Jeanne Picard needed an entire week to think about everything as she dealt with her family's property. There wasn't much she could personally do with the winery, since she had no interest in the hobby. She did try to like it and she did use her time out in the fields tending to the grapes as a type of therapy as she thought about things; but, she did not want to do it as a job.

She had always known that she was meant for much greater things. Staying at home was not one of those things. She had no doubt she could excel at it if she had the motivation for it, and she just didn't. She spent most of that first week searching for a trustworthy family to take over the every day operations, agreed to give them a 25% stake in the winery's success, and that was that.

However, her thoughts always lingered on Captain Janeway apologizing for what happened to her. Jeanne wasn't sure why she genuinely thought he was sincere and actually meant it. He even apologized for taking out his frustrations out on her and wanting to berate her for her choices. That she agreed that she wanted someone to do so, only made his declaration more impactful.

With a bit of reluctance and some hope, Jeanne used a transporter hub to transfer from France to Los Angeles. A short walk later, she reached Guinan's Bar and the name above the door made her smile. As long as the bar remained open, everyone that saw it would remember the bar on the Enterprise D. Jeanne herself had many memories in the place and she sorely regretted the loss of such an iconic flagship.

Jeanne entered and there were only a few patrons, then she realized it was still the middle of the day and not a lot of people took the time to drink, even if it was synthehol. Guinan didn't only serve that, however. Since she was no longer on a ship with restrictions that the crew couldn't imbibe actual alcohol during their shift, she could sell any type of spirits that she wanted.

To her surprise, Captain Janeway was sitting on the same stool at the bar he had occupied a week previously. She didn't let her surprise show as she walked over to him and stood there without saying anything.

“Afternoon.” Janeway said and nodded at the seat beside him.

“Afternoon.” Jeanne said and sat down.

Guinan came out of the back and walked over with a small tray and two half-filled glasses of Romulan Ale. “I apologize for the swill I served last week. Free or not, it was disgusting and an insult.”

Jeanne let out a soft chuckle. “You stopped me from downing it and asking for another, so mission accomplished.”

Guinan smiled at her understanding what happened and Janeway chuckled, too.

Jeanne gave Janeway a knowing look. “Yes, it took me a few days to figure it out.”

Janeway smiled warmly at her. “At least you figured it out. Most people would have missed a friend trying to help them so subtly.”

Jeanne nodded and accepted the glass of ale. “That's why I came here, to thank Guinan.”

“It's on the house.” Guinan said and gave Janeway the other glass.

“Thanks.” Janeway said and took a sip. He sucked in a breath and let it out. “Oh. That's... wow.”

“Yes, it's worth the cost.” Guinan joked and smiled.

“HA!” Janeway barked and raised the glass. “I was lucky enough to have Quark place and order and managed to buy a crate, otherwise...”

“I'm already on the monthly waiting list for another dozen crates.” Guinan said and recycled the tray in the replicator. “Apparently, Quark's example has sent ripples through the bartending community. Pure and virgin spirits has become a hot commodity, even if teleporting them doesn't change the taste.”

“I believe it's the thought that counts.” Jeanne said and took a sip of hers. “Oh!” She gasped. “That really is quite deserving of a wow.”

“It also lets him charge a premium where others are only charging exorbitant prices for the stuff.” Janeway said with another chuckle. “And his customers are eating it up.”

“He's restricting it because of his limited supply?” Guinan asked.

“Yes, and because there's such a long wait for replacements, he's milking it for all it's worth.” Janeway said. “The surprising thing is no one is complaining about it or causing a fuss. It's that good.”

“If he planned it right, he'll just run out as his next shipment arrives.” Guinan said and looked thoughtful. “I wonder if he will lower his prices at that point?”

Janeway nodded. “If he's smart, he would drop it to lower than what others are selling, because once everyone has it, he needs a reason for them to come to his bar for it.”

Jeanne nodded. “He should have kept a bottle or two for himself to save as well. Ferengi are quite known for both acquisitions and gathering wealth. The first bottles sold to the federation would be worth a lot in the near future.”

“You're right. He wouldn't miss an opportunity like that.” Janeway said and took another sip. He shivered and both Guinan and Jeanne smiled as him trying to hide his reaction. “I expect an announced auction in either six months or a year to auction one of them off for a massive profit.”

“Striking while the iron is hot, as the old human saying goes.” Guinan agreed. “If he waits too long, interest is going to die off on the limited market.”

“That's what I was thinking.” Janeway admitted and turned to Jeanne. “So, have you decided if you want me to yell and shout at you, or will quiet contemplation work like it did the last time you were here?”

