This one has a little more sex in it but it's a whole lot tamer than the last chapter. :)

"It just doesn't seem fair, does it?" It was the following morning, and Will and Soren were still lying in each other's arms, both naked except for the sheet covering them. Drowsily content, they were both trying desperately to think of excuses for putting off starting their work day.

"What doesn't seem fair?" Soren asked.

"A J'naii should be able to derive just as much pleasure from the sex act as a human does."

"I told you, Will, as long as you receive pleasure, then I am happy."

"But I want you to experience pleasure as well, Soren." Will knew what he wanted to say to her, but he wasn't sure how to say it without the risk of making her feel any more insecure than she already felt.

"Soren, to me your body is beautiful just as it is, but if Dr. Crusher or one of her colleagues could alter your anatomy just slightly to allow you to receive sexual pleasure, would you be in agreement with that?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Will."

Once again Will struggled to find the right words. "Soren, females of human and most other races have a vagina, and during the sex act, the male penetrates the vagina and that gives great pleasure to both of them. You seem to have a vagina, but it is very small, too small for me to penetrate without injuring you. If there were a way that your vagina could be enlarged so that you could experience penetration, would you be in agreement with that?"

"Would that be more pleasurable than what we did last night?"

"For you, definitely."

Soren already realized that she had vestigial sex organs left over from the time when the J'naii had gender. She had always been told that they were evolutionary throwbacks to an earlier time, similar to the appendix in humans, so had never given much thought to them at all, until now.

"You know so much more about these things than I do, Will. I am in agreement with whatever you desire."

"It might would involve some temporary physical discomfort during the recuperation process."

"I wouldn't mind that, if it could make me more like a real female."

"You already are a real female to me, Soren. This would only improve upon what you already have."

"You make it sound like it wouldn't be much of a big deal."

"In all likelihood it wouldn't be." He smiled.

"And suppose the procedure wasn't successful?"

"We would just have to deal with it and find some way to work around it. I wouldn't love you any less than I do now, Soren." He stroked her hair. "Shall I talk to Dr. Crusher about it then?"

She smiled back. "Yes."

"Well then, it's settled. We'd better get back to work or everyone will wonder what happened to us."

Soren pretended to pout and Will laughed and smacked her bottom playfully.

Will and Soren continued to work together closely. To Soren there seemed to be a new closeness and familiarity between the two of them that hadn't been there before the night they had spent together in her room. She wondered how noticeable this was to their fellow crew members. Once she caught Deanna Troi's eye and Deanna smiled warmly at her. Soren wondered how much, if any, of their relationship Will had discussed with her. Soren decided that she would rather not know.

Will did indeed speak to Beverly about Soren's situation, and with a combination of surgery and hormone treatments, Beverly, with the assistance of a colleague who specialized in male-to-female gender reassignment, was able to give Soren both a functional vagina and a clitoris. Shortly afterwards Will and Soren were able to experience intercourse for the first time, and Soren had her first orgasm. It was so totally different from anything she had ever experienced with a fellow J'naii that for her there was not even a basis for comparison. She considered Will Riker to be her first true lover, and she told him so. He seemed pleased and very honored.

One afternoon Will was in his quarters looking at some old family photos when he heard a knock at the door. It was Soren.

"Hi, sweetheart. Come in," he said with a smile.

"Am I disturbing you?" Soren asked.

"Not at all. I was just looking at some family pictures. Would you like to join me?"

"I would love to," she said with a smile.

"Here's one of me and my dad when I was about ten. Those are the Chugach mountains in the background. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Breathtaking."

"I will take you there some day soon." He smiled.

"So was your mother the one who took the photo?"

"No, it was taken by a family friend. We lost my mom when I was two. She had a ruptured aneurysm."

Soren covered his hand with her own. "I am so sorry, Will."

"You never told me much about your parents, except that they were pilots," he said.

"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell. They were killed in an accident several years ago."

"I am sorry."

"I was devastated."

"Of course you were," he said gently.

"My parents were all in the world I had."

"No aunts or uncles or cousins? No close friends?"

"I could never let anyone get too close. They might uncover my secret. You know what that would have meant."

"Yes, of course." He looked thoughtful. "What about your parents? Did they know?"

"I tried my best to keep it from them. I knew how devastated they would be if they found out. As far as I know I was successful."

"What was their marriage like? Was it happy?"

"They were very good friends. They got along really well and almost never argued. But their relationship was strictly platonic, as it is for all J'naii's. Mating was strictly for procreation, never simply for pleasure. They had a genuine fondness for each other, but there was never any passion." A sob caught in her throat, and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh, Soren." Gently he wiped away her tears and put his arms around her and held her tight.

"They never knew what it's like to really be in love. They never experienced the most wonderful feeling in the world."

Will held her and comforted her, not really knowing what to say.

Finally she said, "I'm so sorry, Will. You must have been having a pleasant time reliving old memories and then I came in here and got you all depressed."

"No need to apologize, Soren. You didn't do anything wrong. I love to have these heart-to-heart talks with you. It's perfectly understandable that you feel sad for your parents, and it's fine that you shared that with me. In fact, I'm glad that you did. That's what love is, sharing sorrows as well as joys."

"Thank you, Will. I can't imagine not having you in my life."

"I can't imagine my life without you in it either, Soren."

She smiled. "Well, I guess you're stuck with me then."

He laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he said. "Would you like to see some more pictures of the mountains? I have some really gorgeous ones of the waterfalls and glaciers at Thompson Pass."