Another Favor
Star Trek: The Next Generation, all characters and ideas there associated are the sole ownership of someone that's not me.
All original ideas and characters contained in the following story are the sole property of J.L. Scott.
Will had been right about J.W. The boy had grown a great deal and the top of his head nearly reached Jean-Luc's chest. With his dark hair and blue eyes, he looked almost exactly like Will, except in the nose, which more closely resembled his mother's.
"What are you doing home?" Will asked as they walked in.
"Grandpapa?" J.W. said, staring at Jean-Luc.
"Hello, J.W." Picard smiled. A thoughtful look overcame the boy and he turned to his mother.
"Oh" he suddenly said, "That's it" Raylyn had obviously explained telepathically. J.W. was only one quarter Betazoid, but the talents had obviously carried over.
"Now, I thought you were supposed to be at school" the boy's father said.
"Ensign Anders let us out early because of the attack" J.W. replied.
"Ah" Will gave Raylyn a look and went to the replicator to start preparing dinner.
"How did you get back?" the boy inquired, following his grandfather to the couch.
"Q brought me to help against the Borg" Jean-Luc replied.
"Dad doesn't like Q, but Mom says he's not that bad" J.W. informed him, "We aren't allowed to talk to him unless Mom says we can" And the young boy rolled his eyes to show his opinion of that rule.
"J.W., go help your father with dinner" Raylyn ordered, "The twins will be home any minute" J.W. hurried away to do as he was told and Jean- Luc watched.
"How old is he?" he asked.
"He just turned 10" Raylyn answered.
"That's nearly 8 years" Jean-Luc said, "A short war"
"For the Borg and Dominion maybe" Raylyn replied, "Personally I wouldn't have minded if it had lasted another 50 years" Jean-Luc had to smile. A 50 or 60 year war certainly would have left more time for the Federation and it's allies to prepare.
Just then the doors opened and 5 young children ran in the door, followed closely by Laal, who looked disheveled.
"Oh, Laal!" Raylyn cried, dismayed.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Ray" Laal apologized, "I could not catch them" Jean- Luc, while cringing at all the screaming, was amused.
"Ian, Andrew, Ana! Front and center" 2 brown heads and one blonde hurried to line up in front of their Aunt. She narrowed her eyes and they all bowed their heads as she telepathically scolded them.
Jean-Luc took the chance to look the children over. These were Deanna and Wyatt's children. They too had been much younger when he had last seen them.
Andrew and Ana were both dark haired, while Ian was blonde. None of them were quite as tall as their slightly younger cousin, but the family resemblance was unmistakable. They had all inherited the brown, pupil-less eyes of the Betazoids, but none of them looked more like one parent than the other. They were, apparently, every bit as rambunctious as they had been 8 years earlier, however. Jean-Luc tried to stifle a chuckle. He didn't know what Deanna Troi could have done in her childhood to deserve three such hellions, but he would be interested in finding out. He suspected Raylyn had been a great influence.
"But they started it!" Andrew cried, pointing a finger towards the dinner table, beneath which two small figures were crouching. Will and J.W. were continuing on with their preparations, completely ignoring everything that was going on.
"You are three years older than them and you should know better!" Raylyn replied, "Now I want you to stay with Laal all the way to your quarters, or the next time Aunt Lwaxana is here, you will be getting an earful!" The triplets looked appropriately chastised and threatened as they trudged after Laal.
"And you two!" The two young girls scrambled out from beneath the table. They hurried to line up in front of their mother and both began at the same time to try and argue their case. Now Will left the setting of the table to his son and joined his wife.
Jean-Luc's eyes were glittering with laughter. Children, even in all of their aggravations, were such joys. And these two were apparently quite capable of creating much aggravation.
Jean-Luc was not surprised to find that both girl's were dark haired and dark eyed. Neither had any vestiges of the Picard nose. (A welcome happetance for them as their bone structure would not have supported it as beautiful as did their mother's) Their long hair was held back in French braids and they wore identical outfits. Fortunately, they were not identical twins and were not to tell apart.
"Stop!" Will ordered, using his commanding voice. Both girls immediately fell silent.
