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From: captain973@aol.com (Captain973)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: REPOST: "Forever's As Far As I'll Go" (1/1, P/C)
Date: 29 Feb 1996 00:11:18 -0500
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	Standard disclaimer: Yep, Paramount owns the universe, including
the characters and
such in this story. Also, this story contains songs and fragments. No
copyright or any other
infringements intended.
	This has been written for your amusement and mine. Please feel
free to pass this story
along, but do not separate my name or this message from it.

	Note: This takes place somewhere after "All Good Things...".


"Forever's As Far As I'll Go"

by

Melissa Zander


	A loud groan echoed through the cabin. Captain Jean-Luc Picard
studied the clothes laid
out before him. *She wants me to wear _this_?* he thought incredulously.
On the bed before him
were a pair of tight-fitting, boot cut blue jeans, and a black leather
belt complete with shiny silver
buckle. Next to the jeans was a soft white denim shirt, with a black
string tie atop it. A black
leather vest, matching cowboy boots, and a felt Stetson hat completed the
outfit. He eyed the
jeans dubiously. *Those look as uncomfortable as my dress uniform. I just
_had_ to ask Beverly
for help, didn't I?*

	Two days ago, when Beverly first made mention, during breakfast,
of the dance that was
going to be held on board, Jean-Luc had thought it sounded like fun. "Just
think, Jean-Luc. It'll be
like we're back in the 20th century at an old fashioned barn dance. What
could be more perfect?"
she'd said. And he'd agreed to go, not having much clue what being
country, even for an
evening, entailed.

	He picked up the jeans and studied them. They were softer than
they looked, and some
of his trepidation eased away as he slipped them on. Surprisingly, they
were extremely
comfortable, though their skintight fit didn't leave much to the
imagination. As he slipped the rest
of the clothes on, he began to look forward to the evening ahead. *It will
all be worth it, should
Beverly be dressed like this...* his mind wandered. Then, he chided
himself. Thoughts like that
were sure to get him in trouble. But, he admitted, they were oh so fun to
have, at any rate.
Finally, satisfied with his appearance, he headed on out to pick up his
date.

*******

	"Be right there!" Beverly's voice echoed through the door. Picard
leaned casually against
the door frame outside her quarters, waiting. A minute later, the door
slid open, and so did his
mouth. . .clear down to the floor. His imaginings of Beverly Crusher in
blue jeans didn't do justice
to the figure standing before him. He quickly collected himself, mentally
smacking his errant
thoughts back into place. Beverly, who had caught the captain's look,
grinned knowingly. She
watched the rapid play of emotions acted out across his face, from
relaxation to stunned
admiration to something a little more base, then an attempt at regaining
the relaxed look. *Jean-
Luc, whatever am I going to do with you?* she thought. Answers to her her
unspoken question
flitted across her mind, not all of them g-rated, either. *Beverly, stop
it! He's your best friend, for
God's sake!*

	They both finally managed to drag their thoughts back to the
present moment. Jean-Luc
gallantly offered her his arm, and, with a smile, her arm slid through
his. They both tried valiantly
to ignore the _something_ that sent their hearts pounding at the contact.
However, neither really
succeeded.

*******

	They stepped onto Holodeck 4 and left the _Enterprise_. In its
place was a large red
barn, with sprawling fields shadowed in dusk in the background. The barn
was bright with lights
and already the twanging sounds of country music wafted through the air,
along with the smell of
sweet, fresh hay, and a dim thumping of heels on a dance floor.

	Jean-Luc and Beverly entered the crowded barn and looked around.
They spotted Will
Riker and Deanna Troi among the throngs of people trying to do what
Beverly had described to
him as _line dancing_ to a loud, upbeat song called "Any Man of Mine". All
of a sudden Jean-
Luc's arm was being tugged, and he found himself being led onto the dance
floor by Beverly. His
eyes widened and he shouted over the booming noise "You don't seriously
expect me to dance,
do you?" Beverly caught his deer-in-the-headlights look and snickered.
Grinning widely, she
pulled him into one of the lines. "You're damned right I do! Now shut up
and dance, Captain!"

