Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!in.100proofnews.com!in.100proofnews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.monger.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" , P/Q, 1 of 3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 571 Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 04:55:07 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1097729707 209.198.142.218 (Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:55:07 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:55:07 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85070 X-Received-Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 21:55:08 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) New: ST:TNG (P/Q) "A SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS" By Ida Vega-Landow, a/k/a Slasherfem Rating: NC-17=20 SUMMARY: While vacationing on Risa after "Star Trek: Insurrection",=20 "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 1 OF 3 Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat quietly in a corner of the noisy,=20 crowded restaurant in a white, laced-front shirt open at the throat,=20 yellow slacks and sandals, sipping champagne while watching his=20 senior officers and their assorted friends among the crew of the USS=20 ENTERPRISE-D noisily celebrating the engagement of Commander William=20 Riker and Councilor Deanna Troi, which had just been announced. Will Riker, flushed with happiness and champagne, his yellow shirt=20 unbuttoned to cool his chest, was still beardless after their=20 sojourn on the Ba'ku planet where everyone had become more youthful=20 under the influence of that planet's metaphasic radiation. Troi, in=20 her long, blue sundress, was as lovely as ever, made even more so by=20 the metaphasic radiation; she was enjoying the music, the cheering=20 crowd, her fianc=E9's arms around her and the diamond ring sparkling=20 on her left hand.=20 //He certainly was generous,// Picard thought, admiring the size of=20 the gem. //If it were any bigger, she could use it to signal=20 passing aircraft.// He smiled as he watched the happy couple kissing=20 and dancing in place while they accepted their friends'=20 congratulations.=20=20 Outside the windows of the restaurant where this joyous gathering=20 was taking place, a heavy rain was falling on the pleasure planet=20 Risa. But it wouldn't last too long; rain seldom did on Risa,=20 thanks to the planetary weather grid. It usually occurred at night=20 as well, just before dawn, so that the guests at the resort could=20 enjoy their fun in the sun. The only reason this rain was falling=20 at sunset was so that all the night blooming flowers lining the=20 paths to and from the hotel and the guest cottages would be at their=20 peak. Considering all the inebriated guests who would be trying to=20 find their way back to their rooms and cottages tonight, Picard=20 thought it was a shrewd move. He could find his way back to the=20 cottage he had rented on the beach by the smell of the flowers=20 alone, or simply by following the glow of the luminescent alien=20 blooms growing alongside the more familiar Terran flowers like=20 honeysuckle and jasmine. Risa's moon was also full and bright=20 tonight, which would further aid the intoxicated in finding their=20 way home. All in all, it was a perfect night for romance.=20=20=20 //So why am I sitting here alone watching everyone else having=20 fun?// Picard stared into the depths of his champagne glass and=20 sighed. //I didn't use to be such a wallflower. I used to be able=20 to bounce back from failed romances a lot better too. Ah, `but I=20 was so much older then, I'm younger then that now'. What a pity the=20 effects of that metaphasic radiation wear off so quickly when you=20 leave the planet=85// He sipped his drink and thought of Anij, the=20 beautiful Ba'ku woman he'd become so attached to during his last=20 mission. If he could only settle down in one place, they might have=20 had a future together, despite their age difference. //Hell, in a=20 few years I'd be as youthful-looking as she is! But would I still=20 be content to remain on one world, when there are so many others=20 waiting to be explored?//=20=20 While the waiters were still serving champagne, Picard rose and went=20 to the terrace. He stood in the doorway and watched the rain=20 falling, forcing the tall feathertop trees and Terran palms to bend=20 beneath their onslaught. Gradually the rain began to ease up,=20 falling lighter and lighter until it was only a gentle sprinkling.=20=20 Then it stopped, allowing the trees to stand up straight in the=20 moonlight and sway gracefully in the evening breeze. Glancing back=20 over his shoulder, he saw the happy couple surrounded by well- wishers, shaking their hands, hugging and kissing them.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 //`I don't want to spoil the party, so I'll go'.// Picard stepped=20 out onto the terrace, inhaling the freshly-cleansed night air and=20 exhaling with a melancholy sigh. //You know you're depressed when=20 you start resorting to lyrics from old Rock n' Roll songs to=20 describe your thoughts.// He leaned on the polished wood railing,=20 still dry thanks to the awning overhead, looking out at the verdant=20 grounds of the Risa Hilton Hotel. The strategically placed lights=20 on the garden path below showed a beautiful garden lined with flower- covered bushes in a decorative maze. All one had to do was follow=20 the scented flowers, along with the discreetly placed signs in three=20 major languages aside from Federation Standard English, to find=20 one's way from this restaurant to the adjoining hotel. If you had a=20 companion with you, you might be tempted to walk slowly.=20=20 But there would be no one on his arm tonight when he left. The only=20 one he would have wanted to escort to his beach cottage was Anij,=20 and she was back on Ba'ku. She had made it clear enough that she=20 was not interested in ever leaving her planet, not even for him.=20=20 Why should she? It had everything she needed, including eternal=20 youth. All he could offer was the stars and his own restless heart,=20 which still longed to explore them as much as it did when he was=20 still young and looking for something more fulfilling than growing=20 grapes and making them into wine.=20=20 He gave another sigh as he looked further out, over the roof of the=20 hotel to the view of the ocean beyond. He could smell the salt air=20 on the evening breeze and hear the rush of waves in the distance.=20=20=20 Out there it was peaceful and quiet, with no reminders of his past=20 and all the failed romances along the way. Perhaps he should excuse=20 himself and leave early, before he became drunk and more depressed=20 than ever. The last thing Will and Deanna needed at their=20 engagement party was a morose captain, wondering why he was still=20 alone after all his years in Starfleet when they had managed to find=20 each other. Was he destined to be alone for the rest of his life?=20=20 Was there no one out there for him, who could accept him and his=20 need to wander among the stars? Did anybody long for the security=20 of a relationship, while still maintaining their freedom, as much as=20 he did?=20=20=20=20 "Lovely evening, isn't it?"=20=20 Picard looked to the right and did a double take when he saw Q=20 leaning on his folded arms on the terrace rail beside him. The=20 entity was dressed as casually as he was, in an open-necked red=20 shirt and tan slacks. Picard looked at his champagne glass and then=20 at Q, hoping this was only a hallucination caused by drink.=20=20 "No, you did not have too much to drink," Q told him, continuing to=20 look out at the view from the terrace. "I'm really here. And no, I=20 am not here to mess up your life for my own amusement, or to put you=20 through some test by order of the Continuum." Picard was unsurprised, but still annoyed at Q's ability to read his=20 thoughts. "Well, if you're not here for either of those reasons,=20 what are you here for?" "Would you believe I came only to congratulate Riker and Troi for=20 finally getting engaged?" Q said hopefully.=20=20 "No, I would not!" Picard informed him. "You always have an agenda=20 of your own, even at your most benevolent."=20=20 Q sighed. "I knew I couldn't fool you, Jean-Luc. Out of all the=20 mortals I've ever met in this universe, you're the only one who ever=20 came closest to understanding me. You're also the only one that I=20 respect, because you were never afraid of me."=20=20 "You respect me? Well, you certainly have a strange way of showing=20 it." Picard took a hearty drink of champagne to fortify himself.=20=20 Now that Q was here, it looked as if the nice, quiet vacation he had=20 been looking forward to while on Risa was going to come to an abrupt=20 end.=20=20 "I did not come here to spoil your vacation, either." Q sounded=20 annoyed as he shifted his gaze from the view to his clasped hands,=20 as he raised his arms so he could lean upon his elbows. "In fact,=20 if you want the truth, I'm here on vacation myself. I want to=20 relax, forget I'm a Q, just go native and see what it's like to be=20 human. Completely human."=20=20 "Indeed? Well, you've certainly chosen a nice place for it. Risa=20 has something for everybody. If it's physical pleasures you wish to=20 sample, you'll find plenty of restaurants, bars, beaches, nightclubs=20 and their attendant activities. If all you want is sensual=20 pleasure, just carry a horga'hn around with you. I guarantee the=20 ladies won't leave you alone."=20=20 "It's not the ladies I'm interested in."=20=20 "Oh?" Picard raised one eyebrow. "I see." He shrugged. "Well,=20 don't worry, there are plenty of young men among the Risan=20 attendants who will be glad to attend to your needs. Just tell them=20 what you want and they'll be happy to provide it."=20=20 "There's only one thing I want." Q seemed to be having trouble=20 meeting Picard's eyes. He actually looked embarrassed.=20=20=20 "Oh, so you do have an agenda. All right, then, what is it?"=20=20=20 Picard lifted his champagne glass to his lips again. Q sighed. "Yes, you're right, I do have an agenda. It's you."=20=20 Picard froze with his glass poised before his lips. "I beg your=20 pardon?"