Author's Note: Well here it is, my second P/C story. This is a sequel to "The Future's Past". If you didn't read that one then this one will be kinda confusing so read that one first. Some of this is a little R rated so don't say you weren't warned. Individuals may print this or pass it around for their amusement, but please keep my name and this header attached at all times. No stealing. Mine Mine Mine! Just ask me I'm really not such a bad person (despite what the men in white coats say). Thanks go out to all of those who encouraged me to keep writing and to those who got me thinking and gave me ideas. Also to those who helped to straighten this thing out (wave to Cynthia). I wouldn't have done it without you guys. :O)
Disclaimer: Paramount is the big baby that has all the toys but, they don't play fair so I've borrowed them for a bit. Don't worry I'll only use them for good. Is it just me or does Paramount always own all the good stuff? I do however own one character in this story and that's Elizabeth Picard, but the rest are slightly stolen. Sorry 'bout that but the lovely respectable people at Paramount have had their lovely respectable heads up their lovely respectable posterior ends for so long they seem to of lost sight of the more important things. Not that they aren't great people that would never get angry about what a nice young girl writes....
This takes place about 3 months after "The Future's Past".
Part I
Three Cardassian war ships hovered closely around the Enterprise. Cardassians swarmed through the corridors of the ship rounding up crew members and herding them into the cargo bays where they were held, helpless to regain control of their ship.
On the bridge Jean-Luc Picard stood silently with a dangerous look in his eyes. He was surrounded by Cardassians, all with phasers trained on him. The turbolift doors opened and out stumbled his wife and daughter with guards close behind shoving them forward. Upon seeing her father the child ran towards him, slipping away from her mother who tried to grab hold of her, but before she could reach him a fist knocked her flat. Picard flinched when he saw his tiny daughter struck down by a Cardassian. He lunged forward, despite the guards, at the one who had hit her, ready to kill him with his bare hands. The butt of a phaser-rifle slammed against the back of his head. He fell, landing at the Cardassian's feet. Everything began to swirl around him and began togofuzzyandhecouldntseemtobeabletothinkstraightbuthehadtoforhis daughter and his wife he had to. He forced his mind to clear.
The Cardassian squatted in front of him "Now now Picard, let's not get violent," Gul Madred hissed. Ever sine the war between the Cardassians and the Federation had started, Gul Madred had gained more power than he knew what to do with. He had decided to use that power to get a little of his own personal revenge. He nodded to the man who had knocked Picard down and the man yanked Jean-Luc to his feet. Gul Madred walked over to where Elizabeth now stood bleeding slightly from her lip and nose. He knelt down in front of the child and cupped her chin in his hand. She struggled to get away from him, but the guards held her tight. Madred looked over his shoulder at Picard. "Such a lovely child. It would be a shame if she were to get hurt...."
"Leave her alone!" Picard shouted. He was now completely livid.
"Captain, you are in no position to be making demands now are you?"
"Take me if you have to, but leave my daughter alone."
"You know I can't do that. She's of far greater worth to me than you are. Say good-bye Picard."
The guards dragged Elizabeth away. The last thing she saw before the turbolift doors closed was the anger and tears in her mother and father's eyes as they struggled helplessly against the Cardassians. The sound of her mother screaming in anguish rung in her ears. "Not my baby! Don't take my baby!"
********************
She awoke bathed in sweat and screaming. A moment later her parents were by her side whispering comforting words, but she didn't hear them. The child pulled away as her mother went to brush away the sweat soaked strings of hair clinging to her forehead and cheek. She pulled herself into a tight protective ball, her eyes distant as she tried once again to repress the memories that had just recently started to resurface. She was struggling through a thick fog of terror brought on by the nightmare she had just awoken from. She was lost in another time and having trouble finding her way back. Her parents sat anxiously waiting while she fought her way to the present. Her eyes cleared slowly and upon seeing her father the little girl threw herself into his waiting arms and began sobbing uncontrollably.
