A/N: The two parts of this one-shot are scenes from the film Star Trek: Insurrection. Deanna and Will in this part of the movie (and Marina and Johnathan!) crack me up!
Enjoy!
The crew of the Enterprise-D had encountered nearly a decades worth of hostile races, attacks from advanced weapons, newly-discovered life forms, and numerous galactic anomalies, not to mention the resilient Borg, but the Briar Patch and the planet Ba'ku, specifically, was entirely new. Not much was known about Ba'ku, but at first glance, it was an average colony. Farms, small businesses, and little technology- everything seemed normal, domestic, even boring. Yet, Admiral Dougherty seemed hell-bent on staying there. Predicting trouble, the Captain assigned Deanna to the library to research the planet. Her heart raced like a kid's when Will was assigned as well.
He picked her up in her quarters. Neither one spoke much until after a few minutes of extensive research. Together, they uncovered that Ba'ku- categorized as M-class- was discovered in Federation space, and a mission was organized to observe the life forms there. One of the officers assigned was Data.
"Why was Data assigned?" Will asked, forgetting it was a library and the number one rule was 'quiet voice only'. The librarian shushed him fiercely and Deanna raised her eyebrows at him teasingly. He returned the look.
"Environmental concerns again." she whispered, explaining that Data could safely be exposed to any dangers while the duck blind was being installed.
"I don't see any reason to believe the Sona are interested in sociology." Will said, looking for her to agree. But she wasn't really thinking about the Sona. Instead, she balled up a piece of scratch paper. She suddenly felt like taking a risk.
"What are they interested in?" she whispered.
"Wine, women, and song." he teased. Deanna took her chances at one-upping his joke.
"Well, you should feel right at home, then," she said flirtatiously, tossing the paper ball right at his chest. He whirled around in surprise, the Librarian giving him a suspicious glance. Her hair hiding her face from the old woman's view, Deanna smiled mischievously at Will, a countenance he returned.
"Nomadic, collectors of precious metals, jewels-" he continued reading, still smiling at her.
"I should feel right at home then." she said almost entirely serious. So far, Ba'ku sounded like fun.
"You're lucky. They use alien women- as indentured servants." She leaned over the screen to smack him, just missing his ear on purpose. If anyone else had said it, she might be offended, but it was Will she was talking to, and they were teasing each other.
They continued their research with only little difficulty. They read about the Sona's integration of the Tarlac and Alaura as laborers. As Will read on about the Sona's industry, Deanna took her chances further, standing just behind Will as he read.
"-producing mass quantities of the narcotic-" Deanna placed a finger gently on his neck to warn him she was there, then began half-massaging half-tickling his neck. "-ketracel… white…" he trailed off, evidently surprised at her change in behavior. (She was just as surprised as he was, but she didn't want to stop) He looked up at her, which she pretended not to notice, before continuing to read. He went on to say that the Sona had violated the second khitomer accord.
"Why would we be involved with these people?" she asked. He shrugged.
"Good question." Deanna resumed massaging his neck, making him smile. "You haven't done that in a long time."
"What?" she again pretended not to notice.
"What you're doing to my neck." he whispered through his grin.
"Was I doing something to your neck?" she smiled without looking at her Imzadi. As much fun as this was, they still had work to do and a report to give to Picard.
"It says here that a genetic anomaly has kept the Sona from procreating." Will said.
"No children." Deanna reiterated.
"If that's true, then they're a dying race." She looked at the screen deep in thought when suddenly, Will cried out. "Hey!"
She turned to see the junior officer sitting a few seats down quickly turn his head, grinning in triumph. A paper ball fell at Will's feet.
"He started it!" Deanna cried to the librarian, pointing directly at Will.
"I didn't do anything. I swear!" Will said. They could barely contain themselves enough to get out of the library. Once in the hallway, Deanna burst out laughing, Will laughing with her. It was a relief to laugh so hard.
After a time, though, they settled down. They just stood in the empty hallway, looking lovingly into each other's eyes. Finally, after a long, thoughtful silence, Will whispered one word that meant a lot.
"Imzadi." At those words, Deanna just let herself fall into his muscular shape. It felt perfect leaning into his arms. If she could have bottled up any moment in her life, she would've bottled that one.
However, something interrupted that perfect moment.
"Commander Riker, how is your research going?" Captain Picard's voice projected through Will's comm. Deanna's shoulders dropped in disappointment.
"We're finished, sir." Will said in response. "Our research was very productive." He outright lied, and she found a smile again on her lips at the humour of it.
"Meet me in my ready room with the report." The captain said.
"We're on our way sir." Ending the comm, Will turned to Deanna. "Sorry to ruin the moment."
