Title: Riker's Diet
Author: Karen Wilkins
Series: TNG
Part: 1/1
Codes: R/f
Rating: PG-13, sexual situations
Summary: Will Riker develops motivation to lose weight. But is the end
result worth it?

Author's note: The following story, 'Riker's Diet', which I wrote
about 5 years ago now, is v. tongue-in-cheek. I hope you like my
story.

Riker's Diet

Riker was smiling his most charming, daring-do smile at the attractive
young Lieutenant who had just beamed aboard a few hours ago. He had
come across her while she had been acquainting herself with Ten
Forward and had been immediately drawn to her dark, pouting looks and
gently curvaceous figure. Never one to pass over the opportunity to
chat up a beautiful woman, Riker introduced himself on the wholly
plausible grounds that, as Second-in-Command on the Enterprise, he
always had first dibs on meeting new officers. Especially if they
looked as good as Lieutenant Solaris.

He thought he could detect polite interest in her eyes as they
exchanged meaningless pleasantries and guarded banter, but nothing
more; no tell-tale coquettish lowering of the eyes, no unconscious
moistening of her wine dark lips, no obvious body language that might
betray an underlying interest in him as anything other than a fellow
(and superior) officer, at all. Riker couldn't understand it - was he
losing his touch? Surely not, maybe she just wasn't interested in
men, other women being more to her taste? Riker let this delightful
and somewhat lewd pun conjure up some very risqué images of the
Lieutenant engaging in Sapphic sport in his over-sexed imagination,
but back in Ten Forward he felt as if he were fighting a losing
battle. A firm adherent to the belief that 'he who retreats lives to
seduce another day', he decided to cut his losses. Fortuitously
spotting Deanna sitting by herself, he took his leave of the
Lieutenant and got up, but had only taken a few steps in her direction
when a strikingly handsome man entered Ten Forward. Riker recognised
him instantly as the Annubian delegate.

Deanna's eyes lit up as soon as she caught sight of him, and while the
man was standing inside the doorway surveying the room Riker took the
opportunity to watch Deanna as she raised her arm in an
unselfconscious gesture of greeting, a slow smile of delight crossing
her exotic features as the interloper caught her wave and made his way
eagerly towards her table. Riker smoothly backtracked, not wishing to
intrude on what looked unquestionably like a lovers' tryst, but as he
exited the crowded room a palpable twinge of something akin to loss -
and yes, perhaps even regret - made its insidious presence felt
beneath his sturdy ribcage. He mentally chastised himself for his
moment of weakness. After all, he had been the one to leave Deanna,
all those long years ago, choosing to value his career over her love
for him, so he had no right to feel jealous of her current armour. No
right at all...

Telling himself what his mind already knew to be true (but his heart
had a little difficulty coming to terms with), as forcefully as
possible, he deliberately pushed all thoughts those confusing and
potentially dangerous thoughts to the back of his usually
so-disciplined mind, and pulled himself together with a wry, inward
smile. 'A game of poker will help me keep my mind off women for a
while', he decided as he strode purposefully towards the turbolift,
intent now on rounding up Geordie, Beverly, Worf and anyone else he
could lay his hands on - and part from their credits.

It was not until some weeks later that Riker was destined to cross
paths again with the aloof and pneumatic Lieutenant Solaris, on a
purely unprofessional basis. She had enrolled in one of Worf's more
rigorous exercise classes, and Riker's interest was piqued once more
as he drank in the delicious sight of the shapely Lieutenant bending
and stretching and going through all manner of gracefully executed
contortions, right in front of him. 'She looks good enough to eat', he
smiled to himself as he went through the punishing exercises with
stoic determination. 'The Lieutenant doesn't even seem to be breaking
into a sweat', he registered with admiration and mild dismay, whereas
he was soaked and fit to drop by the end of the session. 'I'm really
getting out of shape', he chided himself as he mopped his sodden brow
with a towel, while a nagging little voice at the back of his mind had
the nerve to imply that he'd been letting himself go for the last two
or three years now... Completely squashing such a patently ludicrous
suggestion he sucked in his gut and turned the full beam of his most
stunning smile on the athletic Lieutenant.