"You two are still on probation for hijacking Uncle Wyatt's chemistry lab last month" Raylyn reminded them, "And this is the third day in a row you've left Laal in the corridors"
"But we don't need Laal!" one of the girls cried.
"Yeah. Even if old Featherbrain tried to kidnap us again, we beat him the first time!" her sister added.
"You were lucky" their father corrected.
"Uncle Geordi said we were ingenious" the first girl said arrogantly. Jean-Luc was very interested in this story, but he knew it would have to wait.
"That's not the point" Raylyn said firmly, "The point is that you need to learn to follow rules and do what you're told" The girls frowned and lowered their defiant chins.
"You're punishment is being extended" Will told them, "No computer access for two months, you're classes with Data are cancelled until next quarter, you're not going on any holideck adventures with Uncle Wesley, and if you are caught anywhere on this ship that is not between here and the school room, you will spend the entirety of next summer on Betazed with Grandmother Lwaxana" This decree had the two children paling. Jean-Luc wondered if the parents were being too harsh.
"Ah! No appealing to me!" Raylyn cried, "You are the Captain's children and you should be setting an example. A good example!"
"But our lessons with Uncle Data!" the second girl cried in dismay.
"You don't get special treatment if you can't act like special children" Will said. The girls sighed and nodded in resignation.
"Now go wash your hands for dinner" Raylyn ordered to tenderly with a telepathic wave of understanding. She once had been just as they were.
"Hello, Grandpapa" the girls said simultaneously, both lifting a hand as they trudged past. Then they stopped and looked back. They both studied him curiously for a moment. Jean-Luc remained relaxed, sitting on the couch while they considered.
"Focus on it" Raylyn tutored them, "What is it?"
"He's Grandpapa" one girl said.
"But he's not from here" the other added.
"You're from a different reality!" the first girl cried.
"That's right" Jean-Luc nodded, "I was here once before, before you were born" The two girls took up positions on either side of him.
"Did Q bring you?" the girl on his left asked.
"How did you know that?" Jean-Luc asked. The girl on the right shrugged.
"It makes sense"
"Picard to Crusher"
"Go ahead"
"Morgan and Mary won't be coming tonight"
"Oh dear" Beverly sounded amused and worried at the same time. Jean- Luc turned to the girls.
"So which of you is Morgan and which is Mary?" he asked.
"I'm Morgan" the left said.
"And I'm Mary" the right added.
"Dinner's ready" J.W. called and the family joined him at the table.
Jean-Luc spent the rest of the evening being regaled by long lists of the children's activities and accomplishments, and more colorful stories of their escapades with their cousins. He was not surprised by the range of their studies, but he was somewhat surprised by the levels. His grandchildren could very well be regarded as geniuses.
After a while, the children were sent off to bed. Jean-Luc was enlisted in helping to tuck them in.
"Bon soir, Grandpapa" J.W. called as Will flicked off his light.
"Bon soir, Grandpapa!" the girls called, not to be outdone.
"Bon soir, mon petite cheri" Jean-Luc called back. He rejoined his daughter and son-in-law with an extraordinary fulfilled feeling.
"I'm surprised you two can stand to stay awake with those three" he laughed, taking a cup of tea from Raylyn.
"They're certainly a handful" Will agreed.
"It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so smart" Raylyn said, "Not that having genius children isn't wonderful. It's just that the trouble they get into is so much more serious"
"I'm sure your Aunt could say the same of you and your cousin" Jean- Luc said. Raylyn smiled.
"Very likely"
"Speaking of cousins, I find myself in sore need of a family update" Jean-Luc sipped his tea.
"Oh," Will said, "You've hit upon Ray's favorite subject" He set his glass down and rose.
"If you'll excuse me, I promised Data and Geordi we'd go over the damage report before morning" He bent a bit and kissed his wife, who had turned her face up with a smile.
"Jean-Luc"
"Will" And with a nod the man was gone. Jean-Luc turned to his daughter who launched into a detailed recap of the lives of each family member. She was only just finishing and he was holding back a yawn as she walked him to the transporter.
