Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own any part of the Star Trek series.

Building a Life

Chapter 3

Picard rolled his neck side to side on the transporter pad having been sitting down for the better part of the day. Delegations and meetings back to back were by far his least favorite thing to attend. He was good at it and that's why everyone asked for him to delegate or simply be there as a third party observer, but he wished they would send another official now and then. Briefly he brought his shoulders to his ears and let them drop in a minute stretch of its own. Before he could step down though, the doors to the room open and Will Riker came in.

"Captain, welcome back," he greeted.

"Thank you, Number One. Everything run smoothly during my absence?" Picard asked, taking the two steps down to 'ground level', eyes trained on his right-hand man.

"Yes they did and something else happened too. You should follow me," he said, careful to make sure his voice was light and happy-sounding. It was certainly nothing troubling but he wanted it to remain a secret as long as possible. Picard glanced at O'Brien for a moment who smiled at him, knowing what it was about. He nodded at Riker and followed him into the hallway then the turbolift, wondering why all the secrecy. The taller man made sure to ask for the deck number instead of their destination.

Soon they exited the lift and headed to the middle of the deck and entered. Doctor Selar was sitting in the CMO's office as she had been the past few weeks in lieu of Beverly. When she saw the Captain and Riker enter she stood from the desk and walked into the room.

"Captain," she nodded in greeting, receiving the same from him. "Doctor Crusher went into labor at 1100 hours and gave birth at 1754 hours to a healthy baby girl," she informed the man, who's expression immediately changed to that of shock and a little disappointment at not being there for his wife. "If you will follow me you can meet your daughter, however Doctor Crusher is currently resting and we must let her rest." The Vulcan headed into the maternity section of Sickbay where Beverly was covered in a blanket, head turned on its side sleeping and a newborn-style crib sat at the end of the biobed.

Selar and Riker held back near the entrance to the room, watching as Picard slowly made his way to the crib. Once there he placed his hands on the edge and peered over. There she was, wrapped in a soft pink blanket, thumb in her mouth, cooing in her sleep. The man couldn't help but smile at the sight. This was his child, his daughter. He reached toward her slowly, and put a hand lightly on her forehead. Her skin was the softest thing he had ever touched and her hair was a wispy blonde color.

"Jean-Luc?" came the groggy voice of his companion, bringing his attention to the biobed.

"Beverly," he said walking around to her. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face, smiling widely at her. "She's beautiful. Just like her mother."

The CMO smiled at her husband, reaching for one of his hands. "Now we just need a name," she told him. She had picked her son's first name, so she was allowing Jean-Luc to choose their daughter's first name, so long as it was normal enough to her standards.

"What do you want to name her?" he asked sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I think you should decide."

Picard's smile faded briefly, not quite expecting this information. He had never really thought about a name for their child—gender a mystery until the birth—so he was quite unprepared for the opportunity. He took his time running through names before settling on one that pleased him.

"Angelique," he said, smiling again this time in reminisce. "It was my grandmother's name."

"I think it's a great name, Jean-Luc," Beverly told him before she had to yield to the yawn building in her body.

"Get some rest, my dear. You deserve it," Jean-Luc said in a soft voice before leaning up and giving her a sweet kiss. He stood up and walked back to the crib to watch his daughter for a few more minutes.

"Welcome to the Enterprise, my Angelique."

I hope you enjoyed the third installment.