Bound Together

Kira Nerys desperately attempted to short out the lock on her door, but it was no use; the heat lamp simply blew its own fuse before showering her with sparks. Waiting a few seconds for the spots before her eyes to clear, the woman shoved the broken lamp into the mass of wiring in the door panel, hoping this might release the lock, or at least short circuit the door clamps.

With another shower of sparks, a dull clunk told her the door was released, and she threw herself on it, prying it open just enough to squeeze through. But precious seconds had already been lost, seconds that could never be regained whatever happened after.

In another space , she was successful first time around. In another time, she saved those who were sacrificed.

But in this place, she was too late for her destiny . . . . .

The woman skidded along the metal floor, dreading the silence coming from the Pagh-wraith temple. Rounding the corner and into the room, she was unprepared for the sight of Bajoran bodies on the floor, still cooling from deaths icy touch. Choking back a sob, her eyes shifted from Vedek Fula's corpse, a hand outstretched to where Dukat stood, to that of the small body of the baby, still resting in its fallen fathers arms, both curled on the floor.

Her horrified gaze turned to Dukat, arrogantly standing on the top step of the dais, his hands rubbing together slowly as he watched her. "Well Colonel, they are now safe in the arms of the Pagh-wraiths."

"You can't stop, can you?" Her voice was nothing more than a shocked whisper. "You can't stop killing Bajorans. Even when you can't do it legally anymore, you have to find another way."

"Colonel . . . . " Dukat swaggered down the steps to stand before her, hands on hips, and arrogance in every line. "They chose this, Kira. I didn't have to force them to do anything they didn't want to do themselves."

"And there's the irony, Dukat," Kira had started to recover from the shock of the murders she'd been faced with. "When you can't kill us yourself, you convince us to murder ourselves." She realized she was in a small room, in the middle of an empty area of space, with a religious psychopath, and began edging towards the promenade. "When will the Defiant arrive?"

"Colonel?" Dukat cocked his head to one side, his eyes never leaving hers as he matched pace to her. "Oh, you mean where you used to live?" Kira felt chills run down her spine as his eyes glittered. "You must learn to forget the past, Nerys. That life in no longer your concern, those people no longer your people." He tried to get closer to her, as she began shaking her head in mute rejection. "The Pagh-wraiths wish you to be here, with me, to learn of their love for you, so you can help me tell other Bajorans about them." As Kira managed to place a staircase between them, her hands shaking, he let his gaze run up and down her body and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "So you can learn of my love for you."

"No!" Kira could stand no more and turned and fled down the promenade, futilely seeking a safety she wouldn't find, as Dukat stayed where he was, laughing softly. His words, called out to her retreating back, echoed in her mind for a long time.

"Your mother would have wanted this, Nerys."

Kira ran for what seemed forever, through familiar corridors that had become part of a twisted nightmare. She knew every door, every path, every cargo bay -- but none of them knew her, none opened to her voice as she called to them. Eventually, exhaustion and despair took their toll, and she was reduced to staggering from one door to the next, hoarsely demanding they open to her, that they give her sanctuary from a future that was not to be contemplated. She had been searching for hours, trying to find somewhere to hide from the Cardassian, but every door had stayed locked, every airlock closed. The turbolifts refused her entry, and the ladders and tubes to Ops had been sealed against her. All she could do was run.

Dimly, somewhere, she heard a door open, but it wasn't the one she was at, so she continued down the corridor, smacking each panel as she passed, requesting entry. Behind her, footfalls rang out, unhurried and steady, gradually nearing. She continued on, her footsteps now plodding, her body almost beyond endurance. She heard the footsteps stop behind her as she pressed another door panel that failed to respond. A Cardassian hand gently placed itself on her shoulder and she crumpled under the featherweight of it, falling to kneel before the door, both hands pressed against the unyielding metal, her body wracked with sobs.

"You can't fight what the Pagh-wraiths have decreed, Nerys." Dukat breathed the words gently in her ear, then grasped her by the shoulders and raised her back to her feet. Steering the unresisting Bajoran back to the turbolift, he began to massage her neck and shoulders as she continued to cry. "The Prophets have forsaken you, Nerys. If they had been with you, then you would have been in time to prevent Vedek Fula and the rest of the faithful from joining the Pagh-wraiths. Since you arrived to find their will already carried out, means that you are meant to join us, to stay here with me, to learn of the love of the Pagh-wraiths and their plans for your life." He turned her to face him, seeing the tears still coursing silently down her cheeks. "Of their plans for our life together."

"No." Her voice was a mere whisper. The death of her mentor, of the young child, of yet more innocent Bajorans at Cardassian hands, had driven her almost insensible. "We have no life. There is no us."

"Right now, that may be true, Colonel." The pair reached the promenade again, and Dukat guided Kira back to the Pagh-wraith temple. He led her between the bodies, to stand at the bottom of the dais before the symbol of the Pagh-wraiths. "You will come to embrace them, Nerys." Holding her upper arms firmly with both hands, he forced her to kneel before the symbol. "You will stay here until you have begun to learn about the Pagh-wraiths. Your first lesson is that you learn the chants." He placed a PADD on the top stair, as Kira continued to stare straight ahead, as if no-one was there and nothing was happening. "I'll come back and release you once you have memorized the PADD."

He left with a slightly backward glance, as if expecting a reply. But none was made.

Sisko watched his security chief pace Kira's quarters with concern. Had Odo been Human, Sisko mused, he would have been hyperventilating. As it was, he looked like he was about to collapse in a puddle. Kira had been missing for two days now, and the only thing that had been established was that a Dominion transporter had been responsible for her disappearance. Odo was radiating suffering, actively blaming himself for opting to work a double shift the night they believed Nerys vanished, rather than spending the evening with her. Consequently, when she was being beamed off the station to Prophets knew where, Odo was in Quarks, taking several drunken Klingons to the holding cells for the night.

Due to Odo's relationship with Kira, Sisko had assigned Worf to try and find the Colonel. Unfortunately, the only definitive information he'd found was the origin of the transport. "Captain, we should consider the possibility that we will be unable to find the Colonel." Worf's voice cute through Sisko's thoughts. "If the Dominion has taken her, there is a good chance she may never return."

"Commander," Odo ceased staring out the window in Kira's quarters and turned to face Worf and Sisko, a savage look on his face. "If you confirm that Nerys has been taken by the Dominion, I want to know immediately."

"Constable, revenge is not an option." Sisko didn't like where this conversation was going. "Kira is a survivor. Wherever she is, she'll find a way of letting us know. She is a valuable captive, and chances are they would try to ransom her back to the Federation or Bajor."

"Captain, with all due respect, I think you credit the Founders with higher principals than they actually have." Odo turned back to the window, arms folded, staring at a vision only he could see. "The leader of the Founders wants her dead because of how I feel about her. They won't ransom her; they'll publicly execute her. There is nothing the Federation or Bajor can offer them that would interest the Dominion."

"Then we'll just have to go and rescue her before they do, won't we?". "He moved away from Odo and nudge Worf, indicated like a quiet word. "Suggestions, Commander?"

Worf lowered his voice and tried to avoid even looking in Odo's direction. "The Constable is correct, Captain. If the leader of the Founders hates the Colonel as much as we suspect she does, then the Colonel could indeed be beyond our help. I would expect the Dominion to make a quadrant wide announcement by the end of the week stating that she has been interrogated and sentenced to death." He sighed and chanced a glance at Odo. "They will probably broadcast her execution across subspace. And once they do that, I believe the the Constable will probably declare war on the Dominion. And they will kill him for it, but not before he avenges Nerys."

"I agree, commander." Sisko walked back over to where Odo stood staring at the wall. "Constable, we're going to continue searching for Nerys, I promise you that." He took a deep breath. "But I need you to promise me that, whatever we find or are told, you won't take things into your own hands."

"You want me to promise I won't go off and hunt down whoever kills Nerys." Sisko nodded slowly, warily, waiting for the response. It took a few moments, then Odo nodded and turned to face his Captain. "You have my word, sir. No matter what they do to Nerys, I will conduct myself as a Bajoran officer."

"But you aren't Bajoran, Odo." Sisko clapped a hand on Odo's shoulder and dropped his voice to a savage snarl. "I promise you Odo; if we can rescue her, we will, no matter what condition she's in. But if they kill her, you and I will make them sorry they ever thought about coming through the wormhole. Just don't try to avenge her on your own. We love her too."

Odo leant in towards his captain, the most evil smile he could make on his face. "I'll hold you to that, Captain."

"How are you this morning, my Lady?" Dukat entered the room with a tray of Bajoran fruits and a pitcher of water. He noted Kira's position against the back wall before he took down the forcefield in the entrance, programming it to reinitialize after he had passed through the door. "I hope the Pagh-wraiths blessed you with a relaxing sleep and renewed your energy for the day's teachings." He smiled and held out the tray to the Bajoran who hadn't moved since he'd entered the room. "I've brought you breakfast. We have a lot to get through today. We study the teachings of the Pagh-wraiths in the morning and then work the hydroponics bays in the afternoon." The smile became seductive. "And at night we'll learn about each other."

"I don't think so, Dukat." Nerys shook her head, her shoulders trying to dig through the decking to get even further away from the Cardassian. "No, I don't think so." A night had cleared her mind. She had watched the bodies of the dead Bajorans fade and vanish to dust before her eyes. It was the body of the baby, slowly disintegrating as she watched, that had reduced her to tears. But thanks to the hours of rest and a few hours where she managed to lightly doze, trusting that the wall at her back would prevent Dukat from approaching her without her knowing, she was now more like her usual self.

"Nerys." Dukat placed the tray on a table and motioned her towards a chair. He sighed deeply as she shook her head and sat at the table himself, his hands folded in relaxation in his lap, an apparently caring smile on his face. "Nerys, you know this is what is supposed to be. The Prophets have obviously abandoned you, but the Pagh-wraiths will love and care for you."

"You say my friends and the Prophets have abandoned me." She glanced sideways at Dukat, who nodded slowly, and then smiled as her gaze turned back away from him. "Do they know where I am? Have you contacted the station to let them know I'm here? Or are you saying the Prophets should give the Emissary a vision and tell him somehow where I am?"

"Nerys, if the Prophets truly cared, you would not be here. They would have prevented Vedek Fala from contacting you and bringing you here to start with." Dukat leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I suggest you accept your situation and make the best of it. You will be here, with me, for many years."

"Really." Kira looked over at the table at the food. She really was hungry, and it was unlikely that Dukat, with his obsession for her, would poison her food. He wanted her to come to him willingly, to accept it as her destiny. Standing, she moved to sit down and began eating, still making sure she kept as far from Dukat as was possible. Glancing at the now empty floor where the Bajoran bodies had been only a night before, her spirits fell. "So, when will you leave to recruit some more faithful followers for the Pagh-wraiths?"

"Not until we have a more . . . " Dukats' smile became seductive, and for the first time, Kira Nerys began to be afraid. " . . . A more understanding relationship." He stood, and sighed again as Kira leapt to her feet as well and backed up to stand against the wall again, her eyes never leaving Dukats'. "Nerys, I am not going to hurt you. You are free to move about the Promenade, and you have access to cargo bays three through to six, the hydroponics areas. Now, please feel free to stretch your legs and I will return in an hour. I will begin to teach you how to worship the Pagh-wraiths then."

"Dukat, let me contact the station." She shook her head fiercely. "I will never worship the Pagh-wraiths, and I will never be in a romance with you. Let me go home, Odo will be worried about me."

