Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Jen-Lia flopped down on the couch next to Gelnon.
"I haven't been this busy in nearly a century..." she murmured. "I may not have had to regenerate in one hundred years or so...but that doesn't mean I don't get tired sometimes."
Gelnon raised his eyebrows. "Do you need to regenerate?"
She glanced at him. "No, I'll be fine."
The Vorta frowned. "Weyoun and I can handle these negotiations with the Central Council. Perhaps you should stay home tomorrow."
Jen-Lia laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "And miss all the action? Oh no, my friend, I will be at your side tomorrow morning just as I planned."
"As you wish," he replied.
"Hmm...on second thought, maybe you should go without me," she said with a small grin. "You Vorta did a much better job at convincing them than I did."
She laughed again and he looked appalled. "Not at all! The Council members respect you and the Fen-Rik's staff. You made a very convincing argument."
"You're too kind," she murmured. "I know the Council is slow at times, but they're not foolish. It's in everyone's best interest for Hydroth to join the Dominion."
Gelnon turned to her. "We will find a cure to this disease, Jen-Lia. I swear it."
"I know it," she whispered. "I trust you."
A pang of guilt made his stomach clench. If she knew the truth, would she ever trust him again? He wanted to confess the truth to her, but he feared he was in far too deep to even say a word. Weyoun had ensured that the truth about why the Vorta were here remained a secret.
"If the Council does approve our joining, what then?"
"Other than cure this unfortunate malady, we'll improve your medical and research facilities, provide economic assistance if needed, that sort of thing."
She sighed. "Hydroth needs all those things right now...and what does the Dominion expect of us in return?"
Gelnon tilted his head and kept his voice cool and diplomatic. "Nothing beyond reason. We only ask that you contribute to our economic network through trade and the like. We'll leave you to your own devices, but you'll have to work alongside an administrator. If Hydroth accepts our offer, one will be chosen immediately."
"Ah...when we do get an administrator, I'd like to meet them first thing, if that's not too much to ask."
The Vorta smiled. "I'm sure that can be arranged."
At that moment, Weyoun opened the door and stepped through. He quietly came forward and sat across from Gelnon and Jen-Lia. The Changeling had not dislodged her arm from around Gelnon's shoulders, and Weyoun's jealous gaze lingered there.
"I don't suppose either of you stopped to eat today?"
They both sheepishly cast their eyes downward, and Jen-Lia laughed.
"Good! I'm not fixing dinner for you tonight. That will be provided elsewhere."
"Are we going somewhere?" asked Weyoun quietly.
She grinned. "Indeed we are, my dear."
The Vorta smiled at the name and took her hand gratefully when she held it out to him. She looped her other arm through Gelnon's left, as he was now standing, and then they strolled out of the house together and down the dusky streets. People were hurrying indoors, and Jen-Lia pulled them along at a faster pace.
"Come on, we need to be there by sundown!" she exclaimed with a smile. The Vorta looked at each other in bewilderment, but Jen-Lia simply pressed onward.
The sun was just about to dip below the horizon when they rushed inside the doors of Fen-Rik's Place, and the gathered crowd parted for them.
They turned around just in time to see a purple light flash across the sky. The Hydrothi gasped and clapped in appreciation.
"Years ago, the Hydrothi believed that anyone caught outside in the open when that light flashed in the sky would have their spirits stolen away. Now we understand that it happens at the spring and fall equinox each year, when Hydroth is aligned perfectly with our sun. But...we still celebrate the superstition."
Gelnon smiled and Weyoun nodded in understanding.
"And now, we continue with the ancient traditions by celebrating the equinox and the turn of the year from dark to light. Now is a time of renewal. Come."
They followed her down the turquoise painted hallways toward a lift, and the three got in with several doctors and nurses, many of which gave the Vorta curious looks. Weyoun turned when Jen-Lia tapped his shoulder and saw that she was standing next to an elderly doctor.
"Weyoun, I'd like you to meet Nor-Kolan, the head administrator of Fen-Rik's Place."
