HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
by Carol Sandford
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Chapter 1

~~~~~~~

Will reclined into his sun lounger letting the heat of the sun radiate throughout his tired, battle-worn body. As his head touched the cushion he sighed with a fatigue that only the crew of the Enterprise D would understand. Tired beyond belief, his eyes drifted shut, but barely seconds later, they flew open again when the image that plagued him constantly, reared it's ugly head.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Receiving orders from Starfleet command, the Enterprise D and its crew altered course from its original destination and headed for the much feared, Breen space. Days before, the Science vessel, Caprica had been sent to charter the still unknown, Black Cluster and had been attacked as they approached on the outskirts of Breen's space, creating an explosion in it's engine rooms, leaving the small craft severely crippled and only able to drift aimlessly. Unable to steer it clear of Breen's territory, the small crew of 45 had abandoned ship.

Starfleet had called on the Enterprise to retrieve the disabled ship, using it's tractor beams then tow it to Starbase 9, picking up the stranded crew along the way.

**//**

Captain Jean-Luc Picard stared ahead, his voice as low as a whisper, "Take it slowly, Mr. Data. I don't want to give the Breen any cause for alarm. We all know that they don't need much of an excuse to attack."

Will watched the screen worriedly, looking for anything that might indicate a cloaked ship. "Is there really no other way around this god-fore-saken hell-hole, sir?" he asked, tension forcing his voice an octave lower.

The Captain glanced at his second in command answering him with equal strain. "No, Number One, there isn't, it would add days on to our time. We are scheduled to reach Starbase 9 two days from now, but unfortunately it's on the other side of Breen's space. They'll blow us out the sky if we even step, one foot as it were, in it. All we can hope for is that they won't think that another ship would approach this area so soon after the last and let their guard down just long enough for us to sneak in and then sneak out again."

The bridge crew became silent again as they continued staring at the giant view screen and after several minutes the Captain barely whispered to the counselor, "Deanna, can you sense anything out there?"

Concentrating hard, she shook her head, whispering back, "No, sir, nothing. I cannot sense the Breen's thoughts, but I feel...apprehension, sir, in here, and out there. It's very eerie."

Picard nodded, letting go the breath that he had been unconsciously holding. Relaxing a little, he settled back in his chair.

But barely a moment later, Data's almost panicked voice suddenly broke the uncomfortable silence, "Two ship's uncloaking, sir, 100 kilometres straight ahead. They are preparing to fire torpedoes."

Picard jumped to his feet, the terror in his voice audible as he barked, "Red Alert! Evasive manoeuvre's, Data, Get us out of here, warp speed, NOW!" "Christ!" he cried with anguish, "they're not even bothering to find out why we're here."

But before they could move, a torpedo hit them with full impact, rocking the giant ship violently to one side, throwing every occupant and loose object across the floor. Quickly righting himself, Data's steady and unemotional voice broke through the chaos. "They have disabled us, Captain, and they are preparing to fire again."

Picard had no choice but to throw back what the Breen were firing at them, "Mr. Worf, return fire!"

But before the photon torpedoes could leave their bays, two more of the Breen's missiles hit the Enterprise with such force, an explosion was heard throughout the ship, once more throwing the crew to the floor, the gravitation force causing them all to be catapulted to the rear of the bridge.

Getting unsteadily to his knees, Picard asked with an apprehensive dread, "Report, Data."

"Sir, the Breen have blown a hole approximately 50 feet in diameter, on decks 32 and 33. I have activated the gravitational field to secure the area, sir."

Picard turned to Worf, his eyes steeled with anger and hatred for the barbaric race that had just blown god knows how many of his staff into oblivion. "Locate and fire, Mr. Worf, maximum volley."

Checking his consul, the mighty Klingon looked back to his superior officer. "They have left the area, Si..."

Worf's eyes caught a movement on the view screen, shock reflecting on his usually unreadable harsh features. The other members of the bridge crew turned their attention back to the view screen to see what had halted Worf's words. Outside the massive screen, debris was scattered as far as the eye could see, slowly rotating as it went on its journey.

It was then they spotted a body, floating, getting further and further away, lifeless. Deanna gasped with horror, instantly recognizing the poor souls features before it turned away. "It's Ensign Healey."

All eyes turned to each other before turning new eyes to the floating particles, seeing what they'd missed before. Unmistakable shapes, life-forms, crew members, sucked out from their rooms to their instant deaths.

Mesmerized, Picard asked sadly as he watched the slowly swirling bodies float by, "How many, Data?"

Data's voice dropped low, his horror as apparent as his comrades. "The computer has acknowledged that are 26 members of the crew missing, sir."

He became silent again as his amber eyes focused on another body floating barely 20 feet from the view screen, completely oblivious of Deanna's screams, as a child of about two years old and disfigured beyond recognition, drifted into view.

Chapter two

~~~~~~~~~

Managing to get all but two of the bodies back on board for a proper burial, including the child, along with her parents, the Enterprise limped back to Star base for major repairs.

