Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and reviews! I love hearing from all of you (makes my day). Here's the next chapter and I'll post the next one momentarily! Enjoy. -Becca
"Deanna. Will." I'm just as shocked to hear the names tumble out of my mouth as I am to see the people standing there.
"Beverly, Jean Luc," Will nods.
Wesley seems to be the only one not in utter shock and the only one currently capable of speech. "Captain Riker, Counselor Troi, it's good to see you. Please come in," He ushers them in and closes the door behind them.
I realize how foolish Jean Luc and I must look. We're literally standing here speechless, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Uh, Deanna, Will, it's uh – it's good to see both of you." Jean Luc stammers. Saoirse seems to sense a disturbance in her home as she starts to cry. She's cranky, tired, and what's more: we can't find her favourite pink dummy. He repositions the baby on against his chest, "Shhh, kitten, it's alright." Unconsciously he bounces her up and down to quell her cries. "We weren't expecting you both. I'm sorry, but it's been over a year now..." I really don't think he knows what to say.
Deanna and Will look sheepish all of a sudden. "No, no!" I interject, "it's good to see you. It's just that we weren't expecting you. Please," I gesture to the living room, "please come in and sit down."
"Uh, Beverly I'm just going to take care of Saoirse's uh-" I can smell what he's talking about before he finishes the sentence.
"I'll take care of it," Wesley picks takes his sister, and whispers, "you visit with our guests."
"Thank you, Wes," he whispers, relinquishing the cranky one year old.
"Yes," he similarly gestures to the living area, "please, let's sit down."
I don't think I've ever felt to awkward in my own home. It's silly, though! These are our friends and truly it hasn't been that long since we've seen them. A lot has happened, however. But the heart of the matter is that Jean Luc and I are a little wary of Starfleet at the moment. We're also a little preemptively bitter that Will and Deanna didn't help Wesley – not that that would have known. But, still…
"Well," Will begins sheepishly, "I suppose you might be wondering what we're doing here after all…"
"Will, please," Jean Luc voices, his hands raised in peace, "all of us are very happy to see you. It's been too long for friends and well, we're just caught a little off guard. We were just about to start dinner, in fact. Won't you stay?"
"Thank you Captain – eh – Jean Luc." Deanna nervously stammers.
He shakes his head. "It's been a long time since anyone's called me that. But, uh, how have you both been? Where have you both been? Please, tell us."
"Well," a grin spreads across Will's features, "I see that life has been good to the two of you." He's evading the questions.
I look at my husband sitting next to me and grab his hand, "Yes," I say with a smile, "it's been very good. But," I don't know why I feel the need to bring this up. "Recently we've had some troubles with Wesley. He's been coerced into leaving the academy. I don't know if you've heard…" I didn't mean to sound so bitter. But, it just came out that way.
Will's head drops and he shoulders sag in sadness and obvious discomfort. He grabs hold of Deanna's hand, a gesture that does not go unnoticed. "Yes. We just heard. We're sorry. We uh-"
Jean Luc is just as angry as I am. "Do you know what happened? Did you know that this was going on?"
"Jean Luc, Beverly," Deanna pleads. "We're sorry for what happened to Wes, but there was nothing that we could do."
"What do you mean?!" I need to rein in my anger. I don't want to tinge this visit with anger and bitterness. These are two of our oldest friends, "I'm sorry, Deanna. It's just that we've had a rough go of everything recently with Starfleet and we're still a little bitter and angry about it."
I feel Jean Luc tighten his grip on my hand, fastening himself to me. "Why don't you tell us what's been going on," he states simply.
Will sits back against the soft back of the sofa, "well, I suppose I'll start at the beginning."