"Odo?" Dukat shook his head in apparent sorrow. "The Pagh-wraiths brought you and Odo together, so you could be ready to love me." He walked slowly towards Kira, who, already backed up as far as she could, had nowhere else to go as he got closer. "You're relationship with Odo was to teach you that loving a non-Bajoran was something you could do." Now only a few centimetres apart, Dukat reached out as if to run his fingers down her face, but dropped his hand at the last minute. "Odo is an alien, as I am as well to you. You had to be with him, to be ready to be with me." Turning away smiling, as she mutely shook her head at him, he strolled to the door and turned off the forcefield. "You will be with me eventually, Nerys. It is our destiny."

Odo sat in the darkened security office and worried. Only someone who knew him well would have noticed the sheen in his form, the tremble in his fingertips, as he sat there. A casual looker would merely have seen a man sitting behind a desk, probably thinking deep thoughts about his job, when the reality was that Odo had been cutting his regenerating cycle to the bone for the last few nights.

He looked up as the door hissed open and Dax entered. It still amazed him that Jadzia, tall and elegant, was now contained in this small person. But then she would give a look or stand a certain way, and there was Jadzia again. Nerys, surprisingly the most accepting of the command crew, had a fondness for Ezri and treated her, in some ways, like a younger sister, and Ezri seemed to relate to the older woman who Jadzia had, in some respects, mentored.

Ezri took in Odo's state and gave a sympathetic smile. "Still no news?"

Odo shook his head. "No. I'm beginning to think that the Dominion isn't involved with this at all. If they were, we would have heard something by now." Odo seemed to shrink further into his chair. "Even if it was just to execute her, they would have told us. The Founders would have wanted to let me know that Nerys' life was in her hands, she would have tried to make some sort of deal for me to return the the Link in exchange for her life. That we haven't heard from her at all tells me that she isn't involved."

"You could be right." Ezri didn't want to build up Odo's hopes. "But if it wasn't the Dominion, then what happened? Where is she? It was a Dominion transporter that took her, so who has access to that technology but isn't connected with them?"

Odo shrugged helplessly and leant foreword. "I don't know." Just then, his comm channel bleeped, startling them both. Odo checked the line and raised his eyeridges in surprise as he answered. "Chief, what are you doing awake at this hour?"

O'Brien yawned and tried to focus on the panel. "I just woke up with a thought. We've been assuming it was the Dominion because of the transporter being theirs, right?" Odo nodded. "What if it isn't them but someone who has access to their technology?"

Odo sighed again. "I just said much the same thing to Ezri here." Dax came around the table to stand beside Odo so O'Brien could also see her. "What's your point, Chief?"

"Dukat." A stunned silence descended on the security office. Miles went on almost apologetically. "Well, we know how he feels about Nerys, and that he's not actually connected with the Dominion anymore. And the way he looks at her . . . . like a cat playing with a mouse that can't escape. And he somehow came to the station last year, when he . . . . " Looking at Dax, his voice trailed off.

"I remember the way he looked at me when he beamed into the temple. His eyes . . . . " Ezri urgently turned to Odo, who still hadn't moved. "Odo, the Pagh-wraiths! We know he's involved with them somehow, but what if he's involved with the Bajorans in the cult?"

"That still doesn't tell us where they are." Odo was wondering why he hadn't thought of Dukat before. The moment the Chief had mentioned him, the entire situation made sense for the first time. "He could be on Bajor or anywhere."

"No, not Bajor." O'Brien seemed to have given this more thought than he'd let on. "If Kira were on Bajor, she would have found a way to let us know." He smiled mirthlessly. "She would have blown something up to signal us by now."

"Then we're still left with no leads. She could be anywhere." Odo was sinking into a depression again. He'd seen light at the end of the tunnel, but it had turned out to be the oncoming transporter.

Ezri took events in hand and slapped her commbadge. "Dax to Sisko." As soon as he answered, she went on without a break. "The Chief has just suggested that Kira was taken not by the Dominion, but by Dukat. He would have access to Dominion technology, and we know he's obsessed with her. And he's also involved with the Pagh-wraith cult, and it would be typical of Dukat to try and convert Nerys, both to their beliefs and also to try and force her to be with him. It's her approval of him, he needs her to admit she was wrong to oppose him. His relationship with her mother, with Bajor, even her and Odo. He needs her to praise him, to agree that his actions were the right ones. He needs her. No other Bajoran matters to him, only what Kira believes of him. And he'll do anything to gain her approval and faith."

"Which means that if she was taken by Dukat, he may have her on Bajor somewhere. The cult is only made up of Bajorans." Sisko was wide awake by now. "Odo, what do you think?"

Odo nodded. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it could be true. "It makes sense, Captain. But I doubt he has Nerys on Bajor; she would have found a way to alert us by now. No, I think he's taken her somewhere else, somewhere where he can limit her ability to contact us."

"Not Bajor then." Sisko stroked his beard, vastly relieved that at last a feasible idea had presented itself. Four days without any word from Kira had left them all depressed. "Right, I want everyone in the wardroom in half an hour. At last, we have a potential solution. We need to think of a way to contact the cult and discover where she might be. It's based on Bajor, so someone there must know where Dukat is." Sisko signed off, leaving Dax to smile at Odo, who, for the first time since Kira had vanished, looked as if he had hope.

It was day eight of her kidnapping and Nerys was working in the hydroponics bay. She and Dukat had fallen into a rhythm over the last few days. She would wake early and go to the bays, methodically working her way through them. Dukat would arrive about an hour after she did, after his morning prayers, and bring her a raktajino. He would chide her for refusing to be at the service and lecture her on the Pagh-wraiths as she doggedly worked through the plants, watering and weeding. Trying to ignore him, she would work until midday then leave for the replimat where she had managed to get a single replicator functioning. Still ignoring Dukat, who would sit at her table, she would eat lunch, then return to the bays until late at night, before having dinner and going to her room, where she locked the door before falling asleep on the floor.

Sneaking her own prayers to the Prophets before she slept and left her rooms each morning, Nerys prayed that somehow they would give her friends guidance and they would work out where she was. Every morning, she hoped this would be the day when they arrived to rescue her, and every night, she gazed out her bedroom window in despair, looking for the Defiant that hadn't arrived. She tried breaking into Ops three time now, the last time setting off a silent alarm so she found Dukat waiting for her when she crawled in through the access conduit.

The transoprters in the cargo bays were also offline, but since they were only Cardassian transporters, she was well out of range of the station and any planets she could beam to. If comms had been available, then perhaps she could have inveigled a ship into range and beamed onto it. But Dukat had locked comms down tighter than a Ferengi's wallet. Still, she had one or two ideas left that might work.

On the ninth morning, she was tending the herbs when she heard the bay doors whoosh open and Dukats' boots echoed on the decking as he came in. Before he came into sight, she felt for the comforting weight of the tricorder in her jacket. She hadn't felt herself for several days now, and being naturally suspicious of Dukat and his methods, the tricorder could only confirm or deny her suspicions. However, instead of just placing her coffee in front of her, this day she felt his hand slide down her back and come to rest on her backside. Spinning around, she smacked his arm away from her and backed away from him until she felt the wall against her. Dukat had followed her down the row of herbs and was standing as close as he dared, a smile on his face. "Good morning, Nerys."

"Don't you ever touch me again!" Kira spat the words at him, fear making her voice sharp. She'd been expecting something like this for the last few days, but that didn't make it any easier to cope with. "I don't want to be with you, we will never be a couple. So you may as well let me contact the station."

"Nerys, you of all people should know not to say never about something." Moving closer, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, and too close for her to effectively strike out at him, he placed his hands on her hips, holding her hard against the wall as she tried to edge away. "You will be with me, as the Pagh-wraiths will it. You will learn of their love for you and you will come to love me, as your mother did."

"Dukat, I will never have a romance with you." Kira could feel a rivet from the wall pushing into her shoulder. The fear she felt was real, and a dim part of her mind was screaming at her that Dukat was becoming frustrated with her reluctance, and unless she found a way off Empok Nor soon, he would soon stop being so polite and drag her to his bed, with or without her permission. Slowly, never taking her eyes off him, she slid around to where the coffee cup sat and pulled out the tricorder. Dukat started when he saw the machine, then folded his hands in front of him and watched as she scanned the contents of the cup. As she read the report on the tricorder, her lips curled in digust, and without a word, she upended the cup over the herb bed next to her, pouring out the liquid.

"You don't want your coffee today, Nerys?" Dukat tried to stay polite, but was mentally chiding himself for underestimating her again.

"Oh, the coffee was fine." Her expression hardened as she flipped the screen around so he could read it. "But the S'lassii herbs and the T'vana leaves make it very unpalateable for some reason."

"Ah." Dukat rubed his hands together and avoided her eyes. "I wonder how they got there? You must have programmed the replicator wrong."

Kira snorted and threw the cup at him. "I'll get my own coffee every morning from now on, thank you. And the next time you try and replicate Bajoran aphrodisiac herbs in my food, just remember that I'll be scanning everything I eat or drink from now on, until I leave."

Dukat's face twitched faintly. He'd have to work hard to get her on to his side, and he wouldn't be able to get any help from now on. "Very well, Colonel." As he strode past her, he paused to hiss in her ear. "Tomorrow morning, I'll be calling for you to come with me to the temple. From now on, you'll begin to follow the Pagh-wraiths, not the Prophets. I suggest you make tonights prayers to the Prophets the final ones." He left the room.

Kira stared after him for a long moment, then turned back to the plants, her hands shaking. She could see the trap Dukat was setting for her getting closer and closer. What made it beyond imagining was that she couldn't see any way to avoid it.

"General, we must continue to search for Kira." Shakaar was being forced to call in every favour he was owned and promise quite a lot to others. It was beginning to grate. "The Colonel and I have history; I know her. To vanish like this is completely out of character for her."

General Krim, Kira's immediate superior in the Bajoran Militia sniffed imperiously. "Minister, I am well aware of your previous liason with the Colonel. I'm also aware that you were her Resistance commander. We know this is not normal behaviour for her, but we are also at a loss as to what more we can do to locate her. She is a resourceful woman, and unless she is being forcibly restrained, I would have expected her to find some way of informing us of her whereabouts by now. The only other option is that she is not being held against her will but made a voluntary choice to leave without informing anyone else."

"General, the last time Kira vanished without a trace, she turned up on Cardassia with the Obsidian Order having surgically altered her to Cardassian form." Sisko and the general were in Shakaars office in the Capitol. Rain was gently tapping on the window, the overcast and dismal day suiting Sisko's mood admirably. Odo was also there, but he had yet to comment. He was merely standing at the window looking out at the rain, his arms folded tightly across his body. "We must assume that whatever has happened is a serious enough situation that she is unable to gain access to communications."

"Captain, do you suspect a similar incident to what happened with the Circle?" Shakaar didn't like the idea that Bajorans could be involved, but all possibilities had to be considered. And there was a growing suspicion that if the Dominion wasn't involved, then the Pagh-wraith cult could be, and that was almost entirely a Bajoran enterprise.

Sisko stroked his beard and nodded slowly. "That is an option. But I am unaware of any Bajoran uprising at the moment. Unrest, certainly, as the government is still being seen by some as not entirely protecting Bajoran interests. But there are no large scale organisations currently opposing the elected government on Bajor."

Krim nodded in agreement. "There is opposition, as always, but nothing serious enough or organised enough to accomplish this." He turned back to Shakaar. "This took organisation and almost fanatical belief. It can't be mere politics, there must be more at stake than that."