=20=20 "I came for you," Q told him, finally turning his head to look at=20 him. He still looked embarrassed, but determined. "I wanted to=20 see if it was possible for us to be friends after all we've been=20 through." "After all we've been through?!?" Picard sputtered. "Don't you=20 mean after all you've put me through?" "I'm sorry for all that," Q told him awkwardly. "I was only=20 following orders-=97most of the time, anyway." "Yes, let's not forget the mischief you got up to on your own,=20 without the Continuum's blessing! Meddling in my personal life,=20 taking me to death's door and back, forcing me to relive my past and=20 become an entirely different person! To say nothing of making me a=20 Borg=97"=20=20 "I didn't make you a Borg, I only introduced you to them! The Borg=20 Queen was the one who decided you'd make a perfect Borg."=20=20 "Yes, and who do I have to thank for bringing me to her attention?=20=20 Not to mention making me solely responsible for the survival of the=20 human race! Twice!" Picard added bitterly.=20 "That wasn't my idea! It was the Continuum's! I didn't want to put=20 you through those tests at Farpoint, but they insisted! I was=20 desperate to get back into their good graces at the time." Q=20 sounded pretty desperate now as he tried to explain himself to=20 Picard. "And even after I did what they asked, they still exiled=20 me! If I hadn't found refuge on your ship, I never would have=20 survived!"=20=20 "For which you should thank Data, not I! Why am I the one you want=20 to befriend? His intellect is superior to mine, as well as his=20 strength, his reflexes, and everything else. He's closer to your=20 idea of perfection than I could ever hope to be."=20=20 "Yes, but Data is an artificial life form. He's not real. He's not=20 you," Q told him earnestly.=20=20 "And what have I done to deserve your gratitude and respect?" Picard=20 said sarcastically. "Like I said before=97" Q shifted position, moving a little bit=20 closer to the captain. "Out of all the other mortals I've ever met=20 here, I respect you the most, because you're not afraid of me.=20=20=20 You've never hesitated to tell me what you really think, even though=20 you knew I could wipe you out of existence as casually as you'd swat=20 a fly. You never backed down, never humored me or flattered me. I=20 could always depend on you to do the right thing, even when I=20 offered you an easy way out. You're a man of honor and integrity,=20 which is rare enough in your galaxy, let alone in Starfleet. Your=20 last mission proved that."=20=20 "So you know about the Ba'ku planet, do you? Then it shouldn't=20 surprise you that I chose to uphold the Prime Directive, rather than=20 follow orders."=20=20 "No, I wasn't surprised that you chose to defy Admiral Dougherty=20 because you preferred to put the needs of the many Ba'ku over the=20 needs of the few admirals he headed, eager to exploit their=20 planet." Q added softly, with genuine sympathy in his eyes, "I know=20 about Anij, too. She made you happy for a while. You could have=20 gone on being happy with her, if you had chosen to sacrifice your=20 career in Starfleet."=20=20 "Don't remind me," Picard said harshly. He finished his champagne=20 and stared out into the Risan night, seeing not the beautiful garden=20 or the distant seashore, but the face of a beautiful woman, well=20 over 300 years old, with whom he could have had a life. They had=20 parted friends, with a promise of frequent visits from him, but they=20 had both known he could never offer her anything other than brief=20 visits. Her life was with her people, on her world, and his life=20 was with his people, on his ship. He had chosen his lonely life of=20 command and exploration because he just couldn't see himself=20 settling down on one planet for the remainder of his existence, no=20 matter how long and blissful it might be. =20=20 "I know exactly how you feel," Q assured him. "Why should you give=20 up the life you love for the person you love? How can you share=20 your life with someone who has no concept of any life beyond the one=20 she's always known? You deserve better, Jean-Luc. You deserve=20 someone who shares your need to explore the galaxy, see new worlds,=20 meet new people, learn new knowledge." He put his hand on Picard's=20 shoulder, leaning close so he could whisper to him. "I can give you=20 what you need. You can give me what I want. We're perfect for each=20 other, Jean-Luc."=20=20 Picard stared at him in the moonlight, finally realizing that Q=20 wasn't interested in just a platonic friendship. His eyes were dark=20 and dilated, looking at him with the kind of desire he was more=20 accustomed to seeing in women's eyes. Not that men's desire was=20 anything new to him; as a schoolboy, he'd been the object of many a=20 classmate's affection at the British boarding school he'd gone to.=20=20 As he grew older, he still managed to attract male attention, even=20 after he began losing his hair. He'd toyed with it, even indulged=20 in some mutual love play, but it had never developed into anything=20 serious. So what Q was suggesting didn't shock him. It was the=20 idea of doing it with Q that shocked him.=20=20 "Q, I=97" he swallowed hard. "I had no idea you were interested in a=20 physical relationship. I don't mind trying to be friends with you,=20 even after all you've done, but I honestly don't think--"=20=20 He found himself cut off as Q slid an arm around his shoulders,=20 pulled him closer and kissed him. Picard froze, unsure of exactly=20 how he should respond. Fear and curiosity fought with one another;=20 curiosity won and he stayed still just to see what kind of kisser Q=20 was. He didn't feel threatened, much to his surprise. Even though=20 it had been unexpected, the kiss wasn't rough or forced. Q was=20 holding him firmly but not hard. He could break off the kiss and=20 move away if he wanted to. The question was, did he want to?=20 "Captain? Captain, are you okay out there?" Riker's voice sounded=20 so close at hand it startled Picard, causing him to drop his=20 champagne glass. It fell with a crystalline tinkle on the floor of=20 the terrace as Picard pulled away from Q at the same time.=20=20 Q looked annoyed at the interruption, but he just said in a husky=20 voice, "We'll talk more later." He snapped his fingers and=20 disappeared.=20=20 Riker appeared on the terrace moments later and found his captain=20 starring at a broken champagne glass on the floor. "Sir, is=20 everything all right?" he asked, a concerned look on his beardless=20 face. "I thought I heard you arguing with someone out here a few=20 minutes ago. When I told Deanna, she said she could feel how upset=20 you were and urged me to go find out why."=20=20 Picard shook his head and looked perplexed. "Yes, you were both=20 right. I was arguing with someone who got me very upset."=20=20 "Who was it?"=20=20 "Q."=20=20 "Q is here?" Riker rushed to his side. "What happened? Did he=20 threaten you? Did he hurt you?" "No, neither. But he did surprise me."=20=20 "Of all the times for him to show up!" Riker was furious with the=20 capricious entity for disrupting their vacation and ruining their=20 captain's peace of mind. "What does he want now?" "Me," said Picard, still a little dazed from the kiss Q had given=20 him.=20=20 "What?" Riker stared at him, blue eyes wide with shock.=20=20 "Yes, me. Apparently, he wants us to be friends despite our past=20 history. More than friends, actually."=20=20=20 "The nerve of him! I hope you told him where to go!"=20=20 "He left before I could tell him anything. But I'm sure he'll be=20 back."=20=20 "Of course he will. Q always comes back, like a bad cold! You'd=20 better come inside, sir. You'll be safer in a crowd." Riker took=20 him by the arm and steered him toward the terrace door.=20=20 Picard accompanied him back inside without protest. But inwardly he=20 was wondering why he hadn't felt threatened by Q's kiss.=20=20 **************** Later that evening, after the party had ended and everyone was=20 drifting back to their hotel rooms, Riker and Troi both insisted=20 upon accompanying the captain back to his beach front cottage.=20=20=20 Picard kept insisting that it wasn't necessary, but both were=20 determined to protect their captain from whatever mischief Q had in=20 mind.=20=20 "Really, you two, this is not necessary!" Picard protested in vain=20 as the lovebirds steered him along between them. "I'm sure you'd=20 both rather be alone together." "If Q is here, then none of us is safe," Troi told him, "whether=20 we're alone or together. But at least we'll present a united front=20 if he comes back."=20=20 "That's right, safety in numbers," Riker agreed. "Whatever he has=20 in mind for you, we'll do our best to make sure he doesn't=20 succeed."=20=20 When they got to the cottage, Picard used his key card to open the=20 door and Riker insisted upon going in alone and searching the place=20 thoroughly before letting him or Troi enter. When they were all=20 inside, Troi insisted that they all sit down on the sofa and discuss=20 the episode with Q further.=20=20 "Did he actually tell you that he wanted you, Captain?" Troi=20 questioned him gently, as she always did when counseling someone who=20 had been a victim of sexual abuse. "Or was it his body language=20 that gave you that impression?"=20=20 "Both, actually. First he told me that we were perfect for each=20 other, then he kissed me."=20=20 "Just like that?"=20=20 "No, first we had a discussion about our past=85" Picard gave them a=20 rundown on what he and Q were talking about just before the kiss and=20 what happened after. She listened to Picard's impression of Q, as well as Riker's loudly=20 voiced opinion of Q's audacity in propositioning their captain.=20=20 When both men had had their say, she questioned the captain=20 further. "You say you never felt threatened while he was holding or=20 kissing you?" Picard shook his head. "And he never tried to touch=20 you against your will, or force you into a position where he could=20 take advantage of you?"=20=20 "No, he didn't back me up against a wall or bend me over a chair,"=20 Picard said impatiently. "All he did was pull me close and kiss=20 me."=20=20 "I'm sure it must have been a shock to you," Troi said=20 sympathetically. "But did you feel at all threatened? Did he hold=20 you tight enough to hurt you? Did he leave any bruises? Did you=20 struggle or call for help?"=20=20 "It happened too quickly for me to do either, Counselor," Picard=20 told her. "Riker arrived in the nick of time, it seems."