The Cost of Destiny
by Carol Sandford
~Chapters 1 to 5~ ~Chapters 6 to 10~ ~Chapters 16 to 20~ ~Chapters 21 to 25~ ~Chapters 26 to 30~ ~Chapters 31 to 35~ ~Chapters 36 to 40~ ~Chapters 41 to 45~ ~Chapters 46 to End~
Chapters 11 to 15
Chapter eleven
"What do you mean she's gone. Gone where!?"
William Riker stood upon Deanna Troi's doorstep the following day, dumb-founded. It was nearly noon and Will thought that he'd pick Deanna up and they'd have a picnic lunch together, somewhere quiet - like maybe the arboretum.
But instead of finding himself staring at Deanna Troi, he was being openly stared at by her mother, her eyes alight with fascination at his quandary, and he was in a quandary. Did the woman mean 'Gone, disappeared?' or, 'Gone, gone shopping?'
He got his answer when she stuck her nose in the air and sniffed derisively, "The Troi's do not go shopping, Mr. Riker. My daughter, not that it is any concern of yours, has gone away for a while..."
Gone. Disappeared. Will wilted inwardly, She lied to me. She doesn't want to see me after all.
"She thought that it would be best if you didn't see each other again, Mr. Riker." she finished, turning away from him, preparing to close the door.
Will started forward, slipping his arm forward enough to stop the door's closure, "She thought, Mrs. Troi, or you thought?" Will asked gamely, his words tinged with bitterness.
The moment Will had invaded her space she turned back around, shooting him a look that could wither a slug on sight. "As much my daughter respects my decisions, there are some things that only she decides, and she has decided, Mr. Riker, that what happened between you two last night, will never happen again."
Will blinked twice as he absorbed, not only the shock of Deanna's betrayal, but that her mother seemed to know the intimate details of their night together. Before she could slip another damning word out, Will recaptured his pride and stepped back, straightening his torso, and his scattered wits, "Very well, Mrs. Troi. Thank you for letting me know where I stand. Good afternoon." He spun on his heels and walked away without a backward glance.
~~
"That's not quite what I said, mother." said Deanna, stepping out of the shadows.
Lwaxana sighed deeply as she slowly pushed the door shut, watching the tall man's stiff, retreating figure with regret. She genuinely liked the young lieutenant, and liked where he was going with his life. The man had high hopes and had enough bravado to achieve them. Oh, she didn't like that he was a Starfleet officer, or that his life would be on the line every minute of the day, as well as her daughter's if she went with him.
But, he was her Imzadi now, and that changed the status quo a little. A lot, she amended with a grimace, turning to face Deanna. "You said you didn't want to see him, little one. You didn't tell me how long for. I only assumed that things didn't turn out quite like you had planned last night?"
Lwaxana was fishing and she knew it, waiting to see if Deanna would tell her the truth about what happened between them. Telepathy was a wonderful thing when one couldn't get their own way, but Deanna was her only child, and she liked to imagine that she would still come to her, talk to her about anything and everything, including last night.
But she was dashed, and disappointed when Deanna said, as she turned away and walked dispiritedly up the long staircase, "No, they didn't."
Oh, yes, they did, Little One. Yes, they did.
~~
"Turned you down, did she, boy?" Tang's gruff voice, lit with merriment, boomed through Will's office.
"Shut up, Tang," Will groused, burying his head in the file that he had in front of him, not seeing one word on it. "a lady is entitled to change her mind."
Tang laughed out-right at Will's preposterous statement. "Riker, you are talking about a Troi. You are not talking about some young filly that has got within your grubby little paws. You are talking about a woman with substance. You are talking about royalty, as near damn it." He ploughed on regardless of the pained look on the younger man's handsome face. "You are talking about Lwaxana Troi's daughter. She would not change her mind."
Spinning around the chair, Tang hoisted one leg up and put his big booted foot upon it, leant his arm on it and lowered his face to Will's level, looking him straight in the eye. "So," he demanded, "what are you going to do about it - her?" he emended.
Will rose his sky-blue eyes and looked into his friend's with determination, "Nothing."
"Nothing!?"