They knew without asking what the nightmare had been about. Ever since the slight confrontation with the Cardassians two weeks earlier Elizabeth's nightmares, which they had thought she was finally over, had returned in full force. She had awoken like this every night the past two weeks.
When her crying had finally stopped Jean-Luc Picard picked up his daughter and carried her back to his and Beverly's bed. He lay her in the middle of the bed then he and Beverly slid under the covers sandwiching the child between them. Elizabeth hugged her mother tightly. Beverly hugged her back and kissed the top of her little girl's head. Elizabeth then turned to her father and climbed up onto his chest where she lay herself down, arms and legs at his sides, her head resting on his shoulder. Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Feeling safe in her father's arms the little girl was soon asleep. Her parents however, lay awake for hours.
Part II
The lone figure was standing on an endless plain staring out across...nothing. The wind swirled around him blowing his hair into his eyes, but he didn't notice. What he saw he saw only in his mind and not out across the vast expanse. *They're not as they should be,* he thought. *Things are not as they should be. They've changed. Something isn't right....something....* He closed his eyes concentrating hard on what he had been sensing. He concentrated for a long time before he realised he was going about it all wrong. Instead he cleared his mind and allowed it to wander freely. It came. It came, but...it was...fuzzy...he couldn't quite get it to focus. It was there but just....just out of his line of sight... His studies had been far to arduous lately and had worn down his mind. He just needed to rest. Yes, he would rest and maybe later....
Part III
"Tea, Early Grey, hot." He took the small glass when it materialised and went back to his chair behind the desk in his ready room. "I just don't know what to do anymore Counsellor. She just keeps getting worse."
"I don't know either Captain. Everything I try to help her doesn't work. In order for recurring nightmares to end something has to change within the dream. The dreamer at some point has to take control and change the outcome of the dream thus changing it from something threatening to something they have control over. Then they are no longer a victim. Everything I've tried to accomplish that has failed. I don't know what to tell you," Deanna Troi responded.
"Are you saying there's nothing at all I can do?"
"Nothing I can think of." She paused and bit her lip in thought. "Unless...."
"Unless what?" He put his tea down and looked at her hopefully.
"Maybe it would help if you took some time off and went on shore leave." He gave her a you-can-just-stop-right-now-and-forget-about-it look, but she continued anyway. "It would do her good to get away from here for a while, and it wouldn't hurt you to have some time away either." He opened his mouth to protest, but she ignored him and kept going. "There's a transport ship headed for Earth that we'll be passing in a couple of days. You and Beverly could take time off and take your daughter home until she gets over this."
"Deanna I can't just..."
"Yes you can," she interrupted. "You need some time off with your family and there's no reason why you shouldn't take it. Will can handle whatever comes up until you get back."
He was silent for a long time before he spoke. His family...he was still getting used to that. "I guess you're right," he said quietly.
Part IV
Beverly Picard was packing some last minute things when her husband strode into their quarters. Elizabeth, who had been helping her mother, dropped what she was holding and ran to her father. "Papa!" He picked her up and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
"Where have you been?" Beverly asked picking up the things her daughter had dropped on the floor. "We're supposed to beam onto the transport ship in ten minutes."
"I was just leaving some last minute instructions with Will. Do you have everything?"
Beverly looked around for anything she might have forgotten. "Yep that's everything. Let's go."
********************
They entered the transporter room to find the rest of the senior staff waiting there to send them off. Elizabeth let go of her father's hand and ran up to Will Riker who kneeled down to say his good-byes. Elizabeth hugged him and kissed his cheek then proceeded to do the same with the rest of them. They had all grown quite attached to the precocious five year old, once she had gotten over her fears enough to accept them, and would miss her terribly. Then the adults said their good-byes. Handshakes, hugs, and wishes of good luck were passed around before the three disappeared in a shimmer of light.
Part V
**3 days later**
They arrived at the Picard estate in LaBarre France in the late afternoon. Both Beverly and Elizabeth were breathtaken by the sight of the house and surrounding vineyards and instantly fell in love with the French countryside. Picard ushered them into the house actually feeling glad that he had come.
