Present Reality, pt. 2 - Amor Conquesta Todo
by Fliss Carthew

Odo ‘woke’ up in an empty bed, and for a moment, wondered where his lover was. Then a soft, steady chanting from the living room told him that she was praying. Smiling to himself, the man slid from their bed and quietly walked to the door, forming a T-shirt and shorts as he went. Looking into the dimly-lit room, Odo’s smile vanished as he saw Nerys kneeling in front of her small shrine, chanting softly as slow tears ran down her cheeks. Listening to her words, the Changeling heard a single name, ‘Telan’, whispered over and over again, and understood why she was crying--Nerys was praying for her son.

Slowly, Odo knelt down behind Nerys and gently wrapped his arms around her, feeling the Bajoran relax at his caring touch. Eventually her lips stilled their praying, and for a long moment the two people just knelt there, Odo holding Kira as she continued to silently meditate.

In the six months since they had begun their relationship, Odo had discovered a great many things about the woman he had grown to love from afar. Tough and resilient on the outside, Nerys was a complete push-over in matters of the heart, much to the Changelings surprise. Nothing was ever too much trouble for her to assist him with, even long and tedious Starfleet reports, the one thing that he hated above all else. One day he had brought home twenty forms to fill out, so many because he’d been putting them off, and he’d expected that he probably wouldn’t even get to bed. But she’d simply scolded him for leaving it for so long, then sat down with him and they’d got it done in half the time.

To Odo, she was the most remarkable woman ever born.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up." Nerys’ voice was barely detectable it was so low, her tightly controlled grief all too apparent to her lover as he cuddled her back to his chest.

"Shh, it’s alright, you didn’t wake me." Odo ran his hands over the Bajoran’s lithe, naked body, before turning her to face him and cradling her tear-stained face against his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I miss him Odo, I really do." Kira ran her fingers aimlessly over Odo's torso as she stared out the window. "I keep wondering if he’s happy, what his family is like. Prophets, Odo, I just want to know if he made it through the occupation!" Odo had heard these desires before, but knew that until Kira did something to resolve her fears, she would keep saying the same things.

"We know that the orphanage you left him at was closed by the Cardassians and the children divided up and scattered all over Bajor, and the records destroyed." Odo slowly rocked the woman in his arms as he quietly went over the information they'd already gathered. "I'm still trying to find some of the people who Shakaar told me were running the G’nabgib orphanage, but it’s a slow investigation."

"Odo, how much leave do you have owing you?" An idea that had been forming in Kira's mind for several days suddenly bloomed.

"Years, if we count the time during the occupation. Why?"

"I want to take some time on Bajor and try to find him from there." Kira gazed at Odo gently. "And I want you to come with me, to visit my home."

Odo nodded slowly. "Why don’t we take the next week off? Actually being on Bajor might speed things up." As Kira smiled and nodded, Odo slowly stood and helped Kira to her feet. "Meanwhile, I think we should go back to bed. It's the middle of the night, and you need your sleep."

Kira hugged Odo tightly, seductively. "Right now, I don’t want to sleep, Constable."

"Ah." A slow smile graced his face as he watched her, amused. "Well, who am I to disobey my commanding officer?"

********

Sisko glanced quizzically at Kira and Odo as the two officers sat, backs ramrod straight, in his office. "Well, I have no objections to the two of you taking a week off to visit Bajor, provided that you don't leave your combadges behind. Things are still very tense, and I don't want to have any trouble finding you if I have too."

"Thank you, Captain. We'll be leaving immediately for the Capitol." Kira paused as if she would like to say more, but then stood, apparently deciding against it.

"Major, I get the impression that this isn’t just an ordinary holiday." Sisko leaned back in his chair, a sure sign that he was intensely interested. "Are you and Odo planning something while you're on Bajor, something that will require me performing a blessing ceremony when you return?" Ben’s eyes twinkled at the thought of his two friends finalising their relationship.

"No, nothing like that." Odo spoke for both of them as Kira sat down next to him again, their fingers winding together. "It's a private matter, Captain, but I can assure you it is very important."

"I think Ben should be told, Odo. We don’t know what we’ll discover on Bajor." Kira squeezed her lover’s hand for a moment, then shrugged. "It’s a fairly common story on Bajor, Ben, at least during the occupation it was. When I was twenty-one, I became pregnant to another resistance fighter, in a different group to mine. I carried the child to term, it was winter so we weren’t fighting, just trying to survive." Kira’s voice had dropped to a whisper that Sisko was straining to hear, but he didn't dare move for fear it would interrupt the woman's words.

"The baby came in the middle of the night, a boy, and a storm was overhead. He was long and lanky, like his father, with red hair and grey eyes. I remember he yelled at first, but only for a little while. It was as if he knew that we had to be quite or the Cardassians would find us." Nerys raised her eyes and stared at Sisko. "I named him Telan, after his father. He’d been killed just after I found out I was pregnant." Taking a deep, shaky breath, she continued. "I kept him with me for eight months, then I did what hundreds of other female Bajoran resistance fighters did: I took him to a nearby orphanage, hoping that maybe one day the occupation would end and I could give him a home." Kira wanted to go on, but couldn’t get past the lump in her throat as she talked about the child she had barely known, but who was burned into her very soul.

Odo held Kira against him protectively as he stared at Sisko. "The Cardassians knew that many of the children who were officially orphans actually had parents in the resistance who came and visited them occasionally, and guessed that when the children were old enough they would join the resistance too, or at least be sympathetic to the Bajoran cause. So one night, the Cardassians herded all the children into transports and burned the orphanage to the ground, while they scattered the children across Bajor. The fire destroyed all records of the children, including their names, and none of the information went to the new orphanages. That’s why we want to go to Bajor, to see if we can find out what happened to Telan."

Sisko sat, totally numb at Kira’s story. He knew that she had experienced a great deal during the occupation, knew that the nightmares still plagued her sleep and scarred her soul. But he had never guessed that she had suffered like this. Ben thought for a minute before punching buttons on his console. "Nerys, you and Odo are on indefinite leave. Take all the time you need to discover what happened to your son, and use whatever resources you need from us, I’m sure Bashir will have no objections to any DNA tests you might ask him to do."

"Thank you, Ben." Kira was back in control again as she stood, Odo closely following suit. "We'll take the next shuttle out."

"I understand." Sisko stood and walked around the table until he was standing before the two officers. "I hope you find him Nerys, I really do." Kira and Odo nodded before marching out of the office into a turbolift, and an hour later, they had left for Bajor.

********

"Nerys!" Shakaar Edon, First Minister of Bajor smiled, tossed the folder he was holding onto the table behind him and beckoned Kira and Odo into his office. "I thought I told you not to bother making appointments to see me?"

Kira grinned and sat on the couch in a small alcove of the office, Odo taking a nearby chair, as Shakaar replicated several drinks and brought them over. "After the last six months, I wasn’t sure if that order would still apply, Edon. Besides, we’re not here on station business, this is personal."

"Ah." Shakaar had mastered the politician’s non-committal noise within days of taking office. "Do I need to call a bodyguard, or should I warn the Kai you’re on your way?"

The two Bajoran’s laughed and Odo relaxed. The last thing he had wanted was for his and Nerys’ relationship to destroy the friendship she and Shakaar had, and it seemed that no damage had been done. "No Edon, it’s not you, or the Kai." Kira’s expression sobered, and Shakaar settled back to listen. "Odo and I are going to try and track down Telan, or at least discover what happened to him."

Shakaar whistled silently. "That's a big case you’re taking on, and there’s a lot of dust on it too." He glanced from Kira to Odo and nodded slowly. "I think I understand why, though. Constable, was the information I gave you last week any help?"

"Not much, Minister." Odo moved onto the couch next to Kira, and held her hand gently. "Most of the names you gave me are untraceable, unfortunately. We thought we’d start by visiting the orphanages still operating from the occupation and see if they received an unexpected influx of children within a single week. It’s not much, but it’s all we've got to go on."

"I understand." Silence reigned for a few minutes as Kira and Shakaar sipped their coffee, before the politician spoke again. "Actually, I wonder if you would object to me asking you to undertake this as an official mission for the Bajoran government?" He smiled tightly at Kira and Odo’s curious glances. "There's more than just one person who lost their child that night, and any comfort you can give them would be appreciated I'm sure."

"It might also give us some official power if any of the directors are difficult." Nerys spoke thoughtfully, while Odo nodded beside her.

"And if it’s for the government, then we can use any medical facilities we need to." The Changeling added. "I think it's a very good idea, Minister."

"So do I." Kira smiled and gently shook Shakaar's proffered hand then stood. "We’ll be getting started right away, in Dakhur. Chakara Gel was an assistant at G’nabgib during that week, she might have something to tell us."

"I’ll have Rem assign you a flyer for the duration. Where were you planning to stay while you were on Bajor?" Edon strolled back to his desk and pushed a few buttons.

"In one of the boarding houses in Dakhur, why?"

"Probably not a good idea right now, not with Vedek Huon being appointed Head Vedek for Dakhur province yesterday." Shakaar grinned as Kira groaned and turned to a confused Odo. "Vedek Huon, a Prylar back then, made a short stop with our resistance cell one summer, and let just say that Kira was a ‘big’ hit."

