"Flip Of A Card"
By: QDestinyy@aol.com
Rated: R

This is a tiny 'exploratory' piece like "Making the Grade" (which I
posted earlier in April of 2000 to the IMZADI_ALL list).

In the same manner, this story was written as a workshop for a
different piece of longer fanfic. As I said, I usually don't post
these -- but since someone wrote me such a sweet letter last time,
I thought I might pull one or two of them out of mothballs on my
hard drive and share them anyway.

This one is rated R (based on the "ASC" newsgroup's version of
an R rating, this would be for romantic/sensual content).

Even though I never included this scene in the story it was written
for, I needed to find the right 'emotion' for the moment and as I
mentioned before, the way I do that is to write little vignettes like
this as part of my process. Then I gather up the emotions I've
collected, a little like fragments of glass from the floor and run with
them in some other direction.

I've called this particular 'exploration' -- "Flip Of A Card". Once
again, pure fluff. Enjoy it if you will! You were warned in advance
of its lack of a storyline!

Best**
=QD=


"Flip Of A Card"
By: QDestinyy@aol.com
Rated: R

INT -- Enterprise D any time before "Generations".

"Commander, this is the last time I come over here and let
you steal away all my credits for the week!" With a rueful
shake of the head, Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge
stood from the table of assembled officers.

It was poker night, and poker night usually meant two things
for those in attendance. An evening of uproarious laughter,
capped off with the loss of a couple hundred hard earned
credits. A loss that is, for everyone except Commander
William T. Riker.

"Ah, you say that every week, Geordi. And you're always
back for more.." Riker grinned at the Enterprise's chief
engineer.

"I have to agree with Geordi." Doctor Crusher chimed in,
smiling good-naturedly. "You could let someone else win
every once in a while, Will.."

"Inquiry?" Data tipped his head. "What would be the
purpose of a game of skill if the participants were made aware
that they had been allowed to 'win'?"

"My sentiments exactly, Data." Riker smirked. "What
*would* be the point?"

"Well, at least I wasn't the *big* loser for the evening."
Geordi continued to grumble, gathering his leftover chips
from the table. "I don't think I could stand spending the next
half hour cleaning up this place with Mr. Smug Satisfaction
over here.." He tossed his commanding officer a grin.

"I'll try not to take offence." Riker shrugged. "Besides,
Deanna's more fun than you are, anyway," he added,
winking.

"Right." Deanna smiled at their antics. "I'm going to stay
well away from this particular conversation."

"I imagine that to be a wise decision, Counselor." Data
nodded sagely and Deanna couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, I just hope you don't stop attending poker night,
Counselor," Geordi smiled at Troi. "You're the only reason I
still have an ego left!"

At this, everyone in the room shared a laugh.

"All right. Now that we've all had a laugh at my expense, I'm
sure everyone will sleep better." Deanna afforded Geordi an
admonishing look followed by a brilliant smile.

"Say, does anyone know where Worf was this evening? This
conversation is definitely missing a gruff quip from an
eternally serious Klingon." Crusher cocked her head.

"I think he's meditating. He didn't really say.. and if there's
one thing I've learned after all these years of serving with a
Klingon, it's not to ask.." Geordi cut in, wryly.

"He seemed fine.." Deanna frowned. "I imagine he's
probably just taking some time for himself. That's something
I've always admired about him. You might think that a race
of warriors would be completely unversed in the rituals of the
mind and yet I've yet to meet a Klingon who didn't posses
superior mental discipline. We might all learn from them, I
imagine..."

"You mean *the rest of us* might, don't you?" Riker
afforded her a knowing smile. "I don't see how even a
Klingon philosopher could spend more time introspecting than
a certain Betazoid empath I know." He teased.

She colored slightly. "Well, like I said, it's a practiced form of
discipline. I suppose we all have our little quirks, don't we?"
Her eyes locked with Riker's and he quickly cleared his throat.

"Well, thank you all for coming.."

"Wait a second --" Crusher piped in, smiling. "What just
went on there?" Trading a glance between Will and Deanna,
she shook her head.

When Troi smirked and Riker appeared decidedly
uncomfortable, Data took Crusher's arm, whispering in a
serious voice, "Doctor, If there is one thing I have learned
after all these years of serving with humans, it is not to ask.."

Beverly burst out laughing. "Point taken, Data!"

"Okay. Good night everyone. Next week, same time?"
Geordi and Data stood on either side of the doctor.