The entire crew suffering from shock, had been given R & R whilst the repairs were being carried out to the ship. Deanna had headed to Betazed, needing the comfort of home - and her mother. She had begged Will to go with her but he had already decided to go to somewhere less...quieter.

Will had realised that it was the ideal opportunity to resume the romance with Deanna, but he wasn't ready. He never seemed to be ready. He often wondered if he would ever be. But after what had just happened to them all, Will felt he had to delay their reunion even longer.

The Captain and Beverly had gone home to Earth. Picard had been as deeply traumatised by what had happened to his lost crew as the rest of the occupants of the bridge at the time of the tragedy. Beverly had desperately wanted to be there for him and he had gladly agreed, recognizing the need for understanding companionship. So they had headed for the only place Picard knew they would get some peace of mind. France, back to the vineyards and back to his roots.

Will had headed for Risa. The need to be around happy people and a sunny climate, along with beautiful women, had suddenly become paramount to his well-being.

The urge to be around a race that oozed security and a lack of inhibitions, and the, 'not a care in the world' sort of attitude became of the utmost importance to Will as he tried to justify his choice of vacation to his closest friend. Deanna had been dismayed at his destination and then had become angry and jealous when she had envisaged the scantily clad women draped over him at every opportunity that arose, and she made a huge misjudgement about Will when she told him so.

"How could you, Will Riker? How could you think about your own selfish needs and desires after what has happened to the crew? How could you lay there, being seduced by one, or more of those women when we've just watched whole families, children, members of our ship, die!?"

Will stared silently at her in the dazed stupor that had become almost normal for him and the crew. Deanna hadn't even tried to understand and for the first time in his life, Will realised he didn't even care what she thought of him, which frightened Will even more. Deanna Troi was the only woman in the whole universe that did matter to him. But not right now, and he hoped to god that the planet below could bring him back to the land of the living and eventually back to her.

Deanna felt his misery and for the first time since she'd known him, she sensed that Will didn't care. His body and mind almost pulsated with his own personal distress and she knew, this time, she wasn't going to be the one to help him through it. But what she didn't know was that it was she who was giving Will the worst of his nightmares. It was Will's own dreams that scared him. It was hat scream, that look in her eyes, and the image of her floating out there, in space.

