The shuttle skimmed over the surface of Dione, a vast, empty expanse of slate grey ice and rock stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see.

Beverly stared out at the bleak surface.

Knowing Jean-Luc's interest in extreme environments he was probably loving this, she thought. She looked over at her companion. As she'd guessed, he was gazing out the view screen on the port side of the craft with a rapt expression on his face. Beverly shook her head in affectionate silence.

She could think of any number of things she'd rather be doing on their last day of shore leave, none of which involved leaving their bedroom much less requisitioning a shuttle and making a six hour round trip to Saturn's fourth-largest moon. But Jean-Luc, wanting to visit an old friend stationed there, had asked nothing else of her the entire trip and so she'd agreed readily enough – a minor concession that one uncomplainingly made in one's relationship.

At that moment a small cluster of buildings appeared on the horizon. A battered spaceport adjoined a large and functional-looking environmental dome, which itself was connected to what appeared to be a taller silver bio-dome used for large-scale ecological studies. This, evidently, was their destination.

The back end of nowhere, Nana would have called it.

Jean-Luc disengaged the shuttle's autopilot system and a few minutes later landed them safely at the tiny spaceport. Beverly clambered out of the cramped ship on his heels, eager for a chance to stretch her legs.

A small man stood waiting for them. He was about Jean-Luc's age, thin and wiry, and beaming a bright smile that seemed to light up his face. "The illustrious Captain Picard!" he exclaimed, snapping a crisp salute before extending a hand to Beverly. "And you must be the gorgeous Doctor Crusher about whom I've heard so much. Welcome to Dione!"

Beverly laughed at his warm, infectious tone and shook his hand before glancing sidelong at Jean-Luc, who was gazing at the two of them with the trace of an indulgent smile on his face.

"Hello, old friend," he replied before turning to Beverly. "Beverly, this is Chief Keyshawn Forbes, a former classmate of mine at the Academy and head engineer here at Dione Station."

"Head everything, more like, not that anyone notices," Forbes returned with a good-natured grumble as he sketched the doctor a brief salute. "Very pleased to meet you at last. The Captain has told me a lot about you."

The three of them chatted amiably for a few moments before Forbes turned to Picard. "Bio-dome's that way," he jerked his thumb towards a small airlock inset in the wall of the dome behind him. "Everyone's gone for the day, you've got the place to yourselves," he added, exchanging a meaningful look with Jean-Luc that Beverly couldn't quite decipher.

"I appreciate that, my friend," Jean-Luc replied.

"See you around, then," Forbes responded, giving them a quick wave before disappearing back into the bowels of the building.

Jean-Luc nodded and started towards the airlock door, leaving Beverly blinking in his wake, wondering what was going on. She'd thought the whole purpose of this trip was for Jean-Luc to catch up with his old Academy friend. So they'd come all the way out here, to the dead center of the middle of nowhere, only to spend a grand total of two minutes with the man.

There was something else going on, something Jean-Luc wasn't telling her. Some mystery he was keeping to himself. And Beverly was too impatient to enjoy mysteries. Only solving them. "Jean-Luc," she began warningly.

He turned and held out a hand. "Patience, ma cherie," he entreated, his hazel eyes earnest and the warm, tender smile that only appeared when he was alone with her lighting his face.

Beverly sighed and closed the distance between them, clasping his outstretched hand in hers. She never could resist him when he looked at her like that. "Fine. For now."

"It will be worth it," he assured her as he keyed open the airlock door. "I assure you."

"It'd better be," she grumbled under her breath, but with a tiny smile gracing her lips.

They stepped out of the airlock into the bio-dome. Its translucent shell was just visible as it arched high overhead, a barrier against the bleak elements without. Around them clusters of leafy green trees and bushes dotted the landscape, and an indefinable sweet scent rode on the warm, moist air. To Beverly the surroundings looked remarkably like the parks in San Francisco or back on Caldos – except for the unfamiliar birdsong on the breeze and the pale lavender grass underfoot.

Silently, with their hands still clasped, they began to walk along a wide path that wound in and among the small copses of trees. Beverly's momentary grumpiness dissolved as she strolled next to Jean-Luc, their shoulders and arms casually touching, reveling in the time alone with him – these last precious hours of leave together free of duties or demands.

After a few minutes they reached the edge of the dome. There, rising before them, was luminous planet of Saturn, seemingly close enough to reach out and touch.

This, Jean-Luc thought as he stared up at the northern hemisphere of the giant, multi-hued planet filling nearly half the sky above them. This is the place.

Just then the sky began to lighten almost imperceptibly, and after a moment, at the edge of the horizon to their left, Jean-Luc could see a yellow and orange band arcing up into the distance. Seconds later he could make out another just within it, then another and another.

Turning, Beverly followed his gaze. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled.

As the planet rose above them they watched layer upon layer of rings appear, arching like concentric ribbons of diamonds across the inky blackness of space, shimmering in a multitude of hues as they cast their long, dark shadows across the grass underfoot.

Instantly any lingering irritation Beverly felt about spending their last day of leave on this unprepossessing rock instead of back in their bedroom in La Barre evaporated like morning dew touched by the sun.

She stood transfixed, staring up at the staggering sight above them.

Jean-Luc wrapped his arms around her from behind and she leaned back into his embrace, their bodies molding together as if fused into a single form. He sighed in contentment, savoring the warmth and sweet scent of his companion, feeling the tendrils of that silky mane of hair he so loved to run his fingers through brush his cheek like a caress.

He closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to burn this time with her into his soul. Beverly.

He had loved her for over half his life. But only now – over these past few months – had he begun to fully appreciate the true depths of his feelings for her. He was enthralled by her beauty, her grace, her fierce loyalty and deep compassion – even by her lively and occasionally outrageous sense of mischief. To have her company, her constant companionship, was a gift of greater magnitude than he could ever have begun to imagine. He would never tire of her warm, comforting presence, and wanted nothing more in his life than to spend the rest of it by her side.

Beverly stared upwards in wonder. "So beautiful," she murmured, captivated by the interplay between the glittering light of the planet and the dazzling colors of its rings against the vast silky darkness of the night sky.

"Yes." His voice was a deep, velvety rumble near her ear. It was, indeed, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

She turned her head to look at him and found his gaze fixed squarely on her. "I meant the planet," she said, feeling color rise and flare across her face. How could he still do that to her with just a single look?

"That, too," he said agreeably, watching the delicate blush suffuse her cheeks like a rosy sunrise livening a dawn. His changeable hazel eyes never left her brilliant blue ones, which seemed to capture and reflect the light of the planet above them, giving her a radiance that lit her from within. She was astonishingly beautiful, and he found he loved her more and more with each passing moment.

He gently turned her to face him and took her hands in his, and as he did so Beverly felt her breath catch in her throat. He had that look in his eyes again. That intent, earnest look that told her she was the only woman in the universe to him. She loved that look, and how special, how unique, it made her feel.

Jean-Luc swallowed, his mouth unexpectedly dry. Years of experience had readied him to calmly deliver important diplomatic speeches no matter how momentous the occasion. But no amount of expertise could prepare him for what he was about to say now. He drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled and began to speak, his voice low and intense. "You know, I remember the first moment I laid eyes on you. You were breathtaking all those years ago, when Jack introduced us, and you grow more beautiful by the day."

"Flatterer," she returned lightly, resisting the impulse to close her eyes in pure bliss. Loving the feel of his hands in hers as the giant planet loomed above them, it's rings like fiery halos, loving the sound of his rich, deep voice on the warm evening air.

"Beverly, I love you." He paused, and she shivered slightly as the warmth and passion that suffused his words melted into her soul. "I will never say those words to another woman as long as I live. They are yours forever – as my heart is yours forever."

She squeezed the hands that held her own, eyes brimming with emotion at his declaration. "And mine is yours," she replied hoarsely.

Jean-Luc took another deep breath as the pounding of his heart increased. "What I feel for you I have never felt – and will never feel – for anyone else in the universe." He smiled into her sapphire blue eyes, now glittering with unshed tears. "And since we've been together…these past nine months have been the best of my life. I treasure every moment I'm by your side. I cannot imagine my life without you, and I want more than anything to share a future with you, the two of us, together. Beverly – will you do me the inestimable honor of becoming my wife?"

He was gazing at her hopefully, almost shyly, the light in his eyes nearly incandescent as he waited for her reply. For a moment the look of love in his face stopped her heart.

"Yes," she whispered softly, as surprise, wonder, joy and elation all swelled within her at once. She searched her mind for more to say but her heart was too full to be able to express all that she was feeling – not for the first time she envied him his eloquent way with words.

Instead she pulled him towards her and reached up to cup her hand at the base of his neck, drawing his head towards hers. Leaning in she pressed her lips to his, opening her mouth eagerly beneath his as she felt his passion surging to match her own, her heart rate skyrocketing as his fingertips glided over the skin of her bare arms like silk.

