Recapturing lightning
Takes place inbetween First Contact (2373) and Insurrection (2375). Bookwise, after Battle of Betazed (just pre Insurrection).
Riker suppressed a yawn as he refocused his attention on the desktop viewer before him. It was well after his shift, and he was trying to finish off a last few admin details before calling it a night. Giving the padd a cursory glance, he realized he was looking at the communications log for the last few days. One of his duties as XO was to sign-off on the log generated by the communications officer every few days. It was routine information mostly; so many outgoing messages, so many incoming, a few official notices from StarFleet HQ… nothing out of the ordinary. His eye did linger on one of the priority messages addressed to the captain from Admiral Nechayev. Was this a routine communication, or was the admiral about to send them on another mission? Things had been quiet in Federation space of late … maybe a little too quiet.
Shaking himself from a potentially sombre train of thought, the corners of his eyes crinkled in mirth as another thought struck him. Perhaps she was nagging the captain regarding his promotion again. Shortly after Picard's most recent victory over the Borg, Starfleet had once again offered him the rank of admiral; which he'd declined, politely. Again.
Much like some of the other officers he knew currently serving on the Enterprise-E; including himself. There was something very special about serving on the Enterprise, and mostly due to its commanding officer, as a number of long-serving officers would attest to. It spoke volumes that Starfleet had not forcefully dissolved the close command structure that still lingered, allowing the officers to remain on the ship much longer than would normally occur. And Will Riker was no exception either. Starfleet had offered him his own command on more than one occasion, and a growing part of him wondered how many more times he'd be offered the opportunity. But …
To date it had always been easy to find an excuse not to accept: the position of XO aboard the Enterprise was a highly-prized position, serving aboard the new Ambassador class Enterprise was another honour, there was still so much to learn from Picard, etc, etc. And of course his reluctance to part ways with Deanna Troi. Meanwhile time marched on.
Which reminded him; Deanna's birthday was coming up in a month or so, and he needed to start thinking of a gift. Hell, maybe he'd make another effort to finally master "Nightbird" on the trombone as a present to her mischievous spirit.
Riker sat up as the door signalled a visitor.
"Come." He called, pushing himself away from the desk as Deanna entered his quarters. "Speak of the devil."
"What kind of a welcome is that," Deanna's eyes lit with amusement as she moved towards him.
"I was just thinking about you." He replied glibly, a ready smile on his lips as he rose.
"In a good way I hope. Although I'm not sure why systems reviews would make you think of me," she replied teasingly after flicking a glance at the viewer on his desk.
"Well," Will drawled, tilting his head slightly as a speculative look crossed his face. "Constant monitoring, attention to details…" he laughed as she shook a warning finger at him.
"You'd better stop right there, commander," Deanna couldn't maintain her mock glare. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about one of our new transfers."
"Officially or unofficially?" Will asked. He was tired, and would prefer to handle the matter when he was feeling more awake.
"Unofficially; at this stage." Deanna replied. "It won't take long, but it's something I'd like to sort out for myself before I turn in for the day."
"Sure," Will smiled, wondering at how she responded to his unspoken thought. "Let me just sign this off and I'll be right with you."
"Thank you. Can I get you anything from the replicator?" Deanna asked as Will sat down again.
"You mean you know how to order something besides hot chocolate?" Will called over his shoulder, unable to resist teasing her.
Deanna only wrinkled her nose at him in quiet reply.
"I don't know. Surprise me," he chuckled, turning back to his console as Deanna started pushing buttons on the replicator console. In more than one way, he thought before he scanned through the last part of the log.
"So… anything interesting in there?" Deanna's voice startled him as she quietly slipped up behind him, carefully placing a steaming cup of raktajino on the desk.
"Is that a professional or private query?"
"A little bit of both," she smiled, glancing at the screen. "Admiral Nechayev," she murmured, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Hmmm, I saw that one," Will reached for the hot drink, savouring its aroma before carefully taking a sip.
Deanna retreated to the couch nearby, placing her own steaming cup on the low table before it. Will tapped a few keys, registering his acceptance of the report before leaving the console in standby mode and joining her on the couch.
"Tea? This is new," Will quipped as he noticed her drink.
"Sometimes a change is as good as a holiday," Deanna replied sagely before smiling ruefully. "Actually, I've been struggling to get the taste of the hot chocolate just right. Ever since Guinan left, it just isn't the same." Deanna shrugged.
