*******

"You talk in circles."
"Not in circles...in spirals. Closer to the truth on each pass."

--Orson Scott Card

CHAPTER 1: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Odo materialized in the transport station and was surprised to find Jake there to greet him. "Mr. Sisko," he said, stepping off the pad. "If I'm not mistaken you're supposed to be slicing okra," he said, shaking a scolding finger at the young man....but he was smiling as he said it.

Jake rolled his eyes. "All the more reason to get out for a few minutes," he said as they set off on the three-block walk to the restaurant. He cleared his throat. "So...any word from the station?"

Odo cast him a sidelong glance. "Yes, I received a letter from Kira day before yesterday...she says hello, by the way. Everything seems to be under control there." Jake nodded noncommittally. Odo glanced at him again, remembering a time years ago when he'd scolded Nerys for attempting pretense with him. Jake was no better at it than she had been. "What's on your mind, Jake?"

"It's just that..." He hesitated for a moment, staring at his hands. "I think my father's getting worse."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, he went out last night and stayed away for hours. That's not like him. And then there's..." He trailed off.

Odo put out an arm and stopped the young man on the sidewalk. "What aren't you telling me?"

He sighed. "When he came back he looked like...like he'd been in a fight."

Odo blinked. "A fight?" He had to make sure he'd heard correctly.

Jake nodded miserably. "He said he walked into a door in the dark."

"There are very few things among you humanoids that are universal," Odo said, shaking his head, "and that feeble excuse is one of them." They resumed course towards the restaurant. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was in such an unfortunate state."

"Please talk to him, Odo!" Jake exclaimed, sounding much younger than his twenty-one years, anxiety shaving time away from his age. "He won't talk to me or Grandpa, when we try he just says we don't understand and walks away."

"I wish I could help, but I don't know how I can possibly..."

"He'll listen to you."

"What makes you think so?"

"I don't know, I just think he will."

"He hasn't been too inclined to talk to me so far."

"Well that's why I thought you could maybe...sneak up on him?" Jake said with a hopeful glint in his eye.

They stopped in front of the restaurant and Odo favored the young Sisko with his best withering stare. "You mean shapeshift into something innocuous and then surprise him."

"Well, now that you mention it..." Jake began hopefully. Odo shook his head.

"Jake, I'm not sure that it's my place to..."

"But Odo, he needs your help," Jake continued, undeterred. "I'm worried about him and I know you must be, too."

"Mr. Sisko, you are shameless. Has Quark been giving you lessons? He often tries to manipulate me by appealing to what he'd call my 'protective nature.'" He considered Jake's pleading expression. "It doesn't work for him, but you seem to be better at it." He sighed. "I'll think about it."

"Thanks...but think fast," Jake said, opening the door and pushing Odo ahead of him into the restaurant.

"Odo! Jake-O!" came the usual enthusiastic greeting from the owner.

"Hello, Joseph," Odo said, shaking the elder Sisko's hand. He had been given a good scolding on his first visit when he'd called him "Mr. Sisko."

"So nice to see you, and on such a fine day! When does the Defiant arrive?"

"Six days," Odo said.

"You must be very excited! You've got that spring in your step and that twinkle in your eye that a man gets when he'll soon see his lady, especially when she's as pretty as yours!" Joseph laughed heartily as Odo endured his well-meant proclamations. "Now Jake, there's a whole vat of beans need hulling and you've got that bean-hulling look to you!" Jake cast a resigned glance back at Odo as his grandfather spirited him away. Odo followed them into the kitchen where Jake was immediately set to his task at the counter top, which didn't stop him from shooting Odo beseeching glances as he worked. Finally, Odo heaved a long-suffering sigh and nodded to the young man, who grinned, his posture relaxing visibly. He reached down and picked up a basket of napkins that needed to be folded.

"Will this do?" he said, dumping out the napkins and holding the basket out for Odo's inspection.

He examined it for a moment, running his fingers over the intricate weave. "I think so." He stepped back and his height collapsed downards, his golden flesh re-forming into an exact copy of the basket. Jake's eyes widened...he'd only seen Odo shapeshift a few times and it never failed to impress him. A bit uncertain, he picked up the basket and replaced the napkins.

"Umm...Odo? I'm going to take you out to him now, ok?" he whispered to the basket, feeling more than a little silly. Of course he can't answer me, he thought, not like this. "Good luck, and thanks for trying." He went out the back door to where Benjamin was sitting in cook's whites at one of the tables on the deserted rear verandah, staring vacantly off into space. "Dad?"

Sisko turned his head slowly towards his son, a pale ghost of his usual warm smile flitting across his features. Odo's heart sank to see it. If the sight of his adored son could only induce such a feeble expression, what must his state of mind be like? "Yes, Jake?"

"Here's the napkins."

Sisko sighed and pushed away his untouched lunch plate. "Set them there," he said with no real enthusiasm. Jake did so and beat a hasty retreat. Sisko transferred the napkins onto the tabletop and tossed Odo to the ground. He waited a few minutes, then quickly shifted into humanoid form, seating himself in the chair next to his captain, wondering what in the world he was going to say to him. Sisko stared at him blankly for a moment then went back to folding napkins, his face grimly neutral. "Constable. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing," Odo snapped, abruptly deciding that it was long past time to pull his punches. "There's nothing you can do for me, or anyone else, in this condition."

Sisko shot him a warning glance. "What condition is that?"

"I've seen it so many times," Odo said, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together on the tabletop. "Self-pity. Guilt complexes. Withdrawal and destructively self-indulgent behavior." Sisko had stopped folding napkins and the muscles in his jaw were knotting ominously. Odo was unfazed. "It's funny...I never thought of you as someone who would run and hide. I suppose there's just no telling about people, after all." The words had the desired effect. Sisko leapt to his feet with a growl, grabbed the front of Odo's uniform and yanked him to his feet.

"If you say another word so help me God I'll..." he snarled.

"You'll what?" Odo snarled right back. "What will you do? Will you fight me, too? Will you fight the universe?"

Sisko pushed him away and stepped back, gathering the shreds of his self-possession around him. "You have no right to come in here and talk to me like that," he hissed.

"I believe it's a free planet, Captain, and you're not my commanding officer at the moment. I can say whatever I wish...and I'm not finished."

"Oh yes, you are."

"You're not the only one who's grieving."

"I don't want to hear it."

"It's not like you to abandon those who need you most at such a difficult time."

"Shut up, Constable!"

"Do you know what's happening on Bajor? Do you even care anymore? They need you, and so do we! I've never known you to be like this, shutting yourself off from anyone who would support you or be supported by you..."

"I told you to SHUT UP!" Sisko's rage-soaked face filled the world.

"Captain, you're not the one who died." Before Odo even realized what was happening Sisko's fist crashed across his jaw. It didn't hurt him and he could have easily absorbed the blow, but on a sudden hunch he allowed himself to react as a humanoid would have and fell backwards onto the flagstone floor of the verandah. He looked up at Sisko's horrified face and got to his feet, refusing the offered hand.

"Odo...I'm sorry..."

He shook his head, straightening his uniform. "No apology necessary, Captain. I was out of line." He didn't need to be told that any impact the incident would have on Sisko would only be heightened if he himself acted contrite. Benjamin slumped back into his chair. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you," he said stiffly and made as if to leave.

"I was in a bar last night," Sisko began without preamble. Odo stopped and turned back, but said nothing. "I was with a friend from the Academy. I don't know why I accepted his invitation, but before I realized it I'd had too much. I guess I'm used to synthale. They don't serve synthale where we were. I stood up and wanted to make a toast...to fallen comrades," he said with a sigh. "These three Andorians, they started to laugh and make fun of it. Next thing I knew I was all over them. I don't know what got into me, Odo. My friend had to drag me off." He fell silent. "I've never lost control like that, it scared me."

"You may not believe this," Odo said quietly, "but I know what it is to have one's self-control overwhelmed by emotions. You don't have to explain, I understand."

"Odo, I..." He stopped and stared at the ground between his feet. "There are very few people in this galaxy whose respect I value. You're one of them." He spared a brief glance upwards at Odo's expressionless face, then resumed his study of the flagstones. "I can't imagine what you must think of me now. I've failed in every way that's important."

"Captain, there is no shame in falling down, only in staying down. I would think you knew that. We are none of us perfect. Furthermore, I believe your sense of failure is exaggerated, even indulgently so. You could not have saved Jadzia had you been on the station, nor stopped Dukat. I was there, remember? No one knew what was happening until it was long over. Your presence would not have averted all the misfortune that has come upon us. If you honestly think it would have, then frankly...you have an inflated sense of your own importance." Sisko looked up sharply.

"That's a hell of a thing to say!"

Odo shrugged. "If you want soft platitudes, call a counselor. If you want the truth, talk to me."

Sisko snorted brief laughter, looking surprised to hear it coming out of his own mouth. "I just don't know if I can step back into my own shoes and go on like nothing's happened."

"No one's asking you to. Captain, wallowing in self-recrimination is just another way of avoiding the truth, an attempt to delay facing an unpleasant reality. You don't have to pretend nothing's happened, you just have to accept what has and move on from there."

Sisko stood, his eyes flaring with anger again. "Ironic words coming from you, Constable! Your life is wonderful! You're the best there is at your job, you're a hero to millions, you're about to become a Federation-wide celebrity and you're engaged to an amazing, beautiful woman who's madly in love with you!"

"You're right!" Odo exclaimed, incredulous, his patience pushed to the breaking point. "How can I possibly be in any position to question you? How foolish of me to think that I had any right to even speak to you when it's clear that you are the only sentient being in the cosmos to ever have experienced an emotional setback!" Sisko took a step back from this outburst. "You're going to lecture me about alienation and despair? Try being turned into another species by your own people, Captain! Being raised in a laboratory and used to entertain Cardassians at parties? How about nearly killing the woman you love because you were too busy worrying that she was flirting with another man, oh that one did wonders for my equilibrium! And of course, lest we forget, discovering that the family you've searched for your entire life are tyrannical, mass-murdering megalomaniacs!" Odo stopped and shut his eyes, remembering himself. "I'm sorry, Captain...but as the Chief would say, I have lost the ability to bullshit. I call it as I see it. You may think you've lost too much and you've failed everyone, but you've got a lot left. You have a family that loves you, you have friends who care about you, you have a station and a planet that need you and most importantly, you still have yourself. You have what millions of people through history have searched for in vain and you're acting as if it's meaningless. I spent most of my life yearning for what you were born with, so you'll forgive me if my heart doesn't weep for you now." He straightened up and looked at Sisko's profile as he stared off into the distance. "I've said my piece, Captain, I'll leave you." Sisko said nothing as Odo walked away. He paused in the doorway. "One thing?"

Sisko turned his head slowly and looked at him. "What?"

"I have always respected you, sir, and I always will. What is more important is for you to respect yourself." With an enigmatic half-smile the Changeling was gone. Sisko fell into his chair and let his throbbing head drop to the tabletop.

*******

"Miles, come on! We'll be late!" Nerys called, her bag over her shoulder.

"Relax, Nerys...it's not like they can leave without us," he called back. She heard the metallic clank of tools. He couldn't go anywhere without his damned tools, she thought. Keiko rolled her eyes as she came over to hug her.

"Have a good trip, and be sure to congratulate Odo for me. Tell him everyone on the station will be watching the ceremony."

"I will," Kira said. "On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't. He's nervous enough about the people who'll be at the ceremony without worrying about the billions watching the broadcast." Miles came out of his room and hugged his wife and children.

"I wish you were coming along," he said.

"Oh, I wish we could too," Keiko said. "I just don't think two kids on the Defiant for six days would be the best thing for any of us!"

After a final round of goodbyes and kisses Nerys and Miles set off for the docking ring. "So how did that dress Garak was making for you turn out?" he asked.

"Oh, it's beautiful! I admit I was a little nervous about what he might think was appropriate for the occasion, but I've got to say I love it."

"I'll get Odo for this. Bloody black-tie affairs, I've been able to go through my entire life without ever having to wear a tuxedo until now."

"You don't have to come to the ball if you don't want to, Miles," Nerys said.

"Oh, yes I do. You don't want to know what Julian threatened me with if I made him face it by himself." He glanced at Kira's excited face. "You're anxious to see him, aren't you?" he said with a knowing smile.

"Of course! Wouldn't you be anxious to see Keiko after being apart for three weeks?"

"Sure, but we've been married almost ten years. You and Odo still have that...I dunno, that 'glow.'"

She snickered. "Glow?" It was a word she associated with how she looked and felt after an hour of springball with Vedek Tonsa.

"Oh yeah! That rosy glow you have when you're first together and can't get enough of each other."

"You're saying it wears off?"

He winked at her. "Not if you're lucky...and I think maybe you are."

*******

Julian watched, amused, as Odo tried to maintain his usual dignified bearing when he was clearly excited beyond all hope of serenity. They were in the Starfleet central transport facility, awaiting the news that the Defiant was safely ensconced in Spacedock and the remainder of the DS9 contingent would be beaming down shortly. When Odo had entered the room, the ensigns on duty had displayed a degree of wide-eyed awe to which the two officers had become accustomed in these past weeks; his admittedly distinctive face had been in the news enough that he was recognized everywhere they went. Julian was starting to feel like Odo's sidekick, but he didn't mind. He'd had his taste of notoriety and it hadn't agreed with him. He was, however, surprised by the good grace with which Odo was handling his new fame. He was courteous to anyone who approached him and put forth no pretenses or affectations.

"Defiant to HQ, docking in progress," came a familiar voice. Odo couldn't help the somewhat goofy smile that spread unchecked across his face upon hearing it.

One of the ensigns went to the transporter controls. "Acknowledged, Defiant. Ready on your signal." They waited as the ship completed its docking sequence miles above them.

"Defiant to HQ, six to transport."

"Energizing," the ensign said, and six figures materialized on the platform. Odo and Julian stepped forward to greet them.

"Odo!" Nerys exclaimed, her grin threatening to split her face in two. Deciding that propriety could go to hell, she tossed her bag to the ground and flew into his open arms, clasping her own around his neck. Odo hugged her tightly, thinking that three weeks was a very long time. She placed a string of small kisses along his cheek then a more substantial one on his mouth before squeezing him again and drawing back to look at him. "You look just the same," she said.

Odo cocked his head quizzically. "That surprises you?"

"Oh no! It's silly really...it's just whenever I don't see someone for awhile I always expect them to look different, somehow," she said with a happy smile, picking up her bag. Odo turned to the others. Miles was clapping Julian on the shoulder as Dr. Mora drifted serenely forward.

"I'm glad you could rearrange your schedule to attend, Dr. Mora," Odo said, returning the scientist's embrace with genuine, if reserved, warmth.

"Odo, can't you bring yourself to call me Pol?" the scientist said, clasping his surrogate son's hand.

Odo ducked his head in acquiescence. "I think so...Pol." Mora nodded approvingly and moved away to claim his bags.

"Well, Constable, here we are...where's the party?" Miles said, grinning as he shook Odo's hand in both of his own.

Odo rolled his eyes. "Believe me, Chief, you'll get more than your fill of social gatherings."

"I have never gotten my fill of social gatherings!" came a new, spirited voice. Odo turned towards it with a smile as Miles jumped out of the way of the excited Betazoid's line of fire.

"Lwaxana," he said, allowing her to plant a big smacking kiss on his cheek. "It's...nice to see you."

"Not nearly as nice as it is to see you! And so famous and accomplished! To think that one of my ex-husbands is receiving the Order of Light medallion," she gushed. Kira looked away, a bit uncomfortable at the Ambassador's typically possessive attentions...a feeling that did not escape Lwaxana's keen sensibilities. She grasped Kira's hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I do get carried away! You know I don't mean anything by it. He's yours now...much as I might wish otherwise!" she said with a wistful smile.

"Lwaxana..." Odo sighed.

"Don't worry, dear, I'm going. Come, Mr. Homn!" she said with a quick snap of her fingers, then sailed out of the room followed by her towering valet, untroubled by the massive weight of her many bags. The four DS9 officers were left to cast amused glances at each other.

"So, Julian," Odo asked. "What thrilling Federation festivities must we endure tonight?" He was dreading the answer. He'd seen at the very least another reception on the schedule.

"None," the doctor said firmly. "We are without obligations until tomorrow evening."

"None?" Odo said, disbelieving. "I thought there was..."

"There was," Julian interrupted. "I canceled everything. I told the committee that your fiancee was arriving today and you were not going to spend the entire evening glad-handing to a bunch of stuffed shirts and making pointless small talk." They all stared at him. "Well...I said it nicely."

"Doctor, I am grateful beyond my ability to express myself," Odo deadpanned, shouldering Nerys' bag and slipping an arm about her waist.

"Me too!" Miles exclaimed. "Julian, this means we can go off to Dublin! I have been dying for a decent pint. There's this pub I used to go to with my brothers..." His voice faded away as he and the doctor headed off down the hall, leaving Odo and Kira alone in the transporter room, the on-duty ensigns receding into the background.

"And what are your plans for this evening?" he said, drawing her closer. "I suppose you want to hit the pubs as well."

"Just take me to our quarters and you'll find out what my plans are, Constable."

*******

"I can't believe you're still accepting these assignments."

She tossed him an impatient glance. "It's my job, remember? I'm an assassin."

"Among other things. Can't they send someone else? Someone without a Changeling partner who's about as useful as a tribble on these jobs?"

"Oh, boo hoo. Feeling useless? Recharge some plasma clips instead of sitting there bitching."

He resolutely did nothing. "I just don't get why it has to be you."

Nora set up the screening field and sighted along the barrel of her rifle. "Because I'm the best, and this is a damn difficult assignment."

"And you're proud of that?"

"It's a fact, my feelings about it one way or another have very little to do with it."

"Killer."

"Freak."

"Psychopath."

"Moron." The exchange of insults...always the same four insults...had become a sort of ritual with them, delivered in quick inflectionless strokes. It had even saved their mission once when Briggs had been impersonated by a Founder, who of course didn't know the correct response when he called her a killer. Dietz sighed and watched while she checked her weapon and loaded it. As much as he didn't understand her skills, he had to admit the extent of them was impressive. Her motions were quick and efficient as she went about her preparations.

"You'll never pull it off," he said.

"Watch me."

"A moving target, 300 meters through heavy foliage, with a crosswind? You're good, Nora, but..."

"I don't need to hit K'yana," she said, seating the rifle against her shoulder and pointing it out the window. "I need to hit that." Dietz peered over the sill. She appeared to be aiming at a building on the next block.

"Why? K'yana's the target."

"If I shoot him from here it could be traced. Last night I fixed a ricochet plate to a windowsill on the first floor of that building. Handy little device. It will realign the bullet's trajectory by exactly one hundred and thirty five degrees. It's equipped with a sensor that will inform me when K'yana is in the line, after which I must hit the plate dead center for the aim to be accurate."

Dietz snorted. "That sounds harder than hitting K'yana."

"Perhaps, but this will conceal the bullet's point of origin quite neatly. The plate will self-destruct a microsecond after the bullet hits it..."

"Which will look like a muzzle flash. And I suppose you've arranged for a suitable fall guy to be at that window at the time of the shooting?"

"You're way ahead of me," she said, settling onto her stomach in front of the low windowsill. She flexed her fingers, steadied the rifle's mount, and aligned her eye with the sight. Dietz glanced at the interface eyepiece lying on the ground.

"Aren't you going to use the computer targeting?"

"Never have before, don't plan to start now."

Dietz' eyes bugged out of his face. "You're going to try to hit that teeny little plate right in the center without computer-assisted aiming?"

"I can't use the computer, Dietz! Didn't you ever see 'Star Wars?'" He gave her a blank look. She sighed. "It's an old Earth film, my personal favorite. I don't need computer targeting," she said, socking the rifle's stock into her shoulder as the sounds of K'yana's procession grew louder, "I trust the Force."

"The Force, huh? Does it work?"

She glanced at him a little sheepishly. "Well, most of the time. If you want the truth, the last time I used this setup I missed the plate completely and had to abort the shooting. Really fouled up the assignment, too. They tightened security after the botched attempt and I had to pose as a household servant and poison the guy." She shook her head at the memory and raised an eyebrow at his incredulous face. "I do make mistakes, Dietz. I'm only human, after all."

"Coulda fooled me," he muttered.

Briggs chose to ignore him. A half-smile twisted her lips as she curled her finger over the trigger. Dietz crouched behind her, his curiosity getting the better of him. After making sure the gun was secure, she flicked a switch on the stock, lined it up with the ricochet plate, and fired a small energy pulse. It struck the plate dead center, activating the alignment sensors.

"What's that for?"

"Three-point aiming," she murmured. "Point one is this gun, point two is the plate, and point three is the target. I just established points one and two. The deflection angle gives us point three," she said, indicating the crosshairs that had just appeared on the readout screen. At the moment, their "x" marked an empty street. When they were over K'yana's chest Nora would fire. They waited. Dietz was tense but from what he could tell Nora was totally relaxed. She didn't move a muscle, her eye to the sight, her finger on the trigger. The procession neared. The lead horses passed beneath the crosshairs, then the diplomats, then the musicians...they heard the roar of the crowd as K'yana approached. The crosshairs fell over his horse's head as he proceeded down the street...the horse's mane...K'yana's arm...his chest. Nora's finger depressed the trigger and the gun twitched in her arms accompanied by a slight whoosh of plasma. Dietz watched through field goggles as the tritanium bullet struck the center of the plate, which immediately disappeared with a small flash. He swung over to K'yana, who was grabbing at his chest as bodyguards swarmed around him, gesturing frantically at the building...but not the one he and Briggs were hidden in. He lowered the goggles, feeling cold all over. Nora was up and already had her gun stowed away. She snapped off the screening field, grabbed his arm and her weapons case, and they were gone.

They were back aboard their cloaked runabout within ten seconds and headed out of orbit. Dietz piloted the ship as Nora put away her weapons. "That was really impressive," he finally said.

"No need to prevaricate, I know you're horrified," she retorted.

He shook his head, at a near loss for words. "You have a gift."

She took her seat at the copilot's station, her lips pressed tightly together. "I know. Too bad it's one I can't return."

They didn't speak for some time. "Where to now?" he asked. As a DFA and the ranking operative it was up to her to determine their course of action.

"Back to Earth for Odo's ceremony, of course! It's tomorrow night. Don't want to be late."

"Oh good! I was afraid you'd try to fit in one or two more cold-blooded killings before we headed back," he said, unable to stop the scathing words and hating himself for it.

She said nothing for a moment, her jaw clenching. No one had ever been able to hurt her the way he could when he chose to. "Nam, someday you and I are going to have a serious disagreement," she said tightly.

"Good. Perhaps then we can kill each other and get it over with," he returned, his voice flat. She jumped up and stomped out of the cockpit leaving Dietz to man the controls, his insides churning with a thousand emotions, none of which were pleasant.

*******

"Wow! I guess you're getting the real VIP treatment. Look at that view of the..." Kira's words were cut off with a surprised yelp as the door swished shut behind them and Odo pulled her quickly into his arms, dipped her backwards in a deep lunge and kissed her with passionate abandon. She hung onto him tightly...both for emotional reasons and because she was far overbalanced...and kissed back, her response to his touch both familiar and welcome. "Prophets, I'm in love with you," she breathed as his lips moved down her jawline. It had the tone of a confession.