While Jean-Luc and Beverly started dinner with the provisions they had brought from the village Elizabeth ran through the house poking her head into each of the rooms. She stopped when she came to what looked like a young boy's room. From the old starship models hanging by invisible wires from the ceiling she guessed it had been her father's room when he was a boy. She went in and began to look around.
"Elizabeth? Are you up here?" Jean-Luc called as he climbed the stairs in search of his daughter. He found her in his old room sitting on the bed looking through a book. "Here you are. What's that you've got?"
Elizabeth looked up giggling. "Is that you?" she asked pointing to a picture in the old photo album she was holding.
Picard sat down next to her and studied the picture. "That's me all right." His daughter giggled. "What's so funny?"
"Nuthin'. I just never imagined you as a little boy. You had so much hair, what happened?" she asked in mock confusion.
"Very funny," he said trying to sound hurt.
"That's okay papa I'd love ya no matter what you looked like." She stood up on the bed put her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his smooth head.
"Dinner's ready," Beverly called from downstairs.
"Come on before you mother starts without us." He stood, Elizabeth clinging to his back for a ride, and headed downstairs.
********************
After dinner they retreated to the library where, even though it wasn't cold, Jean-Luc had built a fire in the huge fireplace. Elizabeth sat with her mother on the couch while Jean-Luc sat on the floor in front of them reading Shakespeare aloud as he did every night as his daughters bedtime story.
"I think that's enough for tonight."
"Just one more scene papa, just one more," Elizabeth pleaded.
He could tell she didn't want to sleep and he really couldn't blame her. He could remember how hard it was for him to sleep after his abduction by the Borg and after his own torture by the Cardassians. He still had nightmares about it now and then, especially now that he had a wife and daughter to worry about. "All right, one more."
She smiled gratefully, sensing that he understood and snuggled up to her mother. But soon she couldn't fight the exhaustion any longer and she fell asleep, slipping once again into the nightmare and reliving every moment of her abduction and torture by the Cardassians.
Beverly smiled at her daughter, unaware of what was going on inside the child's head, and kissed her gently before sliding off the couch to join Jean-Luc on the floor in front of the fireplace. She rubbed against him amorously. He acted as if he didn't notice and continued to read. Beverly snatched the book and tossed it aside looking ardently into his eyes. For some reason he felt a little silly, maybe because they were in the house he grew up in. He ignored the feeling and kissed his wife, tenderly at first and then with a rapidly growing passion. Beverly pushed him onto his back and eased herself over him never allowing their lips to part. Jean-Luc slid his hand under her shirt pulling her closer, running his fingers over the soft skin of her back. She shifted, sliding her hand between them, and untucked his shirt. She then began a trail of kisses across his stomach before moving back up to reclaim his mouth. There came a soft noise from the couch. Beverly collapsed against Jean-Luc and they both stifled a laugh suddenly remembering their five year old. They were now both feeling a little like teenagers trying not to wake their parents.
"I'll take her upstairs," Jean-Luc said. Beverly rolled off of him onto the floor. He bent and placed a quick kiss against her cheek before gathering up his daughter and carrying her upstairs. He settled her into the bed in his childhood room, kissed her, and then hurried back down to Beverly.
She was stretched out on the floor in front of the fireplace, head propped up on one arm, staring into the flames, and eagerly awaiting her husband's return. It was nearly impossible to spend time alone with him on the ship. They were both always working and when they weren't they were trying to keep up with Elizabeth, who had proved to be quite the little prodigy.
Jean-Luc stretched out in front of her, mirroring her position. It wasn't long before they were right back where they had left off a few minutes earlier. Beverly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside to join the book. She began another trail of kisses. This time down his jaw line and neck and then across his shoulders. Then, with agonising slowness, she headed down his chest to his stomach. She tugged at the fastener to his pants and finally pulled them open. Beverly looked at him teasingly as her fingertips grazed against his erection. Jean-Luc groaned slightly and pulled her back up to kiss her. He rolled over pulling her along so that he was on top and kissed her deeply, his tongue exploring her mouth hungrily.