"The ship is just not the same without her," Will agreed. "In fact, it's not even the same ship." His attempt at humour fell somewhat flat though.
"Do you miss her?" Deanna asked after a quiet moment of contemplation
"Of course. I don't know how she did it. In fact, I probably don't want to; but she always had the most amazing collection of non-regulation beverages stocked in the bar." Riker replied with a deadpan expression.
"Not Guinan, the Enterprise-D." Deanna replied after a soft laugh.
"Honestly?" Will took a deep breath, letting his eyes drift across his quarters after Deanna nodded. "A part of me does, yes. She was a good ship, and looking back on the time we spent on her… it was golden." Will idly stroked his beard, his raktajino forgotten in his other hand. "Including the good and the bad. We were bold explorers, eager to see what new wonder the universe held around the next corner. We had some pretty amazing adventures, half of which I wouldn't believe if I hadn't been there myself. " He gave a melancholy smile. "But then war came, and other changes, and here we are. Not that I'm saying where we are today is bad, just … different." His last statement held true for a lot of facts; including Deanna. After all, the woman sitting next to him had recently led a covert operation to the Dominion-occupied Betazed system; a far cry from the intense young councillor who surprised him with her presence at Farpoint station. Will glanced around his quarters, its darker, militaristic colouring and even the vessel's aggressive shape left no room for doubt that exploration had taken a back seat when it came to her design. And no surprise either; in the last few years the Federation had become involved in a number of large scale conflicts. The Federation, and Starfleet, needed to rise up and face those challenges, or lose what it strove for.
"I know," Deanna gave a knowing smile. "I miss the old Enterprise too. The D had a good feel to her," Deanna started, and then paused as Riker raised both eyebrows in unspoken query. "How else can I describe the atmosphere aboard her? No matter what situation we found ourselves in, there was always a feeling of optimism, of hope, aboard her." she replied before taking another sip of her tea. "Even with the majority of her command crew aboard the E, somehow it just isn't the same."
"And who knows how long that will be the case." Will noted in a distracted fashion.
"What do you mean?" Deanna asked, her thoughts jumping back to the message she'd seen from Admiral Nechayev.
"Nothing specific, just … For all her modern weaponry and advanced technology, this ship just doesn't feel like 'home' anymore."
"You're thinking of leaving?" Deanna sensed the meaning behind his words and went straight to the heart of the matter.
"I don't know. I've always had a thousand and one good reasons - and perhaps some not so good - for wanting to stay on the Enterprise, to be Picard's shadow and learn as much as I could. Perhaps as Shelby said, I'd just become too comfortable where I was. What happened to that young man who was so determined to make the record for becoming the youngest captain?"
"I think he grew into a fine officer. And one who has learnt that there is much more to being a captain than just the rank insignia." Deanna answered.
"Perhaps." Will smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment. "But maybe I've been standing still for too long." His smile widened, blue eyes regaining some of its former twinkle. "Who knows, perhaps next time Starfleet pulls out the big chair for me, I might just sit down."
Deanna nodded, a soft smile on her face. "And Starfleet will gain a fine captain when you accept."
"With the backing from the Enterprise's reputable councillor, of course." Will agreed, an impish smile hovering around the corners of his mouth.
"Of course. I will write you a glowing letter of recommendation." Deanna smiled innocently, getting her own back.
"A letter of recommendation is the least I have in mind," Will replied with a laugh, finding his heart once again caught simply by looking into her dark eyes. So much had happened between them, and they shared a bond that went beyond mere friendship. Not that they hadn't tried to recapture that specific flash of lightning, but circumstances and who they were somehow prevented it from happening. But there was always that feeling of 'maybe' or 'soon' hovering around, perhaps even 'almost'.
And while they lived around that possibility, life and careers carried on. Though they preferred to postpone even thinking about it, one day a choice would have to be made. Would that time allowed them to play it through and see where the road took them.
"We'll see." Deanna replied with a grin. "You can certainly get into my good books by helping me out with Ensign Robbins."
"I'll try my best," Will took a deep breath that somehow turned into a barely suppressed yawn.
"Or maybe I should rather wait until you're more awake," Deanna replaced her now empty tea cup on the table.
"I'm awake, I promise," Will gave an embarrassed chuckle.
"Hmmm," Deanna gave him a speculative look.
"I promise." Will held up his hands.
"If you say so, commander."
"I do."
"That's good to hear. Deanna smiled before settling down to describe the potentially difficult situation concerning the ensign.