Boday

By: Ginomo

A newly joined Jadzia Dax meets an intriguing Gallamite captain and embarks on a non-traditional relationship with him.

2369

Terok Nor- no, it was Deep Space Nine now- was quickly becoming Captain Boday's favorite docking port. He'd had to come here while the Cardassian's commanded the station and he made his stops as quickly as he could, maybe stopping in the Ferengi bar for a quick bite of real food but that was it. Now, the place was actually enjoyable. Today he strolled casually into Quark's, ordered a drink and settled in to do some people watching. The new Federation crew members were an interesting bunch and he wanted to see what kind of trouble he could get himself into tonight.

There must have been a shift change because dozens of Starfleet's finest were filing in. His eyes rested on one in particular. She was tall, beautiful, poised, and alone. She ordered something from the Ferengi bartender, it looked to be just a cup of coffee. The bartender said something that he thought was funny, but the woman clearly did not. She took her coffee, found a seat by herself and started reading a padd intently.

Over the next 15 minutes, Boday saw three men make their way to the beautiful woman's table. Each one had spoken to her for only a minute or two before they walked away, tail between their legs. Boday smirked, knocked back the rest of his drink and decided to make himself number four.

"What are you doing here?"

The woman looked up at Boday, her face perplexed, "Excuse me?"

"Why come in here, plant yourself a few meters from the bar during the busiest time of the day and then proceed to turn away every man that wants to sit with you?"

"Because I prefer being alone," she answered, though her voice sounded as if she were asking a question instead of answering one.

Boday invited him to sit, and the woman didn't object, "So I ask again, what are you doing here?"

She smiled sheepishly, "Quark's coffee is better than the replicator in my quarters."

"Captain Boday," he said with a broad, confident smile, "I fly a Gallamite hauler."

The woman hesitated. She was trying to decide whether or not to send him on his way. This one seemed interesting, "Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, science officer."

"How long have you been here on the station?"

"I was part of the initial Starfleet crew that came aboard last month."

"Well, we are certainly happy to have you fine Federations here. Big improvement over the Cardassians."

"Um… you're welcome?"

The woman was an odd mix of both shy and confident. Sitting across from her, Boday could see the distinctive markings of a Trill along the side of her face and down her neck, "Joined?"

The question took Jadzia aback. In Trill culture, it was impolite to ask someone if they were joined since so few were able to achieve the social status that came with it. She cleared her throat, "Yes, I'm joined."

"But you're newly joined aren't you?"

"Who are you?"

He laughed, "Someone who meets a lot of people."

"So you think you know me just because you stop at a lot of stations?"

"No," Boday paused, "But I'd like to."

This one was interesting, "I am newly joined. How can you tell?" Jadzia asked.

"Well, for one you're young," he began, "But mostly because you're trying too hard."

"Excuse me?"

"Drinking alone in a crowded bar, turning down one attractive man after another so you can be elusive while you read and drink coffee, it's clear you're trying hard to be more interesting than you really are."

Jadzia scoffed as she sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, "There must be something wrong with me because you keep insulting me, yet for some reason I haven't asked you to leave."

"That's because I'm intriguing. Spend the night with me and I'll teach you how to be as well."

"Okay, I think I've had quite enough, Captain. If you don't mind, I'd-"

Boday laughed, "I didn't mean like that. You ever play Dabo?"

Jadzia blushed embarrassingly for her assumption, "No, but I've been watching for weeks trying to figure it out."

"M'Pella," Boday called the Dabo girl that was walking by without ever taking his eyes away from Jadzia, "Get us two spots at the next open Dabo table."

"Sure thing, Boday," the woman answered casually.

Jadzia tried to hide her giddy smile as she took another sip of her coffee.

Jadzia had spent her entire life being disciplined, focused and determined. She approached everything with the singular purpose of becoming a joined Trill. If it wasn't going to get her closer to that goal then she didn't do it, no questions asked. When her peers were enjoying themselves, she was studying. Then she got the Dax symbiont and now she felt like a different person. The intellectual and somewhat self conscious girl was slowly being overtaken by six other people. The recent hosts were the most dominant and Curzon and Torias were both insatiably outgoing and self assured.

This thing that she'd done last night, this was all Dax.

