NOTE: For those of you who have read the WIP or any of this story before completion, because of various changes within the story, it is advised that you read again from the very beginning. Large parts have been deleted, rewritten added and replaced.

Chapter 1

"It wasn't her…" he mumbled.

Briggy Granger stopped in her tracks. She had spent months with Jean-Luc Picard in his house in France. Most of that time she had been bullying him into washing, eating, and trying to make him stay away from the bottle. Throughout all of that, she had tried her hardest to get the man to talk to her. But Jean-Luc had steadfastly remained silent on that front. Those three words, although small and probably meaningless to any eavesdroppers, meant the world to Briggy. It was the breakthrough she had desperately been searching for, ever since she had walked into the house in France a year ago and forced Jean-Luc upstairs for a bath.

"I know and I'm sorry," she answered, trying hard not to rush the conversation. She didn't want Jean-Luc to realise what was happening and retreat inside himself once again. She had to take this nice and slow. She had to let Jean-Luc do all of the talking.

"It wasn't her…" he said again, in a small pitiful voice, so unlike his normal self. "I thought everything was going to be alright again… but it wasn't her."

Briggy fought hard to keep her own emotions in check. She had seen what had happened last month on the Enterprise. Briggy had seen the excitement and joy at the prospect of Beverly Crusher returning to them alive. She had seen from the crew's reaction, just how much she had meant to them. Then, Briggy had had to deal with the aftermath of the discovery on the planet's surface. Although, somewhat pleased at finding a survivor of the disastrous convoy to the conference, deep down it wasn't who they had been waiting for. It was one of the other victims of the disaster: Grace Jarmen.

Briggy had watched as the Enterprise then set about frantically searching the area for any sign of Beverly's shuttlecraft. Every day, the circumference around Grace Jarmen's shuttle's crash site was widened by light years…

Briggy pulled over a chair and sat and listened to Jean-Luc's incoherent rambling until he was prepped for surgery. Jean-Luc had been found unconscious that very morning by Deanna in his living room in France. His liver had finally had enough of the alcohol abuse and had given out; he was also extremely malnourished and was literally wasting away. Briggy accompanied him down the corridor to the operating room and sat outside and waited for him to come out.

The surgery went well, and Briggy had sat on a chair at the side of Jean-Luc's bed reading while she waited for him to regain consciousness.

"Take me home," were his first words.

Three days later, she took Jean-Luc home, and the first thing he did was rush to his computer terminal and contact the Enterprise for any further developments.

Briggy sighed, she had assured him repeatedly that she would tell him the instant she heard something from the Enterprise. Jean-Luc didn't like what he heard from Will Riker.

They still hadn't found Beverly.

Once again, Jean-Luc slumped into silence and went to find the whiskey.

She had pre-empted that action of his and disposed of every drop of alcohol in the house. She glanced outside wondering what to do about the alcohol outside in the barn fermenting. Dismissing the thought, she started to prepare dinner for the two of them. Jean-Luc's doctor had drummed in the fact that, apart from stopping Jean-Luc's incessant alcohol abuse, she had to make Jean-Luc eat, and eat well.

"Where has my drink gone?" Jean-Luc said, coming into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"I got rid of it," Briggy replied, not lifting her eyes from the carrots she was chopping. She thought that he would get angry with her, but he simply stood silently in the doorway watching what she was doing.

With a huff of protest, Jean-Luc stomped over to the replicator and tried to order another bottle of his favourite poison, only to be told that he had no access to alcoholic beverages because he was under eighteen.

He blinked in surprise and turned an impressed eye on his counsellor.

Briggy finally looked up at him. "You can't get past me."

"No," he answered. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage."

"I can't let you get back in that state again, Jean-Luc," she said, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table for him. She indicated for him to take a seat before returning to her vegetable preparations.

Jean-Luc took the seat offered to him and he sat down with a heavy sigh. "I don't want to get in that state again…"

Briggy put down the knife and walked over to him, she took his hand gently. "I won't let you. You have to trust me. Do you think you can?"

"I think I can," he said, his eyes filling with tears.

"You know you can tell me anything," she said, trying to portray her honesty through her eyes. "Anything you say to me will not leave this room. I won't even tell Deanna."