"Nothing," he confirmed, "If Deanna changes her mind, she knows where to find me."
"Oh. And what if by some crummy misfortune, you get hoisted off this rock before that happens?" Tang asked.
"Nah, never happen. I'm stuck here for at least another month, maybe more. Plenty of time for Ms. Troi to come begging for my body again." he sneered good-naturedly, his age and chauvinism clearly coming to the fore.
Tang shook his head, smiling with age-old wisdom. "Young Riker, you have got a lot to learn about women." Coming upright again, he pushed the chair back to its original position and headed for the door, but not without saying his parting, and very wise words, "Will, if you want her, you're gonna have to do the begging."
It was on the tip of Will's tongue to shout back at him that he didn't beg for anything, or anyone, but held back the ridiculous comment. Did he want her enough to go after her? Did he love her enough to beg?
No! he vowed, and then, moments later, he pushed himself out of his chair, determination consuming his every pore and thought.
Dammit, yes, I would!
Chapter twelve
The tree was the perfect place to stake out the Troi mansion. Will stood behind its vast trunk, watching the house across the street. Night was falling rapidly and the only sounds to be heard were the sounds of the night creatures, none of which were a threat to him. It was one of the things that Will liked about the planet; the lack of bugs. The other thing he liked was the constant balmy weather, although he'd heard that occasionally, Betazed had rain storms, but he had yet to witness one.
His dark outfit made him inconspicuous in the moonlit shadows that stretched out from the tree. It also made him look dashing, and dangerous. He looked good in black, with his extra long limbs and his dark hair. He found that ladies liked him in dark clothing. Made him look, 'sexy and mysterious.' so one particular lady had told him, as she'd taken each bit off, bit by bit.
Tonight though, he other plans for the dark outfit.
~~
It had been two days since he'd approached the Troi mansion. Only last time, it had been in broad daylight and he'd been turned away. This time though, he wasn't going to wait to be invited. Will had been watching for signs of movement. His instincts had told him that Deanna hadn't disappeared and that she was just, 'laying low'. It stuck in his craw that she had lied to him. It had also hurt that she hadn't had the balls to tell him to his face.
But then again, whenever they got face to face, other feelings got in the way, and morosely, Will kinda understood that maybe that was why she'd taken the cowards way out, using her mother to do her dirty work.
But it still didn't squash the empty feeling inside that had consumed him ever since. His life seemed to have come to a stand-still. He still did his job, nobody could fault him for the that. But everything else seemed to be unhappily suspended. Was this another facet of this Imzadi thing that he'd yet to understand?
He'd begun to feel as though he was on a dog's lead; wanting to go for the walk, but with no one to take him. Constantly under the control of his master. Walked when he wanted to be. Petted when he wanted to be. Loved when he wanted to be. Only Will felt as though his master had abandoned him, without taking off the dog-lead.
So lost was he in his self-analysis of his feelings for Deanna, he almost missed the real reason he was there, skulking in the shadows, waiting. A light flicked on in her bedroom and a movement within the room sent the gauzy curtain moving. But as quick as the light went on, it went off again. But it was enough evidence for Will to tell him that Deanna was home. He glanced at his watch; 10.35 p.m. it read. Bedtime.
Confrontation time.
And moments later, his dark, shadowy figure made its move.
Chapter thirteen
Deanna stepped out of the shower and wrapped the huge, fluffy, cerise towel around her slender body, and then wrapped another smaller one around her head. She was still tucking the dark tendrils under its edge as she strode nonchalantly into her bedroom. It wasn't until then that she got a tickle in the back of her mind that she was being watched.
It only took her a second for her eyes to fall on the large bulk that sat, looking rather silly in the rather delicate and ornate chair, the one man that had consumed her thoughts and her dreams.
It was no use feigning shock, horror, or surprise at finding him there, so she simply said, "How did you get in," and then another thought entered her head. "Did my mother put you up to this?" But she couldn't take her eyes of him, or the way he looked; sexy. Damned sexy. And dangerous.
Shadowed by the natural light in the room, and dressed all in black so that all that showed was his face and his large hands, Deanna couldn't stop it when her tongue snaked out and swept across her suddenly dry lips.
