Please hit the back button to return to the previous page.
Paramount owns all rights to the StarTrek universe and its characters. You can
blame me only for the spelling and the plot!

Zlanna@aol.com

Chapter 5
The Mystery of the Missing Personal Logs

	Lwaxana Troi stared impatiently at the Vid Panel. Her hands were
on her hips, her black eyes were narrowed in their frustration, her
voice was cracking with the strain of controlling her temper. "This is
all your fault!" She insisted at the mute face before her. "I should
never have gone along with you nineteen years ago. I refuse to stand in
the way of these two kids any longer!"
	"Mrs. Troi, as I recall, it was you who approached me regarding
how to solve 'your' problem. It was in the best interests of everyone
concerned then. It still is."
	"It is not!  This is ridiculous. When my daughter walks through
that door, I am going to tell her everything." Tapping at her neck
impatiently, Lwaxanna tried to find her center, but her emotions were so
out of control that she couldn't focus on herself, only on the pain that
Deanna would feel when she learned the truth.
	"No you won't. You know it and I know it."
	"A Betazoid values honesty above all else!  I will not lie to Deanna
any longer." Lwaxana protested, but already she felt her stomach turning
as she realized the man was right.
	"It's not lying. I say present Will Riker with the same choice
you did the first time. He will make the same decision he did then.
You'll see. End transmission."
	Lwaxana turned fuming, staring at Mr. Homm.  He shrugged his
shoulders, leaving the room shaking his lowered head. Lwaxana knew she
had never encountered the anger she would face when she told her
daughter the secret she had guarded for so long. A secret she had
preserved thinking she was protecting her daughter. Pretending she was
acting in her daughter's best interest was no longer possible. Not after
the last time she had visited the Enterprise six months ago. She had
gently probed Deanna and Will Riker's minds. Their 'comfortable
relationship' as her daughter referred to it had become a festering
source of pain for both of them and neither knew how to alter the
stalemate. The scare she had gotten when Deanna had mentioned going to a
party with that Klingon was the last straw. Lwaxana had borne the guilt
for too long. She was not going to sit on the sidelines any longer. She
was going to confess, even though she feared she might lose her daughter
forever when she revealed the truth.
	
	Will took Deanna's hand in his after she settled down in the
transport shuttle seat. "Are you okay?"
	"Yes. You?"
	"Yes. It's a little exciting!" Riker strained to see out of the
side of the passenger port window.
	Deanna laughed squeezing his hand, "That sounds like"
	"I know 'the OLD Will Riker." Will said with disgust.
	Deanna cocked her head to one side. "A lot of people tell you
that lately?"
	"Yes. I'm not the old Will Riker. I don't know that I ever will
be and I'm not sure I want to be."
	Deanna patted his hand, laying her head against his shoulder.
"The old Will Riker was quite a remarkable man, but it has been a long
time since I've felt so comfortable around you."
	Will basked in the feelings he received in his mind. "Deanna, I
wanted to tell you something I learned."
	"What?" Deanna yawned, sleepy after last night's late talk and
exercise.
	Will kissed her head gently. "I found out that there are 2 years
of my personal logs that are gone."
	Deanna bolted upright, alert and curious. "Two years? Let me
guess from the time you left Betazed until you arrived on the
Enterprise."
	"Yes."
	"Another mystery."
	"Hmmm.  Deanna?"
	"What, Will?"
	"When do you want to get married?"
	It took a moment for the question to sink in. "When? Why do you?
Are you asking me to marry you?"
	Riker never hesitated. "Yes. You want me to ask you don't you?"
	"I, I hadn't thought about it."
	"Well, it seems to me that it would be a good idea if we are
going to start a family." Riker looked out the window watching the stars
go by as if he were discussing the weather.
	"I think we should wait until you determine whether you are going to
stay in Star Fleet before we decide whether to get married and have
children."
	"Why? Would you turn me down if I am able to be First Officer
again?"
	"I don't know.  Let's wait and find out."
	Riker turned toward her and studied her briefly. "I don't want
to wait. I want to get married now. On Betazed."
	"Why?"
	"It's what I should have done the first time."
	"Will, I think we should wait. Betazed will still be there."
	"I thought you weren't afraid anymore." Will quietly said, his
eyes beseeching her not to deny him this time.
	Deanna sighed. "Betazed is a beautiful place for a wedding."
	"And we aren't getting any younger." Will reminded her. He could
tell she was going to say yes. He felt that his was all happening
exactly as it was supposed to.
	"Speak for yourself, Commander!"
	A kiss was Deanna's reply. Taking her hand in his, Riker traced
the outline of the top of her hand slowly, sensuously. "So what do I
have to do, Counselor?"
	"To have children?" she teased.
	"No, to marry you." Riker said, raising one eyebrow at the
suggestive tone Deanna used. 
	"Well, first you have your father ask my mother's permission."
	"I don't think that is a good idea." Will looked out the window
again.
	"Why?"
	"It didn't work the first time."
	"I wasn't aware it was attempted."
	"It was.  At least I sent a com message to my father asking him
to arrange it. It was in my log entry."
	"What was my mother's response?"
	"I don't know.  Her reply was apparently in the log that was
deleted." 

