Challenge #5 from Imzadi List:

For Challenge #5 the challenge is to do a dialogue driven story. NO detail, no description, dialogue only. Make the conversation tell the story for you.  You can involve as many characters as you want, however, this cannot be a log entry.

Thank you for your interest and your participation.   Let your imagination soar and your fingers fly!

The Compromise
by Carol Sandford
PG
Disclaimer: Yup, its around somewhere, you want it, go find it yourself
coz I sure can't be asked
Set: Future



"No."

""Wh...what?"

"You heard me, Will, I said no."

"But why not, Deanna? You knew I always wanted to go back there, especially
when we had others to think about and consider."

"Will. When I agreed to become your wife, I imagined that we would spent
our remaining working lives on board a starship and then maybe turn in our
communicators and settle down somewhere warm and sunny, Warm and sunny does
~not~ apply to Alaska."

"It‘s not that bad, Dee, not in the summer anyhow‘s."

"Oh yes it is, Will. Can you imagine sending our children off to school
wrapped up in a huge thick coats, their heads obscured by a rainbow
coloured woollen hat, their hands all frostbitten and blue. Scarves so long
they‘d have to be wrapped around their tiny necks ten times?"

"Well, yes actually, I can. I remember it well. I also remember having
amazing snowball fights in the playground. I remember spending hours on my
sled going up and down the small hills. I remember just sitting on top of
those small hills and looking out at pure white clean and magical world,
listening to the roar of a distant waterfall, the only thing seemingly
alive in the dead of winter."

"I also remember spring arriving along with all the new born‘s following
their mama‘s. Tiny snowdrops peeking through snow and streams gurgling back
to life and the sun warming everything up...I remember it all, Deanna and I
want our children to see it too. I want our children to be raised in
Alaska."

"And I want them to be raised on Betazed - in the warm, where they can go
to school all year round in T shirt and shorts. where they can go swimming
any time they like. Where they are surrounded with all the beautiful
flowers that don‘t shrivel and die and disappear for months on end. I want
the warmth Will. I need the warmth."

"Aw, Deanna, you‘ll be warm, you‘ll have me to do that. That and our huge
log fire, and a rug in front of it where I can keep you hotter than toast.
You‘ll be amazed how hot you can get in Alaska."

"Yeah, and then have to freeze our butts off when we have to go and get
another log in the dead of night so that we don‘t curl up and die right
there on the floor."

"That‘s not very romantic of you, Deanna. And besides, the idea of your
mother just ‘popping in‘ is enough to freeze me out, I can‘t believe you
want to inflict her onto me, my love. She only has to look at me and I get
a chill. She sure was mad when you married me."

"That‘s because she knew you‘d try and pull a stunt like this. I don‘t want
to move to Alaska, Will."

"But why??! Give me one good reason."

"Haven‘t you been listening to a word I‘ve said, Will?"

"Yes, and they are just excuses, not a reason. If you loved me, you would
go wherever I wanted, and I want to go to Alaska."

"And if you loved me, Will Riker, you would go wherever ~I~ wanted, and I
want to go to Betazed."

"Okay...what else has Betazed got other than warmth?"

"Me, naked."

"Excuse me??!"

"Me, naked, nearly all year round..."

"You...you mean...you don‘t intend wearing clothes...at all??!"

"Nope, well, most of the time. It is unnatural for Beazoids to wear
clothes, Will, its no big deal to us. Betazed is really just a planet sized
nudist colony, clothes are just something we wear, just to look different
occasionally, or if we‘ve got stuffy offworlders visiting."

"All year round...?"

"All year round."

"Can we compromise a little...just a little, please?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind, Will?"

"We live on Betazed for 11 months of the year, and Alaska for one month...
just one month."

"Okay, sounds fair enough, I can agree to that. Its a deal."

"I love you Mrs. Riker."

"I love you too, Mr. Riker."

"All year round huh?"

"All year round."

"Wow..."