Chapter 10

Miles grinned as the dartboard lit up in response to his latest throw. "See if you can beat that."

Julian lined up his shot, smirking. "Shouldn't be too difficult; you've been slacking lately." He let out a triumphant hiss as the dart hit close to the center.

Miles shook his head, a devious plan forming in his mind. "So," he asked casually. "Everything okay with you?"

Julian gave Miles a glance out of the corner of as he threw his second dart. "What do you mean?"

"Are you and Ezri having any luck with the two of you having a baby?"

Miles' question threw Julian so off-guard that his third dart missed the board entirely. He glared at his friend as he went to collect his darts. "I know what you're doing."

"Can't I ask a simple question?"

"You're trying to distract me so you can win."

Miles chuckled as he lined up his first shot. "You didn't answer my question."

"It's really none of your business."

"Then you never should have told me about it," Miles countered. "You've been trying for what, three months now?"

Julian watched Miles throw his remaining darts, a small frown on his face. "I'm Human, she's Trill; it makes things more difficult, that's all."

"I see," Miles said as he collected his darts. "At least it gives the rest us time to prepare."

"What?"

"You and Ezri as parents? You're like a pair of kids yourselves."

Julian glared at Miles. "Don't you have to leave for Bajor?"

"Not for a few more hours. Besides, this is more fun."

"I'm so glad," Julian said sarcastically. "Can I take my turn now?"

Miles stepped aside. "Someone's a little touchy."

Julian rapidly threw his darts, smirking at the dumbfounded expression on Miles' face as they all landed near the center. "And someone just lost."

Aria lay stretched out in one of maintenance conduits, watching Nog as he worked. "Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can fix it. I'm an engineer."

"Then why isn't it fixed yet?"

Nog glared at her. "Because you keep distracting me. Now be quiet and let me do my job."

Aria giggled, but before she could continue teasing the young Ferengi, a voice sounded from outside the conduit. "Lieutenant Mahoney?"

With a sigh, Aria crawled backwards out of the conduit. A stout Bolian was waiting for her, a stern expression on her face. It was Commander K'Tora Talis, the station's Chief Tactical Officer and head of Starfleet Security, as well as the bane of Aria's existence. "Yes, Commander?" Aria asked, forcing her voice to sound pleasant.

"Lieutenant, I never received your report on the weapons systems of the Defiant."

"I gave it to Odo two days ago, sir. Is there something wrong with that?"

"The Defiant is a Starfleet vessel, and all matters concerning Starfleet are to be reported directly to me, not the Constable. Understood?"

Aria's voice was cool as she replied, "Yes, sir."

"Make sure that it doesn't happen again," Talis snapped before turning on her heel and marching back down the corridor.

Aria watched her go, shaking her head in disgust. Nog poked his head out of the maintenance hatch. "You sure told her."

"Oh, shut up."

"I wonder why she has such a problem with you filing Starfleet reports to Odo."

"Because Starfleet has never trusted Odo to get the job done. It's ridiculous; no one can do this job better than he can. I thought you still had work to do?"

Nog climbed out of the conduit and replaced the hatch. "All done. The subspace transceiver is up and running."

"Good." Aria headed down the hall, Nog close behind her.

"So, when are you getting that important message you're so anxious about?" Nog asked.

"What makes you think I'm expecting a message?"

"Because you only bother me about repairs if there's something in it for you."

Aria chuckled. "And your uncle says you lack the Ferengi instinct for noticing detail. It's not that important; just a progress report on Project Pathfinder."

"Isn't that...?"

"The mission to bring Voyager back from the Delta Quadrant." Aria finished. "A friend of mine from the Academy is working on it, and he keeps me updated on their progress."

"Have they made any?"

"Not really," Aria sighed. "They haven't even been able to contact Voyager since that whole incident with the EMH."

Nog gave Aria a sympathetic glance as they entered the upper level of the Promenade. "Are you worried about your sister?"

Aria shrugged. "Areli can handle herself. I just wish Starfleet would stop getting out hopes up; it only makes things worse, especially if we never see them again."

"That's a pretty miserable way to look at it."

"Speaking of misery, do you know what's going on with Shar? He's more gloomy than usual, plus, I think he's avoiding me."

Nog's eyes lit up. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You see, I think-."

"Stop! Stop, thief!"

Aria and Nog both turned toward the source of the commotion on the Promenade. One of the Bajoran shopkeepers was chasing a Markalian male, screaming at him to stop. Aria swore under her breath. "Stay here," she told Nog. "I'll handle this." She raced down one of the nearby staircases, calling for backup on her combadge as she did. She stood directly in the path of the fleeing man. "Just where do you think you're-?"

Without warning, he thief pulled a knife and stabbed Aria in the stomach. She fell to her knees, unable to stop the man as he raced past her. She stared down at the knife that was still inside her, watching blood spill out of the wound. Faintly, Aria could hear someone screaming her name. Was it Nog? She couldn't tell; she could barely think. People were clamoring around her, their voices raised in alarm. Aria thought she saw Doctor Bashir moving towards her. Then she saw nothing at all.

