Story: L’Amour
Author: Deede (although I’m not really sure I want to put my
name on this)
Email: jaylee_g@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Paramount owns them, I just like to play with them
a little for some non profit geared fun. :-)
Notes: Sappy? Almost sickingly so. Cheesy? Definitely. Pointless?
Entirely. Its probably more tongue in cheek than anything, and it was written
in less than an hour so if it seems, well… lets just say that
if you go into sugar shock you’ve been warned. hehe


*****

She didn’t remember the significance of the day until her third
appointment; surrounded by the comfortable familiarity of her
office while holding a distraught ensign who mumbled incoherently
about her significant other being reassigned on that particular
day of all days. For a split second Deanna had been confused,
her mind quickly sorting through her knowledge of birthdays or
anniversaries of the crew to try and figure out just what it
was that the younger woman had been alluding to, and what it
was that would have the ensign so upset. When it hit her she
had to forcibly resist the urge to slap her forehead with the
palm of her hand and shout, “Of course, Valentines Day,” opting
instead to smile understandingly and soothe the younger woman’s
heartache as best she could.

In retrospect it was no wonder she didn’t remember the holiday
for she had rarely celebrated it, choosing instead to celebrate,
or not celebrate given her relationship status the past few years,
the Betazed equivalent on July 14th, otherwise known as the day
of ‘common goodwill and untold bounds of affection.’  However,
this year was slightly different, this year marked the first
Valentines Day to pass since she and Will, her very human lover,
had renewed their youthful vigor and had once again fallen head
over heels, desperately, and irrevocably in love with one another.


She supposed she should have known by the single red rose that
lay on the pillow beside her when she awoke that morning, her
bedmate, the first officer, had been already dressed, showered,
and long since engrossed in his duties by the time she had found
it. But it had been left by Will, and he was always doing little
things that it made it virtually impossible to distinguish one
special day from another. Being Will Riker’s best friend was
one thing, being his lover was another matter entirely. It was
as if, once having her back firmly in his arms, he set out to
prove over and over just how much she meant to him. She lost
track of the times she had walked into her office to find a fresh
vase of flowers, or crawled into bed after a late shift to find
a chocolate on her pillow, or a little note left on her seat
on the bridge. A part of her wondered whether the two of them
really needed the holiday at all in order to celebrate the bond
they shared, stardate be damned.

But thoughts of February, stardates, flowers and chocolates were
soon squelched when the appointment ended and bridge duty loomed
over the horizon. Holidays or not, duty always called.

When she reached the bridge she was surprised to find the Captain
planted firmly in his chair, a secretive smile on his face that
hinted that he had information he wasn’t going to share, and
one that serving twelve years under the man had helped Deanna
to recognize well. She continued to her seat at his left unperturbed,
shooting her Captain and friend an amused look before spotting
a rolled up parchment on her chair, tied gently in the center
with a red, satin ribbon.

Unaware of the eyes on her, she opened the precious package and
read it, unable to prevent the large smile that spread across
her face.

Imzadi,

Meet me in holodeck three.

Will

The Captain cleared his throat, jarring Deanna from the reflective
mood Will’s message had put her in.

“Counselor, you are hereby relieved of duty until your shift
tomorrow and I don’t want to see you on this bridge a minute
before then,” the Captain stated in his best mock firm tone,
his eyes sparkling with good will.

“Yes, sir!” she replied saucily, giving him a mock salute as
she turned on her heel and headed out to see just what it was
her lover had planned for them and why he had enlisted the assistance
of accomplices to achieve it.

The trip to the holodeck seemed longer than usual, as if the
hallways between it and the bridge had grown a foot or two over
night, and although she wouldn’t admit it to the more casual
acquaintance, Deanna’s pulse was racing wildly in anticipation.

The sight that greeted her on the holodeck took her breath away,
and she was instantly awed by the green grassy hill, and the
bright blue sky, the sparkling, crystal like stream, and the
archaic cabana off in the distance made of marble and held up
with Grecian pillars.

“Ancient Greece,” a voice behind her announced softly, and she
turned abruptly to find Will standing before her, dressed in
her favorite shirt of his, deep blue and the softest kind of
silk to the touch, as the bright afternoon sun reflected vibrantly
off his hair and eyes, surrounding him with an earthly glow.


“Mount Olympus to be more precise. The romping grounds of the
many gods, which now includes you, my goddess of empathy,” he
finished with a smile, laughing with her when Deanna recognized
the old, familiar taunt of years ago.

“It’s beautiful, Will,” she said with the softest smile, the
type that only he could ever inspire.

His bright blue eyes twinkled at her, relaying so much with a
simple gaze: love, affection, mischievousness, boyish wonder
- all combined to create a look uniquely Will… uniquely imzadi.

“The Captain gave us both the rest of the day off, I figured
we can celebrate with a picnic lunch,” he offered with a grin,
his anticipation shining through his uninhibited expression.


“That sounds wonderful!” she exclaimed, too overwhelmed by his
efforts and the sights before her to notice a third, holographic
presence in the setting as a tiny cherub with white tipped wings
fluttered silently towards her, aiming a miniature bow and shooting
an equally tiny arrow straight towards her.

Will couldn’t help but laugh at the startled expression that
crossed Deanna’s face as she felt the slight sting of impact
and whirled around to catch sight of the little being as it fluttered
away.

“Cupid?!” she called out to Will, turning around to glare at
him teasingly for the cliché use of the archaic symbol of love
and romance.

“I did mention that this is the stomping grounds for the gods,”
he offered in defeat, smiling widely, “but let’s just say there
is a specific reason for that particular gesture. I wanted to
ensure that this is the first Valentines of many, and that you
would be unable to resist me in the years to come. I figured
Cupid’s arrow would do the trick,” he finished softly, bridging
the distance between to wrap her safely in his embrace.

A warm glow spread through her as she met his gaze, a brilliant
light glowing in her dark eyes. “You don’t need Cupid to accomplish
that, Will. You had my heart completely a long, long time ago,
it just took me a while to admit it.”

He tightened his hold on her, closing his eyes at the onslaught
of overwhelming love that flowed through him as he bent down
to meet her lips with his own. Seconds before contact Deanna
pulled back slightly, meeting his questioning expression with
a sly smile.

“We never did get a chance to celebrate the Betazed equivalent
of Valentines Day the first time we were together,” she stated
evenly, hinting heavily at wonderful things to come.

“No,” he answered curiously, raising an eyebrow at her inquiry.

“Let’s just say that weddings aren’t the only ceremonies celebrated
in the nude,” she drawled, swallowing his laughter with a kiss,
before he ended it all too quickly, pulling back with shining
eyes to announce…

“Gods I love this holiday,” before he returned for another, deeper,
wetter, harder kiss.

And it was the last thing either of them said for quite awhile.


The End! (sighs Deede, who has now ruined her reputation for
providing any sort of plot with this plotless story and has hereby
gone into hiding)