=20=20 "Well, it doesn't sound as if Q intended to force himself on you,=20 sir," Troi told him reassuringly. "I think he's just curious about=20 human sexuality and wants to explore it with someone he's familiar=20 with. He told you he respected you; it sounds as if he genuinely=20 likes you, as well. That could make him think he would be safer=20 exploring erotic behavior with you. Such an intimate act is better=20 undertaken with someone you know and trust." "Deanna, a lot of guys find it easy to have sex with someone they=20 don't know," Riker reminded her from across the captain.=20=20=20=20 "Yes, I know that, Will. But I don't see Q willing to step down=20 from his pedestal to be intimate with just anybody. In his own=20 mind, he's a deity, entitled to the best in our mortal world. I=20 suppose we should be flattered that he considers our captain to be=20 the best among mere mortals."=20=20 "Well, I don't consider it flattering! I'm sure the captain doesn't=20 either. And if Q tries to touch him again, I'll knock him into the=20 middle of next week!"=20=20 "Let's not be hasty, Number One," Picard told him. "When he shows=20 up again=97-and I'm sure he will-=97I'll just tell him no, thank you.=20=20 If he really holds me in such high regard, I'm sure he'll understand=20 that no means no." From the expression on Riker's face, he had his doubts. But if his=20 captain wanted to take a chance on Q's benevolence, who was he to=20 question him? "Just promise me you'll keep your comm badge close at=20 hand and call me immediately if he shows up again," Riker urged=20 him.=20=20 "I promise you'll be the first one I call, Will. Now why don't you=20 take this lovely lady for a walk in the moonlight, so that I can go=20 to bed?"=20=20=20 Troi smiled at the captain's gallantry. "Thank you, sir. Come on,=20 Will, let's let the captain get some rest." She got up from beside=20 Picard, walked over to Riker's side and stood there expectantly.=20=20=20 Riker was visibly torn between concern for his captain's safety and=20 the desire to be alone with his beautiful fianc=E9e. But Deanna's=20 beauty eventually won out; he got up, took her arm and walked to the=20 door with her, pausing to look back at the captain. "Remember to=20 keep your comm badge on, sir," he told him. "I'll get it out right now, Will. Now good night, both of you,"=20 Picard told them firmly. As soon as they were gone, Picard got up and went into the bedroom.=20=20 He got his comm badge out of the drawer where he'd put it, along=20 with a few other personal items, and took it into the bathroom with=20 him. A long while later he emerged, wearing only a white towel, the=20 comm badge whimsically pinned to the left side. He puttered about=20 the bedroom, getting out his pajamas and laying out clothes for=20 tomorrow, completely unaware that Q was watching him from the open=20 window, hovering silently and invisibly, just another shadow of the=20 night.=20=20 //I promised myself I wouldn't force you to do anything, Jean-Luc,//=20 Q thought longingly. //But I never said I wouldn't watch you.//=20=20=20 He looked longingly at Picard as he lowered the lights, stretched=20 and yawned, raising his arms over his head as he thrust his hips=20 forward, straining the towel wrapped around them until it looked as=20 if it would just burst open and fall off, leaving him gloriously=20 naked. But the towel remained in place as he resumed puttering=20 about, turning down the bed and fluffing the pillows, setting the=20 electronic alarm in the clock-radio that was built into the=20 headboard, then turning his back to the window and removing the=20 towel.=20=20 Q got a good look at his well-developed gluteus maximus before he=20 pulled on his short, blue pajama bottoms. Then he turned around and=20 reached for the top, giving Q a good look at his chest, lightly=20 thatched with graying hair, before he put on the blue top and=20 buttoned it. He started to get into bed, realized that the window=20 was open and went over to close it. Q started to move aside, then=20 remembered he was invisible and remained where he was. Picard=20 seemed to be looking right at him as he stared out the window into=20 the night, his hazel eyes wide as they searched the darkness for=20 something.=20 //Is he looking for me? Or just looking to see if Riker and Troi=20 are still in sight?// Q wished with all his heart that Jean-Luc was=20 looking for him, longing for him as much as he longed for Jean-Luc.=20=20 But that would have to wait until after he'd won his trust, gained=20 his confidence. He couldn't expect him to just fall into his arms=20 after a few whispered words of love, even though he did have the=20 power to make him do so. No, he wanted a real relationship, not a=20 quick roll in the hay. He respected Jean-Luc enough to let him=20 decide if he wanted to be intimate with a Q. In order to achieve=20 that level of trust, Q had to prove to him that he considered him an=20 equal. That meant no Q powers, no mental or physical coercion, no=20 lavish displays intended to impress him. He was determined to win=20 Jean-Luc on a strictly man-to-man basis, just one human man to=20 another.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 After staring out the window for a few moments, Picard gave a sigh=20 and closed it, pushing down the transparent aluminum panel set in=20 the imitation wood frame until it clicked shut, locking itself=20 automatically. Then he closed the curtains and went back to bed.=20=20 As he was settling down beneath the covers, Q popped into the room,=20 still invisible. He watched him lovingly as he lay back on the=20 pillows, closed his eyes and relaxed.=20=20 Q waited until he was certain Jean-Luc was asleep before going to=20 his bedside and laying a hand gently on his brow. "Sleep, Jean- Luc," he whispered. "Don't wake up till you hear the alarm go off.=20=20 Pay no attention to anything else you hear or feel. They're just=20 dreams. Just dreams=85" He knew it was risky, invading Jean-Luc's=20 dreams like this. There was always the chance that he'd become so=20 frightened, or so aroused, he would wake up. //Well, at least I'll=20 still be invisible. And I just can't resist the urge to touch him=20 anymore.// Q stroked the noble brow before him, then bent down to=20 kiss it.=20=20 Picard stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Q stroked his=20 face, lingering on his cheekbones and patrician nose, poked a finger=20 playfully into his dimpled chin, then kissed it. He also kissed his=20 lips, lingering on them, savoring their softness and the minty taste=20 of his toothpaste and mouthwash. Picard felt the kiss, but he=20 thought it was a dream; his subconscious mind played back the scene=20 on the terrace earlier that evening when Q had kissed him. Q saw=20 the picture in his mind and played along, keeping the kiss light and=20 sweet, non-threatening. No tongues.=20=20 The human's mind lingered on that memory for as long as the kiss=20 lasted. He even started to return the kiss, then remembered who and=20 what was kissing him and turned his head away. Q let him go, spent=20 some time stroking his face again, then put his hands on Picard's=20 chest and stroked him gently through his pajama top. He kept=20 brushing his fingers over the human's nipples until he felt them=20 harden, then he rubbed them and pinched them gently until they=20 became visible through the thin fabric of the pajama top. He longed=20 to kiss them and suckle them, but decided against it. He settled=20 for kissing them through the pajama top, then reluctantly withdrew,=20 stepping away from the sleeping human's bedside.=20=20 "Sweet dreams, Jean-Luc," he said softly and vanished.=20=20=20 Picard slept on, mildly aroused to the point where he dreamed of Q=20 not only kissing him, but fondling him on the terrace in the=20 moonlight. His sleeping hand sought his penis and stroked it=20 through his pajama shorts, dreaming that it was Q's hand. He kept=20 dreaming of being kissed and stroked by Q as he stroked himself to=20 the point of orgasm. When he came, he gave a soft cry of delight as=20 he dreamed of being held closer and tighter in Q's strong arms.=20=20 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: Path: newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-pas-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!news-out.visi.com!petbe.visi.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.monger.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", 2 of 3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 1048 Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 12:55:06 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1097844906 209.198.142.218 (Fri, 15 Oct 2004 08:55:06 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 08:55:06 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85094 X-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 05:55:09 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 2 OF 3 After his morning shower, Picard decided to go running along the=20 beach before breakfast. He felt unusually restless this morning;=20 perhaps the erotic dream he had last night had something to do with=20 it.=20=20 // Never in a million years could I have imagined myself having an=20 erotic dream about Q! // Picard thought as he ran along the shore of=20 the Risan beach, keeping to the damp part of the golden sand that=20 had been left after high tide last night, which provided much better=20 footing for jogging. // I didn't think it was possible for me to be=20 attracted to someone who's been such a great source of irritation.=20=20 Then again, I once felt the same way about Vash=85 // He let his=20 thoughts run as freely as his strong legs, pumping tirelessly up and=20 down, his sockless feet clad in low-top, pull-on running shoes, blue=20 with a yellow racing stripe, just like his shorts. His comm badge=20 gleamed from the left side of his short-sleeved tee shirt, which was=20 grey, with a picture of the Picard family winery on the front,=20 replicated from the label on their wine bottles, last year's=20 Christmas present from his sister-in-law, along with a case of=20 Chateau Picard.=20=20 As Picard ran along the seashore, waves of sky-blue water on his=20 right came rushing in and out over the golden sand, while an equally=20 golden sun shone overhead in a cloudless sky, and big, orange- colored birds with spoon-shaped bills flew low over the waves to=20 scoop up the tiny colored fish that always rose to the surface early=20 in the morning. He saw another jogger in the distance, running=20 toward him. At first the jogger was only a blue and white speck in=20 the distance; then it became a black-skinned human male in a blue=20 and white jogging suit. When he got a little closer, Picard=20 recognized his chief engineer, Geordi La Forge, who waved a greeting=20 to him. "Hey, Captain!" La Forge called to him over the sound of splashing=20 waves and spoonbills' cries.