This could be set anytime before "Attached" (well, of course not right in the middle of "The Host" and the like, but you knew that--didn't you?). ;-)

STEPPING STONES

When the transporter effect released her, Beverly had just a split second time to grab hold of something to avoid falling from the large tree she had materialized in. She barely managed to grab a branch while already slipping downwards, and her body hit the tree trunk with a loud thud. Her communicator clattered to the ground, disappearing into the thick undergrowth.

Oh no. I hope Jean-Luc still has his, or it'll take them ages to find us.

She carefully lowered herself to the ground and looked around. She was standing on top of a small hill that was covered with all sorts of vegetation, none of which stood higher than her waist. The tall tree she had just climbed out of was the only one in sight. The terrain gently sloped downwards in all directions, the vegetation eventually giving way to a broad stretch of sand.

Beverly gasped in surprise as she turned and met with the same sight everywhere. She was on an island! Then another thought hit her: where was Jean-Luc? He should have been right with her. She finally noticed the medical emergency pack slung around her shoulders and with a sigh of relief took out the tricorder.

Now I should have no problems finding him. Damn that ion storm!

She chose a direction at random and slowly descended the hill.

**********

They had been on their way to Dalos IV to check on the ailing Federation ambassador Krintian Valon. The ambassador was already quite old, and he did not trust the native Dalosian doctor. Since rank did have its privileges every once in a while, and the Enterprise had been nearby, Starfleet had decided to send the best doctor they had: Beverly Crusher. At the same time, Picard received orders to check out the state of the planet's government, since Valon's latest reports had been rather disconnected and disturbing.

The Enterprise was undergoing routine maintenance checks at Starbase 219, so Crusher and Picard were ordered to take a shuttle to Dalos IV, which was only six hours away at Warp 2. The flight had proceeded smoothly until they were less than two hours from their destination. They had just finished a light meal when all the shuttle's alarms went off at once, indicating a severe ion storm. That was when things started to go wrong.

Picard struggled to get into the pilot's seat while the shuttle shook violently. "The autopilot's been shut off. I'll have to switch to manual."

"Whatever. Just get us out of here!" Beverly was inching her way to the front, desperately trying to keep upright. "Why weren't we warned of this? I thought ion storms were predictable by now?"

"Apparently not. Damn!" His fist hit the console as they were jolted once again. "One of the nacelles has been damaged and we only have 50% capacity left on the other one. Let me try this..." He keyed in a series of commands, briefly stabilizing the small craft. The shuttle suddenly lurched forward, knocking Beverly to the floor, then it leaned to one side and started on a spiraling descent towards the nearest planet.

Picard cursed under his breath. "We're being attracted by that planet's gravitational field. If only..." He tried one more sequence, but met with no more success. "Beverly, the shuttle's going to crash. We have to get out as quickly as possible." He turned around and noticed Crusher on the floor. "Beverly? Are you all right?"

She slowly picked herself up, grabbing the back of a chair for support. "Yes, I am. How much time do we have?"

"Two minutes maximum. You get the medical kit, I'll get the emergency supplies."

She nodded, scrambling over to the back of the cabin. By now the shuttle was spinning wildly, and she could feel a wave of vertigo overtake her. She fought against it and reached for the kit, then moved further back towards the small transporter. Picard was already busy manipulating the controls, frowning deeply.

"We have to go one at a time, there's not enough power for two simultaneous beamings. You go first. This planet's surface seems to be 90% covered by water." He grinned despite the situation. "I'll try to set you down somewhere dry."

"Thank you very much," was her dry reply as she took her position as best she could.

"I'll be right behind you." He watched her shimmer out of view, checked the coordinates again, activated the five-second delay sequence and moved over to the transporter pad. Just then the shuttle rocked again, throwing him off-balance. The last thing he saw before hitting the pad were the transporter controls, blinking wildly. "The coordinates..." He had no more time to think as the transporter whisked him away. A second later, the shuttle impacted with the planet's ocean, briefly skimming the surface before vanishing into the deep water.

**********

Picard awoke to the feeling of sand in his eyes, nose and mouth. He coughed, trying to breathe freely, when a wave hit him and carried him further up the beach. Suddenly alert, he looked around, ignoring the stinging pain in his eyes. His blood froze.

At least half a dozen shark-like fins were approaching him in a straight line, coming much too close for his taste. He frantically scrambled backwards towards dry land, telling himself that sharks could not follow him once the water got too shallow. He had almost cleared the water when one of the creatures suddenly lurched forward, displaying an array of impressive teeth. Horrified, Picard noticed that he was actually facing something that looked like a cross between a shark and a large alligator, with dark red shaly skin and light red fins. He jumped to his feet, turned, and ran.

Unfortunately, there was not much space to run. He quickly noticed that he was on an island, or rather a very large rock, completely bare of any kind of vegetation. When he reached a cave-like entrance, he hesitated. Would it be safe to go in there? A cautious look over his shoulder told him to his relief that the creature was not following him. Evidently, despite its reptilian appearance it was not able to leave the water, a fact Picard was eternally grateful for.

