Kate sighed as she adjusted the pack on her shoulder. It felt so odd to be dressed in civilian clothes, rather than the familiar blue of her uniform, and she tried not to tug at the hem of her shirt. Commander Worf came up to her side, also dressed in regular clothing. "Are you ready to start our journey, Doctor Pulaski?"

She gave him a small nod before trailing along behind as they made their way through the station. He nodded to Chief O'Brien, and she couldn't stop the soft smile that came to her lips as the man gave her a small wave, one which she gladly returned. "I didn't realise that you would be my escort, Mister Worf, when I requested someone to fly with me to Betazed."

"Yes, well, this will allow me to repay a favor that I owed to Deanna, and it will truly be a pleasure to do this. I feel like there is so much that you have left unsaid, beyond the request from Colonel Kira in regards to your escort."

She nodded a little as they stepped through the airlock ring and into the shuttlecraft that would be their home for the next two weeks It was going to be a tight fit, but then, it wasn't anything she wasn't accustomed to, and she let her bag drop to the floor before taking a seat in the copilot's chair, watching as Worf began to tap away at the control panel and guided them away from the space station.

From this vantage point, the stars were even more beautiful, and she found herself sighing deeply as she let her head come to rest against the back of her chair as she closed her eyes and thought about what awaited her at the end of her journey. The silence that filled the space was comforting, since she knew that Worf wasn't judging her, wasn't thinking her a fool for going to a far-off planet on the hopes that her love was still there, still alive, still wanting her.

Finally, though, the Klingon cleared his throat, and she knew that it was time to answer some hard questions about her future. "I gather that this is not a business call to Betazed."

"You would be right."

"Why are you going there?"

She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and gazed at him. "Lwaxana and I have been more than friends for a few years now."

"But she has a son."

"And I was married six times. Does that really make a difference? She came to me when she needed help, and we found something special."

"Is she your Imzadi, then?"

The thought gave her pause, and she looked back out at the stars as she tried to sift through her emotions. "I suppose that she could be considered that. For me. Hers was Ian, and I would never think that I was important enough to be that to her."

"There can be more than one. For a time, I was Deanna's Imzadi." Worf turned to look at her, a tiny smirk curving up his lips. "When was the last time you heard from Ambassador Troi?"

"It's been four months. Four long, grueling, months. It's been over a year since we've been together. I know that we're still of one mind, but I just need to see her, to be in her presence, once more. I was never one to be overly sentimental, as you are sure to remember." Worf nodded. "There's just something about her that has made my heart so tender. What if, what if something happened to her?"

"I am certain that someone close to her would have sent you word, had there been an incident. The fact that you've heard nothing, even though it is quite distressing to you, is actually the best news that you could hope for. I know that that does not bring you comfort at this time, but if you keep that in mind, perhaps that will make our journey that much easier."

He did have a point, though Kate wasn't certain that she wanted to hear those words at that moment. So, she just nodded a little before looking out at the stars once more. They were the only link that she had to her lover. The silence that filled the shuttlecraft was almost deafening, and she tried not to fill the space with the tapping of her fingers or feet, knowing that it would quickly annoy both of them. "I wish that there was a way to make this ship go faster."

"You cannot break the laws of physics, Kate."

She let out a low chuckle as she closed her eyes, thinking about Lwaxana. "Someday, we might be able to. After all, weren't all laws made to be broken?"

A hearty laugh burst out of the Klingon's lips, and she lolled her head over to look at him, giving him a slow grin. "I do like the way you think. It is most refreshing to be with you once more."

Kate nodded a little, feeling much the same. "I missed you to, Worf. There certainly wasn't a personality quite like yours on the Repulse."

"There probably weren't any Klingons on your ship."

"That, too. Which is a shame, because I have the feeling that that might have made the difference in some of our dogfights. I never want to see something like that again. I didn't sign up for having to patch together old friends, only to watch them die the next day as they headed back into battle. I didn't sign up to watch my captain, the only one who understood how I could love Lwaxana so, be mowed down like he was mere cannon fodder. I want to rest, Worf. And that is such a cowardly feeling."

She swiped angrily at her cheeks, trying to scrub away the unwanted tears that she knew were coursing down her face. "There is no shame in being tired of losing your friends, Kate. Especially when the Federation has known peace for as long as it had."

Somehow, Kate knew that he was being kind to her, and she pursed her lips a little as she pulled out her padd and began to look for something to read, needing to take her mind off what was currently distressing her. It seemed she was a glutton for punishment, however, as she called up her letters from Lwaxana. A silly smile curved up her lips as she scanned through the lines of their correspondence. Katie, I cannot wait to see your face once more. I miss the feel of your skin beneath my fingers, the sound you make when I nip at your collarbone. But what I miss most of all is curling up close to your side as I listen to you fall asleep, my head on your chest. This war is threatening to tear us apart, and I live with the fear that one day I'll get a message from your commanding officer, telling me that you are lost to me forever. When this damn war ends, I'm coming to find you. No matter where in this quadrant you are. That is, if you don't come to me first. I love you, Katherine Pulaski. Don't you dare die on me.

And then, nothing. No word from her beloved. And she was hurtling through space to try and find out what had happened to her Lwaxana. Even though she knew that happy endings only occurred in holosuites, a part of her still wished that there would be a beautiful outcome to their journey.