Title: Summer Rain
Author: Christal


I met a girl at the carnival

As dusk approached, storm clouds could be seen gathering over the valley. 
Throughout the grounds Betazoids were picking up their crafts and other
knick-knacks, closing up their blue and purple colored tents, and wrapping
up their picnic lunches in a hurry. Betazed thunderstorms came up out of
nowhere and sometimes got very nasty, very quickly. So no one was taking any
chances.  There was a mutual feeling of gloom among everyone there as people
solemnly left for their homes. Regazi had been rained out. The first time in
years, since Deanna had been a little girl.

Deanna was very quiet as she picked up the blanket and picnic basket.

//Oh well, its not like I’ve never been to it before, and there will be
more. It’s not that important. //

But Deanna was lying to herself. She just didn’t want to admit to the fact
that she was disappointed at not being able to spend the day with Will.
Lieutenant Riker she had to remind herself, all she needed was for him to
gloat on the fact that he was getting to her. All she was doing was teaching
him about her own culture and traditions. She had to remember that. Oh, but
she had really wanted to see him and that adorable face.

//No, what am I saying? Ok I just need to think rationally and calmly about
this. I’ve met this man exactly how many times?! And now I’m swooning over
him. //

Deanna was still mumbling to herself when she ran right into someone, and he
pushed back. “You know, Miss Troi, I was under the impression that people
actually looked where they were going. Or is this another Betazoid trait I’m
not aware of?” he asked with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face.

She turned to meet him, already enraged. She didn’t understand how he always
figured out how to get underneath her skin like this, AND SO QUICKLY! //And
he’s just standing there looking all innocent… the nerve! As if he doesn’t
realize what he’s doing! //

“Well Lieutenant, I do usually watch where I am going, but since I was the
only one left out here I assumed I wouldn’t be running into anyone. And I
hope this won’t take long as it is about to rain and I don’t want to get
drenched.”

“Oh but my dear Deanna, don’t you know you should never assume anything?
Besides, getting caught in the rain is half the fun. You do remember how to
have fun, don’t you?”

We danced all night on the boulevard
In doorways we did the tango

“Yes I know how to….” And then she couldn’t talk as William Riker swung
Deanna Troi into his arms and started a fast paced Tango as the threatening
rain clouds finally burst upon the remains of the Festival. She tried to get
away at first, but she couldn’t stop laughing. He was making the biggest
fool of himself, and her she realized. But she didn’t care; she was having
fun, and falling in love with this madman!

We were dancing in the summer rain
We were dancing through the night

Soon Deanna was getting into the groove, and turned their Tango into a mild
Salsa. Will didn’t mind; he just kept up the pace and waved hello to the
bystanders watching the evening’s entertainment from their windows make
their way down the street.  Soon they were doing a half salsa, half waltz up
an incline as they turned onto her street. “Tell me something Lieutenant,
are all Starfleet officers this light on their feet?”

“Nope, you are looking at one of the very rare ones that can claim that
honor. We are an endangered species you know.”

“So where did you learn how to dance like this? Some favor by an exotic
Queen whose life you saved one evening?”

“Wrong again Miss Troi, you see I took a special class at the Academy.”

Deanna had to catch herself; she almost smiled. “And just what exactly was
the name of this dancing course you took there?” The remark was dripping
with sarcasm. He chose to ignore it.

“Why it was ‘Dancing 101: How to survive on Tap.’”

That did it; there was no way she could hold it in. Deanna started giggling
and couldn’t stop even if her life depended on it. Through the giggles she
managed, “And… is this… class… still being taught?”

“Sadly no, it was discontinued after the second semester. Apparently there
was something about it not being important or useful in the line of duty. Of
course the Academy Instructors have never been in certain diplomatic
situations before.”

“So how many people did take this course? I take it not many if it was
pulled from the curriculum.”