A cautious exploration told him that the 'cave' was actually nothing more than a large niche in the rock, just big enough for him to fit in. He proceeded towards the highest point of the island.

The whole 'island' did not measure more than a hundred meters in diameter, and he only needed to take one look around to know that Beverly was not with him. He tapped his communicator.

"Picard to Crusher. Can you hear me?"

Only silence followed his words.

**********

Three hours later, Beverly returned to the large tree in the center of 'her' island, the only place that provided shade from the bright sun. She was tired, and her hands and lower arms told of the many thorny plants she had had to fight her way through. All her attempts at locating Picard had been useless, and after thoroughly searching the whole island, she finally had to face the fact that she was alone. There did not even seem to be any animals present, but luckily she had found enough edible plants to alleviate her fears of starving. Thanks to the tricorder, she was also able to locate a large cactus-like plant with thick, fleshy leaves; these leaves contained enough water for her to hold out several days. Hopefully Starfleet would miss them soon and send a ship to investigate; nevertheless it could take several days for them to find her and she wanted to be prepared.

I only wish I knew where Jean-Luc is. There still was time enough for him to transport, but if the beam set him down in the middle of the ocean. She forced herself to stop. She had to believe that he was alive and well, somewhere on the planet. If only she had not lost her communicator!

Leaning against the tree trunk, she surveyed the ocean, noticing several other small islands strung out in a line like beads on a string. Most of them were covered by vegetation, no doubt as thick as that surrounding her, but the one closest to her seemed to be just bare rock. Once she thought she saw some movement over there, but she was too tired to focus her eyes properly. Slipping to the ground, Beverly soon was fast asleep.

**********

Night fell quite rapidly; one moment Picard had still been able to see the closest island from his, the next everything was obscured in darkness. He moved out of the niche where he had sought shelter from the burning sun and stretched his tired body. There was a nagging feeling in his stomach, but he did his best to ignore it. The emergency supply pack had still been strapped to his body when he regained consciousness, and it contained food and water for two people for three days. However, since he had no idea how long he would be here, he had decided to make it last as long as possible.

If only I knew where Beverly is. The transporter was still working fine when she beamed down, so at least she should be on an island as well. But which one? There could be hundreds. Damn it, Beverly, why aren't you answering?

He tried his communicator again, but with no more luck than before. Her silence was becoming disturbing, but there was nothing he could do about that. Picard finally eased himself back into the niche, grateful for what little protection the rock offered. From his position he could see a small part of the sky, displaying star constellations that were as alien to him as the rest of his surroundings. It was a long time until he was finally able to sleep.

**********

Morning dawned just as rapidly as night had fallen the evening before. The bright sunlight shone directly into Picard's eyes, waking him almost instantly. At first he was slightly disoriented, but the feel of the hard rock under him soon brought back all the memories.

He walked up to the highest point of his 'island' and settled down for breakfast. The emergency ration was not big, but it helped ease the growing feeling of hunger. While he ate, Picard watched the sun rising up high in the sky, promising another very hot day. He groaned inwardly. The few afternoon hours of the past day had been bad enough, with practically nothing to shield him from the heat. Now he faced an entire day in the sun, and probably several more days to come. He would need much more water than the emergency supply contained in order to survive, but he had no idea where to get it from. Even if the ocean's water had been drinkable, he was wary of getting too close for fear of the decidedly hostile creatures living in it.

Picard reached for his communicator in a last attempt at finding something positive in his situation. "Picard to Doctor Crusher. If you can hear me, please respond."

**********

"...please respond."

Beverly was pulled from her dreams by a voice coming out of nowhere. She sat up and stretched her aching muscles, casting a disoriented glance at her surroundings before the memories of the day before caught up with her.

The shuttle. The ion storm. Beaming down to the planet. The island. Jean-Luc...

Beverly jumped up quickly, suddenly aware that it had been Picard's voice that had woken her. "Jean-Luc? Where are you?"

His voice reached her ear again, coming from somewhere in the vicinity of her left foot. "Beverly, I don't know if you can hear me, but just in case you can and are unable to answer, I wanted to tell you that I am all right. The shuttle took another hit right before I beamed down, and the transporter controls were affected. I am on a small island, safe for the moment, but I have no idea how far from you the transporter set me down. I still have the emergency supplies..."

He kept on talking while Beverly frantically searched for her communicator in the thick layers of vegetation covering the base of the tree. Picard's voice served as a beacon, and after impatiently brushing aside numerous twigs and leaves and pulling out several plants with their roots, she finally located the gleaming metal object. With a cry of triumph she seized it and pressed hard, the familiar chirping sound adding to her relief. "Jean-Luc! Can you hear me?"

