“The Board of Inquiry has heard from all of the witnesses in this case and reviewed the bridge and communications recordings.” The female admiral in the center seat of the panel of Starfleet admirals said. “However, this is not a criminal court. If there is anyone here that wishes to speak on Ensign Crusher's behalf, please feel free to do so.”

Several hands shot up into the air and the woman laughed softly.

“From left to right.” She said and pointed to Guinan.

“Thank you.” Guinan said and stood. “I first met the ensign when he dealt with that menace to sentient species...”

“Please refrain from derogatory statements, unless they are towards the character of the man you are speaking about.” One of the male admirals said.

Guinan nodded. “When I found out what he did, I declared him an instant longtime friend. I invited him to share a drink... off duty, of course... and we shared mutual stories of our lives for over an hour.”

No one told her to hurry up and get on with it, even if they were thinking it. They all knew she was old and would eventually get to the point.

“Some of the things he went through as a child and a teenager, were harrowing to my old soul. He just laughed it off and said he was used to it, because of his unique physiology.” Guinan said. “Someone even tried to murder him and he joked about it. It was unnerving and also a telltale quirk of his personality that I latched onto right away.”

“What are you saying?” Another female admiral asked.

“Ensign Crusher can look death itself in the eye, laugh, and shake its hand.” Guinan said, shocking everyone. “He is such a good man that almost nothing phases him, thanks to his parents raising him to be so well adjusted. Thank you.”

The admirals on the panel exchanged looks as Guinan sat down and looked back at the audience. The female admiral in the middle pointed to Data.

“Ensign Crusher is the most intriguing person I've ever met.” Data said as he stood. “He is enigmatic, works twice as hard as everyone else, and is the only person I have ever seen that was able to keep up with me.”

“Explain that.” Someone in the audience said.

“The other members of the audience will remain silent while others are speaking.” The female admiral in the middle said. “Lieutenant, please continue.”

“Both physically and mentally, Calvin can match me. We have spent several hours inside the holodeck working out several quantum spacial equations, even though he doesn't have a doctorate for theoretical physics.” Data said. “We also rearranged the cargo area of the ship to be more efficient and also restructured the hydroponics bays to provide twice the yield of both fresh air and visual stimulation.”

That made the admiral frown. “How did you have the time to do all of that? You came right back here after the encounter at Farpoint Station.”

“Ensign Crusher was relieved of duty for insubordination and hasn't been reinstated. He only sleeps for four hours a night and has the rest of the day to fill with tasks.” Data said. “I suffer from a similar plight, except I don't sleep at all. I have already submitted a request to double up on my duty shifts as he did. It was quite a simple solution to our problem, which is also why I value our friendship. Thank you.”

That had a lot of whispers start in the audience and the admirals didn't bother to remind them not to speak. They were doing it themselves for several minutes before the middle admiral pointed to Tasha Yar.

“Calvin is both giving and generous, almost to a fault.” Tasha said as she stood. “I don't know if it was how he was raised or if he became that way after joining Starfleet. Either way, he sees nothing wrong with spending credits like water if it will make someone happy.”

“I don't really see how that is relevant.” One of the male admirals said.

“He isn't greedy or looking to make a name for himself. He is not hoarding his knowledge, wealth, or his abilities. He is also not rubbing our faces in it. He helps whenever he can, whether it's his job to do it or not.” Tasha said. “I've never met someone that's more versatile or can adapt to any situation. It didn't phase him at all to have a magical higher being appear out of nowhere and he dealt with the threat efficiently when it became an actual threat and harmed a crew member.”

The admirals exchanged looks again and nodded.

“You may be seated.” The female admiral in the middle said.

“I have one more thing to say.” Tasha said and the admiral nodded. “I grew up on a harsh world that was more horrible than anything anyone could imagine. The roaming rape gangs and slave traders made life there a living hell.”

That made a lot of people uncomfortable.

“I was rescued by the federation and I joined up immediately. I knew that if I could, I wanted to be there in case someone else like me was out there and needs to be rescued.” Tasha said. “I left that world with nothing and Starfleet provides all of my basic needs. I am grateful for that and I also save my earned credits like a rabid beast.”

That made a few people chuckle.

“Calvin made a currency purchase at Farpoint Station and made a mistake in the conversion from federation credits to Bandi dollars.” Tasha said and then told the amusing story of how it came about and what he did with the fortune that he had inadvertently created by mistake. It made a lot of people laugh.

“What is the point you are trying to make?” One of the other female admirals asked.

“He didn't think about trying to convert them back. He accepted his mistake and went forward. He used it to his advantage while also making Counsellor Troi, Dr. Pulaski, and myself very happy women by buying us everything we wanted. Without limit.”

“I won't speculate as to why he did such a thing for three women.” One of the male admirals said.

“He did it to help the Bandi people.” Tasha said, which surprised the admiral and everyone else. “I doubt he has a handful of Bandi dollars left after pretty much giving it to the people in the marketplace and the inn. He gave out handfuls as tips, even to the young boys trying to pickpocket him.”

