AN: Here we are, another piece to this one.
I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
111
"Jean-Luc, you don't have to make a fuss over me," Beverly protested.
Jean-Luc laughed at her and she echoed his laughter.
"Close your eyes, Beverly, or this is going to sting terribly," he warned. She rolled her eyes at him before closing them and tipping her head back so that he could use the cup he'd brought to rinse the shampoo from her hair. When he'd finished, he did his best to distribute the conditioner through it as she half-heartedly bathed herself, having already done so once, in the tub.
"I could have gone to the salon and had someone wash my hair," Beverly said, "since you wouldn't let me do it myself."
"You could have," he said. "But—having no hair of my own, I sometimes crave the luxury of washing someone else's." She smirked at his teasing and he leaned forward and brushed their lips together. "If someone else had washed your hair, I would have handed to them the intimacy of this moment."
She shivered, visibly, but the color of her lips and cheeks told Jean-Luc that it wasn't from being cold.
"What would people say, Jean-Luc, about a Starfleet captain shampooing someone's hair?"
Jean-Luc laughed quietly, not taking her bait.
"They would say—that man must love his wife dearly. Look how he hungers to care for her. And they would be right. Are you feeling intoxicated at all?"
"A little," Beverly admitted. "I told you that tonight wasn't the best time to give me the medication."
"And, tomorrow, you would say that you don't want to be a burden or you need to get back to your work and don't have the time to spare," Jean-Luc said. "Yet—you failed to keep down the only thing you were given to eat since breakfast, Beverly, and you and our child require adequate nutrition."
"I should be through with morning sickness," Beverly said.
Jean-Luc smiled at her. He kissed her lips lightly again.
"Cover your eyes, Beverly, so that I can rinse your hair. Dr. Moran reports that there is no definitive moment in which you must be through with morning sickness—or all-day sickness as our little one would have things. She recommended giving you the medication tonight, while you have my undivided attention during the time in which you are metabolizing it, again, after a prolonged stretch without it."
Beverly laughed quietly, but she indulged Jean-Luc by tipping her head back without further complaint or criticism. He rinsed her hair far more thoroughly than was truly necessary. He stole another wet kiss when he was done.
"When you're ready, I will help you get ready for bed. You can relax, have your meal, and then we'll see about getting your teeth brushed and tucking you in to rest."
Beverly folded her arms on the side of the tub and rested her head on her arms. She looked very tired, but otherwise she was well. That simple knowledge made Jean-Luc's heart feel like it swelled in his chest.
"You don't have to spoil me, Jean-Luc," she said.
"But I wish that you would not deny me the right to do so, when it's how I most want to spend my evening," Jean-Luc said. "Beverly—forgive me for anything that I'm about to say that I should have simply kept to myself. Entertain, for a moment, the fact that I have spent a great many hours fearing that you would be lost to me forever. I have mourned you, today. Deeply and genuinely. I have imagined that never again would I have the chance to simply feel the warmth of life in your body." He brushed his hand against her cheek. He kissed her again, and this time she kissed him back with some enthusiasm. "I have thought my love lost to me and, finding it restored, I wish to take my time enjoying it. Beverly—I won't make love to you tonight, even if you asked me to, because I believe that you need to rest and heal without any interference from me. Allow me, then, this intimacy of caring for you instead."
Beverly held his eyes.
"If I weren't married to you, Jean-Luc, I'd marry you again. Right now."
He smiled at her.
"And I, you," he said.
"The truth is—I didn't want to leave my life," Beverly said. "If I'm being honest, I can't say that I have always felt that way. There have been things that I would have hated to lose, but…Jean-Luc, you've created an entire life for me that I didn't want to lose."
"You flatter me," he offered. "I am so pleased to hear it, though, that I won't ask you to take it back."
"I mean it," Beverly said.
"I'm sure you do," Jean-Luc said.
"I have so much that I thought about telling you, too," Beverly said.
"I'm certain you must," Jean-Luc agreed. "But—we should save some of it for the lifetime we hope to have together. Otherwise, what will we do when we've run out of things to say?"
Beverly frowned at him, but it wasn't sincere.
"You're teasing me, Jean-Luc," she said.
"One of my favorite things in the world," Jean-Luc said with a nod. "Now is the time for getting out of the tub, Beverly. It's time for settling into bed, where I'll bring you a bowl of vegetable soup and some bread." He could see from her expression that she was pleased with that, which also let him know that the medication was working. "Hopefully, it will hold you over until your nana can introduce me to the best vegetable soup in the Caldos colony."
"What do you get out of all this, Jean-Luc?" Beverly teased, as she accepted the help offered to her to stand in the draining tub. Jean-Luc brought her towel to wrap it around her as he helped her out and helped her to find secure footing on the bathroom floor.
"I get your company, Beverly, and that's the greatest thing I can ask for tonight."
111
"Number One," Jean-Luc said as a way of greeting Will when he came into the ready room. The door slid closed behind him.
The smile on Will's face, coupled with his stance, immediately alerted Jean-Luc to the fact that there was likely something going on, but he didn't know what it might be.
"Can I help you, Number One?" Jean-Luc asked, swallowing back his amusement at his first officer's poorly concealed expression.
"Varshi has reported that he and Mersuka will be ready to disembark the moment we are docked," Will said. "They are packed and anxious to arrive."