He broke off in mid-sentence. "Beverly! Is that really you? What took you so long? Are you all right?" Relief and concern mixed in his voice, but through it all she could hear the joy at finding her alive.

"I'm fine, I just lost my communicator and couldn't find it until now."

"Where are you?"

"On some island, just like you. I still have the medical kit, so I was able to find something edible among all these plants. The vegetation is pretty dense here and kind of hard to get through in places. No animals though, I made sure of that when I went looking for you yesterday." Her tone of voice clearly conveyed her own happiness at knowing that he was alive and well.

"You seem to have gotten the better part of the bargain. All I have to offer is a chunk of bare rock, and some very hostile inhabitants of the local oceans. Almost got my foot when I first arrived." He was trying to make it sound humorous, but Beverly was not fooled this easily.

"Are you sure you are all right?"

"Don't worry, I got away just in time. However, I wouldn't go too close to the water if I were you."

"I'll keep it in mind." Beverly had sat back down against the tree trunk, once again surveying the brilliant blue ocean. Then her gaze happened upon the island closest to her own, the one bare of any kind of vegetation. She squinted against the bright sunlight. Was that a spot of red she was seeing?

"Jean-Luc, would you do me a favor?"

He was surprised. What's she up to now? "Sure. What?"

"Would you stand up and wave your arms over your head?"

"Beverly..."

"Please?" There was a trace of urgency in her voice that made him swallow his protest and scramble to his feet. There was no one around to watch him make a fool of himself, so he might as well do as she asked.

He had barely raised his arms when he heard her triumphant shout. "Yes! I thought it was you! I can see you!"

"You can?" His arms dropped in surprise and he did a 360-degree turn to survey the surrounding islands. "Where are you?"

Beverly had long since jumped to her feet and was gesticulating wildly in his direction. "Turn so that the sun is in front and to the right of you. Do you see the island with the single tree on its highest point? I'm right under that tree."

Picard shielded his eyes against the sun and peered intently over at the next island. He barely could make out a fleck of blue moving up and down in front of the tree. A broad smile lit his face. "Yes, I can see you know. I'm so glad you're safe."

"You picked quite a nice spot to set me down." She settled back against the tree, equally smiling. "Although I have to say your aim has been better. When I materialized, I hardly had time to stop myself from falling from that tree." She just could not resist teasing him.

He laughed out loud. "That must have been a sight! I wish I had been there."

"It was not a very... dignified sight." She laughed as well.

They talked for a long time, not having anything else to do and trying to pass the time. At some point Picard retired to his cave to escape the burning sun, and Beverly went off in search of something to eat, but they kept on talking the whole time. Finding topics for conversation had never been a problem for them, and they enjoyed each other's company more than anybody else's. Thus occupied, the day passed quickly, and before any of them noticed the low position of the sun, darkness fell.

Picard finally ventured out of his confinement again and stretched, groaning loudly. "Another day like this and I'll be completely sore." He reached for the emergency supplies and settled down for his evening meal. "It's really too bad that the transporter controls got that last shock. I certainly wouldn't mind being on that island of yours. Food, shade, good company..." His voice trailed off.

When Beverly replied she sounded pensive. "Are you sure it's too dangerous to try and get over here? It doesn't seem that far."

"Believe me, if you had seen those creatures you wouldn't even think of trying it. They were positively blood-thirsty."

"How long do you think until the Enterprise finds us?"

"Probably another day or two. It's hard to tell. The ion storm probably erased all residual trails left by the shuttle, and it might take some time before they get to this particular planet." He yawned loudly.

Beverly's light chuckle carried over the comm link, making him smile. "You're right, I'm tired, too. How about we call it a night and continue this tomorrow morning?"

"Excellent idea, Doctor. Sleep well."

"Sweet dreams." She closed the link and settled down under the tree. She had thought about setting up some kind of tree house, just to give herself something to do, but she didn't really think she'd be on the island long enough to finish it. At least she hoped she wouldn't.

**********

When Beverly awoke early the next morning, she had the distinct feeling that something had changed. She looked around in confusion, trying to make out details in the faint morning light. The sun had not yet risen, but it would not be long before another heat-filled day began.

When her eyes fell on Jean-Luc's island, Beverly gasped in surprise. As quickly as possible, she moved down to the beach facing the rocky piece of land. The moment she reached the water line, the sun rose, illuminating what she at first had believed to be a hallucination.

A perfectly straight line of stepping stones led out from her island to Jean-Luc's, rising out of the water just enough to provide dry passage. Beverly noticed that the beach had got perceptively broader, the water having retreated by at least fifty meters. The only explanation she could think of were tidal forces, but at the moment she did not really care. The only thing that mattered was that they now had a way of crossing the ocean, and she was not going to let that chance slip by. She briefly considered contacting Picard by communicator, but decided against it. It would be much more fun to surprise him.

Carefully balancing on the first stone, she began her journey to the other side of the water.

