Beverly Crusher ran her brush through her long red hair again and again. She had mostly been thinking but was using the brush without realizing that she was still using it. Today was a day that she had been dreading for months now. Anij was coming to the ship. The captain had asked her to come aboard for a vacation. She was going to be staying at least three months. She hated it. She knew that she was in love with Jean Luc Picard. She had been since before she and Jack were married. This turn of events just changed everything. She knew that he loved her, or at least he did. He knew that she loved him. Nothing had changed for her except that with each passing day she began to love him more.
Seeing him with Anij had almost killed her inside the last time and that was only a couple days. But this time she was worried. She was going to have to be on the ship with this woman for months. How would she handle that? It was killing her. She had done everything she could to dodge her best friend Deanna Troi. She could sense anything that she was feeling. She would know exactly what was going on. Deanna knew that Beverly was in love with Jean Luc. She knew that. The door buzzing brought her out of her thoughts. She set the brush down and headed toward the door. She knew who was there before she even got there.
The door slid open revealing Deanna Troi. "Hi Bev." She said happily until her senses hit her and felt her friend's distress. She sat on the sofa and pulled Beverly down next to her. "Talk." Was all she said.
"It's nothing Deanna. I promise." Beverly sighed.
"You aren't a very good at lying Bev." Deanna stated glaring at Beverly. "So tell me what's wrong."
"Why don't you tell ME what's wrong." Beverly said.
"Beverly." Deanna warned. "You have been ditching me and avoiding me for two weeks now. I can tell that something is bothering you, now what's going on."
Beverly knew that she had no chance to get out of talking to Deanna so she just decided to tell. "Fine. Fine. Anij is coming aboard today."
Deanna had totally forgotten this and instantly knew what was going on. "Oh.Bev." She pulled her friend into a hug and shook her head. Deanna like Beverly had never thought that when they left the briar patch they would be visited again by Anij. Deanna could feel the amount of love that Beverly felt for the captain.
Beverly could feel the tears taking her over. This time she didn't even try and stop them. She couldn't. She had held them in to long. Deanna held her until the tears began to subside. She was going to be nice to Anij but there was something about her that made Deanna cringe. She didn't know what it was but she was sure that there was something there and she was going to find out. She knew that the captain was expecting her and Beverly to be there when Anij arrived. It wasn't going to happen. She probably was already beaming in. Deanna had told her fiancé not to go either and she was sure that he had found a reason that kept him from being there.
"Picard to Troi." The voice came through the communicator.
"Troi here." She knew she was in trouble. She and Beverly were supposed to be there when Anij arrived to make sure she was comfortable on the ship.
"Anij just arrived counselor and neither you nor Dr. Crusher was here to greet her. Care to explain." He sounded annoyed.
"Beverly was not feeling well sir. I'm taking care of her right now. Please give Anij our apologies." She said it in the nicest way that she possibly could.
"All right counselor. Picard out."
Beverly pulled away from Deanna and shook her head. "You just lied to the captain of a starship."
"Darn." Deanna smiled and laughed.
Beverly also began to laugh. She wiped her face. It was tear streaked and she knew it. Deanna was already at the door waiting for her to join her. They walked out into the corridor and toward sickbay. It was easy to tell that she had been crying but she looked better. "You should tell him how you feel Bev." Deanna was saying.
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"Deanna it's not that simple. I would if I could but I can't now. It's been to long and he doesn't feel the same anymore." She said sadly. Sickbay was in view. Deanna stopped and hugged her.
"Just try." She said before walking away. She turned back to Beverly. "Ten Forward tonight. You're gonna sing. It'll make you feel better." She turned the corner and was gone. Beverly did love to sing and it might help her. She walked into sickbay ready to start the day.
"Where is everyone Jean-Luc?" Anij asked. She had barely seen a crewman in a couple hours. She was linked with his arm and they were walking close to ten forward.
"The night shift is on right now. Everyone else is usually in bed or having some get together thing in ten forward. I don't usually join them though."
"Why not?"
"Just haven't. They ask me all the time to join them."
"Then why don't we. Just for awhile."
"Sure." Picard steered her toward ten forward.
Beverly was on the small stage right now singing a sweet song with her amazing voice. She could sing the highest notes as well as some low alto. Many crew members had seen her sing before and loved it. Usually they could sit for as long as she would sing and just stare. Ten forward was completely quiet except for the beautiful voice. Picard watched in amazement as she hit super high notes. The words were crisp and clear. He was entranced. She had her eyes closed as she sang. He had seen her sing before but not since he first met her and never with as much passion.
