Beverly sat quietly in Jean-Luc's chair wrapped in one of his favorite robes. He had been gone almost eight weeks and she was lonely. Being the wife of a Starfleet Captain was easy, she was always with him. However, as the wife of an Ambassador, sometimes she had to stay home. She wished she and Tristan would have been able to travel to Vulcan with him, but Tristan had been ill when Jean-Luc left. With a smile, she looked at her sleeping four year old, as he lay with his head on their pet Golden Retriever. He had tried to wait up for his father, but Jean-Luc's transport was running late, so he fell asleep. She knew he would be fine laying there as long as Goldie was with him. Standing, she retrieved a blanket for her son and covered him.

After she secured the house, she slipped into her favorite silk nightgown; an exquisite cream, which brought out the gold flecks in her blue eyes. With a final look at Tristan, she knelt down and kissed his forehead, "Good night, my precious."

Tristan's deep hazel eyes flickered open, "Good night, mommy." He smiled lovingly at his mother.

Beverly returned her son's smile; it would not be too much longer when he would be too big to be tucked in or get a kiss goodnight, until that time though she planned to enjoy it.

Tonight her husband would return, and she greatly anticipated the homecoming. She wanted it to be perfect; so she fixed him a plate of food that was easily warmed, after which she went to their room and placed scented body oils on the stand beside the bed.

"Move Minx," She said as she looked at the cat that always seemed to be glued to Jean-Luc's pillow. Beverly pulled the pillow from under the sassy Persian and hugged it against her, as she had every night since he had been gone. With a yawn, she laid back on the bed a moment, but she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

~-~

Jean-Luc returned to see his son asleep on the floor. He never approved of the boy sleeping on the floor. If his family was to sleep on the floor, then why did he purchase the beds? Tonight however, he would allow it since his son looked at peace.

After eating the meal his wife had so thoughtfully prepared, he retired to the bedroom. He glanced at the oils and the graceful sleeping figure of his wife, and only other female he shared his bed with. The cat opened its blue eyes seeing him and offered him a greeting as she moved to him to be petted, "Hello to you too Minx," he whispered.

Jean-Luc turned his attention back on his wife and watched her, her soft rhythmic breathing entranced him. With a light upward curve of his lips, he brushed a piece of ginger hair off his wife's face. He hated to awaken her but he knew she would be rather upset if he failed to let her know he was home. He had been on the receiving end of her anger more than once and had no desire to be on the receiving end tonight.

Beverly's eyes fluttered open the moment Jean-Luc's hand brushed across her face. Her smile radiated throughout the room. "Jean-Luc, I missed you so." She lifted her hand to touch his face, to reassure herself he was not merely a dream.

Jean-Luc's sat on the bed next to her and clutched her hand in his. Slowly, he caressed her fingers and then brought them to his lips softly. He drew his face towards her, gently pressing his lips to hers. Their kissing, he had learned, had its rewards and given the right setting, quite enjoyable. When Jean-Luc once again met the blue eyes of his wife he told her, "I missed you as well."

~-~

It wasn't long before Minx had been evicted from the bed and took up residence on the near by chair, once again curled up in mass of fur, all but ignoring the activities of her roommates.

Jean-Luc and Beverly had massaged one another's bodies with the oils. Jean-Luc moved his lips over his wife's body in the delicate touches she enjoyed. As she moaned he softly reminded her, "Tristan is sleeping just on the other side of the wall." He always found pleasure in her 'vocalized lovemaking', as she would call it, but normally their son was far enough away not to hear her passionate cries.

"I know, I'll try to contain myself," she said as she smiled and lightly giggled from his lips tickling her.

~-~

Tristan awoke to hear what he thought was his mommy's laughter. After a few minutes, the laugher turned to sounds he was not familiar with his mother making. These sounds, sounded painful and her cries for his father, "Jean-Luc, oh Jean-Luc," concerned him. His daddy wasn't even home yet. Alarmed, he jumped up as he realized someone was hurting his mommy. "Come on Goldie! Mommy's in trouble!" He tugged at the massive dog to get it up. He had been told by his father to watch over his mother while he was gone; and it was a duty young Tristan took very seriously. As he reached the room, he saw his mommy being attacked by someone underneath the covers. In as much of a fierce voice as he could muster, he demanded. "What are you doing to my Mommy!" He rushed to her side throwing back the covers; he had to get his mommy out. At the same time Goldie leapt onto the bed with a growl, only to be contented by the familiar scents.

Jean-Luc pulled the covers back from his son, inadvertently giving Tristan more of a view than he intended to. "Your mother is not hurt," he said as he covered them back up.

Tristan looked at his father surprised. "Daddy!" He smiled at his father and then frowned, in confusion. Why was his daddy's pee-pee so funny looking; it never did that before. "Daddy, what's wrong with your pee-pee?"

