A.N.: First, I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews for this series. And the fact that you keep coming back for more. When I realized that tens of thousands of visitors have read ATTACHED-MEANT and the DE-TACHED sequel series, I am overwhelmed. It's good to know that there are TNG fans still out there.
Next, people have sort of wondered why I am writing these stories. Certainly, there are thousands of love stories, ship in danger stories, Borg battle stories, Lore and Data stories, Klingon honor stories, and how many ways can we crash the ship stories out there. But with the exception of a few other authors, no one was writing the daily life kind of stories. Since I feel that I don't write the battle stories that well, I thought that for now, I'd concentrate on the lives of my favorite characters. Their stories should continue on beyond the point of 'happily ever after'.
In order not to be completely confused about how things have come to this point, it is advisable that you read the novel "Attached Meant" and its sequels, "De-Tached: Story One, Story Two, Story Three and Story Four: Life With Beverly".
Of course, if you'd rather just go with the flow without reading my earlier efforts, that's okay too. The situation isn't that difficult to understand.
Synopsis: Jean-Luc and Beverly are happily married and living in the house that he'd inherited from his Aunt Adele in San Francisco. Picard is the Superintendent of Starfleet Academy now. Beverly was the temporary head of Starfleet Medical, though she's now the admiral in charge of creating the Federation's new Hospital Fleet. Oh, and Beverly is pregnant. And thanks to an aftereffect of their psychic bond from the KesPrytt incident, Jean-Luc can feel everything that Beverly feels during their pregnancy including morning sickness. Because Beverly sensed that her unborn twins were psychically 'different', she asked Deanna for help. Deanna sent Lwaxana who has now moved in - temporarily - with the Picards. Guinan shows up too, to be a temporary nanny. Both ladies are going to teach Jean-Luc and Beverly how to deal with or communicate with their twins, in utero. Also, Lwaxana has married the head of Starfleet, Fleet Admiral Winston Holt Wiley, and he is currently staying at Picard House too since his own home is being decorated by Lwaxana and it is not yet ready for them to move back home (if ever). Beverly is in her last trimester, and is now on maternity leave, awaiting the arrival of her twins.
All of this is set in an alternate universe that takes place immediately after the episode "Attached". Therefore, nothing that happened after "Attached" exists in this a/u. Riker is now captain of the Enterprise. Dr. Selar is Riker's CMO. Robert and Rene are alive. Admiral Nechayev is a good guy, Etc.
All the usual disclaimers apply. STAR TREK is Paramount's property. But fan fiction is fandom's playground.
This author would greatly appreciate any reviews or comments.
De-Tached: Story 5: Life with Beverly
Chapter 1:
"At Last…"
=/\= ='/\'= =/\=
"I feel and look like a watched pot," Beverly grumbled. Her complaint was cut short as Jean-Luc found a particularly stiff muscle on her neck and massaged it firmly. "Oh, that's heavenly…" she sighed with contentment. "I do so love your hands on my body…" She leaned back into his chest as she relaxed some more on her favorite chaise lounge in their library.
"You looked like a watched pot?" Jean-Luc picked up the conversation. "Teapot or kettle?"
She elbowed him for that remark, even as she continued to enjoy his tender touch. "Everyone is staring at me, expecting me to bubble forth and produce twins, and I'm not even due yet!"
Jean-Luc glanced down at the size of her abdomen, and silently wondered about that. On paper, Beverly was due to give birth in a little more than three weeks. But he had noticed that everyone from Guinan to Lwaxana to Dr. Bolt seemed to think that the arrival of his son and daughter would be much sooner than that. He worked his fingers down her spine until he was manipulating the muscles at the small of her back. Beverly had been complaining about backaches for a while now. Along with leg cramps. And literal pains in her ass.
"It seems that the only time you're really comfortable now, is when you're in bed," he observed. The bed size hologrid that their friends had created for their bed greatly assisted Beverly in getting comfortable with its varying gravity settings. But the bed was the only place where she seemed to find any relief.
"Jean-Luc, I've added at least twenty-three kilograms to my weight. My center of gravity has shifted. I can only lie on my left side now when I sleep..." She caught an expression on his face. "And if you say that I 'waddle' when I walk," she warned.
