World's Apart

rachel@traverse.net

“Captain” Will Riker said in surprise, as he opened the door to his quarters “I thought you had bridge duty for a couple of more hours and then I took over? Am I late? Are my clocks wrong?”

The Captain gave a weak smile to his eager to please first officer, “At ease Number One. I left my post early, in the very capable hands of Data, so that we could talk.” Picard cleared his throat, “My I come in?”

“Of course, sorry Sir.” Will quickly backed up and Picard made his way in.

“So how are you Will?”

“Me sir, fine I guess, a little curious about what you might be here to talk about.”

Picard nodded knowingly and walked over to a rocking chair in the corner, “Can’t your Captain just stop by to chat?”

Will’s blue eyes narrowed, not buying that line for a second. He knew Picard does not just stop by to chat.

“So, how are things between you and Deanna?”

“Professionally or personally, sir?”

“I know professionally, I sit between you two everyday. I’m talking about personally. How are things progressing between you two?”

Embarrassed at where this conversation seemed to be going, Will tried to hide his growing discomfort by sitting at the edge of the bed, facing the Captain, “Things have been improving steadily since the briar patch. You don’t have anything to worry about though, we always place work above anything else. You haven’t gotten any complaints, have you?”

“Complaint, no. It’s just I was hoping things were going bad, so what I have to tell you wouldn’t be so difficult. I don’t handle affairs of the heart to well.”

Will ears perked up, “Sir, is there a problem with Deanna?”

“Will, I want you to know I care for Deanna greatly, and I did everything I could.”

“Sir?” Will asked again, his fears growing inside of him.

“Will, two hours ago Deanna was dismissed from Starfleet and escorted off this ship.”

CHAPTER 2

“Is this some kind of joke? I don’t understand . . .escorted off the ship.”

Picard reached into his pants pocket and pulled out Deanna’s badge, “Believe me, it’s no joke.” He leaned over and handed the object to Will.

Knowing Deanna would never be parted from her badge, not ever for a joke, Will turned his full attention to the Captain, “Explain.”

Again the Captain cleared his throat, a nervous habit he had developed during his command of the Enterprise, “Approximately six hours ago, a Federation ship got into a scuffle with a Romulan ship, resulting in an exchange of fire. Due to some misfortunate calculations by the Federation Ship, another ship was destroyed, a Betazed diplomatic ship.”

Will turned pale, “Lwaxana, was Lwaxana on that ship.”

“No she was not, this trip was a trip for some more prominent diplomats, people from houses one though three. Everyone on the ship died.”

“Wow,” Will shook his head, “that’s so sad. . . but I still do not understand how the unfortunate loss of those lives resulted in Deanna being excused and escorted off the ship.”

“Yes, well seems the new ruling family, from the fourth house, felt that the Betazed no longer needed the protection of the Federation that killed their people. Three hours ago Betazed officially renounced the Federation and has banded with the Romulans and some other smaller sanctions in a fight to over throw us.”

“What?”

“Therefore, Starfleet has done what they felt best and dismissed Deanna. It was felt she could be persuaded to spy on us for the protection of her planet. Being daughter of the fifth house, she is an immediate threat to Starfleet security.”

“This is unbelievable.” Will got up from the bed and walked over to his dresser where a picture of Deanna sat, “Given everything wonderful and credible she had done in the name of the Federation, they just come and get her in the middle of the night and send her away? It just doesn’t seem right.”

Picard got up from his chair, “I tried to keep her on this ship, I fought hard, but Starfleet had their minds made up before they got here. Unless, by some miracle, Betazed comes back, we are strictly prohibited from making contact to her.”

Will picked up his picture of her, and stared down at the face of his personal angel, “Nothing.”

“Starfleet told me they would be monitoring all frequencies on this ship, anybody caught talking to her would suffer the same fate she has.” He patted his first officer on the back, “Data will cover your shift tonight. I want you to have the time to collect your thoughts.”