"Same time, same place." Riker returned their smiles. The
three officers then turned and left his quarters, while Crusher
continued chuckling all the way out into the corridor. When
they had gone, Deanna sighed.

"That was close." She giggled.

"You did that on purpose." Riker admonished.

"Yes, I did." With a quick nod, the Counselor made her way
over to Riker's couch and flopped down into it
unceremoniously.

"What? You're not helping?" The Commander tossed over
his shoulder as he continued collecting miscellaneous items
from the poker table. "That's not part of the deal.."

"Yes it is. I'm changing the deal." She reached behind her
and pulled her hair free of the clasp which held it,. "I'm
exhausted. And you don't look all that overworked back
there."

"All right. All right." He shrugged, tossing her a lopsided
smile. "I'll take pity on you, this once. But only because
you're a pathetic loser. You know, sometimes even I wonder
why you keep coming back. I've never seen anyone as bad at
poker as you are--"

"I get the point." Troi interrupted, shaking her head
incredulously. "Would you prefer I did something else Friday
nights?" She pinned him with a wry, sharp look.

He turned and met her level gaze with a lascivious smile.
"Well that would depend on what 'else' you were planning on
doing, I think."

She threw a cushion at him.

"Honestly? I hate poker. I only come because everyone else
is here. And besides," her lips curled up into a dangerous
smirk. "I take a certain amount of smug satisfaction in letting
you win every week."

At her daring grin, he opened his mouth in mock horror. "Are
you kidding me?"

Troi shrugged. "Am I?"

"I don't even want to consider.." With a laugh, Riker returned
to counting the deck of cards in his hand. "Damn, I'm missing
one. It's my favorite, too."

Over the years, Will had collected several packs of standard
issue decks of cards, and several other decks which carried
special significance for him. One in particular which even
Deanna knew he appreciated. Though she normally shook
her head in tolerant disgust whenever he produced them for
the Friday night game. The deck was colorful, sporting fairly
sexy (though never profane) pictures of 'model quality'
women from all over the quadrant.

"Have you see the 3 of diamonds?" He tossed over his
shoulder, recounting the cards in his hand.

Deanna leaned back against the couch behind her and threw
him a tolerant look. Then she noticed the card, sitting on the
floor near the edge of the coffee table.

"No." She answered, scooping the offending bit of plastic
into her hand and tucking it beneath a pillow to her right.

Riker turned and caught her gaze directly, having already
measured the tone in her voice. He'd also noted the difference
in his slight, though significant, sense of her -- which seemed
ever-present whenever she was near him.

"Liar." He grinned. "Shame on you Ms. Troi. Good
Betazoids never lie...even half human ones.." He shook his
head in feigned disappointment.

"I'm not lying." She bit down on her lip. "I'm teasing."

"Ah." He nodded as though having been informed of some
great truth for the first time. "There's a difference.."

"A big difference." She affirmed with a smile.

"Well, then I must apologize." He continued in a serious tone
as he approached her.

Her smile widened the nearer he drew. "I'll think about
accepting."

"And I'm sure you won't mind..." Riker went on. "If I tickle
the truth out of you!"

With a quick lunge forward, he grabbed hold of her body and
sent her scrambling towards the other end of the couch with a
yelp.

"That is not fair!" She gasped. "You know how ticklish I
am!"

"Yes, I do." He grinned. Then advanced on her again.

Deftly dodging his grasp, Deanna snatched the card up from
beneath the pillow and hopped over the other end of the
couch, laughing as she held her prize at arm's length.

"Just try it mister -- and the card gets it-" She waved her
'hostage' threateningly before him.

"You wouldn't-"

"Try me." She raised her eyebrow.

"But it's my favorite-" He whined.

"Yup." Her nod was unsympathetic, as was her smile.

Sighing in resignation, Riker dropped his head and Troi
regarded him warily. He was up to something. She could
sense it as clearly as if he'd made the announcement out loud.

She was about to call him on it as well, except that he
suddenly leapt forward, taking her by surprise despite even
the warning she'd received through her sense of him.

Grabbing hold of her just as she turned, Riker pulled the
Counselor towards him by the waist and she laughed in
incredulity at her sudden confinement.

"Not on your life!" She giggled, still holding her quarry just
out his reach. She twisted her position in order to afford
herself a better avenue of escape.

Despite the predicament, Will's grip on her was fairly gentle --
no doubt he was being mindful not to hurt her -- and so she
took full advantage of the situation, managing to struggle
almost free of his grasp before he leaned forward and
reached for her once more.

