Hey Everyone! Sorry for the hiatus. I'll try to put up another chapter tonight as soon as I write it! If you commented, I've left feedback and thanks down below. I love and cherish all of your comments and you guys have helped me out a lot when I had no idea where to go with this story. So, your predictions and questions are all noted and believe me - they are coveted as I read them over and over. Thank again everyone and enjoy this next instalment!
-Becca
The sound of his new name resonates and settles amid smiles and looks of awe. For a moment, we're content to let the crickets and the birds sound their mellow applause before a human voice is uttered.
"Wesley," Deanna starts softly with the beginnings of a smile. "Are you changing your name?"
I see his grin from the corner of my eye. "Yeah, I've been thinking about doing it for a while" He shrugs. "But, uh, it just seemed like the right time..."
"Congratulations, Wesley." Data states nonchalantly. "I have often observed," He turns to the group. "That many people find their identity in a surname. I had often observed that Wesley identified and looked up to the Captain, even on the Enterprise. Therefore," he once again regards Wes. "It is fitting that you are changing your name."
"Thanks, Data," Wesley laughs and leans back against the chair.
"Well Wesley," Marie kisses him on the cheek. "Are you sure you want to be a Picard?" She laughs and looks at her husband. "We're a stodgy old group, aren't we?"
I see the crinkle in Robert's eye as he laughs. "Who are you calling stodgy, Marie?!" With another raise of his glass and an exaggerated wink, "Eh, Wesley," He directs. "If anyone asks, tell them you were named after me!"
I shake my head, laughing so hard my sides hurt amid my full stomach. "That's right; I didn't even make that connection!"
"It's fated," Kathryn raises her glass, not quite understanding the situation, but sharing in its joy nonetheless.
"That's wonderful, Wes," Geordi laughs. "Congratulations."
/
The sun is finally setting - later now as we approach summer where the sun won't relinquish it's dominion over the bright blue heavens until well into the night. And even then, it can't be kept away for long.
I love the evening sky, especially in France. Here, the sunset seems augmented, richer. At home, the colours of our dusks are deep and incandescent with rich, intense shades of red and orange. But here, there's something delicate about the way that the colours decorate the sky. The hues are as soft as soft pastels; they're a gentle teasing kiss hinting at an entity far more passionate waiting in the periphery.
A feeling of utter equanimity settles deep in my belly. Marie's brought candles to light the darkening table as we linger, discussing bits of somethings riddled healthily with an equal amount of nothings. The breeze has picked up and in doing so it has fomented and brought with it the smells of the earth after a day of growth and renewal. The heat of the sun, I note, seems to 'cook' the scents of this land together over the course of the day. And at night, the product of that glorious broil is carried on the wind like a platter and can be savoured like a feast in and of itself.
The laughter at the table is encompassed by the laughter beside it – the laughter of babies and children. On our big picnic quilt lie the four little ones surrounded by Renee in all of his boyish youthfulness. What a sight! The next generation, I think; the products of our love and commitment to each other.
"So," I notice Kathryn's gaze has followed my own over to the blanket. "What's the latest news from Starfleet?"
"Well," She sits back, taking another sip of wine. "I couldn't tell you, Beverly."
"Oh?"
"Chakotay and I resigned just before this scandal came out." She sighs tiredly, but not quite melancholy. "It was different when we came back. I remember," she laughs. "When I left and got stranded in the Delta Quadrant, I remember living my whole life around Starfleet. I was enamored by everything it stood for and represented." She smirks as she nudges her husband. "I think Chakotay can attest to that!"
His attention is captivated by his wife at the sound of his name. "What can I attest to?" He smiles.
"How fastidiously I defended Starfleet's principles!"
"Oh that?" He laughs. "Yes that I can attest to – but," he hesitates. "That kept us sane out there – if we hadn't we would have been like Ransom," He looks down. "Or worse…"
"Ransom?" I lean forward as recollection ebbs. "Rudolph Ransom?"
"Yes," Chakotay responds immediately. "Did you know him?"
I sit back again as a pang of sadness hits me. "Yes, I knew him." I remember now. "He was an exobiologist. Brilliant man. I remember him telling me about the ship he was given command of when I met him at the last United Sciences conference, gosh, it must have been, what, three and a half years ago now (?)" But how did Kathryn meet him? "You met Rudie in the Delta Quadrant?" I posit incredulously.
Kathryn moves to smooth the lines of her dress, "We did. Apparently he had been succored in by the same type of array that stranded us there."