World’s Apart Chapter 3

Deanna Troi stood outside her mother’s door, in a complete haze on confusion. Just one short hour ago she was laying in her bedroom on the Enterprise, feeling comfortable and safe, and was contently dreaming about Will, and then the downward spiral hit. Captain Picard came knocking at her door to wake her, telling her there were two Starfleet Officers demanding to see her. She had hastily got up, and gotten dressed, only to be met roughly at her door by two armed officials telling her she was officially released from duty and had precisely ten minutes to grab as many worldly possessions as possible before she would be transported home. She had looked at the Captain in confusion, who had silently mouthed he was sorry. She still had to idea why he was sorry. She still had no idea why she was released from duty.

She looked sadly down at her hands, which clutched an old wooden box. Inside held what she felt to be the most precious items she owned, her father’s Starfleet medal of honor, the poem Will had wrote her all those years ago, a lock of Ian, her son’s hair, and her diploma from Starfleet academy.

She raised her hand to knock on her mother’s door, when, if by magic, the door suddenly opened.

“Mother,” she whispered, through the tears forming in her eyes, “why am I here? Why?”

Lwaxana Troi, dressed in black to mourn her fellow Betazoids, opened her arms to engulf her child. “Come Little One. Mother will take care of you.”

Deanna willingly fell into her mother’s embrace, still confused, but relieved to be in the protection of her mother.

* * * *

“Will let me in.”

“Beverly go away.”

“William let me in, she was my friend too.”

Reluctantly William Riker opened his door, to a fiery red-head, whose temper had flared the minute she had heard about Deanna’s dismissal.

“Yes, Beverly.”

“When are you leaving?”

“What?” he looked at her in confusion.

“When are you going after Deanna?” 

Chapter 4

“Beverly, I truly hope your not serious.” Will muttered, standing back to let Beverly through the door.

“Will, we are talking about Deanna, who need I remind you has just been ripped away from the only family she has had, beside Lwaxana, in the past ten years with no reason or no explanation. You bet I’m serious. She needs you.”

Will ran his fingers through his hair and glared at Beverly, “Don’t you think I know that. Don’t you think this is hard on me too. But the Captain says Starfleet has this ship monitored for any attempts of communication with her, therefore my hands are tied.” Still clutched tightly in his hand was the picture of Deanna he had picked up when the Captain had first told him of her departure.

“Will I’m disappointed in you, what happened to the old Will Riker who wouldn’t let a little thing like Starfleet regulations get in his way.”

“Beverly,it’s not just Starfleet. Your asking me to sneak on a planet full of telepaths . . .can we say, IMPOSSIBLE.”

Beverly look softened, “I didn’t think of that. I guess that would be kind of difficult.”

Will nodded, “Maybe with Lwaxana’s help, Deanna can convince the ruling house to rejoin Starfleet. But until that time, me and you will just have to keep each others spirts up.”* * * *

“Romulans. . .why is a peaceful planet like ours linked with scum like the romulans.”

Lwaxana shrugged, “Deanna, your dear Federation blew up three prominent families. Revenge is hell.”

“Mother you can’t agree with this?”

“Deanna, I know you miss your friends, but I can’t say I totally disagree with the fourth’s houses decesion. I love you, I love William, and heaven’s knows I love Jean-Luc, but we are not dealing with individuals we are dealing with a whole, and on a whole, the Federation has let our people down.”

Deanna gaped open mouth at her mother, if she was going to be this stubborn, how was she ever going to convince her to help her make a plead to the family of the fourth house. She needed her mother’s help. ****

Finally ridding himself of Beverly, Will sat in his darken room, gazing at the stars outside. Was she okay? Did she understand why he wasn’t coming after her?” He clutched her picture to his chest. Why couldn’t things between them ever be easy.

Chapter 5

“Deanna,” Will rubbed his eyes. In front of him, just inches away from his face, was the image of his beloved Deanna.

“Shhhh” she whispered in his ear, “don’t think to hard, the two of us are kind of floating in that subconcious state, the one between sleeping and awake. It’s the best place for us to attempt communication at considering the distance apart we are.

Will nodded distratedly, fighting the sleep that was threatening to take him away from her and at the same time, trying not to become to alert to scare her presence away.

“I want to come after you, I just don’t know how I can.” he started, wanting to rush in everything he had to say before one of them disappeared.