"Which returns us to the Pagh-wraith cult." Odo spoke for the first time, although he hadn't moved from his position at the window. "Kira would not have left without telling someone. Either myself or Lieutenant Dax would know, she would have told one of us what it was, depending on the circumstances and her reasons for leaving. Therefore, she did not leave of her own free will, but was taken by force." Now he turned to face the others, and Shakaar frowned in concern. Odo's form seemed slick and shiny, as if it was becoming a struggle to hold his shape.

"We are expecting information regarding Dominion involvement at any moment." Sisko rescued his security chief from the others scrutiny. "Either confirmation that they have taken her and our chances of ransoming her back to Bajor, or confirmation that she isn't a Dominion prisoner. Either way, we will have a little more information and a better chance of resolving the problem." He was interrupted by Shakaars computer pinging quietly. After examining the terminal for a moment, Shakaar silently turned it to face Sisko, who activated it. "This is Sisko."

Dax gazed at him, worry written in every line on her face. "Ben, we have an incoming communication from Cardassia addressed to Odo."

"Patch it through." Sisko beckoned Odo over, and the Changeling came over to stand in front of the screen, obviously on edge. A moment later, Weyouns face appeared on the screen.

He bowed. "Founder. You honour us with your presence."

"I'm not a Founder, Weyoun. How many times do I have to tell you?" Odo gated out the words and glared at the Vorta, who didn't reply, just bowed. "Colonel Kira has vanished. I need to know if the Dominion is involved in any way."

"Not that I am aware of." Weyoun tapped his computer primly and went into 'smug Vorta' mode. "The Colonel is a Bajoran, and as such, is not under threat due to Bajor's nonagression pact with the Dominion. We have no reason to harm her, why would you suspect us of this . . . terrible crime."

Odo leant forward and glared at the screen. "Because I love her. And because she loves me."

Weyoun spread his hands in apparent confusion. No-one was fooled. "Then what possible benefit can it be to the Dominion to harm her?"

"Hurumph." Odo folded his arms even tighter if possible and looked sceptical. "If that were all she is, I would believe you." He placed his hands behind his back and went into interrorgator mode. "But I suspect that my relationship with Nerys would make her much more intresting to the Dominion than you claim."

"Not at all, Founder." Weyoun tried a look of guiless innocence that didn't seem to work as Odo snorted again. "On the contrary, your relationship with the Colonel makes it all the more important that she is treated with respect and dignity." He glanced at his own computer, then turned back to Odo. "The Colonel is not present anywhere on Cardassia, nor is she know to be within Dominion space at all." He tried the smug look again. "Odo, it pains us that you continue to believe we wish you and the Colonel harm. We have no reason to hurt her in any way, or to allow her to be hurt."

"Weyoun, do you expect me to believe that if Nerys suddenly appeared on Cardassia or within Dominion space, that you would merely put her on a shuttle and return her to the station." Odo shot Sisko a glance of disbelief at the idea, while the Human merely shrugged.

"Founder, I would return with her myself to ensure her good health on the journey." Weyoun bowed again, apparently oblivious. "If you still don't believe me, you are welcome to come to Cardassia and search for yourself."

"No. Thank you." Odo sketched a bow himself. "Should you discover her location, I wish to be told immediately, understood."

"Of course, Founder. In fact," Weyoun began to push buttons on his computer again, "I shall order our Jem'Hadar to immediately begin searching Dominion space for her."

Odo didn't bother replying, just reached out and closed the connection then turned to the others. "She's not on Cardassia. Which means the Dominion isn't involved in this."

"You're sure?" Shakaar looked sceptical. "I wouldn't believe Weyoun if he told me the sky was blue."

"Neither would I." Odo finally sat down, or more accurately, collapsed into a chair. "But this time, I believe him. If Kira were within the Dominion, he would have invited me to come to Cardassia to retrieve her. Any chance that the Dominion might have contact with me has the potential, in their eyes, of my returning to the Link. That he didn't do so means they don't know where she is either."

"Will Weyoun really search for her?" Krim suddenly had the wild visions of Jem'Hadar storming around the universe seeking a single Bajoran. "Weyoun could do the job for us."

"Possibly." Shakaar was intrigued by the idea himself. "Although that raises the chance of Kira shooting her own rescue party." He grinned at the others. "Well, picture it. Kira sitting in some holding cell, when a Jem'Hadar squad rushes in, shoots everything in sight, and then Weyoun appears. She'd have them just on principal."

Sisko chuckled at the resulting mental image. "That would certainly be her first reaction. I think she'd agree to be rescued though. Whatever else they may be, a Jem'Hadar rescue squad would be efficient." He sighed slightly. "However, I doubt it will happen that way. Wherever she is, it looks like we're going to have to find her ourselves."

"Which brings us back to the Pagh-wraith cult. We have to locate them." Shakaar, neither a firm believer in the Prophets like Kira was, nor a disbeliever, always felt uneasy when dealing with the cult. "After you returned the Celestial Temple to the Prophets and that boy tried to murder you, the cult has gone underground. They aren't easy to find, and even less easy to negotiate with."

"If they do have her, then it's not political, its fanatical." Krim didn't like where this was going. "And fanatics are almost impossible to deal with."

"So I've been told," Shakaar noted drily, finding it ironic that only a few years before he had been considered a fanatic of the first water. Krim didn't apologise for his comment, merely nodded. Truth doesn't stop being true just because you don't like it that way. "Captain, I'll have Bajoran intelligence take this in hand. However, it's likely that there are people on the station, both civilian and military, who have more direct links to them than we have. You might do well to open a dialogue with them yourself if possible."

"If the Militia could provide us with some members who are also members of the cult, that would help." Sisko stroked his beard again and covertly watched Odo, who seemed lost in thought.

Krim nodded sharply and left. Shakaar leaned back in his chair and also watched Odo, who looked up a few minutes later to see the other men looking at him. "Yes?"

"Odo, I realise this is difficult for you." Shakaar considered it was difficult for himself as well. His relationship with Kira on a professional level hadn't been damaged by the break down of their intimate relationship, but he had noticed a distinct cooling off between himself and Odo since he and Nerys had become involved. It was a good time to offer a peace treaty. "I can understand how you feel about this, and I know how worrying and stressful it must be." He picked his words with care, knowing if he tried to simply blow Odo off, Kira would be happy to take him apart over it when she returned. "But allowing yourself to become over-burdened isn't going to help when you have to rescue Nerys. It could be very dangerous, and you will need all your strength. You have to allow yourself a full regeneration cycle, or you won't be able to help her."

"Minister, I . . . " Odo paused, tried for an indignant glare, failed under Shakaar's sympathetic gaze, and slumped back down. "I thank you for your concern. I have been cutting my hours back, to be able to spend more time in my office investigating possible leads. You're right, of course. I have to regenerate fully or I won't be able to help rescue her, whatever that entails." He stood, and the others followed suit. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to the runabout."

"Of course." Sisko nodded. "I'll rejoin you shortly Constable." He waited until Odo had beamed away, then turned back to Shakaar, obviously startled. "He's not coping as well as I thought."

"That much is obvious." Shakaar sat back down, shaken by just how worried Odo would have to be to admit as much to him. "Kira has always had only the highest respect for Odo. It was due to her reporting his refusal to be a Cardassian puppet when he was first assigned to the station that he was ever effective there, and that he was allowed to remain after Cardassia left and you took over. She reported to the resistance that he couldn't be bought, bribed, or corrupted. And that he refused to allow Dukat to execute the innocent just because it was convieniant. He has always been scrupulously just when dealing with Bajorans. This has to affecting him terribly."

"I agree." Sisko mused on the years since his arrival at Bajor. "Their friendship was one of the constants of the universe on the station. This last year since they became involved has only strengthened that bond between them. I will admit, I did have some concerns at first, but not any more."

"Why would you be concerned? I understand Commanders Dax and Worf were also involved, even married. What makes their relationship any different to that of Odo and Nerys?"

"Because it is highly unlikely that Dax or Worf would be in charge of the station should I leave." Sisko smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair. "Whereas it is very likely that one day Nerys will be station commander, for at least a few years if the Militia has any sense at all. And with Odo as security officer, that places two officers having an intimate relationship in a very powerful position. They will, for all intents and purposes, dictate station policy and control access to the station, the wormhole, and Bajor. Frankly, I'm grateful that they both have a strong sense of honour and justice, although that doesn't stop either of them from bending the rules occasionally."

"She only bends them these days?" Shakaar chuckled as Sisko's grin widened. "The Kira Nerys I had used to break them good and proper, then stamp on it for good measure."

"Well, she's grown up now." Ben liked Shakaar. He had a sense of humour and a fine sense of the ridiculous. Sisko had once attended a conference with Kira and Shakaar and had been forced to heroically restrain himself while they muttered to each other in Bajoran, just loud enough for him to hear them, very unflattering comments about the self-important politicians and Vedeks who were speaking. "These days she just bends them. Sometimes until they're completely out of shape. Although if she and Odo decided that a rule should be broken, they have no fears about doing so - they just don't tell us about it."

"That sounds like Nerys." Shakaar stood and Sisko followed suit. "Well, I must get back to work, Captain." As the men shook hands, Shakaar's expression became solemn. "Please keep me appraised of what's happening. If you need any assisstance at all from Bajor, don't hesitate to ask. I've lost too many good people in my life already. I don't want to lose her as well."

"Dukat, the Prophets are the protectors of Bajor, not the Pagh-wraiths!" Kira had her hands over her eyes, and tried to marshal her thoughts. They had been arguing about the two sides for several hours this day, and she was beginning to tire. "They sent us the Orbs, they saved Bajor when the Dominion tried to come through. They sent Akorem Lon back in time and saved his life! How does any of that show that they don't care about Bajor?"

"Bajor was never under any threat from the Dominion, Nerys." Dukat still had that annoying smile on his face and it was beginning to irk her. "Your people signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion, and between that and the treaty with Cardassia, you have nothing to fear from them." He sipped his kanar, watching her intently. "Before the Occupation, the Pagh-wraith cult was forced underground by the Vedek assembly and the Prophets, to prevent the Bajoran people from discovering the truth. It wasn't until Cardassia arrived that they were allowed to be heard by mainstream Bajoran society, and they could start to tell your people the truth; that the Prophets had abandoned Bajor."

"If the Pagh-wraiths are the true gods of Bajor, then why did they let the Cardassians occupy Bajor in the first place?" Her anger at the occupation boiled up again, but the exhaustion she felt at being constantly on the alert against Dukat was making it harder and harder to keep the energy up. If he keeps this up at this level, she thought, he'll wear me down until I can't resist anymore and win that way.

"The Prophets threw the Pagh-wraiths out of the Celestial Temple because they wanted to help the Bajorans. The Pagh-wraiths have no power while ever they're kept from the Temple. They were prevented from helping Bajor during the Occupation, by the Prophets." Dukat placed his hand on the table next to Kira's, and was interested that she was so tired she didn't bother to move her hand away from his. "The Pagh-wraiths wanted to help Bajor by taking a more active role in Bajoran life. They want to tell Bajor things directly, to give you direct help. The Prophets like being more oblique, they try to make Bajorans discover things for themselves without any help."

Kira finally realized that his hands were creeping closer to hers, and about to reach out and hold them, and folded her arms. "So, the Prophets are like the Federation. They want Bajor to grow on its own. How does that make the Pagh-wraiths the real gods? How does that make them better than the Prophets?"

