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Memory Lane

Summary:

Tasha visits her parents’ homeworlds for the first time. Chapter 1 takes place in Valdez, Alaska, and is set in late October 2385, after the events of The Poisoned Chalice by James Swallow. Riker has just been promoted to admiral, and his next assignment is as yet uncertain. Tasha is understandably worried about the lack of immediate direction for the future, and wonders what it has in store for her family. Chapter 2 takes place in Rixx, Betazed's capital city, and is set in early December 2385, after the events of Takedown by John Jackson Miller. The Riker family is taking shore leave on Betazed with Lwaxana and Barin Troi.

Notes:

In Chapter 1, I include references to events/people mentioned in the TNG novels A Rock and a Hard Place, A Time to Hate, A Time for War/A Time for Peace, and Maximum Warp Book 2. Will's mother's name was Betty according to Memory Alpha (although it was never shown/mentioned on screen) and Ann/Annie according to Memory Beta and A Time to Hate, so I compromised and made her full name Elizabeth Ann. I also invented birth years for both her and Kyle Riker, as well as Will's aunt's name (mentioned in Maximum Warp but not named).

Chapter 1: Valdez, Alaska (Earth)

Chapter Text

“And that’s where Squibby and I used to race our hover-bikes,” Will said, using the nickname he’d given his childhood friend, Jackson Carter, as he gave his wife and daughter the grand tour of his hometown. He allowed himself a brief, private moment of mourning for his departed friend, killed twenty years previously by genetically engineered monsters on a hellish world called Paradise. “One time I misjudged my stopping distance, and I crashed right into that little copse of trees over there and broke my nose.”

“I guess you weren’t always such a good pilot, then,” Deanna teased him.

Will smirked. “Well, practice does makes perfect.”

Tasha was only half-listening to her father’s words, distracted as she was by the new and fantastic wonders around her. In reality, Valdez was not a particularly interesting small town, even as far as small towns went. But to someone born and raised on a starship, this was a strange new world, entirely hers to explore. The four-year-old was ecstatic for the opportunity, although she wasn’t entirely pleased at how it had come about. Her father had recently been promoted to the rank of admiral, and even though he didn’t have a new assignment yet, Tasha was worried that they wouldn’t be able to live on the Titan anymore. She loved living on a starship and exploring the universe, and she knew her parents did too, so she hoped they would be able to stay. Maybe Daddy can just order himself to stay on Titan since he’s an admiral now, she thought to herself.

“Will? Will Riker!” The three of them turned around to see a tall, shaggy-haired man speed-walking towards them. The man grinned broadly. “I knew it was you! I hear you’re a big-shot Starfleet admiral now. Glad to see you’re still not too good for the likes of us!”

Will returned the man’s grin. “It’s good to see you, Billy.” They slapped each other on the back in true masculine fashion, then Billy turned to face Deanna and Tasha. “And who are these lovely creatures?”

“This is my wife, Commander Deanna Troi, and our daughter, Natasha Riker-Troi,” Will said proudly. “Ladies, this is an old school friend of mine, Billy Weaver.”

Tasha smiled and waved up at Weaver, her other arm wrapped tightly around Will’s leg. Deanna smiled in greeting and shook his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Weaver returned the handshake, then gave Will a teasing grin. “I thought you said no woman could ever make you settle down.”

Will’s cheeks turned slightly pink as he smiled sheepishly. “Well, I obviously hadn’t met Deanna yet.”

Beside him, Deanna smirked knowingly. “It did take him a long time to come to a decision.”

Will raised his eyebrows. “Well, it took you a long time, too.”

“So it did,” Deanna conceded. She looked at Weaver again. “So, did you ever join Will and Jackson in their hover-bike races?”

“Jackson Carter?” Weaver’s eyes grew distant. “Yeah, the three of us were inseparable.” He looked at Will. “I was sorry to hear about his… death.”

“So was I,” Riker said bitterly. He shook off the momentary melancholy and smiled at Weaver. “It was great seeing you again, Billy. You’re not free for dinner tonight or tomorrow by any chance?”