“I know Will, and I understand the prediciment you are in. We aren’t exactly an easy planet to sneak up on.”

Will smiled, “Dee, if we make it through this, yet another crisis, let’s get married.”

“What?” her image faded briefly, but quickly came back.

“Deanna, I’m becoming an old man, I can’t take these separations as well as I used to.”

A smile appeared on her face, softening the worry lines that had set around her eyes, “I love you William T. Riker, and I promise somehow I will get back to you.”

“Not if I don’t get back to you first.”

Her hand graced his face, but of course it was only her image, a presence, and as hard as Will wanted to believe he he had felt it, he knew he had not.

“Imzadi watch yourself, Romulans make better enemy’s then friends.” he whispered, feeling his eyes begin that inevidable journey downward.

“You watch yourself Imzadi, Romulans can be deadly by themselves. Romulans teamed up with telepathic counterparts can be leathal.”

Will tried to nod, but the sleep that he had deprived himself of earlier came full force, knocking him compleately out.

In her own bed on Betazed, Deanna came around long enough to pull the covers around her body, and snuggle tighter into her bed. Finally, after all these years, a little crisis pulled a proposal from her Imzadi. It’s about time. She closed her eyes and imagined all the wonderful things that could result from becoming Mrs. William T. Riker.

Chapter 6

“Oww.” Deanna screamed, being rudely awoken from her sleep by two forceful hands pulling her up by her hair.

“I don’t like traitors.” Leered the woman’s face in front of her, green eyes glaring at Deanna.

“What?” Deanna asked, still at little confused by what exactly was going on. Her well trained eyes had her scanning her bedroom for possible exits if needed. She first took note of large male Romulan who had a painful grasp of her hair, the woman in front of her was Betazed, possibly Dara daughter of the Fourth House of Betazed, though she couldn’t be sure, and the two Romulans retraining her mother at the doorway. Assessment - attempting an escape at this point would be suicide.

“Is there a problem.” She muttered through labored breath, the pain of her hair was becoming almost to much to bear.

“Deanna Troi were you or were you not just making telepathic communications with the enemy.” Demanded the woman with the dark green eyes.

Deanna began fidgeting madly, trying to raise her head as much as possible to relieve the tension of her pulled hair, “Enemy . . .no.”

“Really,” the woman asked “I could have sworn I just telepathically picked up on a conversation between you and Commander William Riker, of the Federation ship Enterprise”, she leaned her oval face over Deanna, “Was I mistaken?”

“Dara, you and I both know it was a harmless conversation.” shot Lwaxana from where she sat restrained.

“Lwaxana, she practically told him to watch out for us because we know there every move.”

“Dara, they were both near sleep I doubt if he even remembers the conversation.”

Dara turned and pointed her index finger directly in Lwaxana’s face “Old woman, you are the fifth house, I am the fourth house, so unless you plan to kill me right now, you better just shut your trap.” The woman with the green eyes, oval face, and pointed witch nose sneered.

Turning her attention back to Deanna, she nodded to her Romulan counter-parts who dragged a helpless Deanna off the bed and slammed her body to the floor, “I’m now going to show you how we, the Anti-Federation deal with federation spies like you.

* * * *

Will immediately awoke from his sleep in a blind rage. He clutched madly at his throbbing head, as he bolted from his bed and to his closet, were he grabbed for the first civilian clothes he could find.

“My god, if I’m in this much pain I wonder how she is fairing.” He thought, next grabbing under his bed for his blaster.

He had to move fast, he had to get off this ship and onto Betazed before it was too late.

Chapter 7

Panicked, and determined, Will made his way outside of his quarters and down the hallway of the Enterprise. He was going to need someone to run the transporter, to get him down to Betazed and he knew the perfect person to do it, Beverly.

Trying to attract as little attention to himself as possible, Will smiled at each passing crewmember. It was hard for him to believe in less then ten minutes he would be off this ship and never see any of their faces again.

Stopping in front of Beverly’s door, he cringed. Something had happened to Deanna’s backbone, he could find himself hardly able to stand straight. He knocked, fearing at any moment Deanna’s agony would pass them both out.

