1. Default Chapter

Pairing; R/T   
Setting; about 2,5 years after Nemesis  
Rating; PG, and I'll give a warning if that changes :)  
Genre; little angst, little romance, little humor  
Disclaimer; *muahahaha* just wait until you guys see the morning news tomorrow *locks her door and barricades it*  
Dedication; To Pia, cos she requested a story for her b/d and I failed to write it *gulp* Consider this a piece offering and please forgive me? *down on her knees* Hope you had a great day today and got many, many cool presents, lots of cool cards and lots of money *g*  
  
Reviews please :)   
  


**Doctor's Orders**

"The Doctor said more two days Captain, and then you can go. Until that time, I don't want to hear a single objection from you." With those words, spoken coldly, she had turned and left the room…he had not seen her since.

For two days he had been wondering why she'd been so angry at him; she had kept her mind shielded to him even during her sleep and the deprivation of such a vital part of his mind hurt like hell. The medical personal that had been attending to the wounds he'd sustained during his last away mission had not been able to tell him anything about why his wife was avoiding him and his First Officer informed him that she hadn't noticed anything different about Deanna.

The Starfleet officer in him was proud that she was keeping her personal and professional life so separated, but the part of him that was her husband was scared out of his wits. His mind had been running the past weeks through his head over and over again but he couldn't come up with anything that would have upset her so much that she would ignore him when he was lying in Sickbay after recovering from life-threatening injuries.

The door slid open and his heart beat faster with the anticipation of seeing his wife…but he was sourly disappointed when the ship's medical officer walked in. "I brought you a hypo with Gialdazone to counteract the effects of the drugs still in you system, give it fifteen minutes and then you are free to go Captain." Gratefully Will rolled his head to the side so that the young half Human/half Vulcan could easily administer the medicine. 

"Thank you Rulk. Have you seen Deanna?"

The man nodded solemnly, this time picking the Vulcan approach. "She came in for her pre-natal check-up yesterday."

"And?"

"Both she and the baby are fine. Stop by my office on your way out please." And before Riker could utter another sound, the Doctor had left the room.

* * *

"Dea? We need to talk." 

"I don't feel like talking." She said coolly and returned her attention to the PADD she'd been reading. Will took a deep breath in a desperate attempt how to approach his three month pregnant, hormonally imbalanced wife.

"You can't ignore me forever."

"Life would certainly be easier if I could." Troi shot back.

"Deanna, I've been sleeping on the couch for a week now, I'd like my bed, and my wife back." He allowed all the love he felt for her to resonate in his voice, but she only reacted by standing up and turning away from him. He couldn't be sure about whether the pain he'd seen flickering across her face had been real.

"Well, I happen to like the extra space."

Relief flooded through him when he heard the slight quiver in her voice, if he said the right thing everything would be back to normal soon. "Tell me how to make it up to you, whether it was that I did, I love you Dea and I'll do anything to make it up to you."

At least that got her to face him again, but he wasn't so sure that was progress. Her eyes, while filled with tears, flashed with anger. "Tell me Will, do you hate me?"

At her question his mouth dropped open without him even noticing it. "WHAT?! What on Earth makes you say that?!" How could she possibly think that? And worse…be serious about it?

"Oh let's see…I figured, since my husband admitted his love for me, married me and asked me to have his baby, he would actually care enough to subject himself to the terrible torture of MEDICAL ATTENTION!!!"

He heard the words, understood them, but failed to see the meaning behind them. He had just spent a week in Sickbay…what the hell was she talking about? Deanna, with her empathy heightened because of her pregnancy, picked up on his thoughts immediately. "Oh what was I thinking!" She charged passed him and stormed into their bedroom. "Why did I ever marry you?!" He heard her yell before the door closed.

Riker flopped down in the couch he'd become so familiar with. How could he reason with her when she ran out of an argument before it even began? For that matter, how could he reason with her when her hormones were out of control? He sighed heavily and saw no other option but to prepare for another night on the couch.

* * *

The following morning when he woke up Deanna was just finishing her breakfast. For as long as they had been married they had had breakfast together, unless ship's business interfered. But not now, not since his last Away Mission. Despite the protests of his second in command, Will had led the Away team himself. The mission was low-risk; they were to locate a crashed shuttle on a desolated planet. Everything had been fine, until an Earthquake interrupted the search. Most of the team members had been saved by beam out, but Will and two Lieutenants from the geology department had gotten seriously injured before they'd been beamed out. 

Will had spend three days in an induced coma to allow his body to heal and had spent the two days after that trying to overrule his CMO so that he could leave the medical facility. Rulk, of course, would have none of it, but Will refused to give up. He'd seen Deanna only briefly after waking up and was desperate to go home.