"He was an annoying man then, and he’s an annoying man now!" Kira dropped into the chair in front of the desk. "Odo, Vedek Huon was a part-time political activist, and since the occupation ended, he’s moved his hatred of Cardassians onto non-Bajorans--"

"And others, Nerys. You were never his favourite person, but these days he hates you with a passion." Shakaar looked up as his office door opened. "Ah, Rem. See that a Flyer is ready to be signed out to Major Kira and Captain Odo, and then contact Mrs Pott and tell her we’ll be having guests for several days, maybe a week or two." As Shervish left, Edon saw the quizzical look on Kira's face. "What?"

"I though you were going to encourage her to retire last month?"

"I tried, but she’s only ninety years old, and convinced I couldn’t survive without her." Shakaar smiled and led the others to the door. "I’ll let the two of you start your investigation, and I’ll see you at dinner, which in case you’ve forgotten in the last six months Nerys, is served at seven-thirty--sharp!"

Nerys laughed and laced her fingers with Odo’s. "After the fuss she made when we were late for dinner that night, how could I forget?" Smiling, the two officers left, while Shakaar sighed and returned to his pile of reports.

*******

Sisko was relaxing in his lounge room, when the door chime sounded and Dax poked her head into the room. "Can I see you for a moment?"

"Sure, come on in." Ben watched curiously as the woman replicated a raktajino and settled into a chair. "What on your mind, Old Man?"

"Just wondering where our First Officer and Security Chief have gone and why you gave them indefinite leave?" The Trill fixed an eagle-eye on the Human, one that Sisko was sure had once belonged to Curzon. "What’s happened on Bajor that's so important you've had to send Nerys and Odo to deal with it?"

"It’s a private matter between Odo and Kira, and I won’t divulge the circumstances without their express permission, Lieutenant-Commander." Sisko enjoyed the sight of the woman's mouth falling open in total disbelief at his words. "I’m sorry, Dax, but this is a very private situation, and I’m not at liberty to discuss it with you. I will tell you however, that we may be called upon to perform certain DNA tests in the near future, and that you will be required to keep the results totally secret."

"Gods have mercy." Dax breathed, her mind leaping to conclusions. "She’s pregnant, isn't she? Nerys is pregnant with Odo’s baby, and they've gone to Bajor until the baby’s born haven’t they?" Sisko could almost see the bets being laid in Quark's if he let this line of thinking get out of control.

"No, she’s not pregnant, so put that out of your mind right now." Sisko stood and indicated the door. "Now, if you’re going to stay here and ask questions I can’t answer, then you’ll have to leave. Otherwise I’ll ask you to join me in a game of chess. Which is it going to be?"

Dax thought for a moment, then silently started setting up the chess pieces, as Ben pulled his chair closer to the table.

********

A middle-aged woman was kneeling in a flower bed, vigorously digging holes in the loosened soil when two pairs of boots, one pair tan brown, the other rust red, stooped a short distance away. Looking up, the woman nodded politely at the two officers standing in front of her. "Good afternoon. How can I help you?"

"I’m sorry we disturbed you, are you Chakara Gel?" Kira smiled as the other woman nodded. "I’m Major Kira Nerys and this is Captain Odo. We’re from the space station, and we would like to talk to you about your time at the G’nabgib orphanage."

"The orphanage, hmm?" Chakara motioned towards her small cottage, and a few moments later the three people were sitting in the living room. "I was at the orphanage for almost two years, right up until that night."

"We know, that’s what we want to talk to you about." Kira leaned forward anxiously. "Can you remember anything about what happened to the children that night, any of the other orphanages that they might have been taken to?"

Chakara sat back and looked at the people opposite her thoughtfully. "The Cardassians mentioned one or two places, but not many. The adults were hunted away from the children as they took them. Major, which child was yours?" Chakara knew she’d hit the vole on the snout as the woman’s expression became one of shock.

"He.... he was about a year old, with red hair and grey eyes." Kira faltered for a moment, then recovered. "His name was Telan and he would be about eleven now."

"Ah, I see. Well, your best chance is to go to the Eldar orphanage in K’vella province and talk to a Cardassian you’ll find there named Lopol. She might be able to help you find where the other children went, but I can’t make any promises."

"A Cardassian?" Odo was puzzled--and the look on Kira’s face told him he wasn’t the only one.

"Yes, strange as it sounds. Lopol was a Bajoran sympathiser, so when the Cardassians left, they left her behind to fend for herself. Fortunately, she found a position within one of the war-orphans care facilities, and she’s been there ever since."

Kira nodded and stood, Odo following suit. "Thank you for your assistance, and I’m sorry we took up so much of your time. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be leaving now."

"I understand, Major, Captain." Chakara saw the officers to the door, then turned back to her kitchen and put the matter out of her mind.

********

"So, what’s happening today?" Captain Sisko strolled up to Kira’s usual post and smiled at Dax and O’Brien. "Anything interesting?"

"We’ve got three incoming freighters, two diplomats from Bajor, four minor problems between Bajoran and Starfleet staff, and a storeholder who wants to lease another shop on the promenade, for ‘Intimate Amusements’, according to the request." Dax grinned as Sisko stared, open-mouthed. "What’s wrong?"

"Does Kira always do this?" He felt a little dazed.

"Always." Dax’s grin deepened. "Although most people tend to delay their requests once they find out she’s on duty." A loud bleeping noise filled the room and she punched a button casually. "Anyway, here comes the first trader."

Sisko took a deep breath. "On screen." After all, how bad could it be?

********

Shakaar was immersed in a data PADD as he walked through his front door. It was only when he heard a groan from the living room that he stopped, listened, and when it was repeated, poked his head around the doorway curiously, to have a rather strange sight meet his eyes.

Kira Nerys was lying on the couch, apparently clad only in a T-shirt, with an amber liquid rippling over her back and thighs. Shakaar’s eyebrows shot up and a ghost of a smile crossed his face at the sight. His curiosity was at war with his sense of chivalry, and both were carrying on an intense argument with his sense of humour. In the end though, all three won out.

Kira was just beginning to think that she really should allow Dax to include Odo as a masseuse in her Hobishian baths program, when a loud cough broke into her thoughts. Opening one eye languidly, she saw her former lover leaning against the door, a huge grin splitting his face. "Edon. I didn’t hear you come in." She sat up quickly as Odo swiftly reformed on the couch beside her.

"I can understand why." Shakaar sat opposite and noticed that she was also wearing a pair of workout shorts and relaxed. "At the risk of being crude, that’s an interesting massage method you have there, Constable."

"I find it....effective, Minister." Odo wasn’t quite sure how to handle the conversation, but since Kira didn’t appear worried, neither would he.

"We’re sorry, but no-one was here, and it’s been a long day." She grimaced, a little embarrassed at the situation.

Shakaar held up his hand placatingly. "Don’t worry, I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to finish, so I’ll see you at dinner."

After Shakaar had left the room, Kira turned to Odo and smiled as he handed her her clothes. "Thanks. For a moment there, I didn’t know whether to scream, or just try and brazen our way out of it."

"It appears that you made the right choice. The Minister didn’t seem too upset about the situation." Odo helped her finish getting dressed by zipping up her jacket, then reached around to hug her gently against him, softly kissing the back of her neck. "I wish I’d insisted that we go to the bedroom, but it was....interesting to stay here."

"Constable, I do believe you’re a closet exhibitionist." Kira turned to face him, and placed a passionate kiss on his lips, before pulling away, her eyes twinkling. "Now, I think we’d better behave ourselves until later. I don’t want Edon to have more than one shock today."

Odo smiled, kissed his beloved again, then broke away as they walked towards the kitchen and dinner.

********

A tall Cardassian woman was playing with a group of children, both pure Bajoran and of mixed race as Kira and Odo walked into the garden. Kira stood for a moment, examining each child carefully, but none of them had red hair. Sighing, she walked up to the woman and smiled tentatively. "Lopol?" The woman nodded, still smiling, and Kira relaxed a little more. "Chakara Gel suggested we come and see you. We’re enquiring about what happened at the G’nabgib orphanage around ten years ago."

The Cardassian examined Kira’s face carefully, then turned to the children. "Come on, playtime is over. Back to school." Although there was much grumbling, the children obediently filed inside, leaving just the adults. Lopol indicated towards a nearby seat. "I remember that night. It was one of the worst nights of my life." She smiled bitterly at Kira and Odo. "Have you ever looked into the eyes of someone and known you were about to die?"

Kira shuddered. "Frequently."

The woman nodded. "I thought so. Then you know what I felt when the Cardassian army arrived." She turned to gaze at a nearby flame plant. "They came at night, we had no warning. They stormed in, took the children, and phasered the buildings to the ground. We only had paper files, and they burned as the building collapsed around them." She sighed. "It’s a night I’ll never forget."

Silence fell for a few moments, then Odo spoke quietly. "Why were you at the orphanage to start with?"

"I was a civilian assigned to co-ordinate mineral exploitation with the occupying forces." Lopol spoke evenly; She had told this story many times before. "I met a young Bajoran engineer and we fell in love. But the Gul in charge of our section didn’t approve, and when he found out I was pregnant, he had it terminated before my lover’s eyes, and then killed him as I watched." A bitter edge had come into her voice, but she remained calm. Kira’s immediate desire was to kill the Gul involved, but she decided against voicing this idea. "I ran away, and found an orphanage where I wouldn’t be harmed." Lopol smiled at Kira. "I assume you are from Dakhur province Major?"

