"Up Early"
Disclaimer: Paramount own the Star Trek universe and all the characters within. The story's mine.
________________________________________
Personal log, stardate 51693.2. It's been a rough few months. Commanding a starship of over a thousand is a lot harder than Captain Picard made it look. But, I'm handling it well. Most of the credit goes to Deanna. She's been my source of energy to keep going. We've both been so tired lately that when we go to bed at night, one of us is already asleep. I suppose that I couldn't expect the honeymoon to last forever, but I hoped that it would last longer than this. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way and neither does marriage. I can't believe that it's been eight months already. It seems like the wedding was just a few weeks ago. It's really incredible how fast time has flown. Before I know it, I'll be picking out a first year anniversary gift for her and deciding where to spend it. It won't likely be off the ship unless I can get shoreleave. Not an easy task for a captian. At first, I thought I'd have no trouble taking it unlike Picard. I've always been one to play around whenever the opportunity presented itself. But now I think I understand Picard's position more so than before. Leaving the Titan with my first officer is something I find myself not wanting to do. I don't know why, really.
"Up early again, Captain?" Somewhere in the middle of his typing, Deanna had snuck up behind him.
Will smiled and returned the hug she was giving him from behind. "As tired as I am, you'd think I'd be able to sleep longer."
She rested her chin upon his head, nestling it in the messy hair that always accompanied him in the morning. It was one of his endearing things that she found attractive. In a way, it made him look like a little boy. Actually, a lot of things he did made him look like a boy. Perhaps that was the reason for his infamous nickname 'babyface'. But no matter what he looked like, he always had the strength of a man inside of him.
Deanna gently traced circles on his chest as her arms were wound around his strong shoulders. Will simply wore his blue robe, allowing access to his soft chest hair which she had also surprisingly fallen in love with, as well as the beard. The beard had taken some getting used to, but he had really liked the beard and she felt guilty for making him shave it off.
"Sometimes when we're extremely tired, or have something on our minds, we have trouble sleeping. I could go into details but you'd stop listening after about ten seconds," Deanna said, keeping her chin steadfast.
Riker chuckled that deep chuckle of his and brought one of her hands to his lips. He kissed her palm and lingered for a few moments before releasing her. Realizing what his wife was doing, he pushed a button on the console in front of him and the screen which had held his log went black.
"Hey," Deanna said, "I was just getting to the good part."
"Exactly the reason why I shut it off.," Will said.
Deanna stood up and adjusted her robe. "You are so funny when it comes to me reading your logs."
Will turned in his chair to face her. "I don't read your logs. Even though we're married, it's good to have some privacy."
Deanna placed her hands on her hips and gave him a lopsided grin. "So, where are we going on our anniversary?"
Will rolled his eyes and stood. He walked back to the bedroom and began to pretend he was in a hurry to get to the bridge. The only problem was that one glance at the chronometer told him that he had over two hours before duty.
"Will, I know you don't have to be anywhere so you might as well answer the question," Deanna said.
Will stopped in his tracks and dropped a towel onto the unmade bed. Slowly he turned to face his wife who suddenly looked extremely beautiful to him. Not that she hadn't before, he had just been to busy to notice. "You know, our anniversary isn't for another four months. I don't know why we have to decide this now."
Deanna shrugged and walked past him to their dresser. "We don't have to decide. I was just curious as to what you were thinking about. I thought we might go back to Janaran Falls. That is, if you can leave your ship for a few days."
The teasing tone in her voice did not go unnoticed by the captain. "I don't know. That is a busy time of the year. Besides, Janaran Falls is on Betazed. We would have to put up with your mother as well."
"I haven't seen her since the wedding, Will," Deanna said as she picked out some under garments from a drawer. "I'm sure Ethan would like to see his brother-in-law as well. It's not often that he gets to spend time with a male role model."
"But we'd have to see your mother," Will whined as best he could. "I want to spend my first year wedding anniversary with my wife and not have to worry about anyone else."
Deanna pursed her lips and approached her husband. She reached up and cupped his cheek. "That's sweet, Will. But have you thought about what it would mean to me going back to the falls? It's almost a sacred place for us and I want to relive the time we spent there together. Remember what it was like for us."
Will gently removed his face from her soft hand and plopped down onto the end of the bed. "Deanna, that's where we said good-bye. It's the last place we saw each other before things got screwed up between us. I don't know if I want to relive that."
Deanna ran the course of those unpleasant memories through her mind but then smiled at Will. She sat down beside him and took his hand in both of hers. "Yes, those things did happen. But most of all, I remember a young, handsome Starfleet officer with all the ambition in the world. I remember swimming naked in the pool of water below the falls and laughing whenever you splashed me with water. The moonlight was perfect for us that night. It was just the two of us enjoying the moment that life had to offer." Deanna paused and smiled broadly at the memories. "We were so young. I can't believe that was almost twenty years ago. Can you?"
Will watched his wife's eyes move to his and he returned her smile. "No. It seems like yesterday. It's hard to believe that we've stuck it out."
"We certainly have," Deanna said just before she engaged him in an unforgettable kiss. It was a kiss that lasted longer that each had anticipated.
"If you want to go to Janran Falls, we can always go swimming in the moonlight again," Will said.
Deanna gave him a huge smile and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Then it's settled," she said as she got up from the bed. "I promise not to spend more than a day with mother."
"A day?" Riker asked but Deanna had already shut herself in the bathroom. "I was thinking more like an hour." He knew that she could hear him through the doors.
"Will," his wife warned. He knew that it would be a full day and not a minute less.
END