A/N: Ok, let's pretend Wesley never went off with the Traveler and actually went to Starfleet Academy like he was supposed to. And I've gotten mixed signals on what Jack Crusher actually did on the Stargazer, so I'm saying he was made First Officer at some point. Now this chapter will be pretty short, but the others should be longer. And also, I'm going to try and put a little snippet of the next chapter at the end so you can have something to look forward to. Now, please enjoy: Keeper of Her Heart.
Wesley Crusher paced back and forth in his quarters at Starfleet Academy. He had finally graduated and it was his last night here at the Academy and soon he would be rejoining the Enterprise. Of course, that had taken quite a bit of effort, as the Captain had been his step-father for almost a year now. No one wanted anyone to think it was favoritism. Wesley almost smiled at the thought. Even if Jean-Luc Picard had not married Beverly Crusher, there would have always been some amount of favoritism.
The young adult stopped to look at the picture that was framed on his desk. His hand shook a little as he picked it up. It was an older hologram, with a young man who resembled him very much. Jackson Crusher stood tall and proud in his Starfleet uniform. It had been his inspiration for so many years to keep going. How long had it been since he had died? Close to twenty years?
Of course, when that picture had been taken, Jack Crusher had just become a Commander. First Officer of the Stargazer, to be specific. That man had a wife and son who he loved dearly. That man had also died three months after the honor was given to him. Unlike Wesley, Jack was engaged to a beautiful woman when he had graduated from Starfleet. Wesley had dated a couple of girls, but there was only woman on his mind and she was waiting for him on the Enterprise. Lieutenant Robin Lefler had been assigned to the Enterprise just four months before he had.
"I hope I make you proud, Dad," he whispered softly, adding the picture to his suitcase. He turned back to his bed only to find someone already on it.
"Hello, Mr. Crusher." Q was lounging on his bed, smiling at the man in front of him.
"Q! What are you doing here!" He immediately grabbed his phaser off the desk, pointing at the thing (it wasn't quite proper to call him human) in front of him. Q threw his hands up in defense.
"Hey, hey, I'm not here to cause mayhem and terror as you humans seem to always infer that I am." He swung his legs off the bed casually, stooping down to pick up the picture of Jack Crusher. "I'm actually here to offer you a graduation gift."
"A gift?" Uneasiness spread through his body. A gift from Q would never be simple or without strings attached. Plus, it would have to be entertaining for the omniscient being. Wesley attempted to snatch the picture back, but it was unsuccessful.
"Yes, a gift." Q looked at the picture with curiosity for a moment. "You miss him don't you?" The question stunned Wesley. Why would Q care if he missed his deceased father?
"Yes." Stay simple- don't give him anything to work with.
"I've talked to him. Pretty good guy. Funny sense of humor. Though every time I bring up meeting you or your mother, he turns very serious." Catching Wesley's not-so-subtle eye roll, he protested, "I promise. I can talk to the dead, the living, the unborn. It's part of my oh-so-clever nature."
"Whatever." Wesley went back to packing, hoping if he ignored him, Q would go away.
"I can also bring the dead back to life." The comment was so offhand, the new Ensign almost missed it. "Such as your father." This sentence was more deliberate.
"No way," Wesley stared at Q in disbelief. "That's impossible."
"Do you want to find out?" He knew the gleam in Q's eyes was dangerous, but the idea intrigued him. A few tense moments passed. Every sane thought was lost to the usually overly analytical Starfleet student.
"Yes."
Commander William Riker stood in front of the transport pad waiting for Wesley Crusher to arrive. It had been over a year since he had seen the young man and had gladly accepted the task of welcoming the new Ensign back. His mother was supposed to have been there to greet him, but the Doctor was delivering a premature baby. Captain Picard would be joining him soon to greet and debrief his stepson. However, when Chief O'Brian began the transfer, two beams of glittering light appeared on the pad.
"Chief?" The other man was scrambling to figure out why he had picked up two people instead of just Ensign Crusher.
"I'm working on it, sir. I only locked onto Crusher, I swear."
Wesley materialized on the pad and seemed to be in as much shock as the other two officers when a man in his forties appeared next to him. Riker drew his phaser and pressed his comm device to summon security.
"Wait!" shouted Wesley, turning to the man in curiosity. He was dressed in an older fashioned Starfleet uniform and had raised his arms in surrender in response to Riker and O'Brian's phasers. "Wait. He's my father."
"What?" Riker did not lower his phaser, instead he shifted his gaze to the young man on the transporter pad as if he had gone insane. "Wesley, your father is dead." Wesley was paying him no attention, however, but was staring intently at tall figure standing next to him.
"Wesley?" The dark haired handsome man turned slightly to the Ensign standing next to him. "How is this poss-"
"State your name and purpose!" shouted the First Officer. However, before he could identify himself, Captain Picard entered the room, flanked by Worf and Data, all three with phasers drawn. Picard stopped cold upon seeing the intruder in his Transporter room.
"Jack…" The name was hardly a whisper, but the Captain's face had gone a pale white, his eyes wide. His grip on his phaser tightened.
"Long time no see, huh, Johnny?"
Next time on Keeper of Her Heart:
Beverly had just raised her eyes to the eerily quiet meeting room and her voice had stopped. If Picard had gone pale when he first saw Jack Crusher, it was nothing compared to what happened when Beverly laid eyes on the man she had once been married to. She grabbed the door frame to steady herself, letting a small gasp come from her lips. There he was…all she had once loved and lost…standing proudly in front of her.