A/N: Angel897-Thanks again for the reviews. Definitely starting to get into the drama now haha.

Zarah08-Hahaha thanks so much! I'm so glad to see that you're still reading, and that you like Carmen :-). Got some more bad-assery coming up lol. I'm especially excited for a chapter here soon that will show off the entire family's bad-ass streak lol.

MonkaMoo-Ahh yay! That's awesome that you are enjoying this! Carmen is 19, and that is actually going to be revealed in the next chapter. So she isn't young enough to be legally adopted, but I picture that Riker and Troi have already emotionally done so. Carmen is still very hesitant, however, especially when it comes to Riker since she already had an established bond with her dad. And I will definitely be finishing this! There are like seven or eight more chapters, and I try to get one finished and published every few days. I hope you keep reading, and I hope you keep liking it!

"So you're saying that your new leaders have vowed to disregard the treaty? To reclaim the Neutral Zone?" Councilwoman Jacqueline Larousse slowly paced the floor as she questioned the Romulan. She wore a high-collared white smock, a neat bun of silver hair, and a viciously cold smile.

"Yes," Alidar affirmed. "And Nelvana III is just the first step. Once that base is finished, they will be within striking distance of fifteen Federation sectors. You can still stop them, though. You must stop them." He stood on a raised podium in the center of the room. Members of the council and Picard's party sat in tiered rows of seats that lined three of the walls. It was a small chamber where everything was a business-like gray, but felt much larger and much darker to the pleading Romulan.

Larousse came to a stop in front of the podium. Her eyes were a striking green and as sharp as daggers. "The Norkan Massacres have not been forgotten, Admiral Alidar," she said. "You led your fleet against an entire outpost of innocent civilians. And now we are supposed to believe that you care about Federation lives?"

"I care nothing for the Federation," he spat. "I am doing this to save my people-to save my son. But our High Command would not listen. This was my only recourse."

"You are a traitor!" Larousse's stare turned venomous. It uneased even those who were not in her line of sight. "To your people and your son. How does a traitor come to believe himself a savior?"

Alidar's jaw clenched. "I am a father," he declared. His voice grew weary as his gaze drifted around the room. "And so, there comes a time in a man's life that many of you have not known. A time when he looks down at the first smile of his baby boy, and it makes him realize...he must change the world for that boy. For all children. So yes, my son will grow up believing that I am a traitor. But if you heed my warning...then at least he will grow up. Don't you see? Any war would be a war on our children. We cannot do that to them."

A poignant silence settled over the chamber, landing on the ears of Alidar's listeners like a gentle but chilling snow. Riker shifted in his chair. The Romulan's words had struck a deep and resonating chord somewhere in his chest. He wanted to help him. He wanted to believe him, more than anything. But he was about to help the council do the opposite of both of those things.

"Commander Riker-" Larousse said as if reading his mind. She alone stood unaffected, an evergreen immune to winter's touch. "I believe there is something you wanted to present to the council?"

"Uh, yes," he said, rising from his chair. He descended a short set of stairs, every step cleaving the ruminative silence. A screen on the wall across from Alidar blinked to life. One side displayed a column of numbers, and the other ran a simulation of two different ships in flight. "These are the engine logs and power data from the day we rescued Admiral Alidar," Riker explained. "Our chief engineer was going over these yesterday, and he found something of interest."

An intrigued murmur swept through the chamber. "Go on," Larousse urged.

Riker drew in a deep breath. "These two ships represent Alidar's scoutship and the pursuing Warbird. Notice here-at this point-the scoutship slows down. It had sustained heavy engine damage. The Warbird should have overtaken it, but it didn't. Instead, it matched the scoutship's speed. Three different times this happened. But no matter what, the Warbird kept its distance."

"So they weren't trying to catch Alidar," Larousse retorted. Her voice sounded like a smug, satisfied purr. All eyes turned on the Romulan.

"That's preposterous!" he snarled. "They fired on me openly! You were there, commander-they could have killed me!"

"Not necessarily," Picard said. He rose from his seat on the sidelines. "No doubt the Romulans have the same capabilities as we do when it comes to directing the impact of their weapons. And no doubt they knew we would come to your rescue once you pleaded for asylum." His mouth twisted in disgust. "You exploited our mercy, Alidar."

"No!" the Romulan protested. "I swear to you, I am telling the truth!"