"Yes." Kira smiled, even though she wanted to hug the other woman who had been hurt as deeply as any Bajoran. "I’m looking for my son, and Chakara suggested that you might know where some of the children were taken."

The Cardassian sighed. "Not really. The soldiers who came despised me as much as anyone else did. But I did hear them mention the Batow orphanage, as well as the Heltar and Keriba centres. You might do well to try there."

She stood and nodded towards the doorway. "If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the children. Many of them need a steadying hand to be able to learn, and we are drastically underfunded by the government." She half-turned and gazed at the unlikely pair before her. "I hope you find your son Major. At least you are searching for him. Many of these children are forgotten by their true parents." She sighed again. "And yet they are the future of Bajor."

"Lopol." Kira wanted to offer any comfort she could to the woman who had risked everything to stay with the children who needed her. "I can’t promise anything, but I will try to do everything I can to see that the Bajoran Government gives more financial assistance than it has." She stood as well. "For now, I think Odo and I should visit those other centres you told us about."

Lopol smiled ruefully. "I don’t know what help you can possible give us Major, but anything would be appreciated."

********

"So how did your meeting with the director of the Batow orphanage go?" Shakaar smiled at the Odo and Kira, a little puzzled as he saw Odo swallow a third small spoonful of Bakel’an. "Any luck?"

"Not much." When it came to eating, Kira Nerys was little more than a vacuum cleaner on legs, and a dinner plate simply a thing for holding food between the pot and her stomach. "First she didn’t want to talk to us, then she told us that none of the children were left at the orphanage from that week, and refused to let us know who had adopted any of the other children."

"It seemed she was very scared, as if something was being held against her." Odo had learned to trust Kira’s judgement about other people a long time before, and this meant that he trusted the First Minister almost as implicitly as she did.

"Unusual, the occupation has been finished for five years now." Edon leaned back and sipped his wine. "Unless it’s that she accepted the children at all. Many Bajorans would have tried to discover where the children came from, perhaps she was too scared to do that?"

"You’re probably right." Kira leaned back and sighed. "As it is, we’ve only got two more places to visit, and unless they yield results...." She gestured hopelessly. "But at least we’ve managed to gather information about eight of the children. Unfortunately they were the ones who didn’t make it."

"But you’ll be able to set a few minds at rest, Nerys." Shakaar reached out and gripped her hand tightly for a few moments.

"I know." Kira smiled, but it quickly turned into a yawn. Standing, she sketched a bow. "Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed." She held up a hand as Odo prepared to join her. "No, why don’t you and Edon sit and talk for a while. I’m sure he would love to hear your opinions about his security staff." The smile became a grin as Shakaar rolled his eyes.

The last time he’d visited the station, Shakaar had made three attempts to slip by the security staff for a quiet drink in Quark’s, he’d said, and had been caught every time. But what made the joke even better, was that the first minister regularly escaped his Bajoran "handlers" as he called them, causing his Aide and his security staff very large headaches on a constant basis. All this made Odo even smugger than usual whenever he was called upon to guard the minister, and Shakaar more determined than ever to one day slip through the Changelings clutches. It was, of course, the friendliest of competitions, since Kira cheered them both on from the sidelines.

Both men stayed in the kitchen, silently packing away the dinner utensils until finally moving into the lounge room, where a medium sized fire was cheerfully burning in the hearth. Shakaar poured himself another glass of wine, and was stretching out in one of the chairs, when he stopped, astounded, as Odo also poured a glass, this time of Terran whiskey, and sat leisurely in the chair opposite, his long legs thrust before him.

"Odo.." Shakaar paused, not quite sure how to continue. "Tonight I’ve seen you eat, and apparently drink. Now, forgive me if I’ve got this wrong, but your classified file says you shouldn’t be able to do those things, nor need to."

He’d asked, and Odo decided that the man deserved an answer. "Actually it was Nerys who suggested the answer. We were having dinner, or more to the point she was, when she suggested that I try eating small quantities as well, just to make her feel more comfortable."

"But Doctor Mora’s reports say that you have....trouble holding food substances internally." Shakaar had obviously done his reading, and Odo gave him a mental nod.

"Exactly, and I told her this. Then she suggested that I replicate a small water-proof bag, and hold that inside me." He shrugged. "It works. The food and drink goes into the bag, and later I use the bathroom like everybody else." As if to emphasise his point, he took a deep swig of his drink.

"Amazing." Shakaar shook his head. "I expect that’s what other Changelings do, when they’re pretending to be Humanoids."

"Probably. It’s the only explanation I can think of." Odo smiled widely. "But for me it means that I can have dinner with Nerys, or attend banquets, and not feel out of place anymore." A comfortable silence sprang up between the men, broken only by the occasional hissing of a log in the fire. Odo had expected to feel a certain amount of animosity from the minister, since he had been Kira’s lover before the Changeling, and it was because of Odo that they had broken up, but none was forthcoming.

Shakaar had admitted to Nerys that their relationship had been a bad idea from the start, and one that had affected their friendship more than they cared to admit. The best thing that had happened was their break-up, and returning to merely a friendship, but one that had a depth that hadn’t been there before, which was probably a good thing. Shakaar had accepted Odo’s presence in Kira’s life with remarkably little worry, and this had helped cement a friendship between the two men not there before, making Kira even happier with the knowledge that she could rely on both of them equally well.

"Did you know Telan’s father?" Odo’s voice sounded strangely loud in the previous quiet.

"Not really." Shakaar tried to dredge up old memories. "I met him once, after Nerys had returned to my resistance cell from the Ultrasa cell. I’d lent her to the cell leader, Qall Notral, to help his people learn how to perform more ‘surgical’ strikes on their local targets. Up till then, they’d been fighting haphazardly, lots of explosions, but little actual damage."

"I know what you mean." Odo nodded solemnly. "In the line of duty, I’ve met many people who are extremely messy when they try to disrupt the order on my station."

"Well Nerys wouldn’t be one of them, as I’m sure you know." Shakaar chuckled nervously. "I once saw her plant a bomb so precisely that it took out exactly three square meters. Vaporised an entire room, but didn’t even scorch the paintings in the hall." He shook his head. "But to answer your question, the only time I met Telan’s father was when he visited, after Nerys had contacted him and told him she was pregnant." He stared into the fire. "He seemed a wonderful man, very quiet and well-spoken." He flashed a grin at Odo. "Much like you."

"I’ll accept that as a compliment." Odo grunted. "What happened to him?"

"He was killed returning to his cell. When we found out, I think Nerys almost had Telan terminated immediately. But Lupaza talked her out of it somehow, and she continued with the pregnancy. The rest you should know already." Edon watched Odo curiously. "Hasn’t Nerys told you any of this?"

"Yes." Odo sipped his drink and watched the fire, ignoring the slight chuckle as the other man paused then laughed.

"Ever the security officer, eh Odo?" Shakaar nodded as he recognised the Changeling’s tactics. "Checking to make sure our stories match?"

"No, just yours. I trust Nerys without hesitation." He seemed unrepentant about his words, and after a moment, Shakaar shrugged. He supposed that under the circumstances, he’d be the same.

What seemed like an eternity later, Shakaar turned again to the Changeling. "Nerys tells me that your an excellent chess player. Would you care for a game?"

Odo thought for a moment, then nodded. "One game before I go to bed won’t hurt."

"Good." Edon leant around behind his chair and drags back a table already set up for a game. "And while we’re here, you can point out the flaws in my security staff."

Odo snorted derisively, and asked mockingly "So you can escape from them again? I don’t think so."

The chuckles from both men covered a small, scuffing noise made as Kira stealthily crept back up the stairs from where she’d been sitting on the lowest step, a peaceful smile on her face.

********

"Director Jal?" The secretary peeked into the office nervously. "Director, there are two Militia officers here to see you." The man didn’t speak, simply raised his eyebrows curiously. "They say it’s about the children from the Yasan massacre."

"Show them in." He leant back, and studied the two officers carefully as they entered his office. The first was a tall, sandy-haired man, who must have been in an accident of some kind, since his face had an unfinished, almost polished look about it. "A victim of an acid attack, perhaps." He thought. The woman who followed was obviously Bajoran, and carried herself as if she’d been born in uniform. "Ex-resistance, I’ll bet my Pagh on it." The thoughts solidified further as he studied them and decided that there was a link between these two, but something stronger than ordinary lovers had.

"Director Jal?" Kira shook hands with him firmly, then sat, Odo standing behind her protectively. "I’m Major Kira Nerys, from Deep Space Nine, and this is my consort, Security Chief Captain Odo." The introduction was well-worn now, and Odo simply smirked as she used the previously unspoken term of consort to describe him. Some Bajorans still ascribed to the ideas of the caste system, and it often made things easier to simply go along with it. "We’re looking for a child that was possibly brought to your orphanage around ten years ago, allegedly from a massacre in Yasan province."

"Can you describe the child?" Jal’s mind leapt to another conclusion, but decided to wait and see how this played itself out. "Anything you can tell me would help."