"I would never say that word - aloud."
She elbowed him again. "Don't think it either."
He chuckled, even as his good humor flowed over her, through her senses. She shared it with her babies.
"So, have you completed your list of names?" he quietly asked, since the last time that he had asked that question they had had an argument, to put it mildly.
"Adele Marie, Marie Dianne, Deanna Marie, Felicianne Marie, Adelaide Marie, Maria Lucia…" Beverly could have continued on with her suggestions, but she could see that Jean-Luc wasn't really listening. "Guinan-anna? Suzette Quiarra?" she added.
The last name caught his attention. "Suzi Q?" He shuddered. "Beverly, you cannot seriously be considering…"
"No, I'm not. But I did have to do something to capture your attention, didn't I?" She turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Guinan seems to think that after the twins are born, they will let us know what names that they have chosen for themselves."
"I hope that they will have the good sense enough to sense what we would wish for their names to be."
"And what names do we wish, Jean-Luc? For our son I am partial to Jean-Robert. Or Jean-William, Jean-George…"
He leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss. "We still have time to consider and then discuss our choices." He paused, momentarily thought that she was the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen, and then smiled before adding, "Though William Robert has a nice sound to it."
Beverly relaxed and snuggled closer to her husband. They just rested for a while. Both were quite content at being held in each other's arms, at the moment.
"They like Mozart," she observed as she settled back even closer, against him.
He placed his finger against a tiny speaker placed on her abdomen. "Sonata in A major, isn't it?" he idly responded, as he felt more than heard the piano music.
"Yes." But Beverly wasn't paying attention to what her husband was saying. "Listen," she commanded. Beautiful piano music was drifting in through the terrace doors.
He lifted his head trying to hear what Beverly was noticing. "Shall we go and see if our offspring prefer Chopin to Mozart?" He instantly knew where it was coming from, and its source. Beverly nodded.
He slid out from behind her and then lifted her to her feet which at this stage of her pregnancy took a bit of doing, though he wisely refrained from commenting about her bulkiness. Beverly was having trouble getting up from most chairs now. Then he removed the micro-speakers that were resting on her belly and placed them on a side table. He smoothed down her aquamarine oversize tunic sweater, past her hips and until it clung to her navy blue leggings. He took her hand.
They strolled down the hallway and onto the terrace walking along the side of the house until they reached the grand salon, where their first official party had been held. They quietly entered, not wishing to disturb the cadet who was practicing on their antique Steinway grand piano.
She noticed them immediately, and stopped playing. "Am I disturbing you?"
"Of course not, cadet." Beverly quickly spoke up, smiling at the young woman dressed in her duty uniform. "I just hoped to introduce my babies to the glories of Chopin, being played by such a gifted pianist as yourself."
The tall, gangly cadet blushed over Beverly's words. She was not really used to such compliments like this from her superior officers.
"Please continue, cadet," Jean-Luc added.
"Preludes, Nocturnes or Waltzes?" Bronislawa Olezewski asked as she sat back down on the piano bench. Wesley's team mate was a frequent visitor to Picard House for she was being courted by the Picard's chef, Ludvig. And before the Christmas party had turned into a riot, she had performed a mini-concert and had been told by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, that she was welcome to use the Picard Steinway whenever she wished to do so. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard just nodded, accepting whatever it was that she chose to play.
"Preludes first, I think," she whispered as her fingers stroked the keyboard. She tapped her padd which then projected streaming pages of the piano score which she had chosen to play. She caught Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's surprise at her sheet music display. "I don't know that much by memory," she explained. Moments later, the soft strains of the B minor prelude was performed.
Beverly pressed her abdomen into the ess curve of the solid rosewood grand piano, to allow her babies to both hear the notes as well as feel the reverberations from the soundboard. She grasped her husband's hand and pressed it against her stomach as the twins reacted to these new sounds and sensations. It was a moment out of time, forever treasured by the two lovers and soon-to-be parents.
