AN: Here's another piece! With everything that happened with Ao3, some of you may have missed the last chapter. If you did, please make sure that you read it before moving on to this one!
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
"Good morning," Jean-Luc said, leaning to kiss Beverly good morning. She smiled at him, still clearly at least a little sleepy. "And—good morning," he said, moving to kiss Laris, choosing a temple as she had her mouth full of food at the moment. She hummed at him as her way of greeting.
"Coffee?" Beverly asked.
"All decaf, I suppose," Jean-Luc said.
"You're outnumbered," Beverly said. "The babies don't need caffeine and, as wound up as she's been since…I don't know the hour…neither does Laris."
"I could make you some tea?" Laris offered.
"Decaffeinated coffee is fine," Jean-Luc said, sitting down at the table and pouring a cup of coffee. "You needn't spend half your meals running around to suit others. That's not your role in this household. I am perfectly capable of getting myself tea, if that's what I desire."
"Croissants," Beverly said. "And these wonderful little bread twists that have a nice spiced taste."
"Spiced like pepper?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Spiced like cinnamon, nutmeg, you know…"
"They're Perilian twists," Laris said. "Eat them with jam or…melted chocolate is popular."
"Jam will do wonderfully," Jean-Luc said, selecting items for his plate.
"Oh—not that one," Beverly said as he reached for a jar of unknown jam from the table.
"Does that belong to…one of the babies?" He asked, somewhat amused.
"In a manner of speaking," Beverly said.
"You can eat what you want," Laris said.
"But that is Matopaw jam," Beverly said. "And it's sour enough to make your eyes water."
Jean-Luc glanced at Laris. It was entirely evident that the jam heaped upon her Perilian twist was this Matopaw jam. Her eyes weren't watering at all, and she didn't seem to be struggling with it in the least. Of course, Jean-Luc was becoming aware, each day, of things that she was capable of doing, without so much as flinching, that would have caused others a great deal of trouble.
"Does our daughter, by chance, enjoy Matopaw jam?" Jean-Luc asked.
Laris hummed and licked her lips before sucking some of the jam from her thumb.
"I'm sorry—it just…sounded wonderful," Laris said.
"No apologies," Jean-Luc said. "Everyone in this house eats what appeals to them. This jam?"
"Strawberry or apricot," Beverly said. "Both are delicious."
"Well—I do enjoy strawberry," he said, reaching for the jar. "And the sausages are…?"
"Just sausage," Beverly said. She winked at him. "Safe to eat."
"You should try the Matopaw jam," Laris said. "The sour with the saltiness of the sausage is really wonderful…"
Jean-Luc glanced at Beverly and she gently shook her head. He smiled at Laris.
"I think I'll stick with strawberry, for now," he said. "Thank you for preparing such a lovely breakfast for us."
Laris smiled at the praise. She enjoyed cooking, and she enjoyed feeding them. As long as she enjoyed it, neither of them was going to dissuade her.
"Did you sleep well?" Beverly asked.
"Clearly better than the both of you," Jean-Luc said with a laugh. "I've been up some time…reading and what have you. When I woke up, however, I heard you both awake, and it sounded as though you'd been up for at least a little while."
"We did some cleaning," Beverly said. "We refreshed the entire room."
"Is that a requirement of the bonding ceremony?" Jean-Luc asked.
"It's something to do when nobody can sleep," Beverly said.
"Beverly could have slept," Laris said. "I didn't make her get up when I woke up. She insisted."
"And why couldn't you sleep?" Jean-Luc asked. "The baby, or…?"
"Mostly the 'or,'" Beverly interjected. "Anxiety runs high on the day of our bonding."
She laughed quietly, and Jean-Luc caught the wink that she tossed in Laris's direction. Laris caught it, too, and smiled in response.
"I'm sorry," Laris said.
"No apologies," Jean-Luc said. "I will have you know that I contacted anyone who had any reason to be here, today, to work in the vineyard, or for any other reason, and I let them know that nobody is allowed on the property. I have already activated our exterior perimeter security. I've activated the Château security system. I've disconnected the transporter pad entirely, and I've turned off all communications. We are, as far as the outside world is concerned, invisible, entirely disconnected, and in the dark."
"You didn't have to disconnect everything," Laris said.
"My goal was simply to ease your anxiety," Jean-Luc said. "And if I have succeeded in doing that, then there's no harm in disconnecting everything. Besides—it is kind of nice to think that we exist, just the three of us, entirely alone for a while."
"Just the five of us," Beverly said with a laugh. Jean-Luc smiled at her.
"Just the five of us," he corrected. "Now—let's discuss the bonding ceremony. How do we proceed?"
"We can do it whenever you're ready," Laris said. Jean-Luc noticed an exchange of glances between Laris and Beverly. When Laris seemed satisfied with the exchange, she looked at Jean-Luc again. "We have your clothing ready for you, but you will need to make one selection for us."
