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“Incoming transmission from Starfleet Command, Captain,” Data’s voice cut through his reverie. Picard looked up as he continued, “Admiral Trevors wishes to speak to you at your earliest convenience.
Jean-Luc worked to keep his expression neutral but he could feel every muscle in his body tightening, “Jason Trevors? I wasn’t aware he’d been promoted to Admiral.”
“Yes Captain. I believe his promotion was only two months, three days and seven hours ago,” Data replied, oblivious to the round of eye rolls his statement brought on. Picard turned to give one of the younger ensigns a pointed glare when irritated mutterings reached his ears but Geordi beat him to it.
“I’ve heard of Trevors. Word in the academy was he could charm his way into anything. Do you know him, Captain?” Riker’s voice came from his right, drawing his attention back to the conversation. His first officer’s question was perfectly innocent but for some reason it made him nervous.
“We’ve met briefly,” the captain answered carefully. He nodded shortly, smoothing his uniform as he stood, “I’ll take the call in my ready room, Commander.”
“Yes Captain.” Jean-Luc didn’t look back as Data spoke, striding purposefully off the bridge. As soon as the door slid shut behind him he let himself relax some of his legendary self-control.
Jason Trevors . How long had it been since he’d heard that name? Thirty years, maybe more. Would Trevors even remember him? Part of Picard hoped not as he settled into his chair, it would avoid so much awkwardness if he’d simply forgotten their brief time together. Not that they’d parted on bad terms. On the contrary it was possibly the most amicable break up he’d ever been through. But the idea of personal affairs mixing with his professional work made him incredibly uncomfortable.
Even if he does remember me, which I doubt, he’s an Admiral. He’ll be busy. This will have to be a brief but important call I’m sure. A sort of calm settled over him as he embraced the logic of the situation.
So when a familiar, if older, face popped into his viewscreen he didn't struggle at all to keep his tone even. “Admiral, how can I help you?”
“Jean-Luc,” Trevors tipped his head, smiling fondly. It was unprofessional for a Starfleet admiral to behave in such a way on a call. It was very much like the Trevors he remembered though and he couldn’t help but smile warmly back despite his earlier anxiety, “It’s good to see you too old friend. I hope you’re well.”
“I am, thank you,” Picard nodded, keeping his tone politely formal, “Apologies for my tardiness but congratulations on your promotion. You’ll have to tell me all about how it came to be some time.”
“Thank you,” Trevors sat up a little straighter, flashing the captain his best smile. The one that had made his much weaker (and less artificial) heart flutter once upon a time, “As much as I’d love to catch up with everything you’ve been doing since we last spoke, unfortunately duty calls.”
The outline was simple enough. Transport the Admiral and his small entourage of ensigns from Starbase 151 to Starbase 234 in time for the scientific panels being hosted there in one week's time.
“That should be no problem, Admiral, we’ll make sure you and your team arrive at the conference on time."
“Very good, then I’ll see you in a few days, Picard,” one of Trevor’s eyebrows raised, a smirk flitting across his face, “And try not to have too much fun before I get there, Trevors out.”
For a moment Picard stared at the blank screen, his thoughts uncharacteristically fast.
Two weeks with Trevors would be challenging. He’d been charismatic back in his twenties and age hadn’t changed that so far as he could tell. But he also remembered he’d had a mischievous streak that could cause chaos if left unchecked. He was confident if he only had him to worry about he would be able to restrain Trevors without much hassle. It may have been a long time but even in his youth he’d been reasonably successful in keeping them both out of too much trouble.
But Trevors and Q on board, together , was asking for disaster. It would take Q seconds to sniff out a high ranked individual onboard who might be willing to go along with some reckless yet spectacular stunt. Left to their own devices his ship and its crew would likely end up in a black hole. It wouldn’t be the worst thing Q had ever done.
Perhaps I ought to reflect on how I ended up in intimate relationships with beings of chaos. Once is a coincidence, twice is a preference . Sighing deeply, Picard rested his head on his hand and massaged his temples.
A more worrying thought entered his mind. What if Q didn’t like Trevors, or objected to him being on the Enterprise? Picard had made it clear from the outset that Q was not to interfere with the day to day running of the ship, but the day to day had never involved a past lover before.