After two preludes were played, Beverly sat down on one of the salon chairs, to listen to a few more of the cadet's choices. And after the cadet performed the Waltz in A flat major, Beverly stood. "Thank you, cadet. I appreciate your kindness to me. I am sorry that I have to leave, but it is time for me to rest."
Jean-Luc nodded at the cadet as he escorted Beverly out of their room, and into the elevator to go up to the family floor and their bedroom.
When he came back down, Jean-Luc noticed that the cadet was still playing in the grand salon. He sat by a wall to listen, still very impressed by this cadet's skill and talent as she tackled a Brahms waltz.
After a few minutes more of playing, Bronislawa stopped and stood, pulling the piano key cover shut over the keyboard. "Unfortunately, I have to study. I've got a Vulcan calculus test in the morning."
"Cadet, considering that your current senior class ranking is second for all of the academic scores of your entire class, I suspect that you do not have that much more studying to do." Jean-Luc approached her by the piano. He could tell that she was struggling with something. The way that she had attacked the Chopin Etude had revealed some of her internal disquiet.
"There are times when I feel like I don't know anything."
"There are times that I still feel that way myself." He chuckled as he closed the cover to the Steinway, letting the heavy solid wood lid rest against the top of the piano. "Especially when it comes to pregnant wives," he thought to himself he as he ran his hand along the glowing rosewood.
"Do such feelings ever go away?" She followed the admiral as he sat on a salon chair and then motioned for her to join him.
"Experience and confidence will chase most of those doubts away," Jean-Luc observed.
She shook her head as if denying such a thing were possible. "I am so unsure..."
And the Superintendent of the Academy tried to help this cadet who was Wesley's friend. And who was gradually becoming an unofficial member of his household as well thanks to her relationship with his chef. "About what, cadet?"
"I've been unofficially told that I am to be assigned to the Enterprise, when I graduate." She smiled as she conveyed this information to the former captain of the Enterprise.
Jean-Luc nodded at this statement, for he had personally handled the posting request from the Enterprise. "Unofficially, Commander LaForge and Commander Data have specifically requested you," Admiral Picard explained. "And they are not the only starship officers who wanted you. My office received requests from seven other captains as well."
This bit of information startled her. "Thank you. But, you see - that is the problem."
"Meaning, cadet?" Something was clearly troubling this young lady.
"I am not so sure that I want a starship posting. Dr. Brahms has conveyed to me that she wants me to stay at Utopia Planetia as part of her team. That, in and of itself is a major inducement for my acceptance of her offer. " She nervously glanced away before she added, "And there are personal reasons as to why I should stay in Sector One instead of joining a starship."
A delicate shade of pink blossomed on her cheeks though he made no mention of her blushing. "Most cadets, when they graduate and become ensigns, focus on advancing their Starfleet careers first. That is the usual, accepted way of things. However, working for Leah Brahms is a major milestone for anyone's career book. Personal lives commonly take second place to an ensign's career. But if you accept Leah Brahms offer, you would be able to have both."
"I know. But is that truly wise? What if you love someone…"
"Cadet Olezewski, if you don't go to the Enterprise, you will regret that decision for the rest of your life. It's an opportunity given to very few ensigns." He paused for a second, studying the young woman. "And I personally know that Leah Brahms, if she wants you, will be willing to wait for you if you should choose to go to the Enterprise."
"But…"
"There is another possibility." A brief smile crossed his lips. "If Ludvig wishes to return to the Enterprise and become Captain Riker's personal chef, I will make no objection to that decision. Though I will miss him."
"But, what if…"
"What, cadet?"
"What if, after a while, I discover that Ludvig and I don't really belong together. We both then would be stuck together on a starship…"
"And you will have to learn how to cope with that possibility. Whether you are together as a couple or separate from each other, you will just simply have to deal with it, cadet. Knowing when to do your duty, on duty, and how to conduct your personal life when you are off duty is one of the most difficult things that any Starfleet officer has to learn how to do. It is a difficult balancing act. And it must be learned if you are going to have a successful career."
She considered his words. "Admiral, if you don't mind my getting personal…" He nodded his head with permission. "…it took you decades before you married Admiral Beverly. You did put your career and your captain's chair ahead of all other considerations."
