Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything Star Trek or Deep Space Nine related. The only part of this story I own is my Original Character, Sarabi Kenshiu.

Ten

"I Need You", M83

"What are you so cheeky about?" Odo asked the Ferengi as he took his usual seat at the bar.

Quarks eyes were larger than usual, if that was even possible; but they weren't as prominent as his smirk. "You seem tired." He spoke slowly as he wiped out the inside of his drink glasses, "Usually at this hour you're fresh and straight from the bucket." Jagged teeth multiplied as his mind pieced things together, "My, my. Constable Odo has finally found a project that keeps him up at night." The silence confirmed it. "It wouldn't happen to be my songbird... would it?"

Odo still kept his mouth shut, but Quark picked up on his raised eyebrows.

"Please. She couldn't take her eyes off of you all night. That woman had men flocking to her every twenty minutes, especially after her performances." Quark shook his head, grin still plastered across his face, "But she would look straight past them at you. I didn't think you had it in you, but whatever it is she sure as hell likes it."

"Speaking of songbird..." Odo leaned forward on the bar top, "what are your intentions with this contract you mentioned?"

Quark didn't flinch, "I wouldn't throw the term intentions around too loosely if I were you, Constable." Straightening up a bit more the Ferengi put down his clean glass, "I know the potential for financial growth when I see it. That human is..." He paused, choosing his words wisely, "Gifted. She's persuasive, and from what Ive read about her she's persuasive on both sides of the fence which sells to the entire audience." Mathematical figures with a slight mix of obscenity raced through his mind, "Like I told her earlier, I sold triple my last hours average within 30 minutes after her banter onstage. Besides... can you blame me for trying to hire a little eye candy? You know as well as I do that anyone could easily look at her all day." Quark hadn't moved his eyes from his friend before him, studying his reactions. "She can sing. She has presence. She's approachable. And from what I hear she's single."

Odo hadn't taken the bait, with being used to Quarks verbal antics on the daily. He would only inwardly admit that it was more difficult then usual to keep up his poker face as the conversation went on. Especially with the comment about Sarabi being on both sides of the fence, he tucked that mentally in his back pocket for later.

"Come on, Odo." Quark leaned in further into him, keeping their conversation more private, "You have to admit this contract would be a good thing. It would root her to the station even more."

That broke his stance, causing him to sever his eye contact as he looked off. Odo couldn't ignore that. 'It would root her to the station even more...' Sarabi was the beautiful tree that would be stripped of all its natural air and light when rooted in a metal space station. This literally tore him into two. He felt selfish for his actions earlier; completely outpouring his bottled up humanoid like emotions and aggressions, transforming it into this affectionate energy that made him throw his better judgement out of an airlock. What was going to become of this? Yes, Sarabi will be here for a while longer; but for how much longer exactly? Was it fair to ask her to stay here with him even longer once Julian figures everything medically out? And how long would that be? Odo ran his hand through his hair, reminding himself this is why he only observes and never becomes involved in anything. Thinking of the term involved brought him back to Quarks 'single' comment, and with everything unfolding between them overnight. He couldn't lie to himself, he was anxious to know Sarabi's view on what she considered them to be. What does he want to consider them being? His mind was chaotic.

A pat on his arm pulled him back to the bar.

"You need to rest." Quark noted, "Tell the wife to warm up the pail."

Odo quickly got up from his seat, "There will never be a moment in my mind where I would think this contract is a good idea. The reason why Commander Sisko placed me in charge of watching over Sarabi during her stay is to keep her away from mistakes like this."

"Is that in reference to my contract or something else?" He wasn't stupid; Quark always knew Odo to be an unshakable being. This morning he could see something had him rattled. Not surprised by the reaction, Quark watched him walk away in a huff as he shook his head in disbelief. As much as Odo pushed his buttons, stuck his nose in every place it doesn't belong, and pretty much existed to make Quark feel as if he always being watched he didn't like seeing his friend so tormented. Picking up his next dirty glass in line he scoffed, "Women."

Walking back to his office Odo was frustrated, he knew he needed to regenerate before thinking too much into this Sarabi situation anymore. He even felt guilt mixed in with his relief when he found his space to be empty, indicating she had gone to bed. Sitting down in his chair Odo held his head up, elbow leaning on his desk; how was his life so drastically different from less than a week ago? Glancing over at her door he frowned, his own being tortured over the decision of what he wanted and what he thought was best for her.

"Sisko to Odo." The Commander's voice rang through.

"Odo here."

