CHAPTER 2

THE NEWS

Beverly stood near the fireplace, wringing her hands as the fire crackled behind her. "Would you like anything to drink? Tea perhaps?"

"No, thank you," Jean-Luc replied, a frown knitting his brows. "Beverly, your message… the fear I see in your eyes. Something's wrong. What is it?"

With downcast features, she indicated a nearby chair. "Perhaps you should have a seat."

As a knot of anxiety tightened in his gut, Jean-Luc did as she asked.

"I never expected… I…" When tears gathered in her eyes, Beverly promptly blinked them away. "Remember our shore leave?"

Jean-Luc gave a nod. "Casperia Prime. How could I forget?"

At first, it'd been an idyllic trip, a romantic day that had stretched into a heady and passionate night. If Jean-Luc hadn't been called away by Starfleet, he reckoned it would've ended on a high note. But the call had derailed everything, and Beverly had been quite upset by his leaving. So much so that they'd argued and ended their romantic relationship—not for the first, but for the fifth time.

The hurt and resentment on her precious face was now chiseled in his memory. So were the words she had spoken that night.

"I can't live like this, Jean-Luc. I'm tired of competing with Starfleet. I'm tired of living with a damned clock all the time. I just… I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean you can't do this anymore?" he had replied even though he had known.

Her tone softening in rueful resignation, Beverly had said, "I mean… we're at the end."

Back in the here and now, Jean-Luc watched his former flame with regret. Their romantic relationship might have ended, but the hopeless feelings he harbored for her were still there, undiminished. Suppressing them, he waited for her to say more.

"When we made love that night…" The sentence trailed, and she blew out a quivering breath. "I should just come out and say it." Swallowing hard, Beverly locked eyes with him. "Jean-Luc, I'm pregnant."

Pregnant.

The word clanged in his mind, making him blanch by two full shades. He stammered. "Say again?"

"I'm pregnant." When he failed to speak, Beverly placed a protective hand over her abdomen. "Trust me, I was as surprised as you, but it's true. I'm carrying your child… our baby."

When the silence had stretched on too long, Beverly spoke once more. "Say something. Please."

But Jean-Luc's throat had gone tight. Hand rising to smooth the top of his head, he gained his feet, and started pacing.

The room seemed hot all of a sudden.

As Beverly followed him with her eyes, Jean-Luc absorbed the unexpected news with as much calm as he could muster. In truth, his world had flipped on its axis just now, and he was reeling.

"You're certain?" he voiced at last, even if it seemed like a stupid thing to say.

"Positive."

Jean-Luc was so overcome, he had to sit down again.

Beverly said, "I know you never wanted this, but now that it's happened… I do." As he looked up to meet her eyes, Beverly's mouth tugged at the corners, warmth suffusing her tear-filled gaze when she walked closer and confessed, "And despite how crazy it seems… at my age… I love and want this baby more than anything."

The sincerity in her voice was palpable. As it cemented this new reality, Jean-Luc regarded the woman in front of him. Beverly. The mother of my child.

Rendered mute, he allowed his gaze to fall to her abdomen.

Throughout his life, Jean-Luc had often said that he never wanted to be a father. To Beverly, he had confessed that he was too afraid that he would turn out like his own. But as he sat there, his thoughts spinning a mile a minute, he had to own that there was a hidden truth within him, one he had never discussed with Beverly.

While the dominant part of him was terrified at the prospect of being a father, a secret part of his heart yearned for family life. When he had been caught in the Nexus, he had seen and experienced it—having a home with a wife and children. That the woman had been a red-head had not been lost on him. As he watched Beverly with an upturned gaze, the words 'it should have been her' echoed in his mind.

His eyes lowering once more, Jean-Luc realized that he had reached out, his hand a hairsbreadth from touching her.

"It's alright," she coaxed gently, then covered his hand with her own, laying it flat against the life that now grew within her womb. Despite his lingering fears, it was a surreal experience.

"What are you thinking?" Beverly probed softly.

"Honestly? My mind is racing. It feels as though I'm thinking of a thousand things at once. This is a lot to take in." So she wouldn't misunderstand, Jean-Luc continued, "Beverly, I'm not upset at this news. I am frightened, granted. But a part of me is… in absolute awe."

Something passed between them then, and they shared a small smile.

"How long have you known?" he finally managed to ask.

Unless his eyes were cheating him, guilt seemed to flash on her face.

"A few weeks," Beverly answered at length.

Confused as to why she had waited so long, Jean-Luc frowned. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you come out here, all by yourself?"

Now she walked away from him. "Because I needed time. I needed to think."

"To think," he echoed, at a loss. "Were you having doubts about having or keeping the baby?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Then why would you keep it from me for so long?"

"Because I was terrified. I still am." Beverly stood facing away from him, her shoulders bobbing with silent sobs.

Guided by his aching heart, Jean-Luc rose and went to her.

"Hey," he murmured, and gently touched her shoulder.

Turning on the spot, Beverly immediately found refuge in his arms. As she wept, Jean-Luc smoothed a hand down the length of her back. "Talk to me, Beverly."

Easing away from him, blue eyes met hazel. "You live in a near-constant state of danger, Jean-Luc. Just look at all that's happened recently. First there were the refugees from Kelara five. They kidnapped you and held you for nine days. Then, two Reman assassins intercepted the ship, and held a disruptor to your head."

Jean-Luc opened his mouth to speak, but Beverly cut him off. "Days later, Starfleet asked you to negotiate with the praetor, and a photon grenade detonated meters from you. That's how it always is. Endless attempts on your life."

Jean-Luc wanted to protest, to gainsay her words, but he couldn't. She was telling the truth.

"How can I shield our baby from all of that? You know it as well as I do. If you're the son or daughter of Jean-Luc Picard, there's a definite target on your back. So how can we manage it? How can we keep our son or daughter safe?"

As she beseeched him with her eyes, Jean-Luc brushed a featherlight touch to the side of her face.

"Beverly, I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of our child. I promise you." He hadn't figured out the 'how' yet. But somehow, together, they would find a way.