"Jean Lu-," it's hard to keep any coherent thought in my mind when he's pressing hot, wet kisses along the back of my neck. It takes the strenuous effort of every muscle in my body to pull away from him, "Jean Luc, don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?"

He pulls me back to him, rolling my body seamlessly underneath his, "Uh no," he shakes his head as he continues his earlier action, "I don't think I've ever heard that. Not ever." He's lying, trying to feign innocence.

"Jean Luc!" I scream out in a fit of laugher. He knows better than to tickle that spot behind my knee!

He lifts his head, "really, Beverly, I don't know why you keep resisting?" before he resumes his previous activity. He's inching lower and lower beneath the covers feathering kisses all the way down – making sure, with painstaking detail, that his lips leave none of my body untouched.

"Ah! Jean Luc now you sound like someone we both know and hate!" I start to laugh even though it's really not laughing matter.

He starts to laugh as well, "the Borg?"

"Yessss." He's got to stop this. We have to get ready. We're getting married in 4 hours. I don't think that he understands what painstaking efforts women have to go through to look presentable on their wedding day. I tried telling him earlier, but all I got was a scolding: "Beverly, I'd marry you even if you came wearing a bin bag and you had spinach in your teeth".

He seems amused with himself – I can hear it in his voice underneath the sheet, "Maybe you didn't do as good of as good of a job as you thought you did, Doctor, in removing all those implants from Locutus!"

That's it – he'll pay for that one! – Aaaaaaah! – Just not right now…

/

"Jean Luc, what time did we tell the Justice of the Peace that we'd meet him? Also, when are we signing the marriage license?"

"I think we said we'd meet him at noon. But we told Deanna, Will, and Wesley to meet us at the courthouse at 11:30. As for the license, we'll just sign it when we're there. He said it wouldn't be problem. Listen, Beverly are you sure about this – I mean don't you want a proper wedding?"

"No. This was my idea, remember? Do you – Jean Luc, do you want a proper wedding?" I suddenly feel very selfish. I've already had the big fairy tale wedding. I've already worn the ostentatious gown and gone through all the rigors of planning a reception, getting a cake, sending out invitations, making seating arrangements, planning a honeymoon, etcetera. But then I remember, this is Jean Luc's first – and last – wedding. Is this enough for him?

I'm so lost in thought that I don't hear him sneak up behind me. I feel his large, warm hands wrap around my waist and I jump, slightly startled. "Beverly," he whispers, looking directly at me. He looks handsome. Jean Luc always looks incredibly handsome, but right now I can't take my eyes off him. I've only seen him in a suit once in my life: at my wedding to Jack. Thinking about that wedding brings bittersweet memories. That day, I married the wrong man. But, I don't regret marrying Jack in the sense that I don't regret having my wonderful son. But, I regret that it was time wasted away from the one man whose soul mine is bound to.

"Today, my Beverly, is perfect because I'm marrying you and I could think of nothing more extraordinary or proper that that. I love you."

"Don't make me cry – I've already done my eye makeup and I don't think this mascara is waterproof." I grin to hold back the tears and I kiss him. "I love you Jean Luc Picard, and I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."

One small stray tear escapes despite my finely honed control and he gently wipes it away, "shhh. No apologies. No regrets." He steps away, breaking the moment, and leaving me to finish in solitude.

"Beverly, I'll see you in an hour! I'm going to pick up the rings and meet Wes, Deanna, and Will at the transporter station. Don't be late," I hear the smirk in his voice - he knows my penchant for tardiness.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" I reply as I hear the door shut.

It's my last hour as a single woman and I absolutely can't wait for it to pass. I try to focus myself on the task at hand: finding something to do with my hair. It's long now and thankfully my horribly short fringe has grown out to a respectable length. What should I do with the fringe? Should I pin it back?

Wait, was that the doorbell?

If it were Jean Luc he would've just let himself… I'm not expecting any company. Hope and Wesley are the only other two people who know where the house is. I'm not decent enough to be seen by guests! I hardly want to scandalize any poor caller when all I'm wearing is my robe...

There it is again. Ach, what the hell!

"Coming!"

The door slides open and reveals the most wonderful surprise, "Deanna!" grab her petite form and fold her into a hug. It's been too long for two friends who are used to seeing one another on a daily basis.

"Really, Beverly – I'm ashamed of you," she smiles, "an hour until your wedding and you've hardly gotten your hair done!"

"Well are you going to stand here scolding me or are you going to help me?!" I laugh.

"I'll help you."

"Alright, De, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That my finished hair looks nothing like those beehives you used to sport." I say deadpan.

The biggest grin spreads across her face and she starts to snicker, "just for that, my dear doctor, I'm purposefully going to give you the most flamboyant Betazoid wedding hairstyle you've ever seen!"

"Don't you dare!"

"Bev, we've got to hurry. I'll do something tasteful with your carrot top. You focus on putting on your face."

Within 40 minutes we're out the door. We chose to get married in Yakima over San Francisco. This is our home now. We want to leave behind the memories associated with San Francisco. Yes, there are a lot of good memories there, but there's also a lot of hurt. Here in Yakima we're making a fresh start.

Last night after we signed the papers for the home we were able to beam our belongings from the apartment in San Francisco and from storage over into the new home. The house, now, is just a jumble of storage containers and furniture that doesn't yet belong anywhere. But, it's home.

Hope is waiting outside to take us to the courthouse. We're running a little behind schedule so I've told her to "floor it", an old expression I heard in an old Earth film some time ago.

"Beverly! You look absolutely stunning! Jean Luc is one lucky man."

I smile, "Hope, this is one of my dearest friends Deanna Troi."

"Deanna," Hope folds her warmly into a hug, "good to meet you. Any friend of Beverly's is a friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you too, Hope." I don't think that Deanna has met anyone as warm as Hope in quite a while as evinced by the look of surprise on her face at the hug. Other than Guinan, we truly don't have many "warm souls" on the Enterprise. In fact, they're in short supply in all of Starfleet. Deanna is used to dealing with the typical Starfleet persona: cold, driven, vigorously motivated and shut off from others. In that respect, I can see why Deanna is drawn to Will. In a lot of ways he's a lot like Hope. He's boisterous and funny. He loves people and he shows that love liberally. But Will has hardened over the years as a result of our circumstances and the demands of command.

I've been lucky with Jean Luc. Before recently, he was so hardened towards me and everyone else. Getting him to talk and open up was like trying to solve an impenetrable mystery. He shut himself away behind his title and used it as an excuse not to get close to anyone. I'm thankful that he's allowed me to let me love him and that I've allowed him to love me in return. I've never really understood the emotion, or the state of being, of love. Up until this point, I've been selfish with my love. Regretfully, I've even been selfish when it comes to giving my love to my son. But, loving Jean Luc has opened parts of me that I never knew existed. Loving him has made me happy. Loving him has taught me how to love.

Hope breaks my musing, "So, Beverly, where's the honeymoon?"

"In the house!" And it will be… All over the house. I can hear Deanna laughing in the backseat. The truth of the matter is that even though Jean Luc and I have both saved and received a good sum of money, a good chunk of it has gone into the house and buying furniture. We want to save the rest – as much as there might be – for when we start having children or we need to make any updates to the house itself.

Hope knows. She just smiles and nods her head knowingly as we approach the center of town. I see the courthouse in the distance and suddenly I get butterflies in my stomach, my heart starts pounding, and the biggest, goofiest, most serene smile plants itself on my face. I'm going to see him and in a few moments I'm going to marry him. I can't wait.