Will didn't miss the erotic movement and secretly smiled to himself as he answered her, taking care to not let his eyes drop below her face. He'd taken a long, leisurely look at everything else before she'd sensed him and drank his fill of her creamy skin. Her long slender throat. Her delicate ears. Her tiny ankles, and her sexy toes.
Once more, the mention of her mother threw him for a moment. What was with the mother!? he wondered before actually saying flippantly, "I'm a Riker, I can get in anywhere if I put my mind to it." And then belatedly thought about his response, groaned and hoped that Deanna hadn't spotted the erotic version of his daft boast. The hurt sparkle in her eyes told him he'd hit a nerve and he quickly murmured an honest, "Sorry," He hesitated a moment before adding gently, "I'd like to talk to you, and since you're apparently, 'not here', I wanted to know why."
Deanna quickly turned away from him, not wanting him to see the blatant lie in her eyes, "I thought my mother already explained my reasoning. It won't work for us, so there is no point in making it any harder than it already is."
Will studied her as she plonked herself down in front of her mirror, taking the head towel off as she did so, letting the riotous, ebony curls cascade down her back. He looked past her bare, creamy shoulders and watched her reflection as she picked up a brush and began to work through the knots, and pondered on her answer, working on his own suitable response at the same time.
"I know that I'm not going to be on Betazed for long, and so do you. Why can't we enjoy the time we have left together?" But even as he said it, he knew that wasn't possible. They were now more than casual lovers. A few weeks wasn't going to cut it. He was waiting for her predictable answer but was surprised - stunned when she finally did speak.
"I love you." The passionate words slipped out before she could stop them and she cursed her own idiocy. She had made a vow to herself that she wouldn't tell him how she felt, not would she put him in that awkward position of having to reveal his own feelings. His reaction spoke volumes.
"Huh?" His entire body went rigid. It was the last thing he expected her to say.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, "that kinda slipped out. I didn't mean to tell you." her eyes briefly finding his in the mirror before looking away, confused with her confession.
But his held the hint of a smile as he spoke, "If you love me, how come you sound so miserable?"
"I am miserable," she admitted, "You're the last person I want to love," she began to reel off the excuses, "You're not my type. You're pushy, bossy and arrogant. Half the time I don't even like you. You work in a dangerous job. You could be killed at any time." She'd started out strong, but her voice was shaky by the end.
Many silent moments later, Will quietly stood and moved slowly towards her. She watched his movements in the mirror, her eyes dropping when he lowered himself to kneel down beside her. His eyes never left hers as he spoke, "I'm a Starfleet officer," he clarified un-necessarily. "but I'm a good Starfleet officer. I'm not going to die tomorrow, or the day after, or for a very long time, if I have my way,"
He lifted a hand and tenderly fingered a solitary damp curl that sat upon her shoulder, "especially," he continue huskily, "if I've got something to live for."
At last Deanna's eyes left the mirror and found his. Swallowing, she whispered, "I've never been in love before. I hate it." the emotional confession brought moisture to her eyes.
Will smiled tenderly, instantly understanding, "I've got news for you. I hate being in love too, Deanna. But we are."
She nodded, accepting the logic, and the situation, "Yes, we are." she sighed.
Will pushed himself to a stand, his fingers trailing down her arm until they reached her waiting fingers. Pulling her up with him, Deanna dropped the hairbrush onto the table and turned into his arms, soaking up the compassion he offered.
After a few moments. Will smiled above her head as he heard her take in a deep appreciative sniff of the cologne he wore. It was a favourite of his, and of every other female that had gotten close enough to wallow in its intoxicating aroma. He felt the palms of her hands flatten out against his back and begin to move,
Gently, he pulled his upper body away, inviting her to take the lead wherever she wanted to go. Her face left his chest and she looked up, her eyes silently asking him to kiss her. Before the plea had even finished, his lips were settling against hers, and barely a second later, their tongues danced to the tune that only lovers ever got to hear, unanimously sucking in a trembling breath and a tortured moan with the kiss's intensity.
