Solutions
Disclaimers to all who deserve them, and to all a good night.
‘If they don’t stop doing this to me, to the crew, in fact to the whole damn universe, then I’m going to go over there and knock their heads together to see if there’s a working brain in there.’ Jean-Luc Picard leant back into his chair and mentally threw his hands up in despair.
He turned to his right, and covertly studied the large man next to him.
He tried to be impartial. So, he’s 6’3, dark hair, blue, blue eyes and
clever. He’s funny, musical, articulate and obsessed. Picard turned to his
left, to examine the cause of his First Officer’s obsession. She sat there,
demure and calm, her raven hair the only unruly thing about her, and even that
was almost tamed by a hair band. Her dark eyes were unreadable, but he knew that
her soul was not. For Picard knew that she was equally obsessed with his XO as
his XO was with her.
In fact, their non-relationship was fast becoming legendary on the
Enterprise. No one had ever really been able to come between them, except
perhaps they themselves. And even that wall was beginning to crumble.
Will Riker stood and moved over to a computer console. He had been
restless all day, his mind obviously elsewhere. Captain Picard watched him.
Riker aimlessly prodded a few switches, before returning to his seat. He stifled
a smile as he saw Riker achieve the obvious aim of his meandering, and make eye
contact with Deanna. She held his gaze, held it as a drowning woman holds her
saviour. And then the spell was broken and she looked away as he sat down.
A smooth voice shattered the atmosphere, and Picard looked up almost
gratefully. He was going nuts up here on the bridge. He shook himself as he
resolved to bring Will and Deanna back together for all of their sakes, let
alone the two star-crossed lovers.
“Crusher to Counsellor Troi”
Deanna tapped her chest.
“Yes Doctor?”
“Can I see
you in sick-bay please?”
“Of course
Beverly. Troi out.”
The atmosphere shifted when she
left the bridge, the emotional tension abated, but for Will, it increased. He
watched her leave the bridge, his emotions cascading like the waterfalls in the
Jalaran jungle. His body reacted to the memories related to that particular area
and he cursed himself as he crossed his legs. He was tired, tired of hiding,
tired of lying and tired of pretending. The idea of ‘just friends’ wasn’t
working, and he had a good idea that Deanna felt the same way. Of course he
hadn’t said anything, his fear of rejection outweighing his desperate need for
her, but only by a parsec, and even that was fast receding.
Captain Picard stood, having watched the unspoken interplay between them.
He made his way to his ready room, and sat at his table thinking about Will and
Deanna. Two of his senior staff, two highly respected Starfleet Officers, two of
his best friends, and two people who were hopelessly and irrevocably in love. He
smiled, his mind made up.
In Sickbay, Beverly replicated two cups of hot chocolate, handing one to
her silent guest, and sipping her own. She looked at Deanna, who was staring off
into space, her mind a million miles away, a small smile playing on her lips.
Bev didn’t need to have Deanna’s abilities to know where Deanna was, and to
be honest, she didn’t blame her. Will was a special person, warm, kind, loyal
and loving. That much Bev could see from his actions around the slight woman who
sat next to her in body only. Beverly watched Deanna’s mind at work, wondering
if the Counsellor knew that she was this transparent.
Deanna needed Will, and vice
versa. Sure, they worked well as individuals, hell they were known as two of
Starfleet’s finest, but when they were together – well you could almost feel
the fireworks! Beverly smiled. Will would watch out for his beloved, his Imzadi,
wasn’t it? He would watch over her, and therefore over those she worked with,
to make sure no harm came to her. And that meant he watched over the entire
ship. He did his best for the ship in order to do his best for her. And Deanna.
She was a calm, ethereal woman, who saw the best in everyone, who liked to have
fun as much as the next woman, but who only really came alive in the company of
a certain William T. Riker.
Beverly had known this for years, and had been surreptitiously pushing
them back together. But they’d never quite got the hint, or maybe they had.
Maybe that’s what was happening now, maybe the blindfolds were dropping from
their eyes. There had been a change, undercurrents were stronger, the interplay
between them was definitely more charged. Beverly sighed, and then drew herself
up straight, as if a weight had been lifted from her soul. She stood, and
quietly left the room, making her way to Jean-Luc’s ready room. The other
occupant of Sick-Bay did not even notice she had left.
