Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own any part of the Star Trek series.

Building a Life

Chapter 1

She was on a first name basis with the Captain. When they were in trouble she would yell out his name while the other senior staff yelled out 'Captain' or 'Picard'. In tamer situations, she gave respect as it was due and called him by his rank, including when she called for him over the comm system. She had the second longest relationship with him besides Guinan of all on the ship. That usually didn't give her pause but today she wondered if their friendship was strong enough to withstand a shot in the gut no matter her own opinions on the news. They weren't in a position to accept the consequences easily, but he had a right to know and she couldn't bear keeping this secret.

Beverly walked down the corridor to the turbolift that would bring her to the Bridge. Unfortunately, he was on duty right now and having had the night to contemplate, she didn't want to wait any longer. This morning before their shifts would have been ideal if she hadn't been otherwise occupied, but now was all she had. Upon entering the lift she was alone but two floors up another joined her.

"Good morning, Beverly."

"Good morning, Deanna. How is your day going?"

"Fine. Not too many appointments this morning, so morale seems to be in good shape so far. Yours?" the Betzaoid answered, carefully watching her friend because of the odd feeling she sensed from her.

"I was feeling a little ill earlier but I'm alright now. Thank you," Beverly smiled at her for only a brief moment. Brief enough, that Deanna could tell something was amiss.

"What brings you to the Bridge?"

"I missed breakfast with the Captain this morning because of my illness so I'm going to express my condolences. Also there's a small bout of food poisoning going around the ship he needs to be briefed on," the doctor explained without a blink of an eye.

"Uh huh..."

Beverly felt Deanna was on to her but she kept her poker face in play, eyes staring dead ahead at the crack between the doors, praying their journey was close to an end so they could stop this foolish scrutinization. She didn't want to talk to Deanna before the Captain. The turbolift doors opened to reveal the starboard side of the Bridge and the red-head made a swift departure from her friend, made easier with her longer legs.

She made her way to the Captain, careful not to seem hurried or confrontational. "Captain, may I talk to you for a moment?" hoping he would fall back on his predictable behaviors and take the conversation to his Ready Room so she didn't arise any suspicion from the crew by requesting a private audience.

"Of course, Doctor. Number One, you have the Bridge," Picard said as he stood up. He pulled his shirt down unconsciously and led the way to his Ready Room. Immediately after the doors hissed shut behind them, Beverly dropped all formalities.

"Jean-Luc, I have some very important news to tell you," she started, her eyes staring at him as her hands began to wring themselves.

Picard turned around, surprised that he didn't even make it to his chair before she spoke. What was so important that she rushed right into the conversation? "What is it, Beverly?" he asked grabbing her hands lightly to bring her to the short couch in the room. When she sat down her head bowed as well. Picard refused to let go of one of her hands at that point. When Beverly couldn't make eye contact, he knew it was cause for concern. "Beverly?" he asked again, voice quieter, friendlier.

"Remember a couple months back when we were stopped at Starbase 21?"

"Yes. We were delivering some cargo and had a crew rotation."

"Do you remember what happened that night after the ship orchestra performed, Jean-Luc?" Beverly asked, voice quieter than the last time. She was secretly happy but uncertain how he would react so she remained solemn in the reveal.

Picard took a few moments to contemplate this particular piece of information, not quite sure what she was getting at, but he made his darnedest effort. The orchestra was performing a medley of songs from The Nutcracker and Data had asked him and the Doctor to attend as his 'honored guests'. Well, he had asked the Captain and told him he could bring someone. Knowing Beverly would be the most interested, he had offered the invitation to her one morning over breakfast. They joked then that it was a date and after the concert they returned to his cabin for a nightcap. It was then that it became a true date. One hesitant kiss led to another more passionate and soon they crossed the line between friends and...something more. They had agreed in the morning that they weren't ashamed of what happened, but that they shouldn't necessarily start dating, so they planned on acting like friends again until they each came to a decision about what to do with their relationship.

"Yes I do," Jean-Luc said quietly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand for a little bit of emphasis. He looked at her, wondering why she seemed so sad. Had she come to her decision? But why label it as important news?

For the first time since entering the Ready Room, Beverly brought her gaze up to the Captain's. She gulped then blinked once, forcing the tears into submission. "I'm pregnant, Jean-Luc."

His grip on her hand tightened and she knew he had never expected any such news like that, so she observed his face carefully to judge his thoughts before he voiced them. She found it difficult to read him right now. Eventually his face softened and he let go of her hand, apparently finished thinking.

"How far along are you?" he asked quietly, emotion undetectable to the doctor.

"About seven weeks. Enough to experience morning sickness already," Beverly answered easily, realizing he probably didn't want to hear she had been ill. He looked up at her, however.

"Is that why you didn't join me for breakfast?" She nodded her head in response, desperate for more than questions from him. "Mm..." he nodded his own head as though thinking again. The red-head reminded herself to breathe, eyes closing a brief moment before looking at the man.

Too many minutes in silence passed and the doctor stood up. "Jean-Luc," she said sternly, his eyes coming up to greet hers, attention gained. "What..." she sighed. "What are we going to do about this?"

"What do you mean, Beverly?" he asked, truly confused.

She breathed out an air of annoyance and flopped back down on the couch, cluing the man into her distress and own confusion. He turned to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We do nothing. You're pregnant. I never thought that I would have children, but the thought of one now...is comforting. Which, I realize sounds odd, but knowing that I will get the chance to be a father like my brother is, the chance to leave a legacy of sorts, is comforting," Jean-Luc said as insightfully as he could. "That is if you want a child," he added quickly, last minute reminding himself that she hadn't voiced her opinion.

Beverly had been watching him the moment he spoke, grateful he was sharing more for her benefit and a smile graced her features when he finished. "I do," she responded softly, smile unwavering. He smiled back before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the lips.

"I guess this means we have a decision on where our relationship is headed," he said lightheartedly, causing his beloved to laugh easily.

"Indeed," she conceded, laughter still in her voice. "I love you, Jean-Luc."

"And I love you. I have always loved you."

Yes, this is a multi-chaptered story and I have a fair amount of those chapters already written so please don't say "continue plz" in the reviews. It annoys me to no end when people don't notice that the story is marked as "complete" and then ask for more in the reviews, so I'm saving you all the trouble of looking at the information for this story and letting you know NOW, it is going to continue.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment.