"Worf!"
Jadzia's voice.
Worf stared in astonishment at his wife, crumpled on the ground of the alien rainforest. Her brown hair was matted by blood, and her face was as pale as death. Blood lined her, radiating from the front of her ribs, where claw marks from some vicious beast could be seen.
But her blue eyes were still alive, burning like twin coals as she looked at him. Avenge me, a cold voice whispered, a voice dragged down by death.
"Worf!"
A slap.
Worf came awake, panting and gasping. Jadzia Dax was kneeling on the bed next to him, looking concerned. Her face was its normal healthy beige, and her white nightshirt was unmarred.
"Worf!" she said, sounding both relieved and a little irritated.
Worf took a deep breath and lay back, trying to steady the frantic pounding of his heart.
"I disturbed you?" he rumbled. Dax scoffed a little.
"You were shouting and thrashing around. You almost broke my nose!"
Worf swallowed and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry," he said breathlessly. "I was dreaming... about..." He stopped, and looked at her. Dax was still watching him, waiting for him to say what had frightened him so.
"Nothing," he finished lamely. "Just a bad dream."
She nodded, dubiously, then swung her legs off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He heard the rustle of fabric as she began to don her uniform. The feeling of continuity and usualness soothed him, but the horrible feeling of impending doom continued...
****
Lieutenant Commander Worf watched wordlessly as the torpedo tube opened, and a tiny black shape shot out, shining dully amidst the stars that twinkled around it. Around him, the eyes of Jadzia's friends watched with him, some dry, some sparkling with unshed tears. Two people were missing, three gone.
He burned. Burned with rage, burned with grief, burned with tears unshed. Destructive impulses raged through him, begging to be released. He wanted to smash something, to scream in rage, to beat out a testimony to the injustice of the universe.
Worf had never allowed emotion to rule him. He had given into impulse, allowed himself to be carried away at times. But he had given so much of his heart and soul to Jadzia.
Her smile, her laugh, her vibrant joy of living had sparkled like a gem in his life. He had never loved a woman like he had loved her. None had, he thought, stayed long enough. But she had. And he had thought that they would be happy together...
He felt a sympathetic touch on his shoulder, murmured condolences. Muted, touched with misery. But Worf, son of Mogh, felt and heard nothing. His attention was focused on the memories of a woman who had changed his life forever, and who was gone from him now...
I will avenge you, he swore. I will avenge you, beloved...
~The End~
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