"He had red hair, bright red. And blue eyes, almost grey really." She stopped, lost for words as she realised that after eleven years she had almost no idea what her son would look like. "I.....I don’t really know anything else."

"That’s all right." The director didn’t move, just leaned back and eyed them piercingly. "There is only one child from that time who fits that description. Now, if you could tell me why you’re interested in him.....?"

"He--he’s my son." The words she’d waited so long to say seemed to come from a distance, as her mind went blank with anticipation. "What happened to him?"

"He’s still here, if it is your son." Pressing a button on his desk, the swirling helix of a DNA strand appeared on a nearby monitor. "Do you have your DNA records available? And the fathers as well if possible."

"Not the fathers I’m afraid, but if I may use your computer, I’ll transfer mine to your computer for comparison." Tapping in a few commands, she called up her medical records from the station, and moments later, the orphanage computer was racing at top speed to verify her relationship with the child in question. "Meanwhile, what can you tell me about my--the child?" Don’t get your hopes up yet Nerys, she reminded herself silently.

The director leaned back and steepled his fingers, as Odo placed a supporting hand gently on his lover's shoulder. "He’s been… difficult to place, shall we say. He’s been placed with seven families so far, and every time he’s returned to the centre, either by himself or by the family he was with." He sighed. "We have had to admit defeat with him, unfortunately. Depending on which report you read, he’s either too noisy, or too quiet. Too rude, or doesn’t speak up for himself enough. Too excitable, or you couldn’t get a reaction out of him with a bomb." He sighed again. "It’s most difficult."

"Is anything actually wrong with him? Some damage or such that makes him difficult to handle?" Odo spoke for the first time, his velvet voice relaxing an increasingly upset Nerys.

"Absolutely nothing. He’s just very difficult to handle that’s all. My personal opinion is that all he needs is a firm hand and lots of love."

"Those two things are in very short supply on Bajor at the moment." Odo observed.

"Exactly." The director stood and motioned towards the door, smiling for the first time. "While we’re waiting for the computer, why don’t I show you around the centre?" Leading them out of the room, he noticed with surprise that the computer had already established a twenty-five percent match between the DNA’s. It boded well. Most people with such claims never made it past twenty percent.

********

"Captain, we have another problem with the computer." Chief O’Brien turned a puzzled frown on Sisko, who was standing at Kira’s usual station. "It’s just reported an attempted intrusion into a secured file, but the terminal it’s reported from doesn’t exist anymore."

"Check it out anyway Mr O’Brien." Sisko shrugged tiredly. After only three days at Kira’s station he was beginning to understand why she had such a legendary temper. People asked such stupid questions, often just after he had already given them an answer. Not to mention docking procedures, cargo transfers, crew rotations and petty disputes between Bajoran and Starfleet staff. To top it off, she had obviously been asking for regular intelligence reports from the Bajoran outposts, and these had to be collated and re-posted almost as soon as they arrived. And until now, he hadn’t known that any of these things even happened, thanks to Kira’s tenacious devotion to her work.

Soon after discovering all this, he’d begun to understand why she snapped at Admirals who questioned her judgement and traders who demanded she give them preference over others. That was also when the trouble with the computer had started. Within a day of Nerys and Odo leaving for Bajor, the computer had reported a break-in in a storage bay, someone accessing restricted files, and more seriously in Sisko’s mind, someone actually in Odo and Kira’s quarters.

But whenever the situation had been investigated, nothing had been found disturbed, and the computer itself reported that the alleged access was merely a programming hitch. Dax and Worf had gone over their fellow crew members quarters in minute detail, fighting embarrassment all the way, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary either.

"Benjamin, can I speak with you for a moment?" Dax’s expression was one of taut concern as they went into his office.

Sisko sank into his chair with a blissful sigh. "Does Nerys always work this hard?"

"Always." Dax smiled. "When it gets really busy I know Quark takes bets on how long she’ll go without a break."

"What’s the record?" For some perverted reason, he found he had to know the answer.

"Ninety-one hours, with only five hours sleep. It was back when all that trouble with the Klingons first started." He nodded understandingly. "Benjamin, I think we have a Changeling aboard."

Sisko nodded again, slowly. "I know we do. And he… It’s been here for a while now. But why it hasn’t attempted anything before this is beyond me. Have you continued scanning Odo’s quarters since the intrusion? I don’t want them to come home only to be blown up as soon as they step through their front door."

"There’s nothing there that shouldn’t be." Dax was equally confused. "No bombs waiting to be activated by remote control, no booby-traps in the floor or walls, and no programs in the computer that are going to suddenly decompress the room." She shrugged. "I don’t understand it. It’s like it wants us to know it’s here, but then changes its mind at the last minute."

"I know." He picked up the baseball and spun it idly. "I have had a thought on that, something that I discussed with Kira and Odo only a few weeks ago." He fixed a curious eye on the Trill. "What if this Changeling wants to defect from the link?"

Dax sucked in her breath. "Interesting thought. And I can think of several problems with it. Who’s going to trust him, or her? Will they be prepared to tell us everything they can about their people and their activities? And what’s to stop Starfleet from using them as guinea-pigs to experiment on, to try and find anything that works against Changelings?" It was the last that made him nod.

"That was my thought." He leaned forward intently. "In the six years that we’ve been here, I’ve had five Federation scientists all but demand that I order Odo into a stasis container so they can take him away and study him." The scorn was obvious as he spoke. "Did you know that when Kira and Odo’s relationship became public, one of them actually wanted to…" He paused, searching for the right word. "Observe them?" A touch of humour had crept into his voice.

Dax chuckled merrily. "I don’t believe it! Have you told Nerys?"

"Never!" He leaned back and smiled broadly. "I can think of better ways to die when I get tired of life." The smile faded as they remembered what had prompted the discussion. "But, if we do have an infiltrator aboard, I’m going to have to send Odo after it." He shook his head. "I just hope that whatever it has planned, it isn’t going to destroy Odo. Because that would destroy Kira."

********

"Well, Major, Captain. Shall we check with the computer?" Jal smiled slightly as he led them back to his office, after showing them around the facility. It was clean and airy, something that they were both grateful for, since there seemed to be far too many children within its walls.

In the office, they watched as a puzzled frown crossed the directors' face, Kira’s heart plummeting further with every second. "Is something wrong?"

"No, it’s just that..." He trailed off and turned to face them, a smile breaking across his face. "It’s just that it’s not every day that I get to re-unite a mother and child, especially after so long apart." Kira clutched at Odo’s hands blindly as the words sunk in. "Would you like a few moments to prepare?" The wondrous grin was obviously infectious, with Odo also smiling fondly at his beloved.

"No. No I’d like to see him now, thank you." Pulling herself together, she gave Odo’s hand a final squeeze before lifting her chin defiantly and marching out the door.

Jal’s smile deepened. "I can see where Shimana gets his personality from."

"Shimana?" She frowned at the strange-sounding name.

"Yes, that was the name he was given here. After all, they did arrive without any information at all, not even a clan earring." He led them to a garden entrance, and paused. "He’s been given many names over the past few years, but rejected them all. It might be best if you let it be for a while, just until he gets to know you." His expression became solemn and guarded. "You should also prepare for the possibility that he might reject you completely. He’s been hurt badly over the years, and this could be too much, too fast. Just be patient." He half turned, then faced them again. "He also has a scar running down his chest, from an incident with a Klingon several years ago. The Klingon accused him of being a pick-pocket and gave him the scar as a brand." He grimaced. "It wasn’t life-threatening, and could have been healed easily. But Shimana insisted on keeping it, as a memento of what off-worlders were like, he said."

"That could cause problems when we return to the station." Odo’s gravely voice broke in. "Perhaps we should stay on Bajor for another week, give him time to start to adjust?"

"I just want to meet him first." Nerys walked slowly into the garden and gazed around. "Where is he?"

Jal indicated a lanky, long haired boy in a corner, almost completely hidden by the shrubbery. "This way."

Walking slowly down the path towards the child, the tight feeling in Kira’s chest grew, and she wondered more and more if she shouldn’t just turn around and walk away. But before she knew it, they were standing opposite the boy. He stood, and she had an almost irresistible urge to brush the loose hair off his forehead. Forcing her hands to her side, she simply smiled as Jal placed a hand on the boys' shoulder.

"Shimana, I’ve got some hopefully good news for you." He took a deep breath. "Shimana, This is Major Kira and Captain Odo, from the space station. They’ve been looking for you, because.... Shimana, Major Kira is your mother." The boy stared at him in disbelief, and he nodded slowly. "It’s true. The computer says so."

Shimana turned slowly and looked at the woman before him. She had the same red hair as he did, although a little darker. Holding out his hand politely, the boy suddenly jumped at the almost electric contact between them, and then he was in her arms, sobbing as if his heart was breaking, and hearing his mother cry too.

The pain, for the first time in his life, disappeared and didn’t return.

********

Shimana stared at the house, then wheeled on his new parents. "But... this is where the First Minister lives!"

"I know." Nerys hadn’t stopped grinning since she’d held her son again. "We’re staying here until we go to the station in a few days. Director Jal said we should try to get used to each other before you have to get used to non-Bajorans."

