matter how sincere=20 they sounded. "I don't understand, but I do want Jean-Luc to be=20 happy. If you can make him happy, you have my blessing."=20=20 "Count me in," said La Forge. "Even a blind man can see how much=20 you love him. And I sure do," he said with a grin.=20=20 "Thank you all," Picard told them, a feeling of relief enveloping=20 him. "Now if we could just get Data down here=85"=20=20 Q started to snap his fingers, only to have Picard lay a restraining=20 hand on his shoulder. "Oh, all right!" Q grumbled. "Call the ship=20 and tell him to beam down!"=20=20 Picard did so, while all of his friends looked at Q with varying=20 degrees of surprise or suspicion, marveling at his restraint. =20=20=20 A few minutes later Data materialized, still in uniform, a quizzical=20 expression on his usually impassive face. "Sir, is there something=20 wrong?" he asked Picard. "How may I be of assistance?"=20=20 "Sit down, Data, and have some champagne. That's the first thing,"=20 Picard told him.=20=20 Data complied, accepted a full flute from Q, then sat quietly and=20 listened while the situation was explained to him. He was as=20 surprised as the rest of the crew at learning of the new alliance=20 between Q and Picard, but managed to take it in stride. He had seen=20 stranger things in the galaxy than a mating between a human and a=20 Q. His own alliance with Tasha Yar, for one. The memory of that=20 brief encounter still had the power to warm his internal circuitry.=20=20 For a brief moment he envied Picard and Q, the same way he had=20 envied Riker and Troi when they had first announced their engagement=20 aboard the ENTERPRISE after their mission on the Ba'ku planet had=20 ended. He was able to put aside his envy as unworthy of a friend=20 and congratulate the happy couple, adding, "By the way, Q, will you=20 be taking up residence on the ENTERPRISE?"=20=20 "No, Data, but I will be a frequent visitor there. We decided it=20 was best for both of us to keep our careers separate from our=20 personal lives." Q looked at Picard, who nodded.=20=20=20 "A wise decision," Data announced gravely, "considering the=20 independent nature of both parties. I recommend that you use an=20 alias with anybody outside the immediate circle of individuals who=20 are cognizant of your relationship with the captain."=20=20 "Yes, Data, I do intend to use a code name outside of this small=20 circle of friends," Q translated the android's pedantic statement,=20 amused by how much he sounded like a Vulcan.=20=20 "Have you chosen a code name yet? If not, perhaps I can be of=20 assistance in helping you select one."=20=20 "Jean-Luc's already chosen one. Tell them, mon Capitan," Q said to=20 him fondly.=20=20 Picard smiled and told his friends, "From now on, whenever you have=20 to refer to Q publicly, use the name Quentin Connor. Say that "Q"=20 is a nickname."=20=20 "If I had to choose a code name for Q," La Forge remarked, "I would=20 pick Tom Bombadil."=20=20 "Why is that, Geordi?" Picard asked curiously. La Forge grinned. "Remember Volume I of "The Lord of The Rings"=20 trilogy, sir? Tom Bombadil was the only one in Middle Earth who=20 wasn't tempted by the power of the One Ring. The ring corrupted=20 everybody who touched it by arousing their hidden desire for power.=20=20 But Tom Bombadil was an immortal who already had all the power he=20 ever wanted or needed, so the ring had no power over him. He had no=20 interest in ruling all of Middle Earth, he just wanted to be left=20 alone in his own little corner of it with the one he loved."=20=20 For the first time, Q smiled at someone besides Picard. "How very=20 perceptive of you, Geordi. Like Bombadil, I also have no interest=20 in ruling the whole universe. I'm only interested in the one small=20 part of it inhabited by Jean-Luc Picard." "Well, then," Picard said, "as long as I remain the center of your=20 universe, the rest of the galaxy has nothing to fear." He left=20 unsaid his own private fear about what would happen if he died=20 suddenly, as Starfleet officers have a habit of doing in the line of=20 duty. Would Q be so devastated by his loss that he'd go on a=20 rampage, making Wolf 359 look like a garden party in comparison? He=20 put away his fear in the back of his mind, vowing to discuss the=20 matter with Q as soon as possible.=20=20 Troi held up her champagne flute. "Everyone, I'd like to propose a=20 toast to Q and the captain." She nodded graciously to each one in=20 turn. "Congratulations on your alliance. May it be as long and=20 happy as we hope ours will be." She smiled lovingly at Riker, who,=20 not wanting to spoil the moment for her, had no choice but to smile=20 graciously in turn as he picked up his empty glass and saluted her=20 with it. Q thoughtfully refilled the glass from a bottle that=20 Picard knew should have been empty by now. But, like Riker, he=20 didn't want to spoil the moment for his beloved, so he said=20 nothing.=20=20 // As long as he's subtle about it, I don't mind if he occasionally=20 uses his powers in public. I'm sure that's the least of things I'll=20 have to get used to. // Captain Picard smiled at his friends and=20 crewmates as they toasted him and his new mate. Even the dour Worf=20 managed to join in the toast, though he did drink the champagne as=20 if it was poisoned bloodwine and he was committing ritual suicide.=20=20 His attitude improved noticeably when Q got out the black beer from=20 the picnic basket, along with the other foods Picard had requested.=20=20 Everyone ate, drank and was merry, and the food and drink lasted=20 until they had all had their fill. Then they all talked about the=20 future plans of the two happy couples, treating the two men no=20 differently than the man and woman. They stayed there talking until=20 sunset, discussing every possible problem that might come up as a=20 result of the relationship between Q and Picard. And while they=20 didn't come up with solutions to all the problems, they did come to=20 a better understanding of the relationship.=20=20=20 THE END =20 =20 =20 =20 =20=20 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: