Author's note: This is the third and final chapter of what started out as an insomniac's pastime but has grown into The Fire Trilogy. This story is a much more involved than "The Fire Goddess" and "Playing with Fire" and a great deal longer, but I hope you don't find it boring. It does have sex and humor to make up for its voluminousness. Special thanks to Allison Martens, aka AlEgg, for the title. And very special thanks to The Couple.

 
M. L. Anthony

Prologue

Jean-Luc Picard entered Beverly Crusher's quarters to find her sprawled over her couch, reading. She was still in uniform but had removed her boots. He bent to remove his own and placed them next to hers by the wall in her bedroom. She had not outwardly acknowledged his presence, but as he moved closer to the couch she swung her legs over the edge and sat up to make room for him. He settled down next to her, stretching out his legs and putting his stocking feet on the coffee table. She pivoted and lay back down, this time with her head in his lap. She positioned the book on her abdomen and continued to read.

He glanced down at the book. "Are you still reading that?" he asked, his fingers playing with her hair.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Jean-Luc, the T'treinans have one of the most fascinating cultures that I have ever encountered. I want to be ready to learn as much as possible about them by the time we get there."

"You seem especially fascinated with their religion."

"Hmmm. I have you to thank for that, don't I?" She smiled up at him and winked.

Jean-Luc laughed and tweaked her nose.

"But seriously, Jean-Luc, it's amazing. They still practice the ancient religions. What your book here erroneously calls 'mythologies' aren't mythologies at all. They still believe in the old gods. Do you know that the fire goddess, Ranera, is the most powerful being in their pantheon of gods? She's like Zeus on Mt. Olympus. A temple was erected in her honor 14,000 years ago in the Great Forest of the Middle Continent. It is still fully functional today and, according to this book, just as beautiful as it was 14 millennia ago. It's a gigantic structure of stone and marble, like something out of ancient Greece or Rome. And there's a statue of the goddess over twenty meters in height, perfectly preserved, at the entrance. I'll bet it's remarkable. But do you know what the most astounding feature of Ranera's Temple is? There's a pool of fire inside the main room, where the altar is also located. The fire is somehow self-generating. There's no way to explain it's source. There's no underground gas pocket or plasma source, nothing. The few scientists that the T'treinans let scan the temple were at a complete loss to explain it. The pool itself is carved out of thick marble slabs. According to the scientist's scans, the marble is completely solid; there are no cracks or fissures in it at all. They scanned under the Temple and found only the dirt of the forest. They tested everything: the soil, the marble, even the trees, and found nothing that could provide a fuel source for a fire that has been burning for over 14000 years. Isn't that astounding?"

Jean-Luc smiled down at her, mildly amazed that she had learned so much about the T'treinans. He was pleased that she was beginning to pick up his hobby of studying ancient cultures, even if in this case it was in preparation for a mission. Nevertheless, her interest in the T'treinans was genuine.

When he didn't answer her, she looked up at him inquisitively. "Jean-Luc, did you hear a word I just said?"

He lightly ran his fingers through her hair. "Of course I did. I'm just amazed at the depth of your fascination with the T'treinans."

"Don't you think it's fascinating?" she asked as she sat up and placed the book on the table. "Jean-Luc, these people are so reclusive that they make off-planet contact on average of twice a century and now they've invited us to visit their world. Us. It's likely that we will be the only people to have direct contact with them for over fifty years! How can that not intrigue you?"

"Beverly, I am intrigued. It's just that I cannot recall if I've ever seen you so excited about a mission. You've been bouncing off the walls since we received the invitation."

"I am a excited," she said, a blush now tinging her cheeks. "Sorry if I've been overzealous."

"You haven't been overzealous. A little annoying, but never overzealous."

She delivered a playful punch to his stomach and listened to his laughter as she lay again with her head in his lap.

"So what have you been doing all afternoon?" Beverly asked, tracing lines on the back of his hand where it lay on her stomach.

"Reviewing the internal structure of the T'treinan government," he replied. "It's a monarchy. The current king, Ilbius, rules the planet with the aid of the General Council, made up of representatives from each of the planet's 147 provinces, and six key advisors. I won't bore you with the specifics since it appears to be a fairly straightforward and efficient form of government. The only strange thing about it--if you could call it 'strange'--is the fact the one of the king's advisors is the Carnis, the planet's religious leader. Apparently, the king and the Council consult this individual regularly during the normal course of administration and no major policy decisions are made without the Carnis' approval."

"So there's no separation of Church and State," Beverly observed.

"No, not really. It's quite fascinating. They operate in a fashion similar to ancient Byzantium on Earth, in which Church and State operated as one entity, except that then the emperor acted as the religious leader. Here, there are two separate individuals but, for all intents and purposes, they govern the planet as one."

Beverly was intrigued. The T'treinans culture was so very different from their own "Why do you think they asked us to come?"

Jean-Luc shrugged. "They didn't give a reason. They only contacted the Federation Council and extended an invitation for one starship to visit their planet. Naturally, the Council chose to send the Flagship."

"Ahhh, the advantages of serving on a vessel named Enterprise," she murmured, then nearly laughed when she thought of all the times serving on a vessel named Enterprise had nearly gotten them all blown to hell. "The T'treinans sent you an itinerary, didn't they?"

"Hmmm, and a few 'rules'. No more than fifty crewmembers are allowed on the planet at any given time and they must have a government escort. We are permitted to do research and conduct scans but must obtain permission from the Council to remove anything from the planet. As for the itinerary, there will be an official State reception when we arrive for the senior officers." He frowned at the thought of having to put on that damned dress uniform. "After the reception there will be a tour of the government complex as well as Ranerana, the capital city."

Beverly's ears perked up. "Hey, isn't the capital city on the Middle Continent?"

"Yes." He knew where she was going with this.

"Do you think they'll let us visit Ranera's Temple?"

"I don't know. We'll have to ask. It wasn't on the itinerary but they mentioned nothing about us being banned from their holy places, either. But I thought you wanted to visit their medical facilities."

"I do. But I want to see the Temple as well."

"I guess I won't be seeing you very much during this mission," he said rubbing his hand over her chest.

She sighed, sat up, and scooted her way onto his lap. "Then we should enjoy the time we have together now, before we get to the planet," she said as she nibbled on his ear.

"You think?" Jean-Luc drew the zipper of her uniform down and burrowed his hand inside to capture her breast. Her hand slipped beneath his waistband.

"Umm-hmmm. I think."

1.

The Captain stalked down the corridor, tugging on the collar of his dress uniform, damned infernal thing that it was. He entered the transporter room where his six senior officers stood likewise in dress uniform waiting for him.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Aye, sir," they said almost in unison and began to ascend the transporter pad. Picard was about to give the order for transporter when a call came over the comm link.

"Sickbay to Dr. Crusher."

Beverly tapped her communicator. "Crusher here."

"Doctor, one of the bacteria samples you were growing has been infected with some kind of fungus. It's breaking down the bacterial matter."

"Which sample?"

"The Margulian bacillus."

Beverly bounded off the pad and turned toward Picard. "Captain, that fungus is eating seven weeks worth of research..."

Jean-Luc nodded. "Go on. I'll arrange for you to beam down when you are finished."

"Thanks. Don't have too much fun without me. I'll be there as soon as I can." And with a quick wave, she was out the door.

2.

The six Enterprise officers materialized in the main foyer of the capital building and were greeted by three T'treinans. Immediately, they were led into the Great Hall where King Ilbius, his advisors, and the General Council were awaiting their arrival.

Upon entering the Hall, the officers noticed two things about the nearly 200 T'treinans in the room. First, none of them stood much taller than Deanna Troi. The average height of the T'treinan population was approximately 5'2" but rarely did one reach a height any loftier than 5'5". They were in no way dwarfish, however. They were perfectly proportioned in their petite frames. The second thing the officers noticed was the T'treinans' hair. They all either had very light hair or very dark hair. There were a few who appeared to be a cross in between with varying shades of brown, but none had even the slightest hint of auburn. The Captain guessed that maybe the gene for red hair was missing in their genetic makeup. He would ask Beverly when she arrived. Other than those to anomalies, they looked human, completely with varying skin tones.

Two men stood forward to greet them. Both had dark hair and were dressed very richly. The shorter of the two stepped forward, a smile lighting up his face.

Jean-Luc stepped forward as well and returned the smile. "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. I bring to you the warmest of greetings from the United Federation of Planets."

The man clasped his hands together and bowed his head once by way of traditional T'treinan greeting. Jean-Luc mimicked the movement.

"I am King Ilbius, and on behalf of the planet T'treina, I accept your greetings and welcome you, Captain Picard." His voice was soft yet firm; a voice of a commander.

Jean-Luc extended his hand and the king shook it warmly.

"Captain, I will introduce to you my chief advisor, Carnis Andric," Ilbius said indicating the man to his left. "The Carnis is the spiritual leader of our planet."

Jean-Luc exchanged the traditional greeting with the man. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Carnis," he said. "I must say that the spiritual culture of this planet is of particular fascination to us. We hope to learn more from you."

The man looked up at Jean-Luc and laughed. "It will be my pleasure to teach you, Captain."

"Thank you." Picard turned toward the king once more. "Now allow me to introduce my senior officers." He presented them all in turn. "There is one other member of the senior staff, my chief medical officer. She had an emergency to attend to and will be down shortly."

The king looked genuinely concerned. "I trust it was nothing too serious, Captain."

"Not too serious," the Captain reassured him.

"Good."

Ilbius motioned them toward a set of seats in front of the 147 members of the General Council and the other advisors. As they settled down, Riker leaned over to Picard and said in a low voice, "Have you noticed their coloring?"

The Captain raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Riker gave one of his devilish grins. "Beverly's going to stick out like a sore thumb when she gets here."

Jean-Luc only smiled.

Once they were seated, Ilbius went to the podium and began his official introduction and welcoming speech. When he had concluded, Jean-Luc gave his speech. Afterward, there was a sort of question and answer period in which the Enterprise officers answered the T'treinans questions and the T'treinans answered theirs. They abandoned the stiff formality of the podium. It was all very conversational and friendly in nature. There were even refreshments.

"Your Majesty, we were very surprised to receive your invitation to visit your world. You so rarely extend such an honor," Jean-Luc said. "We could not help but wonder why you asked us here?"

The king smiled, his brown eyes twinkling. "Why not, Captain?" he returned. "Every now and then, we like to take a peek outside of our world. It's mostly out of curiosity. This way, we can remain in contact with the galaxy while not being swallowed up by it."

"That's an interesting way to put it."

"Isn't it, though?" Ilbius quipped.

Jean-Luc was going to ask another question when his communicator sounded. "Excuse me, sir," he said apologetically. When the king nodded for him to proceed, he tapped his comm badge. "Picard here."

Beverly's voice came over the link. "I'm all finished here, Captain. Is it too late for me to join you?"

Instantly, Picard's already jovial spirits rose a notch or two as they always did when he heard her voice. "No, not at all, Doctor. You missed the reception, but we have not taken the tour yet."

"Good," Beverly said. "I'm on my way. Crusher out."

"That was your chief medical officer?" the king asked, rising out of his chair.

Picard nodded. "She's most fascinated by your culture and is very excited about the tour."

"That's grand. I hope T'treina lives up to her expectations."

"From what I've seen as of yet, Your Majesty, T'treina exceeds all of our expectations," Jean-Luc said graciously before he turned toward the door, expecting Beverly to enter soon.

In the main foyer, Beverly Crusher was completely puzzled.

The three guards who where supposed to escort her to the others seemed frozen in place. In fact, they looked completely shocked, as if they'd seen a ghost. They stood trembling, staring at her with their mouths open and their eyes wide.

She tried again to talk to them.

"Excuse me. I'm with the Enterprise party. Could you at least tell me where the others are?"

Still no response.

Beverly didn't know whether to be frustrated, confused, or angry. Was this some kind of joke? She tapped her comm badge. "Crusher to Picard."

"Go ahead, Doctor."

"Captain, where are you?" she asked. "The guards that I assume were to escort me seem a little... out of sorts."

There was a pause.

"Are you in the main foyer?" Jean-Luc asked at last.

"Yes, I believe so."

"We're in the Great Hall, three doors down on the right. There should be a guard opening the door for you right about now."

Beverly looked down the hall. Indeed, a great wooden door was beginning to open. "I see him," she said and closed the channel as she headed off down the hall.

3.

From his vantage point inside the Great Hall, Picard could see the guard opening the door to admit Beverly. Once the man had pushed the heavy doors open, he looked down the hall from which she was approaching. His eyes grew wide and his hands trembled on the door handles. The Captain exchanged puzzled glances first with his officers, then turned an inquiring look on the king. The man shook his head, equally puzzled.

They began moving toward the door, intent on finding out what was so shocking in the hallway when Beverly entered the room with a perplexed frown on her face.

The din of conversation in the room screeched to a halt and was followed by a succession of gasps from the T'treinans. Their wide eyes, every single one of them, was focused on Beverly Crusher.

Picard and the others looked about them, hundreds of questions on their faces. Beverly moved to join them.

"What the hell is going on?" she whispered. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

Jean-Luc shook his head. "I'm not sure."

"I figured you'd draw some attention because of your hair color, but this seems excessive," Will Riker commented wryly.

"There are no indigenous people on T'treina with red hair, and even though they have had contact with humans before they may not have ever encountered anyone with Dr. Crusher's particular coloring," Data observed.

"But this is too much," the Captain said with concern. "Counselor, do you get any impressions from them?"

Deanna Troi looked a little harried. Her eyes were wide and her breathing shallow. "These people were totally shocked by Beverly's appearance. As soon as she walked through the door they were filled with surprise, disbelief, fear, and hope." Deanna shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "What I get most of all is recognition. They think they know you, Beverly."

The doctor's frown grew deeper. "How? I wasn't even born the last time they let anyone visit this planet."

"I don't know how, Beverly, but they truly believe that they know you."

"Shhhhh," Geordi said suddenly, "They're saying something."

The officers looked over at the king who was in a similar huddle that they were in with his advisors. They could just make out what the T'treinans were saying.

"....could it be her? Is it possible?"

"She looks... It's her. It's just like all the paintings and the statue."

"But how can we be sure...."

"After all this time, she's come back to us."

The king waved the men away and he and the Carnis carefully approached the Enterprise delegation. Their eyes were pinned on Beverly. The other officers stepped away slightly, leaving Picard and Crusher facing the two men.

"King Ilbius, Carnis Andric," the Captain began slowly, "this is Dr. Beverly Crusher, the chief medical officer." He paused for a second before he asked, "Sir, is anything the matter?"

The king managed to wrest his eyes away from Beverly only briefly. "She--" he began, then felt into that stupefied shock again.

Now Beverly stepped forward. At nearly six feet tall, she towered over both of them. "I'm pleased to meet you, sirs," she tried. When they shuddered at the sound of her voice, she turned to Jean-Luc helplessly. He shook his head to indicated that he was at a loss as well. She sighed and once again addressed the two men. "Uh--sirs, Counselor Troi is an empath and she says she senses that you believe you know me. But I know that's not possible. Who is it do you think I am?"

The Carnis licked his lips before he finally spoke. His voice was little more than a whisper. "Ranera. You are Ranera."

4.

"Ranera?!" Beverly and Jean-Luc said in unison. "The fire goddess?!"

The Carnis only managed a half-nod.

"The fire goddess?" Riker asked.

"In their religion Ranera, the fire goddess, is the most powerful deity," Jean-Luc explained.

"They think Doc is a goddess?" Geordi asked softly, shaking his head. "Oh man."

"I read in the legends that Ranera had red hair, but surely they can't think that--"

"No, they can't think that," Beverly said, cutting him off. She turned toward the Carnis. "Sir, is it my hair that startles you? It's only hair. You can touch it." She bent at the waist and let the long tresses fall forward. Both the king and the Carnis took a half step backward as if it would burn them.

Beverly straightened. "I don't understand this. I'm not even the only person on the ship with red hair. We could show you other people with the same coloring." She raised her hands to indicate her frustration.

The king cleared his throat. "It--it is not only your hair," he said haltingly. "You--you look like her."

Beverly frowned. "But I thought that the fire goddess hasn't been seen in over 14,000 years?"

"There are paintings and statues in the Temple. And the Book of the Ancient Denizens." Ilbius seemed to hesitate a moment. "We could show you."

The Enterprise officers exchanged looks and Captain Picard said, "Please do."

The king nodded. "I will call for the ground cars."

But Jean-Luc shook his head. "Sir, given the reaction of the people in this room to Dr. Crusher's presence, I do not think it wise to parade her through the streets for more of your citizens to see her and mistake her identity."

The king regarded him curiously. "But we are not mistaken."

Jean-Luc grew cautious for it seemed that the king had already made up his mind about who he believed Beverly to be. "Nevertheless, I would prefer it if we beamed to the Temple."

King Ilbius turned to Beverly. "Is this your wish?"

She nodded.

"Very well."

5.

It took only a few minutes to contact the ship and give them the coordinates to Ranera's Temple. The only glitch occurred when the transporter chief told Picard that he was unable to lock his transport coordinates inside the Temple. He could give no explanation of why.

The party of the seven senior officers, King Ilbius, Carnis Andric, the other five advisors to the king, and a dozen or so selected Council members materialized on the Temple steps. The building was as beautiful as it had been described in the book. The wide expanse of the steps was framed on each side by six huge megaliths, each with an identical carving of some symbol on their face. The steps themselves were constructed of the same material as the pillared building. The stone was white and barely eroded. As their eyes took in the front of the Temple, the Enterprise crew was shocked when they spotted the colossal stone statue standing to one side of the entrance.

It did indeed stand over twenty meters tall, but it wasn't the size of the thing that caused the officers to become nervous, it was the face. The resemblance to Beverly Crusher was uncanny.

The voices of the T'treinans urged the officers to come inside the Temple. Taking one last look at the statue, they followed them between the columns and through the huge double doors of the entrance.

The inside of the Temple was as immense and beautiful as the outside, even more so. The floor was made of shining white marble with golden brown flecks within it and extended throughout the whole building. They were moving slowly down a long passage way that was lined on the sides with other, smaller statues. Beverly guessed that they must be the lesser gods. Up the walls, there were delicately woven color tapestries, depicting scenes out of the T'treinans legends. The vaulted ceiling was covered with a mural of more dramatic scenes. Lanterns resting on stone ledges provided the light for the passage. Up ahead, though, they could see a brighter, more vibrant golden light.

When they reached the end of the long passageway and entered the corona of the building, they saw the source of that light. This room was circular and cathedral-like in its vastness. More tapestries and murals covered the walls, but they were much more opulent than the others. There were stone carvings everywhere and paintings. And directly opposite the passage in which they where standing was the Pool of Fire.

It was a sight to behold. The marble bowl, carved into the floor, that contained it was about two meters in diameter and one meter deep. Inside, was fire. But the flames were not shooting straight up. Instead, they appeared to be rolling within the pool. Almost like waves of water, they moved within the bowl. The fire gave off heat that they could feel, but there was no smoke.

Geordi peered with his VISOR and shook his head. "That, Captain," he said quietly, "is one of the great mysteries of the galaxy. There is nothing fueling that fire. It shouldn't have burned for two seconds much less 14,000 years."

"I think this whole planet is turning out to be a great mystery, Mr. LaForge," the Captain remarked.

The T'treinans moved off to the right so the senior officers turned to follow them... and stopped dead in their tracks.

They were now facing the centerpiece of the Temple: the altar of Ranera. It was of unsurpassed beauty, constructed of stone and carved with pictures. It was surrounded by flowers, incense, and candles. A long sheathed sword lay on top of it and directly above it, was what struck them dumb: a painting of Ranera.

It was as if Beverly's image had been burned into the canvas. It was her, lifelike and in splendid color. The shade of her eyes, her hair, her complexion matching the woman now slowly approaching the altar flawlessly. The figure was even the same; the same strong, graceful arms and shapely legs. And her face held the same mischievous look that so often graced Beverly Crusher's features. To say that it was a mirror image would have been an understatement.

The redhead in the Starfleet uniform stared at the redhead in the painting and shook her head in utter disbelief. "I do not believe this," she whispered slowly.

Next to her Jean-Luc was similarly shocked. "Nor do I," he whispered back. "What the hell is going on?"

"I wish I knew."

"Here. Over here," Carnis Andric beckoned. "This is the Book of the Ancient Denizens. It was recorded 14 millennia ago when Ranera was last here. It says that when she removed herself from physical presence that she made a covenant with the people to return one day as a physical being. Until that day, she would exist in the spiritual world to provide us guidance."

Beverly shook her head. "But you can't seriously believe that I am her," she protested. "I'm telling right now that I am not."

"The Covenant states that when Ranera is reincarnated in the flesh, the physical person will return here to be rejoined with the spiritual entity. There will be a mark upon the One who will be Ranera so that we might know it is she."

"A mark? What mark?"

Andric crossed to the painting above the altar and pointed. "There on the right hip of the Goddess is the mark of the One."

All the Enterprise officers stared up at the painting. Ranera was wearing a white gown that dipped low in the front and was slit to above the thigh on both sides. On her right hip, the mark showed distinctly. It looked like a backward "S" with another one, larger than the first, superimposed on top of it.

Now Beverly breathed a sigh of relief. She had no such mark upon her body. She told the T'treinans so.

They looked at each other and seemed to confer silently. After several seconds, King Ilbuis stepped forward. "Dr. Crusher, if you could show us that you do not bear the mark, we will concede that we have been mistaken."

Beverly immediately agreed, grateful that they could put an end to this right here and now. She lifted the tunic of her dress uniform and tugged the right side of the waistband of her pants down just enough to uncover her hip and nothing else.

She thought she would pass out from the shock of what she saw.

The mark of the One was on her.

Her wide eyes came up to clash with Jean-Luc's. He, too, couldn't believe what he saw.

And the T'treinans, having seen all they needed to by way of confirmation of their beliefs, one by one all fell to their knees before the Goddess.

6.

"I've spoken with Starfleet command and informed them of our situation," Jean-Luc said as he settled into his chair. He and his officers had returned to ship immediately following the incident in the Temple.

"And what did they say?" Riker asked leaning forward.

"They agreed with my assessment that we have not violated the Prime Directive in the matter," he said. But before his officers could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "They did inform me, however, that our perpetuation of the T'treinans belief would be a violation. Furthermore, we are not to depart orbit until we have done everything possible to dissuade them from believing in Beverly's divinity."

Now Beverly piped up, fidgeting in her seat. "That's great. Just great," she said crossly. She had been in a foul, foul mood ever since they'd returned to the ship. The Captain knew that her formidable temper was on the verge of erupting. "How can we 'dissuade' them? Those people were kneeling to me, for god's sake. What am I supposed to do, let them shoot me with an arrow?"

Jean-Luc's eyes narrowed at her reference. "Beverly," he said warningly, "that was a different situation and called for a drastic action."

She looked at him with that exasperated expression she sometimes wore. "It was stupid. You could have been killed." She jumped out of her chair and began pacing the conference lounge. "Of all the things that could have happened, we get this. Why can't we just have a normal mission every now and then?"

"You're really upset about this, aren't you, Beverly?" Will asked with concern.

"You're damned right I'm upset!" she snapped at him, then closed her eyes and took a calming breath. "I'm sorry, Will. It's just that not only do the T'treinans think that I'm their goddess, I don't know where this came from." She touched her right hip to indicate the place where her new birthmark was located. "The tests we ran in sickbay indicate that the mark has been there from birth, and yet it was NOT there this morning."

"It sure as hell wasn't," the Captain muttered under his breath.

"What was that, sir?" Geordi asked.

Jean-Luc's ears tinged pink. "Nothing, Mr. LaForge."

"That mark was not there until I beamed down to that planet. I'm sure of it," Beverly concluded, retaking her seat.

It was then that she noticed that Deanna Troi was staring at her. Beverly had been mildly aware of the counselor's scrutiny earlier on the planet, but had gotten too distracted to ask her about it. Now her friend was simply staring at her and she wanted to know why.

"Deanna, is there some reason why you are looking at me like that?"

The Betazoid blinked as if her trance had been broken. "I'm sorry, Beverly. I didn't mean to stare, but..."

"But what?"

Deanna took a deep breath and organized her thoughts. "Beverly, you have a very strong and distinct set of emotional responses. In fact, you are one of the few people on this ship with the ability to break through my empathic defenses simply because you feel so strongly and because I am close to you."

Beverly now thought she understood. "Oh. I'm sorry, Deanna. I must be overwhelming you with all my anxiety. I'll try to calm down."

But Troi was shaking her head. "No, Beverly. You don't understand. You're not overwhelming me. I can't sense you at all."

"What?"

"I've tried but it's like you're not even there. I have no sense of you whatsoever. I haven't since you beamed down to the planet."

"Are you sure about this, Counselor?" Captain Picard asked.

"Yes," she said emphatically. "I sensed her concern over the bacteria samples in the transporter room. But once she got to the planet, nothing."

"Captain," Worf began, "it is possible that the T'treinans are somehow blocking the counselor's empathic sense."

"They'd have to be very talented empaths themselves or have some pretty sophisticated technology to block my sense of only one individual, Worf," Deanna said. "I sense the rest of you just fine, and the T'treinans as well."

"And that still doesn't explain the birthmark," Geordi added. "Doc's whereabouts are accounted for during the entire time she was on the planet. They never had the opportunity to put it on her."

"So what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a mystery," the Captain stated, wanting to draw the meeting to a close, "and I want it solved as quickly as possible so that we can salvage this mission. Counselor, you, Beverly, and I will meet with King Ilbius and Carnis Andric again tomorrow morning. I want the away missions to continue as scheduled, but everyone is to keep their eyes and ears open. Maybe we'll find something down there that might shed some light on all these unanswered questions."

7.

The next day found Beverly leaning over a lab table slicing thin pieces of a root into sections with a laser scalpel. The morning's meeting with the T'treinans had been unproductive which added to her anxiety over this whole situation. The away teams doing research on the planet had begun to report that word was spreading that "The Goddess" had returned. Both Deanna and Jean-Luc had agreed with her assessment that this was getting way out of hand. Hoping that work would take her mind off her troubles, she had decided to go to the lab and test some root samples that the biology teams had collected on T'treina.

But even as she worked her mind kept wandering. What was bothering her most was not the fact that the T'treinans believed her to be a goddess; it was the painting, the birthmark, and Deanna's inability to sense her. How could these things be possible? Her rational, scientific mind rebelled against the thought of anything supernatural. In her view, almost every unexplained phenomena had a logical explanation that just needed to be found. Even Ronin had turned out to be an imitation ghost. However, the things that had happened here bothered her. She could see no way to relegate these occurrences to logic and that made her skin prickle with fear.

What's more, she was beginning to think that Jean-Luc and the others were looking at her strangely. She had tried to dismiss it as paranoia, but the look on Jean-Luc's face at the sight of the birthmark had her worried. He knew that it hadn't been their before as well as she and if a little inkling of self-doubt was attempting to creep into her resolve, she could only imagine what he was thinking.

Half-focused, she made another slice with her scalpel and cut too far. The narrow beam sliced across her fingers, causing her to yelp in pain. The blood was already flowing copiously from the wound when the doors opened a few seconds later and Captain Picard escorted the king and his party into the lab as part of their tour of the ship.

Jean-Luc was at her side the instant he saw the blood streaming from her hand onto the lab table. For her part, Beverly was trying to keep the roots from being splattered.

"Move the samples, Jean-Luc," she ordered, pointing with her good hand.

Knowing better than to argue with her, he scooped up the samples and moved them to another table. He grabbed a pack of gauze from a drawer and rejoined her.

"What happened?" he asked, pressing the dressing onto her hand. His concern for her was evident upon his face.

She winced at the burning pain. "I got careless. I'd better go get this knitted," she said moving toward the side door that led to the main area of sickbay.

Momentarily forgetting about the T'treinans watching the scene in awe, he guided her out of the lab. It wasn't until he saw her sitting on the biobed under Nurse Ogawa's care that he returned to his guests.

They were still staring at the blood on the table.

"Forgive me," said Jean-Luc. "It is rare that accidents of this nature happen. Shall we continue?"

They merely nodded, their eyes wide.

As he led them out of sickbay, Jean-Luc wondered what they were thinking. While the incident had been unplanned, he hoped that seeing Beverly's injury would have the same deterrent effect upon them that his injury had had upon the Mintakans. "Stupid" idea or not, it had done the trick in convincing them that he was not a god. Picard only hoped the same would happen here.

8.

By evening of the following day, Jean-Luc Picard knew that they would have no such luck. He, Beverly, and Deanna spent the majority of the day on the planet talking until they were blue in the face to no avail. They had presented the T'treinans with every possible bit of information on Beverly that they could: birth record, medical files, family history, and genetic scans. She even let them pluck out a few strands of her hair when they asked if they could. But all was in vain. They held firmly to their beliefs and refused to budge.

Jean-Luc could tell that the proceedings were taking their toll on Beverly. She didn't seem as annoyed as before (a good sign) but he could almost feel her frustration. He shared it.

During a short break in the morning meeting when everyone had vacated the room she remained by the window lost in thought. He crept up and hugged her from behind. She let out a soft sigh.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"You looked as if you needed it," he said into her hair.

She turned in his arms and kissed him softly. "Thank you."

Neither of them noticed the T'treinan guard who had crept back into the room a few minutes before.

The afternoon's proceedings proved just as fruitless as the morning's so they decided to adjourn for the day. It was then that Beverly asked if it would be possible for her to visit the Temple again.

"Of course," said the king. "You can do anything you please."

She rubbed her forehead in an attempt to ward off a headache. "I'd like to go this evening."

"It will be done."

9.

Within the hour, Beverly materialized on the steps of the Temple. She was alone. Jean-Luc had wanted to send down a security team with her but the Carnis had assured him that it wasn't necessary. He had ordered the Temple and the surrounding forest cleared of worshippers for the night so that the "Goddess" might be alone. There were two T'treinans present, however, to open the gigantic double doors for her and to close them behind her, but they, too, scampered away after they had completed their duty.

Beverly leaned in close to study one of the tapestries in the passageway. It depicted some sort of battle, like the Bayeux Tapestry from medieval Europe but the artistry was more precise. She moved further down the wall to another scene similar in nature but stopped as one of the great doors opened.

Jean-Luc peeked his head around the door and smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

She smiled back. Despite the fact that she'd come here to be alone and think, she welcomed his presence. "Please do."

He entered and pushed the door closed behind him. He carried an odd-looking bottle and two goblets.

"What's that?"

"A T'treinan wine called Something I Can't Pronounce," he said handing her the cups. "The Carnis gave it to me." He poured some into each goblet.

Beverly sniffed the contents then raised the cup to her lips. The liquid was strong yet smooth and absolutely delicious. The pleased look on Jean-Luc's face told him that he agreed. He refilled both their glasses and they proceeded to explore the Temple.

They went into every side room, examined every statue and painting. They were impressed beyond imagining at the richness and creativity of this culture. They had never expected anything this beautiful.

They finished the tour (and the bottle of wine) in the altar room and it was there that Beverly got yet another shock. On the altar, next to the sword and other holy relics, were pieces of cloth stained with deep red and several strands of long red hair preserved under a sheet of glass.

"I'll bet you anything that's my blood," she said to Jean-Luc.

He shook his head, thinking that the delegates must have dipped pieces of their clothing in the blood on the lab table.

Beverly walked away from the altar and sat on the floor by one of the pillars lining the room. "You know, Jean-Luc, for a minute there, when all this first started, I was flattered. I thought 'Oh, that's cute. They think I'm a goddess. Ha, ha.' But this is too much." She said it with a half-smile that was only half in humor. Her frustration was edging up on her again.

Jean-Luc joined her on the floor and positioned his back against the pillar. The invited her to settle between his legs. She nestled into him, savoring the strength of his arms around her. They didn't speak. They both just sat with their eyes closed.

His hands kneaded her tense shoulders and neck. Hers rested on his knees. He then moved down her arms, still massaging gently. Gradually, though, the massage turned into a caress, his fingers grazing the sides of her breasts. She sighed contentedly.

As if they had minds of their own, Jean-Luc's hands moved to lightly cup her breasts. She inhaled deeply, the motion pushing her hardening nipples into his palms. Against her lower back, she could feel him growing firmer. He gently squeezed the soft flesh in his hands, then moved lower, overcome by the force of his desires, until his hands reached the tops of her thighs. She shifted her body upward to give him the access he needed, her bottom tantalizing the bulge within his pants in the process. His hand dropped between her legs to tease her through her clothes. Bracing her hands on his thighs, she wiggled herself against him, causing an audible sigh to escape his lips.

Their arousal was growing and a common thought nagged at the back of their minds: We can't do this here.

Jean-Luc reluctantly withdrew his hand and Beverly slid out and away from his body. She pivoted on the floor to face him. "We can't do this here," she whispered with her eyes closed.

"No. We can't." His voice was hoarse and strained.

She finally opened her eyes to look at him and gasped.

In his eyes was... something. Was it love, lust, desire, passion? To her, all these words were inadequate to describe the look in his eyes at this moment--a look she knew was mirrored in her own. All at once, she knew what she was seeing and knew that they were powerless to stop it.

It was fire.

10.

Their lips met in a bruising kiss; their hands immediately working to divest them of their uniforms. Blue, black, and red cloth was soon tossed aside to be followed by socks and boots and two empty goblets that just happened to be in the way.

Beverly found herself on her back, the cool marble providing vivid contrast to Jean-Luc's heated flesh above her. She teased his hipbones with her fingers as his lips moved along her neck. Abruptly, she grabbed the sides of his head and pushed his mouth down to her breast. Eagerly, his lips captured the nipple and his tongue lavished it. She whimpered under his attention, her hands caressing the smooth skin of his head.

He moved to the other nipple and sucked it into his mouth. The motion caused her to arch her neck upward, which was his complete undoing. He released her breast and dove to place his mouth on the side of her throat, his teeth scoring the tender skin. Jean-Luc reached up and gripped her hair almost painfully as his lips and tongue moved up her neck to her chin and jaw. He kissed his way up to her mouth where she met his ravishing tongue with her own.

Beverly slipped one leg between his and rolled them over so that she lay over him. She pulled her head free of his grasp and placed her mouth over one of the flat nipples on his chest while her thumbnail teased the other. A little gasp greeted her ears as she gently raised the nipple to a hardened peak between her teeth.

She felt his until-now-neglected hardness jump with his arousal against her hip. One hand flitted down his belly and claimed him. He was hard, rock hard, and pulsing within her grasp. Beverly shuddered and felt herself approaching an orgasm just from holding him. What's happening to me? she wondered but really didn't care to hear the answer because the sensations she was experiencing were just too damned good to question.

Apparently, Jean-Luc thought so too for he dragged her up his body and rolled them onto their sides, their heads cradled in his arm. Beverly draped one long leg over his hip and felt him move his hand between them, his fingers sliding against her wetness. He wasted no time finding the part of her body he knew would cause her to scream. He touched her, lightly at first, them with more pressure. He moved in patterns. First his fingers moved in circles and then they just tapped against her. Then Jean-Luc began a maddening flicking along the length of her, enjoying the heated wetness that greeted his touch. She was moving her hips in time with his fingers, her hazy blue eyes locked to his.

And it was her eyes that told him it was time. Before they finally slid shut, he saw something within them, something that moved and flared to life.

It was fire.

Beverly tensed against him, her skin flushing pink, the heat emanating from her reaching out to envelope him. And Jean-Luc's steely self control crumbled to pieces at the first signs of her orgasm. He removed his fingers, arched his hips forward, and entered the fire.

He was greeted by searing heat and the exquisitely strong pulsations of her inner muscles. He began to thrust, quickly because he felt himself becoming lost in the power of her passion. As her orgasm continued, she clung to him, gasping for breath as his deep thrusts carried her toward another climax. But this time Jean-Luc joined her; his final thrust sending them both into the inferno. He squeezed her to him, aware of the burning pleasure that seemed to infuse his body. He thought he was on fire and felt his soul shatter, mix with hers, and piece itself back together again as the flames that had momentarily engulfed him receded back into her.

And through it all the two T'treinans watching from an alcove across the room went unnoticed. With knowing smiles on their faces, they slipped back through the secret passage and out into the forest.

11.

Beverly's breathing finally approached normal after several minutes. She raised herself up on one elbow and looked down at Jean-Luc. He still lay flat on his back on the cool marble floor, now slick with their combined sweat. His eyes were closed and a little smile played on his lips as he dozed. All her troubles temporarily forgotten, she took the opportunity to stare at him.

Lying gloriously naked in this temple, Jean-Luc Picard looked like a god. Beverly's eyes roamed over his broad shoulders and muscular arms; down to the long fingers that were so adept at pleasuring her. She took in his torso: the muscled chest covered by the sparse, downy soft hair; his nipples, still erect from her earlier ministrations; his hard flat abdomen. She moved down his narrow hips to the strong thighs and calves and his graceful-looking feet. Instinctively, Beverly's eyes roamed back up the length of those legs and rested on the most godlike feature of his body.

It lay peacefully on his thigh, long and still thick despite his recent climax. She found that it twitched just a bit if she ran her fingernail lightly around the crown. She repeated the motion, this time with pressure from the pad of her index finger. It twitched more violently this time. Now with two fingers she traced the entire length with just the lightest of touches. A smile spread across her lips as she watched it extend farther across his thigh, lifting slightly and growing thicker and harder to her infinite delight. She tore her greedy eyes away from Jean-Luc's growing erection to look at his face as he uttered a small moan.

The hazel eyes opened slowly and met her own. He smiled at her, feeling his arousal grow, his passion rekindling under her sultry stare. He glanced down her body. She lay on her side next to him, propped up on one elbow, looking positively divine in her nakedness with the light from the Pool of Fire glowing on her smooth skin. Her hand still rested lightly on his erection and he closed his eyes when he felt her fingers reach to encircle him. He felt...

..pain.

"Ahhhh!" he yelped.

Beverly frowned, concerned and confused. She hadn't gripped him that tightly. She loosened her hold on him.

"Jean-Luc?" she asked. "Jean-Luc, what's wrong?"

Immediately, and too late, he tried to cover up his discomfort. "Nothing," he said tightly, then repeated more gently, "It's nothing." He forced a smile at her.

She wasn't convinced. He'd never yelled out in pain before when she touched him that way. Besides, he was softening in her loose grip. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He pulled her down for a kiss. She sighed and relaxed.

"Good. I thought I'd hurt you or something." Beverly moved her hand to stroke him.

He winced at the movement and she pulled away.

"All right, Jean-Luc," she said, sitting up on the floor, "what's the matter with you?"

"Beverly, it's nothing," he said through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean 'it's nothing'?! You yelled out in pain when I touched you. Now what's the matter?"

He covered his penis with both hands.

One of her eyebrows rose.

"Jean-Luc, let me see."

"No."

"Jean-Luc," she said sternly.

He looked up at her and knew that there was no way that she was going to drop this subject now. He didn't know which of them was going to be more embarrassed when she saw the source of his earlier shrieks of pain. He guessed it was best to get it over with. He moved his hands.

Beverly tucked her hair behind her ears and bent over his body to inspect him. After only a few seconds, she found Jean-Luc's secret injury.

"What is that; a heat rash?!!" she exclaimed, sitting up straight to look at him.

Jean-Luc looked away sheepishly, his face turning bright pink.

Still incredulous, puzzled, and a little amused, Beverly shook her head. "How the hell did you get a heat rash there?"

Unable to look her in the eye, Jean-Luc replied to one of the marble columns, "It happened while we were--"

"WHAT?!!"

"It's true."

"But how?" she asked.

The Captain rolled his eyes, wishing he could be anywhere but here at this moment. After several seconds, he sat up and faced his lover.

"Beverly," he began cautiously, "you--um--well, you get--you heat up when you have an orgasm."

Now both eyebrows rose to her hairline in surprise as she stared at him. "I 'heat up'?" she repeated.

He nodded and gathered his courage to continue. "It starts out before, while we're making love, but it's not bad then." He winced as her expression shifted from surprise to shock at his rather poor choice of words. "I mean," he said hastily, "at first you're just very warm. Not hot. But as you--as you get... closer, you get... hot. Extremely hot." He stopped here to gauge her reaction. She was staring at his penis, a look of utter mortification on her face. Finally, she looked up at him.

"Oh my god, I've scalded you!" she exclaimed, her hands coming up to cover her face. "I can't believe this. Oh, Jean-Luc, I'm sorry!"

Now he felt like a total ass for telling her this. After all, it wasn't her fault. She was just a very passionate woman with a very passionate body. It wasn't as if she did it on purpose. He reached for her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. To his relief, her eyes were dry and she didn't seem half as horrified as before. In fact, she looked like she was going to burst out laughing any second. Her bottom lip trembled and she quickly clamped her teeth down on it to contain the giggle that erupted out of her throat. Now her eyes were shining with laughter and her nose was turning pink. Jean-Luc was contemplating whether he should be angry or not when, at last, her laughter rang through the temple like music.

She laughed and laughed, tears streaming down her face. Twice she tried to compose herself only to dissolve into another fit of giggles. He looked at her crossly as she leaned on him. But Jean-Luc found that he really didn't mind. These past few days had been very difficult for her and it had been so long since he'd heard the sound of her laughter that he was grateful for it even if it came at his expense.

Several minutes later, the laughter diminished into a broad smile.

"I'm sorry I laughed, Jean-Luc," Beverly said, "but it is kind of funny."

"Only slightly," he replied with mock annoyance.

"Does it hurt?"

"A little. Mostly when you touch it. If we were back on the ship, I'd use the protoplaser to heal it."

Another small frown creased her brow. "Wait a minute. This has happened before?"

He looked down and nodded.

Beverly gasped, all traces of humor disappeared from her demeanor as she began to realize the implications. "Does it happen every time we make love?"

"No, not every time," he answered quickly. "It's only happened maybe five or six times, and usually they only occur when we get very... intense."

"Like when?"

"Well, you remember that time on the bridge..."

She dropped her head and stared at the floor. This was horrible. What kind of sex life could she and Jean-Luc have if she roasted the poor man every time she had a really intense orgasm? No wonder the T'treinans had him half-believing in that damned myth! "Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's embarrassing to us both and," he paused to lift her chin and make her look into his eyes, "you can't help it."

"But, Jean-Luc, making love with me should not be causing you any pain or discomfort--"

"And you've never suffered some 'discomfort' as a result of our activities, Beverly?" he asked rhetorically, referring to the times he'd seen her hobbling around, her stride uneven, and gingerly lowering herself into chairs after vigorous sessions of lovemaking. He didn't even want to think about the time he'd damn near rendered her unconscious when his demanding thrusts had driven her head against the wall. If she could endure all of that without complaint, then he could deal with his little heat rashes. "Look, Beverly, as I've said, it doesn't happen every time. Besides, I am totally unwilling to give up making love with you on account of a heat rash I get as a result of giving you pleasure. Do you even realize how happy I get when I know that you are enjoying yourself? It means everything to me."

She looked skeptical. "Are you sure?" she asked timidly. "I mean, I'll understand if you don't want to--"

His mouth covered hers to swallow up the words. He pulled back to look at her.

"Beverly, Beverly," Jean-Luc said with a smile, "I could NEVER give this up." He ran a hand over her bare hip, circling the goddess' birthmark with his finger, making her shiver. "Besides, you're my doctor. You can always fix me afterwards."

She gave a heavy sigh. "What about now? I don't have my medkit here."

"I'm fine."

She looked down at the injured member lying between his thighs and a mischievous thought sprang into her mind. Beverly kissed his mouth briefly, then pushed him back against the cool marble of the floor. She snaked her way down his body.

Jean-Luc raised himself on his elbows. "Beverly, what are you do--"

"Shhhhh," she said lazily. "I'm going to kiss it and make it better."

Instantly, his erection sprang back to life, standing tall out from between his legs. He shivered as the silken strands of her hair encased his penis soothingly. It felt like heaven. Jean-Luc moaned. Beverly repeated the movement, throwing her long red hair forward with a twist of her neck as she straddled his knees. The mass of her hair was now spread over his belly and chest and she had an upside-down view of his erection, centimeters from her face. She moved her head over slightly to the place were the skin was pink because of the heat rash and gently, very gently, placed her lips against it in the lightest of kisses. Jean-Luc tensed, but not in pain, and moaned her name. With a smile, Beverly drew her head farther down his thighs, allowing the entire length of her hair surround and caress his penis. She delighted in the tremors that ran down his legs.

Flipping her hair back over her shoulder, she leaned over him once more. Careful to stay clear of the rash, she reached out with her tongue and caressed the length of him. Over and over, she licked from root to tip, pausing every now and then to suckle the head. Jean-Luc's hands came up to tangle in her hair as he shook under her ministrations. Her hands massaged his thighs as she took the tip of his member into her mouth. He shuddered and whimpered. Beverly moved downward, taking more and more of him, until her lips were at the spot just above the heat rash. Here, she was going to stop, not wanting to hurt him anymore than she had already. But Jean-Luc had other ideas. His insistent hands on the back of her head coaxed her downward, urged her to take more of him. He winced slightly when the moist heat of her mouth covered the sensitive rash, but that small pain was soon forgotten as this pleasure unlike any other washed over him.

Purposefully, she moved him in and out across her lips, gently sucking; her hands insistent upon his legs, testicles, and chest. And Jean-Luc knew that he couldn't last. He never could when she did this to him. He stiffened and gripped her hair tighter. Little whimpers escaped his mouth, until finally, he called out joyously as stars exploded in front of his eyes with a pleasure that made every cell in his body sing. He trembled violently on the floor, partially rolling to one side in his mindlessness. She stayed with him, her lips still sealed around him, and he shuddered continuously. After a several more seconds, he collapsed back on the floor, his breathing labored.

Beverly withdrew and moved up to lie beside him. She pulled him into her embrace so that his head rested against her bosom. They remained that way for an undetermined amount of time.

"Feel better?" she asked with a small smile.

Jean-Luc lifted his head to look into her blue eyes. He smiled broadly. "You know, I think you've found a new treatment for heat rashes."

Once again, Beverly's laughter rang through the temple.

12.

Beverly sat staring at the terminal on her desk, her eyes unfocused, her mind on something else. The problem with the T'treinans was occupying her thoughts almost constantly now. This was the fourth day the Enterprise had been in orbit around the planet and she had thus far been totally unsuccessful in convincing these people that she was not their goddess. If anything, the T'treinans were converting the Enterprise crew. Jean-Luc was beginning to look at her more strangely than before. What's more, Beverly had to admit, she was now doubting herself. So many strange and unexplainable things had occurred over the past few days; things that she could no longer dismiss as chance or coincidence. The realization of her own uncertainty left her wondering how in the world could she convince the millions of people on the planet below that she was not the fire goddess when she herself was no longer sure of the fact?

This was the problem that had drawn her into Ranera's Temple last night. She had been trying to find some answers, to put her mind at peace so that she could concentrate on dissuading the T'treinans. Unfortunately, before she could even begin, Jean-Luc had shown up and engaged her in that mind-blowing diversion. Afterward, they had beamed back to the ship, so she had not spent any productive time alone in the Temple. She decided that she would try again today. She shrugged off her lab coat and headed for the transporter room.

When Beverly arrived at the Temple, there were literally thousands of T'treinans gathered in worship within the building and in the surrounding forest. Beverly had not expected this, but realized that it was probably inevitable. Ever since word had spread of the Goddess' Coming, a pilgrimage began in which people from all over the small planet came to the Middle Country in hopes of witnessing the Goddess' miracles or maybe even of catching a glimpse of her. Yesterday, the first of the pilgrims began filtering in; now there was a virtual sea of them. The situation had gone from worse to horrendous overnight.

She had beamed down near the side of the Temple, where the huge megaliths connected with the stairs leading to the main archway. Because of the shape of the stairs and the position of the megalith, she was pretty well hidden from the crowd. Deciding that it was best for her to remain out of sight and away from the Temple, Beverly raised her hand to signal the ship for transport. Just then a very small man, with a very loud voice, ducked into the narrow space with the intent to relieve himself in the small bushes lining the side of the Temple. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her, gazing adoringly up into her azure eyes. He dropped to his knees and yelled, "Goddess!!" Soon, others rounded the stone to see what was the matter and they, too, were struck dumb in Beverly's "divine" presence.

For her part, Beverly was a little frightened. She was not entirely sure what the T'treinans would do and she was trapped. The only way out was to ascend the stairs to the Temple. Suddenly, the T'treinans moved forward toward her, their hands outstretched, reaching for her. Beverly willed herself not to tremble when she felt their hands upon her. Their fingers grazed against her hair, her hands, her breasts, her face, everywhere. And still more of them pressed toward her, crowding into the small space. Around the stone she could hear the shouts of the people as they clamored toward the rock, trying in vain to reach her.

Now her back was pressed against the megalith. She was completely closed in and to her right she could see the people on the Temple steps leaning over the edge, they, too, reaching out for her. Beverly began to panic. Although the look in these people's eyes was one of pure adoration, she knew that if this continued, they'd crush her to death in their attempts to get closer to her. She raised her hand to her communicator to signal the ship.

Her hand brushed against the bare fabric of her uniform. The communicator was gone, probably removed by one of the T'treinans; another "holy" relic to add to the collection consisting of the pieces of cloth stained with her blood and the strands of her hair.

Now she really did begin to feel real panic. The situation was out of control. The were pressing in closer and closer and closer, their hands pulling at her hair, spreading her limbs apart. Fear was gripping her, real terror. These people were on the verge of loving her to death.

"STOP!" she screamed in a voice that boomed so loud and reverberated so powerfully that she startled herself. She was sure it must have been some trick of acoustics for her voice echoed over and over throughout the forest as if she had yelled into a great cavern.

The thousands of T'treinans in the forest froze stiff with terror. They were fearful that in their excitement they had angered the Goddess. Now they awaited the flames that were sure to accompany her rage and consume them all. The ones closest to Beverly, the ones who had been touching her, withdrew from her as if she had indeed threatened them with fire. They stared at her, terror etched upon their faces.

Beverly sighed. "Don't be frightened of me," she said in a soft voice.

Immediately their expressions changed to relief and love. Their gazes held their complete awe of her, but they made no attempts to approach her again. They had learned their lesson about touching the Goddess without her permission.

Desiring to get out of the small alcove, Beverly moved forward. And hundreds of people moved backward. She paused to look at them and found that none of them would look her directly in the eye. Beverly knew that they thought that they didn't have the right to; they were fearful and humble before their deity. Her spirits fell. She hated this, she really did. It was then that she knew that she couldn't let this situation continue. She felt horrible that these people were putting all their faith in her, were worshipping her, when she did not deserve it. The T'treinans were degrading themselves, prostrating themselves upon the ground in adoration of a goddess that she could not possibly be... or could she? Again, her own self doubt marred her resolve. Beverly knew without a doubt that the only way she would be able to convince these people of their mistake was to be sure of it herself, and right now, she had to admit, she just did not know.

With the now silent crowd parting to clear her way, Beverly made her way to the steps in front of the Temple. As it had the first time she'd laid eyes upon it, the colossal statue of Ranera awed her: the Fire Goddess standing at the entrance to her temple, her arms spread wide; her sword in one hand, flame dancing on the palm of the other. Her eyes, incredibly, always seemed to be resting on the person looking at it and now Beverly felt as it those eyes, great stone replicas of her own, were staring into her soul. Ranera was beckoning her, inviting her to uncover the mysteries of the Fire Goddess; inviting her to see if the truth somehow lay in her own mirror. Beverly had to know once and for all.

She took a deep breath and began to ascend the steps to the Temple and, quite possibly, to her destiny.

13.

"Computer, location of Dr. Crusher," Picard called into the air.

"Dr. Crusher is not aboard the Enterprise."

The Captain frowned and exchanged puzzled looks with the other senior officers around the table. Beverly knew that he had called a staff meeting this afternoon. Why would she go down to the planet?

He tapped his communicator. "Picard to Crusher."

He waited but there was no reply. He tried again. "Enterprise to Dr. Crusher."

Again, nothing. Jean-Luc's heart began to thump a bit faster in his chest as he looked to his other officers. "Does anyone know anything about this?"

They all shook their heads.

"Transporter Room 2."

"Yes, sir," a voice replied.

"Chief, when did Dr. Crusher beam off the ship?"

"Three hours, seventeen minutes ago, sir."

"Three hours?"

"Yes, sir."

"And no one has heard from her since," he muttered more to himself to anyone. "Chief, do you have the coordinates that she beamed to?"

"Yes, sir. I beamed her into an alcove near the front of the Temple."

"Captain," Data said, looking at the scan that he'd called up on the small viewscreen on the wall, "I have scanned the area around the Temple and cannot pinpoint the exact location of Dr. Crusher's communicator. There are also over 11,000 T'treinans present in the forests surrounding the Temple."

"11,000?!" Deanna exclaimed, suddenly worried about her friend's safety.

Picard was already on his feet, barking orders. "Mr. Worf, I want you and a security team standing by in Transporter Room 2. Number One, Counselor, Data, you're with me. Mr. La Forge, you have the bridge."

With that he was out the door before any of them could even rise out of their seats and reply, "Aye, sir."

When the away team materialized near the Temple they were greeted by thousands of worshippers. They all stood in the forest away from the Temple as if afraid to approach it. The team exchanged puzzled looks.

At once, the Carnis approached them, looking at Jean-Luc with wide eyes.

"Where is she?" the Captain asked without preamble, not needing to clarify which "she" he was referring to.

The Carnis bowed his head slightly. "Ranera is in her Temple," he replied. "She asked that everyone leave the building so that she might be alone. We await her Emergence."

"How long has she been in there?"

"Since before sunset."

Picard looked at the sky. It was now dark, the stars glittering beautifully against the black canvas of night. He surmised that Beverly had been in the Temple for almost the entire time she'd been on the planet.

He turned to Deanna. "Counselor..."

Deanna's dark eyes when slightly out of focus for a moment, then she looked at him again.

"Captain, I can't sense her at all. I haven't been able to for days. It's almost as if she's being shielded."

Jean-Luc did not like this at all. Not knowing if Beverly was all right in the Temple was killing him. The only way to verify her safety was to enter the Temple. What made him hesitate was the fact that Beverly had wanted to be alone. Last night, he'd found her alone here, and while she gave no outward appearance at having been annoyed when he joined her, he now wondered if he had interrupted something; something incredibly private that Beverly could not share with him. He didn't want to do that again. And yet he had to make sure that she was safe, not only because he loved her but because he was bound by his duty as Captain. She was an officer under his command and he was responsible for her safety. With these thoughts in mind, Picard decided to enter the Temple. He only hoped that Beverly would not be furious with him.

"Number One," he said, "I'm going inside. If I you don't hear from me in five minutes, send in the security team."

Will opened his mouth to protest the Captain going into the Temple unarmed and unescorted, but Picard's look silenced him.

"Aye, sir," he said, looking away.

Picard reached out and patted his First Officer on the arm. "Thank you, Will."

"Be careful, Captain."

He smiled. "Relax, Number One. I don't think anything's going to happen."

Jean-Luc quickly ascended the steps and, with one quick look at the enormous statue of Beverly--No,Ranera (he had to keep reminding himself of the rapidly fading distinction), he entered the Temple.

14.

He found her in the center of the temple sitting near the edge of the Pool of Fire. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her head bowed so that her face was hidden by her hair. Cautiously, he approached her.

"Beverly?" he asked softly.

Slowly her head came up but she looked straight forward, not at him.

"I'm fine, Jean-Luc," she whispered, answering the question that she knew was poised on his lips.

He nodded and tapped his comm badge to notify Riker and the others that the situation was under control. After he'd closed the channel, he asked her, "Am I interrupting you again?"

She shook her head, still staring over the flames. "No. I'm finished here."

Jean-Luc frowned and moved to join her by the pool. Immediately, he began to perspire. He wondered how Beverly could stand sitting so close to the fire. The heat down here was almost unbearable. He was shocked when he looked over at her to discover that she did not even seem to notice the heat at all. Her skin was completely dry.

He shifted uncomfortably, pulling on his uniform collar, now stuck to his sweaty skin. "Beverly, what is it that you were doing in here?"

She didn't answer immediately. She just continued to stare at the fire. Then suddenly she turned to him. "Jean-Luc, do you think that I'm the fire goddess?"

"Of course not," he answered automatically.

A small smile touched her lips. "Are you sure?" she inquired gently.

He looked down so that she would not see the doubt in his eyes that she already knew was there. "No."

She reached out and touched his damp cheek.

"Don't feel bad, Jean-Luc. I'm not sure anymore, either."

His head snapped up to look into her eyes. "Beverly, what's happened here?"

She got to her feet and reached out for him. "Come on, Jean-Luc. Let's get you away from this fire before you melt."

He allowed her to guide him to a much cooler section of the Temple: in front of the altar to Ranera.

"Beverly?"

She sighed and took to pacing the marble floor. "Nothing happened," she said sadly. "I came here hoping that I'd find the answers I was looking for. I wanted to--needed to reassure myself that I am Beverly Howard Crusher, physician, scientist, Starfleet officer and MORTAL HUMAN BEING. How the hell do I convince those people out there that they are wrong when I think that they might be right?" She paused in her pacing to gaze up at the painting above it. "Look at that. Ever time I look at that painting I think I'm looking into a mirror. Everything is the same. Everything." Her voice trailed off in a whisper.

"Beverly--" Jean-Luc attempted to interject but she resumed her pacing and her speech.

"I knew that you weren't sure either, Jean-Luc. Too many unexplainable things have been happening: the birthmark that mysteriously materialized on my hip that both of us know wasn't there before we arrived on this planet; the fact that Ranera and I are mirror images of each other; Deanna can't even sense me anymore. And our reprehensible behavior last night. Making love in here... We desecrated this Temple. What the hell were we thinking?"

He wondered about this himself. He had thought that the alcohol had loosening their inhibitions but now that seemed insufficient to explain the enormity of the sacrilege they had committed. He knew as well as she that no matter how drunk either of them got, they would never do something as horrible as what they'd done last night.

"And what about just now," Beverly continued. "I had been sitting by that fire for hours without so much as noticing it, while you were close to passing out from the heat after being there only a few minutes."

"Beverly," began Jean-Luc, "these... occurrences do not necessarily prove that you are Ranera."

"And our denial of their significance does not necessarily prove that I am not."

"Beverly, do you believe that you are the fire goddess?" he asked carefully.

She frowned, her gaze focused on nothing, before she said quietly, "I don't know."

Jean-Luc was not sure what to say to that. How could he convince her when she above all people should be sure of her own identity? As he watched her it pained him to see the uncertainty and doubt in her eyes. This was Beverly after all. She was even more self-confident and self-possessed than he was; yet here she was wrestling with a question as simple as "Who am I?" He didn't know how else to help her, so went and gently folded her into his arms.

She clung to him, grateful for the small comfort that in the midst of all this uncertainty she KNEW without slightest doubt that this man loved her.

"You know," she said against his shoulder, "ultimately, it doesn't even matter what I believe. It's what the T'treinans believe that is my main concern."

Jean-Luc nodded. "Yes, I see what you mean. Whether you think you are their goddess or not, they do. This has had and will have serious repercussions for them."

She pulled away from his embrace and began pacing again. "Precisely. And even though you assured me that I have not violated the Prime Directive in any way, I still feel a certain responsibility for what my presence here has done to the people on this planet. Take a look outside. This whole planet is on the threshold of major religious change. The think that God is walking among them!" She paused and leaned against the altar. "And what if I am what they think I am? I don't know what they expect of me. What am I supposed to do, quit Starfleet in order to stay here and become a deity? And what would happen if Starfleet says that we can leave here?"

"Actually," Jean-Luc said, "Starfleet has said that we can leave."

"What?"

"Yes. That is the reason I called the meeting for this afternoon. Even though we have unintentionally interfered with the religious culture of this planet, they concur that we have done everything possible to dissuade the T'treinans from their beliefs. If nothing else can be done, we are free to leave orbit anytime we choose."

Beverly looked a little shocked. "We can leave?" she whispered.

"Yes. I've contacted the king and requested a meeting with him, his General Council, and the Carnis first thing tomorrow morning to inform them of our departure. I think to say that they will be upset would be a fairly sizable understatement. Nevertheless, given their complete adoration and reverence of you, they will most likely not protest any decision you may make. We can leave orbit immediately following the conclusion of the meeting."

Beverly was staring at the marble tile between their feet, the frown that seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face for these past few days now firmly in place. Jean-Luc knew the reason for it. Beverly was worried about what would happen with these people once she was gone. How will their society progress after they had been visited by God? Jean-Luc couldn't answer these questions for her. No one could.

"Beverly, they will be all right," he said, trying to convince himself of the fact as he tried to convince her.

Still she frowned. "Will they? What if there is a real Ranera somewhere? What if someday, years from now, she is to come back to her people to guide and protect them? Will they even believe in her after my appearance here? Will they think her false and reject her? Will they eventually lose the faith that has been an integral part of their society for fourteen millennia while they are waiting for me to come back?"

Now it was Jean-Luc's turn to frown... and to worry. "Beverly," he said, his mouth suddenly dry, "do you want to leave?"

"I don't want to be the cause of the devastation of a rich and beautiful culture."

He felt his throat beginning to constrict at the thought of losing her. Surely she wouldn't choose to stay, would she? Her life was on the Enterprise. But he had to acknowledge that she had the choice. And he also knew that he had to remain as objective as possible despite the fact he was sure he would die instantly if she chose to stay.

"Well," he began, "you could come back to the ship and leave this planet to progress as naturally as possible from this point forward, or you could resign your commission to try to avoid the court martial and stay here and be Ranera."

Now her eyes came up to meet his. There were unshed tears glittering in their troubled blue depths. "No," she said. "I can't stay here. I don't know how to be a god, and I can't live without you."

Blessed relief flooded through his very soul. He went to her and hugged her close.

"We'll leave tomorrow then," he whispered into her fragrant hair.

She nodded and held him tighter. "Tomorrow."

They embraced for a few minutes longer before Picard said that it was time to leave. Beverly hesitated. "Jean-Luc, I'd like just a few more minutes alone here, if that's all right with you."

"Of course." He leaned in to brush his mouth against hers before pulling away from her. "I'll just be waiting outside."

"With the other ten thousand people waiting for me?" she quipped playfully. It lifted a weight off his heart to hear her joking again.

"Eleven thousand," he corrected with a smile.

She rewarded him with a little laugh that caressed his ears as he departed the Temple.

After he'd gone, Beverly simply stared after him, or rather, at the exit. She had needed these few minutes to prepare herself for what she would face once she left this building and stood before the 11,000 worshippers in the forest. Should she make a speech explaining that she would be leaving tomorrow or should she just disappear, never to return, and leave them to wonder why she left? She really didn't know what to do, but she did know that she did not want to do anything to reaffirm their beliefs. She decided that the best thing to do would be to just go without explanation and allow the T'treinans to deal with it the best way they could.

Beverly steeled her resolve and took one step toward the exit... She paused. There was a sound, a gentle roaring that seemed to surround her and was getting louder. She turned around...

15.

Jean-Luc emerged from the Temple and disappointed 11,000 T'treinans. When they saw a figure coming from between the columns, they had hoped it was Beverly. They made no attempt to hide their displeasure when they saw that it was only him.

He rejoined his crew at the bottom of the marble steps.

"Where is Beverly?" Deanna asked anxiously.

"Still inside. She's fine, but we've decided that the Enterprise will be breaking orbit tomorrow morning. She wanted a few more moments alone before she came out here to face all of this." He indicated the sea of people around them.

"I think leaving is a wise decision, Captain," said Riker. "The longer she stays here, the stronger their beliefs will become."

"I agree, Number One. We've done everything possible to convince them that she is not who they think she is. It's probably most prudent for us to get the hell out of here before something else happens."

No sooner than Captain Picard had finished his words, Ranera's Temple, with Beverly Crusher still inside it, was engulfed in a enormous ball of fire.

16.

"BEVERLY!"

Jean-Luc Picard jumped forward as he screamed, intent on running into the inferno that engulfed the Temple. Will and Data grabbed his arms and dragged him backward.

Horrified, they stared at the Temple. It looked for all the world as if someone had dropped an atomic bomb. The fire was blooming out from the building and over the forest immediately adjacent. The worshippers ran for their lives away from the building and those on the steps were forced to retreat as the flames rolled down the front of the columns. The blast of heat was enough to singe the hair of those closest and scorch all the foliage for at least six meters surrounding the Temple. Amazingly, no one outside the building was hurt.

Jean-Luc crumpled to his knees in the dirt. He was in shock. Even though he was staring at the front of the Temple, he really didn't see anything until he heard a voice calling his name. Beverly's voice.

Just as quickly as the fireball had descended, it dissipated; blew away into nothing like wisps of smoke. Just before the last of the flames faded away, Beverly crossed the threshold out of the Temple. The strong gusts of wind coming from inside the Temple blew her hair forward over her shoulders, then lifted it around her face so that she looked like an apparition. She had walked right through the fire.

The pandemonium that had claimed the forest died off at the sight of her. Even her fellow officers were frozen in place.

She was perfectly fine, except that she was puzzled about what had happened out here to cause such chaos. Her eyes found Picard's and her alarm deepened to find him on his knees. He was completely pale, as were Will and Deanna. Even Data looked a little less iridescent than usual. And the T'treinans were literally quaking in their boots.

Sensing that something was wrong, she quickly moved down the steps to her friends. Jean-Luc scrambled to his feet.

"Jean-Luc, what's going on? I heard you scream my name."

His shocked hazel eyes flicked from her to the Temple and back again. He grabbed her into his arms and hugged her so tightly that he pushed the air out of her lungs.

She hitched in a breath when he finally released her and asked again. "What's going on out here?"

Only Data could find a voice. "Doctor, while you were still inside the Temple, it appeared to us that it had exploded."

"Exploded?!"

"Yes. And then it looked as if you walked through the fire when you came outside. What did you see from the inside?"

Beverly shook her head in disbelief. Could anything else go wrong for her? "I didn't see anything," she told them. "There was a strong wind that seemed to come from nowhere and then I heard the Captain calling my name. I ran down the passageway and came outside to see what was wrong. I didn't see any fire. I didn't feel any heat."

Data raised his eyebrows in surprise. He would be even further surprised later in the evening when Geordi would inform them that the explosion failed to register on the ship's sensors as well.

"As you can see, I'm fine and so is the Temple," Beverly said with a shrug of her shoulder.

"But not the trees and shrubbery surrounding the building," Will said indicating the wilted and charred forest around them.

Beverly's eyes widened and she instantly knew that this was going to be another one of those 'unexplained phenomena' that she so hated.

The T'treinans began to stir and soon the Carnis approached them. There was sheer elation upon his face and it was mirrored in the faces of 11,000 others. He stopped in front of Beverly and merely stared with renewed awe before he reached for her hand to place it against his lips. He fell to his knees and wept for joy.

Around them, the crowd erupted into incoherent cheers and shouts before they let forth one jubilant cry with their combined voice: "Ranera!"

17.

"Forget leaving tomorrow," Picard told Riker as they followed the Carnis into the Great Hall to meet with the king, "we're leaving tonight. Recall all the away teams. We're getting the hell out of here as soon as we beam up to the ship."

Eavesdropping, the Carnis whirled around and yelled, "Leave?! You can't leave!" which startled King Ilbius who echoed the exclamation and made a gesture to his guards, who at once slammed the doors shut and pulled their phaser-like weapons on the five Enterprise officers. Two guards each seized Beverly and Jean-Luc and began dragging them toward the back exit. Above the shouts, Ilbius' voice could be heard saying, "Take them to the Temple. Their transporter device doesn't work there." The short but strong guards almost had them to the exit when Beverly finally recovered from her shock and screamed, "Take your hands off me NOW!"

The guards released Jean-Luc and Beverly so quickly they nearly fell. The other guards dropped their weapons and all fell to their knees begging for forgiveness.

Intensely annoyed at being manhandled and dragged halfway across the room, Beverly snapped at them, "Get up and get out of here."

They ran screaming from the room as if there was fire lapping at their heels.

Beverly approached the king and the Carnis and they shrunk away as she stood over them.

"What the hell were you trying to do?!" she yelled.

"Goddess, forgive us. We--we were desperate for you to stay with us--" the king stammered. He was clearly terrified and, right now, Beverly used it to her advantage.

"And that's supposed to justify an abduction?"

He looked to be on the verge of tears. "We thought that you would be happy with us if the Holy Consort was to remain with you."

Beverly frowned. "Holy Cons--," she began, and then she understood. She glanced at Jean-Luc, who had also figured it out. His mouth hung open in shock and indignation. Although she hadn't thought it possible, she got even angrier.

She glared down at the king and the Carnis. "Did you enjoy the show?" came her deadly quiet voice.

"We do not underst--"

"Last night in the Temple," she snapped.

Their eyes grew wide as illumination dawned. They began speaking at once, presenting her with a cacophony of useless words. She raised a hand to cut off the noise and pointed a long finger at the Carnis.

"What did you drug us with? An aphrodisiac?"

Trembling with fear, he nodded. "It was called pahi."

"You little son of a bitch," Beverly seethed.

Carnis Andric, fearing for his safety, hurriedly tried to explain. "Once we saw that you and Captain Picard loved one another we knew that you would not leave him to stay here with us. He would have to stay as well. But we needed to be certain that he was the true Holy Consort since that individual would be a saint to us. The only way for us to know for sure was to see if he survived mating with you."

"Whether I stay or go is my decision, not yours. How dare you make choices for me?"

Chastised, he looked down at his toes to gather the courage to ask, "Will you stay?"

Beverly sighed out the last traces of her anger. While their methods left much to be desired, their motives were completely understandable. The acknowledgment made what she had to tell them that much more difficult.

"I can't stay here," she said.

"No! You can't leave us!" Ilbius wailed.

"What will happen to us without you?" said Andric.

"You have a thriving, healthy society," she replied gently. "You have existed for thousands of years before I came here and you'll be fine after I've gone."

"But without our Goddess?" Andric asked desperately. "What faith will we have?"

Beverly had anticipated this difficult question and had finally come up with an answer that solved their dilemma without shaking their faith or perpetuating their beliefs.

"Your Goddess will still be here with you," she said with a smile. "I never joined with the spiritual entity. After I leave you will exist the same way you did before I came, with the Spirit watching over you. You'll be fine."

As if they had a choice in the matter, Andric and Ilbius looked at each other, then nodded their acceptance.

Beverly glanced over at Jean-Luc to see the little smile on his lips. "Well done," he said silently.

"Will you ever return here... Beverly?" King Ilbius asked tentatively, as if he were afraid he would be punished for using her name.

Instead, she graced him with a smile that was nothing short of glorious. But she shook her head in the negative to answer his question.

Again, the king nodded and he and the Carnis each took one of her hands and raised it to their lips. Moved by the gesture, she pulled her hands free and gently touched each man on the cheek. Their eyes grew wide at the blessing.

She stepped away, having completed her good-byes, and watched as the two T'treinan leaders spoke to her Captain.

"Captain," King Ilbius began humbly, "I must apologize for our abominable behavior. It was most inexcusable. I do hope that one day another Federation ship will accept our invitation to visit."

"I'm sure of it, Your Majesty," Picard replied. "Your culture is too rich to pass up the opportunity to observe. And despite the unexpected circumstances, I count this visit as a success. I hope that you do as well."

The king looked as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his chest. "Oh, Captain, we do," he said graciously.

Jean-Luc glanced over at Beverly to see the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile. "Well done," she said silently.

He chuckled then was surprised when Ilbius and Andric took his hands and kissed them. He looked down at them with question in his eyes. They both smiled.

"You are the Holy Consort," Andric said.

Captain Picard's face turned bright pink and it was Beverly's turn to chuckle as, behind her, Will Riker barely contained a blast of laughter.

The Enterprise officers silently watched as the king and his party withdrew from the Hall. After one last look around, Beverly cocked her head toward the exit and looked at Jean-Luc.

"Come on, Holy Consort. Let's go home."

Epilogue

Beverly collapsed onto her back, her chest heaving. "Oh my, Jean-Luc," she choked, "that was--oh my."

He could only nod, unable to catch his breath.

She rolled over, half-draping herself on top of him, one weary arm and leg tossed over him. As they caught their breath, she stared at the flickering candles about the room and inhaled the intoxicating smell they gave off. They had been a gift from the Carnis, beamed aboard only minutes before they had departed orbit six weeks ago. Still a bit wary of priests bearing gifts, they had scanned the box of candles before they used them. Both she and Jean-Luc enjoyed their quiet light and the spice of their smell. They burned them often, especially while they were making love.

After several more minutes, she lifted herself up and placed a gentle kiss on her lover's lips. His eyes opened and he smiled.

"I didn't injure you this time, did I?" she asked with a grin.

Jean-Luc shook his head. "No, you didn't." He paused and appeared to think on something. "In fact, it hasn't happened since we left T'treina and we've had some very intense moments since that time. Even more than before."

"I know what you mean. I didn't think it could get any better." She frowned, then erased it from her face before he could comment on it. "I guess that's a few additional 'unexplained phenomena' associated with that planet."

"Like Deanna's continued inability to sense you empathically. I thought that she would be able to once we'd left the planet."

"She did also, and me, too." She shuddered. "I think a lot of what happened on that planet disconcerted us all."

Jean-Luc twirled his fingers in her hair on his chest and nodded. "But you acquitted yourself admirably during that situation. I was proud of you."

Beverly smiled and kissed his chest, right over his heart. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." She closed her eyes.

He hugged her close and rubbed her arms, noticing the gooseflesh rising there. He reached for the comforter that had gotten kicked to the edge of the bed and spread it over them before he closed his eyes.

After a few minutes, Beverly noticed that she could no longer see the delicate flickering of candlelight through her eyelids. She opened her eyes to see that the breeze created by the spreading the comforter had blown the candles out. She nestled her head closer against Jean-Luc's shoulder and willed them to light again as she closed her eyes once more.

And Jean-Luc and Beverly slept, with the gentle flames of the candles illuminating their contented smiles.