**********

Picard was dreaming. He could hear Beverly's sweet voice whispering in his ear, telling him to wake up, but he refused to give in. He wanted to keep her in his dream a little longer before facing the loneliness of his desert island again. Now he could feel her hand on his shoulder and leaned into it, smiling, marveling at how real it appeared. The voice became louder and the hand started to shake him; still he clung to his dream.

Beverly shook him harder, and the haze finally started to clear. Picard opened his eyes and stared at her in bewilderment. "Beverly! What are you doing here?"

"I don't have time to explain right now. We have to hurry!" The urgency in her voice and facial expression jolted him to full alertness. He scrambled to his feet and out of the cave, following her down to the water. "Beverly! Are you going to tell me..." His eyes fell upon the line of stepping stones, and he stopped in surprise. "What the..."

"Come on, Jean-Luc, we don't have much time. The water is rising again." She navigated the first couple of stones, then turned around to look for him. He was still staring at her. "Jean-Luc!"

That shook him out of his reverie. "Yes?"

"If you want to get off this rock you had better come now. I don't know when we'll get the chance again." She moved further down the line, careful to keep her balance. The water already started to submerge some of the stones again.

Picard quickly followed her lead, at the same time trying to keep an eye out for suspicious red fins. They had almost reached Beverly's island when he spotted three of the creatures heading their way. By now they were wading ankle-deep in the water and hardly able to keep their balance on the increasingly slippery stones.

"Beverly, hurry. Those beasts have found us."

She cast a quick look in the direction he indicated and picked up her pace. She was almost home free when her right foot slipped, sending her off into the water. Perceiving easy prey, the creatures at once turned her way.

"Beverly!" Picard yelled, frantically trying to find a way to help her.

"Move on, Jean-Luc. I'll be fine." She turned away from him and began to swim, parting the water with firm strokes.

He was surprised at her speed; he had not known that she was such a good swimmer. He struggled to keep up with her, noting with relief that the menacing red fins were still a little distance away.

They reached the shore just in time, stumbling out of the water to see the reptilian creatures hiss at them in frustration and turn back towards the open sea. They collapsed among the first line of bushes, well out of reach of the rising water.

After catching his breach, Picard turned a stern glance on Crusher. "Now can you tell me what this was all about?"

By now, she was breathing easier as well. "When I woke up, I noticed that line of stones, and I decided to come over and wake you. I had not expected the water to rise again that quickly." She blushed slightly and looked at him sheepishly. "Pretty unprofessional, huh?"

"It certainly was. Very risky, to say the least." His tone softened. "But I do appreciate the idea. It certainly beats living on a rock for much longer."

She smiled, relieved about his attempt at humor. Then she shivered. "I'm soaking wet. I need to get out of these clothes, or I might catch a nasty cold, even in a climate like this. You wouldn't happen to have anything to change, do you?"

He looked slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly. "You can have my uniform top, if you like," he offered.

"Better than nothing." She looked around, trying to find a secluded spot to change and seeing none. "Why don't you go on ahead to 'my' tree, while I get changed? Then we can look for something for breakfast."

"Sounds good." He peeled of his uniform top and handed it to her. Beverly briefly found herself admiring his muscular chest and wondering what it would feel like to run her hands over it. Then he turned away. "See you under the tree."

She stared after him, watching him move with ease through the dense vegetation. Shaking herself out of her daydream, she took off her clothing and dried herself off with the top as much as possible. She wrung out her underwear and put it back on; the warmth of her body and the sun would hopefully dry it soon. Then she slipped on Picard's red top. Gathering up her dripping uniform, she followed the trail up the hill.

**********

He was sitting in the shade under the large tree when she arrived, relaxing and taking in his surroundings. "This place is really much better than that rock I was stranded on. Thanks for rescuing me." He smiled up at her, taking in her new appearance and trying not to get distracted by the endless legs that went up all the way to the hem of the top. "I hope you won't take this as a criticism, but... blue definitely suits you better."

She settled down next to him after spreading out her uniform in the sun to dry. "Why did you think I became a doctor?"

"The uniform?"

"It naturally played a part in the decision... a big part." She grinned at him, and he laughed.

"Next you're going to tell me that I look great in blue as well, and would I like to become your head nurse."

"Now there's a thought." She looked him up and down, pretending to seize him up for the job. "Of course then you wouldn't be able to boss me around anymore. I think I might miss that."

"Oh, really?" His eyebrow rose in mock contemplation. "How about I 'order' you to get us some breakfast then? I wouldn't want you to miss my 'bossing around' too much, under any circumstances."

"Yes, Sir!" She jumped up and saluted him, a devilish grin on her face. Then she suddenly bent down and pushed him over. "Move, you're sitting on my tricorder!"

Before he could recover, she had picked up her instrument and was running off, laughing loudly.

Picard shook his head, smiling. Sharing an island with Beverly definitely beat being stranded on a lonely desert rock. He slowly followed her down the hill, suddenly hoping that the Enterprise would not find them too soon.