He joined her on the way out and they struck up a casual conversation
about shipboard matters and the latest piece of gossip that was doing
the rounds. Riker managed to slip in a smooth compliment about her
energetic performance in the class and was pleasantly gratified to see
her blush lightly. 'Maybe she is responsive to men, and in particular
to this man, after all?' he hoped. Switching into urbane mode he made
another flattering comment about her figure and her blush visibly
heightened. Encouraged, Riker made his move, "Maybe we could get to
know each other a little better, sometime", he oozed, unconsciously
widening his baby-blue eyes in order to accentuate his boyish good
looks. He probably didn't even realise he was doing it, but he had
gotten so practised in the art of making himself as charming as
possible to women that it had finally become an act - albeit a very
polished and successful one, but an act nonetheless. With the passing
of the years it had become a sort of emotional shield, keeping him
distanced from his true feelings and everyone else at arm's length,
although he was truly unaware of it himself. "How about dinner in my
quarters tonight?" he queried, not really expecting anything other
than a positive response.

"Commander", she started hesitantly, not quite daring to look him in
the eye. "I'm sorry, but I really don't think that's a very good idea.
I don't think we'd be...", she faltered again, frantically searching
for the correct (and least offensive) word, "Compatible..." she
finished lamely. Riker, mistakenly interpreting her hesitancy as
shyness, pressed the point, which was uncharacteristic and a measure
of the profound effect this devastating woman was having on him.
"Surely we won't know just how...compatible", he said as his eyes
raked up and down her body in a highly suggestive manner, "We are,
unless we take the time to find out", he countered, not illogically.
"And call me Will when we're off-duty".

Lieutenant Solaris was beginning to feel cornered, torn between her
fear of mortally offending a superior officer and potentially ruining
their working relationship (not to mention her future chances of
promotion!), and worry that he wasn't easily going to take 'No' for an
answer. Never one for being diplomatic at the best of times though,
she finally decided to take the direct approach - after all, he was a
big boy, he could take it. "Look, Commander", he smiled at her,
shaking his head and she corrected herself, "Will. I don't want to
upset you, but I just don't find you physically attractive. Nothing
personal, you understand, in fact I think you're a very charming man
and a wonderful First Officer", she began to panic, resorting to
obvious flattery in order to cover her embarrassment; god, she wished
the deck floor would open up and swallow her, "But I just don't go for
your type. I mean", she sped on as he looked puzzled, "I prefer my men
a little less", she paused, teetering on the edge of a conversational
abyss, "Hefty", and she plummeted headlong into the depths,
unsupported by a safety net. "I'm sorry". And with that she fled.

Riker was amazed. In shock and amazed. In disbelief and amazed. In
denial and, yes - still amazed. He wasn't fat! How dare she imply
that he was fat! "Hefty, my arse", he fumed to himself on the way
back to his cabin, oblivious of the unintentional pun. A shower helped
him to cool off a little, and as he stood surveying himself in the
full-length mirror he had to grudgingly admit that he had gotten a tad
heavier lately, maybe putting on a few extraneous kilos in the midriff
region - but he was still looking extremely good for a man half his
age, and he was definitely by no means FAT! Reassured, he put on a
freshly replicated uniform and set off for his shift on the bridge.

They were doing some routine cartography work in the Vantarus Cluster,
pretty boring stuff really, and Riker's mind began to wander while
Captain Picard's voice droned on and on in the background, explaining
what he considered to be a particularly fascinating astrophysical
phenomenon. "Number One", Picard interrupted Riker's reverie, "Will?
You seem to be distracted somewhat. Anything you would care to discuss
later, when we are off-duty?" he enquired pointedly, at once managing
to signal his concern for his First Officer and at the same time
reminding Will that there was a time and a place for such discussions,
and it wasn't here and now, on the bridge.

"I'm fine. Thank you Captain", Will pulled his mind back into focus
solely on the job in hand, and the remainder of the shift passed
without incident. It was only later, when they were both in the
turbolift en route to their respective quarters, that Riker saw a
chance to garner the Captain's opinion on what had been bothering him
all day. Never one for procrastination Riker enquired, "Captain, may I
ask for your honest opinion on something of a rather, er, personal
nature?"

