On board the Enterprise, Wesley Crusher stood in front of the door to the holodeck. He'd already programmed the computer and was just waiting to go in. And yet, he was afraid to.

He'd worked for months on this particular program, and a part of him was dying to see how it had turned out. But still, he hesitated. Perhaps it's better to leave some things alone, he thought. After all, there are things in life that shouldn't be tampered with. But this is the holodeck, he reminded himself, and it had nothing to do with life. It was all just make-believe on a grand scale.

He continued to stand there.

Someone passed behind him in the corridor, and he quickly reached his hand up to the computer panel to cancel the holodeck's program. But he stopped himself. No. This was something he had to face. After months of research, this was something he wanted to do. He activated the door, and it slid open.

Wesley Crusher stepped into the Golden Gate Park, and the Enterprise seemingly disappeared behind him. It was a warm spring day, with a faint breeze blowing in off the bay. The sky was a hard, bright, royal blue, with an occasional wisp of a white cloud feathered across it. In the distance, Wesley could hear the voices of children at play, and the scream of seagulls down by the wharf.

He'd been here before. Once, when he was three years old, his mother had taken him. It was the first time he could remember walking barefooted on grass, and he could still recall the feel of it, the smells and the sounds. It had been a day exactly like the one he'd just walked into. He'd programmed it that way.

He looked around expectantly. But there was no one there. No one. He felt a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It hadn't worked. All those months of planning, and digging for information, and it hadn't worked. Except for the park, it had been a total failure. He took one last look and turned to leave.

"Going somewhere?"

Wesley froze. And then he turned back around. The man walking towards him was dressed in the familiar cranberry-colored uniform of command. He was tall, and lean, with light brown hair swept back off a high forehead. And he was smiling. Wesley couldn't help but smile back.

"You're not leaving are you?" the man asked, as he came to a halt in front of Wesley.

Wesley was speechless, but only for a moment. He swallowed. "I was, but..." Wesley shook his head. It was him. It looked just like the picture his mother had kept on her bedside table all those years. It was really Jack Crusher.

"Why don't we go for a walk, son?" The voice was the same as the one on the personal log tapes Wesley had stayed up listening to, night after night.

"Sure," he murmured.

They started across the field of grass, heading for the trees in the distance.

"So," Jack Crusher began, "how are things?"

"Things are fine," Wesley answered tentatively.

"And your mother? How is she?"

"She's fine."

"She enjoyed her year as head of Starfleet Medical?"

"Yes."

"Always knew she'd make it to the top." There was pride in his voice.

"You did?" Wesley looked over at him.

"Oh, yes. Very talented woman, your mom. Of course, I knew she wouldn't be able to stay away from the Enterprise for long."

Wesley blushed. "I think she missed me."

"I'm sure she did," the man agreed with a grin on his face. "You and... the rest of the crew."

They'd reached the trees and there was a bench. They both sat down.

"So," Jack Crusher rested his hand on Wesley's shoulder. It was warm and solid. "What do you want to do with your life?"

"I want to be a Starfleet officer," Wesley answered, wondering if it would have really been like this if Jack Crusher had lived.

"I thought as much," his father responded. "You're definitely a product of your parents."

"Mom always says I'm definitely your son."

"She still says that?"

Wesley nodded affirmatively.

"She used to say that back when you were in diapers," Jack Crusher continued, "and you used to spit up a lot."

They both laughed, and the sun shone down in dappled patterns of green-gold through the rustling leaves overhead. It was a moment Wesley had longed for all his life. And then, the illusion shattered.

"Ensign Crusher?" The voice came out of nowhere. It belonged to Geordi LaForge.

Wesley tapped his communicator. "Ensign Crusher here."

"Wes," LaForge said, "I could use your help in Engineering, if you can spare the time."

"I'll be right there, Geordi."

Wesley turned and looked at Jack Crusher. Only he knew it wasn't Jack Crusher, and he felt like a fool for letting himself pretend. But the holodeck image spoke.

"Wes," the man held his gaze steady, "I'm as real as you need me to be."

Wesley stiffened. The image shouldn't have said something like that. It shouldn't have alluded to the fact that it wasn't really what it had been programmed to be.

"Don't worry, Wes. We'll talk again. Okay?"

Wesley nodded. "Okay. Program over, and save."

Jack Crusher blinked out of existence, and Wesley Crusher left an empty holodeck behind him.

~vVv~