She had opened her eyes as she continued to sing. She saw him....and her. They had come in when no one was looking. They were seated near the back of ten forward and Anij had her arms locked in his. Her voice faltered and she couldn't sing anymore. Deanna who was sitting in the front row caught what Beverly was looking at. The crew members in the room began cheering and screaming as she stopped singing.
She smiled and rushed off stage. Riker and the Jazz band that he was putting together began to set up as Beverly headed to Deanna. Deanna could feel the panic in her friend and needed to calm her down. She took her hand and led her through the crowd and out into the corridor. Picard had seen Beverly's reaction to him and Anij and the way that Deanna had to pull her out of the room. He was concerned about her. He had to admit to himself that he was still in love with her. He had been since before she and Jack had even met. With each passing year she got more and more beautiful. He wanted to be with her. He wanted her to love him. She had not seemed to want anything from him so he had tried to move on. Anij was not Beverly but he found himself attracted to her anyway. It was her Beverly like qualities that had drawn him to her. She had the same spark in her that he had loved in his doctor.
He watched as Deanna entered ten forward alone and walk to the stage. Picard had known about the silent communication that his first officer and counselor shared. He watched as they had an unspoken conversation and then Riker put down his trombone and hurried out of ten forward right behind Deanna. He apologized to Anij and told her that he would be right back and followed his officers out the door. He didn't see them when he first left the room but after heading a couple feet out he saw Beverly sitting on the floor crying and Riker kneeling down next to her talking to Deanna.
He tried to stay hidden as much as he could. He watched as Riker finally lifted Beverly into his arms and began to carry her toward her room. She looked limp and didn't object as he did so. Deanna was following close behind but stopped and looked at him before following. He should have known that she would know he was there. He was confused. He had not seen Beverly like that before. She had broken down in the middle of a corridor.
As he watched this unfold with Beverly he never noticed Anij behind him staring angrily at Beverly. Nor did he realize that it wasn't Picard that Deanna sensed. It was Anij and her anger.
Beverly awoke to the sound of Riker and Deanna talking softly. She didn't know how long she had slept. It must have been awhile but she wasn't sure. Deanna saw her stir and motioned for Riker to leave. She kissed him and sent him on his way.
"Hey sleepyhead." Deanna smiled.
"How long was I out?" Beverly sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Close to twelve hours." Deanna handed her a glass of water which she accepted and drank very fast. She hadn't had anything in a long time.
"Wow. I didn't realize it was that long." Beverly tried to look as upbeat as she could. She really did feel like crap though. Maybe she was coming down with something.
"How are you feeling?" Deanna asked concerned.
Beverly was about to lie and then realized that there was no point. "Like crap. I made a fool of myself."
"No you didn't Bev. It's okay. Trust me. I understand." Deanna smiled.
Anij woke alone in her guest quarters that Jean-Luc had given her. She was angry. She had been so sure that she was going to get Jean-Luc to sleep with her but it didn't happen. She had seen the way that he reacted when he saw that woman doctor of his on that stage singing. Then she had seen the doctor's reaction when she had seen them come into the room. Anij was a smart person and she knew that they were in love with each other. She could tell that without even looking.
She had to admit she was jealous. She was not a normally mean person but on her world if someone was in love with someone they just said it. She couldn't understand why they would fight it. It didn't matter because she hated that doctor and wanted to make Jean-Luc hate her to. She wanted Jean-Luc to love her and not that red headed doctor. She had a plan and she was going to put it in action. She wanted to see just how far they would go.
Picard walked alone along the corridor. He had to think. What he saw last night had confused him enough but then leaving Anij alone was the last thing he thought he wanted to do. He had so many questions running through his mind and he didn't even know where to start looking for the answers. Was he in love with Beverly? Most defiantly. Was he in love with Anij? No not yet. Could he be? Eventually yes. Was Beverly in love with him? From what he had experienced that was a yes but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't just walk up and ask her. Could he?
Why had she been crying last night? He needed that answer now. Before anything else happened. Before she went on duty and before he went to the bridge. He turned and headed toward her quarters.
Deanna had just left leaving Beverly curled up on her couch in her long silk night gown. She was just thinking. She heard the door chime and called for the person to enter. She was surprised when she was it Jean-Luc. She stood up quickly. "Jean-Luc?" She asked.
