The Cost of Confession pt12
Disclaimers inpart one...
Yippee! Nearly finished!
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When the doors closed, Janeway turned away and glared up the Promenade
to where the Doctor had retreated, her hands fisting at her side.
"I'll be expecting quite a lot." She muttered moving off into the
crowds that moved up and down the causeway, allowing herself to be
lost in the colour and vibrancy of DS9.
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"Colonel Kira Nerys allow me to introduce Dr Joseph Zimmerman, my
Chief Medical Officer." Captain Janeway smiled between the two, having
to raise her use her hand to amplify her voice over the noise in the
cramped stateroom. The Doctor screwed up his face and nodded his
understanding, smiling at the Bajoran Colonel. Satisfied that she had
played good hostess, Captain Janeway spotted another couple of guests
coming in through the door and waved at the couple before she slipped
away.
"Hello." The pretty Bajoran Colonel shouted over the hubbub. Both she
and the Doctor were in dress uniforms, she in the saffron uniform of
Bajor and he in the traditional thigh-length Starfleet tunic with two
pips on the collar, black pants and boots.
"Oh!" Kira said in surprise, spotting the little girl who clung to the
Doctor's large hand. "And hello to you too!"
Lana shyly smiled at the woman and slipped to half hide behind her
guardian's back. The Doctor nodded his greeting, straining his ears to
hear the woman over the rising noise. The Captain's party was in full
swing and the sea of people was a living mass of sounds smells and
shapes. The Doctor firmly held onto Lana's hand and wondered if he
should think of leaving, putting Lana to bed before she got bored or
wanted to wander off. "Colonel Kira, this is Lana my daughter." He
said loudly, pointing down to the girl.
"I heard there were children on this mission." Kira smiled and
playfully wrinkled her nose at the little girl. "It's nice to meet
you, Lana." Lana smiled back and wrinkled her nose too and the Doctor
beamed proudly, giving the little girl's hand an encouraging squeeze.
"I think I met your creator?" Kira shouted after she considered him
for a moment.
The Doctor mutely nodded, indicating a couch in corner with his head.
Lifting Lana up onto the seat, he cleared aside some coats for Kira to
sit as he sat himself down and Lana plunked herself in his lap. "Louis
Zimmerman?" Kira settled down in the cleared spot, the noise somehow
less pounding in this corner, "He and our doctor - Julian Bashir
spent quite some time together."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed diplomatically. "So I believe. I have an
extensive collection of Dr Bashir's work in data files. My father was
very thorough in his research."
Kira's eyes sparkled as she glanced about the stateroom and sipped her
drink. "Did you know he was also quite a ladies man too?"
The Doctor grimaced, "Yes, Julian and Chief O'Brien went to great
lengths to tell me! He seemed to like the Dabo girls in particular
from what I've been told."
Kira nodded and laughed, "Yes, he did!"
"Poppa Joe? Who's the lady talking about?" Lana's voice piped up.
The Doctor smiled and shook his head. "My creator Lana. He died a
while ago."
The little girl ducked her head to sigh deeply and sadly. The Doctor
bent down and smiled into the little girl's hair, giving her a quick
hug as she buried her head into his neck and shuddered. "Her
Grandfather died recently." The Doctor explained over the noise, "And
her parents are…" He searched for the right word, "MIA."
Kira frowned. " Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset her."
"You didn't." He murmured. "It's are all part of growing up, being
sentient, being alive..." He stated jiggling Lana on his knee until
she giggled. "It's okay to miss people and feel bad. Otherwise those
you miss were never real in the first place."
Kira nodded, she knew that too well herself. Death and grieving were a
much part of her childhood, as it appeared to be Lana's. They sat for
a moment longer in mutual silence while the party noise rose and fell
and rose again about them. Kira watched Lana twining her fingers
through the Doctor's and reached out and touched the little girl's
hand. Mischievous blue eyes looked up at her and Lana playfully
reached out to touch Kira's hand too.
"I hear you're quite the ladies man too." Kira said finally. Prodding
the Doctor into offensive curiosity so that he puffed out his chest to
rebuke any such claim. Quickly she continued, "Seven of Nine. We
haven't seen her so animated since you had that fight with her a day
or so ago."