=20=20=20 "Good morning, Geordi!" Picard called back cheerfully, already=20 slowing his pace so that he could stop when La Forge did. He'd=20 noticed the younger man slowing his pace the moment he spotted him,=20 so he assumed that he wanted to talk. The two joggers came to a halt on the same spot, both running in=20 place a few moments to finish cooling down. La Forge got his wind=20 back first and said, "I ran into Riker and Troi on their way to the=20 pool this morning. He told me that you had seen Q last night, at=20 the engagement party."=20 "Yes, I did. Have you seen him too?"=20=20 "Nope." La Forge shook his head, his blue-tinted ocular implants=20 looking incongruous in his dark-skinned face; unfortunately, his=20 eyes had reverted to their natural blindness shortly after their=20 departure from the Ba'ku planet. "Why would Q decide to interrupt=20 our shore leave, sir?"=20=20 "Riker didn't tell you?"=20=20 "No, he just told me to keep an eye out for him and warn the=20 others. Did Q tell you why he was here?"=20=20 "Yes, he did." Picard heaved a sigh composed of equal parts of=20 amusement and exasperation. "It seems that Q is on vacation too and=20 wants to know what life is like as a human. To be more specific, he=20 wants to experience human sexuality, and thinks that I would be the=20 perfect subject to experiment on." "What?" La Forge's artificial eyes nearly popped out of his=20 head. "Are you saying that Q wants to sleep with you, sir?"=20=20 "Yes, Geordi, that is exactly what I am saying. Try not to look so=20 shocked, will you?" Picard smiled at his bug-eyed, open-mouthed=20 expression. "I know that I'm no spring chicken, but I do still=20 possess a certain charm, which until last night I thought was=20 limited to the ladies. Besides, compared to Q, I'm practically a=20 babe in arms."=20=20=20=20=20 "Oh, yeah, he does have quite a few years on you, doesn't he?" La=20 Forge grinned, good humor restored. "A whole millennium, if I'm not=20 mistaken." "Several millennium, in fact. But despite my relative lack of=20 maturity, I wasn't born yesterday. I have no intention of=20 satisfying Q's prurient curiosity. And if he approaches you with=20 similar intentions, do have the sense to run the other way."=20=20 La Forge laughed. "He won't see me for the dust, Captain! But I=20 don't think Q will be bothering me or any of the others. He always=20 seemed to be more fascinated with you."=20=20 "Therein lies the problem. Be a good fellow and try to keep this to=20 yourself, Geordi. With the exception of our fellow crewmembers, I=20 don't want anyone else to know that I've become the object of Q's=20 erratic affections."=20=20 "You can count on me, sir. If you need help, I'm just a hailing=20 signal away." La Forge pointed to the comm badge pinned to his=20 jacket. "And of course, Data is still on the bridge of the=20 ENTERPRISE. We can use him as a backup plan, in case Q manages to=20 get by the rest of us."=20=20 "Thank you, Geordi. It's good to know I can rely on my crew, even=20 on vacation. Of course, I know that a beautiful resort such as this=20 is full of temptations, which can be very distracting." Picard=20 looked around him at the golden beach, now bathed in morning=20 sunlight, its' sky-blue waves rushing swiftly toward the shore only=20 to run short of his and Geordi's sneakered feet.=20=20=20 "Trust me, sir, nothing is going to distract any of us long enough=20 to put you in any danger. Even if a hurricane springs up, the first=20 thing we'll be thinking of is you and=97-Whoa! Get a load of that=20 bikini babe who just came out of the water behind you!" Picard=20 responded to La Forge's statement and wide-eyed gaze by looking over=20 his shoulder, but he saw only his footprints in the damp sand he had=20 just run down.=20 "Made you look!" La Forge said as he laughed. "Really, Geordi!" Picard said with feigned indignation. "Aren't=20 you a mite too old for such childish pranks?" Then he had to laugh=20 too. "Run along, you young rascal, and find yourself some real=20 babes! I know you're still full of vim and vigor from the Ba'ku=20 planet."=20=20 "Thanks, Captain. Take care." La Forge took off in one direction,=20 Picard in another, to finish their morning runs.=20=20 **************** It was midday by the time Picard stopped jogging. When he checked=20 the odo/chronometer on his left wrist, he was surprised to find how=20 far he'd run. His growling stomach reminded him that he hadn't had=20 breakfast yet and it was almost time for lunch. To make matters=20 worse, he was on an unfamiliar part of the beach, with no one else=20 in sight. Not so much as a single sunbather could be seen on the=20 miles and miles of golden beach he had yet to run down. Nor were=20 there any restaurants, cafes, or anyplace else where he could get a=20 bite to eat. Even the local bojio huts, made from wood and thatched=20 with fronds by the native Risans, were nowhere to be seen.=20=20=20 "I should have carried a horga'hn," Picard muttered, remembering how=20 he had been inundated with unwanted attention by lovely Risan=20 attendants on his last visit here. Now, when he needed someone to=20 direct him to the nearest place of public accommodation where he=20 could rest and eat, there was no one in sight. He stood on the=20 beach with his head held high and his hands on his hips, looking in=20 every direction for someplace he could have brunch.=20=20 A cool summer breeze blew against his bare head and neck, drying off=20 the sweat beaded there during his run. The same breeze carried a=20 familiar voice, calling his name. "Jean-Luc! Jean-Luc!"=20=20 He looked inland, to his left, and saw Q waving to him from a grassy=20 knoll overlooking the beach. "Not again!" Picard groaned.=20=20 "Are you hungry yet?" Q called to him. "I have some food here.=20=20 I'll be happy to share it with you."=20=20 "I'll bet you would!" Picard grumbled. His stomach growled again,=20 throwing in a sharp hunger pang for good measure. His hand hovered=20 over the comm badge on his chest, then fell as he decided to bow to=20 his physical needs. Picard headed toward the grassy knoll to see=20 what sort of elaborate meal Q had come up with to impress him.=20=20 Knowing Q, it was sure to be something lavish, extravagant and=20 completely inappropriate to their sylvan surroundings, like roasted=20 quails and pomegranate juice. But when he got to the knoll, all he saw was Q, wearing the same=20 clothes as yesterday, standing next to a red-and-white checkered=20 picnic blanket with an old-fashioned picnic basket in the=20 middle. "Come sit down," Q told him, waving him toward the=20 blanket. "You've come a long way since you left your cottage this=20 morning. Were you going for a personal best?"=20=20 "No, I just lost track of time." Picard sank down gratefully on the=20 blanket, tucking his legs under him tailor-fashion.=20=20=20 "Well, it is now 10:14 a.m., local time," Q announced as he sat down=20 on the opposite side of the picnic basket. "It's too late for=20 breakfast and too early for lunch, so I believe that brunch is in=20 order. I asked the hotel kitchen to prepare a picnic basket for me=20 and a friend so I could invite you to lunch." He paused with one=20 hand on the lid, looking at Picard expectantly. "Frankly, I wasn't=20 expecting to run into you this early. After allowing myself to lie=20 in bed until eight o' clock this morning, I wasn't sure I'd be able=20 to find you among that throng on the beach. Miles and miles of pink=20 flesh, not all of it human, not all of it pink either. But then I=20 realized you'd probably prefer an isolated part of the resort to do=20 your jogging in. So I asked the front desk and they directed me to=20 three likely sites. This is the third one I've been to. On my own=20 two feet, might I add?"=20 "You walked to this place instead of just snapping your fingers and=20 popping here?" Picard regarded him skeptically.=20=20=20 "Yes, I did." Q neglected to mention that he had first followed him=20 invisibly, trailing him to the first two sites only to see him past=20 them both by. By the third one, Jean-Luc had begun to slow down, so=20 Q guessed that he would most likely be stopping here. So he had=20 simply popped up a mile ahead of him and walked the rest of the way=20 to the grassy portion of the shore overlooking the beach, until he=20 had found the perfect place to spread the blanket and sit down and=20 wait for Jean-Luc to show up. "I told you I wanted to experience=20 life as a human. You're human and I want to be with you, so I=20 figured it would be easier to win you over if I behaved like a=20 human." "Does that mean you won't be using your Q powers?"=20=20 "As little as possible. Mind you, I can't promise to `go native'=20 all the time. But for you, I'm willing to act human as long as I'm=20 with you in public. Will that satisfy you, Jean-Luc?" Q regarded=20 him anxiously, eager for his approval.=20=20 Despite his natural skepticism, Picard was touched by Q's efforts to=20 court him like a regular human male. After last night's dream, he=20 was certain he'd have no difficulty responding to him sexually,=20 despite his relative inexperience with men. Now if he could just=20 try not to think about him as an omnipotent entity with godlike=20 powers, masquerading as a human=85 "I'm willing to give it a try. Would you happen to have any Earl=20 Gray tea in that basket?"=20=20 "As a matter of fact, I do." Q lifted up the latched lid on the=20 side closest to him, reached in and pulled out a thermos, which he=20 offered to Picard. "I specifically asked the hotel kitchen for hot=20 Earl Gray tea."=20=20 Picard thanked him and poured himself a cup while Q got out napkins,=20 two sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper and a biodegradable cardboard=20 container of freshly baked teacakes. He divided this bounty equally=20 between them, settled back with his own sandwich and took careful=20 bites, eating slowly to accustom himself to the taste and texture of=20 solid food. Seeing Picard use his tea to help wash his food down=20 between bites, he copied him, alternating sips of tea with bites of=20 his chicken salad sandwich. Picard had the deviled ham, which he=20 enjoyed so much he asked for another. Q reached into the picnic=20 basket and grabbed a sandwich. It was chicken salad and he knew it,=20 but by the time it was in Picard's hands it had become deviled ham.