action;
[ they hadn't had time to process anything before arriving here and deanna had literally seen that ship blow up with the knowledge that data was on board. will had appeared on the bridge just after it and deanna had whispered, "it's data," in that tone they both knew meant only heartbreak was on the horizon. now she wants to whisper the truth to him now in that same tone of voice, "shinzon, shinzon," to explain how that had been brought back up and how she's now feeling. instead, she repeats a mantra in her mind as she takes his hand, he has no control over me. no matter how much he had tried to own her, shinzon would not beat her. she has will riker, her husband, her constant, her imzadi. they will make it through this.
it isn't until they step into the steaming water that she feels the last slivers of her control break away. the water is just the right temperature with just enough steam for her to feel the heat of it billowing against her face, coaxing her into letting go of herself. she's safe here; no one can hurt either of them. for a moment, she simply lets the water wash over her before she turns to her husband and simply wraps her arms around him. the tears she'd been holding back finally spill out, but they're quiet sobs she releases, letting the water of the shower take it all away.
in a way, it's very much what she needs, a release of emotion she hasn't allowed herself before this and would have encouraged one of her patients to engage in. once she's calmed down again, a faint smile crosses her face, more at the fact that she's standing here with her husband than anything, but she'll take what measure of happiness and comfort she can. she only pulls back once they both seem to be in a place to release each other and then it's only enough to lift up on her toes to kiss him.
then and only then does she move to continue and finish their shower. ]