AN: This is an episode rewrite in my little episode rewrite project.

Please be advised there are some kind of gray areas with consent here, given that there is Jean-Luc doppelganger, and it's not actually Jean-Luc, but Beverly doesn't know that. I'll admit that I'm not sure how to label that exactly. I tried to handle it as delicately as possible, but I admit that I'm sure there are going to be some tricky spots, here and there, as I'm redoing every TNG episode in some way!

I own nothing from Star Trek.

I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!

111

Beverly honestly wasn't sure to think about the invitation to a dinner in Jean-Luc's quarters, especially because the location would be "more intimate," according to Jean-Luc.

It was no secret to either of them how they felt about each other—not really—though they both pretended it was a secret.

Beverly had been smitten with Jean-Luc since the first time she'd met him and, really, she was certain that the same could be said of him. They had never acted on their attraction for one another, though, because of one reason or another.

At first, they'd kept their distance because of Jack.

Then, they'd kept their distance because they were both dealing with the loss of Jack and with Jean-Luc's guilt—even though he wouldn't admit it—over Jack's death happening as it did.

Finally, they'd grasped onto the excuse that Jean-Luc was Beverly's commanding officer and, though Starfleet had no actual regulation against a relationship forming between them, it would at least be frowned upon as not entirely professional.

They had fought this, and Beverly had believed that's what Jean-Luc wanted—yet, here he was, gazing at her over each bite of a leisurely dinner as though he were imagining tasting her on his tongue instead of the food that he'd chosen for them.

Finally, with the table clear and after dinner champagne served, and with Jean-Luc looking at her in such a way as he swallowed the first taste of his champagne, that she felt her entire body run warm, Beverly couldn't take it any longer.

"Out with it, Jean-Luc," she said.

Jean-Luc sat up, his expression becoming one of slight amusement.

"Out with what?" He asked, almost sounding innocent.

"Whatever has been on your mind all evening long," Beverly said.

"Has it been that apparent? How well you know me."

His tone of voice and the way that he looked at her practically made Beverly shiver.

"After all this time, I ought to," Beverly said.

After all, she and Jean-Luc had known each other for a long time. They'd been close before Jack died. Even though they wouldn't have dreamed of a romantic relationship because of their mutual respect and love for Jack, they had become very close friends. They had lost touch after Jack's death, but they'd more than rekindled the friendship that they'd once known—with even a layer of intimacy that they hadn't known before—since they'd both come to work aboard the Enterprise.

"Well, it's true, I have been preoccupied. I know that's not very flattering to you, but I have been thinking about us. And about the choices I've made."

Beverly felt her pulse kick up. Her stomach twisted slightly. It anticipated what he might say. It anticipated what might happen here—something she had been imagining for a long time. She thought about how she might react.

"We've both made choices," she said, wondering at that moment what choices they might make now, and how they might differ from the ones they'd made in the past.

Was she ready for this, if Jean-Luc was proposing what she thought he might?

"And I've been wondering if they were the right ones. Sometimes I feel we've allowed our positions to isolate us."

Beverly's heart drummed hard in her chest. She wondered if he might hear it knocking against her ribcage like some kind of old-fashioned cartoon. She didn't want to appear too eager. She didn't want to assume that he meant more than he did—especially when he'd been so guarded in the past.

"Our positions necessitate a degree of professional detachment," Beverly said, gauging the waters.

"But there's a danger in becoming too detached, of never permitting ourselves to get closer."

Beverly drew in a deep breath to try to steady her breathing and keep it from speeding up as quickly as she felt it might, if left unchecked.

"Is that what you want, Jean-Luc? To get closer?"

For a moment, Beverly's entire body responded almost electrically. It hummed with anticipation, expectation, and excitement. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she had to admit that a part of her had only ever dreamed that it might actually come to this. She hadn't ever really expected, honestly, that it might.

Jean-Luc smiled at her and leaned forward, his gaze never really breaking.

"You're a very attractive woman."

"And you're a very attractive man. But we both know it's not as simple as that."

"Would it be simpler if I were not your commanding officer?"

"Simpler, perhaps, but that's not the only issue," Beverly said. She stopped. She drew in a breath. She ignored her rapid heartbeat and her shallow breath as much as she could. She hoped he couldn't sense her anxiety, but she trusted him enough to know that she was safe with him, even if he did. "Jean-Luc…aren't you the one who has made it abundantly clear that…you feel that captains can't have relationships? At least…not relationships that would go beyond just the night."

He smiled softly at her.

"What a fool I've been," he mused. "See what I mean? I've made poor choices in my life, Beverly."

"Are you saying that not being in a relationship with me was a poor choice?" Beverly asked.

Jean-Luc smiled at her again. He held her eyes as he rose from the table. The unbreaking connection of their eyes was almost unnerving at this point. Jean-Luc walked around and switched on some music. He came back and offered a hand in Beverly's direction.

"Would you care to dance?"

"I thought you didn't dance."

"On special occasions."