Will's heartbeat began to pound, the ardour deep inside him began to swell like a rolling wave about to turn over and wash him away. God, he wanted this woman, more than he'd ever wanted a woman in his entire life, and he still couldn't quite believe that he actually had her, in his arms, and in his heart.
Deanna felt Will's mind, and soul shift. A few seconds ago, he simply wanted to make love to her. Now, now he wanted more than just her. More than just her body, her words, her touch. He wanted the rest that normal people couldn't see, or have, or desire, and now need.
The realization, for some unknown reason shocked her. Until that moment, truly that moment, their virginal Imzadi bond had seemed surreal. Enchanted. But feeling Will's honest, raw need from deep, deep inside of him, finally and cataclysmically, told her that the man in her arms was, without a shadow of a doubt, the one, inescapably chosen to be her Imzadi.
Will was breathing heavily when he reluctantly separated his lips from hers, his eyes, inflamed with passion dropping to her glistening mouth and then lower, his hands leaving her waist to rise to the knot that held her towel tight against her body, the only barrier that separated his skin from hers.
Wordlessly, Will's darkened blue eyes met and held Deanna's, his voice, husky with passion asked, "Can I?"
The hesitation was no longer than a breath before she answered him by moving her own two hands to the knot and pulled at it, freeing breasts that were already reaching to touch him. And then, amongst the haze of desire, Deanna heard a silent whisper, Don't, Little One.
Will's face turned to bewilderment as he watched Deanna suddenly and seemingly change her mind and begin to re-knot the towel, depriving him of the minuscule glimpse of what lay beneath, "Deanna?" he questioned, hoarsely.
Unsteadily, Deanna stepped back and out of Will's arms, her cheeks tinging pink with embarrassment, "I'm sorry. This is not the time, or the place, you've got to leave."
Mystified and bemused,Will wasn't quite sure what to do. He didn't want to leave, he knew that without any doubt, but he didn't want to stay and cause her harm in any way. But he felt he had a right to ask about her sudden change of heart, "Can I ask why, Deanna? Did I do something out of turn, or...?"
She cut him off, "No, no. It isn't you. It's me," taking another reluctant step back she reiterated, "I think you'd better go, before..."
Will caught the nervous glance towards the door and instantly found the answer he sought. Her mother. Warily, Will reached out his hand and touched her arm. She reacted as though he'd burnt her, and Will pulled away with shock. "Before what, Deanna?" Perversely he knew, but he wanted to hear her say it. "Is your mother on her way up here?"
Deanna cringed with embarrassment at Will's quick insight to the problem, "No, worse," she said, almost whispering, "She's listening."
Will blinked with surprise, momentarily stunned into silence, and then his eyebrows rose and his eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "She's listening! - to us making out!? Isn't that kind of sick?" he protested weakly, too shocked to even imagine the great Lwaxana Troi being a voyeur.
And then he had a sudden thought, "Isn't that illegal?" he asked, a spark of anger igniting deep inside himself.
Deanna swallowed, "She's only thinking of me, Will. She doesn't want to see me hurt. Don't be cross." she ended lamely.
"I'm not cross, Deanna. I'm disappointed, and a tad disgruntled at being labelled a bad guy, especially when I haven't done anything wrong except fall in love with you, and last I heard, that, wasn't a crime." he said, moving back towards her again, unable to keep the distance between them, needing her closeness to prepare him for the moment that he was going to be wrenched away from her, not only physically, but mentally too.
And he wasn't going without a fight.
Before she could back away, Will pulled her into his arms, a little more roughly than he'd intended, blaming it on the still simmering flicker of fire that surged through his veins at being thwarted. Deanna didn't even struggle. She couldn't, and she didn't want to. If defying her mother to put another memory in her own and Will's heart was the only way, then so be it, and when Will's tongue swept into her mouth, she gladly met him halfway, snaking her arms up and around his neck, holding on for dear life. Holding onto him.
But it was Will who eventually ended the kiss, his eyes ablaze with fire and need. "I love you, God dammit." he growled, planting another quick, final kiss upon her lips before ripping himself away from her embrace.