**********

Three more days had passed, and still there was no rescue party in sight. Picard and Crusher had finally started building the tree house she had been thinking about, more to pass the time than out of necessity. Working in the blazing sun naturally made them hot and sweaty, and they had taken to bathing in the ocean, taking turns watching out for any signs of the hostile creatures. They had also stopped wearing their uniforms; the thick material was just too hot for the climate. After getting over the initial embarrassment, they now felt quite comfortable seeing each other in nothing else but Starfleet issue underwear. In fact, they were both enjoying the situation far more than they felt they should. It was this sense of shame and guilt that kept both of them from lowering their defenses and acting on the dreams that kept them awake at night, dreams that were getting stronger with every passing day.

Each had wondered more than once whether the other was feeling the same way, and how to approach the subject. None had found a solution, so they both kept their silence, pretending that everything was fine. Secretly, however, they were longing for more.

Beverly grasped another armful of the twigs she had just cut from a bush and headed back to the middle of the island. Jean-Luc was up high in the tree, completing the platform they had created by tying strong branches together and lining them with other branches, big leaves, moss, and anything else they could find. It was now quite sturdy, and they were both pleased with the result of their work. Their next project was creating a roof to shield them from the sun, and that was why Beverly had gone to get more twigs that could be woven into the tree's branches.

She bundled up the lot and tied it to a long vine hanging down from the platform; after climbing up herself, she hauled it up to her level and began to work on the roof. Several minutes later, she heard Jean-Luc slump down behind her, stretching his arms and legs with a loud groan.

"I need a break. I think I'll just sit here for a while and watch you do the work."

"No way. If the Captain takes a break, the crew gets to rest, too." She sat down next to him, her grin matching his. "Besides, isn't it your turn to take care of our next meal? I think I'm just the slightest bit hungry..."

"I'm not going anywhere, Doctor, your stomach will have to wait." He lay back, closing his eyes, and said in his best 'Captain Picard' voice, "I might take a short nap, so please don't disturb me."

"Guess I'll have to starve then," she sighed, trying in vain to sound desperate. He did not respond, so she turned her attention to the ever-blue sea, once again wondering at the absence of birds and trying to imagine whether the whole planet looked the same, with long chains of islands criss-crossing the waters.

A dark patch of color on the horizon caught her attention and she squinted, trying to get a better look. Had there been in island in that direction? She wasn't sure, but something told her that there hadn't. She studied the image, not wanting to take her eyes off before she knew what was going on. At first she thought she was imagining it, but after several minutes of observation she was sure: the object was getting bigger. Could it be a ship? Beverly didn't even dare to hope. Another couple of minutes confirmed her guess, however, when large sails became visible as the craft approached. She reached behind her to shake Picard. "Jean-Luc, look at this."

He merely grunted.

She turned her full attention on him, shaking him harder. "Wake up! It's a ship!"

The words and the excitement in her voice roused him to full alertness. "A ship? Here?"

"Over there." She pointed it out to him. "Shouldn't we try to make ourselves known to them? Maybe they can help us." She started to get to her feet, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

"On the contrary. We should do everything to insure that they don't see us. I just hope they aren't headed for this island, or there won't be much of a chance for us to hide."

"Why?" Beverly looked at him in confusion. "Maybe they can contact the Enterprise and tell them where we are--"

"And maybe they don't even know the Federation exists," he cut her off. "Beverly, I'm not quite sure which planet we're on, and I didn't have the time to check before we beamed down, but I'm almost certain that this is not a member world of the Federation. There are no other UFP members in the vicinity of Dalos IV, so we have to assume that no first contact has been made with the inhabitants of this world. We may be stranded, but we still have to respect the Prime Directive."

"The Prime Directive." A loud sigh escaped her as she heavily settled back down beside him. "Sometimes I wish I would never hear about that again."

His smile was sympathetic. "I know how you feel. Sometimes I feel the same way."

"You do?" She hardly could believe her ears. "Like when?"

"Like all those times when we are forced to observe instead of act. The times when I know that one command from me could save an entire world, but the Prime Directive precludes that option and I have to watch the destruction taking place. The times when I question whether I am really doing the right thing but at the same time know that I could not act differently, that if I gave in to the temptation once I would not be able to remain in Starfleet. The Prime Directive was established for a reason and I have sworn to defend that reason. I am still convinced that it is a necessary law, but sometimes I wish it weren't so damned hard to just turn my back and let things be." His gaze bore into her, intense, but not unkind. "Sometimes I wish you wouldn't remind me of that struggle as often as you do, by defying my orders and opposing me for the sake of being able to do your job, when it is my responsibility to keep you from doing just that."

She met his gaze evenly. "I'm sorry, but that's the only way for me to do the Hippocratic Oath justice. If I didn't oppose your orders when they prevent me from saving somebody's life, I would be betraying everything I have sworn to uphold."