Star Trek: The Next Generation, all characters and ideas there associated are the sole ownership of someone that's not me.
All original ideas and characters contained in the following story are the sole property of J.L. Scott.
Will had been right about J.W. The boy had grown a great deal and the top of his head nearly reached Jean-Luc's chest. With his dark hair and blue eyes, he looked almost exactly like Will, except in the nose, which more closely resembled his mother's.
"What are you doing home?" Will asked as they walked in.
"Grandpapa?" J.W. said, staring at Jean-Luc.
"Hello, J.W." Picard smiled. A thoughtful look overcame the boy and he turned to his mother.
"Oh" he suddenly said, "That's it" Raylyn had obviously explained telepathically. J.W. was only one quarter Betazoid, but the talents had obviously carried over.
"Now, I thought you were supposed to be at school" the boy's father said.
"Ensign Anders let us out early because of the attack" J.W. replied.
"Ah" Will gave Raylyn a look and went to the replicator to start preparing dinner.
"How did you get back?" the boy inquired, following his grandfather to the couch.
"Q brought me to help against the Borg" Jean-Luc replied.
"Dad doesn't like Q, but Mom says he's not that bad" J.W. informed him, "We aren't allowed to talk to him unless Mom says we can" And the young boy rolled his eyes to show his opinion of that rule.
"J.W., go help your father with dinner" Raylyn ordered, "The twins will be home any minute" J.W. hurried away to do as he was told and Jean- Luc watched.
"How old is he?" he asked.
"He just turned 10" Raylyn answered.
"That's nearly 8 years" Jean-Luc said, "A short war"
"For the Borg and Dominion maybe" Raylyn replied, "Personally I wouldn't have minded if it had lasted another 50 years" Jean-Luc had to smile. A 50 or 60 year war certainly would have left more time for the Federation and it's allies to prepare.
Just then the doors opened and 5 young children ran in the door, followed closely by Laal, who looked disheveled.
"Oh, Laal!" Raylyn cried, dismayed.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Ray" Laal apologized, "I could not catch them" Jean- Luc, while cringing at all the screaming, was amused.
"Ian, Andrew, Ana! Front and center" 2 brown heads and one blonde hurried to line up in front of their Aunt. She narrowed her eyes and they all bowed their heads as she telepathically scolded them.
Jean-Luc took the chance to look the children over. These were Deanna and Wyatt's children. They too had been much younger when he had last seen them.
Andrew and Ana were both dark haired, while Ian was blonde. None of them were quite as tall as their slightly younger cousin, but the family resemblance was unmistakable. They had all inherited the brown, pupil-less eyes of the Betazoids, but none of them looked more like one parent than the other. They were, apparently, every bit as rambunctious as they had been 8 years earlier, however. Jean-Luc tried to stifle a chuckle. He didn't know what Deanna Troi could have done in her childhood to deserve three such hellions, but he would be interested in finding out. He suspected Raylyn had been a great influence.
"But they started it!" Andrew cried, pointing a finger towards the dinner table, beneath which two small figures were crouching. Will and J.W. were continuing on with their preparations, completely ignoring everything that was going on.
"You are three years older than them and you should know better!" Raylyn replied, "Now I want you to stay with Laal all the way to your quarters, or the next time Aunt Lwaxana is here, you will be getting an earful!" The triplets looked appropriately chastised and threatened as they trudged after Laal.
"And you two!" The two young girls scrambled out from beneath the table. They hurried to line up in front of their mother and both began at the same time to try and argue their case. Now Will left the setting of the table to his son and joined his wife.
Jean-Luc's eyes were glittering with laughter. Children, even in all of their aggravations, were such joys. And these two were apparently quite capable of creating much aggravation.
Jean-Luc was not surprised to find that both girl's were dark haired and dark eyed. Neither had any vestiges of the Picard nose. (A welcome happetance for them as their bone structure would not have supported it as beautiful as did their mother's) Their long hair was held back in French braids and they wore identical outfits. Fortunately, they were not identical twins and were not to tell apart.
"Stop!" Will ordered, using his commanding voice. Both girls immediately fell silent.