He made himself back towards the window in which he arrived and putting one foot the other side of the frame, he suddenly stopped and with a devilish smile upon his face, he spoke to thin air, "G'night, Mrs Troi." before dropping out of sight, winking at her just before he disappeared.
Deanna chuckled as she felt her mother's indignant Hrumph! echo through her senses, watching as Will vanished into the night, glad that he visited. Glad that they'd gotten another chance before time and circumstances - and her mother - intervened again.
Taking a deep breath and tightening the knot at her breasts a little tighter, Deanna turned towards the door, ready for the showdown with the woman on the other side of it.
"MOTHER!"
Chapter fourteen
Will's footsteps echoed as he ambled along the streets heading back towards the officers quarters, his long form, creating even longer shadows in the moonlight. It was barely midnight - had he really been over an hour in Deanna's room? he wondered, still mystified over the visit's culmination.
Will chuckled wryly to himself, his imagination running riot as he pictured Deanna's mother with her ear against the door, listening in to their conversation. I wonder how much she heard? he wondered. Hell, another five minutes and she would have heard a lot more, he bragged to himself, his walk turning cocky as he kicked a small pebble along the ground, watching it skeeter away, the movement somehow reminding him of Deanna, making his smile wider still. Always running.
He didn't see or hear the body skulking in the shadows, realizing that if it had've been an assailant, he'd be dead by now, a fact he mentally chastised himself for. When he did hear who it was, he breathed a grateful sigh of relief.
"Penny for them?" A high pitched, seductive voice broke the night's quiet. Will recognized the sultry tone as soon as she spoke.
He chuckled again, blushing lightly as he thought about just what he'd been thinking about, knowing that Wendy would not want to hear about the gut-punch of a kiss that he'd recently shared with Deanna. "I'd want a lot more than a penny for them, Wendy. What are you doing out here this time of night? You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone. You never know who you'll bump into."
Wendy Roper stepped out of the shadows, her soft laughter suddenly becoming loud in the night's calm, her shoes tip-tapping, piercing the darkness, intruding on it's tranquillity. "I bumped into who I exactly wanted to. You're a hard man to track down, Lieutenant."
Flattered, Will didn't immediately discard her as quickly as he should have, especially when his mind was still over-stuffed with images and thoughts of Deanna. Wendy, who now brazenly stood before him, half shadowed in the moonlight, making her look even sexier than when she had prowled around him at the Troi get-together, waiting patiently for his mind to switch gears.
She's nothing more than a friend, he told himself, as he smiled down at the woman who moved within touchable distance, need oozing from her every pore. "What could you possibly want from me that you couldn't get from a score of other Starfleet officers that are unattached and available?"
She chuckled seductively, the sound vaulting down to Will's reluctant loins, the laugh reminding him of another certain Betazoid's that he'd just left. "Last I heard, Lieutenant, you were unattached and more than available. In fact, going by our last little...meeting, I got the distinct impression that I could perhaps change that situation for you."
Boldly she stepped nearer and traced a finger tip across Will's pectorals, skimming the tiny buds that stood to attention with not only the night's chill but the sexual acknowledgement to being touched, wanted, and uncannily like being trapped in a transporter beam, Deanna's presence in his head shimmered away too.
The first touch of her lips on his though was like having a bucket of icy cold water pouring over his head. Her lips were cold, probably from the midnight coolness, but he still managed to compare Wendy's with Deanna's warm, welcoming touch. And he startlingly realized, the connection was missing to.
Until that moment, he hadn't appreciated just what being bonded really meant. But as Wendy tried to deepen the kiss by sweeping her tongue across his lips, seeking access, nudging the tip against his closed teeth, Will felt totally devoid of feeling. Not just sexual feeling, but spiritual. It was wrong. It felt wrong. It felt empty, like he was kissing a vast void in space; dark and unwanted. Like nobody was on the other side. Like something was missing. Or someone. Deanna.
What am I doing!? he asked himself, horrified at the rapidness of stepping into anothers arms when it was possibly the furthest thing from his intentions. I love Deanna! Reluctance gone, his sensibility returned with a force that guiltily gnawed at his soul. Will firmly disentangled himself from Wendy's clinging lips and arms and stepped back out of reach.