Then again, he had no real reason to believe Q would even care an old flame of his was on the ship. They’d never discussed past relationships at any length but he was certain the list of Q’s past lovers would far exceed his own if for no other reason than he’d simply existed for a few billion years longer than himself. Q had never asked for any details of his past affairs and Picard had never wanted to know about any of his either.
There’s no use worrying about this. I highly doubt a Q, a being so advanced that they never stop reminding everyone just how advanced they are, even feel something as primitive and human as jealousy . The thought brought a small smile back to his face and he straightened up, tapping his comm badge.
“Commander, lay in a course for Starbase 151, warp four.”
“Yes Captain,” Data replied and silence fell in his ready room once again. Before he could think to enjoy it or take advantage of the momentary respite however he felt a hand on his shoulder.
It was telling that he didn’t react beyond looking upwards and raising an eyebrow questioningly at Q. "You called, mon capitaine?"
Picard blinked, confused. "...I did?"
The smile on his face curled into an amused smirk, "You were thinking about me so much I assumed you wanted to see me."
Of course . It was far too easy for him to forget how omnipotent Q really was. He’d never had to worry about his thoughts being read before, let alone that thinking about someone too much (specifically, an over-attached, likely bored and unstable someone) could make them appear out of thin air at any time.
Q clearly sensed weakness. "Did you miss me, Jean-Luc?" his voice took on a teasing tone as he leaned down from behind Picard, "No need to be embarrassed, I can assure you…" Q kissed the side of his neck, his voice softening. "I missed you too. I do so wish you weren't tied down by all this being mortal business."
A small part of Picard in that moment wholeheartedly agreed and he pushed it down fiercely. "Hmm, perhaps we could pick this up later, after my shift," his tone was pointed, but he turned his head to give the entity an affectionate kiss on the cheek regardless.
"So not in the mood for any devilishly handsome interventions today," Q tilted his head up, their noses brushing, "So my dear, tell me. What were you thinking about?"
"You don't already know?"
The slightly smug grin returned and so did the hand on his shoulder as Q straightened up to sit on the corner of his desk. "I'm trying to indulge your humanity, humour me."
Picard snorted, but felt a grin of his own tugging at his lips. "Well, I just spoke with Admiral Trevors. We’ve been asked to escort him and his team to Starbase 234," he started, then paused a little dumbly, unsure how to continue.
"Sounds stuffy and boring,” Q rolled his eyes, but his eyes showed his curiosity, “Why would a conversation with a Starfleet admiral make you think of me?"
Maybe a direct approach was best. "Trevors and I used to, a very long time ago, be intimately involved with each other."
Q's hand tightened ever so slightly in his uniform but his expression didn't change, "Ah. I see. Are you...planning on rekindling that relationship?"
"No," his voice was firm and final, "I was just pondering whether his being here would bother you."
Q's eyes narrowed slightly, clearly offended, "Why would it bother me? Jealousy is a human emotion. It's primitive and wholly based on the assumption that any mere mortal could compete with me. Do you truly think so little of me?"
"I suppose I should've known better than to believe you'd indulge in self-doubt," Picard leaned back a little in his chair, a smirk forming on his lips, "You are the only being I know who seems incapable of self-reflection."
"You wound me, Jean-Luc," Q pouted, a mischievous twinkle in his eye that not so long ago would've put him on edge. "If you must know I am capable, I simply choose not to. What’s the point of reflecting on anything when I already know all the answers after all." His voice deepened as he let his gaze wander openly down the captain’s body. "I would however like to indulge in something else right now."
"Tempting, but no," he stood and pressed a chaste kiss to the entity’s lips, "I still have work to do, doubly so now we'll be chaperoning the admiral."
"Ooh, always so hardworking ," Q rolled his eyes, pouting when Picard pulled away, "Indulge my curiosity then. What kind of human managed to win the affections of Jean-Luc Picard?"
"It was a very long time ago, Q, I was much younger and less," he paused to mull over his words, "Worried about distractions. Trevors certainly made for an interesting distraction.”
Something in Q’s expression twitched but it was gone before Jean-Luc would work out what it was. "So you had lower standards, though I suppose I'm not very standard.
