The First Officers Duty
by Astra <astraplain@yahoo.com 

William Riker wasn't a vain man, but he had reason to 
be proud of talents, skills, and accomplishments. The 
things he did, he did well.

As First Officer of the Enterprise, it was his duty 
to safe-guard the captain, whether it be from the 
dangers of away missions or the more mundane hazards 
of "paperwork."

On a ship with hundreds of people on board, there was 
no way the captain could be expected to keep up with 
scheduling, maintenance, and all the other daily 
administrative details necessary to keep everything 
and everyone working smoothly. That was where the 
First Officer came in, and Will Riker handled those 
administrative chores well, regardless of his dislike 
for the task.

After a long duty shift spent handling such 
"paperwork", Will liked to reward himself with a trip 
to Ten Forward., It was the perfect place to relax, 
especially if other senior officers, his closest 
friends, were there.

"Stop daydreaming, Will. Geordi asked you a 
question." Deanna Troi nudged Riker hard, jarring him 
out of his concentration. The pretty blonde walked 
past, and out of his view, and Will remembered his 
companions again.

"Sorry," he muttered. "What did you say, Geordi?"

"Nothing important, Commander. Just wondering if 
you're up for some poker tonight?"

Will stroked his beard to hide his smile. Might as 
well ask a starving man if he wants food. He'd been 
feeling lucky all day, but he wasn't about to tell 
anyone that."

"Well..." he pretended to mull the idea.

"Oh come on, Will." Deanna urged. She knew something 
was up.

Riker looked around the table, from Geordi and Data 
to Beverly ,and finally to Deanna, seated on his 
left. They were one senior officer short, and Will 
Riker would bet a months' pay that he's be arriving 
soon. Time to stall...

"I don't know, Geordi. Does anyone else want to play 
tonight?"

Deanna agreed quickly, as did Geordi and Data. 
Beverly was busy trying to appear as if she weren't 
watching the entrance. It wasn't until she sensed 
Will watching her that she brought her attention 
fully back to the conversation.. She nodded slowly.

"I guess..."

Just then the doors opened and Jean-Luc Picard walked 
in. He exchanged greetings with a few crewmembers 
before arriving at their table. He greeted them, the 
accepted the drink that one of the waiters handed 
him.

They exchanged small talk for a while, but barely 
fifteen minutes after he arrived, the captain rose to 
leave. He offered his excuses, then turned to 
Beverly, who had suddenly decided to skip the poker 
game.

"Dr Crusher, would you care to join me in the 
Arboretum for a stroll tonight?"

Trying to appear uninterested, Beverly finished her 
drink and stood. 

Before they could leave, Will spoke, "Didn't you go 
to the Arboretum last night?"

The couple nodded.

"And I believe you intended to take a stroll there 
two nights ago, also." Data supplied helpfully.

Neither Beverly nor Jean-Luc looked helped. In fact, 
they both looked distinctly uncomfortable, and 
covered it badly.

"You are right, Mr Data. The Arboretum has a very 
nice selection of Diamedian Scarlet Moss thanks to 
Dr. Crusher. I am assisting her in measuring its 
growth."

"Sounds interesting." Will stated. "Enjoy your walk, 
sir." He nodded at the captain, then nailed Beverly 
with his gaze, "Beverly, I'll have to make time to 
see that moss soon."

Beverly laughed. "You do that Will."

Taking that as an end to the conversation, the pair 
quickly said their "good-nights" and left, leaving 
behind a table full of smiling officers.

Will waited until they were gone to return to the 
idea of the poker game. He drained his glass and 
stood.

"Okay, people, let's go play some cards."

The rest of the officers finished their drinks and 
they left Ten Forward as a group. Once in Will's 
quarters, Deanna pulled him aside, her eye's 
sparkling with amusement.

She was picking up on his jovial mood, and Will 
decided to let her enjoy it. He could afford to be 
generous. Especially since she didn't know the real 
source of his good mood.

After all, he had just won a great deal of money. 
Question was... how much longer should he keep his 
secret?

Because, to collect his winnings, he'd have to prove 
that the captain and the doctor were more than just 
friends... and he didn't want to do that... at least 
not yet. He figured he had two, maybe three more days 
before one of them figured out that they had been 
caught.

Will just hoped he was around to see their faces when 
it happened.  That would almost be better than 
winning the betting pool.

He could just imagine their expressions, and their 
excuses when they discovered the Arboretum had been 
closed for maintenance for the last three days.

It might even make reading maintenance reports a 
little more bearable.

The End.