No one spoke after that, not even murmurs in the crowd.

“He told them that stealing was wrong, especially if they wanted visitors to like them and want to come back to visit.” Tasha said with a chuckle. “He also said that all they had to do was ask. After a few seconds, they politely did. Calvin gave them several handfuls each and they walked away happy and with their pockets full.” She looked at each of the admirals and nodded as she sat. “Thank you.”

The admirals leaned close to each other and conferred for several moments before looking back at the audience. The middle one pointed to Deanna.

“I'm completely biased.” Deanna said as she stood. She wore a traditional Starfleet uniform instead of a Betazed's custom outfit. “When I first met him, he vexed me terribly. I couldn't read him at all and that always unnerved me. I didn't like having a blank space of emotions in front of me when looking at him.”

“We read that in your standard reports.” The female admiral in the middle said.

“Yes, and I was both right and wrong to report it.” Deanna said, surprising them. “It was only a personal observation and was solely on my own behalf. I had no right to judge him on my own preconceived notions.” She glanced at Calvin and back at the admirals. “I've since learned that he can share emotions when he chooses to and he gave me his word to always do so when in my presence.”

“What is he feeling right now?” One of the men asked.

“Confidence. Confidence and pride.” Deanna said and that made everyone's eyes widen slightly. “He knows Starfleet will uphold their own laws and precedents, despite any personal feelings they have concerning either Captain Picard or Ensign Crusher.”

“That's very mature of him.” The female admiral on the end of the panel said.

“By service records alone, he's been to Starfleet Academy for four full course loads, served a full year on a ship that didn't deserve him, and has done more work on his own personal time because no captain has bothered to get to know the young man for who he is and he had to work around their mistakes.”

That made a lot of people in the audience suck in sharp breaths. No one bad-mouthed a ship's captain during a formal inquiry. It just wasn't done.

“I'm sure the records show the proper communication logs that happened when specific members of Starfleet Command found out about Ensign Crusher's treatment.” Deanna said and several of the admirals on the panel nodded slightly. “I am not condemning anyone or faulting them for mistakes. People make mistakes. It's human nature.”

The middle admiral's eyes locked onto Deanna's and they didn't look at anyone else.

“However, what you do after those mistakes is telling. Will you correct your misunderstanding and try to repair the damage done or will you continue to pile on more mistakes and make a potentially great working relationship impossible to maintain?” Deanna asked and waited for a moment before she sat down. “Thank you.”

The admirals turned to each other and discussed things for a bit longer and then faced the audience.

“Ensign Crusher, if you wish to make your own statement, please do so.”

Calvin thought about it, then nodded and stood. “I would only wish to say one thing.” He said and turned to the audience. “I want to thank my friends for speaking up about my character. I'm glad I got to know each of you in the limited time we've had together and I hope we can have years more to become even better friends.” He turned back to the panel of admirals and nodded. “Thank you.”

“We will take a short half hour recess to deliberate and will return with our verdict.” The middle admiral said and stood as she tapped a little gavel on the desk.

Everyone stood and the admirals walked out of the meeting room and into the chambers off to the right. As soon as the door closed, the secrecy protocols initiated and the room became soundproof and small forcefields appeared over the doors and windows.

“I say we make an example of him.” One of the male admirals said as they sat around the conference table. “His insubordination was clear and he even admitted that he earned it.”

One of the women laughed. “Picard had already insulted him several times, breached Starfleet's standard operating protocols, and violated the man's right to privacy.”

“Picard was clearly in the wrong, as several independent reports have confirmed.” The middle admiral said and then she sighed. “I like the man personally and his own personal logs damn him for screwing up with Ensign Crusher and also getting berated for it by Crusher's parents.”

“Which he didn't do anything about afterwards.” One of the men said. “Counsellor Troi's last few words are sticking with me, despite my dislike for her profession.”

Another man laughed. “That's because she's right. Picard let that young man flounder around at the end of a proverbial rope and didn't try to reel him in, then tried to choke him with it.”

“Ensign Crusher did question his captain's orders several times and goaded him by pointing out his mistakes.” The other female admiral said. “It was a subtle misuse of the 'rule quoting' standard on ships.”

“At least Picard didn't try to lead the away mission himself.” The middle admiral said. “That would put this whole mess into a much harsher light, especially with Ensign Crusher's statements about stripping the bridge crew as part of the official records.”

One of the men laughed again. “I cringed when I read that part! You would think he didn't have a whole ship full of people that are fully qualified to send on away missions!”

That made them all laugh softly.

“Does anyone want a coffee or something?” One of the women asked as she stood.

“What are you getting?” One of the men asked.

“I'm trying a glass of Ensign Crusher's programmed wine.” She said with a smirk.

“That's a great idea.” The middle admiral said. “Why don't we all try it?”

“I haven't eaten lunch yet and that won't sit well.” Another one of the men said. “You better get me the pasta dish, too.”

“Oh, you're on.” The middle admiral said with a laugh. “Brenda, charge it to my account and get us all... what was it Counsellor Troi called it?”