Picard couldn't say anything. He caught a wonderful glimpse of Beverly when she stood up. She was in her long silk night gown. It had spaghetti straps and hugged her figure perfectly. It was showing just the right amount of cleavage. She looked classy and sexy. In short she looked radiant. Beverly saw him staring and tried not to smile. "Jean-Luc." She said again bringing him out of his trance. "What are you doing here." She asked when he came close to her.
"I'd like to talk." He said taking her hand. She felt her heart beating faster.
"I have to get ready for duty."
"We have to talk first." He stated firmly.
"Okay." She sat back down on the couch making sure that her outfit was still looking good. She motioned for him to sit. He did.
"What happened last night?" He blurted out.
"What are you talking about?" She really was confused. She didn't know that he had seen her in the hallway.
"I saw you crying in the hallway last night. Will carried you away. I was worried. What happened?" She looked away. She didn't meet his eyes. She was nervous. He saw her. She couldn't believe that he had seen her like that.
"Jean-Luc." She began. "I'm not really sure what happened." She stated. She wasn't being honest but she couldn't just blurt out how she felt. Or could she?
"I was really worried. I came to see you. Deanna was here. She said you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you." He was acting honestly concerned but she couldn't be sure if it was just a captain concerned or was it more?
"Can I ask you a question?" She said looking up at him.
"Anything."
"When did you write that song?"
"What song?" He was confused.
"Jack had given me this before he died." She handed him a folded piece of paper. "He said that it was something that you had written and he thought that I should have it. I never understood it." Picard unfolded the paper and looked into his past. It was the song that he had remembered hearing as a child and had written it down on her wedding day. He read the words.
Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say
But now it's to late to hold you
cause you've flown away.
So far away.
"I didn't write this. It was a song that I had remembered. My mother said it was in the 20th century when it was written." He didn't want to tell her the whole truth.
"When did you write this down?" She asked knowing the answer and just wanting to hear it from him.
He hesitated a moment before responding. "You're wedding day." He looked down and then stood up and started to pace.
She stood as well and came face to face with him to stop his movements. "Why?" She asked.
"Beverly you know why. We've already been through this." He knew what she wanted. Was this what last night was about? Did she love him as much as he loved her.
"I want you to tell me." He looked in her eyes and saw her begging him. He never could deny her anything that she wanted.
"I was in love with you Beverly. Jack was my best friend. I..." He rubbed his bald head and turned from her. She followed and took his chin in her hand. She forced him to look at her. "I lost you that day. I never wanted Jack to find it. He had known all along how I felt about you. I thought he would hate me for loving his wife."
"Was."
"Huh?"
"You said 'I was in love with you.'"
"I have to go Beverly. I need to get to the bridge." She kissed his cheek and nodded as he watched her eyes fill with tears. He turned and left the room. When the door hissed closed he could hear soft sobbing coming from her room.
Deanna watched the captain leave Beverly's room. She waited until he was out of sight and then entered Beverly's quarters. She found Beverly crying quietly. She didn't even ask what had happened. She just hugged her. Suddenly they weren't in her room anymore. Deanna watched themselves rematerialize in a small room. Deanna spotted that Riker was already there. She rushed to hug him.
"What's going on." Beverly asked. It was very cold in the room and she still was in her nightgown. She shivered. Riker saw this and removed his uniform jacket and handed it to her. She put in on gratefully.
"I'm not sure but I can't find a way out of here and I can't contact anyone." Just as he spoke they saw Picard and Anij be transported into the room. Anij looked scared.
"What the hell is going on?" Picard hissed. "Picard to Enterprise." There was only silence.
"Jean-Luc what's going on?" Anij placed her hand lightly on his arm. Trying to get his attention. He looked at her and then looked around at who else was in the room. He saw Beverly was there. She was wearing Riker's uniform jacket and sitting on the floor. She wouldn't look at him. Deanna was talking to her.
"We were also just sent here sir. We have no idea what's going on but I can't find a way out. Looks like we have to wait it out and find out what's going on." Riker stated. Picard agreed and everyone settled in for a wait. As they were waiting Picard looked around. The room was white as well as the floor. There was no doors that he could see and the lights were low. It was cold and he noticed that Anij was shivering. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
Beverly saw him hug her and not let go. She could feel the anger rise and then felt an arm touch her shoulder. She turned, it was Deanna. Deanna shook her head as if to say calm down.
