Reaching for the thick black tie wrapped securely around her eyes, Beverly's lips curl into a half-exasperated, half-amused smile. "Alright. Can I take this ridiculous thing off now?"
Dropping her hand, Picard steps away from his transporter pad and reaches for the tie wrapped around the back of Beverly's head, acting as a blindfold. "Very well."
As Picard unties the loose knot at the back of her head, Beverly puts a hand against his chest blindly, steadying herself on the transporter pad. "I've been more than patient the entire shuttle ride over here, this silly blindfold. What have you got up your sleeve, Jean-Luc?"
Beverly had been more than suspicious and surprised when Jean-Luc had not only withheld their destination from her during their short shuttle ride, but also requested that she wear a blindfold over her eyes until they achieved their destination. He had been in such an uncharacteristically light-hearted and jovial mood that she couldn't help but cede to his request, knowing that whatever game he was playing she would thoroughly enjoy. So, she had easily complied, sporting the blindfold and playing along until they had materialized now onto the transporter of some undisclosed location.
"Trust me," implores Jean-Luc, pecking her lips as he pulls the blindfold from her eyes.
Grinning, Beverly meets his eyes, leaning in to return his kiss. "Implicitly."
Abandoning the tie, Jean-Luc snakes an arm around her back, kissing her deeper.
Breaking off, Beverly glances over his shoulder. "Where are we?"
Taking her hand in his, Picard rotates slightly, observing the small transporter room. "Venture a guess. Anything look familiar?"
Beverly's eyes dart around the small transporter room, quite nondescript and uniform. "Well, we're on a ship. We went from a shuttle to another ship?"
"Do you recognize the ship?" Picard inquires, guiding her off of the transporter pad.
Following Picard, Beverly examines the room, her eyes dilating. "Oh, my God. How?"
Jean-Luc smiles at her flabbergasted expression, shrugging modestly. "I pulled some strings. Command owes me. I called in a few over-due favours."
Startled, Beverly blinks incredulously at the transporter console of the old USS Stargazer, hardly able to believe her eyes. "But…how?"
Smiling knowingly, Jean-Luc leads her by the hand across the room. "They salvaged what they could of it for parts and material. But, they preserved most of it and cleaned it up from the destruction. It's in decent shape, all things considered. I've been asking for a private tour for quite some time. It's ours, at least for a few hours."
Pausing, Beverly stares incredulously at Jean-Luc. "So, you brought us out to the fleet yards to see your old wrecked ship?"
Frowning, Picard is disappointed in her response. "Actually, I was hoping you'd be happy to see the old Stargazer, in all her glory. Well, most of her glory."
Averting her eyes to the console, Beverly grimaces, not even catching the humour in his answer. "I'm sorry. I just…I guess I'm shocked."
Interpreting the multitude of emotions registering in her expression, Jean-Luc takes her elbow and draws her in. "You're upset? I'm…I'm sorry, Beverly."
Forcing a smile, Beverly meets his eyes. "No. It's…I never thought I'd be back here. Just…memories resurfacing."
"Good memories?" Jean-Luc surmises, running a hand along her arm.
Smiling lightly, Beverly grows earnest. "Good. Exquisite. Bad. Sad. Tragic."
Remorseful, Jean-Luc swallows a lump in his throat, drawing her into his arms. "Beverly, I'm sorry. I hadn't thought…."
Laying a hand against his chest, Beverly rests her forehead against his, smiling lightly into his lips. "It's okay. Just remembering everything. It's not a bad thing."
Enveloping his arm around her back, Jean-Luc pecks her lips. "I'm sorry. I hadn't intended to make you sad about the loss of Jack, your marriage…"
"I'm not sad," Beverly assures him, softly returning his kiss. "That was my past. I'm interested in my future, with you."
Smiling warmly, Jean-Luc relaxes, caressing her back. "Well, if you'd like, we can take a look around. But, if you'd rather, we can just turn around and go home."
Inhaling sharply, Beverly runs her hand along his chest. She knows how much the Stargazer means to Jean-Luc. The ship had been his first real love, and its loss had devastated Picard. Beverly knows that for Jean-Luc to have the chance to see the ship repaired and somewhat functional is almost cathartic. "No. You wanted to see your ship. I'd like to see it. Let's take a tour."
"Where would you like to start? We can visit crew quarters? Go find Jack's old cabin?" suggests Picard, guiding her out into the corridor.
Shaking her head, Beverly declines unequivocally. "No. I don't want to revisit his old quarters." As Picard meanders down the corridor, Beverly takes a steadying breath, following his lead. The last thing she wants is to be here, on Picard and Jack's old ship. However, she's here because Jean-Luc wants to revisit the first ship he had ever commanded, the one he lost. She recognizes his passion for his first ship and wants to support him. However, it's not easy as her heart aches and tears threaten to surface in the back of her eyes. As they head in the direction of the turbolift, she wonders how she'll cope seeing the familiar sights and listening to the familiar sounds of the home that had made her and her family.
Nodding his understanding, Picard guides her into the turbolift. "Bridge, then?"
Exhaling audibly, Beverly nods as the lift doors close behind them. "Aye, Captain."
Picard emerges from the turbolift, Beverly behind him holding his hand. He strides onto the Bridge of the Stargazer, observing the room in its dim, quiet serenity. As he silently pads toward the centre, he cannot help but consider this the stark contrast to the night the ship was destroyed, the flames licking up the Bridge and smoke billowing around the room. Now, the Bridge is spotless, clean, airy. It's not entirely in its pre-confrontation state, but it almost looks like it did before the fateful night.