“A Calvin Special.” Brenda said, still smirking.

“Grab seven of the Calvin Specials. We'll discuss the merits of the case as we eat and try to figure out what to do with this mess.”

*

The seven admirals from the panel walked back into the meeting room and their faces were slightly flushed red. They sat as one and looked determined.

“Ensign Crusher, please stand.” The middle admiral said and she gave him a very pointed look as he did. “Your insubordination was clear and the record shows it was so, despite your justification. Your relieved time since then and your docked pay for the same period, is upheld.”

There were several murmurs from the audience.

“You should conduct yourself in the same example of the best that Starfleet has to offer. When provoked while on duty, accept it and ignore it, then report the incident through proper channels.” The middle admiral said. “It will be handled properly and by proper authorities in the future.”

“Yes, admiral. I understand.” Calvin said.

“Captain Picard, please stand.” One of the male admirals said and the audience started talking loudly. “You will be silent or you will be removed!” He nearly shouted and everyone went quiet.

Captain Picard stood and made eye contact with the admiral.

“Your behavior towards an appointed member of your bridge crew has been lacking, to say the least.” The man said and saw Picard didn't react. “That he is the son of one of your supposed friends and former first officer Jack Crusher, makes it that much worse in the eyes of Starfleet Command.”

Picard flinched and opened his mouth to speak.

“Your excuse that you didn't have time to review the bridge crew files until after you boarded the ship, and it was too late to correct your mistake, is also telling for your mindset.” The admiral said and hid his smile at Picard's wince. “You are not a newly minted captain. You dismissed the presence of someone you only considered a pilot, even knowing that the pilot was chosen by Starfleet Personnel specifically for the flagship because of how good he was.”

Picard could do nothing but nod slightly.

“A reprimand will be entered into your performance record for disclosing a crewman's medical condition without his permission. You perpetuated the situation instead of diffusing it or ignoring it, which is a mistake we just berated Ensign Crusher for. Therefore, you are also docked your pay for the time that Ensign Crusher was relieved of duty. Neither of you will benefit from the compounded mistakes that should never have happened in the first place.”

“Yes, admiral.” Picard said.

“Now that the mess has been dealt with, we are ordering it to be completely expunged from every record.” The middle admiral said, shocking everyone. “All recordings will be erased, all personal files edited or deleted for that time period, and everyone will be ordered under Starfleet Secrecy Oaths to never speak of it again.”

The entire audience was speechless.

“As my colleague stated, none of it should have happened and it all stemmed from one incident of a stressed captain assuming a new command and ignoring the people he didn't recognize.” The middle admiral said and she looked from Picard to Crusher, then back to Picard. “You're both good men. You both made mistakes. You both took offense and let it simmer until you confronted each other and look where it got you. In front of seven people that could ruin the careers of both of you.”

Calvin looked over at Picard and saw understanding on his face.

“I hope that the both of you can move past this, since according to Starfleet's official records, it never happened.” She said and then smiled. “I told my colleagues that I liked you personally, Captain. Your service record and your personal interactions with crew members you trust, shows me that you can be the man Starfleet needs on the flagship. That's why you were chosen.”

Picard straightened his back a bit more at the praise.

“Ensign Calvin, you are an anomaly. Starfleet doesn't know what to do with you, because you can do anything you want. You have access to the Command, Engineering, and Medical officer tracks, and could even drop it all and become a general maintenance member of the crew with no real responsibility. That's very rare, especially since you have no problem doing any of those things.”

Calvin couldn't stop his smile. “You read the report of me replacing the hull plates on the Yamikaze during flight.”

The muttering in the audience started again.

“I did.” The admiral smiled back. “I have to say that I've never personally met anyone that was crazy enough to go EVA on a moving starship, let alone manage to do massive hull repairs without letting the captain hear a word about it. Although, it was Captain Svenson, so I guess it's not that surprising.”

That made the murmurs pick up and a few people chuckled.

“With that in mind, I implore you to do everything you can do to help the Enterprise and her crew. If you need extra shifts, ask for them. If you need extra resources to make something better, ask for them. Your degrees give you a lot of leeway to cross disciplines, so use it.” The admiral said and then she pointed at him. “I fully expect you to show me what you can do with my orders and I want you to become someone that I can like personally, just like I do Captain Picard.”

“I'm bonded to Counsellor Troi, so we can only be friends.” Calvin said with a grin and she laughed.

“You're a charmer as well, hmm?” She asked and looked at Picard. “I need you to show him what being a captain really means. Let him see how a real crew works like a well oiled machine and that when all the parts work together, nothing can stop it.”

Picard nodded. “I'll do my best, admiral.”

“I'm glad.” She said and banged her gavel on the desk. “I declare this inquiry is officially over.”

A cheer came from most of the audience and Calvin was swarmed by his friends and family. He greeted everyone and thanked them for their support again, then the crowd seemed to part and Captain Picard stepped forward.

