Ah! My Next Generation Goddess!
by Admiral2
2995 words
(Author's note: for the uninitiated, here's an Ah! My Goddess! fansite http://gateway.cjb.net/AMG/Menu_Pages/Shadow&Light.html)
Captain Jean-Luc Picard splashed cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He sighed. Maybe I’ve been a captain too long.
The Enterprise-D was currently orbiting the planet N’stii. Picard and a negotiating team had just returned from a marathon session of talks with the native humanoids over colonization and mining rights in the system. Unfortunately, talks were going badly. On top of that, Enterprise had been experiencing several malfunctions ever since her scheduled baryon sweep and computer system upgrades had been completed at Starbase 353 two weeks ago. It seemed that every time her engineers got ahead of one problem, a new one cropped up.
He sighed again at the thought and decided that was enough brooding. He would simply have to prepare for tomorrow’s resumption of talks and hope the ship didn’t crash and burn while he was down there. With that decided, he left his bathroom and entered the main living quarters. He walked straight over to the replicator. “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.”
Nothing happened, and ultimately Picard remembered that the latest malfunction was the computer’s inability to accept voice commands, so he dialed in the order on the control panel. A hot cup of his favorite tea appeared and he took it out of the replicator and brought it over to his couch. As he sat down, his next instinct was to get Commander Will Riker’s opinion of the talks, but that course of action posed its own problems. On leave during the baryon sweep, Riker had contracted a rare virus. It wasn’t fatal, but on diagnosing him Doctor Crusher had immediately prescribed long-term bedrest, necessitated by the soporific effects of the medications she had given him. Also, the virus was as contagious as any other, so he was quarantined, along with anyone who had contact with him after he’d beamed back aboard. All this meant that Riker was stuck in his quarters, groggy, sick and unable to receive visitors. If he wanted to talk to Riker, Picard would have to use internal communications. Unfortunately, the computer’s inability to accept voice commands extended to remote devices. Picard remembered this a half second before his fingers reached his commbadge.
He sighed again. Mister Murphy is in rare form lately.
He set his tea on the nearby table and reached for the console sitting there. He hesitated again before his fingers touched any contacts. What was the direct contact code for Riker’s quarters again? He tried to dial it from memory and was gratified when the computer’s display told him the recipient was being alerted to his call…
…then his heart sank when, instead of Riker’s face and his quarters, the display filled with the face of a beautiful, fair-skinned young woman with long, chestnut hair done up in an elaborate ponytail. She had markings on her face: a diamond on her forehead and triangles on her cheeks. “Greetings,” she said cheerfully. “You have reached the Goddess Helpline. Thank you for calling. A representative will be with you shortly.”
Picard blinked. “I’m sorry, did you…” He wanted to try and figure out his mistake, but the Federation screen saver came up before he could ask his question. He sat back on the sofa and thought about it. What did I just see?
A moment later, he heard it. It wasn’t loud, but it sounded like someone was in his bathroom. At first he thought he was imagining things.
Then that someone knocked.
Picard stood and approached the bathroom cautiously. He didn’t have a weapon in his quarters and it would take too long to call a security team. He would have to confront the intruder the best way he could with his bare hands. At the door, he slowly touched the open contact, ready for anything.
“Oh!” The intruder gasped when Picard was face to face with her. She grinned. “Thank goodness you’re home. I didn’t mean to end up in there. Don’t you have any other mirrors?”
Picard blinked again. It was the girl he’d seen before, this time in the flesh. She was about his height and wearing complex gold jewelry and blue and white robes. She stood demurely in his presence and continued to smile. He was about to answer her question, then shook his head to clear it. “I’m sorry…who exactly are you?”
“Oh, my name is Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License.” She reached into her robes and pulled out an old-fashioned business card. “My card,” she said, handing it to the Captain.
Picard read it. Sure enough, everything she had just said was written on it, with “Belldandy” spelled out in large block letters…which meant absolutely nothing. “I see…and how exactly did you get in here?”
“I came through the mirror,” Belldandy said. “It wouldn’t have been my first choice of destination, but it was the closest mirror to you that I could find.”
“Of course,” Picard said. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered why there was no Intruder Alert sounding. It could mean one of two things: the internal sensors were also malfunctioning - which was likely - or the computer simply didn’t read the girl as an alien presence - which made no sense. He turned back to her. “And…you’re here to see me?”