Jean-Luc turned his face towards his son as he moved away from his wife, "Tristan, leave the room, and go to bed."

Beverly turned to meet her son's deep brown confused eyes. Her face turned a deeper shade of red. "Honey, it's okay. Mommy's not being hurt."

"Why did you cry out then? Why was daddy bouncing on you?" Tristan asked innocently.

"Tristan to bed now," Jean-Luc said in a harsh tone. He wasn't really angry at his son for wanting to know why he was behaving in such a manner with Beverly; it was natural, but he wasn't quite prepared to go into that at this time. In fact, he was, embarrassed that his son had witnessed such an intimate act. As his diplomatic calm was in place once more, he offered to Tristan, "Go to you room and we will be in there shortly."

With a sigh he said, "Come one Goldie." He tried to whistle and his dog jumped down and followed his young master, out of their room and into his own.

Jean-Luc looked at his wife contritely, "Maybe we should dress and talk to our son." He got out of the bed to retrieve a robe for himself and for her.

"Yes, I'm sure he is bound to want answers to his questions," she said, knowing despite being a doctor, she wasn't prepared to talk to her son, about the birds and bees at such a young age.

~-~

Tristan sat in bed feeling as if he had done something wrong, but he didn't know what that might have been. He thought his mommy was hurt and all he wanted to do was help her; yet his daddy seemed so upset with him.

"Tristan, honey…" Beverly said as they walked to their son's room, with Minx in tow. Tristan looked up to his parents' faces. "What you saw was a natural act that occurs between husbands and wives."

"You mean when I am a husband, that's when my pee-pee will stick out like daddy's?" Tristan asked still very confused.

Jean-Luc's face flushed a bit as he looked from his son and wife he was somewhat amused by his son's thoughts. "No Tristan, that only happens when the husband and wife are mating."

"Why do you mate?" Tristan asked, full of a child like curiosity.

"One mates when they wish to have children," Jean-Luc told his son. It was not a lie just not to entire truth.

Tristan looked at his mother; he had seen other women who were having babies. "Mommy will have a baby?"

"No Tristan, Mommy can't have any more babies." she told her son as she smiled.

Tristan looked at his mommy, "Why?"

"Because, sometimes they just can't," Jean-Luc stated matter-of-factly.

"So if you can not have a baby and mating is to make babies, then why were you mating?"

Beverly laughed lightly, "Tristan, sometimes husbands and wives just mate because it feels good."

"If it feels good then why did you look like this?" Tristan made the best imitation of his mother's facial expression.

Jean-Luc gulped. Why had he foreseen this being a simple task? When in reality he would prefer to be back on his old ship the Enterprise, or debating the Cardassian Ambassador on the floor of the Federation Council.

"Sometimes we react to the intimacy that what is also called 'making love' has to offer," Beverly said, understanding this didn't quite answer her son's question.

Tristan sat upright in his bed, and did his best to imitate his father's reaction to the term of love. He raised his little eyebrow and said, "It looked like it was painful."

Jean-Luc suppressed a smile. "It is not painful; in fact it can be quite nice with the right person." He took his wife's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Mommy likes you to jump on her?" Tristan asked even more confused.

Beverly looked at her son and his little wide eyes. "Tristan, daddy wasn't jumping on me. That was just a part of making love...a special kind of hug couple give each other when they mate."

"But the only times you cry out like that is when something scares you or hurts you. So why did he try to make to you cry out and say daddy's name?" Tristan asked. He didn't understand; if something hurt, then why do it. It was more logical not to do something that was painful.

Jean-Luc looked at his son. "I can assure you she was not hurt. Mommy finds the act of mating pleasant, so much so that sometime she tends to be overly vocal." He gave a sidelong glance to his wife.

Tristan let out a yawn; he was getting tired once again. "Tristan, go to sleep for now and if you still have questions in the morning, we will talk more at that time," Beverly said as she laid her son back.

Tristan laid his head against his pillow. "Good night mommy and daddy."

Jean-Luc looked at his young son. "Sleep well, Tristan. We will talk more in the morning."

~-~

Jean-Luc looked at his wife after they were again in their room. "Now that our son is starting to learn how adults behave, I believe it's time to end his allowed 'baby talk.' babies do not call their parents 'mommy' or 'daddy'; nor do they refer to body parts as a 'pee-pee.'"

"He's only four, Jean-Luc," Beverly said, yet she knew her time with her son being her little baby boy was coming to an end.

"I am quite aware of my son's age. However, I prefer not think of my penis as a 'pee-pee." Jean-Luc told her, with a smile, as he stroked the cat's silky fur.

"I will be glad to let him grow up, on one condition," she looked at Minx and then him. "Next time we make love, there is no cat, no dog, and a sound asleep son."