"The Enterprise has just docked and are readying for Isol. Please have your men bring him down to the airlock bay."

"Understood. Assigning officers for the transfer now."

Odo immediately got started, happy to get that murderer out of his sight; and with a few swift movements across a screen two men from his crew were on their way. He wasn't going to wait for their arrival to prep Isol so he made his way down to the holding cells.

The Bajoran prisoner heard the footsteps from the top of the ramp, his adrenaline amped from the built up aggression. When his eyes finally met Odo's he pounded his fists against the surrounding forcefield, "You need to give me an update on what is happening with my transfer, NOW."

At first Odo didn't say a word; he only laid the wrist ties out on the interrogation table, taking his time to irritate Isol.

It seemed to work. "SPEAK, Changeling, I know you can."

The Constable took pleasure in the obvious frustration on Isol's face, seeing his entire complexion scarlet. "The Enterprise is taking you off of our hands momentarily."

"And what of my uncles shop?"

"For now it is closed up. The rest is unknown until your trial; which if they dispose of you, as they should, either your next of kin claims it or it is finished."

Isol uncurled his fists, open palms now against his barrier, "And the girl?"

"The woman you are speaking of is none of your concern." Odo was quick to speak this time but his tone was laced with venom. It was lucky for the prisoner that the door opened to present his officers, the conversation was well on its way to take a turn at any moment.

They let the barrier down, each man taking Isol by the upper arm as Odo administered the ties to his wrists.

"Sarabi. Sarabi. Sarabi." Watching the ties wrap over and over again Isol repeated her name in a whisper to himself, keeping it engraved in his mind. "I will never forget her. I will see her again."

"I'll be dead sooner than that happening." As long as Odo was in existence he knew that would never come into fruition.

Isol locked his eyes to the Constable's, "When I see Sarabi again, she's the one who will be fucking dead."

An unexplainable fire rushed through Odo's shell, almost causing him to blackout. He didn't move, he didn't blink. Speaking his voice was low and hallow as he held restraint from reaching and ripping out Isol's organs through his throat, "Knowing Ms. Sarabi, she would have your weak humanoid heart stopped before she would even be within your reach."

The last thing he saw was the snarl Isol held as his officers took him away to the hands of The Enterprise. Standing there alone for about five minutes he tried to center and calm himself before starting his regeneration process. Time was closing in on an important lead he received on the artifact theft he was assigned to with Dax, and didn't have time to waste.

It only seemed like a blink of an eye and before Odo knew it many hours had passed and he was surprised Sarabi hadn't come out of her room yet. The fact that it was soundproofed annoyed him, but only for selfish reasons.

Thankfully his regeneration time and endless calls seemed to be a good distraction. Still, it wasn't 100% due to his anxiousness of his newly discovered ground work he and Dax now had on the books for tomorrow. This necessary trip to Bajor would be his first time away from Sarabi since her arrival to the station, and Odo was more than half tempted to ask her to accompany him. It took almost all of his energy to rip his focus away from that thought and to the monitor with the huffing Cardassian inside before him.

Odo didn't move his eyes from the screen when he finally heard a door open behind him, and was grateful when no one came into his peripheral.

Dukat was visibility irritated at this point, "We are talking in circles, Odo. You know I am currently in the Beta Quadrant and have been for weeks!"

"And yet you still will not tell me why, Dukat."

"Because I do not have to!" Tilting his chin upward he let out a heavy sigh, "But thank you for bringing to my attention how severe this situation is for you and the Federation."

"If that helps you sleep at night."

"Many things do. You remember when I was there, the memories bring pleasant dreams..." A pause. "After having this conversation I can assure you we will see one another sooner than expected."

The monitor before him went black, assuring that Dukat had cut their connection.

Odo spun his chair around to the open door, "I appreciate your awareness."

Sarabi stood rooted directly in between her door frame, face slightly pale from what little she had just heard. As soon as her door opened and the name of the Cardassian leader reached her ears she had frozen in her tracks. "That was Gul Dukat." It didn't come out as a question. "I have never spoken to him before, but my father has. His voice is unmistakable." She sounded like an idiot, spewing useless information just because she was uncomfortable. Every time she blinked a different vision of the Occupation flashed before her eyes. Frail and thin bodies, Bajoran children sobbing as they were separated from their parents, ashes falling onto her skin that rained from the sky. Sarabi looked down at her arms and excessively rubbed them to get the feeling off.

