Cold Feet 2  
by Astra <astraplain@yahoo.com 

She arrived breathless and twenty minutes late, full 
of apologies and good humor.  Play rehearsal had gone 
well and she'd treated the cast to a celebratory 
drink in Ten Forward.  She'd gotten distracted by one 
of her actors and had forgotten the time.  It was a 
small indiscretion, one that Jean-Luc gladly forgave 
upon seeing her joyous smile.

She returned his kiss, giving him a playful caress 
before spotting the table.  It was nicely laid out 
with her favorite china and a colorful spray of 
flowers but there wasn't a morsel of food.  

"You've already eaten?" she asked with a slight 
frown.

"No, cherie.  I just didn't want anything to get 
cold."  He raised his eyebrows at her.  "You do have 
a way of forgetting the time on rehearsal nights."

"Oh."  She gave him another dazzling smile, followed 
by a deep kiss.  "You are a prince, Jean-Luc."  she 
informed him when they finally parted.

"A duke, actually."  he replied, managing to keep a 
straight face.

"Really?" she responded, crossing the room to the 
replicator.  "Well your highness, what shall we have 
for dinner?"

"All taken care of, my love.  Order menu number 17." 
Beverly tapped a command into the replicator and 
waited.  After a moment, the food appeared on silver 
platters.  "And the proper form of address is 'My 
Lord'."

"That's interesting." she told him, sounding not the 
least bit interested, her attention focused on the 
fragrant dishes in front of her.  "Shall we eat."

"By all means.  I imagine you're starved."

"Absolutely.  What is this?  Crythorian Crepes?  Oh I 
haven't had theses in ages."

"Then it's past time."  Jean-Luc assured her, smiling 
behind his tea cup as she savored her first bite.

Dinner stretched into leisurely conversation and 
finally into that comfortable silence they both 
enjoyed.  At long last they retired from the table, 
leaving the dishes for later.  

Beverly took Jean-Luc's hand in hers and led him to 
the sofa.  She kicked off her comfortable shoes and 
curled her legs up under her, leaning against Jean-
Luc where he sat.  He reached around her, gathering 
her into an embrace, then taking up his book off the 
end table.  Beverly loved hearing him read, and he'd 
delighted her by letting her choose the book several 
nights ago.  There were just nearing the halfway 
point and Jean-Luc was looking forward to the next 
chapter as much as she.

It was an old story, written centuries ago, and full 
of heroes and princesses and the most evil villains.  
They had left off with the hero being set to three 
impossible tasks and Jean-Luc wanted to see how he 
accomplished them.

"... she cried, grasping his arm, "You may not...."  
Jean- Luc's voice trailed off as he looked down.  
Beverly's head lay heavily against his chest and her 
breathing was deep and even.

*So much for the hero.* he told himself ruefully, 
placing a bookmark at the proper spot and laying the 
book aside.  Gently, carefully, he shifted, gathering 
Beverly into his arms and carrying her to bed.  She 
half woke as he undressed her and she roused herself 
enough to make a trip to the bathroom.  When she 
returned he had her nightgown laid out for her and 
the bed turned down.

"Good night my lord." she teased sleepily, then 
snuggled contentedly under the covers.  Jean-Luc 
tucked her and gave her a good night kiss before 
returning to the living area to clear away the 
dishes.

Resisting the urge to peek at the next part of the 
book, he returned to the bedroom and prepared for 
bed.  Studying himself in the mirror he idly wondered 
if he should tell her that his great uncle really had 
been a duke.  

Wandering back into the bedroom, he passed the bed 
and saw Beverly's feet peeking out from under the 
blanket.  With gentle hands he tucked them in snugly 
before climbing in beside her. Beverly hated having 
cold feet.   

Just before he drifted off he felt her stir, turning 
towards him as she slept.  Taking her in his arms he 
smiled and twined his feet with hers, warming them. 
And after all, it wouldn't do for the duchess Picard 
to have cold feet.

::: end :::