He straightened up, drawing her with him, and she could feel him smile against the side of her neck. "That's a relief," he murmured. "I was afraid perhaps...while I was away..." he said, his words broken into short phrases by her kisses, "you'd found someone else...to do this..." His hands roamed over her chest and back, "...and this..." He pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat, a spot he knew was very sensitive. She moaned, twining her fingers in his hair. "Have you?" he whispered against her skin, his tone teasing. "Is there someone else you write love letters to?"

Nerys laughed softly and wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her and carried her into the bedroom, assuring him with her eyes and her hands and her lips that there was no one else, no one but him.

*******

Kira's eyes fluttered open, the soft cotton sheets feeling strange under her cheek, accustomed as it was to the beds on DS9. She was curled on her side clutching a pillow in her arms, and she thought she'd never been quite so comfortable in her life. Small movements from behind her drew her further from sleep; she stretched and turned over. Odo was sitting cross-legged on top of the covers beside her with a number of PADDs strewn around him. He was bare-chested, clad only in pajama bottoms...the idea that there were intermediate stages between fully uniformed and totally nude was one he'd fortunately taken to heart. Nerys smiled and snuggled into the pleasantly heavy blankets, resting her head against his thigh. "Good morning," he said, ruffling her sleep-mussed hair affectionately.

"What time is it?" she murmured.

"Almost 0930."

"Prophets, I slept so late! I usually can't sleep past sunrise planetside." She poked at one of the PADDs. "What are you doing?" she asked, the words almost lost in a yawn.

"Oh, just checking some things..." he said vaguely. She picked one up.

"Security arrangements for the ceremony?" she said, incredulous. "Odo, you're the guest of honor. Surely this isn't your responsibility."

"No...but I asked to look over the plans. To their credit, they managed to agree without sounding too much like they were just humoring me." He tossed the PADD aside. "But enough of that," he said, leaning over and gathering her into an enthusiastic bear hug. Kira giggled unselfconsciously. "The security of the Federation's top brass can wait. I can't possibly concentrate on bloodtesting schedules and surveillance vantage points with you here looking rumpled and sleepy."

She smiled up at him. "You like me looking rumpled and sleepy?"

"Very much. Perhaps because you're always so alert and put-together. This is...I don't know, such a different side of you, one that only I'm allowed to see."

"Well, you've always been the one to see me at my worst, Odo...and I must make an amusing sight now, all draped across your lap like this." She sat up and gathered the covers around her like a squaw sitting by a fire on a chilly night. She leaned against him, dropping a kiss on his bare shoulder. "I missed you being here when I wake up."

"I just missed you being here." They looked at each other for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across Kira's face.

"Bedroom eyes," she whispered. He smiled back uncertainly, then shifted himself so she was leaning back against his chest and he could wrap his arms around her from behind. They sat that way in silence for a few moments. Kira knew his thoughts as surely as if she were Betazoid, thoughts recalled by her observation about his bottomless blue eyes...an observation first made by another woman, one who had broken his heart. "Do you ever hear from her?" she asked quietly.

"Arissa?" She nodded, not bothering to point out that hadn't been her name. Of course he knew that. "No. I don't ever expect to."

"That must still hurt, I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It does, in a disconnected, distant way. It feels like a long time ago. It's my understanding that most humanoids have these unsuccessful relationship dead-ends. The ones that got away, as Julian would call them."

"That's certainly true. I have to admit that in my selfish heart I'm just as glad it didn't work out," she said with a coy smile.

"Oh, I doubt she and I would have lasted even aside from the I'danian-agent problem. You can't sustain a relationship with someone when you're in really in love with someone else...at least, I don't think I could."

She fell silent, thinking. "How long, Odo?" she finally asked.

"How long, what?"

"How long have you loved me, I mean really?"

He frowned. "Haven't we had this conversation?"

"No. I've started to ask you a hundred times, but...well, I'm asking now."

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's hard to say. Sometimes I think it was from the very first moment, sometimes I think it developed gradually. I can tell you when I first became aware of it."

"When was that?" she asked, intensely curious.

"You remember when Jaro reassigned you, and Li Nalas took your post?"

"How could I forget."

"I remember when I first heard the news that you were leaving. My first thought startled me, and changed everything. It wasn't 'oh, that's too bad, I'll miss her' or 'she's a good officer, she doesn't deserve this' or even 'damned bureaucrats, they're making a mistake'...my very first thought, before I'd even had time to react, was: 'I can't lose her, not yet.' I remember that moment vividly."

Kira sighed and laced her fingers through his where they lay on her stomach. "You were so angry when you came to see me..."

"It was the only response I could think of that seemed remotely appropriate. I was very confused. I didn't know what I was feeling. At first...I actually thought I was coming down with something." She laughed at the image of him going to Julian and asking for a love antidote instead of a love potion. "Come to think of it, I suppose I was." He kissed her temple. "After that nothing seemed the same, everything was skewed. I found it disturbing to be so out of control, but once I realized what it was that I was feeling, well...I was horrified."

"I can imagine," she said. She turned in his arms to face him, her eyes twinkling. "Are you still horrified?"

"Extremely," he said with mock solemnity. "I don't know who I wronged to deserve this diabolical curse," he said, his hands slipping under the blankets to caress her bare skin. "But I think I've managed to make my peace with the cruel fate to which I am consigned."

Kira grinned. Odo's dry and ironic sense of humor still delighted her as much as it had the first time she'd come across it, when it had been such a pleasant surprise. It had become a regular part of their more private interactions to tease each other...a development she had welcomed, for it signaled a greater confidence in him about their relationship. At first she'd felt as though she had to constantly reassure him that yes, she did love him and yes, she did want to be with him. Thankfully, it had been some time since she'd caught him looking at her with that insecure anxiety lurking behind his eyes. She supposed asking him to marry her had helped quell his fears. "I guess there's nothing to be done about it," she said, leaning in and slipping her arms around his neck, their breath intermingling. "Somehow, we'll just have to endure."

"Oh, the hardship," he rumbled as she pulled him down amongst the tangled covers.

"Dax always said that morning was a good time for this," Kira murmured, wrapping her legs around him as he kissed the sensitive flesh of her neck.

"Is there a bad time for this?" he said, his voice muffled against her skin.

They were still laughing when the door chime sounded. "Oh Prophets, who could that be?" Kira said, irritated at the interruption.

"Who is it?" Odo called.

"It's me...Julian."

Kira swore under her breath and, mindful that she wasn't wearing a stitch, tried to slip out of the bed and into the safety of the bathroom, but Odo kept pulling her back. He sat up against the headboard and stretched out casually on top of the covers, re-forming his pajama bottoms. For the millionth time Kira envied him that ability. "Odo, lemme go! He'll walk in here any minute..."

"Nerys, we're all adults...I think he probably suspects that we don't shake hands and go our separate ways every night. Besides, he's your doctor. Come in, Julian!" he called, laughing under his breath as he wound a tentacle of himself round his wriggling fiancee. Kira swatted at him, trying in vain to look annoyed while grinning, then fled under the covers with an undignified squeal as the door slid open in the outer room.

"Odo?" Julian's voice came from beyond the doorway.

"In here," Odo called, crossing his arms over his chest. Julian appeared in the doorway, a wide smile on his narrow, not-quite-so-boyish-anymore face.

"Good morning!" he said, his eyes flicking over the situation and comprehending immediately. "Are you enjoying the break from Federation histrionics?"

"Immensely," Odo replied, trying to remember if he'd ever felt this...well, 'ebullient' was the only word for it.

Julian took another step forward and leaned towards the large lump in the other side of the bed. "Good morning, Nerys," he said. Odo noted, not for the first time, the doctor's unique ability to make his voice sound like it was smiling.

The lump heaved a sigh and a tousled red head appeared from beneath the bedspread. "Hi, Julian," she said with a rueful smile, waggling three fingers at him. She disappeared beneath the covers again with a parting jab at Odo's simulated ribs.

"I just stopped by to let you know what's on for tonight."

"Ah," Odo said, motioning to a chair by the windows. "How long does our parole last?"

Julian chuckled. "Until about 1800 hours. Tonight is the first official event of the induction ceremonies...the formal dinner and reception for all the VIPs arriving for tomorrow's big event."

Odo rolled his eyes. "Hmph. Another opportunity for everyone to look uncomfortable because I don't eat."

"Don't worry, the dinner is only secondary. The cynic in me suspects that the real idea is to make all those important sentient beings feel honored that they're being included. And of course, so they can get some good face time with you."

He frowned. "Face time? Sounds like me practicing noses."

"Well, you can practice noses if you want, they just want the exposure. It's nice for them to be seen congratulating you and generally behaving charitably and graciously. Good for the public relations."

The lump of bedcovers shifted and Nerys' head and shoulders appeared as she propped herself up on one elbow, keeping the covers wrapped modestly around her. "Ironic," she said. "After a vedek and the First Minister, I finally find a man that people don't feel they have to suck up to and then he goes and becomes a galactic hero. Just my luck." She nudged him and dropped a wink so he'd know she was joking.

"Believe me, I'd be just as happy back in relative obscurity," Odo said. She yawned again and flopped back into the voluminous pillows.

"So!" Julian said. "What are you two up to today?" he asked with a Cheshire-cat smile.

"We haven't really discussed it," Odo said.

"Can't we just stay here all day?" said the lump.

"Fine by me. Doctor, please arrange to have all the visiting dignitaries come here for their 'face time.' Single file, no pushing."

Julian laughed. "Well, Miles and I are going to play a round of golf, I think. I've never played but he insists there's nothing to it." He stood up and started to leave. "We'll come by at 1730 so we can all face this dinner together, all right?"

"See you later, Julian," Odo said as the doctor left the room. He leaned over and poked at the motionless lump next to him. "He's gone, you can come out now," he murmured.

She peeked out from underneath and he felt one of her hands snaking up his leg. "I think I'd rather have you come under here with me," she said, giving him a decidedly seductive look. Odo complied with the speed that only a shapeshifter could have produced.

*******

"How's that?"

"Closer. The collar is lower...there. And I think the color's off." Nerys held up her arm and placed it next to his. "See? It's lighter."

Odo concentrated for a moment and matched the color of his uniform to hers. "I've never had to do the dress uniform before," he said. "I should have practiced."

"It looks good on you," Kira said, standing at his side and looking into the mirror as she adjusted her own dress blues. "Matches your eyes." She turned him towards her. "Now. Your speech."

He rolled his eyes. "It will be as short and to the point as possible, I assure you."

"I still think you should have practiced it at the rehearsal."

"And ruin the suspense?"

She ran her hands up to his shoulders, her smile fading. "I was really hoping the Captain would show up after all," she said.

"So was I." That had been the only hitch in that afternoon's rehearsal for the ceremony. As Odo's commanding officer, it was Captain Sisko's role to present him with the actual medal. He had not notified anyone that he would be at the rehearsal (or the ceremony itself, for that matter), but neither had he sent his regrets, so they had all held out hope that he would appear despite his conspicuous absence at the dinner the night before. He hadn't come, and so his task would fall to Kira as next in the chain of command. Privately, she was glad she would be the one to place the ribbon around the honoree's neck, but she would have been just as glad to stand by and watch Sisko do the same. Odo reached up and grasped her hands. "Nerys...I haven't had a chance to ask you."

"Ask me what?"

He hesitated. "Well...what do you think of all this? The Order of Light, all this attention...it's not something I ever expected to happen to me."

She thought for a moment. "Yes, it was unexpected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think it's high time the Federation recognized you for the invaluable officer that you are. It used to make me so angry the way they pressured Sisko to get rid of you and never seemed to understand just how important you are to the station and how good you are at what you do." She smiled. "I admit, they may have gone a bit overboard, but a little pomp and ceremony never hurt anyone."

"It makes me uncomfortable at times, as if I'm pretending to be someone I'm not."

"Just relax and let yourself enjoy it. I think it's sort of fun in small doses."

