The doors to the infirmary hissed open and Doctor Julian Bashir looked up, smiling when he saw Captain Benjamin Sisko. Bashir had been on duty for three hours now, but so far, no one had come seeking his help. He was glad for the time to catch up on his prion replication research, but also glad for the interruption to the silence.

"Good morning, sir," he greeted.

The captain nodded, looking troubled. He was drumming the fingers of his right hand against the back of the padd he was carrying.

"How are you, Julian?" he asked, meeting the doctor's gaze with his dark eyes.

"Fine, sir. Is there something I can help you with?" Sisko seemed unusually distracted. Bashir assessed his captain quickly; he didn't seem ill, just ill at ease.

"How are Renzi and Narye?" the captain asked.

"Fine," Bashir replied, smiling again at the mention of his daughters. "They're at the care center right now."

Sisko nodded.

"And Dax?" he asked.

Bashir raised an eyebrow.

"She was up in ops earlier," he pointed out. "You didn't talk to her?"

"She went down to the lab," Sisko said, as if this explained why he was asking Bashir about her.

"Captain, what is this about?" Bashir said, crossing his arms.

Sisko sighed, glancing down at the padd, then up again at the doctor.

"About an hour ago, Empok Nor picked up a distress call from a Cardassian ship near the Telios-Celan system. It was crewed by a group of scientists, mostly terraformers, who were on their way to Telios in order to begin a terraforming project. They were under attack when they sent the distress call, but Empok Nor was not able to establish any communication with them."

Bashir uncrossed his arms, immediately concerned.

"Someone attacked a terraforming crew? Why?"

"We have no idea," Sisko replied. "Empok Nor sent out a rescue vessel immediately, only to discover that the Glain – the terraformers' ship – wasn't there. Nor were any other vessels."

"Debris?" Bashir asked.

"None. The only warp signature was the Glain's, heading toward Telois-Celan. They did, however, find evidence of a spatial anomaly. It was emitting unusual radiation signatures, which the crew from Empok Nor hadn't seen before. They sent the data to us, requesting help from Starfleet. They also sent the message they received from the Glain before it vanished. It included this."

He handed the padd to Bashir, who took it and looked at the small screen. He hit the display key and a clip from the Glain's small bridge ran. Apparently, someone had felt it necessary to record a moment of the attack.

The alien face on the viewscreen jarred him. He stared at it, then up at Sisko.

"Angry Vulcans," he said quietly.

Sisko nodded.

"The unusual energy readings matched the ones Dax and I took four years ago from the interdimensional rip."

"The attackers came from the other Bashir's universe."

"I think so," Sisko replied. "Starfleet has put me in charge of the rescue operation. You're coming. You're the closest thing I have to an expert on that universe."

"Sir, I don't remember anything," Bashir said. "I wrote down what I could remember when I got back, but it's all gone now. I only have my log entries to go on, and they aren't much."

"And you have the log entries the other Bashir made while he was here."

"Which also aren't much."

"Regardless," Sisko said. "You're the only one who spent time over there. And who knows what kind of shape those Cardassian scientists will be in when we find them. I need a doctor, and that doctor is you, Julian. Dax will stay here, because I need someone I can trust on this end, and your daughters need one of you two around."

Bashir nodded, handing the padd back to the captain. He had no desire to go on this mission, but he knew he had no choice. And Sisko was right: he had lived in that universe, if only for a few days, and they would need a doctor.

"Who else?" he asked.

"Eddington's on his way from Bajor right now; I've requested he cancel his leave and come with us. We could use him. Ezri, Ro, ch'Thane, O'Brien, Nog, Verin. I'm still deciding on the others. If Admiral Dukat is in the area, you can bet he'll be coming along, because if Legate Garak isn't demanding their return yet, he will be soon. One of the terraformers was the youngest daughter of Doctor Crell Moset."

"The exobiologist?" Bashir asked.

Sisko nodded.

"He's one of the most prominent scientists on Cardassia. The Cardassian government won't take the abduction of one of his children lightly."

"I wouldn't, either," Bashir said. He thought of how he'd feel if it were Renzia or Narye suddenly missing then shook the thought off. It was too horrifying.

"When do we leave?" he asked.

"Briefing in half an hour, depature in ninety minutes. I thought you might want to talk to Dax yourself."

Bashir nodded.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

"I'm sorry to put this on you," Sisko replied, tapping the padd against the palm of his right hand. He looked as if he might say something else, but simply gave his head a little shake and left the infirmary.


