AN: Here we are, another piece to this one.
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
By the time the shuttle docked, Lwaxana had put herself together to play the part that she normally did. The final touches to her performance included one last look in the lavatory mirror as she made sure her wig was on just so and her decorative comb was straight, and then she took Veta from Mr. Homn and rested him on her hip as they exited the shuttle—Odo holding to her elbow to make sure that she didn't accidentally stumble or trip.
She thanked him quietly, declaring that falling would be unbecoming of a Daughter of the Fifth House. Odo didn't mention that he'd simply noticed that her balance was just a touch off from what it normally was, and he didn't want to handle the emotional toil of seeing his entire family fall if she were to trip carrying Veta and, naturally, their twins.
As was fitting, Captain Picard met them as they disembarked the shuttle. There out of professional obligation, really, was also Dr. Crusher, and she offered apologies from Deanna who was currently in a session, but who would see them all later.
Lwaxana greeted them all quickly, and Odo followed suit.
"I take it that your trip was uneventful?" Picard asked.
"Oh—it was just wonderful," Lwaxana said. "These shuttle pilots really should receive more praise for the job they do, gallivanting here and there, and who knows where…just to make sure that we all arrive safely and comfortably to our little destinations. Still, those shuttles can be dreadfully cramped. It is good to be able to stand up and move about—one gets so stiff sitting so long." She smiled at Picard. "Why—Jean-Luc…thank you for the nice compliment. However, I am a married woman, and you ought to be ashamed of thinking such things in my imzadi's presence!"
Lwaxana's declaration caused the captain to blush, and it drew humor from everyone else, either in suppressed laughter or simply broad smiles.
Odo couldn't read the captain's mind, but he could read Lwaxana's. She was in very good humor. He didn't know if Picard had had any actual thoughts that he shouldn't have had or not, but it didn't really matter. Odo couldn't blame anyone for thinking that Lwaxana was beautiful, or charming, or alluring—she was all of those things, and she enjoyed being those things. She was a Betazoid woman, and the fact that others would be attracted to her was really to be expected.
Odo rested easy in the fact that she was his imzadi and, as such, she was hopelessly devoted to him, and nothing else really mattered very much.
Picard cleared his throat.
"Starfleet tells me that you'll be with us for quite a few days," Picard said. "I'm sure you'll find everything necessary to keep you comfortable. If you should need anything, however, please don't hesitate to let someone know. If you'll excuse me…"
"Oh—do get back to your PADDs and your logs, Jean-Luc," Lwaxana said. "We won't be a bother—that certainly isn't our intention. Darling Beverly is just going to help us understand our twins a bit more, and gather some research for your Starfleet Medical researchers, and then we'll be on our way back to the station."
Picard actually looked pleased with those words, or perhaps with Lwaxana's manner of saying them.
"We are happy to host the entirety of the Troi family for as long as you see fit," Picard offered. With that, he gave something of a nod to them all and left. After a quick exchange, Mr. Homn was sent to settle their quarters—always the same ones aboard the ship—and Veta was passed to him while Lwaxana and Odo moved toward sickbay in the company of Crusher.
"How are you feeling, Lwaxana?" Crusher asked, even as they walked.
"Oh—I've been much better since the last time you saw me," Lwaxana said.
"The fatigue?"
"It comes and it goes," Lwaxana said.
"Mostly it stays," Odo offered.
"Oh—Odo does fuss over me, Beverly," Lwaxana said. "Between Odo and Mr. Homn, nearly my every moment is spent under observation and scrutiny."
Odo held his humor back, but Crusher did laugh quietly. It was clear that Lwaxana was teasing, at least to some degree.
"Some fatigue is simply to be expected," Crusher said, soothingly, to Odo as much as to Lwaxana. "It's simply not going to be possible for Lwaxana to continue to work, to be an active wife and mother, to continue to feed Veta, and to carry the twins without at least some show of fatigue. If it were, then we'd be studying her for more intently than simply what's necessary to have a record of what it's like for her to carry the first Changeling-hybrid twins."
