The Captain and Counselor Series by Lori (G-NC-17)

[beatrice_otter]

This may be cheating, but I'm going to do it anyway. One story from this series has been recced before, but I'm going to rec the whole series because there are a lot of really good stories in it.

Fandom: STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Pairing: Picard/Troi
Length: Long series, with both short stories and novel-length stories and lots of plot arcs that continue from one to the next.
Author on LJ: zakhad 
Author Website: A Good Universe Next Door
Why this must be read:

Because zakhad  is a good enough writer to take a fairly unlikely, unusual pairing (Captain Picard and Counselor Troi), and make you not only believe it's possible but make it seem inevitable. Her stories are beautifully written, tightly plotted, and she has the knack of making all her characters (even the original ones) feel real. This series has two gen short stories during the series itself, and goes AU before the ninth movie, "Insurrection." On an Enterprise which most of their friends have left, Captain Picard and Counselor Troi find themselves drawn together in friendship and something more. It's not an easy path; both have to grow as people and as officers together to make it work. And the Enterprise's usual adventures don't help.

(Also, I appreciate the fact that zakhad  actually puts some effort into trying to give Counselor Troi an actual code of ethics to accompany her duties as counselor--when I think of some of the utterly unprofessional things the show had her do, I have to cringe. And she also does an excellent job of showing us the inner lives of both Jean-Luc and Deanna, including how Deanna's empathy fits into her relationships with others.)

 

Jean-Luc Picard strolled in and glanced about at the scant group of patrons. Though the lounge served the same function and was located in the same place as Ten Forward had been, without Guinan it just wasn’t the same. Neither was it as popular. This was only one of a handful of times he could remember putting in an appearance himself, and the 1701-E had been in service for nearly four years.

He noticed Deanna Troi at once. Most people did; whether it was her empathic ability or a Betazoid trait in general, she carried herself with a serenity and warmth that attracted people to her, and had a quiet beauty that especially caught the interest of most men she met. He noticed her for other reasons. One, he hadn’t seen her all day — she’d had appointments and all was quiet on the bridge, as they had another day’s travel to go before reaching their next diplomatic assignment. Two, she sat looking out a viewport, her usual cup of chocolate in front of her, and something about her shouted loneliness. She was out of uniform, wearing a loose off-white dress instead of her usual form-fitting attire, and she’d turned her hair loose from its usual confinement on the back of her head. She wouldn’t be sitting by herself if all were normal.

Of course, if things were normal, he wouldn’t have had to come looking for her. Picard nodded to the single waiter present and crossed the room, weaving among the tables. “Mind if I join you?”

She graced him with an affectionate smile as she turned, but it took nothing away from the tired expression that lingered behind it. “Of course not, Captain.”

As he sat across from her, he remembered all those times he’d seen Riker in that seat, in Ten Forward, laughing with the counselor. “Are you sure I’m not intruding? I don’t want you to make allowances just because I outrank you.”

“Don’t be silly.”

The waiter swung by and took his request, and after he departed Jean-Luc noticed Deanna had returned to her stargazing, most of her smile lost to musings.

“I am interrupting you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m not very good company.” She tore her eyes from the stars and they rested on him only briefly before her gaze slipped into her cup. “I miss them.”

“We knew it would happen sometime.”

Deanna shook her head. This was the saddest he’d ever seen his counselor — she never showed this side of her in public, always kept up a professional demeanor, and that she allowed herself to slip into this state now worried him. Were his suspicions true, then?

“As long as it was sometime, it was all right. Doctor Mengis annoys me, Jean-Luc.”

He nodded, smiling in commiseration. “He isn’t exactly sympathetic, is he? But he was willing to serve, and the war — “

“I understand why Beverly left, professionally speaking,” Deanna said, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. “I don’t understand it personally. I don’t understand why she doesn’t call me more often.”

His tea arrived. Sipping occupied his mouth, and postponed the inevitable. He and Deanna hadn’t discussed his last few conversations with Beverly, though he’d thought about initiating a formal counseling session about it. He wondered now if he weren’t partially incorrect. He’d thought Deanna’s melancholy might be the cumulative effect of a year without Will Riker aboard. Now he wondered if it might be a combination of the absence of Beverly and Will — and why would Beverly not have anything to do with Deanna?

“You don’t understand how she could leave me, you mean. That tells me you don’t always sense what goes on around you.”

Deanna bit her lip and seemed a little surprised by the admission. “That’s true, I don’t. It depends on a lot of factors, including how hard I try to ignore someone.”

“You’ve always been aware of how Beverly and I felt for each other, I’m sure. I appreciate that you never said a word to anyone. I’m also certain you know it’s been difficult for me these past months since she left the ship. But it’s in the past. These things take time.” It occurred to him, belatedly, that perhaps his own reaction to Beverly’s absence had contributed to Deanna’s current state.

She nodded thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about her a lot. I miss having someone I can talk to. I even tried talking to Data.” Jean-Luc stifled outright laughter, managing to turn it into a single guffaw, but she laughed at him for it. “I know, it was a silly thing to do. As much progress as he’s made, it did me as much good as it would have to talk to Sorek.”

“It’s no worse than my attempt at casual conversation with Geordi. He can’t stop talking about the engines and the next refit long enough to taste his coffee.“

"So why didn’t you come talk to me in the first place?” Deanna asked. Some of her weariness seemed to be lifting. There was that, at least — and Jean-Luc realized he felt a little lighter as well.

“I suppose because I always think of you as counselor, the same way I’ve pigeonholed Geordi as engineer, and sometimes one simply needs a friend.”

 

Captain and Counselor.  Or check out the timeline.