He thought for a moment about how it had finally come to this, how they had managed to free themselves enough from the past to be like this. It hadn't been a smooth easy road that they had walked along in a blissful haze. There had been the arguments, the long sleepless nights when they had finally and painfully managed to tear down the barriers they had built up for so many years, and more tears than he cared to remember. There was the pain, that they both had to live with everyday, of knowing that their daughter had been taken from them and tortured. For weeks he had suffered an overwhelming sense of guilt, blaming himself for his daughters abduction and abuse, which caused a fight that nearly had the wedding called off. He had cursed himself for not being strong enough to save his little girl, for not being good enough to protect her. It had been Beverly who had saved him from himself, who had made him see that it hadn't been his fault and that it was no use torturing himself for something he had no control over. She had stuck by him and they had pulled each other through it all, becoming closer and realising how important they are to each other because of it.
Beverly, with some annoyance, could feel that Jean-Luc's mind had begun to wander as the long kiss began to loose some of it's passion. She bit his tongue and he snapped suddenly back to full attention. Jean-Luc smiled apologetically and focused his attention on the smooth skin of her neck as his hands found their way under her shirt. Soon her own shirt joined his and the book along with her bra. Now it was his turn to start a trail of kisses, but just as he reached her breasts a piercing scream tore through the house. They grabbed their shirts and flew up the stairs.
********************
When they had finally reached the top of what seemed like an endless staircase they burst into Elizabeth's room. She sat pressed against the headboard of the bed in her protective ball, knees pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped tightly around them. She had the same distant unseeing look in her eyes that she always had after waking up from a nightmare, but as always she eventually managed to rip herself away from the dream and came back to reality.
Jean-Luc flipped the light on and walked over to the bed. His daughter buried her face against his chest and cried, something she only did when things were far worse than her parents knew. It was going to be another long night.
Part VI
The images, like the flames he was sitting before, danced around in front of his tired eyes. Sweat trickled down his face and neck disappearing under his shirt. If he could just focus, but he was so tired. So very tired... His head, as well as his eyes, slowly lowered until his chin was nearly touching his chest and he drifted off, not yet asleep but also not quite awake. The images grew stronger as did his mental awareness. It was coming almost easily now. His head snapped up and his eyes opened wide.
Part VII
Elizabeth lay on her back in the grass looking up through the branches of a huge oak tree. The breeze sent the cool dappled shade shimmering across her face. She could feel that something was different. Something had changed. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel that she would...soon. She stretched and continued to stare lazily up through the trees. It wasn't long before the memories she always tried to avoid came threading their way into her peaceful thoughts forming a tangled web. The more she tried to push the thoughts away, the tighter the web became until it had strangled away everything else and pervaded into nearly every part of her mind. Memories forced their way to the surface causing a sick heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. A movie began to play itself out behind her clenched eyes.
"She's our daughter Beverly. That isn't something we can just ignore," he yelled.
"I know that Jean-Luc, but I want you to marry me for me, because you love me not because you feel obligated. If the only reason you asked me is because you feel you have to then I'll leave right now. I'll take Elizabeth and go. Then you can go on leading your noble captain's life without a wife and daughter to get in your way." Her voice was angry, hurt, and strained with tears.
"Is that what you think? That I'm only marrying you because I think I have to? Then shame on you Beverly Crusher. Shame on you for thinking no more of me than that." His voice broke off choked with the tears burning in his throat. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he continued with a thick pained voice. "How could you doubt me like that? How could you doubt my feelings for you? I love you. I thought you knew that. I thought you believed in me, in us. I guess I was wrong to think there could ever be anything between us."
She must have realised how wrong she was because with tears streaming down her cheeks she had reached out for him, but he was already walking out the door.
