Issues

Chapters 4-6

Chapter 4

Riker returns to the business at hand. He starts thinking about who he needs on the away team. He thought, "Once we get to DS9 maybe I could request Worf. I really want the best person I can get at tactical. Lieutenant Sevek would be perfect for the team. She is Vulcan and very little alteration to her physical features would be needed."

He continues to contemplate the members of the away team. Meanwhile, Deanna is in Ten-Forward drinking tea and trying to eat her lunch. Beverly walks in,sees Deanna and strolls over to her table.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Deanna looks up and smiles. She was really glad to see her friend. "Oh, Beverly, yes, please sit down."

"So, how are the little ones?" Beverly asks.

"Oh, they're fine."

"And how about you, Deanna?"

"I'm fine." She did not seem very convencing. Deanna's eyes were still red from crying.

"You're not very convencing." said Beverly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, not really."

"OK. If that's what you want."

"It's just that, everyone I ever went on a mission with is going on this mission. And to top it off so is Will and I'm really worried."

"Deanna, not everyone is going."

"You mean you're not?"

"No. This may seem a little funny, but Will wants me to stay here and look after you." she admitted. "He says you can't stand the doctor on this ship."

"I assure you the feeling is mutual." Deanna said. "He has a terrible bedside manner and doesn't seem to like Betazoids very much."

Beverly laughed. "So you're wishing for your old doctor?"

Deanna smiles, "Well, that would be nice. And having my best friend around is an added bonus."

Beverly smiles. "You mentioned you're worried about Will going on this mission. You know Deanna, just because he is going on this mission doesn't mean he won't be on the bridge of the Defiant. A captain is needed on this mission and Will has been on previous missions to Romulus to help Ambassador Spock before. He's very qualified for this mission."

"Still I can't help but worry."

Beverly sat and thought for a moment about what to say to her friend. "Deanna, I was going to tell you later and now is as good of a time as ever. Plus I can't contain myself!" she said excitedly.

"Sounds like good news." Deanna said with interest. "I could really use some now."

"Jean-Luc and I are getting married!" she blurted out and shows the ring to Deanna.

"Oh, Beverly that's wonderful! When did he ask you?"

"Not too long after your wedding." she told Deanna. "I guess you and Will getting married had a domino effect."

"That's great. Have you set a date?"

"It'll be sometime after this is all over." said Beverly seeming rather glum herself. "You know Deanna, Jean-Luc has been working with Ambassodor Spock for a couple of months now. I lost one husband on a mission and there's not a minute that I don't worry about losing another before I even get a chance to marry him. It is rough on Romulus right now."

"Beverly, really, I think I can manage. I'll be alright."

"No, you are not understanding what I'm getting at." Beverly said. "Jean-Luc loves his job as much as he loves me and vice-versa. If I tried to stop him from doing what he loved how do you think he would feel? Or for that matter how it could affect our relationship? I'm not saying I don't still worry and get upset, but I can't stop him. It's just something one has to learn to deal with everytime one turns around."

"But that can't stop one from worrying, Beverly." Deanna said.

"No, but you chose to marry a man who is in Star Fleet." Beverly said firmly. "And because you made that choice you have to accept there maybe some situations that come up that may be very dangerous and try not to get so wrapped up in worry."

"Easier said then done." said Deanna.

"I know." Beverly said sympathically.

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The Valiant arrived at DS9 and was docking. After docking, Riker had prepared the away team to leave in the morning at 0800 hours. He also talked to Captain Sisko about having Worf at tactical.

"I want the best man I can get at tactical in case of the worse senerio. I feel Worf is the best tactical officer available and I would like to have him on my away team."

"Well, Captain Riker, I agree he is a very good tactical officer. I have no problems letting him go." Sisko said. "In fact I authorize his going on this mission."

"Thank you, Captain."

"You're very welcome and call me Ben." Sisko said with a smile. "After all you are a captain too, now."

"In that case you may call me Will." he agreed. "Now if you excuse me, I have some lose ends to tie up before we depart in the morning."

Will left to find a florist in the prominode and later that evening Deanna walks into their quarters to find a red rose in the middle of the table and dinner already prepared. She picks up the rose and smells it. She senses Will, who had walked into the room, and turns around to greet him.

"Will, it's lovely!" she said. "It's all lovely."

He was standing in front of her and says, "You're welcome. Only the best for my beautiful wife." Then, with a lot of love, he kisses her. Then there was a brief silence between them. Will breaks the silence.

"Deanna, we really need to talk."

"If it's about that child rearing thing again..."

"No, it's not just that, but we will get to that eventually." he said.

"Why don't we sit down and talk about it over this lovely dinner I made you before it gets cold?" he offered.

