Chapter 14
Take Out

It took her several moments to recognize the voice intruding into her dreams. Such a pleasant dream, the smile still firmly in place on her lips only hinting at the contentment she felt. She tried to turn her body toward the sound but was quickly reminded of the weight that pinned her in place. The voice was calling for him; it echoed again.

"Riker to Captain Picard. If you can hear me please answer."

Beverly tried to move him off her; his only response something incoherent mumbled into the pillow. "Jean-Luc, please wake up," she said trying to keep her voice low. He still didn't budge. She reached toward the nightstand to activate the communicator but her fingers were still several inches away from it.

"Troi to Crusher. Beverly are you there?" came the next voice intruding into their bedroom.

With a strong shove she finally managed to maneuver over to activate the comlink. "Crusher here. What can I do for you Deanna?" she asked, one hand still shaking Jean-Luc's shoulder to try and rouse him.

"Beverly, is everything all right? We're not interrupting anything are we?" came the calm voice of her empathic friend.

Not anymore, she thought with an amused grin. "No, it's all right. We were just . . . taking a nap," she settled on finally. It was the truth. "Is something wrong? Does Will need to speak with the Captain? I was just about to wake him up when you called." She could just picture the knowing smiles on the faces of both Will and Deanna.

"Actually," Will broke in, "we'd like to speak with both of you about today's proceedings."

Beverly looked at the wonderful body next to her as it began to stir, finally responding to the voices in the room.

"I know he was rather upset when he left," Riker continued after a moment. "And I thought maybe he would like to discuss things over dinner with the rest of the Senior Officers." Jean-Luc was now aware of whose voice it was speaking over the comlink. He looked at Beverly for confirmation.

"It's Will and Deanna. They want to know if we can join them and the rest of the staff for dinner," she explained to him as he pushed himself up on his hands.

Over the line Will added another incentive, "If you provide the place, we'll bring the food."

"Food, you have food?" Jean-Luc repeated, his growling stomach reminding him of another appetite that needed attention desperately.

Typical male, Beverly thought, Sex, sleep, food - though not always in that order. "Why don't you give us a half hour?" she called into the air.

Jean-Luc was now sitting on the edge of the bed, his back was in need of her professional attentions. She immediately began to diagnose the scratches she had caused.

"That sounds fine. We'll see you then. Troi out."

Jean-Luc winced as Beverly's hands touched his back. "What happened?" he asked attempting to see over his shoulder.

"You don't remember?" she said raising her eyebrows.

He smiled at the memory. It was a memory that would call on time and again in the future. "And I was concerned about injuring you," he smiled. She retrieved her medkit from the closet hoping he wouldn't notice the slight unevenness to her stride.

The doorbell rang exactly thirty minutes later. Picard had just finished setting the table as he waited for Beverly to finish getting ready.

"Number One, right on time," he said as they filed into the house. Each officer carried a box bringing the most wonderful smells into the house. "I wasn't sure which wine to open. What did you bring?"

"Well, it's a little bit of everything," Geordi offered. "We couldn't decide so we each picked a dish."

"Deanna picked the dessert," Will and Worf offered in unison.

Picard smiled as they followed him into the dining room. "Now how did I know that was the case."

"I think I deserve some chocolate after today," Deanna said defensively.

"I think we all deserve some chocolate after today," Picard told her. He fought the memory of the last time he had chocolate for dessert. Steady Jean-Luc, he told himself. He was amazed at all the memories he had already accumulated with Beverly. It was as though they had always been together; the new memories entwined with the old so completely. His mind had already transformed the time when they weren't together into a faraway dream. His life, their life, now was so different from that time.

"Captain?" Data repeated drawing him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry Mr. Data. What did you say?" Picard said trying to resume his Captain's role.

"I was just wondering if the Doctor was going to be joining us?" Data asked.

"Yes, she just needed a few more minutes to get ready," Picard replied looking at the clock in the dining room. "Please, everyone go ahead and get started. I'll go check on her."

Deanna was trying to understand Will's reaction. He was worried about the Captain but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the hearing. She would have to speak with him later. And as for the Captain, he was definitely in a much better mood than when he left the courtroom.

"Beverly, is everything all right?" Jean-Luc called as he entered their bedroom. Scanning the empty room for any sign of her, he repeated, "Beverly?"

