"Don't leave," she whispered, running her hands through his hair and pulling him closer.

"You know I would not unless I had to," he responded, and he kissed her softly, drawing it out for minutes as he stroked her face. "I hate leaving," he said, "When I am gone, I can never stop thinking about you, but at the same time I forget how your touch feels. Then when I come back I realize how good it is, and then all I can think about is how soon I'll have to leave again."

"Oh, Worf," she whispered and kissed him again.

"The time is 400 hours," a voice stated. Worf groaned.

"I must go now," he said, "Martok is very punctual." He gave her one last kiss and got out of bed. "I will be back shortly," he continued, "The mission is only routine reconnaissance of the gamma quadrant."

"That's good to hear," Dax declared sleepily, "But I'll miss you anyhow."

"As will I," Worf replied, and stepped out the door.

Dax smiled and wrapped the sheets more tightly around herself. They were still wet. She nestled her head into her pillow, and within a minute was fast asleep.

The first day after Worf left was always the most fun. It was too soon to miss him, and Dax could take advantage of his absence. She started by having chocolate cake for breakfast. It was something she had done once or twice a week before she got married, but then the morning after her wedding, Worf had pointed to her plate and asked,

"What is that?"

"It's chocolate cake-- an Earth food. I thought you would be familiar with it, having grown up there."

"I know what it is. But from what I know of human physiology it is not a very nutritious breakfast. Of course, I am not sure about Trills."

She considered lying to him and saying that chocolate was in fact an essential Trill food group and by eating less than three portions a week she risked severe health problems and even death, but instead she said nothing and stopped eating. The next day, and every day after that, she ate fruits and toast. But today was different, today she ate chocolate cake with impunity. She also wore the uniform Worf thought was too tight, and wore her hair in the style he thought was unprofessional. And when she saw Major Kira, Dax asked,

"I have three weeks worth of "Terrance and T'Pai" I haven't seen yet. Do you want to come over and watch them tonight?"

"I take it Worf is on the Rotarrun?" Kira replied, smiling.



"Of course," Dax said.

"In that case, I'll be there"

If there was one of Dax's habits that annoyed Worf more than any other, it was watching "Terrance and T'Pai."

"I do not know why you enjoy watching a show about a family that only has problems that can be resolved in twenty-two minutes," Worf had stated, pacing as if he found the show painful.

"I admit it is not as good as Klingon Opera," she had replied in a joking tone.

"Not as good as Klingon Opera? It is not as good as Vic Fontaine, it is not as good as Cardassian mysteries, it is not even as good as 'Timmy the Targ Teaser', and I grew out of that when I was six!" he yelled.

After that, Dax saved up the episodes until he was not around.

This week's episode was particularly good. Terrance and his teenage daughter Tina couldn't agree on how revealing a prom dress she should be allowed to wear. Meanwhile, his Vulcan wife T'Pai had no idea what 'prom night' was, and after extensive reading got the mistaken impression that it was when humans selected their first mate. After much argument, Terrance and Tina agreed to let T'Pai select the dress. The episode ended with T'Pai forcing her stepdaughter out the door in the most revealing dress imaginable, despite her insistence that all she wanted to do was dance.

Kira and Dax laughed hysterically the entire episode.

"If you had a kid, would you ever let her wear a dress like that?" Kira asked Dax, "Not the one T'Pai bought, but the one Tina originally picked out."

"If she was responsible, I don't see why not," Dax replied, still laughing. Suddenly, she became serious.

"I have a secret to tell you," she whispered to Kira, "I'm expecting."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I haven't told Worf yet, so don't tell anyone."

"Do you think he'll be okay with it?"

"He'll be thrilled. I just found out that it's a boy, and he really wants another son. I was waiting to find out the gender before I told him."

"He wants a boy?"

"Yeah, he's worried that he, Martok, Drex and Alexander will all die, and then there will be no one to carry on the house of Martok."

"That is extremely unlikely," Kira said with an eyebrow raised.

"I know. But Klingons are strange about those things." Dax put her hands on her still-flat belly and hugged it a bit, "Anyhow, I can't wait until little Kang is born. It's been almost eighty years since I've been a parent."

"You're calling him Kang?" Kira sputtered.

"Well, when I was Kurzon, I promised Kang that I would name my first son after him. It was pretty harmless considering Kurzon never intended to have any children. And now I have to make good on the promise, especially since my son will be a Klingon. Besides, he named his son after me."

Kira just shook her head.

"Do you think I should have told Worf first?" Dax asked.

"Probably," Kira said laughing, "Anyhow, do you want to celebrate by watching the episode where T'Pai gives birth?"

"That's one of my favourites!" Dax exclaimed.