Deanna began to feel an itch in her mind. Something wasn't right. There were five of them there but only four of them were sending out nervousness and fright. She looked at Anij who was still wrapped with Picard. It was coming from her. She was nervous but she wasn't scared. She was full of hate. Hate toward......Beverly!!!. She gasped loudly and everyone in the room turned and looked at her.
"What's wrong." She heard in her head. It was Will.
"Anij. She's projecting so much hate toward Beverly. She hates her. She's not even scared right now." She thought back.
"I thought she liked Dr. Crusher." He asked confused.
"No not at all."
Anij watched this silent exchange and was confused. "What's going on?" She whispered to Picard.
"See Deanna is an empath. She can sense feelings, and she can talk telepathically with other of her kind. See even though Will here isn't her race they can still communicate that way." He turned to face them. "What's going on?" He asked Deanna.
"I'm not sure yet sir." Then she looked right into Anij's eyes. "But believe me I will find out." Deanna felt another chill as Anij was frightened.
After a couple hours everyone was getting restless. Picard had to walk around. He stood and walked to Beverly. She was still in the same position as before. She still hadn't looked at him. He kneeled down and placed his hand on her knee. She looked up at him.
"You okay?" He asked her.
"Yeah I'm fine. It's still cold in here though. I should always wear something better then this. You never know when you are going to be abducted." She joked.
"Trust me that is not a bad outfit." He winked at her.
Anij was watching him talk to her. He was touching her leg and then he touched her cheek. It was the first time that she had smiled in a while. Her jealously began to grow again. She looked fine on the outside but Deanna could sense her jealousy and shook her head. She relayed to Riker what she was feeling.
"We need to talk again." Picard was saying to Beverly.
"About what? You pretty much told me everything I needed to hear."
"Not everything."
The lights flickered and a small door opened revealing a small girl. Picard was surprised by this. She introduced herself as Gardenias. All the adults in her race looked like children.
"Why did you bring us here?" Deanna was asking.
"Well we have been studying human emotions for sometime. We found such a concentration of hate and love coming from your ship. We isolated it to one of you five. We had to study this. I do apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. We have pinpointed the locations of the concentrations and will send you back to your ship whenever you would like.
"Please send us back to our ship now." Picard stated. Suddenly all of them were back on the ship in the places they had been before.
The senior officers were gathered around the huge table in the conference room discussing what had happened. Data was on duty on the bridge and he said that he had noticed a disturbance as they were taken and returned but other then that he had no other information.
"Counselor." Picard said turning to her. "She said that they were studying hate and love. Did you feel anything?"
"That's actually an understatement. Can I speak freely sir?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Well if you want to know about that hate part you might want to ask Anij. She was projecting it enough." She stated.
"At what?" He was shocked. He didn't know what to think. He had never known Anji to hate.
"It's a who and it's Dr. Crusher." Beverly gasped.
"What?" Picard was confused. "What do you mean?" Picard looked at Beverly who looked shocked.
"I couldn't sense much else from her except intense hate and jealousy toward Beverly."
"I need to find out what's going on here." Picard stated heading toward the door. He turned back to Riker. "Set a course toward the Briar Patch number one." He left the room. All other senior officers were looking upset. What was going on? Beverly shook her head in disbelief.
Picard was sitting in Anij's quarter's not even five minutes later. He didn't know what to say or think. He only knew that there was no way that she was full of hate. She was such a wonderful person. She had never once been rude to Beverly or for that matter talked to her much.
"So Jean-Luc. What are we going to do tonight." She asked seductively running her hand over Picard's chest. He grabbed her hand and moved it away from him.
"We have to talk." He said.
"About what?" She asked innocently.
"Do you hate Dr. Crusher?" She blurted out.
"What..." She started.
"My counselor is an empath remember. She could sense intense hate from you."
She sighed knowing that she couldn't lie and get away with it. "Yes I hate her."
"Why." Picard was shocked. "What has she done to you?"
"She has something that I never will and I hate her for it." She hissed.
"And what would that be?"
"Your heart. Your love. You." She stood and began to pace. "She loves you the same you know. Anyone with eyes can see that. She shouldn't be allowed to have your love if you aren't together. She shouldn't be allowed to be here." She was almost yelling.