=20=20 So it went for the rest of the meal. Whenever Picard asked for=20 something he liked, Q made sure he got it, even if it hadn't been=20 packed originally. The teacakes were lemon and orange-spice; Picard=20 sampled them both and asked if there were any more lemon cakes. So=20 Q made them all lemon cakes and assured him there was plenty. There=20 was also plenty of Earl Gray tea to wash them down, even after the=20 thermos ran dry. Q simply put it back into the hamper and pretended=20 to pull out another one. It was the same thermos, but Q made sure=20 that it never ran dry. As for the fruit, Picard happily ate red and=20 green grapes as well as crisp golden-red Kafferian apples, never=20 knowing that several of the apples had originally been oranges and=20 Vulcan custard fruit.=20=20=20 When they were through eating, they lay on the blanket together,=20 side by side, dozing in the sun. Q decided that he liked the=20 feeling of being full of food; not as much as he liked lying next to=20 Jean-Luc, of course. The object of his affections was feeling full=20 and relaxed, his feelings of trust for Q at an all time high, his=20 defenses low. // Now might be a good time to steal a kiss, // Q=20 thought. He rolled onto his left side and leaned on his elbow=20 casually as he waited for the right moment. When Picard began=20 breathing evenly in sleep rhythm, Q slowly lowered his head and=20 planted a kiss on his lips.=20=20 Picard felt the kiss in his sleep and thought he was dreaming=20 again. But when he opened his eyes and saw it was real, he closed=20 them again and let himself enjoy it. The kiss was as gentle and=20 loving as the one Q had given him last night on the terrace, as well=20 as in his dream. The dream kiss had led to an erotic fantasy which=20 he found surprisingly enjoyable. Would the reality be just as=20 pleasant? There was no way of knowing unless Q took the=20 initiative. Or unless he did. Daring thought. But did he have the=20 nerve to act on it? He tested himself by responding to the kiss=20 tentatively, letting Q know that he liked it. Q responded to this=20 by rolling over on him and covering him, increasing the pressure on=20 his lips while holding him in his arms.=20=20 Feeling like he was back in school again, experimenting with one of=20 the older boys after lights out, Picard put his arms around him and=20 hugged him. Q began touching him, stroking his chest through the=20 thin tee shirt. He kept rubbing Picard's nipples until they peaked=20 through the material, then he set his lips to each one in turn and=20 kissed them gently. This not only gave Picard a strong feeling of=20 deja vue, but aroused him to the point where he let out a groan. Q=20 found this encouraging and began to fondle him more intimately,=20 letting one hand roam to Picard's crotch and stroking the outline of=20 his rapidly hardening cock through his shorts.=20=20 Picard decided that he had had enough. "Stop!" he said urgently,=20 pushing hard at Q's shoulders. "Stop it, please!"=20=20 Q felt a momentary flare of anger, then decided not to press his=20 luck. He rolled off of him and lay on his back, panting, surprised=20 by how aroused he'd become at this small amount of contact. "What's=20 wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "Wasn't I doing it right?"=20=20 "Yes, you were. That's what frightened me," Picard admitted.=20=20 Q looked at him in surprise. "You, frightened? I thought you=20 weren't afraid of me."=20=20 "I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what you are," Picard=20 explained. "I know what you want from me and I'd like to give it to=20 you. But I keep remembering that you're not what you seem-=97a=20 handsome man who wants to make love to me-=97and it rather spoils it=20 for me, knowing what you really are and what you're capable of. I=20 can't help worrying about what you might do if you decide to just=20 take me, whether I'm willing or not."=20=20 Hearing Picard admit that he wanted him and calling him handsome as=20 well soothed Q's ego. Knowing that Picard still didn't trust him=20 enough to let himself be loved by him gave him a pang. "I promise=20 you that I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don't=20 want to do," Q assured him. "With or without my powers."=20=20 "I wish I could believe you," Picard sighed. "But I just can't=20 bring myself to trust you yet." "I don't blame you. If I were in your position, I would hesitate to=20 trust someone as powerful as I am too. In fact, after all I've put=20 you through you'd be a fool to trust me." He rolled over on his=20 side again and touched Picard's cheek tenderly. "And one thing you=20 have never been, Jean-Luc, is a fool."=20=20 Hazel eyes studied him intently for a few moments before Picard=20 closed them and sighed again. "So what do we do now?"=20=20 "We take it slow. I show you how good I am at being human and you=20 decide if it's worth the risk of letting me show you how good I am=20 at other things." Q stroked the cheekbone under his fingertips,=20 smiling as he remembered laying a trail of kisses along it last=20 night while Jean-Luc slept.=20=20 "Oh, I'm sure you'd be quite good at it," Picard said=20 wryly. "You've obviously had some experience at this, haven't=20 you?"=20=20 "Yes, I have. Though I must admit, it's been a long time since=20 I've loved a man."=20 "Well, aside from a few schoolboy crushes that didn't go beyond=20 heavy petting, I have no practical experience with men," Picard=20 admitted.=20=20 "Are you sure it was only schoolboys, Jean-Luc?" Q teased him. "I=20 get the distinct impression that you've had some contact with adult=20 males as well."=20=20 Picard opened his eyes and scowled. "Stop reading my mind! The men=20 in question were fellow students at Starfleet Academy. I can assure=20 you that I never let either of them do more than what you just tried=20 to do to me."=20=20 "I'm sure you didn't." Q soothed his ruffled feathers, remembering=20 how modest he was. Now was not the time to tell him about his=20 nocturnal visit, either. He was sure that once he got Jean-Luc into=20 bed, he'd be more passionate than prudish. The problem was getting=20 him there without making him feel threatened or coerced. He'd just=20 have to take it slow, keep his powers hidden and hope Jean-Luc would=20 learn to trust him soon. Otherwise he'd have to follow him onto the=20 ENTERPRISE and do his wooing there. He wasn't looking forward to=20 interacting with Jean-Luc's crew, but if it was necessary to win=20 them over in order to win their captain, then he'd force himself to=20 be nice to them all, even that brutish Klingon who made Neanderthals=20 look civilized.=20=20 Just then a cool breeze began blowing, which made Jean-Luc shiver.=20=20 Q responded by wrapping his arms around him. "Are you cold? Let me=20 warm you up." "It's not that cold," the human protested, but he made no effort to=20 get away. After a few moments he even relaxed into Q's embrace,=20 letting himself be held closely. The weather cooperated, without=20 Q's contrivance, by continuing to send cool breezes sweeping across=20 their isolated section of the beach. Picard continued to snuggle=20 with Q, whose warm body felt comforting.=20 // At least he isn't trying to touch me more intimately, // Picard=20 thought, // even though I wouldn't object to it. // After a while he=20 dozed off in Q's arms, lulled by the warmth of his body and the=20 gentleness of his embrace. Q continued to hold him close as the cool breezes blew. He was=20 starting to feel a bit chilled himself. After making sure that Jean- Luc was fast asleep, he made a thin, blue summer blanket appear to=20 cover them both. As long as Jean-Luc didn't know he was using his=20 powers, he saw no reason not to take advantage of them. // It's=20 really not cheating,// he rationalized it to himself, // as long as=20 it's something we both enjoy, like the picnic lunch. // There's an old saying on Risa, "If you don't like the weather, wait=20 a few minutes and it will change." It was true before the natives=20 developed the technology for weather control, when the whole planet=20 was covered with rainforests and constantly inundated with=20 thunderstorms, and it was true now, when the carefully controlled=20 weather was varied to keep it from becoming monotonous. Thus sunny=20 days were balanced by cloudy days, though never completely overcast,=20 and the hot, dry atmosphere was made more pleasant by a touch of=20 humidity and refreshing cool breezes. Soon the cloudy, breezy=20 weather cleared up and became much hotter and brighter. Q, who had=20 never really fallen asleep to begin with, became more alert when he=20 felt Jean-Luc stirring in his arms. He quickly made the blanket=20 disappear and smiled brightly at Jean-Luc when he opened his eyes.=20=20 "Did you have a nice nap, mon Capitan?" Q asked him affectionately. "Yes, thank you, I did." Picard let out a yawn, sat up and=20 stretched, the tee shirt clinging to his chest and biceps in an=20 interesting way. "I'm terribly thirsty. Is there any tea left?"=20=20 "I'll check." Q sat up and reached into the basket for the=20 thermos. Of course there was plenty of tea left. He poured a=20 cupful for Jean-Luc and watched him enjoy it.=20 When he was done, Picard gave him back the thermos cup and said, "I=20 must be heading back. It's rather a long walk back to my cottage.=20=20 Would you care to join me?"=20=20 "I might as well," said Q, as casually as possible to hide his=20 excitement. "It'll give me a chance to return this basket to the=20 hotel kitchen along the way." Q packed up the remains of their=20 picnic while Picard got up and stretched his legs. He helped Q fold=20 up the red-and-white checkered blanket, which he tucked under one=20 arm while Q carried the basket. Then they set off down the beach=20 together, back the way Picard had come, in friendly silence for the=20 most part. **************** The sun was a bit lower in the sky by the time they came in sight of=20 the Risa Hilton, but Picard could feel inside himself that it was=20 time for tea. He thought of inviting Q to join him in the hotel's=20 restaurant, but thought they were both dressed a bit too casually.