"Which is? I hardly think that I'm anything of a fashion icon…and much less regarding the garments chosen for a bonding ceremony, but…"
"You have your choice for…headwear," Laris said. "There are two traditional options, depending on preference. Do you prefer that we wear veils or the more ornate headpieces?"
Jean-Luc looked at Beverly. She shrugged and smiled at him.
"Your choice," she said.
"Since you're to be wearing it," Jean-Luc said, "it seems to me as though it would be your choice."
"Each person should choose something, we think," Laris said. "We chose your outfit. We chose each other's dresses. You should choose our adornment."
Jean-Luc smiled to himself. His pulse picked up. Although he knew that this was real, there were moments where it was simply realer than others. He was about to be joined—bonded, married, whatever vocabulary anyone wanted to use to describe it—to both of these women.
"If you have no objections, then…something more ornate?" He laughed to himself. "After all, we're only doing this once, right? We might as well make it a special occasion."
"Before we do this," Laris said, sitting forward as much as her belly and the table allowed, "you are both aware that…bonding is considered a lifetime commitment. As Romulans, we take that very seriously. We can negotiate different aspects of our bonding as necessary, but…"
Beverly reached a hand in Laris's direction and caught her arm.
"We're marrying for life," she said. Laris smiled at her and took her hand.
"Yes," Jean-Luc said. He accepted the hand that Beverly reached toward him and, reaching his other arm across the table, caught Laris's other hand as she offered it. He squeezed both. "For life. This is a commitment that we're all taking very seriously."
"Ornate it is," Laris said. "Beverly—do you need me to help you pick something out to replicate?"
Beverly smiled at her.
"Absolutely," she said.
"Am I allowed to see you before the ceremony?" Jean-Luc asked.
"There are no rules against it," Laris said. "If we wanted, we could all get dressed together."
"But that would take away the fun of seeing each other," Beverly said. "And the fun of getting undressed together."
Jean-Luc felt his face grow warm. He hadn't admitted to the women that the consummation gave him just as much as anxiety—if not more—than the ceremony. He had always been against commitment, mostly out of fear that he simply wouldn't be cut out to do it well, but Beverly and Laris made him feel like this was something he could do—something he wanted to do. The life they were already leading wasn't as frightening as he had somehow come to believe it would be. He didn't fear failure in marriage as he once had—being with both of them was quite easy. And, although he did fear failure in fatherhood, he was assured and reassured that they would be there to help him gain the skills and confidence he desired to be a good father.
But the consummation?
Jean-Luc had to admit that it was worrying him. Of course, he calmed himself, as much as possible, by reminding himself that he was already well-accustomed to Beverly's body and her likes and dislikes. He could count on both women, too, to help him over any hurdles that lie ahead of them.
"Well," he said, hoping his voice didn't give away any of the anxiety he was doing his best to hide. "Why don't you two go ahead and get dressed? I will clean this up and change."
"We'll put your clothes in your room," Beverly said. "And—we'll see you soon."
Jean-Luc smiled at her.
"I am looking forward to it," he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being.
111
Beverly stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the headpiece. It wasn't heavy, though she'd expected it to be heavy. She felt like an imposter or a performer. Laris had chosen her dress—a beautiful navy-blue material with silver designs running through it. Her headpiece was mostly silver, with blue jewels that seemed to catch every bit of light available.
It was something meant for a Romulan wedding, and Beverly was far from Romulan. Still, she reminded herself, as she took in her reflection, that theirs was as much a Romulan household as it was a Terran one. They would honor aspects of both cultures, and they would dismiss those that didn't serve their family or the home they would build together.
Beverly wasn't Romulan, but the bonding ceremony in which she would take part, today, was Romulan. Her soon-to-be wife was Romulan. Her baby girl was Romulan. She wore the clothing not to say that she was Romulan, but rather to say that a large part of her home and her heart was proudly tied to the Romulan culture.
Jean-Luc's clothing was simple. A black tunic and black pants, designed for the occasion. Beverly imagined he would look very handsome in the simple garments—he looked very handsome in everything.
Beverly had chosen Laris's dress herself, not letting her see it until she'd gone to dress, just as she hadn't seen her own dress until it was time to put it on. She had chosen a wine-colored fabric with gold designs for Laris, and her headpiece would, more than likely, be similar to Beverly's with heavy accents of gold and some sort of beautiful wine-colored jewel that would, in some way, know how to shimmer in whatever light.
Satisfied that she was as ready as she would ever be, Beverly drew a deep breath. She could have attributed the butterflies in her stomach to Jack, but she was honestly able to tell the difference between the fluttering sensations she was experiencing.
She rubbed her hand over her belly, taking just a moment to smile at the fact that she enjoyed the way that the fabric hung over her belly.
Beverly, unlike many women, enjoyed being pregnant—and she was excited to share this with her partners, since she had spent much of her pregnancy with Wesley alone, thanks to Jack Crusher's assignment.
"Are you ready? We're making your family official, too, you know?"
