The Clash:

Will Deanna Ever Learn to Trust Her Imzadi

Will observed the delegates for the Gallas III negotiations walk into the conference room. Suddenly he noticed an old flame from high school and was surprised to see her there. He stared as if he was remembering times past. Which he was.

Deanna took notice and sensed Will was looking this woman over very well. She felt her emotions rising and tried hard to calm herself for the meeting that was about to take place.

"God! I can't believe this!" Will thought to himself."After all these years we run into each other." Then he looked over towards Deanna as if he had sensed something from her and again thought, "Well, similar things have happened and they turned out so wonderful. Lydia looks as beautiful as she ever did! Only older."

"How dare he study her over like that! Lusting after another woman like that when he's married to me!" Deanna fumed.

"This is my first officer Commander Will Riker and our Ship's counselor Deanna Troi." Picard introduced his first officers as the meeting got under way.

Neither Will or Deanna heard a word of the meeting. Deanna was busy fuming over Will's interest in this Lydia woman even though Will was actually remembering days of yesterday. Suddenly Picard asked Will and Deanna their opinion of what had just been discussed and both tried their best to cover up the fact they were not attentive to the discussion.

"Ah, yes. This seems like a very good proposal." Will covered.

"Yeah" Deanna thought, "I hope you do remember that you proposed to me and married me." Then she turned to Picard and said, "I agree this proposal will be very advantageous to all parties involved."

"Well, we'll get this proposal written up and have it signed by all the parties involved." stated Picard. "Meeting adjourned."

Will walked over to Lydia. "Lydia! Lydia Luinski, now! How long has it been five, ten years?"

"Will Riker! Try more like twenty." she replied.

"That long! Unbelievable! Say do you have time for a drink in Ten Forward to catch up on old times?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact I do." she replied.

Will and Lydia walked out of the conference room door. Deanna was seething. "Oh, yes. Just leave your wife behind!" she thought.

"Deanna?" It was Beverly who addressed her. "Are you OK? You seemed preoccupied during the meeting."

Deanna snapped out of her own world, "Oh, yes. I'm fine."

"Come on. This is your friend Bev. I know you well enough to know something is bothering you."

"I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Deanna affirmed addimently. "Now if you'll excuse me." With that Deanna walked out of the conference room.

Geordi walked up beside Beverly. "Well, what got into her?" Beverly asked rhetorically.

"I don't know, but judging from the illuminations they emitted I'd say there's trouble in paradise." Geordi responded.


A few minutes later Deanna walked into Ten Forward to see what was going on with her husband. She saw Lydia and Will laughing and enjoying the company of old friends. She was still fuming.

"I'm glad I finally caught up with you." Deanna said as she approached the table.

"Oh Lydia, I want you to meet my lovely wife, Deanna."

"And don't you forget it!" Deanna sent to her husband. Will was taken aback for a second.

"Deanna, this is an old friend from high school. Lydia Welsh."

"It's Luinski now. Nice to meet you, Deanna."

"Like wise I'm sure." Deanna tried to say without gritting her teeth.

"That's right. I remember you being introduced." Will recalled. "So you're also married now, huh?"

"Oh yes. Five years now."

"Well that's good." Will praised. "Deanna and I have been married for a year now."

"And it's been a very wonderful year!" Deanna chimed in. "You know I had a terrible time getting him to realize that I'm the only woman for him. It took him seventeen years before he finally realized it and I haven't let him forget it either." She stated looking at Will.

Now Will was sensing something was up with Deanna.

"Well that's wonderful you got him to finally come around." Lydia responded.

"Yes and it was about time. I don't plan to let him forget it either." Now it was obvious there was something bothering Deanna and Will didn't like it.

"I need to get going." Will said. "I'll talk to you later, Lydia. Deanna are you ready?"

"Oh yes, I need to get back to work too."

Deanna rose and the two of them walked out the door. Will suddenly grabbed Deanna by the arm and pulled her aside. Trying to control his voice level he asked, "What the Hell was that all about!"