The Vorta smiled. "A pleasure to meet you," he said, and the Hydrothi woman bowed slightly.
"Yes, my secretary spoke to you just last week about that proposal to the Central Council. How did that go?"
Weyoun smiled, and Gelnon turned around and listened to their conversation. "We have every confidence our proposal will be accepted."
"I see...Jen-Lia's told me a lot about you two. You must be Gelnon."
The other Vorta inclined his head.
"Quite a handsome entourage you have there, Jen-Lia," Nor-Kolan murmured to Jen-Lia with a smile. She returned it.
"They are quite a sight, aren't they?" she replied, eying them with amusement. Many of the female nurses were also eying the Vorta with approving glances, and the Changeling knew some were already conspiring to get a dance with at least one of the visitors.
The lift doors opened, and the group walked forward through an arch of dead limbs entwined with wilting leaves and flowers. Weyoun and Gelnon looked up at it in bewilderment until Jen-Lia stepped through with Nor-Kolan.
"Welcome to the Middle Night, my friends," Jen-Lia exclaimed with a grin. "You have just left behind the season of death and darkness, and when we leave, you will enter the time of light and renewal."
The Vorta looked through the crowd at the spacious rooftop. Lanterns and candles dotted the darkness, and Gelnon spied a table on the other side of the roof that was groaning under an immense buffet. Tables lined the chest-high wall that surrounded the space, and Weyoun could barely perceive dim pinpricks of light out in the darkness beyond the wall. A roaring fire-pit stood directly ahead of them, casting a warm glow over the empty space in the middle of the roof. A cool spring breeze rustled in the small potted trees in the corners, and the sultry smell of woodsmoke hung in the air. About two hundred Hydrothi were gathered there, chatting amongst themselves at the small, intimate tables.
Jen-Lia walked past them to one of the many tables on the walled edges of the roof. They sat down with her, and she accepted a large candle from the next table and lit a smaller candle on theirs. She passed the candle on.
"We'll wait for everyone to come in, then we'll get in line."
Already people were lining up near the door, and when the last guests arrived, Jen-Lia led the Vorta back to the end of the line. The Hydrothi moved forward and, piece by piece, dismantled the arch. They snapped off bits of branch and leaf and threw it in the fire-pit. When it was their turn, Jen-Lia tore off the last branch from the wooden frame and split it between the three of them. Gelnon and Weyoun followed her to the fire, where she cast hers in without hesitation.
"Two hundred and eighty-three years, and many more to come," she whispered. Then she looked at them. "Weyoun?"
He understood and came forward. "One hundred and two years, and many more to come," he murmured to the fire. Jen-Lia frowned and gestured to Gelnon.
"One hundred and twenty-six years, and many more to come." He dropped his branch into the fire, and Jen-Lia's frown deepened.
When they had gotten food and re-joined Jen-Lia at the table, she shook her head.
"102? 126? Are you two really that old?"
They nodded, and she sighed. "The lifespan of the average Hydrothi is about 100, and by then, most are old and frail. Neither of you look your age, but then, neither of you are Hydrothi."
"If a Vorta is not killed," said Gelnon, "their body can live up to three hundred years. And we don't even begin to age until two hundred fifty."
"But then, we don't count years in how long one's body has been functioning," Weyoun continued after swallowing a bite. "Rather, we count in memories."
Jen-Lia frowned again. "So, you subtract four or something? You don't count years you were an infant?"
Weyoun laughed despite himself. "No, you misunderstand me. I, Weyoun, have one hundred and two years' worth of memories, but this body is only about fifty years old."
"Clones?" she whispered, her eyes widening, and Gelnon nodded.
"I am Weyoun 3, and this is Gelnon 5."
"Founder, are you all right?" Gelnon asked at her shocked expression.
"Fine, thank you...your medical facilities must be extremely sophisticated," she murmured with a nervous laugh. "We're lucky you're here...and how old are you, Gelnon 5?"
"My body is twenty-two years old," he replied calmly.
She whistled. "No wonder you two look so young."
