DECISIONS MADE
"Mother, I'm not changing my mind. I'm going to marry Worf. If you
don't want to come to our wedding, that's your problem." Deanna Troi
was getting more than a little angry with her mother. She had hoped
that her mother would be happy that she was getting married. She was
happy she was getting married but not with who she was marrying. She
was also unhappy that Deanna and Worf were using Earth customs as
opposed to Betazoid.
"What about Will? How does he feel about this?" Lwaxana was hoping
that her daughter's Imzadi bond with Will Riker would give her
daughter second thoughts on marrying a Klingon.
"He's happy for us. In fact, he offered to give me away." Will had
gotten over his initial jealousy over Deanna's relationship with
Worf. She was glad about that. She wasn't happy that two of her
closest friends were barely speaking for six months. She still
hadn't figured out how Will got over his jealousy although she
suspected it had something to do with some of his conversations with
Beverly Crusher. "Actually, Will has been dating our Assistant
Security Chief for about 2 months now. Captain Picard figures their
wedding will be the next one he gets to perform."
"Is she a Klingon?"
"No. She's human." The door buzzed. "Mother, I've got to go.
Worf, Will, Angie, and I are having dinner together."
"I really wish you would reconsider your decision, Little One."
"I won't" Deanna ended the communication. She leaned back in her
chair as the door buzzed again. "Come in." She called.
The door opened revealing Angie Winters. Angie was a tall blonde
with brown eyes. It didn't take long for Angie and Will to discover
that they had much in common. Since Angie was from Anchorage,
Alaska, she and Will discovered they had some mutual friends
including the fact that one of Angie's closest friends was Will's
cousin, Marianne
"Hi, Angie. Where are Worf and Will?"
"On the holodeck. Will said that they decided to change our plans
for the evening. He sent me to get you saying that by the time we
got to Holosuite 3, they would be ready for us." Angie smiled. "Can
you sense what they're up to?"
Deanna reached out with her senses. "No. Obviously, they both are
using the shielding techniques I taught them."
"This should be an interesting evening."
Two Weeks Later
Deanna was sitting on the sofa of her quarter working on final
arrangements for her and Worf's wedding which was only two days
away. The door buzzed.
"Come in." Deanna called.
The door opened revealing Angie, who walked in with her hands behind
her back. Deanna could sense she was happy about something but a bit
concerned also.
"Hi, Angie. What's up?" Deanna asked.
"Will and I are getting married" She didn't sound excited even as
she brought her hands around and showed Deanna the diamond ring Will
had gotten for her.
Deanna became concerned. She knew that Will and Angie were very much
in love. She had been expecting this news since the evening they had
spent on the holodeck two weeks earlier. "What's wrong?"
"I hate to bring this up, especially with your wedding only two days
away; but I don't think Will has ever gotten over loving you."
"I know; but Angie, he loves you more than he ever loved me."
"I don't think so. I have a friend from the Academy who is
Betazoid. I asked her about the Imzadi bond and she said that the
bond goes deeper than the love two people feel outwardly for each
other. I asked her if two people who were Imzadi could be happy
being married to others and she said 'Yes, but those two will always
have a relationship with each other that goes beyond the relationship
with their spouse.'" Angie started to cry. "Deanna, I love Will,
but I know he'll never love me as much as he loves you. Can this
bond be broken? I didn't have the heart to ask my friend."
"Yes. Either Will or I will have to go to Betazed to have it done.
We won't be able to do it by my wedding, but maybe Worf and I can
stop at Betazed en route to our honeymoon and have the bond broken."
Angie smiled for the first time. "Thanks. I guess I better tell my
family. Marianne will be thrilled to find out I'm marrying
her 'favorite' cousin." She practically ran out of Deanna's quarters.
Deanna leaned back in her chair. In a way she was extremely happy
for Will, but she was also sad. Did she really want the bond
broken? Suppose something happened between Worf and her and Will and
Angie? She couldn't hurt Worf and Angie by admitting to both of them
that she still loved Will more than anything.
part two
Two Days Later
Deanna was in her quarters getting dressed for her wedding when the
door buzzed. "Who is it?" She called.
"Beverly."
"Come in."
The door opened and Beverly walked in. "Nervous yet?"
"A little." Deanna could sense that something was bothering
Beverly. "What's wrong, Beverly?"
