"Mom?" Wesley's voice came from the front door.

Beverly leaned over the second floor railing and called down the stairs. "I'll be right there. Jean-Luc is eating breakfast. Will you check on him?"

"Sure."

Wesley walked into the dining room. Jean-Luc wasn't there. But he had been. There was an empty glass of orange juice and a half eaten English muffin on the table.

"Jean-Luc?" It still felt strange calling the captain by his first name, but it was less confusing for him.

Wesley went into the kitchen, and saw that the back door was open. Jean-Luc was sitting on the steps. The younger man went out and sat down beside him. Jean-Luc looked over and smiled.

"Good morning," Wesley said. "I thought you were lost there for a minute."

Jean-Luc shook his head.

Wesley looked around the small backyard, the sun glinting off the trees and shrubs. He took a deep breath of the clean morning air. It was going to be a beautiful day. He glanced over at Jean-Luc. Too bad he had to spend it at Starfleet Medical. Every day. Whether it did him any good or not.

"Wesley?" Beverly's voice came from inside the house.

"Here we are, Mom."

She appeared in the doorway. "Why are you out here?"

Wesley shrugged. "I don't know. This is where I found him."

She stared at her son. "You mean he wasn't in the dining room?"

"No. His breakfast was, but he wasn't." Wesley smiled at his mother's over concern. "Mom, it's no big deal. He just wanted a little fresh air."

"Wes, he could have wandered off." She shook her head, crossed her arms in front of her. "I set him down at the table and told him to eat his breakfast."

"You should know by now that you can't always expect him to do exactly what you tell him. He has a mind of his own."

"I know he has a mind of his own." Beverly's tone was harsh, but then the expression on her face softened. "I'm sorry. I'm just mad at myself. I shouldn't leave him alone. Not even in the house."

Wesley stood up. "Mom, he's all right. He just came outside to sit on the stairs. He didn't go any farther. I mean, I think that makes him pretty trustworthy."

Beverly exhaled a deep breath and smiled. "You know, you might be right." She leaned over and tapped Jean-Luc on the shoulder. He'd been fairly oblivious to their conversation. "Come on, Jean-Luc. It's time to go."

~vVv~

Wesley came almost every morning to accompany them to Starfleet Medical. It was only a few blocks from the Academy, and he didn't have a class until ten. As they walked along the sidewalk together, he noticed Jean-Luc kept tugging at his jacket in much the same way he used to tug at his uniform.

"He doesn't like it," Beverly explained.

"Because it's the wrong color," Wesley said off-handedly.

She stared at him. "What?"

He laughed slightly. "Mom, it's blue. It should be dark red."

Beverly shook her head, suddenly understanding what Wesley was saying. "I never even thought of that."

"What would you do without me?" he grinned.

She put her arm around his shoulders. "I wouldn't survive without you, Wes."

And he heard the sincerity in his mother's voice. This had been hard for her, perhaps even more difficult than those months following his father's death. At least then she'd been allowed to mourn; she'd known Jack was never coming back. What was worse, Wesley wondered, to lose someone you loved and never see him again? Or to lose him and see him every day?

He smiled at her. "You're taking good care of him, Mom."

"Thanks."

"Although, in the future, you really should consult me on all fashion decisions."

Jean-Luc chose that exact moment to shrug out of the offending jacket and hand it to Beverly. She threw her head back and laughed. "It's a deal, Wesley."

~vVv~