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Was all he said. "We are heading to take you home. Until then you will have an escort around the ship." He left the room and called for security. "Stay with her at all times. Do not let her near sickbay or Dr. Crusher." The ensign agreed.
He didn't know how he made it there but he was soon ringing the buzzer at Beverly's quarters. He was nervous but he had to tell her how he felt. She answered the door looking amazing as usual but she looked sad.
"Hi." He said.
"Come in." She walked away from the door waiting for him to enter. The door slid closed behind him and he looked at her. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Her hair was like fire. It was crazy around her head. He was immediately filled with desire for her. She waited for him to speak but he couldn't. So he did the next best thing.
He walked over to her slowly. Then took her in his arms and kissed her with such passion and such force that she had never seen. At first she didn't respond but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss more. There was no way that she was going to be first to push away. Finally he pulled away his mouth but not the rest of his body. She was pressed right up against him.
"I meant am."
"What."
"I AM in love with you..not was. I always have been." He waited for her response. She looked shocked but that could have been from the most amazingly passionate kiss she had ever had.
"What about Anij?" She asked.
"It doesn't matter. I thought I could push my feelings for you aside but I can't. I've been doing that since before Jack. I can't do it now. I only have one question."
"And that would be?"
"Do you love me?"
"What."
"Do you love me?" She looked in his eyes as he asked her. She saw more love and passion there then she had ever felt before.
"Yes." She whispered. That was all he could take. He pressed his lips to hers again and held her close. He picked her up without breaking the kiss and walked over to the couch. He sat down and sat her on his lap. She could feel his desire pressing into her. The kiss continued. She had never felt this much desire for a man in her entire life. Jack was a good lover but he wasn't passionate. She had never felt this much from just one kiss. It was amazing. His hands held her waist and began to stroke her back and her sides. She moaned into his mouth. Which almost made him die. It was the most amazing sound that he had ever heard. He couldn't hold anything back. He couldn't stop touching her and kissing her. He wanted to please her. He wanted to be with her.
He hadn't made love to a woman in such a long time. She hadn't been touched by a man in a long time. She had never been touched his passionately ever. She wanted to feel what else he could offer. She moved so that she was straddling his hips. She kissed him again as he started to speak and ground her hips into his. His words turned into a moan and he gripped her more tightly. She pulled away to look at him.
"Make love to me." She said against his lips.
"Anything you want." He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom and closed her door.
Beverly awoke wrapped in Picard's arms. It wasn't even close to time to get up. She didn't know why she had woken up. She heard a noise and sat up fast. The movement jarred Picard awake and he sat up sleepily. She heard it again.
"What's wrong?" He asked afraid that she thought she made a mistake.
"I heard something." She whispered.
"Computer. Who is in these quarters?" He asked.
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Dr. Beverly Crusher, and another unknown person." It responded.
Picard slapped his communicator. "Security team to Dr. Crusher's quarters." He hissed. Beverly coward close to him. He reached for his phaser and realized he had left it in the living area of her quarters. "Lights." He said pulling on his pants and t-shirt.
As the lights came on he saw Anij holding his phaser. She had it pointed at him.
"How could you do this to me?" She screamed. She turned and fired the phaser a Beverly as Worf bounded through the door and tackled her. His tackle made her shot move off but it still hit Beverly in the chest. She immediately passed out and feel back against the bed.
"Beverly." Picard yelled. He didn't even think to call sickbay. He just scooped her up and ran toward it. Luckily they had decided to put some clothes on before going to sleep. Worf had called and told the doctor on duty what was going on. She met him at the door and began to work on her.
"She must have had the phaser set pretty high." Soon sickbay was filled with doctors and nurses running this way and that trying to help her. Deanna rushed in with her face full of panic. Riker was right behind her. She rushed over to Picard.
"I felt something wrong with her." She stated. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"Anij shot her." Was all Picard could manage.
Riker hugged Deanna as they watched Beverly hoping for some type of news. Everyone on the ship seemed to be in sickbay. In reality it was just every nurse and doctor on the ship. Worf entered and went to the captain.
"How did she get in there?" Picard asked.
"I'm not sure of that captain. We did find Lt. Johnson dead sir. She apparently knows quiet a lot of ways to kill someone with her hands. She's in the brig now sir."
Picard nodded and dismissed him. He glanced at Deanna who was crying. She seemed to be feeling something. "What is it?" He asked.
