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And the tale is drawing to an end…

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Chapt. 34

With her nerves nearly fried from anxiety Deanna paced through her bedroom. From window to wall and back to the window again. Next to her bed stood a picture of Worf, Eric-Christoffer and Shannara. She still missed them every day, even three years after they'd gone and on their birthdays as well as the day they'd gone from her life she would visit their memorial plates alone. Will had offered her time and time again to come with her, but she felt she had to do it alone. It had been her family, her life for three years and despite knowing better she still felt a little guilty for continuing her own.

She and Will didn't have children, as much as she wanted to she felt it was still too early. They would have children someday, but right now there was too much uncertainty in life; wars dominated their lives. The Enterprise had just restored the timeline by following a Borg sphere into the past and Deep Space Nine had reported increasing difficulties between the Bajorans, the Cardessians and the Federation.

The Enterprise was currently docked at Utopia Planitia to undergo repairs for the damaged sustained by the Borg and she and Will had taken the opportunity to elope to Betazed for month. Will especially had taken the recurrence of the Borg hardly; his doubts about his actions at Wolf 359 had resurfaced all over again, worsened by the knowledge that in another reality he had succeeded in rescuing Picard.

~Deanna? Are you all right?~

~I'm fine Will, just nervous~ From one of the adherent rooms Deanna sensed her mother's surprise at the strength of the bond she and Will shared. It had nearly grown to full strength during the past two years, through the good times and the bad. There had been weeks when the two of them had been separated; either Deanna had to attend conferences or either of them had to go on an elongated away mission. But with each separation their sense of each other grew less dimmed and now they were able to communicate telepathically over several light-years.

They had faced their trails in life; illnesses, near fatal injuries, fights, misunderstandings and professional disagreements and their love had surfaced all.

A knock on the semi-closed door harshly interrupted Deanna's musings. "Dea? Can I come in?"

"Sure Bev" Troi responded and crossed the room to her closet out of which she picked a robe and wrapped it around her nude body, as not to embarrass her friend.

"I still can't believe this is happening." Crusher admitted as she laid the dress she had been carrying onto Troi's bed.

"Neither can I." Deanna conceded, returning to her bed to take the dress out of its concealment.

She stopped when Beverly caught her hands and held up a little silver box. "Lwaxana told me to give you this." She said quietly, obviously curios about what the box contained.

Deanna carefully accepted it, just as unaware of what was in it as her friend. With a flick of her thumb she unlocked the lit and lifted it. She gasped when the small treasure was revealed; she couldn't believe her mother had actually retrieved it from the pond she had thrown it in! ~It wasn't your time Little One~ Lwaxana explained ~but I knew you would need it some day~

~Thank you mother~ Deanna send her, the message coming from her heart.

"What is it Dea?" Beverly asked a little concerned as tears rolled down her friend's face.

"It's a hairband a Betazoid woman wears when she gets married" Troi whispered quietly "Will made it for me twelve years ago."