"Of course, Number One", the Captain smiled reassuringly, hoping to
somewhat allay the other man's obvious discomfort, not used to seeing
his extremely competent and usually self-assured First Officer so
ill-at-ease. "Do you think I'm fat?" Riker baldly blurted out, much to
Picard's surprise. Surprise that swiftly turned to embarrassment as he
wondered how best to tactfully put it. "Well, Will. You've certainly",
he paused momentarily in order to select the least hurtful
phraseology, "Filled out a bit since we first met. But I'm sure it's
just well-developed musculature", he hastily countered. "Perhaps, if
you really want an objective opinion, you should ask one of the female
officers on board. Deanna, say, or Beverly?" "That's a good idea,
Captain", Riker said, relief apparent in his face. However, it was
nothing to the relief Picard felt as he realised he had successfully
extricated himself from a potentially sticky situation. 'I haven't
lied exactly, merely bended the truth a little', he rationalised to
himself. In his own, private opinion Will had gotten a little heavy
lately, but so long as he was still physically fit and able to perform
his duties properly it was not Picard's place to say anything.
Besides, it wasn't the sort of thing one could easily say to a friend,
you just rather hoped that they might eventually notice it for
themselves and do something about it of their own accord.

"Thank you", Riker smiled warmly at Jean-Luc as the turbolift doors
opened, and he made his way back to his cabin with a lighter heart and
a jauntier step. In the solitude of his quarters though, doubt began
to return. What if the Captain had been trying to soften the blow?
What if "filled out" was merely a euphemism for being fat? "Damn that
woman, why am I letting this get to me!" he raged to himself, while
the kernel of doubt took root in his mind and spread, a pernicious
chancre poisoning his psyche and undermining his self-esteem. Rather
than sit around fruitlessly worrying at the problem Riker decided to
take the Captain's advice, and get a second opinion; and who better to
ask than the one person he could depend upon to be completely honest
with him - Deanna.

She was somewhat tardy in answering her door chime, but it gave Will a
chance to get his head together and calm down a little - a calm that
was rather disturbed when Deanna finally appeared, looking
attractively dishabille, her hair tousled and falling seductively over
her almost bare shoulders as she struggled to keep her sheer silk robe
about her obviously naked body, and her eyes shining with that
post-coital glow that Riker knew so well. Knew, but didn't immediately
recognise. He stepped into her quarters while never taking his eyes
away from her, and all the old feelings of intense attraction came
flooding back as he hungrily drank in every last, minute detail of
her. "Will", Deanna looked mildly amused, "This isn't really a good
time, I'm a little", she paused for emphasis, at the same time giving
a slight inclination of her head in the direction of the bedroom,
"Busy right now". And Riker, looking past her at last, instead of
directly into her darkly lambent eyes, caught sight of the freshly
rumpled bed and the unmistakable outline of a man's body reclining
upon it. He couldn't see the other man's face, thankfully, and
embarrassment at barging in on what was obviously a very private
moment, overcame him. Along with a strong, sharp stab of unreasonable
jealousy, which he quickly suppressed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Deanna, but I have an important question
that I need to ask you", he said, lowering his voice so that it did
not carry as far as the bedroom. "Do you think I've gotten fat
recently?" he pressed on, eager to get this over with as soon as
possible and get the hell out of here. Deanna had to restrain a
mischievous smile while she formulated her reply; knowing Will as well
as she did she recognised from the intensity of his voice and
expression, that he was entirely serious about this, and she didn't
want to give an inappropriate answer. "Well, to be honest Will, you
are a little... cuddly now, but there's nothing wrong with that.
You're still an extremely attractive man - there's just a little bit
more of you these days than there used to be", Deanna responded
sincerely, her warm smile lessening the impact of her words somewhat.
But Riker was reeling at her pronouncement - she might as well have
just issued his death warrant. He looked shattered and Deanna's smile
froze on her lips as he turned on his heel and barrelled out of the
door, his whole being radiating hurt and anger. He left a very uneasy
woman in his wake.

Always a man of action, he headed directly for Medilab, barely
managing to keep a lid on his burgeoning anger as he went. Beverly
Crusher was on duty when he arrived and he came straight to the point.
"Beverly, I'd like you to devise a strict diet and exercise programme
for me. I need to lose some weight and I need to lose it now", he
stated forcefully, much to Dr. Crusher's dismay. "But Will, you're
well within the recommended weight range for your height, build and
age. And, even more importantly, you are perfectly fit and healthy.
There's no medical reason that I can see for putting you on a diet",
she tried to reason with him, "None at all".

"I don't give a damn about 'medical reasons'", Will argued his case.
"I'm a good 20 kilos heavier than when I first came aboard the
Enterprise. I've been kidding myself that it's all just added muscle,
but it isn't, not all of it, and it's time I did something about it. I
want to be the same man that I was 7 years ago - young, slim and at
the peak of my physical fitness - and I want you to help me get there,
Beverly", he reasoned with her, his piercingly blue eyes sending a
silent plea to her to accompany his impassioned words, a plea from the
heart.