"He was in a terrible bind when we found him." Chakotay looks to Kathryn and takes her hand away from her lap. "We saw a lot in the Delta Quadrant," The table is riveted to him as side conversations drown away. "But, I think of all the things – the Borg, the Kazon, the Vidians, Species 8472," He laughs as the extensive list goes on. "Invisible aliens who increase your dopamine levels to inhuman levels," He gestures around his head as if small needles were poking out. "Of all of that, I think that seeing Rudie Ransom and his crew have to stoop to the levels they did out of pure unadulterated desperation – that was one the hardest things we saw and had to deal with."
"So, what happened?" Jean Luc's hand around my thigh tightens as I take it and wrap our fingers together. "To Rudie Random and his crew, I mean."
"I remember," I interject. "That he was given command of a Nova Class science vessel, correct?"
"That's right," Kathryn confirms. "Called the Equinox. Well, Captain Ransom was stranded," she motions. "Like I said, similarly to how we were stranded – by an array. She looks at Jean Luc. "As you know, Nova class vessels are small, poorly equipped and only used for very short term missions. When they entered the Delta Quadrant, his supplies quickly dwindled and the desperation associated with the knowledge that home was 70,000 light years away settled in. They ran out of everything quickly – power, food, ect…- and in light of that they turned to unconventional methods of gaining power and supplies. Most notably by exploiting and killing an endemic Delta Quadrant specie… and that," she looks to her husband.
"Was how they met their end," he finishes solemnly.
"I recall," Data interjects. "That there was a lot of controversy surrounding the remnants of the Equinox crew."
Kathryn nods, "Yes, Mr. Data. A few surviving members of the crew joined Voyager. When we got back," she clears her throat. "Starfleet wanted to throw all of them into prison, but uh, we fought to keep them out."
"Why?" Data retorts naively. "If they were involved in crimes against another species, should they not have been prosecuted?"
"There is a little thing," Kathryn smiles as she sits upright. "That I call leniency and forgiveness. Anyone of us is capable of doing what the Equinox crew did. But, we held tightly to our principles and luckily that same fate didn't befall us."
Chakotay takes the hand of hers that he's holding and lays a small kiss on their entwined fingers. "No," he shakes his head. "Thank you," he whispers.
"So," I smile as I interrupt them. "That still doesn't answer why you're leaving Starfleet."
"Well," Chakotay fixes his gaze, his features warmer now against the dark blue sky and the glowing tea lights. "It's not the same place; we found that as soon as we got back to Earth. But out of a sense of duty, we, uh, decided to stay for a while."
He looks again at his wife as she continues. "They begged us, in fact."
"Oh?" Jean Luc smiles, remembering a similar 'begging'. "I know that one!"
"Yes," She teasingly brandishes her pointer finger. "They said that after you left, interest in the Academy and Starfleet had gone down. And that with our return to Starfleet, that interest might be rejuvenated."
"But," Chakotay continues. "As we got deeper and deeper into the system, we knew something was wrong. But it wasn't until," he gestures to Wes. "This whole incident that we discovered how deeply that corruption went. We still can't believe it."
"So," Wesley angles himself forward in the chair, pushing his wine glass out of the way. "You're still going to leave even though things are going to be changing?"
"Is that terribly selfish of us?" Kathryn smiles. "Yes," She serenely answers her own question as she looks over to the babies on the quilt. "We have two children now and well, we want to spend as much time with them as we can. We want to live our lives away from that type of structure that Starfleet demanded."
"Here, here," Jean Luc smiles. "We," he turns to me. "Made that same decision and it was one of the best we've ever made."
I lean in to kiss him chastely, signaling my own satisfaction with our choice. "Yes," I utter in agreement against his lips.
A yawn from Will breaks the moment. "I'm sorry everyone, but Deanna and I have to be going." He smiles at her. "I'm an old man – I can't stay up as late as I used to!"
"It's true," Deanna rolls her eyes. "Owch!" They laugh. "William Riker, you're going to pay for that later!"
Kathryn smirks at their banter as she herself rises and starts making her way over to the blanket. "Thank you," She regards us. "For such a wonderful time."
"Yes," Jean Luc answers. "It was good to see you again, Kathryn. And I hope that your exit from Starfleet means we'll be seeing a lot more of you. By they way," We round the table to meet up with them, both now carrying a tired baby on their shoulders.
"What are you planning on doing now?" Jean Luc regards Chakotay as he stoops down to gather up Saoirse – who at this point is quickly falling asleep.
