"William Isaac Riker," Deanna said sternly to the little boy who was dragging a somewhat tattered blue blanket behind him, "You are supposed to be sleeping. Do you
remember what Daddy told you?" Mrs. Riker watched her two yr. old son's lips pucker as
she turned back to her best friend's smiling face on the viewscreen. Isaac peered around
his mother to see his "aunt" on the view screen.
"Isaac, hey sweetheart" the doctor said, waving at her godson. His face lit up as he waved his little fingers back at her. Deanna gave Beverly a look of exasperation and her son one to match.
"Isaac," she said quietly, "Tell Aunt Bev goodbye and then you go back to bed… Now little man." The women watched as he trudged through the doorway of the
study. "You are just as rotten as he is, Beverly," She told her friend when Isaac was out of
earshot. Bev laughed.
"Rough day, Momma?" Crusher asked. Deanna nodded. He's such a beautiful
little boy. . .and those cheeks. . .I just want to squeeze them." Beverly said.
"Well he's been a beautiful little monster all day today. Will had to put him in time-out earlier for scattering his exam papers all over the house. He is supposed to be napping…
"He has Will's stubborn streak, doesn't he?" The doctor said, knowing just how
stubborn Riker men could be.
"Yes," The counselor admitted, "and I'm just about ready to let you have him."
Crusher smiled.
"Where's Belle?" Beverly asked.
"At her daddy's heels as usual," Deanna answered. "Will took her to San Francisco
with him today. He had to give a make-up exam and oversee a flight class for Professor
Osborne," she offered before Crusher could ask. "They won't be back until in the
morning."
"He took her with him to the academy? He's become quite the Father. I'm very
proud of him." The doctor told her.
"Me too. Those two adore him." The counselor said. She knew where this was
leading.
"Gosh, I miss all of you so much," Beverly said, her eyes watering.
"You just saw us at the wedding, Bev." Deanna offered.
"That was three months ago and look how much the twins have grown. . ." Deanna
smiled her eyes watering as well. It had been almost ten months since she and Will had left the Enterprise. Will had been offered a teaching job at the academy and a very prestigious position as head of the flight department. She had taken over as the head of Starfleet Psychology at command and given her age it had been quite a feat. They were happy totake some time off from the stars to raise there children and pursue other things, it was something she, herself, had never imagined them doing; but they were so happy.
"We miss you too, Beverly and the captain and the Enterprise, but this is where we
need to be right now." Deanna Riker told her as she pulled a tissue from the box beside
her.
"I miss having my best friend here to talk to and to give me parenting advice, to goof off
with," she said. "The children miss their godparents…"
"We have to stop this," Beverly said, sniffling. "If Jean-Luc comes in here and
catches me balling again…" Deanna smiled.
"I know what you mean," she said. "Will has been listening to me whine since we
left. I love this house though," the counselor said trying to change the subject. "It is
absolutely gorgeous. I can't believe Jean-Luc suggested we stay here until our house is
ready."
"He's just glad that you and Will are taking care of it for him," Beverly told her
friend, "Marie just couldn't live there anymore after Robert and Rene died, and that place
meant so much to his family."
"We're just keeping it warm for the two of you Bev." said Deanna. "So your family
can make some memories here." A look of happiness drew over Crusher's face.
"We've been discussing starting a family in about a year. I can't wait to have a baby
around." Deanna laughed.
"We'll see. . ." She said as little Zac's voice could once again be heard in the
background. "I had better go and check on him." Deanna told Crusher. The doctor
nodded.
"Give him a hug for me," the doctor said.
"I will," she replied. "Riker Out."

"Zac," Deanna Riker said following the voice of her son, the little boy with the
curly brown hair and her own dark onyx eyes, he had chubby cheeks and the most precious dimples when he smiled.

"Mommy's coming baby." She called as she hurried toward his room on
the second floor of the Picard estate. She reached the door and pushed it open, smiling as
she saw him sitting up in his bed, his blankie clutched tightly in his hand. She sat down
beside him, arranging the covers and laying him back. "Hey little man. Did you want mommy?"
"Mommy Sweep," he said putting a tiny thumb in his mouth.
"You want me to lay down with you?" she asked smoothing the hair from his
face. He bobbed his little head in affirmation.
"All right, sweetheart. I would love to go night-night with you." She told him,
knowing if Will hadn't gotten on to him before he'd left, she would've let him stay up and play a little longer. She stretched out on the bed and wrapped Isaac in her arms. In mere moments he was asleep, she kissed the top of his head and drifted into a much needed nap of her own.

