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Issues
Chapters 1-3
This story was written by my son, Nightwolf, and me. At the time this was written he was 12. This story would not have left space dock if it were not for him. Don't hurt him if he let's loose some nanites on the bridge.
Chapter One
Will and Deanna were sitting at the breakfast table. Will was having eggs for breakfast and Deanna's face looked like she was going to get sick from the site of the them.
"Eh! How can you eat those!" she exclaimed. she was in her fourth month of pregnancy, but the site of eggs still made her stomach churn.
"They're good! You really should try them." Will respond with a loving smile.
"No thanks. I'll stick with my tea and crackers." she said. "I just can't wait to have these babies. I already feel like I'm five months instead of four."
"You don't look a day over three months." Will said, trying to make her feel better.
"Oh, please spare me. You're just trying to make me feel better."
"Why of course, what are husbands for." he said with a smile.
"Oh, you!" Deanna responded back playfully throwing her napkin at him.
"You know," Will began, "It's nice to be working with Picard again."
"Yes, it will be." Deanna affirmed. "This mission is going to be like old times." Melancholy washed over Deanna as she agreed with Will.
Then Will got serious all of a sudden. He laid his fork down and stated, "You know De, I've been thinking."
"Did it hurt?" she said jovelly.
"Good one." he said with a smile. "But seriously," he continued, "We need to talk."
"You are serious." she responded, scrutinizing him. "About what?"
"The children."
"I don't follow you."
"You remember about four months ago we had a serious argument."
"Not really, but go on." she said.
"During that argument you brought up something about human and Betazoid relationships."
"How does this apply to the children?" she inquired.
"Well, we know there is some differences in cultures and I've been thinking we need to decide if we are going to raise them with Betazoid culture in mind, Terran or both."
"Will?" she looked very puzzled.
"Now I've been studying mixed relationships lately and I've gone back to the late twentith century up until now."
"Wait a minute. Why are you bringing this up?"
"Because in a way, you brought it up and your mother keeps bringing it up."
"Oh, please I was angry at the time and Mother, well she's just the way she is. Set in her ways."
"I have found that if a couple decides before the children are born it is a lot easier on the children and the parents."
"Will, what's there to decide? We'll raise them with the knowledge of both."
"It's not really that simple." he stated.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We must decide now, so we don't end up arguing about this sixth more months from now."
"Will, we have sixth months to work this out. Why must we decide now at this moment?"
"We don't, but we need to discuss it." he insisted.
"Will, let's just teach them both ways."
"I've also studied the parenting techniques of Betazoids and it differs in some aspects."
"Such as?" she asks.
"Well, Terran parents don't always feel they have to have a reason for everything they tell their kids to do or not to do. It helps of course, but sometimes the parents don't have a reason to put into to words. It just is."
Deanna sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She suddenly went into counselor mode. "Will, sometimes even Betazoid parents have to muddle through parenthood like all other parents. Not all Betazoid parents are alike, just as not all Human parents are alike. Yes, it is good to give a child a reason for your rules, but I don't expect you or anyone else to be perfect at parenting. We will muddle through together, just like we do a lot of other things."
"Deanna, please. Don't patronize me and you can drop the counselor mode too. I'm not asking to be counsoled here. I'm asking how we are going to raise our kids."
Will was getting a little frustrated because Deanna seemed to him as though she didn't want to discuss this.
"Will, I'm sure we will figure this out one way or another. We don't need to go down the list of differences in human and Betazoid cultures. The only thing our children need to know is that we are their parents and we put up a united front when it comes to raising them. We just need to support each other and not let them try and get the other to say 'yes' when one of us says 'no'."
"Oh, OK. Maybe you're right, but I still feel something may come up. I feel we need a united front with your mother too."
"What?"
"You know how she's always insisting we need to move to Betazed so the children will learn Betazoid ways and all."
Deanna rolls her eyes. "Will, We should be more worried about what if something happen to... "
"Bridge to Captain Riker."
Deanna was interrupted by Admiral Picard's call to Will.
"Riker here."
"I need you on the bridge a little earlier than expected. Would you please come down here immediately?"
