AN: Did you miss me? I'm sorry. Right after I wrote the last chapter, I had a somewhat unfortunate con experience. It took me a bit to get back here, afterward. I'm back, though, and here's a new chapter!
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
Jean-Luc had been overwhelmed by the beauty of both Beverly and Laris. Each had chosen a fairly simple dress—Beverly in off-white and Laris in a color that he could only consider as champagne. Both wore veils for the occasion, though they were mostly transparent, and it wasn't as though Jean-Luc hadn't seen the women who were, technically, already his bond mates and would soon be his legal wives.
Deanna had walked in with Beverly and Laris, but the two of them had held hands as they'd approached Jean-Luc, both looking every bit as happy as Jean-Luc felt about the occasion.
"The solarium feels a bit subpar for so much beauty," Jean-Luc commented quietly. There was no rush and very limited solemnity, given that the only people in attendance were Will and Deanna. "Perhaps we should have chosen a venue and invited a few more guests."
"I think this is perfect," Beverly assured him.
"I was beginning to worry that something had gone wrong," Jean-Luc admitted.
"So was I," Beverly said with a quiet laugh. Jean-Luc took that to mean that Laris had been the reason for the delay, and he looked in her direction.
"Is everything alright?" He asked.
"There was a small issue with the replicator," Beverly said, "which Laris took to be some kind of sign or omen that our union wasn't permissible by Federation standards…or Terran standards."
Laris turned her face away for a moment, but Jean-Luc caught sight of her blushing even through the veil. He reached and caught the free hand of each of his soon-to-be brides.
"We don't allow our replicators to make decisions about our futures," Jean-Luc said. "They are seldom capable of even producing an acceptable beverage. I certainly wouldn't want to see what they'd do when choosing someone with whom we should spend the rest of our lives. Are we ready, then, to erase all doubt and be married?"
"The sooner, the better," Beverly teased, winking at him.
"That sounds just about right," Will teased. "The sooner the better. Let's get this started. Shall we? Deanna—do you have the rings?"
She stepped forward, smiling widely, and produced the three rings that were tied together to keep them from being lost. They were all very similar, plain bands, though their sizes varied slightly. The women had agreed that neither of them wanted anything more than a simple band to show they were married, and Jean-Luc certainly needed no more adornment than that.
Jean-Luc affectionately worked the hand resting in each of his, his stomach feeling somewhat nervous, despite the fact that the three of them were already bonded, and he nodded to Will to begin with the ceremony.
Jean-Luc recited his vows as instructed, and he listened intently as each of his wives recited their vows. Will instructed each of them in kind, clearly a little unsure as to how to handle the three-way marriage. Still, Jean-Luc thought he did well enough. There wasn't much that Jean-Luc, himself, could have improved upon, in the same position. They'd each fulfilled the requirements for a Federation marriage, at any rate, and that was really what mattered.
The sentiment, after all, behind the marriage was felt, without question, by all of them. They meant this as a declaration of their love for each other and, in the case where that love may still be blossoming, they meant it as a promise that they would remain dedicated to the growth of that love. The vows, for all of them, were a public promise that this was how they would live the rest of their lives—figuring out how to make this home as happy as it could be for all of those who lived within its walls.
"I believe the customary statement that I would make here is that you may kiss the bride," Will said, bringing their intimate little ceremony to a close. "In this case, I suppose it would be—you may kiss the brides. I'm not certain, however, the way in which you wish to proceed from here."
"We are becoming quite adept at arranging such things," Jean-Luc offered.
"You can lift the veils, Jean-Luc," Beverly offered. "Both of them."
Jean-Luc felt his face grow slightly warm. He felt his pulse grow slightly more rapid. This was real. In every possible, imaginable way, it was all real. There was no way to make it more official. All that was left to do—besides filing the paperwork, of course—was to seal the entire thing with the exchange of witnessed kisses among them.
And so, for the first time, the three of them exchanged kisses for an audience—an activity that led to laughter on their part, which was quickly spread to Will and Deanna.
When the simple ceremony was fully complete, Will addressed his wife—the only audience they had.
"Please allow me to present the Picard family," he offered, choosing how to best introduce them.
"It's a family that I'm very happy to see being made entirely official," Deanna said. She rushed toward them and, in turn, embraced each of them and offered her congratulations. "Well—I should have prepared something special, but I suppose a replicated dinner will suffice. At least allow me to set the table?"
"I'm happy to help," Laris offered quickly.
"And I'm happier to do it by myself," Deanna said. "Give me just a few minutes."
111
"Deanna—everything is wonderful," Beverly offered at the table.
"It isn't much," Deanna said, somewhat mournfully. "If we'd had more time…"
"It's everything we need it to be," Laris interrupted. "And it was wonderful and thoughtful of you to prepare it for us."
Deanna smiled warmly at Laris.
Both of Jean-Luc's brides had lost their veils entirely, but neither seemed concerned with changing out of their dresses just yet. Jean-Luc had inquired about their comfort, and Beverly had assured him that the dresses they'd chosen were comfortable enough to wear for a while, and no babies were feeling cramped or bound in any way.
"I'm just happy that you invited Will and I to be part of the ceremony," Deanna said.
"You're part of the family," Laris offered.
Jean-Luc caught Beverly's expression. They weren't interfering.
Deanna smiled and reached across the table. Realizing what she wanted, Laris let her have her hand, and Deanna squeezed it.
"We're just so happy to see this family finally becoming a family," Deanna said.
"I guess you've been waiting for Beverly and Jean-Luc to marry for a while," Laris said.
"I think I've seen it coming—or, at least, thought it might come—since the first time I saw both of them together for the first time," Will offered.
