Habitual Choices

Star Trek TNG Fanfiction
Title:	Habitual Choices
Author(s):	Seema
Date(s):	2002
Length:
Genre:	het
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Next Generation
External Links:	posted here
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Habitual Choices is a Star Trek: TNG Picard/Crusher story by Seema.

It was nominated for a 2002 ASC Award.

Reactions and Reviews

This is a fine coda to "Nemesis", particularly in light of what we're hearing about the scenes that were cut from the movie. I like how Beverly reached her decision to leave. Very typical of all the 'dancing around' the two of them have done over the years. Yes, she might have stayed if he'd asked her to outright, but of course she knew that he wouldn't.

This was a beautifully written piece that perfectly captured and summed up a decade of canon and characterization. It made for a poignant coda to the movie. A truly enjoyable read.

A good coda for Nemesis, with a nod to All Good Things, and faithful to the characters we know and love. Like the title.

I enjoyed this story when I first read it, and now that I've read it again, I find there's more to enjoy. I appreciated finding out what Wesley's up to. And I like how some aspects of their lives are shaping up to fall in line with what was shown in "All Good Things..." Beverly also has such a way of comforting him in his anxieties over Shinzon. And as much as I wish things could have worked out for her and Picard, some times, too much has happened and too many choices have been made.

This is a wonderful post-Nemesis story. From the very first paragraph, the reader is given a very clear portrayal of Beverly that rings very true and picks up on the theme suggested by the title. Seema evokes Picard very strongly from the start as well in a thing as small as his habit of tugging on his clothing. A rather apt choice to call up his character given this story. I very much like how Seema picked up on and wove in the events of the movie as well as events from one of the best of TNG episodes. I liked for instance how the character of Wesley figured in Seema's story. I loved the conversation Beverly and Picard had over the events of the movie and how it affected how he viewed himself. There are so many lines to savor here, small little insights into familiar characters that make you go aha, of course, except you never thought of them yourself until Seema show you. "Habitual Choices" is, as I said at the beginning, a simply wonderful story.

Picard/Crusher is a strong category this year with the offerings of some very talented authors and one of the best stories in that category is Seema's latest TNG offering, Habitual Choices -- a poignantly lovely P/C story and very effective Nemesis afterward. Seema has captured the sometimes sexy, most of the time loving but almost always hapless dynamic between Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher and given us a sad look into their possible future. I was a big Picard/Crusher booster back in the day, but they really did seem masters of being in two different places emotionally most of the time despite the wistful dynamic between them. This story shows how scary it can be when you realize that you have to move on, move away and let something go. This is a wonderful coda to Nemesis. Seema completely nails the voices and personalities here and gives us a satisfying if bittersweet final scene. Well done, Seema. Well done!

I ran across this story of Seema's after seeing "Nemesis." I enjoyed the movie (mainly because they finally did right by Will and Deanna) but there were several unresolved threads. Seema has tied them up beautifully in this fic. Why has Bev remained on board Enterprise all this time, even after the events of "Insurrection"? If there had been anything between Picard and Crusher before (and "Attached" and "All Good Things..." certainly suggest the emotions were present, even if not acted upon), it was pretty clear after Anij that it wasn't likely anything was going to happen between them. This fic perfectly captures the wistful aftermath, and lets us see a Beverly who has finally bowed to the inevitable and chosen to go on with her life. Lovely.

Seema sets the reader up for the usual P/C (or J/C, or pick your pairing) reconciliation, where everyone confesses their twue love and wanders off into the sunset. Then she pulls the rug out from under the reader, making for an effective story and a very believable Beverly Crusher.