Chapt. 20

He watched her as she left the Observation Lounge, not able to tear his eyes away from her backside. Deanna had been avoiding him since their fiasco date a week and a half prior, yet she was flirting with him at the same time. And he didn't have a clue how to take her behavior. She avoided him with the sneakiness of a snake and while doing so she managed to arouse him.

The captain shook his head, mentally chiding himself and then left for the Bridge to monitor the progress of the Away Team. "Mr. Crusher, report."

"They've beamed down safely sir, Counselor Troi reports no information yet." The young officer replied calmly, his eyes not leaving his station. Riker felt no need to respond and resigned himself to awaiting the next check-in from the team. It was the part of captaincy he most hated, waiting, hoping that his officers would return safely. Hoping that Deanna would.

Minutes passed like hours and with every one of them breathing became a little easier. "Sir!" Wesley's sudden distraught voice broke the silence with the power of a phaser being fired and Riker's heart stopped beating instantly. "Sensors show an explosion at the science station!"

Instinctively the captain's hand shot to his commbadge "Mr. Diran, I want the Away Team beamed up *now*!"

"Yessir!" Came the instant reply, followed by and excruciating silence as the man worked his on console. Will waiting anxiously for any positive words, his heart beating faster and faster with every minute that passed now..

Finally an update reached his ears. "Sir, I can only lock on to commander Data and Doctor Crusher."

"Beam them up" Will managed to order through the tightening in his chest, "and keep looking for the other's." He added, slumping into his chair.

This couldn't be happening! He couldn't loose her, not now, not again! Why was it that fate always seemed to conspire against them? He shouldn't think like that, not when he knew she was still alive and yet...and yet he couldn't ban the image of her leaving the Lounge just a couple of hours earlier.

He was supposed to be the captain, show confidence and objectivity, not let his personal feeling get in the way. How the hell had Picard done it all those years? Of course that was a question he'd asked himself a thousand times before, during just as many tense away missions yet the question resurfaced time and time again.

With intense strength of will he asked for updates, only to find out that Doctor Crusher and Commander Data were being examined and treated for their injuries. And that the transporter chief still hadn't been able to lock on to the two remained members of the Away Team.

Desperately having to do something Riker pushed himself out his command chair and hurried down to sickbay, leaving Lieutenant Crusher to monitor changes from the Bridge.

Once there he found the redhead sitting on one of the biobeds, a dazed expression in her eyes, an ugly smear of ash across her face and a nurse working on her arm. "Doctor?" he queried gently, careful not to shout like he felt to. "What happened?"

"We were looking for bodies when Deanna said she smelled something, next thing we knew something exploded and she--" her blue eyes suddenly glazed over and just as soon she snapped into full 'doctor-mode' "oh my god! Deanna! How is she?!" Nurse Ogawa --Beverly's most experienced and trusted nurse-- placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"We haven't been able to beam her back yet." Riker informed her gravely.