Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek TNG, the series or books, or anything else for that matter.
I read the book IMZADI a long time ago, and I thought it left some pretty big wholes in the story, but whatever. But there was one thing that caught my imagination. One scene, or aspect that I thought I could have a little fun with. If you've never read it, you'll still get it, but if you have, I bet you thought the same thing. As always, read and review. I love reviews :)
Jean Luc Picard stood with his first officer by his side as they awaited their guests in transporter room 2. "So tell me again, Number One. You met the ambassador when you were serving on Betazed?"
Will nodded at the captain. "He was the head of the Federation embassy."
"And you were the Star Fleet liaison?"
"Ah," Will hesitated. "I was the ranking Star Fleet officer, Sir. I'm fairly certain that any additional titles were only to puff me up to make me tolerable to Betazoid society."
The captain turned his head to look at his first officer, his one eyebrow raised with a skeptical look.
"Don't tell Deanna I said that," Will replied to the captain's look.
"Indeed," the captain added turning back to the transporter pad. "Speaking of my ship's counselor, about the time you met Ambassador Roper…that would be about the same time that you met Counselor Troi, yes?"
Will shifted slightly from foot to foot, his hands held behind his back. "That would be accurate, yes."
"Ah, ha," the captain said with a nod.
Will responded with the same, or at least a similar skeptical look as he had received from his commanding officer.
"So Deanna knows the ambassador as well?"
Will thought back to the conversations that Will had all those years ago with Mark Roper about Deanna and sighed. "They know one another, yes. He has a daughter about her same age," Will offered and then wondered why he had added that last part.
"Captain," Chief O'Brian interrupted the two of them. "The ambassador is ready to beam aboard. "
"Very well," the captain responded, turning back to the pad with a nod. The transporter beam filled the space and then dissipated revealing a heavyset man with gray, almost white hair.
"Ambassador," the captain said extending his hand. "I am Jean Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise. Welcome aboard."
"Thank you Captain," Mark Roper said shaking the captain's hand. He then shifted his gaze to the Enterprise's first officer. "Will, my boy! Look at you!" Mark stepped forward and shook Will's hand slapping him on the shoulder. "Well, aren't you doing well. The first officer of the flagship of the federation. I'm impressed Captain."
"Thank you," both Will and the captain said together. Jean Luc again gave a puzzled look to his first officer.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just an old joke with Commander Riker and me, Captain. I assure you I know who is in command."
The captain nodded with a smile. "Of course, Ambassador."
"How are you Mark?" Will asked casually.
Mark inhaled deeply. "Good, fine. I have been shuffling around for the past few years, but this issue in the Pamora sector; it's grabbed me and pulled me in. It shouldn't be happening."
"Ambassador, we have a meeting with my senior staff scheduled in two hours. I look forward to hearing your perspective on the situation," the captain told him.
"And I yours, Captain. I have read a lot about your crew. Nothing but the best. I couldn't be please more to have all of your help and input on this. Of course my staff will be joining me, but I think the more points of view represented the better."
The captain looked back at the transporter pad. "Speaking of your staff, Ambassador…"
"Oh, yes. I left them behind. My apologies Captain, but my staff is made up of three women and occasionally the best way to make them get a move on is to leave them behind."
Just as Mark Roper finished speaking there was a beep on the transporter room control panel.
"I believe that is them now," Mark added with a chuckle.
The captain gave a single nod to the transporter chief and the light of the transporter beam again filled the room and as it faded, the captain saw three women standing on the pad, two middle aged, medium height women and one younger dark haired woman who as soon as the beam had completely vanished, was streaking across the room and with a small squeal, threw her arms around his first officer.
Will's face showed complete confusion and then as he returned her hug with a light pat on her back, his face changed to one of mild dread. "Wendy," he finally spoke. "What are you doing here?"
Wendy pulled away from him enough to be able to see his face, but kept her fingers tightly laced behind Will's neck. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? Didn't Daddy tell you?"
"Captain," Mark Roper began the introductions. "This is my daughter Wendy Roper. She is one of my aids. She will be joining me on this little adventure."