Dukat leaned in closer across the table. He could see the tiredness in her face, that she could barely keep her eyes open and stay awake. The long hours, continued lectures and plain stress fatigue was beginning to break down her natural caution and personal aversion. She had started to ask more questions than making statements, a sure sign that her faith was beginning to show cracks. And he had managed to come progressively closer to her without her shying away from him, another sign that she was starting to lose her fear of him and their potential relationship. He smiled to himself and calculated that another week and she should start to begin to change her faith. Her personal feelings for him might take longer to alter, but they would change.

"We will discuss that tomorrow." Standing, he indicated she should proceed him towards her quarters. "You should rest for now. Tomorrow morning, I shall come and take you to our temple here. The Pagh-wraiths can guide you better than I can, and through the prayers they have laid out for you to learn and worship them with, your questions will be answered." As they reached her rooms, he asked the same question he had asked every night. "Would you like me to stay with you?"

Kira leaned forward, her palms on the door and struggled to answer. She was so tired . . . . Gathering her thoughts, she shook her head. "No Dukat. There is no us and there never will be." Turning to him she made her nightly demand. "Let me contact the station, Dukat. Let me go home."

"This is your home, Nerys." He leaned in to whisper in her ear, and for the first time, she didn't flinch away. "This is your home, now and forever. Forget your life on the station. You live with me and the Pagh-wraiths, now." He turned and left, but paused at the end of the corridor until he heard the clunk of the lock on her door after she'd entered. It was some time in coming. Smiling as he headed to his own rooms, Dukat decided that in about a Bajoran week, she wouldn't bother locking the door at all. And on that night, he would return and take his place with her, and in her bed.

Odo paced restlessly around the cave. Normally patient when meeting informants, he couldn't stay still this time. Knowing that his Nerys' life was potentially on the line, he hadn't told Sisko about the meeting that had been set up by a go-between for him and a member of the Pagh-wraith cult. Indeed, he still wasn't totally sure why this member was coming forward at all. After all, the cult valued their privacy and had little to do with outsiders. They generally let people seek them out rather than openly trying to make converts like the other Bajoran religous orders. And even when you did finally connect with them, you were viewed with suspicion until they knew you were a valid believer.

However, for whatever reason, a member had indicated he would be willing to talk to Odo, on the proviso that no-one else was involved. So Odo had feigned a meeting of the Bajoran security council and headed to Bajor. There was a good chance he was telling the truth anyway; the council seemed to do nothing but hold meetings, so there was probably one happening happening somewhere anyway.

A faint footfall was the only warning he got that he wasn't alone before a hooded figure appeared from down a dark corridor. Odo folded his hands behind his back and tried to look non-threatening. "Well?"

The figure folded it's hands in the robes sleeves and spoke in a hushed voice. "I understand you're seeking guidence."

Odo's hands came to his sides and he took a menacing step forward. "I'm looking for Colonel Kira Nerys. Do you know where she is?"

The figure waved a hand calmingly. "She is with the Pagh-wraiths and at peace."

Odo felt himself go cold. "Do you mean she's dead?" He calculated the distance between himself and the other person. If he timed the leap right, he would have them before they knew it.

The other must have noticed as their voice became nervous and shaky. "Not at all, my son. She is alive and well." Odo relaxed a fraction, just enough to be noticable. "I simply mean that she has left her old life behind and has chosen to live in the love of the Pagh-wraiths with the Master."

"The Master?" Odo stepped back and resumed his security pose. The key was to get as much information as was possible before the informant fled. So whatever he said, he had to be kept talking. "Who is the Master? And why did Nerys not speak to any of us about her desicion?"

"The Master leads us in the paths of the Pagh-wraiths. They have cleansed him of his past sins and he has given himself over to them and their teachings." The cult members voice became more certain of itself as he spoke, more confident and assertive. "He has chosen Kira Nerys as his lifemate, and to help him spread the good news of the love of the Pagh-wraiths to all Bajorans."

Odo folded his arms and resisted the temptation to snort in disbelief. "As honoured as Nerys would be, I would rather hear it from her. And I'd like to know who the Master is."

The figure started to fidget, and Odo knew he was becoming evasive. "The Master says it is best she is not distracted from her studies of the Pagh-wraiths by her old life. He has been forgiven for his past and returned to the glory he once knew by the love of the Pagh-wraiths. We cannot betray them, they are the future leaders of the Bajoran people when the Pagh-wraiths are restored to their rightful place in the Celestial Temple."

"I see." As the figure became even more agitated, Odo knew he only had a few moments left before the man would flee. "Can you at least tell us their location, so we may be sensitive and not interfere with the good works of the Master and the Pagh-wraiths?"

The man went still and seemed to be thinking for a long moment before whispering. "I cannot tell you. Others would discover what you know and those who wish to destroy us would take the Master. He is where he belongs to be, where he should never have left." With that, he turned and fled, vanishing into the darkness.

Knowing it was pointless to follow, Odo contacted the Bajoran transit centre in preperation for his return to the station. Shortly after he arrived and was waiting in the transit lounge, two security officers approached him. "Constable Odo?" When he nodded they motioned towards the diplomatic lounge. "You're wanted in the ambassadors lounge, sir."

Odo entered the lounge, noting that the two officers kept a close but discreet distance from him. As he entered the room, they took up station on either side of the door that slid shut and locked behind him. Folding his arms, he sighed as he saw Sisko, Dax, and Shakaar obviously waiting for him in the lounge. "Yes?"

"What did they say?" Sisko didn't bother explaining just sat expectantly waiting for the answer.

"That Nerys has left to become a follower of the Pagh-wraiths and to become the partner of someone known as the 'Master'. He refused to tell me where they were because people who wanted to destroy the cult would find out. Apparently this Master is also preventing Nerys from contacting us, supposedly so she isn't confused by her old life."

"This has Dukat written all over it." Dax shuddered at the mention of his name, while Shakaar looked outraged.

"Dukat with Nerys?" Shakaar began pacing the small room, frustrated at a lack of targets to strike out at. "The idea is abhorrent. He's the Butcher of Bajor, a man responsible for thousands of deaths. How can he ever believe that Kira, a woman who watched her entire family die, who fought the Cardassians and their puppets, that she would ever have an intimate romance with him? She would rather die than lay down with him."

"Dukat believes that Kira holds the key to him returning to Bajor. If he can convince her that he is right, that he is the saviour of Bajor, that she was wrong to ever oppose him, then he believes that Bajor will one day acknowledge him as it's rightful ruler and welcome him back with open arms to bow before him." Odo sat down, drained of all strength. "I couldn't find out where they are. The only information he would give me before he left was that Dukat is where he belongs, somewhere he should never have left."

"Dukat thinks he should never have left the station." Sisko stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Is it possible he's taken over Empok Nor? It's the same design as DS9, and it wouldn't be too hard for him to have installed a Dominion transporter there. But it's far enough away for us to not know if they're there or not."

"It's possible." Odo nodded sharply. "He would have his office back, a semblence of the power he once held over Bajor. And if members of the cult were there as well, he would have Bajorans to clean the place up. Garak and the Chief said it was in a sorry state when they were there."

"We'll work on the assumption they're on Empok Nor then." Sisko stood and turned to Shakaar. "Minister, I think it would be better if we take it from here. The Federation has the means to be able to get us safely there and back to rescue Kira. Bajor doesn't have that kind of ability at the moment, and it would be very inadvisable for your government to enforce what the Dominion could see as an attack in their territory, whereas if we do it, it's just another war activity."

Shakaar nodded, feeling more useless than before. "I agree Captain." That moment, his aide quickly entered and whispered agitatedly in his ear, then scurried back out. "I have to go. It seems the Kai has heard what has happened and is demanding an immediate report on how a follower of the Pagh-wraiths could have reached such a high rank in the Militia."

"You may want to hold off telling her everything. The longer we can convince them we know nothing, the better the chance we have of them not knowing we're coming." Sisko and Dax stood on either side of Odo as Shakaar nodded again, then beamed up to their waiting runabout. Before they even left the transporter pad, Sisko had swung around to face Odo. "What the hell were you thinking, Constable? You told me you would not go charging off on some vengence quest. You promised me as a Bajoran."

"I'm not Bajoran, Captain. Remember?" Odo stalked off the pad into the back of the runabout, leaving a fuming Sisko alone with Dax.

"He's got a point, Benjamin." Dax had already taken them out of orbit and was deftly returning them to the station. "He's not Bajoran. And he's under more stress than I can imagine."

"I know." Sisko felt drained as he slumped into the other flight chair. "But he can't just go off and try to rescue her on his own. We could end up loosing both of them if he does."

"We could." Ezri thought for a while. "We suspect there must be a spy of some kind on the station, otherwise they wouldn't have known the right time to get Kira on her own. What if we pretended, in public, to be moving on without Kira? You know, replacing her in Ops, packing up her quarters, maybe Odo could even claim to be having a date with someone. If whoever is his informant on the station contacts Dukat to let him know, then we'll know for sure whether they're on Bajor or somewhere else."

"And then we can plan how to rescue her properly." Sisko nodded slowly, then went to the rear of the vessel. He found Odo staring at the passing stars. "Constable, don't ever do that again without informing us. Now, Dax and I have come up with a plan to confirm Dukat's location. Once we know where he is, we can plan how to rescue her. But we can't do that if you're going to keep things hidden from us."

The silence stretched out for a long time before Odo nodded. "It won't happen again, Captain."

Sisko placed a gentle hand on Odo's shoulder. "Good. Now, we need to plan what we're going to say before we get back to the station. I want to put this into operation tonight."

Dukat watched Nerys sleep via the security monitors from his quarters. After making sure she was asleep by flicking the lights on and off and watching for her reaction, he tapped a button.

Smiling, he listened closely and could hear a faint sussuration, indicating the audio transmitter he'd planted was working. Sitting back, he switched off the monitor and imagined the turmoil he was creating in Kira's mind every night. The transmitter was designed to continuosly play the Pagh-wraith chants at a sub-audible level, attempting to ingraine them into her mind and subconcious as she slept. It was already showing effects, as he'd seen that morning after he'd forced her to attend morning prayers with him. As he'd spoken the chants and prayers, Dukat was sure that he'd seen Kira start to mouthe the words as well. It was the appalled look on her face as she realised what she was doing that told him the transmitter was doing its job with admirable efficiency.

After three and a half weeks, Kira's mental barriers were beginning to crumble. He'd made a close study of the failed Obsidian Order attempt to use Kira to infiltrate the dissident movement. One of the side benefits was it allowing the Order to make a more in-depth analysis of her psychological profile, and this, Dukat felt, gave him an inside edge. He'd judged, to a fine point, the balence of her mind, and had bet that with himself that a combination of selected herbs, the transmitter, and steady and firm mental pressure would bring her to his side.

It wouldn't be long now, he thought, just a few more days. The smile became a smirk and he rubbed his hands together slowly. She should come around about the same time as the new cult members arrived at the end of the week.

Reluctantly, the crew gathered in Ops, now dependant on this, the last way they knew that it might be possible to find Dukat, and hopefully, Kira Nerys. Every other method had failed, including an attempted infiltration of the Pagh-wraith cult by Bajoran intelligence. The script for the last chance had been drafted by Ezri and Sisko, attempting to walk a careful line between being convincing enough that Dukat and the Pagh-wraith followers would believe it, but with enough hidden clues that Nerys wouldn't, should she see it.

In this, they failed miserably.

