A/N- Hello! This story starts from Season 2 Episode 1 'The Child' and kicks off from there. There will be some action (but not a lot because I'm not actually as smart as I try to appear) It will mostly family-and-friend focused but I will definitely have some interesting twists. Once I completely finish this story, I estimate about 16 chapters. I have almost all of them plotted out, so I might not use your suggestions, but I'd love to hear them! PLEASE ENJOY!

Stardate 42073.1 Wed Apr 29 2364

At first, I thought it was a part of my dream.

Being empathic, sometimes my senses are a figment of my sleeping mind's imagination. But as I felt the presence move, I knew it was really there.

Even unconscious, I knew it wasn't a human. It had no thoughts that I could make sense of, no emotion. I could only describe it as pure energy.

I stayed still, tracking its movement. It flew around my body in a random formation, inspecting my face, my arms. I tensed up as it explored further down, from my legs to my toes. I calmed, thinking it was satisfied. Then, it disappeared between my legs before I could even think.

I woke up suddenly, out of breath and battling a sensation I couldn't identify.

I remember everything that happened next in vivid color.

I remember how I sat up, shivering, setting aside my fear of sickbay for a check up. I remember how even as I relayed the events of the night to the new CMO, Doctor Pulaski, I knew the truth. I remember the look on Captain Picard's face as the doctor explained her findings. He projected disbelief, and an almost untraceable moment of shame. I remember the wave of guilt that followed, and then pity. I remember struggling to stay calm while my colleagues wondered why my situation necessitated a staff meeting.

Will's reaction was the worst. I couldn't put my walls up fast enough, and they weren't strong enough to counter the depth of his emotion. I was taken aback by such a strong wave of jealousy and pain. I winced when he asked, "I don't mean to be insensitive, but who's the father?"

I remember trying so hard not to pass out or be sick while the staff argued over my fate and the fate of my child. As they argued, I felt a tiny flutter in my mind. I listened, and began to hear a tiny heartbeat. I couldn't see or hear anything else. In that moment, all that mattered was hearing that heartbeat again and again. I was horrified at the direction this conversation was going and that nobody asked my input. I was the mother, it was my body, and I was adamant that abortion was not an option. I did not want to lose this innocent life, whether it was alien or not.

I took a long nap after the meeting, exhausted from the effort it took to hold myself together. I only woke up to a wildly turbulent stomach, sitting up in time to empty my stomach on the floor. I spent most of the night in the bathroom, holding on to the toilet bowl for dear life.

I remember the next day, when I celebrated being sick only once in the morning. Feeling better, I spent my time walking the halls, contemplating how short and yet how long 36 hours seemed to be.

I remember going home and taking a bath, noticing a growing curve in my belly. I sat on the bathroom floor in a robe, focusing only on feeling the baby inside kick, tumble, and grow.

I remember the third day. I was noticeably larger than I had been the day before. The life inside me was kicking stronger, even poking me in the ribs. I felt heavy, weighed down, and I couldn't see my aching feet. I took turns resting and setting up a little nursery. After the work was done, I absorbed the feeling of the toys, the little white dresser, and the cozy bassinet.

I remember the sudden need to get up and move. The feeling consumed me until I could not refuse it. I waddled ungracefully through the halls, no particular direction in mind, just the need to keep going.

Suddenly, I reached out and grabbed the wall as a sensation spread inside me. There was just a brief moment of pressure, then warm liquid spread down my legs. I heard footsteps and felt embarrassed before discovering it was Data.

The android I considered my friend helped me to sickbay, stopping patiently for me to regain my balance. I remember his curious questions, and the childlike look on his face when I answered them.

I remember the feeling building up. Indescribable, but it wasn't pain. I felt it build and build until I called out to the doctor. She told me to push and I did. I pushed, but somehow didn't feel a thing.

I remember that blessed moment of release when it was over, and the flood of emotions when a perfect, wailing, baby boy was placed in my arms. I remember the love, the joy, the need to protect him at all costs, and the thought that this is why women become mothers, and why mothers become fierce and strong.

I remember knowing right away that his name was Ian Andrew Troi.

A/N Chapter one, done! The rest of the story won't be so dense and emotional, I promise. Let me know what you think.