The door opened and to Will’s surprise the Captain answered, “Will, what a surprise.”

Will wanted to cover-up, but the damn throbbing in his head made it so he couldn’t think straight. “Captain.” He whispered, the color draining from his face as Deanna suffered another blow, this time to the stomach.”

Beverly pushed Picard aside, “Will, are you okay.”

“Why won’t they let go of her damn hair Beverly.” He gritted through clenched teeth.

“Will focus, you have to think less of Deanna and more of yourself.”

Will shook his head no, “She’s in trouble Bev. They think she is a federation spy. I’m afraid if I don’t focus fully .. .” his voice trailed off but Beverly got the picture. Focusing into Deanna, and being in tune with Deanna was the only thing Will could do in an otherwise helpless situation. He wanted to be there for her the only way he could.

“Captain.” Will pulled on the Captain’s pant leg from where he sat on his hands and knees, “Please transport me off this ship. She needs my help.”

Beverly also turned a pleading eye on Jean-Luc, “If he is in this much pain, I hate to see what kind of shape Deanna is.”

“I can’t.” Jean-Luc looked between the both.

“I don’t care about Starfleet, they can brand me a traitor and put a price on my head, it’s Deanna I care about.”

“Will, I can’t because I’m not in control of this ship.”

“What?!?” both Beverly and Will said in unison.

“Three admirals and two higher Captains beamed aboard this ship an hour ago to temporarily relieve me of duty. Seems our ship, but not the command crew, has been chosen to lead a bombing mission.”

Will looked sick, somehow he already knew where, “On Betazed.” he asked defeatedly.

Picard nodded, “They plan to commence in two hours.”

CHAPTER 8

“Mother,” Deanna whispered, coming around from an unconsciousness state, “where are they.”

“There gone little one. Off to plan some great battle. They have agreed to leave us here in our house, as long as you behave. You are being monitored by a dozen or so people.”

“Moth....”

Before Deanna could finish Lwaxana gave her a slight tug to hair, causing Deanna to yelp in pain.

“I’m sorry, but that includes no thoughts of Will. You have to banish thought of your Imzadi, they can only lead to trouble. You must block him from your mind.” She laid a hand over Deanna chest, “You can keep in your heart.”

Deanna, nodded, “How did this happen Mother. Betazed is not a planet of war. Betazed doesn’t even have a military.

Lwaxana sighed, “I don’t know maybe we are too trusting. We trusted the federation, until it killed our higher monarchy and now we trust the Romulans because they have filled the void the Federation left. We are a planet that likes to be taken care of.”

Deanna sat up in her bed, “Explain her royal highness Dara then. What’s got her so damn angry. Why does it seem she is out to get me?”

Lwaxana looked at her daughter is surprise, “Don’t you know? You are suppose to know the history of our planet.”

Deanna rolled her eyes, “Mother, right now my head throbs, my body aches, and I’m losing vision in my swelling left eye. Care to just enlighten me, and spare me the lecture.”

“Dara is Kyle Riker’s illegitimate daughter.”

“What? Are you serious? I think I would have remembered that if I had heard that before. Your talking about my Kyle Riker.”

“Well I didn’t know you had laid claim to both father and son.” Lwaxana said huffily, “but being my daughter I guess I should be proud of you.”

Worlds Apart Chapter 9

Before Deanna could fully comprehend everything her mother had told her, a knock came at the door.

“Who is it?” Lwaxana asked cautiously.

“It’s Dara, I think we need to talk.”

Lwaxana looked cautiously at Deanna, who urged her mother to answer the door, how much more pain could she possibly cause her.

* * * * *

At that same moment, on the Enterprise, a knock came on Beverly Crusher’s door.

“Oh great, more to join our happy party.” Will groaned.

The Captain got up from where he had been sitting, and answered the door, “Admiral Jameson, done so soon?”

The staunch white haired admiral smiled, “Picard, you may not necessarily agree with why I am here, but please remember I am still your superior and demand respect.” The man shouldered his way through the door, “It doesn’t matter though I’m not here to talk to you, I’m here to talk to him.” He pointed at Will.