"I'm in here," she called from the bathroom. He walked to the door and was surprised to find it locked.

"Is everything all right?" he asked through the door.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be right out." She placed her medkit under the sink so that he wouldn't suspect anything might have been wrong before she opened the door.

"Are you sure?" he asked again as she took his arm and led him into the hallway.

"Yes. Now what's for dinner? I'm ravishe- I mean famished," she corrected herself quickly much to his amusement.

"Yes, I hope no one else notices," he whispered to her.

As they descended the stairs she told herself, Calm down, Beverly. It was a false alarm. You'll have to be more careful from now on.

They found the others waiting for them. They had left the chairs the Captain and Doctor had sat in last week for them. Jean-Luc at the head of the table with Beverly to his immediate right. Perhaps in a subconscious display they had each taken their preferred places as if they were in the Observation Lounge on board the Enterprise. Will to the Captain's left, then Worf and Data. Beverly was flanked by Deanna and then Geordi.

The former CMO felt a little self-conscious as everyone except she and Jean-Luc were still in their uniforms. They had disregarded Picard's suggestion that they start without them and were waiting for his cue.

"I just want to apologize to everyone for my outburst in courtroom today. It wasn't a very professional display," he told them.

"Believe me Captain, you weren't alone in those sentiments," his First Officer said.

"That's not the point, Will. The point is I behaved rather poorly and especially toward my-" wife is what his mind had already filled in as he looked at her, "-toward the Doctor." The Officers looked at each other in confusion. "I'm afraid I made the mistake of, well in her words, 'pulling her out there like-'"

"Jean-Luc, that's not necessary. You already apologized." Beverly could feel the slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. While she appreciated his sentiment she really didn't care to have everyone know how she had phrased the incident.

"I'm sorry. I thought such a public mistake required a public apology," he said.

"It's all right. We already settled the issue; just don't let it happen again," she warned with a slight smile this time.

"Yes Ma'am," he replied matching her smile, holding her eyes.

For the second time that evening Deanna felt that same concern from Will. Riker was watching the exchange holding in a single breath.

"And one last apology to you, Mr. Data." Picard said turning his attention to his guest.

"Me. I'm afraid I don't understand, Sir." Data said inclining his slightly to see past Worf.

"I shouldn't have walked out during your testimony. No matter how strongly I felt; I didn't mean to abandon you," the Captain explained.

"Sir, it's really not necessary," Data suddenly realized the Captain was as yet unaware of the events immediately following his departure. "Captain, as Commander Riker indicated you were not alone in your sentiments. Perhaps he should fill you in on the events following your departure."

"Number One?" Picard inquired.

Riker smiled slyly, "It was wonderful," he started. "It'll be an even better story over some dinner."

Jean-Luc realized the food was still waiting to be served. "By all means," he said indicating for them to help themselves.

Every one had a ravenous appetite after the long day. Will happily filled in the Captain and Doctor on the events after they left. Apparently Admiral Henry agreed with the Captain that Data had been mis-treated during his testimony. Since it had already been resolved long ago that Data was a fully sentient being he should not be judged as if he were an expendable part of the ship.

"I hate to think of what might have happened if Data hadn't of been there to get the lateral thrusters on-line to level our descent. We could of all been-" Riker stopped before completing the thought. "Well anyways, with that issue out of the way I'm sure we can get this hearing over with by the weekend," Riker concluded.

"It sure will be nice to get back to work," Geordi said hopefully.

"I'm sure you will all have your choice of assignments," Picard told his guests.

Will was just about to ask what plans the Captain and Doctor had in mind for their next assignments when an urgent knocking began at the front door. They all looked around as a small voice called, "Doctor Crusher!" The voice didn't wait for an answer as it opened the door and ran to the stairs.

"Andre," Beverly said rising to see what the problem was. Jean-Luc followed her. Andre was yelling up the stairs when she called to him, "Andre, I'm over here. What's wrong?"

The boy was clearly distraught; he turned and began pulling at her arm. "Doctor, PLEASE! It's the baby he's sick! They just took him to the hospital. You HAVE to come see what's wrong."

"Andre, calm down. Tell me what happened," she asked bending to look into his desperate eyes. Jean-Luc went to close the door realizing that the boy had probably ran the whole way from his house.

