Part 14

"Fini!" Marie Picard proclaims, setting the freshly baked baguette on the kitchen counter.

Stirring the roasting pan of simmering beef bourguignon, Beverly turns from the stove to her new sister-in-law. "Smells divine."

"You don't cook on that space ship much, do you?" Marie inquires, reaching up to the cupboards.

Smiling, Beverly shakes her head. "Not much. It's not easy to cook elaborate meals on a star ship. And, I don't get a lot of time with my job."

Pursing her lips, Marie shakes her head reprovingly. "Those poor boys, eating replicated food every day."

Raising a brow, Beverly mock scoffs. "Poor boys? Hardly. Neither Jean-Luc nor Wesley are hungry, I assure you. I can't feed Wes enough. He's insatiable!"

Chuckling lightly, Marie places the large wooden salad bowl she had retrieved onto the counter. "He's a growing boy."

Smiling, Beverly walks over to the counter where Marie is assembling the vegetables they had recently prepared into the large serving bowl. "I can't keep up."

Pausing in the middle of placing the lettuce in the bowl, Marie looks out the window into the yard of the Picard estate, where Wesley and Jean-Luc's nephew, Rene, are running around chasing a flying disk, Rene screaming in delight as he runs after Wesley. "Speaking of which, I'm so glad you did make the trip here. It's so nice to meet you, and your son. Rene is just enthralled with Wesley. He idolizes him, wishes he could live on the Enterprise with you."

Beverly steps over to Marie and puts a hand on her shoulder, watching the boys chase a flying saucer around the trees in the yard. "I'm glad we're here, too. You're all welcomed to visit us any time."

"I'm not sure Robert's ready for that," admits Marie, looking at her son relishing the company of his older cousin.

Squeezing her sister-in-law's shoulder, Beverly exhales deeply. "They'll get there. This was a big step, for both of them."

Turning around, Marie rolls her eyes, her lips curled in a tiny smile. "They can be such stubborn little buggers, can't they?"

Giggling, Beverly nods her agreement. "Yes, Jean-Luc can be infuriating sometimes. But, I find he's open to…reasoning."

"Reasoning?" Marie raises a questioning brow.

"Persuasion," teases Beverly, trying to contain her giggles.

"Oui," laughs Marie wickedly, her eyes dancing. "I reckon Madame Picard is accustomed to getting her way."

Covering her lips, Beverly tries to regain her composure, lifting the cheese grater in preparation. "I have to be assertive. Wes is becoming more and more like Jean-Luc every day. These men will drive me crazy."

Drizzling a caesar vinaigrette dressing over the salad, Marie chuckles heartily. " Qui. But, we wouldn't have it any other way, would we?"

Grating a fresh parmesan cheese onto the salad, Beverly smiles to herself.

"Now that you're married, do you plan on having any more little Picards?" Marie inquires, desperately trying to keep her tone casual as she tosses the salad with two wooden large wooden spoons.

Grinning at the woman she had only know for a couple days, Beverly sets the block of parmesan cheese on the counter. "Possibly. I don't know."

Turning to her new sister-in-law, Marie nudges her playfully. "Oh, my dear. You must. Jean-Luc did not see your son as a boy. And, I think he would be such a wonderful father. You must have many petits bébés."

Laughing in amusement, Beverly accepts Marie's ribbing with good humour. "We'll see, Marie. We just got married. This is new."

Patting Beverly's hand, Marie nods empathetically. "Oui. Why don't you go fetch the boys? We're just about ready here."

"Okay," agrees Beverly easily, grateful to escape to the vineyard to track down Jean-Luc and his brother.

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"Are you bored?" Jean-Luc inquires, setting his wine glass on the blanket next to him as he sits on the ground with his back against a tree, Beverly nestled between his legs with her back pressed up against his chest.

Bringing her wine glass to her lips, Beverly takes a small sip of her cabernet. "Lying in a vineyard in France gazing up at countless stars?"

Smiling into her cheek, Jean-Luc kisses her tenderly. "It's not exactly an idyllic honeymoon, here with my family."

"It's perfect," Beverly assures him, resting her own glass on the blanket beside her. "I'm glad to meet them. They're wonderful. Your nephew just worships Wes. They're having so much fun. And, I adore Marie. She's been so gracious."

Enveloping his arms around her waist, Jean-Luc kisses her jawline. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. It appears that Wes is, too."

Rotating her neck to look at him, Beverly brings a hand up to stroke his jaw. "What about you?"

"It's been nice showing you and Wes around," admits Jean-Luc, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips. "It's important to me that I reconnect with my roots. I have…progeny now."

Smiling, Beverly watches as Jean-Luc rubs her hand between his.

"It means the world to me that Wesley is here, learning about the vineyard, getting to know his family," remarks Jean-Luc, his voice thick.

Leaning in, Beverly feathers a kiss to his lips. "It's been fantastic, for all of us."

"Beverly," chokes Jean-Luc, grasping her hand, a hard lump in his throat.

"What's wrong?" inquires Beverly in a whisper.

Half-smiling to himself, coy and hesitant, Jean-Luc gazes at her openly. "I have a confession."

"What?" Beverly accepts the bait, wondering what has him so anxious.

Drawing her in closer, Jean-Luc holds her gaze. "I missed over fifteen years of Wesley's life. There was so much of being a parent that I didn't experience. I realize we can't do it over, and I don't blame you. But, I've come to realize that I want it…I want to be a father. I love our son, but I want to experience parenthood with you, as a couple, from the beginning. I want another child with you."

Beaming, Beverly lays her hand on his cheek, drawing his lips into a long, deep kiss. Jean-Luc grips her hip with one hand, pulling her into his lap as her tongue traces his bottom lip.

Breaking off, Beverly laces their fingers in the hands that are joined between them. "I was thinking about that today. I had a feeling you were going to bring this up. I knew you'd want more children."

Regaining his breath, Jean-Luc brings his free hand up to brush an errant lock of hair from her face. "What do you think?"

Smiling suggestively, Beverly tugs his hand. "Let's go inside and get to work, Picard."

"Now?" laughs Jean-Luc incredulously.

Jumping to her feet, Beverly pulls Jean-Luc up by the arm, suddenly bursting with energy. "I can remove my contraceptive implant in an instant. Come on."

Chuckling, Jean-Luc shakes his head. "It doesn't work that way, Doctor Picard."

Slipping her arms around his neck, Beverly kisses Jean-Luc hard. "We can have fun practising. It's our honeymoon, after all."

Snaking his arms around her waist, Jean-Luc groans his agreement. "Dormez bien, La Barre!"