Chocolate
It was a regular poker day, Data, Worf, Will and Deanna were playing, but this time they were not alone, in the same room were Captain Picard, Dr. Crusher and Geordi chatting about trivial things trying to forget their daily duties.
Deanna walked to the table while they were waiting for Worf to decide what he was going to do with his game and returned shortly after that with a plate full of chocolate.
"Deanna, you are allways eating that stuff, I know you like it, but you have to eat it allways?" asked Will in a sarcastic tone.
"Well Will, I think that everyone her is free to have whatever they want to, so do I" she said with security.
"Well you are right, but let me tell you that if you keep eating like that you're going to end like my friend Worf here with "Gorch" all over your face" He started to laugh.
And not just him, everybody in the room laughed, except Data of course.
"Well, let me tell you that I can stop eating chocolate whenever I want to Will"
"Well, I bet you can't" He said looking at her defiantly "I bet you ca't spend a day without eating chocolate".
"Course I can!"
"Counselor" interrumped Captain Picard, "I know you since a long time ago and I can't remember a single day passed in which you havn't ate chocolate on a meal, I don't think you can do it for an entire day" he finaly said.
"Jean-Luc" said now Beverly, "I think that you are doing this bigger than it was, besides, she has much better mind control than any of us here, if she tells her mind to program her body to not to eat chocolate, she's going to achieve on it" She assured.
"Thank you Beverly, at leats somebody is on my side here" Deanna said smiling at her friend.
"Do you really believe that Doctor?" Asked Will allmost laughing in her face.
"I do Commander, and to prove you that I do and that she can we take the bet!" She said now on her feet.
"Beverly!" Deanna shouted looking at her friend surprised.
"Well Deanna, I believe in you, I know you can do it" She said with a sorry look on her face.
"It's a bet then, and I have witnesses, starting with Captain Picard and you Deanna Troi, get ready for your punishment" He said.
"Isn't it punishment enough for me to stop eating chocolate for one day?" She said looking at him expecting to find some compassion.
"No way, a bet is a bet and I bet that if you can spend the entire day without eating chocolate I will gave you whatever you want to and..."
"And if she wins" interrumped Beverly, "you are going to have her ration of chocolate per week in a day" she smiled.
"Okay, but if she loose, I'm going to have whatever I want to"
"Deal!"
"Deal!"
And Will and Beverly shaked hands.
* * * *
Next day they were eating early in the morning and in the table were Picard,
Geordi, Data, Worf, Bev and Deanna, everybody was talking and by now Picard
knew abput the bet.
Then Will arrived to the table with a cup of hot chocolate and Deanna smell it almost as fast as warp 8 moved the ship.
"Commander, I thik that's not fair" said Bev.
"Well, we said she couldn't have it, not me"
"But that's not fair Will, it's not easy for me, don't make it worse" said Deanna really mad.
"Well, you have to be strong little one" he said and continued drinking his chocolate.
At that Deanna had to say something, it was not enough for him to make her suffer with the not eating chocolate thing and to make her feel even worse he called her as her mother did? NO that was not going to hapen.
So she simply said "Well, if you think I can't do it thenI'm going to prove you that I can and then you are going to know how little I am".
Deanna walked out the dinning room and Beverly followed her, Will quit his chocolate as soon as he noticed they were both gone and then said.
"I have no idea how can she eat this thing as much as she does!" he removed his chocolate and put it in the table.
"Number one, I think that you better prepare to loose, I saw her really convonced, maybe shs'e going to... how to put this, kick your ass" Picard said smiling.
"I do not understand why humans allways bet on things, I just do not get it" Data said frustrated.
"Well Data, you'll see, whem somebody tell us that we can't do something our pride is in game so if we don't take the bet to prove that we can do whatever we want to, we don't have pride, we have to defend it" tried to explain Geordie as clear as he could.
"Yes, that's exactly Data,and for tomorrow you're going to see Counselor Troi's pride on the floor" said Will.
"May I speek freely sir?" asked Data to Will.
"Sure Data"
"I think you have to walk carefully tomorrow sir"
"Why is that Data?" asked Will
"Because you can step on your pride" he said.
Everybody laughed at that.
* * * *
Deanna was on the Bridge and when Will arrived she tried as much as she could to not to see him, it hasn't been easy for her to stop eating chocolate and it was as if all the crew aboard the Enterprise wanted her to loose.
At the meal she ate a lot for not to keep space for the delicious Fourteen Chocolate flavored cake that was almost in front of her, then when she was walking on deck 16 trying to find Ensing Cook she saw a girl eating a huge chocolate icecream, then she smelled chocolate on the kitchen and she knew that there ws going to be something with chocolate for dinner too.