"I don't know what happened," he said gasping for each breath. "He just got sick, started running a fever and then the Doctor said they should bring him to the hospital right away. Mama, Papa and Aunt Marie took him but I came here to find you." He tried to pull her toward the door but she resisted. "PLEASE, you have to come make sure he's all right!" The boy insisted again.

Beverly looked at Jean-Luc; the question clear in her eyes. He nodded slightly as she told the boy, "All right, just let me grab my things. I'll be right back." She hurried up the stairs to retrieve her medkit. She knew the hospital was fully equipped but somehow she felt better with her own familiar tools.

In the foyer, Jean-Luc held Andre's shoulders to keep him from running off. The boy seemed ready to burst from his efforts. "Take a deep breath Andre," he commanded him quietly. "That's it, nice and slow everything's going to be all right." The boy's eyes widened a bit at the sight of the Starfleet Officers who had appeared behind Picard's back. The Captain turned to face them.

"Is there anything we can do?" offered Deanna. Picard looked at the boy wishing he didn't have to explain everything right now.

"Do you work with the Doctor?" Andre asked taking a step toward the Counselor.

"Yes, we were all on the Enterprise together-" she started.

But he cut her off quickly, "Are you a Doctor too?" he asked.

"No, but-"

"No, thank you then, only Dr. Crusher can help right now," he said turning anxiously back toward the stairs.

The Captain explained quickly to them, "Andre is my sister-in-law, Marie's nephew. His little brother is the one Beverly helped deliver last month." Beverly was heading down the stairs now and Andre raced half way up to meet her. She made a quick survey of the crowd gathered in the foyer.

"I'll be back as soon I can," she told them. Jean-Luc was in a quandary. He desperately wanted to go with them but how could he leave his Senior Officers. He knew Andre was probably over-reacting but if it was serious enough to warrant a trip to the Hospital at this hour. . . he knew how important this little boy was to the family.

"Why don't you go with them Captain?" Deanna offered. He looked at her still unsure.

"Go ahead, Sir. We'll clean up and let ourselves out when we're done," his First Officer assured him.

Picard nodded then tugging his shirt into place said a quiet, "thank you," before leaving.

Will watched the ground car through the window. He turned to face his former crewmates. "I have a feeling their next assignments won't be in space."

Deanna suddenly understood what the concern she had been reading from him was all about. He was losing his Captain in a way he never would have anticipated. "We don't know what their plans are Will," she reminded him.

He shook his head, "Look at them. I don't have to be an empath to know how happy they are here - how much they belong here. Believe me if I found that kind of happiness I wouldn't give it up for anything."

After the housekeeping chores had been attended to Worf, Data and Geordi took their leave. Deanna offered to wait with Will for a little while. He was hoping the Captain would be returning soon; he had a few questions for him even though he knew this was not the best time. He needed to know if it was really all over with. He couldn't be happier for his friends, Jean-Luc and Beverly, but it was sinking in that Will Riker had lost his family- the family they helped to form on the Enterprise.

Deanna followed him into the library, quietly watching as he built a fire. The sun had set hours ago and a slight chill was carried by the night air.

"So you think there's a job for me at the Picard vineyards?" he said only half-joking.

"Well, you do have rather large feet - I understand grape stomping is somewhat of a lost art." He laughed and joined her on the sofa.

"What about you, Deanna? Where are you going to ask for your next assignment?"

"I told you - I haven't really thought about it yet," she said wishing he wouldn't press the subject so soon.

"But it's time to start thinking about it now." He turned to face her, his hand covering hers, "Are you going to leave me also?"

"Will, I thought we discussed this. I thought we agreed-"

"Did you know that he was in love with her since the first moment he set eyes on her some 25 years ago?" He said cutting her off suddenly. "Did you know that he was so in love with her that he was willing to standby because another man offered her all the things he thought she wanted? All the things he knew he couldn't give her at that point in time?"

She wanted him to stop but another part of her was captivated by the tale of this unrequited love finally given a life of its own. "Will, please don't,"

"Don't what Deanna? Don't tell you I love you? That I have since the moment I first saw you. Do you want me to wait? To hold back while someone else holds you and promises you everything you think you need? Well, I'm sorry - I'm not that strong. I need you to tell me there's a chance for us - that you're willing to give it a real try this time. Or tell me to leave you alone. And I will forever, but I need to hear it from you- right now."