"It's okay. It had to end sometime." she sighed. "Let's go write a report." she said, taking his hand.
A few days later, Deanna had the unusual gift of some free time. It was mid-morning, with no obligations for an hour, and she'd been reading a padd on the Attention Deficit Epidemic of the 21st century. (It was very interesting, she thought, how the doctors of the time overdiagnosed some and underdiagnosed others) Anyway, she was absorbed in her reading when the door announced someone wished to enter. Of course, Deanna had already sensed the presence brush against her mind, but the door didn't know that. And in walked Will Riker, face flushed and smiling gleefully.
"Hi." she smiled back. Will seemed to have that power, to make anyone smile easily- did she smile too easily?
"You got a minute?"
"Sure." she reached over to set down the padd on the coffee table.
"I need a little counseling," Will said. Deanna looked up in mock surprise.
"Well, there's a first time for everything!"
"So, do I lie down or what?" He asked, flopping down on the chaise she occupied. Deanna started briefly, not expecting his head to fall in her lap.
"Um- Whatever makes you comfortable. But this isn't one of the normal therapeutic postures." she added for effect.
"It's comfortable." He protested jokingly.
"Mm-hmm. Why don't you try sitting up?"
"Why don't you try lying down?" He sat up and kissed her cheek- lightly, and for only a split second- then, embarrassed, wandered over to her desk.
"Well, you're in quite a mood today." she sang, finally able to speak again. "Do you really need counseling or did you come down here just to play?" Two can play this game, she thought.
"I'm having a midlife crisis."
"I believe you." she said with raised eyebrows.
"I'm not sleeping well!" came the defense.
"Doctor Crusher has something that can take care of that."
"What I need I can't get from Doctor Crusher." Deanna let go of the teasing behavior. Instead, she let herself smile naturally.
"Counselor. Do you think it's possible for two people to go back in time, fix a mistake they made?"
She knew exactly what he was talking about. For years they had pushed aside their feelings for many reasons; fear being the main one. Fear of falling apart. Fear of losing their jobs. Fear of losing each other. But the feelings had still been there, and the fact true and clear- they were Imzadi, whether they liked it or not. And it had taken them this long to realize they couldn't avoid the bond and it was better to embrace it. Both now knew it would've been easier to accept it in the beginning. They had missed out on so much, trying to ignore their feelings. But now- now they could do something. And now, here he was, saying the words she'd been waiting for, for most of her life.
It set her heart on fire, racing so fast she felt it would fall right out of her chest into the hands of the man in front of her. It was terrifying, this idea of loving Will, but she knew it was what she wanted, but what she couldn't bring herself to say.
But it was necessary to keep cool and collected. What to say? If she tried to explain everything they'd both end up a stuttering mess, but she had to say something. She couldn't leave him hanging.
And it came to her. She knew exactly what to say.
"On this ship? Anything is possible." They both knew it to be true. Everything imaginable- and even things unimaginable- had happened on the Enterprise. They absolutely could go back in time. But the present moment was even better than going back, she thought. Will was leaning in to kiss her.
Fingers in her hair, Will pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, taking it in. It was exactly how she imagined- but with only one problem.
The beard.
She tried to ignore it, but the prickly feeling was only comparable to rubbing your face on a porcupine. With that image in her mind, she wasn't able to restrain her laughter.
"Yuck!" she giggled, teasingly pushing him away.
"Yuck?!" Will cried, his expression just as jokingly horrified.
"I've never kissed you with a beard before," Deanna explained, laughing and slightly embarrassed. She purposefully pushed him towards the door as he continued talking.
"I kiss you and you say 'yuck'?" The door shut right in front of his still flushed, laughing face. Deanna turned, back to the door, realizing she had been holding her padd stylus the whole time. In a moment of boldness, she spun the pen in the air and caught it. And that's how Deanna Troi found herself leaning on her office door, pen in hand, out of breath, heart racing- and floating on a heavenly cloud otherwise known as love. There was nothing quite like it. And she felt young again- alluding to when a beautiful young cadet met a handsome baby-faced young man on a mission and planned to run away and marry him.
But if they went through with this, what would happen next? Would they tell the crew? Would they marry? Would they have children? Would the two of them even live that long?
So she sighed, reveling in that moment again, if only for a second. Switching gears back into work mode, Deanna straightened her uniform and ran a hand through her hair. No matter what, she still had work to do.
"By the way, Commander Riker," she said over her comm, smiling ear to ear at her plan, "You have an appointment for tomorrow at 1900."
"Oh? What for?" he responded.
"You'll have to wait and see."
A/N Okay, was I right? Or was I right? SO ADORABLE!
Thanks for reading, Trekkies! I hope you enjoyed!