She agreed and took a seat. Will continues, "You know, Deanna, when you married me you knew what you were getting into."

"Will, can we talk about this after dinner?"

"No, because as you said, "There may not be another time. I love you very much and I love being in Star Fleet and having command of my own ship. Although with Picard on board I do feel like I am in second in command again."

"Well, he does still out rank you." she said trying to lighten the moment.

Will dismissed it, "You know there will always be dangerous missions. I can't stop you from worrying, but I can tell you, I will do everything I can to get back to you every time. I'm not leaving the bridge. I'm just going to be temporarily on a different bridge for a short time. I don't plan on leaving that bridge unless it is absolutely unavoidable." He gets up and walks over to her, wraps his arms around her, holds her close and says, "I will come back to you and in one piece, if I have anything to say about it."

"I love you, too, Will." she said with tears welling up in her eyes again. "And you're very right." She realized Will was echoing the same words Beverly had hours ago.

He moves back a little and wipes a stray tear from her face. "You know," he continues, "I worry about you too. Being pregnant and on this ship, but because I want to be with you and the children, I try not to let it get to me. I don't know what else I can say to help you with how you feel. I do know one thing for sure and that is I will do all I can to help you through those feelings."

She smiles and saids, "You just come back to me in one peice or I'll make you wish you had!" she says with a playful smile.

"You're something else, you know." he said with a chuckle and kisses her. "So does this mean we are going to be ok while I'm gone?"

"Let's see." she pauses, "You are having Admiral Picard and Dr. Crusher look after us while you're gone. I would say that we'll be OK." still smiling.

Will smiled, kissed her and said, "No, really?"

"Well, if you keep holding me, kissing me and all that other wonderful stuff before you leave and you come back and do more of the same. Never to let go, ever. I'll be just fine." she said.

"Great!" he said and walks back to his side of the table. "Let's finish our dinner. It's getting cold."

"Oh, Will!" she laughs, but this time she couldn't find anything worth throwing at him. She just looks into his beautiful eyes.

"And when I get back, we will finish talking about what I wanted to talk about earlier today."

"You don't give up do you?"

"No, I don't." he said. Then added with a smile, "That's why you married me."

Chapter 5

"Mommy! No!" screamed Te'la. "Don't go!"

"Te'la, this is completely illogical." Sevek said to her daughter in a very Vulcan tone of voice. "The captain wants me to go, so I have to go." It was the next morning and Sevek was preparing to take her daughter to the quarters of the crew member who would be taking care of her.

"No, You have to stay with me!" the part Romulan, part Vulcan child demanded. Sevek never could get over the emotions her daughter had. It was very unVulcan like. Sure the child was part Romulan, but the Vulcan part could have kept some of the emotional outbursts this child had under better control.

"Captain Riker to Lieutenant Sevek"

"Sevek, here." Riker could hear the young girl throwing a Romulan size fit in the back ground.

"Is everything alright, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm on my way."

"Riker to Counselor."

"Troi-Riker, here." She loved saying that every chance she got, but this time as she said it she sensed something was wrong.

"I need you to go to Lieutenant Sevek's quarters. I think she may need some assistance."

"Aye, Captain."

"Riker out."

"I guess we wait for the final member of the away team to beam over to the Defiant." Riker said to Te'lon, another Vulcan crew member.

"I cannot find any logical reason why a Vulcan would mate with a Romulan." Te'lon said in a calm, cool thoughtful Vulcan voice.

"You got a problem, Mr. Te'lon, you better talk about it now and get it over with before Lieutent Sevek gets here." Will stated rather firmly.

"No, Sir. I do not. That would imply I have emotions and Vulcans do not have emotions. I was just thinking about how illogically emotional that child can be." Te'lon stated.

"If you say so." Will had his doubts that Te'lon was being completely honest, but he had no choice but to take the Vulcan's word and unemotional face for it.

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"I'm not going anywhere! You stay here mommy!" the child screamed tears rolled all over her face as she screamed and wailled. "Ahhhh!"

Counselor Troi-Riker rang the chime. "Come in!" Sevek shouted over all the noise.

Deanna walks in. "Can I be of some assistance?" The girl continued to scream and clung to her mother's legs tightly and kicking the floor.

"If you can instill logic into my daughter that would be of great help."

"You are amazing." the counselor stated. "Any other parent would have lost their temper by now."

"I am Vulcan. However, my daughter doesn't show any Vulcan in her." Deanna was not sure about Sevek statement, for it sounded like there was some emotions behind it.

"Oh, I don't know about that." stated Deanna. "Te'la."

"Aaaaaa!" she continued to scream and kick. "My mommy's not going anywhere! She stay with me! No matter what!"

