Title: The Imzadi Files - The Bonding

 

Author: Rising Sun

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Rated: PG

Summary: Death reveals many emotions.

Classification: Riker/Troi

Disclaimer: Star Trek: The Next Generation characters portrayed belong to Roddenberry Productions and Paramount Television. No copyright infringement intended.  All other characters depicted are purely fictional and any similarities to actual people are purely coincidental.

 

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Story Written December 28, 2001

 
Personal Log – Deanna Troi

 

I don’t know how my mother does it.  There are days when logging an entry into a journal is the last thing I want to do. Yet here I am. Like mother like daughter is suppose.  Oh heavens there’s a thought!

 

Where to begin?

 

At the start is suppose… Worf had led an away team and while there, there was an accident.  The ship’s archeologist Lt. Marla Aster was killed.  She left behind twelve year old son... Justin.  That in itself was traumatic enough but the boy’s father was also dead and the loss of Lt. Aster brought to the surface memories of similar loss for many crew members:  Wesley Crusher lost his father when he was young and Worf lost both of his parents when he was only six! Add to that Worf is feeling the guilt of not only leading the mission that killed Marla but the remorse that he returned alive!

 

I have had to deal with the gamut of emotions from the Captain feeling the weight of command, to Justin denying his emotions, to Worf’s anger as he put it “… the last victim of a forgotten war.” Even Wesley Crusher and his mother were hauled over the coals with this one.

 

As if that were not bad enough we had to contend with an entity that seemed hell bent on taking the boy down to the surface in an effort to compensate and apologize for the killing of his mother. 

 

In the thick of all this I became the repository of all. It is my job to be such; but as I explained to the Captain the job is the reward. If I can bring people back to joy … then there too I have found joy.  But when this sponge is full where do I go?

 

There are times I wonder at the attraction between Will and I and there are times I know EXACTLY why I love him so.  In the midst of all this he came to me… to find out if I was all right.  There was nothing romantic in the act or in the discussion.  He was there for me when I needed him.  Of course much of our discussion evolved around the unfolding situation.  As the focus of attention Justin was confused and as I put it to Will; which one of us would have the courage to say not to a loved one being seemingly brought back to life? I know I would be hard pressed to turn my father away even as I knew he has been dead for years.

 

He had no answer and all he did was hold me… That’s all I needed.

 

Now reinvigorated - I faced Justin and the entity; which had taken the form of his mother.  With a large amount patience, aimed at “Lt. Aster” and a significant quantity of courage on the part of Wesley and the Captain as they revealed emotions usually kept hidden we were able to show the entity that despite the good in all its tensions what it proposed was wrong for a human child.

 

Once that had been taken care of healing started. The first step was the “rootzie” the bonding as proposed by Worf.  The bonding of Justin to him in their mutual loss of Lt. Aster.  Justin will need much guidance but I think he will be all right in the end.

 
I was wrung out.  All I wanted was my bed. It was not to be as the door b ell rang. Will had returned and all we did was be.  We didn’t walk or talk or anything.  He just entered when I opened the door sat on the sofa and held his arms out to me.  I in turn walked over to him and collapsed into those strong arms.

 

A fitting end to an emotionally wrought episode.

 

DT

 

Computer save file.