Jean-Luc seemed impressed by that news.

"In the meantime," Briggy said, a quirky smile playing on her face. "Do you fancy helping me with the dinner?"

"I can't cook," he answered, looking a little worried.

"Well you can start by finishing chopping these carrots," she said with a smile, urging him to do something other than sitting on the couch drowning in depression. To her utter delight, Jean-Luc assented, got to his feet and began chopping the carrots.

Briggy stood off to one side, watching her captain very slowly chopping the carrots. She was very proud of him. Briggy remembered back to her first days as Ship's Counsellor on the Enterprise, and the fateful plea for help that had brought her here a year ago.

She had been waiting for Deanna's call, knowing eventually that Deanna would admit defeat and relent to getting some help. Deanna couldn't take on the burden of Jean-Luc Picard's care all alone, as she was grieving too.

Sure enough, a few days later, Deanna Troi called to ask for help. Briggy studied Deanna's downtrodden appearance and she knew that Deanna didn't like having to ask for help. So Briggy made it easy on her.

"When do you want me there?" she asked softly.

Deanna seemed relieved that she hadn't actually had to ask for help. "As soon as possible…"

"I will leave within the hour," Briggy said, doing quick calculations in her head. "I'll probably be there in two days max."

"Thank you," Deanna answered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Briggy immediately went to seek out Captain Riker.

"At last," Will said with a heavy sigh. "My wife can be stubborn when she wants to be. Will she be returning here after you have arrived in France?"

"Deanna doesn't think she will be," Briggy replied. "But she will be returning whether she likes it or not."

Will smiled, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I think this is best all round," he said softly. "Deanna needs help with this too…"

Briggy arrived in France as promised a couple of days later. She had taken the opportunity to sleep prior to arrival and now felt fresh and ready to take on anything that she needed to. She landed the shuttle on the small landing pad at the end of the Picard's driveway and walked down towards the house where Deanna was sitting on the front steps of the house waiting for her.

Deanna was obviously still not happy at involving another Counsellor in Jean-Luc's care, but at the same time she looked relieved to have someone else there to take away some, if not all, of the burden.

They greeted each other, but without warmth, Briggy felt Deanna's cold shoulder. She didn't know whether it was because of this situation, or because she had been the one to replace Deanna on the Enterprise after Deanna's transfer to the USS Titan.

"To be honest, Deanna," Briggy said, "you have to admit that me being here is best."

Deanna narrowed her eyes and looked down. "Maybe," she admitted.

"You shouldn't have waited so long to call me," Briggy continued.

"I was … But you don't know Jean-Luc like I do," Deanna said.

"Okay, well, that's a given considering I only started work on the Enterprise four months ago. But sometimes that is a good thing. I don't have personal involvement in the case. You are trying to deal with the captain's grief as well as your own. You and I both know that is not the best course of action. You've been here with him all alone for the best part of three months—"

Deanna interrupted the other counsellor, "Just so you know, I'm not relinquishing full control of this case over to you. I just can't."

"I understand. We can work something out between us," Briggy said. "I want to work with you on this case, not against you."

Counsellor Troi nodded, agreeing with her. "Well, I think we should go and break the news of your arrival to the captain," Deanna said, turning to go back into the house. This was the moment she had been looking forward to least.

"Captain," Deanna said as she entered the living room of the Picard house in Labarre, France. "Counsellor Granger has arrived to help us."

"What the hell for?" Jean-Luc yelled. "I don't even want you here! I want to be left alone! Get out! Get out of my house!"

"We are not going anywhere," Counsellor Granger answered. She walked over to Jean-Luc and snatched the glass of whiskey from his hand. "You absolutely stink! You are going to have a bath and then you will eat a proper meal."

Deanna's eyes widened, and at that moment, she realised that unbeknownst to her, she had been pandering to him. Allowing him to wallow in his misery.

"You have no right telling me what to do!" he shouted in response. "Give that back immediately! That's an order, Counsellor!"

"You have been relieved of duty," she answered. "So get up."