"The First Minister is an old friend of your mothers. They used to fight together." Odo piped up helpfully, and just a little proudly. Leading the way into the house, the Changeling smiled as he looked into the lounge-room and saw Shakaar sitting in a chair, snoring loudly, stripped to the waist, and with a pile of data PADDS at his feet, obviously having a hard day at work.

A loud cough, which also sounded suspiciously like a derisive snort woke the ex-resistance fighter out of a light sleep with a start. Looking around, he saw Odo smiling slightly at him from the doorway. "Odo! Have you had any luck?"

"More than you could possibly imagine, Minister." He stepped back allowing Nerys and a child to come forward. She grinned as Shakaar pulled on a shirt hurriedly, then spoke.

"Edon, I’d like you to meet--again, my son, Kira Tel--" She paused. "Kira Shimana. Shimana, this is First Minister Shakaar Edon." The pain of having to get used to a new name for her son was obvious, and Odo gently placed an arm around her waist.

Shakaar studied the boy for a moment, then smiled broadly and held out his hand. "It’s been a very long time since I saw you last. I’m glad your mum was able to find you again." Shimana seemed a little shy as he shook the ministers' hand, so Shakaar tried to divert some of the attention away from the child. "Well Nerys, it seems your search is ended."

She nodded and sat on the couch her son beside her, while Odo took a nearby chair. "It’s over for me. I have managed to gain information on twelve of the children, but the older ones seem to have vanished." She grimaced. "Next time I’m talking to Dukat, I’ll be sure to mention it."

"Dukat?" The boy stared at her in horror. "You talk to that--" He used several expletives that even Odo had never heard.

"STOP." Kira’s voice thundered in the enclosed space, making everyone jump. Slightly calmer, she continued. "I know what Gul Dukat is, and what he did to Bajor. But sometimes I have to work with him now, for the good of Bajor."

He nodded sullenly. "It isn’t right."

She smiled sadly and drew him in closer. "I know. It isn’t right. But it’s what I have to do sometimes." Silence reigned for a moment until Nerys spoke again. "Meanwhile, there are a few things you need to know-- mainly about Odo."

"What?" Aside from his face, to the child, Odo seemed like a normal person. Shimana had also decided that his mother was obviously besotted with the man, and Odo’s actions at the Centre had won a place in the boys' heart already.

"Shimana, I’m... different. I’m not Bajoran." Odo was uneasy, not wanting to harm the fragile relationship between Nerys and her son by appearing ‘too’ alien to the boy. "I can change my shape, become anything I want or need to." If he could have, he would have held his breath.

"All right!" Shimana was genuinely curious, and not a bit scared. This was the most original person he’d ever met. "Can you show me?"

Odo wanted to take that deep breath again. "Very well, but only this once. Just to show you." Thinking for a moment, Odo smiled as he stood then let his form collapse and shift, before finally becoming a ginger hora-cat, sitting primly on the lounge-room floor. Shimana laughed and clapped, while Kira chuckled happily.

Shakaar grinned. "Would kitty like a bowl of milk?" ‘Kitty’ glared at him malevolently, before returning once again to the well-feared form of Constable Odo, who also glared at the Minister, but with just a trace of humour in his eyes this time.

"That’s incredible!" Shimana was bubbling happily.

"Considering I’m the station security chief, I find it useful." Shimana’s face immediately froze, piquing his curiosity. "What’s wrong, Shimana?"

"You’re a policeman?" The boy felt his heart drop, and he began to stealthily move away from the others. "I don’t like policemen."

Odo sat on the floor, palms facing up, in the traditional Bajoran manner of saying ‘I have nothing to hide’. "Why don’t you like policemen, Shimana?"

"A policeman let a Klingon cut me up." He gazed nervously around the room, before suddenly pulling his shirt off to show a long, clean scar stretching from his collarbone to his abdomen.

The only sound was Nerys choking back a shocked sob, while Shakaar and Odo simply stared. "I have never let a child be hurt by anyone, Shimana." Odo reached out his hand towards the boy, and slowly drew him back to sit on the couch beside his mother. "If someone else did, then they were very wrong. I was raised by Bajorans so I think of myself as Bajoran. Your mother and I work with people who aren’t Bajoran every day, and they try to make sure that other people don’t hurt Bajor ever again."

The boy nodded, chastised, before falling silent for a moment. "Mum, did you name me before you put me in the orphanage?" Nerys nodded. "What did you call me?"

"Telan." The words were a croak. "Telan, I named you for your father." Unbidden tears stung her eyes, and her hand groped blindly for Odo’s.

"Telan." The boy said it slowly, testing the word, letting it roll off his tongue, before nodding and smiling shyly. "Could... could I make that my name now, instead of Shimana?"

She nodded again, totally lost for words. The grip she had on Odo’s hand would have crushed a normal humanoid’s. "I... I’d like that very much." Impulsively, she reached out and gathered her son into her arms, silent tears running down her cheeks, whispering his name over and over again as Odo relaxed his frame a little to be able to wrap them both in a warm hug.

Shakaar stood and silently left the room. They never saw him go.

********

Nerys wrapped the blanket around her sons' shoulders and smiled. After a day of visiting her old friends and haunts they were all tired, and Odo was already regenerating in the bedroom. Telan had been overawed by the caves and hiding places that his mother had used during the occupation, and even more so when she showed him the caves where he’d spent the first few months of his life, where he’d learned to crawl, to walk, even the path she’d walked to take him to the orphanage, and then followed every week to visit him until the Cardassians had stolen him away, taken him halfway around the planet to hide him from her.

"Did you enjoy today?" She smiled at the boy’s wide grin and sleepy nod.

"It was great." He fought to keep his eyes open. "I enjoyed today, getting to know you and Odo." He sat up, suddenly alert, and glanced at him mother shyly. "Mum, what do I call him?"

"What do you mean?" She thought for a moment, then her brow cleared. "Ah, you mean from now on." She sighed. "Well, you can call him whatever you like, I’m sure Odo won’t mind."

"Can.…" He paused, obviously nervous. "Can I call him ‘dad’?" The child was desperate for a male role model to hold onto, someone he could trust and rely on to be there for him, to teach him about life.

"I think Odo would like that very much." Nerys held back the tears that tried to overwhelm her, and smiled brightly. Odo had been so worried that Telan wouldn’t accept him, that the boy would reject him because of his off-worlder status and alien appearance. It would smooth things out a little, not that there was much that needed smoothing out. Odo had already come to love the boy as his own. "Now, it’s time you went to sleep. We have to go back to the station tomorrow."

"What’s it like?" His childish curiosity was at war with his body’s need for sleep.

"It’s..." The words to describe life on the station escaped her. "It’s different to life on Bajor. You have to get used to seeing other races, some of them very different from Bajorans. One race even has their brains encased in a transparent skull." She grimaced. "It’s a little unnerving to see at first." She smiled and brushed an unruly lock of hair off his forehead. "But you’ll get used to it. And to tell you the truth, there’s no other place in the universe that I’d rather be."

Telan reached out and closed his fingers in his mothers' hand. "Mum, you’re always going to be there from now on, aren’t you?"

She gripped his hand tightly. "Always. And if I have to go away sometimes, Odo will be there to look after you until I come back." She patted the blanket and walked to the door. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for all of us."

********

Kira and Odo had expected a large welcoming committee when they arrived back on the station with Telan, but as the family walked out of the airlock, the last to leave the shuttle, the only person there to greet them was a smiling Bashir. "Major, Constable, it's good to see you back." Julian smiled brightly, displaying all of his wit and charm for the child standing behind his mother. "And this must be the young man I've heard so much about."

Telan's dark eyes took in the man before him and glanced up at his mother, asking a silent question. "Telan, this is Doctor Bashir. We have to go to the Infirmary with him so he can give you a check-up, to make sure you're okay."

Telan opened his mouth to argue, but caught the warning glance from his mother and decided against it. Wordlessly, the boy picked up his bag and followed her out the door while Odo and Bashir brought up the rear.

Half an hour later, Telan had discovered a new appreciation for Humans after being given the longest and most thorough examination he'd ever had to put up with. "Well, as far as I can tell, you've got a relatively healthy young man there, aside from a few minor problems, and of course the scar on his chest."

"Problems?" Kira immediately went on guard, while Odo placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"The same as you had when you arrived. Slight ill-health, and malnutrition, but nothing that good food and plenty of sleep won't rectify." Placing a hypo against the boys' neck, Julian activated it and smiled broadly. "There. A multi-vitamin shot, and now you can go home with your parents. I expect that you'll all want to start getting your lives in order."

"Thank you, Julian." Odo spoke softly as Telan slid off the bio-bed and picked up his nearby bag containing all his worldly possessions. "Do you want to see Telan again anytime soon, or will he be all right now?"

"No, he should be fine." Julian smiled at Telan and was rewarded with a very tentative smile in return. "I'd like to see him next week for his inoculations, that's all." He glanced at his friends. "What are you going to do about schooling?"

"There's a school starting in two weeks in the same rooms as before." Odo noted the Human's curiosity and deferred to Kira.

"It will have both Bajorans and Starfleet children, but one afternoon a week, the Bajoran children will receive religious education from Prylar Grif." A wicked gleam came into Kira's eyes. "I don't think anyone can argue with that arrangement."