	Will slept peacefully next to Deanna in the seat. The transport
ship was carrying a full contingent of diplomats on their way to a trade
conference. Their estimated arrival time was in 4 hours at which point,
Deanna and Will would be assigned newly vacated cabins. In the meantime,
they had camped out in the short range passenger section. The seats were
arranged in rows similar to the ground transports people took planetside
on short commuter trips. Twenty seats filled this section of the ship. 
	In truth Deanna was happy to sit. The transport ride was a time
for Deanna to decompress, to relax, to recuperate from the hectic
schedule she had kept since Will's accident. Her days had been
exhausting, keeping up her appointments, fulfilling her duties on the
bridge and accompanying Will to sickbay appointments and social events,
not to say the distractions of their physical relationship. He could
sleep late and take naps, but the effects of going for over a month on 5
hours of sleep a night had taken their toll on her several weeks ago.
Adrenaline and responsibilities had kept her functioning. Luckily it had
been a relatively quiet time for the Enterprise. No major disasters had
struck and the one away mission that had arose had not required her
participation. It seemed she never had a moment to herself these days.
Now that she did she realized she hadn't really missed it, in truth she
was tempted to wake Will just to talk. She cherished the talks they had
had together recently. He was interested in everything, his mind like a
void desperate to be filled. She glanced at Will asleep next to her on
the seat, the PADD on tactical warfare strategies dropped on the seat
next to him. He slept 8 hours every night and another 3 or 4 hours
during the day. Beverly hadn't anticipated his need for so much sleep,
but insisted it wasn't anything to worry about. Deanna wondered how he
would function if he had to pull a double shift, which often happened
aboard a star ship. Her future was as much in doubt as it ever was, more
so now that his was in such disarray. His notion of the future so simple
these days. He took for granted that their future would lie together,
never worrying about the challenges of serving together or the threat of
being reassigned.