“You’re Mister Jean-Luc Picard, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise.”
“Oh!” She stuck out her hand and smiled again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Jean-Luc Picard.”
Picard shook hands with her warily. “Likewise, I’m sure. And now if you wouldn’t mind telling me why you’re here?”
“I’m here to grant you a wish.”
Picard couldn’t resist a small chuckle. “A wish? You mean, as if you were a djinni?”
Belldandy thought about that for a moment. “Oh, my. It’s been so long since I’ve been called something like that…but, yes, just the same as one of the djinn.”
Picard looked away for a moment to process that information, then turned back. “Well, I wouldn’t know what to wish for.”
“I could make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.”
“In my world, I’d have no use for such wealth.”
“Oh…Oh! I could make you irresistible to every woman you meet!”
“ I have no wish to be that desirable to anyone.”
“Hmm…I could make you an Admiral and put you in command of a whole fleet of ships!”
“Belldandy…I admit that I’m going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, but I assure you that I am satisfied in my life and career. I simply have no wish for you to grant.”
“But there must be something! You wouldn’t have been able to call me if there were no wish at all. Perhaps it’s a wish you don’t realize you have?”
“Perhaps.” It was time to get some answers. “Would you come somewhere with me? I’d like you to meet someone. Her name is Beverly and she’s a doctor.”
“Of course! I’d love to meet her.”
Picard took her by the arm. “We’ll walk there.” As they set off: “I’d like you to tell her everything you told me and let her examine you. Would that be acceptable?”
“Certainly.”
“Wonderful.” Halfway to the door he decided to be chivalrous. “I’ll be honest with you. If I were to have a single wish, I would wish for a goddess like you to stay by my side forever.”
Belldandy froze in her tracks. Try as he might, Picard couldn’t compel her to keep walking, and he backed off when her body began to glow. Then she spread out her arms and rose into the air. Picard tapped his commbadge. “Security team to my quarters!” Too late, he remembered that wouldn’t help, so he watched in awe as Belldandy turned upside-down and turned her head slightly. A moment later a bright blue beam fired from the diamond on her forehead and crashed through one of his windows.
That’s when alarms sounded. An emergency force-field closed off the window immediately, but it had to form around the beam until it dissipated. When she was done, Belldandy righted herself and settled back onto the floor, then stopped glowing.
She looked at Picard in despair. “Oh, no! Can I use your communicator?” Picard, dumbfounded, pointed to the console. “Thank you!” She rushed over to it and sat on the sofa as she dialed a direct contact code. “Hello? It’s Belldandy! I think something’s wrong!”
The door to Picard’s quarters flew open on its own, admitting Commander Data, Lieutenant Worf and two security men. All were brandishing hand phasers. “Captain,” Data said, “internal sensors detected weapons fire and a hull breach…”
“So they are working,” Picard muttered.
“Sir?” Worf said.
“One moment, gentlemen.” Picard watched as Belldandy completed her call.
“…yes…yes…I understand. Thank you.” She closed the contact and stood, looking much more serene. She turned to Picard and smiled. “Your wish has been granted.”
“You mean…?” Picard said.
“I will stay by your side forever.”
Picard looked at her, then at his damaged window, then back at her. “Very well, then.” He offered his arm. “Shall we go?”
Belldandy giggled and joined him.
Picard held her arm gently but securely in his grip, then said, “Mister Data, would you have Engineering repair that window? Mr. Worf, would you and your people accompany us to Sick Bay?”
Both officers said, “Aye, Sir,” then Picard, Belldandy and the others walked down the corridor, leaving Data alone. When they were around the bend, Data looked back into the Captain’s quarters.
“Fascinating,” he muttered.
TWO WEEKS LATER
One night Picard found that he couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just that he had given Belldandy his bed and taken the sofa for himself. In fact, it wasn’t that at all. It was Belldandy herself. He found he still couldn’t believe Crusher’s finding after her examination:
“She’s Human.”
“Doctor, Human Beings don’t fire energy beams from their foreheads or float upside-down in the air.”
“I can only tell you what my instruments tell me, Jean-Luc. She’s a perfectly normal human girl, approximately 22 years old and completely healthy.”
Science had spoken, yet there was no explanation as to why his luck had seemed to turn the night she arrived. Engineering had finally managed to repair all the bugs in the ship’s systems, the negotiations with N’stii had improved immeasurably and Commander Riker was feeling better more rapidly than anyone had thought possible. Coincidence? Possibly, but what if it weren’t?
He got up off the couch and put on his robe. He took a moment to see if Belldandy were sound asleep before heading out of his quarters. He hoped the person on duty in Sick Bay could give him something to make him sleep. He was prepared to ask about it as he walked in the door, but he found he couldn’t speak when he saw who was there.
She was tall, bronze-skinned, curvy and unbelievably pretty. Her head was adorned with long, silver hair and she was wearing her most becoming smile. “Good Evening!” She said cheerfully. “How may we help you tonight?”
Picard just stared at her, then he chuckled as he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. “Please, Urd, enough. I know you’re not a nurse here.”
The Goddess Urd gasped as her goddess markings appeared on her face. “How did you know?”
“Well, first,” Picard said, “The Medical staff is rather small, so I’m well acquainted with everyone here. Second, Belldandy has told me all about her sisters. And finally…that Starfleet nurse’s uniform you’re wearing is about ninety years out of date.”
Urd looked down at the powder-blue minidress, sheer black stockings and black high-heeled boots she was wearing, then looked up at Picard and pouted. “I know, but I look so cute in this!”
Picard rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Urd said. She made a beaker full of some smoking fluid appear in her hand. “Don’t you want something to help you sleep?”
“That’s quite all right,” Picard said immediately. Belldandy really had told him everything about her sisters. “I’ll count sheep. Good night.”
“How dare he refuse a gift from Mistress Urd,” she muttered when Picard was gone. It didn’t matter. That old fuddy-duddy wasn’t even trying to satisfy her precious little sister, and Urd wouldn’t leave until that situation had changed. With that thought in mind, she cast a spell and streamed into the monitor of a nearby console.
When Picard arrived at his quarters to find her waiting, he knew he’d never get to sleep.
ONE WEEK LATER
"Hey, Georgie! These crystals are totally unstable!"
Geordi LaForge shook his head in exasperation. He had long since tired of the precocious, croquet-mallot wielding little girl that had made herself a fixture in Engineering since she’d arrived three nights ago. He couldn’t see her pretty face because her long black hair was in the way, but he could tell she was looking into the crystal observation port of the Matter/Anti-Matter reactor.
“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” he said as he approached, “and I’ll tell you what I told him. The crystals are not unstable. We hold them in a rotating force-field matrix to keep them viable for a longer period.”
The girl looked at him and said smugly, “Well, you can tell yourself that all you like, but all you’re doing is rotating yourself to a big explosion! You should let me redesign the reactor for you, because you obviously don’t know what you’re doing!”
That was the last straw. Geordi tapped his commbadge. “LaForge to Captain Picard!”
“Picard here,” came the response.
“Sir, one of your guests is disrupting my department!”
Picard sighed. “Let me guess…Skuld?”
“Hey, Jean-Luc!” Skuld called out. “You better fire this guy before he blows up your pretty ship!”
Geordi crossed his arms and glared at her. Skuld crossed her arms and glared right back at Geordi.
Picard broke the standoff. “Skuld! I would appreciate it if you would leave Engineering to Mr. LaForge and find something more constructive to do with your time here.”
Skuld pouted and looked away. “Okay,” she whined, then she immediately brightened. “Okay! I’ll do it! If anyone needs me I’ll be in Cargo Bay Six!” With that, she raced out of Engineering.
Geordi watched the doors close behind her, then said, “Captain, I think you’re going to regret using the word ‘constructive.’”
A pause. “I believe you’re right, Geordi.”
An hour later, when Skuld’s Next Generation Banpei Super X Defender rampaged through the corridors of the Engineering Section, they were sure of it.
THIRTY YEARS LATER
She had been with him through the greatest hardships and greatest triumphs. She had seen him become an Admiral, then an ambassador, and then she had joined him when he retired for good to his family’s vineyard in France. She was with him now, inspecting the grapes for this year’s harvest. Belldandy was standing further along the row he was in, wearing a simple dress and humming a heavenly song. She had lost none of her original beauty, but she had made her hair as white as her sister’s - and what little Picard had left - as the years went on.
He was neglecting his work, but he couldn’t help but stare at her. Amazing. She really has stayed with me forever.
Picard was so wrapped up in that thought, he didn’t feel his artificial heart begin to fail for a second or two, then his frail body began to give way, and as he collapsed he managed to say, “Bell…”
It was enough. Belldandy stopped singing and turned away from the vines. To say she flew to his side was no exaggeration. Unfortunately, she was still too late. He expired as she caught him with a magical gust of wind.
“NO!” Belldandy cried as she cradled him in her arms, then she laid him flat on the ground and got set to bombard him with healing spells.
“No, don’t,” someone said from behind her. She turned around to look.
It was Jean-Luc’s spirit.
“Please,” Belldandy pleaded, “let me save you.”
“Oh, my dear,” Jean-Luc said. “You’ve already saved me countless times over the years. This time, though…this time I’m ready.”
“Don’t say that, please!”
“But everything mortal must come to an end. Surely you understand that. As a goddess, you might have power over life and death, but would you prolong my life indefinitely?”
Belldandy looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, then down at his lifeless body. “You’re right,” she muttered. “That wouldn’t be fair to you. I wasn’t thinking.” She stood and turned to face the spirit, trying desperately to smile.
“I thank you, Belldandy,” Jean-Luc said, “for granting my wish, and staying by my side in good times and bad.”
Belldandy blushed, then said, “There’s something else I need to do.”
Jean-Luc blinked. It wasn’t the response he expected. Belldandy didn’t explain as she spread her arms and prayed. Moments later, the sky opened up and another goddess descended. She was wearing a white bodysuit and cape and had ice blue hair.
Belldandy approached her as she landed and indicated Jean-Luc. “Lind, this is my Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, Lind is one of Heaven’s combat angels. You know them as Valkyries.”
“I see. Pleased to meet you, Lind.”
Lind nodded in response.
Belldandy continued. “Lind, would you take him to my home in Heaven? I’ll be up to join him soon, but there are some things I must take care of here first.”
Lind nodded. “Of course.” She turned to Jean-Luc and took his spirit’s arm. “Don’t worry. Soon you’ll be with other warriors.”
Then he was rushing into the sky, and he took one last look at Belldandy. She smiled and waved at him until he was too high up to see her.
And then he remembered: He’d wished for her to be by his side forever.
He smiled.
by Admiral2
2995 words
(Author's note: for the uninitiated, here's an Ah! My Goddess! fansite http://gateway.cjb.net/AMG/Menu_Pages/Shadow&Light.html)
Captain Jean-Luc Picard splashed cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He sighed. Maybe I’ve been a captain too long.
The Enterprise-D was currently orbiting the planet N’stii. Picard and a negotiating team had just returned from a marathon session of talks with the native humanoids over colonization and mining rights in the system. Unfortunately, talks were going badly. On top of that, Enterprise had been experiencing several malfunctions ever since her scheduled baryon sweep and computer system upgrades had been completed at Starbase 353 two weeks ago. It seemed that every time her engineers got ahead of one problem, a new one cropped up.
He sighed again at the thought and decided that was enough brooding. He would simply have to prepare for tomorrow’s resumption of talks and hope the ship didn’t crash and burn while he was down there. With that decided, he left his bathroom and entered the main living quarters. He walked straight over to the replicator. “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.”
Nothing happened, and ultimately Picard remembered that the latest malfunction was the computer’s inability to accept voice commands, so he dialed in the order on the control panel. A hot cup of his favorite tea appeared and he took it out of the replicator and brought it over to his couch. As he sat down, his next instinct was to get Commander Will Riker’s opinion of the talks, but that course of action posed its own problems. On leave during the baryon sweep, Riker had contracted a rare virus. It wasn’t fatal, but on diagnosing him Doctor Crusher had immediately prescribed long-term bedrest, necessitated by the soporific effects of the medications she had given him. Also, the virus was as contagious as any other, so he was quarantined, along with anyone who had contact with him after he’d beamed back aboard. All this meant that Riker was stuck in his quarters, groggy, sick and unable to receive visitors. If he wanted to talk to Riker, Picard would have to use internal communications. Unfortunately, the computer’s inability to accept voice commands extended to remote devices. Picard remembered this a half second before his fingers reached his commbadge.
He sighed again. Mister Murphy is in rare form lately.
He set his tea on the nearby table and reached for the console sitting there. He hesitated again before his fingers touched any contacts. What was the direct contact code for Riker’s quarters again? He tried to dial it from memory and was gratified when the computer’s display told him the recipient was being alerted to his call…
…then his heart sank when, instead of Riker’s face and his quarters, the display filled with the face of a beautiful, fair-skinned young woman with long, chestnut hair done up in an elaborate ponytail. She had markings on her face: a diamond on her forehead and triangles on her cheeks. “Greetings,” she said cheerfully. “You have reached the Goddess Helpline. Thank you for calling. A representative will be with you shortly.”
Picard blinked. “I’m sorry, did you…” He wanted to try and figure out his mistake, but the Federation screen saver came up before he could ask his question. He sat back on the sofa and thought about it. What did I just see?
A moment later, he heard it. It wasn’t loud, but it sounded like someone was in his bathroom. At first he thought he was imagining things.
Then that someone knocked.
Picard stood and approached the bathroom cautiously. He didn’t have a weapon in his quarters and it would take too long to call a security team. He would have to confront the intruder the best way he could with his bare hands. At the door, he slowly touched the open contact, ready for anything.
“Oh!” The intruder gasped when Picard was face to face with her. She grinned. “Thank goodness you’re home. I didn’t mean to end up in there. Don’t you have any other mirrors?”
Picard blinked again. It was the girl he’d seen before, this time in the flesh. She was about his height and wearing complex gold jewelry and blue and white robes. She stood demurely in his presence and continued to smile. He was about to answer her question, then shook his head to clear it. “I’m sorry…who exactly are you?”
“Oh, my name is Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License.” She reached into her robes and pulled out an old-fashioned business card. “My card,” she said, handing it to the Captain.
Picard read it. Sure enough, everything she had just said was written on it, with “Belldandy” spelled out in large block letters…which meant absolutely nothing. “I see…and how exactly did you get in here?”
“I came through the mirror,” Belldandy said. “It wouldn’t have been my first choice of destination, but it was the closest mirror to you that I could find.”
“Of course,” Picard said. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered why there was no Intruder Alert sounding. It could mean one of two things: the internal sensors were also malfunctioning - which was likely - or the computer simply didn’t read the girl as an alien presence - which made no sense. He turned back to her. “And…you’re here to see me?”
“You’re Mister Jean-Luc Picard, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise.”
“Oh!” She stuck out her hand and smiled again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain Jean-Luc Picard.”
Picard shook hands with her warily. “Likewise, I’m sure. And now if you wouldn’t mind telling me why you’re here?”
“I’m here to grant you a wish.”
Picard couldn’t resist a small chuckle. “A wish? You mean, as if you were a djinni?”
Belldandy thought about that for a moment. “Oh, my. It’s been so long since I’ve been called something like that…but, yes, just the same as one of the djinn.”
Picard looked away for a moment to process that information, then turned back. “Well, I wouldn’t know what to wish for.”
“I could make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.”
“In my world, I’d have no use for such wealth.”
“Oh…Oh! I could make you irresistible to every woman you meet!”
“ I have no wish to be that desirable to anyone.”
“Hmm…I could make you an Admiral and put you in command of a whole fleet of ships!”
“Belldandy…I admit that I’m going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment, but I assure you that I am satisfied in my life and career. I simply have no wish for you to grant.”
“But there must be something! You wouldn’t have been able to call me if there were no wish at all. Perhaps it’s a wish you don’t realize you have?”
“Perhaps.” It was time to get some answers. “Would you come somewhere with me? I’d like you to meet someone. Her name is Beverly and she’s a doctor.”
“Of course! I’d love to meet her.”
Picard took her by the arm. “We’ll walk there.” As they set off: “I’d like you to tell her everything you told me and let her examine you. Would that be acceptable?”
“Certainly.”
“Wonderful.” Halfway to the door he decided to be chivalrous. “I’ll be honest with you. If I were to have a single wish, I would wish for a goddess like you to stay by my side forever.”
Belldandy froze in her tracks. Try as he might, Picard couldn’t compel her to keep walking, and he backed off when her body began to glow. Then she spread out her arms and rose into the air. Picard tapped his commbadge. “Security team to my quarters!” Too late, he remembered that wouldn’t help, so he watched in awe as Belldandy turned upside-down and turned her head slightly. A moment later a bright blue beam fired from the diamond on her forehead and crashed through one of his windows.
