Inventions

"Go ahead, Jean-Luc, just say it. My son is a slob."

"Beverly, I never..." He trailed off, intensely aware of her arms as they folded into the classic try-to-worm-your-way-out-of-this-one pose. She'd been doing that a lot today.

"Just admit it, Captain. You're sorry you volunteered for this and right now you'd rather be reading a good book."

Actually, Jean-Luc Picard would rather be doing almost *anything* other than helping Beverly clean out her storage closet, but, he'd never admit that to her. He had a physical coming up soon and he wanted to live through it. Taking the safe way out, he nodded and tried to look contrite.

Beverly didn't even notice. Something had caught her eye and she bent down to retrieve it. Wresting it free at last, she stood and examined the object. It was a white cube, 20 centimeters on a side, with a slot on one of its faces, and touch controls on an adjacent side. Beverly estimated that the slot was 12 centimeters long and 3 wide. There was no text on the controls to explain their use.

"What is it?" Jean-Luc asked as he joined her.

"I have no idea. Another one of Wes's leftover inventions, I suppose." Carelessly, Beverly turned and tossed the object towards a pile of rubbish in the corner.

"No, don't!" Jean-Luc was a fraction of a second too late to stop her action. He flinched as the object struck the pile and clattered to the floor.

Beverly looked at him, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "Is there a problem?"

Jean-Luc eyed the object for several seconds before turning to his lover. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, drawing her nearer, until their noses were practically touching. "Beverly, this invention of your son's. The one you just threw..." He nearly shuddered as he spoke. "...you don't have any idea what it does?"

"None. I told you that Jean-Luc. What's the matter?"

Breaking contact, Jean-Luc paced across the room. "Beverly, this mystery object, was this, or was this not invented by the same young man who commandeered Engineering during the Tsiolkovsky virus outbreak. The same person who let nanites loose on my ship; who..."

Beverly sighed, interrupting Jean-Luc's tirade. "I see your point." She eyed the object with sudden distrust. Wesley had had more than his fair share of failed inventions. And more than one of them had produced unexpected results - like small explosions and warp bubbles. "So what do you suggest we do with it?"

"Jettisoning it out into space comes to mind," Picard muttered.

"Jean-Luc!" Beverly watched him squirm for a moment before relenting. "You keep forgetting I have 'mother hearing' And with Wes, I had lots of practice using it. Anyway, do you really think it's safe to beam that thing out into space?"

"If we use wide disperse, yes. You're sure you don't mind?"

Beverly shrugged. "We've lived without the thing this long, I can't imagine we'll miss it."

*****

"You enjoyed that entirely too much, Jean-Luc."

Picard surveyed the tidy closet. "I wouldn't say that Beverly. But it does look better."

Beverly favored him with one of her I'm-being-tolerant smiles. "I was referring to Wes's invention. You absolutely loved beaming that thing into deep space."

He grinned back. "Using maximum dispersion was the part I liked." He stepped back to allow her to key in the closet's lockcode. Walking back towards their quarters he announced. "Now that the storage closet has been tamed, I want that surprise you promised."

"Surprise. I don't remember....." She broke off, unable to keep from laughing at his pout. "Oh, *that* surprise." She threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. For a few seconds, Jean-Luc didn't even remember that they were standing in the middle of a corridor.

Breaking away, Beverly smiled wickedly. "The surprise is...we're helping Deanna clean her storage closet next week." She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in his ear. "Won't that be fun?"

He almost said yes.

*****

<<8 months later>>

Picard stood at the head of the conference table waiting impatiently for the last of his senior officers to arrive. After a long minute, Beverly and Deanna hurried in, their hair and uniforms immaculate. It wasn't apparent by looking at either of them that the captain's summons had interrupted their morning exercise routine.

Waiting just long enough for the women to take their seats, Picard started. "I've just had a coded message from Admiral Harris at Starbase 427. Our current assignment has been postponed. We're to rendezvous with the _Bradley_ in 6 hours and take on 2 Federation negotiators. Then we'll proceed to the Ruvic System where we will host negotiations for a newly discovered alien artifact."

"What kind of artifact?" Geordi wanted to know.

"Unknown. Admiral Harris sent me the preliminary analysis but I haven't had a chance to review it yet. We'll reconvene in 5 hours 30 minutes and I'll give you a full briefing. In the meantime, please advise your staffs that shore leave will be delayed until the completion of this mission. Dismissed."

Beverly waited for the others to leave before approaching the captain. "This won't interfere with our plans for the evening?" she asked. Running one finger down his chest she added, "Will it?"

Jean-Luc smiled. He just *hated* when she purred like that. It was sooo distracting. "No, no, I don't plan to let anything interfere with our plans." To seal his promise, he kissed her, taking her breath away.

Breaking away reluctantly, Beverly licked her lips. "Mmmm. Good. I've got a few *ideas* about how to spend our evening together." She started towards the door, throwing, "And all day to think up more." over her shoulder as she breezed out of the room.