He snorted. "Small doses, indeed! I've been here three weeks!"

"It'll be over soon, just the ceremony and then the ball." She smiled tenderly. "You know, you've always been my hero. I guess this just means the rest of the quadrant's finally getting the idea." The door chime ponged as they embraced. "Oh, that'll be Julian and Miles. Come in!" The door swished open, but it was not their crewmates. Kira and Odo stood there motionless, stunned, as their visitor walked slowly forward.

"I'm...sorry I'm late," Sisko said quietly. "I missed the rehearsal but the sergeant-at-arms filled me in." They just stared at him. "I do have a job to do at this ceremony, do I not?" He smiled, and in that moment he almost looked like the Sisko they both knew. They exchanged a relieved glance and the tension in the room dissipated. Odo stepped forward and shook Sisko's offered hand.

"Of course you do!" he said. "We didn't think you were coming."

Sisko drew himself up. "Now, Constable. You didn't think I would miss this, did you?" He turned to Kira. "Hello, Nerys. It's good to see you."

She grinned and hugged him. "It's good to see you too, Benjamin." She drew back and examined his face. "How are you?" she said, her words carrying more significance than the casual inquiry they traditionally implied. Sisko sobered.

"I'm not sure how I am...but a friend recently gave me a good swift kick in the head, so I'm making more of an effort to find out." He looked at Odo. "That's the second time you've given me a stern talking-to in my father's resturant, Odo. I'm beginning to think that for any spiritual crisis of my life, all I need do is go to New Orleans and wait for you to show up and talk me out of it."

Odo smiled. "Glad to be of service, sir...but I think the next time I visit your father's restaurant he's going to force me to eat something, Changeling or not."

They laughed together, and for a moment it seemed like nothing had changed...but of course it had. The real question was whether it could change again. "Well, we'd better get to the Great Hall," Sisko said.

"Julian and Miles were supposed to go with us...they're late," Kira said.

"I ran into them on my way here and told them to go ahead to the ceremony," Sisko said. He turned to his chief of security, his eyes more animated then they had been in weeks. "Well, Odo...ready to face all the pageantry the Federation can muster?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the Changeling grumbled.

"Then let's go!" The three officers left the room and headed for the transporters which would spirit them away to Paris and Federation Headquarters, where ten thousand people were gathering to applaud them.

CHAPTER 2: Ballroom Blitz

The Great Hall at the Paris headquarters of the United Federation of Planets was indeed an impressive venue. It was a huge, airy ampitheater-style forum with a domed ceiling made of transparent aluminum that could be opaqued on command. Intricate antigrav chandeliers hovered over the 10,000 seats and the circular raised dais that was the room's central focus, backed by a rear wall of seamless windows that afforded a breathtaking view of the Paris skyline but also could also function as a mammoth viewscreen. This room had seen many historic events; signing of treaties, welcoming of new Federation members, inaugurations, state funerals...but no event held quite the same mystique and excitement as the induction of a new member into the Order of Light. Since it was a rare and unpredictable occurrence, not to mention an occasion permitting the indulgence of a taste for grand spectacle, this ceremony more than any other generated a great deal of public interest.

It was an hour until the ceremony was to begin, and the sergeant-at-arms, who was charged with the sizable task of making all the arrangements, was still scurrying about checking that everything was in place. It was a beautiful cloudless night and the domed ceiling had been left transparent so as to allow a breathtaking view of the stars above. The chandeliers had been removed, the semi-circular Hall illuminated instead by thousands of small holo-candles, as was customary for this occasion. They floated in antigrav holders over the heads of the audience all the way up to the ceiling, filling the cavernous space like an earthbound constellation. Their flickering light imbued the Hall with an otherworldly glow that never failed to strike a sense of wonder into even the most cynical of observers. A red carpet ran down the central aisle to the dais, elegantly turned out in dark blue velvet bunting and rimmed with holo-candles in tall silver sconces like those that lined the aisles. The wall behind the dais had been programmed to display a three-dimensional starfield, making the two seals of the Federation and the Order of Light that were mounted side by side upon it seem to float in space. The entire setup had the cumulative effect of creating the illusion that one was standing inside a private galaxy, and it was an awesome, achingly beautiful sight.

The Hall was filling rapidly as the hour approached. The first few rows were reserved for Federation and Starfleet dignitaries, other heads of state, select press representatives and friends and crewmates of the honoree. Seating on the dais was limited to a very few people: the Federation President, the honoree, his commanding officer, his family (just Kira in this case), and the eight living members of the Order of Light.

"Wow," Miles gasped as he and Julian came through the huge double doors and into the Hall.

"It's so beautiful!" Julian exclaimed. "I never expected something like this."

"Oh, they go all out for this thing. You know, centuries ago we used to do stuff like this all the time...I guess this is the last holdout. It's a pity we've gotten away from it. There can be such a thing as too much practicality. Sometimes you just gotta do things with style."

Julian looked at his friend strangely. "Now that's not a sentiment I would ever have expected you to express, Mr. Level-Headed Engineer."

Miles grinned. "I like to keep you guessing, Julian. So, where do we sit?"

*******

The participants were gathered in an anteroom awaiting their cue, as it were. Kira was a bit fidgety...she'd never been terribly comfortable with this kind of pageantry, and she'd decided she was glad Sisko had come after all. It meant that all she had to do was sit there and watch.

"I feel like I'm not supposed to be here," she murmured to Sisko, standing at her side. Odo was surrounded by the Order of Light members in attendance, all of them wearing the diagonal silver sash and medallion that identified them as such.

"Of course you're supposed to be here," Sisko replied. "Immediate family are part of the procession. I think you qualify. Besides," he added, dropping his voice and leaning closer, "you can't let me go up there all by myself."

Kira smiled. "No, I suppose not." She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to the Bolian page who was standing there.

"This is for you, Major Kira," he said, handing her a small card.

Kira took it, puzzled. It said, "Still have time to mingle with the little people? We're outside around the corner. B & D." She grinned and thanked the page, excusing herself to Benjamin and craning her neck to catch Odo's eye.

*******

"This suit is so...confining," Dietz grumbled, tugging at his collar as if it were actual clothing.

"Gosh, this is exciting!" Nora gushed. "I just love big events like this. Everyone all dressed up and cheerful, music and dancing and decent catering..."

"You must have been a debutante in a past life."

"Oh no. I was a Southern belle with an 18 inch waist and big hoopskirts and ten suitors and I sat on the porch and drank mint juleps all day long."

"What is a mint julep, anyway?"

"It's nice to be back in uniform," she said, ignoring him. "I always feel more...I dunno, acceptable in uniform."

Dietz cast her an appraising glance. "Too bad you're not a specialist. Blue's a better color on you."

"I know, this mustard-gold does nothing for my complexion."

"Makes you look half-dead is what it does."

"Oh, you're a big help. It's easy for you to..." Briggs stopped short as Odo and Kira came around the corner, both of them smiling. "Kira!" she exclaimed, stepping forward to embrace the Bajoran. "It's so good to see you."

"You too," Kira said. "I admit I've been a bit worried. I'm glad you're all right."

"Who, me? I'm always all right," she said with a grin.

"Stretch! Buddy!" Dietz trumpeted, hugging Odo in that male back-slapping way that even Changelings seemed privy to. He stepped back and the two clasped hands, their fingers momentarily linking.

"I must say you look different," Odo observed dryly. While Briggs was in her dress uniform, Dietz was wearing a surprisingly understated charcoal-gray Terran-style suit. His hair, though still aggressively blue, was drawn back into a neat ponytail, no spikes in sight. Most of his facial piercings had also apparently gone the way of the dodo, only a nose stud and a small hoop through his right earlobe remained. "I never thought you'd go conservative."

Dietz shrugged. "It's part of a compromise...my end of which is being held up, I might add!" he snapped, casting a significant glance at the woman next to him.

"I never said I'd stop doing terminations, just that I'd try to cut back."

"Which is precisely my..."

"This isn't the time," Nora said out of the corner of her mouth, her smile never wavering. He cleared his throat.

"For once, she's right. We're just here to help celebrate your big day, Stretch. It's well-deserved."

"I'm not so sure. Part of that honor is yours, Dietz. I just made contact, it's you and Gamma Squadron who are doing the real work."

"Work that you gave us the chance to do. Your humility is oh so in character but I'm not buying it! You deserve this, admit it."

Odo ducked his head, embarrassed. "Everyone seems to think so."

"We should get to our seats," Nora said. "We're just going to blend in with the crowd, merge with that sea of dress uniforms."

"Oh, but you can sit up front with the DS9 officers!" Kira said.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," Briggs said, a warning glint in her eyes.

Kira sighed. "I suppose so. But you are coming to the ball, right?"

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away!" Nora exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. Dietz looked less enthused. "I love a good party. The Federation is sadly lacking in the entertainment department."

Dietz nudged her. "Are you sure we should go?"

"Why on earth not?"

"Well, it could be risky, it's so public..."

"You were the one who insisted we clear our schedule for the entire week, now you don't want to stay?"

"Of course I want to stay, it's just that..."

"We'll be there," Nora said firmly to Kira and Odo. "See you later." They exchanged good-byes and Dietz took Nora's arm as they turned to leave, which was immediately shrugged off. The sounds of the continuing argument drifted back down the hallway.

Odo shook his head, chuckling. "Like oil and water."

Kira watched them go with a thoughtful expression. "I'm not so sure." She squeezed Odo's hand. "We'd better get back. It must be nearly time," she said softly, but she made no move towards the anteroom, just stood there looking up into his face.

He felt a sudden rush of affection for her. Struck by an impulse, he laid a hand on her cheek. "I love you very much," he said quietly.

She smiled. "I love you too." She arched an eyebrow. "What brought that on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It just occured to me that I should say it again." He leaned in and touched his lips to hers, thinking to kiss her briefly, but as often happened neither of them wanted to pull away. Before they knew it their arms were around each other and they were kissing more passionately than had been intended.

A polite harrumph finally made them look up and draw apart red-faced, one literally and one figuratively. Federation President Jaresh-Inyo stood there, a knowing smile on his inscrutable Grazerite face. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, "but it's time."

*******

The Hall was packed, not a single seat left vacant, yet it was surprisingly quiet. A hush lay over the crowd, lulled into silence by the soberly elegant ambiance of the holo-candlelit chamber and by the symbolic impact of the ceremony, for it served not only to recognize one individual's actions but to remind everyone of the effect that a single person can have upon the course of history.

At precisely 2000 hours, the galaxy of floating holo-candles began to move, their motion silencing what little chatter there was. They redistributed themselves in a carefully choreographed and computer-controlled dance of light; thinning over the audience and concentrating near the dais, leaving the forum in relative shadow while brightening the illumination over the podium.

The double doors were opened. This procession was traditionally led by four Scottish bagpipers, and their discordant, resonant music filled the Hall now, the sedate strains of the Federation anthem sounding oddly appropriate as rendered by the old-fashioned instruments. The pipers walked slowly down the aisle, every eye in the Hall watching them. They were followed by President Inyo, flanked by two candle-bearing pages in silver robes. Behind him walked Kira and Sisko, her hand through the crook of his elbow. The pragmatically-minded Major had stopped feeling silly by now...even she was not immune to the sense of gravity that hung in the room. She found herself caught up in the spirit of the evening in spite of herself.

They were followed by the sergeant-at-arms, bearing in his arms a black case containing Odo's new sash and medal. Next came the eight Order members, walking in pairs, each of them holding a holo-candle. Bringing up the rear of this procession, also flanked by pages, was the man who was still amazed that this was all for him. Like Kira, Odo found himself unexpectedly charmed by the Federation's attention to all the little traditions and ostentations associated with this event. Perhaps because, as a rule, Federation business was conducted with Spartan efficiency and with little time for rituals or pageantry, this single indulgence seemed all the sweeter. Though he would be glad when it was all over and he could go home, he'd decided that he might as well enjoy this as much as possible. He couldn't deny that this ceremony did have a certain orderly elegance that appealed to him...nor could he deny the aesthetic of the moment as he walked down the aisle in the twinkling light of a man-made starfield.