Jadzia turned her head slightly to the side and looked at the ruffled bed covers. The worst part was how conflicted she felt about it. Jadzia, that studious young girl she'd once been would have been mortified. A one night stand with a man she'd only known for a few hours… it was inconceivable. But Dax on the other hand, Dax liked it. No, Dax had loved it. Throwing strips of latinum at the dabo wheel, indulging in one drink after another, laughing loudly and falling into the arms of the strangely attractive and intriguing Gallamite captain had felt so… freeing. It was as if she'd locked herself up all those years and now, finally, she could breathe.

Boday was already up, getting himself dressed and ready to head back to his ship. He moved around her quarters as if he'd been here a dozen times before. His confidence bordered on cockiness and Jadzia was embarrassed at how attractive she found it.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said with his wide, toothy grin.

"Same to you."

"My ships been loaded up, so I'm off. I hope you had as much fun as I did last night."

Her face flushed. She was trying to play it cool but failing miserably, "I did. Will I see you again?" Jadzia silently scolded herself for sounding too eager.

"I get to the station several times a year, next time I'm here I'll definitely look you up."

"Okay."

Boday sat on the edge of the bed, trying to find the right way to both close the door on this, yet leave it open just a bit, "But don't wait for me. The next time you're having coffee alone in Quark's, don't be afraid to let someone sit down with you."

2371

Jadzia threw her head back and laughed harder than she had in ages, "There is no way that happened!"

Boday raised his eyebrows, "What can I say, I'm just that good."

"Whatever, you're also full of it."

He rolled over onto his back and as the two of them lounged in his bed and closed his eyes, "This next haul is going to be a long one, I probably won't get back this year. I'm going through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant. My superiors want to try to start trade routes with some of those planets your crew keeps discovering over there."

Jadzia was sitting upright in the bed, her long bare legs folded, "As if this isn't weird enough, you're going to disappear for a year. My friends are starting to wonder what this is all about."

"This?"

"We've been doing this for over two years now and people are talking."

"So what?" Boday said, "I don't expect anyone to understand us."

"Sure, but, let's be realistic Boday. We can't do this forever.'

"Any why not?" he challenged her, "How long have you and Commander Sisko been friends?"

"Decades. Two lifetimes."

"And I bet you've been playing chess that whole time."

"We have…"

"This is no different. You two play chess, we have sex."

Jadzia laughed, "That's much harder to explain to people."

"Then don't," he said definitively, "You're a Dax. You can't expect those people to understand how you approach life. You've got more than one life to live and you can do what you want with this one."

"You're right, as usual," her tone changed and she smirked seductively, "So you're going to make me wait a whole year?"

Boday laughed, "You don't wait for me now. I certainly don't wait for you."

Jadzia thought about her 'wrestling' partner, "Hey, I thought we agreed to not talk about the others, you know I get jealous," she teased.

He sat up and kissed the tip of her nose, "Don't worry, you know you're my favorite."

Now it was her turn to laugh again, "Now you're lying. I know you've got a woman at every port."

"Two at Deep Space 7," that made her laugh more, "It's a big station."

Boday paused, reading her face. He'd gotten pretty good at this, keeping things light and fun with the women in his life. But every now and then things got sticky and he had to move on. He sincerely hoped that wasn't happening with Dax, she really was his favorite, "Is it your friends that are wanting to define us, or you?" he asked seriously.

The question took her aback, "You are the last man I'd ever want to define things with."

"You wound me, Jadzia."

She ignored his feigned hurt feelings, "But we can't kid ourselves, this isn't just chess. One day one of might want to define things with someone else."

"Seems like such a waste to chain yourself to one person with nothing but death to look forward to. It's like deciding to eat the same thing for dinner every night, forever. What's the point? How does that enrich our lives?"

"You sound like Curzon."

"Curzon was a smart man.

Jadzia sighed as she remembered her time on Meridian and how hard and fast she fell for Deral. In hindsight, it had been foolish to be willing to give up her whole life because she thought she was in love. She had so much to do, so much to experience as Jadzia Dax. She'd worked so hard for her symbiont and had almost not gotten one at all. Jadzia felt as if she owed it to Dax to be the most interesting version of herself that she could be. Settling down seemed like the opposite of that.