Chapter three

~~~~~~~~~~~

Several of the planet's beauties had approached Will more-or-less from the moment that he had arrived on the surface, but backed off when he sadly shook his head at them, along with an apologetic smile. The planet's magic hadn't even started to heal his mental wounds yet. But he was content enough to watch the other guests enjoying all the pleasures that Risa had to offer, knowing that eventually he would be ready for some of those pleasures himself.

And as predicted, after a few days, Will begun to watch the girls in earnest, mainly to see how long it was before they left with a visitor like himself for more, private surroundings. Most of the guests at his resort were men, and all were of a similar age to him, and they were all looking for the same thing as he; To forget.

The resident girls there outnumbered the men three to one. Plenty to go around. And if Will had been in a different frame of mind, he would have barely left his room as the girls would have been queuing up for him. But for now, he was just content to watch.

Three days later, Will came out from his room late into the afternoon. He had taken to napping frequently as it had become the only way he had managed to get any sleep at all. Medication had made the situation worse, for once they had knocked him out and the dreams came along, he wasn't able to wake himself to break free of their torment. At least without the medication he could wake himself up.

Deanna's screams still made sure his nights remained as an ongoing nightmare and he had all but given up on even going to bed. He usually found himself in the resorts casino's, content for a while to just watch rather than play. His expertise as a poker player seemed to be a lifetime away and he could not bring himself to have a go, no matter how much the other players nagged at him. His mind and heart just was not in it. But he was confident that he would play eventually, when the time was right.

Later that night, Will had been watching a poker game and had noticed a new guest arrive at the table. He had seen her a couple of times soaking up the sun by the swimming pool but she'd had that same, 'leave me alone' aura that had surrounded him. Large sunglasses and even larger floppy hat gave her the privacy that she had obviously craved.

Intrigued, Will watched her play. He had sat at a position that offered him a full view of her hand and was quietly impressed at her composure as she played, more so because she almost had the art of bluffing perfect. Will had been playing long enough in his lifetime to know women were very easy to read, and he could tell when one was bluffing a mile off. This lady was very gifted.

Will had caught her quick glance a couple of times and she had thrown him a small smile once or twice back, but it wasn't until she laughed that Will really stopped and took stock of just how pretty she really was. Her hair was long, very long. It swung just past the top of the stool that she was perched on and she could have quite comfortably sat on it, if she chose. But it was the colour that Will marvelled at. It was a deep, rich chestnut, the colour reminding him of when he was a kid collecting conkers, opening the prickly shell to find the beautiful red nut inside.

Her mouth was tiny, made smaller by the shape of her lips. Perfect cupid bows. And when she laughed, he had spotted brilliant pearly white teeth. But it was her eyes that made his heart race. He had never seen a colour like it. His only comparison was two bright, translucent emerald chips, and it was those that gave away her alien heritage. No-one on planet Earth would have ever had that colour eyes.

Will began to wonder where she came from and he tried his hardest to catch her accent, but when he did, he almost fell off his chair. It was definitely Betazoid, but much higher pitched than Deanna's low seductive tone and now his intrigue was totally piqued.

Will felt a rush of adrenalin course throughout his body. The dormant feelings and emotions that had been shoved as deep as he could possibly push them had finally found a reason to re-emerge. Now he felt an urgency to know this mysterious woman.

She had known all along that she was being watched. But in the last few moments her mind had been assaulted with the tall, bearded mans excitement. She had felt his shock when she had spoken. He had obviously recognised her accent and now she was curious, but only to know who he knew on her home planet. He was, without a doubt, Federation, and she found herself beginning to wonder about him. Was he a captain? she wondered to herself, and more importantly, would he be able to get her home?

Will saw and felt her sigh and he knew then that she was aware of him, but he wasn't sure if she'd sighed because she thought he was going to try and hit on her or whether something else was bothering her. He continued to watch her play but her heart wasn't in the game anymore. She finished her hand, made her apologies and stood to leave.

Will's eyes followed her every move and when she stood to her full height and turned towards him, their eyes met and locked. For several moments they simply stared at each other. Neither blinked and neither spoke. Intent on speaking to her, Will found himself slowly coming to a stand, but as another guest passed through the gap between them, the spell broke. Carleena quickly took advantage of the moment, turned and hastily walked away, and she didn't look back.

Will watched her go and he was torn between the desire to run after her or to call her, but he became frantic when he realised he didn't even know her name, and before he had even realised he'd done it, Will called out to her with his thoughts, *Please, don't go!*

Carleena halted her steps when she heard him call her. His plaintive cry of 'please don't go' filtered through enough to know that he'd sent to her, despite her limited empathic abilities. She swung her head around so quickly to face him that her hair fanned out like a cape, eventually coming to rest over her shoulder and draping itself down her front.

Will watched it with fascination and longed for the day when he could see that same hair contrasted against her naked creamy skin. They stood and stared at each other once more and the air sizzled with an invisible current between them, and then he heard her hesitant silent reply,

*Tomorrow. Meet me tomorrow.*

And then she was gone. Will's heart-beat returned to it's normal pace and for the first time in, he didn't know how long, he began to see a glimmer of hope for himself.

Chapter 4

~~~~~~~

Will placed himself in the best vantage point at the swimming pool's edge early the following morning so he could not miss her. He had an air of expectancy about him, but by the time 4.00 p.m. came and went, that expectancy had turned to a deep disappointment.

He found himself beginning to pace around the pool area, and then slowly he ambled around the complex, oblivious to the beauty of the flora and fauna that had made the planet become so well known in the universe as the next best thing to heaven. Better than heaven. Here there were women.

By 6.00p.m. Will was back in his own room and quietly sulking. It wasn't part of Will's nature to be dumped. His reputation as a ladies man followed him where ever he went. But his real pride was of all the women he had loved and lost, none had hated him afterwards. His ability to be, 'the perfect gentleman' came as part of the Will Riker seduction stratagem, and he had NEVER been stood up, ever. Until now.