The rest of the meal, the Vorta ate in silence as Jen-Lia walked around and greeted the other party goers. When she made her way across the roof, a young girl of no more than seventeen approached Weyoun.
"Excuse me," she said softly, and Weyoun looked up at her and smiled.
"Yes, my dear?"
She blushed at the name and looked down at her shoes. "I was wondering...maybe, if it's not too much...I know you're strangers, but...would you save a dance for me?"
Weyoun hardly heard her as the last few words were spoken very fast, but he understood her nonetheless. He opened his mouth to politely refuse her when he was interrupted.
"He'd love to," said Gelnon with a smile. Weyoun looked at him, glaring daggers, but then turned back to the girl and smiled diplomatically.
"It would be my pleasure. May I ask your name?"
"Fal-Henet. And you?"
"Weyoun, and this is my colleague, Gelnon."
The girl smiled at him. "My friend was wondering if you would like to dance with her," she said, addressing Gelnon this time.
"Tell her he'd love to," said Weyoun before Gelnon could speak, and the girl nearly squealed and ran off to her friends. The two Vorta turned to each other, staring each other down with murderous glances. Their gazes softened when they heard Jen-Lia returning.
"Are you two claimed already? I was going to dance the first with you, Gelnon, but it seems someone beat me to it."
Weyoun turned to her, and the Changeling laughed. "Don't think I would forget you, Weyoun. I will save a dance for both of you this evening, mark my words."
She laughed and walked off again, leaving the Vorta to rally their spirits with the promise of a dance with the Founder. They were free to brood until Fal-Henet came back to claim Weyoun. She led him out on the dance floor and took both his hands in hers. He spied Gelnon and Jen-Lia watching from their table; the Changeling was grinning like a madman, and he could barely see the spark of triumph in Gelnon's eyes.
The music started, bringing his attention back to Fal-Henet, and she began to lead him in a complicated dance that took them all over the dance floor. It involved a lot of spinning and going under each others' arms. The music was a strange mix of flute and plucked strings, with a heavy bass sound that pounded through his chest. It made his ears hurt, but he continued on with the odd movements. Once the dance was finally over, he felt dizzy and was eager to stop this nonsense and sit down. He politely excused himself from his partner (who was grinning and blushing as if he had kissed her) and headed off in Gelnon's general direction.
Jen-Lia was standing with him, and she was still grinning. Weyoun flopped down in a chair and sighed.
"I was not designed to move in that manner," he murmured in exasperation.
"Really? I wouldn't know by the was you danced out there."
He didn't hear any laughter or sarcasm in her voice, and he looked up at her, hope radiating in his gaze. She sat down beside him.
"I've seen that dance done at least fifty times in my life, and I have never seen a beginner dance it more gracefully than you."
He blushed. "You mean that?" She nodded and he bowed his head.
"So I want you to go back out there and dance with all the lovesick girls and the pretty nurses, but save a few dances for me."
He looked up at her and nodded. "Of course."
She helped him to his feet, then pushed him toward a gaggle of giggling teenage girls who were all staring at him. Gelnon was laughing inside at Weyoun's predicament until he noticed Jen-Lia staring at him.
"You too!" she cried, pushing him off after Weyoun. His good mood evaporated a little as he was forced to ask one of the girls to dance.
So Weyoun and Gelnon danced with partner after partner while Jen-Lia watched. It wasn't until Weyoun started dancing with Fal-Henet again that Jen-Lia ventured to rescue him.
As Fal-Henet spun him out, Jen-Lia caught his hand and smiled at the Hydrothi girl.
"May I cut in?" The girl nodded sheepishly and scurried off to her friends. The Vorta turned around to face her.
