Ego's and Marriages

Straightening the covers of her bed she climbed upon them and settled down, her legs folded beneath her body and her arms crossed over her chest. At each of the four bed posts stood a Betazoid meditation candle and against the wall she was facing stood a meditation statue she'd brought with her from Betazed.  

The past week they had spent holding their own in a stand-off with an unknown alien race. Apart from several warning shots and verbal threads back and forth, the stand-off had ended in a peaceful way. The alien ship had retreated back to wherever it came from, not willing to run the risk of loosing the actual battle.

Slowly Deanna began to lower what was left of the barriers she had erected around her mind and slid into a deeper trance. All the tension and worry aboard the ship, combined with the unfamiliar alien emotions, had drained most of her mental-strength. She even had to mute the bond between her and Will for the past two days, simply because all the different emotions made it too hard for her to keep her own emotions unaffected.

And so she was back in her own quarters, for the first time in five months. Usually she meditated in Will's quarters when he was working out in the gym or busy with ship's business. She couldn't believe it was already over three years ago since they'd rekindled their relationship after returning from the Briar Patch. Now that she looked back upon the first months she felt silly for being so insecure about trusting him again. As she had discovered, being stood up on Risa had more of an impact than she'd thought.

It had taken her longer than she had expected to open up to him again, but she had found it had been worth the wait. The ache that had dominated her heart for so long had been filled with love, affection and a strong sense of belonging. Even as the romantic she was when a small child she could never have imagined something as fulfilling and rewarding as sharing her life with Will. Even so they had decided to take it slow, allowing each other the time to become fully comfortable with their new relationship.

She had practically moved in with him over a year ago and she enjoyed every moment spend with him to the fullest. Of course the dangers of life aboard a starship were always present, but they had learned how to deal with it a long time ago and the changes their new connection brought along had been minimal. All with all, life was perfect.

Bringing herself out of her meditative trance Deanna stretched her limbs and wiped the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. She remembered how shocked Will had been the first time he'd caught her crying during her meditation. It had taken her a long time to explain why he shouldn't be concerned; that it weren't her tears she was shedding, but those of others. He hadn't understood back then, during their second year onboard, but he did now and he no longer jumped into the mental equivalent of a red alert when he walked in on her during her meditation.

A wave of love and comfort coming from the quarters adherent to hers washed over her and made her heart swell with love. With time she only came to love him more. Again the thought of marriage crossed her mind. They had discussed it upon several occasions but she simply hadn't felt confident enough to take the step. Unbeknownst to Will she had been making some inquiries with Betazed's government recently, trying to find out more about what would happen, should she marry Will.

A marriage had scared her ever since he'd stood her up, but the wish of having a family had always remained. Perhaps she was ready now. The muted bond of the past days had made her miss his presence in her mind sorely, manifesting itself almost in a physical form; as if someone had strapped her arms against her sides too forcefully. It had made her remember the involuntarily separation of two weeks all over again. She really did want to stay at his side forever and stop feeling worried about him leaving. After all, she could tell whenever he was attracted to other women, just as she knew how much he valued marriage.

Her mind made up she slipped in the blue dress she'd bought and quickly fixed her hair and make-up. Without announcing herself she stepped into their quarters, posting once she was far enough inside for the door to close behind her. She had bought the dress earlier that month, knowing it was the kind of dress he appreciated the most; deep cleavage, tight in the right places, flowing around her legs, a high, sexy split from hip down and no back whatsoever. The minute she had entered she'd drawn him to her as if she were a magnet, more so by her mindset than by her clothing.

When he started ogling however she quickly revised her initial assessment. Will's dazzling blue eyes traced every curve of her body from neck to toe and back up again, only then did he look into her eyes and saw the fire burning in the black gems. She pulled her lover closer with her eyes until she could feel his hot breath against her skin. As slow as she could manage she slid her hands up along his back until she could grab the sides of his head.

Her kiss was unanticipated, for both of them. She hadn't meant to kiss him, not yet, but she couldn't help herself falling into his eyes. The kiss went on for what seemed like hours, fuelled by a love so great it could barely be contained. His strong arms circled around her waist and drew her flush against his body. The kiss blew her so completely off her feet she almost forgot what she came to ask. Her Betazoid-half relished in the unimaginable strong feedback of love between them, her Human-half in being held in his arms.

When eventually they did break free from each other, even if only with their lips, they both gasped for air. Before she lost herself in another mind-blowing kiss Deanna asked him the question that had been burning in her mind, intentionally keeping her voice low and husky.

"Marry me."

His surprise she covered with another passionate kiss, not caring for his answer. Without breaking the kiss she led him to their bedroom as he started pulling on her dress.

~Isn't that supposed to be my line?~ He asked in blissful joy.

~Oh shush Commander, I won't tell anyone if it bruises your ego that badly.~

~It's a deal then~ he grinned, pushing her down onto the bed and sealing their commitment with another kiss, one of infinite love and adoration.