Jeanne successfully hid her slightly blush at him calling her out on it. “I'm still on the fence about that.”

Janeway nodded. “I get it. You want someone to berate you and you also don't want to sit through it.”

“Exactly.” Jeanne said and took another sip of her drink. She shivered as she tried to hide her reaction to it and Guinan and Janeway smiled.

“I could make a holo-recording and you can keep it as a reminder.” Janeway joked.

Jeanne huffed and couldn't stop her smile at the thought and her hand reached up and she combed her shoulder length grey hair over her ear. “I'm not a glutton for punishment, good sir.”

Janeway gave her a single raised eyebrow and an imperious look.

“You learned that from Spock!” Jeanne gasped when she recognized it and then let out a soft laugh.

“Guilty.” Janeway said with his own laugh. “She really pulls that look off well, doesn't she?”

“Decades of practice can do wonders for a person's acting abilities.” Guinan said and gave them both a smile. “If you'll excuse me, I have more work to do in the back.”

Both Janeway and Jeanne waved slightly and the black man left them alone. The two captains sat there in quiet solitude and occasionally sipped their drinks. Each shivered slightly when they did so and then both would softly chuckle each time.

“I'm a little jealous of you.” Jeanne whispered.

“Oh? Why?” Janeway asked as he turned on the stool to face her.

“I once had a temporary mind meld with Spock's mother during a tense negotiation years ago. I suffered so much as her extremely strong emotions assaulted my poor human mind.” Jeanne told him.

Janeway reached over and put a hand on her shoulder in a sign of support. “It's quite the experience having such intimate access to a Vulcan mind, isn't it?”

Jeanne nodded. “I've never felt anything like it before and it changed how I saw a lot of things, especially about Vulcans and the trials they have as they struggle to keep themselves together.”

Janeway nodded back. “Spock said she's never felt more in balance after our meld than she ever has before. Being her anchor has given me the same insight to how she struggles every day to keep herself in check.”

“Yes, idiots are everywhere and you just want to strangle them.” Jeanne said with a chuckle. “But, we are a cultured society and we have to put up with them.”

“Yes, yes we do.” Janeway said pointedly and then grinned at her.

Jeanne's eyes widened at him saying that to her, then she remembered he wanted to berate her for being so stupid and she laughed. She laughed and laughed, then tears came to her eyes and her laughs changed to sobs.

She closed her eyes and was suddenly surrounded and engulfed in warmth and didn't know what was going on, because she was too upset to realize she was in a public place and breaking down. Her mind enjoyed the strong arms holding her, though.

The people in the bar only saw the telltale teleportation and didn't question their disappearance. There would be a rumor floating around that the two captains had gotten drunk and left the bar together, which always led to more juicy gossip.

“I see.” Spock whispered when she saw the state Jeanne Picard was in. “Set her down there.”

“Is this what I think it is?” Janeway asked as he tried to put Jeanne onto a soft couch, only he couldn't let go, because Jeanne held onto him tightly as she cried.

“She's going through the echoes and reverberations.” Spock said with a nod. “Being around another strong mind let her remember the trauma my mother inflicted upon her during their mind meld.”

Janeway pet Jeanne's hair and she cried harder, her mind filled with undeserving thoughts. “Can we help her without making things worse?”

“Hmm.” Spock hummed and looked thoughtful. “We could use Odo as a medium. Her own nature would stop our powers from making any permanent connections between us.”

Janeway nodded and mentally checked on Odo. “She's near the end of her patrol rounds right now.”

Spock inclined her head. “Retrieve her in fifteen minutes when she can secure her office. We'll need anywhere from an hour to four hours of her time for this.”

Janeway gave her a pointed look and Spock shared the technique she was going to use. “I see. Stripping the emotional component of her memories isn't possible, since it was mostly only emotions she suffered through. All you can do is dull them down to near human levels.”

“She'll still feel them, only not as intensely.” Spock pet Janeway's hair like he was petting Jeanne Picard's. “It could go fast or slow, depending on how much of a mess my mother left in there.”

“Ah, your mother did the same ritual, only she wasn't as good at cleaning up after herself as she thought she was.” Janeway said in understanding. “All right, I think we can do this through Odo and not make Picard dependent on having us be her mental anchor.”

“That's why we need to use Odo. Jeanne Picard is not ready for this kind of deep commitment.” Spock told him. “In fact, she might never be ready. I can sense several large traumatic incidents that caused...” She wavered slightly and Janeway caught her hand and pulled her down onto his lap.

“What is it?” Janeway asked and supported her physically and mentally.