"Right people," Sisko's voice carried through Ops, hopefully being recorded by any Pagh-wraith informers. "We have a few things to discuss, such as our new First Officer." Looking down at the PADD, he swallowed tightly before continuing, sending an arrow prayer to the Prophets that their plan would work. "Our new first Officer, Major Jitaran Melas, is arriving tomorrow. Odo and I will meet him and bring him up to speed on our work here, with the view to integrating him into the command crew within the week." Glancing at Odo, Ben hoped the Changeling would remember his part in the plan. Odo's position had the potential to be the most potent. "Constable, have you dealt with the Colonels quarters?"

"I have." Odo hated what he was about to say, but he'd been unable to come up with any other suggestion to find Dukat, so he had little choice but to go along with the plan. "I've boxed up all her possessions and sent them back to Bajor. Her command codes have been relieved and when the Major arrives, I'll issue him with new codes."

"Good." Sisko felt ill with what he was about to say. "Major Jitaran is much more qualified to be here than Kira was. He's a highly decorated officer, who takes advice well and seems to be much more malleable than she was. Should Kira come back in the future, there won't be a position for her here. The militia might have a post available though, maybe foreign affairs can use her."

Dax winced. Sisko's offhand tone sounded savage to the ear, and Odo couldn't have sounded like he cared less what happened to Kira. She fervently hoped they hadn't gone too far and Kira would actually believe what they were saying. It was only going to get worse. She realized the others were waiting for her to add her part of the script and focussed. "So Odo, I saw you talking to a waitress at the new Andorian restaurant." She smiled knowingly. "Anything you want to tell us?"

Odo shrugged. "Maybe. We're having dinner tomorrow night. You never know, something might happen then." He closed his eyes; this was too much. "Captain, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to security to prepare for Major Jitarans arrival."

"Of course, Constable." Sisko could only imagine the pain Odo was in. There was a black pit in his own stomach at their little play and what they had pretended. He could only hope they found Kira from it, that might make it worth the pain. "I'll come with you and we'll organize his clearances." As they left Ops, he added a final twist of the knife. "Should we issue him Kira's quarters?"

"I don't see why not, Kira obviously doesn't want them anymore or she would have come back by now." As the turbolift left Ops and anyone who might be listening, the facade collapsed, and Odo turned to Sisko in anger. "If Nerys hears that, she will believe we have abandoned her completely." He thumped his chest. "She'll believe I have abandoned her!"

"There's nothing else we can do, Odo." Sisko didn't like it any more than his security chief did. "This is the only way we're going to find Dukat. I take it the communications trace is in place already?"

"I've been monitoring all communications since this started a month ago." Odo seemed mollified somewhat, but Ben didn't believe for one moment that he wasn't still very worried. "The moment anyone contacts the cult on Bajor or sends a communication anywhere else we'll know about it."

"Good." Ben rubbed his hands in apparent confidence. "Then now we wait for them to make their move."

"Master, I have important news for you!" Lieutenant Nugan Lytal, a low-ranking member of the command staff, was a middle-ranking member of the Pagh-wraith cult. He and the Colonel had avoided each other in the past because of their radically differing religious views, but now he was the important one not her. "Captain Sisko and Constable Odo were in Ops today discussing Colonel Kira's replacement and her. I recorded the conversation, I can transmit it to you if you want it."

"Yes, please do that." Dukat was pleased and showed it. Kira had been slowly breaking down over the last month. If the message had any worth, he would show it to her. It may help her finally realize that her place was at his side and convert her to the Pagh-wraith faith. "Can you give me the gist of the conversation?"

"Yes master." Nugan was proud that the Pagh-wraiths had chosen him to be on duty and able to record the conversation in Ops. "She has been replaced by Major Jitaran. Captain Sisko and the Constable seemed very unconcerned about Kira and what has happened to her. Odo has packed up her quarters and had her personal effects shipped back to Bajor apparently, and they are preparing for Major Jitaran's arrival tomorrow. Sisko said that there would be no place for the colonel on the station if she should return. And it seems that Odo has already started a new relationship, with a waitress at a new restaurant. From what they said, they could not care whether she comes back or not."

"You have done well, Nugan." Dukat was beaming now. The news couldn't be better. The emissary replacing her so quickly and with such apparent indifference to her welfare, and Odo already abandoning her for another relationship. Dukat knew he would show her the recording, and if he planned the situation properly, she would be following the Pagh-wraiths and in his bed by the end of the week. "Will you be joining us here? There's a transport bringing the faithful here next week, you could come with it."

"No master, I think I can best serve you and the true Prophets here, on the station." An unnameable instinct for self-preservation welled up inside him. The master had told the faithful two weeks ago that the previous group to join him had left their station to follow the Pagh-wraiths, which as far as Nugan was concerned was a very enigmatic answer. No-one had been able to contact any of the previous group, and faint suspicions were starting to surface in the cult. Still, a new group of followers were planning on going to the station to live with the master. "You've received the recording. I should log off now, to ensure no-one here becomes suspicious about this transmission."

"As you wish." Dukat voiced the traditional blessing from the Pagh-wraiths, then, after Nugan had closed the channel, watched the recording of the meeting in Ops. It was everything he'd hoped for and more. The group could not have seemed less worried about Kira's fate, and Odo certainly seemed so unconcerned that he was looking forward to involving himself in a new relationship without knowing for certain that his relationship with Kira was ended.

The Cardassian smiled. If Nerys still refused him after seeing this, then nothing would ever change her mind. But her present state of mind led him to believe that she was hovering on the brink of accepting the life he had enforced on her. And should she accept that she now lived on Empok Nor, she would eventually come to accept everything else about her new life.

"Now, Lieutenant," Sisko leaned over the table towards the frightened Bajoran officer, while Odo leaned back and gave his evil smile. "Tell us everything you know about the whereabouts of Dukat and Kira Nerys."

"I . . . . I don't know anything, sir." Nugan's eyes twitched between Odo and Sisko, trying to keep both in sight. The men were playing their traditional game of 'Bad cop, worse cop', a game which rarely failed.

"Don't lie to me, Nugan." Odo dropped his voice to a savage rasp and let his features sharpen. With the light to the side of him, and his form partly in shadow, he seemed to become more dangerous by the second. "Kira Nerys is very important to me, as you are well aware. I am prepared to do whatever it will take to find her." He leaned even closer and his eyes glittered coldly in the half light. "Whatever it will take."

"I would suggest that, if you have anything to tell us, you tell us now." Sisko almost whispered the words in Nugan's ear, while keeping a wary eye on Odo. The Constable was close to the edge, and Sisko fervently hoped Nugan would talk sooner rather than later.

Apparently, the Bajoran agreed with him. Now almost hysterical with fear, he was nearly climbing over the back of the chair to get away from Odo. "Alright, I'll talk! Just . . . " he waved a hand towards Odo, "Keep him away from me!"

"Odo." Sisko spoke quietly and placed a hand on Odo's arm, gently urging him back into his chair, then sat on the edge of the table and glared at Nugan. "Very well. Where are they and what do you know?"

"All right people, here's the situation." Sisko glanced at Odo, who was standing in the wardroom and staring out the window, at what, he didn't know. "Dukat has taken over Empok Nor. It seems that they have almost no weapons or defences. I expect that he's relying on their apparent harmlessness to protect them from the Dominion, who almost certainly knows they are there." He brought up a map of the space surrounding the rebel station. "There are two shipments going to Empok Nor in the next week. One is a transport ship taking thirty or so members of the Pagh-wraith cult to the station to live. This apparently is a special privilege given to those members of the cult who prove themselves worthy somehow. The other is a supplies shipment taking food, clothing, etc. for the new inhabitants."

Worf took up the plan. "We will be taking the shipment of supplies in a Ferengi freighter. Quark has been most helpful in this situation."

"When do we leave, Captain?" Odo spoke up but he still hadn't turned from the window. His friends were becoming more concerned about him by the moment.

"In two days." Sisko handed them all PADD's. "Julian has given each of us a schedule to be given Bajoran noses. The cover story is that we are all Bajorans, except obviously for Worf, who are on hire to anyone. We have a Ferengi ship because we hijacked it some years back. We will be coming in from the Badlands side of the station, so it will look less suspicious that way. At this point, our only interest is Kira. We go in, find her, and bring her home. Should the chance arise, we will also bring back Dukat, but he is not a priority."

"And he may be protected by the members of the cult, so we don't want to hurt Bajorans at the same time." Dax nodded in agreement. "Kira has to be our first worry. We have to get her back. Dukat can wait until another time if we have to."

"Captain, there's something you haven't thought about." Odo finally turned to face the others, his normally dour expression now lined with worry and stress. "Dukat may have succeeded in whatever his plan was. Nerys may be unable, or unwilling, to leave with us. What do we do then?"

Benjamin took a few moments to think about it, then nodded decisively. "We still bring her back here. If she wants to leave again afterwards, then she can. But I suspect she's been in a hothouse environment, and any decision she may have made will be contaminated by that. A few days here to clear her head and without the stress of Dukat will allow her to make a more balanced choice, whatever she chooses." As the others nodded in agreement, Sisko stood. "We will meet at the Defiant at thirteen hundred tomorrow. Dismissed." The others filed out, but Odo lingered, obviously wanting to talk. Sisko sat back down and leant back in the chair. "What's on your mind, Constable?"

Odo stood stiffly at the other end of the table. He was nearing the need to regenerate, and tonight, he vowed, he would take some extra time. He would need all the strength he could get for the upcoming rescue mission. "I just worry that Nerys may be reluctant to return to the station with us because of Dukat."

"You think she might have lost her faith in the Prophets?"

"No, never that." Sisko was a little surprised at the firmness in Odo's voice at this suggestion, but he held his words and let the Changeling get out of his system whatever was bothering him. "No, it's Dukat I fear. He has terrorized her many times in the past, and I know she came perilously close to falling into his traps during the Dominion occupation. It was only the friendships of those on the station that kept her level headed, she told me. But she's been alone with Dukat for a month. And if he showed her that recording as he probably would, she believes we've abandoned her as well, and she might . . . . " His voice trailed off, and Sisko saw the fear in Odo's eyes.

A little ego building was in order, Sisko decided. "Odo, the Colonel's a survivor. She will fight until the bitter end. She won't surrender to Dukat, although I agree that it might appear she has. But I know Nerys, and if it seems that way, it will be because she has done what she needed to, to survive." Standing, he walked over and placed a gentle hand on Odo's shoulder, dropping his voice to speak quietly. "You and I both know she killed not just Cardassians in the occupation but also Bajorans. We know how it's haunted her, how it has coloured her views, and how she has strived to become more than she was. But Kira is a realist, and she knows that if she has to survive by surrendering, she will, but only until she can escape. Dukat might have forced her to become something she hates, but if we give her a chance, she will leave that life behind. We have to be prepared to accept her for whatever she has done, and to support her no matter what she decides."

Odo looked at Sisko for a long time, then turned away, his arms folded. "I know. It's just that I know what she has done in the past, and I don't want her to be forced to those places again. She has only recently started to look beyond the near future, to dream of what might happen after the war. If she has done what Dukat wants, it will set her back years."

"I know, Odo." Sisko had no illusions about what Odo was referring to. Dukat's greatest fantasy was to have Kira Nerys as his mistress. He would stop at nothing to achieve it, and all of the command crew believed that this was his real reason for kidnapping her. The Pagh-wraith cult was merely an excuse and a way to give him the means to carry out his fantasy. And once she was in his hands, he wouldn't hesitate to use any means at his disposal to make that fantasy come true. "Nerys' faith is as strong as she is, Odo. Whatever she has done, whatever choices she has made, she won't have lost her faith in the Prophets. And that faith is what will bring her back to us in the end. Nothing Dukat does to her, or forces her to do, can destroy her faith."