"Jean-Luc was a confirmed bachelor," Deanna said. "All of Starfleet knew that…"
"But nobody believed it," Will said. "Not once you saw the two of them together."
"I never intended to marry," Jean-Luc admitted. "I never thought we would…"
"And now you have two wives," Will said with a laugh. "Here's to diving right into the deep end."
They all laughed, but Deanna did make a show of playfully swatting Will for his comment.
"It's romantic," Laris offered. "True love prevails. A great number of your Terran works of art deal with the theme."
"And Romulan works don't?" Deanna asked.
"Not in the same way," Laris said. "Many of our marriages—our first marriages, at least—are arranged at birth. True love is…different, I suppose, because of that. In Terran works, the emphasis tends to be more on the…the moment when you first find the person that you love deeply and entirely. Am I right? The moment that you meet the person that you love entirely."
"Love at first sight," Beverly said.
"Soulmates," Deanna said.
"The concept of Imzadi is of paramount importance in the Betazoid culture, as well," Will offered. "It's slightly different, but not entirely."
"Well—in Romulan culture, the emphasis tends to be more on the moment that you meet the person that you will work to love forever. The one you will…come to love. The marriage is arranged. The love is a decision."
"But only the first marriages are arranged?" Will asked.
Laris shrugged and nodded, chewing through a bite of her food.
"You honor the death of your love by loving again, when the possibility next presents itself to you, more deeply than before," Laris said. She thought for a moment, and then reiterated her statement, clearly sure she was saying exactly what she meant to say. "You love profoundly to honor the one you loved by loving again, more deeply still."
"And we are happy to be chosen as your bond mates," Jean-Luc offered. "And your spouses."
"And as happy as we are to see Jean-Luc and Beverly marry," Deanna said, "we're happy to see you marry them, too. And, now, if Will and I are lucky enough to welcome a little one sometime soon, at least we know they'll have plenty of playmates!"
"Is that an announcement?" Beverly asked.
"Not yet," Deanna said. "But as soon as we have one to make, you'll be the first ones to hear it."
"When will the marriage be officially filed?" Jean-Luc asked.
"As soon as we witnessed it, I sent in everything they need," Will said. "While Deanna was preparing all of this. They said that it would take a week to two weeks for you to receive the notification for the certificate. When you have that, everything is fully legally binding."
"I will rest a great deal easier when everything is official," Jean-Luc said with a laugh.
"It doesn't really matter," Laris offered. "We're bonded. It's not as though we can be separated."
"Romulan trust bonds aren't legally binding marriages under the Federation," Will offered, speaking for Jean-Luc. "You're not entirely safe and protected, as Jean-Luc and Beverly's wife, until the marriage is official."
"By becoming the legal wife of Beverly and myself," Jean-Luc said, "you are officially a Federation citizen. Our daughter will also be a Federation citizen. With the unrest and insecurity of everything right now regarding the Romulan relocation, there's no telling what may happen until things get settled. No matter what happens, though, you and our children will always belong here, with us."
"And you'll never have any trouble with inheritance, or custody, or anything else of a legal nature," Beverly said. "We've already taken care of the emotional side of things for all of us, but this makes everything perfectly legal within the Federation. When we file birth certificates, this will also make it simple for all our names to go onto all the birth certificates as legal parents to each of our children."
"Unless, of course, you don't want that…" Jean-Luc said. He could see from Laris's expression that she was very much processing everything they'd said. He realized that they hadn't exactly discussed everything. Rather, they'd taken for granted a great number of things—including Laris's wishes and her understanding of how everything worked. "Oh, dear…I fear we may have neglected to fully discuss with you the implications of a Federation wedding. If you would like to change your mind…"
"No…no…" Laris said quickly. "Of course, I don't want to change my mind, it's just…I suppose I hadn't realized that…it would be so official. I didn't realize that…you would want me to be an official parent to Jack."
"Of course, we do," Beverly said.
"Do you not want us to be official parents to our daughter?" Jean-Luc asked.
"I guess…I thought it was different," Laris said. "Terran practices…and beliefs…and I just thought…you've loved each other for so long and…"
Jean-Luc felt sorry for her. He could sense that she was at least a little overwhelmed. The fact that she hadn't expected this was clear, and he felt sorry that they hadn't fully discussed everything with her in a place where she might not have to process everything with an audience, small though it may be.
He reached his hand over and squeezed her hand. Beverly took her other hand.
For just one moment, everyone at the table was silent, including Laris, and that seemed to be exactly what she needed. Jean-Luc saw her relax with the exhalation of a breath, and she squeezed his hand back in response.
"This marriage is both Terran and Romulan," Jean-Luc offered.
"Exactly," Beverly said with a smile that made Jean-Luc's throat ache to think how truly beautiful she looked. She locked eyes with him for a moment and her smile renewed slightly. "It's about all kinds of love. And how lucky are we to have the Terran love of…of soulmates…and first sights…all of it? And, also, to have the opportunity for Romulan love, and the dedication to growing our love one day at a time?"
"The fusion of cultures offers the best of both worlds," Will said, lifting his glass again and clearly trying to do his part to help lighten the moment.
"Here's to the coming together of everyone here in every kind of love," Deanna said, supporting her husband's efforts.
"Hear, hear," Jean-Luc said. "I'll drink to that on behalf of both of my wives—neither of which is imbibing at this particular meal."
Beverly and Laris both raised their own drinks in solidarity, though, and Jean-Luc felt sure that sparkling juice was just as binding as any alcoholic beverage in a toast—especially where little ones were being protected.
"Here's to all our love—new and old," Jean-Luc said.
"And a future where all of it thrives," Beverly said, winking at him before she drank a bit more from her glass. "Now—Deanna—please tell me that we have cake."
"Of course, there's cake," Deanna said. "Stay here, Will will help me bring it."