Bashir turned the infirmary over to Nurse Jabara for the time being and stepped out onto the promenade. Before he went to talk to his wife, there was something else he had to do. He made his way past Quark's, which was busy even at this early hour, past the tailor's and the Vulcan restaurant, to the child care center.

Renzia spotted him the moment he walked through the door. She grinned, clambering to her feet and hurried over to him, arms out. Bashir swung her up in a hug. Narye toddled over and Bashir scooped her up as well. One of the care takers, a Bajoran woman named Leal, looked over at him.

"I won't be long," Bashir said. Leal nodded.

"Hi, Daddy," Renzia said. "Are you takin' us home early?"

"No, sweetie, I just need to talk to you and Narye. Want a snack?"

The two girls nodded eagerly and Bashir put Renzia down, holding her head. Narye he kept in his arms. At four, Renzia kept up with him well enough, but Narye wasn't two yet, and hand a tendency to wander off, especially on the promenade. The diversity of people fascinated the girls. Now it seemed normal to Bashir, but he could remember when he and Dax had first arrived here, how amazing it was. Even after attending Starfleet Academy on Earth.

He took them to the replimat and got them a croissant to share and some juice. He ordered some scones for himself, too; it had been awhile since breakfast. Bashir took a moment to just look at his daughters. Renzia looked remarkably like Dax; the dark hair, blue eyes, delicate features. Her skin was slightly darker than her mother's, though, something which she got from her father, and her Trill spots were faded, given her half-human heritage. Narye, on the other hand, was pale skinned, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her Trill markings were as vivid as Dax's, although everyone said she looked like Bashir, even those who knew she was adopted, the orphaned child of two Trill who had died in a shuttle crash.

"I need to leave the station for a few days. I'm going on a mission," he said as Narye stuffed her mouth with pastry and Renzia drank her juice with a respectable amount of decorum.

"Why?" his oldest daughter asked, putting her cup down. Narye watched him; Bashir knew she didn't fully understand what he was saying , but he needed to tell her, too.

"To help a group of Cardassian terraformers who had trouble with their ship."

"How long'll you be gone?" Renzia asked.

"I don't know," Bashir said honestly. "It depends on how much help they need."

"Can we come, too?" Renzia asked.

"No. It might be dangerous. You're going to stay here, with Mommy."

Renzia spun her juice cup around, looking thoughful.

"Will you call us?" she asked.

"If I can, I will," Bashir replied.

"For bed stories," Narye insisted.

Bashir smiled.

"If I can call to read you a bedtime story, I will. But we might be busy. There might be people who are hurt and need my help."

"Is Simon going?" Renzia enquired.

"No, he's staying here, on the station. We need a doctor here, too."

His eldest daughter nodded, looking thoughtful. Then she nodded again, as if she had decided this was acceptable to her and was giving him permission to go.

"Is Uncle Miles going?" Renzia asked.

"Yes, but Aunt Keiko will be here."

"Okay."

"I'll be leaving very soon, so I won't see you tonight. Will you be all right?"

Renzia looked at Narye, who nodded over the rim of her juice cup. She had it clutched between her two small hands and was drinking carefully from it, but not carefully enough to prevent a trickle of juice from dripping onto her shirt.

"Yep," Renzia replied for both of them.

"Good. Finish up and I'll take you back to the play group. I need to talk to Mommy, then I have a meeting about the mission."

The girls ate what was left of the croissant and Bashir swallowed his scones hurriedly. He picked up Narye again and took Renzia's hand, leading them back to the care center. He wished he had more time with them, but they were safe here, and there was a ship full of missing and probably frightened Cardassian scientists to find.

"Can Mommy take us to Trill while you're away?" Renzia asked.

"Tell you what," Bashir said. "I'll talk to her, and when we get back, we can all go. Sound good?"

Renzia's face lit up in a bright smile.

"Sounds good," she replied.


Commander Jadzia Dax watched Benjamin Sisko carefully as he briefed his senior staff on the missing Cardassian science vessel and its suspected whereabouts. Even if she hadn't known him through two lifetimes she would be able to tell he was displeased. Everyone in the room was displeased, her husband most of all. Bashir was keeping a better lid on it, however, something he'd learned in his medical training. Never give anything away if possible. Sisko's eyes were dark, and his voice was lower than normal.

He was not looking forward to reconnecting with the alternate universe.