“I would like to formally apologize for the incident that doesn't exist. I won't ask for forgiveness or to become friends, since neither of us is ready for that yet.” Picard said and held his hand out. “I would instead ask for you to become someone that I can rely on and perhaps the rest will develop on its own.”

Calvin knew this was it. This was the moment that his life would pivot on. He felt the subtle nudge from Deanna in the back of his mind and smiled as he took the captain's hand.

“I would be honored to try, captain.” Calvin said and shook his hand.

The crowd parted again and the middle admiral walked over to them with the other admirals arrayed out behind her. Picard stepped aside and Calvin looked at the woman and her flushed face.

“You program a wonderful wine, Ensign.” She said and the admirals behind her nodded. “If you come up with anything else, please mark it and send it to the judicial branch of Starfleet.” She took out her card and gave it to him. “On a personal note, great work on the Q entity.”

“Thank you, admiral.” Calvin said.

“We've warned all outgoing captains about the dangers and we're also working on providing appropriate weapons for the security chiefs to use.”

“I don't know if there's anything appropriate for Starfleet to use.” Calvin said.

She smiled at him, as if asking him for something. She didn't say anything, though.

Calvin got it right away. “I'll run over to Starfleet R&D and see if I can tear more strips off of my life pod for you to use.”

“I'm glad that the reports of your intelligence are entirely accurate.” She said and started to walk away. “I'll send the orders through for three days leave for you and the crew of the Enterprise.”

“Thank you, admiral.” Calvin said again.

She waved over her shoulder at him and the other admirals followed her. She stopped and looked back at him. “I know a lot of people are comparing you to Dr. Soong's Eugenics Program for the genetic Super Man.”

Calvin sighed and she smiled again.

“I don't believe it and neither do my colleagues.” She said and started walking again. “Have a good day, Calvin.”

When the admirals had left the room, Deanna spoke. “I wonder how many glasses of wine she had?”

Silence met her words for a few moments, then Dr. Pulaski laughed. “She's drunk!”

“I'd say she's only a little tipsy.” Calvin said with a smile. “It's really good wine.”

“It's also not synthohol.” Deanna said and took Calvin's hand. “We've got three days to spend here.”

“I'll need a few hours at R&D before we can go anywhere.” Calvin said and glanced around to look for a time display. He saw one three rooms over on a secretary's desk. “I can probably be done before dinner.”

Deanna smiled. “I'll get us a room and have everything ready when you're done working.”

Calvin smiled, because he knew what that meant. “I'm looking forward to it.”

They all left the meeting room and the atmosphere around them was much lighter, thanks to everything being resolved and apparently erased. They were all happier with it behind them and they made plans to meet up for a meal before going back to the ship in three days.

Calvin spent the next three hours at R&D and used his sharpened piece of the lifepod to weaken the hull and tore strips from it. It had been chemically bonded and had no bolts or anything, so the strips they removed were perfectly smooth. They stuck with his own chosen length of weapon at eighteen inches and made hundreds of strips with it.

“Did you have any luck figuring out the engines?” Calvin asked as he pulled off the last strip of the outer hull.

“No, and they technically shouldn't work through the super-dense hull. There's no exhausts or anything. In fact, we can't even figure out how the fuel or whatever it is gets inside.” One of the scientists said as he took the final strip. “Are you sure we should leave them slightly curved like this?”

“I'm not sure it matters; but, I can straighten them all pretty quickly for you to sharpen them.” Calvin said and then did so for about twenty minutes. “You can figure out how to add handles and things on your own.”

“Thanks a lot for doing this, Calvin.” One of the women said and came over to him. “We've been trying for a week to get something else off of the ship.”

“It's not a problem.” Calvin said and looked at the thing, now that it was down to pretty much a skeleton. “There's not much left to it, is there?”

She laughed softly. “We've been pulling its guts out for nearly twenty years and sussing out its secrets for almost as long.”

“I don't know why the crystal storage isn't compatible with the isolinear chip system. They are practically identical in internal setups.” Another scientist said. “Do you want to take another shot at it?”

Calvin shook his head. “I've got a beautiful woman waiting for me and if I make her wait much longer, she's going to make me wait for a heck of a lot longer.”

“Go on and get out of here.” The woman said and pushed his shoulder. “I'll do up a care package of the materials we've already cleared and send it to you tomorrow.”

“Now that's a good idea.” Calvin said. “Toss in one of the smaller crystals, too. Once I'm out on the Enterprise again, I'll need something to keep my mind occupied between shifts.”

She nodded and watched as the man she had a secret crush on, disappeared from her sight as if he wasn't just standing there. She imagined being the lucky Counsellor Troi and enjoying seeing that handsome face above her in bed.

“I'm going home.” She said and walked over to her desk to drop off her datapad and to log out.

“See you tomorrow.” Several of her co-workers said and she waved as she left.

*

Two days later, a personal shuttlepod flew across the Atlantic Ocean to enter Old Europe's airspace.

“Oh, god.” Deanna moaned from the bed in the back of the shuttlepod as Calvin entered her again. “Where... where are we now?”