Jean-Luc, for the first time in months, lifted his eyes and met the new Enterprise counsellor's eyes. He had avoided all personal contact with Deanna. But this woman was an unknown entity. She had come to the Enterprise from the USS Washington and had come very highly recommended. When he had read about her stubbornness and out and out gall, he knew that Counsellor Bridget Granger, known as Briggy to her friends, was the only person who could replace Deanna Troi.

"Get up," she repeated in a low, even tone that meant business.

He was annoyed to say the least. He had awoken not long before, after a night passed out on the couch in an alcohol induced coma and was almost sober. The drink he had just poured himself was the 'hair of the dog' and he hadn't even taken a snifter of it before Briggy had snatched it from his fingers.

Jean-Luc glanced at Deanna, and was shocked at her appearance. She looked tired and drawn. She had lost the sparkle in her eyes. Her hair hung limp from her head and she had dark circles beneath her eyes. Jean-Luc decided that he would get up for Deanna, and that he would have the damned bath, for Deanna and he would eat something, for Deanna.

"Get up," Briggy repeated, and to her amazement, Jean-Luc did as he was asked.

And now, a year later, as Briggy watched Jean-Luc chopping the carrots, she knew that he still had a long way to go, but at least he was on the way there. He had turned a corner and was pulling through his depression. She could see that his emergency trip to hospital had shocked him enough to make him try harder to cope with his loss. And Briggy knew the detoxification treatment and lack of alcohol during his stay had also helped his recovery.

It was a slow and delicate process, but eventually, just over five months after leaving the hospital, Jean-Luc came out of the void he had been living in for almost eighteen months and was able to lead a normal life. He hadn't got over Beverly's death, but he had learned to accept it and live with it. Briggy had asked Jean-Luc to return to the Enterprise with her, and two months after returning, Briggy signed Jean-Luc off. He was fit to return to duty, and once again he took command of the Enterprise.

Deanna was overjoyed with Briggy's work. Not only had Briggy helped Jean-Luc recover, but Briggy had been there on the other end of the computer whenever Deanna hadn't been able to cope with the loss of Beverly too. She had Briggy had become very close friends over the last two years and Deanna didn't fully want to return to her post on the Titan. It was like the end of an era all over again. She and Briggy had taken it in turns to take care of Jean-Luc, and it had been Deanna's turn when Jean-Luc had ended up in hospital. It happened the week that they thought they had finally found Beverly, but it had been someone else. Jean-Luc hadn't taken the news well, and Deanna hadn't coped well with it either. Deanna had never been so pleased to see anyone as she had the day Briggy arrived to permanently take over Jean-Luc's care.

When Briggy had first returned to the Enterprise, she hadn't seemed herself and Deanna had been battling with the stubborn woman for the past couple of months, trying to find out what was wrong with her. She was quiet and Deanna sensed she was feeling low and a little despondent. Deanna didn't really want to leave the Enterprise until she had found out what was bothering her friend, and today was their last day on board.

"I think everything is in one piece," Deanna said, smiling sadly as she handed over the reins to Counsellor Granger. They were standing in Briggy's office inside the counselling chambers.

"It's strange isn't it?" Briggy sighed, dropping down heavily on the cream-coloured couch in her office.

Deanna nodded. "So much has happened in the past two years and now we're expected to just return to normal life. You here on the Enterprise, and Will and I back to the Titan. I think Will was getting pretty comfortable as acting captain here. It's a good thing Captain Picard returned when he did…"

Briggy swallowed hard. "I think I love him, Deanna."

Deanna at first didn't understand. "Who?"

"Jean-Luc," Briggy answered.

"Oh," the Betazoid said quietly. Deanna's heart sank, she immediately realised that this was what had been bothering Briggy. And it was a problem that she couldn't help with.

Briggy studied Deanna's expression for a moment; the silence in the room spoke volumes. "I know, I know," Briggy said, waving an arm to express herself.

"It's wrong on so many levels," Deanna said.

Briggy nodded. "I'm certainly not going to act on my feelings," she said. "It's going to be hard. I'm hoping it will turn out to be a crush."

"He's your patient," Deanna pointed out.

Briggy nodded again. "I know."

"It's wrong. You need to distance yourself from him as much as possible."

"I intend to," Briggy replied. "Jean-Luc isn't calling me for help anymore. It's been over a month now since the last time. We have our fortnightly fifty-minute appointments. I think I can cope with that." She gave a wry smile.