“The Borg.” Spock whispered. “She was an integral part of the collective consciousness when they kidnapped her years ago. When she was forcibly ripped out of it by the crew of the Enterprise D, they couldn't remove everything. It makes her susceptible to...” She paused and closed her eyes as she almost fainted.

“Spock?” Janeway asked, because Spock's mind was swirling with too many thoughts.

“We... we have... much more work to do that I thought we did.” Spock whispered.

“I'll have Odo book a few days off instead of just this shift.” Janeway said and kissed her forehead. “We'll get through this. Together.”

Spock nodded and didn't dare reach out to touch Jeanne Picard herself. She almost lost herself in the other woman's mind when only using her limited telepathy to skim her thoughts. Touching her as well might be both of their undoing and she could not allow that to happen, for either her sake or Picard's.

*

Jeanne Picard woke up on something that felt like a fluffy cloud. She didn't want to open her eyes and run the illusion she had in her mind of slowly drifting across the sky without a care in the world. Nothing could touch her up there and the sense of freedom she felt was the same as when she first took command of her ship and set out towards space... where she belonged.

It was that sense of duty that finally forced her eyes to open, so she could face the reality she needed to confront and continue her life as she always lived it. When she sat up and looked around, she didn't recognize the room.

Where am I? Jeanne asked herself in confusion.

The room's door opened and Guinan stood there with a tray of breakfast foods. The smell of Earl Grey Tea made Jeanne's stomach rumble and the short black man smiled.

“It seems you're finally awake.” Guinan said and entered the room. “I was worried for a while, then I remembered you haven't been sleeping well lately and let you rest in my guest room.”

“You... let me?” Jeanne asked.

“Yes, you collapsed and fell unconscious a few days ago and scared me. Luckily, I had an expert on hand to take care of you until you were feeling better.” Guinan said and set the tray across Jeanne's lap as he sat on the edge of the bed near her. “Do you feel better?”

Jeanne thought about that and came to the conclusion that she did. In fact, she felt better than she had in years. Her mind went over when she collapsed and all she felt was a distinct warmth that made her feel safe and secure, so she assumed it was because she had finally let her emotions out and had a good cry. It had cleansed her of her negative thoughts and now her mind was clear.

“I do.” Jeanne answered and picked up the cup of tea. She took a sip and it was the perfect temperature. She took another, then dug into the eggs and toast like a ravening beast.

Guinan kept the smile on his face the short time Jeanne ate and also stayed quiet. When she finished, Jeanne sat back and sighed with satisfaction. Guinan moved the tray off of her lap and set it in the nightstand.

“Wait, did you say a few days ago?” Jeanne asked, surprised.

“Yes, it's now Wednesday.” Guinan answered.

“What?!?” Jeanne startled. “My trial is in two days! I need to prepare!”

Guinan held in his laugh as Jeanne hopped up from the bed and threw off the covers, only for the woman to pause because she wasn't in her room. She was in Guinan's guest room.

“Perhaps you can get cleaned up and dressed first before you rush off home.” Guinan said with a knowing smile.

“Yes, I should.” Jeanne said and Guinan pointed to where a small stack of clean clothes were. “Thank you, old friend.”

Guinan nodded and watched Jeanne calmly go into the bathroom to do just that. He sat there and patiently waited for her to finish, then he escorted her out of her home and over to the transport hub. After a whispered word of encouragement, and a promise to be there at the trial to testify on her behalf, Jeanne Picard disappeared in a teleportation beam.

Guinan returned to her home and placed a call to let Captain Janeway know that whatever they had done to help, had worked well. Jeanne was back to her old self and was in no danger of ever breaking down like that again. He thanked them on Jeanne's behalf and hung up, grateful that Jeanne didn't ask about the expert he happened to have close by to tend to her.

He had no doubt she would eventually remember that detail and would come to him to ask about it. Until that time, he had no problem keeping Janeway's and Spock's involvement a secret.

*

The court martial went by without anyone getting into trouble, and neither Jeanne Picard nor William Riker were found to be a fault for the destruction of the flagship of the United Federation of Planets.

No one had really thought they would have been found guilty, even if some of them did have their doubts. The iconic ship had been through so much and it was a shame it would never travel through space again under its own power.

Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge was assigned to the Enterprise E's design team and he worked tirelessly on the plans of the brand new Sovern Class space ship that was larger, more powerful, and more versatile than the old ship. It also wouldn't have a thousand people on it, with wives and children. It wasn't a family ship this time.

No, it was a warship designed to combat the future foes everyone in Starfleet knew were coming.