AN: Here we are, another piece to this one.
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
"Here you are," Jean-Luc said, placing a bowl of stew in front of Laris. "And, here you are," he said, placing another in front of Beverly. Both looked at him expectantly. "Aren't you going to taste it?" He asked with a laugh. "This bread is fresh, as well. Though I am not the baker that Laris is, I did pick it up fresh when I went to the village."
"Aren't you eating with us?" Beverly asked.
"Of course," Jean-Luc said.
"Then, we'll wait for you," she said.
"Of course," Jean-Luc said with a smile. "How silly of me." He went for his own bowl. Both women waited until he was seated, and then they passed around bread and finally tasted the stew. Jean-Luc wasn't a master chef, but he thought that he could find his way around the kitchen—at least with certain dishes. "Well?" He asked. "I can see that Laris enjoys it…or, perhaps, our daughter is just a fan of the fact that her papa made sure there was more than enough meat in the stew for everyone to have their fill."
"It's very good," Laris assured him.
"Beverly?" Jean-Luc asked, already amused because he was almost certain that he could read the expression that she was trying not to let show.
"It's very good, Jean-Luc," she said.
He laughed quietly.
"But—you are thinking that it would have been better, if Laris had prepared it."
Beverly started to protest, but Jean-Luc held up his hand to interrupt her before she could really begin.
"And I quite agree," he said. "Though I do think that Laris has spoiled us lately, and I also believe that she might like to occasionally have food prepared for her, as well."
"I don't mind cooking," Laris said.
"I'm certain you don't," Jean-Luc said. "And neither do Beverly and I. We will divide all the chores, so that nobody feels overwhelmed."
Beverly was smiling at him.
"The stew is good, Jean-Luc," she insisted.
"And I am not the least bit offended that you think it could be improved upon," he said. "Perhaps we could have a few evenings where we find our entertainment in all cooking together. We could all share some of our tricks and tips."
"I would love that," Beverly said, enthusiastically.
"I enjoy all the activities that we do together," Laris said. "And being in the kitchen together, only makes it better."
"It won't be long," Beverly said, "and we'll be cooking with the children. Teaching them to make cookies and little things."
Jean-Luc felt a fluttering in his stomach as he recognized the reality of her words. There was something of a definite sparkle in her eyes and a dreaminess to her tone. One day, not too terribly long in the future, with all things considered, their home would be filled with the sounds of children. They would have two little ones arriving, possibly within the span of days or even hours of each other.
Jean-Luc had gone from the man who would never marry, to the man who had married two women at once. He had gone from the man who would never have children, to the man who would have two at nearly the same time.
And, though it did make his stomach feel a bit more uneasy than before, he realized that he didn't regret it in any way. He wouldn't dare to change it, even if he could. He was, though truly terrified, also excited about the future. He chose not to say that, though. Not in those words. He figured that his wives probably already knew.
"What time should we expect Will and Deanna tomorrow?" He asked.
"I have to finish everything that I need to send Deanna," Beverly said. "I assumed a very simple ceremony would do, unless anyone objects? Instead of a reception, we can have a nice meal and spend some time together afterward."
"I think we're all agreed on that," Jean-Luc said after a moment. "Will the ceremony be traditional?"
Beverly smiled at him.
"I felt like that's what you would like best," she said. "There is a little question of what you would like for us to wear."
"I suppose that it's up to you," Jean-Luc said. "You'll be the ones wearing it. You should be comfortable. Whatever you choose will be wonderful. I thought I might wear traditional, simple, black." He frowned as he thought about things. "I suppose white would hardly be appropriate for you…"
Beverly smiled at him and reached a hand across the table. He gave her his hand, knowing that's what she was seeking. She squeezed it, before releasing it and returning to her meal.
"White might not be appropriate," she said, "but…I'll see what I can do to find something that's suitable and still gives you the experience you'd like. OK?"
He felt warmed by her dedication to letting him have what he wanted.
"It's hardly as though I've spent my life dreaming of a wedding," he said. "I am flexible, Beverly."
"I know," she said. "But—even if you've had a dream for…a few hours…there's no harm in trying to make it come true the best we can. Do you want veils, Jean-Luc?"
