I found this story over on the Yahoo Imzadi Fanfic board. I'd forgotten that I started it, a long time ago. It peeked my interest again. There is a sentence that implies there is something more going on with Deanna, but I can't remember what the twist was. I have a next chapter in mind though ... It'll be fun to pick it up again. Deanna and Will have two daughters in this story. A three year-old named, Kyla and a one month old named Camilla. Her nickname is Mila (Me-La). Let me know what you think of the story! :)

"Ky, baby, come here and let daddy put your shoes on," called William Riker to his 3 year-old daughter, who was playing in her room. "Kyla Elizabeth," called the commander of the Enterprise once

more when the toddler didn't respond. He peeked into her room.

"Daaaa-dy, I'm trywing to hab a tea parr-ty," she huffed while pouring her stuffed elephant, Trunk, and her favorite doll, Sally, some invisible tea.

"Daddy's sorry to interrupt sweetheart, but I'm sure they'll be waiting here for you when you get home from "school." He told her.

"But daddy, it won't be tea time anymore," she protested, looking up at her father with those big blue eyes.

"Come here," he said softly as he knelt down beside her. "Daddy would love to stay here and play tea party with you all day long, but he has to go help Uncle Jeany drive the ship. And you," he said,

"have to go play at "school" with all your friends."

". ..and pway wif bwocks," she asked sweetly, her eyes brightening a bit.

He grinned, nodding. "Yes, and color and hear a story."

"Kay, daddy," Kyla told him, sitting down on the floor. "I'm weady. Put on my shoes." Riker laughed as he slipped his daughter's tennis shoes on her tiny feet. The door chimed just as he finished

tying her shoes.

"That's your Aunt Bev." Will told Kyla, "Do you want to go let her in?" He asked his little girl who was already halfway to the door.

"Hey there, Pumpkin," Beverly Crusher said as the doors slid open. She scooped her goddaughter into her arms, giving her a big hug. "How's your morning going?"

"Gr-weat," she said kissing the doctor's cheek, "'Cept daddy wuddn't let me finish my tea parwty."

"Shame on you commander," she teased. He shrugged.

"What can I say doc? I'm an ogre."

She laughed, straightening an unbalanced pigtail on Kyla Riker's head.

"You ready to go," Beverly asked Kyla, who was dressed in her lavendar overalls and a shirt patterned with small flowers. She nodded. "Run tell your mommy, bye," she told the three year-old as she set her down. Kyla headed in the direction of her parents' bedroom.

"Ky," Riker said, stopping her. "Be real quiet mommy and Camilla are still sleeping."

"Kay, daddy," she told him.

"Thanks for coming by to get Kyla, Bev. Deanna's been up all night with the baby and I've got duty in twenty minutes," He said throwing some stray toys into his daughter's toy bin.

"It's no problem, Will. I love to spend any time I can with the girls. Besides it's on the way." She replied. "You guys still having a rough time with the little one?"

He smiled, nodding slowly. "You'd think they would have a cure for colic by now. She cries all the time, nothing seems to appease her."

"Dea must be exhausted, especially after going back to work this week and everything ... " Before Riker could respond Kyla ran back to her "aunt".

"Whet's go, Aunt Beberwee," she said excitedly.

"Okay, kiddo," she responded. "Aren't you going to tell your daddy bye-bye?"

"Yes, ma'am. Bye daddy," she said turning to him. He grabbed her up in a big bear hug, "Bye, my little lady bug. Have a good time!"

*********

Commander William Riker had just finished discussing with Geordi the troubles they'd been having with the new warp engines and was making his way back up to the Bridge. His thoughts kept drifting back to Deanna. The way she'd looked up at him with those huge dark eyes, that morning when he'd gone in to kiss her goodbye. Their one month old daughter, Camilla, lay quietly sleeping in a bassinet next to their bed and Deanna was in her robe, about to go in and take a shower. He'd wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him. She staring up into his face. He couldn't help but think about how tired she looked and how much she had been through in the past few weeks. Maybe she shouldn't have gone back to work so soon. Maybe it was just too much, even with the limited caseload she'd taken on.

"Commander Riker to Counselor Troi," he said tapping the comm badge on his chest to contact his wife. Deanna had chosen to continue the use of her maiden name in her professional capacity as counselor aboard ship. Yet, there was something very special to him, even after four years, finally being able to call her Mrs. Riker.