"You'd just better hope I don't forget you, seeing that I'm your favorite and all."

"Oh, Jadzia, there's no forgetting me."

2372

Commanders Worf and Jadzia Dax were walking through the habitat ring towards her quarters. Worf had been on station Deep Space Nine about eight months and in that time, Dax had become his closest friend. They worked together and spent much of their off time together. Lately, they'd been having dinner in her quarters instead of Quark's or the replimat.

As they turned the last corner, there was a man standing next to Dax's door, waiting casually as if he'd done it a dozen times before and had nowhere else to be.

"Boday?!" Jadzia couldn't have been more shocked. Instinctively, she ran to him and threw her arms around the Gallamite in surprise, "It's been so long! Where have you been? When did you get here?"

"We docked about 10 minutes ago. Of course I had to come straight to you."

A few seconds later and Worf was standing there as well. Jadzia cleared her throat and turned to introduce the two, "Captain Boday, this is Lieutenant Commander Worf, he's new to DS9 since you were last here. Worf, this is Boday, he's… well what is it that you're doing these days?"

"I spend most of my time in the Gamma Quadrant days overseeing duranium supply lines on my ship."

Worf shook the man's hand, "It is an honor to meet you," He felt an uncomfortable knot growing in his stomach that he could not explain. Dax knew this man and judging by her response to him they were obviously personally acquainted. That shouldn't bother him; he and Dax were just friends. But it did.

"So why are you two dressed alike?" Boday asked.

"Oh, this," Jadzia stammered nervously as she looked down at her black exercise outfit, "Commander Worf is helping me improve my Klingon martial arts skills. We just left the holosuite."

"Well, I'd hate to interrupt your plans, but Dax and I have a long standing chess game that I'd love to pick up again," Boday said with that toothy grin that implied he definitely wasn't talking about chess.

Jadzia's eyes darted between the two men, "Worf and I were about to have dinner…"

Worf spoke up, "It is fine, you obviously have some catching up to do, Commander."

"Well, If you're sure…" Jadzia began.

"Thank you, Worf," Boday interjected, "It has been a very long time."

Jadzia felt a dozen emotions and none of them made sense. It had been over a year since she'd last seen Boday, she figured he'd moved on and she didn't want to seem too eager by contacting him to find out why. So much had happened since they were last together. She'd been reunited with Lenara Kahn and dealt with having her heart broken in the midst of all that. And she'd become friends with Commander Worf.

Worf is just a friend. Not the same as Lenara at all, Jadzia reminded herself.

"I will see you later, Commander," Worf replied curtly, then turned to leave.

She wanted to stop him, to try to explain what was happening except there was no way she could explain. The look on Worf's face meant he knew what was going on. Jadzia had never been embarrassed about her trysts with Boday until now.

"A long-standing chess game?" Jadzia said as she and Boday entered her quarters, "Could you have been more obvious?"

Boday frowned, "I thought I was being discreet. What difference does it make?"

Her voice was irritated, "Why didn't you send me a message and let me know you were coming?"

"It was a last-minute thing and I thought it would be fun to surprise you. What's wrong? Were you and the Klingon exercising in the holosuite the way you and I play chess?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't be so crude. Worf and I are friends, and I respect that friendship very much."

"Alright then, enough about him. How have you been?"

Jadzia swallowed the lump in her throat and put on her best smile. She invited Boday to sit down at the table and the two of them quickly got back into the rhythm that their conversations often took on. They laughed and joked and kept things light, never sharing too much or getting too serious.

The night ended the way it always did, almost out of habit more than desire. Being with Boday was fun, but tonight it felt like she'd eaten too much dessert or drank too much wine. As she lay in bed staring at the ceiling Jadzia couldn't stop thinking about the awkward exchange in the corridor. She was trying to figure out how she'd explain it to Worf the next time they were together. Maybe their friends were already telling him about she and Boday. Worf wouldn't understand. Or even if he did, what would he think?

Just then, it hit her. Once she realized it, Jadzia wondered how she hadn't seen it before, "I'm falling for Worf," she whispered into the darkness like she was confessing her soul. She had feelings for Worf- real, more than friends feelings. And it was crazy that it took sleeping with Boday again for her to see it.