Surprise
It takes place post Nemesis (about six months)
and involves a character from the novel Imzadi. Peter David owns one
ship and one character, Paramount owns some of the others. One of
them is mine. This is rated I guess PG for adult topics but that's
more of a reference to the past. OK here goes.
SURPRISE
"Captain's Log Stardate 41502.3. The Titan has arrived at Starbase
25 for crew transfers and some well-deserved R and R after the
grueling diplomatic work talking peace with the Romulans, but it was
successful and the Federation and the Romulan Empire are on their way
to a lasting peace. During the negotiations there was heightened
security because of the potential threat of Romulan factions not
wanting peace with the Federation as well as other races opposed to
peace. The crew has worked extremely hard. Deanna has been working
overtime to help calm the fears of our younger crew members who had
their first encounter with the Romulans and helping with the
negotiations. Fortunately, we have two civilians on board with
psychology backgrounds to help the families deal with their fears."
Captain William Riker clicked the save button and switched over to
his personal log.
"Captain's Personal Log Stardate 41502.3. The Titan has arrived at
Starbase 25 for crew transfers and some well-deserved R and R after
the grueling diplomatic work talking peace with the Romulans. Before
we got married, we decided we wanted to start a family right away,
but put that plan on hold while dealing with the Romulans knowing it
could be extremely stressful. Now that we're back from Romulus,
we've decided now would be the perfect time.
Also, I've heard from an old friend, Kathy Li, with whom I served on
the Fortuna. She wants to get together for lunch and to meet Deanna."
"You ready?" Deanna said as she wrapped her arms around Will's neck.
"Yes." He took her hands and kissed each one and then got up. He
took her hand. "Let's go."
Minutes later they beamed aboard Starbase 25. "It's been awhile
since I've been here, but if I remember correctly McCoy's is this
way." They started in the direction Will indicated.
"Why don't we make sure?"
"Because I know which way we're going."
To Deanna's amazement, a few minutes later they were at the door to
McCoy's, a restaurant, which was owned by a descendant of Dr. Leonard
McCoy, the CMO on the Enterprise NCC-1701. When they walked in the
door, a woman perhaps a little younger than Deanna waved to them. As
they approached the table, Will's smile faded and his mood made a
sudden change from cheerful to shock as he looked at the beautiful
young lady sitting with Kathy Li.
"Hi, Will." Kathy said. She was concerned by his shocked
expression. "This is Lisa." She stopped and took a deep breath for
the outburst that would follow her next words, "our daughter."
Part 2
Deanna glanced at Will whose emotions went from shock to anger to
denial in a matter of seconds.
"That's impossible. There is no way that girl is my daughter. Are
you trying to ruin my life by lying to me? Wasn't he high-enough
ranked for you?" He turned and left the restaurant.
Lisa put her head on the table and started to cry. She didn't care
what the other patrons thought. Deanna pulled a chair closer to Lisa
and pulled her into her arms. Kathy smiled. "You'll make an
excellent mother." She paused. "If I didn't just destroy your
marriage."
"You didn't. It's strange; despite what Will said, he believes you."
"He does? How?"
"Because of our bond, we can communicate telepathically. Because I'm
empathic, I can tell when someone is lying. After you introduced
Lisa, I told him you were telling the truth."
"Why did he accuse me of lying?"
"He's in a state of denial. Give him time, he'll come around. Why
don't we eat lunch and you can tell me what happened."
"Sure." Kathy said.
By this time, Lisa had stopped crying and sat up. "He hates me
doesn't he?" She said.
"No, actually, he's more angry with your mother than you."
Lisa smiled. "Good." Deanna noticed she had Will's smile.
A waiter came over and took their orders. After he left, "So,
Kathy, what happened?"
"About a week after Will left, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't
want to tell Will because I knew he would give up his ambitions and
come back to the Fortuna and do the honorable thing – marry me. Our
relationship was purely physical. We cared about each other, but it
wasn't love."
Deanna glanced at Lisa, who smiled. "Counselor, I know the whole
story."
"OK. Lisa, will you do me one favor?"
"Sure."
"Please call me Deanna. After all, I am your stepmother."
Lisa laughed. "OK."
Deanna turned serious again. "What made you decide to tell him now?"
"He achieved his career ambitions. I knew he was married and didn't
figure he would leave you for me considering your bond.
"You knew? How?"
"My best friend's younger sister is on the Enterprise and knew about
your bond. She said you two have been in love since she joined the
Enterprise but never seemed willing to admit it."
Deanna smiled. "Your friend's sister is correct. It took a trip
through the Briar Patch for us to figure it out."
"Deanna," Lisa said tentatively. "We do have proof."
"It's OK. Your father believes you. He's just angry right now."
Deanna smiled. "He'll come around." She could tell that Will's
anger was subsiding a bit.
<<Let me know when you're ready to talk.>> She sent.
<<OK, I'm sorry for getting angry and storming out.>>
Deanna smiled. "He's feeling better. I think he'll be ready to talk
soon."
"Good." Lisa said. "I gather you two can communicate
telepathically?"