Beverly took his hand. She rose, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hold for a slow, shuffling dance. For just a moment, Beverly enjoyed the dance in silence, feeling him holding her. She felt his body against hers. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth and the safety of his embrace. Her heart hadn't stopped beating fast, and she could feel the evidence of his arousal, thanks to the outfit he'd chosen and the proximity of their bodies.

"Is tonight a special occasion?" She breathed out, wondering just how long she could stay in control of herself—and if she wanted to be in control of herself at all.

"I hope it shall be," Jean-Luc said softly. "I suppose, however, that is up to you, Beverly." He drew in a long breath. He held her in a relaxed way. She didn't want to pull away. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to refuse him. Everything in her mind, soul, heart, and body cried out for him and for what she knew he was proposing. "I don't think I told you, but I'm glad you're back on the Enterprise. I missed our friendship."

"I did too," Beverly said. "Is—that all this is, Jean-Luc? Friendship?"

"If that's what you want it to be," he said. "If you want nothing more, Beverly, then at least I hope to maintain that."

Beverly lifted her head from where she'd somewhat rested it against him. She held his eyes, and she saw when he glanced at her lips and began to move slowly toward her. He was giving her the chance to refuse the kiss, but she didn't want to refuse it. She kissed him, gently, and she savored the kiss. She tasted her lips, even after the kiss parted, to taste him.

"I don't want to be something that only lasts the night, Jean-Luc," Beverly said.

"You never could be, Beverly," he assured her.

She believed him. She couldn't help but believe him. She made her choice, and she made up her mind, and she allowed him to guide her to the bedroom.

111

After finding out that the aliens had created a doppelganger of Jean-Luc, using all of his memories and duplicating each part of him down to his DNA, Beverly had been conflicted. She hadn't wanted to tell Jean-Luc—the real Jean-Luc—what had happened between them. Rather, she hadn't wanted to tell him what had happened between her and his doppelganger, while she'd believed that his doppelganger was really him.

She'd decided, finally, to keep things to herself. Telling him would only bring up a variety of feelings for both of them—most of which were bound to be difficult—and Jean-Luc would likely be left feeling guilty for something over which he'd had no control.

Even worse, he might feel like he was somehow obligated to do something for her, and that would be the worst thing possible. Beverly would rather live her entire life without Jean-Luc's affections than feel that she had even a moment of his attention simply because he felt guilty and felt like he owed it to her.

Her feelings didn't change, entirely, when she saw the tricorder reading that confirmed the suspicion that had, at first, brought something of an icy cold fear over her, but they certainly got more complicated.

"OK…OK…OK…" she breathed. With each repetition of the word, she forced herself to take deep and meaningful breaths. "This is fine," she said, mostly to convince herself, since she was alone and the baby that she carried wouldn't be old enough to hear her. "This is fine. Perfectly fine. I always wanted another child after Wesley. Of course, this wasn't exactly how I thought things would happen, but…this is fine. I just have to find out…"

She ran a few deeper and more specialized scans on herself, hiding in her office in sickbay.

Beverly sat in the chair with her knees drawn up against her chest and her chin resting on her knees. She read through the results of every test and every scan on her PADD a few times over.

There was no mistaking this. There was no closing her eyes and blinking it away.

And, even if she could do just that, Beverly hadn't to admit to herself that she didn't want to blink it away. She unfolded herself, her PADD still in her hand, and pressed her palm against her stomach. There was still no outward proof, but the tests didn't lie—at least, as many as she'd taken didn't lie.

The baby was there. Its DNA from a deep scan was entirely human. It was a perfect match for her DNA and Jean-Luc's DNA.

It might have been the doppelganger that had actually helped to create the little one with Beverly, but it had used Jean-Luc's DNA to do so.

Beverly drew in a breath again and, for a few seconds, focused her attention on breathing. She slowed her own breathing. She felt herself calm. She felt her pulse returning to normal.

"This is OK," she said. "I wanted you. I have wanted you for a long time. And I still want you. So—this is OK. But…we have to tell him. He has to know. He deserves, at least, to make his own decisions."

Beverly realized, with a slightly ironic laugh, that was the most anxiety-provoking part of this whole thing. She had to tell Jean-Luc the truth.

111

"So, my doppelganger invited you to a romantic dinner," Jean-Luc said. "And included a side of dancing."

"Yes," Beverly said, sitting on Jean-Luc's couch with him. She left her tea sitting on the table near her, afraid that her hands would shake and give her away, should she try to pick it up.

"He…was interested in you," Jean-Luc said.

Beverly felt her cheeks flood with warmth.

"He was in possession of all your thoughts, your feelings…your memories," Beverly said. "A nearly perfect replica of you in every way."

"Nearly perfect," Jean-Luc said. It was almost a question. Beverly hummed and nodded. "He was missing something, then?"

"Your inhibitions," Beverly offered. She raised her eyebrows at Jean-Luc, and she saw realization flicker in his eyes.

"I see," he said, dropping his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Am I to understand, then, that…he…uh…suggested the evening not end with a dance?"

"You could say that," Beverly said.

Jean-Luc looked at her again. His face ran slightly red.

"And you accepted?" He asked.

"I thought your doppelganger was you," Beverly said. "I thought…you were you."

He nodded his head.

"I see," he said.