"Why did you wait until I was about to leave before telling me?" Deanna asked.

Briggy grinned. "Well, I knew you wouldn't be onboard to give me a hard time after I told you if I waited."

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Right."

"I'm aware of the rules."

"And if something does happen between you…"

"This is exactly what I mean by giving me a hard time."

"I'm just telling it like it is," Deanna replied.

"Jean-Luc certainly doesn't have feelings for me," Briggy pointed out. "And if by some miracle, something does happen, then I know protocol. We wait. We transfer his care to someone else."

"Well, Jean-Luc's already been signed off," Deanna answered. "One year is the minimum."

Briggy groaned. "Why are we even talking about this?" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "Nothing is going to happen!"

A couple of hours later, Briggy found herself alone with Jean-Luc in the transporter room after Will and Deanna beamed aboard a transport ship bound for the Titan. Briggy could feel Jean-Luc's eyes on her as she turned and headed out the doors.

"Counsellor," Jean-Luc called formally, aware that a crewman was manning the controls and able to hear them.

"Yes, sir?" she answered.

"Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

Briggy was touched that he had noticed her demeanour considering that she had tried so hard to hide it from him. "Yes, sir," she answered with a false smile. "I'm fine."

Jean-Luc paused for a moment and waited until the doors to the transporter room had closed behind them, "After what you did for me," he said, "anytime you need to talk, my door is always open."

Briggy felt a lump in her throat as she nodded her head and said thank you.

"I'll see you at the staff meeting," the captain said briskly and then marched off down the corridor to return to business.

Briggy often pondered back to that moment outside the transporter room, although a year and more had passed since then. That was the day that she was expected to get on with her life. The day she realised that she had been so caught up in everything to do with counselling Jean-Luc Picard and also the others on board the Enterprise who had been affected by the tragedy, that she hadn't stopped and taken the time to make the Enterprise her home. She didn't know anybody on board on a personal level and felt very alone. That hadn't helped curb her longing for a certain captain she knew.

Briggy had successfully convinced Deanna Troi, over subspace communications, that her feelings for Jean-Luc had only been infatuation and nothing more and Deanna had dropped the subject long ago.

But, sitting there on the couch in Jean-Luc's quarters, for the very first time, Briggy wished that she could be anywhere else. She would have gratefully sat down to a 'Deanna Troi Special' twenty-four hour non-stop interrogation session, rather than sit where she was at that moment.

"I'm sure they won't be long," Briggy said, staring into the depths of her red wine. She cursed the ambassador and his wife. It looked as though she and the captain had been stood up. This was supposed to have been a celebratory dinner. Briggy had helped the ambassador with a small planetary conflict. They had resolved the issue together and the captain had asked them to his quarters for dinner that night to celebrate the small victory.

"I must admit," Jean-Luc began softly, causing Briggy to look up and meet his eyes. "I thought that this…" Jean-Luc struggled to find the words to explain himself. "I thought that being around you would make me feel… somewhat awkward."

'No, but you don't feel awkward do you, Captain?' Briggy thought to herself. 'It's the other way around.'

"After everything that happened between us," Jean-Luc continued when Briggy didn't answer. He watched her drain her glass and reach for the bottle of red that he had left on the table. "But I don't feel awkward at all."

Briggy threw him her false smile and then turned her attention to the task of re-filling her wine glass.

"We should do this more often," Jean-Luc said in a casual voice.

Briggy almost spilt the wine in surprise. "Really?" she asked, not able to help herself.

"I have noticed that you seem to be a bit of a loner like myself," he answered, taking a sip of his wine.

Briggy nodded her head and felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Even after being back on board a year, she still hadn't made the Enterprise her true home. All her friends were serving on other ships. She spent every single night alone in her quarters wishing hours would pass quickly before bedtime. "I guess that's true," she answered softly. As she stared into the depths of her wine glass, she wondered how she could say 'thanks, but no thanks' to his kind offer. She couldn't trust herself around him and certainly couldn't if they were alone.

Just as Jean-Luc was about to continue, the door chime sounded announcing the arrival of the ambassador and his wife.

