Chapter 1 Lake Cataria, Betazed

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She quietly walked through the ancient estate to avoid waking her husband. Moving through the kitchen and onto the porch to meditate, she walked gingerly toward the firepot. She lit incense and knelt on the tho'san, settling comfortably. The ancient meditation stone had been brought from her mother's family estate decades earlier to accommodate her meditation.

Finding herself in a complete state of tvi-sochaya, eyes closed as she warmed in the sunlight, listening to all the natural beauty her father's home world had to offer: birds singing, the stream that bubbled into Lake Cataria, and the herd of wild Besalar nickering as they grazed in the meadow just below.

The horse-like creatures were gentle – almost playful – and produced silky wool that was highly prized throughout the sector. She opened her eyes as the sunlight dappled across her face through the leaves.

Turning to watch him as he stepped through the patio door onto the deck with their breakfast in hand, she smiled privately to him. He nodded knowingly, sharing that same moment of intimate beauty with her.

"Aduna, I have prepared your breakfast. Will you have theris-masu?" he asked with the teapot already in his hand. He knew the answer would always be yes, but he enjoyed the moments he could care for her in this way.

"You already know the answer to that question, t'hy'la," she teased.

"I would be remiss if I did not ensure your every need was attended," he began, gazing into her eyes as he handed her tea, "you are, after all, my reason for living. I cherish Thee."

She sensed a pang of guilt move through him, only to be quickly stifled. She knew why he felt it, and no matter how she articulated her wishes in the matter, it was an illogic that he carried with him after all these years.

She reflected upon the resolution of his first Pon Farr only six years earlier…

…neither Skeyan nor Ashalik had been completely prepared for the onset of his first Blood Fever. She was already traveling to Vulcan to speak at a seminar in the healing arts when she was struck nearly blind by his suffering across their bond. His pleas for mercy, begging her for cooling relief and resolution served as inadvertent torture as she awaited arrival at her mother's home world.

/Asha – I burn for Thee, I need Thee – where are you? The pain- I cannot stand it!/

/I am en route now, Adun. I am coming,/ she soothed across their bond. /I will be there soon, K'diwa. Meditate now…/

Those two days were the longest either of them had ever had to wait, and when she was finally planet side, she had been transported directly to his family's ancient place of marriage. His sister T'Velyn accompanied her as they arrived and approached one another. His brothers Skelvar and Skenat stood with him as the Time of Decision was at hand. She gladly chose him, and the life that would surely result from their marriage.

Over the next four days, she brought him through his fires again and again, soothing and calming him during the biological immolation and naked illogic he experienced. In everything: bathing him, feeding him, clothing him, joining - they both found intense satisfaction and trust with one another.

Once it was resolved, seeing to her care was of paramount concern to him. They established their home on Vulcan, in the Han'Shir province, awaiting the diagnosis of conception of their first child. It, however, was not the diagnosis they received.

Healer Serat informed them of Skeyan's rare infertility, caused by a recessive gene that had to be carried by not only his parents, but each of theirs as well. It was by pure random genetic assignment that he had received it. Skeyan, overwhelmed with shame that he could not sire a child, offered to release Ashalik from their bond to seek another male who could… he would not require her to remain with him, disallowing the one treasure so highly prized by Vulcans.

She had adamantly refused to leave their bond, simply because she loved him. He was her bond-mate, her Imzadi, and she would not be abandoning him for such a trivial matter, particularly when he was the jewel that captivated her heart and katra. She suggested that he realize the illogic of his suggestion immediately and meditate upon it, lest he deliberately commit a gauche offense against her by discussing the matter any further.

A few months later Ashalik received an opportunity to become a healer at the University of Betazed. They made the transition into this new culture easily, settling into their community and establishing themselves at her father's ancestral estate…

… she reached out two fingers to him, and touched his. The surge of their bond ignited in this moment of privacy. His eyes met hers and lingered for a long moment, only leaving long enough to place her plate in front of her. They sat together in the solitude of the morning, eating first meal, savoring the palpable beauty of their home environment.