Dax didn't blame him. She glanced at those who had been onboard when the original crossover had happened – Eddington, Tarses, Reth, O'Brien, Nog – and saw the reluctance and displeasure on their faces. For the others – Vaughn, Ro, ch'Thane – there was more confusion than anything. No one actually remembered the events of those few days. It was as if their memories had simply glossed over that time, superimposing normal station life where the disruption had been.

Now, it would be different. This time, the connection between the realities seemed to be a deliberate one. Part of Dax wished she were going on this mission, to help with reopening the passage these aliens, Romulans the other Bashir had named them, had created. Another part of her knew she had to stay here. It was conceivable that upon returning to that universe, her husband might remember something of it, which would be invaluable. Someone had to stay with their daughters, too. It was difficult to raise a family as Starfleet officers, but Sisko did the best he could in ensuring that either Bashir or Dax was around for them.

And, as Bashir had told her, the captain needed someone he could trust. It had been almost four years now since Kira had left, returning to the Federation embassy on Bajor in order to be closer to Kai Bareil. Now she was second in command of the embassy and the mother of an infant son named Keryn. Commander Elias Vaughn had been assigned to take her place. He was a competent officer and he and Sisko worked well enough together. That was the problem. It was only well enough. Kira and Sisko had worked extremely well together, despite some initial rockiness. Dax knew Sisko missed his first ex-oh, and that he could never fully trust another the way he'd trusted Kira. She was glad he was a station captain, not a starship captain, where ex-ohs changed more routinely. He'd always had trouble adapting to loss.

Dax was also glad Ro was here. There was something Kiraesque about the Bajoran woman's presence. Perhaps it was because she was a Bajoran woman. They needed that mettle right now. Several Cardassian security guards had been handpicked by Ro, for which Dax was grateful. They needed Cardassians on this mission as well. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be suddenly confronted with a hostile alien species – yes, she reminded herself, she could. But the memory had faded enough so as not to bother her, and these Cardassians were missing and afraid now.

"We leave in half an hour," Sisko said, wrapping up the briefing. "We have engineering teams prepping the Quicksilverfor departure right now. I know it's not much time, but we may not have much time at all. Dismissed."

The gathering broke up, people heading quickly for the door. Dax took Bashir's hand, which she had not done during the meeting. They had agreed long ago that they would keep their comportment professional when working together. It made it easier, most of the time. But he was feeling uneasy now, and they were headed for their quarters. They left the ward room behind Ezri Reth, who looked displeased, her normally cheerful features pinched into a frown. Dax knew that the other Trill woman couldn't be happy with this – not only were they facing something they had no memory of, but Jarlan Kren, Reth's husband, had only arrived on the station permanently eight days ago. He was a civilian geologist, which wasn't much use on a space station, but he had landed a position with the Federation Science Council and would be a member of the civilian surveys in the area and on the other side of the wormhole. Reth had known him since she was a teenage Ezri Tigan, although they'd lost touch after she'd left Trill for Starfleet Academy. Dax had remembered Reth and Kren – then Tigan and Cevan – from when she was joined. She had seen them both that day, on the way to the psychology wing at the Symbiosis Commission. It was odd how small the universe could be, sometimes.

Or how small two universe could be, she supposed.

They returned to their quarters and Bashir found a suitcase, putting a fresh uniform, pajamas, and personal items. He didn't have to take much, but Dax knew they were both wondering how long he'd be away.

"Want some tea?" she asked. It always helped him calm down.

"Yes," he said, looking up from his work and giving her a genuine smile. Dax smiled back and headed for the replicator, ordering an Earl grey tea for her husband and a red leaf tea for herself. Bashir headed her off as she returned to the bedroom, stepping into the livingroom, taking the mug from her.

"Thanks," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Are you all right, Jules?" she asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.

He sighed, sinking onto the couch. Time was limited, Dax knew, but then, when you got right down to it, time was always limited.

"I'm not sure how to feel," he said, then shook his head. "No, I am sure. I'm angry. At these Romulans for taking a bunch of Cardassian scientists. And it's selfish, because I'm not just angry that they're missing, but that I got dragged into it."

Dax nodded. She understand how it felt, and was willing to bet it was normal.

"I wasn't expecting to cross between universe when I signed up with Starfleet," Bashir said, only half-joking. "When I agreed to go anywhere they sent me, I didn't quite realize the definition of 'anywhere'."