"Excellent," Jean-Luc said. "I spoke to Admiral Warren. The Bendalites have not yet fully agreed to join the Federation, but it appears that discussions are going well. I think everyone is optimistic."
"Mersuka has enjoyed these past two days with Beverly," Will said.
Jean-Luc laughed.
"Except for the times when Varshi has kept her otherwise occupied, I might have believed the young Bendalite was a tumor that had begun to grow on my wife," Jean-Luc said. He smirked, aware of things that took place aboard his ship from the many logs that crossed his desk daily. "I—I imagine that Counselor Troi will be pleased to see Varshi returned to his people."
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"I told her that she should report his advances," Will said. "Being propositioned to—to breed with him? It's highly inappropriate. And not once, but two times."
"She has recorded her opinion of the matter as simply being related to cultural practices," Jean-Luc said, picking up the PADD where he'd recently been reading Deanna's report on their Bendalite guests. "Breeding and procreation is very important in their culture. The idea of new blood on their planet is exciting to the Bendalites. It's only natural that Varshi would consider it suitable to proposition Deanna when he finds her attractive and, for all intents and purposes, available."
Jean-Luc could tell, from Will's face, that he didn't want to discuss Deanna's perceived availability or what he might be required to do to change that in the eyes of the Bendalites—or any other individuals which they might encounter. He changed the subject to make that clear, if Jean-Luc hadn't already known it.
"Speaking of procreation," Will said, "are you and Beverly still planning to spend your R and R visiting family and spreading the news?"
Jean-Luc smiled to himself, and then he swallowed it back as much as he could.
"Of course, there are some things that need to be taken care of first," he said. "They would like Beverly and I to both come in for in-person briefings regarding the incident on Merobi II. Our fallen will be transferred off the ship immediately after the Bendalites have been escorted to another location. Beverly and I will not be attending the funerals for all five of the fallen, but I will be spending a day making sure to give my condolences directly to the family members of each of them. Then, we'll divide our time between France, the Caldos colony, and wherever we decide to go for our honeymoon."
Will hummed and nodded. He rocked slightly on his feet. Whatever he was up to, he was trying to choose exactly the right moment in time to reveal it.
"I suppose you'll probably have some time to read while you're on vacation," Will said.
"I have no idea what a family holiday of this magnitude will entail, to be quite honest," Jean-Luc said. "Admittedly, I've never done this sort of thing before. However, I'm sure there will be some time for me to enjoy a little quiet and a good book."
"I thought there might be," Will said.
From behind his back, he produced the wrapped gift that he'd been hiding. He handed it to Jean-Luc.
"What's this?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Something of a wedding present, I guess you could say," Will said.
Jean-Luc smiled at him.
"Thank you," he said. "Would you like me to—wait until Beverly can be present to open it?"
"It's more for you," Will said. "Though, I suppose that Beverly will ultimately benefit from it." Jean-Luc thanked him, again, and opened the present. As he opened it, Will continued to speak, explaining the gift as it was revealed to Jean-Luc. "I know you enjoy printed books, and I know that you're always interested in different kinds of old Earth titles. This one isn't quite as old as some that you like, but I did a little research before I replicated it, and I thought you might enjoy it for the novelty, if nothing else."
Jean-Luc turned the book over in his hands. He laughed quietly as he read the title and flipped through a few of the pages.
"A book about impending fatherhood," he mused.
"It's an Earth book," Will said, "so it's all about Terran pregnancies, birth, and…you know…the early months with a newborn."
"Which, it just so happens, that Terran experiences of pregnancy and birth happen to be the only kind that are of close, personal concern to me," Jean-Luc mused.
Will laughed and nodded.
"It's supposed to teach you everything you need to know to be a fully supportive and aware expectant father," Will said. "It's a novelty, really…I just thought…"
"It's wonderful," Jean-Luc interrupted, recognizing that Will was beginning to doubt his decision to give Jean-Luc the gift. "It's very thoughtful, and I'm really quite looking forward to reading it. I can, of course, research information, and I keep telling myself that I will, but I have failed to do much of that. Perhaps, with an actual book in hand, I may genuinely learn something about what Beverly's experiencing and how I can better support her through the entire process. Thank you."
Will looked pleased that his gift was something Jean-Luc was happy to have.
"Have you already packed?" Will asked.
"Beverly is packing everything that we won't be leaving on the ship," Jean-Luc said. "We're being provided temporary housing by Starfleet."
"Deanna and I are, too," Will said.
"Will you be—remaining on Earth, or…?"
"For a few days," Will said. "Then, we'll be heading to Risa."
"I have a feeling Risa will be quite crowded," Jean-Luc mused. "You'll be staying there for most of the holiday?"
Will cleared his throat.
"Not exactly," he said. "We'll also be spending some time on Betazed."
Jean-Luc laughed, but he swallowed it down as quickly as he could.
"Of course, you will."
"News of our extended R and R reached the Ambassador, and there was no way she wasn't going to insist on a visit from her daughter."
Jean-Luc waved the book in his hand gently.
"Well, Number One—if Lwaxana Troi has her way, I may be looking for a similar volume for you covering the excitement of becoming a father to a child that is, at least partially, a Betazoid."
Will made a face at him, but Jean-Luc simply smiled in response.
"Well—I better—go see about the final duty shifts…" Will said.
"Very well," Jean-Luc said. "You do that. I have a few things to finish up here, before we're ready to disembark. And…Will? Thank you for the book. I do mean that sincerely."