"That was my personal choice. And in hindsight, it was not necessarily a wise decision on my part. I chose a command career track. You however, are choosing engineering. Not that such a choice does not mean that you might not one day have difficult decisions to make as an officer." His smile held more than a touch of irony. "I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had approached Beverly a year or two after she had been widowed. I might be expecting grandchildren now, instead of children." He rose and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Still, I accept my life as it is now. And the decisions that I have made." He looked down at the cadet, noting how serious she appeared, in spite of the fact that strands of shiny brown hair had escaped from her chignon and were now falling down about her shoulders. "It is possible to have a career and a personal life, cadet. Though it will take a great deal of work and determination in order to have both. If you choose to have it either now, or later, I will do all that I can to assist you." He paused for a moment studying her; wondering if he had ever been this young, this eager. "Of course, Ludvig could stay here on Earth. I know that Beverly adores him. And, being parted from him for a time could help clarify your feelings about his place in your life. And if, after a duty tour or two, you decide that you wish to return to Utopia Planetia, that transfer can be arranged."
"Or if I'd wish for Ludvig to join me on the Enterprise?"
"If Ludvig wishes it, then I will suggest it to Captain Riker."
"You've given me a lot to thing about, Sir."
"You can always come to me if you have anything that you wish to discuss, Bronislawa."
She nodded, accepting that this was true. "Thank you, Admiral."
Jean-Luc nodded as he watched her walk away. Even as he pondered how he was going to tell his wife that he'd just given her favorite chef permission to leave her, if that was what his chef's heart desired.
=/\= ='/\'= =/\=
It was a sight that Beverly never envisioned that she would see. Guinan, Mildred and Lwaxana were sitting on the daybed in the nursery. Each was arguing that their individual ways of folding onesies was the proper way to fold them. Beverly shook her head, and decided not to join in with the debate. She had other things to worry about. Pressing a hand against her stomach, she kept telling herself that she was only feeling Braxton Hicks contractions. None of the other signs that she was about to go into labor were currently present.
Deciding that maybe she'd better just go get her tricorder and double check herself, she was stopped by Guinan. The lady walked up to her, placed her hand on Beverly's belly, and stood still for a few moments.
"Not yet," Guinan announced as if she were the authority on the subject of impending motherhood. And when labor would strike.
"I'd better check to make sure," Beverly argued as she felt another, not quite as strong, contraction.
"Yes, go and lie down," Guinan agreed, as she guided Beverly along. Her long dress of rose colored fabric flowed about her ankles. Yet she adeptly led Beverly. "Let me help you."
Lwaxana only studied Beverly for a moment before she added her thoughts on the matter. "Not yet," she agreed. "They're not ready to pop out." She nodded in the direction of the master bedroom. "They are ready to sleep now, though. So, go and take a nap yourself, my dear. All by your threesome."
Guinan and Beverly slowly walked through the connecting rooms to the bedroom. Guinan automatically checked that everything that should be ready, was ready from the nursery to the small packed bags for when Beverly would go to the hospital.
Guinan helped Beverly onto the bed, placed pillows under her legs, and then watched as Beverly adjusted the hologrid to the right gravity setting. Then she handed Beverly her tricorder. After a quick scan, Beverly handed it back to Guinan. The relief in her smile told Guinan all that she needed to know. Beverly was not in labor.
"Are the babies thinking in words yet? Or just in concepts?" Guinan asked. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. From what she had sensed from the babies, over the past few days, it had mainly been images rather than distinct words.
"A few words. But they are mainly thinking with their emotions."
"Mama and Papa, eh?" Guinan asked as she smoothed the coverlet over Beverly's body. "Any other words?"
"They don't know what it is yet, but they like the sound of 'fairy godmother'," Beverly added as she closed her eyes.
"I've always been proud of that title," Guinan softly added as she saw how quickly Beverly nodded off. Lightly touching Beverly's tummy, Guinan added, "Sleep, Little Ones. Your Mama needs to rest right now… And so do you…" After a few moments, she was satisfied that all was well. Then she went into the nursery to refold all of the onesies that Lwaxana had folded, since Guinan knew that her way was the correct way to fold such baby items.