"Angie won't be able to be a bridesmaid. She's not feeling well this
morning." Beverly knew that Deanna would know she was lying but
tried any way.
Deanna noticed the lie. "What's really wrong with her?"
"She and Will broke up this morning."
"What happened? They seemed so happy last night."
"Will's not quite sure. He told me that she came to his quarters
this morning, gave him back his ring, and told him she couldn't marry
him. He's pretty upset. I tried to talk to Angie and she won't even
answer the door." Beverly smiled slightly. "But Will said he was
still willing to give you away and that you shouldn't be too
concerned with him. He'll be fine."
Deanna glanced at the chronometer. "I have time. I'm going to talk
to Angie." She left her quarters and went to Angie's quarters.
When Angie didn't respond to the door buzzer, Deanna decided to let
herself in using her security access codes. She found Angie laying
on the bed crying. Deanna sat down next to her. "Angie, what
happened?"
"We can't be together. Will still loves you. I saw the way you two
were talking and looking at each other last night at the dinner. I
saw how close he held you when you danced."
"Angie, I'm going to marry Worf in an hour. Don't hurt Will this
way. He loves YOU."
"No he doesn't. It's you he loves." Angie sat up and dried her
tears. "You better go. You're getting married in an hour."
Deanna smiled slightly. "I still want you as a bridesmaid."
"OK. I'll meet you in your quarters in 30 minutes."
"OK. Will's going to meet me there. Do you want me to have him meet
us in the Holodeck."
"No. We'll see each other everyday anyway. We both might as well
get used to it."
"OK. See you shortly." Deanna left. While Deanna was walking down
the corridor to her quarters, she realized that she didn't love
Worf. She loved Will. She figured that once the bond was broken,
she would love Worf with all her heart. <<It has to be the bond.
Without it I wouldn't be in love with Will, would I?>>
part 3
45 Minutes Later
The door to Deanna's quarters buzzed. "Who is it?" Beverly called
out.
"The father of the bride." Will answered. Beverly noted that Will
sound pretty cheerful for someone whose fiancee had broken off their
engagement earlier that morning. Deanna, on the other hand, could
tell his cheerfulness was faked.
"Come in." Deanna called. She went over to Will and kissed him on
the cheek. "Hi, Daddy."
"Just remember, I came pretty close to being your stepfather." He
spotted Angie and the cheerfulness he was faking melted away. "Hi,
Angie."
"Hi." Angie, upon seeing the hurt in Will's eyes, started to believe
she made a terrible mistake, that he really did love her. She
decided to try later to work things out with Will.
Deanna could sense Will's love for Angie but also the love he felt
for her. The love he felt for her was far deeper than his love for
Angie.
"Come on, we better get to the holodeck. It wouldn't do to keep the
Captain waiting." Will said with a smile.
During the walk to the holodeck, Will and Angie chatted amicably.
Everyone seemed to sense that they would get back together. Everyone
except Deanna. She was having serious doubts as to whether she
really wanted to marry Worf. <honorable. But would it be honorable to
love someone else while married to him?>>
Shortly after they reached the holodeck, the procession began. Just
before Will and Deanna started down the aisle, he looked over at her,
smiled, and kissed her cheek. "I'm really happy for you, Imzadi."
She looked up at him. She had hoped he wouldn't use that term.
He took her arm and they started down the aisle. Deanna realized
once again that she couldn't marry Worf. She still loved Will. <can't
hurt Worf.>> Her conscience kept telling her.
Several minutes later
"Do you, Deanna, take Worf to be your lawfully wedded husband, in
sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Captain Picard said.
Deanna looked at Worf who was waiting for her answer as was everyone
in the holodeck. She could sense Will's happiness for her but she
also could tell that he still loved her and still wanted her. <can't hurt
Worf.>>
"Deanna?" Picard asked. He, too, could sense her hesitation.
<<It wouldn't be honorable to not finish the ceremony.>>
"Not
honorable!" Deanna said aloud. "It wouldn't be honorable to marry
someone I don't love. I'm sorry Worf, I can't marry you." She
turned and ran out of the holodeck and to her quarters leaving
everyone in a state of shock. Beverly and Angie started to follow
Deanna but were stopped by Worf.