'Strange,' Jean-Luc thought, after hearing Briggy's reply to his offer of dinner a few days later.

He thought Briggy had looked flustered. Her cheeks had turned a bright shade of crimson as she had mumbled something about a late dinner appointment with a client.

Jean-Luc turned his attention back to the report he was supposed to be reviewing and tried hard to concentrate on it, but his thoughts kept straying to his counsellor. He decided to call it a night. It wasn't late, but his eyes were sore from staring at the screen on his computer all day long.

On his way back to his quarters, he changed his mind and decided that it would make a nice change to eat his dinner in Ten Forward. He did an about face and headed straight there.

He settled into a corner booth and gave his order to a hovering waiter. He then settled back in his chair with a drink, soaking up the bustling atmosphere. The doors whooshed open at the far end of the room and Jean-Luc smiled. It was the end of the gamma shift, and they were all coming into Ten Forward to relax before heading home for the night.

In the midst of the crowd, Jean-Luc noticed Briggy walking into Ten Forward with them. He watched her scan the room for an empty table and sit down to what he thought must be her late dinner appointment.

The room was so crowded that the occupants on a table near Briggy asked if they could take the chairs. It was then, and only then, that Jean-Luc realised that Briggy had lied to him for some reason.

Briggy must have felt eyes upon her and she lifted her gaze and met Jean-Luc eye to eye across the room. Jean-Luc watched her twitching nervously, before she picked up her drink and walked towards him.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked hesitantly.

Jean-Luc smiled and didn't portray his confusion. "By all means," he said, pulling out the chair beside him. "Did your dinner appointment get cancelled?"

Briggy nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. "Last minute," she answered. "I thought it would be too late to arrange our dinner together…"

"Oh well," he said, holding up his glass to hers. "All's well that ends well."

"Have you ordered?" she asked.

Jean-Luc nodded. "Just a salad. How about you?"

"Not yet," Briggy answered.

"Is something wrong, Briggy?" Jean-Luc asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. "You don't seem very comfortable."

He watched her swallow hard before answering his question.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling a false smile.

"Is this because I'm an ex-patient of yours?" he asked. It made sense to him.

Briggy shook her head immediately. "No, of course not. It's nothing really. I'm probably a little tired out. I spent the afternoon with a patient who has just lost her mother. She is very upset that she can't be with her family at the moment."

Jean-Luc nodded in understanding, but he wasn't totally convinced. "Have you heard from your sister?" he asked, deciding to change the subject. Despite the distance now between them on the Enterprise, he and Briggy had been very close back at the house in France. They used to talk for hours, usually into the small hours of the night. Especially in the last month before they had returned to the Enterprise and when he was feeling himself again. They had had fun, playing chess and eating junk food together.

"Yes." Briggy smiled the first real smile that night. "Charlie told me a couple of weeks ago that she is getting married again. I'm really glad things are looking up for her. She was so down after the split up of her marriage. She's known her new fiancé since they were at school together. They met up at a function and hit it off straight away. Charlie's a new woman."

"When do I get to meet this sister of yours?" he asked, grinning. From what Briggy had told him of her sister Charlie, she sounded very interesting.

Briggy smiled and shrugged at the same time. "I don't know. I suppose that might be her wedding day. I checked it out, and we will be back in orbit of Earth for the week of her wedding. It's when the Enterprise is scheduled for a complete refit."

"You mean it's not for another two years?" he asked in surprise.

"Yep." Briggy shrugged again. "I guess they are taking it slow. That, and the massive waiting list to get married in the Hall des Miroirs theatre in Paris. Have you visited that place?" Briggy asked. "It's so beautiful."

"I have never been," Jean-Luc answered. "But I've heard it is breathtaking to behold. A feat of modern architecture."

"And Charlie is an architect." Briggy grinned.

Jean-Luc noticed that Briggy seemed more at ease as their conversation progressed. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on her.

"Dinner?" Jean-Luc asked as soon as he found Briggy in her office. Yet again, he noticed that Briggy seemed a little hesitant. "Do you not like spending time with me?" he asked with a grin. "Be honest, I am a grown man. I can take it."

He heard Briggy sigh heavily. "Well?" he asked, still smiling.