"Just give me the card, Dee-" He laughed, still holding onto
her from behind, her casually loose-fitting two piece
pant-suit providing him handfuls of fabric with which to play.

"Okay, Okay. You win. You're such a baby." She
admonished in defeat, suddenly relaxing in his grasp.

Will regarded her new co-operative posture for several careful
moments before finally allowing her free of his grasp.

That was to be his second mistake. The instant he let go,
Deanna took off towards the opposite end of the cabin, still
holding the tiny piece of plastic in her hand.

"You are so gullible!" She laughed.

"You don't play fair." He countered, shaking his head.

"Oh, poor you!" She rolled her eyes. "I'm less than half
your size. How fair is that?"

"Well it does have it's advantages from time to time, as I
recall.." He agreed with a smirk. Troi's face colored slightly.
"How about you give me the card and we call it even?" He
offered.

"How about you give *me* the card and forget about it?"
She smiled.

"You don't want the card. You're just doing this because
you know it's my favorite." He pinned her with an amused
glare.

"So..? Do we have a deal?" She continued.

"Nope." Riker grinned again and this time he came towards
her with new purpose in his eyes. "You can only run for so
long. It's a small cabin."

"I could leave-" She placed one hand over the door-plate
next to her.

"I'd come after you -- it would be embarrassing, I promise."
He winked. She laughed. "What has gotten into you
tonight?" Riker shook his head in disbelief.

When she returned his question with nothing more than a
playfully defiant stare, he shrugged. "Have it your way.."

He caught up with her fairly effortlessly. Taking her firmly
into his arms, Will was surprised when she twisted sideways
in a direction he hadn't anticipated.

Though he moved to compensate for her new vantage, their
center of balance was suddenly disrupted and he lost his
footing. Falling to the floor with a dramatic vocalization,
Riker pulled her down on top of him as an afterthought,
refusing to relinquish his goal.

She landed on him with a startled gasp, and settled into what
might have been considered a somewhat cliche position,
though she grinned at the imposition.

For a time, Troi remained where she'd fallen, straddling
Will's waist, her legs on either side of him while she regarded
the Commander somewhat triumphantly; as if to maintain
that she had far from acceded their argument.

When she moved to rise, however, Riker caught her wrists in
his hands and switched their positions in an instant. All at
once, Deanna found herself pinned beneath him, recumbent on
the floor between his arms.

"Well--" He whispered. His words were warm against her
lips. "This is vaguely familiar.."

Her breath came to her as a fairly short gasp, and she met his
eyes. "So will my answer be."

For a time, he merely studied her gaze, almost as though he
were waiting for something about her to change. Her eyes
were large and dark and her face was even a little bit flushed.
Yet though he noticed all these things - he still sighed
wordlessly and released her wrists beneath him, making no
further move to rise.

Pulling one arm from where it had been held gently over her
head, Troi retrieved the card she had captured and held it up
towards him between their bodies.

"Your card.." She whispered.

"You keep it." He returned.

"But it's your favorite..."

"Yeah." He shrugged and then lifted one hand from the floor
to her hair, tucking a piece of it behind her ear.

"You'd give *me* your favorite card?" The playful tease
was back in her voice as she remained still beneath him.

"See anything else you might like?" He grinned down at her,
tipping his head out into the room.

Her eyes locked with his. "Maybe."

"Name it," his gaze grew serious and he began to trace the
edge of her face with his free hand.

"I suppose--" Deanna began, trying to ignore the way his
caress had begun to rob her of breath. He lowered his head
and brushed his lips lightly over hers, tracing a line from the
corner of her parted mouth, across her jaw and down along
the contour of her slender neck. "There's that...Aurillian vase
you bought. I've always loved that--"

She gasped as he shifted aside the edge of her casual blouse
and began pressing feathery kisses across her exposed collar
bone.

"It's yours." The heat of his breath on her sensitive skin sent
a shiver rippling across her entire body. "What else?" He
took the lobe of her ear between his lips and teased it gently
with the tip of his tongue.

"Oh, Gods.." Deanna's eyes fell shut as the tiny card she'd
been holding in her hand tumbled to the floor. She moaned
softly. "The--the--statue, we brought back-from Kastral
V.." His hands dipped lower and began exploring the edge
of her blouse, teasing her breast through the fabric. Will then
shifted the attention of his mouth to her lips, coaxing them
open with his own.

"Ohh--" She sighed softly and then bit down on her lip to
keep herself from calling out when his fingertips slipped
beneath the gauzy fabric of her top and found her -- far more
intimately.

