The wedding of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard was a small affair. Of course, there was the obligatory official reception that was expected when a high ranking Starfleet officer (or in this case, two high ranking officers) got married, but the ceremony itself was a small one, with only close friends and family in attendance; everyone knew the Captain and his wife preferred it that way.
There are rumors, that they were actually the first to leave the grande official reception, after their obligatory dance; whether these rumors are true or false cannot be said with certainty, as there were just too many people in attendance. However, sources claim that that evening an intimate and small celebration took place in Ten Forward onboard the Enterprise.
William Riker and Deanna Troi knew how much Picard dreaded the official reception after the wedding ceremony. And because they loved their Captain and Beverly dearly, they had decided to give them their very own special wedding present: an hour after the official repection had begun, the two newlyweds and their friends from the Enterprise would be beamed aboard the ship, onto Ten Forward, where they would find a modest buffet (with a chocolate fountain of course), drinks courtesy of Guinan, music by their very own collegues and of course a dance floor not unlike the one they had at the last wedding, where Jean-Luc and Beverly had finally come to terms with their feelings for each other. Deanna thought that it was terribly romantic and she knew that Picard wished for nothing more than a small and intimate reception with his closest friend. So she and Will had seen to it that that was just what he'd get.
Jean-Luc Picard was just asking himself, how much longer he'd have to endure the endless streams of congratulations and small talk with various Star Fleet officials - this was his wedding day damnit, why wasn't he allowed to spend it the way he wanted? - when he felt the familiar whoosh of a transporter beam and in the blink of an eye found himself amidst his friends onboard the Enterprise. A quick glance to his side assured him that his wife (gosh how he loved the sound of that) had also successfully left the Starfleet reception. Their eyes met and she gave him the most wonderful smirk.
"Surprise", Deanna Troi screamed and then added with a cheeky grin: "I hope we weren't interrupting anything important..."
Picard's whole mood had changed from grumpy and annoyed to positively elated. This was everything he'd wanted for his wedding, these were the people he'd wanted to spent his big day with. Beverly squeezed his arm and then went on to hug Deanna and thank the whole crew for organizing this little stunt. The band was starting to play some music and people started dancing. It was a lot less stuffy and formal than at the Starfleet venue and Beverly and Jean-Luc were so glad about it.
"Will you grant me this dance?", Picard asked his wife, bowing in mocked seriousness.
"I thought you didn't dance", she replied, and with a giggle she took the hand he was holding out for her. He smiled.
"I'm known to make an exception for the Dancing Doctor."
Beverly couldn't contain her laugh and almost missed her step, but Jean-Luc held her firmly and together they were practically floating over the dance floor.
Deanna Troi beamed when she saw the happy couple taking the dance floor. Ever since his relationship with Beverly started a few months ago, the Captain had been seen more and more dancing publicly and today he seemed almost eager to take on the dance floor.
"I did that", Deanna proudly grinned and nudged Will Riker in the ribs, signaling towards the happy couple.
"I like to believe I helped", Will laughed.
"OK, we did that!"
Suddenly, a mischievous look appeared in Deanna's eyes.
"Oh, I know that look", Will chuckled. "You're matchmaking again!"
"Well, I'm just so damn good at it", she gave him a cheeky grin and a pat on his arm. "Be right back."
And with that, she headed towards Geordi and Fata, who stood at the side of the dance floor, seemingly flustered and unsure of themselves.
"Geordi, didn't you tell me how you'd love to dance but haven't found the right partner yet?", Deanna opened the conversation and gave a knowing look towards Data.
"Well yes", Geordi stammered, "I just can't seem to find the right partner."
Data had already opened his mouth, when Deanna cut in: "You know, I happen to know that Data here is an exceptional dancer, with great teaching skills. Data", she turned towards the Android, "why don't you go dance with Geordi and show him some of your moves."
And with that, she left the two alone again and returned to Will.
"Always meddling", he commented with a grin.
"I can't help it", Deanna replied, "it's in my blood."
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Data and Geordi making their way to the dance floor and smiled. She'd felt that a small push in the right direction was all the two had needed.
Jean-Luc Picard looked lovingly at his wife (he still couldn't believe he'd ever be able to say that), while she seemed to be lost in the music, dancing with a happy, elated smile on her face.
"I love you", he said for thousandth time, but it still felt as good as it had the first time. Somehow, he could never get enough of her. Her smile lit up the whole room and in it he could see the stars.
"I love you, too", she replied. It was the way she said it, with a casual smile and a serious tone that made his heart go crazy. She loved him, they were now husband and wife. In all these years, this had been a mere dream, a fantasy he'd never thought would come true. But here she was, in all her glory, smiling at him, for better or for worse; forever. He looked around and saw his family; there were Data and Geordi, dancing together surprisingly gracefully; there were Worf and Guinan, arm wrestling (Guinan was winning); there were Will and Deanna, laughing, talking, eating chocolate and just being comfortable with each other; this was his crew, these were his friends and his family; and in the center of it all was his wife. His Beverly. And in that moment he was the happiest man in the galaxy.