Challenge #3 from Imzadi List:

In this challenge you get a negative of a picture, no color, no real description, just a brief look at a scene. You have the freedom to color it in as you
wish, just use the scene somewhere in the story.

The negative is this: Deanna Troi is sitting in front of a fire reading something she is holding in her hands. She is crying.

Let your imaginations soar and your fingers fly!

This is a silly piece, as was the last one. Guess I'm
on a roll. I haven't come up with a title that would
work either. However, it's now or never ;-) I'm giving
it a PG-13 .. to be safe.

zippitydday@yahoo.com

He watched from the shadows as the firelight caught
the tears that ran down her cheeks. Listening as the
harsh sounds became softer, he wondered how he could
have gotten the whole thing wrong when it had taken
him so long to prepare for this evening.

Will decided to suck up his pride and venture forth,
after all wasn't that what Star Fleet taught him, to
go where no man has gone before? Isn't that what he
was attempting  to do when he got into this fix? He
moved toward her, "Deanna...."  he stopped at the hand
held up before him.

Her eyes turned to take in his appearance and the
tears ran like streams down her cheeks, "Will". She
could say no more so overcome was she that her legs
gave out and she sat heavily on the floor in front of
the fire.

When she was finally able to get enough control to
speak she asked in a tone hoarse with the remnants of
emotion, "Will, this is too much. I don't think I can
go through with it. I'm sorry, I know how much you
.... " She swallowed again trying not to give into her
the nearly overwhelming need. "You obviously put a lot
of ... time into this program." Her eyes caught his
then quickly looked back at the fire. "Can I ask why
this?"

"I thought it would be romantic, that all this would
offer a new sense of adventure." His voice soft with
the tone of defeat.

Deanna held out the padd she had been reading, "Did
you read this first."

"Well, no. I looked at the beginning and thought it
sounded as though it would work." He swung his arm out
to take in all the other props in the room, the many
lit candles, the dark roses, the heavy drapes covering
the ceiling to floor windows. 

"Listen Will, let me read you just a little of this,
it's about a pig farmer turned into a vampire that
suddenly can get the most voluptuous woman in the town
to sleep with him after wrestling in the mud with the
pigs. All because he bit her neck, and drank her
blood."  As she began to read her eyes teared up, this
time Deanna couldn't keep the laughter bottled up any
longer.

"NO.. forget it. Bad idea." Will began to walk away.

"Wait Will." Deanna  walked up to him. "Your
intentions were good, wonderful in fact." She stood on
her toes to deliver a passionate kiss, one that slowly
slid into two then three. She pulled back to caress
his check with her fingertips. "Just do me a favor and
next time read it first okay?"  He nodded and began to
pull her to him again before she stopped him, "Will,
where did you get this?"

His eyes narrowed, as he sighed , "I caught Worf
stuffing it under the mattress in his quarters, when I
stopped by to borrow..."
He watched the amusement grow and thrive in the
counselor's eyes,  he pulled her to him before she
could give into the laughter that was just nano
seconds away from erupting.  "I remember your mother's
fondness for the mud baths on Shiralea VI, and you
told me how relaxing it was. Let's skip the wrestling
with the pigs part."

A softer smile replaced the nearly contained laughter,
"All right, can we keep the candles, and a star lit
sky would be nice."