As her mouth slid helplessly open, he took advantage of the
opportunity, placing his kiss on her lips and thrusting his
tongue inside of her, claiming his prize. Once there, Will
caressed her from within in a way he remembered she loved,
continuously drawing his fingertips along the edge of her
body; forging a pathway of liquid fire everywhere he touched
her.

Deanna whimpered softly as their kiss grew more fevered.
His tongue danced with hers and her body arched forward
unbidden, to match the rhythm he set.

Their kiss finally broke and she sucked in gulps of air, unable
to regain her equilibrium before he began to caress her again
with powerful hands. Parting the edge of her blouse all
the way down in front, he deftly unhooked the clasp of her
bra and then covered her body with his, reaching down to
brush the hair from her forehead before lowering his head
and teasing the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue.

Her dark eyes were on him now, and she responded in kind,
tasting him as their mouths brushed together over and over
again. It was their way. A signature unique to their
lovemaking which neither of them had ever used on any
other.

The waiting, the anticipation, the words they'd whispered -
all of it came back to them as though the years had never
been. And Deanna could hardly believe she had already let it
get this far.

Her rational mind screamed a warning. The age-old
argument, the practiced logic of her decision. She felt the
protest, knew it for only a moment before the response of
her body overwhelmed it with the reality of a compelling, far
more undeniable truth. The warmth of him on top of her.
The gentle brush of his lips on her skin.

"What else do you want..?" Riker's eyes burned into her soul
and Deanna reached up, drawing her fingers through his hair
until she locked them at the back of his neck. For an eternal
instant, they remained that way, eyes fixed on one another.
But then he dropped his head -- and his attention -- to her
breast, pushing aside the now-open garment which lay in his
path; he took her between his lips and teased her gently.

"Will!" She cried out. In helpless abandon, Troi arched her
back and tangled her fingers in the hair at the back of his
head. "Yes.." Her voice was a sharp exhale.

He switched his focus from left to right, nearly shuddering
from the intensity of the pull within himself when he heard
her call out for him, again and again.

Letting go his neck, her small hands reached under his casual
sweater and he helped her pull it over his head. When they'd
removed the garment, it fell from her trembling fingers and
he watched as her eyes devoured the unencumbered view she
now had of his torso and chest.

"What else..?" He coaxed in a whisper, his intense blue gaze
always upon her. Riker reached between them and carefully
unzipped the side of her fairly flowing dress-pant. His
familiarity in realizing just exactly where the otherwise hidden
fastening to the garment had been, caused Deanna's lips to
curl upwards into a cat-like smile.

They divested themselves of the last of their clothing even as
she offered him her answer, and their bodies drew closer on
the floor.

"You've always said you preferred to live dangerously,
haven't you?"

The intensity of her words piqued Riker's curiosity more than
a little and he responded to them by kissing her breathless.

"You want to know what I want?" She managed, a throaty
whisper as they came up for air.

He nodded slowly.

"I need to know, Imzadi--" She whispered to him. Suddenly
more serious than dangerous. "Are you absolutely sure?"

He knew what she was asking. He'd always known. But this
time, unlike the others, he also knew that he was exactly
what she'd asked him to be. He was sure. He had never
been more sure of anything in his life.

He placed his lips over hers, kissing her softly. "I love you,"
he whispered, as though the admission filled his soul.

"Then make love with me," Her whispered entreat sent a
shudder of need racing through him, unbidden. "Set us both
free of this... in between place."

She tipped her head upward and began pressing feather-light
kisses against his chest. And then her lips rejoined his and
the tip of her tongue drew soft, sensual patterns over his
skin. Both the heat of her touch and the feeling of her
kisses were agonizingly familiar to Will. He found himself
held captive by every caress.

Unable to keep himself from her for even a moment longer,
Riker covered her body with his and entered her powerfully.
His head fell back and he heard her cry out as their union
began an ancient and powerful ritual; one where each of
them would discover new heights to their pleasure with
every passing instant.

:::This is what I want,::: he heard in his mind. :::what I can
give you. What you've already given me..::::

And then his world exploded in a blinding flash of the purest
form of ecstasy he'd ever known. Not even the pleasure of
their heightening physical union could compare to that which
invaded his mind, body and soul in this very instant..

He knew he called her name. Whether out loud or in his
own mind, he felt as though his soul had been transported --
somewhere. As though the pleasure of their joining bodies
only augmented this far more vivid experience.

She was everywhere. And he was with her. And the
pleasure between them built to a painfully agonizing
crescendo, exponentially from moment to moment -- in the
paradoxically reflective manner of two mirrors set face to
face.

