A Most Agreeable Arrangement

Chapter 16 - Oh, Baby...

This chapter is meant to take place shortly after the events of Deja Q.

-

I walked down the hallway, looking down at the PADD in my hands while occasionally glancing up to be sure I didn't bump into anyone.

I was monitoring the progress of the plants Keiko and I had been allowing to cross-pollinate for the past couple of months, hoping to create a specific mutation. So far we hadn't been successful, but we'd rearranged things so many times, and gotten closer with each experiment.

It was like one second there was no one there, and the next, I was bumping into someone in a red uniform.

I looked up, startled, expecting to see Commander Riker and ready to apologize.

My apologetic and shocked expression quickly melted away.

"Q," I said with a perfect poker face.

"Why, hello there, little faerie," Q responded with a devilish smile.

"Yeah, that's not the millionth time I've heard that one," I scoffed, pushing past him to continue down the hallway. "What do you want?"

"What makes you believe I want something?" he placed a hand on his chest, feigning offense.

I stopped walking and looked up at him, unamused. I ignored his question.

"Have you decided that I'll be your new plaything?" I put my hands on my hips. "Cause I think you already know that I'm not going to play your game."

He chuckled. "Oh, not exactly. I just want to be the center of attention. I'm making myself essential to the plot of this chapter."

I furrowed my brows. "This 'chapter'? What in the world are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that," he tapped me in the center of my forehead. "I'm just here to spice things up. Make things a bit more..." he smiled impishly as he gazed somewhere behind me, "...interesting."

I turned around and felt the blood drain out of my face.

Whipping back around to face Q, I saw that he was already gone.

Upon turning to look behind me, I saw that he was now walking with his arm around Data's shoulder, spreading his other hand out in front of him as if to create a canvas for a mental image.

I made my way to their side, stopping in front of them and blocking their path.

Q tried to skirt around me, but I reached out and caught him by the back of his shirt, pulling him to a halt.

"Leave him out of this," I began dragging him back away from Data, but then I felt no more resistance and looked to see that I was now holding an empty shirt.

Turning back around, I saw that Q was wearing a completely different outfit.

I dropped the shirt on the ground and stepped over it, making my way back over to them.

I grabbed Data's hand and began tugging on it gently, then placed myself between Data and Q.

"Stop it," I demanded, pressing back against Data's chest as I faced Q. "I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish, but go away. Leave us alone. We won't participate in your stupid games, so there's no point."

Q tutted in disapproval, placing a hand to his chin.

"No, this just won't do. Come on, Data, my old pal," he spread both palms out in front of him. "Remember what I did for you? I let you laugh! Those were good times, weren't they?"