Laying a hand on his arm, Beverly studies his pensive expression. "You okay?"
Lips curling into a small smile, Jean-Luc smiles reassuringly, reaching up to take her hand, recommencing padding to the centre. "It's good to be back."
"It looks great," remarks Beverly, glancing around at the consoles.
"Did you ever see the Bridge?" inquires Picard, racking his brain, trying to recall if Beverly had ever been on the Bridge of the Stargazer.
"Yes," Beverly almost laughs, following Jean-Luc over to the command chair in the centre. "I was visiting Jack with Wesley, and one night when you were off duty he snuck us up here to get a peak at the Bridge."
Raising a brow, Jean-Luc tries in vain to hide his smile. "He snuck you and a child onto my Bridge?"
Covering her lips, Beverly giggles. "Oh, you were so stiff, Jean-Luc. You'd have never let me take a toddler onto the Bridge. Jack wanted to show Wesley. We were only here a few minutes."
Exhaling slowly, Jean-Luc half-smiling, realizes that he had indeed mellowed significantly over the past two decades. Pulling her into his arms, Jean-Luc peppers kisses to her forehead. "Thank you for being here."
"Of course," answers Beverly easily.
"Take a seat," suggests Picard, pointing to the command chair, the very spot where he had gotten his feet wet learning how to command a Federation star ship. "Try it out."
Smiling jovially, Beverly slips out of his arms and over to the chair, lowering herself into the chair dramatically, extending her arms over the rests.
"You look good in the Big Chair," remarks Jean-Luc playfully, stepping in front of her as Beverly makes herself comfortable, leaning back in the chair.
Smirking, Beverly crosses one leg over the other. "Feels good. I could command a star ship. What do you think? Captain Beverly Crusher, Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise?"
Chuckling lightly, Jean-Luc bends over, reaching for her hand. "I think I prefer you where you are."
"Where's that?" asks Beverly mock coyly.
"Keeping me on my toes," teases Jean-Luc, closing the small gap between them. Staring intently down at her, his smile fades. "Or, occasionally bringing me to my knees."
Smiling, Beverly is touched by the sentiment in his words, but her smile vanishes as he drops one knee to the ground in front of her, balancing his weight.
Taking both of her hands, Jean-Luc gazes unwaveringly into her eyes. "We started here on the Stargazer. Memories in our past, the good and the bad, were forged here as we grew close. I know it's…complicated. But, I did love this ship, the crew. I cared deeply for Jack, and I…I was in love with you. It wasn't right at the time, and while I would never have acted on my feelings, I first fell in love with you here."
Hands trembling, tears pool in Beverly's eyes, recalling the time she and Jean-Luc had spent here, most of it when she was visiting Jack with Wesley. Their past had certainly been complicated, and her memories of that time are bittersweet.
"I didn't want to bring you here to make you sad or upset," Jean-Luc continues, bringing a hand up to swipe at the tear tracks along her cheek, his thumb absorbing the moisture. " I wanted to reflect on how far we've come since we were here, and to rejoice in the bond we've created since then. Every day I am grateful that I have you, and I am ecstatic imagining what will come next."
Smiling through her tears, Beverly sniffles. "Yes."
"I didn't bring you here to ramble on endlessly about our past," admits Jean-Luc, a tiny smile curling in the corner of his lips. "I'm actually far more interested in our future."
"Future?" whispers Beverly breathlessly, one hand still in Jean-Luc's as he gazes up at her, kneeled before her on the ground in front of the chair.
Nodding, Jean-Luc grins. "Yes. Will you marry me?"
Astonished, Beverly's jaw drops, half-smiling, half-laughing in disbelief. "Yes. Jean-Luc? Yes! Of course."
Beaming, Jean-Luc leans up, cupping her cheek and running his hand up her arm as he captures her lips.
One hand on his shoulder, Beverly cradles the side of his face with the other. "Yes. Yes." Laying her forehead against his, she grins into his lips. "Absolutely."
Caressing her neck, Jean-Luc sighs in relieved contentment. "Whenever, wherever you want. All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you."
Peppering his lips with short kisses, Beverly tries to still her now rapidly beating heart, pounding profusely against her chest. "I love you, Jean-Luc. I don't care. The only thing that matters is that we're together."
Kissing her longingly, Jean-Luc trails his hand along her collarbone, lazily dipping down to wander over one breast. His other hand encircles her neck, fumbling for the clasps of her uniform.
Grinning, Beverly breaks off, one hand against his chest. "Would you like to get out of here?"
"No," Jean-Luc replies in a low baritone, brow raised slightly. " I'd prefer to stay right here. Care to join me?"
Grinning in disbelief, Beverly's mouth falls agape.
"I went to all the trouble to make reservations," teases Jean-Luc, sliding the zipper down Beverly's back, letting his fingers trail along her skin as he pulls her uniform down glacially slow.
Sighing, Beverly rakes her nails down his chest as he unclasps her bra. "We can't let this opportunity go to waste."
"Excellent decision, Captain Picard," whispers Jean-Luc playfully against her ear, kneading her breast.
Closing her eyes, Beverly's stomach flutters, overjoyed imagining a life-time of star gazing with the one who's always sent her over the moon.