"The party is over Miss Troi"

With a tired smile Deanna Troi acknowledged her hostess. "So it is."

The dark-skinned woman sat down in the empty chair next to the counselor. "Stayed to help me clean up the mess?" Black, Betazoid eyes scanned the El-Aurian's face, trying to get an accurate sense of her emotions through the haze of her empathy.

"Sure" she replied after a pause, but remained seated.

"Long day?"

"Rollercoaster day" Deanna corrected and turned her gaze to the stars seemingly lost in thoughts. Guinan followed her lead and squinted her eyes as if trying to see there weren't any Warbirds around by any chance. "We are eight hundred light-years away from the Neutral Zone you know."

The El-Aurian bared the white of her teeth as she grinned half-heartedly. "It was a beautiful wedding, don't you agree?"

"Hmm...you do realize Keiko threatened your position as 'woman-with-the-strangest-hats', don't you?" The empath smirked impishly as she locked her eyes on Guinan's, silently laughing at the swirl of emotions she sensed from her friend.

The El-Aurian returned it with a knowing smile of her own, slightly annoyed by the counselor's jest. "Just wait until you see the -new- hat I ordered." She watched as the counselor shook her head, her loose curls dancing around her shoulders.

Guinan, along with all the other guests at the wedding, had noticed what a beautiful couple Deanna and the First Officer made and for the millionth the bartender wondered just what had aspired between the two in the past. "I understand the bride had a case of cold feet?"

A small snort left Deanna's throat as she dropped her head. "Just a -small- case" she said in a tone that managed to indicate the opposite. "Data actually solved it. Or perhaps not 'solved' it, but he got Keiko thinking it over. Which is more than what I managed to do." With a push of her feet Deanna swung her chair around so that she was directly facing the El-Aurian. "What is it with you people anyway? First you're after my job, now Data...who's next? The captain?"

The bartender stared at the counselor for a while; Troi's tone was harsher than it should've been. Was, or wasn't she joking? "I told you, it's the office" she retorted once opting to go with the first assumption. Brown eyes watched as Deanna stood up from her chair and began to collect the empty glasses of the tables around them. Not too comfortable with her guest doing her job Guinan too rose to her feet and began collecting as well.

She knew from experience that the empath needed to move around to shake of the tension from her fellow shipmates of the last couple of days. "Did you ever see the ambassador?" She could swear Troi froze for a second.

"You mean, why didn't I sense her deceit?" Deanna continued wandering from table to table, keeping her back turned towards her friend. "The captain never asked me to and I was all too happy to use the time to catch up with my paperwork."

"My, aren't we touchy" The words, said with a gentle smile, made Deanna spin around instantly. Her defiant look died as she caught the white of Guinan's teeth and her shoulders slumped.

"Long days, rollercoaster emotions...and no chocolate." She added with some blame. Of course she'd ate the last of Guinan's stock after their little encounter with the two dimensional creatures and Guinan hadn't had a chance to get some new chocolate.

"Three days and you'll have all the chocolate you can eat."

"I'll hold you to that." They put the collected glasses in the recycler simultaneous and Deanna hopped onto the bar were she sat down in tailor fashion at the left end, her back resting against the wall. "I take it you didn't see her either?"

The El-Aurian empathically shook her head. "I wonder how much information she took back with her to the Empire."

"Hmm...I know my mother hardly has any information about Federation, or Starfleet security or tactics. But then, she's more interested in the different men she encounters." The Betazoid accepted the mug Guinan held out to her and looked at her quizzically.

"Something to help you sleep."

"Better be something strong."

"Believe me, it is."

Deanna carefully placed the mug on the bar and then untangled her legs to jump onto the floor. "I guess I'd better return to my quarters then, before I fall a sleep on the bar and have to explain to every one that I'm not an...an...what's the word? Alcoholic?" At Guinan's nod she grinned triumphantically and picked up her mug
again to head for her quarters. "But just drugged."

This time Guinan shook her head as she watched the counselor leave, her long skirt flapping behind her and her hair bobbing up an down. "Peaceful emotions Miss Troi."

"Happy thoughts Guinan."

And the doors closed.

End

Continue to Midnight Counseling V