Title: Compromise
Author: A. Magiluna Stormwriter
Feedback address: stormwriter@shatterstorm.net
Date in Calendar: 25 December 2009
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Pairing: Beverly/Deanna
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1516
Date Written: 2-3 October 2009
Recipient: elmyraemilie
Prompt: Five things Lwaxana Troi and Beverly Crusher have in common, and one thing they'll never agree on.
Summary: "I am so happy you've found love and happiness, Little One. That is all I've ever really wanted for you."
Spoilers: Post-series. Assume that the wedding in the movies never happened, okay?
Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Mmm…Doctor!
Link to: http://md.shatterstorm.net/
Archive: ShatterStorm Productions only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…
Advertisement: Part of the FSAC:DW09

Disclaimer: "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Paramount Pictures, CBS Television, and several other people or companies over the years. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Paramount Pictures, or any representatives of the actors.

Author's Notes: This prompt actually amused me greatly and the muses took to it almost instantly.. I always like writing for this pairing, even if I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like…

Dedication: My muses, for always giving me something to test my boundaries…

Beta: cuspofqueens

"Compromise"
By A. Magiluna Stormwriter


The sounds of partygoers in Ten-Forward were relegated to a distant background buzz as Beverly Crusher rested her chin on her hand, eyes trained on the petite brunette across the way. Bev knew there was a dopey grin on her face, but she didn't give a damn. She hadn't felt this happy in more years than she could admit.

"You certainly look attentive and well-rested for a woman just newly married yesterday."

Internally cringing, the redhead turned to face her new mother-in-law. "Trust me, Lwaxana, I look far more rested than I feel. It's a Howard trait. But if you need proof… Well, I'm surprised you haven't just read my mind."

"I tried actually, but you're quite good at shielding your thoughts," Lwaxana mused, settling into the chair next to Beverly. "Far better than my Little One, who seems to have forgotten how to act around other empaths."

"That's… unfortunate."

"Considering exactly what bled through our connection? I learned quite a bit about my daughter… and you, by proxy."

As much as she tried, Beverly knew she couldn't hide the flush heating up her face. "Thank you for not making a big production of that, Lwaxana."

"It's taken me many, many years to realize that a big scene doesn't always make things work in my favor," came the surprisingly serious tone. "Particularly where my daughter is concerned."

Pausing as a fresh round of drinks are placed on the table, Beverly smiles in sympathy. "I learned that lesson when Wesley was a small boy. It's embarrassing when your son can yell louder than you can."

Lwaxana chuckled and lifted her glass in silent toast. Her eyes followed her daughter's movements across the room, delighted by the amusement on her face. "If only her father were here to see this," she finally mused softly. "Or even her sister. Things would be so different now."

"How so?" Despite herself, Beverly was curious about this comment.

"Well, she was her father's little girl. He could get her to do anything for him. It was how I got her to do so many things after Ian died."

"Wes was pretty uncertain of things after Jack passed. I won't deny that there are still days I wish Jack hadn't died. I don't think it would have changed my son's ultimate destiny, but maybe it would have been easier to deal with."

"I was lucky enough to have Ian around when Kestra died," Lwaxana replied, voice taking on that faraway tone of long ago memories. "Consider yourself a lucky woman that you didn't have to bury a child. To this day, Kestra's death cuts deeper than her father's does."

Beverly shook her head, and gently squeezed the older woman's hand. "Deanna's told me stories about her father, and a few of her sister, no doubt from you. They sound like the kind of people I would have liked to consider family."

Silence settles over the table, both women lost in memories for a moment or two. The sound of Picard's voice draws them back to the present.

"I must admit that I expected you to be involved with Jean-Luc, not my daughter," Lwaxana finally says, eyes appreciatively following the man as he walked across the room to another table.

"Jean-Luc and I share a very convoluted history, to say the least. Jack figures prominently into so much of it." A rueful smile played across her lips, swallowed with another sip of her drink. "And it's ancient history, really. Deanna makes me happier than I thought I could be, and without all of the baggage so intrinsic to my relationship with Jean-Luc."

"You know, she said the same thing about you. Well, she really doesn't need to say it. She practically glows with her happiness."

Lwaxana's heavy sigh confused Beverly, and she studied the Troi matriarch for several moments. "I would think you'd be thrilled for your daughter's happiness. She's finally married, just like you always wanted."