"You two are still on probation for hijacking Uncle Wyatt's chemistry lab last month" Raylyn reminded them, "And this is the third day in a row you've left Laal in the corridors"
"But we don't need Laal!" one of the girls cried.
"Yeah. Even if old Featherbrain tried to kidnap us again, we beat him the first time!" her sister added.
"You were lucky" their father corrected.
"Uncle Geordi said we were ingenious" the first girl said arrogantly. Jean-Luc was very interested in this story, but he knew it would have to wait.
"That's not the point" Raylyn said firmly, "The point is that you need to learn to follow rules and do what you're told" The girls frowned and lowered their defiant chins.
"You're punishment is being extended" Will told them, "No computer access for two months, you're classes with Data are cancelled until next quarter, you're not going on any holideck adventures with Uncle Wesley, and if you are caught anywhere on this ship that is not between here and the school room, you will spend the entirety of next summer on Betazed with Grandmother Lwaxana" This decree had the two children paling. Jean-Luc wondered if the parents were being too harsh.
"Ah! No appealing to me!" Raylyn cried, "You are the Captain's children and you should be setting an example. A good example!"
"But our lessons with Uncle Data!" the second girl cried in dismay.
"You don't get special treatment if you can't act like special children" Will said. The girls sighed and nodded in resignation.
"Now go wash your hands for dinner" Raylyn ordered to tenderly with a telepathic wave of understanding. She once had been just as they were.
"Hello, Grandpapa" the girls said simultaneously, both lifting a hand as they trudged past. Then they stopped and looked back. They both studied him curiously for a moment. Jean-Luc remained relaxed, sitting on the couch while they considered.
"Focus on it" Raylyn tutored them, "What is it?"
"He's Grandpapa" one girl said.
"But he's not from here" the other added.
"You're from a different reality!" the first girl cried.
"That's right" Jean-Luc nodded, "I was here once before, before you were born" The two girls took up positions on either side of him.
"Did Q bring you?" the girl on his left asked.
"How did you know that?" Jean-Luc asked. The girl on the right shrugged.
"It makes sense"
"Picard to Crusher"
"Go ahead"
"Morgan and Mary won't be coming tonight"
"Oh dear" Beverly sounded amused and worried at the same time. Jean- Luc turned to the girls.
"So which of you is Morgan and which is Mary?" he asked.
"I'm Morgan" the left said.
"And I'm Mary" the right added.
"Dinner's ready" J.W. called and the family joined him at the table.
Jean-Luc spent the rest of the evening being regaled by long lists of the children's activities and accomplishments, and more colorful stories of their escapades with their cousins. He was not surprised by the range of their studies, but he was somewhat surprised by the levels. His grandchildren could very well be regarded as geniuses.
After a while, the children were sent off to bed. Jean-Luc was enlisted in helping to tuck them in.
"Bon soir, Grandpapa" J.W. called as Will flicked off his light.
"Bon soir, Grandpapa!" the girls called, not to be outdone.
"Bon soir, mon petite cheri" Jean-Luc called back. He rejoined his daughter and son-in-law with an extraordinary fulfilled feeling.
"I'm surprised you two can stand to stay awake with those three" he laughed, taking a cup of tea from Raylyn.
"They're certainly a handful" Will agreed.
"It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so smart" Raylyn said, "Not that having genius children isn't wonderful. It's just that the trouble they get into is so much more serious"
"I'm sure your Aunt could say the same of you and your cousin" Jean- Luc said. Raylyn smiled.
"Very likely"
"Speaking of cousins, I find myself in sore need of a family update" Jean-Luc sipped his tea.
"Oh," Will said, "You've hit upon Ray's favorite subject" He set his glass down and rose.
"If you'll excuse me, I promised Data and Geordi we'd go over the damage report before morning" He bent a bit and kissed his wife, who had turned her face up with a smile.
"Jean-Luc"
"Will" And with a nod the man was gone. Jean-Luc turned to his daughter who launched into a detailed recap of the lives of each family member. She was only just finishing and he was holding back a yawn as she walked him to the transporter.
