"So," began Picard, "now that we've gotten the story of your injured shoulder out of the way, what else happened this week?"

"This week has actually been pretty eventful," replied Elnor.

"Oh? What else happened?" Picard asked as they meandered slowly behind Number One.

"I was struggling to come up with a good idea for this evening's dinner, so I decided to call Deanna and Will to ask for their advice. Soji told me how kind they were to her and how close you are with them, so I thought they might know what your favorite foods are." Elnor chewed pensively on his lower lip, afraid he'd in-butted by going to Picard's friends for advice and worried that Picard might think he'd overstepped some boundary.

"Oh, Elnor, you didn't have to go to so much trouble," Picard said, looking at him curiously, "but I have to ask, what did they tell you?" His eyes widened, "We're not having bunnicorn pizza for dinner, are we?"

Elnor laughed, "Laris asked the same thing! But no, it's not bunnicorn pizza. In fact, they never mentioned any particular dish at all. Deanna's recommendation was to keep it simple, so that's what I'm trying to do."

Elnor paused to give Number One a good shoulder scratch as the dog had come back to them. "Actually, it was a different topic she brought up that has had me thinking a lot lately." He paused, uncertain how to continue.

After a pause, and taking time to pick a particularly juicy looking grape, Picard asked him, "So what is it? Do I have to drag it out of you?"

"No," Elnor said, "It's just something I hadn't thought of before. She asked me why I call you 'Picard' all the time and noted that friends usually don't call each other by their last names. She said that she and Will called you by your title, captain, when they served on the Enterprise with you, but that now they call you Jean-Luc. And I guess I had sort of noticed that Raffi calls you 'JL', but Raffi always has her own way of doing things, so I hadn't thought much about it." Elnor smiled at the thought of Raffi.

"I see," replied Picard, glancing up at his taller companion. "And did Deanna have any suggestions?"

"No, not really," Elnor's brow furrowed in thought. "She only said it was something I should think about and talk with you about."

"And what have your thoughts been so far?" asked Picard.

With some hesitation, Elnor answered, "I realized I'd thought for most of my life that your only name was 'Picard.' After all, it's common for Romulans to be known publicly by only one name. Until recently, I'd never heard anyone else address you by any name other than 'Picard.' So it has seemed normal and comfortable to me to call you 'Picard.' Now I'm not certain what to call you. Deanna asked questions and got me thinking, but now I'm more confused than ever! Is that what counselors do? Confuse people?"

Picard chuckled before answering, "No, not normally, but I can see why you would find this confusing. Deanna has this way about her of honing in on the blind spots that people have, the things they can't see for themselves that they need to be thinking about. But usually she has helped me understand things more clearly rather than confusing me."

They had reached the end of the row of grapevines and once again Picard took a seat on the cool, curved concrete bench that wrapped part way around the base of a huge oak tree. As he and Elnor sat halfway facing each other, much like they had on Vashti only a few short years ago, Picard realized that in some ways he'd never stopped thinking of Elnor as the small boy he'd left behind. He also realized he knew Deanna's reason for suggesting to Elnor that he think more deeply about what he called his mentor.

"I think I understand what Deanna was getting at," he said to Elnor, who was seated with his right hand resting on his knee, seemingly at a loss as to what to do with his arm in a sling, and looking at Picard seriously. "The names we call each other are defined by the relationships we have with one another. Children usually call their parents 'mother' or 'father', while parents call their children by their first name. Friends who meet in school, or at an Academy," Picard looked at Elnor pointedly, "generally call each other by their first names. People of an equal rank in Starfleet may call each other by their rank, last name, or even by their first name, especially if they have a long history together and are also friends. People of different ranks or stations in life generally call each other by that rank, as I was called 'captain' and then 'admiral', or as a person might address their doctor, professor, or other professional.

"I think what Deanna was suggesting is that the relationship you and I have now isn't the same as the relationship you and I had when you were a child. Nor is it the same relationship we had when you agreed to be my qalankhkai. I think she wants us to seriously think about what our relationship is."