"Wait." Worf turned to Will. "I agree. It wouldn't be honorable
for
her to marry me when she does not love me. It is you she loves. I
have known this all along. Go to her."
"Number One, should everyone remain here?" Picard asked. He
secretly hoped this would happen and that his First Officer and
Ship's Counselor would be the ones he would marry.
Will stood up and said with a smile. "I'll let you know, Sir." He
left the holodeck.
"Worf, are you OK?" Picard asked his Klingon security chief. He was
hoping that Worf wouldn't remain angry with either Will or Deanna.
"Yes, Sir. I knew this would one day happen." He turned to
Angie. "Lieutenant Winters, are you OK?" Worf knew that Angie and
Riker had become engaged and was concerned about his Assistant Chief
of Security.
Angie smiled at Worf's show of compassion for her feelings when he
had to be hurting badly also. "Yes. Like you, I knew this would
happen some day. I'm just glad it happened now rather than after we
were married."
the last part.
Deanna's Quarters
Deanna was laying on her bed crying when the door buzzed. She didn't
feel like talking to anyone right now so she ignored it hoping
whoever it was would go away. Deep in her psyche, she could sense
that it was Will at her door but she was so wound up in her own
feelings to acknowledge his presence. The door buzzed again.
Out in the corridor, Will knew that Deanna was ignoring the door
buzzer. He used his security access code to let himself in. His
heart nearly broke when he saw Deanna laying on the bed crying. He
sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. He held her and
let her cry. Slowly she sensed Will's presence and put her arms
around him.
Several minutes later, she stopped crying and looked up at Will. "Is
Worf angry with me?" She didn't see any cuts or bruises on Will's
face and didn't sense any pain from him.
"No. He said he always knew this would happen. He really does love
you."
"Even though I don't love him. I never should have let it get this
far. I shouldn't have accepted his proposal." She started to cry
again. Will held her tightly and rocked her back and forth. "Will,
I love you. I always have. I always will" She whispered so softly
that Will barely heard her.
"I love you too. I would give almost anything for us to go back in
time and meet on Risa as we planned." He smiled. He realized that
they may not be able to go back in time but he knew it was possible
to make amends now. He hated to hurt Angie but it was apparent to
him that Angie knew the truth. When she came to his quarters that
morning, she told him that she knew he loved Deanna and that she
loved him. "The Captain asked me if everyone should remain in the
holodeck. Should they?"
"I'm not going back to marry Worf."
"I'm not saying you should. I was thinking of us."
She looked up at him confused. "What do you mean?"
"Imzadi, I'm asking you to marry me, now. We could go up to the
holodeck and Captain Picard could marry us now." Deanna didn't
respond right away. He thought she was refusing his proposal or
wanted to think about it. He released the embrace and started to get
up. "If you want to think about it, that's OK. I'll contact Captain
Picard and tell him to send everyone back to their quarters." He
started to walk out of the bedroom.
Deanna tapped her communicator which was laying on her bedside
table. "Troi to Captain Picard."
Will turned around when he heard her voice.
"Picard, here."
"Captain, keep everyone in the holodeck. There is going to be a
wedding after all today."
Will smiled and went back to Deanna. He pulled her to her feet,
hugged her, and kissed her.
Deanna broke the embrace first. "Come on. We don't want to keep our
guests waiting."
The happy couple started back to the holodeck. As they reached the
doors, they found Worf, Angie, and Beverly waiting.
"What's going on?" Deanna asked.
"Angie and I hoped that you wouldn't change your mind on attendants
as well as groom." Beverly said with a laugh.
"No way. Angie, are you OK with this?" Deanna asked.
"Yes. Like Commander Worf, I always knew this would happen." Angie
said. She went to Will and hugged him. "I'm really happy for you
two, really. There's only one problem" Will looked at her
quizzically. "What will Marianne say?"
Will laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "She'll get over it."
"I will give you away." Worf said. "If that is OK with you."
"Yes. It is, Worf." Deanna was touched that he would volunteer to
give her away when he was hurting about losing her to another man on
what was supposed to be their wedding day.
Will gave Deanna a quick kiss and went into the holodeck. A few
minutes later, the procession began. As Worf and Deanna walked down
the aisle, he whispered to her. "Your mother will be much happier
now."
Deanna smiled. "Yes. She'll be sorry she missed this though, but
she's the one who didn't approve.