Opening his mouth to apologise for leading Wendy on, he stopped when he saw the smile on her face. It wasn't a nice smile. In fact, if she had been a cat, Will would have thought that she'd definitely had a good lick at a huge dollop of cream.
"So I was right," she crowed, her voice tinged with malice,"little, Miss Snob hasn't got what it takes to keep a man interested," boldly stepping towards Will again, that long fingernail preparing to torture him again, stopping short when Will reached up and held the hand just short of its goal, the pressure in his fingers harder than he intended.
"Interested!?" he repeated with surprise and venom, "Deanna Troi, is the hottest woman I have ever met, and she has absolutely no problem in keeping me interested. In fact..." his fury building within him at not only his own lapse at remembering how much the woman in question meant to him, but how Wendy could even say such a ridiculous thing. Will had heard the gossip, and he admitted to himself, that had been some of the reason for getting to know Deanna better, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be in the position he was in now; Captivated.
Totally and absolutely captivated by Deanna Troi. His Imzadi. He twirled the new word around in his mind, liking how it made him feel warm. Calm. Desired. Loved.
"In fact," he stormed on, but now with a catch in his voice that defused some of the venom leaving him wide open to ridicule. But he didn't care anymore. He knew he was wearing his heart on his sleeve for the whole damn world to see, and he didn't give a fig. "I wish she was standing in front of me instead of you because I miss her, and I only left her ten minutes ago. Doesn't that tell you something, Wendy?
"Yeah," she said, completely taken aback at his defence, and passion for someone who had markedly gotten under his skin, and pissed that the apparently not-so-cold Betazoid had snagged the only man on the entire planet worth snagging. "it tells me that you're no better than the rest of the horny Starfleet bastards here, and she's welcome to you. Goodbye." She spat.
Spinning on her teetering heels, Will watched Wendy stride away from him, her head held as high as it could go, but even so, she still couldn't stem the seductive sway of her hips as she walked, quickly releasing Will'a anger and making him chuckle. She must have heard it because somehow, she managed to get another inch higher, indignancy and pride oozing from every pore.
Will stayed in the same spot for several long moments relaying the past few minutes over in his mind, wondering if he should feel guilty or not. I didn't kiss her back. I swear, I didn't, he reasoned to himself. She came on to me,
LIAR!
Where the hell did that come from!? he wondered to himself, trying to put the word back into the jumbled jigsaw within his mind, seeing where it fit. It didn't. He was beginning to think he was going mad. Either that or someone, somewhere was butting in again and instantly, a vision filled his head. A very unwelcome vision. "Lwaxana Troi." he muttered angrily. Great, just flippin' great!
Chapter fifteen
Exactly noon, Will found himself back on the Troi mansion's doorstep again. Knocking louder than what was necessary, Will took a pace back and unconsciously straightened his uniform, sweeping his hand through his hair too, ignoring the tremble in his hand. He initially put it down to his excitement at seeing Deanna again, but as soon as her mother opened the door, he realized the tremble was fear, of her. Puffing up his chest in a show of bravado, he spoke. "I'd like to see Deanna please, Mrs. Troi?"
"I'm sure you would, Mr. Riker, but I am not going to allow it." Lwaxana Troi told him in no uncertain terms, her voice firm and unyielding, "I won't tell her you called. Goodbye."
Reeling from her words, Will didn't immediately react to the door being shut in his face until it was almost closed, and with the speed of a bullet, Will put one of his rather large, black, shiny booted feet in its way. "Have I done something to offend you, Mrs. Troi. I thought we were..."
He hesitated on the word he wanted to say; friend. It didn't seem to be quite the right one anymore. She was obviously upset about something and he swallowed when he saw the look upon her now sour face. "Friends, Mr. Riker? Is that what you were going to say? I thought, 'friends' didn't kiss each other in quite the same manner that you and that Roper creature did last night. I'm sure my daughter won't see it in quite that way."
