For the second time today I find myself speeding down the small empty roads, trying to get home as soon as possible. I'm anxious to tell Jean Luc the news; I'm excited to see his reaction. But, I'm also eager to see Wes. I need to hear how things went; did he withdraw his enrollment? Did he run into any trouble? Are we out of the woods?

I'm trying not to let myself dwell on this situation with Starfleet. It still makes me so angry that Wes is not going to be able to finish his degree all because of petty politics. In the back of my mind, I'm also a little worried because we haven't heard from either Will or Deanna in the wake of this recent corruption. I suppose that with Starfleet monitoring their communications, there's not much that they can do. But I hope that neither of them, or Data, or Geordi, or Worf - or any of our former colleagues! – are involved in this scandal.

They are people that I grew to love over my time on the Enterprise. In my eyes, all of them had upstanding character. One day I hope that we hear from them and we're able to get answers. But in the meantime I'm happy to simply have my son home, my husband safe, and to enjoy preparing for our next addition.

I never speed down our driveway. I'm always afraid that I'll hit something or that a deer will come bounding out in front of me. But today, I can't reach the house quickly enough. I see Jean Luc's car in the distance as I move closer and closer towards the house.

/

"Jean Luc? Wes? Are you home?"

I hear a familiar baritone with a familiar squeal superimposed, "In the kitchen!"

I drop my bag near the front door and make my way through the living room to the kitchen where I let out a sign of relief at the sight before me.

And what a sight it is!

Jean Luc has Saoirse sitting in the sink tub. She's got the biggest baby grin on her face as she flaps her arms playfully in the tepid water. My husband's white shirt and trousers are absolutely soaked but he's wearing the largest, proudest smile. Wesley is standing next to him, similarly drenched and trying to keep the holo-camera safe from the onslaught of Saoirse's aquatic attack.

A Cheshire-cat grin spreads warmly across my face as I try to take a mental photograph of the scene before me. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" I plant a kiss on my son's cheek before wrapping my arms around my wet husband's waist and planting a kiss on his neck.

"Well, Saoirse here decided that since she needed a bath, we needed to join her."

I burry my smile in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar soapy scent, "she certainly did."

I turn my gaze towards my son and I catch him taking a holophoto of Jean Luc and I. Sneaky kid. "Hey!" I put my hand out in tease scornfulness. "How was your day? Did you sort everything out at the academy?"

His own smile fades slightly as he puts down the camera, "yes. I did. They didn't say anything; they just let me walk out. To tell you the truth, I was expecting a fight. But, I think that the Dean felt bad. He knew that they were going to expel me and I think he had rather I just withdraw. It looks better that way. He said he was sorry, though, as I was leaving his office after signing all the papers. And he told me that if anything changes he'd do whatever he could to let me come back."

"Well," I shrug my shoulders, "were you able to transport everything to your room upstairs?"

"Yeah, I didn't have much."

I relinquish my firm grasp around a familiar well-muscled waist as I make my way over to my son and gather his wet form into my arms, "I'm just glad that everything is settled now. I'm still sorry about all of this, Wes. But, we're glad to have you with us."

I smile and look back at my husband as he lifts the wet baby out of the plastic tub, "Indeed," he says with a smile. Something in that moment passed between my husband and my son. From the atmosphere in the room, I can tell that things between them have been cleared.

"Well," I tear myself from away from the three of them, "I will take the wet, naked baby if you two start dinner." I start to walk away. Let's have a little fun with them, "and after dinner I have some very exciting news."