Chapter 8
"So, Wesley," Picard said, once the table was set, and dinner had been made on the replicators. "How was school?"
"It was fine." Wesley said with a shrug, pushing his food, which was spaghetti, around on his plate. The awkward tension in the room could not be more thick. Beverly glanced between Picard and Wesley, wondering if having the captain stay for dinner was such a good idea.
"Did you do anything fun?" Beverly asked, twirling a spool of spaghetti noodles on her fork. She wasn't sure if her stomach would be able to hold this down but...she'd give it a try.
"I guess," Wesley said, jabbing a meatball with his fork. He stared at the ball of meat a few moments before he ate it. "I mean it was school, so…"
"Did anything stand out to you?" Picard asked, taking a sip from a glass of synthesized wine. It wasn't anything like the real thing, which was good, in some ways. With no alcoholic after affects, one could drink ten glasses of synthehol wine and not get drunk.
"My class just had a lecture on how to properly insulate ship piping," Wesley said neutrally. He jabbed another meatball and popped it in his mouth. He didn't bother to finish chewing when he added: "Which was, to be honest, boring."
"Yes, well, without that insulation the pipes would freeze over," Picard said, sounding a little more chatising than he intended. Wesley stopped midchew and gave him a look.
"I'm not saying that piping insulation isn't important," Wesley said, swallowing his meatball. "Just that it's boring to hear a professor talk about it."
"What one man considers boring, another may consider fascinating," Picard replied, rephrasing a common Earth phrase. Wesley glared at him. Usually, he wouldn't have dared to glare at the captain...but considering said captain was going to be his step dad, and both he and his mom were keeping secrets from him, he decided to make an exception.
"I think what Wesley is trying to say," Beverly put in before the conversation could escalate any further. "Is that pipe insulating isn't for him. It's not his cup of tea, so to speak."
"Exactly," Wesley agreed, pointing his fork at his mom. "What I'd like to do is work the helm."
"Perhaps I could set you up with something," Picard offered, sending a grateful look at Beverly. She smiled back at him.
"Really?" Wesley asked, forgetting his grudge for a moment. His eyes sparkled at the thought of working at the helm. Picard's mouth twitched into a smile at Wesley's excitement.
"Of course," Picard replied, carefully dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "I have heard many great things about you, Mr. Crusher. It would be an honor to have you working on the Bridge as an Acting Ensign, until you apply for the academy."
"The academy?" Wesley gasped, thoughts of secrets now long forgotten. Across the table Beverly sucked in her breath. Talk of the academy brought up thoughts of Jack. Though she had moved on from her deceased husband, she would never be able to put him behind her completely. Wesley looked so much like Jack…and to think she'd be sending him to the academy? It was surreal.
"Well, eventually," Beverly piped in, taking a sip of water. She still felt kind of sick, enough that she'd only eaten a few bites of Garlic Bread. To top it off, thinking of Wesley going to the academy, then into Starfleet, and at last go on a mission…Well, her thoughts then went to what could go wrong. "Right now you should concentrate on your studies."
"Er, yes," Jean-Luc blinked, surprised. Beverly gave him a quick glance over her glass of water. "Yes, your studies should be on top of your list of things to do. I'll have to talk with Mr. Data about classes for Bridge training.
As the days went by, Wesley started sneaking around the Enterprise. More specifically, he was sneaking around Sickbay, and keeping an ear out for the latest scuttlebutt in Ten-Forward. He would have tailed the captain...but, considering Picard spent most of his time on the bridge, that would have drawn too much attention.
Today, however, two weeks since the captain had proposed to his mom, Wesley heard his mom and the captain talking in sickbay.
"Things are going to be pretty different in a few months…" Beverly said. Wesley was just outside the doors to Sickbay. Casually as he could, he leaned against the bulkhead and pulled out his latest science experiment. He fiddled with it, pretending that he was not eavesdropping…
"Very different indeed." Picard remarked, and he heard them both chuckle. "Beverly...I think Wesley suspects something."
"Tell me something I don't know." Beverly scoffed. Wesley heard her walk across the room. "Did you know he's been stopping by Sickbay every day for the past two weeks?"
"I think you should tell him." Jean-Luc stated. "Wesley's smart, and I'm sure he'll figure out what is coming soon."
"I know, I know." Beverly said. "I just can't seem to find the right time. This could change his whole life, you know."