"Of course I'll help you Will", Beverly laid a reassuring hand upon
his arm. "I can't promise to make you look 7 years younger, but I'll
do my best to help you feel younger and look even better than you do
now", she joked, not really thinking that he had anything to worry
about, but more than happy to aid him in his plan if it would help him
to feel more comfortable about himself. "We could cheat, you know. Do
some cosmetic surgery on those areas which you feel need some
attention and toning up. Nothing major, just a few little nips and
tucks..." she trailed off as she saw Riker emphatically shaking his
head.

"No way, Beverly. I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather do this the
old-fashioned way", and Dr. Crusher had to concede defeat. "Okay Will
- I'll draw up a personal exercise and diet schedule for you that will
provide all the essential vitamins and proteins that your body needs
to function properly - it may not taste very exciting", she warned
him, "But you will lose weight, if you stick rigidly to the programme
and take daily exercise to augment its effects".

"I'll stick to it, don't you worry. I don't want to be known as
'cuddly' ever again!" Riker assured her with a wry grimace, and he
left the Medilab a happier man, most of his anger having dissipated
now that he had decided to embark on a definite course of action.

A mere week later, however, Riker was beginning to have serious doubts
about his ability to 'stick to it'. Beverly had tried to warn him that
dietary fare left something to be desired, taste-bud wise, and after
seven unrelenting days-worth of rabbit food, boiled and steamed
vegetables, plain, unadorned meat and enough mineral water to take
several luxurious baths in, the little bit of corrective surgery that
he had so hastily and adamantly turned down, was starting to look like
a pretty good option to Will. His stomach seemed to be continually
growling and he was turning into an anti-social grouch; he couldn't
bear to go into Ten Forward anymore and see all those irritatingly
slim people stuffing their faces and consuming alcoholic, calorie-
laden drinks with carefree abandon, oblivious and uncaring of the
dreadful strain that he was currently under. He found himself thinking
almost constantly about eating - big, heaped high plates of delicious,
mouth-wateringly tantalising, wonderfully aromatic, and above all,
fattening food that clogged up your arteries as soon as you even
thought about looking at it. His only respite was when he slept, but
even there, in the sanctuary of his own bed, unholy thoughts and
desires for forbidden fruits (and desserts) invaded his dreams and
taunted him with their unattainability. He was a driven man, but the
strict regime he had imposed upon himself was slowly starting to have
an effect.

Three weeks into the schedule his stomach stopped protesting,
presumably having shrunk to a more accommodating size; the daily
exercise routine was toning and developing muscles in places where he
had almost forgotten he had any; and he was starting to feel
noticeably fitter, more energetic. He no longer had to go through
doors sideways, but as habits go, this particular one proved
impossible to break.

And three months later he was feeling great and looking even better.
Only yesterday Deanna had complimented him on his new, trimmer figure,
an appreciative look in her lustrous eyes, and Riker had caught
himself wondering just how far her interest in his physical well-being
might go... Sometimes he felt sure that agreeing to be 'just friends'
with Deanna had to be the biggest mistake of his life, so far. But
then he'd remember how close they still were to each other, how she
knew him better than anyone else, how supportive she could be when he
needed that from her, and how, no matter what happened to them in the
future, or who they ultimately wound up with, they would always be
'Imzadi' - nothing and nobody could take that away from them. A
comforting thought, but nonetheless Will had a very restless night as
"what ifs" continued to prowl relentlessly around in his head,
unsettling him and gradually gnawing away at his weakening resolve
until he had to do something - anything - to take his mind off Deanna
and what might have been. And in the artificial light of what passed
for day on the Enterprise he suddenly knew where he must go in order
to work all this frustration and angst out of his system - the gym.
Pausing only to change into some sweats and grab a towel he went
straight there, and was gratified to find that he had the place to
himself, so early in the morning.

After half an hour of bench presses he had built up a good sweat, so
he stripped down to his track bottoms before going on the PecDec, a
machine designed to tone up the pectoral and deltoid muscles.
Concentrating on the rush of endorphins generated by all this physical
effort, buoyed up by the additional adrenaline now coursing through
his well-developed body, Riker started to feel exponentially better
and the cares and worries that had haunted him throughout the night
faded away, like insubstantial phantoms fleeing before the dawn.