		Deanna woke up, stretched, then noticed Will was gone. 
Her first thought was that she had to find him, but then she sat back in
the soft, padded seat, concentrating. He was close by, a little
frustrated which worried her, but he was not in a panic. Perhaps he was
lost. In the Enterprise it had taken over three weeks for him to learn
how to find his way from his quarters to the sickbay to ten-forward  to
the holodeck and back to his quarters.  Beverly insisted that losing his
sense of direction was not anything to worry about. She expected him to
improve eventually, but that was her response to every handicap he had
experienced, which frustrated Deanna. She had to admit, the doctor had
been right regarding most of his problems. The transport ship was half
the size of the Enterprise, but it was totally unfamiliar to Will. She
remained in her seat, debating whether to look for him. Sometimes, the
strain of helping him became a burden she wished she didn't have to
shoulder. She reached out to him again and was surprised to find his
emotions had shifted to relief. She waited. Soon he returned to his
seat, his bright blue eyes shining with enthusiasm, his grin reflected
in the twinkle directed at her.
	Will approached with a strong, steady gait, that belied the former
indecision Deanna had felt from him. He leaned over kissing her cheek
announcing, "Our quarters are ready!"
	"Our quarters?"
	Will ignored the implications of her comment, determined she
would not dampen his good mood. "Yes, your quarters are ready and mine
are right next to yours! That took some negotiating I tell you. They had
me four decks away originally, but I told them you were my psychologist
and I had to be next to you!"
	"Will!"
	"What?"
	"Weren't you embarrassed?"
	"Deanna, one thing I've learned in the past five weeks - very little
embarrasses me anymore. If I got embarrassed every time I made a fool of
myself, I'd never get better." Riker picked up her and suitcase and his
bag, stepping back for her to go ahead of him. "Suites 6-14 and 6-16.
Lead the way."
	"Why should I lead the way. You've already been there haven't
you?"
	"Five or six times.  I got lost and kept going around in a circle."
Will leaned close whispering in her ear, "I don't think I'm ready to
lead any away teams yet unless it is around the perimeter of a north
pole."
	Deanna didn't say anything, but it was the type of self-deprecating
humor that the old Will Riker excelled at. Smiling she couldn't resist
planting a kiss on the cheek next to hers or giggling when he whispered
again, "It has inner connecting doors and a double-sized bath tub, too!"
	Will announced the access code to Suite 6-14, then Deanna
tentatively entered. The room was very spacious, decorated in a purple
motif. Betazoid art lined the walls and soft music of the Kalia region
filled the air. Breathing the warm, moist air filled with the aroma of
fauna from the familiar jungle that bordered the region where she grew
up, Deanna had the strange sensation of having already arrived on her
home planet. A plate of native fruits dominated a small meditation
table. The room was not at all what you would expect on a transport
ship. "Will, what kind of room is this?"
	Riker set the suitcases down on the floor, then walked over to
Deanna. "It's one of the suites for diplomats.  It is the only type that
had a connecting door. Is that a problem?"
	"No, but..., Will!" Deanna stood looking at the panel, her hand
over her mouth.
	"What?" Will studied the strange glass panel. There were a dozen
buttons, a panel that appeared to control lighting, temperature,
atmosphere, sound, olfactory sensations, gravity levels, and a host of
other environmental elements. He had hoped she would like the room. He
had played poker for over an hour with Lt. Commander O'Henry, the
on-board transport security officer before the poor guy was so deep in
the hole he readily agreed to provide luxurious accommodations for them.
O'Henry had promised this was the best room on the ship and that he
would arrange for it to be decorated to Betazoid tastes. If it turned
out something was wrong with the room, Will would hunt down the security
chief if he had to walk in circles all day.
	Deanna suspiciously studied Will's expression, "Do you know what
kind of room this is?"
	"It's supposed to be a good one."
	"Will, this is a holosuite!"
	Will watched Deanna's expression for a minute. Outwardly she
appeared shocked, but he could read her mood and she was quite pleased.
"Is that bad?" He asked innocently.