Jean-Luc looked at both Laris and Beverly, but neither gave him any more feedback than a gentle smile to nudge him into answering. He accepted that they were genuine. They wanted to know what he wanted.
"I believe that I would like that," he said. "I do like the idea of…you know…turning the veil back. Or whatever it's called. Unless, of course, you object."
"Veils will be fine," Beverly said. Laris hummed her agreement and continued to eat, being the most interested one of them in the meal that was set before her—at least for the moment. "I thought—traditional vows, unless you had something specific that you really wanted."
"Traditional vows suit me just fine," Jean-Luc said. "Anything else should simply be as you like it."
"I'll finish the message I have to send to Deanna after dinner," Beverly said.
"If Laris doesn't mind cleaning up after dinner," Jean-Luc said. "I thought a small fire in the bedroom might be nice. I could arrange that while you're taking care of the information that needs to be sent to Will and Deanna."
"A fire sounds wonderful," Laris agreed. "I don't mind cleaning up."
"Forgive me," Jean-Luc said to her, "but you haven't had any opinions about the wedding tomorrow. Is there anything that you might like…or might not like?"
Laris smiled and shrugged.
"I'm happy to be married to you both," she said. "The process by which that becomes as official as possible is fine with me. I don't know much about traditional Terran weddings, at any rate, so it's not as though I have a lot of opinions about them."
"Very well," Jean-Luc said, nodding his understanding. "As long as you…feel secure in voicing your opinions on the matter, should you have them."
She smiled at him.
"I promise you that, if I had a strong opinion about something, I would tell you. As it stands, the color I wear matters little to me, I have no objections to a veil, and I know that whatever vows you ask me to say, I will mean them. So, for now, I am simply content. And the promise of a nice fire and some quiet time spent together is the most pressing thing on my mind right now."
Beverly reached a hand out and squeezed Laris's shoulder. Laris smiled at her, and Beverly told her that she loved her, entirely without words and without question.
Jean-Luc found that seeing it simply made him feel warm inside—even warmer than the stew—and it made his throat and chest tighten slightly. He smiled at the sensation, and what he knew that it meant.
"Well," he said, "everyone eat well…and, then, we'll have a very relaxing evening. Together."
111
Beverly opened her eyes, though she'd kept them closed for the last little while.
She was as comfortable as she could be. She rested her head on Jean-Luc, and she curled into him. On the other side of him, Laris rested nearly the same way. Beverly was certain that Jean-Luc was probably the least comfortable of all of them, sandwiched between the two of them, but he wasn't complaining.
Jean-Luc reclined on a collection of their pillows. He read to them, in intervals, from a book that he'd chosen. Beverly had dozed on and off since he'd started reading, and she really knew very little about the book except that it had a sleepy sort of ambiance that went perfectly with the way that she felt. Jean-Luc read it wonderfully, as well. He kept his voice soft and low, like a lullaby for the two women that practically napped on his chest.
He took breaks while reading, but the quiet lulls did nothing to disturb the peace of the evening. He would bring hand to stroke at Beverly's belly the best that he could, every now and again, and she was sure that he'd felt Jack's movements at least once or twice, given how he'd abruptly stopped moving his hand and pressed fingertips into her skin.
She knew, too, that he must have felt their daughter moving more than once, because he'd done something similar on the other side of him. The tiny Romulan, however, was much stronger than Jack, and her kicks would always be much easier for Jean-Luc to feel, no matter how much their son grew.
At the moment, Jean-Luc was reading quietly. His right hand held the book and, with his left, he drew lazy circles and lines on Beverly's body with his fingertips.
Across his body, Beverly saw when Laris sleepily opened her eyes. Their eyes connected, and Beverly smiled at Laris. In return, her wife gave her a sleepy smile. Beverly's body responded with a rush of contentment. She reached her arm across Jean-Luc's body, and Laris did the same, both of them touching each other as they lightly hugged Jean-Luc.
He stopped reading for a second, and Beverly glanced at him. He smiled at her, and then he turned back to the book.
