Beginning: A Star Trek Novel (New Frontier Reloaded Book 2)

by ROVER MARIE TOWLE

"Take care of yourself." Malath said before he worked his way through the people coming towards the bar.

  Kejal spotted Kira weaving between people and tonga tables. A slender Asian man wearing a gray Starfleet uniform walked beside her. He had a shy, gummy grin.

  "Kejal," Kira smiled, looking to the young man, "I'd like you to meet Kirayoshi. Kirayoshi, this is Kejal. He is Odo's son."

  "Kirayoshi!" Kejal clasped the man's hand and gave him a firm handshake. "I've heard a lot about you."

  Giggling, Kira slipped away to join Odo at a table upstairs.

  "Auntie Nerys is practically my second mom. And please, call me Yoshi," said Kirayoshi. His smile crinkled his slanted eyes. "You have a great voice."

  "Ah, thanks! So, what do you do for a living?"

  Kirayoshi's expression brightened with pride. "I'm the station's chief engineer. I learned from my dad."

  "An engineer? Ooh." Kejal glanced at Palat and Eyana. Mischief flitted across his face. "Come on. Tell me all about it over the dabo wheel."

  Just before Kejal made his bets, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  "A rousing performance," said a familiar voice. "He would be pleased."

  Kejal turned. He could recognize that chiseled jaw anywhere, hood or no hood. "Ambassador Spock...what are you doing here?"

  "Merely passing through." Ambassador Spock kept his voice nonchalant. "I wish to express my condolences. I just read Doctor Mora's last treatise."

  "Oh? What did you think?"

  To Kejal's surprise, the Ambassador smiled. Faintly, little more than a twitch, but a smile nonetheless.

  "Fascinating."

  Kejal grinned at him. "Father would be glad to hear that."

  "Indeed." Ambassador Spock respectfully dipped his head. "I must take my leave. Live long and prosper, Kejal."

  "Live long and prosper, Ambassador." Kejal nodded back. "Hey, fancy a game?"

  He felt rather than saw the Vulcan's slanted eyebrow quirk upward.

  "Hm." Ambassador Spock studied the wheel carefully. He set one chip down on a seemingly random number.

  Palat and Eyana nudged each other. Kirayoshi grinned like he'd won a jackpot. Ambassador Spock had that effect on people, Kejal noticed.

  The wheel spun, stopped and flashed.

  "Dabo!" Kejal cried jubilantly. "Here's your-- " He turned to offer his congratulations and latinum, but Ambassador Spock had already left.

  Chapter 19: Footprints

  "Wait, wait, explain it to me one more time." Quark folded his hands on the table, where he'd rudely butted in on Kira and Odo's private space. "You were pregnant during the fabric counterfeiting debacle?"

  Odo couldn't hide his smile. He'd already explained how it happened. Now, he enjoyed watching the wheels in the Ferengi's head turn. "I was actually in labor during the sting operation."

  Quark's gaze flitted to Kira.

  "He was," she added. "He had Kejal two hours later."

  "Well! That explains the mood swings." Quark scoffed. "One minute you were almost chipper. The next, you bit my head off."

  "Your skull is too thick to chew on." Odo remarked off-handedly.

  Kira almost spat out her springwine.

  Quark snickered, tapping his fingers on the table just loud enough to annoy Odo. The years wrinkled his skin, but his wit remained sharp as ever. "Good, I rather like my skull the way it is. Anyway, I like Kejal a lot more than I like you. He actually knows how to have fun. Even if it did mean disrupting my business...now look at him. The ladies love him."

  Odo watched Kejal lean on the dabo table directly below him and wink at the two dabo girls he was hanging around with earlier. The blonde leaned against his shoulder. The brunette kept giggling and accepting his chips. Across the table, Kirayoshi placed his bets. They got along great.

  "Heh, Kejal was blessed with all the charm I never had."

  "You can say that again." Quark snorted. He broke into a sharp-toothed grin. "It's not the same without you, Odo."

  Kira placed her hand in Odo's.

  "I know, but I'm not staying." Odo said solemnly. "But don't think you can get away with anything. Malath is an excellent security chief."

  Quark rolled his eyes. "Tch, yeah. He's as annoying as you were."

  "Good! Now be a proper bartender and bring us both some champagne."