Will didn't bother going out to the bar or the casino that night, his heart just wasn't in it as he slowly came to realise that the beautiful and mysterious woman had probably no intentions of meeting him, and so by 10.00p.m. he found himself tucked up in bed, laying back with his hands behind his head, contemplating his next few lonely hours, and the thought that maybe, one day soon, his loneliness would be cured by the intriguing and elusive redhead. He fought with himself not to fall asleep knowing that within ten minutes or so his nightmares would start.

Will had managed to find some soothing jazz to listen to, and had even managed to hum along to the tunes in a vain effort to forget the face that swam before his eyes. He didn't know he had drifted off to sleep until the scream came. As usual, he found himself flying up into a sitting position, his body already soaked with perspiration. Panting hard and distraught, Will lay his face in his hands as he tried to erase the dream and settle his ragged breathing with the calming techniques that Beverly had taught him.

But tonight it was particularly bad and he struggled to shake off the terrors that shook his whole body. After a few painful moments, both mentally and physically, Will started when he felt a soft hand upon his shoulder. It wasn't a restrictive touch and if he'd been on board the Enterprise Will would have known who it was and for a long moment he thought and wished that it was her. She had come to him. He had called and she had come.

"Deanna?" He whispered hoarsely, lifting his face to hers, drawing a sharp breath when he looked into sympathetic green eyes rather than ebony ones. "You!" He gasped.

He felt her gentle tug as she tried to get him to lay back down, the emerald eyes never leaving his. Will felt nothing but a quiet concern from her as he allowed himself to be hesitantly be pushed back. Her hand moved to his forehead and she continued the soothing stroke to his damp skin. Nothing was said with words but he heard her tender thoughts, *Shhhhhh...go back to sleep. I'm not leaving you.*

Will watched her until he felt his eyelids grow heavy, and before he knew it, he had woken to a sunlight that almost blinded him. He groaned as he turned away from the glare, cursing profoundly at not closing the drapes. Up until now he hadn't had the need as he had been awake long before dawn broke, if indeed, he had slept at all.

He swung his legs around, effectively turning his back to the window. As he sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fell to the slight indentation on the spare pillow and his memory came back to him in a rush. the green eyed goddess had stayed with him throughout the night and then had sneaked off like a thief before he'd woken and he hadn't even been given the chance to thank her.

Quickly Will showered and dressed with the sole intention of getting out there and finding his mystery woman. He hadn't felt this alive since, well, if he was truly honest with himself, since he chased an equally young Deanna Troi on Betazed when he himself had been a young upstart of a Lieutenant in his late teens.

Somehow, Will had felt the same connection with this woman as he'd had with Deanna and he knew it was solely because she was a Betazoid. Because of Deanna, Will now felt spiritually connected with the race and even if a relationship didn't evolve with the red-head he wanted her as a friend. Anyone who could keep him asleep for more than hour was a friend for life, as far as he was concerned, and he desperately wanted to tell her that.

Fruitless hours later Will made his way back to room even more disheartened than he'd been the previous night. He flicked the light switch as he passed through the door immediately illuminating the room in a soft, creamy glow and came to a shocked standstill when he saw his long sought after quarry sitting apprehensively on his couch.

Again Will had been lost for words until she spoke for him, "Hello."

Will swallowed nervously. There was something about this woman that reduced him to a blithering idiot and he visibly cringed when he stuttered out, with surprise, "Hello. I...I..How did you...?"

Carleena watched the giant man's discomfort and immediately felt contrite for her assumption that he would be pleased to see her and she tentatively and nervously patted the sofa for him to come and sit beside her. Moving slowly over to her side, his eyes never leaving her face, Will sat nervously on the couch edge and clasped his hands tight to hide their shaking while he waited for her explanation.

"I'm sorry," she said with an apologetic half smile, "I told them I was your wife. I know this is hard for you to understand, but I promise you, I only want to help. I know that you are deeply troubled, I can see it in your eyes, and I know you've realised that I'm partially Betazoid, so you also know that I can sense you're suffering."

She let him digest the information before carrying on, "I, too, am getting over a personal loss. I was very much like you when I first came here," she chuckled nervously, "Actually, I was worse. I hid in my room for three days before venturing out to see what this great place had to offer. I didn't want to come to Risa, but I was coerced into coming, and then I was unceremoniously dumped."

