The characters of Jadzia Dax, Odo, Kira Nerys, Benjamin Sisko, Jake Sisko, Nog, and Quark, not to mention the space station Deep Space Nine are not mine, as much as I'd like them to be. Legally they belong to Paramount. The characters you don't recognize are mine, however. Hahahahaha, finally, all mine. Oh, sorry.
Author's notes:This story came about from a roundtable story done between my best friend Kira and I. I really hope you enjoy it. I'd rate it PG because it does have some adult content in it, although it is tastefully done, much like the true series. The story is set somewhere in the fourth season, with fourth season spoilers. So if you haven't seen the fourth season eps. you better watch out. And not all of the fourth season is included, for those of you who want purity.
The title comes from Ode to Intimations of Immortality from Early Recollections of Childhood, by Wordsworth. I hope you'll be able to see how it fits in with the plot. Enjoy the story, and email me if you have any comments, flames, etc. My address is miyaka@gto.net.
Dedication:I'd like to dedicate this story to my friend Kira, without whom the Eysu Moraht would never have existed, and to all of my prereaders, without whom the story would not have existed. I'd also like to dedicate it to Eloise and Jimmy Hill, two people now gone but whom the world will always treasure.
The Faith That Looks Through Death
by Yuuki Miyaka
Epilogue
Jake looked around the party, wanting to remember every single detail. After receiving the Guarma Award for Best Literature, he had wanted nothing more than a quiet celebration with his best friends. But it had quickly turned into a three-ring circus, and he couldn't very well blame his father. As he walked to the refreshment bar, he was greeted with Ziyal Dukat. His smile widened as she approached him. She was extremely beautiful tonight, he noted, and her status as Cardassia/Bajor mediator made her welcome to any of his parties. He always invited her, knowing that she would keep any overly sensitive members of either race in check.
"Hello, Ziyal."
"Jake." Ziyal smiled at him, and for a moment Jake had an vision of another Bajoran. A full one, one he loved. After twenty years, he still hadn't forgotten her. He snapped back to the present to hear Ziyal's voice continuing. "I must say, I was very impressed when I read The Alliance Of Hope. You deserved the award, Jake, better than any of the others nominated. I'm glad the judges agreed with me." Jake nodded, extricating himself from her conversation and going to another corner, where his father sat with Dax, Odo, and Kira. He had heard that same speech too many times tonight.
"How's it going, guys?" Odo grunted, and Kira smiled.
"It's a wonderful party, Jake. Thanks for inviting us." Jake just laughed.
Dax touched him on the arm. "You really ought to write a sequel, you know. Let us know what happened to Arys, whether she lived or not."
Jake smiled softly, the pain dulled by the passage of twenty years. "If I ever find out, I'll let you know. But I'm surprised you're so interested, Dax. I never expected you to enjoy the story as much as you do."
Dax grinned at him. "Let's just say that it reminds me of an old memory." Odo nodded at her, remembering the time for himself. Neither had ever explained where they had been, much to StarFleet's distress. Now, the passage of twenty years had dulled their own pain as well as Jake's, and they could remember it without wanting to go back.
Kira raised a glass of champagne. They had every type of food known to the universe in this party, in deference to Jake's vision of the future. He grinned softly, then allowed her to toast him. As he did, he noticed a familiar shadow moving towards the door, and excused himself, not sure why he was pursuing the person.
Dax looked at her friends, knowing that they were all happy, save one. "It's amazing how far Jake has come, isn't it, Ben?" With the fear of civil war behind them, Odo and Dax had proceeded on with their lives in blissful happiness. The station had remained in the hands of the Federation, much to the disappointment of the Founders, but there was no destruction of Bajor.
Now, years later, Dax still remembered the time she had spent in that alternate universe. She had come to terms with a lot of her feelings, but had never been able to do so here. Benjamin remained nothing more than her best friend, and she had to be satisfied with that. As for Julian, he hadn't followed her around for some time. In fact, she hadn't heard from him in five years before this party. He was holed up in a far corner with a beautiful writer. His taste in women, she saw, hadn't changed. Ziyal walked up, and sat down beside the Trill.
"It's a nice party, isn't it?" When Kira had brought Ziyal aboard the station, Dax had offered to help out. They had quickly become good friends, and it was this friendship that Dax answered to now, though she was deep in thought.
"Yes, Ziyal. It is a good party. But then, it's a good book, too." Ziyal nodded.
"I know. Jake let me edit it for him. Do you suppose he knew any of those people?" Dax sighed, knowing that on some level, at least, Jake had known all of them. But the names were changed, she saw, and she couldn't say why he had done that. Perhaps to protect the others, should they ever be found.