"Thank you," he whispered demurely. She grinned and they began to dance, and her hand rested on his shoulder as they stepped together. This song was slow and sultry, not at all like the softer songs he had heard until now. The plucked strings and the heavy bass were back, but they were joined by an odd instrument that almost seemed to sing. The tempo was very steady, but it slowed and quickened in a very naturalistic way, and the sound of it was so dark and (he nearly blushed at the thought) erotic that he almost felt guilty dancing this with a Founder. He noticed the dance they were doing closely resembled an earlier dance, but he hardly remembered the steps. But Jen-Lia knew the dance well, it seemed; while he tried to catch on and ended up looking like a fool, the Changeling moved around him like a master. Her steps would quicken, then slow with the music, and she pulled him with her around the dance floor. He gasped as she turned him out quickly, then drew him very close to her body. He couldn't tear his gaze from her green eyes as they slowly slid their feet back, then forward again. It was the most amazing thing to dance with her so close; he felt like he was dancing on air, as if the rest of the party did not exist.
They soon became the center of attention, and although Weyoun knew most Founders did not enjoy such attention, Jen-Lia didn't seem to mind. It was amazing how at home she was amongst the Solids...but maybe that was because she had never known her full potential with her own kind. She would learn it someday, he was sure.
The dance ended with him panting in her arms, and the sound of raucous applause stung his ears. He had forgotten all about the party around him, as he was so caught up in being in her arms.
Gelnon silently fumed in the corner as Jen-Lia and Weyoun bowed to the crowd, but he was soon smiling again when the Changeling grabbed him for the next dance.
Jen-Lia split her dances between the two Vorta for the rest of the night, occasionally taking a break to dance with another one of her colleagues. Soon the crowd started to gather around the arch again.
"It's time to pick a rococa flower to put in the arch," Jen-Lia muttered to her companions. They both recalled the name from her song, and indeed, they could smell a pleasantly sweet scent on the breeze that wafted toward them. They followed her to a large tub full of at least two hundred of the white blossoms. Gelnon took one and examined it; heart-shaped petals radiated from a brilliant blue center, and red spots dotted the edge of each of the five petals.
He heard laughter and turned to see Weyoun holding a flower and looking bemused. The dark green stem of his flower had been dipped in red paint, and one of Fal-Henet's friends was standing beside him, and her stem was blue.
"The blue stem means she gets a kiss from anyone she chooses," Jen-Lia explained quickly to Gelnon, "and red means he gets a dance from anyone he chooses."
Once everyone had gotten a flower and Fal-Henet's friend had explained things to Weyoun, the girl looked around for a partner. Her eyes lingered on Gelnon for a few moments, but she eventually pointed to Weyoun, who nearly rolled his eyes in exasperation. But at Jen-Lia's glowing smile, he decided to be a good sport.
Her warm breath wafted into his face as she came closer, and he noticed that the sensation was actually kind of pleasant...
She closed the gap between them, and all her could hear aside from all the cheers and laughter was her sharp intake of breath as her burning lips pressed to his. Weyoun's cheeks flushed at the odd sensations that he felt, and he didn't pull away as soon as he thought he would. She grinned and thanked him, and he caught sight of Jen-Lia's approving smile.
They now strung their flowers into the empty arch until it was full again. Once Gelnon had secured his amongst the wooden beams, he and Weyoun went back to their table to rest their aching feet.
"The first time you've kissed a woman...she was quite lovely, wasn't she?"
Weyoun had to restrain himself from glaring at Gelnon for that verbal jab. "I noticed she was looking at you first. Perhaps you should kiss her too."
"How was it?" Gelnon whispered. Weyoun scowled at his gleeful expression.
"Not as unpleasant as I initially thought it might be. Like I said, perhaps you should try it and see how you like it."
"Or perhaps you should go back to her and ask her to dance."
Weyoun laughed. "Oh no, Gelnon, you know perfectly well who I am going to spend my time dancing with. Pity you didn't pull the red stem..."
Gelnon knew Weyoun was rubbing his little victory in his face, and it irritated him. However, he hid his expression as another one of the girls approached him. He noticed she had been far too shy to approach him earlier, but her friends were watching the scene intently.
"Um...hello..." Her voice was no more than a whisper as she gave him a shy greeting, and she refused to meet his eye.
"Good evening," he replied in his light, pleasant tenor voice. She blushed.
