Part 2

"Papa? What's wrong?" Peering at Picard in bemusement, Wesley takes a step closer to him, growing concerned.

Giving his head a shake, Picard tries to plaster on a smile. "No…nothing. I'm fine. Sorry."

"Can I get you something?" Wesley asks tentatively, wondering if his father is seriously maimed from the shuttle's encounter with the strange, unexplored spatial anomaly.

Lips pursed, Picard shakes his head. "No, thanks. I think…I think I'll just sit down."

Backing toward the living area, Picard attempts to take stock of his surroundings and circumstances. That is Beverly off in another room in the quarters. She looks almost identical to the Beverly he's always known. This is Wesley Crusher, the same boy he's proclaimed Acting Ensign on his ship, probably sixteen years-old and extremely precocious. Essentially, this is his cabin on the Enterprise, only slightly redesigned and larger. There are many more personal effects scattered across the room, with children's toys beside the sofa and on the coffee table. As he approaches the sofa, he notices a large holophoto on the end table. Lowering himself onto the sofa, he peers closer at the holo to study the faces of the people in it. He recognizes the venue immediately, his family vineyard in LaBarre, France. In the picture, he, Beverly and Wesley are piled on the ground in the vineyard for a photo. However, there are two small children he doesn't recognize in the photo. In Beverly's lap sits a boy of maybe seven or eight years-old with wavy brown hair; in Jean-Luc's lap lies a small girl, perhaps three or four years-old with long red hair weaved into a braid. All five of them look perfectly relaxed and content, apparently enjoying a vacation on Earth in Picard's home town. Stifling a gasp, Picard knows instinctively somehow that this is his family. He and Beverly are married, and the children in this photo are his children. Gazing intently at the picture, Picard studies their features, looking for signs of his lineage in his offspring. He is startled out of his reverie when Wesley approaches the sofa, arm extended with a glass of water.

"Maybe you should lie down? I'll go call Mom," offers Wesley, handing Picard the glass of water.

Accepting the proffered drink, Picard gives a small shake of his head. "That's okay, thanks."

Exhaling, Wes nods, but he is not convinced. He ducks away, leaving Picard in deep thought, appraising the photo thoroughly.

"I don't understand," whispers Picard to himself. "Where am I?" He absently takes a sip of the water and abandons the glass on the coffee table next to a small doll, which he assumes belongs to the little girl. "What happened on the shuttle?"

As Picard is still transfixed with the holophoto, Beverly enters the living area, visually assessing him as she walks up to the sofa.

Sensing her presence, Picard rotates to face her, straightening.

"What's wrong?" Beverly inquires, looking at him concernedly, perching on the sofa next to him. "Wes said you were acting funny."

Staring at her openly, Picard is at a loss for words. He doesn't even know where to begin. How can he explain what he thinks and feels? How can he articulate that he knows that something is wrong with this….this universe? He knows she will think him crazy, and it will likely upset and hurt her. But somehow…somehow instinctively he knows this is wrong. He doesn't….doesn't belong….here.

"Jean-Luc?" Beverly's eyes widen in concern, seeing Jean-Luc struggling internally. Grasping his hand, her other hand reaches for his shoulder. "What's wrong, dear?"

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Jean-Luc can barely meet her eyes, so full of worry. "I don't know. Perhaps it's just the concussion."

"You didn't hit your head that bad," Beverly points out, running her hand over his shoulder, growing acutely worried. "What's got you so on edge?"

Running his tongue over his dry lips, Jean-Luc briefly looks at their joined hands and notices the wedding bands on their ring fingers. A wave of strong emotion courses through him, forcing hot tears stinging the back of his eyes. The sight of his ring on Beverly's hand is truly beautiful, but he knows it's not real. They're not married. She was married to his best friend. The best friend he was responsible for killing, albeit through an accident. Because of that, he had always kept his feelings for Beverly hidden. This isn't his world. It can't be.

"Jean-Luc, you're starting to scare me," confesses Beverly solemnly.

Inhaling sharply, he squeezes her hand lightly. "I'm so sorry, Beverly. I think something has happened. This…this isn't real."

"What's not real?" Beverly wonders, thoroughly bewildered.

Staring into her clear blue eyes, Jean-Luc's heart aches. "Us."

"Us?" Repeats Beverly incredulously, entirely lost.

"I don't know what happened," admits Picard ruefully. "But, when my shuttle encountered that anomaly, something happened to bring me into this universe. This isn't my life. We're not…together. We're not married. And, we don't have any children."

Speechless, Beverly's jaw drops. It takes a long time for her to mentally register what Jean-Luc has professed, and she has to blink repeatedly, trying to focus on him and his words.

"I'm so sorry, Beverly," murmurs Jean-Luc, squeezing her hand. "I've no idea what happened. I have to study that anomaly."

Averting her eyes, Beverly bites her bottom lip, hot tears welling in her eyes. "I just….I don't understand."

"I know," replies Picard calmly, running his hand up her arm. "I think somehow we have parallel universes and I've crossed from my universe into yours."

Giving her head a shake, Beverly tries in vain to ward off her tears. "So, you're trying to tell me you're not Jean-Luc?"

"No, I am Jean-Luc. Just…not 'your' Jean-Luc," explains Picard.

Eyes widening, Beverly absorbs this information hesitantly. "So, there's another 'me' in your dimension?"

"Well, I'd imagine there are infinite 'yous' in infinite dimensions. But, yes, there is a Beverly Crusher in my universe," elaborates Picard, a tiny smile escaping his lip.

Pursing her lips, Beverly briefly considers how much she would detest infinite versions of herself, returning instead to the point at hand. "Crusher? Jack is alive in your universe?"

"No," admits Picard sadly. "He died in action in 2354 on the Stargazer."

Taking in a long breath, Beverly nods. "He did here, too."

"And then we were married?" Jean-Luc surmises, curious about his life in this Beverly's world.

Half-smiling, Beverly bobs her head. "We became close after Jack died. You helped me a lot after his passing. We were married quickly, and you didn't want to waste any time having children. I had Pierre right away. We had two healthy, wonderful boys, but I always wanted a girl, so we had another baby, and along came Maelle."

Jean-Luc cannot help but smile, thinking to himself how lucky his counterpart in this universe must be to have Beverly as a wife, with Wesley and two children of his own. "How old are they?"

"Pierre's eight and Maelle is four," Beverly tells him proudly, a broad smile on her face.

"They sound wonderful," remarks Jean-Luc, his voice catching in his throat.

"Yes," whispers Beverly. "Actually…."Mid-sentence, Beverly pauses, suddenly remembering that she is not talking to her husband, but a variant of him from a whole other dimension.

"Actually, what?" presses Jean-Luc.

"Papa!"

Whipping around, Jean-Luc's attention is immediately diverted by the sudden appearance of a small red-headed girl in a pink nightgown barrelling toward the sofa. Face falling, Picard is caught off guard when the girl flings herself onto the sofa, directly into his lap.