"You certainly are not," he hadn't meant it as a compliment but Q's face lit up just the same.
“Jean-Luc you flatterer. Are you going to introduce me to him?”
He paused. “As a Q, or as Q? ”
“Is there a difference?” he asked with a smile.
“He’s already aware that I’ve offered you a place on the Enterprise, I made sure all of the admiralty was notified when you agreed. But I haven’t told them about our relationship ,” he trailed off. The idea of telling Trevors he was seeing Q was...unappealing. He wasn’t ashamed of this but the thousand enquiries he’d have to face as a result...worse, how his interactions with his crew would change on a daily basis...he wasn’t ready for that just yet.
“Ooh so what you really mean is; introduce me as a Q or as your new lover,” his smirk broadened as Picard spluttered, “This is going to be fun. How long is he on the ship for?"
"A week or so," a note of warning entered his voice, "Q I have no intention of making our past affair public knowledge-"
"Don't worry, Jean-Luc, I can be discreet," Q waved a hand idly, “And I’m sure Admiral Lover Boy will be just as accommodating. Do you think he’ll like me?”
"I’m worried he will,” Picard’s eyes narrowed, “Trevors has an uncanny ability to come up with reckless ideas that sound plausible, and having someone with few morals and omnipotent powers to help him could spell disaster. I would like to have an intact ship at the end of this.”
"I can always put it back together after," Q batted his eyelid, the grin on his face not helping with his innocent facade one bit.
" Q. ”
"Oh very well, best behaviour . You're no fun at all Picard,” Q grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring slightly at the captain.
Jean-Luc smoothed his uniform down, unruffled. "That's a shame,” he sighed with mock resignation, “I was going to ask you to meet me in my quarters after my shift but since I'm so boring perhaps I should spend the evening looking over the reports from the labs or doing something else useful to the operation of my ship."
Q’s eyes widened and a moment later he moved forward, nuzzling the side of his neck and wrapping his arms around him. "I take it all back, you're not boring at all," even though he couldn’t see him, Picard could feel him smile against his neck, “Actually you’re rather wonderful. A dreadful tease but nobody’s perfect. Except me, naturally.”
Jean-Luc couldn’t help but laugh lightly, finding Q’s hands with his own and squeezing them gently. "You are the most ridiculous being I've ever met.”
"But you love me anyway?" he didn’t think the words were meant to sound so much like a question, but Picard was more than happy to reassure him regardless.
"Without question," he murmured softly. Q leaned back to find his lips with his own and Picard let his eyes fall shut. He shouldn’t indulge this. He had work to do. Anyone could walk in. There were probably a thousand other reasons too.
He just didn’t have the mental capacity to care at this moment.
Right now he longed to pull Q closer, maybe drag him onto the desk...if Q pulled them out of time perhaps…
Q pulled away with a chuckle. "Then I'll see you tonight, my dear, don't keep me waiting."
Q knew the exact second the Admiral stepped onto the Enterprise. He’d decided to keep himself at a distance for the time being. He’d intended to watch and see how Picard reacted but he couldn’t deny he was also a tiny bit curious about the other human too. Any human that Picard is willing to be intimate with had to be interesting at the very least.
But he didn’t really get a chance to enjoy any of that. Jean-Luc had barely had a moment to welcome the Admiral onboard before the day to day calamity of the Enterprise had swept him back onto the bridge. No enjoyable human emotions from Picard and he had no chance to see how they acted around each other. He was thoroughly disappointed.
And the more he watched the more Trevors seemed completely normal and pleasant and boring . So much for worrying about what chaos we might reap together, Picard , he thought disdainfully as the man chatted politely with his team, knitting might be more interesting than this man.
Though perhaps he could make the situation more interesting if nothing else. What’s the harm in introducing myself? Jean-Luc asked me not to cause trouble. Being friendly isn’t causing trouble .
In a flash of light he was wrapped up and contained in his human form in front of the new arrivals. One of the ensigns gasped, another nearly fell over with shock. How pathetic .
“Admiral Trevors, do excuse my rude arrival,” he looked down at the ensign being helped off the floor by his co-worker, “I didn’t expect little me to cause such a stir.”