Julian chuckled. "No, you're probably right, but what about the Starfleet children during that time?"

Odo stepped in. "The Vulcan children will receive logic and emotion control training, and the captain has arranged for the other children to be given history lessons or similar classes at that time, so the Bajoran and Vulcan children aren't penalised."

Bashir nodded happily. "Good. Well Telan, it looks like your freedom is going to be short-lived."

The boy looked at his parents curiously. "What's school?"

"Where people teach you about... all you need to know to get a job." Odo was already feeling a link with this child who so desperately needed a stable family life. "Nerys, I think it's time we introduced Telan to Captain Sisko."

"You're right. Come on Telan, we'll leave our bags in our quarters and then go to Ops." Nerys draped an arm around her sons' shoulders, and for the first time, he didn't pull away. "On the way, you'll get a guided tour of the station."

"Starting with the places and people you are not to talk to, like Quark!" Odo really did like the little troll, but he was dammed if he was going to admit it to anyone but Nerys!

As the trio left the medical centre, Telan glanced at Odo and asked "Dad, what's a 'Quark?"

Odo couldn't answer. There was a sudden lump in his throat that wouldn't leave, no matter how hard he tried and all he could do was wind his fingers tightly with Kira's and smile.

********

It turned out that introducing Telan to rest of the command crew wasn't as difficult as Odo and Kira first anticipated. After visiting their quarters, which received immediate approval from Telan, who would have sat staring out his bedroom window at the stars all day if he'd been allowed, a quick computer check discovered that all the others were gathered in the captains rooms.

"I wonder how that was planned?" Nerys whispered to Odo, as they strolled down the corridors, Telan racing from window to window to see the ships docked at the station.

"Easy. The instant we left the Infirmary, Bashir would have called Ops and told everyone what had happened, and then they all would have gathered in Ben's quarters." The Changeling slowly wrapped his arm around Kira's waist and smiled inwardly as he watched his 'son' slowly settle in to his new home.

Odo had never, in his wildest dreams, thought that he would ever be a father, of any kind, until the day that he and Nerys had stood in the doorway to the orphanage garden and seen the lanky red-haired boy playing in a corner by himself, and his link with Kira had almost felt the emotional blow she'd suffered at the sight of the rejected child. That was the day that he understood why people had children, why coupling was so important to solids. And the day that he finally understood why his people didn't understand 'solids'. Because his people didn't nurture their young, didn't have them depend on them for everything they needed. And that had helped him understand all the better why Nerys had needed to find her child.

Arriving at Sisko's quarters, Odo paused before ringing the door chime. "Telan, there are a lot of people in here, some of whom look very different to Bajoran's or Humans, so don't worry if it makes you nervous."

Telan lifted his chin defiantly. "I'm a Bajoran. We don't get nervous!"

Nerys smothered a smile as Odo growled. "He is definitely your son," and rang the chime, hearing Sisko's voice call them in.

First through the door, Odo went into his 'protection mode' as it was jokingly called, hands clasped behind his back and his expression vigilantly alert, while Nerys and Telan walked in. Nodding to the others, Kira led Telan to a dark-skinned man, with no nose ridges. Obviously Human, Telan decided. "Telan, this is Captain Benjamin Sisko. He's the Starfleet officer in charge of the station. Captain, this is Kira Telan, my son."

Sisko offered his hand gravely. "Mr Kira, I'm honoured to meet you."

Telan nodded. "Are you.... Are you the Emissary?" The words were whispered with fervent admiration and Ben couldn't help but smile.

"Yes." The single word smoothed just a few more wrinkles out of Sisko's relationship with his First Officer. Glancing up at Kira, Ben saw her mouth 'thank you', and smiled as the boy stepped back shyly.

Kira smiled and turned Telan towards another woman, this one with long brown hair and....spots down her neck. "Telan, this is Commander Jadzia Dax, she's the science officer on the station."

The boy managed to croak out a single word, as his eyes did a slow crawl from Dax's boots to her hairline, his eyes growing wider with every moment. "Wow!"

If ever an ice-breaker had been needed, that was it, as the entire group dissolved into laughter, Even Odo and Worf smiled slightly as the constable relaxed his stance and came over to stand next to Nerys. The introductions went smoothly and cheerfully from there, although Telan didn't quite understand why Molly and Kirayoshi were introduced as his cousins, since their parents were obviously Human.

As the group settled itself on the various chairs and lounges, Telan knew that he was still the centre of attention, and that everyone was extremely curious about his past, but he couldn't stop glaring at the huge, silent Klingon officer sitting primly in a corner.

Worf saw the stares from the young Bajoran and bared his teeth slightly, hoping the boy would stop. Instead, Telan bared his teeth too, and growled at him. Nerys saw what was happening, and moved to stop it, but her son shrugged her arm off. "What is it, boy?" Worf's deep voice rumbled through the air, as everyone else froze.

"You're a Klingon!" Telan spat the word with the same ferocity he had used against Bashir when he'd arrived earlier. "I know what Klingon's do to Bajoran's."

"Those were other Klingon's, Telan, not Worf." Dax spoke up, defending her lover not because of their relationship, but because it was right. "Worf is an officer just like Kira and Odo, and just like the rest of us are. We don't hurt Bajoran's, we're trying to help your people, we protect them from people who want to hurt them."

Telan still looked unconvinced and glanced at Nerys and Odo, who nodded slowly. "These people help others, Telan. On this station, everybody works together to try and build Bajor back up again. There are no outsiders here Telan, only people." Coming from Odo, who had until recently considered himself the ultimate outsider, the statement was a rare compliment for the command crew.

"For now Major, I think you should take a few more days leave, to help settle your son into the station and arrange for someone to take care of him while the two of you are at work. However Odo, I’m afraid I’m going to have to request you return to work tomorrow." Sisko grinned as the door chime rang and Quark swept into the room, followed by several waiters with plates of food. "Tonight however, we are going to celebrate the return of your son."

********

A week later, Major Kira was beginning to wonder whether motherhood was all it was cracked up to be--but only sometimes. There had been several fights, only one of which had come to blows, as Telan vented some of the eleven years worth of frustration, anger, and fear that had built up. The boy had screamed at Odo for a moment, then launched himself, fists and feet flying, at the Changeling, who had casually softened his 'skin' and allowed the child to fight hopelessly against him.

Kira had watched aghast, then rushed forward to pull Telan off, but Odo held her away, letting Telan struggle for a few more moments, before re-forming to hold the boy gently as he collapsed sobbing against him. The two men stood for a long time, Odo holding the hurting boy against him, as Nerys slipped her arms around both of them. No words had been exchanged, but afterwards Telan seemed more relaxed and settled than he had before.

Later that night, the boy lay on his bed reading some books that his mother had given him, telling him that he would need a basic understanding of them for school. Telan's previous experiences with school had been few and far between, although he had learned to read reasonably well, since the boy had been passed from one home to another after the occupation. His natural curiosity and in-born stubbornness meaning that he didn't fit in with families who often wanted a child who was just grateful that he had been given a home, but had had little enough love to go around as they tried to re-build their lives.

Consequently, the boy had often been bounced back to the orphanage, emotionally hurt and bleeding from the rejection, and he'd sunk further into the mire. He'd been back at the orphanage for two days when Kira and Odo had turned up looking for him. At first, Telan had simply thought that they were another couple, looking for a child to adopt and he'd ignored them, hoping they'd go away so he couldn't be hurt again. Instead, the director had brought them over to him, and Telan had looked into the woman's eyes for the first time--and something deep inside of him had known, right from that moment, that she was his mother. How else could he explain the reaction he'd had, that he'd wrapped his arms around her waist and prayed fervently that she wouldn't disappear like she always did in his dreams.

The faceless man with the woman stood there as he and his mother had hugged and cried for what seemed like hours, before finally reaching down to draw the two apart. Telan remembered hearing his mother tell him his name, at last he had a clan of his own, and introducing the other man as her special friend, and the man had smiled, held out his hand, and asked that they be friends. But even after spending three days with his new parents on Bajor, Telan still hadn’t quite comprehended the station until he had actually seen the big, grey structure, suspended before the Temple Gates.

A gentle knock at his bedroom door interrupted the Bajoran's thoughts, and he realised he'd been daydreaming again, a habit he'd fallen into years ago. Looking up, the boy smiled as he saw his mother leaning with forced casualness against the door. "Come in."

Nerys sat the edge of the bed and smiled as she saw how little of the school reading her son had done. "Not easy is it?" Telan grinned and they both relaxed. "When I was posted here, I had to read two hundred of these before Starfleet arrived, or so they told me."

"Did you?" Telan was having enough trouble getting through one PADD, he couldn't imagine reading hundreds of them.

Nerys chuckled guiltily. "Not on your life! I didn't expect this posting to last until the end of the week, let alone six years. So I read enough to not get myself killed, and threw the rest in the bottom of my wardrobe. I think I found them when I moved in with Odo." She watched the child, her child, carefully. "Odo isn't like other men, you know that. We'll never be able to give you a brother or sister, unless we adopt them. Do you mind the way he is, that he and I are together?"