"I love spending time with you," she replied softly. Then she blinked quickly and looked away from him. "Nineteen hundred hours?" she asked, her gaze firmly locked on the data pad she held in her palm of her hand.

"My quarters this time?" he asked.

"Um…" Briggy mumbled. "Okay."

"You don't sound that convinced…"

Briggy quickly shook her head. "No it's fine," she said, lifting her eyes to meet his. "I'm looking forward to it."

Jean-Luc smiled. "Good. Is there anything in particular that you fancy for dinner? Or shall I surprise you?"

"Surprise me," she answered.

"I thought we might have another game of chess," Jean-Luc suggested. He had found Briggy to be a formidable opponent and very much enjoyed playing against her.

"Oooh." Briggy wiggled her eyebrows at him. "You really want me to kick your butt again?"

"I really think my luck is changing." Then he flashed her a smile and laughed as he left her office.

"Oh god… oh god," Briggy mumbled to herself later that day. She had half an hour's grace before she had to leave for dinner at Jean-Luc's quarters.

There was nothing else she could do but contact Deanna Troi.

"You are in love with him!" Deanna exclaimed after Briggy had briefly explained her predicament.

"Deanna, he is the one pursuing me!" Briggy replied.

Deanna's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

Briggy shook her head. "Well ,maybe not pursuing me as such… He keeps inviting me to dinner," she explained. "He said that he'd noticed that I was a bit of a loner like him and suggested that we spent more time together."

Deanna didn't say anything. Being on the Titan, light years away from the Enterprise, Deanna didn't know what frame of mine the captain was in. She had no idea whether Jean-Luc was trying for friendship or for something more.

"What should I do?" Briggy asked softly.

Deanna couldn't believe her eyes, the woman that she had known for the past couple of years and had always seemed cool and aloft, was now almost in tears.

"How many times have you been for dinner with him now?"

"Well," Briggy answered, "just the once in Ten Forward."

Deanna smiled and looked away. "Tonight is the second time then?"

Briggy narrowed her eyes at her friend. "This time it's in his quarters, and the last time was supposed to have been in his quarters, but I lied about being busy. Then I got busted because we both chose to eat in Ten Forward that very night."

"Well can I suggest you just act like a friend to him?" Deanna said with a shrug. "Play cards… or chess."

"We are going to play chess." Briggy grinned then. "I'm so nervous, Deanna! I've got butterflies in my stomach and it's as if I'm actually going on a real date with him. He is bound to notice what's wrong with me sooner or later. He keeps asking me if I don't like spending time with him."

"But you do," Deanna said softly.

Briggy sighed heavily. "Oh yeah…"

Deanna really didn't know what to suggest. The obvious thing to do was to cancel the dinner date. But she was secretly pleased that Jean-Luc was well and in a healthy frame of mind because he was socialising again. If Briggy didn't have feelings from him, she would have actively encouraged their friendship. But she didn't know whether Jean-Luc was looking for a replacement for Beverly. And if so, it was dangerous ground for Briggy to be treading on.

"The only advice I can think of now," Deanna said, at a loss, "is to keep your uniform on. That way you won't feel the need to dress up for the occasion."

Briggy burst out laughing. "I'm not intending to take it off! I mean I didn't intend to dress up for seduction."

Briggy ended the conversation and couldn't help but check her reflection in the mirror before heading out for her dinner date with the captain.

"More wine?" Jean-Luc asked, reaching for the bottle.

Briggy lifted her glass to him. She was gloating after having beaten Jean-Luc yet again at chess.

Jean-Luc studied his companion as she sipped her wine. The wine seemed to have relaxed her. He was unaccustomed to seeing Briggy tense and on edge, but he had noticed that recently she had been acting strange around him.

He had decided the other day, with Briggy's help, that he needed to start socialising again. Despite returning to a relatively normal life after returning to the Enterprise, he had had been closed off from personal relationships. He had relied heavily on Beverly when she was alive and there was now a huge void in his life where she had been.

Jean-Luc hadn't consciously decided that Briggy was going to be the person to fill the void, but here she was sitting on his couch. But she would never be Beverly, nobody could ever take Beverly's place.

