Deanna touched her lips where Worf had kissed her good-bye. It was over. Her "tall, dark and ugly" was gone forever. The passion and beauty of the last three years crowded around her heart and made it ache. She took a deep breath and then another, and looked out the screen at the large empty space that mimicked her feelings. It had been so full just moments before, and now it was so very empty.

"Plot a course for Star Base 129, Mr. Arex[1]."

"Aye, Captain." After a moment, "Course laid in."

"Engage."

The routine closed around her and she was able to continue, somehow.

Riker looked up to see her looking lost. Standing, he gave the Picard tug to his shirt, "Lt. Crusher[2], conduct a level 2 search of the ship. Our Commander Worf may still be aboard," he said; then he headed off the bridge. "Counselor, I'd like to see you in my office."

Once the door closed behind them, he showed Deanna to a seat on the couch and then sat down next to her. "I'm sorry, Counselor, I don't think the search is going to turn up anything."

"I know." Deanna looked at her hands to keep from seeing the pity in Riker's eyes.

"Have you given any thought on what you'll do now?"

He was trying to be kind; she could feel that. The problem was, in a situation like this there was no kindness. There had never been a situation like this before. "I'll need to tell the children. I suppose Shannara won't understand, but Eric Christopher[3] might. He is very bright."

"It isn't necessarily true that Worf is dead, you know. He could be in a quantum universe other than ours."

"It is a difference that makes no difference, Will." Deanna finally looked at her Captain and friend. He was having a hard time with this too. Worf and he, enough alike that she loved them both, had become good friends since their marriage. "We can have a memorial service. It will provide closure for those who knew him."

Riker seemed relieved. "Ever the counselor, hey Deanna?"

Troi smiled. "I suppose so."

Just then the com. badge beeped. The captain tapped it, "Riker here."

"We've located an intruder in cargo hold three. It's not Commander Worf, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Crusher. Does he seem hostile?"

"Negative, Captain. Ensign Michaels says the man refuses to answer any questions but he's peaceable enough."

"Then bring him to my ready room. We'll meet you there." Tapping his com. badge again he said, "Dr. Crusher, Mr. Data, Mr. O'Brien, to the ready room."

Deanna stood to leave but Will forestalled her, "I'd like you there as well, Counselor." Together they left for the meeting.

Will Riker was not at all prepared for who he would be meeting. Had he any imagination, he thought later, he could have guessed. But he didn't guess, so when the door opened on Captain Jean Luc Picard he nearly fell off his chair.

Picard was dressed in civilian clothes and came into the room storming, "What is the meaning of this outrage? My samples are missing! The only intact Talosian[4] third dynasty vase in existence is smashed because you're playing fast and loose with the phasers, and now I'm under arrest? Will, just what is going on here?"

"You're not under arrest, Captain."

"Captain?" Jean Luc headed for a seat, "Are you feeling OK, Will?"

"I'm fine," Riker managed a weak smile, "But you've got a big surprise coming."

It took a while to get things straightened out, but eventually the stories were told. Picard, ever the pragmatist, accepted the circumstances readily. He listened intently as the history of the Enterprise was told—a history where he died and was mourned by the people sitting at this table.

"In my universe, my time spent with the Ketan[5] convinced me that I had had enough exploration of space and that I was ready to explore time. I relinquished command to you, Will, and went back for my degree in archeology. My prior dabbling in the field has helped me get established fairly quickly. The Federation Archeological Institute on Andor[6] requested I give a talk on my latest discoveries so I was hitching a ride with you to Star Base 129 when the problem with the telescope array came up."

"Where did we collect you, if you don't mind my askin'." O'Brien asked.

"I hitched a ride from my digs on Dorvan Five[7] with Worf. We rendezvoused with you on the shuttle Curie[8]."

"Captain," Data put in, "I believe I have a working theory as to why we have acquired Mr. Picard."

"Go ahead."

