She woke the next day gasping and more than a little nauseous. He had been right about not being able to hold himself back. Her dreams had been dark and emotional. Shadowy images of him and the founder together, longings to return to his people. But before she could really even think about them several memories took her. Only one of them had her complete attention. It was a woman — her mother, Meru — walking down a corridor on Deep Space Nine, on Terok Nor. She was much older than Kira remembered her being, but there was no mistaking her, it was Meru. She held a child against her; they scurried so close together their skirts tangled slightly in each other's legs. The girl's face was obscured by a scarf and Meru's hand, but based on her height, and build she seemed to be about twelve or thirteen. They rushed past Kira, past Odo, in a corridor on the station. And then Dukat's voice, "Naprem! Ziyal! This way!"

Odo had looked up, caught sight of the Gul at an adjoining corridor, waving Kira's mother and the girl to him. "That way isn't safe, come, the transport is waiting for you on the upper level at Pylon Two."

Dukat looked her way, "Mr. Odo, your discretion is appreciated." It was a quiet threat, but most assuredly a threat.

And then the memory bled into three different others. Two of staking-out some of Quark's more clandestine dealings, and one of playing hide-and-seek with Ambassador Troi in his quarters.

She came to a while later, gasping and struggling in his arms, his body wrapped around her. He crooned soft comforts to her as she settled into herself. Stopped when she pushed out of his arms.

"Did you know?" she gasped raggedly.

"Know what, Nerys?"

"That Naprem was my mother, was really Meru?"

His face went still, hardened a little bit.

"Odo, why didn't you tell me?" she had asked for this. Nerys, you yourself asked for this. Don't blame this on him.

"Had you asked or confronted me about it, I would have."

She shook her fist like she was throwing something on the floor and then pushed herself off of the bed.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She hissed, began pacing the small room, shaking her hands to emphasize her words. "Let me guess. You wanted to protect me. You were afraid it would upset me. You were right! It upsets me, but, Prophets damn it, I had a right to know!"

His response was so gently spoken, that it stopped her where she stood. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

For once, she stopped trying to hold back her tears. She sagged to her knees and covered her face. It was like losing her mother all over again. And Ziyal, oh Prophets, Ziyal. She had loved the young woman like a sister, never knowing that was exactly what she was. It made her seethe. Made her want to literally claw Dukat to pieces. Made his every touch, every look seem that much more foul and disgusting. He had quite literally tried to find a replacement for Meru in Kira. She remembered how actively he strove to use Ziyal to bridge the gap between them. It made her nauseous. Meru must have entered the hospital to have Ziyal as Meru, and left the hospital as Naprem. Kira wracked her brain – the year of Meru's supposed death and Ziyal's birth were the same. The Cardassian hospital, she would double check that, but she was fairly certain it would also be the same. But why would she have changed her name, forsaken her family? Even as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer; to protect her husband and family from the shame of what she had become. How could she ever go back to a husband and children after having borne a daughter for Dukat? At least that was what Kira hoped.

Odo touched her shoulder, again whispered his apology. She looked at him, wiped her face and pulled him down to her, let herself be wrapped in the strong circle of his arms. She had missed the feel of him so very much. "No, I'm sorry. I told you to link with me. I pushed you. I thought I would be all right. This was what I asked for last night. It isn't your fault. Prophets, I was the one who insisted that we not blame each other - neither one of us can help what the other will or won't learn. I'm so sorry, Odo. He just makes me sick. I try, and for a while I think I succeeded, but I can't help but hate him. He took my mother away from me, perverted her love for her family. Everything he did and said to me, it was all a lie. He was trying to make me into his own personal Meru substitute." Her eyes went far away for a moment as she remembered. "Oh Prophets, the grave! It was her grave on Dozaria, by the wreckage of the Ravinok. He uncovered her grave, found her betrothal bracelet."

She closed her eyes tight against the images that flooded her mind anyway. Swallowed the gorge that rose in her throat. "Ziyal, my sister. He used her to get to me, to manipulate me. I loved that little girl. I could never really understand why I loved her so much. I mean, I saw myself in her, to be sure, but it was more than that. She felt like my sister. I only wish we both would have known she was."

She strained into him, like if she could hold him tight enough, they would merge in solid form. He stroked her short hair, held her as tightly as she held him. After a while she sighed and let go of him. "I'm so sorry, Odo. This is not your fault. I have way too many conflicted feelings about Dukat to be at all rational when it comes to things related to him." She cringed at her unintentional pun. "Literally."

He gently kissed each of her cheeks and in a surprising motion scooped her up, stood, and deposited her with tender care onto the bed. "I have never done anything meaning to hurt you, Nerys."

She pulled him on top of her, parted her legs to accept the full weight of him.

"I know," she told him after kissing the thin line of his mouth. "But we both know that our joining like this is going to hurt, at least for a while. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. Still, I want you to stop trying to protect me. Let me be the one who decides if it is too much or not, ok?"

He nodded.

"Even with this, with my mother and him," she shuddered for a moment, the focused her attention back on Odo, slid her fingers along the length of his spine. "I would rather know. It is important that I understand them if I am ever going to forgive them. And as for Ziyal; it makes me even more grateful for the relationship we had while she was alive. She always felt like family. Now I know why."

She lay, enjoying the weight of him pressing her into the bed, for as long as they could justify not joining the rest of the community. She finally kissed him and pushed him off of her, "We have a lot to do today before our goodbyes are said and we are ready to go."

~Odo~

He was surprised how difficult it was saying goodbye to the cave systems' clans. He had enjoyed his time with them immensely. He suspected that the knowledge that Kira would leave for Bajor when they returned to the Arches had more than a little to do with his reluctance to leave. At the last celebration, people piled them with trinkets, tidbits of choice delicacies, several of the children performed a song, speeches were made, and hundreds of handshakes and hugs given.