"I wish I had that faith, Captain."

Sisko turned Odo to face him, trying to bolster his hope. "You do, Odo. You have faith in Nerys, and she has faith in you. You have to hold onto that, for just a little while longer. You have to keep your strength, Odo." Sisko gently squeezed Odo's shoulder, trying to send his strength to the other man. There wasn't a lot he could say until they knew the situation. It was going to be a long night.

Kira was standing with her hands braced against the window, her head bowed, as she silently wept. A month after being kidnapped from DS9, and no-one had come to find her. Indeed, if the recording Dukat had shown her two days ago was to be believed, she had been abandoned by her friends, by Captain Sisko, but most heartbreakingly of all, by the man she loved. It was only two separate thoughts that kept her from breaking down entirely. One, an entirely illogical but deep one was that after seven years, Sisko wouldn't want to let her go that easily. He had fought to have her reinstated during the conflict with the Circle, he had disobeyed Federation law to rescue her. And he had defied Kai Winn during the potential civil war over the reclamators, and used that same law to ensure he couldn't be forced to track her and her friends down.

Since then, he'd had plenty of chances to replace her, plenty of opportunities to have her transferred back to Bajor and another officer put in her place, and he had turned them all down. Indeed, only a few months ago, he had argued for two hours with Shakaar over a militia attempt to repost her to Bajor into planetary command. No, she had decided, his being pleased about loosing her and Major Jitaran replacing her wasn't how he really felt. There had to be more to the situation, maybe Bajor pushing another officer on him quickly because they believed she had abandoned them, not the other way around.

Her belief that Odo's statement wasn't all it seemed either was based on another illogical, but more deeply held belief. He had loved her for years, despite all that had happened. He had supported her, even when she was breaking his heart with another man. He had defended her against all enemies, even sacrificed his desire for the Link to be with her. He had respected her beliefs when she offered herself to the Prophets in the Reckoning, even though she may have died. For him to cast her aside so easily, not knowing whether she were alive or dead but only that she had vanished against her will was not the man she had come to admire and then to love for all these years. No, Odo's actions didn't suit him any more than Sisko's had suited him.

Yet that damn recording played itself over in her mind, the words searing their way into her heart. The tears fell as what she had seen with her own eyes fought against the faith in her soul. Slowly, eventually, the tears ceased, but she still stood at the window, despair in every line, and gazed into empty space. No-one was coming for her, she had to accept that. And life on the station had moved on without her, this much was obvious. Choking back fresh emotion, she baldly assessed her options. She could continue to fight Dukat, loosing ground with every battle and every day, until he wore her down and there was nothing left. Or she could appear to surrender to him and hopefully have a chance in the near future to contact someone outside.

Fresh tears fell as she closed her eyes, knowing that the second choice was the only chance she had. It would mean pain and humiliation, and there was every chance that even if she managed to escape, she would lose both her career and Odo. He would understand what she had done, that much she knew. But whether she could live with herself and the knowledge that she was going to lay down with her most hated enemy just to save her own tattered soul was another matter altogether. No, she would have to resign and return to Bajor when she escaped, and forfeit Odo as well. But, as during the Cardassian Occupation when she had used every resource she had, including her body, when the Resistance demanded, this was just another demand on her. She had been here before, and she had survived then. She would survive this as well, this deep, dark, hell she was entering with her head held high, and she would move back into the light when it was over as she had done before.

Swallowing tightly, she straightened and pulled her jacket back on. She knew how the game was played, and could only assume that Sisko and Odo were involved in an elaborate trap for Dukat. Scrubbing away the tear tracks she gave her reflection a sharp nod and turned to the door. Whatever their plan, she had to survive to contact them somehow, whatever the cost.

Sisko waited until the transport was well away before coming in to approach the station for docking. The less space going craft in the area the better. It would narrow down the list of people likely to stop them, and also decrease the number of people who could potentially identify them. A few minutes after the other ship had gone to warp and vanished back in the direction of Bajor, he nodded to Dax. "Bring us in, Dax. If anyone asks, we've been having trouble with our comms and that's why we've only had audio signals available."

"Understood." Dax carefully and gently guided the ship into a docking port on the inner station ring, but on the opposite side of the ring to where the transport had been docked. "Benjamin, I've run a quick scan of the station and found a single Cardassian lifesign. It's in the habitat ring." She turned to face him, her expression drawn and tired. "There's a Bajoran lifesign in the room as well. It has Kira's comm badge attached."

Sisko swore under his breath and shot a swift glance at Odo, who had reached out and clutched at the chair at the news, apparently steadying himself. "Damn, I was hoping it wouldn't have come to this." He thought furiously for a moment the nodded briskly. "All right, we're still going in. Dax, you oversee the unloading of the stores. Dukat has never met you, there's a good chance if he does come down here, you may not be recognized." Turning at the noise of the door opening, he saw O'Brien and Bashir enter, weighed down with weaponry. They each had two phasers on their belts, a dagger, and a phase rifle strapped across their backs. "You don't consider you may be overarmed for a couple of supply transporters, gentlemen?"

"No." Julian was blunt. He also had a plain leather case belted to his hip with the contents of his medkit inside it. "If we have to fight it out, then I want to win."

"Besides," O'Brien pulled out a Bajoran tricorder and waved it around. "There are weapons here. We might get in, but they could try to stop us getting out. And depending on what condition Nerys is in . . . . We may need everything we've got to get her out."

"I agree." Sisko armed himself with a phaser and a boot dagger. "Very well. Dax, you start the unloading with the crew. Chief, you help her and the others, but use your time at the airlock to set up barricades and dampening fields. If we back running, we will need to slow them down so we can get away. Doctor, you and Odo are with me." They warily walked out the airlock, then relaxed as they saw only Bajorans waiting for them. Obviously Dukat was still in his quarters with Kira. A small shudder ran through Sisko as a thought reminded him that they could well be too late and this was all for nothing.

Seeking out the lead Bajoran, Sisko motioned towards the rooms Dukat was in. "We're going to see the Master. Our crew will unload the supplies to here for you." Julian had used a dermal bleaching agent to lighten both their skins, and to add to the disguise Sisko also had a nasty looking scar running down one side of his face, twisting his lips into a grimace. Coupled with their Bajoran nose-ridges and earrings, none of the men looked like their normal selves.

Odo's disguise was ingenious. He had acquired a light, clear plastic mask, with nose ridges carved in, and had held it onto his face for the entire journey. The benefits were obvious as soon as he removed the mask. Allowing his face to take up the contours of the mask, he now had a Bajoran looking nose and several scars across his face. Although his face would eventually fade back to the normal form he wore, as they mingled with the Bajorans, he appeared as if he were one of them.

The leader looked at them in surprise at Sisko's statement. "The Master is busy at the moment with a new follower, a lady." He winked and leaned towards Sisko, his voice lowered as if to impart a secret, and Sisko's heart dropped. "Apparently, he's been hoping this lady would join us for some time and today she has. They're spending some quality time getting to know each other, if you know what I mean." He winked again and straightened up, his face beaming. "It's so wonderful to see the Master happy. He was sorry he couldn't be here to meet you but this is very important to him."

"I can understand that. We'll only take a minute of his time before we go." Sisko winked as well. "Better to see him now than wait to see him later, if you understand me."

The leader grinned and bowed slightly as the crews bustled around them shifting the supplies and cargo. "I agree. Would you like a guide to their quarters?"

The bile rose in Sisko's throat as he thought about the implications of the phrase 'their quarters', and he shook his head. "No, thank you. We know where we're going." He flashed the tricorder he'd taken from O'Brien. "We'll only be a few minutes and then we'll be leaving as soon as we get back. No sense intruding on your time with the Master on your first night here."

The leader bowed again, with respect this time. "Thank you for your understanding. Perhaps you and your crew will join us here one day."

Sisko motioned his team up the corridor as he answered. "Perhaps we will. Thank you." With apparently no time to plan or waste, the men practically ran through the corridors, wasting no breath on talking. It wasn't until they were about to enter the corridor that would land them outside Dukat's quarters that Sisko motioned a halt and turned to them. "According to the tricorder, they're both in the outer room of the quarters. That could be a good thing." His expression became bleak and he looked at Odo although he spoke to them all. "Remember, whatever we see in those rooms, stays with us. We do not talk about it to anyone else. Hopefully, we will only find them talking. But if they are in a . . . . In an 'intimate moment'," he was sure a small sob escaped Odo at his words, "then we keep it to ourselves. That's all." Without any more preamble, Sisko marched to the door and keyed it to open.

The door was locked, but Dukat's voice could be heard speaking a muffled "go away. I'm busy," from inside. Sisko ignored him and keyed the door twice more in quick succession. Hearing scuffed footsteps nearing the door, he unlimbered his phaser and motioned Julian and Odo back to give him a clear area.

Dukat opened the door in obvious irritation. "Yes, what is it? I left Groban with--" He was stopped dead as a phaser was shoved into his face through the open door and he was backed into the room again by a large man with a ghastly scar. "What do you want?" His calm expression became an ugly snarl as Sisko's deep voice echoed around the room.

"Nerys, where are you? We know you're here." He saw movement at the bedroom doorway and his heart sank again. "We've come to take you home Nerys. Are you ready to leave?"

"You . . . " Words failed her as she saw Odo's horrified eyes on her. Dressed in nothing but a sheet, fresh tears drove her to her knees, and all she could manage was a choked "Odo."

Odo was frozen to the spot until she collapsed on the floor, racked with sobs. Then he found himself kneeling beside her. Gently, as if she were no heavier than a house cat, he scooped her up, sheet and all, and turned to find Julian beside them and running a medical tricorder over her. A moment later, a relieved look on Bashir's face told them all they needed to know, and Odo purposely headed towards the door. "It's alright, Nerys. We're going home."

"She is home, Constable." Dukat stepped back from being at point blank range to Sisko's phaser and smiled at the group. "She came here, tonight, entirely willingly, to give herself freely to the Pagh-wraiths." The smile became seductive. "And to me."

"Dukat, she is coming with us." Sisko waved the others towards the door. "If she wants to come back after we return to the station, then we won't stop her. I'll bring her back myself." With the others safely outside the room in the corridor, he began backing towards the door, his pistol never wavering from the Cardassian before him. "But it will be her choice, made in her time. Not because she believed it was her only choice, or because she believed we didn't care."

"You'll never get her off the station, Captain." Dukat became his usual self as he watched his prize be snatched from him. "As soon as you leave here, I'll have my followers stop you."

"Feel free to try, Dukat." Stepping into the corridor, Sisko keyed the door shut, then fired his phaser at the lock, fusing it. Turning, he waved the small group back the way they came. "He might be able to call them, but it will take them a while to get him out of there." Tapping an unassuming lump in his shirt, which turned out to be his commbadge, he contacted O'Brien. "Chief, we have the package. We're coming back at the double. Expect trouble. Anything you can do to help would be good at this point."

O'Brien's voice was muffled but understandable as they trotted back to the ship. "I've placed a dampening field over the whole station. If you can get to docking port three in the habitat ring, we can pick you up from there. We have control over the ports."

It meant that instead of turning onto the ramp to the Promenade, they had to keep going straight ahead. The advantage was that it was closer and an easier pickup. The difficulty was that there was the chance they may be stopped by the cult before they could get there. Knowing that constant running would, in the long term, slow them down through exhaustion, Sisko slowed his group to a walk, giving him and Bashir the chance to check around corners and keep Odo and Kira between them.

