Deep, low grunts accompanied by occasional moans filled her bedroom.  His body moved
over hers in rhythmical control until he could wait no longer.  The woman's sudden shriek followed
by the sound of glass breaking and the bed rattling under their weight signaled that he was done
trying to conform to her ideas of lovemaking and now she would pleasure him in the fashion he
was accustomed to.
 

It had been their last time together.
 

                                              ******************

    Deanna Troi sat in Ten-Forward facing the large window enjoying the view that had given her
comfort so many times before.  Lost in her own world, she had managed to block most of the
emotions emanating from those around her and found solace in the peace it gave her.  She didn't
notice her friends watching her from the bar.

    "Has she been in to see you lately?" Will Riker asked the CMO in a low tone.

    "No, actually, she hasn't.  As a matter of fact I haven't seen much of her at all,"  Beverly Crusher
glanced back towards Deanna.  "She says she's just been tired lately when I try to talk to her."

    "Do you believe her?" he looked down at his drink, not letting her see his eyes as he asked the
question.

    "Should I not?" she turned back towards the bar, knowing full well what Will was hinting at.

    He glanced quickly at her then back to Deanna.  "I don't know.  I don't know anything anymore,"
he downed the contents of his glass in one final gulp and put the empty glass down on the bar with
a little more force then he had meant to before turning and leaving.  The doctor shook her head
sadly at the way things were going for her friends.

    Sighing deeply, she gathered her resolve, and her drink, and approached Deanna.

    "Hello, stranger.  Mind if I sit down?" she said as  she took the seat opposite her friend.

    Deanna smiled, "No, of course not; sit down," she subconsciously put her hand to her neck
attempting to hide the mark that had been left there from a few nights before.  She wasn't quick
enough.

    "You know, that looked rather deep.  You might want to stop by and let me fix it," she watched
the counselor before taking another sip of her drink and settling back to listen.

    "He didn't mean to hurt me," she said barely above a whisper in the crowded bar.

    Beverly leaned in, placing her hand atop Deanna's and giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I'm
sure he didn't," she said sincerely.  She waited a moment, letting Deanna collect her thoughts.
"Come on," she said as she stood, "Let's drop by sick-bay,"  knowing something must really
be bothering her friend when she didn't put up a struggle over the suggestion.

    She had tried to be very supportive towards her friend, even though the closer Deanna had
become with the Klingon security officer, the further away she had seemed to pull from her.  She
assumed it was embarrassment over the several minor (although, some hadn't been so minor)
injuries that had led Deanna to seek her out for medical attention after Worf had spent the night,
but when Deanna had stopped coming in at all, she had assumed that things had begun to cool
between the two.  When she examined Deanna more closely, she realized she had obviously been
wrong.

    As Deanna sat on the edge of the bed, Beverly ran the instrument over what she concluded must
be a bite wound.  It was already at least 48 hours old and would probably have healed itself given a
few more days, but it had been an excuse to get Deanna alone so they could talk.

    "Beverly," Deanna broke the silence between the two.  "I've been thinking about my relationship
with Worf."

    Beverly glanced up from running the small device over Deanna, "You know you also have a few
bruised ribs.  What have you been "thinking" about the relationship?' she finished her scan of
Deanna and waited for the flood she was sure was coming.  She had known Deanna long enough
to know when the Betazoid was going to let loose everything she had been trying to hold to
herself; she knew when Deanna was going to tell her something that she wouldn't tell anyone
else.  In their years of friendship, Beverly knew that when Deanna finally reasoned whatever it was
out that was causing her pain, she would need her friend there to talk about it.  And she was more
than ready to listen.

    "We've decided to not continue it," she paused before continuing. "I know that our relationship
was a...surprise to everyone; it was a surprise to me as well when things first started.  But over the
last few weeks, I've thought about why we actually came together in the first place.  And I'm not
very proud of the reasons I've come up with," she said quietly.  She watched Beverly putting away
the medical devices and stretched, holding her side, "Thank you, my ribs do feel better."  She
let her hand go to the now smooth skin on her neck, "And thank you for this, too."

    Beverly smiled, "Hey, no problem.   I'm just a little curious why you didn't come in sooner."

    Deanna exhaled, "I don't know.  I guess I didn't want to bother you with it."

    "Deanna, it's my job," she said reassuringly.

    Deanna smiled.  She needed to talk, but she was sure Beverly already knew that.  She took a
deep breath and began, "When we both decided to pursue this, I had been spending so much
time with him and Alexander...I don't know, they just made me feel needed.  Not like in my career,
I mean, I feel very satisfied with that aspect of my life, but my personal life, well, that's another
matter.  And I suppose part of it was that, subconsciously I associated helping care for Alexander
with something I was missing.  I think perhaps I wanted to make my relationship with Alexander
more permanent by taking that step closer to Worf; by making myself part of their family since I didn't
have one of my own," she paused, "I never really talked about how devastated I was when Ian
died.  You know, if he had aged at the normal rate, he would be just a few years older than Alexander
is now," she looked away, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.  "I know the being that was Ian lived,
but it's still hard to cope with the fact that the physical form he took as my son died in my arms that day,"
she blinked back the tears as her friend hugged her.

    Beverly had read the reports of her friend's "unusual", to say the least, pregnancy during her absence
from the Enterprise and had tried to talk to her about it at the time, but Deanna's pain had been too fresh.
Part of that pain, she now realized, lay in the fact of how desperately Deanna wanted to be a mother.
Even if that meant playing the surrogate mother to a certain beautiful little Klingon boy.

    "Have you ever talked to Will about any of this?" she asked quietly.

    "Beverly, Will has always put his career first.  I guess I just don't think he would be able to make a family
a priority in his life," she answered with another twinge of regret.

    "I don't know about that.  He's been very upset by your relationship with Worf, even if he's tried to
hide it from everyone...especially from himself.  You need to talk to him, Deanna.  I think you might
find that what you were trying to create with Worf, was what you had all the time...in Will."

    Deanna considered her friends words and the depth in which Beverly herself believed them.  It
made her want to believe them as well; maybe Will really could "settle down", the question was, would
he still want to with her after all she had put them through by entering into her relationship with Worf?

    "Go Deanna, talk to him now, tonight.  Clear things up before it's too late," she said honestly.

    Deanna looked down at her hands in her lap and nodded silently.
 

                                           ***************************