The captain stepped forward and began to extend his hand, but the young woman didn't even acknowledge him. She simply threw her arms back around the neck of his stunned faced first officer.
"Isn't it great? It's gonna be just like old times!" Wendy told Will.
Will looked around the woman latched to him, to her father and shot him a glare that screamed something along the lines of you could have warned me, but after an uncomfortable pause, he managed to squeak out a under enthusiastic, "Great."
Mark only shrugged slightly in response to Will's scathing look and turned his attention back to the captain. "These are my other aids, Beatrix Loume, and Rose Montgomery," he introduced them each in turn and the captain shook their hands and welcomed them aboard. When he glanced back to his first officer, he saw that the ambassador's daughter had let go of Will's neck and instead tangled herself around his arm, not showing any signs of letting go in the near future.
For the second time in only a few minutes, Will found himself on the receiving end of one of his commanding officer's one eyebrow raised, skeptical looks. Will sighed inwardly and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his day going downhill quickly. He hoped that the captain would allow him to explain, in private. But as he was beginning to feel that the situation was at a low point, he heard the doors to the transporter room behind him swish open. He didn't have to turn around; he didn't have to hear her voice. He could feel her, smell her and his stomach sank to his toes.
"Ambassador," Deanna Troi called walking towards Mark Roper. "I was just on my way to an appointment, but I wanted to pop in and say hello."
Mark met her half way and gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Deanna, my dear, you look lovely."
Will could tell by Deanna's body language that he was blocking her view of Wendy still tangled around his arm. He tried momentarily to pull himself free of her, but she only smiled up at him and adjusted her grip. It was hopeless and this was going to be a catastrophe.
"I can't tell you how good it is to see the two of you," Mark said patting Deanna's hand and turning slightly to pat Will on the shoulder as well.
Slowly Will turned enough to get a good look at Deanna and with him Wendy came into view.
Deanna opened her mouth to greet Will. "Hell…oh," she paused awkwardly. And there it was. Will watched as Deanna's shoulders became ridged and her jaw set. The room went momentarily silent. "Wendy," she concluded.
Wendy seemed to either not notice or care that Deanna's posture had gone so ridged. "Deanna," she responded casually. "Wow, I guess I had heard you were here. I can't even remember the last time I saw you," Wendy smiled overly sweetly at her.
Deanna tilted her head unnaturally to one side. "I can," she said flatly, glancing from Wendy to Will and back again. There was a smile plastered to her face, but her eyes were finishing her thought for her and it went something like I believe you were naked after having had sex with the man I was dating.
Will didn't miss the look, or its meaning. He felt cornered and he could feel the adrenaline start to shoot through his body.
"Look at you in…uniform" Wendy gestured towards her. "I guess I heard you ran off to Star Fleet academy after you graduated," Wendy continued her forced conversation with Deanna. "I just never thought you would, you know…see it through. It just really didn't seem like your style." Wendy chuckled slightly at her own comment.
"Clearly, you were wrong," Deanna responded in her own equally overly generous voice. "And I wouldn't think you would begin to know my style." The words were cutting, but the tone was almost sappy sweet.
"No. I have never been able to figure out your taste." Wendy's voice was loosing some of its false benevolence.
With one quick glare at Will, Deanna turned her attention back to the federation ambassador. "I really do have to run," she told Mark Roper. "It was lovely to see you Ambassador."
"Deanna, dear. I have known you since you were what, fourteen years old? Please, call me Mark. Ambassador makes me feel older and fatter than I am."
Deanna returned his smile with one of her own, a genuine one this time.
"I will see you in the meeting in a while, yes?" Deanna nodded.
"You are a member of the senior staff?" Wendy blurt out, without a hint of the false kindness that existed a few moment's before.
Captain Picard, while he did not know the context of the scene playing out in front of him, had enough of a feel to decide that was the moment to step in. "Counselor Troi is my ship's counselor, and a very highly respected member of my senior staff. I would think that both her empathic abilities as well as her years of diplomatic experience would make her a valued asset to this mission."
"I couldn't agree with you more, Captain," Mark Roper replied.
