Author's Note: I began writing FanFic way back in 1994 after the finale of TNG. Back then, it was all about Worf and Troi for me. Once his character was moved to DS9 a year later I shifted my focus to Worf and Dax. In all this time, I just now realized that I never wrote anything that answered the question of what happened during the in-between time from when the Enterprise-D was destroyed in "Generations" to when Worf joined the crew of DS9 in "The Way of the Warrior." The story is set in that interim, with a prologue and epilogue set at the end of the "First Contact" movie.

Chapter 1- Prologue

2373

The corridors of the Enterprise- E seemed narrow. Maybe that was because Worf had gotten used to the ones on Deep Space Nine. It could have been because they were filled with workers making repairs from the damage the Borg had most recently done to the ship. Or maybe it was because Counselor Deanna Troi was walking so closely beside him.

Worf was trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt but he knew that was probably in vain. There were times when he used to find relief in the fact that Deanna knew what he was feeling without him having to say it. Talking about his emotions had always been difficult for Worf and the fact that she knew how he felt without him saying a word brought them closer together. But now, it made him feel exposed. He valued his privacy more than anything else, but with her there never really was any.

"We haven't had much time to talk since you've been aboard," Deanna began, breaking the awkward silence.

"The Borg kept us somewhat occupied."

It was hard to know when Worf was telling a joke and Deanna had gotten out of practice, "Well, I have to say that I'm glad to see you decided to return to Starfleet."

"Starfleet has been my home for a long time, in all honesty it probably always will be," Worf replied.

"You're an excellent officer and Starfleet is better for having you. I guess I held out a little bit of hope that being back here with us on the Enterprise could have been your home again…" Her voice trailed off hopefully.

Worf bristled; he knew what she was implying and did not know how to respond. He'd always felt guilty about how things ended for the two of them and had avoided this moment for some time now. Worf wrestled with whether or not he'd even done anything wrong. Relationships ended, it happens to a lot of people. Deep down he knew just the fact that it was plaguing him meant he had not honored her in the way that he should have. Especially considering… No, Worf didn't even want to think about her right now; Deanna might sense it and ask more questions.

Troi could sense this change in mood from him, and she knew him well enough to know that if he felt cornered he'd just clam right up. So she backed off a bit, "But I can understand why you chose Deep Space Nine. Moving into command must be an exciting change for you."

That almost got a smile out of him, "Yes, it has been. And I have learned much from Captain Sisko."

She forced a smile in return, "I'm glad," she said again. At that moment, the only thing Deanna was truly glad for was that she was the empath and not Worf. Otherwise, he would have known how much of a lie her feigned happiness for him really was.

They rounded one more corner and the doors to transporter room two swished open. Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge were already there.

"The transport ship is ready to beam the officers aboard," the operator said as Worf and Troi entered.

"Energize when ready," Riker commanded.

To an empath, sensing emotions was very much like listening to someone speak. Sometimes the emotions were like a whisper; sometimes they were like a shout. When it came to Worf, unless he was fighting, he usually emoted in a very restrained manner. So as the two figures began to materialize on the transporter pad, Troi was shocked at what she began to sense from him. Intense feelings of anticipation, joy, excitement and affection were emanating from him. If he were anyone else, those kinds of emotions would have left him smiling from ear to ear. Worf of course remained as controlled and poised as ever, his face showing no trace of what he was feeling.

Deanna's eyes moved from him to the two officers that were now standing there. Chief Miles O'Brien stepped off the pad first and was immediately greeted warmly by Riker and LaForge.

The woman with O'Brien hung back, her hands tightly clasped behind her back. She wore a polite, if not nervous smile. Her eyes met with Worf's for just a brief moment and in that moment they exchanged nothing more than a quick, formal head nodded greeting. But just as Worf's emotions were deafening, so were the woman's. She too was filled with all those same feelings that were coming from Worf.

To an empath at least, it could not have been more obvious. They were in love with each other. Deanna Troi felt like she'd been hit with a ton of bricks.

"It's nice to meet you, Counselor,"

The woman had extended her hand to Troi, but Deanna had been so dazed with the realization that Worf was involved with this tall, beautiful Trill officer that she hadn't even heard when O'Brien introduced the two women to each other. Clumsily, Deanna shook the woman's hand, "You as well," she mumbled.

"Worf has told me so much about all of you," the woman began, "Though I already knew about you, Commander Riker," she said with a tease.

"Commander Dax, there's muchmore to me than just my dabo game," Will replied with a smirk.

Everyone laughed. Deanna could still barely breathe.

"You're going to be in so much trouble when we get back to DS9," Commander Dax said to Worf, "You know how much Benjamin loves that ship."

"Which is why he sent us to come check on the repairs," Miles added, then turning to Worf, "Well, he sent me to check on the Defiant, she came to check on you."

It was LaForge and Riker's turn to exchange puzzled looks. Troi already knew what that meant.

Commander LaForge spoke up, "We're still working through our own repairs, so most of our crew has taken up residency at the shipyard or on Earth while it gets finished. I'm sure we could find something for the two of you, though," Geordi said.

"I think I can find a bunk on the Defiant to squeeze into," O'Brien replied.

"Same here, I'm sure there's a bunk I can squeeze into as well," Dax said, stealing another glance at Worf.

The group headed out of the transport room. LaForge walked beside the Chief, chattering excitedly about the new ship and offering to show him around the engine room. Behind them were Worf and Dax, both trying desperately to remain professional yet wanting nothing more than to find that bunk they could squeeze into. Lastly were Riker and Troi.

After a few meters, Riker stopped her. He could tell when something was bothering Deanna, even when she tried to hide it, and he had a feeling he knew what it was, "Hey, are you okay?"

Troi looked up at him, "Me? Of course, why do you ask?"

His eyes tracked the couple that was walking ahead of them just as their hands brushed each other's and then went back to Deanna's, "You seemed a little preoccupied in the transporter room."

"Um, well, actually, I do need to get back to my office. I'm meeting some of the families of the officers that we lost in a bit."

She was lying. Deanna never lied to him, so when she did Will knew it had to be for a good reason, "Alright then. I'll see you later," he paused, then reached out and squeezed her hand, "Let me know if you need anything."

Deanna looked down at Will's hand as it grasped her own and sighed, "I will."

Counselor Troi did go to her office. It was one of the few parts of the ship that hadn't been damaged by the Borg. She sank into her chair and felt tears welling in her eyes. More than anything, she was upset at herself for letting this get to her the way it was. She knew Worf came back to Starfleet, she'd known that for some time. And she'd dealt with the fact that he chose an assignment elsewhere. She even knew that probably meant he'd move on with someone else, at least someday. All of that she could get over.

What bothered her the most was that she felt more emotion coming from Worf in that brief moment in the transport room just now than she'd ever felt from him in all the time they were together.