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You Can't Fight a Tidal Wave	By : madradena Category: Star Trek > The Next Generation Views: 1691 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own ST:TNG nor Dreamland, nor the characters from either. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Dr. Beverly Crusher stood excited in Transport Room 3 where her old Starfleet Academy roommate, Dr. Emma Jones was supposed to arrive in about a second. It had been quite a while since they met though they kept in contact throughout the years. They corresponded regularly, and sometimes not so regularly, like in the last two years, when they exchanged only three subspace messages.
Emma's last assignment was on Epsilon Four, a colony in a far away corner of the quadrant. It declared independence not long after Emma was assigned there. The government soon turned Epsilon into a cult of the 21st century, when - as it was stated in the propaganda - no alien contamination influenced the purity of the human race yet. As Epsilon was independent, the Federation had no authority over it anymore.
Emma was assigned there to help settle the colonists over a decade ago. When a year later, the colony broke away from the Federation, she opted to stay, and Beverly knew, it was largely because of a very handsome colonist called Ed Jones. Emma married him a short time after their meeting, even though that the love affair was rather a stormy one. Beverly warned Emma several times that she was rushing into the relationship, but she didn't listen. Now, Beverly suspected that Emma's wish in changing her location after such a long time had something to do with the relationship or the problems thereof, but Emma kept her reasons quite vague in her messages.
Beverly knew better than to ask in simple subspace messages, but she was sure that something ground shaking must have happened, if Emma decided to ask for a reassignment after all these years. Though it was not her custom to use her connections, in this case, she did pull some strings and managed to get Emma assigned to the Enterprise. She knew that her once roommate in addition to her medical degree, had immense experience with unorthodox medicine as well living in a world, which only had 21st century technology. Having a grandmother who used to live in a colony where resources were not of abundance made her aware of the usefulness of such experiences. Nonetheless, Emma holding a rank of Lieutenant for over ten years meant she did not pose as an attractive transfer, especially not to the flagship. Beverly knew Emma was almost completely forgotten, just as the colony she had lived on, so she was prepared to make this right for her friend.
"At your convenience, Doctor!" the transporter chief told her, when he got the sign from Station 505 that they were prepared to beam Emma aboard.
"Energize!" smiled Beverly, and in a moment, her long time no see friend appeared in front of her.
"Beverly!" exclaimed the newcomer and literally jumped off the transporter pad to embrace her friend.
Beverly held her close: "Emma!"
They laughed as they let each other go, but their eyes shone rather suspiciously.
"Oh, God! How long has it been?" Beverly mused as she wiped her eyes quickly.
"I really don't want to start calculating it! It would turn out that we are century old spinsters!" chuckled Emma.
"I missed you, Em!" laughed Beverly.
"And I you, Bev!" she quickly turned to pick up her travel case then put her arm around her friend's shoulder "Come on, sweetie, show me around this luxury cruiser!" she said as they walked out "You sure I will not get space sick on it?"
"Only if you go cruising on a holo-ship on the holodeck!" answered Beverly as she returned the friendly gesture and put her arm around her friend.
Beverly helped Emma settle in and after a brief tour of the Enterprise, they ended up in Ten Forward for a drink.
"So, out with it, dear!" began Beverly "I would like to know all the details that you didn't want to share in your messages. What makes you leave the colony you helped build after a decade?" she did not want to ask the direct question: what made you leave your husband.
Emma exhaled a long breath as she leaned back in her chair, her drink still in her hand, she seemed to study the intricate patterns of the glass closely. "Well... after you helping me get here, I suppose I owe you an explanation - uh and yes, by the way I owe you a lot more than a simple explanation for that matter..." Beverly was not sure what she meant by that but rather waited for her friend to continue. After a moment, Emma did continue "Well, you know far too well that my marriage with Ed has always been a stormy one." she looked up at Beverly as if for confirmation.
Beverly nodded "Yes, madly, passionately in love in one moment, throwing tricorders at each other's heads the next. I remember. I was not so sure it was ever a good idea to get married under such terms, but..."
Emma shrugged slightly cutting in "You told me so. I know." she said with a wry smile. She sighed again "It took me a few years to realize that you were absolutely, a hundred percent, totally and completely right. And let's just say, I cannot think of an attributive to use to express just how much right you had been."
"I would gladly say, I'm happy to hear that but somehow I feel it would just leave a sour taste in my mouth." remarked Beverly returning the smile.
"That may as well be your Gin Tonic, sweetie!" replied Emma with a chuckle, which somehow turned into a grunt.
Beverly took Emma's hand gently in hers "Alright. I stop interrogating you. Take your time. You are here. Believe me, we will have some fun, when we can find the time with all the work we have. But that may occupy your mind as well."
Emma gave a slight squeeze of her hand in gratitude: "I hope so!" then smiled a real smile this time and leaned closer to Beverly putting her elbows on the table "So tell me! Are you still running that holo-theatre of yours?"
Beverly smiled delighted "Oh, absolutely! We just finished our latest play with a very successful last performance."
"This was the Woody Allan play?" asked Emma remembering Beverly's last message.
"Yes, called 'Don't Drink the Water'. We managed to put on thirteen performances! On a starship with a thousand on board that is a huge number!"
"How many people fit into your playhouse?"
"Well, about thirty fits into the holodeck in a way that we still have space to play of course, and use the holographical surroundings for the settings. There were people coming to see the play multiple times." Bev declared proudly.
"Sounds great! I would be thrilled to watch it!"
"Unfortunately you missed that opportunity. The last performance was just over a week ago. We wanted to stop, while we were on the top. Now I am looking for a new play! A musical this time!"
"A musical!" hissed Emma and her eyes lit up with pure enthusiasm "Bev! Tell me you have a teeny-tiny part in it for me!" she asked almost desperate, while Beverly leaned back in her chair with a mysterious smile on her lips "You don't even know what the play is going to be!"
"Well, then tell me." Emma told her on an almost demanding voice.
"Only if you swear not to tell anybody."
"Seriously, Bev, who would I tell? I don't know anybody here!"
Beverly leaned forward again: "Alright! It's a 21st century play, called Dreamland. It's actually somewhere between a musical and a radio drama, so I will have to modify it a little to fit our purposes, but I suspect it will be an even bigger hit than the Woody Allan play was!"
Emma's eyes glinted with excitement "Bev, you have got to say you have a part for me in there!" When her friend just smiled on her enthusiasm, she went on "Come on! Say you do! I take anything! One line of a song! Please! For old times' sake!"
Beverly finally chuckled "I knew you would be thrilled! You know, I will see what I can do for you!" she sighed in mock-thoughtfulness.
"Come on, Bev, don't be so cruel!" Emma knitted her brows though she was fairly sure that her old friend just wanted to tease her, so as Beverly chuckled again, she leaned closer and went on on a low voice to equal the teasing "If you don't promise me a part, I will have to find that grumpy Frenchman of yours and tell him that you are head over heels in love with him - even if that head is bold!"
Beverly gasped disbelievingly and put her hand on Emma's mouth "Hush, you crazy match-maker! I am not in love with anybody! Let alone with Jean-Luc Picard! This is exactly how gossips start, if somebody just overheard you!" she looked around alarmed, but it seemed that everybody in the room mercifully minded their own businesses.
"Den tell me, yo gimme a paat!" grumbled Emma under Beverly's hand, and finally the red-headed doctor let go.
"Fine! Of course you get a part! I seriously doubt you ever had a doubt about it!" Beverly shook her head bemused.
Emma chuckled softly and studied her friend with a rather satisfied grin on her face "You have always been so easy to get into anything, Bev! Just like in the Academy."
Beverly shook her head again, this time in mock annoyance "That time is officially over. Has been for over two decades."
