Christmas Present
Synopsis: So, I wanted to write a little holiday fluff, but I've already posted the first chapter of "Never Forget". So, let's just say that this story takes place prior to "Never Forget" in the "Generations" series, after "Blood" and before "Never Forget". Three months after Wesley and his family join the crew of the Enterprise, the Picards celebrate Christmas.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to CBS, its parents and affiliates. Just taking the characters out for a jaunt around the galaxy, I warrant they will be returned in the same condition I borrowed them.
At the sound of light rapping at the door, Beverly stirs, opening her eyes. Making note of the chronometer, Beverly groans quietly. When the knocking occurs again, she folds back the covers and slips out of bed, padding over to the door. She quietly opens the door, discovering her three year-old daughter glancing up at her guiltily.
"Merry Christmas, Mama!" Claire exclaims, clutching a plush cat in her arms.
Smiling wearily, Beverly kneels down in front of her toddler. "Oh, sweetheart, it's very early. Only four hundred. Far too early to get up."
"But, Santa Claus came?" Claire protests in a questioning tone.
Half-smiling, Beverly takes her daughter's tiny hand. " I don't know. But, it's far too early to check. Come on, let's go back to bed before we wake up Papa."
Pouting, Claire hangs her head in disappointment as Beverly leads her down the corridor to Claire's bedroom. Beverly lifts the girl into her arms and deposits her back in the bed, tucking the blankets around her chest.
"Mama, I can't sleep. I wanna see the tree, and the stockings," Claire insists as Beverly drops a kiss to her temple.
Beverly had been eagerly anticipated seeing her three year-old daughter at Christmas, this being the first year the girl had truly understood the holiday. Beverly's twin seven year-old boys had been riling their little sister for weeks, getting her amped up for the holiday, and Claire had been overly excited Christmas Eve (especially as they had decorated the Christmas tree, baked cookies and drank hot chocolate). All three of the children had practically been bouncing off the walls, and Jean-Luc, who typically insisted that the children maintain discipline and good behaviour, had simply smiled as he sipped his egg nog, perfectly content to permit the children to let loose. Now, however, Beverly has a toddler wide awake at four in the morning, and there's no way she's about to start Christmas.
Beverly lies down beside her daughter, slipping between the blankets next to her. "How about we just close our eyes and see if we can't get a little more sleep? Your brothers are still sleeping. We can't wake up Papa. We don't want him to be grumpy on Christmas, do we?"
Giggling, Claire curls up next to Beverly, resting her head against Beverly's shoulder. "No. No grumpy Papa."
Kissing her crown, Beverly drapes her hand across Claire's chest. "Okay, baby. Close your eyes."
"Okay," mumbles Claire sleepily. "When we wake up, it's Christmas."
Smiling, Beverly lays her head against Claire's pillow and closes her eyes.
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"Mama!"
Beverly can feel a tiny hand shaking her shoulder as she slowly stirs awake. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Beverly reorients herself, recalling that she climbed into her daughter's small bed in the middle of the night.
"Merry Christmas, Mama!" Claire giggles, climbing to her knees.
"Merry Christmas, honey," replies Beverly groggily, sitting upright.
"Maurice and Paul are awake!" proclaims Claire, bouncing on her knees beside Beverly in the bed. "I hear them!"
"Okay, sweetie," nods Beverly, noting the chronometer. "How'd you like to go wake up Papa?"
"Yes, yes!" squeals Claire, clapping her hands together excitedly.
Beverly scoops the toddler into her arms and slips out of the bed. Carrying Claire over her hip, Beverly meanders down the corridor to her bedroom, hearing the stifled laughter of her seven year-old twin son, Maurice, coming from the boys' room.
She enters the master bedroom silently, finding her husband slumbering undisturbed where she had left him at four that morning. Grinning, Beverly whispers in her daughter's ear. "Go wish Papa a 'Happy Christmas'."
Giggling, Claire wiggles out of Beverly's arms and dashes across the room, climbing on top of the bed. Excited, she roughly jostles Jean-Luc's shoulder. "Happy Christmas, Papa!"
Grumbling, Jean-Luc opens his eyes to his toddler staring back at him with wide, gleeful blue eyes. "Happy Christmas, ma cherie."
"Papa, let's see if Santa came!" urges Claire, climbing on top of Jean-Luc over the blankets.