Deanna shot another glare in Will's direction, where he stood with Wendy on his arm, frozen silent, before turning back to Mark. "I look forward to working with you as well. Good bye, Mark." She said and turned on her heals and headed back out the door.
The room seemed to sigh as the doors hissed shut.
"Well," began the captain. "Let Commander Riker and I show you to your quarters so you can get settled before the meeting." He looked around at their four guests for some sign of agreement. "Right this way," he began, gesturing towards the door.
Wendy Roper finally let go of Will's arm and headed towards the door. "Good Lord, Will. She hasn't changed at all," she said as she headed past him. "I don't know how you two stand to work together," she said as she stepped out the door followed by the other aids and the ambassador.
"I have a feeling it just got a lot more complicated," Will sighed under his breath.
Jean Luc Picard was almost out the door as well, and didn't think he was intended to hear his first officer's comment. He stifled the chuckle that almost came out of him and then dismissed it as well as the worry of how his two officers would work out what was clearly an uncomfortable situation for the both of them. They had done it before and they would again, he thought to himself with the utmost confidence. His first officer and ship's counselor had had their share of disagreements over the years, but they had never let it affect their work, and had always worked it out in the end. He had no reason to believe that this would be any different.
Deanna was on the bridge when the captain and first officer stepped off the turbo lift. The captain got a bridge report from Data before nodding and heading into his ready room.
Will took his seat in the captain's chair and glanced over at Deanna. She sat pouring over information at her terminal, seeming to ignore him. He glanced around at the rest of the bridge crew. "Counselor," he began, but Deanna only shot him another glare before returning to her reading. He sighed, but didn't try again. He would catch her in a more private moment.
It wasn't long before Beverly and Geordi joined the others on the bridge in preparation for their meeting with the federation ambassador. Then the captain stepped back onto the bridge and looked around at his crew.
"Shall we?" he indicated the observation lounge and strode off towards the door. Will purposefully hung back. Deanna was walking with Beverly, but Will caught her as she reached the security panels.
"In my defense," he tried to begin again.
"He speaks!" Deanna answered sharply, before offering him a sarcastic smile and walking past him.
"What's going on?" Beverly asked as the two women walked into the observation lounge.
"Will's old girlfriend's on board," Deanna said taking her seat.
"She is not an old girlfriend!" Will said defensively walking over the threshold himself.
"Would you please not call her that?"
"I'm sorry," Deanna said with that irritating little tilt to her head. "I thought that was a more generous title compared to some others I thought of. What would you like me to call her?"
Will glanced around the room at his colleagues.
"What's going on?" Geordi asked.
"Some old girlfriend of the commander's is on board," Beverly repeated as they each took their usual seats.
"She is not my girlfriend, never was," Will said to the group glaring at Deanna from across the table.
"My mistake," Deanna told him.
"Right," he replied.
"Well it was a little hard to tell earlier in the transporter room," Deanna told him just as the doors opened and Mark Roper and his aids, including his daughter entered the room, and the previous conversation ceased.
"Ambassador, allow me to introduce you to my crew. This is Lt. Commander Data, Lt. Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, our chief medical officer, and Lt. Commander Geordi Laforge, our chief engineer. Of course, you already know Commander Riker and Counselor Troi."
"Yes, Captain. Thank you. The ship is like a work of art. I am highly impressed."
"Thank you Ambassador. I hope you are all comfortable."
"Yes, thank you." Each aid agreed with a nod. "So does that bring us to our reason for joining your fine vessel?"
Jean Luc nodded. "Please."
"I have been asked by the leaders of Torrana and Celica, the two inhabited planets of the Pamora system, to mediate a trade agreement between the two. It sounds simple enough, but things have taken an ugly turn lately between the two worlds. I worked closely with Tarmen Dain, the former president of Torrana when I was working with the Federation's delegation to the Pamora system several years ago. Neither planet is a federation member, but each have been strong allies for over 50 years. I worked at each embassy during that time. Apparently they agree that I know of their cultures enough and am neutral enough to serve as mediator. Tarmen specifically is concerned that without a large step forward, they could quickly find themselves in a battle of technology and power. A cold war of sorts. Though I suppose that is still preferable to an all out war," Mark concluded with a shrug. "My goal is to work out an agreement that would allow them to not only trade, but co exist in peace."