* * * *

Dara smiled at Lwaxana, as she pushed past her and towards Deanna, “You have a chance to redeem yourself. Are you willing to show me that you hold Betazed first and the Federation last.”

Deanna pushed herself up into a sitting position, “What do you want me to do?”

* * * * *

Will, who had been laying on Beverly’s couch resting, Pushed himself forward, to sit up, “You wanted something Admiral.”* * * * *

Dara eyes lit up, “It’s pretty obvious that we are going to be butting heads with the Federation scum soon, and I want you to lead our head ship. I want you to manipulate every connection you have to the Enterprise, to lead us to victory.”* * * *

The Admiral walked over and sat next to Will, “A spy on Betazed has informed us that Deanna is going to be leading the attack against us. I know you hold a special bond with her, so I want you to use it. I want you to take helm of the Enterprise and I want you to match her every move. I want you to lead us to victory.”

Chapter 10

The Captain stood up, outraged, “This is ludicrous. I don’t see Starfleet asking you to lead a bombing mission against your wife.”

“My wife is not the enemy, and secondly Ms. Troi and Mr. Riker are NOT married.”

Beverly stood up next, “According to Betazed tradition, they are more then married. They are one.”

The Admiral glared, “And if Betazed was part of the Federation I might take that into consideration. However, they are not, and the Commander here has a duty.”

Will sat motionless on Beverly’s couch, his eyes glazed over in a daze. He hadn’t heard a word exchanged in the room past the Admiral informing . . .no ordering him to lead the bombing mission against Betazed, against Deanna. His mind was racing, what kind of mental state was she in, and what kind of threats were issued to make her lead the mission against them. He had to do something.

“I'll do it.” he announced, but the fighting match against the group had escalated to such high levels that no one had heard him.

“I said I’ll do it.” He said again, louder and more forceful then before.

Beverly and Jean-Luc stopped there battle and looked at Will in surprise, “You will, Will.”

“One things my father had taught me was above all else, Starfleet comes first.”

* * * *

“I’m Deanna Troi, daughter of Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, I do NOT have to prove my loyalty to Betazed. . . I am Betazed.” Deanna said aristocratically.

Dara raised one of her black eyebrow into an arch, “Really, well I bet I have some Romulans who could change your mind. So are you in or out.”

“Betazed is not a fighting planet, as much as you would like to make it. I’m out. Beat me if you must, but I will not harm a hair on anybody head who didn’t intentionally provoke our people.”

“Three houses of Betazed people were killed and you don’t see intentional provocation.”

Deanna shook her head, “I do not see provocation, I see an accident. A misfire that hit a ship who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. How could you do this, why are you doing this. Is it because you want to get back at Will? I know you are not acting out of mourning for our people, because our people don’t believe in such frivolous ideas as revenge.”

Dara’s face hardened, “I don’t need this.” She walked over to where Lwaxana Troi was standing and forcefully grabbed the aging woman’s head and threw it against the wall. A gut wrenching crack sounded, causing the little hairs on the back of Deanna’s neck stand up in shock.

“Maybe instead of beating you, I will beat your mother. . .are you IN or are you OUT.”

Deanna moaned, looking at her mother’s crumpled body, heaped on the floor. “I’m in.”

Chap 11

“What are you doing Will? There has to be a reason you are doing this?” Beverly questioned. Her and Jean-Luc had followed Will back to his room where he began to change back into his uniform.

“I’m doing the only thing I can.”

“Will?” Picard questioned, looking at him severely, “is there anything I should know before you go up there. ANYTHING.”

Will stopped what he was doing and gave the Captain a serious look, “Take Beverly to the farthest place on this ship from the bridge as possible, and I want you to know I truly valued my time serving with you.”

Beverly paled, “What are you going to do.”

“It doesn’t matter, you to worry about each other. I’ll worry about the rest.”* * * *

“My mother?” Deanna asked worriedly, as they strapped her into a chair.

“Fine, in a Betazed hospital.” Dara responded, “you just worry about yourself.”

Deanna nodded numbly, not quite sure what she was exactly going to do.