"I...I-uh...don't suppose you...h-have a partner for...um..."
He slowly stood up and lifted her chin so that their eyes finally connected.
"No one has claimed me as of yet."
"Then...um..."
He could feel her discomfort pouring off of her in waves, and he decided to put her out of her misery. He leaned forward.
"I would be delighted to dance the next with you, my dear," he whispered softly to her. She nearly swooned and he grinned. A quick glance at Weyoun confirmed that the other Vorta was watching the scene with amusement, but Gelnon ignored him and took the girl by the hand, leading her away. Jen-Lia sat in the seat he had just occupied.
When she saw Gelnon dancing with the girl, she sighed. "That's so sweet...he's a good man, isn't he, Weyoun?"
The other Vorta turned to her, trying to hide his appalled expression, but he finally bowed his head in acknowledgment.
"Vorta are designed to put those around them at ease."
She smiled at him. "Nor-Kolan has just given me some very good news." She leaned forward a little, and he instinctively strained his ears. "The Central Council is debating your proposal right now. From what Nor-Kolan just told me, things are looking good."
The news made him grin. "I have every confidence that Hydroth and the Dominion can reach a mutual understanding that will benefit both parties, Jen-Lia. We'll have this disease eradicated in no time."
"With facilities such as yours," she said, looking back toward Gelnon and his partner as the song drew to a close, "I don't doubt it. Now...I believe I owe you a dance."
She stood and offered him her hand, which he took with a smile. The song ended and she led him out onto the dance floor. He spent another three minutes or so with her, spinning and twirling, and then Jen-Lia danced the last dance with Gelnon. All too soon it was over and they had to go home. But before they could leave, Jen-Lia made one last round, saying goodbye to her friends and colleagues.
They wandered down the street toward her house, walking in a comfortable silence and pondering the events of the day. Nor-Kolan's last report was very positive; it seemed inevitable that Hydroth would join the Dominion.
...
Very early the next morning, Gelnon awoke to complete darkness, but he felt a hand on his hair. He squinted his tired eyes and saw Jen-Lia sitting on the couch with him. She frowned.
"Did I wake you?" she murmured as quietly as she could. He shook his head.
"Is there something wrong?" he whispered back. She shook her head.
"No...I was just up thinking..."
She looked back to him, then leaned down and rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat in the center of his chest, and the constant thudding reverberated through her. Gelnon stayed perfectly still for her, not daring to move. He was frightened and overjoyed by her actions, and speechless.
"I don't know...I've spent nearly eight months doing countless hours of research and experimentation, trying to find a cure to this disease along with every other scientist on this planet. And yet...I'm willing to bet your scientists can find the answer in less than a week...I can't tell you how happy I am that Karu-Ben and I were on that shuttle-craft when you crashed. I can't tell you..."
She sat up and continued stroking his hair. "Go to sleep, Gelnon...I'll see you in the morning."
She kissed his forehead and waited until his breathing became soft and even again before moving across the space to the other couch. She didn't feel like shape-shifting at the moment, so she watched Gelnon sleep.
Jen-Lia hadn't been blind to the subtle rivalry between the two Vorta, how each strove hard to gain her attention and affection. She gave both gladly, but she couldn't help but wonder how they were treated before this. Her very touch made them tremble, and it pained her in a way. How did the Founders treat the Vorta? How did her people treat their creations? She had a horrible nagging feeling that the Vorta were constantly ignored or abused or a combination of both.
But with her, these Vorta knew kindness and compassion. She resolved there in the dark to treat every servant of the Founders with the love and respect they were due. Weyoun had mentioned that somewhere around 400 Vorta would be visiting if this treaty was signed, and she made a promise to Gelnon's sleeping form that no matter how it tired her, she would be attentive and loving to each and every one of them that she met. She would make the administrator of Hydroth her best friend if she had to, something had to be done about the way the Vorta were treated.
It would begin here and now. She tucked the covers around Gelnon's body, kissed his forehead, and sat by him until he woke in the early morning light.