The silence in the Picard home in France was where the Rikers lived was shattered by the
sound of someone entering on the main floor and the door shutting behind that person.
Deanna Troi-Riker was awakened turning to see if the noise had woken up her son, but he
was still sleeping soundly. She got up gently and tucked the covers around him and
hurried, cautiously down the steps.
"Will," she exclaimed seeing her husband pulling off his jacket with her angel of a
little girl held securely in her arms. "What are you doing back so early?. . .Here," she said
coming closer, "Let me take her. . ." The light from the window, lit his face and Deanna gasped.
"Imzadi, what happened to your face?"
"Dee, let me get in and I'll explain everything," she laid her hand softly on his
forehead, pulling down a few stands of his hair. There were smudges of black on parts of
his face, a few cuts on his cheeks and chin.
"They're just scratches," he whispered quietly, looking into her midnight eyes. She
nodded, knowing he was trying to stop her from worrying.
"Do you want me to take her so you can go clean up?" The counselor asked her
husband.
"No, I want to keep her with me," he replied, patting Isabelle's back gently and
kissing her forehead. Deanna lifted an eyebrow, not quite understanding.
"All right," she told him, "Well, why don't you go take her in the living room and
I'll grab a rag from the kitchen." Deanna Riker ran into the kitchen and hurried into the
living room, where Will was sitting on the couch with Belle cradled in his arms. She
quickly restarted the fire and sat down next to them, rubbing her hand over her daughter's
face.
"Will, tell me what happened," Deanna said softly, not looking up.
"They're was an accident during the flight runs," Will Riker started slowly.
Deanna's eyes shot up to his. "It was a routine run," he said, "We were at the station on
Mars waiting on the cadets to finish the simulated mission. I was watching Isabelle's little
eyes light up as she watched the stars and the shuttles zooming past the station windows."
He ran a hand through his hair. "All of the sudden one of the cadets came over the sound
system, saying that her shuttle was losing control." Will paused allowing Deanna time to take everything in.

"Emma." Riker told his wife, squeezing her hand as he voiced the name of their children's favorite babysitter. "The shuttle was crashing and we couldn't beam her out because they've been upgrading the station and the transporters were offline. I ran out of the room jumped in a shuttle, I had to beam onto Emma's craft. I got her off right as it was exploding."

He stopped, looking down at his daughter, now peacefully asleep in her daddy's arms.

"The whole time over the open communication line…I had to keep the base updated, but the whole time I could here Belle screaming. Dea, it was horrible. Dad was holding her and he said he took her out of the room, but it all happened so fast…

Deanna could feel his regret and the shame he was feeling…unnecessary shame over putting his daughter in a situation like that. He met her eyes.

"She saw the shuttle explode and all she knew was that daddy was out there somewhere. She didn't know what was going on, I have never heard a more appalling sound in my whole life," he said, his eyes watering. She was so afraid, Imzadi. She just kept saying- Daddy, daddy, daddy," he told Deanna.

"Will," she said, putting a comforting hand on his leg. "It's not…" He kept going as if he didn't hear her.

"I wouldn't even go to the infirmary until I saw her. She just reached for me, her eyes all swollen from crying. I tried to appease her. She wouldn't drink a bottle, wouldn't take her paci. She wouldn't let anyone else hold her. . ."
"So you brought her back here?"

He nodded, "We had planned on staying with Dad so he could spend some time with her, but I knew you would be worried once word got here and I thought it would be best to bring Belle to more familiar surroundings. . . you were here and I needed you," he said. Deanna patted his hand.
"It will be okay, Imzadi," she told him, wiping the marks left from the smoke from
his face.
"I flew most of the way home on autopilot so that I could hold her. She was so
scared to fly back on that shuttle. . ." The counselor tried to mask her concern, but knew
she couldn't keep it from the man who knew her best. Isabelle had loved to sit in her
Daddy's lap on trips in the shuttle watching the buttons light up, that was not a good sign.
"How's Emma?" she asked him.
"She had a pretty bad concussion and is being treated for smoke inhalation, but
she's going to be fine. I talked to her before I left. She was coherent and recovering." He
assured his wife.
"Good. And I'm sure the doctor gave you a clean bill of health or you wouldn't
have left." She said sarcastically.
"She said something about some superficial cuts, a little bit of smoke inhalation. I
didn't really stick around long enough to hear and well, it was a little hard to hear over
little Deanna Troi here." The counselor listened to her husband intently, a hand going to her head. "I'm fine," he said matter-of-factly, leaning over to wrap her in a hug. "So how was your day?"