"Te'la, I'm not going to take your mommy anywhere." Deanna tried to assure her. "I just want to talk to you."

She stopped screaming and kicking and said, "Why?" then she sniffs.

"Why are you throwing a temper tantrum?"

"Why do you want to know? So you can tell me it's illogical too and that Vulcans don't behave this way?" then she sniffs again.

"No, I really want to know why."

"I don't want her to go back to Romulus and die like daddy did."

"Oh, I understand. There's nothing wrong with feeling that way."

Sevek gives Deanna a shocked look. Deanna made note of it and decided to talk to her about it when she returned.

The girl whimpers from all the crying and says, "There's not? But mommy says since I am part Vulcan I should not have emotions. BUT I DO AND I WANT MOMMY TO STAY HERE! NOT LEAVE AND DIE!" the girl screamed and started crying again.

"I understand, but your mother has orders and has to go."

"I mad at Captain Riker also!" she screamed.

Deanna almost stumbled on a response to that, but collected her thoughts again and acknowledge the girls feelings.

"Really, Counselor, must you encourage her with this illogical behaviour?" asked Sevek.

"I think that's an issue we really need to discuss during our next session together. I really feel this maybe an important issue for your daughter. Among others."

"See all she says is ILLOGICAL, ILLOGICAL, ILLOGICAL!" the girl screamed.

"Maybe so, but we can work on that." Deanna assured her. "Now, can you let your mother go so she can go and complete this mission and get back to you soon."

"No." she whined.

"Just try. I'll stay here with you." Deanna said. "I promise."

"OK" she sobbed and slowly let go of her mother.

"I'll make sure she gets to the person who will be watching her." Deanna informed Sevek.

"Thank you." said Sevek.

Sevek left their quarters and headed to the transporter room. "Understanding her daughter was very hard, but she did mate with a Romulan." She thought to herself as she walked into the Transporter room.

"Glad you could make, Lieutenant." Riker said. "Everything alright?"

"Like life, Captain, illogical, but alright as you say." Sevek was referring to the word alright.

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The little girl was still crying, but at least she was not screaming any more. Deanna felt she had her work cut out for her here with this child. A mother who could not understand emotions and a Vulcan child who had emotions because her father was Romulan. Then, there was the child's fear of losing the only person she loved in this world and who took care of her. Deanna could empathize greatly, but what did she dare tell this child. How could Deanna help this child while her mother was gone when she had the same feelings, only on a more mature level, of course. Then she thought of yesterday when she got upset with Will about going on this mission. Had she been acting much differently herself at the time? She tried to shake it off and bring her attention back to the little girl.

"Te'la, do you like chocolate?" Deanna asked her.

"Ummmm, Yummy!" she said with tears streaming down her face still.

"Do you know what makes me feel better when I am very unhappy?"

"Chocolate?"

"Yes, specifically, chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream with fudge topping and chocolate sprinkles."

"Yum, good."

Deanna smiled and almost laughed. "Would you like to go down to ten-forward and see if we can get some?"

"Oh, yes!" said the girl.

So they departed and headed to get some chocolate. Deanna thought, "Well, it's a start." However, she knew it would take more than lots of chocolate to help this girl and her mother.

Chapter 6

Riker arrives on the bridge of the Defiant and says, "Worf, when we get close to the Neutral zone I want to cloak. Until then let's save our power sources. We may need them from what I hear. Crewman Corbett, Warp six after we leave space dock."

"Aye, Sir." they both said in unison.

Sevek and Te'lon were not far behind him. A young man attired in Romulan attire was sitting at ops. Sevek had the seat beside him.

"I don't know why anyone, especially a Vulcan, would marry a damn Romulan." he muttered as she sat down. He wanted to say it loud enough for Sevek to hear it, but not the captain. Unfortunately for him the captain and Te'lon both heard it. And even with all of Sevek's Vulcan emotional control, one could see it felt like a slap in the face to her. She tried hard to keep her composure.

"That's enough crewman!" Riker bellowed out.

In a calm, cool and collected tone Te'Lon added, "It is curious, though. Why would a Vulcan marry a Romulan? It does seem to be a highly illogical mating."

"I said that is enough!" Riker repeated standing up from his chair. "Now, you are all Star Fleet officers. The war on Romulus should not be going on on this ship! Spock, apparently, saw some redeeming qualities in these people or he would not be on Romulus trying to unify the Romulans and the Vulcans."

"Spock is a very old man, who's become a Romulan lover too." said Corbett looking at Sevek when he said the last.

"Corbett, maybe I should throw you off the ship at the next opportunity because of your attitude." Riker threaten."Now, I want all Vulcans, humans, and all the rest of you to throw your attitudes and opinions overboard and perform your duties as Star Fleet officers."