  "You drink now?"

  "I can, yes." Odo glanced at Kira.

  "His appearance isn't the only thing that's changed." Kira leaned her shoulder against Odo's. He felt his substance tremble at her touch.

  The lecherous grin Quark flashed on his way to get their drinks made Odo roll his eyes.

  "He is still a pest," Odo grumbled.

  Kira patted his forearm. "But he runs a good bar and holosuite. It's been years since he's caused any real trouble. Malath keeps him in line."

  Quark returned with their requested beverages. He rubbed his hands together after delivering them.

  "Well, you two, enjoy your reception. I hope the marriage lasts longer than the pining." He looked pointedly at Odo.

  "Hmph!" Odo raised his glass. "Nerys, here's to us."

  "And here's to marriage." Kira tapped her glass against Odo's.

  "Great...now, don't hesitate to look me up if you need frictionless sheets."

  Kira gasped and shot Quark a death glare.

  "Quark!" Odo snarled.

  Quark smiled again and beat a hasty retreat to hop behind his bar once more. He moved quick for an old Ferengi.

  "Ugh, same old Quark." Odo sipped generously from his champagne glass. He swallowed and let the vacuole settle in his chest. His eyes drifted shut. The champagne bubbles tickled almost unbearably. Memories of thirty years ago drifted through his mind.

  Kira laid her head on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

  "Oh." Odo set his glass down and took her hand. "I suppose I'm remembering how it felt to carry Kejal in my chest. Even now, I sometimes miss it."

  She smiled softly. The lighting above the table complimented the auburn of her hair. "Are you capable of having more children?"

  "It's...complicated. I could, yes, but I don't want to. It wouldn't be the same." Odo rubbed his thumb across her bumpy knuckles. "My people don't reproduce sexually. But if a Changeling is ill or otherwise dying, they can allow themselves to be absorbed by another willing, healthy Changeling. They gestate for anywhere from a week to a month and are born again as an infant, healthy, and with all their previous knowledge. All they have to do is grow up again.

  "As it turns out, the Hundred-- me included-- had their memories wiped immediately after birth, but the records are incomplete. I can't tell you why or how. Sometimes I wonder who I was before."

  Kira's eyes softened when she focused on his face. "Maybe you were like Kejal."

  Odo chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Who knows?"

  "Dabo!" Kejal shouted below. "Hey, mother, mom, I'm on fire here!"

  Kira raised her glass to him. "Don't burn yourself out too fast!"

  Odo peered over the railing. Kejal had a sizeable pile of gold pressed latinum.

  "Sometimes, it feels like he's ours," said Kira.

  "That was my initial thought, too. In a way, he is ours. You took part in shaping him. Just as Doctor Mora and I did." Odo lowered his gaze. The pain of loss stung like a hot ember. "He would have enjoyed Kejal's stunt on the bar."

  Kira squeezed his hand. "He watched from the Celestial Temple."

  "I...hope so." Odo said it more for her sake than his. The subject at hand dug at his rawest wounds. He changed the topic by leaning in and whispering in her ear, "You know, Nerys...we never did have a proper wedding night."

  He loved how her cheeks colored. "Is that a hint, Odo?"

  The kiss he gave her erased all doubt.

  Together, hand in hand, they threaded their way downstairs, left Quark's bar and stepped into the nearest turbolift.

  Odo felt a sense of anticipation and dread when the turbolift started moving. Tomorrow morning, he
'd be separated from Kira once again. Maybe for a long time.

  Maybe years.

  Maybe decades.

  Thirty years changed nothing between us...a dozen more won't change anything either.

  He let his eyes follow a lock of hair that brushed Kira's throat. Her pulse throbbed just below her jaw. Unable to stop himself, he leaned over and slowly kissed along the curve of her neck.

  I am hers, and she is mine...the distance doesn't matter anymore.

  "Odo..." Kira's breathing deepened. She groaned as he nibbled the shell of her ear. He placed his hands on her shoulders and literally let the substance of his fingers trickle down her skin. Goosebumps broke out all over her flesh. Her nipples hardened when he caressed them secretly under her dress.

  They had to stop when they reached the level of Kira's quarters. A cadet entered the turbolift they were leaving. Their hands remained interlocked. To Odo's amusement, it took forever for Kira's shaky fingers to punch in her key code.