	After about an hour, Jean-Luc had learned the rudiments of line
dancing. He had also
developed a grudging liking to country music, which surprised him. He was
more of the Mozart
type, and now he found himself liking the upbeat, boot-stomping rhythm of
the likes of Garth
Brooks, Alabama, and Reba McEntire. He said as much to Beverly. Her smug
look flitted over
him as a smile lit her eyes. "You haven't heard the best of country yet,
Jean-Luc." A raised
eyebrow. "Oh? And what's that?" Her hand squeezed his in an unspoken
comment. "Love songs,
Captain. Country ones are the best."

	As if to prove her point, the soft, flowing strains of a song
began. This time, Jean-Luc
didn't need to be pulled onto the dance floor. He came willingly. The
words to the song seemed
to fill his head, as much as the familiar form of Beverly Crusher filled
his arms.

"I sent you roses, I warned you I would
Do all that I could to show you the way that I feel
Please, don't say I'm wasting my time
I've got nothin' but time so I'll do all that I can to catch
That ghost of a chance..."

	They swayed to the music, not really dancing anymore, but merely
allowing the feeling in
the music and in their hearts move them. Beverly's arms tightened around
his back, as her chin
rested on his shoulder. Her warm breath tickled his ear.

	"I looked in your eyes, so bright and so blue
And that's when I knew that you could be mine
If good things come to those who will wait
Well, I guess I can wait if that's what I have to do
Oh, it's worth it for you..."

	Gentle hazel eyes met bright blue ones as Jean-Luc and Beverly
pulled back and gazed
into each other's eyes. The final words of the song struck a chord deep in
their souls, as Reba
McEntire's graceful voice carried them through the air: "Till you love
me... till you love me..."

	The music glided to a gentle stop as the set ended. Jean-Luc and
Beverly were oblivious
to it, however, and continued swaying to a song that only they could hear.

	They quickly broke apart at the sound of Will Riker's voice.
"Howdy Captain, Beverly.
Haven't had a chance to say hello yet tonight." Both Jean-Luc and Beverly
were blushing, and
Will was enjoying every minute of it. Deanna, whose hand was holding his,
squeezed it tightly...
very tightly. He grimaced and looked at her, bemused. Her brief telepathic
reply crashed into his
head and he winced, looking chastised. Deanna smiled sweetly. Her hold on
Will's hand
lessened, and he breathed a little easier. "Having a good time?" Deanna
asked. Beverly glanced
at the captain, a soft smile touching her face. "Yes, we are. We saw you
and Will when we came
in, but, like Will said, we haven't had a chance to say hi yet." Picard
remained quiet, still trying to
figure out just what exactly had happened between Beverly and himself a
few moments before.

	Another slow song started up, and Deanna's arm slid around Will's
waist, and he happily
enfolded her in his arms again, but not before tossing off a wink to the
captain and Beverly.
"Have fun, you two," he called, as Deanna pulled him away and planted a
boot heel onto his foot.
His howl of pain was quickly smothered by Deanna's laugh. Beverly shook
her head at her
friends' antics and slipped her arms around Jean-Luc again. Her dazzling
smile washed away
any embarrassment he had suffered earlier, and he contentedly took his
Chief Medical Officer
into his arms again. *If only we could remain like this forever...* went
through both their minds.

*******

	Will Riker climbed up to the bandstand. The whole dance had been
his idea, so it was
only fitting that he should dedicate the last song of the evening. "Hope
y'all're havin' fun!" he
drawled. The loud cheer from the crew answered him. "This last song goes
out to all you love
birds out there." His eyes fixed on Beverly and Jean-Luc, who both caught
his look and blushed
again. "It's a classic song from the country group Alabama, called
'Forever's As Far As I'll Go'."
Riker motioned to the DJ, and hopped back onto the dance floor to claim
his Imzadi for the final
song.

	Jean-Luc smiled at Beverly and opened his arms slightly. She
gladly stepped into the
welcoming haven of his embrace, as the melody sent their hearts floating.