Tisja found Nerys and pressed a small package into her hand. She gave the young woman a brilliant smile and a big hug. When he asked about it later, she had opened the parcel for him, pulled out a finely woven carmine colored net. The girl had been able to make two nets out of her hair, and given her the extra. It was a strange, but beautiful gift.

"You should keep it," she had said softly. "What am I going to do with a fishing net? I haven't the patience to fish."

Surin'ahr and Rahnu made speeches, Odo and Kira each said a few words, and then, finally the long trek back to the landing site was begun.

~Kira~

Kira was more prepared for her limitations this time, and settled on Odo's back during a large portion of the climb. They ran into one sehka cat along the way, but six vehntra clacking their beaks and hissing at it was apparently more than it wished to take on for it screeched and screamed, but slowly backed away and ambled up and around them, giving the vehntra a wide berth.

She was surprised by how much his space at the Arches already felt like home. She dropped her bags and flopped across the bed for a moment, sighing into the soft sheets before pushing herself up and going about the business of putting things away and drawing a hot bath.

He joined her in the steaming water, stayed solid for a time, then melted into the it and swirled around her. She got out when her fingers began to prune, he stayed in a while longer.

Night had swallowed the Arches while they bathed. She toweled herself dry, immensely grateful for the singular pleasure of a hot bath after nearly three weeks without one. The draw of the bed was too great, and she found herself sliding her naked, slightly damp body across it, sinking into the fabric. She dozed until she felt Odo settle next to her. Her eyes opened to the endless depths of his blue eyes smiling down at her. They made love quietly, with soft touches, and breathy sighs.

~Odo~

He lay on top of her, spent, skimming lazy circles over the skin of her arms and shoulders. He kissed along her collar bone, up her throat, to her pliant lips. He dipped his tongue past them, teasing her tongue into his own mouth. Then he broke away from her mouth to nibble to soft flesh of her earlobe. Based on her reactions, she would be ready to receive him again shortly. He dipped his head to tease and suckle her swollen nipple. Tugged a quiet groan from deep in her chest. He kissed and nipped his way up her chest and throat to her ear again, sliding his hands across the roundness of her breasts, letting his skin melt into electric amber gel. She twitched and bucked beneath him, her breath soughing in and out of her lungs.

He looked at her, her head thrown back, throat exposed, eyes closed, lips parted slightly, drank in the intimacy of it all, reveled in it, viscerally knowing all the reasons she had in her life to keep her from wanting that intimacy. He treasured that she trusted him with her body, understood the gift it was, especially after experiencing her memories of being held at the Cardassian Interrogation Center of Dahkur Province with Lupaza, Furel, and Shakaar,.

He knew what he wanted to do, had detected the minute change in her that might make it possible, still he couldn't try without telling her. Would never even consider it without her permission.

So he began, in a voice so quiet it surprised him. "Nerys?"

"Hmm?"

He buried his face in the soft skin of her neck, grown suddenly shy, afraid of what he was about to ask.

"Talk to me, Odo. What is it?" her arms slid around him at his silence, her voice losing its sensuality, growing serious.

"I've been thinking a lot lately," he began again, his voice a quiet rasp of stilted words. "About how much they changed you; my people, that is."

She nodded, her hands rubbing over his back.

He pulled away from her, propped himself up enough to look into her eyes. "Nerys, how would you feel… I mean, may I… that is to say, I would like to see if it's possible for me to fertilize one of your eggs. May I try?"

Her brow knit and she began to blink rapidly enough that he thought he had made a mistake, until she caught his face and kissed him to groaning against her.

For once, she had nothing to say, through welling tears she simply nodded. He watched her, took in the set of her mouth, her eyes, the tension of the muscles on her forehead and jaw. Kissed her forehead, the wrinkled bridge of her nose, the tip of her chin, and finally her mouth. Kissed her deeply until she wound her legs around his body, and then slowly he slid inside of her. He changed within her, let go of his form and very gently explored her internal structure. She winced when he slipped a fine tendril through the minute opening of her cervix. He held very still within her, stroked her face, "Should I stop?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm all right. It's just a little uncomfortable."

Once within her womb, the tendril thickened and split and he cautiously searched her recesses until he found the infinitely small ovum. He closed his eyes, as he held it, marveling at the tiny packet of potential life. He sent microscopic filaments of himself through its membrane, examined the complex coils of genetic instructions. He had learned much about the Founders penchant for genetic manipulation during his time with them. He could see, even in her ovum, how they had altered her. Could not determine how to undo it, but could see what he would need to do to create his own mimetic packet of genetic matter. Once he did that, he injected it directly into the egg through one of the fine microfilaments of himself. He left the other filaments embedded to feel for change. Nearly immediately he sensed the mingling and enmeshing of DNA. He removed all but one filament, holding the ovum loosely. He detected the cells within the tiny pearl of potential life divide and divide again, felt it begin to swell ever so slightly. He removed the final strands of himself, but still cradled the ovum for a moment in wonder, before holding it gently against the wall of her uterus. He waited with infinite patience as her body began to grow around it. Several hours had passed when he finally, and with utter care removed himself from her womb and slid out of her.

She had fallen asleep, and roused when he moved. Looked at him with wide eyes that brimmed with tears when he nodded and smiled. She pulled his head to her throat, rested her chin on his hair. Whispered, "I wish I could tell you how much I love you, but there just aren't words."

They lay together for a long time, long enough for the sky to color with the approaching dawn. Finally, they both slipped into a deep sleep.