Calvin looked at the telemetry of the programmed course he had entered the computer. “We're over the reinforced Eiffel Tower in Paris.”

Deanna moaned some more and gripped her lover tightly with both her arms and her lower body. “Starfleet... Federation Headquarters! We're over... the HQ of the Federation of Planets! OHHHHH!” She screamed her pleasure at making love over the heads of the leaders of the Federation. She never imagined doing anything like this and her mind and body loved it as much as she loved her bonded lover.

They had sex over every continent on the planet for the last two days and this was the last stop. The two of them collapsed in ecstasy a few minutes later and laid in the bed, cuddled together.

“This... has been... the best shore leave... ever.” Deanna whispered and kissed her lover's mouth and face several times.

“I'm glad... you think so.” Calvin said and laid back to hold her tenderly. He was breathing hard, because he had been in control the entire time and it took a lot of effort to not hurt his lover as he let himself enjoy her body.

“You've done everything I've ever hoped for, Cal.” Deanna said and looked into his eyes. “I can't tell you how much you complete me.”

“I feel the same way.” Calvin said and then realized what today was as he chuckled. “Mom is going to be surprised when I show up at dinner tonight with such a beauty on my arm.”

“Is that why we ended our world tour here?” Deanna asked.

“Yes, and the family house is here in a side district of Paris. We moved here after Wesley was born because of the better environment.”

“Your mother wanted a more relaxed atmosphere from around Starfleet Medical, didn't she?”

“That... and much better shopping on the weekends.” Calvin said with a chuckle.

Deanna laughed softly and cuddled in. “I hope we have some time to recover before we have to be there.”

“I've got a room reserved at a nice hotel for us to rest, get changed, and be ready to assault my parents.”

Deanna laughed again at his wording and guessed that he wasn't far from the truth. “I'll try to not read them too much.”

“Don't promise me that you'll hinder yourself. You have the ability and they know you do. Use it and let them know you are.” Calvin said. “You know my mother encouraged me to explore as much of my abilities as possible.”

“Would that apply to me as well?” Deanna asked.

“It has to, since we're telepathically linked.” Calvin said. “I think it's a side bonus to my intelligence that we have such a strong bond.”

“I'm not going to question it, Imzadi.” Deanna said and kissed him again. “I just hope your family likes me.”

“What's not to like? You agreed to date me and that makes you spectacular.” Calvin joked and she laughed softly. “Really, though. My dad is going to be so envious, even if he prefers redheads.”

“Don't put that thought into my head!” Deanna said and kept laughing. “You're horrible!”

“Wesley's going to freak over you, too.” Calvin said as the shuttlepod locked onto a landing beacon and it diverted from the casual course he had set. “He's only nine, so no flirting too much.”

Deanna shook her head at him. “I would never...”

“Who wore a practically see-through wrap on our first date?” Calvin asked with a huge smile on his face.

Deanna blushed. Instead of trying to hide it, she turned to give him a kiss. “It was the best decision I ever made. I was only going to have a nice liaison with a very handsome man and then I was suddenly caught up in you.”

“I felt the same way. It started as innocent flirting and then I just had to prove to you that I was serious.”

“The medical research facility opened its doors officially yesterday.” Deanna said, happily. “Both I and my planet thank you.”

“What would they say about what their unofficial ambassador has done with their secret patron?” Calvin asked, teasingly.

“They would tell me to do it again, of course.” Deanna said and kissed him tenderly. “It got them a medical center the first time and they would want to know what else I can get for them.”

“Anything.” Calvin whispered. “Anything at all.”

Deanna purred as his thoughts and emotions flowed over their link, because he was completely serious.

*

“MOM!” Calvin yelled as soon as he entered the large manor house.

“CAL! We're in the kitchen!” Beverly said back.

Calvin took Deanna's hand and led her through the house to the kitchen. “Mom, I would like to introduce you to the woman that's stolen your son from right under your skirt.”

“Cal!” Deanna and Beverly exclaimed at the same time, then they exchanged looks and laughed.

“That was a great ice breaker, son.” Jack Crusher said as he walked into the kitchen behind them.

“Thanks, dad.” Calvin said. “How's desk life treating you?”

“It's bruising my ass like I'm sitting on a dilithum crystal.” Jack said.

“Jack!” Beverly exclaimed, then she and Deanna exchanged looks again, only to laugh.

“I see where he gets it now.” Deanna said.

“Oh, they're horrible if you let them get into it.” Beverly said and took out the large casserole from the oven. “I took the liberty of asking Cal what your favorite food was.”

Calvin chuckled at Deanna's stern look. “She made triple chocolate souffle for dessert.”

Deanna caught her breath and lost the stern look, because she couldn't stop the look of desire and need from forming on her face.

“That's the look she gave me when she opened the door of her quarters for our first date.” Calvin said.

Beverly and Jack gave each other a similar look.

“Yep, that one.” Calvin said. “I would be insane if I passed that up to try looking for someone else to give me that look, so I'm keeping her.”