"I doubt they did either, at the time," Dax replied, sipping her tea.

Bashir pushed himself to his feet, walking across the room, gazing at the framed pictures they had on a small table. One was of the four of them, shortly after they'd adopted Narye. She was a tiny baby in the picture, unable to even hold her head up. Renzia had been just over two years old, full of life and toddler impatience, but had been grinning for the holophoto anyway. Another picture was of a much younger Bashir and Dax, taken on their wedding day. The ceremony had been small, the party huge. Another was of Dax and her two sisters, Talan and Merien, when they were younger. He picked up the photo of his family.

"Mind if I take it?" he asked.

"Worried you won't remember what we look like?" she teased. He shot her a grin.

"How could I forget?" he asked in return.

"Go ahead," Dax replied, and Bashir headed back into the bedroom, reappearing with the suitcase a moment later. Dax put her mug aside.

"I guess we should go," she said.

"I suppose so," her husband agreed and she pushed herself to her feet, accompanying him to the airlock. She wasn't the only one come to see someone off: Keiko, Molly, and Kirayoshi O'Brien were there, Keiko admonishing her husband to be careful and the two children pestering them with questions. ch'Thane's mates were there, all four of them locked in what appeared to be a very serious conversation. Ro was talking to another Bajoran accompanying them on the mission, one of her security officers, but they didn't appear to be too concerned about the events unfolding. Maybe security had to learn to be like that, Dax thought. Or else they'd live their jobs.

Reth and Kren were nowhere to be seen, but Sisko appeared, talking in a low tone to Vaughn. The captain's own small family wasn't on the station at the moment: Jake had returned to Earth almost four years ago, to pursue a writing career, and Kasidy was on a transport run. She had taken Rebecca with her, which was just as well, since Sisko certainly couldn't bring his daughter along.

"Be sure to write or call when you can," Dax said, giving her husband a quick kiss on the lips.

"I will," Bashir promised and gave her another, longer kiss. Then he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Dax hugged back, accepting the sadness and the hint of fear. She supposed this was the curse of the Starfleet officer with a family: there was alway someone worrying about someone else.

"Bring them home," she said.

"I intend to," her husband promised.


Julian Bashir stepped into the tiny, two person quarters to which he'd been assigned. The Quicksilver had been assigned to Terok Nor almost six years ago, after Starfleet Command had gotten tired of listening to requests from Sisko for a ship. Its purpose was mostly scientific, although it certainly hadn't been constructed as a science vessel. It was a Defiant class ship, designed shortly after Wolf 359, a tactical vessel to be used in defending the Federation against the Borg. The Borg threat had sinced diminished, even more so after the Federation had made contact with the Trisepat. The Gamma Quadrant organization had shared their tracking and sensor technologies, providing the Federation with a better means of identifying Borg vessels at a longer range. The flagship of the Quicksilver's class, the Defiant, had gone to Deep Space Eight. The Quicksilver had been adapted less for defensive purposes by O'Brien and his crew, and was often commanded by Dax on science missions. Otherwise, it was used for catch-all purposes.

No one had been able to do anything about the size of the quarters, though. Or the fact that most crew members, even senior staff, had to double up when the ship had a full crew complement.

Ezri Reth looked up from sorting her clothing on the bottom bunk. Bashir stopped and the counselor raised an eyebrow.

"Sisko is certainly subtle," Bashir said dryly. Reth grinned, shaking her head.

"I had no idea," she assured him.

"I believe you," Bashir replied with a sigh. Unfortunately, he saw the captain's point. Out of all of them on this mission, it would touch his life most personally. He could see why the captain had placed him with the counselor. Usually, of course, he was assigned to one of the rare married officers' quarters with Dax.. On the odd occasion when he was on board but his wife wasn't, Bashir and O'Brien normally shared a room. Bashir was friends with Reth as well, but he worried she would approach him more in a professional capacity, that she would not believe he was all right.

"Do you mind taking the top bunk?" Reth asked.

Bashir shook his head. He was a good foot taller than she was. He tossed his bag up as the ship's com system came to life.

"All hands report to your stations. Senior officers report to the bridge."

"No time to settle in," Bashir observed.

"I think we've lost too much time already," Reth replied.

He arched an eyebrow, but nodded. Those Cardassians were probably running out of time as they Quicksilver detached itself from its moors on Terok Nor.

"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the door.

Reth nodded.

"No time like the present," she replied.