"I'll admit I could feel it
The first time that we touched
And the look in your eyes
Said you felt as much
But I'm not a man who falls too easily
It's best that you know where you stand with me

I will give you my heart
Faithful and true
And all the love it can hold
That's all I can do
I've thought about how long I'll love you
And it's only fair that you know
Forever's as far as I'll go

When there's age around my eyes
And gray in your hair
And it only takes a touch to recall the love we've shared
I won't take for granted
You'll know my love is true
'Cause each night in your arms I will whisper to you

I will give you my heart
Faithful and true
And all the love it can hold
That's all I can do
'Cause I've thought about how long I'll love you
And it's only fair that you know
Forever's as far as I'll go
Forever's as far as I'll go..."

	On that final gentle note, the dance ended. Beverly's eyes opened
and looked into the
captain's sober face and smiling eyes. He clasped her hand in his and
nodded towards the flow
of crew heading towards the exit. "Shall we?"

	They walked the corridors of the _Enterprise_, which were dim and
quiet in the ship's
night. He headed not for her quarters, but for his own. When they entered,
he seated her on the
couch. She followed him with her eyes as he walked into the bedroom, and
returned a moment
later holding a container with two bottles sticking out of a mound of ice.
He set it down on the
table and offered her one of the bottles. She read the label, then
grinned. "Beer, Jean-Luc?" He
could hear the tone of bemusement in her voice. As he reached over and
snapped the top off her
bottle, he said, "The computer said that this was an appropriate drink
after a barn dance. So,
here we are." He popped the lid off his own and took a long sip, as she
followed suit. After a
thoughtful moment, she smiled. "The computer has good taste."

	They leaned back and drank quietly. Jean-Luc studied Beverly for a
long time over the
top of his bottle, the words to the dance's last song echoing through his
mind. Beverly could feel
his eyes on her, and after a while she set her bottle on the table and
fixed him with a piercing
stare. Caught in her gaze, he felt his carefully contained control
slipping away. His eyes said all
that his mouth wouldn't as she gently pulled his bottle out of his fingers
and set it on the table
with hers. Beverly's gaze returned to him, and she allowed a small smile
to lift the corners of her
mouth. Just as she captured him in her eyes, he captured her hand in his.
His thumb gently
stroked the palm of her hand, and a finger rested on the inside of her
wrist, where he could feel
her heartbeat speeding up. That _something_ was back again, and this time,
with nowhere to go,
no obligations forthcoming, it refused to be stuffed away in some remote
corner of the soul for
the sake of convenience. Instead, it pulled them together.

	Her lips were warm and trembling beneath his as his mouth covered
hers in a tentative
kiss. Her arms slipped underneath his open vest, as her hands caressed his
shoulders. She
pulled him into a deeper kiss, and he lost himself in her soft lips and
warm embrace. Any control
that they had held onto that evening blissfully slipped away, as Jean-Luc
Picard and Beverly
Crusher discovered that forever really _was_ as far as they'd go, and
nothing less.

	Beverly maintained her hold on him as she pulled him to his feet.
They danced once
more, keeping time by the music in their hearts. He kissed her, his mouth
moving over and in
hers, telling her things that can only be said by actions. Suddenly, he
hugged her close and
whispered in her ear, and she heard the most beautiful words in any
language: "I love you,
Beverly. Forever..." He kissed away the tears that rolled down her face as
she held him close
and whispered back, "I love you, Jean-Luc, always and forever..."

*******

	Will Riker smiled smugly as the official wedding song played. The
song, after all, had
been his idea. The bride and groom stepped onto the dance floor as
"Forever's As Far As I'll Go"
began. The song fit Jean-Luc and Beverly Picard perfectly, as they began
their new life together
with the promise of Forever.

****^****^****^****^****^****^****

"All of us have violent instincts. We have evolved from predators.
....Well, not me, of course. I've just been programmed by you predators."

---The Holographic Doctor, ST: Voyager

****^****^****^****^****^****^****