She kissed him with all the love that filled her heart, all the joy, all the warmth and tenderness and boundless affection. Kissed him until her lungs burned and tiny spots danced at the corners of her vision.

Breathing heavily, she leaned back just a bit to smile into his eyes. Just for a moment there he had looked endearingly nervous. Had he thought for one instant that she could possibly have said no?

She dropped her gaze to where her hands now rested lightly against his chest, on either side of his heart, momentarily overcome by the unexpected revelation of just how much she wanted this. Not to marry again, but to marry Jean-Luc.

Her first union, now thirty years in the past, had been a potent, heady cocktail of love and lust. A marriage fuelled by youthful exuberance and replete with long separations punctuated by moments of ardent, passionate reunion.

Yet she had found over the past year that she loved Jean-Luc with an intensity, a maturity, that was entirely new in her experience. And with a novel intimacy as well – over the last few months she'd begun to tell him things about her past that not even Jack had known. They were as close now as two people could be, and she'd long since ceased to wonder at how completely she trusted him.

Yes, this second time was a long, slow burn, a tiny flame that had blazed silently but steadily for years until the coalescing winds of shared passion finally stoked it into a bonfire. It was also an unanticipated, indefinably precious gift, and she planned to savor every single moment.

The gentle touch of his hand on her chin brought her gaze back to his. "I love you, mon coeur," he whispered tenderly.

She reached up and tangled her fingers with his, her breath catching in her throat at hearing the endearment she cherished.

She had no endearment for him – except for the way she said his name, the words a caress, a fervent affirmation that he was the most precious thing in her universe. She had no endearment for him, because there was no word that could truly encompass all that he was to her – captain, confidant, partner, lover, friend.

And now, soon to be husband as well.

The fact that after a lifetime of deliberately chosen solitude he was willing to take that step with her filled her with unutterable joy. "I love you, too, Jean-Luc," she murmured when the grip of her euphoria finally loosened enough that she could breathe again. Needing to be closer to him once more she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning in to lay her cheek against his. "And I can't wait to be married to you."

Jean-Luc felt a smile filled with wonder, pride and no small amount of astonishment stealing across his face. Until this very moment he hadn't been able to bring himself to contemplate actually achieving his heart's desire, hadn't actually considered what might transpire if she said yes.

They didn't need to marry. They were already as close as two people could possibly be, their lives completely intertwined, and everyone in Starfleet knew they were together anyway.

Yet for the first time in his life he wanted to marry. Not in a general way, but her specifically. Beverly. The woman he loved more than life itself. He wanted to marry Beverly, wanted to speak the sacred vows that would bind him to her until the day he died. Wanted to affirm and celebrate their love together, in front of all their friends and comrades. Wanted the universe to witness their union and share in their joy. "Just tell me when and where."

"As soon as possible," she said quickly, feeling slightly dizzy with excitement and anticipation. "Here, La Barre, I don't care."

His hands tightened on her hips. "I wonder how you might feel about having the ceremony on the Enterprise. It is my home in ways that La Barre will never be. And more importantly, I think of it as our home."

Beverly smiled at the emphasis he placed on the penultimate word. Yes, the ship was their home, her own as much as his. Certainly far more than Earth or even Caldos had ever been. "Yes," she agreed emphatically. "Let's do it on the Enterprise."

Jean-Luc returned her smile, giving her an ardent, heated look that seared the air between them. Then he took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips, reverently kissing the knuckles, an old-fashioned yet touchingly tender gesture that never failed to make her heart swell.

He took a step back and in a voice as soft and warm as a summer's breeze began to speak, the words rolling over her like liquid gold, spinning a web of love around her heart:

"Thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

Recognizing the final lines of the timeless Shakespearean sonnet Beverly found herself blinking back tears. Wondering if she was the only person who knew Jean-Luc Picard, the man with a lifelong reputation for being distant and reserved, the man whose stern demeanor intimidated friends and foes alike – the man she was going to marry – could be such a romantic.

Under the light of the ringed planet she drew him close once more, brushing her fingers tenderly through the fringe of hair along the side of his head, fingertips lingering on the pulse at his temple before lightly tracing the line of his strong jaw, feeling contentment flowing between them like a warm, steady current. Placing her lips next to his ear she lightly kissed the lobe and whispered, "I guess it was worth coming out here after all."

FIN