Chapt. 4

The Captain remained watching the sleeping form of the Ship's Counselor for a couple more moments before he gently kissed her cheek and went back to the Bridge. He was barely seated or his CommBadge went off.

Ensign Dykal to Captain Riker. Was he mistaken, or was there a nervous edge to the ensign's voice?

"Riker here, go ahead." In the two seconds it took for ensign Dykal to gather her courage to inform her Captain, Riker suddenly became very worried about what the ensign was going to tell him.

Captain, I-uh I couldn't reach Counselor Troi or Commander Worf... A sudden urge to deactivate his CommBadge overwhelmed Will and his hand flew up to his badge, he didn't tap it however and anxiously waited for the young female to continue. Therefore I--I decided to contact you Sir. Becoming a bit agitated by her stumbling he curtly ordered Dykal to tell him what was wrong.

I was just in the other room for a couple of minutes Sir...when I returned they--they were gone. It took a few moments for her words to settle in, but when he realized she watched over Eric and Shanara when Worf and Deanna were on duty he wished for nothing but the ability to turn back time and make sure this wouldn't happen. Just as soon is Starfleet training kicked in.

"Security to Counselor Troi's quarters. Mr. Crusher, run a full scan of our sensors and shields, if anything or anyone left this ship through the shields I want to know who, where and when! Mr. Data scan our surroundings for vessels, cloaked, Federation, Klingon, Cardessian or sailing boats for all I care."

"Yes Sir."

Riker felt very much like hiding his face in his hands or running as far away as he could because no training ever had prepared him for the horrendous task he faced now. Eric and Shannara meant the world to Deanna and she'd lost them in the blink of an eye. Oh he was pretty sure what the actual reason was they had disappeared, after all it could hardly be a coincidence they'd disappeared the same minute the 'other' Worf had been returned to his reality, but he felt he had to eliminate all other possibilities nonetheless.

She'd be devastated, in just a matter of minutes she'd lost her entire family. How was he ever going to tell her? How was he ever going to tell her that the decision they'd made to send Worf back to his own reality had destroyed her reality? And how was she ever going to forgive him? Almost in despair he shook his head, hoping he'd wake up soon.

Only he was already very much awake, and reminded off that as Wesley Crusher informed him of the results of his scans. "Nothing, no one has either left or boarded the Enterprise in a, to us known way Captain. There have been no shield distortions or false sensor readings."

The Captain didn't bother to reply, but simply sat back in his chair wondering how the hell he was going to tell Deanna Troi she'd just lost her life.

"Captain," this time it was Data who drew his attention and who turned around to inform him of his findings. "Scanners show no vessels or any distortions in space within a range of five light-years."

Will didn't acknowledge him, nor did he make even the slightest movement. His blue gaze fixed on the door of his Ready Room, the door behind which a beautiful half Human, half Betazoid was peacefully sleeping.

"Data, Wesley I want an explanation for their disappearance. This should not have happened!" Hearing the urgency in their Captain's voice and wanting to help Deanna both snapped to attention and left the Bridge, ready to start an investigation.

On the Bridge Captain William T. Riker allowed a single tear to fall down his cheek, his heart going out to the mother who had just lost her husband and children.