Deanna didn't say anything in protest, because she actually wanted him to keep her.

“I guess we can't do the whole jealous parent routine we practised.” Jack said with an exaggerated sigh.

Beverly laughed and then looked at her son as she nodded at the cupboard. Calvin took the cue and had the table set up instantly. Everyone's hair moved slightly in the light breeze he had generated from moving so quickly. They carried over the food to the table and sat down.

“Where's Wesley?” Calvin asked as his mother gave him a double helping of casserole.

“Probably building a tractor beam.” Jack said and Deanna gave him a surprised look. “It's for a school project.”

“He's doing the engineering track first, then?” Calvin asked as his mom served Jack and Deanna.

“Only up to the Starfleet Academy Entrance level.” Beverly said and served another plate before she served herself and sat down. “Despite being as smart as you, he doesn't have the same capacity for absorption.”

“I'm glad. The last thing he needs is being stuck with tons of useless data inside his head.” Calvin said with a laugh. “I need to come up with a blocker or something to delete the stuff I can't use in my brain.”

“Messing with your memory can have unforeseen consequences.” Deanna said. “Forgetting it naturally is the best way for a healthy mind.”

“That's kind of my problem.” Calvin said. “I can't forget anything. At all.”

Deanna blinked her eyes as she thought about it. “Nothing at all?”

Calvin shook his head. “My first grade teacher's name is Mr. Robert Jang. He has three kids, a mean streak when kids don't listen, and he accused me of cheating when I passed all of my first month's tests with perfect scores.”

Deanna was stunned. She could see through their telepathic link that he really did remember those things and wasn't filling in the details like a normal person would with vague memories. It was then she remembered their bonding ritual and she had shared her entire being with him.

“You remember everything I did as well.” Deanna whispered. “I knew you shared my thoughts then, which you proved by showing me that old book I read as a child. I just... I didn't realize...”

Calvin took her hand and smiled. “I don't want you to be embarrassed or anything, all right? I mean, you saw the memory of me at fourteen and the first time I jerked off to a pretty girl.”

“CAL!” Beverly gasped, Jack burst out laughing, and Deanna blushed.

Calvin grinned at her. “Sorry, mom.”

“Just... shut up and eat.” Beverly said with a sigh.

Jack tapped his comm badge. “Crusher Prime to Crusher 2.”

“Crusher 2 here.” Wesley's voice responded.

“If you're not in a critical building stage, Cal's here and we're eating.” Jack said.

“I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!” Wesley yelled and ended the call.

“I actually heard that through the house.” Calvin said and rubbed his ear. “I better stand up for this part.” He said and stood just as a young man clomped down the stairs, like a herd of animals stampeding, and then the young man ran into the kitchen before jumping at him.

Wesley was easily caught in a hug and then deposited in the chair beside his father. “Hi, Cal!”

“Hey, Wes.” Calvin said and sat down. “This is Deanna.”

Wesley's eyes widened, almost comically. “Wooooow.”

For some reason, Deanna blushed. It wasn't until she followed the errant feeling in her mind and found the small thread of emotions coming from Wesley. He liked her. A lot. Then she somehow got the image that Wesley was going to be much younger than Cal as he experimented with himself. Because of her.

Deanna shoved that image away and used her mind to cut off reading any more of the young man's emotions. “It's nice to meet you, Wesley.”

“How did you find someone so pretty?” Wesley asked as he started eating.

“Starfleet Personnel assigned us to the flagship.” Calvin said. “Then boom! I impressed her by making her angry over not reading my emotions. She couldn't resist the temptation and here we are.”

Wesley laughed and Beverly and Jack smiled.

“It wasn't quite that simple.” Deanna smiled, too. “It's good enough of an explanation for now.”

They all nodded and ate the meal. The dessert was served afterwards and Deanna had two pieces of the souffle before she remembered that she was at someone's home as a guest.

Calvin chuckled and put a third piece on her plate and took a third one for himself. “Mom's glad that you're relaxed enough to not be embarrassed.”

Deanna looked at Beverly's face and read her emotions, only to realize that Calvin was right. “Thank you for not thinking less of me.”

Beverly smiled. “You're the only person I've met that can eat like Calvin.”

“When it comes to chocolate.” Calvin added and ate the delicious dessert.

Deanna ate the third piece and sat back, completely stuffed. “Thank you for the meal.”

“We can retire to the living room and talk for a while to let that settle.” Beverly said. “Boys, go find something to do.”

“You can help me!” Wesley said and hopped off his chair and ran around the table, grabbed Calvin's hand, and ran from the room.

“I'll go anyway.” Jack said with a laugh and stood. “Ladies.”

Beverly and Deanna nodded and watched him leave. They stood as well and went to the living room to sit and relax.

“I assume you fully expected an interrogation.” Beverly said with a knowing smile.

“I did and I'm fully prepared to tell you everything.” Deanna said.

“Oh? Like when you first had sex with my son?” Beverly asked, curious.

“Right after our first date. Or during it. It's hard to remember when we made it to the couch.” Deanna said, honestly. “Have you tried his programmed wine? It's delightful!”

