He'd lived a lifetime in less than a day – marrying the woman he loved, then almost losing her, then getting her back. It seemed like forever had passed and it had only been a little over eighteen hours.

Beverly was propped up against pillows when he entered her room, her red hair fanned about her, blue eyes clear and bright.

"You should be sleeping," he gently admonished, crossing over to the bed and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

She sighed. "I've slept all morning." There was a note of exasperation in her voice, but he could hear the exhaustion behind it.

"And Julian says you should sleep some more. It's the best thing for you." He wrapped his hand around hers.

She squeezed his fingers. "I want to see my family."

He smiled. "And they want to see you. Tomorrow."

She frowned. "Jean…"

"Doctor's orders."

She started to protest.

"And you can't override them." He touched his other hand to her cheek, fingers caressing the now cool skin. "Wesley will be here soon. You'll just have to make do with one child for today. Besides, he may like to have your undivided attention."

A trace of concern crossed her features. "He met the children?"

Jean-Luc nodded. "And they loved him – asked him a million questions. And I think… the feeling was mutual. But it's a lot for him to take in, I'm sure. He's had you all to himself for so long. He's your firstborn, Beverly. There's always going to be that special connection."

Her expression softened. "But he's not a little boy anymore."

"When it comes to a man and his mother, trust me, we don't ever really grow up."

And she gave a gentle smile as she gazed at him. She knew how much Jean-Luc loved Yvette Picard, how she'd been the one who had supported his dreams, sheltered him from the demands of his father and brother. He'd been his mother's son, as was Wesley.

"I'm so glad he's here," she murmured.

Jean-Luc brushed his fingers through her hair. "I am, too." He leaned down and touched his lips to hers, kissed her gently, drew back, whispered in her ear, "I'm glad you're here."

And she saw it in his eyes – both fear and relief – that knowledge that he could have lost her.

"I'm sorry, Jean. For worrying you."

He kissed her again. "No reason to be sorry, just – don't ever do it again."

"I second that." The voice came from the doorway and they looked over to see Wesley. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

Jean-Luc straightened and stepped back. "Of course not. We've just been talking about you."

Wesley grinned and moved to the other side of the bed. "That's why my ears were burning." He leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek.

Beverly held her hand to his face and pressed him close for several long moments before releasing him.

"Well, I wouldn't know," she laughed. "I can't see those ears under all that hair."

And Wesley groaned. "Mom!"

"Don't they have barbers on any of those alternate planes?"

~vVv~

Will had gone back to his quarters earlier in the morning to find that Deanna had returned, Lwaxana was gone, the boys were at school, Matilda was at daycare, Lucy was sleeping – and he was alone with his wife. A situation he was quite pleased with.

"What shall we do with ourselves?" he grinned as he approached her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Deanna pressed in close to his chest and sighed. "I would think you'd be too tired to do anything. I know I am." It had been a long night, and the relief that Beverly would be all right had, in some ways, exhausted her even more."

"Never too tired," he sighed, only to find that sigh turning into a yawn.

Deanna patted her hand against his chest. "Come on, old man, we can take a nap and then see what happens."

And Will laughed as his wife led him into the bedroom, where he immediately stripped off his clothes and fell into bed. He watched as Deanna took a little more time to prepare, changing out of her uniform into her nightgown, brushing her hair.

"A hundred times," he chuckled, as the brush slid through the glistening black waves.

And Deanna smiled. "I don't brush it a hundred times."

"You do. I heard you counting one time."

She laid the brush back on the dresser, turned, and crossed to the bed, sliding in beside him. She settled her head against his shoulder and curled in close. "Well, I'm too tired to count right now."

Will sighed and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you, Deanna."

She snuggled closer. "I love you." Imzadi.

~vVv~

They stayed less than an hour, then got up to leave so that Beverly could get some more rest. She protested, wanting them to stay longer, but Jean-Luc resisted.

"Besides, we need to get some lunch, and I don't think Wesley has seen Guinan yet."

"And you don't want Guinan to get mad at me for avoiding her," Wesley added with a grin.

Beverly exhaled a long breath, suppressing a yawn. And Jean-Luc leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest," he breathed. "We'll be back later. I promise."

She nodded and let them go, only to issue a comment when they reached the door. "You know, Wes, Guinan is a woman of many talents. I hear she cuts hair."

~vVv~

Will lay on his back staring up at the viewport above him, Deanna's head pillowed on his shoulder. Once he'd felt the touch of her in his mind, they'd discovered that neither of them was too tired, and they'd made love until they truly were exhausted. Now, they lay still, listening to each other breathe, Deanna gently fingering the curls of damp hair on his chest.

"I won't leave you and the children," she whispered, her breath warm against his bare skin.

And he shivered; she always knew what he was thinking.

"We can't promise that, Deanna. You never know what might happen. We're back on the Enterprise. I could be hurt on an away mission. The ship could be attacked. You could be injured." He drew in a deep breath. "We could have lost Beverly."

"But we didn't." She draped her arm across him. "And we can't dwell on what might happen."

"I know. But… it's different now. I always knew the risks of joining Starfleet, going into space. I just never thought I'd be taking a family with me."

"Sometimes, our paths choose us. You've walked enough mountain trails in the past ten years to know that."

He sighed. "I miss those mountains."

"I do, too. But there were risks there as well. Every time you and Jean-Luc ventured away from our cabins, Beverly and I worried. If something had happened to either of you…"

Will held her closer. "Now look who's dwelling?"

And Deanna laughed softly. "You're right. Maybe we should do a little less dwelling and a little more sleeping before we have to deal with four kids."

"Good idea," Will agreed, reaching down and pulling the sheet up over them. He felt her burrow closer to him, her lips brushing against his chest. "Deanna?"

"Um?"

"I may not have chosen this path, but… I'm right where I want to be."

"So am I." Imzadi.

~vVv~

Ten Forward was crowded when they arrived, members of the crew spread around the room enjoying lunch and each other's company. Several of them came up to Wesley to say hello and others waved from across the room. Although he'd been tired, he hadn't stayed in his guest quarters for long, and he'd already spent most of the morning catching up with Data, Geordi, and Worf. Now he was pleased to see Guinan approaching from behind the bar. When she reached them, she enfolded Wesley in a giant hug, the long sleeves of her purple tunic wrapping around him like a blanket.

"Wes, it's good to see you."

He felt her patting his back, and he relaxed into her embrace, let her hold him a few seconds longer before he pulled away and looked into her dark eyes. "It's good to you, too."

She gestured toward a table by the viewport. "Have a seat and let me get you both a home-cooked meal."

Wesley blinked at her choice of words. Even Guinan used the replicator in Ten Forward.

Jean-Luc saw the puzzled expression on his face and smiled. "You'll see," he assured him as they crossed over to the proffered table and sat down. "In light of our recent adventure, Guinan has added some new recipes to her menu."

Wesley looked over to see her coming back to the table with a tray. He grinned when she set a glass of milk in front of him. "Thanks, but I'm not a kid anymore."

She set a glass of milk in front of the captain. "Neither is he, but he knows not to argue," she laughed.

Then she set down two identical plates of food: fried chicken, squash, mashed potatoes, and…

"What's this?" Wesley stared at the small brown crispy items on his plate.

"This," Jean-Luc declared, "is absolutely exquisite. All my early life I grew up sampling the best French cuisine, but I've never had anything quite like it." He speared one of the bits with his fork, held it up. "This is fried okra." And he popped the morsel into his mouth and chewed, finishing it off with a large gulp of milk that left a noticeable white moustache above is upper lip.

Wesley just stared, wondering where and when he'd slipped back into another alternate plane.

~vVv~