In sickbay, they were shown to a back corner, where they could have a touch of privacy, and a curtain was drawn. They were somewhat rushed through the preliminaries that, for them, had become simply expected basics. Vitals were taken, some samples were taken, and Odo was left a few moments to help Lwaxana into a gown while Crusher went for the equipment necessary to see the twins and place the monitors that Lwaxana would be wearing for a few days.
"Now—you can bathe with the monitors in place," Crusher offered, when she returned. "They won't be damaged by water. You can perform any normal activities, and you really should try to do everything just as you would if you weren't being monitored. It gives us the best readings we can possibly get."
"Well, I'm sure there are some things we'd rather not record," Lwaxana said.
"Nothing will be explicitly recorded," Crusher said with a smile. "Rather, what we'll end up with is data of your body's reactions to things and the subsequent reactions of each of the twins. I'll attach the neuromonitoring device, which we talked about, at the base of your skull. That will record your brain's activity for us. You should know that monitors for the twins will also have an alarm that will sound when they're not reading information from the babies. This usually will mean that they've moved too far beyond the monitors' reach. If that's the case, I don't want you to be alarmed. Just contact me, and I can remove and reattach them."
"Is the attachment process painful?" Odo asked.
Crusher smiled at him. She always looked at him warmly, as though she approved of him, when he most thought that he was probably at risk of being annoying and overbearing. Lwaxana would say that he was too protective. Crusher, it seemed, didn't wholeheartedly agree with Lwaxana's assessment.
"Not at all," she said. "There may be some slight irritation from the special adhesive, but that's usually mild. I can provide Lwaxana with a topical cream if necessary. The rest of the application and wear should be entirely painless. Shall we get started? It will only take a few moments to place the monitors, and you'll be free to get on about your day and spending time with your family."
Odo watched as Crusher found the twins with her imaging device. Both of them, at the moment, were presenting themselves as perfect little Betazoids. Crusher placed the devices—which seemed not to bother Lwaxana at all. Lwaxana was too busy looking a bit starstruck as she took in the images of their little ones.
"Nobody's changing," Lwaxana offered.
"The monitoring will tell us a bit more about that," Crusher said. "I have a theory, though."
"What is it?" Lwaxana asked.
"It's only a theory," Crusher said.
"Well, I understand that, Dear," Lwaxana said. She sat up when Crusher gestured for her to sit up, and Odo watched as Crusher attached the neuromonitoring device to the base of Lwaxana's skull. She made no comment about Lwaxana's wigs—she knew that she wore them, as did everyone who knew Lwaxana—and Odo slipped for a moment into the thought that Lwaxana's own hair was really quite lovely, though she insisted that it only be seen in their home.
"I think that the twins may naturally need to change their shape from time to time," Crusher said. "Much like I understand that Odo cannot hold any one shape indefinitely."
"That is correct, Madam," Odo said. A smile flitted across Crusher's lips as she moved to check PADDs and tablets that were beginning to receive and process data.
"Therefore, I think some of their changing is simply because they have to change," Crusher said. "In general, babies, in the womb, are often quite active. There are stretches, and kicks…they move around. Your babies do, too, and one of their movements is to change their shape. The second part of my theory, though, is that they tend to revert to their Betazoid appearance when they're feeling stressed or otherwise threatened or vulnerable. I've noted, as has Dr. Bashir, that they seem to notice when you're being prodded, and they often change when that's taking place. Also, you're a little tense right now, naturally, and they're both very clearly choosing their Betazoid appearance."
Lwaxana touched her belly, around the small monitors that had been placed.
"Oh—you don't think the little dears are stressed, do you?" Lwaxana asked. "I don't like that they're feeling threatened."
Crusher smiled.
"My theory is that they're only feeling as threatened as their parents are," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Some anxiety is normal for a medical treatment of any kind. They're sensing that, but they're less accustomed to processing it than you are, so it's possible that they're reacting in a way that makes them feel less vulnerable."
"I mean this with absolute respect," Odo said, "but do you really think that they're that aware?"
Crusher nodded.
"I do," she said. "Betazoid records show that fetal awareness is remarkably high among members of the species. Already, I'm getting readings from Lwaxana's brain that are…well…quite remarkable. The activity there is easily twice what I saw from some monitoring that Deanna allowed me to do on her brain activity, and hers is naturally higher than the average human's."
