What harm can one dance do?
It started out as a harmless situation, at first. There were people around, it was a casual gathering. All about were conversations being carried on, laughter was heard throughout the hall, and overall, folks were having a good time. No danger there.
So he had approached her in a cool manner. He asked her, "Would you like to dance?" and she accepted. They were friends, nothing more. What harm could one dance do?
They danced, he led, as was the norm when dancing. She rested her head against his chest, and he held her close. Then when she looked up at partner, their eyes locked. From there, all hell broke loose...
The melody was slow and soulful. The two easily swayed together, in perfect rythym. Will didn't say much in the first few moments of the dance. So instead, Deanna attempted to make small talk with him. "What do you think?" He didn't seem to hear her. "Will?"
She pulled back from his arms a little and looked up at him, her dark eyes meeting his blue. "Are you alright?" she asked.
His countenance was soft, loving. Deanna could feel emotions/feelings from him she hadn't in a long time. A deep contentment, relief...and beneath it all, insatiable passion. And Deanna knew it was all because of her. Just her being there, in his arms. It made everything seem so...right, somehow.
Will said nothing, merely continued to stare at her. Despite their locked gaze, they kept moving. she was at a loss for words, or more, at a loss as of what to think. It was as if-in that single moment-everything else in the room stopped. All there was was the movement of their bodies, and the silent pleas that passed unpalpable between their eyes.
*Imzadi...*
Will had spoken to her-for the first time in years-through his mind. Deanna's eyes went wide in disbelief. It was then, in her time of shock, that he chose to kiss her. The tension was too much to hold back anymore. Her body went tense, and she tried to resist, but as Will deepened the kiss, she went limp in his arms. She practically melted into him.
Seconds turned into minutes, that turned into eternity. Will broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless. He opened his eyes, and met hers. There was a look of utter shock upon her face. "Deanna," he tried helplessly to appologize, "I...I'm sorry..."
He released her and hastily left the lounge. Deanna's soul ached for more of Will, but she couldn't find the courage to go after him. Instead, she stood in the middle of the dance floor and cried. Deanna covered her mouth with one hand to keep her sobs at a minimum so no one could hear the pains of her heart.
Later that night, Will Riker lie on his bed, unable to sleep. In the background, a song was playing, the volume soft. "Turn down the lights...turn down the bed...turn down these voices inside my head..." He closed his eyes in a feeling of helplessness and loss of hope. What the hell had he been thinking, kissing her and then leaving like that? *Dammit, Riker, he chided himself, You've done it, yet again. Congratulations, you moron.*
Suddenly, the door to his quarters opened, and Deanna Troi stood in the doorway. The outline of her body was shadowed in the darkness of the cabin, but he could still see her. She sniffled, and made her way to him. Will sat up in bed to meet her gaze. She looked so sad. As if, if he‹d said a word to her, she would‹ve cracked. He could tell she'd been crying, previously. He could always tell.
Deanna stood there in silence for a moment, just staring at him. Then Will heard something he hadn't in a long time... *Will, come here.* It was her voice inside his head. He got out of bed, and did as she told him.
Deanna looked up at him, staring for a few moments, then brought him down to her so she could kiss him. There was something there he hadn't felt when he'd kissed her the first time. She was undemanding-so calm in response to his feelings.
When they parted, Deanna spoke softly, meeting his gaze with her eyes. "Don‹t ever kiss me like that again," she said, referring to the incident in Ten-Forward, "unless you mean what you say."
The expression on Will's face was soft and sincere. Her words hung in the darkness for a while, then Will finally responded. "I meant what I said."
"Then why did you leave?"
"I saw the look on your face, Deanna. I embarrassed you amidst all those people. I should never have done that." "Embarrassed me?" Deanna said in disbelief, "Will, you and I were the only ones aware of that moment. No one else was watching."
He hung his head in shame. He felt like such an idiot now. "I wanted you to stay there, dancing with me. Hold me in your arms, and kiss me a million times over."
"Besides," Deanna whispered, catching his chin, "You could never embarrass me, Imzadi. I love you."
And when she said it, there was no hesitation, no doubt in her voice. Deanna kissed him again, and again, until she knew he finally understood the meaning of her words. "Rabeem," she whispered to him.
After a short period of silence, Will cupped her face with his hand, and told her, "I love you too, Imzadi."
This time, he rewarded Deanna with a kiss, as they lay down on the bed. From there, there were no more words spoken, just felt-and understood with a stronger clarity than ever before. "Lay down with me...tell me no lies...just hold me close... Morning will come, and I'll do what's right...just give me 'til then to give up this fight...and I will give up this fight..."

END