"You must be the Q Jean-Luc spoke of,” Trevors’ smile remained pleasant as he looked Q over, interest clear in his eyes, “He said you might pop up if we hang around the ship long enough. I didn’t know he meant it that literally.”
"He's told you about little old me?" oh this was already worth it, "What a lovely surprise, all good things I'm sure?"
“Naturally,” Trevors nodded, turning to his gang of underlings, “Why don’t you guys get set up in your temporary quarters, I’ll join you a little later.” The five of them scampered off without too much fanfare or questioning. Clearly Trevors, despite his outwardly friendly persona, didn’t invite much dissent or argument. “Would you think me rude if I asked you to walk with me for a while? I’d love to get to know you.”
“Oh I suppose I could spare the time,” Q sighed dramatically, leading the way down the hall.
“I’m grateful,” Trevors kept an even pace beside him, “So, tell me. How is being as powerful as yourself finding life on the Enterprise? I hope Jean-Luc has been making a good impression.”
Jean-Luc. First name basis already hm? Q didn’t bother to try to understand the ridiculous delicacies of Starfleet etiquette most of the time but he was fairly sure there should be a title in there somewhere. He felt somewhat annoyed on his lover’s behalf.
“ Captain Picard most certainly has, I’m sure you’ve heard of our many exploits in the reports he sends to you.”
“I have,” Trevors nodded, his expression remaining annoyingly pleasant, “I’m glad to hear you say that. Jean-Luc is a talented captain and negotiator but I know he's not the easiest introduction to humanity for a being such as yourself."
"Now why would you think that?" Q could feel his irritation growing. Was this man trying to deliberately insult Picard?
"He's a bit of a stickler for the rules-”
"And you're not, Admiral? "
Trevors shrugged, a small smirk breaking his polite facade, "I pretend to be, for appearances of course. But everyone knows I think rules are more, hm guidelines than strict and unbreakable."
Irritation bled to dislike. Pretend to be someone you’re not to gain authority. The human race is fortunate it was Picard and not you I was sent to put on trial otherwise your species would be extinct now.
“Well I can assure you, you have no reason for concern.”
“About Picard, no,” Trevors agreed, stopping outside one of the doors. He paused, taking a breath before he turned to face Q fully. “Listen, I have no authority over you. I’d be stupid to pretend. But when it comes to the people I care about, I do stupid things.”
Trevor’s expression darkened. “I’ve read every report Picard has written on you. He may speak highly of you now but because of you he’s faced dangers greater than anyone at Starfleet command could have anticipated. He’s more than a great captain, he’s a good man and I consider him a friend. I agree that you should have a chance to live among us but if you ever hurt him, not even your amazing omnipotent powers will stop me hunting you down and making your immortal life hell .”
Trevors glanced down the hallway before giving him a polite nod. “Nice to meet you, Q,” the door swished open and before Q could form a reply he walked inside and was gone, leaving a somewhat dumbstruck entity in his wake.
“I think I’ve owed you that drink for what, thirty years?” Picard gave Guinan an apologetic look as she poured the drinks Trevors had just ordered, “And don’t try the ‘ I don’t drink ’ shtick with me, Jean-Luc, you can have one .”
“Age hasn’t changed you at all. Thank you Guinan.”
Trevors snorted, elbowing him with a glare, “I resent that, you know. I think I’ve matured a lot since we parted ways.”
“I haven’t seen you dance on the bar yet so I suppose I can’t disagree,” Picard laughed. Guinan departed with a warning glare at Trevors, leaving them alone for the first time in decades.
“Good times,” the Admiral chuckled. He looked over at Picard, looking him over as he smoothed down his own greying hair, “You look good. Obviously the captain’s chair suits you.”
“I enjoy the challenge,” Picard took a sip from his drink, “I have to admit if you’d have told me thirty years ago that you’d be an Admiral I’d have laughed in your face. Are you enjoying the position?”
“Hey, c’mon, this is off-duty Picard time,” Trevors winked at him, grin in place, “We can talk about my promotion anytime, I wanna hear about the fun stuff. Liiikkkeee, are you seeing anyone?”