Beverly smiled, too, and nuzzled her face against him before closing her eyes once more, and drifting off, again, to the sound of his voice.
111
"You look beautiful," Deanna said, straightening the veil on Beverly's head for the fifth time. Beverly smiled at her friend and ignored the slightly congested sound of Deanna's voice—proof that she was emotional, even if the slight dampness to her lashes hadn't been a giveaway.
"Thank you," Beverly said. "You'll check on Laris…won't you?"
"Did she have trouble dressing herself for her Romulan ceremony?" Deanna asked.
Beverly laughed, because Deanna's eyes suddenly went wide—a clear giveaway that she hadn't intended to say what she'd said.
"Oh—I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean that."
"She didn't have any trouble dressing herself," Beverly said. "But—she picked out my dress for the bonding ceremony. I really wanted to be surprised, and I left her with probably fifty choices to pick from today, so I wouldn't know which she replicated. And…she's bound to be a little nervous. This isn't her custom at all."
"I know," Deanna said. "I know…and I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Of course, I'll check on her. I'll make sure she's ready, and comfortable, and happy…and beautiful…for your surprise."
"I can check on her, really," Beverly assured her.
"No, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding, and I'm certain that counts even if you're also the bride."
"I woke up in bed with her," Beverly said with a laugh.
"I'll take care of her," Deanna said. "You deserve to be surprised, Beverly. I really just…I think I'm feeling jealous."
"Jealous?" Beverly asked, amused.
"I don't know if that's exactly the right word," Deanna said. "Jealous. Selfish. But—I missed my best friend's first wedding. And some part of me can't help but blame some Romulan tradition for that."
Beverly caught Deanna's face affectionately.
"My first wedding was to Jack," Beverly offered. Deanna made a face at her that only made her laugh.
"To Jean-Luc," Deanna said. "I missed your first wedding to Jean-Luc."
"You didn't miss my first wedding to Jean-Luc," Beverly said. "That wedding is today. You missed my bonding ceremony—a Romulan tradition, as you say. And you would have never been invited to that, so it's not as though you missed anything. The bonding ceremony is done, but the wedding is today. You are very much a part of the wedding, Deanna…and I'm so happy to have you here. I wouldn't want to do this without you."
"I'm so happy for you!" Deanna said sincerely. "The wedding, and Jack, and…everything, Beverly." She pulled away from Beverly enough to mop at her face. This time, Beverly had followed Jean-Luc's lead from the day of their bonding, and she'd made sure to have handkerchiefs on hand. "You really do look beautiful. I'm sorry…I'm so emotional."
"There are a lot of emotions here, today," Beverly said. "It's hardly your fault that you're responding to all of them. You're being bombarded."
"I'm sure that's it," Deanna said. "There are my emotions, and all the rest are coming at me from every side."
"Here," Beverly said. "Oh—here…he's moving, Deanna…quick, before he stops again!"
She caught Deanna's hand and let her feel Jack for the first time. They'd been trying to catch him all morning, but he'd been entirely uncooperative. Now, though, he put on a short performance for his honorary aunt before refusing to entertain her more.
"Oh, Beverly!" Deanna said, laughing. "I can hardly handle anything else, and we've still got the wedding to get through."
"And a meal," Beverly said. "In lieu of a reception, remember?" She laughed at Deanna's expression. Her best friend was only half-Betazoid, but she was clearly overwhelmed with the excess of feelings she was experiencing. "I love you, Deanna."
Deanna smiled at her sincerely.
"I love you, too," she said. "I know Will and Jean-Luc have probably been ready for a while. Let me put your veil down. What else do you need me to do?"
Beverly let Deanna adjust the veil one last time.
"I just need you to go check on Laris," Beverly said. "Then, I think we'll all be ready to go."
Deanna nodded.
"Let me go get your wife," Deanna said, "so you can get married."
111
"Is it too tight?" Deanna asked. "Are you OK? You're not OK. You can't even breathe."
"It's very tight," Laris said, struggling to say that much.