"Meaning you absolutely had no fun since the Academy, more precisely without me. Rather sad." chuckled Emma smugly.
"Meaning that I have a very responsible job here. And meaning that fun has now a different meaning that it used to have. You will see."
Emma sighed and looked into Beverly's eyes with a wistful expression on her face "I hope I will..." she shrugged embarrassed "You know... I'm not sure whom I want to convince - you or myself - that the girl I used to be in the Academy didn't die on Epsilon Four." she whispered bowing her head. Then she looked into Beverly's eyes, and the red-headed doctor could very well see that Emma now showed how she really felt bellow the surface of the cheerful, careless girl from Academy-times she tried to seem.
The realization made her heart sink, but Beverly smiled at her friend encouragingly "Emma. You'll find her! Believe me. I'm here to help!" then shrugged "And if I'm not enough help, look over there!" she pointed to a graceful lady with very long black hair sitting at the bar "That is our Counsellor Deanna Troi. She is a very good therapist. You can tell her anything - she will know how you feel before you even feel it. Actually she is an empath."
Emma winced "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that thought..." she mumbled, then looked questioningly at Beverly "She is a friend of yours."
Beverly nodded and smiled again "Yes. Just as the man beside Deanna."
"The guy with the beard?"
"Yes. He is Commander Riker."
"Ah, they are the ones who have a thing going on between them since day zero, right?"
"Well, there is no proof of that... But I'm glad we made sure that you kept up your bad habits of loving gossips."
"And the guy with the strange eyes? That is the Chief Engineer who is blind, right?"
"Yes, that is Geordi. He got those eye-implants not long ago. An amazing piece of medical-engineering. I'll show you the specs and the protocol of the surgery.... And you do remember every detail from my messages!"
"I will have to live here, I need to survive somehow my first days! Your messages might just be the things that'll save my social life one day here." They chuckled, and Emma looked over at Beverly's friends again "The only one missing is your Jean-Luc!"
"He is not MY Jean-Luc! And he is still on Station 505 on a diplomatic assignment. Probably comes back only late at night.... And you are talking about your Captain now, by the way!"
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, Ms Dr. Chief Medical Officer Crusher! I should have said Captain Picard. That is better, right? ...The galant Captain Picard whose heart is for Starfleet and Starfleet alone! What a waste! ...Okay, okay, I'll be serious!" she finished laughing at Beverly's face - her friend actually had a hard time acting as if she didn't find Emma's teasing amusing.
Beverly shrugged "Besides, he is not the only one missing from my close friends here. Lieutenant Commander Data is missing also."
"He's the artificial intelligence." she didn't have to ask - that name sold itself anywhere for not being a human name.
"An android, more precisely. He is also part of my holo-theatre cast, though he missed the last play." Beverly shrugged and looked bemusedly at her glass "Ever since we encountered the Borg at Earth, he has been acting strangely. He seems to be avoiding our company." she shrugged again realizing that she was talking about a person Emma had no idea about. "Well, hopefully he will take part in this play. He has quite a nice singing voice actually."
Emma shrugged too not having much to add about a guy she knew only from Bev's messages, so she said something else: "Will you give me a copy of this Dreamland of yours? So I can recommend a few things - just like in the old days."
Beverly smiled back and nodded then raised her glass "To old days!"
"To old days!" equalled Emma.
Then they both chuckled and sipped their drinks.
A/N: Please be aware of the fact that I'm not a native speaker of English. Sorry that the vocab is not the most sophisticated, I try my best. Please review, it's a huge help to get feedback! (But please be gentle in your criticism, I'm a very sensitive person.)
Dreamland is a CD by Brent Spiner and Maude Maggart telling a love-story in the form of a musical/radio drama. After listening to it endlessly, I figured I could imagine Data in this role (not only because of Brent's voice ;) ).
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You Can't Fight a Tidal Wave