DISCLAIMER: See previous chapter

CONFRONTATION

When Wesley had arrived at her quarters, to say she was surprised would have been a lie. Despite the divorce, both Bekah and Wes knew the other like a book. He knew his announcement had upset her. However, it wasn't for the reason he'd thought.

"Bek, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that," he said.
"Wesley, it's fine. I admit it was a shock to find out you were getting married so quickly after our divorce, but that's all it was, surprise," she had said.

Wesley sat on Bekah's couch, taking in the sight that was his ex-wife. When he'd first seen her on the station, all the old feelings had rushed to the surface. He wanted to take her in his arms and apologize and tell her he did love her and wanted to try again. Then he'd remembered the divorce and his future wife and quieted those thoughts. Despite the divorce and the distance, he loved Bekah. She was his first true love; his first everything. That was a hard thing to moved past.

Bekah had changed. It was slight, but Wesley recognized the change. She wasn't the timid and shy girl he'd dated and married years ago. She had always projected confidence, but he suddenly saw that she was striving for that perfection, the confidence from others she served with and befriended. Rebekah Marie Riker had never failed at anything and, suddenly it occurred to Wesley that their divorce was a failure in her eyes. Something that she had a difficult time processing.

"Bek, our divorce wasn't your fault. You tried, but the distance between us with my studies with the Traveler and your tenure on the Enterprise was a strain on both of us. Then my re-enrolling in the Academy was stressful. When I came back to the Enterprise, it was really hard to get into a routine of doing things together. By the time we got used to each other again, I was going back to either the Traveler or the Academy. It was hard. We were good together, in lots of ways," he said.
Bekah blushed. "You mean the sex was mind-blowing."

One thing the couple never had a problem with when they were married was sex. Since Bekah and Wesley were first-timers in that department, they never had any cause for complaints. They missed each other when not together which made the sex when they reunited, twice as passionate.

However, both soon tired of that kind of relationship. When Wesley wasn't on the Enterprise every day, Bekah had developed her own routine. She spent time with Will, usually having dinner with him several nights a week. She spent time with Geordi, meeting on the holodeck or in Ten-Forward. She watched Data's performances and had tea with Captain Picard. She played poker with her friends. When Wesley would return, Bekah found herself out of sorts. Wes was used to doing things a certain way and Bekah did things her way. They found themselves fighting with each other over minor things, like what to have for dinner or when to visit with their friends.

"We were good while we were together, but when we started seeing less and less of each other...," he said, trailing off.
"I know. I just guess I hate failing. Everyone wanted us to make it. Wanted us to be happy. I guess I feel like I've disappointed everyone by allowing our marriage to become a causality because we didn't try hard enough. We were good together, but I honestly think our time has passed," she said.
"It wasn't your fault that we didn't work out. It was a mutual thing," he asked, surprised that she had known and not mentioned to him.
"For a while I just felt like if I had resigned from the Enterprise and taken a position at the Academy, we might have had a shot at staying together. But I would have resented you and that wouldn't have worked for our marriage. That's why I didn't fight when you mentioned divorce. I knew it was the best thing for us, but it still felt like a disappointment. I knew, what we had in the beginning, was the best it was ever going to be. We were together and we trying new things and experiencing things together. When you went off to the Academy, those things we had shared became things we celebrated alone. You're getting on the flight team, my promotion and all those other little things that happened while we were apart. We didn't get to share those things with each other, so while they were important, we didn't think the other viewed them as important as they were. Our first 18 months were the best and nothing would top them," she said.
"That's true. I know you were excited for me about the flight team, but not having you there when I got the wings was hard for me. I was one of the few Cadets that was married and I was the only one that didn't have their spouse or family at the ceremony. I wasn't there when you got your promotion and I know you thought I resented you for that because you were rising the ranks and I was Cadet. I've never been more proud of anyone in my life than I was when you got your promotion. Staying on the Enterprise was a sacrifice for your career, but I know you did it for me, but I didn't see it that way. I thought you felt you had to do it or were doing it for Will. I guess we jumped to a lot of conclusions during our marriage," he asked.
"Your fiance is getting a good husband, for the most part," Bekah said.
"Thanks, Bek. Friends," he asked.

"Yeah, friends. I'll see you in the morning. I will have the assignments and shuttle schedule for your group at that time," she said.
They shared a hug and Bekah saw Wesley to the door. When the door closed behind him, she knew she had finally closed the door on their relationship as a marriage went. She now felt ready to move on with her life, both professionally and personally.

But, she still had this nagging doubt in the back of her mind that something wasn't right. She was trying to figure it out, but for the life of her, the solution eluded her.