"Admiral Leyton, remove him from our sight," Larousse ordered. Riker turned his attention to the man with the peppered beard. He was surprised to find him already staring back. He, too, wore a look of anger and disgust. But it seemed to be directed at the commander, not the Romulan.

With a wave of Leyton's hand, two of his men appeared and restrained the still-pleading Alidar. Speculation buzzed about the chamber, filling its walls with a dull roar. Riker turned away from the blaze of Leyton's stare and sought out the counselor. She sat quiet and alone, enshrouded in a despondent air.

The commander pushed his way past council members that flooded the stairs and took a seat beside Troi. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you ahead of time," he said. "Geordi told me just before the hearing."

"I still believe him, Will," she replied. I don't know what's going on, but Alidar is not our enemy. Even Carmen believes that."

Riker felt a sudden pang of urgency as he remembered the young woman. They had not spoken since the incident with Campbell in the docking bay, and he found himself strangely anxious to see her again.

"Number One-" Picard's beckon reached over the din. He emerged from the crowd, leaning against the banister in front of their seats. "Could you meet me in my quarters in five minutes? Call the other senior officers as well. I want to go over Mister Laforge's findings one more time."

"Yes, sir."

Riker stood, holding out a hand to help Troi to her feet at the same time. "Have you heard from Carmen yet?" he asked, concern etching lines into his forehead.

She shook her head. "No. But you should try to see her again after we're finished with Picard."

"I was planning on it."

"And Will…" Troi added, frowning. "Be gentle. I don't think she's going to take the news well."

"I know," Riker glumly replied. "I was planning on that, too."

First thing Riker noticed as he entered Carmen's cell was that all traces of blood had been cleaned from her walls. At the far end sat the young woman, her chin resting on a drawn up knee and a curtain of raven-colored hair around her face. Her burgundy uniform had been replaced with a plain gray one. She looked rested and freshened, and to Riker's relief, unharmed.

The commander strode over to lean against the same wall. She fiddled with the laces of her boot instead of looking up at him. "Hey," he said, clearing his throat. "You doing okay?"

"Yes." Her answer came unduly quick and harsh.

Riker cocked an eyebrow. "Carmen-"

"Why don't you believe him?" She hastened to her feet, finally meeting his eye with her blue, bellicose glare.

"What?"

"Alidar. Why didn't you stand up for him in there?"

Riker sputtered in surprise. "How do you know-wait a minute, Leyton's been by to see you, hasn't he?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"He had no evidence, okay?" Riker explained. "In fact, the only evidence we do have points to all this being a charade."

"Alidar would never abandon his son. He's a good father. A good man."

"Then maybe his people used him. Used his good intentions. Either way, this was all a ruse."

"The counselor believes him, too. Do you make it a habit to ignore her feelings?" Carmen's tone sounded rather accusatory all of a sudden.

"Look, you don't know everything that's happened-" The beach and the moonlight flashed through the commander's mind.

"How could I? I've been locked up in here!" she fumed. "You're the one who passed me off to Campbell, remember?"

Riker blew sharply out of the side of his mouth. "Speaking of Campbell, I didn't see-"

"I'm not concerned about that anymore. Leyton took care of him."

"Leyton," the commander scoffed. "Yeah, of course he did."

Carmen's eyes narrowed. "What's your problem with him, anyways?"

He turned his broad shoulders and faced the young woman earnestly. "There's some kind of power play going on here, don't you see it?"

"Why, because he disagrees with you?"

"No, because he...he just seems strangely invested in you."

Carmen's sneer faded. "Yeah...yeah, you're right," she said, looking away. "Why should anyone be invested in me?"

Riker's heart sank. "No, that's not what I meant-"

"I think you should leave now, commander." She turned her back on him and paced to the other side of her cell.

"Carmen, please-"

"Guards!" she shouted, pounding on the door.

Riker balked. "Carmen? What are you doing?"

The door retracted and two officers entered. Carmen nodded towards the commander. "We're finished here."

"No, I'm not done yet." Riker insisted, standing his ground.

"Well I am." She sent him one more bitter glare and then turned away as the guards moved towards him. Riker soon found himself standing both literally and figuratively outside of her walls.

A/N: Some of Alidar's dialogue here I've paraphrased from the show, including one of my favorite speeches from the series. It's the part about "a time in a man's life."