  There was a swish and a hiss, and the doors opened. The sand mandala Kira brought to the station reflected images of them kissing deeply.

  "Let's take our time," whispered Odo. "Let tonight last forever. Let tomorrow never come."

  "I'm in no hurry, but you seem to be." Kira grinned, nipping his earlobe. In his ear, she cooed, "Let me take care of you. Then we'll go slow."

  Nodding once, Odo somehow made it to the bed. She straddled his waist in her sparkling wedding gown. The kisses she gave him were...he could only describe them as predatory. Exactly the sort that excited him the most. She loosened his bow tie, unbuttoned his shirt collar and exhaled hot air across his jaw.

  Odo found himself completely helpless in her arms. Kira kissed his mouth, winked and scooted back.

  "I've always wanted to try this with you."

  She unclasped his tuxedo slacks. He felt everything. Her fingertips, the vibration of the zipper going down and his shirt being moved up.

  Then her mouth was on him, and he lost all ability to speak. He tried to stay solid, to make it last, but the sensations overpowered him within thirty seconds. So wet, slippery and warm. Rushing in and retreating like ocean tides. His sharp cry of release came at the same moment he melted into liquid on her mattress.

  He remembered the champagne he drank too late. It escaped through the point of contact.

  Nearly a minute passed before Odo remembered how to regain his form.

  "Nerys, I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-- "

  "Hush. I liked it." Kira placed a finger on his lips. There wasn't a drop on her. She grinned at him. "Let me get out of this dress."

  Odo shape shifted his clothing away. When Kira walked towards her storage closet, he slipped behind her, gently kissing her skin as she exposed it. He helped her hang up the gold lace jacket and the simple red satin gown that went underneath.

  "Are you wearing perfume?" Odo rumbled in her ear.

  "Mmhmm...can you smell it?"

  "No, I was wondering. What is the scent?"

  "It's called After Dark." Kira showed him the blue triangular bottle. "I think it smells a little like champagne mixed into lavender incense."

  "I remember the scents. You had me keep a bowl of lavender oil by my bed when I complained that I couldn't sleep as a humanoid. It did work, by the way."

  She chuckled, deepening the fine lines around her eyes. Her hands worked quickly to undo her strapless pink bra and slid off her seamless jockey style underwear. Afterward, she used some sort of cloth that wiped the makeup off her face without water.

  Odo unclasped the golden barrette holding her braid together. He trailed his fingers through her hair, relishing its softness as it slid between them. When down, her hair fell to her waist in auburn waves. Here and there, a few gray strands expressed her age. He could tell she kept it meticulously trimmed.

  "I'm going to cut it short again," she mused.

  "Why? It's beautiful like this. I remember...you had long hair when we first met."

  Kira's eyes welled up. She caught Odo's hand, squeezing it.

  "I cut it right after the Occupation ended. I started growing it again after you left. My hair was always long when you weren't part of my life." She took a pair of shiny silver shears out of a drawer and hastily gathered her hair in a low ponytail. "Odo, I want you to cut my hair."

  Odo knew he'd find her beautiful no matter the length or color of her hair.

  The shears were cold in his hand. He grasped Kira's ponytail, positioned the shears just above the rubber band and squeezed. In three snips, the ponytail fell to the floor like a discarded garment. Her remaining hair swung free around the nape of her neck.

  Kira's shoulders relaxed. She let out the breath Odo didn't know she'd been holding. Two tears dripped down her cheekbones. She turned and embraced him tightly, causing him to drop the shears on the pile of her hair.

  "You're the love of my life," Kira sniffed. "If I never see you again after tonight..."

  "You will, Nerys." Odo kissed the tears off her face. "I promise, we will see each other. Now that I know it's still possible. Somehow. I will find a way."

  They kept embracing, their foreheads touching.

  Her lips quivered. "I'll wait as long as it takes. Just promise me you'll leave before I wake up tomorrow."

  "Why?"

  She swallowed hard, fighting for control of her emotions.

  "Because it's the only way I'll be able to let you go again. Please, Odo..."

  Odo nodded, reluctant. "All right." He pressed his lips to her brow. Anything to make it easier for her.

  At his kiss, she broke down and sobbed into his chest.

  This time, she didn't cry alone.

