Beverly manages to hold herself together and has for longer than she expected. It's been a trying few weeks, especially the last one. At this point she's going on at least 24 hours awake and she honestly can't even remember the last time she slept. Really slept. Was it before Zelien? Did she ever get meaningful sleep there? Has she been running on reserves since then?
His hands on her shoulders send a crack through her defenses and she ducks her head a little so he won't see the tears bubbling up in her eyes. She has missed him so much, his counsel, his wisdom, his friendship, and now that he's here in front of her, he's breaking down all of her walls, all of the protections she has up around herself. He's destroying them in ways not even Troi did and perhaps that's partially due to her feelings for him, feelings she can never tell him about. Not here.
It isn't until after she's shaken her head at his direction to sit, a silent response telling him that if she sits, she really will break. It isn't until his final words that it happens. Beverly Crusher does something she never does. In fact, she could count all the times she's done it on one hand.
She breaks, shatters like glass. One second, she's shaking her head at him and the next, her shoulders begin to shake; her breathing comes in sharp, ragged motions; and tears begin to first slide and then stream down her cheeks as she gives up all hope of holding back the flood. Because for the first time in weeks, she feels safe. Truly safe. And that's what frightens her most of all.
It'll be a while before she's cried herself out, finally unleashing everything she's been holding inside her since long before she arrived here.
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His hands on her shoulders send a crack through her defenses and she ducks her head a little so he won't see the tears bubbling up in her eyes. She has missed him so much, his counsel, his wisdom, his friendship, and now that he's here in front of her, he's breaking down all of her walls, all of the protections she has up around herself. He's destroying them in ways not even Troi did and perhaps that's partially due to her feelings for him, feelings she can never tell him about. Not here.
It isn't until after she's shaken her head at his direction to sit, a silent response telling him that if she sits, she really will break. It isn't until his final words that it happens. Beverly Crusher does something she never does. In fact, she could count all the times she's done it on one hand.
She breaks, shatters like glass. One second, she's shaking her head at him and the next, her shoulders begin to shake; her breathing comes in sharp, ragged motions; and tears begin to first slide and then stream down her cheeks as she gives up all hope of holding back the flood. Because for the first time in weeks, she feels safe. Truly safe. And that's what frightens her most of all.
It'll be a while before she's cried herself out, finally unleashing everything she's been holding inside her since long before she arrived here.