"What gives you the right to make such an ultimatum?" she asked angrily pulling back from him.

"Because I love you, Dammit! And I'm willing to take that chance but I'm not strong enough to wait 25 years for you."

She wanted to tell him exactly where he could put his ultimatum, tell him a dozen other things that crossed through her mind in those few seconds. But her heart told her something completely different, that he really was ready to give them that second chance, that she was willing to take it with him. The strength in her grip was in direct contrast to her slight stature. But then the power of a Betazoid's love is not something slight.

Small, powerful hands grabbed his neck, pulling him to kiss her. It was the only answer he needed. Their bodies responded knowingly to the passion being transferred through their lips. He was over her in an instant as her hands continued to pull him forward. A single word in their minds echoed, "Imzadi."

They kissed with the knowledge that they had just begun a new chapter in their lives. The once smoldering flame re-ignited. They explored each other's mouths; there was no reason to hurry, they both knew what lay ahead. This time they would keep it slow, steady; taking the time to put the other's needs first. The kiss lingered; this simple pleasure would be the first step.

They had stayed at the hospital for over an hour waiting for the test results with the other worried family members. The baby's fever had been broken almost immediately but the cause was still a mystery. Dr. Cassel was glad to finally meet Beverly and he understood her bond with the boy knowing that she had helped deliver him.

Jean-Luc was reminded once again how helpless he was at times like these. He began thinking about his future children with Beverly. It was frightening to not be able to do anything. Just how much care did they need? He had never been around anyone with an infant before and even his memories of another man's life weren't enough to prepare for what lay ahead. Beverly seemed willing enough to have a child with him even if she did want to wait a little while. He was going to have to research this parenting thing a bit before jumping in feet first.

"It's no starship but I'm proud of the work we do here," Dr. Cassel told Beverly as they waited for the test results. He was all too happy to give her a tour of his facilities. "Besides being a simple country doctor; I am fortunate that my research seems important enough to warrant ample funding."

"What type of research do you specialize in?" Beverly asked clearly impressed by the small facility.

"Neurologic regeneration - it is something of a personal passion," he said as a sad smile came to his face. "You see my wife and I lost our daughter to a rare disease, not a very kind disorder; it destroyed the synaptic pathways in her brain. She was only 12 and it was very devastating, especially for Michelle, my wife. I'm sure you understand how helpless you feel when it's someone you care about."

In the back of her mind, warning bells sounded as she recalled another neurological disease with similar symptoms. Irumodic Syndrome.

"Tell me about your research. Have you had any luck in the regenerative process? What about warning signs? Any correlation to known genetic defects in the parietal lobe?" She suddenly had more questions than she knew what to do with.

Cassel looked at her, surprised by her interest. "I take it this is an area you're interested in Doctor?"

Beverly took a breath, "Yes, a recent interest. I would love to come back at a time when we can discuss your research thoroughly."

"I would like that," said Cassel warmly. "Although I don't know how much longer I will be able to continue my work here. I am not a young man; that's why David is practicing with me. But his interests are not the same as mine and he still has a ways to go before I would feel comfortable leaving things to him alone."

The computer notified them that the results were ready. Beverly would have spent all night talking with him if she could have. He was so charming; her grandmother would have called him a healer rather than a doctor. The care and pride he took in overseeing his patients was evident. Population-wise it was an area equal to the Enterprise. Enough people to keep things interesting but plenty of time for research; if that's what one was looking for.

"Allergies?" asked the relieved Father.

"Yes, it's not too common and we're still not sure exactly what he's allergic too but most likely he'll grow out of it by the time he's a year old. In the meantime, you'll need to make some adjustments to your air-filtering system at home and we'll give him some medication to help desensitize him," Dr. Cassell explained them.

Jean-Luc and Beverly dropped Andre and Marie off before heading home. Cassell thought it best to keep the baby overnight and Beverly agreed.

"I guess this parenting thing can't be too bad if you're willing to go through it again?" Jean-Luc asked as they headed home.

"It's wonderful - you'll see," she said as her eyes lit up.

"But you said we should wait - how do long do you want to wait?" he asked.

