The celebration continued unabated, although the partiers were leaving in
ones and twos, little knots of people departing to continue the celebration
more privately.

Against his will, Q felt a pang of something... not sorrow, but some sort of
loss.  He didn't want to feel like that.  This was a moment of supreme joy,
there was no reason to feel the least bit unhappy, and yet, he felt alone
and lonely.

For a moment, he'd thought that Harry Roth, the lieutenant from the physics
lab, was going to say something, going to do something, Q didn't know
what... and while Q was glad nothing awkward had occurred, he found himself
wanting to know what it had been that Harry wanted, what might have happened
differently.

He was terribly alone, and it was all over, and there was nothing left but
to go home and get that week of sleep he'd been longing for since this all
began.

Someone grabbed him from behind, and Q stiffened.

The unknown person danced around to his front, holding him close.  "Isn't it
wonderful?  Just wonderful?"

Q looked down at the tiny redhead embracing him, a startled look on his
face.  "Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm babbling... it's awfully late and Jinn had me drinking way too much
and I really hope it was synthenol and not real gin like he said it was."
She didn't let go of him, didn't let him get away at all, one arm loosely
around his waist, the other hand clutching his.  "But I wanted to thank you
anyway... even if neither of us remember it in the morning."

"I'm certain I won't want to remember this," Q said drily, words cutting,
but voice unsure.  He didn't really mind this too terribly.  There was
something comforting about her being close to him, something about this that
felt right, even necessary, although he didn't understand that at all.

"Oh, good.  I'd hate it if you held this against me."  

And then she was tugging his face down, and kissing him solidly, leaning
against him for balance.  The feeling of her lips on his was exquisite, and
he found himself responding to it instinctively, lips opening, arms going
around her.

But before he could finish the gesture or even savor the moment, she was
dancing away from him, grinning.  "You're wonderful.  Let's do this again
sometime."

Q watched her go, a bemused look on his face.  Humans were so strange.