The Nursery
By Deanna Kranz

Summary: Jean-Luc finds Beverly in the nursery. A confrontation reveals the girls' secret lives. I couldn't come up with a better description so you will just have to read.

Disclaimer: Characters, ships, and jargon belong to Paramount.

Beverly Crusher sat on the floor in the room that was to be her grandson's nursery. She sat on the soft blue rug at the center of the room facing a wall with the changing table against it. It had baskets on both shelves with diapers, burping clothes, lotions, and other baby necessities. Next to it was a small dresser filled with tiny clothes. The crib against the next wall was ready with its light blue sheet and planets mobile. There was a rocking chair next to the closet door.

The walls had been painted a nice peacock blue. It had taken Wesley and Elise several days to decide on the right shade. The walls had several pictures hanging on them: Elise's parents, Wesley's parents, Earth, and three paintings some friends that made for the baby. To Beverly the room felt magical as it waited for the tiny life that would soon be sleeping in that crib.

Her mind raced back to the moment Wesley was handed to her for the first time. She had felt exhausted but completely happy. He was beautiful. Many memories of Wesley as an infant raced through her mind. She also remembered giving birth to Bevy. It had been completely different than Wesley's birth. She wasn't in a medical facility, but in the bathroom of the apartment she was renting while she waited for her to be born. There hadn't been a bed, she was in the bath tub. She hadn't had proper pain killers and felt quite a bit of pain. She was still a fairly new doctor and had been worried about possible complications. Luckily there hadn't been any. She didn't have any sweet memories of Bevy as an infant, just the painful memory of having to hand her over to someone else.

She sat, memories and emotions going in a whirlwind inside her. She didn't hear Jean-Luc open the door behind her, nor did she notice him standing there for several minutes as he watched her react physically to the emotions and memories from behind. He knew what was happening, what she was doing. It wasn't the first time he saw her like this but it was the first time he approached her instead of walking away and leaving her in her private moment. He crouched down behind her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled, and he smiled apologetically.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

She nodded knowingly and stood up to leave. He, however, pulled her into a hug, not allowing her to leave. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Jean-Luc..." she began but he silenced her with a soft kiss.

"I know, Beverly," he told her. She looked at him with puzzlement. He knew what it was all about but she didn't know he was aware.

"If you can come up with a way to make it work, without having me resign, then I will give you one."

She didn't quite understand, but his smile and compassionate eyes told her.

"Are you serious?" she asked softly.

"You aren't the only one that missed out."

"Jean-Luc!" she said with excitement as she threw her arms around him. He held her and for a long time they simply stood there, in the nursery, embracing each other.

Bevy stood in front of the crib, looking inside it as if something was there, the stuffed giraffe still in her hand. Her eyes looked at every single detail of the crib and its contents. Each planet on the mobile. Each neatly tied bow of the bumper. Each perfectly printed star, varying in three different shades of blue, on the sheet. She placed the giraffe on the far corner of the crib. Some friends had come by to give Elise and Wesley some gifts for their baby. Bevy was asked to go take the items to the nursery so that Elise didn't have to make the trip up the stairs, which was getting very difficult and tiring for her.

"Hey," came a voice. Bevy turned to see her brother standing at the door. "Is something wrong? You've been up here for a while now."

"No," she said, "just looking around. I haven't been in here in a while."

"You'll be in here more often once the baby is here. There really isn't anything to do in here until then."

"Yeah," she said indifferently and walked towards the door and past Wesley.

"Bev, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said as she went into her room and closed the door behind her. Wesley was not far behind and opened the door without knocking.

"What are you doing?! Don't you know how to knock?!" she yelled at him.

"What's going on with you? You've been acting strangely lately."

"What's so strange about wanting someone to knock before they barge into your room?!" she yelled.

"That's not what I'm talking about! You're never around anymore and when you are you don't act like yourself."

"I'm not around because I have to go to school every day, or did you forget? And how am I suppose to be acting?? Please fill me in since I seem to have gotten it wrong!"

"For one it's not like you to be screaming or be so defensive," he told her trying to calm down.

"Just leave me alone. Don't you have something you should be doing, anyway?"

"Is that the problem, that I'm busy and can't spend time with you like before?" he asked.

"No, Wes, there is no problem! I just want to be left alone so I can study. What is so damn wrong with that?!"

"What's going on?" asked Gabrielle as she reached the top of the stairs. "The only reason Beverly or Jean-Luc aren't here is because they are outside and can't hear you. Why are you two arguing? Elise is getting worried."

"Nothing is going on," Bevy said calmly. "Wes just doesn't understand the concept of knocking."

"You used to barge into my room all the time. Now it bothers you for me to do the same?" he asked.

"Sorry, ok? I'll never go into your room again. Can you leave me in mine now?"

Wesley gave an exasperated sigh and turned around heading down the stairs.

"What happened?" Gabrielle asked Bevy as she went inside the room, closing the door behind her.

"He didn't knock. He just opened the door like this is his room."

Gabrielle went to her bed and laid down. She picked up a stuffed bear that she kept on her bed and sat it on her chest and began to toy with his ears between her fingers. "Was he right?" she asked Bevy after some silence.

"About what?" Bevy asked as she put down the book she had picked up to read.

"Are you upset he can't spend time with you like before?"

Bevy sighed. She was about to answer but Gabrielle continued.

"I haven't spoken with Elise about anything that isn't about how she feels or the baby or Wesley in such a long time. I'm sure she doesn't know which classes I'm taking or what I'm doing in school or anything important about me, really. I don't feel like I'm talking to my sister. I feel like I've lost my sister."

"Wesley said he'd help me with physics," Bevy began. "But every time I go to him he says he's busy and will get back to me. He never does. So I am going to tutoring after class and he got mad because I'm not home as much. I'd be home if he helped me like he said he would."

There was silence again. Gabrielle kept tugging on the bear's ears and Bevy simply stared out the window next to her bed. Suddenly Bevy looked over to Gabrielle, a big smile on her face.

"I need to do some research at the li-bra-ry."

"The library, hmm?" responded Gabrielle as she sat up, she too had a big smile.

"Yeah, you should come with me since I might need to stay late and could use your help."

"What are we studying this time?" Gabrielle asked as she made her way to the closet they shared. She picked out a simple dress and held it against herself.

"Gender and Communications," answered Bevy as she too got up from her bed and picked out a dress. "I knew that taking that class would come in handy. I just didn't think it would come in handy so quickly.

"Or in this way," added Gabrielle with a giggle. "Do you think it will look too bulgy once it's tucked into some pants?"

"Nah, just wear the long coat," Bevy answered her. "And this time lets choose some shoes that will fit easily into our school bags."

"Maybe we can save on space if we only take one make up bag. We'll just share."

"Good thinking."