That’s when alarms sounded. An emergency force-field closed off the window immediately, but it had to form around the beam until it dissipated. When she was done, Belldandy righted herself and settled back onto the floor, then stopped glowing.
She looked at Picard in despair. “Oh, no! Can I use your communicator?” Picard, dumbfounded, pointed to the console. “Thank you!” She rushed over to it and sat on the sofa as she dialed a direct contact code. “Hello? It’s Belldandy! I think something’s wrong!”
The door to Picard’s quarters flew open on its own, admitting Commander Data, Lieutenant Worf and two security men. All were brandishing hand phasers. “Captain,” Data said, “internal sensors detected weapons fire and a hull breach…”
“So they are working,” Picard muttered.
“Sir?” Worf said.
“One moment, gentlemen.” Picard watched as Belldandy completed her call.
“…yes…yes…I understand. Thank you.” She closed the contact and stood, looking much more serene. She turned to Picard and smiled. “Your wish has been granted.”
“You mean…?” Picard said.
“I will stay by your side forever.”
Picard looked at her, then at his damaged window, then back at her. “Very well, then.” He offered his arm. “Shall we go?”
Belldandy giggled and joined him.
Picard held her arm gently but securely in his grip, then said, “Mister Data, would you have Engineering repair that window? Mr. Worf, would you and your people accompany us to Sick Bay?”
Both officers said, “Aye, Sir,” then Picard, Belldandy and the others walked down the corridor, leaving Data alone. When they were around the bend, Data looked back into the Captain’s quarters.
“Fascinating,” he muttered.
TWO WEEKS LATER
One night Picard found that he couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just that he had given Belldandy his bed and taken the sofa for himself. In fact, it wasn’t that at all. It was Belldandy herself. He found he still couldn’t believe Crusher’s finding after her examination:
“She’s Human.”
“Doctor, Human Beings don’t fire energy beams from their foreheads or float upside-down in the air.”
“I can only tell you what my instruments tell me, Jean-Luc. She’s a perfectly normal human girl, approximately 22 years old and completely healthy.”
Science had spoken, yet there was no explanation as to why his luck had seemed to turn the night she arrived. Engineering had finally managed to repair all the bugs in the ship’s systems, the negotiations with N’stii had improved immeasurably and Commander Riker was feeling better more rapidly than anyone had thought possible. Coincidence? Possibly, but what if it weren’t?
He got up off the couch and put on his robe. He took a moment to see if Belldandy were sound asleep before heading out of his quarters. He hoped the person on duty in Sick Bay could give him something to make him sleep. He was prepared to ask about it as he walked in the door, but he found he couldn’t speak when he saw who was there.
She was tall, bronze-skinned, curvy and unbelievably pretty. Her head was adorned with long, silver hair and she was wearing her most becoming smile. “Good Evening!” She said cheerfully. “How may we help you tonight?”
Picard just stared at her, then he chuckled as he lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. “Please, Urd, enough. I know you’re not a nurse here.”
The Goddess Urd gasped as her goddess markings appeared on her face. “How did you know?”
“Well, first,” Picard said, “The Medical staff is rather small, so I’m well acquainted with everyone here. Second, Belldandy has told me all about her sisters. And finally…that Starfleet nurse’s uniform you’re wearing is about ninety years out of date.”
Urd looked down at the powder-blue minidress, sheer black stockings and black high-heeled boots she was wearing, then looked up at Picard and pouted. “I know, but I look so cute in this!”
Picard rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Urd said. She made a beaker full of some smoking fluid appear in her hand. “Don’t you want something to help you sleep?”
“That’s quite all right,” Picard said immediately. Belldandy really had told him everything about her sisters. “I’ll count sheep. Good night.”
“How dare he refuse a gift from Mistress Urd,” she muttered when Picard was gone. It didn’t matter. That old fuddy-duddy wasn’t even trying to satisfy her precious little sister, and Urd wouldn’t leave until that situation had changed. With that thought in mind, she cast a spell and streamed into the monitor of a nearby console.
When Picard arrived at his quarters to find her waiting, he knew he’d never get to sleep.
ONE WEEK LATER
"Hey, Georgie! These crystals are totally unstable!"
Geordi LaForge shook his head in exasperation. He had long since tired of the precocious, croquet-mallot wielding little girl that had made herself a fixture in Engineering since she’d arrived three nights ago. He couldn’t see her pretty face because her long black hair was in the way, but he could tell she was looking into the crystal observation port of the Matter/Anti-Matter reactor.
“You’re not the first person to tell me that,” he said as he approached, “and I’ll tell you what I told him. The crystals are not unstable. We hold them in a rotating force-field matrix to keep them viable for a longer period.”
The girl looked at him and said smugly, “Well, you can tell yourself that all you like, but all you’re doing is rotating yourself to a big explosion! You should let me redesign the reactor for you, because you obviously don’t know what you’re doing!”
That was the last straw. Geordi tapped his commbadge. “LaForge to Captain Picard!”
“Picard here,” came the response.
“Sir, one of your guests is disrupting my department!”
Picard sighed. “Let me guess…Skuld?”
“Hey, Jean-Luc!” Skuld called out. “You better fire this guy before he blows up your pretty ship!”
Geordi crossed his arms and glared at her. Skuld crossed her arms and glared right back at Geordi.
Picard broke the standoff. “Skuld! I would appreciate it if you would leave Engineering to Mr. LaForge and find something more constructive to do with your time here.”
Skuld pouted and looked away. “Okay,” she whined, then she immediately brightened. “Okay! I’ll do it! If anyone needs me I’ll be in Cargo Bay Six!” With that, she raced out of Engineering.
Geordi watched the doors close behind her, then said, “Captain, I think you’re going to regret using the word ‘constructive.’”
A pause. “I believe you’re right, Geordi.”
An hour later, when Skuld’s Next Generation Banpei Super X Defender rampaged through the corridors of the Engineering Section, they were sure of it.
THIRTY YEARS LATER
She had been with him through the greatest hardships and greatest triumphs. She had seen him become an Admiral, then an ambassador, and then she had joined him when he retired for good to his family’s vineyard in France. She was with him now, inspecting the grapes for this year’s harvest. Belldandy was standing further along the row he was in, wearing a simple dress and humming a heavenly song. She had lost none of her original beauty, but she had made her hair as white as her sister’s - and what little Picard had left - as the years went on.
He was neglecting his work, but he couldn’t help but stare at her. Amazing. She really has stayed with me forever.
Picard was so wrapped up in that thought, he didn’t feel his artificial heart begin to fail for a second or two, then his frail body began to give way, and as he collapsed he managed to say, “Bell…”
It was enough. Belldandy stopped singing and turned away from the vines. To say she flew to his side was no exaggeration. Unfortunately, she was still too late. He expired as she caught him with a magical gust of wind.
“NO!” Belldandy cried as she cradled him in her arms, then she laid him flat on the ground and got set to bombard him with healing spells.
“No, don’t,” someone said from behind her. She turned around to look.
It was Jean-Luc’s spirit.
“Please,” Belldandy pleaded, “let me save you.”
“Oh, my dear,” Jean-Luc said. “You’ve already saved me countless times over the years. This time, though…this time I’m ready.”
“Don’t say that, please!”
“But everything mortal must come to an end. Surely you understand that. As a goddess, you might have power over life and death, but would you prolong my life indefinitely?”
Belldandy looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, then down at his lifeless body. “You’re right,” she muttered. “That wouldn’t be fair to you. I wasn’t thinking.” She stood and turned to face the spirit, trying desperately to smile.
“I thank you, Belldandy,” Jean-Luc said, “for granting my wish, and staying by my side in good times and bad.”
Belldandy blushed, then said, “There’s something else I need to do.”
Jean-Luc blinked. It wasn’t the response he expected. Belldandy didn’t explain as she spread her arms and prayed. Moments later, the sky opened up and another goddess descended. She was wearing a white bodysuit and cape and had ice blue hair.
Belldandy approached her as she landed and indicated Jean-Luc. “Lind, this is my Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, Lind is one of Heaven’s combat angels. You know them as Valkyries.”
“I see. Pleased to meet you, Lind.”
Lind nodded in response.
Belldandy continued. “Lind, would you take him to my home in Heaven? I’ll be up to join him soon, but there are some things I must take care of here first.”
Lind nodded. “Of course.” She turned to Jean-Luc and took his spirit’s arm. “Don’t worry. Soon you’ll be with other warriors.”
Then he was rushing into the sky, and he took one last look at Belldandy. She smiled and waved at him until he was too high up to see her.
And then he remembered: He’d wished for her to be by his side forever.
He smiled.
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