The lighting in the captain's private section of sickbay was muted.

This was normally the region of her domain that Beverly Crusher least enjoyed spending time in, because it meant that Jean-Luc was either seriously injured or ill.

But this time things were different.

In fact, as of last night everything was different.

She had never dreamed she would be a mother again after all these years.

Exhaling a tired yet contented sigh she lay back comfortably on the biobed as Nurse Ogawa completed her scans and carefully delivered the small, sleeping bundle into her father's arms. Jean-Luc nodded his thanks as she quietly left the room, leaving the two of them – the three of them – alone.

Jean-Luc carried his newborn daughter back to Beverly's bedside. Despite the hush in the air and the earliness of the hour the motion seemed to arouse the snoozing tot. Her bright hazel eyes opened and she began to fret, her stubby pink fingers balling into tiny, flailing fists.

All of Beverly's maternal instincts seemed to awaken from their long dormancy at once. She reached out to take Felisa in her arms, aware that her husband was very new to fatherhood and, while the most competent person she knew in every other aspect of life, utterly inexperienced with fussing babies.

But Jean-Luc was already re-positioning the little bundle into the crook of his left arm. He settled Felisa's head against the warmth of his shoulder and gently eased her arms against her sides, rearranging the blankets to cover them. Within a few seconds she gave a wide yawn and her eyes slid closed.

"You did that very expertly," she commended him, slightly surprised as his adeptness with his tiny daughter.

He smiled down at the now sleeping infant. "I've been practicing."

Practicing? she wondered. How? She cocked an enquiring eyebrow in his direction.

"On the holodeck," he clarified, settling little Felisa more comfortably against the broad muscles of his chest.

Beverly stared up at him, half amused and half horrified. It was entirely like Jean-Luc to have gone and actually practiced holding a baby. But at the same time, if he thought a virtual baby was in any way the same as a real one –

Jean-Luc smiled back, a bit smugly. "Actually Ensign Williams from Engineering has been kind enough to let me hold young Malcolm."

Ah. The baby boy that she and Alyssa had delivered just over three weeks ago. Beverly smiled up at him, mollified and even secretly impressed. Not that I'm going to tell him that. Instead she said, "You're just full of surprises."

He glanced down at the sleeping bundle in his arms, then back to his wife. "So are you."

Beverly reached up to touch his arm. "We, Jean-Luc," she corrected. "This was definitely a two-person job."

His lips quirked upward. "Yes, I suppose it was." His gaze once again shifted back to his infant daughter, and as it did so to Beverly's surprise his expression sobered and the smile left his lips.

"Jean-Luc?" she queried softly, wondering at the pensiveness of his look. She hoped he wasn't having second thoughts. It's a little late for those now.

For a long moment he was silent. "I never imagined this day would come," he admitted at last, his eyes still on his daughter's face. Then his head rose and his gaze met Beverly's. "And I never dreamed it would mean so much."

Now it was easy to see the wonder in his eyes, the amazement and the joy, and her heart soared with happiness. She loved seeing him this way – the curious adventurer, the gentle lover, the proud husband, and now the delighted, doting father, all rolled into one. And to know – well, she knew, but to hear him say it aloud – that having a child together was so important to him seemed to lift her entire spirit, filling it with warmth and light. In this moment she felt more connected to him and their newborn child than she'd ever been to anyone before.

He's going to be such a wonderful parent.

Jean-Luc looked down at his daughter again, continuing in a quiet, reflective voice, "When I think of it…" He trailed off and shook his head in amazement. "There's a piece of each of us – and our families, our whole genetic history – right here." He patted the bundle he held against his chest with such tenderness that for a moment Beverly felt her eyes film with tears.

"And although my family in France is…gone…" His voice stumbled for a moment, and then continued on more strongly, "I have a new family now, here, with you."

Beverly reached up to capture his free hand in hers. She squeezed gently. "We both do, Jean-Luc. And who knows what else the future might bring? The possibilities are endless." We're both going to be wonderful parents. I can't wait.

He nodded, returning her warm, loving smile. "Yes, they certainly are."


Author's Note: There you go: short but sweet, and, I think, a good note on which to end the series. Thank you all for reading, and special gratitude to those of you who took the time to leave reviews! I appreciate you taking this journey with me.

"In every child who is born, under no matter what circumstances, and of no matter what parents, the potentiality of the human race is born again." James Agee

The End