Part 6

USS Stargazer, 2347

Trailing her hand down his bare chest as they lie in his bed, Beverly peppers kisses to Jean-Luc's neck and collarbone. Now fully sated, she's savouring the rare intimacy after their long-anticipated reunion.

Entangling his hand in her hair, Jean-Luc lets out a long sigh. "Four months is far too long."

"Not my fault. You command this ship," Beverly reminds him teasingly, gently raking her nails over the sensitive area around his navel. "I'm all alone at at the Academy, waiting for the next time."

"Next time I'm taking a shuttle to Earth," growls Jean-Luc, cradling her head between his hands.

Grinning into his lips, Beverly slides up his body, kissing him longingly. "I wish I could stay here."

Pain plaguing his features, Jean-Luc caresses her cheek. "Stay. Don't go back to Jack. You belong here. Call off the wedding."

Eyes dilated, Beverly looks at him incredulously. "Jean-Luc…"

"I'm serious," states Jean-Luc adamantly, one arm encircling her waist. "He doesn't love you. I love you. You belong with me."

Biting her lip, hot tears sting the back of Beverly's eyes. "Jean-Luc, you know I can't…"

Stroking her cheek, Jean-Luc absorbs the tears watering in her eyes. "Please, Beverly. We'd be so good together. Just…walk away. You can do it. I'll hold your hand."

Clutching his chest, Beverly buries her face in Jean-Luc's neck, sobbing quietly. "I wish I could, Jean-Luc. I wish I could."

USS Enterprise, 2364

Striding into the Chief Medical Officer's office, Jean-Luc finds Beverly behind her desk, hovered over her computer nursing a cup of coffee. He crosses the room, watching her study the screen intently. "Doctor, why aren't you in bed?"

Head snapping up at the sound of his voice, Beverly throws him an impatient roll of her eyes. "I'm just reviewing Wes' last test. This looks good. Engraftment is starting."

"When was the last time you slept…or ate?" challenges Jean-Luc, placing his hands on the edge of the desk.

"I'm a little…preoccupied," admits Beverly haughtily, abandoning her cup of coffee on the desk.

"You need rest. I don't want to make that an order," Jean-Luc warns her.

"Fine," sighs Beverly, rotating the screen on her computer. "I'll go back to Wes' room. He's sleeping anyway."

Jean-Luc knows better than to argue that she should return to her quarters for a proper sleep. He knows she won't abandon her son in Sickbay. In fact, she hasn't stepped foot out of Sickbay since Wes had taken ill.

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Jean-Luc had insisted she have a proper sleep, so they had rolled a cot into Wesley's room and set it up in the far corner. Beverly had brushed her teeth, washed her face and sat on top of the small portable bed, intending to shut her eyes for a few hours.

"After that lecture about rest you're still working," Beverly points out to Picard who is seated on the chair next to Wesley's bed reviewing a report on a PADD.

Glancing over at Beverly turning down the covers on the cot, Picard half-smiles. "Sorry. I don't want to disturb your sleep. Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"

Raising a brow, Beverly looks at him curiously. "You're not sleeping in that chair tonight. Not after you berated me for not sleeping for days."

Smiling in concession, Picard nods his agreement. "I just…don't want to leave."

"Wes is fine," Beverly assures him. "I'm right here to monitor him."

Standing out of the chair, Picard sets his PADD on the chair before meandering over to the cot on the side wall. Lowering himself onto the cot next to her, Jean-Luc lets out a long breath.

"We can't go back to the way it was. I don't want to go back," states Jean-Luc resolutely, taking her hand in his.

Gazing at him directly, Beverly reads the fervent expression in his eyes. "What do you propose we do?"

Lacing their fingers, Jean-Luc holds her eyes. "I want to make this right. I want a relationship with Wesley. I've missed fifteen years, Beverly. I won't miss one more day."

Nodding her acquiescence, Beverly agrees completely. "Okay. I get it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've taken this time away from the two of you."

Running his hand up his arm, Jean-Luc wants to comfort her, assure her that he is not intending to make her feel guilty or remorseful. "We can't make up for lost time, Beverly. All we can do is choose how to move forward. He's my son and…and probably the only child I'll ever have. I never thought I'd have this opportunity. I want to be a father."

Grasping his other hand, Beverly bites back a sob, resting her forehead against his. A part of her wishes she could go back and re-do everything. "Thank you, Jean-Luc. It may take some adjustment. Wes may not be receptive initially."

Pecking her lips, Jean-Luc brings his hand up to massage her shoulder. "That's alright. This is going to take time. But, we'll take it slow. He may be confused and hurt right now, but he'll come around."

Closing her eyes, Beverly relishes the intimacy. "Yes. We'll figure it all out."

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Rousing from his deep sleep, Wesley rubs the sleep from his eyes, casually looking around the now familiar room in Sickbay. Blinking rapidly, he is surprised to discover that his mother and the man he had recently come to know as his father asleep on a roll-away bed in the far corner. Puzzled, Wesley shifts upright, noticing that they had apparently fallen asleep unexpectedly, on top of the blankets and dressed completely in their uniforms, his mother's head on Picard's chest.

Clearing his throat, Wesley decides to get up and use the washroom, hoping that in the interim his parents will awake.

Bolting upright at the sound of Wesley shuffling out of the bed, Beverly is on high alert. "Honey! What's wrong?"

Pausing next to the bed, Wesley looks at her calmly. "Nothing. I have to go to the washroom."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Beverly relaxes, until she realizes that Jean-Luc is asleep beneath her on the cot. Eyes widening, Beverly turns to Wesley, guilt written all over her face. "He wanted to stay here…make sure you were alright through the night."

Shrugging, Wesley does not want to aggravate the situation by making it overly awkward. "Okay."

As Wesley slowly pads across the room, Beverly lets out a long breath. Turning around, she jostles Jean-Luc's shoulder. "Jean-Luc, get up!"

Grumbling, Jean-Luc opens his eyes. "What?"

"Wes is up," whispers Beverly urgently. "We fell asleep. I was basically on top of you."

Sitting upright, Jean-Luc grimaces, stretching out his tense muscles from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. "Yes. I can feel it."

Pursing her lips, Beverly stands off of the bed. "Come on. Let's not make this any worse."

Rolling his eyes, Jean-Luc climbs off of the bed. "Beverly, the boy's fought through a fatal disease, during which he found out his mother had an affair with a man who is actually his biological father. How can this possibly make things worse?"

Crossing her arms, Beverly is not impressed with his retort. Although she recognizes that the image they may have created is relatively inconsequential, she thinks that Wesley has been through enough and does not need to be subjected to their public displays of affection.