	Will had let Deanna take over the controls of the holosuite, not
because he couldn't figure out how to work the programs, but because he
could tell she was so excited about the prospect.  He laughed as she had
outlined various, ridiculous scenarios. Finally, she announced she knew
what she wanted. 
	"Close your eyes." Deanna commanded.
	"Aye, Sir." Riker complied.
	Fresh scents of a pine forest greeted him along with the soft
sound he couldn't quite identify. The warm air grew heavy with moisture.
"Okay, you can open them!" Deanna announced.
	Will looked around taking in the scene. They were inside a cozy
tent lit only by a single lamp, set on a mountain precipice. The soft,
brown fur of Kodak Grizzly bear rugs lined the tent. Through the single
opening of the tent flap, a magnificent view of the Aureole Borealis
greeted them. New, wet snow fell painting the ground a clear, virgin
white. No clouds filled the sky despite the snow which came down in
gentle wisps. Hundreds of stars shone in the night sky.  Over a small
fire, meat was grilling on a spit. Will breathed deeply recognizing the
smell of Caribou. His mouth watered as he realized how long it had been
since the two of them had eaten.
	"What do you think?" Deanna asked.
	"Its wonderful, but why is it so warm here?"
	"Its a holosuite.  I programmed your Alaska, and my Betazed climate.
You've tried for years to get me to go to Alaska and I always refused to
go anywhere that was so cold."
	"Ah, Deanna, but you miss the point. With me next to you, the
cold will feel good."
	"No, thanks."
	"Common on, be daring." Will was already starting to slowly undo
her shirt.
	"No, thanks, Will.  I prefer my temperatures hot." She sat is
front of him, content to close her eyes and let him undress her. He
withdrew the band that held her hair so that it fell loose, then brushed
it to one side, leaning down and began kissing her shoulders.
	"You could try it and if you don't like it we will just raise
the temperature again." Will teased.
	"Will!"
	"Please?"
	"How cold?" Deanna knew her resolve was slipping.  This would be
a good way to indulge his love of the Alaskan country and provide refuge
if she couldn't stand the frigid temperatures.
	"Minus twenty degrees to start with."
	"Minus twenty degrees? Do you know how cold that is?" Deanna
protested.
	"Come on," Will said, watching her bra slide down to the ground.
"Under the covers, you will be warm. I promise."
	"Will, twenty degrees."
	"Minus twenty, but first let me get us something to eat." Will
jumped up and put the meat and some rice curry that was sitting in a pot
on the fire onto a large plate.  He gathered silverware from a backpack,
and returned.  He set the food before Deanna and gathered up a canteen
of hot chocolate.  "Hot chocolate and Caribou meat?" he asked
incredulously.
	"Would it go better with antelope?" Deanna asked demurely.
	"No."
	"Oh, how would you know? You can't remember anything anyway!"
	"I remember this." Will challenged, "Computer, Set temperature
to minus"
	"No, Will, I'm not ready!"
	"twenty degrees."
	The shock of going from the warm, moist air of Betazed to the
freezing, dry temperature of Earth's arctic region nearly caused the
half human, half Betazoid to collapse. Will was already laughing and
pulling her close to him under the heavy, insulating animal rugs. His
lips had never seemed so warm and inviting as they did now. She buried
her face under the covers next to him and began to help him undress
under the covers. Two could play this game and she knew there was a very
good way to get even, if she dared.  Climbing on top of him she began to
remove his shirt, holding one hand outside of the covers.  She didn't
know how long she could stand the icy temperatures, but after several
minutes she pulled it back to the warmth of the bed and reached down to
give Will Riker a sensation he would not long forget.
	"What! Deanna! And I trusted you!"
	"Your mistake!" She challenged, then snuggled close to him,
beginning to realize that the cold temperatures, did indeed emphasize
the pleasure of joining the warmth of their bodies.
	"I thought you could trust all Betazoids."
	"But I'm only half Betazoid!" Deanna laughter filled the room
and warmed Riker more than the flesh that was pressed next to him.
	Will turned over pretending to pout.  Deanna tried to pull him
back to her, but he resisted. "No, I'm not in the mood now." He
insisted.
	"You are not? What?  Since you when are you not in the mood?"
	"Since you put an ice cold hand on my"
	Deanna sat up in the bed to try and turn him towards her, pulling
the covers off of herself. As the icy temperatures hit her she screamed,
immediately realized her mistake. Just watching her expression was
enough revenge for Will who quickly wrapped the two of them up inside
the bear hides again. "Here, no more tricks. I've wasted years, I don't
intend to waste anymore time." With that, Will pulled her to him. True
to his word, he wasted no more time, but immediately began warming that
part of his anatomy she had so carelessly frozen earlier.
	Will was enjoying Deanna's reaction to making love in an arctic
climate. She began to experiment with teasing herself by rising up
enough to feel the cold, have her body react and then pull herself to
him for the comforting solace he offered inside the covers. Each time,
he could feel her heartbeat quicken as she returned to him. "Computer,
convert sleeping bag to heated water bed." Will announced. Immediately
the hard ground they had been on, changed. Deanna found herself almost
missing the former arrangement, but realized that Will's back must have
been cold on the frozen ground, even with the rug beneath him.
	"Deanna, what is your body temperature?"
	"What?"
	"What is your normal body temperature?"
	"101 degrees Fahrenheit, why?"
	"I knew it must be warmer than mine.  You feel like a hot water
bottle. Alaskan nights will much more enjoyable with you along."
	"Mmmm. Planning on going back anytime soon?"
	"You always promised we would go back on our first anniversary."
	Deanna stopped her explorations and pulled herself up to gaze in
his eyes. "Will, when did we ever talk about a first anniversary?"
	"At Janaran Falls. You promised me that you would go to Fairbanks
with me if I would take my shore leave on our first anniversary."
	"But how can you remember that?"
	Will stopped a moment. Seizing the advantage, he skillfully flipped
her over on her back without missing a beat. Grinning, he replied, "A
lot of things are coming back to me."