"She's in pain. I can feel her now. I couldn't a minute ago but I can now. She's hurting and scared. She's looking for you." She said.
Picard watched as they finished working on her. The doctor in charge came over to talk to him. Picard had never met him before. "Hi captain I'm Dr. Wisser. Dr. Crusher is doing better but she still isn't out of the woods. We need to monitor her closely and make sure that she isn't in pain."
"She is in pain." Deanna interrupted. "I can feel it."
Wisser moved over and turned up her pain meds. "That will take a minute to take effect but she should be okay."
"Thank you doctor." Picard said heading for her.
"You know captain." Wisser said looking at him. "Dr. Crusher is a very loved person. Every doctor and nurse on the ship came to help her. We are lucky to have someone here that is that wonderful."
"I agree." Picard smiled and went to Beverly. He took her hand and sat down next to her bed. There was no way that he was going to leave. Everyone knew it and didn't challenge it. He watched Deanna come over and take her other hand.
"She feels better. She's not in pain and she knows you are here." She said to the captain. She smiled. Riker came and took Deanna's hand.
"Let's leave them alone now." Deanna agreed and smiled at the captain.
"I'll be back soon." She stated.
Picard and Beverly were left alone finally. He didn't let go of her hand. Deanna said that Beverly knew he was there. He couldn't let her think anything else. He would have to put Will in command for awhile. He couldn't leave her. It would take a couple days to get back to the Briar Patch and in that time he could definitely make most of the time to be with her.
Deanna walked into sickbay and smiled at the sight in front of her. The captain was asleep in his chair next to Beverly. It had been two days since the shooting. The only way that Deanna could convince the captain to eat and shower had been to promise that she wouldn't leave. She placed her hand on his shoulder waking him. A doctor was examining her. He watched closely.
"She's doing excellent captain. I think we could wake her now. She shouldn't be in to much pain now. How does that sound?" She smiled at Picard and loaded a hypospray.
Beverly woke slowly. She could here Picard's voice and could feel him holding her hand. She could also hear Deanna and another doctor but she couldn't place which one it was. She groaned a little and it caused everyone to jump.
"Beverly." Picard said leaning into her. He maintained a death grip on her hand. She turned her head slightly to look at him.
"Hi." Her voice was raspy but she was talking.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"Like I've been shot." He laughed at that and so did Deanna. Deanna nodded to Picard that she was going to leave. Picard turned back to her and smiled. "Jean-Luc." She asked.
"Yes."
"How long have I been out?"
"Two days."
"Have you left at all?" She smiled as much as she could. The other doctor was checking her vitals and looking her over.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Counselor Troi made me leave so I could eat and shower. It
was only for fifteen minutes at a time though."
"That's what Deanna is for though. She always does what I would do." She smiled again.
The doctor finished looking her over and smiled. "You look great Doctor. Everything has healed nicely and you should be up and terrorizing sickbay in a day or so."
"Great then I can get out of here." She tried to sit up and it hurt.
"Stop right there." Picard said. He helped her sit up but wouldn't let her leave.
"Sorry Doctor. You know as well as I do that you can't leave here without someone to look after you and be with you all the time." The other doctor said.
Beverly looked mad. He knew that she hated to be cooped up in sickbay as much as the next person. He didn't want to make everyone on the ship aware of their relationship....But why not. They have wasted to much time already without each other. He was proud to have everyone know about the woman that he loved.
"I can stay with her." He stated. It surprised the doctor and Beverly. She didn't think he would want to tell people about them yet.
"What." She asked astonished.
"Yeah I mean it's not like we aren't together all the time anyway. I would love to stay with you." He stated proudly. "If fact it might be better if we just stayed in my quarters. More secure."
She was speechless. She never thought that he would actually say something like that in front of anyone. Not right away at least.
"I'll get everything ready for you then." The doctor smiled and walked away. News of their relationship was going to spread fast after that.
"Are you sure Jean-Luc. We aren't moving to fast for you?" She was worried about that.
"I think we have waited long enough. I'm in love with you and I don't care who knows it. I want everyone to know it." He stated. Beverly could hear some nurses giggling and she laughed as well.
It took close to three more days to get to the Briar patch. Picard didn't leave her at all. They spent the time talking and laying together cuddled up. She sang to him as she felt better and they made love again on the third day. She was the happiest that she could remember being. Plus she had gotten word that Wesley was coming aboard on his vacation.