Deanna and Will were awakened by the most blood curdling scream ever to reach
there ears. They immediately sat up, Will jumping from the bed and Deanna close behind
scooping up Isaac he had run into his parents room. Will reached his daughter's bedside
and listened to her voice as she tossed in her sleep,
"Daddy, Daddy!!! Pwease, come back! Daddy!," she kept screaming over and over.
Will shook her.
"Isabelle, Isabelle! Belle, angel, wake up! Daddy's right here," He said to his tiny little
girl, trying to wake her from the nightmare she was fighting. "I'm right here," he assured
her as those bright blue eyes fluttered open and he lifted her into the safety of his arms. She buried her face in his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. They could hear her sobbing.
Will looked at Deanna who was holding their little boy. "Hey little man," Riker said
tousling his hair, hoping hearing his sister so upset was not scaring him. He began to bounce with Isabel, walking and talking to her. "It's okay now, Belle. Daddy's right here with you and you're home. In your own room." He told her softly. "Mommy's here and Isaac. . .Shhh, baby. . .please don't cry, angel. Daddy's not going anywhere." Will
looked to his wife for advice, but she didn't have any answers. He kept rocking her and
walking around the room. Finally, she quieted some and looked up. Her thumb held squarely in her bow-shaped mouth.
"Daddy no go way. Shuttle…boom." She said putting a hand up to his face. "Daddy hurwt."
"No baby daddy's fine," Deanna told her daughter, pushing the dark curly cues
from her face.
"Mom. . .Mommy," Isabel said, taking in a breath.
"Hey, Punkin." The counselor said. "You want to come see mommy?" Deanna asked,
holding out her arms. Belle shrunk back, turning away from her mother, and pressing her
face as close to Will as possible.
"It's okay sweetie," she said rubbing Belle's back, "You can stay with daddy." Mrs.
Riker looked worried an expression matching that of her husband. Isaac had already fallen
back to sleep in her arms. What were they going to do?

"Did you get any sleep last night Imzadi?" Will asked, reaching for Deanna's hand across
the table.
"Are you kidding we had two kicking toddlers in bed with us?" She said smiling.
Will had slept with Belle on his chest all night long. He nodded, feeding Isaac a bite of
cereal. Isabelle had consented to going to her mother as long as Will was in plain site.
"Isabelle," Deanna said to her daughter who kept turning her head to see her daddy.
"Look what mommy's got." "Will talk to her," she sent to her husband who was engrossed in a game of airplane with his son. He blew his little girl a kiss.
"Hey daddy's beauty," he told her smiling. "How's my Angel?" Belle's face lit up
and she turned back to Deanna taking the piece of fruit. Deanna shook her head.
"Pwane daddy, Make da pwane noise," Will laughed.
"You got it," he told Zac, "Here comes the airplane. . ."
"Imzadi," Deanna said, "The views screen's beeping. Do you want me to get it?"
"No, I will." He said hurrying over to the desk. "Jean-Luc," Riker said as the
captain's face appeared on the view screen. "To what do we owe this honor?" He asked as a wail rose up behind him.
"The twins a little fussy this morning," The Captain asked hearing sounds of crying
from behind the commander. Before Picard's former first in command could answer he
asked, "Is that mon petit cherie?" Will nodded as Deanna walked up beside him, with a
red-faced and unhappy Isabelle Ophelia Riker in her arms.
"I think your daughter wants you," she said handing Belle to him. "Hello Captain,"
she said as she saw who her husband was talking with.
"Good to see you Deanna," Jean-Luc told the counselor.
"It is good to see you too sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I think that banging noise
means that my son's ready to get out of his high chair." She replied. Picard laughed as
Deanna retreated into the kitchen.
"Belle," Jean-Luc said to the little girl he had named himself. "Why are you crying
sweetheart? You're just scrunching up that beautiful face of yours. Uncle Jeanny loves you so much, he doesn't want to see you crying baby girl." She stopped for a few seconds, putting her tiny hand up to the screen, the captain lifted his as well.
"Mmm…miss you, Unca." She said between sniffles.
"I miss you too, sweetheart. Fly any spaceships lately honey?" He asked. Will
shook his head behind her, the look on his facing telling. He bounced her lightly on his lap as Deanna came back into his view, Zac hoisted up on her hip.
"I'm going to give them their bath," she told him reaching for Isabelle. The little
girl's eyes were as big as saucers.
"Top, Mommy… top it." She said as Deanna lifted her from her daddy's lap.
"Belle, baby, it's okay." The counselor said. "Daddy's not leaving. He'll be up to
see you in just a few minutes. Wave bye-bye to your Uncle."
"No, want daddy now." Isabelle replied.
"I'll bring her up when I finish talking to the captain, Dea." The commander said.
"Will, sooner or later. . .you can't be with her all the time. She'll be fine." Deanna
told him as she turned to go. He could hear his baby girl crying all the way up the stairs.