The procession reached the dais and all took their assigned seats as the music stopped. The President stepped to the podium, illuminated by a spotlight that appeared out of nowhere. "Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, fellow citizens...on behalf of the United Federation of Planets, welcome." His softly mesmerizing voice flowed over the audience like warm seawater. Inyo's considerable public speaking talent was one of his best assets as a politician. "Many Federation Presidents go through their entire terms without enjoying the singular honor of presiding over an Order of Light induction. I consider myself fortunate not to be one of them, and even more fortunate to have personal acquaintance of the man we are here tonight to recognize.

As I look out over this assembly, I see more heroes than I could count, and the cumulative valor of this audience would be enough to topple even the mightiest of foes...yet the Order of Light is reserved for a select few. The Federation has selected only 36 people for membership in the Order's almost 300 years of existence. How, then, are these individuals chosen from amongst the millions who exhibit courage daily? The answer is simple: they are chosen because they have changed our place in the universe so profoundly that the repercussions of their actions will be felt for hundreds of years. Because they shifted the course of history away from darkness, and towards light.

I am in the unusual position of being unable to discuss, for security reasons, the exact nature of the heroism that brings us here tonight. I can say, however, that the good news of the Dominion War you have heard lately as well as any hope for victory that is currently being expressed is due in large part to the actions of this man," he said, motioning to Odo. "He is Major Odo, a Changeling, a Bajoran citizen and chief of Security of Deep Space Nine, a truly unique individual in almost every respect. Although it is impossible at this time to see the full extent of the impact he has had upon the history of the Federation, it is safe to say that he may have single-handedly provided Starfleet with the means to defeat the Dominion." A brief murmur passed through the crowd. "If that proves to be the case, he will have been indirectly responsible for saving an estimated 900 billion lives, either from death or from enslavement. Regardless of the outcome, what Odo has done will be remembered. That, my friends, is why he is here tonight." He paused for effect. "And now, to conduct the presentation, allow me to introduce Captain Benjamin Sisko, Major Odo's commanding officer." Inyo stepped aside as Sisko approached the podium.

He cast a glance over the ocean of faces before speaking, finding a touchstone in the familiar features of the Chief and Doctor Bashir as well as his son and father. "Thank you, Mr. President," he began, clearing his throat. "Odo has, in the past, accused me of being, quote, 'in love with the sound of my own voice.'" A chuckle rippled across the crowd. "Out of respect for the occasion it's a character flaw I'll try to curtail tonight. I only wish to say this: for those of us who have served with him, Odo has always been a source of courage, integrity and strength. He has saved my life on more than one occasion, and I consider myself fortunate to call him a friend. I am sincerely honored to be here in this capacity." He nodded to the sergeant-at-arms, who stepped forward with the case. "Odo?" Sisko said.

Odo steeled himself, stood up and walked to the podium to face Sisko, who opened the case and drew out the silver sash. From here on, Sisko's words were the traditional ones spoken at this point of the brief ceremony. "The United Federation of Planets wishes to recognize you, Odo, for your service." He slipped the sash over Odo's head and let it fall into its proper place diagonally across his chest. He turned and withdrew the heavy medallion on its sky-blue ribbon. "Therefore, on this the 17th of September, 2374, you are welcomed as the 37th member of the Order of Light." Odo ducked his head and Sisko placed the medal around his neck. They stood there still for a moment, then Sisko broke into a wide smile. "Congratulations, Constable," he said warmly, and embraced him. Applause broke like a tidal wave in the Hall, rolling and flowing inexorably over everything in its path. The audience all but leapt to its feet, cheering and clapping in a delirium of enthusiasm, both for the occasion and for life in general. Sisko returned to his seat and Odo stepped up to the podium, nodding in acceptance of the applause and waiting patiently for it to end. At long last, it did. The audience seated themselves for this, the last part of the ceremony. Odo harrumphed.

"I'm not much of a speaker, so I'll keep this brief," he said in his characteristically gruff tones. "I would like to thank the Federation for this great honor, the extent of which I am only now beginning to realize...but it is not my honor alone. My actions may have set a series of events in motion, but I cannot help but feel that the real heroics have only just begun, exhibited by a group of people who are the more concrete reason we may win the war. They know who they are, and someday they will get the recognition that they so richly deserve.

Something that is probably not widely known is that my mission, which as President Inyo stated cannot be discussed in detail here, would not have succeeded at all had it not been for the courage of one person. It is only because of her that I was able to complete my task, or that I am standing here at all...and it is because of her that I am the person that I am. I have always felt that she is the real hero, not me." He paused and turned his head slightly in Kira's direction. "I share this honor with her in every meaningful sense of the word. I also promised her that my speech would be short, and so it is. Thank you." The applause rocketed forward again as he stepped back to his seat, reaching out and grasping Kira's hand. Inyo returned to the podium.

"Thank you all for attending," he said simply. "Good night."

*******

The Promenade was packed with what seemed like every resident on the station, sitting and standing crammed in like sardines to watch the ceremony on the large viewscreen that had been set up for the occasion. Their own cheers and applause for the local hero almost drowned out those of the Earthly audience, transmitted to them across hundreds of light years.

"What a lovely, simple ceremony," Keiko commented as Inyo concluded the event.

"The Federation has no talent for ritual," Worf said, "but it was...adequate." Jadzia would have loved it, he thought, fresh pain ringing through his heart. I'm sure she wishes she could have been there herself. "And well-deserved. Odo is a most honorable man."

"Far too honorable, if you ask me," Quark grumbled. "I could have bribed him into looking the other way a dozen times if he weren't so honorable."

"Oh Quark, you know you're happy for him," Keiko chided him.

He shrugged. "Well, it has gotten him off the station for almost a month. That's something."

*******

The mood in the receiving room was jubilant, now that the hard part was over. "I never said you were in love with the sound of your own voice!" Odo insisted.

"Not in so many words, perhaps," Sisko said, dropping a wink at him.

"Here's the man of the hour!" Miles exclaimed as he, Julian and the Siskos were shown in. "Nice speech. Short and sweet, the best kind."

"Can I see the medal?" Jake asked, stepping closer.

"Of course." Odo held it out for everyone to see.

"It's beautiful," Kira said, gently touching one finger to it. Each Order of Light medal was a unique work of art, designed and crafted specifically for the recipient and incorporating the seal of his or her home planet or organization, as per their wishes. Odo's was oval-shaped, made of gold duranium with malachite inlays. The basic shape was the Bajoran state seal laid over a starfield, the laurel leaves of the Federation seal curving around it. At the top, casting its rays over the entire medal, was the starburst symbol of the Order of Light. "What do you do with it now?"

"Well, according to the others," he said, nodding at the other Order members, "I put it in a case on a shelf and spend the rest of my life showing it to everyone who asks," he said with a wry half-smile.

"Won't you ever get to wear it again?" Julian asked.

"Probably not until the next time someone new is voted into the Order, when I'll be expected to return here for that ceremony. An ambassador or a diplomat might have cause to wear it to state functions or other such events, but I doubt I'll have much of an opportunity. I just can't see hanging it around my neck while I chase smugglers around the cargo bays or eavesdrop on Quark's phone calls."

Kira slipped her arm through his. "Oh, I can think of one upcoming event of...um, moderate importance where you might wear it," she said softly, smiling up at him. Everyone exchanged knowing glances.

Odo nodded. "I stand corrected, Nerys," he said, letting the medal fall back to his chest. He looked around at the smiling faces of his friends and sighed. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Not quite," Julian said. "We still have a ball to attend."

"Oh, but that's the fun part," Kira said. Odo harrumphed and she elbowed him. "Right?"

"I suppose," he said grudgingly, but he didn't look annoyed. "Just tell me I don't have to make a grand entrance accompanied by trumpet fanfare and a shower of rose petals or something."

Everyone laughed. "No, you don't," Julian said. "Just show up."

*******

The ball was held in the state reception hall at the back of Federation Headquarters. It was a huge, elegant room used for large dinners, official events, and balls like this one. Its construction was intentionally lacking in the admittedly sterile conventions of the 24th century, designed by an architect with an eye for grand effect. It was five stories tall and rectangular, its walls made of white alabaster and almost totally covered, inside and out, by naturally occurring ivy. The long rear wall was split into levels by open balconies that looked down into the hall from the rest of the building behind, whereas the front wall was almost completely dominated by tall leaded-glass windows and French doors that gave onto a wide stone patio that ran the length of the hall. From the patio one could descend to the well-manicured gardens below. The room had been mostly cleared for the occasion, its marble checkerboard floor polished to a mirrorlike gleam. Tables and chairs had been set up near one of the shorter side walls and a long buffet table stood at the rear of the hall, bearing hors d'ouevres and drinks for the 1000 expected guests.

The decor was reminiscent of the ceremony. The antigrav chandeliers had been replaced, as in the Great Hall, with hundreds of floating holo-candles. The carpets of ivy on the walls and the many potted trees and plants were laced with strings of small white lights, a motif that continued into the gardens below, transforming them into a sparklingly fragrant enchanted forest.

The party was already well underway by 2000 hours. The band played waltzes, tangoes and swing music as guests continued to arrive, filling the hall and spilling out onto the patio and into the gardens. People were dancing, talking and eating as they awaited the arrival of the guest of honor, who was himself waiting for his date to finish her preparations and trying not to get impatient.

"No, it's supposed to go under the coat but over the vest," Julian said, frustrated, attempting to help Odo get his new sash in the proper place.

"That's rather difficult, Doctor, since both are me!"

"Well...here, try and..." He trailed off as he tried in vain again to adjust the uncooperative accessory, then threw up his hands. "Good heavens, Odo, couldn't you have worn a real tuxedo just this once?"

"Too late now, I didn't bring one. Here, give me that," he said, plucking the sash out of Julian's hands. He slapped it against his chest and drew it into his body. He fidgeted for a moment, his torso forming and re-forming, then the sash appeared in its proper place across his chest, under the coat and over the vest. He shrugged his shoulders and seemed satisfied. "There. Wasn't so hard." He slipped the medal around his neck and arranged the ribbon under his collarpoints.

"Marvelous," Julian said, stepping back. "I must say it suits you. Garak would be proud. You look so...distinguished."

Jake was pulling at his starched shirt-collar. "How do you guys stand wearing this stuff?" he complained.

"Oh, we men get the short end of the stick when it comes to dressing up," his grandfather said, looking very much the elder statesman. "Wearing a tuxedo is a privilege! Our one chance to put on a party frock."

"I think I'm with Jake," the Chief said, looking excruciatingly uncomfortable as he always did in any clothing that prevented him from pushing up his sleeves. "Damned penguin suits. I can't believe men used to wear these things every night. And to think I thought my dress uniform was restrictive!" The ball was a strictly white-tie affair, no uniforms allowed, so the Terran men and Odo were clad in the appropriate vested tailcoat tuxedoes, the one concession to their occupations being the presence of their combadges and rank pips on their lapels. The style had changed remarkably little in 400 years, the only alteration from its original incarnation a bit of streamlining about the neck and lapels.

The small group was in President Inyo's office, having been given the use of a nearby ambassadorial suite so they wouldn't have to go back to San Francisco to change. The President was behind his desk attending to some last-minute business while they waited for Nerys.

"Where's the Captain?" Julian asked, giving voice to what all of them had been thinking. The man in question's son and father exchanged a look.

"He said he would be along later, he wanted to call Judith," Jake said, clearly not believing it himself.

"I'm sure," Odo said neutrally. "He'll do what he needs to do, Jake," he said to the worried look in the young man's eyes. "I'm just glad he came to the ceremony. I suppose it's a bit much to hope for that he'd come to this ball." He glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "We'll miss it ourselves if Nerys doesn't hurry!" he said with a shake of his head.