"Oh." The Doctor's mouth became a thin line and he glanced away
uncomfortably. "I suppose we weren't that discrete."
"No." Kira leant forward and laughed, touching his arm, "But don't
worry it was good to see. We were getting worried about her. She was
always so alone…" Then leaning in so she did not have to shout. "I
think she likes you - a lot."
The Doctor rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She likes me the way a
child likes a toy." He breathed.
"No!" Kira's dark eyes pierced his. "She likes you…" The Doctor's gaze
shifted uneasily under Kira's… She had suddenly grown so hard and
serious; he didn't know quite what to do. "Speaking from experience
Doctor, don't let her go. Don't let your differences keep you apart.
Go out and grab her with both hands! And never - ever - let her go!"
"Excuse me?" The Doctor was becoming flustered by this strange woman's
forthrightness. "I have no idea what you are talking about!"
Kira Nerys sank back further in the couch and sighed sadly, shaking
her head not at all convinced by his denial. She had seen the Doctor
and Seven on the Promenade; she knew the score better than anybody.
She tried a different tack, a more poignant and honest one, "Have you
heard of Odo? The old Security Chief on DS9?"
"No." the Doctor replied.
"He was what the people of the Gamma quadrant call a 'founder', a so
called shape shifter." And she saw the recognition come to his face at
the use of the term. "And he was in love with me." She sighed again,
paused to look away, sniffed and wiped her nose. "It took a long time
for Odo to build up the courage to tell me what he felt. In fact-" And
she let out a curt laugh, "He used a hologram called Vic Fontaine to
help him!" She smirked and eyed the Doctor, "To cut a long story short
Dr Joseph Zimmerman, he thought I would be repulsed by his natural
form…" She smiled, "He thought we were too different. He was wrong. It
took too long Doctor, but we overcame our differences… Doctor, we
loved each other… very much."
The Doctor considered her words, his face darkening with sadness as
his gaze dropped from the Colonel's. Only it wasn't so easy between
him and Seven. He did not care what the Bajoran thought she saw he
knew the truth from the horse's mouth. Seven thought he was
'irrelevant', that any intimate relationship between them 'would be an
exercise in futility'. Only when Lana shifted in his arms and wriggled
about did the Doctor move, to whisper into the little girl's ear. "Do
you want a drink, honey?"
Lana nodded and Kira quickly volunteered. "I'll get it." She stood up
and straightened her uniform top. "Think about it, Doctor. She may
not know it, but she's halfway in love with you." Then Leaning down to
Lana she asked conspiratorially, "Orange or red?"
"Red." She requested firmly.
"Lana?" The Doctor warned automatically, his mind still racing with
Kira words: 'Halfway in love with him'?
"Please." The little girl slipped down out of his lax arms to eagerly
clasped Kira's hand. Kira looked at the Doctor and nodded. he did not
met her eye but watched them disappear in the direction of the drinks
table.
"Your daughter is very forceful." Seven of Nine's voice spoke suddenly
from beside him making him jump.
It must be kizmet, he thought, hiding his surprise from Seven he
pulled back his chin and shoulders, forcing himself not to look at
her. Think about her and she appears. Captain Janeway must have
invited her! Why didn't he see her come in? Why didn't he guess this
would happen? Damn the Captain - was the woman deliberately making his
life difficult?
Arrogantly he cast a glance up at Seven, preparing to discard the
woman with an acerbic comment, but as soon as he laid eyes on her all
words, all his hard and brutal resolve dried up, died and blew away…
His eyes widened and his jaw fell open… Why did he look at her? Why?
She was an angel, an angel who stood before him in silver and white
with a spray of white flowers in long flowing golden hair. As their
eyes met briefly for an instant there was a jolt of feeling that
pricked the back of his eyes, making them water with desperate
emotion. She was stunning… vulnerable, almost unsure, as if at any
moment she would take flight at the wrong word, the wrong move... and
he was gaping at her like a love struck fool.
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TBC......