Entering orbit around Anij's planet they had to go down and talk to the elders. Beverly was nervous to go down there but Picard made sure that plenty of security went and that he was next to her at all times. They had to explain the situation which Picard did. Beverly was questioned about everything.
When Anij was brought down from the ship she looked Beverly right in the face. Beverly wasn't afraid but she didn't really want to see her either. She wanted to have everything over with her so that they could all move on. When the council announced their decision Picard was very angry. She was to be let go as soon as the Enterprise was out of orbit.
"Captain I understand you are upset but Anij cannot be held under our laws or even punished for this." One elder said.
"You mean that the person that shot my Fiance is going to go free with no consequence at all." Picard said. Beverly gasped as he said fiance. He hadn't asked her to marry him. She would have remembered that if it had. Deanna turned to Beverly shocked and smiled. Anij started screaming and yelling. She was trying to get out of her restraints. Security officers held her down.
The elders began to talk about Ani's outburst. They could tell that she was not okay and that she needed some help. "We apologize Captain. We cannot punish Anij but we will place her in our mental institution. She does need help. Please accept our apologies." Picard nodded as they took her away.
Beverly pulled Picard aside as they were getting ready to beam back up. "Fiance?" She asked.
"Well I had wanted to do this at another time and more romantic...but." He pulled a ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee. "Beverly Crusher will you be my wife?" He asked. She began to cry as he slipped the ring on her finger.
"Yes." He stood and hugged her. Deanna was watching and started shrieking. As soon as Beverly and Picard were done talking she grabbed her friend and hugged her. Picard was about to laugh as they were hugging and shrieking.
One week later
Wesley was coming aboard today. Beverly was excited. She was also scared about telling him about the wedding. Everything with Picard was going great and it was even better because everyone knew about it. She finished brushing her hair and checked the mirror one more time. She felt strong arms go around her waist and a kiss on her neck. She loved it when he did that.
"Jean-Luc we have to get going." She tried to pull away but only succeeded in turning herself around to face him. She couldn't resist him and she placed a kiss on his lips. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her. She had never seen him so passionate before. Even when she first met him he was never so driven. Everyone on the ship was happier because he was. She pulled away again.
"We really have to go." She smiled and kissed him again. She stepped into the corridor and waited for him to follow. He went into full captain mode and walked along side her. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. She was the happiest she had ever been.
The doors to the transporter room slid open and they entered just in time to see Wesley Crusher being transported in. He saw his mom and smiled at her. Beverly went to hug her son and she was all smiles. He greeted the captain who was also smiling. He hadn't seen that in a very long time. Beverly decided it was close to lunch time and so she asked Wesley to have lunch with her. Picard said that he had a ship to run and would catch up to them later.
Wesley could not believe how great his mother looked. He couldn't remember seeing her this happy. Never. Her eyes glowed and her hair sparkled. She looked so young and well happy. "So mom." He started taking a bite of his sandwich. "You look absolutely amazing. I have never seen you this vibrant before. What's going on?" He asked.
"Well there is something going on but it might take awhile to explain..."
"It's a guy isn't it?" He interrupted her. He was glad that she had taken that step again. When she didn't respond he knew it was true. "Well who is it?" He asked eagerly.
"Wesley are you sure you want to know right now? I mean you could wait and...."
"MOM." He said. "Who is it?"
"It's Jean-Luc." She waited for his reaction. He broke out into a huge smile and grabbed her into a hug. He couldn't believe it. He had known that his mother loved the captain very much but he never imagined that the love was returned.
"That's amazing mom. I'm so happy for you." She was smiling again. "But there is something else isn't there." He noticed the ring on her hand and fingered it. "You're getting married aren't you?"
When she nodded again he laughed and hugged her again. "This is amazing mom."
"You said that already."
"I know but it is amazing."
"You're okay with this?" She asked.
"Of course. You need someone in your life and I wouldn't pick anyone better for you." He hugged his mom and smiled again.
The talked for awhile but she said that she had to get back to sickbay and get some other things done before dinner tonight. Sickbay had been very slow so she decided to let everyone except her and another nurse off early. She figured she might as well get her physical done early so she ran the scanner
over her body. She began to study the results and almost dropped the tricorder.
"That can't be right." She said. She ran it over her body again. She was in shock. What was she going to do. She was pregnant. How could that happen? Jean-Luc hated children.
"Hi Bev." Deanna walked into sickbay smiling. She could sense that there was something wrong with her friend right away. "What's wrong."