"I know." His smile returned and he grasped her hand to press it. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." His eyes swept the ocean again and settled on the ship that by now had passed their island and was heading away from them. "We'll just have to hold out a little while longer."

She nodded, deep in thought. Not long afterwards, the lonely ship disappeared beneath the horizon, once more leaving the Starfleet officers to themselves.

**********

Evening was approaching once again when Beverly fastened a final twig that completed the intricately woven roof of their tree house. They had decided to set up their beds on the platform, cushioned by thick layers of leaves and moss, and this last section of roof was designed to keep out the morning sun. Beverly surveyed her work with half-closed eyes, adjusted a few more leaves to maximize the shaded area and at last declared it finished. She turned. "Jean-Luc? I think we can have our house warming party now."

He was sitting at the edge of the platform looking out over the ocean. At the sound of her voice he looked over and smiled. "As soon as the Enterprise gets here, we'll invite everybody down."

A pensive look came over Beverly's face at his words, but Jean-Luc had already turned away again and did not notice. She looked back at their 'house', then back at him. With a small sigh she finally went over and settled down next to him.

Sunset happened fast, as usual, but for a few seconds they could see the sun turn a bright purple, before it dipped under the horizon. One by one, stars appeared in the dark blue sky, forming constellations they still could not name but had tried to interpret nonetheless.

"Look, the butterfly," Beverly said, pointing up at a cluster of stars.

"I still think it looks rather like a rabbit's head. Don't you see the long ears?" He was teasing her and she knew it, but tonight she was not in the mood for playing games.

"If you say so." She leaned back and closed her eyes, listening to the stillness of the night. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the tree, other than that it was completely silent.

He turned to her, a look of concern crossing his face. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Why?"

"You seem strangely subdued." He softly ran a hand down her arm, trying to reassure her. "Don't tell me this place is finally getting to you."

"No. Yes. I don't know." She sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I like it here, and I enjoy being here with you. I just don't want to stay for the rest of my life. Shouldn't the Enterprise have found us by now?"

"That ion storm pulled us off course quite a bit. Maybe they started out looking in the wrong direction." He squeezed her arm. "Don't worry, they'll find us. It just might take a little longer than we expected."

"I know, you're right." She sighed again and opened her eyes just enough to look at him. By now the two moons had risen, bathing their surroundings in a soft silver light. Picard was half turned away from her, only his profile visible from her current position. Beverly's breath caught in her throat as she watched the light glint off his perfectly sculpted face, highlighting the aristocratic features. He moved slightly, and the play of light and shadow shifted, creating new effects that were as tantalizing as before.

For once unable to restrain herself, Beverly reached up and slowly trailed her hand down his back, tracing the line of his spine before coming to rest on his lower back. He turned slowly, taking in her body bathed in liquid silver before locking his eyes with hers.

Suddenly afraid of her own courage, she took her hand away, wondering what he would think of her but not daring to speak. An almost imperceptible frown formed on his face as he was trying to read her, trying to ascertain what had just happened... or if anything had happened at all.

At this moment, she seemed more beautiful to him than ever before. The moonlight made her seem translucent, like a vision, and a vision she had been to him for far too long. He loved her and he wanted her; in fact he had loved her and wanted her for more than twenty years, but he could never tell her that. Her darkened eyes bore into his, a slightly puzzled expression now replacing the faintly guilty one he had caught upon turning. What was she trying to tell him?

He finally decided to copy her movement and slowly raised a hand to gingerly trail it down along her arm.

Beverly's eyes widened in shock as his slight touch registered. Misreading her reaction, he quickly moved away and broke the eye contact, but she grasped his hand and held it. He regarded their joint hands for a moment, then his gaze turned up to meet her eyes again. This time, the confusion was plain on his face, asking for an explanation. Not able to answer that kind of question, Beverly dropped his hand and closed her eyes, scolding herself for losing control in the first place.

She was not prepared for his hand softly touching her cheek, and the low voice reaching her ear. "Beverly?"

"What?" she whispered, not daring to open her eyes for fear of what she might see.

"Will you look at me?"

She fought with herself for a brief moment, then curiosity won out. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to brace herself against his reaction. When her gaze finally met his, her heart started to race and she almost forgot to breathe. He was looking at her with such a tender expression as she had never seen on him before. She got lost in his eyes, feeling like she was drowning in the dark pools, but at the same time feeling infinitely secure. His look made her aware of the yearning deep inside of her, of loving him and wanting him like she had not loved and wanted anyone in a long time.

"What?" she whispered again, trying to break the spell and not wanting the moment to end at the same time.

"I've been wondering..." His voice trailed off, he being just as mesmerized by her gaze as she was by his.

"What?" She couldn't think of anything else to say, her whole consciousness being consumed by the feeling of being so close to him. From somewhere in the back of her mind a thought emerged, and it took her a moment to register its meaning. Do something. Show him you're interested.