"According to Newtonian Physics, matter cannot be created or destroyed in the universe. By extrapolating that theorem into quantum physics, each quantum reality must maintain it's own level of matter and energy. Commander Worf has not returned to our universe, therefore his matter must be replaced. Mr. Picard is our replacement."

"No!" The negative from Deanna was soft but intense and it caught the notice of everyone in the room. "I cannot believe my husband has been replaced by this. I will not believe it!" Trembling, she got up and left the room.

Deanna knew she was being unreasonable even as she sped down the corridor. It wasn't Picard's fault that he was the one that landed in this universe. It was no one's fault. It was merely painful.

She started for her room, but realized that everything in there reminded her of Worf. She couldn't quite face that yet. Her children needed to know. It was better to start there. She had every intention of heading for the nursery when she found her feet going in the direction of 10Forward.

It wasn't until she had walked through the double wooden doors that she realized why. At this point she didn't really know what to tell the kids. The truth would only confuse them. If daddy wasn't dead, why couldn't they see him? Why couldn't they visit him? She couldn't lie to them either. There didn't seem to be a middle ground.

"You can travel in that direction until you die and you won't get to the bar." Troi jumped at Guinan's voice.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"The bar." Guinan smiled, "It's behind you about 10 paces."

Troi smiled back and retraced her steps to the bar.

"That's better." Guinan said with satisfaction, slipping behind the bar and reaching for a sundae dish. "Now, what seems to be the trouble."

"It's Worf."

Guinan frowned in concentration, "Big fella, right? A badly ironed forehead with attitude?" She set down the dish and leaned on the bar. "Sure, I know him."

It barely elicited a smile, so Guinan changed her tactic. Picking up the sundae dish again she reached for the ice cream scoop. "Is this going to be a double chocolate binge or a hot fudge with brownie on the side binge?"

"I don't think I'll have anything just now, Guinan, just a glass of water."

"Uh oh."

"I just wanted to..." Deanna swallowed and tried again, "I don't think I could face the empty rooms just now."

"Slow down, girl." Guinan quickly moved from behind the bar and guided Troi to a table. "You forget that the trenches don't often get the full story. Is something the matter with Worf?"

"He didn't belong in our universe, so they sent him home. But my Worf didn't come back. We got a watered down version of Picard instead."

"And now you don't want to go home."

"I feel I should mourn him but he isn't dead."

"Who said so?"

"What do you mean?" Deanna looked up at Guinan suspiciously.

"Who told you he was alive?"

"No one."

"Will he be coming back?"

"No."

"Can you visit him?"

"No."

"Can anyone anywhere in this entire universe see him?"

"Guinan, please come to the point."

"If it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck. Call it a duck and get on with your life."

"Isn't that just a bit callous?"

"If one of your patients came to you and said that they weren't going to believe their loved one was gone because there wasn't any body to mourn, what would you do?"

"I...would..." Deanna drew out the words as she thought about what Guinan was really asking. Finally, she nodded and stood up, "I would go get my children and tell them how much we're all going to miss daddy and how much we love him."

"That's my girl." Guinan said to her retreating form.

[1] Mr Arex is a six limbed alien from the planet Edos, first shown in the Star Trek cartoon series. He sat at the navigation console.

[2] Lt. Crusher is actually Wesley Crusher, Dr. Beverly Crusher's son.

[3] The children's names come from a comment made by Troy to Katherine Pulaski just before the birth of her son, Ian. Episode: STTNG: The Child

[4] Talosians are an advanced species from Talos 4. Their original appearance was in the first pilot for STTOS: The Child

[5] Ketan is the planet of origin of the artifact which made Captain Picard live a lifetime in about 45 minutes.

[6] Andor is the planet of origin of the blue Andorian race first seen in Journey to Babel.

[7] Colonized by Federation citizens but disputed by Cardassians in Journey's End

[8] The very shuttle that Warf of the current universe used to attend the Bat'leth tourney.