Swiftly, Odo stood and rounded to the replicators. "Preset, Sarabi B." A familiar bowl of vibrant fruit appeared before he reached her in strides. "Preset A is your coffee." He admitted sheepishly as he extended her the gift in hopes to receive a smile.

Success.

She accepted it, her expression brighter as he brought her out of her own mind, "Thank you, Odo."

As he watched her take a bite Odo took the time to drink in her appearance, and he held a surprising delight in seeing her in the most casual attire she'd worn since knowing her. Her modest sweater covered her from her collar bone to her wrists, its horizontal stripes showing different Earthy colors of rusts and greens. It was tucked into slender, forest green pants and cinched with a simple brown belt that matched her boots. Sarabi's long hair was pulled into double buns that rested onto her head, small familiar pieces fallen and framing her face. The whole thing in its entirety made her look younger.

Odo couldn't help but smile, and nodded towards the Promenade as he kept her eyes. "Take a walk with me?"

"That sounds lovely." Grabbing her usual bag she draped it over herself single handed and let him lead the way.

Making their way out together Sarabi took note that it seemed twice as busy as usual, all types of beings practically shoulder to shoulder.

"Let's head up to the second floor." He noted, placing his hand on the small of her back.

She didn't argue. Even though crowds were part of every aspect of her life she was too submerged in her own dark thoughts to concentrate on avoiding others. Luckily the turbolift was only a few short steps away, and nearly empty. They were only joined by a pair of Cardassians discussing Garak's Clothiers who also exited on the top floor. Quietly taking bites of her food she realized seeing the pair took her back to only moments ago. Sarabi couldn't lie, she was perturbed. Walking in on Odo on a call with the notorious Cardassian leader shook her to her core. She felt naive for never considering their relationship, knowing that Odo had worked under Dukat on the station during the Occupation. From what she knew of the Changeling he was generally unbiased, but how often and why they kept in contact wasn't common knowledge. A sick feeling knotted her stomach, but she kept eating her fruit as they walked through the crowds.

The change in her aura didn't go unnoticed, "Is everything ok?"

Shit. Almost choking Sarabi swallowed the food down hard, her mind quickly grabbing onto the first thing. "I'm just a little distracted." Her sentence was strained. "Yearly my parents hold a fundraiser for one of Earth's most historic charities, Doctors Without Borders. Usually I am home with them, planning and getting everything organized; but due to my injury I am very much left out of the loop this year."

"Do you plan on attending?"

"Yes." The short answer threw him off.

"When is it?"

"Less than three weeks."

Odo stopped mid step, causing Sarabi to meet the abrupt action.

"Must you keep doing that?" The look she gave showed she was teasing.

Gently taking her arm he lead her over to the nearest wall, a wide window showcasing the galaxy as their backdrop.

They stood only inches apart, their energies vibrating against the other.

"Three weeks." He repeated, standing a little straighter. "And?"

Ride the wave. "And I was hoping we could attend together."

Odo anticipated he didn't hear wrong. She didn't ask him to transport her, didn't ask him to watch over her during the event. She phrased it as if she wanted him to go with her as an equal. Together. They still hadn't spoken a word about how everything came to light last night, but as he studied her gaze on him the adoration was undeniable.

"Like courting." It was a direct statement.

Sarabi felt the blood immediately rush to her face and she knew her complexion had to be scarlet red. Making sure her tone was strong there was no hesitation, "Exclusively, yes."

Without even knowing that is exactly what he had hoped for. Another smile crept up that Odo couldn't resist as he reached out and tenderly tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"I don't really have a choice, seeing as how I would miss the hell out of you." Echoing her earlier statement he was happy to see her expression brighten as she caught on.

Closing her eyes for only a moment Sarabi leaned her head into his hand, drawn to his touch.

Odo couldn't deny how much he loved when she did that and knew it was just another thing on her list of actions that he would never tire of. Then he kissed her; small but sensual, stolen kisses surrounded by the public on the Promenade.

The sentiment made Sarabi felt as if she were floating, butterflies raging in her gut. The fact that even though Odo consistently kept to his professional standards it seemed his new found affection for her surpassed that, at least temporarily.

After they pulled back to an appropriate distance he smirked, "To sidestep that void I see your event, and match you with a trip to Bajor tomorrow."

Her eyes widened, "Ground work?" After receiving a confirming nod she continued, "That sounds exciting! Why are we going?"