"OK—hold on. This is…not right. Let's get you out of this. Let's try the new parameters I set," Deanna said, struggling to get the dress unfastened. She brought the new dress over as Laris was taking off the one that Deanna had pried her out of. Thankfully, the woman was not at all embarrassed to be undressed in Deanna's presence and, thankfully, Deanna had come to help her. She was, as far as Deanna could tell, quite even-keeled for what they generally thought of Romulans, but she'd been visibly emotional when Deanna had gotten there. She'd been concerned that, since she couldn't fit into the dresses that the replicator was producing, she was clearly doing something wrong or was, in some way, unacceptable for this Terran custom. The replicator was acting up, and it had Laris only moments from calling off her participation in their wedding. "There. I fixed the parameters. This looks like it will have a more forgiving fit for the baby."
Laris easily put on the new dress, and Deanna zipped it for her.
Laris let out a truly relieved sigh and the tears started in a veritable flood. Deanna quickly got her a handkerchief and handed it to her. She rubbed her back.
"It's OK," Deanna said. "It's fine. See? This isn't a crisis…or some judgement of your being fit for this marriage. You look beautiful. And Beverly and Jean-Luc would have married you, if you'd come out wearing a bathrobe. The replicator wasn't making clear adjustments for the baby, that's all."
Laris nodded, mopping at her face, and Deanna simply rubbed her back until she got her emotions under control. Deanna, herself, kept dabbing at her eyes and swallowing against the fact that Laris's emotions were strong enough to practically drown Deanna, as well.
Deanna laughed, forcing her own emotions.
"It was a replicator malfunction. Nothing more serious than that. You look beautiful. Can you breathe now?"
"I'm fine," Laris said. "I can breathe."
"Are you comfortable?" Deanna asked. Laris sniffed and nodded. Deanna extended her hand and touched Laris's belly. Part of her felt like she hardly knew the woman, and therefore had no right to touch her so intimately, but another part of her acted on the impulsive desire to do so. Laris visibly softened when Deanna touched her, and she put her hand over Deanna's, pressing her hand into her belly. "Is she comfortable?" Deanna asked.
"She's not moving," Laris said.
"She's probably scared to death," Deanna said with a laugh. "She doesn't know why her mother's upset and she's been bound up in the dresses you tried before I got in here."
Laris laughed, then, and Deanna felt her body relax, flooding with the true happiness that the woman felt, now that she wasn't in distress over being somehow unable to achieve some expected Terran standard.
And, then, Deanna felt the movement of the baby that Laris carried.
"Wow—what was that?" Deanna said.
Laris blew out a breath, but she smiled.
"She rolled, I think," Laris said.
"She has enough room to do so, now," Deanna said. "This dress fits you perfectly. Come on—let's put your veil on."
There was a knock at the door, just as Deanna was helping to situate Laris's veil.
"Imzadi—not to rush you at all, but…is everything OK in there? I have a groom in one room, and a bride in another, and they're starting to get worried that something isn't going well."
"Tell them we had a little problem, but it's been taken care of now," Deanna said. Quietly, she spoke to Laris. "You're feeling better, right? Are you ready to go and get married?"
"Very much so," Laris said. "If I'm acceptable now."
"You're perfect," Deanna said. "I just have to put your veil down. Will?" She said, raising her voice again.
"What do you need, Deanna?" He asked.
"Go and let them know we're ready. Get Jean-Luc ready, and I'll bring Laris to Beverly before we three all walk in together."
"See you soon," Will said.
Deanna smiled. She noticed Laris smiling at her.
"I hope that—we all will bring each other as much happiness as you and your husband bring each other," Laris said. "And—I hope that your happiness with each other only grows."
Deanna smiled and finished adjusting the veil over Laris's face.
"That's one of the nicest things that anyone has ever said to me," Deanna said. "I hope that you'll all be very happy. I think that you will. Now…you look absolutely beautiful. Just relax. Are you ready to go and see Beverly, so we can get you all officially married under the laws of the Federation?"
Laris nodded, and Deanna slipped her arm through Laris's, pulling the woman with her as she led her from the room and toward the bedroom where she'd left Beverly waiting.
"I've waited a long time for this wedding," Deanna teased, as they left the room.