=20=20 Besides, after spending most of the day outdoors, he felt like=20 having a meal sitting at a table. So he suggested to Q, "Why don't=20 you come back to my cottage with me so we can have tea? We can buy=20 some seafood along the way."=20=20 "I'd like that." Q was careful to hide the elation he felt at the=20 thought of being alone with him once more, this time with a bed=20 within reach. "Let's just make a brief stop at the kitchen and drop=20 off this stuff." He and Picard went around to the rear of the=20 hotel, where they found a staff member willing to take the picnic=20 basket and blanket from them. Then they followed the trail of=20 flowering bushes toward the beachfront cottages scattered along the=20 shore, each one painted in brilliant Caribbean colors, reflecting=20 the heritage of the humans who originally colonized this planet,=20 intermarrying with the natives to the point where the Risan dialect=20 took on the rhythm of Jamaican, Hawaiian and Puerto Rican speech, as=20 well as many of its' words.=20 On their way to Picard's cottage, they noticed a small crowd=20 gathering at a dock on the beach, where a few pleasure boats were=20 moored, along with local fishing boats. One of these boats was just=20 sailing into port; it was The Movable Feast, a floating fish store=20 cum restaurant, where both the locals and the guests could buy fresh=20 fish as well as homemade fish dishes. Picard made a beeline for the=20 dock, Q following. While the owner of The Movable Feast was still=20 mooring his vessel, they were lucky enough to get on line while it=20 was still a small line. By the time The Movable Feast was open for=20 business, the line was quite long. Visitors in swimsuits and=20 colorful vacation wear rubbed shoulders with native Risans wearing=20 what appeared to be brightly colored, strategically placed scarves,=20 woven from the local hemp and cotton, just a few of the cash crops=20 that grew so well here after being introduced by the Terran=20 settlers. The Risan women were all beautiful and curvaceous, even=20 the matrons surrounded by small children, while the men were all=20 handsome and well-built, even the older ones with grey hair. Their=20 dark skins, limpid black eyes and thick, black hair set them apart=20 from the visitors.=20=20=20 The Movable Feast was owned and operated by a native Risan, Henri=20 Morgan. He was a strapping fellow with caf=E9 latte-colored skin,=20 green eyes and brilliant white teeth, said to be descended from one=20 of the original Terran settlers. His cocoa-colored wife and their=20 two tawny adolescent daughters, all pretty enough to win any beauty=20 contest with a swimsuit competition, helped him catch the fish,=20 clean it, weigh it and wrap it for sale, as well as cook it in=20 dozens of tasty ways, which varied with the days of the week as well=20 as the quality of the day's catch. Today's catch had been one=20 baruca, the Risan version of a shark, as well as many of the little=20 rainbow-colored fish which swam close to the surface, and a generous=20 amount of the local shrimp and creolas, a Risan crustacean which=20 looked like a cross between a crab and a crawfish. As Morgan leaned=20 over the counter greeting his regular customers, his wife and=20 daughters could be seen bustling around stirring pots, dipping fish=20 into bread coating, cutting steaks off the baruca and putting live=20 creolas into net bags to make them easier for the customers to carry=20 home.=20=20 "Bonjour, mon Capitan!" Morgan greeted Picard when he and Q got up=20 to the counter. "What will it be tonight, hey?" He spoke in a=20 version of the local dialect which was similar to French.=20=20 "Bonjour, Henri," Picard addressed him in French, which he=20 understood well enough to follow along. "My friend here is coming=20 over for tea, so you had better give me a pot of your fish stew and=20 an eel pie."=20=20 "No eels today, m'sur, very sorry. But we have plenty nice creola=20 cakes, if you don't want fresh creola steamed and sauced."=20=20 "Fine, I'll take a batch of the creola cakes with the fish stew,=20 then." Picard waited patiently while Morgan ladled the hearty fish=20 stew into a large tin pot with a tight-fitting lid. As soon as the=20 stew was sealed tight, he added a fresh-baked loaf of crusty round=20 bread, wrapped in brown paper, which fit perfectly inside the sunken=20 lid of the pot. The Risan fisherman then filled a small, woven=20 basket lined with a clean, white napkin with a dozen crisp-fried=20 creola cakes from the batch his wife had just set out to cool.=20=20 Picard paid him in the local script, which he had gotten at the=20 hotel exchange desk by presenting his Starfleet ID and credit card,=20 exchanging a month's worth of wages for three thousand Risan fichas,=20 which was just enough to last him for the entire week he was on=20 leave here.=20=20 Picard started to lift both items, until Q relieved him of the stew=20 pot, carrying it carefully by the handle as he followed Picard from=20 the dock. Morgan called a cheerful "Au revoir, mon Capitan y sus=20 ami!" after them before turning his attention to the next customer.=20=20 The stew pot felt heavy, its contents smelled savory. The basket of=20 creola cakes Picard carried in both hands also had an appetizing=20 aroma. Even Q, who didn't need to eat, found himself looking=20 forward to sampling both. "Does he always give you a loaf of bread=20 with the stew?" he asked Picard. "Yes, it's one of his little extras, along with sweet and hot=20 dipping sauces for the shrimp and creolas." Picard nodded at the=20 little paper cups of sauce on top of the napkin which was folded=20 over the cakes.=20=20=20 "What shall we do with the pot and the basket when we're finished?"=20=20 "Wash them and return them the next time we buy food from him. I=20 still have a basket from my last order which I need to return as=20 well. He makes them himself from the local reeds. The pots are=20 cheap too, since there's a tin mine in the area where the locals who=20 don't work at the resort earn a living, digging and smelting the tin=20 as well as making it into pots, pans and utensils." "I must say it's very convenient having a floating fish market stop=20 by your cottage." "Yes, isn't it?" Picard led the way to his cottage, which looked=20 considerably more homey now than it did last night, when Riker and=20 Troi had escorted him home for fear of this same man walking beside=20 him. // Person, not man, // he reminded himself. // He may look=20 human, but he's still a Q. I'm starting to trust him more than I=20 used to, but I still have to be careful. There's no telling when=20 that capricious nature of his may show itself. //=20=20=20 Once they were inside the cottage, Picard put on the kettle for tea=20 while Q set the table. As they went back and forth inside the small=20 kitchen, fetching plates and utensils, along with cups and saucers,=20 Q kept "accidentally" bumping into him, giving him an excuse to=20 gently pat his arm or shoulder while murmuring "Excuse me". At one=20 point Picard excused himself to change his clothes, leaving Q=20 outside longing to peek into his bedroom, reminding himself that he=20 mustn't do so even as Picard kept glancing at the closed door, both=20 dreading and longing for it to open. When he re-emerged, freshly=20 washed and wearing blue jeans with a sleeveless white shirt, cut=20 rather low in front, he noticed the way that Q kept staring at his=20 chest and biceps. When the tea was ready, they had the creola cakes first as an=20 appetizer. Eating slowly allowed Q to enjoy the flavor of the=20 mortal food as much as the sight of the man sitting across from=20 him. Picard pretended not to notice how intently Q was looking at=20 him, even though it made him feel warm inside. They managed to have=20 a normal conversation while they ate, concerning Risa and its'=20 customs, many of which were Terran-based. When they finally got=20 around to the fish stew, it tasted just as delicious as it smelled.=20=20 So did the bread, which was used to mop up the leavings from the=20 bowls. After each of them had eaten a bowl apiece, there was still=20 plenty left over for supper later. So they put it aside, along with=20 the leftover bread, and went into the living room to talk.=20=20 Both of them sat on the couch, holding fresh cups of Earl Gray tea,=20 as they discussed what was on both their minds; the possibility of a=20 relationship between them. "I've told you about my misgivings at=20 having a relationship with someone more powerful than myself,"=20 Picard told him gravely, "but how do you feel about getting involved=20 with someone who's=97-well, less powerful than you?"=20=20 "I don't think less of you for being human and mortal. As for being=20 powerful, you're considered as powerful among your species as I am=20 among mine." Q took a tentative sip of his tea. "I told you that I=20 wanted to be human while I was with you. I haven't always been in=20 human form when I've visited this dimension. This form I'm wearing=20 now just happens to be the one I prefer to wear when I'm here. But=20 if you would rather see me as a woman, I can be that for you, if=20 that's the only way you can love me."=20=20 Picard was surprised, until he remembered the Robin Hood incident=20 aboard his ship, when Q had mentioned in passing that he should have=20 been a woman. Seeing him looking so earnestly at him now, with no=20 trace of mockery in his face, he knew that he meant what he=20 said. "Wouldn't it make you uncomfortable being a woman, after=20 being a man for so long?" "It would feel strange, at first, but I'd get used to it." "I wouldn't want to confuse your gender identity. Or do you even=20 have a gender, in your own dimension? Are you male by birth or by=20 choice?"=20=20 "I was never born, in the conventional sense," Q said slowly,=20 choosing his words carefully so his mortal companion would=20 understand. "The Q came into being before or after the beginning of=20 linear time, I'm not sure which. In our true forms we resemble=20 prisms, multicolored beams of light, similar to the ones you use in=20 your holographic chambers to create images. But we're more closely=20 related to the Shapeshifters in the Gamma Quadrant, those=20 impertinent beings who call themselves the Founders, as if they were=20 the first sentient beings in this galaxy! Of course we're way above=20 them on the evolutionary scale, since they're still semi-solid in=20 their natural forms. Like them, we're asexual, choosing a male or=20 female form at maturity, after we have practiced being both. So=20 you could say that my gender is a matter of choice." Picard looked at him closely, trying to imagine him as a woman. The=20 image was not appealing; he found that he preferred Q as a=20 man. "Well, since you have expressed a preference for your current=20 form, and I've grown accustomed to it as well, I'd like you to stay=20 just as you are. Don't change yourself just to please me."