Beverly smirked at her and stood to go to the replicator. “Who do you think he did his test runs on to perfect it?” She asked as she made two glasses of it appear.

“Oh, you lucky woman.” Deanna said and accepted the wine glass. “His pasta dish was delicious as well.”

“It's an old family recipe from Jack's mother.” Beverly said and sat down before taking a very long sip. “I still can't figure out how he programmed it. The coding shouldn't work.”

Deanna chuckled and drank some as well. “He has more ideas floating around in his head than even he can fathom. The engineering work he does on the ship is amazing, too. Sarah, the chief engineer and Geordi love seeing him enter main engineering, even when he's not on his duty shift.”

Beverly nodded and took another drink. “The engineers on the Yamikaze were the same. He was like a miracle worker for them, especially when he would volunteer for the worst jobs.”

“He loves cleaning the plasma conduits for some reason. Even the lowest rating grunt workers in engineering hate doing it and it's their job!” Deanna exclaimed and they both laughed. They also took another drink, emptied their glasses, and Beverly went to get refills.

*

“What do you think of her?” Calvin asked his father as they watched Wesley try to piece together the proper components for his miniature tractor beam.

“I think you're right. She's a keeper.” Jack said. “You make sure she's happy and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again.”

Calvin chuckled. “You make it sound so easy.”

“You're telepathically linked. There's literally nothing that you can't work out with each other.” Jack said. “As long as you don't try to actively block her from your thoughts, you will always be happy.”

“I'd never do that.” Calvin said. “I felt bad when I admitted to her that I was going to mess with her, just because I could.”

Jack put a hand on his shoulder. “That took guts, son.”

Calvin nodded. “She was going to close herself off from me if I didn't make my position clear. I did and then I apologized.” He smiled. “Then she surprised me by accepting my date idea to make it up to her.”

“More like lucky.” Jack said and let his shoulder go. “So, do you want to tell Wesley he has the emitter in upside down or should I?”

“DAMMIT!” Wesley yelled and pulled the half-connected part back out. “Why isn't it marked? It should be marked!”

Calvin and Jack laughed and told him the secret. There were more prongs on the bottom of the device for hooking it up, since it was intended for an integrated circuit board and not to be free standing on a small pedestal like he had it.

“Ohhhh. I get it.” Wesley said and looked at his project. “I can salvage this. I know I can.”

“We can only give you ideas. You have to do the work yourself.” Jack said.

“I know, dad.” Wesley said and looked at his brother. “What do you suggest?”

“Show me the computer design you made.” Calvin said.

Wesley pulled out his datapad and brought up the plans. He handed the datapad to his brother and waited.

“I see.” Calvin said and looked at Wesley. “Don't get angry, okay?”

Wesley sighed. “I made a mistake, didn't I?”

Calvin pointed out the flaw he had seen. “The polarizing array is misaligned. Even if you get the emitter hooked up to it, it's not going to work as a tractor beam.”

Wesley was sad for a moment, then he gasped. “It reverses the flow and will be a repulsing emitter instead!”

Calvin smiled and nodded. “Are there any innovation clauses for the project?”

“No.” Wesley said. “I'll have to start over... right after I finish building this thing!”

Calvin and Jack nodded.

“This we can help with.” Jack said and went over to the small parts replicator. “Give me a type four circuit board, eight resistors, two integrated isolinear chips, and a dozen component wires at six inches of length.”

“Nice one, dad.” Calvin said as the parts were replicated. “Wesley doesn't have to strip the old one.”

“Yes!” Wesley said and the three of them got to work to make Wesley's repulsor beam. The programming was going to be a bit of a pain because it wasn't supposed to technically work that way; but, the three of them were experienced enough to handle it.

*

Later that night, Calvin brought a slightly drunk Deanna back to their rented room.

“I think... if your mother had been assigned to the Enterprise... we would have been great friends.” Deanna said.

“I know. That's the fifth time you've told me.” Calvin said with amusement. “Mom told me twice before we left.”

Deanna laughed loudly and hugged him. “I love you so much, Imzadi.”

“I love you, too.” Calvin said and took her into the bedroom to undress her.

“Yes, strip me off.” Deanna almost growled. “Let me admire you some more as you make love to me.”

“You do realize that you're not going to enjoy it as much with you drunk.” Calvin warned her.

“I don't care. I want you to ravish me and tell me how beautiful I am and that you can never look at another woman for as long as I let you live.” Deanna ordered.

“As long as you let me live?” Calvin asked.

“You won't survive if I ever catch you with another woman, Imzadi.” Deanna said and then she did growl. “Commander Riker hurt me so much when he abandoned me for his career and I will not stand to let anyone else do that to me!”

Calvin felt her repressed anger and walked over to her. Instead of hugging her, he knelt in front of her and spoke the words of devotion that was the start of the Wedding Rites on Betazed.

Deanna's anger fled as if it never existed and she started pulling off her clothing. She couldn't hear any more words from her bonded with her clothing still on, since that was against tradition. When she was finally naked, she saw that he was naked as well and had finished speaking.