There was no more talk. Instead the silence of the holosuite was
occasionally disturbed by Deanna's soft gasps until Riker's groans
joined hers in a chorus even the arctic wolves would have recognized.
	Hours later Deanna woke to study Will as he slept. He was the
only man who knew all the various ways to satisfy her and he had put
that knowledge to good use tonight with considerably more skill than he
had possessed so many years ago. Shivering, Deanna ordered, "Computer,
program Jalara Jungle." The familiar sounds of the jungle filled the
room and the warm, moist air felt slightly depressing after their
Alaskan night. Deanna nestled close to Will's back as the fresh air on
her unclothed body make her begin to desire him all over again.
"Computer, program sheets." Taking the sheet she covered them both
again, somewhat amazed at how quickly she had become accustomed to the
peace she now felt in her heart next to her soul mate. It was a
fulfillment she had not felt for nineteen years. Drifting asleep her
last thought was Will had been right, they had been idiots.

		Deanna set the breakfast tray on the table she ordered
to appear next to the high top bed. Will rubbed his eyes and pushed
himself up on his elbows, completely disoriented. He looked around the
high-ceiling room. A warm breeze came through a large, open window
draped with billowing white lace curtains. Voices called out from the
street. Will struggled to make out the conversations, but he did not
recognize the language spoken.  Looking over at the tray, he smelled
rich coffee and freshly baked croissants. Two raspberry croissants and
two chocolate croissants.  
	"Don't you eat anything that does not have chocolate in it?" He
asked Deanna.
	She sat down next to him and put her mouth to his. Falling back
on the bed, she began climbing under the sheets. 
	"You know that coffee is going to get cold." Riker reminded her,
wishing he had grabbed some already.  "Just out of curiosity, what did
you set the holosuite program to?"
	"New Orleans. Twentieth century. The French quarter. Hear the
Jazz music?"
	"I like it." Will sat up for a moment, until Deanna pulled him
down. "Boy, you are insatiable.  Is that some Betazoid trait?"
	"That is an old Earth stereotype of Betazoid women, Will, totally
without foundation."
	Will kissed Deanna's neck and began to mark a trail down her
shoulder. "So not all Betazoid women are as sex crazed as you." 
	Deanna stopped to peer for a brief time at Will, her reaction masked
to him. "Are you planning to do a survey?" 
	"Deanna, its almost noon.  Don't you think we should get up?"
	"Why? What would we do?"
	"We could take a walk."
	"We could do that anytime.  How often are we going to have a
holosuite?"
	Before Riker could answer a three note tone sounded. "A com message?
Who would be sending us a message here?"
	Deanna reached over to the panel, laughing as Riker pulled away
from view. "Its probably my mother!" Hitting the button she brought up
the image of her mother on the screen. "Hello mother."
	"Deanna!  How are you? I have so much planned for when you arrive. 
I wanted to let you know the schedule. Now, make sure when you see Will,
you inform his as well."
	Grimacing Deanna patiently replied, "Mother, Will is right here.
We have some plans of our own you know. This is a vacation for us."
	"Yes, yes, I know.  Now your transport is on time, so I will expect
you here at the house at 1400 hours. Now, we have a formal reception at