"He didn't. But I was surprised at how easily he was able to describe their feelings. It's almost like he was in their heads, instead of the other way around." Ziyal nodded once more, then turned and began chatting with the others. Dax had hated lying to her that way, but there was no way she could talk about the other universe. Too many questions _must_ remain unanswered in order for this universe to remain stable.
And Dax sighed. She thought back to that time, remembering all the hopes she had felt. Hopes that she and Benjamin would become more than friends. Hopes that she could see Lenzar again. So many hopes long-past, though not forgotten. And the surprising thing was that she didn't regret the way her life _had_ turned out, despite the fact that she had gotten very little of what she had asked. Perhaps it was best, she thought now, and turned away from the dreams that had plagued her.
Odo watched Kira closely. He wasn't impressed with the party. All parties were the same to him; a time period when he wasn't doing his duty to the station. After all these years, he was still the chief of security on Deep Space Nine, and he still enjoyed his work. But there were times, like this one, when he wished for so much more. The Bajoran chatted with Benjamin and Dax happily, and Odo was left to his thoughts.
He had never been able to admit his feelings to Kira. At first, it had been because of Shakaar, but that excuse was wearing thin by the time she discovered the First Minister's true nature. She had turned to Odo for comfort, and he had felt it would be a betrayal of sorts to tell her how he felt. So he had kept his peace. Now, it was too late, and he knew he had been a coward to the very end. But at the same time, he knew he had made the right choice.
Kira glanced up at him, and he smiled softly at her. "What do you think, Odo?" His confused look told her he had not been listening to the conversation.
"About what?"
Kira smiled at her old friend. "About the ending of Jake's story. Do you suppose there's room for a sequel, considering?"
"Considering where he left it, you mean?" Kira nodded, as did Dax and Sisko, and Odo thought for a second. "I think it's possible. All he would have to do is change the point of view, really. Write it from Arys' point of view. After all, there's no evidence to say that she died when the rest of them did. Maybe she could find out what killed them all. I'm almost positive it was murder. I just don't know what the reason behind it was, yet." Kira smiled.
"Odo, you make it sound like this is one of your cases. It's not. It's just a story. If you want to know, just ask Jake. If there's a reason behind it, he'll know." Odo nodded, and went back to his contemplations, ignoring the rest of the conversation in favor of his dreams of Kira.
Jake trailed the shadow for a long moment before slipping up behind her. It was a woman, he had been able to ascertain, but more than that, he did not know. In an effort to discover more, he touched her shoulder, and the woman jumped slightly, as though surprised. When she turned, Jake sucked in a long breath. It was her . . . .
"J-jake?" The quiet word shot through him, making him believe in the impossible as he stared at the Bajoran in front of him.
"Is it . . . is this real?" he asked her, hardly daring to hope. But if it wasn't, then he knew he was having another vivid dream.
"How did you know about all of that, Jake?" The woman traced his jawline with a slender hand, and he stood still. He couldn't believe he had found her after all these years of searching.
"The dreams. I . . . I had dreams years ago about the Eysu. I wrote them all down, but I wasn't sure I should publish them until now."
"You played around with them," she accused softly, not really angry.
"No. This was a first draft that I had published. I know it seemed a lot better, but the words just seemed to come to me. I never felt as though I had to change any of it."
The woman's dark eyes opened wide, and she stared at him. "That was how you felt about us? Half of the time I felt as though we were all burdens on you." Jake grinned, and pulled her into a hug.
"Of course not! The only time I ever hated anything about any of you was when I tried to research all of you. I ended up with so many deaths and dead ends that I eventually gave up. I figured that none of you existed." She smiled once more at him.
"And now that you know I, at least, exist, what are you going to do about it?" He held her face between his two hands and gazed into her eyes for long moments.
"Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night, Arys?" And he lowered his head towards hers.
End The Faith That Looks Through Death
Author's notes, part 2:Well, it's done. I did what I could, but the story got away from me. I never intended to make it so sad.
This is a series. Once again, it didn't start out as such, but it has ended up a series. I don't know when the other parts in the series will be posted, but each separate fanfic will be looking at the memories of one member of the founders of the Eysu Moraht. The series will be called Star Trek: Alliance of Hope. If you enjoyed this one, look for the others.
I love getting comments. Please see my address in the beginning and email me. Tell me what you thought.
Have a good one!
If you enjoyed this story, and enjoy anime, btw, you might check out the series called Please Save My Earth. It has a similar premise, which I discovered after about four months of writing on this one.