The suddenly, as fast as a bolt of lightening, an image flashed in her head. It was the Enterprise after it had crashed . . .crashed . . .could he be contacting her . . . She grabbed her head, what ever it meant she didn’t dare dwell on it. Whatever she did would have to be a split second, no pre-thought decision.

CHAPTER 12

“Do what you must to tap into her.” The Admiral coaxed to Will, who had just entered the bridge of the Enterprise.

“Sir, she is not a keg of beer, she is a woman, therefore I do not just “tap” into her”

“Commander, do not forget she is the enemy.”

“Right,” Will closed his eyes and focused on Deanna, he hoped she had got the image he had sent her. He prayed she knew what he wanted her to do and he silently wished that neither one of them would die in the process. His plan was for the two of them to crash safetly, then he would fight, fight to the death if he had to, to take her away. Forget Starfleet, forget Betazed, forget the stupid romulans and the damn errors by a dumb federation captain that blew up the Betazed ship that started this mess. Once he got her within his grasp, he wasn’t going to let any of that get in their way.

“Sir, I’m tapped in,” Will saluted, “and I can feel she is at the controls of the Romulan ship. I believe they are doing that because she knows how this ship maneuvers. If we are to be successful, I will have to do the same, I will have to manually control the Enterprise.”

The Admiral’s eyes narrowed suspecially, “Do you have something up your sleeve commander?”

“Only my arm sir.”

“Very well Commander, but we will be watching you VERY closely.”* * * *

Deanna focused herself on Dara, “I have to control the ship, no one else is qualified to match Will’s maneuvers with the split second accuracy that I am.”

“Yes but you can’t be trusted.”

“Dara, read my mind and you will see the only thing I have running through it is the Enterprise’s demise.”

Dara narrowed her eyes, and t hen a smile spread across her otherwise frowning face. “Very impressive Deanna, I only hope you follow through, because if you don’t, I will let each Romulan that drools over you have there way with you. . .and that’s not a threat that’s a promise.”

Deanna just smiled, what else could she do.

CHAPTER 13

“We should meet up with the Romulan’s in ten minutes.” Will said, as he easily maneuvered the Enterprise.

“Do they know were coming?”

“No, I do not think so, from what I can see Deanna is going through general manuevers . . .practice.”

The Admiral nodded, “I knew she would be trouble from the moment Betazed left the federation. I’m just so glad I got her double crossing self off this ship before any real damage could be done.”

Will bit his lip, the urge to turn around and punch this admiral becoming almost to overwelming. It didn’t matter though, as soon as he had Deanna, Starfleet would be nothing but a memory.* * * *

“Five minutes.” Deanna announced from where she was strapped in her chair, trying to forge a confidence she just wasn’t feeling.

“You aren’t going to disappoint me are you?” Dara questioned.

“I hope not.” Deanna muttered. “I just hope you realize your brother is on that ship.”

Dara smirked, “Why do you think I want to see it go down so bad.”

Deanna nodded, “It will go down.”

* * * *

“They are in my sights sir.” Will cried, butterflies starting to form in the pit of his stomach. He hoped he could do this without unecessarily taking people’s lives.* * * *

“HOLD ON.” screamed Deanna, as she brought the Romulan vessel full speed toward the Enterprise.

* * * *

“Pull up Commander,” commanded the Admiral, “were flying ships not playing Chicken. We will fire on them.”

“No sir, I have to carry out with this. She’ll pull up, she’s just testing me.”* * * *

“Deanna!!”

“He’ll pull up. He is just trying to see what I am made of.”

* * * *

“Commander I order you to get off her path.”

“I think I should go down sir.”

“Then by all means, go down.”

* * * *

“Deanna.”

“Okay, I’ll get out of his way, I’ll go down.”

CHAPTER 14

Both ships went on screeching downward paths, entering Betazed’s atmosphere simultaneously.

“Commander pull up. I didn’t want you to crash us.”

Will looked around, hoping that the calculations he had done in his head would land them in a field.

“Commander,”

“To late sir, brace yourself, we are going down.” Was all Will managed to get out before they impacted.* * * *

“Deanna your crashing us.”

Deanna nodded, trying to crouch down the best she could, “Yes I am, I don’t like you and if this is what Betazed is becoming then I want no part of it.”