Worf smiled at her. She looked much happier than she had earlier in
the day. He was hurt that their engagement was broken off but happy
that Deanna was happy now.
Several Minutes Later
"Do you, Deanna, take Will to be your lawfully wedded husband, in
sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Captain Picard said.
Deanna looked up at Will and smiled. "I do."
"Do you Will, take Deanna to be your lawfully wedded wife, in
sickness and in health till death do you part?"
Will smiled. "I do."
Picard looked at Geordi, who was best man. "May I have the ring
please?"
Geordi glanced at Worf who nodded. Geordi gave the ring to Captain
Picard, who handed it to Will.
Will placed the ring on Deanna's finger. "With this ring I thee
wed."
"By the power vested in me by the United Federation of Planets, I now
pronounce you husband and wife." He paused. "You may kiss the
bride."
Deanna looked into Will's eyes. They both had tears in their eyes.
Will kissed her as the guests applauded.
Several Hours Later - Enterprise Shuttle
Will had just put the shuttle on autopilot. He turned to Deanna who
was sitting in the copilot's seat. "OK. We have several hours
before we reach Lindra One. Any ideas how to spend the time."
"It is our wedding night. What do you think?" She got up and pulled
Will to his feet. He picked her up and carried her to the back part
of the shuttle.
A little later, Will lay on the floor of the shuttle holding
Deanna. "Do you think you should tell your mother?"
"She was against my getting married today. I'll tell her later."
She looked at him mischievously. "What about your father? Are you
going to tell him?"
"Eventually."
Two Weeks Later
The newlyweds were in the process of moving their belongings into
bigger quarters when Deanna's communicator beeped.
"Yes."
"Counselor, you have an incoming communication from your mother."
Data said.
"Thanks, Data. Put it through here." She turned to Will. "I
guess
I better break the news to her that she has a son-in-law but not the
one she thought."
Deanna tapped a button on the communications console. "Hello,
mother."
"Did you go through with it?" Lwaxana knew that Deanna probably
had. She had her father's independent streak.
"Sort of."
"What do you mean sort of? Did you marry Worf or not?"
"Mother, I got married but not to Worf."
"What? Who did you marry? Will I approve of him?"
"Yes. Will and I got married. I realized that I didn't love Worf;
that it was Will I loved."
Lwaxana smiled. "Since you finally made the correct decision, I'll
forgive you for not inviting me to the wedding. Give Will a kiss for
me." She smiled mischievously. "How long until I get my first
grandchild?"
"I'll let you know. We haven't discussed having a family yet. Our
wedding was rather sudden." Deanna knew she wanted a family right
away but she wasn't sure whether Will did too. Their honeymoon had
been extremely romantic. Secretly, she hoped that Will had gotten
his fertility inhibitor reversed. They spent more time in their
secluded cabin on Lindra One than they did anywhere else. She
realized her mother may be picking up on some of her thoughts. "I've
got to go. We're not quite finished moving our things and we're both
scheduled to be back on duty tomorrow."
"I'll see you soon, Little One. You made the right decision."
Lwaxana had, indeed, picked up on Deanna's thoughts. "I have a
feeling I'll have a grandchild within the next 10 months."
"Mother!" She smiled. "I hope you're right." She ended
the
communication just as Will came up behind her and wrapped his arms
around her.
"I agree. You made the right decision." He didn't say anything
about Lwaxana's comments about having a grandchild within the next 10
months.
She turned around in his embrace and kissed him. "I know. Now when
are you going to tell your father?"
"Next time I see or hear from him." He picked her up and carried
her
into the bedroom. "Now about your mother's request for a
grandchild. I don't think we should make her wait."
"Did you get your fertility inhibitor reversed?" Deanna asked as
he
laid her down on the bed then laid down next to her. She was glad
that Will wanted a family as much as she did.
"Before we left while you were packing." Deanna smiled. She had
been wondering where he had gone. "You?"
"That morning. After our honeymoon, I wouldn't be the least bit
surprised that I'm already pregnant. If so, I should know within the
next two weeks or so."
Will grinned mischievously. "Let's not take any chances. I wouldn't
want your mother angry at us especially since she got what she wanted
after all." He rolled over and kissed her. Within minutes their
clothes were scattered around the bedroom floor.
The End