Jean-Luc couldn't help the little shiver of anticipation that ran up his spine.

*****

"Dr Crusher report to the captain's Ready Room immediately." Beverly mimicked Jean-Luc's urgent summons as she rode the turbolift to the bridge. Arriving at her destination, she exited the lift, nodded once in the direction of Will, Data and the other bridge crew and tapped the Ready Room door chime.

"Come," came the command from beyond the closed doors and Beverly's lips curled into a smile. The doors opened to allow her passage and she entered his domain. Timing her movement across the room carefully, she was sure the door was shut before saying, "Your wish is my command, sir."

She'd just fed him one of his favorite straight-lines but one look at his expression told her it wasn't playtime. Drawing herself up to her fullest height, she became the efficient officer. "Reporting as ordered, Captain."

His eyes held hers betraying a real worry, bordering on fear. She rounded the desk immediately. "Jean-Luc, what is it?"

He just pointed, allowing her a moment to identify the object pictured on his computer screen. "It's back."

Beverly leaned in closer to the screen studying the object hard. It couldn't be. But there it was. The object pictured was Wesley's invention. It was battered and dirty, but there was no mistaking it. It was the same cube with a single slot on top and control panel on an adjacent side.

"How?"

"The object was found partially imbedded in an asteroid by a Sraafian pirate. They're offering it for sale to the highest bidder as 'an ancient artifact of unknown origin and purpose'. Top Federation scientists are conjecturing that it is a transmuter of some kind, possibly even a portable replicator."

"I thought you beamed that thing into space on wide disperse?"

"I did. But remember, about a week later we had that unfortunate Thalian chocolate mousse incident. Geordi had to overhaul the entire transporter platform in that room."

Beverly nodded, her eyes taking a slightly far away look as she remembered exactly what she'd done with her share of that chocolate.

"Beverly?"

"Yes, Choc....ah, Captain?"

"Is there anything - any logs, notes, anything that might give us a clue to what this thing is before it's brought aboard my ship again?"

She hesitated. "I've never pried into my son's private logs, Jean-Luc. It wouldn't be right for me to read them. And you shouldn't either." With a smile she added. "And I wouldn't let Geordi, Troi or Riker near them."

"Would you object to Data reading them?"

She didn't even have to consider it. "Not at all. Yes, he'd be the best one."

"Then I will inform Data of the situation." Rising, he turned to her and placed his arms around her. "As for you. I have a sudden craving for chocolate mousse with supper. Think you can find any?"

She leaned forward and licked his lips. "I think I could *whip* something up."

*****

<<Three days later>>

The door to her cabin slid apart to allow Jean-Luc Picard a grand entrance. He clutched a bottle of wine in one hand and a very familiar container of chocolate mousse in the other. He was smiling one of those rare, dazzling smiles that made Beverly's heart stop.

"I take it we're celebrating," she asked, taking in the sight of him in *that* outfit.

He laid the items on the nearest flat surface and took her in his arms. "We're celebrating."

"Then it worked? The negotiators were satisfied?" She kissed him once on the lips, then again on his bare chest.

"Satisfied, they were thrilled." He kissed her again, this time on her neck.

"Thank you, Mr Data." She slipped out of his arms and picked up the items he'd brought. "Ummm, the real stuff tonight," she said, looking at the wine bottle.

He came up behind her, caressing her bare shoulders. "Nothing but the best for the mother of our prodigal genius."

She poured them both some wine, then turned and handed him his goblet. Raising hers in a toast she said, "To genius, in all its forms."

He returned the toast and took a sip of wine. Setting aside the glass, he kissed Beverly in that little diamond of exposed flesh created by the drape of her halter dress. He caressed her bare back remembering just why he'd bought her that dress in the first place.

Picking up the container of chocolate, he took her hand and led her towards the bedroom. Beverly followed willingly, but a small frown marked her face. She sat down on the edge of the bed and drew him down to sit beside her.

"Jean-Luc, I know you didn't tell them who invented that thing, and I appreciate that. But do you think they'll ever figure it out?"

Jean-Luc looked into Beverly's eyes. "Don't worry, Beverly, with the modifications Data made, even Wesley wouldn't be able to tell its original purpose." He kissed her nose. "Your reputation is safe mi'lady. No one else will ever know your genius son managed to reinvent the toaster."

She smiled, turning quickly and pressing him down to the bed. Taking the container of chocolate mousse, she opened it and dipped her finger into the warm, smooth dessert. Letting him lick her finger clean, she sighed.

"It's a pity in a way. I can think of all kinds of uses for a portable self-powered toaster right here in this room." She dipped her now clean finger into the chocolate again. "Have I ever told you about the special pleasure-enhancing properties of toasted Denebian wafer cakes?"

Beneath her, Jean-Luc shivered at the thought.

*******************

:::end:::

Return to Astra Plain's