Author: Leanne

Rating: PG, it’s pretty tame.

Set: During the series, say the 6th or 7th season, when Will was definitely looking his best ;-)

Disclaimer: It’s here

Thanks to Sarajayne once again.

She watched him as he entered the room, how could she not watch him? They’d only been together for a few weeks but she’d always been drawn to him. The way he’d swagger into a room, demanding acknowledgment, encompassing it with his uniqueness. He was unique; she’d never been with anyone like him. And maybe that was the reason she’d finally given in to his repeated attempts to rekindle their once intimate relationship. Everything about Will Riker was special, even his flaws. He was a man who would not give up easily, and when she finally succumb to his advances any regrets she may have had disappeared the instant his touch began to roam the contours of her body. She shivered in recollection, continuing to stare at him as he gradually worked his way towards her through the crowded room. Women literally swooned over him, they would try to flirt with him in the brief moments he spoke with them. Not so long ago he would’ve reveled in such attention, but not now, now he was hers. William T Riker was the sole property of Deanna Troi, and as far as she knew he had no objections. She wasn’t jealous of these other women, she knew Will would never risk the chance of loosing her again. If it had been her in their position she may’ve even behaved the same way, hypnotized by his twinkling blue eyes, tempted by his broad shoulders and chest, aching to feel his hands and lips on her.

The sound of his laughter broke her chain of thought and she watched as a young blonde haired woman gasped at the appearance of his smile. Deanna softly chuckled; it was always the eyes and the smile that hooked them in. If they only knew what lay underneath, she mused. She would never deny he was attractive; it was what had lured her to him in the first place. But it was what she’d learnt about him over the years, the closeness they now shared, that’s what she found most seducing.

Will moved away from the group he was speaking to and approached her. He glanced at her and Deanna felt her skin tingle as he winked at her. With each step he moved closer, the noise of Ten Forward blurring into the background with each nearing step. And then Data blocked her view. Deanna sighed, then turned when she heard a scoff come from beside her.

“What?” she said to Beverly Crusher, who wasn’t succeeding in trying to hide her grin.

The Counselor had forgotten she was even sitting with anyone, a comment she would be sure to keep from the doctor.

“You know what.”

“I don’t Beverly,” Deanna insisted.

“You’re positively smitten,” the doctor blurted out.

Deanna let the beginnings of a smile creep onto her face. Beverly of course had been the first to know when she and Will had resumed their relationship, and within an hour the whole ship knew. Beverly had immediately caught on when Deanna had shown up at sickbay to get her inhibitor updated. Beverly knew she wasn’t seeing anybody and so what had followed had been a barrage of questions which resulted in Deanna yelling, “Yes! Will and I are sleeping together.” Apart from a few startled gasps the room had fallen silent before everyone began clapping, causing a blush to rise to Deanna’s cheeks.

Deanna had to admit she was completely infatuated with Will, if they hadn’t been together she would’ve considered herself as having a very serious problem. It was a mere step from this to stalking, or tying him up in her quarters.

“Don’t tell me you weren’t just recording every little detail of that muscled body in your precious Betazoid mind,” Beverly inquired, tilting her head in Will’s direction.

“If you must know, I had that done after our first night,” Deanna laughed, and Beverly joined her. “No, I was just watching him. Sometimes it’s nice to look at and appreciate him from a distance.”

“So it’s permanent then?” Beverly asked.

Deanna thought about the question for a moment. She hoped it was for the long term but they hadn’t actually talked about it. If Will hurt her again, especially with her in the state she was in now god only knows what it might do to her, and in the long run to any normal life both of them would try and live. But there were just some things that she had no control over, one of them being Will’s wandering eye, and the other his fear of commitment…maybe tying him up in her quarters wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered Beverly on a sigh.

“Of course it is,” Beverly said cheerily. “Look at you two, you can’t tell me either of you is willing to give up how you feel right now.”

“Never willing Beverly, I think it’s just a matter of ignoring all those old ghosts that haunt us.”

The doctor nodded and looked over to where Will stood talking with Data, noticing his stray glances in Deanna’s direction.

“Well, I have only one piece of advice, and that is to enjoy every moment you have with him, even if it means him turning up in sickbay from exhaustion. That’s one instance I wouldn’t chide him for being not being careful enough,” she winked at the Betazoid.

Deanna laughed, temporarily forgetting any concerns she had, her attention re-focusing on Will as he managed to escape from Data’s inquisitive hold. Once again she was in rapture as he resumed his earlier course towards her. His lips were curved up in the slightest of smile, sending her heart fluttering and making her limbs go limp. Before she had chance to gather herself he was leaning over and pressing his lips to her cheek. The contact was brief but it was enough to make her tremble. The softness of his touch, the feel of his beard grazing across her skin, his masculine scent drifting into her nostrils, just his nearness was enough to make her hold her breath. The calm and loving sensation that had flowed through her mind since he’d entered the room now intensified and she found herself reaching for him, not only in her mind but with her hands. Grabbing hold of his uniform jacket she pulled him back down, her other hand settling behind his neck as his face descended to her level. Deanna was momentarily startled when he responded to her kiss with more enthusiasm than she’d expected. Will’s hands rested on either side of her face as he took her lower lip into his mouth and she let out a soft moan, as much as she didn’t want to she knew they had to stop, they were in ten forward. More than anything she wanted to rip his clothes off and throw him on the table, but for now she had a party to attend. She broke their contact and gazed at Will, biting her wet bottom lip. The noise of the room slowly filtered back into her senses and she heard a light chuckle come from Beverly Crusher’s direction.