  Odo led Kira back to the bed. Without a word, he surrounded her in his substance as they exchanged desperate kisses. There was no way to determine where her body ended and his began. They loved as a single being. Every breath came in unison. At the point of climax, they held each others' gaze. Afterward, they laid together to enjoy the afterglow.

  "Do you remember what you did the night we first made love?" asked Kira.

  "Mmhmm."

  She kissed in his ear, "Let me see that again."

  Odo happily obliged. He felt his form growing lighter as he became a glowing mist. Kira's fingers reached through him. She was breathing him in and exhaling him out. He settled on her skin like dew. She caressed herself-- and him.

  "You're so beautiful, Odo," Kira gasped.

  He reformed beside her. "So are you, Nerys."

  They made love again. Slowly. Anything to delay the inevitable.

  For the next round, he remained in his liquid state. He wanted to make up for all the times he wasn't around. For all the times he wouldn't be around.

  Their lovemaking lasted until the wee hours. Kira fought sleep with all her might. But, eventually, after a whispered 'I love you,' Odo heard her soft snoring.

  He didn't know how long he laid there, holding her in his arms. He'd memorized every aspect of her body long ago, yet there, in the silence, he did it again. The softness inside her thighs, the swell of her breasts, the curve created by her neck and the lines around her lips. He committed them all to the deepest corners in his mind.

  Kira's clock struck oh-three-hundred. Odo knew he had to go.

  He kissed his beloved wife deeply on the lips before he liquefied, oozed to the floor and reformed fully clothed in brown Bajoran travel attire.

  Kira mumbled his name in her sleep. Her hand pawed at the space he recently occupied.

  Odo padded to Kira's discarded ponytail. He quickly braided it, rolled it up into a ball and slipped it into a pocket he formed in his trousers. She'd want him to take it.

  The sand mandala reflected Odo's image when he knelt at Kira's bedside and kissed her goodbye.

  "I love you, Nerys. I've always loved you."

  Then he left her there, alone. He walked quickly down the corridor without looking back for fear of hearing her cry, but he wasn't fast enough to escape
his own tears. Two swipes of his hands wiped them off before he reached the Promenade.

  Kejal sat against the door of Quark's closed bar. His face was covered in lipstick marks. He looked up, winked an eye shut and grinned.

  Odo's sadness melted into uncontrollable laughter. He covered his mouth to muffle the noise. "What happened to you?"

  "I paid women to kiss me." Kejal said proudly. "Malath didn't believe it'd work, so I proved him wrong. He threw me in a holding cell because he was mad about losing the bet. I sang Klingon operas until he kicked me out again, heh-heh! I bought him a drink to make it up to him. Oh! By the way, this one-- " he gestured to a dark red mark on his forehead-- "is from Chalan Aroya. I told her all about father. She said to send you her condolences."

  He went on to point out and name the owner of each consecutive lipstick print.

  Only you, Kejal... Odo thought with affection. He offered his hand.

  Kejal accepted, letting Odo help him up. His face scrunched when Odo turned his fist into a cleaning cloth and wiped the lipstick off his skin.

  "I miss father here more than at his home. His home is full of happy memories...but not this station. Does that seem strange, mother?"

  Odo hugged Kejal to his chest. "No. I miss him here, too."

  Through the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Doctor Mora step into the nearby turbolift. The image vanished when he blinked.

  "Come on. I want to make sure the shuttlecraft is refueled."

  "You're in a hurry." Kejal snorted.

  "Nerys asked me to leave before she woke up." Odo replied.

  "Yeah. Her room. You take care of the shuttle. I'm going to wait and say goodbye to her."

  Odo rolled his eyes, but he knew this meant a lot to Kejal. Decades could pass before they came this way again.

  "All right, Kejal. She should be up in about two hours. I'm going to regenerate in the shuttle. Don't fool around."

  "I won't. I think I sang myself out at the bar." Kejal smiled impishly. "I'll see you in awhile."

  Nodding once, Odo took the tuborlift next to Quark's bar. Kejal climbed the stairs to the second level of the Promenade and shape shifted into a potted spiny basil plant.

  Odo slipped Kira's lock of hair into Kejal's travel bag. Then he liquefied beside it. This regeneration period ended up being the most peaceful he'd had in months.