Resistance is Futile - pt 40

Guinan was surprised to see Virginia walk back into Ten-Forward. Surprising Guinan wasn't something easily or often done. But of all the people she knew, Virginia was the most adept at surprising her.

Virginia, her eyes red with her recent tears, walked up to where her friend stood at the bar. "I saw him."

"Q? I mean..."

"Yes."

Guinan didn't know what to say. Which is something else that didn't happen very often. "Virginia..."

The younger woman raised her arm...and set a half empty bottle of Romulan Ale on the bar in front of Guinan. "I could have just flushed this down the head or gotten rid of it in the disposal. But I thought it more important that I give it to you. So that you could know, and know that it was my own choice. I just..."

Guinan pulled the bottle from Virginia's light grasp. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes." Guinan then pushed the bottle back to Virginia. "Now...the disposal is right over there."

Virginia followed her friend's guesture. Her expression firmed as she picked the bottle back up and walked the distance to the disposal with a determined gate. She did not hesitate in relieving herself of the bottle. This mission accomplished, her shoulders relaxed as though released from the weight of the universe. She breathed a deep sigh.

Guinan led her friend to a far corner of Ten-Forward and sat with her. "What happened?"

"When?"

"When you saw him?"

Virginia shrugged. "We talked some, he dried my tears."

"Is he why you decided to give your bottle of Ale up?"

Again the alien princess shrugged. "Yes, and no. He was the first one to ever try to get me to stop drinking."

"You've always given Marcus the credit for that."

"And he still deserves it. If Marcus hadn't stayed with me, loved me the way he did, worked with me, then I'd have never survived the China incident. I'd probably have killed myself with alcohol."

Guinan was silent a moment, knowing that the time when she lost her young daughter in China on a movie shoot was still a sensitive subject for Virginia. "But Ian didn't do any of those things?"

"He tried. That first weekend he found me drunk. But I was young and angry and he was only my teacher and my friend. He did the one thing that would have saved me...he told on me."

"I don't understand." Which is something else Guinan didn't say often.

"My drinking was something I was able to keep secret from Marcus. Ian told him. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't help Marcus too. I could be somewhat ... ah ... stubborn ... when I was younger."

"You don't say," Guinan said deadpan.

Virginia blushed. "Even more than I am now."

"So, what now?"

"Once again I march into the breach between life and death, once more hoping he'll be there to rescue me should things go sour."

Guinan's head cocked as she listened. "Go on."

"Not much I can share, my friend. This is one mission I'm keeping under wraps. I've only told one other person, and she's not telling. Although I have no doubt that Ian knows...it's probably why he's even around."

"I see." Guinan folded her hands on the table top. "Perhaps he's around because he loves you."

"Maybe," Virginia said softly, surprising her friend by blushing.

It wasn't that Guinan had never seen Virginia blush. In fact, it hadn't been that long ago that Virginia had been blushing at Jean-Luc's presence. Guinan had hoped that things between the two would work out, but she hadn't counted on the captain's still loving Crusher. Come to think of it, Guinan had experienced a lot of surprises ever since Virginia had come on board. But there was something different about this blush. Because it was brought on by Q, and that was something Guinan had never seen before.

"What's changed?" Guinan asked.

If anything, Virginia blushed a deeper shade of red. "Nothing."

Guinan, in her wisdom, let it drop at that.