Author: Cendari

Summary: Takes place 9 months after "Insinuations"

Twins

Captain Will Riker of the U.S.S. Titan stumbled into the ship's lounge, rubbing a weary hand over his face and back into his hair as he took a seat at the bar. He must have been out of his mind when he proclaimed he wanted a big family. One time was more than enough, he thought expansively, with the strange humor that comes to the exhausted. Over the last nine months, he had seen his wife do something he had previously, and erroneously, thought impossible.

Deanna had turned into her mother. Instead of femme fatale it was proving to be shrew fatale.

Will perked up when he remembered that Guinan had just visited, and had also taken over the lounge with his blessings while she was with them. She must have left some of her secret stash hiding around here somewhere. With that bolstering thought, he leaned over the bar so he was looking at the contents upside down until he found what he was looking for.

There it was, buried in the back. An old bottle that probably had more dust on the outside than liquid on the inside. He had read the stories of old Earth archaeologists who had found ancient Egyptian and Greek wine bottles that still had liquid in them, only to taste and find out the stuff had turned into vinegar. Luckily, he knew Guinan wouldn't ever pull such a nasty trick on him.

Prying out the cork, and deciding to forgo the glass sitting in front of him, Will took a large swig, and sighed with relief. The stuff was still good. The trail of fire slowly burning its way down to his stomach proved that. Will clutched his find possessively and turned, trying to find a booth to sit and drink in peace. No such luck.

Instead, the newest ensign on board who had yet to learn he kept to his wedding vows despite his earlier reputation and his recent discovery of Deanna's secret personality, chose that moment to wrap herself around his side like a piece of seaweed.

"Captain," she murmured huskily into his ear, "why don't you come with me to my quarters? I'm sure I could make you forget whatever is wrong." To punctuate her statement, she licked the shell of his ear.

Will barely managed to keep from shuddering in repugnance. He lifted the hand that was wrapped around his waist and dropped it. "Ensign, you are out of line!" he barked, too far into his brooding to worry about her sensibilities.

The young woman looked more than a little stricken as she jumped to stand at attention. Instantly, he knew what it was.

"They dared you, didn't they? Initiation, right? They dared you to come on to me, and I'll bet you have a boyfriend somewhere."

When she looked uncertain, he knew he had his answer.

He engaged in a mental argument for a few seconds, then sighed and gestured to the lone empty booth. "Why don't you join me in a drink? Hopefully, we'll both be able to forget our sorrows."

Hesitantly, she nodded. He knew those responsible were watching avidly, and also knew that by the time he stepped back onto the bridge, the rumors would have been heard by the entire ship. He knew he couldn't do that to either Deanna or the ensign.

Taking one last, longing swig, he passed her the bottle and wandered back out of the lounge.

Without looking, he knew exactly what they were saying. By being at the beck and call of his lovely, very pregnant wife, he was what Maddie's boyfriend would call "whipped". The boy had an astonishing command of the English language, he reflected with an inner chuckle. He'd have to have a long talk with the kid to see what other gems he had picked up.

"Where were you?" were the exact words out of Deanna's beautiful mouth the second he walked through the door of their quarters. By all the gods, she even had Lwaxana's suspicious tone down pat.

"In the lounge," he offered tiredly.

"What were you doing there?"

"Drinking."

"And talking up that new ensign, I suppose."

"As a matter of fact, Deanna, that's exactly what I was doing. I approached the new ensign and made an assignation with her for while you're at your next doctor's appointment," he snapped, weary of her suspicions and games.

"I don't know why you seem so bent on hurting me, Will Riker. Isn't it enough that I'm carrying your child? That I sleep with you every night? Why do you have to do things like that? Aren't I enough for you?"

Will trudged towards the bedroom with her accusations ringing at his back. Suddenly, he made an about-face and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Deanna instantly demanded.

Will shook his head, eager to go to bed without a shrew beside him, keeping him awake with her complaints and aches and pains. Aches and pains she had no compunction over passing along to him, even at the most inopportune times. She didn't care.

"Somewhere you're not, Deanna."

She waddled over and grabbed his arm. "Why?" she asked with sudden and strange alarm.

Even as he spoke, he caressed her belly where their child was. "Deanna, I want you to take a good, long look in the mirror. And when you do, tell me who you see. You? Or your mother?"

That threw her off. She loosened her grip, giving him the opportunity to slip out of her grasp and out the doors.

How could he be so insensitive, Deanna fumed, pacing the floor. How could he be so uncaring of her needs?

Because he is sick of playing your games. rang in her head.

Games? Games? How could he think she was playing games? She was only using every weapon at her disposal to get what... she... wanted. The light came on, and Deanna dropped her head in her hands, groaning. Oh, gods, that maddening man was right. The thought was so distasteful to her that she spat on the ground.

Just then, the communicator beeped. Activating the screen, Deanna watched as Sam's face hove into view.

"Hi, Deanna," her granddaughter said cheerfully. "What's wrong?"

"Hello, dear. Nothing's wrong, just... Do you think I'm a shrew?" Deanna asked abruptly.

"Normally, no. But lately, and much as I love her, you have been acting like Lwaxana at her worst," Sam admitted reluctantly.

Oh gods. So that was why her mother had been on his mind an awful lot lately! Not because he was asking her for advice, but because she was reminding him of her mother. How could she have been so dense and uncaring?

"Because you're pregnant?" Sam asked gently, with a knowing smile. "You're busy worrying about that tiny life growing inside you, and Will is just trying to get as much attention and love as he possibly can before the baby's born and you start paying all your attention to him or her. And you've been making that a little difficult with your manipulating, and suspiciousness, and general all around shrewishness. You're both a little at fault."

"How did you get to be so smart?"

"I learned from the best. Now, go talk to that husband of yours and get some rest. It's not easy being pregnant with twins."

Sam's eyes widened as her lips began to form a word Deanna was certain she wouldn't want her baby to hear.

"Twins?"

Sam winced. "Oops. Guess I let the cat out of the bag, huh?"

"Let the what?"

"Ack, guess I've been hanging around Matt too much. I'm starting to pick up his words." Sam shook herself. "Yeah, twins. I
can hear them both. You might want to calm down a bit. They're fighting."

"Over what?" Deanna asked, rubbing her stomach.

Sam appeared to concentrate for a second. "What made Daddy leave, I think. Unborn babies aren't the most coherent of creatures, but I think that's the gist of it. Either way, finding Will and spending some time in quiet, logical, non-manipulative conversation, should calm all four of you down." Sam grinned charmingly as Wesley appeared behind her. "Night, Deanna."
Sam broke the connection.

Deanna spent a few seconds trying to calm her children and herself before she went and did exactly as her granddaughter had suggested.

"TWINS??"

Fin Part 3