Stepping up to the bed, Beverly grins impishly. "Sorry, love. I couldn't resist. After all the years of the boys rushing in to wake us up, it was time Claire got the chance to wake Papa up Christmas morning."
Watching Beverly perch on the edge of the bed, Jean-Luc reaches for her hand. "Here I was trying to let you sleep. I knew you had gotten up with her in the night. The boys woke up an hour and a half ago. I told them they weren't allowed to get up until after seven hundred."
Bending over, Beverly pecks her husband's lips sweetly. "Thank you. Merry Christmas, dear. We managed to keep them all asleep until after seven hundred. That's quite a feat."
"This may be the greatest gift of all," teases Jean-Luc, kissing her back.
Giggling, Claire inserts herself between them. "No kissie-kissie! Let's see the tree! Santa came!"
With one hand, Jean-Luc pulls his daughter on top of his chest, and with the other he mercilessly starts tickling her ribs. "I don't know if Santa Claus filled your stocking with toys or coal, cherie. Are you sure you've been a good girl?"
Wildly giggling, Claire's eyes fill with tears she's laughing so hard. As Jean-Luc is torturing his toddler with tickles, the twins come barrelling into the room in pyjamas and slippers, bright-eyed and energetic.
"Papa, it's past seven now!" exclaims Maurice, jumping onto the bed.
Beverly turns to embrace Paul as he climbs onto the bed beside her.
Ceasing his tickle assault on Claire, Jean-Luc nods to Maurice. "Very well. Say 'Happy Christmas' to your mother and sister."
Maurice crawls over to Beverly, where Paul has situated himself in his mother's lap. "Happy Christmas, Mama!"
Beverly leans over and kisses Maurice's crown. "Happy Christmas, you for being patient. Let me take your sister to the washroom and then we can get started."
"I'll replicate us some coffee," offers Jean-Luc, smiling knowingly at his wife. It's going to be a long day.
PAGE BREAK
Having picked up the last piece of colourful paper and ribbon discarded from unwrapping the presents, Picard retreats to the sofa in the living area. Underneath the Christmas tree adorned with traditional lights and decorations, Claire, still in a red nightgown printed with tiny reindeers, is curled in the fetal position fast asleep, clutching a baby doll Santa had delivered for her. Maurice and Paul are racing around the living area in their pyjamas, play-fighting with the new toy hand phasers Santa had left under the tree for them (much to Beverly's chagrin).
Walking over to the sofa, Beverly balances a tray between her hands. She sets the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat next to Jean-Luc on the sofa.
She hands him a mug off of the tray, exhaling audibly. "Have a croissant and some fruit to tide you over. The kids will be here around fourteen hundred and I'll put out something to eat then."
Maurice tackles his brother to the ground, eliciting a ruckus of laughter from Paul.
Sipping his tea, Jean-Luc watches the boy play-wrestle. "They've got enough to keep them occupied for a while. At least until Wes gets here and they can pick on him."
Shaking her head, Beverly turns to her husband admonishingly. "Toy phasers, Jean-Luc?"
Raising a brow, Jean-Luc struggles to restrain his smirk. "You can't tell me Wesley didn't have one when he was a boy."
"No, he didn't," answers Beverly straightly.
Practically rolling his eyes, Jean-Luc slips his arm around her shoulders. He doesn't want to point the fact that perhaps that was because Wesley had not had a father growing up. " It's just harmless fun, Beverly."
Laying her head against his shoulder, Beverly sighs in resignation. "Yeah. "
Kissing her temple, Jean-Luc sets his mug on the table. "Look at our angel."
Smiling, Beverly turns to see Claire slumbering beneath the tree with her new doll, completely spent. "Oh, she's exhausted. She did so well, keeping up the with the boys. It can be overwhelming."
"Should we wake her?" Jean-Luc asks as the boys run off to their bedroom to wreak havoc somewhere else.
"No," decides Beverly, shaking her head. "Let her nap for a while. I'm going to shower before Wes and Marta get here. I'll wake her up and get her dressed after I'm done. Could you make sure the boys get dressed, washed up and brush their teeth while I'm getting ready?"
Peppering kisses along her cheek, Jean-Luc nods. "You are marvellous, you know that? I love you."
Taking his hand, Beverly tilts her head to kiss his lips. "I love you."
PAGE BREAK
"Look, Marta!" exclaims Claire, running up to Marta seated next to Beverly on the sofa in the living area of the Picard's cabin. "My baby has a bottle, just like Cheryl."