"I'm going to go into teaching full time," he responds.
"Oh, in what field?"
"In archaeology; I made some interesting discoveries in the Delta Quadrant that I think I'd like to write abo-" he laughs. "What's so amusing?"
Jean Luc manages, "It's just amusing because I'm an archeology professor at the University of Washington."
"Are you now? I was going to accept a position at…"
"Wesley!" I hear Renee interject amid Jean Luc and Chakotay's synergy. "Wesley!"
"What's going on Renee?" Wesley smirks amid a yawn.
"Veins avec moi! Come with me! I have something to show you that I found today!" He's so excited that Wesley can barely refuse the tug on his arm as he's yanked away.
"We'll be back later," he laughs, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Well Kathryn," Will starts. "It was good to see you again. Like they said, I hope we see more of you."
"You too, Will," she prods. "You know, you've grown up quite a bit since we were at the Academy!" I can tell there's a back story.
"Alright, alright," Will chortles. "Kathryn and I were meant to go on a date-"
"Will Riker!" Deanna smirks.
"Oh don't worry, Deanna," Kathryn placates. "He stood me up."
"Will Riker!" Deanna repeats in the same humorously aghast tone. "I'm sorry, Kathryn. One of the things I've had to teach my husband has been manners," She laughs.
"And what a fine job you've done," she playfully retorts.
"Well, thank you, again." She turns to Marie and Robert who have come behind us followed by Worf, Data, Geordi, the EMH and Seven. "It's so good to see all of you. And thank you, Marie and Robert for hosting such a lovely party…"
"Yes," everyone agrees heartily as they chime in their individual thanks.
More goodbyes are said. The EMH and Seven leave together, returning to her apartment in San Francisco. And Geordi, Data, and Worf return to the Titan.
Deanna and Will are the last to go. "Will," Jean Luc turns to his old friend. "Thank you again for risking everything to help us. I'll never forget it."
"It was an honour, Sir." He moves into embrace his former captain. "Now, let's not make it another eon before we see one another."
"Aye, Aye Captain," Jean Luc salutes in return.
/
The air is again still, but desolate now without the company of so many friends. The variation in temperatures here, even in summer, is something that I don't think I'll ever get used to. How a day can start and end with such a chilly disposition, but be consumed during the day with such oppressive heat is a total mystery. Two warm arms come to embrace me from behind like a warm sweater shielding me against the cold, finally dark, night.
"Did Saoirse and Aaron go to sleep?" I whisper as I lean into him.
"Before their heads hit the pillow," I feel a kiss on behind my ear, goading me to action as I turn in his arms but… something's wrong.
"Jean Luc?" I pull away, turning my head, sniffing the air. "Jean Luc, something's wrong." I don't know what it is, but a sinking feeling settles ominously in my stomach.
"The air." He turns his head, sampling the atmosphere. And then it hits us. "There's something- Oh God, Beverly!"
Thank you everyone for reading and keeping up with this saga! Much, much, much appreciated.
Linds: Thanks a million for saying that!
Maddie: Aww! Thanks - maybe I should buy stock in Kleenex? Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Martin: Thank you! Here you go! I'll try to put another one up... as soon as I write it. Enjoy this one hot off the press.
Meg: Thanks so much. Glad you like it :)
Zack: Here's the long awaited reaction! I have some things up my sleeve :)
Alex: Thank you times a million! Thanks for leaving a review - mean a lot :)
Sasha: Thanks for all the ideas. I'll work on getting everyone home soon. So glad you liked how the chapter ended!
Reagan (great name): so glad to have you here with us! And so glad that you dropped me a line to tell me that you're liking the story. I hope you enjoy what I've got in store
Samantha: thanks for your kind comments. I hope that this chapter gives you some more insights into France! Thanks a million for reading and leaving a review. much appreciated
Lydia: You are so so so kind. Thank you so much. Hope to hear from you again :)
Timm: Great to have you here! Thanks for leaving a comment and telling me that you like it. Hope that you'll continue to stay with it before I have to wrap it up :( And thanks for the questions - they always lead me in new directions and tell me were people want to see the story end up.
Korie: Thank you! I'll try to put more about France in here as the story goes along :)
Suzi: here you go! Thanks so much for following and keeping up with the story. love hearing from you
Rebekkah: great name - the hebrew version of my own - thanks for reading and commenting! Love hearing from you :)
And to my unnamed Guest: here's more voyager!