"You lusting over that woman!"

"I was not lusting. I was just going over old times!" he retorted.

"Oh please!"

"Let's take this discussion to our quarters." Will grabbed Deanna by the arm and dragged her all the way to their quarters. Both were very upset.

When they got there Will almost threw Deanna into their quarters and then he said, "What the HELL is the matter with you!"

"You! I saw you looking over that woman."

"Deanna I told you!"

"I know what you said and I also know what I sensed!"

"You sensed wrong. She's just a girl from high school."

"An old flame is more like it."

"Oh, I see what this is about." Will stated. "Humans can't have more than one love in their lifetime and Betazoids can?"

"It has nothing to do with that. Besides, Humans have affairs, not more than one love." she affirmed.

"Doesn't it. How do you think I felt when Wyatt suddenly came into your life and there was talk of marriage?"

"It's not the same."

"Isn't it?"

"You were lusting for her! Not marrying her!"

"Deanna, she's married!" he restated. "You know what I see? A green-eyed monster."

"I beg your pardon!"

"You're jealous."

"I AM NOT! It's just humans seem to have affairs, not many loves in their lifetime."

"Admit it. You can't stand to see me catch up with an old friend and now you're acting as though Betazoids have a corner on old flames."

"Please! I know what I sensed."

"Imzadi." Will tried to say calmly and lovingly.

"Don't Imzadi me!" she yelled.

"You know how I feel about you. And right now I think you are acting very juvenile!"

"Juvenile! I'll have you know..."

Will didn't let her finish. "I'm not discussing this any further, Deanna. I think you are being very silly and your also insanely jealous right now." Will started to walk out.

"Will Riker you come back here right now!"

"This discussion is over with Deanna!" and he walked out.

Deanna started crying. She sat and cried for a few minutes and just tried to recover from the argument, so she could finish out the day.

Will was still fuming as he walked down the corridor. Beverly stopped him. "Will, walk with me to sick bay. I want to talk to you about Deanna."

"OK. What do you want to know?"

"She seemed preoccupied this morning. Is she ok?"

"What ever do you mean?" Will tried not to devulge his personal affairs with Deanna.

They turned the corner and walked into sick bay. It was at this same time Deanna decided to talk to her friend Beverly. She needed someone to talk to and her best friend seemed to be the most logical person.

Deanna walks into sick bay in time to over hear Will and Beverly talking about her and Will's argument.

"I just don't understand it. How could she think I would be interested in someone I haven't seen in years?"

"Well, Will, it was ten years between when you and Deanna last saw each other on Betazed and met again on this ship."

"True. But she of all people should know how I feel. We have a special bond, that I know no one could break in a million years. We are connected in all ways. I just don't get it." he said shaking his head.

"Maybe Deanna was letting her emotions get in the way of her empathic abilities."

"I hope that is all it is. I want her to know that I love her so much. That the moon and the sun rise and set within her and that her spirit moves me." he paused, "But I don't know how to tell her all of that."

"Oh Will!" Beverly and Wil turned to see Deanna. "That was so beautiful and I am so sorry!" She ran up to him with tears in her eyes, threw her arms around him, and kissed him.

"How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to hear you say those beautiful words." Deanna said with tears still in her eyes. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Will was holding her very closely. He wispered in her ear "I have an idea. Why don't we go back to our quarters then kiss and make up."

Deanna hummed agreement and this time Will grabbed her by the hand to drag her all the way back to their quarters. Once inside Will suddenly pens her to the wall and madly kisses her. She wraps her arms around him, then pulls away a little to unbutton Will's uniform. Will still kissing on her practically rips her dress off of her. They embraced. Their arms and hands all over each other. Deanna felt Will's manliness beneath his pants and slowly moves her hands down to release his pants.

They were now completely opened to each other. Clothes completely off. Their arms were wrapped a round each other. One of Deanna's legs was wrapped around Will as they moved instinctively with each other's body. Suddenly, Will picks her up and carries her to their bed where their mad passionate love making did not stop, but continued for hours.