Chapter 4
The sound of his own breath rattled him, it had been so long since any other sound other then the beating of his own heart had filled his senses. For months he hadn't seen with his own eyes, touched with his own hands. And now here he was lying in his bed, next to his wife. Excitement filled his senses completely, "Kas" he whispered. She slowly opened her eyes, emerging from a deep sleep. "Ben?" she called. He reached over to touch her face; he eyes flew open as she flipped over in the bed to face him. "Oh my God, I must be…" he voice trailed off. He chuckled, "No, you're not dreaming." He leaned in and kissed her, a kiss full of love full of excitement." Kasidy broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Ben, "Are you back for good, now have you learned or seen whatever the prophets wanted you to. Ben I've missed you so much, Dr. Bashir says the baby is doing fine and…" She pulled back from the embrace, she look at his face. The excited expression was gone. Returned was the expression she hated most, the one where he had to tell he something he knew she wouldn't like. "Ben?" He looked up at her. "I'm here because I have to learn the repercussions of my actions, to learn of the true strength of the prophets and what disobeying them causes." Kasidy drew in a sharp breath as she placed a protective hand on her womb. "Not our baby!" Sisko shook his head, "No, the Prophets mentioned nothing about our child." He sighed suddenly the weight of the universe on his shoulders. "It's something else, I don't know what though."
"Help Me." The voice called to her again, Ezri shook her head, trying to free the tortured voice from the confines of her brain. That voice…it was strangely familiar. "Ezri" she looked up at Julian, the thought that his lover was hearing voices was concerning him she could tell. She didn't blame him. It concerned her too. "You heard it again didn't you?" She nodded. Julian had run every conceivable test on her; still the origins of this mystery voice were a mystery. "I wish I knew what this was…" Her voice was overlapped with the call for help, more desperate this time. She closed her eyes. She opened them to find herself standing in a garden. The same garden she had stood in when she discovered the wormhole with Benjamin over eight years ago, when she was…. "Jadzia!" The tall familiar figure walked towards her. "What's going on?" "Ezri, I need your help." Ezri rushed to stand in front of her "What can I help you with?" Jadzia drew in a breath don't ignore me, I need help, trust in me and follow your senses, Benjamin will help." With that she turned and began to walk away. "Wait!" Ezri called running to catch up with her "Ben's with the prophets" "He is needed, he has returned." Jadzia replied. "But..." Ezri began to stutter. Jadzia turned to face her. "The Prophets would never allow harm to come to the one who help the Emissary discovery his destiny." "Dear Lord." Ezri began as the garden began to fade the Cardassian contours of her quarters replacing the green foliage. "Ezri?" she heard Julian call. "You were pretty far off there for a second. Where did you go?" She looked him in the eye. "It's Jadzia, Julian. Jadzia's calling for help."