Chapter 3

Commander Riker paced the bridge. The Captain had gone down to meet the new crewman, his lover, boyfriend, partner..yeesh…it was difficult to think of the Captain as being involved with a man. He knew that the rumours about him and Beverley were unfounded, but he thought he just didn't fancy redheads, he hadn't realised that it went further than that. And now the Captain was pregnant. This man was responsible for that and Will couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing but it was certainly a big thing.

The turbolift door opened with a hiss and the Captain stepped onto the bridge, followed by a tall man with shoulder length brown hair in a style that looked like a neat form of dredlocks, he was covered in the same pattern of brown ripple as the baby. He was a bigger build than the Captain, muscular and bearded. Well, at least they had something in common. He could avoid the "knocking up my Captain" conversation with a comparison of trimming techniques. Will shook his head and determined to give the man a chance. He was being irrational and Deanna was frowning at him.

"I would like you all to welcome Commander Theich Dal Meritan on board. He will be changing departments on a regular basis in order to convert all relevant skills to Starfleet standard, so I am sure that you will all be working with him at some point in the near future. Just to be clear, you are all aware of my involvement with Commander Dal Meritan. This should not have any impact on ship's business. Commander Dal Meritan knows where he stands in the chain of command and his relationship with me should not make any of you concerned about protocol. He is a member of this crew regardless of his relationship with me. That said, perhaps you would all meet us for a drink in Ten Forward this evening so that you can meet him properly."

The bridge crew nodded in agreement, staring at the newcomer unashamedly. Theich was not the embarassable type however and could happily stand the scrutiny. It was all he could do to stop himself from giving them a twirl. He bit down on his snort of amusement and smiled broadly at them all. They obviously cared about Jean-luc; that was a good thing. He knew that Jean-luc cared about them too, so he would have to behave a little more reservedly than usual whilst they got used to him. Commander Riker stepped forward, hand extended.

"Welcome to the Enterprise, Commander. We're happy to have you on board."

"Thank-you Commander Riker. I'm rather happy about it myself."

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"Should I just use the empty drawers or can I stick things in other drawers too?"

"I honestly don't mind. I cleared a couple out, but feel free to do whatever you feel best. You should make yourself at home."

Theich grinned and chucked his socks in with Jean-luc's. Turning, he almost stalked across the room.

"Hmm, well, at home, after not seeing my lover for four months, I would probably leave the unpacking till morning and take said lover straight to bed."

He wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist and pulled him tight, kissing the top of his head and breathing in his scent. Jean-luc twisted around in his arms, bringing their faces within centimetres of each other's.

"I think I can accommodate that."

"Fabulous. Accomodation is definitely what I had in mind. I haven't been accommodated in ooh…four months."

Theich guided his lover towards the bed, gently laying him down on the covers as he moved to undo the uniform. Jean-luc toed off his boots and scooted further onto the bed, losing the uniform as he went. Theich made short work of his own clothing and with a deep kiss he initiated the link between them. Jean-luc gasped and melted into the waiting arms, letting the tide of emotions take him where it would. Surrender was the key, thankfully a surrender to pleasure was not something he had a problem with these days.

Theich sounded in his mind, "I missed you." He gently kissed his shoulder blade. "I missed you so much it almost hurt." He fluttered a row of kisses down Jean-luc's chest, then claimed his mouth again. Pressing his body up against his as his need took over, ravaging the smaller man.

Jean-luc moaned as he felt Theich's hands stroking him, gripping him. As he felt his lover slide inside him, he arched up deeper into his embrace, crying out with pleasure.

The afterglow always left Jean-luc feeling special and cared for, but there was something deeper there now. The state of surrender was not something one could easily banish, it ebbed away slowly, so there was no barrier that he could erect as the feelings of love washed over his consciousness. He was not entirely surprised when he felt Theich notice the reciprocation of those feelings. Jean-luc wrapped himself around his lover as they snuggled beneath the covers. They had an hour before they were due in Ten Forward and he was completely content to spend all of it like this. Theich stroked his still flat stomach.

"It's amazing. If you were Nashiran you would be about to give birth, but I can't even tell that you're pregnant. I can't wait until you're showing, I imagine us lying here and I'll stroke your belly and feel it kick. Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Do you know yet?"

"Beverley said that she could tell, but I chose not to know. Do you have a preference?"

Theich laughed, "No, not at all. I'm so amazed that this is happening that all I want is for the two of you to be healthy. I told my family, by the way. They want to meet you. When you're ready of course. You've had a lot to deal with, in-laws can wait."

"In-laws?"

"Turn of phrase. Don't freak out."

"I'm not."

"I can still feel your emotions."

"Oh!"