Caught. Trapped. Presumed guilty without a trial. Will swore beneath his breath, never taking his eyes away from the formidable woman that stood taller than him, courtesy of the door's elevated rise from the lower step that he still stood ramrod still on, the foot that had previously wedged the heavy wooden door now firmly back beside its mate. Frozen.
And then he replayed the bitter words that had fell from her mouth; I'm sure my daughter won't see it in quite that way...
Won't see it...
She hadn't told her!
"No, I haven't told her...yet." she confirmed, "but I intend to, Mr. Riker, as soon as I'm confident that she will believe me," she stated. "At the moment, her head is not being ruled by common sense, but it will, because you, Mr. Riker, will hurt her..."
Will opened his mouth to defend himself, but she cut him off before he got a word out, "You will hurt her, Lieutenant, and it has nothing to do with your...dalliances with other ladies." she said, disgust lacing her words.
"Because I'm leaving." Will realized, feeling even more miserable about that than about his other minor transgression.
"Because you're leaving." She agreed. And after a long moment of tormented inner struggle, watching the truth drain from the young Starfleet lieutenant, the fight suddenly left her, and moving away from the door, Lwaxana Troi's arm made a dramatic sweep, inviting him to step in. He did so, warily, glancing behind the door to see if the giant housekeeper, Homn was lurking there, ready to pounce.
"No, he isn't there, Mr. Riker. He's fixing lunch." she said, reading his mind, and his actions.
Will slowly closed the door behind him and stood barely a few feet away from it, uncertainty oozing from his very essence, but amongst that uncertainty, Will felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe she wasn't such an old gargoyle after all....
Stopping in mid stride, the matriarch turned back towards him, her mouth and eyebrows risen in amusement., her voice holding a hint of laughter as she spoke,, "Trust me, Lieutenant, I can be."
Will inwardly groaned. Being around one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet was getting to be a right, royal pain in the proverbial a... He cut the thought short when he caught her glancing over her shoulder at him again as he followed her through to the impressive drawing room, missing the smirk as she turned back away from him.
Indicating to him that he should be seated, he wisely waited until she had done so, his manners at last making an appearance. Hoisting his pant legs up as he stretched his long limbs down onto the fancy seating, Will perched nervously on its edge, lacing his fingers to hide the feint tremor, waiting for...what? He didn't have to wait for long.
"I'd like to know why you're hurting my daughter." she asked.
Will was confused, "But...I thought..."
"No, no," she exclaimed, batting away his confusion with her hand, cross that he'd misunderstood her, "That was before. Now I want to know why you needed to find solace in another woman's arms, and don't tell me it wasn't your fault, Mr. Riker. I know perfectly well what went on last night, and you were not totally innocent of the encounter."
Will had absolutely no intention of telling her one, solitary thing about his little mishap with Wendy Roper. Okay, so maybe he wasn't quite as innocent as he proclaimed, but he sure as hell wasn't exactly rolling in the hay with her, and, he added, he did back away as soon as his head caught up with his libido and reminded him about another woman who was at home, keeping his place warm for him.
But then his guilt and excuses skittered away to be replaced by other feelings, emotions, and finding Lwaxana's eyes, he held them fast with his own and as honestly as he could, he said, "I forgot," his broad shoulders lifting a fraction, aiding his response.
It was said so simply, Lwaxana's last ounce of mistrust and doubt slipped away. She hadn't expected him to say what he had. What she'd known of Terran males in the past, including her treasured husband, was that when it came to matters of sex, honesty was about the furthest thing from their minds.
But William Riker was different. Every time she encountered the man, or heard something about him, he never failed to surprise her, and sometimes he even delighted her with his own brand of uniqueness. It was easy to see why her daughter had fallen head over heels in love with him, and if she'd have been twenty years younger....
Dragging herself back to the present and away from her fanciful, and evocative daydreams, Lwaxana quickly decided that she wanted to make William squirm for a little longer before putting him out of his misery.
"You forgot. My daughter?" Lwaxana packed her voice with a touch of venom, using her expressive eyes to carry the insult across. "Would you like to expand on the word, 'forgot', Mr. Riker?"
