REP: Oasis 8/8 [PG-13] (TNG, Q)
Laura Taylor
Our two souls therefore, which are one
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion
Like gold to aery thinness beat
John Donne
"A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning"
Q knew the moment his eyes opened that he was on the Enterprise, in Sickbay.
His head ached, but he was fully restored. Raising himself up on his
elbows, he spotted his son and Primus standing at the foot of his bed,
joy and relief radiating from their faces. A commotion in the next room
drew his attention away from them, however, and he sat up and jumped off
the biobed to investigate.
A cluster of humans were gathered around a pale form in Starfleet
medical blues. Doctor Crusher was a blur of movement as she called for
instruments or hyposprays in an obviously futile attempt to revive her
patient. Picard, standing at the head of the biobed, looked up and saw Q
standing in the doorway. His lips thinned in a half-grimace, half-smile,
then he looked back towards the patient, absently stroking her thick
black hair.
Data and Counselor Troi came towards Q. "I see you have recovered, Q,"
the android said. "Primus's plan worked."
"Q, are you all right? Is there anything we can do for you?" asked Deanna.
"Who is she?" Q asked, indicating the unconscious young woman. "What happened?"
"That is Doctor al-Ghazali," Data said.
Deanna studied the expression on Q's face. "Do you remember anything of
your experience?"
Q did not respond. At the mention of her name, he knew who she was, and
realized with a start that what he thought had been a very strange dream
was all too real. "Where you lead, I must follow; where you are going, I
cannot come," he said to himself.
"Q?" Data prodded.
"She's dead, isn't she."
"She saved your life," Deanna said.
"She gave me her life. Hardly a fair trade, is it? One simple human life
in exchange for immortality."
Picard, overhearing the exchange, joined them. "She gave you her life
willingly, Q. Once again a mere mortal has rescued you from the jaws of
death." He glared at Q.
"I'm not interested in any of your self-righteous sermons, Jean-Luc." He
looked at Picard, his eyes narrowed with anger and impatience. "I am
fully aware of what she sacrificed for me."
"Don't you ever forget it, either. I'll make sure you don't."
"Captain," Deanna interjected, "I'm sensing a very strong feeling of
grief. What we saw in Sickbay may have only lasted a few seconds, but I
think Q knows Fatima much better than we realize."
"How perceptive, Counselor," Q said. "Do you feel my pain? You cannot
possibly fathom what I feel. I'm a Q; I don't 'feel' anything."
"You do seem unusually disturbed by Doctor al-Ghazali's death," Data rebutted.
Q ignored him and walked over to the biobed. "Don't bother, Doctor
Crusher," he said hoarsely. "There's nothing you can do for her. There's
nothing anyone can do for her." Beverly looked up, studying him. She
remembered looking in a mirror not long after she learned of Jack's
death; that exact same expression she saw so many years ago was now
reflected in Q's face. She quietly put away her instruments and ushered
everyone else out of the room. When he heard the doors slide shut behind
him, Q finally allowed the unshed tears to fall freely.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and tuned to face Primus. "Why, Father?"
Primus responded without speaking, letting his compassion and comfort
fill the Continuum and flow into Q's consciousness, healing and
strengthening him. "You would have died if not for her, my son. Her
death was instantaneous, and she felt no pain. Don't grieve because she
is dead, rejoice in her happiness. She is with her beloved now, and you
can go home."
Primus turned Q away from Fatima's body and forced him to look at the
young Q standing a few feet away, longing to embrace his father.
"Remember your son who needs you, and your responsibility to the
Continuum." He patted Q on the back. "Let's go home."
Q took a long, lingering look at Fatima's lifeless body, committing her
features to memory. She looked odd, wearing a Starfleet uniform rather
than the desert robes to which he was accustomed, but he knew he would
never forget her lovely face or her selfless sacrifice. She was a part
of him, now. She was a part of the Continuum.
Q snapped his fingers and disappeared.
*************************
Q appeared at the entrance to the crypt and hesitated a moment,
gathering his strength. Picard had dutifully brought him to Federation
Headquarters last month, leaving Q on Earth with a stern warning to
'mind his manners' and a promise to keep Q in line. As soon as his
diplomatic obligations allowed, Q came to this place, the al-Ghazali
crypt outside the ancient ruins of Susa. He could not bring himself to
attend Fatima's funeral, even though Picard had personally invited him,
but he knew he had to pay his respects.
Q took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The crypt was a long marbled hall with golden plaques identifying each
set of remains. Q could tell that the crypt had been in use for nearly
twenty generations. The two most recent additions, Ali and Fatima
al-Ghazali, were buried in a single vault near the back of the crypt,
eternally reunited in death. He spotted the remains of several floral
arrangements, holdovers from Fatima's entombment, and restored them to
life with a snap of his fingers. Then a perfect sprig of jasmine
materialized in Q's hand, and he carefully bent down and placed it on
the floor beneath the plaque bearing Fatima's name.
Sighing, Q stood and walked towards the entrance. Had he turned around,
he would have seen the ghostly pair emerge from the shadows to pick up
his offering and hold it to their lips. Had he listened, he would have
heard the young woman draw away from her husband and call out to him.
Had he stopped, he would have felt her wrap her arms around him in a
heavenly embrace and place the airiest of kisses on his mouth.
But Q walked out, never looking back.
END
--
=====
"This city of monuments [Washington, D.C.] is itself a monument to
blunders, bungles and boondoggles. Part of what makes this country great
is it can survive Washington year after year."
Tom Shales