Will watched her intently as she spoke and once again he found himself thinking about how pretty she was. He wondered how long it would be before that mane of hair was spread across his pillow. He mentally kicked himself when he heard her soft laughter as he remembered belatedly that she had 'heard' everything he had just thought and it broke that final awkward barrier between them. "I'm sorry, that was unforgivably rude of me. I should have remembered my manners. I'm not usually so...open-minded."

Her laughter made him smile, but the laughter drifted away when she looked at him as he watched her with admiration and desire. He was an incredibly handsome man and his blue eyes lit up with merriment at the predicament he'd just put himself into. She also noticed that after his good nights sleep, he had lost some of the blackness from beneath those gorgeous eyes. The haunted look had dimmed some-what too.

Carleena knew this man needed her, and for the time being, she was happy enough to help him because she had no doubts that one day soon, he would be there to help her when she needed him.

Will's question brought her out of her reverie and she fixed her attention back on his grinning face, "So...do you have a name? I'm Will, by the way."

She returned his grin and stuck out her hand, "Hello, Will, my name is Carleena."

Chapter 5

~~~~~~~~

The couple become inseparable over the next few days. Over time Will learnt that she had lost her entire family; her mother and two sisters in an explosion at their home on Betazed. Understandingly deep depression had set in and she had drifted from one friend to another, getting steadily more and more depressed as time slipped by until eventually, after four months, her best friend had brought her to Risa, insisting that she needed to be among happy people that weren't telepathic, nor among her own kind who constantly reminded her of the nightmare whenever they saw her. Sometimes, when it was at its worst she almost felt like she was stuck in a movie theatre watching the horror unfold before her several times a day. Injured herself, Carleena had been in a coma for a week and mercifully hadn't personally witnessed any of it. But she had heard the entire story from other peoples recollections and images. They had been enough.

Even though she had Betazoid blood running through her veins, Carleena had confessed to Will that she was only half-Betazoid and so was only partially telepathic. Her father was unknown to her, but was definitely alien, hence the green eyes. Her mother had stalled for years about revealing his identity, and now, having lost her in the fire, Carleena had no hope what-so-ever of finding out who he was, or even if her only living relative was still alive.

And in turn, Will had recounted his own nightmares to her. About the horror of watching families drifting in space after the attack from the Breen, and he had also found himself telling her about other battles that had left scars so deep they would never be healed.

Will had found that talking to someone who didn't have a clue about the identities of who or what he was describing helped better than any member of Star fleet because Carleena was blessedly neutral and afterwards, they felt their spirits renewed as they both cleansed their souls to each other, neither leaving anything out, weeping in each others arms many times over when it got bad. Really bad.

They both understood that talking it through was an important part of their healing process and Carleena had urged Will, and he, her, to let it all go to the point of where they'd actually ended up screaming and shouting at each other. If anyone had been watching them they would have thought that they were an old married couple having a spat. But in truth, Will felt as comfortable with Carleena as he did with Deanna, and he had often wondered if this was what married life would be like with his true Imzadi.

Will had chosen not to mention his relationship with Deanna. He couldn't really put a finger on why he hadn't, but he felt an enormous sense of betrayal whenever he thought of her, and he didn't want Carleena to know they were Imzadi. They hadn't become intimate yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Once Will and Carleena had finally gotten over the worst of their individual demons they had become a twosome to rival Laurel and Hardy. They were totally in tune with each other, and most nights they would be seen in the bar, slightly worse for wear, in hysterics at one or the others jokes and stories. As much as Will loved Deanna, she did not share Will's sense of humour in the slightest, and he realised that he missed this side of the relationship enormously now that he had experienced it with Carleena. The laughter they shared in itself was a healing balm to his soul.

And then, one day before Will was rejoin his ship, things changed between the two bosom buddy's. They had become absolute best friends and Will did not want to leave her behind, and unknown to Will, Carleena had no intentions of being left behind.

Chapter six

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, when the merry twosome staggered arm in arm back to Will's room, they were still giggling like a pair of naughty school children. Carleena propped her back up against the door, and as usual, Will had put his palms flat on the door either side of her head, her hands gently resting comfortably upon his waist.

Eventually as the laughter died and they found themselves lovingly gazing into each other's eyes. Jollity changed into a smouldering ache as both recognised they needed more from the moment and both minds begged each others to make the first move.

Will made that first move by sliding his hand beneath her hair to caress the soft nape of her neck. The kiss that followed happened in slow motion as they tested, teased and tasted. The brooding desire that had steadily built over the past few days finally overflowed and took control. Kiss upon kiss became groan upon groan and escalated quickly into a frenzy.

Without breaking the kiss, Will reached down behind her to open the door. It swung open and they both stumbled in, landing in an undignified heap on the floor. But still they kissed.