Kira was still crying, her face pressed against Odo's chest as she sobbed. Her hands had a death grip on his upper arms, one that would have left bruises on a mere mortal. As it was, it didn't even slow him down, and he even had breath left to murmur soothingly to her. "It's alright Nerys, we'll be away soon. You're safe now, we're taking you home."

Eventually, her sobs slowed and she managed to take a few ragged breaths, aware that she wasn't even being jolted as they moved along. Chancing a glance up, she found Odo's eyes staring resolutely ahead and swallowed tightly before trying to speak. "Why did you come for me?" Odo glanced down at her, then looked ahead again and hefted her a little higher in his arms. "I saw the meeting in Ops. You were replacing me, you'd packed up my quarters." She swallowed tightly again, fear still gripping her. "You had a date with an Andorian."

Odo turned his gaze on Sisko, who refused to meet it, and ground out through a clenched jaw "next time, think of another way. I warned you this might happen." He looked back to the woman in his arms and saw the fear in her eyes. "It was fake, Nerys. We were almost certain there was a spy in Ops who would pass on the message to Dukat, and that would give us a chance to trace it to him and find you. So the Captain and Dax wrote a script where we appeared to give you up as lost and start to replace you. It worked, the spy sent the communication here so we came to rescue you." His voice gentled as he saw relief flood her face. "It was all fake, Nerys. There is no Andorian waitress, no replacement officer. You're quarters are just as you left them. None of it was true." He shot a dark look at Sisko's back. "But I warned them that you might believe it was true. We had to make it convincing enough to fool the spy so he would contact Dukat without suspecting the truth."

"Part of me thought that might be what had happened." Tears once again tracked down her cheeks as she looked at the sheet wrapped around her. "But I couldn't be sure. And it might have been true." The fear was backed, etched in every line on her face, her spirit dying with it. She couldn't seem to do much more than whisper. "I had to survive, Odo, just until I could find out the truth."

As the docking port came into view, and they saw Dax and O'Brien standing worriedly at the entrance, Sisko sighed with relief and allowed himself a smile, the first since they'd collected her from Dukat's quarters. "We know. Don't think about it now, it's going to be alright." As Odo headed into the ship followed by the others, he turned to Dax. "Go to warp as soon as we undock. To hell with the consequences." Faint sounds of pursuit could be heard and they dived into the ship. A crewman was already at the helm, and as he heard the airlock hiss closed behind Sisko as the last in, he disengaged from the station, leaving a group of bewildered and angry Bajorans on the other side of the lock. A moment later, the small freighter vanished into warp, leaving Dukat to try and explain what had happened to his followers.

Odo staggered a little as he doggedly carried Nerys into one of the freighters bedrooms. The speed of the last hour was finally catching up with him, leaving him feeling drained and tired. He laid her gently on the bed, then stood aside as Bashir began a detailed medical scan of her. Watching the readings, he flinched as he saw the tricorder read that she was apparently covered in Cardassian DNA traces. Whatever she had, or hadn't, done with Dukat, it had left its mark. Moving to the other side of the bed, he sat down on the edge and enclosed one of her hands in his, surprised at the fierceness of the grip she held onto him with. He noticed her other hand was clenching and unclenching itself in the sheet still wrapping her, and what felt like a trickle of ice-water seemed to slide down his spine. "Julian?"

Bashir flashed a small but worried smile at them then looked back at his tricorder. "Just another moment, Constable." He pushed a few more buttons and read whatever they told him, then reached for the satchel, as the Bajoran nurse he had brought along began to gently unwind the sheet. "You have scratches and abrasions, and a great deal of stress. Nothing else." He looked at Odo and repeated the words firmly. "Nothing else." As Odo nodded in obvious relief, and the nurse pulled the last of the sheet away, Kira's body was revealed and the three of them could see the scrapes all over her. Julian pulled a dermal regenerator out of the bag, as well as a medium sized bottle, and placed both items on a small table next to the bed. "I think you don't need Nurse Tran or I to fix this. The bottle contains Wolleemi herbs Nerys." He smiled again, this time more like his boyish self. "We'll leave you to get on with it. The bathroom is through that door down there." He gestured towards a plain door at the other end of the room, then beckoned to the nurse and they both left.

Odo reached over and picked up the dermal regenerator and then turned his attention to the hand he was holding. Running it gently over her skin, he relaxed as the scrape vanished. Glancing at Kira's face, he was worried to see her staring resolutely at the ceiling, her other hand now clutching the blanket under her. Odo decided that a little gentle banter was called for. "You look like you've been in a holosuite with Worf."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face at last, and she turned towards him, her eyes at last meeting his. "Do you know what Wolleemi herbs are, Odo?"

"Of course." He concentrated on a particularly nasty scrape on her shoulder, then began working his way down her torso, frowning at the deeper marks on her breasts. "And I also know what caused these. I saw enough of them during the Occupation in the mines." He gazed steadily at her face and saw the embarrassed blush flare in her cheeks. "It's alright, Nerys. The captain and I talked about exactly this happening. We knew you would do whatever it took to survive until you could find a way to contact us. What makes me angry," he went on steadily, pretending he couldn't see the gathering tears as she listened, "is that you were subjected to this at all. Dukat claims that he has never been responsible for hurting Bajorans, but that he could do this to you is beyond understanding." Finishing with her torso, he moved down to her legs, a gentle hand easing her legs apart so he could heal the scrapes on her thighs. Continuing with the apparently unconcerned tone that had eased things between them so far, he ran a hand along her leg and noted "Nerys, some of these marks are very high up in your legs. Are you sure he didn't hurt you anywhere else?"

"No Odo, it's alright. He didn't . . . . we didn't . . . ." She stopped, aware that they had entered sensitive ground. Reaching down, she clasped his hand tightly. "You got there just as we were about to go into the bedroom. We hadn't got there yet."

"Ah." Odo was still concerned about the marks but less worried about what caused them. "Well, as long as you're sure you're alright."

"Julian said I was. Believe him, Odo." She smiled and all of his worries about her began to subside. "Believe me. I'm just scraped and bruised, nothing else." She watched silently as he finished healing the last scratch on her ankle, then stood and moved to sit on the other side of the bunk and once again picked up her hand to start healing that side. "I'll have a shower after you've finished here."

"No." Odo smiled at her again and she smiled back. "When I'm finished here, we will have a shower. I want to make sure you thoroughly wash off with the herbs."

"Odo, I have done this before. I do know what to do." He finished with her arm and moved on to her torso, once again shaking his head angrily at the deep marks on the breast on this side as well. "Odo, you know my past. You know this." She spoke gently, her hand slowly stroking his knee.

"That doesn't make it right, Nerys." Kira could see the tightly wound anger inside him, and wondered how she had ever not seen the feelings he had for her. "Sometimes, like now, I wish I could find them and . . . . " his voice trailed off. They both knew what he would do if he ever caught the Cardassians, or on one occasion, the Bajoran collaborator, who had hurt Nerys in the Occupation. Concentrating for a moment, he healed the last scrape on her ankle, then carefully checked to make sure there were none he had missed. "What about your back?"

She concentrated for a moment, then shook her head decisively. "No, I can't feel any there. I think they were just on my front."

"Just roll over for a moment and I'll check." Odo savoured the sight of a naked Nerys rolling carefully onto her stomach, then ran his hand lightly over her back. "You're right, none here." He helped her roll back over, then stood, took her hands, and gently raised her to her feet. "I think I've gotten all of them. Come on, let's get you washed off."

Nerys picked up the bottle of herbs and let Odo lead her into the shower unit, waiting until after he'd adjusted the temperature to her comfort before actually entering the cubicle. As Odo followed her into the steamy room, she uncapped the bottle and poured some onto her hands, watching unhappily as it turned from a clear liquid to bright purple. "At least it doesn't stain."

"I suspect that was the idea." Odo poured some of the liquid into his cupped hands, then spread the liquid over her back, noting that it only turned slightly purple, unlike the liquid Nerys was spreading over her front. "It would be interesting to know where it comes from and who discovered that it reacts to Cardassian DNA traces."

"It was wonderful to use." Nerys spread some more of the liquid over her arms, smiling as it didn't react as heavily as the last lot. "And it rises off and takes the DNA with it. You know you've got it all off when you rinse off clear." She gasped as she felt Odo gently insinuate a hand between her thighs, reaching and stroking her, before slowly rising into her. "Oh Odo . . . . you can't stand not knowing for sure, can you? You have to check for yourself." She groaned as he spread inside her, and gave up trying to think, handing herself over to the pleasure.

Odo continued to flow into her, stroking and caressing her until she finally cried out as she flew higher and higher, the ecstasy and pleasure sweeping aside everything else that had happened in the last month. As she eventually started to return, he carefully withdrew from inside her as they slowly slid down the wall, coming to sit on the floor, her head on his shoulder and her hands aimlessly tracing over his form. Reforming his hand, he couldn't help but look at it as the shower washed off the Wolleemi herbs. Seeing no trace of purple, he shuddered in relief and finally allowed himself to begin to believe that Dukat had managed no more serious injuries. He dropped his head to rest on hers, tiredly rubbing his cheek against her hair. "I'm sorry, Nerys, but I had to know for myself that you weren't hurt any more. I had to know that he hadn't . . . ." He wasn't able to continue, just ran his hands over her.

"I know." Kira sighed and relaxed in her lovers arms, enjoying feeling him against her again after a month of stress and rising despair. They didn't speak after that, just let their emotions guide them back to each other.

Sisko turned in his chair at the sound of the bridge door opening, and gave Odo a worried smile as he entered the bridge. "Odo, how is she?"

"Asleep." He had debated staying with her but decided that briefing the captain now would save time later. "Nurse Tran is with her in case she wakes up and I'm still here." He sat heavily at a console, the tiredness now acute. He would need an extended regeneration period again tonight. "She was covered in scrapes and bruises from Dukat's handling of her in his quarters, but it didn't go any further than that. We arrived as he was coming into the bedroom, not out of it. He had been held up by the new cult members arriving, as he insisted on greeting them personally."

"Well, we can be thankful for that." Sisko leaned back in his chair and relaxed. He'd expected to be told that Nerys had been badly assaulted by the Cardassian. Compared to the nightmares he'd expected her to have been through, a few scrapes and bruises were almost trite.

"Yes, we can." Odo clasped his hands together, still staring at the floor. "Once I'd healed the scrapes and she'd showered, she went to sleep almost immediately. I'd like her to stay that way until we arrive back at the station, and then I suggest that she be given a few more days off to rest before returning to her duties." He looked up to meet Sisko's eyes and the Human nodded in agreement. "It will also give me time to investigate how we can try and prevent this from happening again, or at least maybe a way to track her if she's removed from the station."

"Sounds like a plan, Constable." Ben steepled his fingers, resting them under his chin. "Go back and stay with her, I don't need Kira panicking when she wakes to find you not there. I'll let you know just before we arrive back at DS9."

Odo stood and gave a sharp nod before returning to Kira's side.

Sisko tried to enter the room as quietly as possible and slipped towards the bed. Pausing for a moment, he took in the figure lying on her stomach on the bed, her steady breathing telling him she was still asleep. It was the golden liquid rippling over her back and slipping beside her that had his attention. He smiled, glad to know that things were obviously back to the way they were. If Odo had rejected Kira, Sisko felt sure that they would have lost her to Bajor forever.