"Yes."
Part 3
Meanwhile, Will was laying on the bed in his and Deanna's quarters
staring at the picture of the two of them on their wedding day. He
was glad Deanna wasn't angry with him for having a child with Kathy
even though he didn't know it. Fortunately, both had been honest
about previous relationships both before and after they had met. He
never dreamed he had a child from any previous relationship.
<<God, I hope there are no more similar surprises awaiting me.>>
He
knew he had to find out how his and Kathy's inhibitors had failed.
He got up and called the Fortuna's CMO. The doctor told him how
during an away mission, he, Kathy, and two other officers were
drugged. Somehow, the drug reversed the inhibitors which caused the
two women on the away mission to become pregnant. During the course
of the conversation, the doctor told Will that the day before was
Lisa's birthday and that she had a particular fondness for teddy
bears. He knew he had to find out from Kathy what had happened and
why she hadn't told him about Lisa. He wasn't even completely
certain she would even speak to him, but he had to try.
<<Dee, could you bring Kathy and Lisa to our quarters – that is if
they're speaking to me.>>
<<Sure, we're shopping right now. We'll be there soon. You're doing
the right thing. Lisa is a real sweetheart.>>
<<Thanks.>>
On the starbase shopping concourse, Deanna smiled after "talking"
to
Will. "Lisa, Kathy. Will want us to come to our quarters when we're
finished shopping."
Lisa smiled. "Really?" Deanna nodded. "Can I get him something?
What does he like?"
"Well, when we knew we were stopping here, Will said he wanted to
stop at a music shop and pick up a music disk. Let's go find it for
him."
Soon they were headed back to the transporter station to go back to
the Titan. When they reached the Titan, they headed to Will's and
Deanna's quarters. When they arrived, the lights were out. Deanna
smiled. "Lisa, close your eyes."
She did so. She had no idea what was going on. Kathy had an idea
and smiled. She was glad Will was accepting Lisa and taking an
interest in her life. She just hoped he wasn't angry with her.
"Lights." Will said. Kathy and Deanna looked at each other when the
lights came up. Will went over to Lisa and put an arm around her and
led her a few steps into the room. "OK, you can open your eyes."
Lisa did so. The dining room table was covered with gifts, a cake,
complete with 17 candles, and balloons. "Happy Birthday, Lisa."
Will said and kissed her on the cheek.
Lisa's eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the cake and
packages. "How did you find out?"
"A little birdie told me." He glanced at Deanna. "It seems you
two
have something in common. The cake is chocolate. C'mon blow out the
candles before the ship's sensors take care of it."
Lisa laughed and did so. While everyone was enjoying their cake,
Lisa opened her gifts which included a teddy bear and an emerald
necklace.
Kathy had been quiet while they were eating and watching Lisa open
her gifts. Deanna sensed that Kathy wanted to tell Will what had
happened and decided to let Will and Kathy alone.
"Lisa, how about if I give you a tour of the ship? I think your
parents need to talk."
"OK." They left the room.
Part 4
"How come you didn't tell me?" Will asked.
"Because I knew you would give up your career ambitions to return to
the Fortuna."
"Kathy, I would have done it willingly. I cared a great deal about
you."
Kathy noticed that he didn't say he loved her. "But you didn't love
me, and I didn't love you. Our relationship was purely physical."
"We could have made it work."
"And if we couldn't? Lisa would have grown up in a broken home. And
what about Deanna? You truly love her. It's obvious to me how much
in love you two are."
"Why did you wait so long to tell me?"
"For the reasons I just told you. I was going to wait until Lisa was
18 to tell you but then I heard you had been promoted and gotten
married. I figured now would be a great time. I doubted very much
finding out now would hurt your relationship with Deanna. Please
promise me it won't."
"It won't. You're right. I do truly love Deanna. We're soul mates
in every sense of the word. I can sense her feelings and she can
sense mine. We can communicate telepathically. I could never let
something like this destroy what Deanna and I have." He
smiled. "The strange thing is that she isn't angry at all about
this."
"Good. Now, I want you to promise not to hate Lisa. You can hate
me all you want – just don't hate her."
"I don't hate either of you. It just would have been nice to have
known."
Kathy smiled. "I know. I'm sorry for keeping this from you; but
believe me, I was thinking of you and Lisa. She certainly didn't
need a father who was resentful of a daughter who hindered his career
plans. You certainly didn't need a loveless marriage when Deanna was
out there waiting for you."
Will nodded. "How long after I left did you find out?"
"About a week."
Will smiled. "I had already met Deanna by then. I saw her the first
night I was on Betazed. I think I fell in love with her at first
sight." He decided to change the subject to find out as much as he
could about Lisa before one or the other had to leave. "So, where
did you raise Lisa?"