“Happy Birthday, Imzadi,” Will said huskily, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her in his arms.

“Is there any chance you pair could save that for your quarters ‘cos frankly it’s quite nauseating,” Doctor Crusher asked with a grin.

Deanna poked her tongue out at her friend as Will pulled her down to sit on his lap, both their bodies now occupying the chair she’d been sitting in. Will began to sort through the items strewn over the table, all Deanna’s birthday presents. One in particular took his interest and he picked it up. It was a small stone figurine, its edges smooth to his touch, the size no bigger than his hand. Over the entire stomach region it was painted green, the rest of it was a dull grey colour.

“What’s this?” he asked, holding it in front of Deanna.

She took the figure as well as Will’s hand into hers, searching for the right words to tell him, eventually deciding on a straightforward answer.

“It’s a fertility statue,” she answered.

Will’s eyes widened, was this meant to be for them? He felt his heartbeat begin to speed up and he swallowed loudly. His mind immediately began to race. Was he ready for this? Was this Deanna’s doing or just someone’s idea of a joke? And more importantly was Deanna taking it seriously?

“F…Fertility,” he stuttered. “As in, to help you get pregnant?”

Beverly’s raucous laughter could be heard throughout ten forward and Will felt his face burn with embarrassment.

“Will,” Deanna soothed, rubbing her fingers lightly over the back of his hand.

“Who gave you this?...No wait, let me guess,” he said sarcastically. “Your mother.”

Deanna turned slightly so she was facing him and reached up to brush her fingers through his spiky hair in an attempt to keep him calm.

“No, it wasn’t my mother Will…it was Captain Picard.”

Will’s jaw dropped, first looking to Beverly for indication that what Deanna was saying was true then searching the room for his commanding officer. This was definitely payback for the Horga’hn he had given his Captain before heading to Risa years ago. Picard had carefully bided his time, waiting for the right opportunity to seek revenge on his first officer and now Riker was left to squirm.

“The Captain,” Will repeated softly to himself, not wanting to believe it.

“It doesn’t mean anything Will,” Deanna offered. “Not unless you want it to.”

He shifted uncomfortably on the chair, placing his hands on Deanna’s waist and rearranging her posture on his lap. He wasn’t ready for this, at least not now, they’d only just gotten back together and even though he’d been the one who continually pursued her at this early stage he couldn’t fathom the idea of children. Maybe it was selfish of him, but he wanted it to be just him and Deanna for a while. A time to make up for all the mistakes he’d made and to just be with her.

“Do you want it to mean anything?” he asked her nervously.

“It is what it is Will, it probably won’t make a difference what we think or feel.”

Will rolled his eyes. It was typical of her to evade the question so she could find out his feelings instead. She’d no doubt already picked up on his emotions and even though he’d been able to sense her neutrality on the topic, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d been bluffed by her.

“Well do you want to have a baby then?” he prodded, believing there was only two possible answers to the question.

“I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure,” he repeated despondently. That hadn’t been one of the answers.

“Maybe we should talk about this later,” Deanna said. “After all it is my birthday party.”

“Of course,” Will smiled, kissing her on the forehead. “There’s plenty of time.”

Deanna smiled sweetly at him and Will hoped that she’d forgotten the conversation, although he doubted it, considering it was still foremost in his mind.

One of Deanna’s patients approached the table and she stood to accept a small wrapped present, taking a seat on a vacant chair rather than back on Will’s lap. Will watched absentmindedly as she removed the wrapping, not paying attention to what the gift was or what either of them were saying. His eyes wandered down from Deanna’s face, past her slender neck, lingering on her chest before settling on her stomach. Was it possible she could carry another life there, a life they’d created? He heard her calling his name, and at first thought she was inside his mind but when he looked up he found three sets of eyes all focused on him.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Nothing, it’s ok,” Deanna told him, as the young female ensign walked away, the Counselor voicing her thanks before turning back to Will. “You’re still thinking about that fertility statue aren’t you?”

Beverly sniggered and got to her feet.

“I think I’ll go congratulate the Captain on being the first to truly rattle the Enterprise’s first officer,” she said, giving the couple some privacy.

Deanna pulled the chair over to sit in front of Will, taking both his hands into her smaller ones.

“I told you not worry about it, we’re still new and I wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on you...yet,” she winked.

Will nodded. He loved the way her soft fingers traced their way around his, circling around his knuckles, leaving patterns over the back of his hand. He could feel that she wanted to have children, he’d known it for a long time. But she also felt the same as him, there needed to be time with just the two of them, to relearn certain things, to give her the time to fully trust him again and more importantly to enjoy each other.

“Not that kind of pressure,” he repeated before grinning “only the kind that involves me being tied up in your quarters.”

Deanna tried to hold back a giggle, and slowly re-opened the box that the young ensign had given her; he never did see the contents, his mind elsewhere. That was until she pulled out the long length of silk wound rope
“Hmm strange, Ensign Davis said the same thing.”
Riker blushed, his mind erratically trying to remember a past grope or two with her and drawing a blank, his guilt diminishing as he saw the evil smile on Deanna’s face.
“Don’t worry Will she hasn’t been on board long enough,” Deanna winked and pulled one of his hands forward to softly measure up the rope around one wrist. “But she did say she'd heard of the legendary Will the Thrill and thought these might come in handy once I told you I was pregnant in the future.”

The End.