"Will, what was all that about?" Jean-Luc asked after he had regained Riker's
attention.
"There was an accident in the flight class I was subbing for yesterday and I had to
go out and save a cadet. The shuttle exploded and Belle was with me. She thought I was
in it. Now she won't let me out of her sight and she is scared to death to go on a shuttle.
She loved to ride on the shuttle and watch the stars." He told his former CMO.
"She must have been terrified, Number One." Picard said.
"Yeah, we didn't get much sleep last night and you see how she acted when Dea took
her away from me. I'm really worried about her." Will replied.
"I'm sure it'll pass. I mean her mother is the head of Starfleet psychology. What
better luck could she have?" Jean-Luc offered.
"Well, I'm sorry to bother you with this sir. Was there something you wanted to
talk to me about?" The commander asked.
"Nonsense Will, When something is going on with my godchildren I want to know,
but yes I did want to talk to you about something. Two things actually."
"Shoot."
"Well, first the Enterprise is going to be as close to Earth as we've been in years,
and I just thought since Deanna and Beverly have been missing each other so much that I
would surprise her with a visit to see the counselor." He told his friend.
"That's a good idea captain. Dea will love it. What brings the Enterprise home? If
I might ask." Will replied.
"Actually, Will, it has a lot to do with the explosion that occurred during Prof.
Osborne's flight class." Picard said.
"Sir?" Will asked incredulously.
"You mean you haven't heard? There's been some threats against President
Richards and they think the explosion might be connected." Picard offered.
"I had heard. They think someone was trying to attack him by hurting Emma?"
Will asked putting the connection together. "I had been hearing about the threats, but for
someone to threaten his daughter. Shouldn't they have had some kind of security on her?"
"You know how stubborn Emma is Will. She doesn't want any special treatment.
There hadn't been any official threats coming in using her as leverage, they have been
keeping an eye on her though." Jean-Luc explained.
"I have been worried about that. Deanna and I are pretty protective of her
ourselves. She's so great to the kids." Will told him.
"I can't believe they haven't contacted you already. They'll want statements, and
they want to involve you in the investigation." Picard said.
"I don't believe Belle will approve and Deanna. . ." Will began.
"Is having surgery," Picard finished for him. Will did a doubletake.
"Sir?"
"Mrs. Troi was onboard a few weeks ago. She was bragging about the twins, her
beautiful daughter and handsome son-in-law, and somewhere in between when she stopped to breathe she said something about Deanna not taking the time to care for herself properly.
She said the counselor was having surgery, but for us not to mention it because she was
feeling slightly down about it." Picard told Riker. Will shook his head.
"Good ole Lwaxana. Yeah, she's actually just being typical Deanna and taking care of everyone else first and not acknowledging what is happening to her. I took of to care for her. The procedure itself is fairly simple, but she probably be tired and sore afterwards." The commander told his former captain.
"Well, we'll be thinking of her," Jean-Luc said. "And we'll be in transporter
range in a few days. Let me know if they hassle you too much and if we can do anything
for you. I'm sure Beverly will be happy to hover."
"Thank you sir. I will. Let us know when Bev's coming," Riker out. Will hit the
button to end the transmission and turned to see his little girl running towards him with
soap covering her tiny body, shampoo running into her eyes. Isaac wasn't far behind
dripping as well. He started to laugh, until he saw Deanna chasing behind them, her face
taunt. He jumped up catching them, picking them up. "Did you lose some little Rikers,
Imzadi?" He asked.
"Isabelle escaped, she was still upset and wanted you and well Isaac followed, he
thought it was a game." She told him in tired frustration.
"I'll help you rinse 'em off, sweetheart," he told her, sweeping the twins up and into his arms. "Come on lets go get these two back into the tub."