So, she wasn't going to see Will straight to the eyes right now because if she did she was sure he was going to end up knoked out on the floor.
"How are you counselor? How's it going?" He asked almost in contempt.
"I'm fine Commander thank you, now if you excuse me, I have to go to Ten-Forward" she said walking to the door.
She was out of the Bridge when she felt somebody bahind her.
"You don't have to follow me to make sure I'm not going to eat chocolate Commander"
"I know I don't but I just want to make sure that your friend Guinan doesn't gave you anything with chocolate flavor"
"Oh please, this is ridiculous, starting with the point that not even a child will bet on something so stupid as this" she said finally stopping and looking at him straight to his face.
"Well, If you think you're not able to make it you can quit by just giving me what I want"
"That you can forget, I never quit and you shoul know that better than anyone else" She turned again and started walking.
"Well, we'll see"
They were both in front of her quarters now and she used that as a way to escape from his moks.
"Now if you excuse me Commander I..."
"I know, you have chocolates in there too, no way dear Deanna, you are not going in there either, or we both get in or we can keep on going to Ten."
"Okay, you want to get into my quarters? Fine, be my guest!" Deanna got inside followed by Will and she sat down on a chair near her and Will in one in front of her, turning it as he always did.
"Well, this is killing me, all day I haven't done anything else than look people eating chocolate, starting with you this morning" She said with her head watching the floor.
"Take it easy, it's going to be over soon, I know that it's not easy for you,but believe me, I'm having too much fun." He laughed.
Deanna moved to his chair and pushed it so that he went to the floor.
"That you deserve for bottering me!" she started to laugh now.
She didn't expected it but soon she was on the floor too. Will pulled her and she was now on top of him allmost in shock.
"Will, you bad man"
But then she saw his eyes, those eyes ho for years now have reached deep into her soul when he looked at her like that,
"I think you should leave now." She said still on top of him.
"You want me to go?" Asked him looking at her straight into her eyes.
"No." Was all she could say.
Will kissed her and that was it, all this years fighting this and now they were on her quarter's floor kissing, she loved to feel his strong hands around her and he loved the form of her features, now once agin after all this years they were one again.
They made their way to her bed and the rest was something similar to that time once in the Jalaran Jungle, but now they were no flowers or sounds in the room, actually the first time he didn't remembered a single sound but her voice.
For her it was something similar, she could gave into him completely, she was not afraid of him and she knew it, she was safe with him, loved by him, and that was not going to change even with the years.
Soon it was night. She was beside him and his arms around her and it was all so correct, all so good. And she have won.
"I did it" She said surprised
"What?" Was all he could say, to be totally honest he wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying.
"I've won, I did it! I didn't have any chocolate today so I've won, you ahev to give me whatever I wan to!" She said now really happy and now with her feet on the floor again.
"But..." he started "but that's not fair, these few hours you weren't thinking about chocolate, you were with me" he finished.
"So what? I didn't eat chocolate so I won and you loose and better get dressed because we have an appointment to play poker in 15 minutes and we're going to be late" She said putting her clothes on.
"Okay" He said looking desappointed.
* * * *
"So Commander, you look a little bit sad" Said Beverly from one chair next to Deanna's.
"Well, to be honest I am, I didn't believe she could make it, but now I know she can."
"And you Deanna, how do you feel?" Asked Captain Picard.
"Well, I'm really happy, I did it!" She smiled.
And immediately after that she walked to the teable and grab a plate and put some chocolates on it and returned to the table.
Everybody looked at her and laughed a little.
"Well, we said 24 hours without it not 25 didn't we?" She said with the smile of a little kid on her face.
"Yes, you said that." Said Geordi.
"Well, but there are not 24 hours past already." Said Data.
"What?" Asked Will
"Yesterday you made the bet at 2300 hours and it is 2257 hours so it has not been 2400 hours yet" finally said Data.
Will looked at Deanna who had something on her mouth but was not chewing anymore.
"Counsellor, what's that on you mouth?" asked Will with emotion on her face.
Finally she finished her chocolate and said.
"Ok, then I've lost, but it's okay... oh, by the way, thank you Data"
She said looking at him.
Data looked stranged at her but then he looked again at his game.
"So Counsellor, so close to the victory and you surrender?" asked Captain Picard.
She just smiled at him.
"Deanna, I have all my trust in you, why did you failed? And what about your prize, you've lost it" said Beverly.
"No I havn't" was all Deanna Said.
"What do you mean?" Asked Worf
"I've got what I wanted long before I've lost" She smiled at Will and then looked at her cards.
Everybody was stranged by her answer but remained silent.
"And what are you going to ask as your prize Commander" asked Geordi.
"Oh forget it Geordi, I've got what I wanted to."