Odo felt the natural relief flood through him from her reaction. Taking a quick glance around them he kept his voice low, "Do you remember when you met Dax in Operations, how she was discussing something about artifacts with me?" It was his turn to receive a nod as Sarabi continued to eat her fruit. "There were two artifacts that were stolen from a noble Vulcan family a few days ago, and immediately after The Federation learning of it Commander Sisko assigned Dax and I to the case. Many leads took us from an underground Ferengi trade market to that call with Dukat earlier; and we are getting closer to an answer, but something's missing. So Dax, myself, and now you, are traveling to Bajor tomorrow to meet with the family in person."

"Traveling to Bajor to meet with a Vulcan family?" She couldn't contain her confusion.

"Your question is justifiable, it is rather odd but the Vulcan who they originally belonged to chose Bajor to settle. It's just a female, named T'Paux."

The color drained from Sarabi's skin as her fork clattered into her bowl. "T'Paux?! Is she ok? Did it happen at her home? Was she home at the-"

Odo was again thrown off by her response to what he thought was useless information to her. Holding his hands up he stopped her, "Wait, are you telling me you know this female Vulcan?"

Sarabi still looked worried, "I have known T'Paux for many years. We had lived and traveled together off and on campaign seasons due to her uncle being a close advisor for my father. She also attends many of my families events, including the fundraiser we were just speaking of. Odo, is she ok?"

"She is fine." He put her fears to rest, seeing a bit of her color return. "The artifacts were taken from her home while she wasn't there. But the fact that are now possible Cardassian ties to the theft may put her life in danger, and she is refusing to relocate until everything is resolved." Pausing a moment, Odo's mind was working profusely, "You knowing T'Paux is actually a good thing; and now you don't have a choice in the matter of accompanying me tomorrow." Giving her a grin she returned it. "Having you there might put her more in a sense of ease. You may even be able to convince her to leave."

"Are you going to tell her I am coming?"

"No. We will make it a surprise, for lack of a better term."

"Yea, because you thrive on surprises."

Her playful jab made him swiftly lean down and steal another kiss, "Sometimes."

Sarabi let out a giggle, scrunching her nose after he pulled away. Changing gears she moved onto her next question, "So that is why you were on a call with Dukat today? He is a suspect?"

Odo chuckled at her terminology, "Again, for lack of a better term, yes. We know the Cardassians are involved in some way, whether Dukat is directly is the question."

"I know you know as well as I do that Dukat has his nose in everything the Cardassian's take part of."

"Yes, then the secrecy and lies go hand in hand with that. He tells me as much as he would tell Sisko." He was looking past her at nothing in particular, but found it was helping to talk through everything out loud with someone besides Dax.

A bit of relief washed through Sarabi's bones to hear the Constable and the Cardassian leader were not close. She took it as a lesson to not make assumptions. Inwardly her walls were being chipped away by the dapper man before her; and it made her softly smile. "What is the importance of the artifacts? Besides being family heirlooms. Are they worth a lot?"

Looking back down at Sarabi Odo took a couple seconds to answer, reveling in the fact that she was so invested in this. "Apparently separate they are worthless, but together they are priceless. If you melt them down and are aware of how to expand and mold its contents its not only indestructible but also infinite."

Her jaw dropped, "Is it like a metal?"

A silent nod.

It wasn't hard to piece together what you would do with such a miraculous material. "So it is something that could be made into weapons." She suddenly felt sick, "Indestructible weapons." The waves of nausea were more severe now as she was thrusted back into visions of the Occupation. Except if their theory came into fruition then the events following would be worse ten times over. "Indestructible weapons." She repeated, her voice a whisper. "In the hands of Cardassians."

"Hopefully not yet." Odo brought her back, "That is what we are trying to avoid."

Sarabi exhaled deeply, "I am willing to help in anyway I can." Then she perked up at a realization, "I need to see Julian today before we leave tomorrow, he requested I have a once over before any traveling." Instinctually she brought her hand to her chest and gave it a gentle rub as it pulsed.

"I don't want you to worry about this." His brows furrowed as he observed her behavior.

"I won't." As soon as she said it Sarabi wasn't sure if it was a lie or not, either way her answer was too quick.

Odo's frown deepened, "Just keep in mind if you get too worked up you have to stay on the station tomorrow."

What she took as a threat made her eyes snap to his, a small fire within them, "I don't need you to worry, Odo."

All her response did was make him flip his expression to hold amusement, "I think that's the first time you have been irritated with me."

"Didn't take long, did it?" Even if she tried Sarabi couldn't keep from smiling whenever Odo did, her attitude melting away.

Quick as lightening he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. After planting a soft kiss on her forehead he let her go just as quickly, "Let's get you to Julian."