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"I wonder if we'll always have twins?" Jean-Luc looked over to his wife who rolled her eyes. "Keep on guessing, because we're not doing this again." She waved her hand around at the mess following the twins’ first birthday party.
Jean-Luc grinned and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck. “But just look at them, they’re so...”
“I know. But our chances of having a third set of twins is actually quite high when we take into consideration we’ve already had two sets of non-identical twins and my age.” Jean-Luc scoffed. “You’re not old.”
“True, but in terms of fertility....I’m not young anymore. So we’d have two things working against us.”
“Or in favour!” Beverly rolled her eyes. “You’re not the one who has to be pregnant.” Jean-Luc let out a chuckle. “You are beautiful when you’re pregnant.” Beverly turned around and smacked his chest. “Are you saying I’m not beautiful now?” Beverly laughed. Jean-Luc leaned forward and kissed her. “I worded that badly.”
“You did. But I know I’ve let myself go a bit since the babies were born....” Jean-Luc shook his head. “You haven’t. I know it’s been hard on you. Who knew the stress of being married to a ship’s captain....well, we’ve been here before....” he frowned.
“We have, and we were stupid back then. I think we’re a bit smarter now, don’t you?” Beverly watched as Isabel and Wesley played with their younger siblings. “And now we have four beautiful babies. Alright, they’re a bit further apart in age than I think we would have originally planned, but...”
“And that’s why I think we should have more. When the young twins are a bit older.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “They have each other.” He frowned again. “Wes and Belle....”
“Are fine. They might not have been together when they were babies, but they met each other when they were thirteen and now they’re each other’s best friend. And they’re not angry at us anymore, so that’s a plus.”
“Hmm.” Jean-Luc grinned as Wesley placed a shiny bow on Maurice – or, MoMo as he tended to be called by his twin. Maurice giggled with glee and took the bow off and stuck it on Valérie. Valérie grumbled until Isabel grabbed a bow and stuck one on her own head. Beverly rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m just so relieved you are here and not dead.”
“I could say the same about you, my love. When he told me he had you....I panicked. I worried about the children because I knew they needed you.”
“They need you, too.” Jean-Luc brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her gently. “And I need all of you.”
“Ugh. Mom, Dad. Get a room!” Wesley called over to his parents. “Hark, who’s talking. Don’t think I didn’t see you kissing your girlfriend over by the cake table earlier, young man!” Wesley flushed. “Yeah, but...I hardly ever get to see Robin. You and Mom live together.”
Valérie crawled into her brother’s lap and scrunched up her face. He made a face to match. “Mom? I think she’s pooping. And ugh, she’s getting frosting all over me.” Jean-Luc tried not to laugh as he looked over and saw the bright green frosting from the birthday cake that Valerie had in her hair was now smeared across the front of Wesley’s shirt.
“Well then, change her,” Beverly rolled her eyes at her eldest son. “Ugh. Fine. Come on Val. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Beverly detangled herself from her husband and started cleaning up the room. She tried in vain to clean up some smashed cake from the floor. Jean-Luc caught her hands. “Bev, we have people who clean Ten Forward.”
“I know...I just don’t want them to think the Captain’s children are little hoodlums.” Jean-Luc grinned. “They know Belle and Wes.”
“Hey!” Isabel looked up from where she was still playing with Maurice and Maurice echoed his sister. “Hey!”
Beverly laughed. “Your Papa’s not wrong, Princesse.” Isabel grumbled but then laughed when Maurice tried to copy her. “MoMo, you’re being silly.”
“Is that nickname sticking?”
“I don’t think you get a say in it, Jean-Luc. When he’s older, he might prefer his full name.” Jean-Luc grinned. “My father is probably rolling in his grave over it.”
“Good.”
Wesley came back into the room and handed Valérie to his father. “Can I go?” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Let me guess. You have a date with Robin?”
“Uhm....yes? And I kinda need to change first since someone put her frosting all over me.” He tickled Valérie under her chin so she’d know he was teasing.
“Go. But don’t stay out too late.” Wesley rolled his eyes. “You gave Issy and I our own quarters, Dad. How will you know?”
“Oh, I’ll know. I’m the Captain, remember?”
“Ugh. Whatever.”
###
Isabel had asked to give her siblings their bath and Beverly and Jean-Luc were discussing her in the living room after making sure she was alright on her own with the babies. “I think she misses us.”
“Agreed, but she was going to have to leave home eventually.” Beverly twined her fingers with Jean-Luc’s on the sofa. “Would it be a bad thing if she didn’t go back to the academy?”
“Why, has she said she doesn’t want to?” Beverly shook her head. “Not in so many words. But with the credit she received being an Ensign, she only has one more year left before medical school.”
“You want her to do her medical studies here?”
“Could she?” Jean-Luc nodded. “I don’t see why not. We’ve had medical students on board before, and that’s what you did originally on the Stargazer when we got together. But Isabel would have to talk to the Academy and get permission, first. It would be nice to have her here.”
“And Wes?”
“I can put in the request. I think he’d appreciate it if he and Robin manage to stay together.”
Isabel called out from the bathroom, “Maman, Papa, how do you get them both out of the bath at the same time? They’re so wiggly when they’re wet!” Beverly chuckled. “That’s my cue.”
“Sit. I’ll help. You never get to relax in the evening. Isabel and I will get the twins to bed.” Beverly smiled at her husband. “Might go open that bottle of wine Marie sent.”
Jean-Luc entered the bathroom and grinned at his oldest daughter. “Your mother and I have to both be in here to get them out of the tub for now. When they’re older, it won’t be so hard.” He passed Isabel the green towel with the frog on it. “That’s Maurice’s towel.” Isabel eyed the towel. “Ok, but how do I...”
“Watch.” Jean-Luc picked up the yellow towel with the duck and set the hood on top of Valérie’s head and managed to wrap her in the towel as he lifted her out of the now empty bath. “Is my little Princesse nice and clean?”
“Yes!”
“Hey, I thought I was your princesse?” Jean-Luc grinned. “You are. You’re both my princesse.” He watched as Isabel struggled to get Maurice out of the tub. “Here, you take Valérie. I’ll get Maurice.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It takes practice, trust me. Now, I told your mother we would get these two to bed so she can relax.”
“Ok...I think I can do that. It’s just jammies, milk, and a story, right?” Jean-Luc nodded.
Jean-Luc left Isabel in the nursery reading a story to her siblings and joined Beverly on the sofa. She passed him a glass of wine, which he gratefully took.
“Belle is reading to them out of Harry Potter.” Beverly raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a little old for them?”
“It is, but I wasn’t going to turn down the offer of her reading to them. Besides, they won’t understand the words anyway.”
“Hmm. That’s what you said when Isabel and Wesley were small and what was it I recall Walker telling me when they were four? Ah, yes. Isabel said ‘Merde’ at school?”
“Are you honestly worried one of the babies will say ‘Alohamora’ at day care?” Beverly laughed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m always right. I’m the Captain.” Beverly raised her eyebrows and moved her legs onto his lap. “Oh are you?”
“Uhm...I mean, my wife is always right?” He picked up her left foot and started massaging it.
“Now you’re getting it.”