A contented smile spread over the handsome face of Captain William Riker of the USS Titan as he felt his wife's loving arms arms embrace him from behind. He leaned back into his chair and tipped his head back for the gentle kiss he knew was coming. She was fresh from her bath and smelled of rain and fresh flowers.

"Imzadi," he murmured happily as she straightened and began massaging his shoulders. Deanna Troi's long, dark tresses were brushed and she was dressed in her favorite satin nightgown. No doubt her current mission was to kidnap him from his console and haul him off to bed before tonight drifted into tomorrow.

"You know… those personnel files will be there in the morning," she teased.

That earned her a chuckle. "They sure will be if I don't finish looking at them tonight."

"It is late and you need rest," she insisted though her tone retained its humor.

Riker leaned forward, rubbing his eyes.

"To be honest, it's not files," he said emphasizing the plural. "It's file."

He gestured to the monitor still displaying the brief record of a young man just graduated from Starfleet Academy.

"Christopher Scott Mason…" His voice trailed off and his gaze returned pensively to the monitor.

Troi reached out to tap a few commands. The file scrolled briefly so she could read it.

"Anything unusual about it?" She asked curiously.

"His mother. Captain Audrey Mason of the USS Staten Island."

"Wasn't she an old girlfriend of yours? You've mentioned her on occasion."

Riker nodded and sighed almost wistfully.

"We were together for several months on the Pegasus. She transferred out suddenly and didn't really say why. Up until now I assumed she'd been uncomfortable with the cloaking device experiment and left before things came to a head, but now I'm not so sure."

Silence hung in the air between them like a dense fog for a long moment. Troi's brows furrowed and then lifted as she realized where Riker was headed with this.

"Deanna...this kid was born in 2358. Unless she was seeing someone else as well…"

"You think this young man is your son."

Riker took Troi's hand in his, hoping to comfort her though he realized she would only wish to help him sort out the situation and all the accompanying emotions.

"I do."

He sat there staring at the monitor again, stroking his beard pensively. A feeling of excitement welled up in him. The thought of having a son, especially beginning a bright future in Starfleet was strangely comforting and appealing. Often he'd wondered if his career goals would preclude ever having a family. The excitement though was tempered by disappointment at never having the opportunity to help raise this boy.

"Wow." He leaned back in his chair again and rubbed his face, letting out a long breath. "Deanna… if this kid is mine then I've failed him just as my own father did me."

A gasp of horrified surprise escaped the stunning Betazoid/human hybrid at her husband's harsh self recrimination.

"Wil, that's not fair and you know it! The situations are completely different. Your father abandoned you. How could you have abandoned a child you knew nothing about?"

Riker's shoulders slumped under his wife's small hands. "Does it matter? All this kid will know is that his father was never there. And if he is my son, I can't have him under my command. It would compromise my objectivity."

Troi sighed. "Try not to be too hard on yourself, Imzadi. The best thing you can do now is to find out if he is actually your son and be involved in his life going forward."

The captain of the Titan nodded distractedly. He was listening to her, but the final days with his old flame kept playing themselves over and over in his mind.

"Now that I think about it, I remember Audrey seeming nervous around Pressman. Almost afraid for about two months. I just thought it was nerves on her first assignment. We were all a little intimidated… but now I can't help but wonder if something had happened that she didn't tell me about."

His voice now sounded rough from tiredness and he yawned.

Troi patted his shoulders. "I think it would be best for you to have a chat with Audrey and get to the bottom of this. We have an anniversary coming up and I can't have you distracted by thoughts of an old flame.

Her teasing tone brought a smile back to Riker's features and he sat up once again.

"Riker to bridge."

"Bridge here," came the reply of the gamma shift commander.

"Locate the USS Staten Island and lay in a rendezvous course. Warp 6."

"Aye, sir. Time to rendezvous, 6 hours 14 minutes.

Troi grabbed his arm and playfully tugged him out of his chair, making him laugh.

"Alright. Alright. I'm coming. Geez."