"She was supposed to marry Wyatt, have daughters to continue our lineage, but you know how that turned out. I'd have been happy if she'd married William, but she couldn't even manage to get that right." Lwaxana huffed an irritated breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is all Ian's fault."

Indignation warred with curiosity and confusion, but Beverly waited a few moments for the elder Troi to continue. She was torn between asking and finding some polite, but lame excuse to leave the table. Before she was forced to make a choice, it was made for her.

"If the Federation hadn't sent Ian to Betazed all those years ago, I wouldn't have met and married him, wouldn't have had two beautiful daughters with him. And he wouldn't have filled my Little One's head with ridiculous tales of the glories of Starfleet. Deanna would have done her duty and followed centuries of familial traditions, not run off in some desperate attempt to connect with her dead father."

Beverly signaled a waiter for another round, staring at her mother-in-law in dumbfounded horror. She drained the contents of her glass and gripped its replacement tightly until the waiter was once again out of earshot.

"If you hadn't met Ian, you wouldn't have Deanna," she finally replied in as even a tone as she could handle. "Do you really wish that fate for her?"

"Beverly, I assure you that's not--"

"Yes, in a way, I believe it is. If it hadn't been for Ian telling Deanna those stories, she'd never have joined Starfleet, never have been assigned to the Enterprise, and never would have met or married me. Don't you see how happy she is?"

Lwaxana leveled her with an intense glare. "I'm not some backward-thinking imbecile, Doctor Crusher. I am well aware of just how happy my daughter is, how happy you've made her." She paused, closing her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose again. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and what you share with my daughter. Please believe that. But you must also understand that this has not been the life I wished for her, planned for her. She's my only living child. I had such high hopes for her, such wonderful plans for her. And the only one that's come true is that she's married."

"What did your mother think of the choices you made with your life?"

Nonplussed, it took a moment for Lwaxana to answer. "She threatened to disown me for marrying Ian. She wasn't very tolerant of Starfleet. In fact, she made me look positively pro-Starfleet."

"And yet, you weren't disowned, were you?" Beverly's question was soft.

"No, Ian ended up charming her in the end. And then Kestra came along, cementing the continuation of the Fifth House, and she mellowed some, but she never forgave me for marrying him. She had other plans for me…"

"Does anything you're saying sound even the slightest bit familiar?"

"But…"

"Do I need to get Deanna pregnant with a granddaughter for you to reconsider?" The tiniest hint of a smirk twitched the corners of her lips. "I'm certainly willing to get to work on that right away. And I think you know me well enough by now to know that I don't give up easily when faced with a challenge."

Lwaxana blinked once, twice, and broke out into peals of delighted laughter. For an instant, Beverly feared the elder Troi had lost her mind, but the laughter was infectious. Soon both women were gripping the table and each other for balance.

"What on Betazed is so funny?"

Just the sound of Deanna's confused voice made them laugh even harder. This only deepened the frown on her face.

"Oh, don't scowl like that, Little One," Lwaxana admonished. "It'll cause wrinkles, and you are far too young and beautiful to have wrinkles."

Deanna sighed, but was stopped from saying anything further by Beverly gently tugging her down for a kiss.

"We were just discussing… honeymoon plans. Right, Lwaxana?"

Beverly held her breath, still unsure of how her mother-in-law would react. She did like the woman, and put up with her more annoying idiosyncrasies, and she had no desire to put her new bride in the middle of a war between them.

"That's right, Little One. And Beverly and I will just have to learn to disagree on some things."

"I think I can live with that, Lwaxana."

Smiling warmly at her daughter-in-law, Lwaxana patted her hand and stood to press a kiss to Deanna's cheek. "I am so happy you've found love and happiness, Little One. That is all I've ever really wanted for you."

"Thank you, Mother. Beverly does make me happier than I've ever been."

"That's all I ask," came the soft reply. In the space between one breath and another, a familiar look settled across her features. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I must go speak with Jean-Luc. I hear he's single again and I'm not going to miss that opportunity."

Not waiting for a reply, Lwaxana left her daughter and daughter-in-law to pursue her own happiness.

The actual breakdown of what they agree and don't agree on is as follows ::

  1. They're both mothers.
  2. They're both widows.
  3. They both want the best for Deanna.
  4. They both are attracted to Jean-Luc Picard.
  5. They both have children whose destinies are different from what they'd expected.

  6. They'll never agree on Deanna's decisions re: her familiar responsibilities and her duty to Starfleet.