Picard smiled softly at Elnor before asking, "What do you think our relationship is?"

Elnor let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. He drew in another breath and forced himself to breathe normally for a few moments as he thought about Picard's question. What was their relationship now? Maybe, he thought, if he just talked things would become clearer to him. "When I was a child," he began, "I often let myself imagine that you were my father. For a long time after you left, I let myself dream that you were going to come back, that you were going to call me 'son' and take me away with you. That's why it hurt so bitterly when you didn't come back."

Picard nodded sadly in understanding.

Elnor continued, "When you came back after I was grown and asked for my help, I was still hoping you had come back for me, not for the help I could give you. I was angry because I was still clinging to the idea of a father/son relationship between us. But I let that go when I agreed to be your qalankhkai. Through that, I was bound to you in a different way. But that was only a temporary bond.

"Now, with the time we've spent together since we're both on Earth, I do feel like I'm a part of your family, but I'm not at all sure what part. A close family friend? Is a close family friend different from family?"

Elnor's gaze was fixed on the ground as he said, "I guess Deanna was right that we needed to think about this and talk about this."

"She usually is," agreed Picard. "I guess the question is, 'what kind of relationship do we want to have?'"

Elnor looked up to meet his gaze. "I think I'm a little old now for the father/son relationship."

"Ah, now, I wouldn't say that," Picard answered with a small laugh. "I think it is I who have gotten too old. Perhaps we have a grandfather/grandson relationship?"

Elnor cheered up considerably as he asked, "Does that mean I get to call you 'Gramps'?"

Picard somehow managed to contort his face into a forbidding grin. "I don't think I like that name," he said with a laugh. "What's an alternative?"

Elnor's mood turned somber again as he said, "We could just go with me calling you 'Jean-Luc', although I'm not certain that defines our relationship in a way like Deanna intended."

"We may not find that answer quickly," Picard replied, "but at least she's got us thinking about it now.

"You know, Elnor, I was never fond of children before I met you. But there was something about you. . . maybe it was your youthful resilience to all the turbulence of the relocation, or maybe it was your honest expression of your emotions. I'm not completely sure, but I did find myself drawn to you. I enjoyed bringing you books, reading to you, teaching you mock swordplay. I'm really not sure how things might have turned out if the synth attack on Mars hadn't happened."

Ever honest, Elnor replied, "Your duties would have drawn you away. You would have continued to work as hard as you could to relocate as many Romulans as possible before the supernova. You would have probably stopped by more often, as much for your friendship with Zani as for me. But I don't think you really had time in your life for a son."

Picard sighed. "You're right about that. I allowed my duties to consume me. I never had time for a serious relationship, let alone for starting a family, raising a child. Still, I did have a place in my heart for you. And now, here you are."

His expression completely serious, Picard said, "Elnor, you are more than a 'family friend' to me, and I daresay to Laris as well. I'm not sure what having a son feels like, but I did have a nephew for a time. I know I'm just as fond of you as I was of René."

Noticing the past tense, Elnor asked, "What happened to him." He almost immediately regretted his question as soon as he saw the pained expression on Picard's face.

After regaining some composure, Picard answered, "He died in a fire, right here at the chateau along with my brother, Robert. He was to be the next generation of Picards. Now there is no one."

Picard smiled sadly, his gaze now on the ground, and continued, "He called me 'nephew' and I called him 'uncle'."

Elnor smiled at the small joke. "You still miss him a lot." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, I do. Some pains never go away. I hope I never have to feel the pain of losing you."

Elnor could only nod in understanding. He knew that life was always precarious. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't offer Picard the consolation of promising to outlive him.

After some moments of silent reflection, Picard asked, "Shall we head back?"

"As you wish, Gramps," Elnor said with a smile as he rose to his feet to help Picard up.

"Oh no," Picard muttered, shaking his head from side to side, "What has Deanna started?"