Telan shrugged. "I've never had a family before, I don't know if I should mind." He rubbed a thumb along his jaw speculatively. "I suppose that as long as he makes you happy, then that's okay with me. I bet he's a pretty cool security officer though, able to get into all those hard to reach places?" There was a decidedly evil twinkle in Telan's eyes that made Kira chuckle again.

"Yeah, he is a good security chief, the best in galaxy, he keeps everything safe. And that's something else I need to talk to you about." Kira took a deep breath. "Occasionally we have to evacuate the station, sometimes very quickly. If ever that happens and you're here by yourself, or on the Promenade, go directly to Odo's office and he'll make sure you're safe. Okay?"

"Okay." Telan looked confused. "Why do you have to send everyone away?"

"Sometimes people come to visit us who aren't very nice, and they usually want to hurt Bajor. But to do that, they have to get past us, and no-one's managed to do that yet." The major took a definite pride in her statement, but the boy sensed her reluctance to talk about the subject. "Now, I think it's time you got some sleep. You have an appointment with Doctor Bashir first thing tomorrow for your inoculations, then Keiko is going to give you a few tests, just to see where you need to start at school." Nerys smiled brightly and moved back to the door. "Good night, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mum!" She turned back. "You have to go back to work tomorrow don't you?" Kira nodded. "What am I going to do?"

Nerys gently laid the quilt over her son and sighed. "Well, after you see Mrs O'Brien, you could come back here and keep working on your studies, or you could spend the day with Odo if you want to. But I have to go to Ops, that's where I work."

Telan thought for a moment then nodded. "I'll stay with dad, if he won't mind."

"He won't mind, I think he'll like the company." Kira bent down and gently kissed the boy's forehead then exited the room, turning the lights off as she went.

********

Odo was waiting in the bedroom when Kira finally came out of her son's room. 'Our sons room' Odo thought, the love and compassion rising inside him. 'A son I didn't make, but the child I gave her again, and the one I will always call 'Son'.' As Nerys undressed and dimmed the lights, Odo let part of his form shift into its natural liquid state, just retaining his arms and torso as his lover snuggled into him. Odo revelled as always in the feeling of her naked body against his, the sensations heightening not just his arousal, but his desire to protect both her and the boy in the other bedroom.

"How is he?" Odo flowed around the woman, caressing all her tired and tense muscles, and there was certainly enough tension in her body tonight.

"Upset, but settling down now, I think. He's just so scared that we're going to send him away." Nerys wanted to make love to Odo desperately, but knew that she needed to talk about this first. "Odo, I know we've talked about this before, but I don't want to send him away again--ever, no matter how hard it gets."

"Neither do I, beloved." Odo turned his ice blue eyes on Kira and smiled as she almost melted in his arms. "This child is our son, and one day, as much as we hate to talk about it, you will leave me, and I won't follow you for a long time. But now that Telan is here, I know that there will always be a part of you for me to care for, and that will almost make up for losing you."

Kira gazed wondrously at the man for three seconds, before pressing her mouth against Odo's, her tongue teasing his 'flesh' playfully. Their bodies knew the dance well, and the music went on and on for a long time, before the Solid and the Changeling eventually fell apart, exhausted but sated and content, falling asleep in a tangle of limbs and liquid that would have left a spectator wondering where the shape-shifter ended and the Bajoran began, if indeed they were two separate beings.

********

Keiko O'Brien smiled at Telan and nodded towards the schoolroom door. "Thank you Telan. I'll let your mother know the results as soon as possible. Do you have someone to look after you for the rest of the day?"

"I was going to spend it with dad, actually." Telan spoke shyly, still adjusting to being on friendly terms with non-Bajorans. "He said that I could study in his office."

Keiko smiled. "Not exactly the greatest atmosphere to learn in. Why don't you stay here with me, and I can help you with anything you don't understand?"

Telan relaxed visibly. "I'd like that. Some of the work's been hard to understand." Sitting down, the boy pulled out his data PADD's and Keiko began teaching him the basics.

********

It was a jovial dinner in Odo's quarters that night, the entire family abandoning the dining table for the lounge and floor to watch the holo-projected springball championships on Bajor. While Odo and Telan both favoured the reigning champion, Kat Juret, Nerys had placed money on the contest's dark horse, Fenal Dee to take the championship this year. They had just begun a friendly argument about who was the most likely contender, when the door chime rang. "Come in." Odo hated being interrupted when he was trying to make a point.

Keiko O'Brien walked into the room and smiled brightly. "Sorry to interrupt your evening, Nerys, but I need to talk to you."

"Of course." Kira led the Human into what had originally been a third bedroom, but was now an office with Odo's shape-shifting equipment scattered through it, his huge conical-layered sculpture dominating the centre of the room, while data PADD's littered the computer console. "Please excuse the mess, I've been trying to catch up with my own schooling, and it's taking some time."

"I didn't realise you were taking any courses." Keiko was delighted as she sat opposite the Bajoran and next to the console. "What are you studying?"

"Well, a formal school graduation certificate would be nice," Kira laughed. "But right now, I'm working on passing two of the courses set by the Bajoran Military Academy, in diplomatic skills and my pilots licence. They tell me I need the formal certificates for career advancement. Unfortunately, it also means that I have to do more diplomatic duty than I like."

"And I just thought you’d mellowed." Keiko chuckled, and Nerys grimaced. "I understand. You can have all the experience in the universe, but you need to have the formal certificate for the job." The woman smiled as Kira nodded. "But I'm afraid that I have to tell you something that will probably be very disappointing." Keiko tapped a few buttons and called up Telan's test scores, and waited as Kira read the results, shock clouding her face. "I'm sorry, but according to these results, Telan isn't even up to a fourth grade level."

Kira groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Are you telling me my son is stupid?"

"No, far from it." Keiko placed a hand on Kira's shoulder. "I spent the day with him, helping him with the data you gave him, and he's not stupid. He's actually a very intelligent, curious, and friendly young boy. He just hasn't had any formal schooling, and that means that he's a little behind. Don't worry, he'll catch up soon enough." Nerys lifted her head as the other woman chuckled. "In fact, I bet that once he starts learning you won't be able to stop him!"

"So what will happen when the school opens next week? Will he be able to attend?"

"Of course, he'll just have to work extra hard to catch up with the other students his age, that's all." The Asian woman's eyes were wide with encouragement. "Look at it this way: he's not going to get into trouble for a while, he won't have the time."

Kira gazed at her friend, then smiled. "You're probably right." Walking into the outer room, she switched off the holo-viewer, amid much complaining from the rooms' male occupants. "I'm sorry. Telan, you have a lot of work to do, and we need to talk about school and how we can help you keep up."

********

Telan sighed. He hated studying, but both of his parents and Mrs O’Brien insisted that he had to do it. It was three days after he’d taken his exams, and he already hated the idea of school, with its homework and it’s memorising of what he considered unimportant details about other races and cultures.

"Telan, I’m going to the arboretum for a few moments." Keiko smiled at him and hoisted Kirayoishi a little higher on her hip. "The ‘Rubicon’ has just brought back some new plants from the gamma quadrant, and Dax wants me to have a look at them with her." She walked to the door and smiled again. "I won’t be long. Molly is sleeping, but if she wakes up, she has plenty of toys to play with until I get back." With that, she strolled out the door, leaving Telan to his books.

Five minutes later, he felt a gentle tug on his trousers, and looking down, he saw Molly O’Brien watching him mischievously. "Molly, your mummy has just gone out for a little while. She’ll be back soon."

"I’m bored." She announced this with an air of finality. "Let’s go for a walk." The seven year old could smell a pushover for her a mile away. Telan shook his head, but she tugged on his arm insistently. "Yes. Now!"

Telan sighed and stood. He was fed up with studying anyway, and a short walk wouldn’t hurt. "Okay, but let me leave your mum a note, to tell her where we’ve gone." He quickly wrote on a data PADD that he was taking Molly for a walk to the promenade and back, and left it on the middle of the desk, where Keiko could find it easily, then let Molly lead him out the door and down a corridor.

Having only been on the station for a week, it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t realise that they were heading away from the promenade, and towards the stations dead-zone.

********

Keiko hurried back to her families quarters, hoping that nothing bad had happened while she was gone. She had fully intended to only stay in the station arboretum for only a few minutes, but when she checked the chronometer, she found that more than an hour had passed since she left Telan to look after Molly.

Arriving at the rooms, she rushed in to find no sign of the children, merely a note on the table, stating that they had gone for a walk to the promenade. Keiko relaxed measurably. Telan, although new to their lives, would be a reliable protector of her daughter, and his father would make sure that they weren’t harmed on their short adventure into the outside world.

At a distinctly slower pace she strolled towards the station’s commercial hub, her mind wondering whether she should take the children straight home when she found them, or whether a treat and a longer break from the studies might be in order.

********

Telan glanced around him worriedly and hugged the small and now very frightened girl, to him. "Molly, do you know where we are?" He was steadily cursing himself for agreeing to the trip outside the O’Brien’s quarters, and even more so for blindly following the lead of a seven-year-old. They had walked deeper and deeper into the station, until they had both lost their sense of direction. Telan had searched in vain for a com-panel to contact his mother, but all the panels he’d found were smashed or not working. Finally, they had sunk to the floor, exhausted, scared, and cold, and he had run out of ways to keep Molly calm.