the Chancellor's House at 1700 hours. Tell Will to wear that cute little
dress uniform, you of course will be a representative of the Fifth
House, but don't worry we will have plenty of time to replicate you an
outfit, by the way I don't think it is appropriate for him to stay here,
what with you two still being Imzadi and all, so I have arranged
quarters for him at the Starfleet base, he should feel right at home
there don't you think? Now one more, thing, dear" 
	Fully dressed in his uniform, Riker leaned over Deanna's shoulder,
interrupting Lwaxana Troi. Deanna felt his momentary hesitation
immediately turning to determination, "Hello, Mrs. Troi. I'm afraid
there is a slight problem with your schedule. We are already scheduled
for a reception at the Federation Embassy hosted by the Terrian
delegation. My father will be there and I am anxious to see him as I'm
sure you can imagine. As for accommodations, I am staying at the
Galactic Hotel, but don't worry, I will contact the base and let them
know that their accommodations are not needed.  Now tomorrow, Deanna is
going to help me settle some legal matters that I left unresolved the
last time I left Betazed. We will be staying for one week and then we
are going to Janaran Falls. I am afraid this is a working vacation for
us so I will send you a copy of our schedule.  Then you can work
anything else you wish into the open times.  Is that acceptable?" 
	No one talked to Lwaxana Troi in the manner that Will Riker had.
Deanna realized she was holding her breath until the fireworks flew.
Instead, Lwaxana simply nodded respectfully and replied, "Of course,
I'll review your schedule as soon as I receive it, Commander."
	"Thank you, Mrs. Troi. I am looking forward to meeting you,
again."
	"Of course. I, I am looking forward to renewing our acquaintance
as well. Deanna?"
	"Here, mother."
	"Good-bye dear. Take care of yourself. You are in my thoughts
always."
	"And you in mine, mother."
	The com screen returned to black, leaving an incredulous Deanna
Troi staring at the blank screen. "No one talks to my mother like that
and gets away with it."
	"Then it's time someone did." Will sat down at the com panel,
"Let me call my father, book that room at the Galactic Hotel and then
let's eat, I'm starved."
	
	Deanna watched Will gather up their travel bags. She stopped at
the door for one last look back at the Holosuite. "My favorite was
Alaska." Will whispered in her ear, his beard tickling the edge of her
ear. "Although, last night's ancient Vulcan mating ritual was definitely
a close second."
	"You didn't like New Orleans or the Orion party?"
	"I'd like a night in a Cardassian prison if you were there."
Will regretted the image as he felt her worry. Thomas of course.  He had
forgotten about Thomas Riker's fate. "I'm sorry. Come on, Deanna, we are
scheduled to depart in 15 minutes."
	Sighing Deanna followed Will down the hall to the Transporter
room. Passengers were gathered around waiting their turn to beam down to
Betazed. Young families went first, mostly settler's, then groups of
five. Transporting from the Enterprise to the transport ship, Will
strolled up to the pad as if he were waiting for a turbolift. "The first
time we used the transporter beam I was nervous and you were calming me.
Now you are trembling. What's wrong?"
	"I was just remembering the last time you visited my mother in
her house."
	"Don't worry, Deanna. I can handle your mother."
	"That's what you said the last time, Will."

The end of Chapter 5