=20=20 "But I thought that love was all about pleasing the other person?"=20=20 Q looked at him curiously. "I've seen humans make great sacrifices,=20 giving up homes, habits, careers, possessions, even their own=20 children, in order to please their loved ones." "Yes, the emotion of love does frequently manifest itself as=20 sacrifice. Someone who is desperately in love may choose to=20 sacrifice the thing they love most, to prove that they love the=20 other person more. Not everyone appreciates such sacrifices. Nor=20 are they worthy of them." Picard thought of his last great love=20 before Anij, Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren, who chose to transfer=20 off the ENTERPRISE rather than give up her career in Starfleet or=20 make him give up his, comparing her to his late father Maurice, who=20 demanded that his son give up his dream of exploring the galaxy and=20 offered nothing in return but a dull, earthbound life, stagnating in=20 the family vineyard.=20=20 Q couldn't help seeing what he was thinking. He meditated for a=20 while on the difference between a generous, self-sacrificing lover=20 and a selfish one who demanded a sacrifice from the other person=20 while giving up nothing in return. "Yes, I think I understand," he=20 told Picard. "You don't want an extreme sacrifice, just one that we=20 can both live with. Like me not using my powers while I'm with you." "I wouldn't expect you to give up your powers completely," Picard=20 assured him. "All I ask is that you not use them to harm me, or=20 anyone that I care about, while we are together."=20=20 "You know that I would never harm you while we're together like=20 this," Q told him earnestly. "If you want me to extend that=20 protection to your friends as well, I'll do so." He took Picard's=20 free hand in his and said solemnly, looking into his hazel eyes, "I=20 promise never to use my Q powers to harm you or anyone that you care=20 about, Jean-Luc Picard." Picard clasped his hand in a firm, gentle grip and gave him back=20 promise for promise, looking into his brown eyes as he spoke. "I=20 promise that as long as you keep this promise to me, you will be=20 welcome in my life, Q."=20=20=20=20 "Does that include your bed?" Q asked eagerly.=20=20 Picard blinked in surprise. "My, you don't beat about the bush, do=20 you?" "No, I don't." Q grinned.=20=20 "Well, at least give me time to finish my tea."=20=20 Q laughed and clinked the rim of his tea mug against Picard's. "To=20 us!" he said, holding up his mug in a toast.=20=20 Picard returned the gesture and drank up. When the mugs were empty,=20 Q looked around and asked, "Where's the fireplace, so we can throw=20 these in there?"=20=20 "Oh, no you don't!" Picard removed the mug from his grasp and took=20 both drinking vessels to the kitchen. "We'll save that gesture for=20 a more celebratory occasion."=20=20 "I consider this a celebratory occasion," Q informed him as he=20 followed him into the kitchen.=20=20 After rinsing out both mugs and putting them in the dish drainer,=20 Picard turned to him and said, "Prove it."=20=20 Q reached out and drew him into his arms, then gave him a kiss.=20=20 Picard savored it for a few moments, decided that he liked it and=20 put his arms around him. Moments passed, becoming minutes; the=20 longer the kiss lasted, the more passionate it became. Q started=20 stroking him, letting his long fingers glide over the length of the=20 human's back, gradually coming to rest on his buttocks, which he=20 first petted and then held cupped in his hands as if weighing them.=20=20 Picard responded to that by pressing closer to him, letting him feel=20 his rapidly hardening cock nudging his leg. He also opened his=20 mouth and was soon demonstrating the art of French kissing to a=20 willing pupil.=20=20 Picard suddenly gasped into Q's mouth as he felt warm hands burrow=20 beneath his shirt and start feeling up his chest. His chest hair=20 was lovingly caressed until his nipples were found; they were then=20 gently pinched into hard, pink nubs. Picard emitted a sigh of=20 pleasure, which quickly became a moan as Q pulled his shirt up and=20 off and set his lips on one turgid nipple, first kissing it, then=20 sucking it. Shudders of pleasure went through the compact body in=20 Q's arms as he sucked at one nipple, then another. Just as he was=20 fumbling with the snap front of Picard's jeans, there was a loud,=20 heavy knock at the cottage door, followed by the two-toned=20 doorbell.=20=20 "Captain! Oh, Captain!" came the cheery voice of Geordi La=20 Forge. "Open up, it's us! Geordi and Worf!"=20=20 "Not now, Geordi!" Picard groaned as he sagged against Q's taller=20 form, his arms wrapped around the entity's neck as if he expected to=20 be dragged away from him. Q held on to him as if he expected the=20 same thing, glaring at the closed door over Picard's shoulder.=20=20 "Come on, Captain, we know you're in there!" La Forge called to=20 him. "We come bearing gifts! Cold beer and steamed creolas!" It=20 sounded as if La Forge had gotten a head start on the beer. A loud=20 belch in a very low register verified that Worf had been imbibing=20 freely too.=20=20=20 "You'd better let them in," Q told Picard glumly. "I know for a=20 fact that there's no reasoning with drunks. If we ignore them, that=20 Klingon is liable to break the door down with his next=20 knock."=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 Sighing in resignation, Picard released his would-be lover,=20 retrieved his shirt and put it back on as he headed for the=20 door. "I'll get rid of them," he told Q.=20 "Good luck!" Q told him. He went back into the living room and sat=20 back down on the couch, determined not to move until the uninvited=20 guests were gone. When Picard opened the door, an inebriated La Forge stumbled in, now=20 wearing sandals, royal blue shorts and a red Hawaiian shirt covered=20 with brown coconuts. Picard caught him before he fell on his face;=20 the engineer was carrying a big basket in his hands, similar to the=20 one Picard had gotten from The Movable Feast, but taller and=20 deeper. He straightened up, gave Picard a foolish grin and shoved=20 the basket into his arms. "Creolas, sir!" he announced. "Fresh,=20 hot, steamed creolas! With sauce!"=20=20 "Thank you, Geordi, that was thoughtful of you," Picard told him.=20=20 Right behind La Forge came Worf in sandals, black shorts and a=20 sleeveless black and gold shirt that showed off his muscles, which=20 he was putting to good use by holding a twelve-pack of the local=20 beer under each arm. He walked in, more or less steadily, and asked=20 the captain in his deep voice, "Where would you like these, sir?"=20=20 "Right over there, Worf." Picard pointed to the kitchen counter.=20=20 Worf lumbered over to the counter, deposited the twelve-packs with=20 exaggerated care, took one for himself and headed for the living=20 room, opening and drinking it along the way. La Forge thought that=20 was a good idea and helped himself to one as well. Picard took two=20 of the cans and put them in the basket on top of the napkin-covered=20 creolas, then followed his drunken friends into the living room.=20=20 Worf was already seated on the divan, glaring with undisguised=20 hostility at Q, who was regarding him with distaste from the=20 opposite side of the room.=20=20 "What is he doing here?" Worf demanded, gesturing at Q with the=20 open beer can, spilling some of it on the golden-yellow shag rug.=20=20 "I was invited here, unlike some people," Q retorted. "All of my friends are welcome here," Picard said soothingly,=20 sitting beside Q and offering him a beer. "Let's not spoil our=20 holiday by fighting over things in the past."=20=20 "You're right, sir, life is too short for fighting," La Forge=20 agreed, sprawling beside Worf on the divan. "Let's just eat, drink=20 and be merry! Where are those creolas, Captain?"=20=20 "Right here, Geordi." Picard passed him the basket. La Forge dug=20 into it, pulled out a bright blue steamed creola and passed the=20 basket to Worf. The Klingon pulled out a creola and promptly bit it=20 in two with his powerful jaws. He devoured it while La Forge was=20 still picking the meat out of his with one of its claws, spitting=20 out the shell fragments into his lap and reaching for another one=20 while La Forge was trying to decide between the sweet and spicy=20 dipping sauces.=20=20=20 Picard thoughtfully fetched a wastebasket and put it next to the=20 divan so his friends would have someplace to put the shells. Q=20 looked so disgusted, he feared the entity would say something to=20 provoke Worf, so he whispered to him soothingly. "Let's just let=20 them eat and drink until they either leave or pass out. Then we'll=20 have the rest of the night to ourselves."=20=20 "I can always put them to sleep for you," Q muttered.=20=20 "No powers, Q! You promised," Picard whispered as he opened his=20 beer.=20=20 "All right! But I won't be responsible if Worf there chokes on a=20 creola." Q took a long sip of his Risan beer, the sweet, black=20 local brew made with molasses. He drank it for the taste and to=20 keep Jean-Luc company since alcoholic beverages didn't affect him,=20 which he heartily regretted as he was forced to watch Worf eat five=20 more of the crablike crustaceans and spit the shells into the=20 wastebasket, his aim becoming more unsteady with each beer he drank. La Forge was a neater eater, but he was also a talkative drunk.=20=20=20 The more he drank, the more he reminisced about leaves he had been=20 on in the past, before and after he joined the crew of the=20 ENTERPRISE. He made Picard laugh as he recalled the first time he=20 visited Risa and discovered the power of the horga'hn to attract=20 beautiful Risan women eager to serve him, even in the hot tub, where=20 the youthful La Forge nearly drowned as he kept calling for an=20 attendant to massage different parts of his body and forgetting to=20 keep his head out of the water.