A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are loving Lwaxana. I'm a huge fan, too. :-) Here's a very Lwaxana centric chapter for you guys!

When Riker returned to his quarters, it was with the hope that Lwaxana had retired for the night. But to his chagrin, she was still settled happily on their sofa. A mug of Jestral tea balanced on her lap as Troi scrolled through pictures of floral arrangements on a small, handheld screen.

"William!" Lwaxana cried excitedly. "Look at these calla lilies-I think they're perfect for the welcome table at the reception. Earth's reception, that is. Betazed has a much more exciting variety to choose from."

"Yeah they look fine," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Troi set the screen aside with a frown. She had sensed the commander's dampened spirits the minute he walked in.

"He's sulking about Carmen," Lwaxana replied, waving a dismissive hand in his direction.

"What about Carmen? Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Riker insisted. "Just...a little upset."

Lwaxana hoisted herself off the couch. "Well I think it's all great news." She fluffed up the layers of her dress. "I mean, don't you think a rescue mission would be good for her?"

"What rescue mission?" Troi glanced between them, puzzled.

"Oh, it was all over Jean Luc's thoughts when he came in earlier. Before his thoughts were all over me, that is."

"Yeah well the last mission Carmen went on almost killed her," Riker pointed out. "She's brash and we all know it. It'll get her into trouble again."

"It might." Lwaxana shrugged. "It might also lead her to the missing doctor."

"And if it doesn't? Why is everyone ignoring the other possibility?"

"There are all kinds of possibilities, darling-including failure. But that isn't her fault."

Or yours, Troi added. She moved behind the commander, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him close so that her head was nestled against his back. I know you're worried, imzadi. So am I. But she's learned a lot since her last mission.

Lwaxana carried her cup over to the sink, accompanied by an exuberant swishing sound. "Just think of all those years that she was sent to kill, to destroy. To go against her nature." She paused, leaning one hand against the counter in a pensive fashion. "Imagine what that must have done to her."

Riker's mind drifted to when they first found the young woman. He winced to remember how often and how violently she used to lash out. After so many years, the destruction had turned inwards.

"What if she had the chance to save, instead of kill? To rescue, instead of destroy?" Lwaxana pondered aloud. "I think she deserves to know what that feels like."

Riker sighed resignedly. The ambassador's words had found their mark. He placed his hands over Troi's and gave them a squeeze. "I do, too. Suppose I should have another talk with her?"

"Leave it to me," Lwaxana ordered. "She's still pretty furious. What she needs now is her grandmother." Without further ado, Lwaxana gathered the billows of her dress and departed from their midst.

Riker stared at the door as it closed behind her. "Should we be intervening?"

"She'll be fine," Troi promised, turning him around to face her.

"You mean Carmen or your mother?"

She burst out laughing. "Both of them. My mother...she has a way with people. Besides, I have other plans for you."

"Please no," he groaned. "I'm tired of talking about flowers and color schemes and centerpieces-"

"Not those kinds of plans." Something sultry glinted in her eyes. "See, I'm tired of talking, too."

"Oh." With one hand, Riker nudged her chin upwards, guiding her face closer to his. The fingers of his other hand slid beneath the strap of her dress. "Well in that case…" He kissed her softly. The strap fell away from her shoulder. "Don't say another word. I've got it from here."

Open up, Bright Eyes. It's just me.

Carmen jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion. Lwaxana's voice had come into her thoughts so clearly, she might as well have been speaking aloud.

I'm tired. Maybe in the morning?

You're not tired, you're lonely. I can help with that.

Begrudgingly, Carmen opened the door. "It's...kind of messy in here," she warned, shoving things aside with her foot in order to clear a path.

"You don't have to apologize for your mess," Lwaxana assured, breezing past her. She wandered about the living area, picking up random objects and examining them at length. Carmen watched her all the while, slightly bemused. Then she came to a small, wooden carving that sat in a prestigious place, high upon a bookshelf. "What's this?"

"Will got it for me in Alaska," Carmen explained. She took it from her gingerly. "It uh, it reminds me of something I had when I was little. Only that was a targ, not a moose."

Lwaxana's smile brimmed with sympathy. "It helped keep your nightmares away, after your father died."

Carmen's head whipped up. "How did you know that?"

"Your memories are lying around in plain sight, my dear." She pointed to her temple.

Carmen set the wooden moose back up on the shelf. "Sorry," she mumbled, wondering what else the ambassador had seen amidst the jumble of violence and loss.

"Like I said...you don't have to apologize for your mess." Lwaxana took hold of Carmen's shoulders. "Now come on. Have a seat with me."

But the young woman stiffened. "I suppose you heard about what happened with the commander?"

"Yes."

"And you're here to tell me that it's too dangerous, that I should-"

"I said have a seat." Lwaxana urged her towards the sofa again. This time, Carmen relented.

"I'm a Starfleet officer," she said as they sat down side-by-side. "I can't just play it safe all the time."

"You're absolutely right."

One of Carmen's eyebrows arched. "I am?"

"William is a member of Starfleet, too. He understands that. But he's also a parent, and a parent's job is to protect their child."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Carmen retorted. "Never go on an away mission again because my da-because Will is a commander?"

"Nonsense. He just needs some time to adjust." She nudged the young woman's shoulder. "And I don't mind if you refer to him as your dad."

Carmen grimaced, sheepish about her blunder.

"You know what?" Lwaxana added. "I don't think he would mind, either. He cares about you an awful lot."

For a moment, Carmen forgot that she was mad at him. She stared straight ahead, dwelling on that word that had been so painfully cut from her life. Though she had become part of a family, always there was a small, final part of her that held back. The part of her that called Will and Deanna by their names instead of acknowledging their roles.

"Oh, darling." Lwaxana took hold of one of her hands. "I know it hurts. I went through this with Deanna, too. It takes a long time to grieve something like that. But do you know what grief is?" Carmen shook her head, puzzled by the question. "Grief is love with nowhere to go. You're grieving because you still have love."

"I'm grieving because I lost," Carmen stated, trying her best to cling to her anger. "And calling him dad won't change that."

"No, it won't. But it will give that love somewhere to go."

A muscle in Carmen's jaw pulsed as she tried to fight against the ambassador's words. But all her reasons, all her excuses, fell away.

"That's all you can do, really," Lwaxana continued. "Keep loving, come what may. Love as much as you can for as long as you can. That is the Betazoid way. And you, my dear, have known that all along I think."

Tears pricked at Carmen's eyes. She wiped at her nose, finding it wet. As she steeped in a newfound humility, an idea suddenly flitted across her mind. With a knowing smile, Lwaxana patted her knee and began to stand up.

"Wait-where are you going?" Carmen asked. "I mean, won't you stay? Just a little longer?"

Lwaxana beamed. "I'll stay for as long you like, Bright Eyes. But promise me you'll tell Jean Luc about your idea."

"My-?"

Again, Lwaxana pointed to her temple. It's a very good idea. William and Deanna will be thrilled to find out they can go down to the planet with you after all.