A few hours after lunch, Beverly returned home to find Jean-Luc sleeping peacefully upstairs and Will Riker grinning like the cat that got the cream on the deck out back.

"Busted. Knew it." He said grinning wildly.

"Damn it, Will! What are you doing here?"

"The captain called me over a little earlier than the rest of the gang. But not, it seems, as early as you, Beverly Crusher." He replied, still grinning like crazy.

They hadn't meant to have kept it a secret. It just seemed to have all happened so naturally, so privately that neither of them had really wanted to make some big announcement. They were reluctantly going to share the news at the gathering they'd arranged before the Enterprise shipped out with her new captain at the helm later that week, but Will's early arrival was not supposed to be part of the plan.

"Okay, okay… it's a fair cop!" she said holding her hands up in defeat.

He stood, went toward her and pulled her into a huge Riker-special bear hug. "I'm so happy for you both! When did this all happen? Wait till I tell Deanna!"

"No! Will, we wanted to tell everyone else together, later on."

"She'll know as soon as she walks up the path, you can't keep secrets from Betazoids, believe me, I know."

When he woke later that afternoon, Beverly helped him freshen up and change so he looked a little more presentable. He'd been wearing a rotating procession of pyjamas and lounging clothes of late, far from his usual.

She helped him downstairs and as they drew nearer the deck, he could hear the unmistakable sound of his crew at play. The party mood was in full swing and it appeared that he was the last to arrive.

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" he whispered, suddenly embarrassed by his perceived weakness.

"You need your sleep, don't worry about it, everyone understands. Besides, you gave us the chance to enjoy a glass or two of your brother's finest." She replied, winking as she hiccoughed.

They stepped out onto to the deck, unnoticed at first. Beverly cleared her throat to announce their arrival, and Jean-Luc was struck dumb, unable to find the words to express how glad he was to see everyone.

"Hey! Captain!" came a chorus of voices.

What followed was a happy melange of shaking his hand, kissing his cheek, grabbing drinks, taking seats, and Jean-Luc had never been happier.

"So, Beverly, Captain," said Deanna letting her gaze linger knowingly in Beverly's direction, "why have you invited us all together?"

"Yes, Captain, you've had me stumped. Data and I have been taking bets… there's a pretty healthy pool going." Said Geordie as he took a sip of chilled white wine.

"I must admit Captain, I too am eager to hear why you have summoned us all here today." Added Worf, drinking what looked like a glass of fresh prune juice.

Jean-Luc looked to Beverly, appreciating the nod she gave him as encouragement "Well, I'll get straight to it. Firstly, thank you all for coming today. I know shore leave is a precious commodity and I very much appreciate you spending some of it visiting me.

As you know, the last month or so has been… challenging. I've been out of commission as it were, and very much forced to face some hidden demons as I have begun what is proving to be a slow recovery; much slower than I would have wanted.

Thanks to this uh, rather unexpected pause, I've had the opportunity to take a step back, to see, from a distance, how the rest of you have thrived and risen up to the extremely difficult situation I unwittingly proved to be the catalyst for on Jendoken Four. It is for this reason, that I have relinquished command of the ship. As of now, I am no longer captain of the Enterprise, no longer your captain."

The long silence that followed hung limply in the air.

"But Captain, you just need a little more time. You'll be up and running before you know it!" Said Geordie with all the hope and positivity central to his personality.

Jean-Luc shook his head, "I'm afraid my recovery is going to linger on for some time. I have come to appreciate the idea that a return to Starfleet for me, is going to mean being deskbound for the foreseeable and I am unwilling to ask anyone to have to run double for my sake. But really, this is only part of my decision and, Will, I must commend you personally here, knowing that the ship couldn't be in better hands has made this decision much easier. It has been an utter privilege to captain the flagship but an even greater one to be able to introduce you all to your new captain, Will Riker."

"Will!" squealed Deanna, turning from Will and back to Jean-Luc with frightening speed. "But Captain!"

"That's Admiral to you now Counsellor." Said Will smiling uncontrollably as he seemed to have been doing for much of the day.

Jean-Luc took the opportunity of the lengthy pause of surprise to continue, "I have been nothing but proud of you all from day one, but of late, I've come to see that frankly, I am no longer needed. You are, all of you, the very best that Starfleet has to offer. I couldn't be leaving the ship in better hands. Besides, I know I'll always have a place to drop my hat should Beverly and I need a ride somewhere far away."

"Captain!" squealed Deanna again. The minute she'd walked up the path to the house she'd felt a change in the relationship between her captain and her friend. To hear him hide the announcement in the middle of an even bigger one was all the confirmation she needed. "Beverly! I'm so happy for you both!" she said as she squeezed Beverly into a tight hug.

"It's been a long time coming, but yes, Jean-Luc and I are together. At last." Said Beverly, returning the hug just as fiercely.

Confused, Data and Worf looked around at the happy faces of their crew mates, then found each other. Data shrugged, Worf followed suit, then both of them rose to join in the melange.

In turns, each of Jean-Luc's former crew came to give their blessing, their congratulations to their former captain and CMO. A mix of hearty hugs and over-zealous handshakes followed, as did toast after toast, and glass after glass of champagne.

While everyone was occupied as Will relayed the turn of events from his perspective Beverly took a moment to check in on Jean-Luc. Quietly, as she perched on the edge of his chair, she noted his pale skin off-set against flushed cheeks, all topped off with glazed eyes. "Had enough?" she whispered, rubbing her hand across his back.

He nodded, suddenly without the energy to even reply.

"Come on, let me help you inside."

She helped him stand and passed him the cane. He stood, trembling almost imperceptibly as he gathered the nerve to take the few steps. Fortunately, as he walked haltingly, painfully back into the house, he went unnoticed. Exactly as he had planned. He knew he wouldn't survive long at one of the infamous senior staff gatherings, and was happy that everyone was so taken with all that had been revealed that they weren't all staring at him as he made his pitiful, staggering way.

Beverly could feel how much he was leaning on her for her support. The further into the house they went, the more of his weight she was taking. By the time they reached the bedroom, he was panting heavily. He sat down gratefully on the edge of the bed and Beverly helped him swing his legs up and round. Before she'd even taken his shoes off, he had fallen asleep. She changed him into a pair of pyjamas, covered him, kissed him tenderly, and went to re-join the party. He'd be out for the night, and quite possibly, tomorrow would be a right-off too. It had been a hell of a day.