"To be perfectly honest," Picard replied, moving to Beverly. "This will change all of our lives. The crew included."
Wesley blinked and glanced at the Sickbay doors. He was debating whether or not he should confront his mom and the captain now, or wait for more information. Not that he'd heard much before this...his mom and the captain kept their personal lives quite private, and there wasn't a lot of scuttlebutt on them...other than what kind of wedding they were planning.
"Mr. Crusher," Riker's voice interrupted Wesley's thoughts. The young man jumped, turning to find Commander Riker looking at him with both eyebrows raised. "What are you doing outside of Sickbay?"
"Oh, I, uh, was waiting for my mom." Wesley said, nervously fingering his science project.
"Uh-huh," Riker said, nodding skeptically. "Well, would you care to accompany me into Sickbay?"
"Into Sickbay, sir?" Wesley gulped, a feeling of dread creeping up on him. He was caught. After two weeks of staying off the radar, for the most part, he'd been caught. "I don't think that's such a good idea, sir."
"May I ask why not?"
"Captain Picard's in there." Wesley stated, as if that explained anything. Desperately, Wesley hoped it did.
"I don't see why that should be a problem," Riker said, looking at the Sickbay doors. Wesley searched his mind for an excuse - any excuse - so Riker would leave and he could escape.
"It's not a problem, sir, it's just…" Wesley's eyes lit up as he figured out what to say. "Captain Picard doesn't like kids much. And, well, he's going to be my stap-dad soon…"
"Ah, I see," Riker said, turning to look back at Wes. "Don't worry, Wes, Captain Picard's dislike for children is more for show than anything else. You see, he never had any younger siblings, and so he never had a lot of experience with younger children. So, its not that he dislikes children, he just...doesn't understand them too well."
Wesley nodded, and feigned a look of understanding. "Thank you sir."
"Anytime," Riker nodded, giving Wesely a smile before he started for Sickbay. Once the officer's back was turned, Wesley sprinted down the hall and veered to the right. He may look suspicious doing it...be he wasn't quite ready to confront them. He needed to talk to someone first…
"Captain," Riker said, stepping into Sickbay. He froze when he saw the captain and Beverly engaged in a kiss. As soon as Riker entered, the love birds pulled apart.
"Yes, Number One?" Picard asked, straightening his uniform. There was a slight blush on his cheeks.
"I can come back later," Riker replied, feeling a little sheepish. He was glad Jean-Luc and Beverly were happy to be getting married, but...well, it made Riker himself feel a bit off. There was only one woman he'd ever truly loved, and he'd left her. And, thanks to the both of them being on the Enterprise, he was reminded of that mistake every day of his life.
"That's all right, Will," Beverly said, putting a hand on Jean-Luc's shoulder. "I was just about to look over some stomach bacteria samples."
"You're sure?" Riker said, taking a few steps back. "Because I can come back later…"
"No, it's all right, Number One," Picard said, giving Beverly's hand a pat before she left. She smiled sweetly at him before she left. "So, what is it that you came here to tell me?"
"You've been requested on the bridge, sir. There's a vessel of unknown origin, and they won't talk to anyone but the Captain."
"An unknown vessel?" Picard asked, starting for the door. "Have they targeted us?"
"No, sir," Riker replied, falling in step beside him. "Though they do have weapons available. And it appears they have warp capabilities as well."
"Indeed?" Picard raised an eyebrow. Beverly placed a hand protectively over her stomach, a thread of worry niggling through her mind. Was this ship friendly? Would anyone be put in danger? "Well, I won't keep them waiting any longer. Beverly?"
"Yes, Jean-Luc?" She asked, a hand still on her stomach.
"It will be alright," He placed a hand carefully on hers, and allowed his defenses to come down once more before he became the captain again. "I won't let anything happen to you, to Wesley, or to our child."
"Thank you," Beverly whispered, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek. Riker put his hands behind his back, and pretended to be very interested in the ceiling. "Now go show those aliens who the captain of the Enterprise is."
"I shall make it so."
Thank you all for your patience as I wrote this next chapter. Since I started writing fanfiction, back when the Pandemic was going on, I found I had a lot of time on my hands. But, times have changed, and now that the Pandemic is (relatively) over, I've had less and less time to write fanfiction for fun. That does not mean, however, that I will ever completely stop writing fanfiction. My updates will just be slower than usual. Hope you all liked the latest chapter - and thank you for the reviews!