He decided that he should appreciate Briggy for who she was and try to clear Beverly from his mind. He mentally stopped himself every time he found himself comparing Briggy to Beverly. They were nothing alike. The main difference, of course, was their appearance, although both beautiful women, Beverly had her gorgeous red hair and sapphire eyes and alabaster skin. Briggy was the opposite, she had waist length dark hair, startling green eyes and tanned skin. Briggy didn't have Beverly's sharp wit or her selflessness. But unlike Beverly, who was accomplished at hiding her feelings, Briggy wore her heart on her sleeve.

It was that thought that Jean-Luc pondered on as he cleared away the chess set. Suddenly Briggy's strange reactions to him over the past few months became clear. Until now, the thought that Briggy may have feelings for him had never even occurred to him.

He walked over and sat down opposite her, "Do you want desert now?" he asked, and suddenly, it was him who felt uncomfortable. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. He needed to think on it.

"Are you okay?" Briggy asked, noticing he was suddenly ill at ease.

Jean-Luc nodded. "I'm fine."

Briggy smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "I think it's getting a bit late," she said. "I've got to be up early tomorrow. I've got a case conference with Deanna before her oh six hundred hours meeting on the Titan."

Jean-Luc didn't know what possessed him, but he kissed Briggy goodnight on the cheek at the door. Her eyes had filled with tears afterwards and she wished him sweet dreams and practically dashed for the safety of her own quarters.

Once safely inside her quarters, Briggy opened the floodgate on her emotions and sobbed her heart out while sitting in her rocking chair by the view port. She didn't know what to do now. She was sure Jean-Luc had seen her reaction.

'Why did he have to kiss me?' she kept asking over and over in her head.

She sat in the chair for almost two hours before she thought about going to bed. Her head pounded and she closed her eyes, bracing herself against the pain. She stumbled to the bathroom and went inside without turning on the light. She knew her way to her medicine cabinet like she knew the back of her hand.

She gave herself a dose of analgesic and then pulled out her mini medical scanner. She skilfully examined herself before replacing the scanner and preparing her usual medication. After injecting the orange fluid into her stomach, she turned and switched on the shower.

Jean-Luc hadn't slept a wink all night. For the first time in a long time, the reason he hadn't been able to sleep was something other than Beverly. He felt like an idiot. He couldn't believe he had kissed Briggy after realising that she had feelings for him. He was submerged in guilt and all he had wanted to do was go after her.

Jean-Luc had got as far as the turbolift before turning around. He had no idea what to say to her. One thing was for certain, he knew that he had to say something. He remembered what it had been like before in a similar situation with Beverly. It had been very awkward between them, but Beverly, who could detach herself from the strongest of emotions, had managed to pull them both through it.

With a heavy sigh, Jean-Luc checked the time and got ready for the day ahead. It was his day off, and usually he would have slept in, but today he had someone to see.

He waited until he knew Briggy was finished with her morning patients and had returned to her quarters for lunch before he tried to speak with her.

Jean-Luc could tell she was surprised to see him. She stood the other side of the door just gazing at him, almost as if afraid that if she moved a muscle, she would betray her feelings for him again.

"Can I come in?" he asked softly. He had never stepped foot inside Briggy's quarters before.

Briggy took a step back, allowing him to enter.

"I… don't know what to say," he said after the doors had closed behind them.

"It's okay," she blurted. "I understand."

Jean-Luc frowned. "Understand what?"

Briggy's control slipped and she covered her face in shame. "That you don't feel the same."

Jean-Luc didn't answer.

Briggy sank down on the couch. "I sorry to put you in this position. I never intended to…"

Jean-Luc sat down beside her. "You don't have apologise," he said softly, pulling her into his arms.

Briggy fell into his arms willingly. "I'll transfer…"

"No you won't," he answered, before finding her lips with his own. He did love her. She had been the rock that he had clung to from the depths of his despair and he was sure he wouldn't have been where he was now without her. She meant the world to him.

Briggy pulled away first, she looked stunned. "Wow…" she breathed, it was the only thing her confused mind could come up with at the time.

Jean-Luc kissed her again, reaching for the opening in her uniform. Briggy would help him move on with his life. They both needed to start afresh.