She couldn't tell if he was hesitant or anxious. He kept his eyes focused on the ground before them. How would he have felt if today hadn't been a false alarm? "Well, I thought we'd actually get the wedding over with first," she said trying to lighten the tone.

"Well of course, I didn't mean tomorrow but not too long."

"What's wrong afraid you might lose your nerve?" she teased.

"Something like that," he smiled at her.

He led her up the walk to the front door. "Somehow the prospect of dealing with teenagers sneaking about and giving me as much trouble as I gave my father is a bit daunting. But then you did such a good job with Wesley-"

"Yes, I left him right when his hormones kicked in. Thank goodness Will was there to help look after him."

Jean-Luc laughed as the entered house, "I'm not sure Will was the one we should have let teach him about women." He stopped before heading up the stairs when he noticed the uneven light coming from the library. Beverly followed him down the hallway. Surely they didn't wait up for us, he thought.

They stopped cold in their tracks at the doorway to the library. There on the sofa, their sofa, were Picard's First Officer and Ship's Counselor in the middle of a rather heavy necking session. Beverly could hardly contain her glee, her eyebrows raced to meet her hairline. Jean-Luc didn't know whether to be happy or angry - it was HIS couch.

Beverly whispered into his ear, "Speaking of teenagers." As happy as he was for them when he saw the first signs of clothing being removed Jean-Luc had to interfere.

In the most Captain-like manner he could manage he cleared his throat, Beverly stood by ready to play her part - if she could do so with out breaking into a laughing fit. Across the room Deanna looked over Will's shoulder to meet the sight of her Captain looking very unamused. Beverly smiled and waved hello from the doorway.

"Will!" she said pushing him away with a start.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked following her eyes over his shoulder. He just caught sight of the couple in the doorway before a second hard shove sent him crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

"Will, Deanna, you really shouldn't have waited up for us," Beverly said with a completely straight face. "Jean-Luc isn't it sweet how they were waiting for us?"

"Indeed," Jean-Luc offered still not moving. "When you said you would let yourselves out when you were done - I had no idea you meant this."

"Sir, I can explain," Riker began climbing back to his feet. He looked at Deanna who was adjusting her uniform back into place. Across the room both the Captain and Doctor crossed their arms against their chests in perfect synchronization as they offered their best, this ought to be good faces.

"Maybe not," said Will trying to pull his jacket back into place. What ever questions he may have had for his Captain earlier, could wait. He tapped his combadge and spoke quickly, "Commander Riker to Starfleet transport, two to beam back to the Academy."

"On your signal Sir," came the saving reply.

"Energize," he called before Deanna even had the opportunity to say goodnight.

Laughter echoed through the house as Beverly and Jean-Luc broke into an unrestrained round of hysterics. They ended up on the sofa laughing until their sides ached.

"You know I think I'm beginning to understand the appeal of embarrassing one's children," Jean-Luc managed after a few minutes.

Beverly was wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Uh-huh, we'll see how you feel when it's your daughter on the couch with Will Riker, Jr."

That shut him up for a minute. "A daughter?" he looked at her curiously.

"Or did you want to order a boy?"

"No, I'm willing to let nature take its course. I hadn't really thought about that part of it - so to speak."

She laughed and moved into his arms, "Oh can't you just picture her Jean-Luc?"

He turned to gaze into her eyes. "Yes, I can," he said softly. Studying the lines of her face, the light in her eyes, "She's going to be beautiful - just like her mother."

"Of course, a little boy would be so much fun. You were such a cute little boy. Remember that time you were transformed back into a 12 year old?"

"How could I forget? But it was just my body not my mind."

"Yes, that was the only thing that kept me from running my fingers through that lovely wavy brown hair of yours."

"Beverly!"

"And when you tugged your little jacket into place - I thought I was going to lose it completely," she said stifling a giggle.

He set his jaw tight as he looked at her disapprovingly but he could never stay upset at her for very long.

"Looks like Will and Deanna have decided to give things another shot. I hope they can make it work this time," Beverly said hopefully. "I wonder how Worf is going to react?"

"Worf?"

She looked at him and realized he probably had no idea that Deanna and Worf had become closer in the past few months. "Never mind. I'll corner Deanna tomorrow for all the details," she said as she began trailing kisses along his jaw line.

"Must be something about this couch," he said surveying the cushions before turning to return her kisses.