Standing beside the bed, he reached down and gently shook Kira's ankle to wake her up. She was a combat soldier, and part of basic training at the Academy was that combat soldiers were best woken gently and in a non-threatening manner. As he moved to stand back at the top of the bed, Kira's eyes flew open, but on seeing Sisko, she relaxed and smiled. "Captain, are we almost back at the station?"

He nodded, still intrigued by the sight of their security chief covering areas of Kira that were only open to speculation normally. "We'll be there in a few minutes. I thought you and Odo might like a few minutes to prepare."

Kira smiled again and brought her hand out to rest on a puddle of the liquid laying with her. "Odo, time to wake up. We're almost home." Sisko was then treated to the unusual and not often viewed sight of Odo forming into his public shape. The way he shifted and formed was an education in itself, and part of him was honoured to have seen it. As Odo formed to end up sitting on the edge of the bed, Kira turned to lay on her back and was revealed to be wearing her springball pants and shirt. Sisko had seen Odo bring a small bag onto the ship, and it was now obvious that he had brought along a change of clothes for Kira.

Odo had a slight scowl on his face as he reformed, then stood protectively in front of Kira in his patented security officer pose. "Captain. We'll be ready to disembark as soon as the ship docks."

"Good." Ben turned to Kira, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, noticing that she was wincing slightly as she moved. "Colonel, I want you to have a few more days off. You can return to work at the start of next week. Odo, I want you work out a way we can track Kira if this happens again. Then I want you to try and extend that to everyone else in the command crew. We have to make sure this can't happen again." He flashed the pair a smile and turned to go. "Enjoy your days off, Nerys. I'll see you in Ops next week."

They watched him leave, then Odo turned back to Kira, his concern deepening as he saw her wince when she stood. "Muscles still sore are they?"

"Very." She rubbed the small of her back and stretched a little. "I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again." Her smile became seductive and she stepped forward to press against Odo, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him as close to her as was possible. "To us sleeping in our bed again." Lowering her mouth to his shoulder, she began to nibble at the simulated uniform, knowing she was actually tantalizing his true substance.

Odo groaned quietly. "Nerys, wait until we're in our quarters, please." She didn't seem to want to wait, now actually licking his shoulder in long strokes as her hands began to roam over his back. Odo's own hands came to rest on her backside, massaging her as she started to move against him. Screwing his emotions back down, he had to physically force himself to step back from her and hold her away from him. "Nerys, we can wait until we're alone. Then we'll do whatever you want."

Kira sighed and nodded. "Alright." She grinned mischievously at him. "It would have been fun, though."

"It still will be, I promise you." Odo smiled back, then turned her to look out the window. "See, you're home." They watched as DS9 slid alongside the ship, and docking was completed.

Kira fought back tears as she watched. "Home." Her hands clutched at Odo, grateful for his strength and presence. "I'm home."

It was a truth they could both claim.

Kira smoothed down her uniform jacket and cast a critical eye over herself in the mirror. She had decided, at least for the time being, to return to wearing her old combat uniform. The boots were much lower than those ridiculous heeled creations she had been wearing recently, and as far as she was concerned, the older uniform made her look much more professional than the new one had. She changed her rank pins and commbadge over and gave the new look a last check. She'd left her hair in the new style, but then, she had more personal reasons for that. She wasn't due back at work until tomorrow, but bitter past experience had told her it was better to be safe than sorry.

A reflected movement in the mirror told her Odo had finally 'woken' up, and turned to the bed, smiling. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Odo allowed himself a leisurely visual tour of her body and raised an eyeridge. "That's your old uniform. What happened?"

"I think this is a better choice than that uniform. This makes me look much more professional."

"And isn't as . . . . " Odo chose his words with care. "Emotionally appealing."

"Really?" Kira grinned and kicked off the boots, then slinked her way up the bed on her hands and knees, pretending to ignore the part of Odo that rose without any concious effort from him, in appreciation of what she was doing. "So, you don't find this uniform appealing then, Constable."

"I've changed my mind." Odo was whispering as a certain part of him hardened. Reaching out, he caught her waist as she moved to straddle his hips, eliciting as slight groan from her as she felt him through the cloth of her pants. "I find this uniform very appealing indeed." The beast was awake and responsive he noted. He wasn't sure why, but it was always the same cells that formed into the part of his anatomy on her most intimate accquaintance. He suspected, but couldn't ever prove, that they were the same cells that had formed his genitals during his brief period of humanity, and that was why they were so able to to form their shape. What he found amusing was that Kira had only to give a metaphorical whistle and those cells stood to attention for her, without bothering to consult him at all.

"Why's that, Constable?" Kira teased him by faintly moving herself up and down his groin, her smile becoming seductive as she felt him twitching beneath her, seeking entrance to her, but being frustrated by the uniform.

"Do you remember when that alien artifact caused you to mutiny against Sisko?" She nodded. "Do you remember during that when you came into my office to seduce me to your cause?"

"Ah, that's right." She slid over him again, feeling him harden even more. If it weren't for the uniform, it would have been too much, but as it was, this was about right. Just enough pressure to get the friction right, she thought. "I was wearing this uniform then, wasn't I?"

"Oh yes." Odo closed his eyes as the feelings buffeted through him. The playful side of Nerys, when she showed she had one, was always interesting to be around. She had a truly wicked sense of humour when she wanted.

Kira leaned over and whispered in his ear. "No cheating." Then she moved again, grinding herself into him.

Odo's hands came round to rest on her breasts and began caressing and massaging her through the jacket. Only moments later he could give small tugs to her nipples as they rose up and hardened under the cloth. As she threw her head back and gave a longer groan, enjoying the sensations floating through her body, Odo grinned. He'd suddenly thought of a way to get back at her. Closing his eyes for a moment, he softened the substance under the hard length of himself and felt it settle back into his being, then smoothed his substance over it, creating a pocket within himself for it.

After that, he leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head and waited for Kira to notice what he'd done. It only took a few seconds for her to realise something had gone missing. "Hey!"

"Yes?" Odo acted blase. "Something wrong, Colonel?"

Kira leaned forward until their noses were touching. "I said no cheating."

A moment later, she found herself under Odo, his hands pinning hers above her head. "So you did." They shared a laguid kiss. "It's a good uniform. I just think you'll look better out of it." He suited actions to words and efficiently stripped her of her clothes, then pushed her back down, pinning her hands again. "If you're going to act like that wearing that uniform, I'll be forced to confine you to quarters, Colonel. For your own safety, of course."

"Really." She wriggled slowly under him, tantalising him. "I would have to insist that the security chief stay with me, otherwise I would probably escape."

Odo smiled and kissed her again. "We could be here for weeks." Another kiss. "Months maybe." He finally allowed his hardened substance back to his surface, where it flowed into Kira, knowing without any intruction what to do. Kira whimpered as she felt Odo push into her then groaned as he started gently rocking over her.

"We may have to stay here forever." Kira wrapped her arms around his waist. It only took a few minutes before she cried out in passion, flying hard and high.

Odo continued gently moving with her, before slowly withdrawing and rolling onto his back, pulling Kira over to lay on his chest, her hands aimlessly roving over his chest. He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Happy?"

"Very." Kira whispered drowsily. She and Odo were both dozing a short while later when the computer beeped.

"The time is fifteen fifty-five. Your appointment with Doctor Bashir is in five minutes."

"Damn." Kira yawned and rolled off her lover and began collecting her uniform off the floor. "Why am I seeing him again?"

Odo slid off their bed and reformed into his own uniform, handing her the jacket and belt. "Because the implant you're about to get will allow us to track you, whould anyone try and transport you anywhere again. It will cause the station computer to alert Ops that you are being transported somewhere."

Clipping on her belt, Kira sighed. "I think you just want to be able to track me."

Odo smiled. "There is that, of course." As they left their quarters, he wrapped an arm around her waist and they strolled to the Promenade. "I was living a nightmare Nerys, I never want to know that again. I can live with losing you in combat, but to not know what happened to you, to have you vanish without a trace . . . ." Words failed him, and Kira turned and gave him a fierce hug.

Leaning back a little, she looked him in the eyes, seeing the fear there. "I promise, Odo, I'll never let anyone take me away from you again." Reaching up, she brought his lips down to hers and tried to express all the passion she felt in their kiss, oblivious and uncaring of whoever might see them. As they seperated, she ran a finger along his lips. "I know you don't believe in the Prophets, but I believe they brought us together for a purpose. I hope that we have many years together, but in case we don't, I'll take all the time we have."

Odo reached down to kiss his beloved again, only letting her come up for air minutes later, before tucking her arm in his and leading her to the Infirmary, then stepping back and assuming his security pose once they had arrived. "I'll be in my office, Colonel. If you'd like to drop in once you're finished here, I'll be available." Giving her a slight bow, he left as Kira turned to Bashir, a smile wreathing her face.

"Afternoon Julian." She grimaced as she lay down on a bio bed. "So, what happens now?"

Bashir smiled and moved a tray over the to bed. "I implant the transponder in you so we can locate you as we need to." Half an hour later, he moved the tray away and extended a hand to help her stand from the bed. "There, all done." A quick tricorder scan later and he smiled. "Everything as it should be. You're free to leave, Colonel."

Kira merely smiled and left, but didn't go to the security office. Instead, she took the turbolift to Ops. Sisko saw her arrive and came out of his office to find her standing on the upper deck and leaning on the railing, apparently just watching what was going on around her. Kira felt him come up behind her and turned slightly, smiling as she did. "Captain, what can I do for you?"

"You're not due back here until tomorrow, Colonel." Sisko also leant against the rail and kept his voice low and mellow. "Have you seen Julian?"

"Just now." She rubbed her shoulder. "It feels a little strange. The first thing the Federation did when they got here was take my old transponder out. It seems slightly unreal that you're now putting one in."

"If it's any consolation, the rest of us are having ours implanted over the next week. You were just the first, since you carried one in the resistance." Sisko frowned. "And because the danger of your being kidnapped again is greater than the rest of us."

Kira shook her head angrily. "You should never have left Dukat on Empok Nor. You should have brought him away with you. While ever he's free, he's a threat, to all of us."

"I know, Nerys." Sisko placed a hand gently on her shoulder in comfort, then glanced up as he felt her start and saw Odo arriving in Ops. Squeezing her shoulder, he smiled at her. "You and Odo should go home. Spend time together, make sure you're ready to come back to work." He nodded at Odo, who was waiting by the turbolift, a worried expression on his face. "Go home Nerys. We're in a war, don't waste time worrying about the past. You and Odo are too good for that." He leaned in closer and whispered to her. "And when you finally decide to get married, I'll be happy to perform the ceremony."

Kira stared at him for a moment, then bowed slightly. "Thank you, Emissary." Noticing that everyone else in Ops had fallen silent and was watching her and Odo, she gave in. Flashing Odo a dazzling smile, she quirked an eyebrow. "Is next Friday night at seventeen thirty good for you, Constable?"

Odo nodded gravely. "Colonel, in half an hour would be good for me." He returned the smile. "But Friday will be just fine. It'll give us time to orgnise a party." He folded his arms and scowled. "Quark will probably want to do the catering."

Kira nodded at Sisko and walked along the upper deck to stand beside Odo, who wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Captain." Reaching up, she clasped Odo hand in hers, and they left together in the lift, the last view of them before they sank from sight being them smiling at each other.

With all that happened after that, Sisko could never forget that image, of Kira and Odo smiling.

Tell me what you think: dakhur@iinet.net.au