Part 6 (1/2)
”Rough her up a little?”
”No!”
”Call her obscene names?”
”Of course not, Guinan. I'd never do that, and she'd never tolerate it.”
”How about beating up one of her friends? Would she tolerate that?”
”No. She wouldn't.”
”Well, then,” said Guinan, ”how do you think she'd react to your beating up on yourself?
Riker opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again without doing so.
”Uh-huh,” said Guinan.
Then she looked behind her in that way she had, reacting to something before she'd even seen it. Riker craned his nut to see around hen already suspecting what would be there.
Sure enough, there was Deanna. She had entered Ten-Forward and was simply standing there, her arms folded across the top of her gray uniform with the purple V-neck. She was looking at Riker with an arched eyebrow. Her face was unreadable.
Guinan drifted over to her and Deanna glanced at her. ”He's all yours,” Guinan said. ”If you want him, that is.”
”I don't know,” said Deanna with just the faintest hint of amused tolerance in her voice. ”He looks pretty pathetic.”
”Looks can be deceiving,” said Guinan sagely. Then she looked to Riker, and back to Troi. ”On the other hand, sometimes looks can be right on target.”
”Thank you, Guinan.
”Don't mention it.'
Deanna walked across the Ten-Forward with her usual purposeful stride, And then, in deliberate emulation of Riker, she spun the chair around on the opposite side of the table from him and straddled it.
”I am...” Riker tried to find the words, and nothing better than the obvious occurred to him. ”So sorry.”
He waited for Deanna to say something. All she did was stare at him before finally saying simply, ”And... ?”
He looked at the drink again. ”I handled it very badly. It was an embarra.s.sing situation under any circ.u.mstances. Walking in on someone when they're... involved with someone... can be very disconcerting. And it's even more disconcerting when that person is someone you have... had...”
”Have and had?”
”Feelings for,” he finished. ”Feelings that you always think you've sorted out, but then every time you think you have a handle on them, something happens.”
Again he paused, and again she simply said, ”And...?”
Now he was starting to get just a bit annoyed. ”Well, I mean, Deanna-you're the counselor, after all... the one who's spent years getting in touch with her feelings. Can you say to me that you wouldn't feel the least little bit thrown off if you walked in on... I don't know...”
”Ensign Ro?” she said helpfully.
His face fell. ”Bad example.” But then he brightened slightly.
”Actually... you know, I had this odd feeling of reverse d?j? vu when I walked in on you, because if you remember, you didn't handle it particularly well on Betazed when-”
She waved it off quickly, saying, ”Youth excuses a great deal,” but Riker knew that he'd hit home with that reminder of times past. And she knew it, too. When she looked up at him again, it was with an expression that he'd come to know extremely well-understanding.
”Will,” she said slowly, ”we have a lot of history between us. A lot of reasons why our relations.h.i.+p is precisely where it is. Partly because we're serving on the same s.h.i.+p. Partly because... well, partly a lot of things. One thing that we both agree on, though, is that neither of us is interested in leading a celibate life.”
”I know, Deanna. I don't deny that. I don't deny your right to be involved with whomever you want. In fact, I'm happy for you.” He smiled sincerely, which wasn't difficult because he really was sincere. ”You're ent.i.tled to every happiness that life has to offer you. And I understand that, since we've decided that our relations.h.i.+p is best served by remaining simply close friends-”
”There's nothing 'simple' about our relations.h.i.+p, Will,” she said with her usual sparkle.
”Granted. What I'm saying is that I understand... h.e.l.l, I know... that relations.h.i.+ps of a more-physical-nature than we're pursuing with each other are natural. Expected.”
Guinan appeared without saying a word, placed a drink at Deanna's right, and moved away as silent as a ghost. Deanna picked up the drink almost unconsciously, dropped in a small stirrer, and mixed it absently. ”We've made no claims on each other otherwise,” she pointed out.
”Right. And naturally we're going to be involved with other people.”
”You keep saying that, Will. Do you repeat it because you want to emphasize it... or because you want to convince yourself of it?”
He smiled lopsidedly. ”A little of both, I guess. What I'm saying is that I understand it intellectually. In the abstract. But being put face-to-face, unexpectedly, with the reality of it... it just caught me a little off guard, that's all. I felt surprise, and maybe... just maybe”-he brought his thumb and forefinger together to measure out a minuscule amount of s.p.a.ce-”just a smidgen of jealousy.”
”Just a smidgen.”
”Nothing significant. I mean, after all, Deanna”-he spread his hands helplessly-”I'm only human.”
”I've tried never to hold that against you,” she said somberly. And they clinked gla.s.ses.
CHAPTER 9.
In a time-honored tradition for getting attention, Captain Picard clinked his knife several times against his gla.s.s.
All around the banquet table, the delegates ceased their amiable chatter, putting down their utensils or drinks and giving their full attention to the captain.
Around the table were grouped the amba.s.sadors from the Cordians, the Byfrexians, and the Luss. Also seated there were Data, Worf, Riker, and Troi.
Riker was not seated next to Deanna but instead several s.p.a.ces down. That had not been the original seating arrangement, but when Deanna had arrived, she had been mildly surprised to find Dann next to her.
”Commander Riker insisted,” said Dann, sounding just a bit puzzled. ”I thought I was supposed to be sitting with my delegation, but...” And he shrugged.
Deanna had turned and looked at Riker, who was sitting next to the Lussian amba.s.sador and speaking with him animatedly. The Luss was nodding his bald head thoughtfully, and giving that enigmatic half-smile that was so typical of the elders of his race.
As if sensing Deanna's gaze on him, Riker continued to talk to the amba.s.sador but glanced in Deanna's direction. Her smile said it all-The seating rearrangement wasn't necessary, but it's a sweet gesture. Thank you. He c.o.c.ked his head slightly in unspoken response and then turned his full attention back to the amba.s.sador.
The evening had progressed quite smoothly as the Enterprise continued in its stately orbit around Sindar, the home planet of the Sindareen. Their arrival had been uneventful, which in and of itself was unusual. Once upon a time, anyone getting within a pa.r.s.ec of Sindareen s.p.a.ce, much less the home world of Sindar, was met with challenges and hostilities... even if they were expected.