"I have been given orders in no uncertain terms that the Federation and Star Fleet have no side to take in this," the captain interjected. "Other than this. We have trade agreements with both worlds, and they are strategically placed in the sector to be alarming to Star Fleet. If they were to go to war with one another, cold or any other sort, and the Cardassians, or Romulons were to intervene, providing military support to one party or the other, the balance of power in the sector would be tilted and not in our favor."
"Deanna dear, I understand that you are capable of reading the emotions of others, that you will be able to assist me with determining who's intentions are sincere in wanting peace and who may be seeking for more power," Mark Roper continued.
"I am at your disposal, Ambass…" she stopped when he furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Mark."
"Ambassador," Data began. "I have been doing a great deal of research about the history of the planets and their expanding interests to the uninhabited planets in the system. I have found some interesting details that may assist you in your negotiations."
"I also believe that you must understand the past before you can hope to influence the future," Wendy Roper began from her seat at the far end of the table. "And, contrary to what apparently is your expertise, Counselor," she said with a not so well hidden nasty undertone to her voice, "I believe that it is imperative that we study who each of these members of the delegations are, what their positions have been on the issues. What they are feeling in the moment only gets us so far. Don't you agree Commander?" Wendy said turning her attention to Will. "That's what I'm focusing on."
Will's eyes bounced back and forth between Wendy at one end of the table and Deanna across from him. Each had their eyebrows raised, waiting for his answer expectantly. "I think both are important," he tried to answer diplomatically. "I am sure that Counselor Troi would be the first to tell you that if you want to understand why someone is the way they are, that you have to understand who they have been and what they have been through," he offered.
"Oh, my mistake. I thought she just wandered around until someone made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside."
The enterprise staff, including her captain, stared back at this woman, eyes wide with surprise at the attack on their colleague. But Deanna sat calmly in her seat, looking back at her only with mild interest. "I am actually far more interested in why people feel certain emotions, aggression for instance, and what led them to feel that way. The emotions themselves can be just a mask for the much bigger psychological problems." Deanna ended with another overly sweet smile, as she had in the transporter room earlier.
"Mr. Data," Mark Roper interjected hoping to end the cutting banter between the women.
"I would be very interested in seeing your research."
"Of course, Ambassador. Commander Laforge and I have also been mapping out what may be appropriate trade routes through the system for both parties," Data told him.
"Excellent work," Mark complimented them both.
"It may not be the final draft," Geordi interjected. "But it should give you a place to start."
"And Lt. Worf will be handling all the security arrangements, both aboard the ship as well as the security for you and your staff while you are on the planets."
Mark Roper spoke to the group. "I want you all to know that I am immensely grateful to be aboard the Enterprise and to have such a wonderful staff here to work with. I hope to utilize each of you for what you are best suited for."
"We will arrive in the Pamora system in four days, Ambassador."
"Then let us all get to work," Mark replied rising from his seat.
"I would like to look at your information as soon as possible," Wendy said to Data as she stood to join her father.
"I will have it to you this evening," Data responded. "Would you like me to bring it by your quarters?"
Wendy looked from Data to Will and back again. "Why don't you give it to Commander Riker and he can give it to me when he takes me to dinner tonight," Wendy told him with a smile.
"Of course," Data replied without noticing the glances between his fellow officers.
"Dismissed," Captain Picard told his crew with a nod.
Mark Roper and his three aids were the first to leave the room, and while the captain, Worf and Data had all stood, no one had yet left the table.
"So was that the old girlfriend?" Beverly asked Deanna.
"No," Will replied looking down the table at Beverly. "She is NOT an old girlfriend." He looked back at Deanna. "Why did you tell them that?" he asked her.
Deanna was biting both of her lips, sucking them in until they were a thin line, to avoid showing her smile at watching Will squirm. She only shrugged innocently.
"So you're taking the old girlfriend on a date?" Beverly asked again ignoring his previous statement.