Will blinked rapidly as he accessed his befuddled brain, searching for the explanation that would get him out of the hole that was getting deeper and deeper by the minute. He swallowed, "Perhaps forgot was the wrong word, Mrs. Troi." he said carefully.
"No it wasn't. The word was exactly the one you meant to say, and I'd like you to explain to me how a man that barely two days ago, not only took my daughters innocence, but was privileged to become her Imzadi too, could possibly, 'forget' her."
"I didn't forget Deanna!" he jumped in, his whole posture coming alert as he realized that her mother had got entirely the wrong end of the stick. Gamely he ploughed on, "I love your daughter, Mrs. Troi. Forgetting her is something that will never happen, I can promise you that." he said sincerely.
"Then just 'what' did you forget?" she asked exasperated.
Will sighed heavily, moving his eyes away from her intent gaze as he tried to make her understand the importance of his confession. "I forget about the Imzadi," he said, turning his face back to her, pleading for belief.
Now it was Lwaxana's turn to blink. "You thought you could behave inappropriately with another woman and get away with it, but you got caught out because the bond squeezed in between and reminded you that you'd given your soul to my daughter? Is that it, Lieutenant. Is that the pathetic excuse you're going to use to placate me?" she asked, astounded.
Will inwardly cringed at her scrutiny, and her accusation. She was right, he couldn't argue against that, and when she voiced it out aloud, the whole episode became sordid. What in hell's name had he done?
Deanna meant more to him than that. In the space of a few scant days, Deanna had become everything that made life worth living, and he'd thrown it all away because he hadn't had the will power to say no. The realization made the bile rise to his throat and he pushed himself to a stand and prepared to leave, unable to stare his failure in the face any longer.
Looking down at Deanna's mother, sadness and regret etching his handsome features, he uttered the only two words that came to mind. The only two words that he could offer with any degree of sincerity.
"Forgive me, please?"
Will visibly watched the anger fade from Lwaxana's face, his eyes rising as she too came to a stand before him. He was surprised when she gently reached out and touched his arm, a sad smile forming upon her face. "Forgive yourself, Will. Consider what happened a lesson. You weren't to know about the powers held within an Imzadi bond. But I'm sure you do now, don't you?" she asked kindly.
Understanding, Will nodded slowly. "Yes," and then brightening a little he added with a smile, "Besides, how could I possibly want more than what Deanna has given me."
It wasn't a question and Lwaxana saw it as such, but still, she answered it as though it were. "All I ask is that you remember that, Will."
Will felt the ton weight lift from his shoulders as he stood smiling at the woman before him. Taking a deep cleansing breath he figured he'd got nothing left to lose as he opened his mouth to ask her the obvious. But he soon closed it again when she beat him to it.
"No, Mr. Riker, you may not see Deanna today," She stated firmly as she took his arm and lead him through the house towards the door, "You can go back to your quarters and spend some time thinking about our conversation. And then, you can think about what you've got to offer my daughter. And then," she carried on relentlessly, Will's head spinning with the barrage of assignments she was enforcing upon him, "I want you to think about what's going to happen when you get reassigned and leave my planet."
By then they had reached the outer door and once more Will stood on the threshold, still held captive by the matriarch's domineering voice. Moving to close the door, she finally added, "And then, I want you to think about Deanna. Goodbye, Mr. Riker."
The door closed with a solid, 'thunk' and Will didn't move from his familiar spot, thinking about her parting words.
Think about Deanna...
Of course Will knew exactly what she had meant. He was going to leave Betazed sooner or later and when he did, Deanna was going to be broken hearted. In fairness, so was he. But in maybe a month or so's time, they would be closer still - maybe even inseparable by then, but Will was aware that no matter how much he cared about Deanna, when the time came, he would leave.
But, if he broke things off now, despite their Imzadi bond, technically the pain would be less. But even as Will turned away from the closed door, his heart began to ache with the prospect of never seeing his one, true love - his Imzadi, ever again.
What in hell's name am I going to do?! he wondered sadly, the prospect of never seeing Deanna's beautiful face again, never to touch her, kiss her, talk to her, or make love to her ever again was completely unbearable.
Yup, Will really was going to think about Deanna, but he knew he wasn't going to like the end result.