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Jean-Luc had joined Beverly in her quarters after the memorial service they held for Tasha on the Holodeck. Wordlessly, Beverly went to the small liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of real scotch and two glasses. She placed them on the coffee table and took her seat next to Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc uncorked the bottle and poured generous measures of the amber liquid. He tossed his back and poured himself another before Beverly had even drank her first one. He started to pour his third drink when her hand came down covering his glass. He sighed and offered a wan smile.
A tear leaked out of his eye and fell with a splash onto Beverly’s hand. She turned towards him and pulled him into her arms, holding him to her breast as if he were a small child. She slowly ran her hands in soothing circles on his back as the dam finally broke and he broke down in sobs. He had lost crew before, but Tasha was the first since Jack who had been more than just a regular crewman. Tasha had been someone special. Jean-Luc had handpicked her for his crew and she had looked up to him like the father she hadn’t known. He should have been able to protect her.
Beverly placed a soft kiss on the top of his head. She knew how he was feeling. Why hadn’t she been able to do anything to save Tasha? She’s a doctor, saving people is what she does....but she hadn’t been able to save Tasha. Tears rolled down her face and splashed onto Jean-Luc’s head. It wasn’t fair.
Jean-Luc’s sobs had subsided. He slowly looked up from where his head had been pressed against Beverly’s chest and gave her a friendly, chaste kiss in thanks. They rearranged themselves so they were sitting side by side on the sofa with their hands clasped. Beverly poured Jean-Luc another glass of scotch. He let it sit on the table and concentrated on tracing circles on her hand instead.
Wesley came out of his room and saw his mother and Captain together on the sofa. The last time they had been like this had been when his father died and all the old memories came rushing back to him. Tasha had been the first person he had known other than his father to die. Beverly patted the sofa next to her and Wesley took a seat, grasping his mother’s other hand in his. Jean-Luc shared a look with Beverly before passing Wesley his unfinished glass of scotch. The liquid burned his throat as he had never drank alcohol before, but somehow, it seemed fitting.
Jean-Luc chuckled lightly before he pulled Beverly to his shoulder and reached around her to rest his fingertips on Wesley. Jean-Luc indicated the bottle with his head giving Wesley permission to have another. The second one went down easier than the first. He would have asked for a third, but he looked over at his Captain and saw that he had fallen asleep with his mother slumbering in his arms . Wesley smiled and pulled his Nana’s afghan off the back of the sofa and tucked in his mother and Captain before returning to his room.