After five days in Sickbay, he'd nearly managed to escape, but was caught at the last moment. Not three minutes later Deanna had stormed into his room and had practically *ordered* him to obey the Doctor. 

He had attempted no more escapes, but he hadn't seen her again either. Now he was back home, but his wife still treated him as an unwelcome visitor. "Good morning" 

She just stared at him coldly and began to put away the empty plates, not making a single sound. Having finished, she moved past him, making sure their bodies didn't touch and disappeared into the bedroom. Resigned, Will walked to the replicator and ordered his breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later Troi reappeared and picked up her pips to fasten them to her collar. Will watched her appreciatively; the uniform she wore clung almost skin tight to her skin and showed the slight bulge of her belly. Without really thinking about it, he stood up and slid his arms around her waist, his hands meeting on top of where their child was growing. "I love you."

She went rigid in his arms instantly and pulled away from him. "Don't. Say. That!"

The venom in her voice made him take a step back. "Why not?" The question had been uttered before he realized it and he could only await her reaction.

"Because you don't mean it." 

She was already on her way to slip passed him, but his hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm, yanking her back to face him. "Don't you *dare* even thinking that!" He growled. "I do love you, I will always love you."

That finally seemed to reach her, for he saw tears springing to her eyes. "Then WHY are you trying to KILL yourself?!"

"What?! I'm not trying to kill myself!" Where the hell did she get that idea? He searched her face for any hint of alien influence, anything at all. This just wasn't Deanna! Deanna knew better, Deanna knew how much he loved her! But the face; coal-colored eyes, shining with tears and pale skin framed by nearly black tresses of hair, was the one he knew so well. 

Then it hit him…the Away Mission, that was what she must be upset about; her pregnancy must have intensified her reaction to his near death. He started to explain why he'd gone on the mission and apologized but she would have none of it.

"This is not about the stupid missions! I *know* you have to go and *want* to go, it's in your blood! This is about you refusing medical care! You nearly *died*! I could feel the pain, the fear, but once you're back on board you don't seem to care about your health, you just want to get back to the bridge so that you can beam down again as soon as possible! Well FORGET IT!!! I refuse to worry over a husband who doesn't care about his life! It's OVER!"

Taking advantage of his temporary shock, Deanna yanked free from his grasp and stormed out of their quarters.


	2. 2

**2.**

He didn't know how, but somehow he had managed to drag himself up to the Bridge and perform his duties as if his wife hadn't just told him she was filing for divorce. Rationally he knew that she wouldn't go through with it, after all, they loved each other, they were having a baby together so she really couldn't divorce him…could she?

"Commander, you have the Bridge." He nodded to his XO and left to trace down his wife, something he probably should have done four hours ago but at the time he'd figured it would be best to allow her some time to calm herself.

Outside her office he quickly made sure she wasn't in the midst of a counseling session, then punched the access panel. Go away.

"I don't think so Dea, we need to talk."

You're right Will almost smiled of relief and readied himself to face his wife. which position do you think will be best? Head of the Psychiatry department or teaching at the University of Betazed.

"WHAT?!" she couldn't be serious could she?

"Oh I'm damn serious Captain." She greeted him once the doors opened. "But I'm surprised you're so shocked, I figured you would like not having to worry about my mother paying visit or about me sensing things you're trying to hide." Deanna brushed past him and disappeared around the first corner. Riker, after a moment of surprise followed his wife to their quarters and hurried inside before she could lock the door.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"That's very simple." She held up a PADD. "These are the divorce papers and these" she picked up a PADD with her other hand as well "are several available positions."

The entire scene was surreal to Will, or actually, his entire life since the accident was surreal. How could she –his best friend, his *wife*— be sitting there so serenely and announce their divorce! It had taken him nearly twenty years to admit his love and work up the courage to commit himself fully to her, they'd been married for over a year now and she was going to throw all that away because of one Away Mission gone awry?

"Damn it!" Despite her blocks he could feel her anger flare in her mind and to his utter amazement he could also sense how scared she was. "You're not listening to what I'm saying! All I want is for you to be as safe as possible! I *understand* the risks of being in Starfleet, I accept them even though it scares the hell out of me to simply face the possibility that I have to raise our child by myself. But I can be strong; I *want* to be strong and to believe that all of us will be fine, despite the danger."

This side of her, although he had seen it before, surprised him. It was not like Deanna to admit that she was scared. "Dea—"

"What I can't handle anymore is you paying no attention to your health! We live on a ship with one of the most advanced medical facilities in the quadrant, the best doctors and nurses in Starfleet and yet you refuse to let them treat you. They save your *life* and you won't even allow them to finish their jobs! It's as if you just don't care." Angrily Deanna wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes; she had cried enough over him, no more!

