The BLTS Archive- Refusal
by Martha McDonnell (marsta@geocities.com)

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Standard Disclaimer: Paramount own's Trek, I own this story, and
everybody gets along.  As always, comments appreciated.

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"Jean-Luc!"

The exasperated voice began to penetrate Picard's concentration.  He
looked up from his PADD at the pair of hands which had been planted
firmly on the desk in front of him and followed the arms up to the
stubbornly set face above them.  He sighed.

"Walker, I already told you no.  In fact, I told you no about a week
ago, and several times every day since.  When are you going to get the
message?"

He looked back at the PADD he was holding and frowned.  Now *that*
wasn't right.  If he could ...

The PADD suddenly vanished from in front of his eyes.  He looked up to
find Walker clutching it, looking rather upset.  He opened his mouth,
but Walker spoke before he could get anything out.

"I'm telling you, Jean-Luc, she's *different*.  I *know* you'll like
this one. She's perfect for you."

Picard shook his head.

"I'm not interested, Walker!  I have much too much work to do.  I'm
going off-planet in 2 weeks and 5 days, and I have a list a kilometer
long of things to get done before then -- a list which does *not*
happen to include a brief tryst with some woman you found in a bar."

"It's not *like* that," Walker protested.  "First, I didn't meet her
in a bar, I met her at the Classical Earth Composers concert you
almost went to with me and Laurel last weekend.  Secondly, she isn't
like any other woman you might know -- she's special."

"If she's so special, why don't *you* date her?" Picard asked, trying
to grab his PADD back with no success.

"*Because*, I'm dating Laurel right now."  He got a dreamy look on his
face for a moment, and Picard almost succeeded in getting the PADD.
"Besides, I want *you* to date her.  Nobody else, you."

For a moment, Picard wavered, and almost gave in.  He'd never seen
Walker this persistent before.  (Although Walker got the strangest
notions sometimes over what to be persistent *about* ...)  Then he
thought of all the rest of women Walker had found for either him or
Jack (or himself) to date, and inwardly shuddered.  They all had great
quantities of hair, eyes, breasts and legs, but whatever brains they
had were dedicated solely to getting an officer, and once they had
him, keeping him.  He had been absolutely sure once or twice that they
were winning some kind of bet in dating him. Sure, occasionally he was
in the mood for a fling, but not now.

"Walker, *NO*.  And that's final."  He grabbed the PADD, finally, and
turned to take it back to his desk.  He could almost hear Walker
throwing up his hands behind him.

"Fine, then.  Fine," he said, and Picard could tell he was going to
sulk over this for at least a day.  Oh, well, he'd get over it.  He
always did. "Forget the dinner reservations I made tonight for you."
Picard raised an eyebrow.  Walker had never done *that* before.  "I'll
give them to Jack. *He'll* appreciate the good intentions of a
friend."

"Suit yourself," Picard mumbled, already engrossed again in his work.

"I'm telling you, Jean-Luc, you'll be sorry about this someday,"
Walker flung back over his shoulder as a final parting shot.  The door
slammed behind him, and Picard looked up for a brief moment.  Walker
definitely needed a vacation. He was not acting like himself.

He remained looking at the door for a moment more.  What had Walker
said her name was?  Beverly?

He shrugged and went back to his work.  No matter.

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The End