"That's not all," Beverly said. "Jean-Luc…there's something I have to tell you…"

"You mean that you haven't already told me?" Jean-Luc asked. Beverly nodded her head gently.

"The aliens replicated you entirely," she said. "They copied your DNA entirely. For all intents in purposes, the alien truly became you, at least temporarily."

"Maintaining some piece of its consciousness," Jean-Luc said.

"At least as far as we can understand the species," Beverly said. "What I know is that…the alien did copy your DNA entirely, because…it left a little with me."

Jean-Luc blanched unmistakably.

"What are you talking about, Beverly?" He asked.

"Jean-Luc…I…got pregnant that night," Beverly said.

"You got pregnant?" Jean-Luc asked. Beverly nodded her head. "You mean…you are no longer…or…?"

"Oh—no," Beverly said. "No…I'm…I'm still pregnant."

"Pregnant…" Jean-Luc said.

Beverly couldn't help but smile. She could tell that he was in shock, and she allowed for that.

"I know it's a lot to take in, Jean-Luc," Beverly said. "I'm not here because I expect anything. I suppose that—I just wanted you to know. You see…as I was saying…the alien replicated your DNA entirely. Therefore…"

"The child is mine," Jean-Luc said, the words neither coming out entirely like a question nor a statement.

Beverly nodded.

"I want you to know that I don't expect anything from you, Jean-Luc," Beverly said. "You didn't consent to any of this in any way…"

"And neither did you," Jean-Luc said. "Or did I misunderstand? Didn't you lack the information that this alien was, in fact, not who you believed him to be?" Beverly didn't have to respond. "Then, you were fooled. Deceived."

"But I believed it to be you," Beverly said. "And—that's what I'm focusing on now. For myself…and for my child."

"Our child," Jean-Luc said.

Beverly felt almost like she'd been splashed with cold water just to hear Jean-Luc say those words.

"What?"

"Our child, Beverly," Jean-Luc said. "The child is mine, is it not? I am its biological father, and you're its biological mother. That does make it our child…"

"I don't want you to feel obligated…" Beverly said.

"Can I ask you something, Beverly, of a personal nature?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Well—of course, Jean-Luc, but…"

She stopped. She didn't have anything to follow "but," and, really, she could tell that Jean-Luc knew that.

He turned his body toward hers. He held her eyes almost to the point that she started to question if he might be the doppelganger again. He took her hand, and she let him have it. He held it sandwiched between his own, and her heart beat fast at just the warmth of his touch.

She had craved it since…but that wasn't him.

"You thought he was me," Jean-Luc said. "And you…let him take you to bed."

"It was more than that," Beverly said.

"Yes—somehow, I thought that it must be," Jean-Luc said.

"We talked about more," Beverly said. "About mistakes made. Opportunities missed. We talked about an actual relationship."

"A real relationship," Jean-Luc said. "Not some tawdry one-night stand that would be disrespectful to you…to…how I've felt about you."

Beverly's heart drummed.

"A real relationship," she said, nodding her head.

"And…forgive me, Beverly, but…if given the chance for such a thing, then, am I to understand that…you would…?"

Beverly smiled at him, moved by the fact that he was clearly somewhat unnerved.

"Jean-Luc, the answer is yes. If it were you, instead of your doppelganger asking me to…to be in a relationship and to…well…to build a family? I would say yes. Again. And without hesitation." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Is that what you're asking me?"

"It would seem that you've already got a start on the family," he said.

"A small one," Beverly said. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "There's nothing there to feel, really, but…I assure you the baby is there, all the same. Jean-Luc…if you want to be a part of this…if you really want that…"

Jean-Luc touched her face. He held her eyes. She relaxed, knowing it was him without a question. Even though the gaze was intent, it was different.

"Beverly—what if I want all of it?" He asked.

"Really?" She asked.

"Very much so," he said. "The alien was, after all, in possession of my thoughts and feelings…my memories. Perhaps, even, my intentions. What if I want to let go of my inhibitions, Beverly, and I want it all? Am I too late for that?"

"No," she said. "I would say…you're just in time. We have a lot of future ahead of us, Jean-Luc."

He tipped her face toward him and let him bring their lips together for a soft kiss. She savored it, and when he pulled away, she knew it wouldn't be the last.

"I'm afraid I'm too late for some things," he said, pressing his hand to her stomach again.

"We can't change the past," Beverly said. "But—we can reclaim this for ourselves, in our own way."

"What are you proposing?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Take me to bed?" Beverly asked. "You. For real this time. Make love to me?"

Jean-Luc got to his feet and offered her a hand. She took it and let him help her up. He pulled her to him in an embrace, and she came willingly.

"I have dreamed of this day for decades, Beverly," Jean-Luc admitted.

She laughed quietly to herself.

"I know," she said. "Jean-Luc…just remember that…I don't want to be asked to leave in the morning. If we're doing this, I want it to be a long-term thing."

He smiled at her.

"Is forever long enough?" He asked.

"It's a pretty good start," she teased.

He squeezed her hand, and she let him lead her to the bedroom, this time for the first time in a lifetime of nights she knew they would spend together.