Her words once again stunned her husband into silence. She hadn't raised her voice above speaking level and yet to him it felt as if she'd been screaming in his ears. She was leaving him because he tried to get out of Sickbay as quickly as he could? She had to know that he tried that because he didn't like not being in control, she had to know he disliked Sickbay simply because it reminded him of his own mortality. "Well then get over it!" she reacted again to his thoughts. "You're *Human* Will, you're not supposed to be immortal, FACE it!"

Rather than let her anger feed his own, he took a deep breath to stay calm. "I had no idea you felt that way." He took a step towards her and dared to take another when she didn't move. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I hoped you'd grow up and face your humanity, because we're married now and are having a baby together. Because you *promised* to stay with me, no matter what." Finally she stopped fighting her tears and allowed the salty drops to fall from her eyes. "Because I thought you had everything to live for." Sadly she shook her head once, then squeezed her eyes tightly shut to fight back her tears and then she walked passed him and out of their quarters; leaving him once again behind.

He knew better than to run blindly after her. If there was anything he'd learned about fighting with Deanna Troi was that she wouldn't listen to an apology unless you'd actually thought about it and meant it. Something she could easily discern because of her empathy. And so he remained behind to mull over her accusations. 

* * *

"Computer, run program Troi Alpha and engage personal lock." The black/yellow grid of the Holodeck was replaced by the familiar living room of her home on Betazed. She breathed in deeply a couple of times, taking in the scent of the room. Taking a comfortable spot on one of the large sofa's she ran a quick meditation exercise to counter the anger and fear running through her mind. 

Once she had relaxed a little she got up from the couch and sauntered through the room into the garden. Now that her mind was a little clearer she felt a little guilt over reacting the way she had. She could never divorce him over his refusal of medical treatment, especially not now that she was pregnant with their first child. But at the same time it was something that had been bothering her for years and now that she had admitted that to him, she would not apologize and forget about it.

The first drops of a Betazed summer rain caught her just when she'd reached her mother's rose-garden. Deanna sat down against a large tree standing majestically in the middle and watched as the lewd rain saturated her surroundings while slowly rubbing her slightly bulging stomach and quietly singing an ancient Betazoid lullaby.

Even though she knew she was on a holodeck half a dozen light-years away from her home planet, the rain still had the same calming effect as if had during her youth. She could sit here for hours and let the smell and the sounds of the rain carry her away on a flow of thoughts. She didn't have to think about her husband's aversion to medicine or the way he enjoyed the risks of Away Missions, she could focus on the quiet evenings they spend together and the passionate encounters they often shared, but most of all she could dream about their future.

* * *

He had given her an hour and a half and used that time to work on his 'I'm sorry speech'. The tricky part was to convince her emotionally. Due to the ethics Deanna had forced upon herself she would react to words first where humanoids were concern, using her senses more or less as a back up system. But when she was with close friends she would allow her empathy dictate her reactions, which meant that if she sensed he was holding something back or wasn't completely genuine she would act upon that knowledge.

Now he stood outside the holodeck collecting the courage to step inside. He reached out with his mind to find out if her mood at improved, but he found her in an almost trance-like state, revealing nothing about her actual feelings.

Captain Riker took a deep breath and gave the computer the password it demanded. The doors slid open to reveal the large garden behind the Troi-Mansion and the humidity that attacked him felt oddly familiar. It took him a few seconds to even notice the raindrops that fell down on him, but once he did he was mildly annoyed. Since his childhood he had always enjoyed being outside and had spent the better part of his spare time strutting through the woods around Valdez, but one thing he'd never grown to like; rain. He hated the way it made his clothes stick to his skin and that he had to blink constantly to keep his vision from blurring.

Deanna on the other hand absolutely loved rain and thus he was now making his way to the large garden through pouring rain, hoping that tonight the two of them would be sharing the same bed again.


	3. 3

SSsssoooo…first of all; sorry for not updating this earlier; but my comp has been in the repair store for a month and a half and I didn't have another way to upload my stories *hmpf* but I'm back J

This is the last chapter of this little story; rating and disclaimers still apply J

Jenni & Illman; thank you both for reviewingJ

Everyone else; reviews are still welcome y'know *g*

**3.**

Following the feel of her mind, Will walked through the garden until he'd reached the section with roses. There he found Deanna sitting underneath a huge Terran Willow tree; her dark hair plastered against her face and her clothes against her skin. She looked as soaked as he felt.

He sat down a few meters across from her and chose to wait for her to break her trance, rather than interrupt her. He would sit there for as long as needed, but she decided to go easy on him and opened her eyes only a scarce few minutes after he'd joined her. "Will."

