"Hold on, don't cry yet—I won't let you go. All right—the panic recedes; all right-I get what I need. And nobody needs to know. Nobody needs to know…" (The Last Five Years)

"Would you like to come in?" Deanna asked Will as they arrived back at her quarters after Lieutenant Yar's memorial. He had been a rock for her all afternoon, offering the gentle physical comfort of an arm around her shoulders through the whole thing. She hadn't realized how much she needed it, and right now was loathe to lose it.

"Sure," Will agreed. She unlocked the door. He looked around curiously.

"You have been here before," she smiled.

"Never past the threshold."

"Hmm…" He was right. They had spent time together again in these last few months, gradually regaining their footing as friends, but it had always been in his quarters. "Have a seat," she gestured towards the sofa. "I need a cup of tea. My body is still recovering from all that time in the shuttle. Would you like anything?"

He nodded, still looking around. He hadn't told her what he'd like, but she was guessing it was something harder than tea. "How are you feeling?" She asked, setting the drinks down on the coffee table.

She settled in beside him and he wrapped his arm around her again. "Me?" he asked. "I'm not the one who crash landed in a shuttlecraft—"

"No, you're the one who was kidnapped by Armus and tortured—"

"Deanna—"

"You were in so much pain."

"You could feel-?"

"Not the physical pain itself, but the mental agony in your mind," she explained.

Will sat up abruptly, and put his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. Deanna put her hand on his back, and ran the heel of her hand back and forth with a firm, steady pressure. For a while, neither of them said anything.

Will knocked back the synthetic whiskey in his glass and set it back down. He took a deep breath. "I hate that I caused you pain."

"It is part of being an Empath," Deanna told him plainly.

"You felt Tasha too." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I felt her die instantly." He flopped back against the cushions, eyes closed. She suspected that his eyes were red and blotchy, and he didn't want her to see. "You were in pain, but I knew you were alive." Deanna stressed that last word, as she tucked her knees up and leaned into him, letting her head rest on his chest. He squeezed her shoulders tightly. "You are feeling better?" She asked again, before adding, "Physically?"

Will shrugged. "Dr. Crusher was very thorough," he answered. "I'm just tired."

"Me too." Deanna closed her eyes, and fancied falling asleep right there, against his chest.

"Do you want me to leave so that you can get some sleep?" he asked.

"No," she replied, and left it at that.

A bit later, Deanna could feel his hand in her hair, searching for something. "What are-?"

"Found one!" Will pulled a hair pin from her bun, and Deanna giggled in spite of herself. His hand sought out pin after pin, pulling free the beads, and then raking his hand through her hair to pull it loose. "Better?" he asked.

"Mmmhmmm…" she murmured.

She was drifting in and out of sleep. His hand had stilled in her hair, and his chest was rising and falling with the even rhythm of sleep. She gave in and drifted off again.

Deanna awoke some time later, knees throbbing from having been curled into a ball for…she really had no idea how long. Hours? Will woke as she sat up and stretched her knees.

"How long was I asleep?" he yawned, trying to sit up. Deanna laughed, and gave him a hand, pulling him up. "I should…" he said, looking toward the door half-heartedly.

"Stay." His eyes locked hers for a moment, and he nodded. She led him down the hall to her bedroom. "I'm just going to get changed. Get comfortable."

"Okay."

Not sure exactly what she was doing, or where she wanted this to go, she selected a modest nightgown. When she returned to the bedroom, Will seemed similarly confused, sitting on the edge of the bed in his t-shirt and underwear.

"It feels weird that this feels weird," he said.

"It has been a long time." This was all so foreign and yet so familiar. It had been almost four years since they'd last been intimate. Deanna pulled back the covers, and lay on her side facing away from him. "Lay down."

He did as he was told, and hesitated. "Do you want me to-?"

"Please."

He slid closer, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in. She fell off to sleep almost immediately.

It was many hours later when Deanna awoke again. Will was still asleep, pressed tight against her back. She flushed, feeling hot suddenly as she leaned into the hardness against her backside. Will groaned softly. There were a million reasons not to, but right now she needed him. She rolled over, running her hand up his side, up under his shirt.

"God, Dea—" he moaned, as her thigh ground against his length. His lips were on hers now, kissing her hard, hands all over her body, and she couldn't get enough. He slid her nightgown up, fingers grazing along the skin of her belly, up over her breasts as he pulled the garment over her head, following it quickly with his own shirt. "You're so beautiful."

Deanna pulled his mouth to hers, grabbing the waist band of his underwear ad pulling them down. "I need—"

Will kicked them off, and hovered over her again, kissing her more softly this time. He was so close now to where she wanted him, it ached. He paused. "Are you sure?" Always looking out for her.

"Yes," she answered confidently.

His fingers grazed over her, and she bucked up to meet him. Deanna took ahold of him and guided him to her entrance. "Ready?"

She nodded, tipping her hips up to put him at just the right angle, and he eased himself in. He'd always been careful not to cause her pain. She grabbed his hips to pull him deeper, and she could sense how near the edge he was already. He pulled back a little, switching to shallow little thrusts that hit her in just the right place. His thumb grazed her clit, and she let out a little whimper.

"Yeah?" he asked, running his thumb feather-light over it again.

She was almost there. "Kiss me."

His lips met hers, and there it was, the rolling, wave of pleasure, searing through her body. Will followed right after her, unable to hold back any longer. They lay there breathless for a while, his body heavy on top of hers. Finally, he rolled off of her.

"I need that today," she said, rolling to face him.

"Me too." His arm rest lightly on their waist. There was space between them now. They lay in silence for a few minutes. They both knew that this moment was nearing its end.

"This cannot be…" she hesitated. She absolutely needed his friendship. "This cannot be a common occurrence."

"Just an occasional occurrence?" He asked with a grin, sitting up and searching for his pants.

"Yes," she smiled. "An occasional occurrence." This was too good for it to be a one time thing.