Dara, along with one of her Romulans leaped for the steering column. By the time they pried it from Deanna hands, the nose of the ship was hitting the ground.* * * *

Will groaned, while squirming out from underneath pieces of his beloved Enterprise.

“Commander I demand you cease immediately.”

“Make me.” Will shot back, before breaking into a full run to the fallen Romulan ship.

* * * *

Deanna forced herself to take shallow breaths, as she struggled under the weight of a fallen beam that lay heavily across her chest. To the left of her laid the Romulan that had dived for the steering control, apparently dead. To the right of her laid Dara, breathing, but temporarily unconscious.

Deanna closed her eyes, <Will> she called out telepathically, trying to see if he was okay. Her concentration was weak, and she had no idea if he had heard her or not. The weight on her chest was the only thing that seemed to hold her attention.

Suddenly the sound of stirring came from her right.

* * * *

Will ran, but a twisted right ankle was slowing him down more then he would like. Just twenty more feet away.

* * * *

“My my, looks like the little heroin is trapped, tsk tsk, I guess she probably should have thought things out better.”

Deanna cringed, “Dara, what makes you think things haven’t turned out exactly how I want them too.”

Dara let out an ear piercing laugh, “Deanna Deanna, I never liked you, you so perfect, so fair skinned, so damn likeable, it’s enough to get under a girl’s skin.

Trying to keep up a rhythmic tempo in breathing, Deanna looked at the girl curiously, “What makes you tick. Your from one of the most peaceful, one of the most loving planets in this galaxy, and your hell bent on war. Why? Is it because you have grown up with no father, or is it because you are just plain mean.”

Dara tipped her head back and left out a hearty laugh, “Plain mean. Deanna you are such a character.” She shook her head and pulled herself up in a standing position, “Truthfully though, if you really want to know, I’m in love with a Romulan and the only way I could be with him is to off three houses, frame it on the Federation, retain control and yadda yadda yadda here we are.”

“You mean the Federation didn’t misfire?”

“Well, let’s just say do to some mechanical doctoring, that Betazed ship was cleverly cloaked to look like a Romulan ship. Then once your precious Federation fired, I removed the cloak, and bam chaos.”

“That’s just sick and wrong.” piped up a voice from behind the two.

Deanna breathed a sigh of relief, “Will, thank heavens.”

Dara rolled her eyes, “Oh please.”

Will leaned down and began to remove the beam and untie Deanna.

“Do you know who I am?” Dara asked Will.

“Your the daughter of the woman who became obsessed with my father and accused him of being the father of a child. . . so I guess that would make you my fake delusional sister.”

Dara screamed and charged Will. Deanna, who had just been successfully untied bounded up in time to step in front of the two and sucker punch Dara, “See, he’s got a problem punching ladies, I on the other hand don’t.”

Stunned for a moment, Dara took a couple of steps back. She then decided to charge Deanna. Deanna calmly responded by laying a swift kick to the girl’s abdomen. “You may have been dating a Romulan, but I’m the ex of a Klingnon.”

Dara laid curled up in a ball on the fallen ships floor, “What do you want from me.”

Deanna snickered, “I want you to turn controlling authority over to my mother, she is a little more experienced and a lot more mature then you, and then I want you to take your Romulan honey and just go live somewhere and quit meddling in other people’s lives. If you want to be with somebody, just be with them.”

Before Dara could responded Deanna turned her back on the girl and hobbled off to Will.

* * * *

“I’m the ex of a Klingnon!?! Deanna you amaze me more everyday.”

Deanna shrugged, “I knew learning those Klingnon mating moves would come in handy someday.”

Will grined and swung his arm around her shoulder, “So where do we go from here. Back to beg for our Starfleet jobs back?”

“Actually Commander, I thought we’d visit that little suggestion you made a couple of nights ago.”

“The marriage thing?”

“Oh yes,” Deanna said.

Will squirmed, “What if I’m not the marrying type?”

“WILL.”

He held his hands up in surrender, “In fear of being beaten up, I surrender.”

“Good.”

The two stopped walking and joined together for a long passionate kiss.

THE END