Walker paced across the floor in his quarters, trying to control the frustration coursing through his body. How could he have been so wrong, especially about one of the people he considered to be his best friend?

With a huff, he sat in his chair and set up a subspace transmission to the Enterprise. Within a minute, Jean-Luc appeared on the screen.

“Walker!” he said, surprised, “finally found enough time to wish your friend well on his new voyage, have you?”

Normally, Walker would have been pleased to see him. Unfortunately, he had more pressing issues on his mind. “Beverly told me that you don’t want her on the Enterprise,” he replied, cutting through the pleasantries.

Jean-Luc frowned at his upset friend. He didn‘t expect for Beverly to share their conversation in Sickbay with anyone, let alone Walker. “I never said that,” he argued weakly.

Keel crossed his arms, unimpressed at Jean-Luc‘s defense. “You told her you would approve a transfer off the ship, Jean-Luc. If that doesn’t say ‘I don’t want you here’, I don’t know what does,” Walker fought back.

Picard shifted in his seat. “I didn’t think she wanted to be stationed here.”

For some reason, despite his anger, that amused Walker. He let out a short laugh. “It’s been too long since you’ve seen Beverly. Nobody makes her do anything she doesn’t want to, especially if that something is telling her to leave Earth and transfer on a starship whose primary mission is to explore new worlds.”

Picard’s expression softened as he considered his friend’s words. “I suppose you’re right, Walker. She is certainly as…lively as she was a decade ago.”

Suddenly, Walker had a good feeling of why Jean-Luc really wanted Beverly off his ship. Though Jean-Luc had never confessed how he truly felt about Beverly, Walker knew that he had loved her from afar for many years. He had incorrectly assumed that his friend had worked through his latent feelings for the redhead.

His anger evaporated, replaced by empathy. “This isn’t because of your personal feelings, is it? Because--”

“No,” Jean-Luc interrupted firmly, “it has nothing to do with them.”

Gotcha, Walker thought. Still, he wouldn’t push. He didn’t want to make the situation awkward for either Jean-Luc or Beverly.

He smiled knowingly. “If you say so. Take care of her, Jean-Luc, and she’ll do the same for you.”

A faint smile passed over Picard’s lips. “I know, Walker.”

Walked leaned back in his chair, feeling confident that his two friends would be able to move forward in their relationship. “Now, tell me what happened to your ship. Something about a Q or something…”