Shoulder To Cry On, Bed To Sleep In
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of it. Oh, sad.
Anywhere between the beginning of the series and Insurrection.
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Will Riker awoke with his arms wrapped firmly around a woman that he didn’t remember going to bed with.
They were both fully clothed, so it wasn’t the first thing that came to his mind.
Will didn’t move as he racked his mind for the memory of this mysterious woman. After a very uncomfortable thirty seconds, he finally decided he didn’t remember her. Will stretched to see her face, but gave up when he recognized her by other means first.
The way she fit in his arms, the way her hair smelled, the feel of her soft hands in his, and that familiar tingle in the back of his mind told him who she was.
It was Deanna.
He was sure it was Deanna. But . . . why was it Deanna?
Why was Deanna in his bed?
After little debating with himself, he decided to wait and ask her in the morning.
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Will tried to fall back asleep. He quickly decided he couldn’t. Being very careful, Will slipped Deanna out of his arms. He crept out of his bed and into the main room of his quarters.
For a long time he sat in a chair, and stared through his bedroom door at Deanna. He thought about her and why she was in his bed. After a long while he became hungry and decided it was time for breakfast.
Pancakes sounded good. Blueberry pancakes sounded great.
He sat down at his table with his plate of pancakes. He looked up when he heard the ever-so-soft shuffle of dainty feet scuffing through his quarters. He looked up and saw Deanna standing in the doorways with her arms folded under her breasts, yawning the sleep from her body.
Her long curly hair was messed and pushed back behind her ears, out of her face. She wore a modest cream nightgown that complimented her smooth skin.
‘She is so beautiful,’ he thought. Will smiled at her from his breakfast table. “Good morning, Deanna. Breakfast?”
She used a finger to wipe an invisible speck from her nose. “Morning,” she replied sheepishly, her voice husky from sleep. She sat down at one of the sides of the table, as Will was at the head. She yawned again. “I guess you want to know why we spent the night together.”
Will chuckled with a shrug. “I was wondering.”
“I just needed to sleep,” she admitted. “My mother has been bothering me recently, because the Seventh House just had another set of twins. She harping because she had no heirs . . . and . . .” Deanna took a deep breath, her voice building frantic emotion. “I just needed some sleep. I haven’t slept in days and I knew that I never slept better than when I was with you.”
Will smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. “Im-” he stopped himself before he said it. “Deanna, I’m always here for you: whatever you need. A friend to take to; a shoulder to cry on; . . . a bed to sleep in. . .” He brought a smile to face. “I’ll be here for you, always.”
She squeezed his hand before standing up. “Thank you, Imzadi.” She turned and left him with the remainder of his breakfast.
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Fin