Gone was the laughter and left was a need, one so desperate that nothing existed except them, the moment and the urgency. Will kicked back to slam shut the door with his foot, rolling Carleena underneath him as soon as he did so. Settling his long body over the full length of her, he propped himself up on his elbows and his hands began to gently stroke back the silky hair from her face. As he reached lower and lightly kissed her swollen lips, both became utterly lost in the expectant magic of what was about to happen between them.

Carleena's emerald eyes smouldered with hunger and Will was bewitched as he lost himself totally to her. Confidence soared through his veins as he whispered, pleaded gently, "It's been a long time since I've felt this way. Please, let me love you, Carleena."

Carleena could feel Will's heartbeat through the cumbersome barrier of their clothing. She looked into the blue crystal chips and saw the hunger there. Will heard her unspoken assent and his lips descended upon hers once again.

This time, more demanding, more forceful and more urgently, Carleena met his urgency with a guttural moan that made her gasp. Will captured the moan, seizing the opportunity to plunder her open mouth with his tongue.

Evidence of his hardness pressed against her pelvic bone and she found herself pressing back, her own rapidly building ache threatening to make her cry out. The ache won and she tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against her. "Help me, Will, I'm on fire."

The two become possessed. Will slipped his hand up under her dress to tug down her panties and her own hands frantically continued to pull at his shirt, this time sending the tiny buttons flying. The need to feel his bare body against hers became so great that Carleena cried out in frustration as she tried to negotiate his zipper on his pants, "Christ, Will, hurry!"

Will rapidly stood to his feet to shuck off the offending clothing, kicking away his boots and at long last, his shorts. He heard Carleena's gasp of wonderment as he stood before her in all his naked glory. Will felt himself swell with pride, and then even more so as he looked down to the woman laying prone before him.

Her dress was bunched around her waist and the chestnut thatch barely hiding her secret beckoned him. Slowly, Will lowered himself back down over her, pushing the dress up higher and over her head. Carleena was surprised when he didn't remove it, but instead held her arms captive within it's folds with one hand as he looked longingly and lovingly at her.

She felt a moment of panic as she realised he now had her totally at his mercy, but soon relaxed when his obvious intent was purely sensual. His other hand slid down to raise her leg allowing him to nestle between her thighs, letting her get comfortable with his large weight.

The world stopped and as they looked deeply into each others eyes, Will began to gently rock against her slowly as he gently eased himself into her. Neither broke eye contact, but Carleena's eyes gradually grew wider as Will filled her more and more, and when he was totally embedded and held fast by her slick, tight channel, only then did he allow himself a triumphant groan.

Once more Will began to ravage her mouth as he continued to love her, feeling her begin to tense as she perversely fought against the impending orgasm rising. But she couldn't hold it off for long and seconds later, Carleena arched herself off the floor as wave after wave of liquid-fire surged throughout her pulsating body and sent her to the stars.

Carleena felt like she was drowning in ecstasy. Never, never in her entire adult life had she ever felt like she did right then as they lost themselves in their own intimate embraces until they finally reached their long awaited and mutual climax. It was at that moment, so like other Betazoids, that Carleena knew he was, 'the one'. Will had managed to touch her heart, her soul, her spirit and more, and he was worthy of the only thing she could give him.

Opening up her mind to reach deeply into his, Carleena opened up her body and soul and silently whispered, *Only you my beloved, my Imzadi, only you.*

Will heard her endearment as he filled her with his seed, knowing that he had met her own gift along the way. As he buried his face in her sweet smelling hair and hopelessly tried to calm his ragged breath, Will also desperately tried to block out his betrayal to the beautiful woman beneath him.

Imzadi.

Will had heard her call out to him as he'd climaxed within her. Eventually and slowly he pushed himself up ono his hands to look down into her flushed face, deliberately blocking out the tidal wave of thoughts that tumbled through his mind. His stomach turned as he saw the love radiating from her eyes and she brought her hand up to gently wipe the trickle of perspiration away from his temple, moving her hand to cup his face to bring his face down for a feather-light kiss.

"I love you, Will." She whispered honestly, lovingly.

It was a long moment before Will could answer her and when he finally did, it was with equal honesty. "I..I love you too, Carleena." He replied slowly.

After a long contemplative silence, Carleena asked him quietly, "Will, did you hear me?"

Will closed his eyes and nodded his head, "I heard you." he replied.

Carleena quietly chuckled. Surprised, Will opened his eyes, bewilderment creating a frown as he asked in puzzlement, "What's so funny?"

Carleena traced her finger around his lips and then slowly stroked his beard as she answered him, "It's o.k. I don't expect you to understand. I...I just wanted you to know, that's all."

Will silently kissed her, cutting off any further communication and Carleena felt his withdrawal from her mentally, but it was soon forgotten as she marvelled at his renewed desire as it began to rise again. Words became forgotten as they got swept away once more.

This time as they'd reached their ultimate goal, it was Will who cried out hoarsely, "I love you, Carleena," His declaration turning to a hushed, revered, "I do love you."

It was the best that Will could give her but she'd been content with that, for now and eventually the spent couple managed to crawl to bed, both falling asleep instantly, enveloped within each others safe embrace.

Chapter 7