"I think that's my cue," came her voice from the doorway. They all turned and their jaws dropped in unison as they beheld the Major.

"Wow," Julian breathed. "Nerys, you look amazing!"

She smiled. "Thank you, Julian." She looked at Odo and turned in a circle. "Well? Garak's self-esteem hangs in the balance." Garak needn't have worried, his creation was already a smashing success. It was made of Vulcan mirror silk, a very expensive material known for its softness, flow, and eerily three-dimensional luster. The color was a deep, warm emerald green, but the depth of the fabric showed glints of blue and purple and gold where the light hit it. The strapless bodice was simply cut, straight across her chest, tailored carefully over her waist and hips where it flowed naturally down into a loose skirt that just brushed the floor. Over the top of this foundation was fitted an overskirt of delicately golden Bajoran crystal netting, woven through with an intricate pattern of tiny gold leaves and filigreed threads creating an translucent tapestry-like effect. It floated from her hips in panels over the mirror silk skirt, swirling up over the bodice and covering her upper chest, shoulders and arms down to the wrists. The netting formed a high collar at the nape of her neck but dipped down in a V at the front to just below her ribcage, exposing the bodice beneath. Her hair was in its usual style, perhaps arranged a bit more carefully, except at her right temple where it was swept back and laced with the same golden leaves and threads that adorned her gown. Odo noted happily that she was wearing the necklace he'd given her for their one-month anniversary. He came forward and took her hands.

"You're too beautiful to be real," he said.

Nerys smiled. She'd known the dress was wonderful and that it flattered her, an impression confirmed by the looks on the faces of her friends, but at this moment it seemed that it was his opinion that mattered the most. Interesting how that works, she mused. "Thanks," she said, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "You look very handsome."

He sniffed. "I don't think there's a tuxedo made that could accompish that," he said.

"Beauty is a state of mind," she said softly, looking past him to the group of smiling men. "I feel a bit spoiled. I doubt any other woman will be arriving at this ball with five such good-looking escorts."

"That's three good-looking escorts," Julian said, "Miles is my date, thank you very much," he said with a grin, earning himself a good hard shove from his "date" for his trouble.

"Shall we get to the reception hall?" the President said, putting his PADDs away in his desk.

"We shall," Odo said, bowing a bit to Nerys and offering her his elbow. She took it with a grin and the group swept out of the office and towards the night's festivities.

*******

Despite Odo's worst fears their arrival at the ball was blessedly casual. There was a smattering of applause as they entered but they were not mobbed or heralded in any way. He felt himself beginning to relax, much as the entire affair gave him a sense of cognitive dissonance. The man who had spent his formative years in a beaker, utterly alone and believing himself to be nothing to anyone, could never have imagined that someday he'd be the guest of honor at an elaborate ball, showered in praise and accolades, surrounded by friends who never asked him to shapeshift for them and with a woman he loved at his side...a woman who, miracle of miracles, professed to love him back and, as if that weren't enough, had told the world that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. His heart swelled with the cautious euphoria of one whose life has, thus far, not given him much cause for joy.

Despite her usual impatience with large social events like this, Kira found herself having a wonderful time. The setting was elegant without being pompous, the impeccably dressed guests were friendly and light-hearted, it was a beautiful night and everyone was having fun. Perhaps the thing that gave her the most happiness was the look in Odo's eyes...she could swear that he was actually beginning to believe himself deserving of love and respect, something she had been hoping would happen for years. As much as she knew he cherished her feelings for him, they were not enough to completely reverse the effects of a lifetime of alienation and rejection. Only an equal amount of acceptance and appreciation could do that.

Talking of acceptance and appreciation, he was certainly getting a lot of it tonight. Everywhere he turned someone wanted to talk to him, congratulate him or shake his hand. Nerys left him to it, taking the opportunity to dance with Julian, then Miles (adorably stumble-footed) and even both Siskos, who displayed equal prowess on the dance floor. She was about to take another turn with the predictably graceful Julian when she felt a hand on her elbow. She turned around and broke into a delighted grin. "Briggsie! I was starting to think you weren't going to come after all."

The lieutenant beamed that Briggs Megawatt Grin (TM) and clasped Kira's hand. "I'm sorry I'm late, we got called to a conference of the higher-ups."

Kira frowned. "Sounds serious."

Briggs made a dismissive hand gesture. "Nothing you need to worry about. Cor, this is a bloody fabulous ball! I haven't seen this much temporary cosmetic enhancement in one room since the last I'danian deep-cover conference! And a band! I'm in socialite heaven!"

Kira laughed. "I admit I didn't think I would, but I'm having a great time!" She squeezed Nora's hand. "Let's go out to the patio, it's a beautiful night and I could use some air." Briggs nodded and the two women made their way out to the wide balcony where the cool night breezes refreshed Kira's warm cheeks, flushed from dancing. "You look terrific, Nora," she commented, and it was an understatement. She was wearing an extraordinarily simple dress of black crushed velvet. It was turtlenecked and covered her from wrist to mid-calf, stretched smoothly over her body like paint and accentuating her lean, muscled frame. It was seamless and unadorned except for a chunky silver choker. Nora's sleek chestnut hair was pulled back from her face and twisted into whorls atop her head. Kira, who had been on the receiving end of scores of compliments since arriving, suddenly felt like an old shoe next to Nora's stark elegance.

They talked for some minutes about neutral topics; events on DS9, the Order of Light ceremony, Kira and Odo's still-nebulous plans for marriage. Finally Kira took a deep breath and asked Briggs about her recent work, albeit in veiled terms. "Your letter made it sound like you and Dietz haven't been seeing eye to eye on everything," she finished. Briggs' calmly effusive demeanor shifted towards seriousness.

"Dietz and I have fundamental differences," Nora said tightly, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "I don't think that'll ever change."

Kira frowned. "What do you mean?"

Briggs sighed. "He's just so emotional, and he insists on projecting it onto me! He can't accept that some of us are perfectly well-adjusted all on our own; no, he's the heroic Dr. Feelgood in his own little warped version of the universe where we all need his guidance to maintain mental health!"

"I'm sure he's only trying to help."

"I don't need his help!" she exclaimed with sudden and disconcerting vehemence. "I can take care of myself! I've been doing this a lot longer than he has and still he insists that he knows what's best!" Kira watched her face, amazed. "I don't know where he gets off judging me and my job and my responses." She sighed and leaned against the railing. "I don't deny he's good at what he does, but he's so unprofessional. He just flies in without a thought...how can I protect him when he won't listen to me?"

"I think he can probably..."

"He's going to get himself killed and I refuse to be responsible! Then when it's all over he goes on and on about how I need to get in touch with my inner feelings or some such other nonsense I tell you one of these days I'm going to just snap and I won't be held accountable for the consequences!"

Kira could never have imagined seeing Briggs so worked up, about anything. It was like seeing a Klingon fawning over a nice dried floral arrangement, it just didn't track. There was but one explanation for both her agitation and for the pained look behind her eyes. "Nora..." Kira began, then sighed and plunged ahead. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Briggs didn't miss a beat. "That doesn't change the fact that he's judgmental and he's impulsive and he's insufferable and I cannot stand the sight of him!" She snorted and gave a brief, frustrated shake of her head, then dashed off down the stairs into the garden, her fists clenched. Kira watched her go, shaking her head with a wry smile, then turned and went back into the hall, thanking the Prophets once again that her own relationship was stable.

*******

"Who can this distinguished-looking gentleman be, now?" came a voice from over Odo's shoulder as he stood near the buffet table, a prisoner of Lwaxana Troi's enthusiastic conversation. He smiled to himself. "Surely it can't be my dear compadre, Stretch the Cheerful Changeling!"

Odo turned to behold Dietz' smiling face, the elder Changeling extravagantly garbed in a blinding multicolored patchwork tuxedo that did, nevertheless, have a white tie. Dietz was one to obey the letter of the law, if not the spirit. "Ah, Dietz. I was afraid you weren't going to show up after all!"

"Oh, Nora was right, I couldn't possibly miss this." He glanced significantly past Odo at Lwaxana.

"I'm sorry," Odo said. "Dietz, this is an old friend of mine, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi of Betazed. Lwaxana, this is Nam Dietzbader." He glanced from Dietz to Lwaxana, outlandishly outfitted as usual in an elaborate tiered gown ruffled, flounced and beaded in all the colors of the rainbow, thinking to himself that having the two of them in such close proximity probably constituted the fashion equivalent of subatomic fusion.

Lwaxana shook Dietz' hand with a warm smile. "So nice to meet you. Any friend of Odo's is a friend of mine." She cast them a knowing glance. "I'll leave you boys to chat." With a wink and a swish of voluminous skirts she was gone. Dietz watched her go with a speculative look on her face.

"Interesting woman," he commented.

"That's one word for it," Odo said. "My ex-wife, you know."

Dietz' jaw dropped. "What?" he said. Odo chuckled and changed the subject. Let's see how you like being on the receiving end of enigmatic, unexplained non sequiturs for once. He could see a million questions bubbling behind Dietz' green eyes (green today, at least) but they were soon talking of other matters. "Where's your lovely betrothed?" he finally asked.

"I saw her going out to the patio with your partner."

Dietz grunted. "By 'partner' I assume you mean that woman with whom I occasionally share air molecules."

Odo arched an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?"

He sighed and sat down at a nearby table. Odo followed suit. "I just don't ever know where I stand, Odo. She's so closed off and mixed-up inside that she doesn't even realize it! And the worst part is that I seem to be the only one who notices. Everyone else tells me how stable and cheerful and well-adjusted she is and how suited she is to her work and it's all true, but it's not the whole truth."

"How do you mean?" Odo wasn't sure it was any of his business but he sensed that Dietz had been waiting to unload this on someone. Looks like I'm volunteered, he grumbled internally.

"She buries her conflicts about her job, she's never really dealt with her husband's death and she denies having any emotional consequences at all! I try to get her to stop doing terminations because I see how it affects her. She insists it doesn't and I'm sure I'm the only one who's even aware of it but it hurts her, a little more every time." His eyes were far away. "And when she hurts, I hurt," he said softly. Odo studied his friend's face, his suspicion mounting. "But she won't stop and I just get so angry at her and so I lash out and I don't want to but I can't stop myself!" he said angrily, thumping his fist on the table. "I want to help her but I have no help to give. She's just so stubborn!"

"So are you."

Dietz snorted. "I suppose that's part of the problem."

"Monopolizing the guest of honor?" Kira said, walking up to the table. Dietz smiled up at her, his expression speaking a more eloquent compliment than words could have done...which didn't, of course, stop him from making the attempt.

"Kira, you look fantabulous!" he said enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Dietz," Kira said, assuming that the unfamiliar word was indeed a compliment. "Constable, I believe you owe me a dance," she said to Odo, her eyes twinkling.

Odo stood up. "See you later, Dietz?"

"Count on it," he said, dropping a wink at him.

Odo led Kira to the dance floor as the band swung into a waltz. "What did Nora have to say?" he asked quietly as he drew her into his arms.

She shrugged. "What she didn't say was more interesting. What about Dietz?"

"The same, I expect."

She smiled up at him. "I don't want to talk about Briggs and Dietz right now. I've scarcely seen you at all tonight and I don't intend to spend the time analyzing our friends' relationship difficulties."

He ran one finger down her cheek as they danced. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's not your fault! Everyone wants...what was it? Their 'face time' with you." They chuckled together. "Too bad we couldn't sell the committee on your idea to have them all come into our bedroom instead."

"There are better things to do in one's bedroom," he whispered. He leaned closer and was about to kiss her when the unmistakable and unwelcome sound of her combadge chirping intruded.