Focusing as he was on the almost euphoric feelings he was presently
experiencing, Will did not notice at first that he was no longer
alone. Unobserved by him, Lieutenant Solaris had slipped into the gym
for her daily exercise routine, and had been disconcerted to find the
Commander already ensconced, and in the middle of what looked like a
particularly strenuous workout. A fine covering of fresh perspiration
was glistening on his tautly sculptured back as he strained to bring
the heavily weighted pads together in front of him, his clearly
defined biceps bulging with every exertion. The Lieutenant
unconsciously ran her tongue over her suddenly dry lips as she
covertly watched Riker, seeing him for the first time in a whole new
light. 'I never realised he'd look so good without his clothes on',
she thought to herself, her pulse quickening as her eyes feasted on
the delectable specimen of manhood in front of her.

Abruptly he stood up, and turning to retrieve his towel from the bench
where he'd flung it earlier, he noticed her at last; she realised,
with embarrassment, that she had been obviously staring, but
thankfully he had had his back to her at the time. He acknowledged her
presence with a curt nod. "Lieutenant". "Commander", she responded,
not quite able to drag her eyes away from his magnificent body. He was
rubbing the towel unhurriedly over his rippling torso, drying himself
off, and she had a sudden and overwhelming urge to lick him all over,
to get him all hot and sweaty again, to wipe that self-controlled look
off his... Damn! She was still staring, she realised with a jolt, as
his coolly appraising gaze turned swiftly into sardonic amusement, a
slight smile tugging at the corners of his shapely mouth, a mouth
which she wanted to crush against her own, to taste the sweetness that
lay within... Without even noticing it she had taken an involuntary
step forward, propelled by the primitive desire to get closer to such
raw and attractive masculinity in the flesh, so to speak. She hadn't
yet broken eye contact with the Commander and there was a certain
electricity in the air, that they both became aware of at the same
instant. The Lieutenant nervously bit on her lower lip while her body
seemed to move of its own volition, and before she could stop herself
she found that she had drawn even closer to him, as if being pulled by
an invisible cord - well, there is such a thing as physical magnetism
after all, the still rational part of her mind observed, while the
purely instinctive part decided to throw caution completely to the
wind. They were so close now that she could make out the individual
hairs on his chest and feel the heat radiating from his powerful body.
Lowering her eyes at last she presumptuously reached out her hand and
gently ran her fingers over his torso, hardly daring to breathe as she
was swept along by the tide of her passion.

Her lingering caress had Riker transfixed. His world had shrunk in the
merest blink of an eyelid to just the two of them, here in this small
room, the cold metal walls becoming the boundary of his entire
universe and time no longer had any meaning for either of them. He
felt as if he had been standing here like this now for an eternity,
and her touch, his breathing, everything seemed to be occurring in
slow-motion as each sweet second expanded and hurtled with
infinitesimal slowness towards infinity.

She bent her head and placed her soft lips against his super-sensitive
skin, carefully following the still warm trail left by her wandering
fingers, and a ragged sigh escaped the Commander's lips. Unable to
contain himself any longer he caught her in his arms, crushing her
pliant body against his, in a fierce but welcome embrace. Roughly he
took possession of her eager mouth. Their mutual need was so great,
their hunger for each other so out of control that they made love
right there and then on the padded floor of the extremely public
gymnasium, incautious of the fact that someone could walk in at any
moment and catch them in this compromising position. The delicious
urgency, coupled with the fear of imminent discovery made for a heady
brew, adding a certain frisson of forbidden excitement to the
proceedings, and after that initial encounter they had sex in some
incredibly risky places - the most heart attack inducing of these
being on top of the table, in the Captain's Ready room. For weeks
afterwards Riker couldn't go to a meeting in there without getting a
little hot under the collar. Luckily the table always managed to cover
his excitement, but he once caught Deanna staring at him with a
definite twinkle in her eye, and he blushed uncontrollably.

So it was that Riker finally won the beautiful Lieutenant's heart, but
sadly it turned out to be a hollow victory, because forever after he
could not shake off the feeling that she had only wanted him for one
thing - his body. This now struck him as an insulting, not to mention
degrading, state of affairs. He was, after all, more than just a
gorgeously handsome hunk of prime beefcake... He had a brain as well,
god damn it!

END