"I want my daddy!" Molly wailed at the top of her lungs, and Telan almost joined in. The sight of the engineering chief, of anybody else, would have just about made his millennium, but unfortunately, it seemed that they had no option but to rest and then try to walk out from wherever they were. "Where’s my Daddy?" She was becoming more insistent.

"I don’t know Molly. But it’s okay, my dad’ll find us soon." Telan wished he felt as confident as he sounded. Although he knew that Odo was the best at his job, a person could only find them if they knew where they were. And right now, everyone would be searching the promenade and not the station’s closed areas.

Telan sighed and hugged the girl closer as she dropped off to sleep in his arms. At least asleep she wouldn’t panic about the situation, a definite plus, he thought, as he chewed his lip thoughtfully and tried to figure out how to find their way back to the main part of the station.

********

Keiko erupted into the security office, half-relieved and half-terrified to find Kira, Odo, and Sisko already there discussing some security procedure or other. Gathering her breath, she gasped "They’re missing! And I can’t find them anywhere on the Promenade like he said they would be."

Three blank faces stared at her, before Odo grasped what she was talking about. "Telan? Telan said that he was on the promenade, and now you can’t find him?"

"That’s right." She calmed a little as she saw Kira shoot to her feet, her expression turning grey. "Dax asked me to come and look at some plants with her, and I left Telan looking after Molly, she was asleep. When I got back, he’d left a note saying that they’d gone for a walk to the promenade and back." She shrugged. "I suppose he wanted to stretch his legs a little, he’d been studying all morning. But no-one on the promenade has seen them today." She finished lamely, and stared at Odo, as if hoping that the children would appear before her like magic.

"Telan left a note?" Kira wanted to be absolutely sure of the facts. "He told you where they were going?"

"Yes." Keiko understood that Kira would be worried as well, not that it helped much. "I expected to find them down here somewhere."

"Telan would be relying on Molly for directions. He hasn’t had much experience with getting around the station by himself since he’d been here." As frightened as she was for her son, Kira was also steadied by the fact that he had thus far proved to be a reliable boy. She glanced at Odo, who instantly saw the hidden panic writhing beneath the surface.

"I’ll alert all security forces to be on alert for them, both on the promenade and around the station." Odo’s eyes appealed to Sisko. "I’d also like to ask all station staff to be on the watch for them, in case they went the wrong way and ended up buried in the station somewhere."

"Of course." Ben had seen the anguish in both women’s eyes and understood it only too well. "Put out an immediate notice to all staff and residents on the station. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot else we can do until somebody comes forward." He stood and glanced at Keiko. "The best thing you can do is go home. They might turn up with a perfectly innocent explanation. I’ll let the Chief come home early to wait with you." He stepped forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Go home. They’ll be there soon."

Keiko nodded and left, but not before shooting Kira an unfathomable look. Sisko sighed and turned to his First Officer, and was pleased to see her already being held by Odo, her face buried in his shoulder. "Major?"

She turned to face him, and scrubbed at her cheeks, but not before he saw the faint tear tracks there. "Sorry Captain. You were saying?"

"That you should go home and wait there. They’ll probably be along soon, they could have just got lost wandering around the station." He smiled ruefully. "When Jake and I first arrived, he got a little disorientated for a few days, just until he got used to finding his way around." He watched as she nodded, but knew he hadn’t eased the fear. "He’ll be all right Nerys, you’ll see."

"I hope so Ben." She straightened and smiled tightly. "But I don’t want to go home. I need to stay here, in case they come back to the promenade."

"Very well." Sisko glanced at Odo cautiously. "Odo, if you could start looking for the children, then Kira could co-ordinate any sightings from here."

"My thoughts as well, Captain." Odo removed his arm from Kira’s waist and headed to the door, glancing back momentarily. "If there are any developments, Major, please let me know."

"Of course Constable." Kira nodded, then sat at Odo’s desk and began punching buttons, alerting his staff to the problem. "Captain, where will you be during this?"

"In Ops." He smiled again. "But I want to know immediately you find anything out." He walked to the door. "I’d expect the chief to drop by if I were you."

"I know." She grinned a little. "His daughter and my son. If I were him, I’d be worried too."

********

Telan was nodding off himself when he heard the scuffing noise. He kept his eyes closed, but his ears listened intently for the sound to be repeated. It was, and from the sound of it right in front of him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he opened his eyes to look into the smooth face of a Changeling. But this one was different from Odo. For a start, it was obviously female, with all the right bumps in the right places. Secondly, it had a bemused, as rather curious look on its face. "Who are you?" Telan didn’t know about the Founders, and consequently didn’t know to be afraid.

She smiled. "A friend." She cast a glance over Molly, and reached out to tentatively smooth back her hair. "What happened?"

"We got lost." He stood and cuddled Molly tightly as she murmured sleepily. "Do you know the way back?"

"Yes." She held out her hand, and smiled again. "Come. I’ll take you back home."

"Who are you?" Telan was sure his father had told him that he was the only Changeling on the station.

"A friend," The woman picked up Molly and held onto Telan’s hand. "Come. Your mother and father must be very worried about you." Her smile broadened. "And I need to talk to them anyway."

"Okay." Telan had a nagging feeling that there was something he should be remembering about this situation, but it slipped his mind for the moment. "I don’t want to get mum upset."

"Good." The woman grinned. "Don’t worry, everything will be all right."

********

Kira rubbed her eyes tiredly. Three hours had passed, and still no sign of the children. Both Keiko and Miles had contacted the security office at regular intervals, but since she had no results to report, they had simply become more and more anxious. A noise at the door made her look up, to see both O’Brien’s standing in the doorway. "Keiko, Miles, come in." She gestured towards the chairs in front of the desk. "I still don’t have anything to report."

"That’s not why we’re here." Miles wasn’t smiling. "Not primarily." He sat down and gazed at her unmovingly. "Major, I want to know what your son is like."

"Telan?" Kira was a little confused. "He’s kind, considerate, gentle. Why are you asking?" A small suspicion was growing in her mind.

"It’s just that...." Miles paused, embarrassed. "He’s out there with our daughter, and we just need to know he’s reliable, that’s all."

Kira finally got the message, and stood, enraged at the accusations against her child. "My son is as reliable as anyone else. And if you can’t trust him, then I won’t be enrolling him in the school, and you can tell Molly and Kirayoshi why I won’t be visiting them anymore." She sat down breathing heavily. "I trust my son. The least you can do is trust me."

Keiko bowed her head. "It’s just that... Well, he’s new, and we don’t know him very well, that’s all." She smiled at Kira tentatively. "Please Nerys, don’t be angry at us. We’re just scared for our daughter, that’s all."

Kira leant back, all the fight draining out of her. "I know exactly how you feel. I’ve only just found Telan, and now I’ve lost him again." The rueful smile appeared again. "And on my own station."

The group chuckled, then tensed as Kira’s comm-badge pinged instantly. "Major Kira here."

"Major?" Ensign Chamberlain’s strained voice came over the line. "I’ve got a Changeling at the junction of the Labyrinth and corridor nineteen. She’s got Molly and Telan with her."

The group stood as one. "Hold them there. I’m on my way." Quickly placing a call to Odo and Sisko, she and the O’Brien’s headed out the door.

********

By the time Kira, Keiko, and Miles had arrived at the junction, Odo and Sisko had transported there. They were all confronted by the sight of a Changeling holding Telan’s hand with Molly slung on a hip. Odo was the first to step forward. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I..." The female seemed lost for words. "I have no name, we have no individuality in the link." She seemed honestly depressed. "But I rather like the name Patricia." A shy smile seemed to cross her face. "I heard a Human call someone that a month ago."

"What can we do for you, Patricia?" Sisko stepped forward, sensing that this shape-shifter was different to the others he had met.

"I...I’ve left the link." She hung her head in shame. "I used to send them information, about the station, people here, about Odo." She glanced up and looked her compatriot in the eyes. "I was the one who made you sick." Her head dropped again. "But the Founders think I’m dead now. I saw how you accepted Odo, how you considered him a friend, someone you cared for. I couldn’t stay in the link after that."

Odo nodded, and reached out a hand slowly, ignoring Kira’s gasp as she came to stand beside him. "Please, will you let the children come home?" His face filled with compassion. "Their parents are very worried."

"Of course!" Patricia gentle pushed Telan towards Kira, and placed Molly on the deck, where her parents scooped her up and held her tight. "I have no bargaining power left, Captain Sisko."

"Do you wish to seek asylum?" Kira spoke softly, her arms wrapped protectively around her sons' shoulders. "I can grant a temporary order if you wish."

"No." The woman stepped back from the group. "I don’t know what I want yet, except that the link is wrong about solids--terribly wrong." She gazed at Odo. "I may not be your ally yet, but neither am I your enemy. I need time."

Sisko nodded as Odo bowed his head. "Take all the time you need. And if the Founders come looking for you, we will protect you as best we can."

Thank you Captain." The Changeling smiled, then vanished in a golden column, as the group watched.

Sisko turned to Odo and smiled. "Well Constable, you’re not alone here."

Odo smiled tightly then gathered Kira and Telan into his arms. "I never was Captain. I never was."

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