Marta pulls Claire up and onto her lap, where Claire shows Marta her new doll and the plastic baby bottle.
"See, I feed her," Claire explains, tipping the bottle to the doll's mouth.
Marta ruffles the toddler's red locks. "I like your baby. When she eats she keeps it all in." Marta had recently begun supplementing with bottles as she had started on the duty roster as a nurse in Sickbay two weeks ago. She had been a nurse on the ship she and Wesley had served on, but took a brief maternity leave after Cheryl was born and they had transferred to the Enterprise.
Laughing, Beverly cradles her three month-old granddaughter between her arms. The infant is peacefully slumbering, swaddled in a receiving blanket. "She's perfect."
"What else did Santa bring you?" Marta asks the girl.
"Books," answers Claire happily. "Clothes for my doll. A stuffed horse. Chocolate. A new dress."
"Oh, you were spoiled," gushes Marta.
"Maurice and Paul got a new construction block set," Claire remarks, pointing over to the kitchen table, where the twin seven year-olds are constructing an enormous castle out of interlocking blocks and plastic pieces with Wes' assistance. Jean-Luc hovers over Maurice's shoulder, reading the instruction manual.
"I see," Marta nods, hugging Claire close. "Although, I think Wes is enjoying it more than the twins."
"Jean-Luc, come here." Beverly motions with one hand for Jean-Luc to leave the boys and come and join them in the living room. "Cheryl hasn't even seen Papa today."
Jean-Luc saunters over to the sofa, raising a brow. "Beverly, she's fast asleep. She hasn't a clue."
Smiling, Beverly rising off of the sofa and shifts Cheryl into Jean-Luc's arms. "She knows, Jean-Luc. Besides, give Wes a chance to help Maurice and Paul with the block set. He loves it."
"It doesn't bother him?" Jean-Luc looks to Marta, settling the baby against his shoulder. He knows his twins can pester their older brother relentlessly, and sometimes it concerns Jean-Luc.
"Not at all," replies Marta assuredly. "He adores them. He relishes being a big brother. This family means everything to him. It's part of the reason we wanted to transfer."
"Oh, honey, we're so glad you're here," Beverly gushes, wrapping an arm around the woman that is in every respect her daughter-in-law.
"Honey, can you pause for a minute?" Marta calls over to Wesley at the table. "I think we should give your parents their Christmas present."
Bemused, Beverly stares at Marta. "We did gifts. You gave us those lovely holophotos."
Walking over to the sofa, Wesley looks at Marta in part amusement, part annoyance. "You really love the drama, don't you?"
Rolling her eyes, Marta smiles haughtily. " Wesley Crusher, let me have this moment."
"What the devil is wrong with you two?" Jean-Luc teases, rocking back and forth on his feet, swaying the baby on his shoulder.
Practically bursting at the seams, Marta shares a look with Wesley before breaking into a massive grin. "You're going to have another grand baby at the table next Christmas."
Eyes dilated, Beverly's mouth falls agape. "Wow! Oh, my…Oh, congratulations, sweetie." Recovering from her initial surprise, Beverly inches closer to envelop Marta in a hug.
"You didn't waste a minute, did you?" Jean-Luc deadpans, raising a brow to Wesley.
Glowering, Beverly reaches over and swats Jean-Luc's leg.
Shrugging, Wesley can't help but chuckle. "What do you want me to say? She's gorgeous. I'm not saying 'no'."
Reddening, Marta tries to reach over and swat Wesley, but she has Claire in her lap. "Wesley Crusher!"
Wesley jumps out of her way, averting her hand.
Rotating in Marta's lap, Claire looks up at her curiously. "You're gonna have a new baby?"
"Yes, honey, a new baby," confirms Marta, pushing aside her stray red locks.
"Congratulations," repeats Beverly genuinely. " This is so exciting."
"Congratulations," echoes Jean-Luc to Wesley, abandoning his earlier joviality. "It will be nice to have another little one."
Beverly rises off the sofa and steps up to Wesley, embracing him soundly. "I think this is the best Christmas present ever."
Hugging her in return, Wesley nods. "Merry Christmas, Mom. It's nice to be back here."
Tiny tears pooling in her eyes, Beverly glances at Jean-Luc holding their granddaughter nestled against his chest and sighs in contentment. This year, she has everything she wants and more.