"Prophets, what now?" she said, reaching into a concealed pocket to retrieve the electronic interloper. She tapped it. "Kira here."

"Major, there is an incoming transmission for you from Deep Space Nine."

She sighed and glanced up at him. "I'll be right there." They had already moved to the edge of the dance floor. She kissed his cheek. "I should take this. I'll only be a minute."

He nodded. "Hurry back." She smiled and trotted from the room. Odo watched her go, holding her skirts up off the ground with both hands as she went...it was a girlish and oddly endearing sight. He turned back to the party with a smile on his face.

*******

"I wish Keiko was here, I feel like a wallflower."

"You could always dance with me," Julian chided him.

"Oh, I don't think so. You always want to lead." They both looked up as Odo strolled over to them. "Constable! Lose your date?"

"A transmission from the station came in, she went to answer it."

"How rude of Worf to interrupt such a festive occasion," Julian said, tsking disapprovingly. "But how typical. He probably just wants to tell her about the EPS power flow diagnostics or something."

Odo scanned the crowd from their position near the French doors. It was a sizable gathering of more differing species than he could ever recall seeing in one place. President Inyo was standing with his wife Latish near the buffet table and talking with a tall, impressively dressed Terran man. He caught Odo's eye and started towards them, indicating for his companions to follow him. "Odo," he said as they drew near, "here's someone I'd like you to meet. This is..."

That was as far as he got. A strange, hissing pop was heard and a small jet of purplish Grazerite blood spurted from the side of Inyo's neck. He stiffened, his eyes widening. Odo caught him reflexively as he toppled forward and lowered him to the floor. Latish screamed shrilly and a shockwave rippled through the crowd. Everything seemed to stand utterly, eerily still as Odo knelt on the floor, stunned, with Inyo's blood staining his fingers.

CHAPTER 3. A View to a Kill

Julian sprang into action, his bemused party-smile falling away from his face to be replaced by an alert look of grim concentration. "Computer! I need an emergency medkit to my location stat!" he snapped, and after the briefest of pauses the case materialized at his feet. Miles and the still-unidentified tall man kept the gathering crowd back as Julian passed the tricorder over the President's inert form. Odo peered at the side of the Grazerite's neck.

"Doctor," he said, "look." He bent over to examine what Odo was indicating...a small, sleek dart sticking out of the side of Inyo's neck. "He's been shot." He and Julian exchanged an alarmed glance. Security and medical personnel were descending on them, alerted by the scream and by Julian's emergency request. Odo stood up and did what came naturally. "Seal off the entire area," he barked. "No one leaves. Go to full security alert." A gold-uniformed lieutenant nodded briskly and began relaying orders into his combadge with quiet efficiency. Julian recognized Dr. Ravesh, the Vulcan head of Starfleet Medical, as she pushed her way through the crowd.

"What's happened?" she intoned calmly.

"He's been shot with a dart poisoned with concentrated beta-batrachotoxin," Julian reported. Even the Vulcan could not suppress a shudder.

"There is no counteragent for that chemical," she said.

"Oh yes, there is," Julian muttered. "Bashir to Infirmary...listen very closely. Instruct the computer to prepare a 2.5 molar solution of 2-keto-alpha-18-nitro-4,8-bisparamethoxy-7-(2,2,1-bicyclooctratrienyl)-gamma-corticosteroid, buffered with 1.0 molar sodium phosphate and ready 5 cc's for immediate intracardial saturation," he rattled off fluidly. He slapped a cylinder into a hypospray and injected the President. "This should stabilize him until the antidote can be administered," he said.

"There is no antidote," Ravesh insisted.

"I was asked to design one several months ago," Julian said. "Unofficially." His brow furrowed as he monitored Inyo's vital signs. "He's stable for the moment. Computer! Two to beam directly to the infirmary!" He and the President disappeared.

Odo cast his sharp eyes around the room. The relaxed, jovial atmosphere had vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a tense silence. People huddled in small groups as security officers ran hither and yon gathering everyone together and securing the room. Commander Biroc, the HQ Security Chief, came to stand next to Odo. "What happened, sir?" he asked quietly.

"The shot must have come from up there," Odo said, nodding towards the shorter ivy-covered wall opposite the band. "The dart's angle was consistent with a high-trajectory shot, and he was facing the windows when he was struck, in the side of his neck."

"Well, we've sealed the entire area with force fields," Biroc said. "No one can escape over ground."

The Chief stepped up, a tricorder in his hand. "No trace of a recent beamout," he said.

"Then they must still be here," Odo said in a low voice. He and Biroc stood shoulder to shoulder, looking around at the throng. "How do you suggest we handle this?" he murmured.

Biroc shook his head. "We can't detain everyone forever. We have to do a complete security sweep and try to obtain some physical evidence to help us identify the assassin."

"I would suggest using the internal sensors to compile a record of every person here and in the entire building. If we need to make DNA comparisons we can use the medical database. Once that's done, this room should be cleared immediately."

Biroc nodded. "I concur." He moved a short distance away and began issuing the necessary orders.

A small commotion arose near the doorway as Nerys elbowed her way through the crowd. She ran up to Odo's side. "What's happened?" she demanded. "I heard the screams from down the hall!"

"Someone tried to assassinate the President," he said.

Her eyes fell closed. "Sweet Prophets," she breathed. "Is he all right?"

"He's in the infirmary. He was shot with a toxin-bearing dart. Luckily Julian knew an antidote, it looks like he stands a chance of saving him."

She hugged herself, her eyes scanning the stunned faces that surrounded them. "I can't believe something like this could happen here," she murmured. "And on such an occasion."

"There hasn't been an assassination attempt on Earth in over a hundred years, Major. I'm afraid we're a bit ill-equipped to deal with this sort of crime," Biroc admitted.

"Commander, with your permission I would like to participate in this investigation," Odo said. "I do have experience with this sort of crime."

Biroc looked a little relieved. "Of course, sir. Personally, I'd be grateful for your help."

The comm system chirped into activation and Julian's voice echoed through the hall. "This is Dr. Bashir," he said. "I am pleased to report that the toxin has been neutralized. President Inyo will recover fully in a few days." An exhalation went up from the crowd and the excruciatingly tense mood eased minutely.

Biroc conferred with one of his officers for a moment then stepped back to the group huddled around the small pool of Inyo's blood on the marble floor. "Sensor scans are complete. We have a complete visual and electronic record of everyone within the security field. I'm going to start clearing the room."

Biroc headed off to do his job as Nerys touched Odo's arm, beckoning him a little bit away from the others. "Can I tell you something?" she said in a low voice.

"Of course."

"When I heard all the commotion, for a second..." She hesitated and looked away. "When I realized someone had been hurt for a second I thought it was you." She squeezed his hand, further comment unnecessary.

He kissed her forehead. "Well, it wasn't me, and fortunately the President will be fine."

"Thank the Prophets for both." She smiled up at him. "I'll just be out in the garden while security sweeps the hall. Out of the way."

He nodded. "I'll be here with Biroc...but there's someone I'd like to consult first."

*******

He found Briggs sitting on the stone railing at the side of the building, swinging her legs and looking out at the dim countryside. He came up behind her, but she spoke before he could do more than open his mouth.

"To answer your first question," she began, hoisting her legs over to the balcony side to face him, her eyes glittering in the darkness. "This wasn't a professional job."

"How about my second question?"

"I'd guess it was someone employed for a one-time assignment, someone who was convenient rather than skilled."

"Enlighten me."

"If I was going to take out a very public figure in a very public setting, I'd use some remotely activated means. If you're going for dramatic effect, use a hunter probe. If you want subtle, use a time-release toxin or some other quiet agent. To place yourself in such close proximity to the target and to use such a visible method is suicide. You're sure to be caught. Frankly, it offends my professional sensibilities. That's how I know it wasn't one of my...colleagues. If it wasn't a professional, that leaves a garden variety hired gun or someone with a personal grudge. A personal grudge would never be satisfied with a poisoned dart, they'd go for a knife in the belly or something like that...and they'd want to look into his eyes when he died. So we're down to someone paid for the task. Someone who's familiar with the business of killing but isn't, shall we say, an expert. Someone with no personal stake in Inyo's death. Ergo, they were paid."

Odo nodded. "Reasonable."

"Actually, that makes things good for you. Such a person is bound to leave evidence that you can use to hang them." She smiled. "Interesting topic for our first-ever conversation of more than five words, Odo."

He said nothing for a moment. "I suspect we'll be having more substantial conversations in the near future."

"I suspect you're right." She gave him a cynical half-smile and swung back around to stare out at the darkened meadow. Odo turned without a word and went back inside.

*******

"Odo to Bashir."

"Go ahead."

"Doctor, we could use your medical report down here in the hall as soon as possible."

"I'm just on my way, Odo."

Biroc was standing where Inyo had been, facing the ivy-covered wall. "You're sure the dart was fired from that wall?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, there's about a five-foot crawlspace between that wall and the outer wall, but there's no way in or out unless you want to do some heavy demolition."

"Or by transporter," Odo said.

"But you just said that..."

"There are ways to disguise transport signals," the Chief put in. "As background tachyon radiation, for example. We'd never detect it on a routine scan and I'd consider it unlikely, but if the dart did come from behind this wall and there's no other way to get back there, well, draw your own conclusions." He frowned at his tricorder readings. "I'm reading a small hole in the wall behind the ivy," he said. "Fifteen meters above us."

Biroc nodded. "I suppose that confirms it, but it doesn't help us catch the assassin. If they beamed out they could be anywhere."

"No, they couldn't," the Chief said, his eyes still on the tricorder. "Just as I thought...elevated tachyon levels, used to hide the transporter signal."

"That modification renders a transporter an extremely short-range proposition," Odo said. "The assassin could not have beamed himself more than a hundred meters. They could not have gotten far enough away to escape the security field." Biroc looked at them appraisingly, clearly impressed with their investigatory skills. Odo shrugged. "Comes with serving in the midst of barely controlled chaos, Commander. One does get used to looking for unusual solutions." He and the Chief exchanged a look. They turned as Julian came walking up, PADD in hand.

"Well, the dart's completely clean. No DNA except Inyo's. No help there...but I can give you the exact entry trajectory so you can..."

"It's all right, Julian, we already know where the dart came from." Odo craned his neck upwards. "I suppose I should go take a look," he said. Miles wordlessly handed him the tricorder and Odo began...growing. The two amused DS9 officers watched Biroc's amazed expression as Odo's legs got longer and longer until his eyes were level with the hole in the wall. He appeared to be standing on very tall stilts. He pushed the ivy aside and spent a few moments examining the wall and taking tricorder readings. Satisfied, he shrunk back down to his normal height. "The hole was cut within the last twenty-four hours. There's also a crude platform sticking out of the wall underneath it for the sniper to stand upon. Couldn't have been very comfortable, but serviceable. So...our assassin beams into the crawlspace, weapon in hand, sights through the hole, locates Inyo and fires. They beam out, probably having programmed the transporter to atomize the weapon, and blend in with the crowd."

"Blend in?"

"They would have had no choice. They had to have known the security net would be activated immediately, and their transporter could not get them safely away. Our assassin is almost certainly captured on the sensor data we collected, the only task will be to find them."

"How?" Julian asked.

"I'm sure it won't prove difficult." They all looked at him, surprised. He favored them with a sardonic headshake. "Gentlemen, we're being led to the assassin...don't you see that? He's all but leaving us a trail of breadcrumbs to follow! He goes to the trouble of disguising his transporter signal, yet he carries out his attempt from a location that is only accessible by transporter! Why? Surely he knew we would deduce that he had to have beamed in. Why bother to hide the transporter when it was obvious he'd used one?" Odo was beginning to pace in what Julian and Miles recognized as his "laying-it-all-out" routine. "He chooses to poison the President with a chemical that he believes is irreversibly fatal, yet he chooses the most inefficient and visible means possible of delivering his toxin. This, as well as forcing himself into using a short-range transporter, has the result of making it extremely difficult for him to escape! The only possible conclusion is that this assassin is either an idiot, or he doesn't care if he's caught...perhaps he actually wants to be caught. The only reason I can think of for him to use tachyon radiation to hide his transporter beam is just this: the tachyons would remain on the assassin for several hours afterwards and could be detected, if you know to look for them." He turned to Biroc and opened his mouth to speak, but the commander cut him off.