Picard nearly spat out his drink. That would have been telling. “Are you? ”
“Yeah right, Admiral, private time? Not likely,” he rolled his eyes, finishing his glass, “I’d like to but maybe it’s too late for someone as old as us to settle down.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow at him, “Maybe sitting at a desk has made you feel your age but we’ve got decades left in us yet. What was it you said to me once? Age is just a number we use to retire people who aren’t stubborn enough to tell Starfleet command to take a hike.
“You remember that?” his dark eyes shined with fondness and surprise.
“Of course, that was one of your many adages that stuck with me,” he gave the admiral an amused look, “Some of the less coherent ones stuck with me too.”
“I’m not sure I want to remember some of the stupid things I used to say when I was drunk,” Trevors winced.
“Maybe not. But you were always passionate about what you believed in.”
“That hasn’t changed. Gets me into trouble more often than not but hey,” he shot Picard a sly smirk, “At least you like it.”
They fell into comfortable silence for a moment as Picard finished his own drink. It was decent, but nothing compared to earl grey, not that he would say so to Guinan.
Trevors broke into his thoughts. “I met Q on my way to the temporary quarters,” he said it so casually it took Picard off-guard. As if meeting an immortal being was something he did everyday.
“Oh?” he tried to sound just as casual, hoping Q had kept his word about not causing too much havoc.
“Hm, he seems…” he trailed off, thinking over his words carefully, “I dunno, exactly as described I guess. He gave Ensign Fro-ko a fright appearing right in front of us.”
“You get used to it,” Picard gave him a sympathetic look, “I hope he made a good impression. I truly believe he’s not only an asset to the Enterprise but could be a good friend to Starfleet. He reminds me of you in some ways, he thinks in ways others don’t.”
“You seem attached to him,” Trevors noted.
“I believe we have a strong relationship,” Picard replied vaguely, “The crew seem to be warming up to him as well.”
“Making alliances with all-powerful, god-like entities. Keeping this starship running. You’re in your element old friend. I’m glad you’re doing well,” he gave Jean-Luc a warm smile, “And it’s really great to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too,” and he was surprised by how much he meant it.
By now, Q realized, he should be used to Picard drawing out emotions from him he’d never experienced before. But this had still caught him off guard. Watching Trevors all but flirt with a completely uninterested Jean-Luc had been more cringe inducing than anything but watching the ease they shared, even after decades apart…
It made him feel...wrong. Like he’d been hollowed out and a thousand tiny creatures were crawling in his mindspace. Why, why did he feel like this? Why should he care about the history between two humans? They’re history was so brief as to be insignificant.
Well, no. Nothing about Picard could ever be insignificant. But still!
The more he watched the worse he felt. It was a relief to see them part ways and even more so that Picard was heading back to his quarters, alone. He tried to convince himself he wasn’t jealous, which wasn’t difficult because he wasn’t jealous . He just…
It wasn’t fair. That man could sit in a bar and flirt with Picard and no one cared. If Q did that no doubt half the crew would try and form some protective circle around their beloved captain. They might never have that open ease, just a secret behind closed doors relationship forever. Part of it was certainly Picard’s desperate need to keep his private affairs private but Q wasn’t dense enough to believe that was all it was.
I tormented them. I threw them to the borg and Picard himself paid the price for that. Why would they ever trust me?
Self-reflection, wouldn’t Jean-Luc be proud.
As soon as he was alone, Q appeared to the captain in a flash of diamond-shaped light. Without a word he drew the human in for a hug, ignoring the surprised noise and instead focusing on the way Picard immediately hugged him back. He could feel the thread of concern in his mind but also delight to see him.
He tightened his grip on him.
“Q?” Picard’s questioning voice was muffled a little between them.
“Hm?”
“Are you Okay?”
“Absolutely peachy,” he assured him with as much of his usual eagerness as he could muster.
There was a long pause. “You were watching me speak with Trevors.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
Picard sighed, nuzzling into his neck. “I know you said you don’t feel jealousy but I feel I need to point out that you have absolutely nothing to feel jealous of, just for the record.”
“I don’t feel jealous,” to be jealous was human, and he was not a human, “I just...miss you I suppose.”
There was another pause. “I miss you too. But it means I endeavour to enjoy your company more when I have you.”
Q traced his lips with his thumb, finally smiling, “Then let’s not waste a single moment, mon amour.”