~~~~~~~

The twosome were still entangled around each other when dawn hit the skies, only waking when Will's communicator indicated an incoming call. Will reached over to tap the offending pin, drowsily moaning, "Riker here."

Data's brusque, almost chirpy voice came back. "Good morning, Commander. The Enterprise is within transporter range. May I inform Chief O'Brien to lock on to your co-ordinates, Sir?"

Will sat up abruptly, causing Carleena to slip from his grasp and he made a desperate grab for her before she fell off the edge of the bed. He bellowed, "NO! No, Mr. Data. I need one hour, o.k.?"

"Very well, Commander, one hour it is. Data out."

Carleena had turned herself around to a kneeling position so that she was facing him by the time he had finished his conversation. Her tousled long hair almost covered her naked body just as Will had imagined it so many times before. The time had come and neither knew what to say to each other, but eventually it was Will that spoke first, "I need you with me. Come with me to the Enterprise. This is too good to give up."

Carleena looked at him questioningly, "This...what?" she asked.

"What we have."

"What's that?"

"Something good."

"Something good in bed?"

"That too."

She watched him closely trying to weigh up the alternatives, but there were no alternatives to consider. Carleena had no difficulty is giving in. "O.k."

She wondered at Will's sudden apprehension and for the first time since they'd gotten together she began to question if there was someone else on board that he was close to. He hadn't mentioned anyone other than the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi. When he had first mentioned her name, something had pricked at the back of her mind, but only because the name had sounded familiar. Perhaps she was the Betazoid he knew, or maybe it was Beverly, or Guinan.

She started as Will went to get up to get dressed and her hand reached out to stop him. Gently, she asked, "Will, is there anything I should know before I go on board?"

She caught his guilty look as he weighed up how to explain to her, "I am... very close to someone. We had a relationship once, but we're just close friends now."

She eyed him speculatively, "Are you sure?"

He nodded, giving her a long stare as he tried to make her understand, "I'm sure."

Before she had a chance to say anymore, he turned away and started to prepare to leave. Carleena rose and told him she was going to pack up her own belongings and would be back within half an hour.

As soon as she'd left the room Will stopped what he was doing and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, his mind racing at what he was going to say to Deanna. He even toyed with calling her up to tell her before hand, but he balked at how it would sound. 'Hey Dee, guess what, I've fallen in love with someone and I'm bringing her on board. Do make her welcome, won't you, Imzadi?'

He cringed at his own attempt at humour at about the same time that he chickened out of that particular scenario. Maybe he could get Beverly to tell her. Yes, that's what he'd do, but as he stood to do just that, Carleena came back through the door, dragging behind her a large holdall. Grinning at him, she dropped the bag and made her way over to him. She slipped her arms around his waist and happiness poured from her. "Hi! Haven't you packed yet? What have you been doing?"

Once more, Will managed to look guilty. Standing, he began to rapidly stuff his clothing into his own holdall, telling her, "Um...nothing, just trying to wake myself up."

Ten minutes later, they were both ready. Carleena wrapped her arm around his waist as he summoned the Enterprise. "Riker to Enterprise."

He heard the answering bleep, and as he looked down onto Carleena's smiling face, his head said, *Well, here goes.*

His mouth said, "Two to beam up."