=20=20=20 By the third beer, night had fallen outside; Picard wasn't laughing=20 anymore and only pretending to listen as La Forge kept going on and=20 on about all the funny things that had happened to him and his=20 crewmates on past leaves. Q couldn't even put his arm around him,=20 because Worf was squatting at one end of the divan glaring at the=20 entity like a malevolent Buddha. Every time Q made a move toward=20 the captain, Worf would growl at him until he backed off. Q=20 wondered when the drunken duo would either pass out or move on, so=20 that he and Jean-Luc could take up where they left off.=20=20 //If I hadn't promised Jean-Luc, I could have gotten rid of them=20 ages ago!// Q thought glumly. He looked longingly at the man=20 sitting at his left, who was becoming increasingly restive as La=20 Forge rambled on. A frustrated Q was beginning to think of=20 conjuring up two beautiful Risan attendants to distract Worf and La=20 Forge while he and Jean-Luc retired to the bedroom, when La Forge=20 suddenly hauled himself to his feet and headed for the bathroom. "I better empty out all this beer before my bladder explodes," he=20 announced. As he tottered toward the bathroom, Q whispered=20 desperately to Picard. "At least let me lock him in the bathroom!"=20=20 "No!" Picard hissed.=20=20 At the sound of Picard's protest, Worf immediately became=20 alert. "Is there a problem, sir?" he asked, crouching on the edge=20 of the divan like a muscular black panther, ready to spring.=20=20 "No, no, Worf, everything's fine," Picard hastily assured him.=20=20 "At least it was until you two got here," Q muttered.=20=20 "What was that?" Worf demanded, scowling at Q. "I didn't quite hear=20 you."=20 "I said at least you two brought plenty of beer," Q told him with=20 his sweetest smile. "Would you like another one, Mr. Worf?"=20=20 The Klingon looked suspiciously at him and then announced, "Yes, I=20 will have another beer." He got up and walked heavily across the=20 room, creating a small earthquake that shook the pictures on the=20 walls and made knick-knacks tremble on the shelves.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 Picard took advantage of the temporary respite to whisper, "Look,=20 they're never going to leave us alone tonight. Why don't you=20 pretend to leave and come back in an hour? They'll surely be gone=20 by then."=20=20 "Suppose they're still here in an hour?" Q whispered=20 furiously. "I'm not about to risk touching you while Worf is still=20 awake!"=20=20=20 Worf took another black beer from the dwindling supply on the=20 sideboard and lumbered back to his seat on the divan. Picard and Q=20 hastily separated, but not before Worf had seen Q's arm briefly=20 encircle the captain's waist. Picard's nervous expression didn't=20 help matters; it only convinced Worf that Q was making unwanted=20 advances toward him. Scowling at Q, Worf sat down heavily on the=20 divan and popped the top off his beer with his thumbnail, which was=20 thicker and sharper than a human thumbnail. Q could well imagine=20 him using those claw-like thumbnails to gouge his eyes out in=20 defense of his captain's honor. He stared back at Worf defiantly,=20 refusing to be intimidated.=20=20 "I'm baaack!" La Forge announced loudly as he stumbled into the=20 room. He saw Worf and Q staring at each other in a hostile manner=20 and giggled like a schoolboy.=20=20 //That'll teach Q not to mess with our captain! // La Forge=20 thought. //I'd like to see him try something; Worf will tear him=20 apart like those creolas! No way are we leaving until he leaves=20 first! // He made his way back to the divan and collapsed on the=20 opposite end, smiling reassuringly at his captain. Picard smiled=20 back nervously and shot a quick, anxious glance at Q. La Forge=20 misinterpreted the gesture to mean "Don't leave me alone with him!"=20 instead of "Why won't they leave us alone?"=20=20 "Are there any creolas left?" La Forge asked Worf.=20=20 Worf looked at the empty basket in the center of the divan and then=20 at the pile of shells in the wastebasket at his feet. "No, Geordi,=20 we have met the enemy and they are ours." He let out a thunderous=20 belch and patted his full belly.=20=20 La Forge laughed. "Yeah, we sure assimilated those creolas, didn't=20 we? They've all become part of our individual collectives!" "No Borg jokes, if you please, Geordi," the captain sighed. He had=20 reached the melancholy stage of drunkenness, made even more so by=20 the tantalizing nearness of the one he wanted to make his lover.=20=20 "Sorry, Captain," La Forge said quickly. "Hey, what do you say we=20 all go out and get some more creolas or shrimps? I'll bet that=20 floating fish kitchen is still out there. Let's go find it!" He=20 jumped to his feet and headed unsteadily for the door. "I doubt they're still open for business at this hour, Geordi,"=20 Picard said hastily, worried about letting him go wandering around=20 in the dark in his condition. "If you're still hungry, you're free=20 to rummage through my kitchen. There's some leftover fish stew that=20 can be heated up."=20=20 "Sounds good to me!" La Forge said cheerfully. "You got any snacks=20 to go with it, Captain? I could go for some popcorn." He tottered=20 toward the kitchen, still speaking to Picard. "Can I get you=20 anything, sir?"=20 "A few minutes of privacy," Q muttered. La Forge stopped in his tracks and craned his neck over his shoulder=20 to look at Q. "Excuse me, Q? Did you say something?" he asked=20 loudly, on the verge of drunken belligerence.=20=20 "I said in a few minutes I have to leave," Q told him.=20=20=20 "Aw, do you have to?" La Forge asked, voice dripping with sarcasm as=20 he grinned drunkenly at Q. Smugness radiated from every alcohol- drenched pore at having outlasted the entity.=20=20 Q sat staring coldly at La Forge, his hands clenching and=20 unclenching themselves in his lap. Seeing this gesture, Picard knew=20 that Q was just longing to wrap his hands around La Forge's neck and=20 squeeze his windpipe until his ocular implants popped out of his=20 head. He laid his hand on Q's left wrist and squeezed it firmly as=20 a warning as he said, "I'm sorry you have to go so soon, Q. Perhaps=20 we can resume our discussion tomorrow?" He looked straight into Q's=20 eyes as he pictured the hotel restaurant and the two of them having=20 breakfast together.=20=20 Q caught the mental image and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure we'll run into=20 each other again soon, mon Capitan. I'd better go now and leave=20 you to your friends." He rose from the couch, giving Jean-Luc a=20 kiss with his eyes. "I'll see myself out." He walked away without=20 haste, well aware of the way Worf's black eyes were burning into his=20 back and of the smirk on La Forge's face, but determined to endure=20 these insults for Jean-Luc's sake. //If these people weren't his=20 friends, I'd have thrown them both into the sea by now, preferably=20 into the path of a passing baruca.// He smiled at the thought of=20 watching La Forge and Worf swimming frantically for their lives as=20 the huge, sharp-toothed fish swam after them. "Good night, all," he=20 said as he walked out the door into the night.=20=20 As soon as he was gone, La Forge slapped his hands together in=20 satisfaction. "Good riddance!" he said with a grin. "I knew we'd=20 get rid of him if we stayed with you long enough, sir!"=20=20 Picard had to restrain himself from boxing La Forge's ears. "I=20 appreciate your concern, Geordi, but I don't believe that I was in=20 any real danger from Q. Before your arrival, we were having a=20 perfectly civil conversation."=20 L Forge stared at him in bewilderment. "What could you and Q=20 possibly have to discuss, sir?" Picard remembered the moment on the beach when he lay in Q's arms=20 after waking from his nap, feeling only warmth and tenderness, no=20 sense of danger, no fear of being forced into any sexual activity.=20=20 He remembered the long walk back to his cottage in companionable=20 silence, buying seafood together and eating it together, the moment=20 they'd sat on the couch together holding hands while they exchanged=20 their promises to each other. Then he remembered what came after=20 and how abruptly it had ended with the arrival of his friends. "A=20 great many things, Geordi," was all he said. He looked at the clock=20 on the wall above the door and remarked, "It's rather late. I think=20 I'll go to bed now. Why don't you young fellows go back to the=20 hotel and see if you can find a party?"=20=20 "Late? Ah, come on, Captain, it's barely 2200! Come back with us=20 and we can all party together!"=20=20 "No, thank you, Geordi," Picard told him firmly. "I came to Risa to=20 relax, and at my age relaxation consists of long stretches of doing=20 nothing at all, interspersed with brief bursts of activity." //And=20 if you and Worf hadn't shown up, I'd be still be engaged in one=20 particular activity!// Hiding his resentment, he headed for his=20 bedroom. "You two are free to go whenever you please. I'm going to=20 take a shower." He went into his bedroom and shut the door.=20=20 When they were alone together, La Forge and Worf looked at each=20 other. La Forge spoke first. "Do you think it's safe to leave the=20 captain alone now that Q is gone?"=20=20=20 "No, I don't," Worf growled.=20=20 "Neither do I. That sneaky SOB is likely to pop in again the minute=20 we're gone. I say we wait out the rest of the night here. We can=20 raid the captain's kitchen and watch the holovision while he's=20 sleeping in the other room."=20=20 "One of us had better look in on him at regular intervals," Worf=20 cautioned him.=20=20 "You bet! Come on, let's put the rest of those beers on ice and=20 heat up that fish stew." So the two friends settled in for the=20 night while Picard took a cold shower and got into bed with a good=20 book. But his mind kept wandering from the book to his memories of=20 what he and Q had been doing earlier. When he couldn't stand it any=20 longer, he turned off the lights and took himself in hand,=20 masturbating vigorously while he imagined the scene in the kitchen=20 coming to its natural conclusion. Between heating up the stew and=20 arguing over which holovid movie to watch, La Forge and Worf didn't=20 get around to checking up on him until after he'd reached a brief,=20 unsatisfying climax, cleaned himself up and gone to sleep.=20=20 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: 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: