is your daughter." He turned to the Enterprise men for verification. "Do I not, gentlemen... and Worf?" Worf clenched a fist, but Picard said quickly, "Absolutely. You speak for all of us, Q.
Mrs. Troi, why don't we go for a walk?" He was certain that would pull her away.
Picard had been her favorite target when she was last aboard the ship, and he was going to have to use that infatuation to get her away from Q. He saw Deanna's pleading look from several feet away. The counselor was terrified as to what could happen if her mother kept moving in the direction that her phasing was driving her.
How far do you go, Picard, to keep her away from him, mused Picard. It was a question, the answer to which he didn't like to contemplate.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon how one looked at it, Picard mused, it wasn't a question he would have to worry about.
"Not now, Jean-Luc," said Lwaxana.
"Can't you see I'm talking? Honestly, where are your manners? You could take lessons from Admiral Q here." "Yes, Jean-Luc," said Q agreeably.
"You could take lessons from me." "He is not an admiral," said Picard in no uncertain terms.
"Now, now, Picard... don't let your jealousy get the better of you. You'll get that promotion someday, as long as I'm there pushing for you," Q assured him.
Mother, this has gone far enough.
Lwaxana, without turning, replied to her daughter, Are you under the impression that I cannot take care of myself?
I'm under the impression that if you were thinking clearly, you'd have an idea of the trouble you're letting yourself in for.
Trouble, Little One, is no stranger to me.
Lwaxana then shut down communications and said to Q, "You know, this room is getting very stuffy." "Wherever Jean-Luc is, stuffiness cannot help but be nearby." This drew a laugh from the other partygoers who were within earshot. Picard flushed slightly, and he could sense behind him that Worf was ready to charge.
He saw Riker take a short step to his right, blocking a direct path between Worf and Q, and was grateful for this. He didn't want to think about what Q could do to the infuriated Klingon if he were of a mind to.
"But you're right, Mrs. Troi," said Q.
"Would you care to step outside?" "No!" said Picard.
In a low, even embarrassed voice, Lwaxana said, "Jean-Luc, please. Now is not the time for jealousy. You had your chance." "Yes, you had your chance, Picard," Q informed him, smiling. "Don't worry, though.
We'll stick to the corridors of the Enterprise." He turned back to Lwaxana.
"The captain was concerned that I was going to take you for a stroll outside the ship." Lwaxana laughed. "What a sense of humor! That's so rare in a man." "Yes, it is," agreed Q. "But then, you'll find I'm a fairly rare individual." "That I can attest to," said Picard.
Q extended an elbow. "Coming, my dear?" Lwaxana took it. "Absolutely." Deanna, Picard, Riker, and Worf all started to move forward to try and prevent Q from walking away with Lwaxana.
None of them made it more than a step, and then they froze in place. Smiles were plastered onto their faces; even onto Worf's, where it looked grotesque.
Mother! Deanna's mind called out.
Later, Little One, Lwaxana sent back and, with eyes only on Q, swept out of the Ten-Forward lounge.
The moment they were gone, Picard and the others unfroze. Unaware of what had just happened, Graziunas was shaking his head and grinning.
"Trust a sharp devil like Q to waltz out of here with the best-looking and most formidable woman on the ship. She is something, isn't she, Picard?" "Something," echoed Picard, and his officers were gathering around him quickly.
"Orders, sir?" said Worf.
"Alert all security teams," Picard told him in a low voice. "They are to keep an eye out for Q and Mrs. Troi, and report their
Mrs. Troi, why don't we go for a walk?" He was certain that would pull her away.
Picard had been her favorite target when she was last aboard the ship, and he was going to have to use that infatuation to get her away from Q. He saw Deanna's pleading look from several feet away. The counselor was terrified as to what could happen if her mother kept moving in the direction that her phasing was driving her.
How far do you go, Picard, to keep her away from him, mused Picard. It was a question, the answer to which he didn't like to contemplate.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon how one looked at it, Picard mused, it wasn't a question he would have to worry about.
"Not now, Jean-Luc," said Lwaxana.
"Can't you see I'm talking? Honestly, where are your manners? You could take lessons from Admiral Q here." "Yes, Jean-Luc," said Q agreeably.
"You could take lessons from me." "He is not an admiral," said Picard in no uncertain terms.
"Now, now, Picard... don't let your jealousy get the better of you. You'll get that promotion someday, as long as I'm there pushing for you," Q assured him.
Mother, this has gone far enough.
Lwaxana, without turning, replied to her daughter, Are you under the impression that I cannot take care of myself?
I'm under the impression that if you were thinking clearly, you'd have an idea of the trouble you're letting yourself in for.
Trouble, Little One, is no stranger to me.
Lwaxana then shut down communications and said to Q, "You know, this room is getting very stuffy." "Wherever Jean-Luc is, stuffiness cannot help but be nearby." This drew a laugh from the other partygoers who were within earshot. Picard flushed slightly, and he could sense behind him that Worf was ready to charge.
He saw Riker take a short step to his right, blocking a direct path between Worf and Q, and was grateful for this. He didn't want to think about what Q could do to the infuriated Klingon if he were of a mind to.
"But you're right, Mrs. Troi," said Q.
"Would you care to step outside?" "No!" said Picard.
In a low, even embarrassed voice, Lwaxana said, "Jean-Luc, please. Now is not the time for jealousy. You had your chance." "Yes, you had your chance, Picard," Q informed him, smiling. "Don't worry, though.
We'll stick to the corridors of the Enterprise." He turned back to Lwaxana.
"The captain was concerned that I was going to take you for a stroll outside the ship." Lwaxana laughed. "What a sense of humor! That's so rare in a man." "Yes, it is," agreed Q. "But then, you'll find I'm a fairly rare individual." "That I can attest to," said Picard.
Q extended an elbow. "Coming, my dear?" Lwaxana took it. "Absolutely." Deanna, Picard, Riker, and Worf all started to move forward to try and prevent Q from walking away with Lwaxana.
None of them made it more than a step, and then they froze in place. Smiles were plastered onto their faces; even onto Worf's, where it looked grotesque.
Mother! Deanna's mind called out.
Later, Little One, Lwaxana sent back and, with eyes only on Q, swept out of the Ten-Forward lounge.
The moment they were gone, Picard and the others unfroze. Unaware of what had just happened, Graziunas was shaking his head and grinning.
"Trust a sharp devil like Q to waltz out of here with the best-looking and most formidable woman on the ship. She is something, isn't she, Picard?" "Something," echoed Picard, and his officers were gathering around him quickly.
"Orders, sir?" said Worf.
"Alert all security teams," Picard told him in a low voice. "They are to keep an eye out for Q and Mrs. Troi, and report their
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