Transporter Room Three

Data stood behind the console as Riker and Deanna walked into the room, hand-in-hand. Deanna smiled at her good friend and asked, "Data, why are you in here?"

"The chief has asked me to 'cover for him'," Data explained. Riker smiled and shock his head. 'Typical Data,' he thought.

Then Data looked at Deanna curiously as she allowed Riker to put the bags on the pad. "Counselor?"

"Yes?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Have you been gaining weight?" Data asked, his voice innocent and monotone. Deanna laughed, shaking her head. He was a curious thing, Data. So much like a young child, innocent and naïve while guilty and quite mature.

"Well, at least someone noticed. And yes, Data, I am gaining weight." Data looked even more confused than he was before and Deanna couldn't help smiling at him. "Data, I'm pregnant." Data's head snapped up at her. Then his attention turned to Riker, who was now sitting on the steps, enjoying the exchange. "Yes, it's Will's."

"Congratulations," Data wished them.

"Thank-you." Deanna gave him a nodded of the head and walked over to Riker. He stood and helped her up the steps.

"Energizing," Data announced as he slid his figures over the console, his voice now completely void of the new news he had heard.

Valdez, Alaska, Earth

"Will, it's beautiful."

Riker looked up at Deanna, who was standing outside. They had beamed down near his father's cabin, which was set on the side of a mountain.

His father's cabin was still a place he enjoyed coming to when he was on Earth. He loved the smell of the pine trees surrounding the area and the feel of climbing the large mountains when covered in snow.

Riker stopped his unpacking and walked over to where she was. And, for the first time in a long time, he wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. The atmosphere almost seemed to calm his reeling mind, allowing him to relax.

She pressed her check to his and absorbed the feel of him again. She smiled and hoped that his new him would last long enough for her to help him… or at least him help himself.

Engineering, Next Day

"Geordie, why did you not take the time off from your work? You should go down on Earth," Data urged his friend.

"I can't! I have too much work to do, alright?" Geordie hissed, his tone harsher than he meant. Data's brow rose. Lately his friend had been acting noticeably irritated, his actions much like that of months ago.

"Very well."

"So… hear anything interesting?" Geordie asked casually as he walked over to the console. He punched in a few numbers before looking up at Data.

"Actually, yes. Did you know that Counselor Troi is pregnant?"

"Pregnant?! Riker's?" Geordie said, half in shock, half laughing.

"That is correct. It is indeed interesting."

"You're telling me," Geordie said with a smile before going back to work.

Alaska

Riker sat upon a large rock on the side of the mountain. He had woken up hours before just to see the sun rise. It had always been his favorite time of the day; he loved seeing the sunrise over the mountaintops and to watch the entire area covered in reds and purples and pinks.

He glanced over his shoulder as he heard the snow crunch. A hand was placed on his shoulder as the owner sat down beside him. Deanna put her head on his other shoulder and joked, "I see you found something else to stare at."

He looked at her, and for the second time in two days, gave a genuine smile and asked, "I haven't been staring that much, have I?"

"Yes, you have."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright, I know you have a lot on your mind. You can't help but to find someway to think privately. It's a normal reaction to great stress," Deanna told him.

He looked her in the eye and joked, "Always the counselor."

"I can't help it. It's an old habit."

Riker chuckled at that and looked back to the horizon. He could see the top of the sun begin to peck through the thick mountainous area. "Look over there," Riker said, pointing to the sun.

Deanna smiled and confessed, "You know, I've never seen the sunrise on Earth."

"Then watch," Riker advised. And she did so. For a while, the couple sat there and watched the sunrise.

Sickbay

"Hello, Commander. Can I help you?" A nurse said as she walked up to Geordie. The facility was almost completely empty except for three nurses.

"Ah, yeah. I just need something for my headache. It's nothing, really," he told her, sighing quietly when he didn't see Dr. Crusher.

"I'll just need to take a quick scan."

"Really, it's not that big of a deal, just an annoyance."

"It's standard procedure, sir."

"Alright." Geordie sat down on the biobed and allowed her to run the tricorder over his head, looking for the problem. She walked away and returned with a hypospray.

"You appear to be all right. But, here you go." She pressed it to the side of his neck, the object making a small hiss as it administered the medication.

Geordie stood, quickly giving his thanks before walking out of the room.

Alaska, The Next Day

Riker had told Deanna to follow him through the maze of pine trees and mountains, but he hadn't yet told her where they were going. She had decided that they must be going fishing, considering that he had brought two fishing poles and bait with him.

At first, the idea of hiking through trees was not Deanna idea of fun, but once inside, it was beautiful. All around her see could smell pine. It was a wonderful sensation that her nose had only smelt twice before.

And the view was spectacular. With the blend of the trees' pines and their height, the sun was barely visible and came through the trees only in shades of greens and browns. Also she could see the mountains in the distance, showing through the gaps in the tress and overhead.

When Riker stopped Deanna, they were at a running stream. It was almost twenty feet across and obviously quite deep. The water was crystal blue and completely clean. When she looked in it, she could see fish swimming through the water.

"I used to come here with my dad all the time when I was little. He even taught me to fish when I was five," Riker told Deanna as he handed her a pole.

"I've never gone fishing."

"Really? It's fun. You don't know what you've been missing."

"I guess I'm about to find out?"

"Yes," Riker said, nodded his head with a smile. "You might not catch anything but it's still fun."

"Really? Wanna make a bet on that?"

"Why not?"

"If I catch just one fish, you have to do something for me," Deanna explained.

"And if you don't?"

"Then I'll do something for you." Riker's smile grew and the look in his eyes made Deanna laugh. "Alright, so how do you work this thing?"

Sickbay

Geordie's headache had eluded him for the day; the pain meds were really helping. But as he knew would happen, the headache was starting to come back. It hurt like hell; he couldn't work with that.

What he needed was to find whatever was wrong with him and fix it. But that wouldn't happen until Dr. Crusher got back. And that would be too long for his tastes. And so that meant another trip to Sickbay.

As Geordie headed there, he thought that maybe Data was right. Maybe all the stress he was under was getting to him. Perhaps it was time he took some shoreleave. But he had already promised the Captain that he would stay and take care of Engineering.

The doors to Sickbay opened with a quiet swoosh and he stepped through and looked around. No one seemed to be there. Stepping farther inside, his eye glancing around, he couldn't see nor hear anyone. And he made no attempt to call out to any of them.

There was not a soul in that section of Sickbay. Geordie sighed and thought for a moment. He knew what someone would find if they scanned him: nothing. They hadn't so far but something was giving him these headaches. He knew he was not imagining the pain he was in at the moment and he knew that he needed something.

Walking over to the counter, he knew that they stored extra cylinders of medication. Quickly he removed the correct hypo. Pushing up his sleeve, he injected himself on the wrist. Then, just as quickly, he put it back into the drawer.

Rubbing his wrist, he turned around, startled when he saw someone walk into the room. It was a Lieutenant that he had seen in here on occasion. "Can I help you?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing that can't wait. I have to go."