Will groaned. "This is not a date," he began again. "Not a date! She wanted to catch up, so we are catching up…and she is not an old girlfriend, she's barely a friend at all. An acquaintance really."
"Hah!" the sound escaped Deanna's lips before she could control it, but she quickly tired to cover and turn her uncontrolled emotional noise to a cough and continued her fake coughing spell until Will was glaring at her.
"Did you have something to say, Counselor?" Will asked.
Deanna struggled to speak. "Just a ah…" Deanna gestured to her own throat. "A little tickle in my throat," Deanna spoke quietly.
Will only shook his head. "Sure, now you stop talking."
Deanna stood up from her chair. "Well, it didn't seem like you had too much to say this morning in the transporter room when she told me that she didn't think I could stick it out through officer training, or when she seemed shocked that I was a member of the senior staff and not just some under link."
"I'm sorry. It looked to me like you had it pretty well under control when you called her psychotic."
"I did not!"
"Well, it kind of sounded like you did."
"Oh, " Deanna turned away and walked towards the door. "Go enjoy your dinner," and she left the rest of them staring at the back of the door as she walked out.
Deanna sat on her couch with a mug of hot chocolate. There was a PADD on the coffee table in front of her, but she wasn't really looking at it. She was just staring off into space, trying to figure out why she let Wendy Roper get under her skin. It wasn't really about Will, though he certainly was a sore spot. They had rubbed each other the wrong way long before Will Riker ever set foot on Betazed. She sighed as the chime on her door rang.
"Come in," she called.
The doors opened to reveal Beverly Crusher, Geordi Laforge and Data standing in her doorway. "You stood us up," Beverly told Deanna. "I thought we were having dinner tonight."
Deanna sighed deeply.
"Don't worry Counselor," Geordi told her. "We get it. She just wants the gossip."
Beverly opened her mouth to protest, but then shrugged and nodded walking over and plopping down on the couch next to Deanna.
"What gossip?" Deanna asked.
"I believe the doctor is inquiring about the ambassador's daughter," Data informed her.
"Yeah, Counselor. Whoever she is, she sure seemed to light a fire under both you and the commander."
"There isn't any gossip," Danna corrected. "Mark Roper was the Federation Ambassador to Betazed. He was assigned there when I was about fourteen, and when he arrived he brought his lovely daughter with him," she told them with a raise of her eyebrow.
"Wendy became a fixture in the social circles my family traveled in. I think there was this impression that because I was half human that Wendy and I ought to have some sort of a special bond. I don't know. But it wasn't that way. We just never seemed to get along. We tolerated each other, mostly." Deanna sighed and took another deep breath. "And then there was Will Riker."
"She dated Will?" Beverly asked.
"Not really," Deanna admitted. "The first time I saw Will, she was dangling from his arm a lot like she was this morning in the transporter room." Deanna looked around at each of her friends. "Will and I dated and I don't think Wendy cared for it too much. And then we weren't dating and I think it's fair to say that she liked that… much better." Deanna put down her mug of hot chocolate. "That's it, the whole story."
"Right," Beverly told her.
"Well, the general jist at least," Deanna admitted with a shrug.
"If it makes you feel any better, I would say Commander Riker looked a little uncomfortable while they were having dinner," Geordi told her.
"Were you three spying on him?" Deanna asked.
"What are friends for?" Beverly replied patting her on the knee.
Deanna chuckled slightly. "Well, thank you. Really. And as much as I thoroughly enjoyed teasing Will this morning, he can have dinner with whomever he chooses. It doesn't matter to me. I shouldn't have gone after him like that in front of you all. I don't know what got into me. I should apologize to him."
"It is likely that he is still in ten forward," Data offered.
"Ah, well…Maybe it can wait until tomorrow then," Deanna told them.
"Good night, Counselor," Geordi told her heading towards the door, motioning for Data to join him.
"Good night, " Deanna replied before turning back to Beverly on the couch.
"It really doesn't bother you?" Beverly asked. "Not even a little bit?"
"She bothers me," Deanna told her making a small space between her thumb and forefinger. "A little bit. But who Will chooses to spend time with is none of my business. It's not like he's never had dinner with a woman before."
"No, but not usually one who treats you like garbage," Beverly responded.
"He was right. I can take care of myself."
Beverly looked at Deanna skeptically.
"Honestly, Beverly!"
Beverly shrugged and stood up from the couch. "Alright, I'll let it go. Good night Counselor," she called as she walked out and Deanna sank back into her spot on the couch.
It shouldn't bother her that Will was having dinner with Wendy Roper. It didn't bother her, she thought with a deep sigh. She would find Will in the morning and apologize and then she would have to find Wendy and make some sort of peace, at least enough to do her job.
Deanna strode through the corridor purposefully as she headed for Will's quarters to apologize. It wasn't her favorite thing to have to do, but she really had behaved poorly. She smiled and greeted people casually as she went and just as she rounded the bend she heard the doors to his quarters hiss open. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but then someone stepped out, a slender dark haired someone. Wendy Roper to be more specific. Deanna stopped dead in her tracks for only a moment. Her mind was spinning rapidly and her stomach was sinking, for some reason that she hated to admit, even to herself.
She saw Wendy begin to turn in her direction. She was talking to someone, Will. She could hear him laugh in his quarters. He was right behind her. Oh my god, Deanna thought and spun around on her heals and began going back the way she had come as fast as she could go and still look natural.
"Hey Counselor," Geordi Laforge said casually attempting to walk past her on his way somewhere else.
"Geordi!" Deanna said grabbing his elbow.
He turned to look at her. "How did the apology go?" he asked.
Deanna began dragging him with her down the corridor in the opposite direction that he had been going. "Talk to me," she begged.
"About what?"
"Anything, just please! Be engrossed in conversation with me."
"Okay…" Geordi was looking at her extremely puzzled, but as he continued to stare he recognized the voice in the corridor. Commander Riker was talking to someone, and he saw the pleading look on Deanna's face. "Well I did have a question about Lt. Summers. He seems to be really struggling being away from his family, is there anything I could be doing to help?"
Deanna plowed in with a response as she felt Will round the bend, more than saw him. "He is desperately seeking for a family connection. What would be best for him is to have him bond with his colleagues. Does he have anyone he is close to?"
Deanna paused as Will and Wendy slowed their pace.
"Good morning, Commander," Geordi offered.
"Geordi, Deanna," Will seemed to almost choke on his greeting.
"Good morning," Deanna replied. "Wendy, good to see you again. I hope you received Commander Data's information last night."
"Yes, I did. Thank you," Wendy replied.
For a moment the four stood completely blocking the corridor, staring at one another.
"Well, Geordi," Deanna broke the silence. "I have an appointment I need to get to, but if you have some time later we could talk about it."
"I could walk with you to your office, if that's okay?" Geordi offered.
Deanna nodded. "Excuse us," Deanna slipped past Will and strode towards the turbo lift with Geordi on her heals. They were quiet until the lift arrived and they stepped inside together.
"So much for not caring, huh?" he asked her sympathetically.
Deanna walked to the back of the lift and rested her forehead against the back wall.
"Are you okay, Counselor?"
Deanna took a deep breath before lifting her head and turning back to where Geordi stood. "Geordi, I am so sorry. That was completely ridiculous of me."
"I don't think it was ridiculous," Geordi responded. "You were caught off guard."
Deanna rollers her eyes and sighed, beginning to pace the floor in the confined space.
"Main engineering," Geordi called to the lift's computer system and the lift began it's decent.
Deanna didn't speak again, just paced until the doors opened and Geordi went to step out.
"I don't think you're ridiculous," he told her again quietly as he stepped past her and into engineering.
"Geordi!" Deanna called after him and he turned to look back at her. "Thank you."
He smiled and gave her a nod before turning and walking off and the doors closed in front of her.
"Deck ten," Deanna ordered the lift. She sighed and shook her head as she ran her hands up and pushed her hair back from her face. She could feel the lump in her throat. It was why she had not said anything as she and Geordi were in the lift together. After all these years, and here it was again, like some sort of sick deja vu. Well she would be damned if she were going to cry over who Will Riker spent the night with, not anymore and certainly not in front of Geordi Laforge.