The Complication

Blackstar

­Author's Note: Thank you again for all your support! I'm loving all the messages & notes about the hate for Morak. He is so awful! He's going to get what he deserves one day – but that won't be until much later in this series.

Also, to answer a few questions – yes. The baby that Castillo dreamed of was named after one of Tasha's brothers that she lost on Turkana.

Sela also shares a middle name with Richard's mother, Lucia. It's a subtle middle finger to Morak. (More on that to come in The Crease in the Fabric of Time)

In this series, the Khitomer massacre took place in 2344 instead of 2346. Also, Worf had two younger siblings. He believes both were killed on Khitomer. As this series progresses, we'll see there are more threads between Tasha and Worf than even they realise.

And much as Worf and Kurn will come to represent the brothers Tasha lost on Turkana, she also comes to fill the role of the sister they lost on Khitomer.

Sela's line about her desires is tied to the title and taken from Bowie's Blackstar.

-X-

Please be advised this portion of the story is a dark turn. I want to assure you – this series has a happy ending. But this part is filled with pain and loss.

Content Warning: Strong language, violence, abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, torture, graphic injury, enucleation, pregnancy/childbirth, miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, self-harm, suicide, character death, murder.

-X-

"And I didn't know what to say," Beverly confessed. "I always dreaded what would happen when he became a teenager. I thought if he was anything like me, then he'd be a right terror."

Beverly paused and sighed.

"I never thought I'd have to actually drag him out of his room just to eat dinner," Beverly said.

She groaned as she picked at her grapefruit.

"He's not even sure he wants to go to the school disco on Friday. Worried he'll fall behind on his physics project," Beverly added.

She glanced up from her plate and frowned.

"Jean-Luc?" Beverly prompted.

He didn't respond. He was lost in thought as he stared down at his cup of tea.

They were sharing breakfast like they usually did. Beverly knew this business of the Enterprise-C weighed heavily on Captain Picard. So, in an effort to give his mind a break, Beverly kept the conversation light.

It wasn't working.

"Jean-Luc? What's wrong?" Beverly asked.

"Forgive me, I was focused on my breakfast," Picard lied.

"And yet your plate sits untouched," Beverly noted.

Picard sat back in his seat. He had a determined look on his face.

"I don't know what to do," he confessed.

Beverly wanted to reach across the table, to take his hand and assure him that things would be alright. But that was a step too far, too close to breaking down the wall they'd built between them.

So, she settled for verbal reassurance.

"You don't have to do this alone," Beverly said in soft voice. "Whatever you say, whatever it is – it stays in this room."

She was offering him an out. It was a chance to unburden himself.

Captain Picard knew that he could trust Beverly. Such an understanding was a hallmark of their long friendship.