"It's all right, Major...I may not be the Holmesian intellect that you seem to be but I can see what's right in front of my face." He turned and hurried out of the room. Odo turned back to his friends, who were standing there applauding sarcastically. He grunted and rolled his eyes.

The French doors opened and Nerys came into the hall. "Solved the mystery yet?" she asked, coming to stand with her crewmates.

"As a matter of fact, the Constable all but has the perpetrator behind bars," Julian said. "Quark would have lost his shirt in this manhunt pool, I can tell you. Thirty minutes has to be some kind of record."

"Let me remind you that the perpetrator has not been identified as yet, Doctor."

"Only a matter of time." Julian briefly outlined what had just occurred. Nerys frowned.

"Why in the world would the assassin wish to be caught?"

"Any number of reasons. Perhaps he wants to make some sort of political statement and be maryrtred for his cause," Odo speculated. "Or perhaps he was paid to take the fall." He shrugged. "Whatever his reasons, he...or she...is sure to be identified by the sensor data we collected before the guests were dismissed."

Kira steadied herself with a hand on Odo's arm as she bent to slip off first one shoe, then the other. "Ooh, that feels good. These are just a bit snug."

"You're sure the President will be all right?" Odo asked.

"Oh, absolutely. The antidote neutralized the toxin, a few days rest and he'll be right as rain."

Odo frowned. "It's lucky you were here, Julian. Any other doctor would not have known about your antidote...and even if they had, they wouldn't have been able to recall it so precisely."

Julian matched Odo's frown. "Yes, that is fortunate. Even if the antidote were in the computer, the time it would take to retrieve it...well, it would have been too late. Beta-batrachotoxin is very quick and lethal. Seconds count." He sighed. "Well, no use dwelling on it. I was there and he'll be fine. At least I can point to that as something positive that genetic enhancement has done for the universe! Whoever our assassin proves to be, he won't have succeeded."

*******

Briggs was beginning to feel cold as the stone railing she was sitting upon leached the heat from her body, the night breezes riffling through her hair. She sensed his presence behind her before he spoke. The familiar dichotomy tore at her...she was glad to see him, yet she wanted desperately for him to leave.

"You'll catch your death."

"Are you my personal physician now?"

He snorted. "Fine, be that way." He came to stand at the railing by her side. "The President's going to be all right."

"That's a relief."

"Who could be stupid enough to try and kill him here, and like that?"

She shrugged. "Whoever it was must have had a pretty compelling reason."

Silence fell...an awkward silence, as all their silences seemed to be. "I saw you talking to Kira."

"I saw you talking to Odo."

"Well, he's my friend."

"And she's my friend," she snapped. "You got a problem with me talking to my friends, now?"

"My only problem is that Section 31 grafted us together at the hip!" he snapped back, stung as always by her cutting words. She was the picture of gregarious good cheer to everyone else, how had *he* earned the singular honor of being the only person in the universe to whom she spoke harshly, and often without provocation?

"Sure, blame me, that's just like you."

"Killer!"

"Freak!"

"Psychopath!"

"Moron!"

They stared at each other for a moment, then Dietz' shoulders sagged and he heaved a tired sigh. Briggs looked away. "What the hell is this, Nora? When's it gonna end?"

"What?"

"This private little war we've decided we're waging! Why do we have to keep torturing each other?"

"I don't want to talk about this," she said tersely, hopping off the railing onto the grass below. She stormed away, the very blades of grass seeming to cringe in terror at her approach. He vaulted over the railing and went after her.

"Don't walk away from me! We can't go on like this, we'll kill each other!"

"Well, that's all I'm good for, isn't it? What was it you called me last week...a gun with a human body attached?"

"Good God, I didn't mean that. You're more than just an assassin!"

"No, I'm not, I can't afford to be." She was now almost running through the well-manicured grass, Dietz hurrying to keep up with her.

"I mean...you're more than that, to me." She stopped and turned to face him so abruptly that he had to fall back a step to avoid running right into her.

"Oh, so that's it, is it? Now you're gonna try and tell me how much you think of me and what a terrific person I am?"

"Well, why not? Why do we always have to hide behind this pointless hostility? Why can't we just let ourselves..."

"Let ourselves what? Feel? There's nothing to feel!"

"That's not true!" he exclaimed. "You know that as well as I do, you're just too much of a damned emotional cripple to realize it!"

Her face contorted in rage, wisps of her hair slipping free to waft about her face. "I am perfectly in control of my emotions," she said tightly.

"That's just what I mean! You're not supposed to be in control, you're supposed to feel! Why can't you let me in? Why can't you feel anything? You're so cheerful and composed and calm and nothing bothers you! Well it's a good front but I don't buy it, you're just so paralyzed that you don't even realize you can't move!" he yelled.

"Oh, I feel something all right...that I hate you!" she cried.

"Good! It's nice to know there's still a person in there somewhere!" he retorted, leaning to speak directly into her face. "I was beginning to wonder!" He closed the distance between them with a single step and grasped her by the upper arms. She was stiff as a slab of lumber. "Tell me something, Nora...anything!" he said intently. "Show me I'm wrong, let me in down there to where you are, where you've hidden yourself!"

She shook her head, his intensity robbing her of all circumspection. "I can't," she croaked.

"Why? Don't you know how? Are you afraid?" He paused, more frustrated than ever...he was so close, he could feel it. His next words burst from his mouth before he could stop them. "Harry's long dead and buried but dammit, they didn't bury you with him!" He wanted to take it back but it was too late. Nora sucked in a hissing breath as Dietz stepped back, horrified. "Nora...I'm sorry..." he managed.

She drew back her fist and punched him across the jaw as hard as she could, which was pretty damn hard. Changeling or not, it knocked him on his back in the damp grass. He sat up and watched as she turned around and ran away from him as fast as she could...but he could see her hands going to her face as she went, her normally ironclad composure shattered. Dietz drew his legs up to his chest and let his forehead fall to his knees, wishing for the hundredth time that he could cry.

*******

Out of sight of this unpleasant scene, a constitutionally similar yet vastly different couple walked hand in hand through the gardens. Kira steered them towards a bench near a small pond.

"Shouldn't take them very long to find the assassin," she commented as they sat down.

"I hope not," Odo agreed. A companionable silence fell. "What are you thinking about?" he asked quietly after a few moments.

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing." He nodded and waited for her to tell him. As always, he didn't have to wait long. "Where do you think we'll be in thirty years?" she asked musingly, propping her chin on her hand and looking off into the distance. "I wonder if I'll be retired yet..."

Odo straightened up and laced his hands together in his lap. "If you want to be, I suppose."

"Of course you realize that you have to retire when I do," she said, giving his shoulder a poke. He said nothing. "Maybe we can build a house on the Sea of G'Staal." She smiled to herself, considering the possibilities. Nerys found herself more and more these days lapsing into daydreams like these, sometimes verbalizing her latest notions of the future to the person with whom she expected to share it. Little did she know how this topic filled him with dread, even though he had as many hopeful musings as she. "But I might want to live in Dahkur...Rikantha is so beautiful and peaceful...oh dear, I think we'll need more than one house." She grinned and looked at him, her smile fading as she observed his guarded expression. "Odo, say something."

He glanced at her and forced a smile. "I...don't need to, you're saying it all for me."

She sighed and slipped her hand into his. "You never have much to say when we talk about the future, you know that? You always just let me babble on and on about trips and gardens and retirement...don't you have any thoughts beyond tomorrow?"

He looked into her face. "Just for us to be together, that's all," trying to keep his tone casual and failing.

She drew back a bit from the intensity of his gaze. "Odo...you say that like you're not sure it's going to happen." Her eyes narrowed. "That's it, isn't it?" She dropped his hand and stood up, exasperated. "Prophets, what do I have to do? What magic words can I say to finally make you believe it? Asking you to marry me doesn't seem to have been enough!"

He stood quickly. "Oh no! That's not it at all!"

"What then? Blessed Temple, haven't we been through enough?"

"Nerys, I..."

"How can you still doubt our future and the length of it!"

"Because I don't deserve this kind of happiness!" he burst out before he could stop himself. Her expression, which was what he thought of as her "pre-furious" expression, collapsed into weary understanding. He cleared his throat and looked away, his knees giving out and depositing him back on the bench. "That sounds so silly."

"No," she whispered, rooted to the spot. "It doesn't."

"I just...sometimes I have this feeling that something will happen, to us. Something we can't control, something to ruin everything. Whenever you talk about longterm plans, I...I want to share your enthusiasm but there's always this little voice whispering to me, 'it won't last that long, Odo...it's too good to last.' So I just listen to you and try to ignore it." He looked up at her beseechingly. "I'm sorry, Nerys. I didn't intend to bring this up now."

Her paralysis broke. She stepped forward and drew his head to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and resting her cheek against his hair. "Oh, sweetheart...it could almost be funny. Why do you think I always want to talk about the future? It's just a way of reassuring myself, because I have those same thoughts."

He raised his head and looked up at her, amazed. "You do?"

"Yes." She pulled him close again, feeling his arms go around her waist. "I've lost everyone I've ever loved in my life. Part of me half-expects to lose you, too...but I'll be damned if I'll just sit around and wait for it to happen." She drew back and cupped his face in her hands. "Now listen up, Constable. We're going to get married...Prophets know when, but we're going to do it. I'm sure our little voices won't stop whispering to us, but we'll just have to get through one day at a time like everyone else."

He sighed and smiled. "I'm glad that one of us has some common sense, Nerys. It's amazing what an alarmist I'm turning out to be."

"You always prepare for the worst. Perhaps it's warped your mind," she said, a teasing gleam in her eyes.

He eyed her speculatively. "Well...a warped mind can be a good thing, depending on what you do with it." He pulled her onto his lap.

"Odo, my dress!" she exclaimed, giggling as the garment in question bunched up underneath her.

"You weren't planning on wearing it all night, were you?" he growled into her ear.

"Well, no...but I hadn't planned on taking it off in the middle of the HQ gardens." She was about to kiss him when his combadge chirped.

"Biroc to Odo."

He sighed. "Odo here."

"Sir, we've identified the assassin. Would you and Major Kira mind coming to the security office?"

"On our way," Odo said. Kira hopped off his lap and pulled him to his feet.

*******

They found Biroc and a few of his officers in the surveillance control room. Odo frowned...for a bunch of officers who've just caught the President's assassin they didn't look very happy.

"You have something to show us?" Odo said. Biroc sighed.

"Yes, sir." He nodded to the Chief and Julian as they came into the room. "We searched through the electronic records of every person in the Hall for anyone with elevated tachyon levels." He hesitated.

"And you found someone?" Odo prompted him.

"Yes, the computer found one person corresponding to the search parameters." He cast them one more uncomfortable look before turning to the computer. "Computer, display results of previous search." An image came up on the viewscreen, a wide angle of the gathered crowd in the reception hall. The view narrowed tic by tic, zeroing in one zoom factor at a time. They crowded around the display as the computer focused on one person, then sharpened the fuzzy image of the face.

The room went dead silent. No one moved as every pair of eyes stared at the picture of the alleged assassin...Kira.

Biroc looked over Kira's shoulder. They all turned to see one of his officers standing behind them holding a tricorder. He nodded. "Confirmed, sir. Her tachyon levels are 200% above normal."

Biroc drew himself up. "Major Kira, I am placing you under arrest for the attempted assassination of President Jaresh-Inyo."

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