Title: Five Minutes More
Author: Whoa Nellie ([email protected])
Rating: G
Author's
Notes: The vignettes of Jack Crusher's
life were inspired by a series of monthly challenges on the trekbbs board. The theme for this challenge was 'Time' and
was originally posted to the fanfiction forum at Trekbbs on December 08,
2005.
As
always: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing
with them.
Feedback
is always appreciated.
Whoa
Nellie's Romance Star Trek Fan Fiction Stories
http://whoanellie.fortunecity.com
"Don't go too far, son," Jack
Crusher called out as he watched little Wesley scamper ahead. They were celebrating Wesley's fifth
birthday with a trip to the largest First Contact Day festival on Earth. He entwined his fingers with Beverly's and
gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"It's hard to believe he's five years
old," she sighed. "It seems
like just yesterday I was breaking your fingers during labor."
Jack flexed the fingers in question. "It was your idea, Doctor Crusher, to
walk from our apartment to the hospital.
'It's only fifteen hundred meters and the walk will make my labor go
faster and easier' you said."
"My labor did go faster," she
replied with a grin.
Leaning over, he brushed her cheek with
his lips. "Halfway to the hospital
to be exact--that was the point at which you crushed two of my fingers. I then had to carry my very pregnant wife
with said broken fingers the rest of the way."
"My hero," she sighed, bringing
their joined hands up to kiss the back of his hand. "Of course you could have just called for emergency
transport since we both had commbadges on."
He chuckled and shook his head ruefully at
the memory of rushing awkwardly across the Starfleet campus with Bev in his
arms. "I was a first-time
father-to-be. I was only thinking about
getting you to the hospital. I don't
care what you say, an emergency transport is exactly how we're getting to the
hospital next time."
"Mom, dad, hurry up," Wesley
insisted. He ran back and forth between
his ambling parents and the massive aquarium ahead as if to physically drag
them there faster.
"The dancing fish of Aquatica,"
Jack read the display information.
"How do you suppose they taught the fish to dance in
synchronization like that?"
Wesley shot his father the most
supercilious expression that his five year old face could manage. "The fish aren't really dancing, the
music is sending sonic waves over their lateral line causing pressure waves
that trigger hairs along the sensory line that tell the fish to move. It just looks like they're dancing because
their movements are so fast and the music is timed to coordinate with them."
Releasing Beverly's hand, Jack swept Wes
up into a bear hug. "You are so
smart, they can't get anything by you.
What do you want to do next?"
"Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel,"
Wes chanted.
Jack shifted Wes up so he was sitting on
his shoulder. "The Ferris wheel it
is. Come on, mom."
Side by side, Wes looked so much like his
father. Both were wearing adorable
expressions of boyish delight and she wished that she had an imager to capture
that moment. "I'm coming, lead the
way."
In short order, the three were ensconced
in a seat traveling around the large wheel.
As they circled the ride, they could see for kilometers into the
distance, the lights of the carnival and the throngs of people walking around
the fair were dwarfed by the mountains far off in the distance and the ocean in
the other direction. Night was just
starting to fall and one by one, the stars lit up the evening sky. Their seat stopped near the top of the
wheel, giving them a wonderful view.
"What's that one?" Wes asked,
pointing into the sky.
"That's Ophiuchus, the Serpent
Holder," Jack replied. He took
Wes' hand and guided his finger around the constellation. "Ophiuchus is holding Serpens, there's
serpens caput --or the head and there's the tail--serpens cauda."
"Have you ever been there, dad?"
Jack grinned and ruffled his hair before
resting his arm on the back of the seat.
"I've been much farther away than that."
"Cool," Wes gushed. "When I grow up, I'm going to be in
Starfleet and go to far away places just like you except I'm going to captain
my own ship."
Laughing, Jack gently rocked the seat as
they started moving once again.
"What about Captain Picard?
What would he do for a crew?"
"He can keep the Stargazer, there's
lots of other people there; but you should have your own ship so then mom and I
could go with you when you leave," Wes said.
Beverly nuzzled Jack's hand resting near
her shoulder. "Mom seconds that
opinion."
"Some day," Jack promised them
both. All too soon the ride was over
and he lifted Wes high in the air before swooping him down and setting him on
the ground. When he turned to help
Beverly out, he surprised her by sweeping her into his arms for a dramatic dip
and brief kiss. Spinning her back
upright, he gallantly offered his arm and steadied her as she stepped
down.
"It's getting late," Beverly
said. "We should probably
go."
"Oh mom, please, can't we stay a
little longer? Five more minutes,
please, it's my birthday," Wes begged.
Jack thrust his bottom lip out in a mock
pout. "Five more minutes, mom,
please; it's his fifth birthday."
"Okay," she relented with a
chuckle at their matching, pleading expressions. "Five more minutes."
"Yay!" both Crusher men cheered
in unison, dancing around.
Jack held out his hand to Beverly and
turned to follow their son.
"Besides, I have to leave tomorrow and I don't know when I'll get
another chance to take some leave. I
want to spend every minute possible enjoying my family."
Beverly waited until Wes had scurried out
of earshot before replying. "The
longer we spend here, the less time your loving wife has to give you something
to remember her by when you go."
"Five more minutes, Wes," Jack
called out, walking a little faster.