With a look of shock he replied, “Why my dear, lots of cadets took it. But
you see there was a slight problem. Most of those taking the course wanted
something easy to take along with their other stressful classes, so it
became known as something of a ‘flyby’ course.”

“A-huh, and might this be why it was dropped?” she asked. Will stopped a
second as realization suddenly dawned upon his face. “Will, just how many
times did you take that course?”

He smiled shyly as he admitted, “Twice, I took the beginner’s…. and the
advanced course.”

//Why does that not surprise me. // She thought to herself.

I miss her lips
And the way she sashayed her hips
As she shook her shoulders 

They were rapidly coming to her home, and Deanna knew that the dance lesson
would soon be coming to an end. Will started a Samba, and then suddenly
stopped right before her walkway. The rain was still coming down, and they
were drenched. He thought she was beautiful with her dark raven curls wet
and frizzing just a bit around her face, which was flush from all the
exercise. He looked deep into her onyx, Spanish flavored eyes, wrapped his
arms around her waist, and kissed her. At first she resisted, her mother’s
voice in her mind scolding her for letting her guard down, but soon she was
kissing him back in wild abandon.  There was no denying it now, she had
wanted this even more than he, and she reveled in the fact that her mother
was watching in horror from the window as she saw her daughter kissing ‘that
Starfleet officer’.

~*~*~*~*~*~

9 years later……..

I miss the touch
Of her body so much
I long for the warmth inside her 

Commander William Riker was in his quarters reminiscing. He was supposed to
be catching up on some much-needed sleep, but he couldn’t. He had come
across an old song inside his ‘special box’. He started to listen to it, and
forgot all about how tired he was. He kept thinking back to that happier
time, and how he and Counselor Troi went dancing in the rain, making a
spectacle for all to see. He had promised they would do it again; she had
made him promise. They had had so much fun that night, and then Lwaxana
caught them kissing; it was priceless!

The sun came up
And the girl was gone
Her masquerade was over
I searched the streets Drunk with love
But no one seemed to know her

But then he thought how shortly after that the Sindareen had captured her,
and then about their time together in the jungle. It’s amazing how they even
got back with their clothes still intact. And then her mother had
interfered; not only ruining their relationship, but also making him break a
promise… something he never did.

Somewhere in time she will come back to me

Just then he heard the door chime. “Come,” and then there she was, as if she
had been listening in on the song, and his thoughts. She smiled as she heard
the song being played.

“Just like that night it rained during Regazi.” She remembered.

“Yeah. I was looking through some old things and found it. Once I played it
all the old memories came back,” he replied with a smile.

“You know, if I remember correctly, you promised we’d do it again. And last
time I checked that was the last time I ever danced in the rain.”

“Well Miss Troi, how’s about a trip to the holodeck? I hear they figured out
how to make the rain feel real,” he joked. Getting a secretive look in his
eyes, “I heard a rumor, just the other day in fact, that you still know how
to salsa?”

Smiling she flirted, “Maybe.”

“Well then, lets find out. Because as you know, I always keep my promises.”

With that they turned to leave his quarters. As they walked to the turbolift
that would take them to Holodeck 3, Commander Riker kept humming one
sentence from the song in his mind.

And I'll spend my whole life beside her 


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


I met a girl at the carnival
In Rio de Janeiro
We danced all night on the boulevard
In doorways we did the tango

I miss her lips
And the way she sashayed her hips
As she shook her shoulders
I miss the smell of her hair
I don't care if it takes my whole life to find her

We were dancing in the summer rain
We were dancing through the night
She never said her real name
So I called her Spanish eyes
Spanish eyes...

The sun came up
And the girl was gone
Her masquerade was over
I searched the streets Drunk with love
But no one seemed to know her

I miss the touch
Of her body so much
I long for the warmth inside her
Somewhere in time she will come back to me
And I'll spend my whole life beside her

We were dancing in the summer rain
We were dancing through the night
She never said her real name
So I called her Spanish eyes
Spanish eyes...

© Spanish Eyes, Ricky Martin 1999.