“Actually, I’m going to be in Alpha Centauri all week on business. I was just on my way to the spaceport.” Weaver shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe we could get together after I get back. How much longer will you be planetside?”

“I’m not sure,” Riker admitted. “I don’t have new orders yet, but they could come down at any time.”

“Damn. Well, maybe another time.” Weaver slapped him on the back again, then smiled at Deanna and Tasha. “It was nice to meet you both. You must be one hell of a woman, Commander, to get old Thunderball here to settle down.”

Deanna’s eyebrows nearly jumped straight off her forehead. “Thunderball?”

Will’s face reddened. “If you must know, Squibby gave me the nickname in retaliation for my giving him his nickname.”

“But… Thunderball?”

Weaver grinned. “Have fun, Thunderball.” He strolled away, whistling cheerfully. Deanna folded her arms and looked up at Will, frowning. Will, for his part, remained fixated on a distant point across the town square.

“Why were you called Thunderball?” asked Tasha.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” said Will.

******************************

The house was less than a century old, but it already had an ancient, lonely feel. The ghosts of long-departed warmth and companionship could be felt even from halfway up the front walk. If a house could be sad, thought Tasha, this house definitely was. It’s a good thing we’re here to cheer it up.

“That looks like a really big house for only three people,” she said.

“It felt even bigger with just two.” Will led the way up to the front door, holding it open for Deanna and Tasha to walk through. “The place was left to me after Dad died, but I didn’t have any use for it at the time, so I turned it over to Aunt Minerva. She’s been keeping everything in order.”

Indeed, the house was perfectly pristine. There wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt to be seen anywhere. And yet the place still had an desolate, abandoned feel, at least to Tasha. It didn’t seem right to her that a house should feel so... empty.

“Are we going to live here now?” she asked.

Will looked at her, startled. “What do you mean?”

“‘Cause you’re not captain of Titan anymore,” she said. “Admirals don’t get to live on starships, right?”

“Not usually,” admitted Will. “But don’t worry. I may still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

It was a pretty turn of phrase, but there was almost no substance to it. Will in fact had no idea where he would be sent next, and on some level Tasha knew that. Nevertheless, she chose to have faith in her father. He was the greatest man Tasha knew, and he could do anything he set his mind to. He would make sure the three of them stayed together. Starfleet Command was no match for him. Right?

******************************

The snow fell in soft, gentle flakes upon the marble headstone as the wind whistled softly through the trees, making a low, susurrant rustling. The family stood silently with their heads bowed, their gazes upon the stone’s inscription, which read:

   Elizabeth Ann Riker                         Kyle Thaddeus Riker

         2303-2337                                      2300-2379

Beloved wife and mother                    Husband and father

Tasha looked up at her father. “How come Grandpa’s name doesn’t have ‘beloved’ under it?”

Will kneaded his forehead with one hand. “Um… it’s… complicated.” Tasha frowned in puzzlement, but did not pursue the matter further.

They stood in silence for a few minutes longer. “I have a question,” Tasha said at last. “Alexander says that Klingons don’t bury their dead. They think the body is just an empty shell after the spirit leaves.”

“That’s true,” said Deanna. “But what’s your question?”

“Why do humans bury their dead?”

Deanna sighed. “Well, humans need a tangible reminder of those who have passed on. It tends to bring them comfort, which helps alleviate their grief.”

“But wouldn’t it also make people sad?” asked Tasha.

“I suppose at first,” admitted Deanna. “But ultimately it helps people who are grieving for the loss of a loved one. Human emotions tend to be very complex.”

“That makes your job harder, doesn’t it?” asked Tasha.

“Sometimes it does,” agreed Deanna. “But it can also be very rewarding. People frequently need help sorting out their emotions, and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to be able to provide that.”

Silence fell once more. Tasha looked at the grave again, then back up at her parents, who stood embracing one another, with her father resting his head atop her mother’s. She was far too young to appreciate the full impact of what was occurring here, but she knew enough to know when people were sad, and death certainly seemed to make people sad. She didn’t like it when people were sad, especially not when it was people she loved, and she loved her parents more than anything in the world.