"Will," she began.

"Hi beautiful." Riker replied.

Deanna leaned back in the chair where she was sitting in her office and smiled.

"How is your morning going?"

"Aren't you on duty?" She asked playfully. "Shouldn't you be doing something productive."

"There is nothing more important in my day than talking to my wife." He said as he ducked into the Turbolift. "How are you?"

She laughed and then attempted to stifle a small yawn. "Better now that I've heard from you, Imzadi. Still feeling a bit jittery after the two cups of coffee I just swallowed rather quickly."

"You hate coffee."

"Yes, but my clients prefer that I am awake during their appointments." She smiled, fiddling nervously with her fingers, rearranging the padds on her desk.

"Dea," Will began as he stepped onto the lift and waited for the doors to slide shut in front of him. "I need you to do me a favor."

"I'm listening," she replied, almost certain she could hear her husband chuckling inside her mind.

"Before I left for my Bridge shift this morning, I happened to get a glimpse of your schedule for today," he started.

"Oh, you just happened to ..."

"Yes, and I noticed that after lunch you have a three hour break before your last appointment." Riker continued.

"Mmmm ..."

"Plenty of time for you to go to our quarters and take a much needed nap. Have a hot, relaxing cup of tea, put on some of that soul music you like so much and close those beautiful eyes and rest for a few hours." He pleaded.

"Will, if I take a nap in the middle of the day. I'll feel a wreck when I wake up, we'll just try to get the girls to bed early tonight ..." She said, giving just as much fight as she felt she had left against him.

"Dea, just do this for me, okay? You're exhausted. I could see it in your eyes this morning. I can hear it in your voice." He smiled, knowing it wouldn't take long for her to relent. "I'll pick Mila up from the nursery. Beverly and Jean-Luc have asked to have Kyla for dinner. So I'm sure they'll give her too much ice cream, put her in her "jammies," tell her a bedtime story, and bring her back to us sometime this evening."

It was almost as if Riker could hear the sigh from his wife loudly over the ship's communication system, when he knew it had only come out as a whisper. The events surrounding Camilla's birth had brought a bit of conflict into his relation with Deanna and had also been catlyst to some of the choices they would seek to make in raising there family aboard the Enterprise. He and Deanna were healing, but there 3 year-old little girl was having trouble adjusting to the new baby in the Riker family. Mila was born prematurely and now not only was she tiny, but lately she seemed not to be soothed. It seemed to be affecting her big sister the most and the way Ky had chosen to distance herself from the disruption of consistency in her life was to distance herself from Deanna, to detach somewhat. He knew it wasn't easy for Deanna, no matter what her psychology training had taught her about parenting. This was personal, a matter of the heart.

"I'm worried about Kyla." Deanna said, surprising even herself by admitting it aloud in this way.

"Dea, Ky is going to be fine. Really she's already doing much better," he reassured his wife. "Besides she loves spending time with her godparents. Who would have thought that Jean-Luc Picard would have ever found such a soft spot in his heart for a child in this way? The extra attention is good for her right now."

"You're right." She said feeling a little better.

"Damn." She heard him say underneath his breath.

"Will, what is it?" Deanna asked.

"The tea party." He said, remembering the conversation he'd had with his little girl earlier that morning.

"What tea party, Imzadi?"

"I promised Kyla that if she got her shoes on and left for school with Beverly that she could finish her tea party with Trunk and Sally when she got home. She thinks they're going to be waiting for her and now she's going home with the Captain and Bev."

Deanna laughed. "I love you."

Riker smiled broadly, feeling as if they may have not told each other those words enough over the past few weeks. It felt so good to hear it. "I love you too, Dea."

"So you promise to go get some rest after lunch?" He wasn't giving up.

"Yes, Will. I promise."

"Good. When I get home from my shift, I will make you a home cooked dinner. Anything you want. And for dessert? One of those famous Riker massages." He told her as he called for the lift to resume.

"You mean a hot fudge sundae and then a massage from my wonderful husband." She corrected.

"Yes. What would you like for dinner?"

"Comfort food." She replied.

"Italian," He thought to himself. Over the years he'd hooked Deanna on so many Earth dishes, Italian was her guilty pleasure.

"Sounds perfect, love. I'll see you tonight. Riker out."