/Okay let's see if I can explain how I thought about Weyoun. Normally, when a new clone is being activated it has all the memories of the previous ones and the clone is then fully functioning. In this case deep down Weyoun knows he's the last clone but can't except it and he also know he has been fatally wounded and is still in pain when he wakes up. Now I think I have managed to confuse you even more.
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Chapter Two
The room was filled with people; Changelings, Vorta, Jem'Hadar, Breen, Bajorans, Cardassians, Humans and other member races of the Federation. Around a large wooden table, used on Babel a long time ago during the peace talks between the Romulans, Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Orions and Humans, sat the female Changeling. She was flanked by two Vorta, one of them Weyoun. There were also some loyal Jem'Hadar soldiers while the Breen stood in a row behind the Dominion delegation. At the other side of the table sat the Admiral and Captain Benjamin Sisko together with Odo, Kira and Worf. At their end of the table sat Dax and Martok.
Around the delegations stood a lot of inhabitants of the station to witness the historic event that was about to take place. Right behind the Starfleet delegation stood Dr. Bashir, Chief O'Brien, Nog and Quark.
"At least they could have reserved us some seats." O'Brien muttered.
Bashir elbowed him lightly as they watched the Admiral handing over the treaty to the female Changeling sitting opposite him.
They locked eyes with each other for a moment before the female Changeling politely began skimming through the text on the pad in front of her. Of course there was nothing new; the treaty had been given to the Dominion days before to read, reflect upon, and accept. This was, after all, just a symbolic action.
Weyoun sat stiff at the Changeling's right side, an arm wrapped around his torso. Julian Bashir couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He looked a little bit paler than Waanon, the other Vorta present, and his face seemed to display sorrow, defeat, anger, pain and at the same time nothing at all. The doctor stole a glance at him only to find the Vorta glancing back at him with the same arrogant and yet innocent expression on his face that he had displayed during the war.
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Flashback
The female Changeling and Odo walked right up to the bed Weyoun was occupying. Bashir looked up curiously from what he was studying and began making his way over to join them.
The female's face almost held what was best described as compassion, which made the doctor even more curious.
She gently placed a hand on the Vorta's shoulder. "Weyoun?"
Receiving no instant reply, she turned to him as he was the medical officer present.
He nodded and smiled faintly as if telling her that it was all right.
The Changeling seemed surprised that he had caught on to her train of thought since she didn't believe the humans could communicate without words. However he had read her mind anyway.
She decided to let it pass and not let the surprise show in her features as her soft voice called out to the pale figure once again. "Weyoun?"
The Vorta slowly moved his head to the side as if to see the speaker better. "Founder?" he croaked.
She smiled at him. "I am pleased to know that you are recuperating…"
Once again Julian found the reaction of the Changeling odd because she seemed genuinely happy. Not that Odo didn't care for his friends and so called family but he had always differentiated Odo from the rest of the Changelings. They bred Jem'Hadar, used and killed the Cardassians until there was almost nothing left of the people and cloned the Vorta to have them serve them in all purposes. This was just not like her; maybe Odo had already influenced his people more than he thought was possible.
"…but I no longer have any use for you."
That sentence made Bashir involuntarily shudder and he didn't seem to be the only one.
Weyoun gazed worriedly at her from his vulnerable position on the bed, wondering what he could possibly have done to anger his God in such way that she would save him just to let him die.
As if sensing his uneasiness she gently squeezed his shoulder. "I think you misunderstood me. I am not going to kill you as you have done nothing wrong. You have served me well."
Weyoun visibly relaxed, momentarily closing his eyes.
"It's simply that it'll take some time for us to get well again, even with Odo's help, and we will not show ourselves in this form or any other for a very long time. Odo has finally agreed to take his rightful place in the great link and we will not leave or shape shift until the healing has been completed."
Weyoun carefully reached for his right ear and neck only to trace a faint long incision. For a short moment he seemed angry but when he spoke his voice was soft, although Bashir couldn't help but hear the underlying confusion in it.
"Why have you deprived me of doing what is right?" he questioned.
"Because, my loyal Vorta, I want you to learn what freedom is."
Weyoun glanced at Odo accusingly. "Forgive me Odo for questioning you but what have you done to…"
"I am not under any influence, Weyoun," the Changeling spokeswoman interrupted, her voice steely. "I am simply seeing things more clearly thanks to Odo."
There was nothing soft about her now and Julian found himself very happy that the war was over.
"I had your termination implant removed because you don't require it any longer. The Federation and the Dominion have agreed that the Vorta were only carrying out our orders."
Weyoun made a face."But…"
She held up her hand to silence him. "I know you made difficult decisions during the war, executed millions of people, but in the end you followed orders. I placed you in that position because I knew how skilled you were and had it not been for the Cardassians we would have dominated this region of space." Her voice turned bitter.
Weyoun heard what she was saying but his mind tried to come up with something that explained her confusing actions. "Founder, are you apologizing?" He almost hadn't dared to ask. "I live only to serve," he finished softly.
"No you don't. Once the Vorta were a proud people. Weyoun, in particular, was strong-willed, confident and a cunning diplomat."
Weyoun looked at her, almost shocked by her statement. It was inappropriate for his God to speak like that to him. He had to save her somehow. "Founder, I do believe that the disease is affecting you a lot more than you care to let on. We were merely a tree people."
Her face hardened and she spoke with an underlying anger in her strong voice. "I still feel that we acted in our own best interest but perhaps it was wrong not to trust you when our people first met."
"I don't understand…" Weyoun began.
"No, those memories have been repressed in you. You must understand that in our true form we are vulnerable and when you entered our space we didn't know what to do with you."
Doctor Bashir found himself rooted to the spot, getting the picture clear in his mind. The Federation wasn't the first victim of the Changelings.
"Weyoun, my dear Vorta, we imprisoned your people and altered your genetic make-up to suit our needs. You have never truly needed our leadership."
Weyoun looked at the woman he had served for so long and to whom he had given his life more than once, his bright blue eyes full of sorrow. "I…how was I?"
Her features seemed to soften. "Strong-minded, fair, a leader, not afraid to speak what was on your mind and act in what you believed was the best. I wish…" She looked away. "…that we hadn't judged you so soon or acted the way we did."
She looked at the Federation doctor and then at Weyoun. "We will be willing to give the solids a chance. Odo has showed me a different side of you, a side that we might be willing to accept."
Julian felt his temper rise and start to get the better of him. Millions had died and for what? "Why?" he questioned. "Why trust us now?"
"As I explained, perhaps we were too quick to judge you." she shrugged. "Odo has chosen to trust you and maybe, after all this, we have no choice but to trust each other."
The woman looked back at the only solid she had ever felt comfortable around."Weyoun, take care of your people and rediscover what we took from you."
"How?" he asked.
"All our knowledge about your people has been downloaded into the Federation database. Waanon will be given the task of rounding up your people again, as for your task, you will function as a liaison between your own people and the Federation. I have always believed in you and that is why you are to remain on this station. There is also the fact that your reputation here in the Alpha Quadrant will make you a target but also the best Vorta to begin working with the Federation."
Weyoun looked at her unhappily. He swallowed and let his head come to rest on the pillow, closing his eyes. His diplomatic mask, behind which he usually hid his emotions, cracked, and for the first time Julian Bashir thought he saw something human in Weyoun.
"Founder I…"
"Perhaps we should let Weyoun rest? After all he has been through he needs time to recuperate." Julian interrupted.
The female Changeling smiled faintly but Dr. Bashir couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. However, Odo seemed to be happy and he was happy for him but it would take a long time before he himself could start to build the necessary bridges between solids and Changelings.
She nodded. "Very well, Dr. Bashir."
He watched the two of them leave and turned to look at his patient, only to meet bright blue eyes looking back at him.
"Thank you." Weyoun said softly.
Bashir nodded. "I don't know if it helps but it will get better."
The Vorta tried to laugh but quickly decided against it. "Time heals all wounds? That is what your people use to say?" he remarked dryly. "What would you do if you where in my position? To learn you are just a substitute? That your so-called Gods have abandoned you and that everything you believed in was all a lie!" he practically shouted the last words.
Disappointment and hatred burned in his eyes and Bashir once again saw before him the Weyoun that had announced so many deaths, dismissing them like he couldn't care less, and he involuntarily shuddered. He didn't know what to make of the Vorta.
End flashback
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Weyoun looked away as the female Changeling signed the document. Bashir thought it was ironic; the war had raged for years and the moment of peace took only a couple of minutes. A part of him still hadn't realized that everything would be returning to normal. That is, as normal it could get around Deep Space Nine. He had been so caught up in his inner musings that he had missed the rest of the Admiral's speech and the historic event going on in front of him.
"You okay Julian?" O'Brien asked concerned.
He looked at him for a moment, then he smiled, feeling like he had been caught doing something wrong. "Um yeah, did I miss something?"
O'Brien frowned. "Well your body didn't miss anything but when it comes to your brain I wouldn't now." He placed a hand on his friends shoulder as the room started to clear and people walked toward the exit doors. "Come on, the good old Captain is throwing a celebration, everyone is going to be there."
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Odo walked slowly toward the airlock, thinking back on how many years he had spent on the station and what he had actually achieved. It had been his home and the place where all his friends lived but somehow it didn't feel all that appealing to him anymore. The link was reaching out to him, calling him, and he realized there could only be one home. If he could help cure his people and help them see the solids as their equals and trustworthy individual beings without controlling them, he had come a long way.
The only thing he regretted was leaving the woman he loved, Kira, behind. He turned around to take one last look t her beauty. She looked up at him, taking his hand in hers, her soft brown eyes filled with sorrow.
"Don't look at me like that, I don't deserve it."
She knew she was being selfish and cursed herself for being such a baby but she couldn't help it. "Odo, I don't want you to go."
He sighed. Although his people didn't usually show their feelings very often didn't mean that they didn't have them and right now he was fighting a losing battle with his own. "I'll miss you terribly but this is something I have to do, not just for myself or us, but for my people and for yours."
She hugged him gently. "I will be looking for you." She looked at him intently. "You are coming back, aren't you?" It was a question she almost hadn't dared to ask even though she was a strong woman.
His eyes met hers and he fought not to look away.
"Odo?" She waited for him to reply.
"One day…but I can't say when."
"It doesn't matter when as long as you promise to come back."
The female Changeling and Weyoun slowly walked up to them, and Nerys unwillingly let go of Odo. These feelings that she had toward him scared her. She was a though woman and used to war and occupations, but her feelings made her feel vulnerable and she hated that.
The female Changeling walked up to stand beside Odo, nodding at him before turning back to the Vorta. "Good bye, my dear Weyoun."
He nodded grimly but bowed slightly and Kira found herself wondering what kind of conversation they had had.
"Good bye Founder." Weyoun replied simply and turned away.
When the Changelings had walked through the airlock together the door started to close, blocking Kira's view. She turned away and was surprised to find Weyoun looking at her.
"Do you believe them?" he asked.
She walked up to him. "Don't you?"
"I don't know what I believe anymore."
Before she really knew what she was doing, she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it softly. In a way, it felt good to do it.
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The end