"Vashintï Troi" he greeted her in as a husband was to address his wife in the ancient tradition of the Houses. A tradition long broken, but up kept in a few rare rituals. Surprise flickered across Deanna's face and a small smile fought for release. She contained it however and fixed him with an ice cold, black stare. "Deanna, what can I do? I can promise never to go against Doctor's orders again, to limit the number of Away Missions I lead, but I don't know how to make up to you."

Her gaze remained unchanged and unnerved Riker. Seeing Deanna so unemotional remained a scary sight, no matter how often he saw her like that. Nervously he began to play with his hands. "It's not about making promises." She told him eventually, her voice still quiet and subdued. "Or about making it up to me. I want you to *understand* because as long as you don't, nothing I say or do will have any real impact." 

Her voice, the way she held her head and the soft tears in her eyes finally told him what he'd so desperately been looking for; she wasn't angry anymore. Or at least not as angry as an hour ago. Pleased with the progress he reached for her hands and held them tightly in his larger ones. "I do understand, honestly. I just needed a little push to see it from someone else's point of view. I'm sorry I never thought about it before, but it just seemed so natural." 

Deanna started to speak, but he silenced her quickly by placing a single finger against her lips. "I know, I really do and I'll do whatever it takes to keep the promises I made to you."

"Will, it's—"

"No! It's not okay Dea, I should have thought about how you would feel and now that I realize that mistake, I won't make it again. We're in this together Imzadi; you, me and our Little One."

She tried to read him but found that her response to his heartfelt promise clouded her senses and she found herself caught in a vortex of insecurity. Did he understand? Did he *really* understand or was he just trying to appease her? His words, his voice, they sounded so honest, so…naked and she wanted to believe them, more than anything. Yet the insecurity remained and with it now came fear.

How would this change them? Him specifically. Would he feel forced to give up going on the Away Mission? Would he resent her for tying him down, however minimal and logical? 

The warm contact of his hand against her cheek halted her thoughts and she couldn't help but lean into the contact. Despite the front she'd put on, she had missed her husband terribly and was yearning for his touch more than ever before. 

Riker dared to smile when his wife slightly rubbed her jaw against his palm, pleased that she had missed his touch as well as he had missed hers. When he tried to look into her eyes however, he saw that she was still upset. Slowly he moved his hand from her jaw to her chin and gently tilted her head upwards and waited until she looked at him. "I love you, I always will. You know that right?" 

Captured by his intense gaze Deanna was unable to respond. "Are we all right?" This time she managed a miniscule nod and was rewarded with a strong flow of love, relief and happiness. "Thank God." He murmured and quickly pulled her against his chest into a tight embrace; one hand resting on her belly and the other buried in her hair. 

She on her turn had wrapped her hands around his upper body, holding on for dear life. "I missed you."

"No divorce then?"

She blushed furiously and was grateful that he couldn't see it. "Not for now" she joked, simultaneously allowing the barriers around her mind to drop. {I could never part from you ever again}

Will's heart throbbed with excitement in his chest when their minds intertwined yet again and he held on to the sweet sound of her voice in his mind for as long as he could, feeling truly mended again for the first time since the away mission.

They just held onto each for several long minutes; ignoring the electric currents running between them. Deanna then turned and reached up to capture his lips with hers, hungrily exploring their familiar feel and taste. When her tongue had finished the exploration of the soft skin her teeth gently caught Will's lower lips and pulled on it, drawing a groan from deep within him. It had been too long.

She released him and firmly forced him to open his mouth by wriggling her tongue between his lips, and when he cooperated beyond his teeth. She closed her eyes to experience the kiss as fully as she possibly could and found her hunger only increasing when he offered what she so desperately wanted. The rubbing of his beard along her sensitized skin was driving her nearly insane.

Will had a hard time to allow the slow and passionate attack to run his course; his hands clenching and unclenching to keep them from pushing his wife on her back and ravish her fast and furious. He deepened the kiss, pressed harder into her and brought his hands up to her head to hold her close to him. {Imzadi} He would do anything she asked…anything at all at this moment when he was consumed by a need, a hunger, so strong he thought he would burst.

{Take me home Imzadi} Deanna told him, deciding with what little rationale she had left that continuing in their quarters would be safer where interruptions and uninvited guests were concerned. The passion that was burning in her husband's mind was hard to resist and felt so addicting that she wasn't sure she could wait long enough to reach their home.

Will Riker quickly scrambled to his feet, never letting go of his wife and lifted her securely in his arms. He ran out of the holodeck as if the devil was on his tail, drawing amused glances from the crew that saw him.

Mr. and Mrs. Troi-Riker had a long night of making up ahead.

**[Semi-End]**

In case anyone's interested; the NC-17 rated epilogue (my first NC-17 piece!) can be found at seeing how this site doesn't support anything above R-rated ;)

And please, reviews will be so very much appreciated…I've had to do without for a month and a half *sniff*

Good to be back though *g*

D.


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