Challenge: Create a story using the line, "simple love with a complex touch" from Maroon 5's 'Through With You'. Inviting you to do the same!

Summary: Jean-Luc's going all in. This takes place at breakfast, after Inheritance. See A/N at the end for more...

Simple Love With a Complex Touch

Jean-Luc's door chimed just after he finished dressing for the day and had walked into the living area. "Come." He said as he stopped to see who it was.

"Good morning." Beverly said with an unsure smile as she stepped into his quarters just enough to allow the doors to close behind her. "I was curious if you'd eaten yet." She trailed off, uncertain how he would react to her sudden appearance at his door.

"No. Not yet." He said as he attempted a nonchalant smile while trying not to sound rigid at her presence; his emotions still a bit raw since their last meal together after their mission to Kesprytt III little more than a month prior. "Please come in." He gestured at the table as he turned and walked to the replicator. She sat down and a moment later was served croissants and coffee. She smirked as she remembered their recent fireside conversation regarding her choices for their breakfasts. He saw her expression and paused before sitting in his chair. "Would you like anything else?" He asked her, trying his best to look serious.

She laughed. "No. This is just fine." She said. He returned her smile as he sat. Her laughter was music to his ears.

"What did Data tell Dr. Tainer?" Beverly asked as they each prepared their respective meals. Jean-Luc was thankful for the distraction from the disconcerted feeling he was experiencing at her presence.

"He chose not to tell her she is an android. Deanna made a valid point yesterday and it resonated with him." Jean-Luc said.

Beverly nodded. It was a good point. Juliana Tainer lived her entire life believing she was human. That was something Data strove for every day of his existence. "Still, I wonder what will happen if she has another accident."

"As do I. If something does happen, hopefully, whoever attends to her will see the work Dr. Soong put into making her appear human and let her continue believing that's what she is."

Silence fell on them and there it was: awkwardness. He did not expect to see her for breakfast or to be alone with her for any period any time soon. Or at least he wasn't planning on it. As he finished the last of his croissant, he tried to force himself to focus on the messages he recently received from Starfleet. It worked for a fraction of a minute before his mind once again drifted off to their last conversation.

He'd been staring off into the living area over the brim of his coffee cup, occasionally taking a sip, for the past few minutes.

"Penny." She said as she sat back in her chair and watched him over the brim of her cup. His acknowledgement was mechanical: a slow blink and a diminutive downward nod of his head.

He could lie. He could tell her he was absorbed in thinking about the messages he received from Starfleet. That wouldn't be a lie. But, he couldn't stop thinking about it: their situation. Actually, he couldn't stop thinking about her words: 'Or perhaps we should be afraid.' Those words tore him in two. One part of him wanted to throw his hands in the air and wash them of her – or expel from his heart and mind the hope of ever being with her, to be specific. The other part of him held out hope and focused on those words that did not explicitly say 'no'.

He turned his chair to face her and lowered his cup but kept it in front of him. "Something has been troubling me…" He said quietly. His eyes stayed trained on the table.

"What's that?" She asked as she looked at him expectantly over the brim of her cup.

"Something you said that night." He still didn't look at her.

That was unexpected, she thought. Almost unconsciously she lowered her cup as one hand very slowly began to gravitate toward the back of her neck. She stopped it and replaced it on her cup. She didn't need the implants to know what night he was referring to. She swallowed hard as she stared at the remnants of the cup and opened her mouth to say something, she knew not what, then quickly closed her mouth. She couldn't take back her invitation to talk and she couldn't just get up and leave. He took a deep breath and this time he looked at her. His expression was full of sureness, sincerity, and belief – in her. Her features went slack for a matter of seconds until her fear crept back in. She felt a chill run down her arms.

"You said we should be afraid to explore our feelings. I understand that." He said slowly and paused briefly before continuing. "Our positions on this ship make our situation complex. The very nature of what we do can be dangerous, which also makes our situation complex but not our feelings for each other." He put his cup on the table, stood up and walked over to her. He looked down at her and held out his right hand. She looked up into his eyes then down at his proffered hand. Her mind raced, as did her pulse. As if on autopilot, she put her cup down on the table and slipped her left hand in his. He stepped back to allow her space to stand up. He searched her face and saw her uncertainty and fear. Still holding her hand, he put his left hand on her bicep and smiled a knowing a smile. "I need to know." He whispered as he meekly stepped closer to her until there were only inches between them.

She swallowed again. She didn't think her pulse could quicken anymore but it did. "Jean-Luc…" She paused. "You said you don't love me anymore. I don't understand why you're pushing this." She felt the warmth and strength in his hands and no longer felt cold herself.

"I said didn't – not don't." He said in a quiet but resigned voice. Confusion graced her features. "I didn't tell you the whole truth. You went away to Starfleet Medical and as time went on, I realized I didn't feel as strongly as I once did. But, you came back…" He smiled. "And we grew into close friends." He cupped the right side of her face with his left hand as he said, "I realized I never stopped loving you." He dropped his hand from her face back to her arm. "Beverly, you didn't tell me 'no' that night. I need to know how you feel. I need to know what you want. If you don't want this, we will still be friends." He emphasized his last statement with quiet confidence in his voice and in his eyes.

She stared down at his chest while she thought. He was right. Her feelings were simple. She loved him. She wanted to be with him but she was scared of losing him and she was scared a relationship between them might not work because their situation was complicated. At that moment, she just wanted to melt in his arms and feel safe but that didn't mean she should. Everything they felt for each other and wanted from each other didn't mean they should. She mentally shook herself and she shook her head. 'I can't do this.' She thought. "Jean-Luc, I can't." She said, her voice laced with a plea to him to remove his hands from her. Her body, apparently in disagreement with her mind, was no longer responding to her orders. She couldn't pull away from him unless he broke their contact first because she wanted this more than her rational mind would admit. She couldn't look in his eyes. "Please…" She whispered.

He wasn't willing give up. He knew what he felt from her while they were linked on the planet. He hoped to finally hear her acknowledge her own feelings. He was tired of hiding behind his position when it came to her. He was tired of hiding behind the fear she had and resulting rejection. The worst that could happen is she tells him 'no'. Their friendship would continue, in time, he had no doubt of that. They always shared a special connection. Judging by the fear in her eyes, he didn't think the 'better to have loved and lost versus not to have loved at all' argument would work but perhaps starting a fire would. "I'm not going anywhere and I will never do anything you do not want me to do." He said slowly, his voice full of sincerity, as he cupped the side of her face again then closed the distance between them until a centimeter was between their noses and he lightly brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. Her eyes flickered to his and saw passion as he slowly took in her features. "We have a simple love with a complex touch…" He whispered as his eyes settled on her lips. He brushed his nose against hers; causing his lips to replace his thumb and graze her lips. "But it doesn't have to be." He whispered and kissed her lips gently.

She felt like she was having an out of body experience. It's not as if she didn't see it coming but she was frozen. The warning bells sounded in her head. It was deafening at first but while her mind was trying to rationalize why she didn't stop him and how to get out of this situation, the alarms turned into white noise. It almost sounded like the ocean flooding her ears as her body slowly responded to him. He raised their joined hands and gently pressed her hand flat on his chest and rubbed her cold fingers with his warm hand for a moment then slid his hand over her arm to feel the contour of her shoulder blades as he softly pressed their bodies together. His other hand, still cupping her face, slowly slipped to her neck. Her skin was soft and warm, very warm, and her pulse was rapid. He deepened their kiss as his right hand moved lower on her back. His left hand slid from her neck to her shoulder blades as his fingers fanned out and her right hand moved to his back. As their kiss continued to progress, their tongues lazily fought for dominance as his right hand encircled her lower back to hold her tightly against him. He heard a moan escape her throat as she felt his arousal against her and her hand clenched the material of his tunic against his chest and back.

He left her breathless as his lips deliberately moved across her cheek to her neck. "Beverly." He whispered in her ear.

"Yes." She breathed and swallowed fervently between breaths. She buried her nose against his neck. Both of her hands gripped the material of his tunic as if she was holding on for dear life.

"Tell me." He demanded softly as he reached the base of her neck and his right arm, still wrapped around her lower back, grasped her right hip and pulled her against him hard.

She moaned more audibly this time. "Yes." She whispered.

He moved to look in her eyes before covering her lips with his again. He kissed her slowly and passionately. He slowly took both of her hands and moved them to her sides as he pushed her lab coat from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Her body stiffened. Keeping contact with her lips, he placed his hands on her hips and moved her back against the table and pressed his body against her. She grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. He ran his hands gently up and down her arms. He cupped her face with both hands when her body gave no signs of relaxing and broke their kiss. The moment his lips left hers, he heard her breath escape her lips. He scanned her features and saw her furrowed brow.

"We have shifts this morning." She said, her face reddened and her eyes unable to meet his concerned gaze.

"Do we?" He asked quietly in mock surprise. Her eyes shot to his and her mouth opened slightly but she didn't respond. "Can you think of any reason our presences might be required?" She inhaled and held her breath as her eyes opened wider. She couldn't believe her ears; she'd never seen this side of him. He closed the distance between their bodies again then nuzzled his nose against hers and brushed his lips over hers. "You haven't been sleeping well again, have you?" It was rhetorical. He moved his hands down her shoulders and arms to her hands. "You look a little pale and tired." He whispered as he moved one hand to lovingly caress her face. He dropped his hand from her face and tapped his communications badge. "Picard to Commander Riker."

"Riker here, Captain." Will said.

"Number One, I will be taking a day of leave today."

Will's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Deanna. "Understood, Sir."

"Picard out." He looked at her a moment then smiled mischievously and tapped his badge again. "Picard to Doctor Selar." Beverly's jaw dropped as her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened.

"Selar here." The Vulcan said.

"I have ordered Doctor Crusher to take a day of leave today."

"Understood, Captain." Selar said, her voice void of emotion and judgment.

"Picard out." Beverly was stunned and it showed. He smiled shamelessly as he replaced his hand on her face and traced her lips with his thumb. "Come on." He whispered as he took her hands in his and slowly led her to his bedroom. "Let me work out the knots in your back…"

A/N: Part 2 is posted separately and is MA-rated…