It occurred to her then that someday her parents would be nothing more than words on a piece of marble, half buried in snow. She couldn’t even fully grasp the concept, but suddenly the wind seemed much harsher, the cold crueler and more biting. Even the sun seemed to disappear behind the clouds.

She shivered involuntarily and huddled closer to her parents’ legs. Both of them reached down with one arm and rested a hand upon each of her shoulders. Tasha felt her mother’s mind brushing hers, caressing her with feelings of warmth and deep, pure love of the kind only a mother could feel. A strong sense of togetherness and contentment washed over her. No matter what the future would bring, in the here and now there was love and harmony and closeness, and the unshakeable bonds of family.

******************************

“This is where I used to go fishing with my own father,” Will was saying to Tasha. The family was sitting on the edge of a vast lake deep within the Alaskan woods. It was late afternoon, and the scenery was illuminated in a pale golden light that glinted off the water, producing an almost musical shimmering (if a visual phenomenon could be described in auditory terms). He and Tasha both had fishing rods in their hands and lines in the water, waiting for the fish to bite. Deanna had declined a rod of her own, preferring instead to record the day’s events via holo-camera. Two large pink salmon were already on ice, courtesy of Will’s own fishing skills. This was Tasha’s very first fishing trip, and Will had sworn to himself that he would not repeat his father’s mistakes. Whether or not Tasha caught any fish today, she would do so on her own. Will was definitely not going to rob her of the opportunity to take pleasure in her achievements.

“Did you catch a lot of fish?” asked Tasha.

Will looked away, his gaze on the distant horizon. “When I went fishing with my friends, yeah. I didn’t have as much luck when I went with my dad.”

There was an undercurrent to his voice that Tasha couldn’t identify. “Did you at least have fun?”

Will sighed internally, not entirely sure how to approach the subject. “Not really. I didn’t get along with my own father very well.”

“Why not?”

“It’s kind of… complicated.”

Tasha scowled. “Why do grownups keep saying that?”

Deanna pulled her daughter up onto her lap and stroked her hair. “Sometimes, little one, grownups just don’t want to talk about certain things.”

Tasha was about to ask her mother just what she meant by that, but at precisely that moment she felt a sharp tug on her line. “Fish!” Tasha exclaimed, leaping to her feet and tightening her grip on the fishing rod. She stood firm with both feet planted on the ground, just like Daddy had showed her. She furrowed her brow in intense concentration. Behind her, her parents remained silent save for a few words of encouragement.

There was an intense tug-of-war for several minutes, and then in one smooth motion she pulled the fish out of the water. It turned out to be something of a letdown, for all the effort it had cost. Tasha’s face fell.

“He’s just a little fish,” she said, disappointed.

“But he’s your fish,” said her father. “And you caught him, all by yourself.” His voice sounded funny on the last three words, and there was an expression on his face that Tasha couldn’t identify. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.” He smiled then, and Tasha had no problem identifying that emotion. Her heart suddenly filled with a kind of joy she couldn’t quite articulate. Lacking the words, she simply smiled back.

******************************

“This fish is excellent, William,” said Minerva Callahan. They were back at the old Riker house, having dinner. “You’re an excellent fisherman, and an even better chef.”

Will grinned. “Actually, Tasha’s the one who caught the fish you’re eating now.”

“Is that right?” Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked across the table at her great-niece. “Well done, Tasha. It seems your father has taught you well.” Tasha smiled proudly.

Will smiled, glad to see his aunt and his daughter bonding. Minerva was the eldest of his mother’s sisters, and yet the only one who still remained alive. Not for the first time, he was glad he’d finally gotten up the nerve to restart things with Deanna. His aunt was getting on in years, and although she tended to be more on the stoic side, Will knew she had been lonely lately. He was glad to be able to give her some quality time with his wife and little girl.

“So, Tasha,” Minerva continued, “do you have any idea what you’re going to be when you grow up?”

“Starfleet,” Tasha said immediately.

It was all Will could do to keep from exploding with joy. Beside him, Deanna smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Yes,” Minerva said patiently, “but what position in Starfleet? There are different branches, I understand.”