“S-stand, Imzadi.” Deanna whispered and looked up into his eyes. “Embrace me.”

Calvin did as instructed and Deanna moaned as his member pressed against her.

“L-lift... lift me. I want to feel your love.” Deanna said and she was raised up and hugged tenderly. She slid down and moaned as her lover entered her. Even though her mind was still addled by the alcohol, she concentrated on their telepathic link and dug deep into his emotions. She revelled in them and their strength, especially the ones that were solely for her.

“It's all for you.” Calvin said and started to move inside of her as she moved through his mind.

“C-Cal... I... you...” Deanna muttered between moans.

“All for you.” Calvin said and kissed her.

*

“You look horrible!” Tasha said with a smile as Deanna entered the restaurant.

“I was drunk last night and stayed in bed all day today.” Deanna admitted.

“Hold on.” Dr. Pulaski said. “You got drunk while meeting Calvin's parents?”

“After.” Deanna said and sat down. “Beverly and I talked a lot and...”

“First names with his parents already?” Geordi asked as he sat down. “Here's your drinks.”

“Ugghh. No thanks.” Deanna said and rubbed her head.

“It's synthohol.” Data said.

“I don't care.” Deanna said.

“Where's Calvin?” Worf asked.

“Parking the shuttlepod.” Deanna said. “He dropped me off right outside.”

“Of course he flew a shuttlepod through busy traffic.” Tasha said. “Did anyone flag him?”

“He's got all his permits and licenses.” Deanna said. “Here he comes.”

The door to the restaurant opened and Calvin came in. He looked immaculate in his Starfleet uniform.

“Hey, everyone.” Calvin said and sat down beside Deanna. “Are you sure you don't want me to fix you up?”

Deanna shook her head. “I need to learn this lesson the hard way by suffering through it.”

“They use synthohol for a reason.” Dr. Pulaski said and everyone nodded, even Data.

“I know and I am going to be very, very careful from now on.” Deanna said.

“How did you all enjoy the short shore leave?” Calvin asked.

“I went to the Daystrom Institute.” Data said. “Their work on artificial intelligence would be insulting to me if I felt any emotions.”

Calvin chuckled. “I think just saying that you would be, counts as you actually being insulted.”

Data gave him a curious look for a moment and nodded.

“I visited Starfleet Security's main office.” Tasha said. “It hasn't changed much since I went there for work experience.”

“I'm surprised they didn't rope you into speaking to the new recruits.” Worf said.

“They did.” Tasha said with a smile. “I was never that young and stupid.”

That made a few of them laugh.

“I don't see Commander Riker.” Calvin said and looked around.

“He was called away just after sitting down.” Geordi said. “He didn't say what for.”

“If he's not here, we might as well order.” Calvin said and waved to a waitress.

The five people eating at the table ordered and the waitress hurried off to get their food. Data said getting food would be a waste and didn't order anything except another drink. Two waitresses came back with their orders and served everyone. After a brief question about the customers needing anything else, they left to serve someone else.

Everyone started to eat and talked more about what they did on Earth for the last three days. A few minutes later, the door to the restaurant opened and Calvin looked over to see something he didn't expect.

“Captain and first officer at the door.” Calvin whispered.

Everyone straightened up immediately and put their utensils down as Picard and Riker approached the large table. When they were close enough, Calvin and the others stood up.

“Captain.” They chorused.

“At ease.” Picard said and looked at their faces. “Is there room for two more?”

Calvin glanced at everyone's faces and smiled as he spoke for everyone. “Always, sir.”

Picard smiled back and chose a seat across from Calvin. “Commander Riker was kind enough to come and get me when the visit to my brother's vineyard abruptly ended.”

Calvin and Deanna exchanged knowing looks as Riker sat beside Picard.

Should I ask? Calvin asked her.

It couldn't hurt. Deanna thought back. If anything bad happens, I'll log it as therapy.

Calvin let a grin spread across his face. “Did he make an ass of himself by making fun of the stuffy Starfleet uniform like most idiots do?”

Everyone but Deanna and Data looked shocked as they all turned their heads to look at their captain.

Picard's face was blank for several moments, then he smiled a genuine smile. “Ever since we were children.”

“Ha!” Calvin laughed. “They don't realize how comfortable these things are until they wear one.”

Tasha and Geordi nodded in agreement.

“I prefer this to traditional Klingon uniforms.” Worf said. “The spikes are hard to move around with.”

“Wait, those are real?” Calvin asked with faked disbelief, which made Worf laugh.

“I would hate to do any security work wearing that uniform.” Tasha said. “Unless I didn't care about the prisoners or people I'm guarding or escorting.”

Worf barked a laugh. “Klingons don't care about things like that! Ha ha!”

That seemed to break the ice between everyone as the talk resumed about their shore leave. Picard and Riker ordered their own meals and a minute later, the people at the table were all eating a meal together before they needed to head to the ship to resume their ongoing mission for Starfleet.