When Beverly didn't respond she took the tricorder that she had been using and glanced at the results. "Wow someone is pregnant. Good for them." Deanna said smiling until she saw Beverly's face. Then she realized that it was Beverly that was pregnant. "Oh Beverly."
"What am I going to do Deanna. Jean-Luc doesn't want to be a father. I had my child and he's twenty one years old." Beverly finally said.
"Beverly stop thinking about Jean-Luc for a moment. Are you happy about the baby?" Beverly thought for a moment. She had always wanted another baby. She never wanted Wesley to be an only child. Plus Deanna's mom just had another baby.
"I want the baby. I would love it."
"You need to tell the Captain. You might be surprised at what he says." Beverly knew she was right. She hugged her friend and headed up to tell Jean-Luc.
"Come." Beverly heard. She took a deep breath and entered his ready room. He looked up and smiled as she came in. "Hi." He said.
"I have to tell you something." She started.
"Is it personal or business?" He smiled and led her to the couch. He took her hand.
"It's personal."
"Then by all means tell." He kissed her hand.
"I'm pregnant Jean-Luc." She blurted out.
"Like with a baby?" He was shocked.
"With your baby." She stated waiting for the worst to come.
He looked at her and saw the happiness in her eyes. Also the fear that he wouldn't want the baby. But he did. He wanted to be a father. "That's great." He yelled hugging her. She was so shocked that she didn't move. He kissed her forehead.
"You're okay with this?"
"I'm more then okay. It's the most wonderful thing. I can't believe it." He was smiling ear to ear. She kissed him and leaned into him. She couldn't believe that this was really true. He wanted her to be pregnant and he was going to marry her. It was like a dream. They lay on the couch thinking for awhile.
"I told Wesley about us." She said not looking at him.
"Oh?"
"He was okay with it. In fact he looked happy as hell." She laughed when he did. She went back to work and left him with his thoughts.
Deanna had actually come to sickbay for a pregnancy test but when she saw how Beverly was she decided to wait. Now she was back and Beverly looked amazing. She told Deanna that Picard had been okay with the baby and wanted it. Now it was Deanna's turn to shock her friend.
"I need a pregnancy test Bev." She said as Beverly was working on something. Beverly dropped what she was doing.
"What?"
"Yeah I need a pregnancy test." She smiled and waited as Beverly hugged her. She grabbed her tricorder and ran it over Deanna. She was pregnant. Deanna saw her smile and shrieked. They were both pregnant at the same time. It was like a dream. They were both a couple weeks pregnant. Beverly made sure when Deanna's due date was. Because she was part Betazoid, Beverly thought that she might have a gestation like a betazoid and not human. It was found however that she and Beverly's due dates were only days apart.
They were so excited to be going through this together. It had been so long since Beverly had gone through this. She had to let Wesley know about this to. He was going to have a little brother or sister. Only twenty two years apart. She hoped that he was going to be happy about that as well. Riker had come into sickbay and was talking to Deanna. Beverly watched as she told him about the baby. He picked her up and kissed her smiled huge. She wondered how long it would take before Jean-Luc would let the whole ship know about the baby. They knew about the wedding and now a child.
Wesley watched his mother enter ten forward with her arm linked with Picard's. She looked so happy and radiant. He loved to see her that way. So happy and carefree. It was only a small welcome home party but everyone was having fun and there was quite a lot of people there. Beverly hugged her son and he shook Picard's hand.
"So Wesley." Picard began. "How was the trip?"
"It was good Captain. Pretty fast."
They talked and laughed for quite a while. All senior officers were there and a lot of other people who had gotten to know Wesley. Picard surprised Beverly by deciding to make a toast. When everyone was quiet he began to speak.
"I wanted to make a toast to my future step son who I have come to think of as my own son. You are an amazing person Wesley." Everyone was clapping. "I also wanted to say something to everyone. As you all know I will soon marry our C.O. Beverly Crusher. I thought this would be a great time to also announce that we are having a child as well." The room broke out in cheers and gasps. Wesley was stunned but also cheered. He hugged his mom and then surprised Picard with a hug. He couldn't be happier.
"Jean-Luc." She said quietly as the room settled down. "I can't believe you told the whole ship."
"Why wouldn't I? I'm proud to be a father and your husband." He stated.
She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "You'll be a great father." She said smiling.
END