Tasha furrowed her brow, considering. “Well, Daddy always made being a starship captain look like fun.”

Will simultaneously let out a cheer and tried to suppress it, which had the end result of producing a moderately loud yelping noise. Everyone turned and looked at him, which should have made him feel self-conscious, but he didn’t care. He was on top of the world.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. “Well, your father certainly seems happy about that.”

“Yes, I am,” Will said unabashedly, “but it doesn’t matter if I’m happy or not. All that matters,” he said as he turned to face Tasha, “is that you’re happy. If joining Starfleet would make you happy, your mother and I will support that. If you change your mind and decide you want to do something else, we’ll support that too.”

“I’ll never change my mind,” Tasha said confidently. “I’m going to be an explorer, just like you and Mommy.”

Will fairly beamed with pride. He looked over at Deanna, and she returned his gaze, her smile as wide as his own. She takes after you more and more with each passing day, Imzadi.

I know, Riker sent. It almost seems too good to be true. I was so afraid I wouldn’t be a good father, because I didn’t exactly have the best example. But she’s just so easy to love... and she seems to love me unconditionally in return.

Of course she does, Imzadi. She’s your daughter. The parent-child bond is one of the strongest there is. It will continue to last long after she grows up and moves away. She’ll always love you, Will, as long as you love her.

And they say good things never last. Will smiled and looked over to where Tasha was now attempting to hang a spoon from her nose, giggling uncontrollably while Minerva watched her, frowning with false disapproval. I thought you were the best thing that ever happened to me, and then Tasha came along... Every time I think I couldn’t be happier, something happens to prove me wrong. Never in my wildest dreams did I—

“Mommy, Daddy, look!” Will and Deanna looked over at their daughter, who had at last succeeded in attaching the spoon to her nose. She was now sitting there wearing a triumphant expression, which it might have been possible to take seriously were it not for the aforementioned spoon. She looked utterly ridiculous and adorable at the same time, and Will laughed out loud. “Well done, sweetheart! I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do that.”

Tasha’s eyes grew wide. “I thought you could do anything.”

Will blinked rapidly, somewhat taken aback by the pure innocence in his daughter’s face and voice. “Um... well, I can do a lot of things. I just can’t hang a spoon from my nose.”

Tasha grinned. “Well, I can!”

“Well, good for you.” Will tried to scowl but failed miserably, breaking into a broad smile. He lifted Tasha up and pulled her onto his lap, tickling her under her chin. “It’s every father’s dream to be surpassed by his child in spoon-nose-hanging talent.”

Tasha giggled hysterically while Deanna rolled her eyes. “I swear, you two get more ridiculous every day.”

“But you love us anyway, right?” asked Tasha.

“Of course I do.” Deanna’s smile was as wide as the Opal Sea as she embraced her husband and daughter. She kissed Tasha on the top of her head. “Don’t ever change, little one.”

“But T’Pel says that change is a necessary process of all existence.”

“Well, yes, but I meant... never mind. Just be yourself.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

******************************

Wavy golden hair fell upon the woman’s shoulders in an elegant cascade, her blue eyes sparkling with silent laughter. Upon her lap sat two-year-old Will Riker, his face wearing an expression of childlike glee, his arms frozen in mid-flail above his head.

Tasha looked from the holograph to her father. “She was really pretty.”

“Yes, she was.” Will’s voice was husky. He put the holograph back on the night table. Tasha looked around the rest of her father’s childhood room. The shelves were cluttered with model starships of every imaginable variety. Some were even lying about the floor, as if abandoned in mid-play. Interspersed among the starships were action figures in at least three different Starfleet uniform iterations. Tasha thought she saw one she recognized, and she crouched down to pick it up.

“Is this Captain Kirk?” she asked.

Will smiled. “It sure is.” He sat down cross-legged next to her. “You know, when I was growing up, I wanted nothing more than to beat his record as the youngest captain in Starfleet history. I was on track to do that, too, until I joined the Enterprise-D.”

Tasha fiddled with the action figure’s arms. “Why did you stay on the Enterprise so long if you wanted to be a captain so much?”