"I was not aware," said Te'lon calmly, "that I was expressing an attitude."

"Lieutenant Commander Te'lon," Riker turned to face him with wrath in his eyes, "through all that Vulcan exterior was a hint of racism in what you said and I won't have it on my ship."

"Aye, Sir." Te'Lon said. His face completely emotionless.

He pulls his shirt down as though he were doing the Picard manuveur and sat down in the captain's chair. Riker thought most of his crew had grown past such attitudes. "Apparently I was wrong." he thought to himself. Then he realized even DS9 has it's fair share of race problems between the Bajorans and the Cardassians. "Maybe we haven't grown past all that stuff." he continued to think to himself. Then he thought about how some people have problems with Betazoids reading their minds and how they can sometimes respond to it. He was glad he never really thought about before now.

He then turned his attention to Sevek and asked, "What's our ETA until we get to the Neutral Zone, Lieutenant Sevek?"

She had regained some of her Vulcan composure by this time and responded saying, "Two days, three hours and twenty-seven minutes."

"Thank you, Sevek." He missed the seconds Data would always give. He thought of Data and wished he were still alive to be on this mission. He could really use his help. "Even Data," he thought to himself again, "experienced his fair share of prejudice." He remember the time he had to prove Data was not a sentient life form. He hated to take that position. He knew better. Data was all life could be and he enjoyed it to the fullest. He missed Data sorely.

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When his shift was over he went to get some dinner. He was missing Deanna and wished they were having dinner together. "She is most likely feeling the same way." he thought.

Sevek walked into the dining area at that moment and got something to eat, also. She spotted Captain Riker, walked over and asked if she could join him.

"By all means. No one should have to eat alone." he said trying to be nice. He hadn't noticed it before now, but some people seemed to give her the cold shoulder.

"I want to thank you for what you said on the bridge earlier today." she said.

"Not necessary." he said waving a hand.

"Did you mean all those things you said?" she asked.

"Of course I did." looking rather shocked that she would have to ask such a question.

"You know," she continued "for a human you are very logical."

"Now that sounds like a statement that would come from someone who thought of humans stereo-typically." he replied.

"Well, as you know, most humans are thought of as being illogical by Vulcans."

"You are so right." he agreed smiling.

She looked around and rhetorically asked, "Do people's first impressions of other people ever change?"

"I don't know if I could give a reply to that question even if I tried." Riker answered.

"You know, I try so hard to get my daughter to be more Vulcan and it seems the more I try to get her to be more like me the more she is like her father was. Oh, not that I minded that much. I mean that was just his personality. It was he and I hate to admit this, but I do sometimes miss him except when she acts like he did. Very emotional I mean."

"That may be the problem." Riker suggested.

"Now you sound like Counselor Troi-Riker." she accused.

"Well," he shrugged and smiled, "I am married to her. I guess I acquired some of her behaviours."

She studied him for a moment as though she were trying to transform her touch telepathy into full fledge telepathy. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked taking another bite of food.

"Manage a family that's species mixed, command a ship and deal with people so well?"

"I have no idea what you mean." he informed her.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about my daughter that's all." she said.

Riker was not sure, but he felt he was talking to a Vulcan that had been through a lot in life and it had affected her greatly. She was just able to keep from showing it due to her emotional control that most Vulcan possess. He did not know much about this woman. He just knew Deanna was seeing her daughter in therapy. He tried never to pry in Deanna's department.

He finally finished his meal and finished off his drink. "Well, I think I'm going to call it a day." he said getting up from his chair. "I suggest you do the same and try not to worry about Te'La. We have a long mission ahead of us and I'm sure she is in good hands."

"Have a good night, Captain." she said.

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Deanna was wide awake and could not sleep. She missed Will lying beside her. They had been married for a short time and she was already used to him being there. She also thought about her patient and her mother. She knew Sevek was trying to raise her daughter strictly as a Vulcan for whatever reason. The girl was struggling to figure out who she was even at her young age. The other kids and some Vulcans thought of her as Romulan. Only Romulans thought of her as Vulcan. Others had no idea. Deanna knew the child had to learn something of the heritage she received from her father. The question was how did she convince the mother of this. The mother insisted her daughter was Vulcan and should behave like one.

Then she thought about Will again and thought, "If anything ever happened to Will, how would I go about raising my own children?" She laid her hand on her stomach and smiled. She knew she would never deny them their human side, but how would she continue teaching them about their human side. She knew very little about her own.

"Will's right. We do need to talk." she thought to herself. "Please come home to me, Imzadi."

Continue to Chapters 7-9

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