After Kathy told Will about Lisa's growing up on the Fortuna and her
childhood, they figured they should track down Lisa and Deanna who
were in 10 Forward enjoying ice cream sundaes. Lisa presented Will
with the music disc she got him. Kathy regaled everyone with stories
about Lisa's childhood. During the course of the conversation, Kathy
also mentioned her nickname for Will. Will had tried to stop her but
she told Lisa and Deanna anyway. All too soon, Kathy got a call to
return to the Fortuna. Will and Deanna walked them to the
transporter room after retrieving the remains of Lisa's birthday cake
and her gifts. Kathy gave Will a hug goodbye. "It was nice seeing
you again." She said.
"Yeah, you too."
Lisa then hugged Will. "It was so nice to finally meet you."
"I agree." He said with a smile. He was glad to have such a sweet
daughter, but wished he had seen her grow up, but knew Kathy was
right. "Good luck at the Academy. I know you'll do well. If you
need anything, feel free to contact me."
"I will. Thanks for the party and the presents." She glanced at
Deanna who smiled and nodded. "You know what I want for my birthday
next year?"
"What?" He had a feeling where this was leading.
"A brother or sister."
"Ask you stepmother."
"She told me to ask you."
Will laughed. "We'll see what we can do." He kissed her forehead.
Lisa turned and stepped on to the transporter platform next to
Kathy. She had tears in her eyes. She had waited for this day all
her life and it was over all too soon. She knew, however, that she
would see her father as often as possible.
Deanna could sense Lisa's emotions as well as Will's. He was doing
his best to hold it in. She took his hand and squeezed it. After
Lisa and Kathy were gone, Will and Deanna left the transporter room.
Deanna could tell Will was already missing Lisa.
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah." He smiled. "So about Lisa's birthday present for next
year."
"You wouldn't want to disappoint your daughter would you..." Deanna
hesitated and smiled mischievously. "Cupcake?"
Will rolled his eyes. He knew she would never let him live that one
down. "I'll get Kathy for that."
Deanna giggled and took Will's arm as they headed to their quarters.
Part 5 – Epilogue
One year later
Lisa was restless. She sat down on the grass but a moment later was
up walking back and forth along the walk at the Academy Quad.
"Lisa, would you please relax!" Her roommate, Karen, said. "I
know
you can't wait to see your father and stepmother, but you're driving
me nuts with your constant pacing and general restlessness."
"It's not just my father and stepmother. I can't wait to see my
little brother."
"They'll get here when they get here. Your brother probably need
changing or fed or something. They're not going to come any faster
if you move than if you sit still."
Suddenly Lisa smiled. Karen looked in the direction Lisa was looking
and smiled too. She recognized Lisa's father and stepmother from
pictures of them and talking to them several times over the last year
since Lisa had met them. She got up as Lisa started to run toward
them.
Lisa ran up to Will and Deanna and gave Will a hug. "I'm so glad to
see you guys." She said.
Will smiled mischievously. "I'm supposed to believe you are glad to
see us when I know you were more anxious to see Andy."
"That's not true!" Lisa said defensively. She knew he was only
teasing her. She turned to Deanna. "Can I hold Andy?"
"Sure." Deanna said and Lisa took Andy out of her arms. She turned
to Karen. "Hi, Karen, nice to finally meet you."
"Nice to meet you also. I can promise you I'm glad to see you two.
Lisa has been driving me nuts the last 3 weeks since Andy was born
and she found out you were coming to earth."
"Karen, would you like to join us for lunch unless you have other
plans." Will said.
"Thank you, that would be great."
The five-some left the Quad to get some lunch. After a lunch where
Will and Deanna got to know Karen and Lisa got to know Andy, Lisa
insisted on going into downtown San Francisco to get Andy a present.
"Thank goodness, she's not coming with us." Will said with a
smile. "Andy would be spoiled rotten by his big sister."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "I'm willing to bet you spoil him too."
"Not too much." Deanna said. "Not as much as my mother which
surprises me because she was certain I was going to have a girl."
"C'mon let's go." Lisa said. They all went into San Francisco where
Lisa and Karen each bought Andy a gift. All too soon, it was time
for Karen and Lisa to get back to the Academy.
"Dad, Deanna, I was talking to Andy earlier. He said he wants a
little sister he can stick up for." Lisa said.
"He can stick up for his big sister." Will said.
"Yeah, but I'm too far away."
"Lisa, you sound like my mother. She said the same thing. I'll tell
you what I told her. I haven't gotten my figure back from having
Andy. I'd like to have a waist before I lose it again." Deanna said
rolling her eyes.
"So, you're not saying no?"
"Right. I'm just saying give us time."
"I can be patient. I waited all my life to meet my father. What's a
year or so before I get a little sister."
"Captain, Counselor, would it be possible to wait until we graduate
from the Academy?" Karen asked. "I don't think I could go through
this again."
"Sure, on one condition." Will said. "You treat us as your friend's
parents not Starfleet officers."
"OK."
After laughs and hugs all around, Lisa and Karen started back to the
Academy.
"She's a good kid." Deanna said.
"Yeah. In some ways she reminds me of Kathy when I first met her."
"I'm glad she's in our lives."
"I am too." He kissed Deanna on the cheek. "I'm glad you and
Andy
are in my life too. C'mon let's go home."
End