"What have you been wondering?" she breathed, at the same time reaching out a tentative hand towards his face to lightly trace his cheek bone with her fingertips.

"I've been wondering... what it would be like... to..." He slowly leaned closer, his eyes still locked with hers.

Her heart beat in her throat as his face inched closer to hers. Her mouth parted slightly, nervous anticipation making her bottom lip quiver. When his lips touched hers, she closed her eyes.

Their first kiss was soft and slow, matching the solemnity of the night and the dream-like state they found themselves in. Gradually, it increased in intensity as the full range of sensations evoked by their touch registered. All the images they had just dreamed of during the past days began to float through their minds. Was it possible that those dreams would actually become reality now?

He pulled back in time to avoid being completely swept away. They stared at each other for a long time, neither one speaking, all movement suspended. Then a slow smile spread out on her face.

"Well, was it like you thought it would be?"

"No." He shook his head lightly, his smile now mirroring hers.

"Oh?"

"It was better." His hand caressed her cheek, brushing back strands of red hair. "Much better."

Her eyes lit up impishly. "Maybe we can still improve it, if we practise a little."

"Do you think so?"

"It's worth a try."

"Whatever you say." He bent down to her again. Their arms wrapped around each other, drawing them together as close as possible. Reality melted away as their second kiss picked up right where the first one had left off.

For a long time they just kissed, savoring the feeling of new-found closeness and thoroughly exploring each other's mouths. Gradually, however, their attention shifted as hesitant hands began their journey over scantily clad bodies, growing bolder with each passing minute. Soon the few garments they still wore were discarded, flung carelessly over the edge of the platform and disappearing into the darkness of the night. More kisses followed the trails traced by gentle fingers; moonlight and shadows played their own silent games on pale skin as their bodies shifted against one another. The exploration continued, soft moans and little gasps breaking the stillness of the night but not breaking the spell that still held them captive. Slowly, their passion built, held at bay only by their mutual desire to prolong this journey through the night, to make it an adventure none of them had ever thought possible. Their final joining was reached after hours of wordlessly declaring and proving the deep love between them; it left them both breathless, but it was not the end. Kisses and caresses continued well through the night until they finally fell asleep in each other's arms. It was a night of tenderness, of love and dreams come true; a night neither of them would ever want to forget.

**********

The morning sun streaked through the 'roof' and fell right into Beverly's eyes. She woke with a start, disoriented at first. The strong arm wrapped around her waist and the warm body pressed against her from behind quickly brought back all the memories. She smiled.

Beverly slowly turned, trying not to wake the man holding her close. The leaves under her rustled slightly, reminding her of when they at last had abandoned the edge of the platform in favor of their 'bed'. She lay for a long moment just looking at him, admiring his body bathed in sunlight; the strong legs and arms, the soft hairs on his chest, the inviting lips. Not able to resist the invitation, she softly kissed him.

He stirred, instinctively pulling her closer against him. His lips responded to her touch while his mind slowly emerged from its dreaming state. Finally his eyes opened, regarding her with a delighted smile.

"This must be the perfect way to wake up. Paradisiac surroundings, a beautiful woman in my arms..."

She snuggled back into his embrace. "I'm glad you approve."

"Why wouldn't I? I feel like I'm in heaven!"

"Good." Her hand started trailing down his back, tracing little circles along the way and sending a shiver down his spine. "I intend to wake up like this many, many times in the future."

"So you've decided to stay on this island permanently?" He grinned as she playfully smacked his behind.

"If you don't behave yourself I'll consider leaving you behind when the Enterprise finally comes to our rescue."

"And abandon our practise sessions? I don't think I can allow that." He rolled her over on her back, pinning her to the ground. "I'm still your Captain, don't forget that." His mouth descended on hers, cutting off her reply. Soon their surroundings once again sank into oblivion as passion took over all their senses.

**********

When they at last climbed down from the tree to find some breakfast, the sun already stood high in the sky. Looking around, Picard noticed that the line of stepping stones leading to his former place of confinement had reappeared. He pointed it out to Beverly.

"Probably some sort of tidal phenomenon," she guessed. "I hope you don't want to go back over there."

"Of course not." He closed his arms around her and kissed her. "Everything I could want is here."

"You know, maybe we should try to find our clothes. I wouldn't want to be caught completely naked if the Enterprise suddenly decided to show up." She blushed at the thought.

"You're right." He released her, and they went in search of their undergarments. It took a while to untangle them from some very thorny bushes, but at length they managed to recover all the items without tearing neither them nor their skins to shreds.

They spent the day in lazy idleness, swimming, sun bathing, and generally making up for years of suppressed longing. Evening found them relaxing on their platform again, Beverly sitting between Jean-Luc's legs, her back against his chest, his head resting on her shoulder. The sunset was short but spectacular, and soon afterwards the two moons rose.

Beverly moved her head to place a kiss on Jean-Luc's cheek, then she settled back into his embrace. She absently stroked his hands which were clasped together in front of her and looked up at the stars, wondering how much longer they would be able to enjoy this, their own private paradise. She finally decided to voice the question that had been on her mind since morning.