"Yes, Sir. I'm on my way."
"Picard out."
"Sounds serious." He said to Deanna. "I guess you were saved by the bell, huh?" He kissed her and continued, "We'll finish this discussion later." Then Will left for the bridge.
"Or you were." Deanna thought to him.
Deanna sat there and started thinking. She thought about herself. Not knowing much about her human side, due to her father's death when she was five. She thought about Kheylor and how she said her Klingon side sometimes scared her. Then there was Alexander, who didn't know a thing about Klingon ways according to Worf when they first met. Then Alexander lost his mother. She continued to ponder all of these things and the people she met in her lifetime who were part this and that or lost one or both parents and how they struggled with some things until it was time for her first appointment of the day.
Chapter
2
Will enter the bridge.
"Glad you could make it Number One. It seems we have a very dangerous and tedious assignment ahead. Can we step into your Ready Room."
"Yes, we may. Right this way, sir." Will said with a proud grin.
They entered Will's Ready Room and Picard said, "I thought I would never see the day I would be walking into your Ready Room." He looked around the room for a bit.
"Yes, it is amazing. A new wife, children on the way, and a ship all my own, with my wife at my side as ships Counselor."
"You have every right to be proud, Will."
"Thank you."
"What I need to talk to you about is this mission. We are returning to help Ambassador Spock out again. However, we have to make a stop at DS9 to get the Defiant." Picard informed.
"Oh yeah? May I ask the reason?"
"It is the only ship in Star Fleet with a cloaking device."
"Sounds like this mission is going to be an adventure. Will Worf be joining all of us?" Will ask and jokingly added, "The group would not be complete without him."
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Deanna's first appointment delt with a little girl who was part Vulcan and part Romulan. Unusual mating for sure. Her mother who was Vulcan met her father while working with Spock. Her father was one of the dissidents and when he died they were ousted from Romulus. They had gone back to Vulcan for a while with Spock's help and were met with a little better reception.
Finally, her mother joined Star Fleet and then crew of the Valient. The mother was bringing the child to see Deanna due to the fact her child was having problems with the other children in school concerning her Romulan heritage. So much so she refused to go.
Deanna remembered when she was an adolescent some of the children realized she was not going to be completely telepathic. Some didn't say much to her, others just accepted it. Sometimes she did have hurt feelings over the fact that some kids did not want anything to do with her.
However, she felt that Betazed had changed since then and didn't see how her children, who would be more human than she was, would have any problems. Or was she fooling herself?
The chime rang. On the other side was the little girl and her mother. Te'la was seven and was a very pretty little girl. Deanna walked to the door and openned it for them.
"Hello, Te'la."
"Hello, Counselor." said the little girl.
"Would you and your mother like to come in and have a seat?"
"Yes, ma'am." said the young girl.
The little girl and her mother sat together on the couch. Deanna sat across from them in a chair.
"So Te'la, do you know why you're here?" Deanna asked.
"Yes, my mother brought me, because I don't want to go to school with the other kids."
"And why is that?"
"They make fun of me."
They talked for an hour and then Deanna scheduled another appointment for the girl with her mother. While they were scheduling all senior officers were called over the com system.
"All senior officers report to the conference room." came Will's voice.
"I have to go. I'll see you next week, Te'la. OK?"
"OK" she said.
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Deanna arrived in the conference room just as the meeting was starting. Picard greeted her, "Counselor."
"Cap...I mean Admiral." she smiled apologitically.
"Quite alright." Picard said, "The Captain and I have asked you all here, because we are going on a very dangerous mission."
Deanna sat straight up. She was listening very carefully and the thought about "what if something happened?" came to her mind again. She tried to brush the thoughts aside until later so she could listen carefully to the mission at hand. She just could not wait to talk to Will again. He was right. They really did need to talk. About a lot of things. Not just child raising, but a lot of things. Time seemed to stand still at this moment and eons seem to lay before them before the opportunity to talk would arrive again.
Chapter
3
Picard
continues to brief everyone on the mission.
"It seems the situation on Romulus has esculated and Spock needs help getting the dissidents out quicker, but yet still unseen. The only way to do that is to go in with a cloaked ship that is bigger than what has been used." informs Picard.
"And the Defiant is the only ship left in Star Fleet with a cloak." said Riker.
"Yes, Number One, that is correct. Sisko is aware of our
arriving soon to DS9. Worf is familiar with the Defiant, but it is yet unknown if he will be joining us on this mission. The Valiant will stay docked at DS9 and be ready for anything, should it come our way."
"Once we get the dissidents to DS9, then what?" asked Deanna.
"The Valiant will transport some to other places within the Federation as well as the Defiant once we have gotten as many out as we can. There is one thing that needs to be done for everyone on the away mission, which is why I brought Dr. Crusher with me to assist your doctor. In this way, we can get the mission started faster and on it's way." Picard continues.
"More hands the better." said Geordi.
"Precisely. Riker have an away team together and ready to go by our arrival time to DS9."
"Aye, Sir."
"And when will we depart from DS9?" asked Deanna
knowing full well she was not going to go.
"Actually, Counselor," Captain Riker began, "You are going to be part of the crew that stays behind and stands by for anything."
"I can handle myself." she retorted.
"Counselor, I will speak to you after this meeting is
over." stated Riker.
Troi was now indignant. She wanted to go, to be with Will, in case anything happened. She couldn't bare to see him go, when there might be a chance he would not come back. It could be the last time they see each other and she wanted to be there by his side constantly.
Riker continues, "We do have at least one Vulcan on board
and I think as many Vulcans that we can bring with us would make this mission even easier for us. Their DNA is closer to Romulans and may get past any scanners they may have that would give us away."
"Agreed." said Picard.
"It wouldn't take much for me to alter their DNA just enough that the probablity of passing for Romulan would be even greater." informed Dr. Crusher.
"OK. Make it so." said Picard, "Let's do it.
Everyone dismissed."
Everyone got up to leave except Deanna and Will. Deanna stood and Will approached her.
"Counselor." Will addressed her, "May I inquire
what that was all about?"
"You may need me on this mission, simply for my empathic
abilities."
"You're needed here."
"I am asking permission to go on this away mission."
stated Deanna.
"Permission denied!"
"On what grounds?"
"On the grounds you are pregnant and it would be endangering our children." he informed her. "I will not have that with anyone who is pregnant."
She looked at him with frustration.
"Deanna, what is this all about? I know you know that there is no way you could possibly go on this away mission."
She looked as though she was going to cry. "Will, this may be the last time we see each other and I could not bare to be without you."
"So going on the away mission with us could prevent that
from happening?" Will asked, hoping Deanna would hear how
silly it sounded.
"It could. I could sense when there maybe trouble
coming." she said, still with tears in her eyes.
"Deanna, this is rediculous." he said.
"No more rediculous than the captain leaving his bridge to go on this away mission." she retorted. "You know the captain's place is on the bridge."
"Deanna." he said softly, "I have to go."
"Why?"
"We need all the available crew members that we can get on this mission." he told her. "Admiral Picard will be here to take my bridge. My bridge will be in safe hands and so will you."
"You don't get it do you!" she yelled.
"Deanna." he said firmly.
"Our children need their father too! Not just their mother! If anything happened to you..." she trailed off. Her eyes just filled with tears.
He reached out to her to comfort her and pulled her close to him and held her. He kissed her lightly on top of her head.
"Deanna, I really want to talk about this. I really
do."
"Don't go Will." she said still crying.
"Right now I am here. With you and I will be here on my
bridge and I will be assembling the team here on this ship until we get there."
She pulled back just a little to look up at him. "Then what? You'll leave on the away mission."
"Hey," he said tenderly, "I'll come back. I
promise."
"How can you make that promise?" she pushed away from him. "You left before and didn't come back. Yes, we ended up together again, but this is different. You're going on a dangerous mission. Not to go follow a dream of being a Star Fleet Captain."
"Imzadi."
"Don't Imzadi me." she turns and walks out of the
Conference Room.
Will puts one foot on a chair and places his elbow on his knee. With his hand he pushes his hair back over his head and says to himself, "Oy, we really need to talk."