Her son, if he heard and understood what she was saying, made no response. Beverly pressed one hand on each side of her belly—the best she could do to hug the little one, when she felt the need to do so, and imagined how wonderful it would be to experience each moment with him—and to share those moments with Laris and Jean-Luc—as he grew.
"Let's go, baby," she said.
Beverly stepped outside of the bedroom—the master, which would be the one that they all shared—and looked around.
"Jean-Luc? Laris?" She called out. "Am I the only one who's ready?"
"I'm ready," Jean-Luc's voice answered back. "Am I allowed to see you?"
"There are no rules against it," Beverly said, already smiling in anticipation of the moment.
And, then, Jean-Luc approached her in the hallway. His outfit was simple—a straight line, almost, of soft, black fabric. He was handsome—every bit as handsome as she might have imagined he would be—and his smile was radiant.
Beverly's throat ached and, immediately, her vision blurred slightly.
"Beverly—you are…beautiful," Jean-Luc said.
"And you're so handsome," Beverly said, managing somehow to get the words to escape her tight throat. The warm tears that dropped down her cheeks couldn't be avoided.
"Oh—dear," Jean-Luc said, finding his pocket in his pants and pulling out a handkerchief. "I had the feeling that a few of these might come in handy today, so I took the liberty of replicating a few. There's always more where that came from, right?"
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and offered the handkerchief to Beverly. She thanked him and put it to use.
"I don't know why I'm crying," she said.
"I could guess a few reasons why there might be tears today," Jean-Luc said. "As long as your tears are good tears, then I won't tell you not to cry them."
"They come from pure happiness," Beverly said.
"Then, they are most welcome. I must admit—I never imagined seeing you dressed for our wedding day. Though, I'm fully prepared to admit that was more my fault than yours."
Beverly smiled at him.
"Today is not about assigning blame for anything that happened in the past," Beverly said. "Today is about—celebrating the present and the future."
"I agree entirely," Jean-Luc said. He touched her shoulders and examined her. She could see, in his eyes, that he liked what he saw.
"I must admit, when I did dare to imagine what it would be like to finally marry you…I always imagined something a bit different."
"If you tell me what you imagined," Beverly said, "then…I'll make it happen for tomorrow. As long as, of course, Jack is part of that."
Jean-Luc laughed.
"Jack wasn't originally part of it, perhaps, but he's one of my favorite parts now. Am I allowed to kiss you, before the ceremony?"
"I'm carrying your son," Beverly said. "I'm certain it would be allowed."
She leaned into him, and Jean-Luc kissed her. She closed her eyes and relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her. He clearly wanted to linger there a moment, and she didn't mind at all. She smiled at him when the kiss broke. He touched her face and then let his fingertips trail to touch the headpiece she wore.
"It's not what you imagined," she said. "But—will it do?"
"It will do wonderfully," he said. "I would marry you dressed any way, Beverly, and in any sort of ceremony. But—you are truly beautiful, just as you are in this moment."
"Laris?" Beverly asked.
"I haven't seen her," Jean-Luc said. "She's taking her time, no doubt."
"Mostly, she's been waiting to give you the time that you needed," Laris said, almost seeming to appear out of thin air from behind Jean-Luc. "I didn't want to interrupt."
"We were only waiting for you," Beverly said. "You look beautiful."
She wasn't lying, and Laris smiled at her like she believed her.
"Incredible," Jean-Luc said.
"You both look wonderful," she said. "But—I couldn't help overhearing. If the clothing isn't to your liking…"
Jean-Luc stopped her by stepping in front of her and pressing his lips to her forehead, clearly not certain if the kiss that he and Beverly had decided was allowed to them, pre-ceremony, extended all the way to their Romulan bride.
"There is absolutely nothing at all about this day that is not to my liking," Jean-Luc said. Beverly felt herself relax a little when she saw some of the tension leave Laris's shoulders. Laris smiled at Jean-Luc. His smile grew a little, curling up with a bit of easily recognizable mischief. "Except—perhaps—how long it's taking us to get to the part where we are all, officially, married."
Laris nodded her head gently.
"The bonding can take place anywhere," she said. "All that's required is that the place that is chosen is completely private and secure."
"The entire Château is safe and private," Jean-Luc said. "We are all alone. However…what if we were to simply close ourselves into the bedroom? We'll be comfortable there. We have all had it as something of a safe haven at some point. And, what better place to make our vows to each other than the place where we will be returning, nearly every night, to be together again?"
Beverly smiled at him.
"I never thought you could make getting married in our bedroom sound so romantic," Beverly said. "But—I love it."
They both looked at Laris. Ultimately, they had agreed, albeit privately, that her comfort in this ceremony was their greatest concern when it came to planning it.
She smiled sincerely and nodded her head.
"I feel very safe in our room," she said. "I think it's the perfect spot."
"Excellent," Jean-Luc said. "Well, then…might I suggest that we make our way there and take care of whatever preparations are necessary? Ladies—I'll follow you."