“Well, there were a couple of reasons.” Will picked up one of the model starships and mimicked warp engine noises as he flew it around Tasha’s head, causing her to let out a melodic giggle. “One of them was that serving on the Enterprise carried so much prestige, and Jean-Luc Picard was one of the greatest captains in the fleet— still is, actually. There was a lot I could learn, and did learn, from serving with him.”

“And the other reason?”

Will put down the model starship and gathered Tasha in his arms. “Accepting another command would have meant leaving your mother behind. I made the mistake of priotizing my career over love once. I wasn’t about to do it again.”

“But you weren’t even together the whole time, right?” asked Tasha. “If you were pretending not to be in love, why did you try so hard to stay on the same ship?”

Will couldn’t keep himself from laughing at Tasha’s characterization of his and Deanna’s post-Betazed and pre-Ba’ku relationship. ‘Pretending’ pretty much sums it up, he thought to himself. “We may have been ‘pretending’, sweetheart, but that didn’t change the fact that we cared deeply for one another. We always have, and we always will, no matter where Starfleet Command sees fit to send me, or her.”

Tasha put down the Kirk action figure and fixed her wide black eyes upon her father’s face. “What if they send you away from Titan? Will Mommy get a new assignment too? Will we go with you?”

Will pulled back slightly so he could look straight into his daughter’s eyes. What he intended to say next was probably one of the most important points he would ever make in his life, and he wanted Tasha to remember it. “I don’t know where they’ll send me. But no matter where I go, you and your mother will go with me. You two are the most important things in my life, more than my career or anything else. I promise you’ll never have to wonder if I’ll be there for you or if I care about you. The three of us will always be together, no matter what happens.”

Tasha regarded him silently for a long moment, then suddenly she wrapped her arms around her father’s torso and hugged him as tightly as she possibly could. “I love you, Daddy.”

Will returned the embrace, engulfing his tiny daughter in his brawny arms. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

******************************

“This is where your mother and I got married in our Terran ceremony,” Will said. “Six years ago next month.”

They were standing in a wide clearing in the Denali mountain range. Before them the sun glinted off the tall, snow-capped mountains, illuminating the graceful evergreens. It was a spectacular vista, and despite Tasha’s limited knowledge of romantic love and related matters, she thought this was the most romantic and beautiful place she had ever seen. This was the last place on Earth they were visiting before beaming back up to the Titan; at long last Admiral Riker had new orders. He would be taking the Titan to defuse some diplomatic snafu involving the Breen. Tasha was a little disappointed their sojourn on Earth was coming to an end, but mostly she was excited to be heading back out into space, especially with both her parents by her side.

“How come you had two ceremonies?” she asked.

“Your grandmother,” Will said, as if that explained everything.

“Oh,” said Tasha, as if it did.

A flock of chestnut-backed chickadees flew overhead, making their way south for the winter. They were chirping to one another in a vigorous, animated manner, causing Tasha to wonder just what it was they were all so excited about. I wonder if they were here when Mommy and Daddy got married.

“Do you remember when Data sang ‘Blue Skies’ at the reception?” Deanna said wistfully.

Will smiled with nostalgic remembrance. “He was a man of many talents, but until then I never knew he could carry a tune.”

Tasha frowned. “I thought jazz was supposed to be out of tune.”

Will gaped at her, momentarily at a loss for words. He was about to retort in some way when he noticed Deanna was trying her utmost to hold back laughter. Just what do you think is so funny, Imzadi?

She’s just teasing you, Will. Deanna smirked. She did inherit your sense of humor, you know.

Will looked back at Tasha to see the same expression of suppressed mirth that was mirrored in her mother’s face. He looked back and forth between them, acquiring a resigned air. “I’m just a plaything to you guys, aren’t I?”

“You’re much more than that, Imzadi,” said Deanna reassuringly, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You’re our plaything.”

“Yeah!” Tasha laughed merrily and ran over to hug her father’s legs. Will gave in and embraced them both. “Okay, then.” He kissed his wife passionately, then tousled his daughter’s hair. “I can live with that.”