Whatever he felt, she took within her, feeding it back to him
ten-fold. Whatever she felt, he knew, without even
understanding how such a thing could be. And he felt his
mind return those feelings to her, in kind. It was beyond
him, beyond either one of them to contain it.

"Deanna, oh, God!" He cried out to her, devouring her
mouth with his kiss and worshipfully accepting the probing
presence of her tongue as it played tag with his, again and
again.

There was nothing in the world; nothing in the universe that
would ever again compare to what they'd found in this
moment. Their bodies crying out in completion; their minds
helplessly driving each of them still higher -- to a moment of
blinding ecstasy.

He pulled her forcefully into his arms, shuddering inside of
her while she continued to chant his name -- the heat of their
union causing rivers of moisture to follow their fingertips
wherever they touched one another.

Gasping for breath, Will held her in his arms and she locked
her fingers around his neck; their bodies still joined
intimately, though their movement had all but ceased. Her
hair was damp, and so was his and when he opened his eyes
he found her gazing into him as though she could see into his
soul through the surface of his skin.

"Will.." She breathed when she could speak, pressing
her forehead against his chest.

He sucked in a needful breath of air and tucked a moist
bit of her hair behind her ear, allowing her skin to cool.

For the longest time, the two lovers remained silent, unable
as unwilling to break the ever-settling spell which had
descended upon them.

"I though I'd forgotten what it was like to be with you
like this.." He finally spoke, aloud. His voice grew
thoughtful. "Has it always been this way for you?"

He managed to ask the question for which the potential of her
answer terrified him. But in that instant, he felt her emotion
so powerfully -- he might have sworn he too had been born an
empath.

"No.." She whispered fervently. "The last time it felt this
way was a very long time ago. With you."

His heart filled. This was the truth he had silently been
praying for since the question left his lips. She knew that,
too.

"Imzadi." He both spoke the word and thought it to her.
She smiled and answered him in just the same way.

"Yes."

Drawing his fingers through her still-damp tresses, he
brought his head to hers and saw her eyes fall shut before he
kissed her.

"That was--" He swallowed.

"I'll say." Her voice was lilting and she giggled as the two of
them disengaged from one another, only to gather closely in
a different way, once more.

Noticing a tiny, forgotten piece of plastic on the floor
nearby, Troi scooped it into her hand and flipped it over
between her fingers.

"I never knew what you saw in these.." She admonished,
reminding him of their earlier game with laughter in her eyes.
She stared for a time at the rather beautiful woman on the
reverse of the card.

"You know why that one was my favorite?" He awarded her
a lopsided smile.

She shook her head mutely.

"Look at it." He encouraged, taking it from her and drawing
her body even closer so that the two of them might study it
together. She stared at it obediently for a few moments and
then tossed him a perplexed look.

"You don't see it?" He smiled incredulously and then
admitted. "Well, probably not. I guess that's not surprising.
Deanna, she looks almost exactly like you. You could be
twins.."

"She does not!" Troi snatched the card away from him and
regarded it once more. "What are you talking about?"

"She does.." He maintained, this time tipping his head to
place a kiss at the nape of her neck. She shivered and
exhaled simultaneously.

"Well, maybe a little -- but the eyes aren't right."

"Well, no one's eyes are as beautiful as yours." He answered
honestly. She melted, sighing softly when he came forward
to place his lips against each of her eyelids.

"We have been such idiots-" When next she regarded him,
her gaze was bright. "Haven't we?"

"Nah. I remember a certain young psychologist who once
taught me never to regret. Whatever brought us here, she
used to say, can only be blessed."

At that, Troi bit her lip and felt her eyes grow heavy with
moisture of their own.

"She did say that." Deanna nodded slowly.

"Then I bless this card.." Will drew the Counselor closer in
his arms, placing a kiss at the edge of her lips. "The Aurillian
vase..." He recalled, feeling her gentle laughter in his head as
well as his heart. "Even the statue we brought back from
Kastral V.."

He traced her earlobe with his tongue.

"Don't stop.." She breathed, letting her eyes fall shut.

"But most of all-" Riker smiled against her and she giggled
as the edge of his beard tickled her skin. "I bless this ship,
for bringing us home. Wherever we are. As long as it's
together."

"I'm keeping the card." Deanna whispered in his ear. And
Will's only answer was the warmth of his smile for her in that
moment. She fell on him with renewed passion. And two
friends, once lovers, turned officers -- became lovers once
again.

~~END~~