Shar burst into the Infirmary, his antennae flailing. "What happened?" he demanded.

Nog hastened to explain. "There was a robbery on the Promenade. Aria tried to stop it, but she was stabbed. Doctor Bashir's with her now."

Shar's face was pale. "Will she die?"

"Aria?" Nog snorted. "I doubt it. After everything she's been through she won't let a knife wound kill her."

Just then, Doctor Bashir appeared. Shar immediately turned to him. "Is she all right?"

Bashir nodded. "It'll be a few days before she's back on her feet, but she'll be fine."

Nog stood beside Shar. "Can we see her?"

Bashir hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, but just for a few minutes."

Aria was sitting up when Shar and Nog entered the room. When she saw them, she rolled her eyes. "I should've known you two would be here. You're like a pair of mother hens."

Shar approached her bed, his eyes full of concern. "How are you feeling?"

Aria waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I'm fine. Did they catch that Markalian?"

"He barely got five meters before Odo tackled him," Nog answered.

Aria grinned. "Sorry I missed it."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shar asked.

"Stop fussing, Shar; I told you I'm fine. Besides, do you really think I'd lose another bet to Nog?"

"What bet?" Shar asked, glancing from Aria to Nog. "What are you talking about?"

"Nog bet me that I wouldn't last five years before I got myself killed," Aria explained.

"At the rate you're going, I'll win within a few weeks," Nog said dryly.

Shar stared at them in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Relax, Shar," Aria chided. "I'm kidding."

"Is that all this is to you, a joke?" Shar demanded, his antennae flat against his scalp. "See how long it will take for you to die? What's next; are you going to jump in that station's reactor just to see what will happen?"

"What's wrong with you?" Aria snapped.

Before Shar could respond, Nog grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the Infirmary. "He's fine; he just hasn't had his coffee yet. We'll see you later."

Once they were away from the Infirmary, Nog pushed Shar behind one of the pillars lining the Promenade. "What was that all about?"

Shar was seething. "You heard her; she doesn't care if she lives or dies."

"Don't be stupid; of course she does," Nog snapped. "She only acts that way so people won't worry about her." The fight seemed to drain out of Shar, and he slumped against the pillar. "What's really going on?"

"You were right," Shar whispered hoarsely.

"About what?"

Shar's eyes were filled with a strange sadness. "About Ari. I do love her." He stared off into space. "I tried to fight it; I didn't even want to admit it to myself. Then I heard that she had been hurt, and I…" His voice trailed off. "It wasn't until I almost lost her did I realize how much I really cared. I love her, Nog."

"You should tell her," Nog suggested.

Shar shook his head. "No. That is something I can never do."

"But you said-."

"I know what I said, but you know Ari; you know what she's like. If I tell her how I feel, she'll reject me. Besides, I'm not supposed to love her. If my family or my bondmates found out, the shame that I would bring upon them would be immense. No, Ari can never know. I will have to find some way to overcome my feelings." Shar gave Nog a stern look. "And you are not allowed to tell her, either."

"But-."

"I mean it, Nog."

Nog held up his hands in surrender. "If that's what you want, but I think you're making a mistake."

"Perhaps, but it is my mistake to make."

Julian could hear the computer signaling that it was time for him to get up, but he wasn't ready to do that just yet. Fortunately, Ezri silenced the alarm before it could continue annoying him. She pressed her lips to his temple. "Good morning," she murmured.

Julian smiled, but his eyes remained closed. He was so comfortable lying here that he wasn't ready for it to end. He felt the mattress shift as Ezri got up and listened as her footsteps receded into the bathroom. Julian stayed where he was, going over his plans for the day. He needed to make sure Lieutenant Mahoney's injuries had healed sufficiently before he released her to her quarters. He hoped that they had; Mahoney seemed to take perverse pleasure in irritating him. Then he wanted to run a few experiments on protein replication, and after that…

A loud gasp sounded from the bathroom. Suddenly Ezri was back on the bed, urgently shaking Julian. "Julian! Julian, wake up!"

Julian sat bolt upright. "What is it?"

Ezri pulled at the neckline of her nightgown, making the spots on her neck and shoulders more visible. "Look!"

Julian rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Look at what?"

"My spots," Ezri said impatiently. "Look at my spots."

Julian gave her spots a glance, then took a closer look. "They've turned black. Are you having some kind of allergic reaction?"

Ezri stared at him in disbelief. "You seriously don't know?"

Julian flopped back down on the bed, groaning. "Ezri, it's too early for this. What's going on?"

Ezri explained as patiently as she could, though she was bouncing up and down in excitement. "When the spots of a female Trill turn black, it usually means that they're pregnant."

The words had to sink in before Julian realized what Ezri was saying. He sat up, staring at her with wide eyes. "Do you mean-?"

Ezri beamed at him. "We're going to have a baby!"

The happy endings just keep on coming! Well, except for Shar. But yay for Ezri and Julian! Review and subscribe for more happy endings! I may even listen to you.