Unnoticed by her parents, Elizabeth had been standing in the doorway of her room witness to the entire thing. At that moment she had hated herself, thinking that it was entirely her fault and if she hadn't ever been there then they could have had a happy marriage uncomplicated by an unexpected child. She had felt as if she were a burden to the only people she had ever cared for, and even though everything had worked out in the end, the memories of the arguments and hurtful words plagued her to this day.
It was a long time before she finally jumped up and trotted into the house. She crept through the dining room to the kitchen doorway and peered around the corner. Her senses told her of her parents rambunctious mood and from the scene in the kitchen her senses were right.
Beverly picked up a handful of flour and gave Jean-Luc a threatening look.
"Now...now Beverly I was only joking. I'm sure you're a wonderful cook. Now put that down."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "And?"
"And I'm sorry." She made a move to put the flour down, but Jean-Luc couldn't resist adding, "I'm sorry that everything you cook tastes like gagh." The flour hit him right between the eyes.
"Now you take that back."
"We all have to face reality Beverly," he teased.
"I'll show you reality." She landed another handful of flour in his face before he went after her. He grabbed her from behind while she screamed and laughed struggling to get away. Jean-Luc picked up his own handful of flour. "You wouldn't dare." He dropped it on her head. "Oh now you are really going to get it." She twisted in his arms, but before she could do anything he was kissing her.
Elizabeth moved into the doorway smiling. To her there was almost no greater peace of mind than a kiss shared by her parents. It made everything feel all right somehow.
"Maybe we could..." Jean-Luc mumbled against Beverly's lips. It was then that he noticed his daughter standing in the doorway. "Lizzie, it's about time you came in." He pulled away from Beverly, rushed over to his little girl, and scooped her up into his arms leaving white handprints all over her dress. She took a deep breath, blew the flour from his cheek, and kissed him.
"I love you papa."
He couldn't help but smile at her sudden show of affection. "I love you back."
Beverly looked on, smiling and brushing Jean-Luc's handprints off the back of her dress. Elizabeth was certainly a daddy's girl.
Jean-Luc put his daughter down and took hold of her hand. "Come on, I've got a surprise for you Miss Elizabeth."
"What is it papa? What is it?"
"If I told you it wouldn't be much of a surprise now would it?" He headed towards the back door, but stopped before he got there. He looked back at Beverly and then down at Elizabeth. "You go on ahead to the barn and I'll be there in a minute," he said ushering his daughter out the door.
"What have you done now Jean-Luc?" Beverly asked. "You spoil her entirely too much."
"What fun would it be being a father if I didn't?" He moved over to her and slid his arms around her waist. "And besides, you spoil her just as much as I do." He kissed her tenderly, but she pulled away.
"I'm worried about her Jean-Luc."
He leaned his forehead against hers. "So am I, but Beverly you have to remember, she's a very strong little girl."
"But she shouldn't have to be. She shouldn't have to be that strong. She's just a child."
They stood silently for a long time each drawing strength from the other.
"Oh papa thank-you! Thank-You!" Elizabeth shouted as she ran into the house. "She's lovely."
Beverly lifted her head and met Jean-Luc's eyes. "What did you do?"
Before he could answer Elizabeth said, "Didn't you see mamma?" She grabbed hold of her mother's hand and pulled her out into the warm afternoon. They ran to the barn with Jean-Luc following more slowly still brushing flour off himself. When they reached the barn Elizabeth let go of her mother's hand and ran in while Beverly stood in the doorway looking in with disbelief. Jean-Luc came up behind her and slipped an arm around her waist. "Oh Jean-Luc, you didn't."
"Didn't what?" he asked innocently as he walked into the barn and over to where his daughter was standing proudly next to a bay pony.
"You did not get that child a horse....did you?"
"Isn't she beautiful mamma?"
Beverly walked in and stroked the mare's nose. "Yes sweetheart, she's very pretty."
"I may have done something like that," Jean-Luc said, answering Beverly's question.
"I can't believe you," Beverly said laughing ,as her husband swung her around and kissed her.
"Like I said, it wouldn't be much fun if I couldn't spoil her."
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