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" His thumbs lightly moved over her skin, causing her to shiver in delight.

"When we're back on the Enterprise, what are we going to do? About us, I mean."

He shifted slightly, uncomfortably. What was she talking about? Was this her way of telling him that she didn't want their intimate relationship to continue once they were back aboard the ship? Carefully keeping his voice neutral, he asked, "What do you want to do about it?"

She suddenly realized what he must be thinking and turned to look deep into his eyes. Her gaze assured him that she had no intention of giving up their new closeness, and her words confirmed that. "I don't mean whether we should continue to be lovers; in fact I was counting on that," she quickly kissed him and smiled, "but I'm a bit worried about how we're going to balance that aspect of our relationship with our jobs. How will the crew react to two of their senior officers having an affair?"

"First of all, you are much more to me than an affair." His disapproving glance prompted a laugh and another kiss from Beverly. "Second, we wouldn't be the first, and third, we don't have to tell them if we don't want to."

Her look was doubtful. "You're forgetting about a certain empath who's been after me for years trying to convince me to get a love life. I don't think we'd be able to hide anything from her."

Jean-Luc thought for a moment. "Maybe she'll be so happy for you that you can convince her to keep it a secret, at least for a while. The ship's grapevine will pick up on it sooner or later anyway, but it would give us some time to sort out our lives and get used to everything."

"You can always order her to keep quiet," Beverly grinned. "But yes, I think Deanna would do that for us. Hell, she'll be so thrilled to finally see us together, she'll agree to anything just to keep us this way."

His look became suspicious. "Are you saying you talked to her? About your feelings for me?"

Beverly blushed. "Well, I never actually mentioned your name, but she figured it out sooner or later. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to cooperate and tell me how you felt about me. So I finally tried to convince myself that there was nothing between us and she just didn't want to crush my hopes. On the other hand, I couldn't imagine why she would keep me in suspense if there was nothing to hope for." She shook her head. "It was all very confusing."

"I can imagine. It was the same way for me." He lifted her chin to meet her lips with his. "I'm glad we finally figured it out... without needing a matchmaker."

"So am I." They kissed again, lingering longer this time. Beverly leaned into him, pushing him over until his back was flat on the floor. He pulled her down on top of him, his hands moving over her back, tracing intricate patterns on her skin. He was just about to unhook her bra when they heard a faint chirping sound, followed by the voice of Commander Riker.

"Enterprise to Captain Picard."

The lovers broke apart, staring at each other in astonishment. For days they had been waiting for their ship to find them; now that the Enterprise had actually arrived, they were too surprised to react.

The chirping repeated. "Enterprise to Doctor Crusher. Respond, please."

Beverly was the first to move. "The communicators. Where are our uniforms?"

"Under the tree somewhere. I don't know."

They had had quite some practise navigating the tree and managed to get down in a matter of moments. Searching for their uniforms in the darkness was a different problem; Riker's hail was repeated twice before they finally found them.

Picard pressed his communicator. "Picard here. It's good to hear your voice, Commander."

Relief was audible in Riker's reply. "I'm glad we finally found you, Sir. Is Doctor Crusher with you?"

The Captain looked over at Beverly who was about to put her uniform on. He smiled. "She's standing right next to me. We are both fine, no injuries. The shuttle was damaged in an ion storm and we lost navigational control. We barely managed to beam down to this island before the shuttle went down into the planet's ocean."

"Scanners have already located the shuttle; Data and Geordi are working on how to get it out of the water. Are you ready to beam up?"

"Just a second, Number One." Picard had managed to put on his pants while Riker spoke, now he pulled on his uniform top and straightened it. He held out his arms and Beverly moved into his embrace. They silently kissed once again, saying good-bye to the freedom and carelessness that the desert island had offered, then moved apart to take their positions. Beverly looked around one last time, committing her surroundings to memory. They smiled at each other when Picard finally gave the command. "Two to beam up."

The night dissolved and gave way to the image of the transporter room coming into focus around them. They stepped off the transporter platform and moved towards the door which obediently opened. Out in the corridor, Picard hesitated and turned to Beverly.

"I have to go up to the bridge. Will I see you later?"

She smiled. "I have no idea whether it's morning or night according to ship's time, but I think I could use a decent dinner. How about my quarters, as soon as you're finished on the bridge?"

"I'll try to make it short." He fought hard to resist the urge to kiss her. Crew members passed them from both directions.

She turned to leave, but looked back at him as a thought crossed her mind. Grinning broadly, she stepped close enough to whisper in his ear. "Try to stay out of Deanna's way, okay?"

He grinned as well. "I'll do my best."

With a last smile they parted.

The end (at least for now...)

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This story was meant to be longer, but I'm running out of time at the
moment. I'm considering writing a sequel, but that may take a while.
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