Jean-Luc looked up as Beverly entered. He looked deep into her green eyes
and his soul smiled. His friend, his good friend, his – his very good friend,
was thinking along the same lines. Beverly had come armed with all sorts of
arguments, all sorts of theories and solutions, but when she saw Jean-Luc, she
knew it would be all right. She looked at him, and her soul smiled. He truly was
a special man, and one day she might get around to telling him exactly how
special that was.
“You talk to her and I’ll sort him out” was all that was said, and
Beverly made her way back to Sick-Bay.
Deanna looked up in surprise as Beverly returned. She opened her mouth,
but shut it again, when Beverly raised a hand.
“Let me talk for a while, and then you’ve got a lot of thinking to
do.” Deanna tilted her head, her heart afraid and yet hopeful, the subject
obvious in Beverly’s emotional state. “ You love Will. That much is obvious
– No Deanna, let me finish. You love Will, and he loves you. A lot. You always
have and you always will. You need him, he makes you whole. You’ve been in
love with him for as long as you can remember, and the very thought of not being
in love with him tears your soul to shreds. Deanna, a love like that is special,
pure and shouldn’t be thrown away. Friendship is not enough for you two.
It’s obvious in the way you move together, the way you look at each other,
Dee, it’s just obvious. Go to him, be with him, love him Deanna. For the sake
of your soul, for Will’s sake, and for the sake of the sanity of the rest of
the crew” at this Deanna’s eyebrows shot up, but her radiant grin told
Beverly all she needed to know.
So deep in thought was the First Officer, that it took a prod from Worf
to get him to visit the Captain in his ready room. Will walked in, and stood at
attention in front of the desk.
“For goodness sake, relax Will! Sit down, and have a glass of wine”
Will looked at the Captain in surprise. He was being offered real alcohol, real
French-Captain’s own stock-alcohol, in the middle of a shift, in the middle of
the day! And yet he had some idea of why. His moping had become noticeable even
to himself, and yet he couldn’t stop, couldn’t get her out of his head.
The Captain
stopped talking, and moved round the desk in an effort to get Will’s
attention.
“Will!.
Listen to me and listen carefully. Go and find Deanna Troi and tell her how much
you love her. Go and tell her that she is all you think of while you wake and
all you dream of while you sleep. That she is the light and love of your life.
Go and tell her what the rest of us already know and that you have finally
figured out. Go and tell her that you never stopped loving her, just as she has
always loved you, Will. Go and tell her that you can stay together here on the
Enterprise, that Starfleet agree to it and that I wholeheartedly approve for you
two being together. Will, a love like the two of you share should not be hidden,
should not be suppressed. Go to her, hold her, Will, love her. Grab the chance
with both hands and hold on for dear life.”
Will stared at Jean-Luc, his whole being radiating with happiness. Picard
watched him, the change in his XO pronounced, his whole body brighter, alight
with the understanding of possibilities. Will rose, his mind a joyous tumult,
and grabbed his Captain’s hand, shaking it in gratitude. Will turned on his
heel, almost running from the office to go and find Deanna, to find his love, to
become Imzadi once again.
In Sick-bay,
Deanna stood at the door, turning once again, her eyes shining, her heart
passionate and her soul ecstatic. She opened her rosebud mouth, as if to say
something, but could not find the words, a shining smile taking its place.
A daftly smiling Beverly watched her almost run down the corridor, before
tapping her comm badge.
“Jean-Luc?”
“It’s
done, and you?”
“Oh
Jean-Luc,” she sighed, and he could hear the tears of happiness in her voice,
“It’ll be alright you know, they – they’re part of each other, they’re
– it’s just, Jean-Luc I’ve never seen something so right” and she could
feel him smiling in agreement, their souls united in accordance, with a hint of
their own unannounced feelings surfacing.
Elsewhere on
the Enterprise, two halves of the same soul returned to their rightful place, a
love became true and the Universe returned to its proper order.
The
End.