Computer, what is the location of Dr. Crusher? *Dr. Crusher is in sick bay* Deanna smiles. Beverly promised her some time and she plans to hold her to it.
Deanna enters sick bay and takes a look around. Everything is as she expected. Whatever mess and commotion the patient evacuation on Sycorax may have caused has been cleared and things are back in order. Lt. Alyssa Ogawa looks up from her work and smiles. "Counsellor Troi. It's good to see you. Is there something I can help you with?" Deanna smiles back at her. "No. I was just coming down to check on things, to make sure that there is nothing that might need my attention." Alyssa smiles again. "No. I think we came through it all OK." "Good. Good" Deanna says. "You look exhausted. Did Dr. Crusher talk to you about taking some time off?" "She did" Alyssa admits "but I sent the rest of the staff home. I need to hold down the fort for a while." "Well, just be sure you get some rest too." "I promise" Alyssa tells her. "Is that it?" Deanna smiles. "No. I was hoping Dr. Crusher might be here." Alyssa gestures toward Beverly's office. "You might want to have that chat about taking some time to rest with her too." "Oh I intend to" Deanna says as she moves toward the office. She hears Alyssa chuckle behind her.
She gently taps on Beverly's office door then opens it without waiting for an invitation. Beverly looks as if she is hard at work but Deanna can tell that she isn't paying attention to what she is reading. She looks up with a smile. "Deanna. Is everything OK?" Deanna smiles back. "I'm not sure yet" she says. Beverly gives her a confused look. "You know" Deanna starts "that a part of my job is to make sure that the people who serve on this ship are taking care of themselves." Beverly can see where the conversation is going. Deanna continues. "And that is especially true for the ship's officers. If they are not well rested, they are not able to do their jobs successfully and that can be a problem for everyone." "So?" Beverly asks. "So" Deanna tells her "I have the authority to relieve from duty any officer that I feel needs to rest." Beverly can't hide her smile any more. "Are you ordering me to leave?" Deanna smiles back. "Yes. I believe I am." "Well then, since I seem to have no choice in the matter, I suppose I will just clean up my desk…" "Beverly!" Deanna demands. "Now!" Beverly holds her hands in front of herself in surrender. "Okay Okay."
Beverly begins to follow Deanna out of sick bay. She pauses to give instructions to Alyssa earning her a scowl from Deanna. She holds up her hands again and decides she should probably listen this time. Out in the hall, Deanna slows so that Beverly can walk beside her. "So Counsellor, I am officially off the clock. What do you suggest now?" Deanna smiles. "Well, first of all I was thinking a walk in the arboretum might do us both some good." Beverly nods. "And then perhaps some dinner and some wine." "Betazoid wine?" Beverly asks. "Of course." "And then what?" Deanna shrugs. "I'm not sure. I was just planning on seeing where the evening takes us." Beverly leans close and very softly says, "I have some ideas about that myself." Deanna laughs. "Really? I can't wait to hear them."
Beverly takes Deanna's hand as they walk through the ship's corridors together. "Are you sure?" Deanna asks. Beverly smiles. "I'm sure. And do I have a story for you!" "I can't wait" Deanna says. "I've got one of my own."
The two women arrive at the door to the arboretum. The door slides open to reveal a beautiful forest. Many of the trees come from Earth, though many planets throughout the Alpha Quadrant are represented. The purpose of an arboretum on a starship is to provide oxygen as well as food and medicine. Its secondary purpose is to give the crew and their families a place where they can go to be grounded, to remember what it is like to be in a place full of life and peace.
"I love it here" Deanna tells Beverly. "I come here as often as I can. It reminds me of my home on Betazed." "It's beautiful" Beverly says. "I love how peaceful it is. I always feel renewed here." The women walk hand in hand along a path, deep into the woods. Deanna leads Beverly to a small clearing in a stand of trees covered in purple blossoms. "These trees come from my home. They are called Fana." "They're beautiful" Beverly tells her. They sit together while Deanna tells Beverly of the trees and why they are special to her. "In Betazoid culture, there are Four Deities that we hold dear. They are named after the spiritual concepts that we all strive to follow. They are Altha, which stands for Peace and Stability. Imza, representing Love and Compassion. Tholta is Truth and Honesty. Fana means Nature and the Fana trees are the symbol of that." "That's beautiful" Beverly says quietly. Deanna nods and continues. "When we talk about the Four Deities, we visualize them in the shape of a diamond. Altha sits at the top as it is the one thing we all wish for. Truth and Love hold up the middle as there can be no Peace or Stability without them. Fana sits at the bottom of the diamond representing the roots of our faith and people. The diamond sits on point to remind us of the delicate balance required to maintain a civilized society."
While her friends talks, Beverly leans against one of the Fana trees. She imagines that she can feel the peace and strength of the Betazoid Deities as they move through her. Deanna's voice is low and melodic and her words overwhelm her. She has no words for Deanna. Instead she gently pulls the woman to her and kisses her gently. "Thank you for sharing that Deanna." Deanna smiles and kisses her back.
"There is one more Betazoid concept that is very important to us." Beverly thinks for a second. "Imzadi?" she asks quietly. Deanna nods. "Imzadi. Traditionally, Betazoid children were matched with their future mates at a young age. Many times the unions were political. In Betazoid culture, love and marriage weren't necessarily the same thing. Imzadi means beloved or soulmate. It is used when you and your lover connect in every single way, beyond our physical realm." "Is it possible to have more than one Imzadi?" Beverly asks. Deanna shakes her head. "I didn't used to think so. Will was my Imzadi. I didn't think that would ever change. But Will and I, we just never were in the same place." Beverly smiles at the double meaning. "I will always love him. I thought he would always be my Imzadi. But now…" She pulls Beverly close again. Their faces are only millimeters apart. "Now I believe that I can have more than one Imzadi. Beverly…" Beverly is overcome with emotion. She presses her lips to Deanna's. When she pulls away, she has tears running down her cheeks. "Beverly, will you be my Imzadi? My true Imzadi?" Beverly puts her hand on Deanna's cheek. "Jack was the love of my life. I loved him, I still do, with all of my heart. When he died, I didn't think I would ever be in love again. How could I? He was my soulmate. But now, now I believe that a new love, it doesn't diminish the first. If anything, I can appreciate more now how special and how fragile love can be. Deanna, I am your Imzadi. And you are mine." Deanna's tears match Beverly's now. She pulls her close and rests her head on Beverly's shoulder. In her mind, she reaches for Beverly. "Imzadi. I love you."
Some of the information on Betazoid culture was provided by betazoid. The rest I comes from the show and the book Imzadi as well as my own imagination.