Chapter 8

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Deanna stood in the transporter room and her breath held as she waited for Will to materialize in front of her. She badly needed to apologise to him for her outburst before he went to Risa. It was unforgivable of her and had plagued her during her own vacation with her mother.

She knew she had no right to judge him on his relationships, especially as she herself had had more than her fair share of, 'intimate liaisons'. But deep down, Will would always be hers, and if he had felt the need to be amongst beautiful, hot, seductive women than be with her, then so be it.

Her heart began to race as she watched Miles' hand slid up the control panel. She turned to watch the transporter pad, forcing her smile to be bright, her grovelling speech ready. But seconds later, her mind screamed with horror when Will finally materialised, embracing a stunning woman who was looking lovingly up into his face. Her smile radiant until she saw Deanna. But she heard her first.

Will heard Deanna before he saw her and his eyes locked with hers even before the transport was complete. He also knew Carleena had heard it too. Silently Will implored Deanna to welcome the strange woman who was now watching the exchange with interest.

As they both walked off the pad, Deanna forced her feet to move forward to greet them. The smile was purposely fixed in place, her eyes and voice over bright as she spoke, "Hello, Will, it's good to have you home."

Deanna took a deep breath as she turned her attention to his companion. "Hello, I'm Counselor Deanna Troi. Welcome aboard the Enterprise."

Deanna was surprised when she recognised the redheaded woman's accent, "Hi, my name is Carleena. It's nice to meet you at long last. Will has told me so much about you, although he neglected to tell me you were from Betazed."

Deanna's bright, false laugh sounded high pitched as she turned her attention back to Will who remained silent. Deanna was astonished when she realised he was deliberately emptying his mind so's not to reveal the obvious. "Well, you have the advantage over me, Carleena, Will hasn't mentioned you to us at all, so this has come as a bit of a surprise, I'm afraid."

Will finally decided to speak up, albeit a little nervously. "Hello Dee. Sorry, but we've been a little...distracted."

Deanna watched as the couple shared an intimate smile and her heart sank as she realised that Will was in love with this woman. And then she uneasily wondered if Carleena had attempted to make Will her Imzadi.

Carleena's head swung back to Deanna's face and Deanna realised that Carleena had read her mind. A quick glance to Will confirmed it as he looked at her with fear in his eyes. They also begged her not to say anything as Carleena asked her, "Are you empathic?"

Deanna swallowed painfully,"Yes...Yes, I am. Are you?"

Carleena nodded happily, looking back up to Will's face, revealing everything. "A little. I asked Will to be my Imzadi. Isn't that gre...?"

Carleena heard the gasp from within both Will and Deanna simultaneously. She looked from one to the other, the realisation finally dawning. Taking a step away from Will's warmth, she whispered with dread. "Will, is Deanna your Imzadi? Please tell me, I think I ought to know."

Will reached out to touch her arm and he sighed when she pulled further away from him Cringing when she demanded an answer. "Tell me, Will."

Will sighed, but as he went to answer her, Deanna cut in, "We were...are, but it's okay, we're no longer together. Just close friends."

Once more Carleena's eyes travelled from one to the other, clearly puzzled, "But..how can that be? The Imzadi bond is eternal, no-one can love deeper than an Imzadi pairing. Don't you love each other?" she asked, bewildered.

It was Will's turn to try and explain their unique relationship, "Yes, we do. We love each other very much, but not enough to totally commit, or to have a ...proper relationship. We both have our careers and our independence. But we're there for each other whenever needed. We help to keep each other alive." Will shrugged, unable to convey the relationship any better way.

Carleena watched as Will revealed his feelings to her, but she noticed he was watching Deanna as he did so. A new respect overcame her as she envied the obviously close and special affinity that the two had with each other. But, consoled with the knowledged that Will loved her, Carleena decided that she had the better deal.

Deanna's heart did somersaults as Will churned out his innermost thoughts, and she dimly realised that she felt the same way about him. More than once, they had found themselves willing the other alive when either were critically injured, and she was in no doubt that they would both be dead if it wasn't for their Imzadi bond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carleena settled into Will's quarters like she had always belonged there and Deanna had grown to like her enormously and could see why Will loved her so much. Frequently the womens laughter could be heard throughout various places on the ship, particularly in Ten Forward. Deanna also found out that Carleena was a terrific poker player and it had become an experience to watch both Carleena and Will battling it out across the table. Both being expert bluffers, the games usually ended up just the two of them, having swept the other players under the table long before.

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Please go back for 2nd part...