Chapter 5

Nearly six weeks had passed since the unexpected wedding. Starfleet personnel had been sending congratulations and small wedding gifts ever since. The happy couple and Maddy had transformed the Captain's quarters from a certified bachelor pad to a family residence. The small family was happy together on the Enterprise but Jean-Luc began to yearn for Earth. He was tired of all the responsible of being captain and longed for the simple life.

One night while lying in bed with Beverly he voiced his longing to live out the rest of his days on Earth. He revealed his desire to return to Picard Vineyard and make his mark on the family business. He wanted for Beverly to see his childhood home and teach Madeline the Picard family history. He wanted to see his daughter running through the grapevine rows and climbing trees in the same places his did when he was younger.

He told her everything he felt and she revealed her own longings of leaving Starfleet. She was tired of living on a starship and dealing with constant regulations. She confessed she had wanted to return to Earth for years but only remained on the Enterprise because he was here. She finally told him, "I want to grow old rocking on a porch rocker and watching our own children have families of their own."

"Children," he questioned.

She grinned before replying, "I was checking tricorders earlier today and discovered I was pregnant. I had a few more thorough tests ran and discovered that we're having twin boys."

His face lit up like a child's would in a candy store. He was thrilled that he and his beloved were having a child of their own, children he corrected. A few tears fell unchecked but he didn't bother to wipe them away, he was too happy. "How far along are you," he asked excitedly.

"Six weeks. I conceived on our wedding night," she answered then asked, "When do you want to retire from Starfleet?"

"What about tomorrow morning?"

"Fine by me," she said before pulling him to her for a passionate kiss that would lead to other passionate activities.

The next day Jean-Luc and Beverly filed their retirement papers secretly. When Starfleet received them, Jean-Luc spent most of the day in long-distance conferences with extremely irritated admirals. He finally managed to get them to see reason and grant them retirement but only after agreeing to be placed in the reserves for times of emergency. They would officially be retired in two weeks time and Will Riker would take over as Captain of the Enterprise. They would then return to Earth and live out the rest of their lives on Picard Vineyards watching their children grow. Jean-Luc decided that life couldn't get much better!