"Well—the average human isn't much to compare oneself to, Beverly," Lwaxana said. She smiled at Crusher. "I bet you have a fascinating mind, my dear."
Crusher looked pleased with the compliment. Odo was sure that Lwaxana meant it, but he was also sure that she was practicing at least a little diplomacy. Crusher smiled at the compliment, but she didn't respond to it. Instead, she held up another of the small monitors.
"Odo—I hate to ask this. I know that you're extremely private, and I respect that. But—we have no information on your species at all. Not beyond the information that was stored from when you were first…"
"Found and studied," Odo supplied, understanding that she was trying not to be insulting, but wasn't sure how to reword everything she'd likely read about him. She winced slightly and nodded.
"I was—hoping it might not be too much to ask to monitor you, as well."
"Odo—you don't have to," Lwaxana said quickly. Odo looked at her. He could see something in her eyes. She almost looked pained. She knew how he felt about his experiences as something of an experiment. Lwaxana would never want him to feel that way that again. She would never want him to feel like something that existed only to be studied and was valued only for its scientific intrigue.
He looked at Crusher. She didn't want to study him as simply some novelty meant to entertain her. She had, since Odo had known her, always treated him with respect. She had treated him as an independent being. There was certainly some interest, there, about his species, but he really saw no more fascination with his species than he saw for Lwaxana's species. Crusher was anxious to learn all that she could, but that seemed to extend to every subject.
Odo extended his hand, and he gave Crusher the best smile he could.
"Odo—you don't have to," Lwaxana repeated.
"I am perfectly aware, Lwaxana, that I don't have to do anything that I do not wish to do," Odo said. "However, we are a family unit. None of us is entirely independent of the other. Understanding what she can of me, and my species, will only help Doctor Crusher to understand our little ones more completely." Odo smiled, his whole body felt warm and quivered with a sincere happiness. He meant what he was about to say, even more than he'd realized. "I would do anything to help her understand our little ones. They are, after all, my children." Lwaxana smiled at him. Crusher smiled, too. "Doctor—I will put the monitor in my pocket."
"Oh…" Crusher said. She hesitated before handing it over. "I really need to attach it, for it to be effective."
"You should know, Doctor, that I do not have pockets. I do not wear clothing. This is an approximation of clothing. The pocket is only one that I create. I will temporarily absorb the monitor, and I will carry it that way. There is no way to attach it more securely to my person."
Her eyes widened slightly, but she controlled her expression quickly. She offered over the monitor, and Odo did place it in the pocket that he made for it.
A moment later, there was information coming into the doctor's PADD. She looked at it, wide-eyed.
"This is absolutely remarkable," she mused.
"Odo is a remarkable man," Lwaxana offered affectionately.
Odo felt warmed by the way she looked at him as much as her words.
"It's really Lwaxana that's most remarkable," Odo offered.
Crusher laughed.
"I'll simply say you're both pretty remarkable," she offered. "And your twins, no doubt, will be every bit as interesting as their parents. I am looking forward to getting to know them better."
"And we're looking forward to everything you discover," Lwaxana said. Odo could feel her excitement. As excited as he was to know more about their children—something he'd never imagined he would biologically have—he felt like her excitement was even more palpable.
"What would you like us to do?" Odo asked.
"Just—live your lives as you normally would," Crusher said. "For the next few days, you'll just—do what you normally do. And I do mean that you shouldn't change anything. You should keep personal logs, but you don't have to be too detailed about any personal activities. I'd like to just have something of a record of your experiences to compare them to the changes the monitors pick up. If you'll give those to me at the end of each day…"
"Absolutely," Lwaxana said. "Oh—it'll be so exciting, Odo. Just like an adventure. We'll record everything we do together."
"And everything you do independently," Crusher offered.
"There's really very little of that when we're off the station," Lwaxana admitted. "We do almost everything together, when we can."
"Still, we'll keep a record," Odo said. "Is there anything else?"
"If the alarms should go off, don't panic," Crusher said. "It's only an indication that a monitor's position has slipped. If you'll just call me, we'll adjust it. Other than that, just enjoy your time aboard the Enterprise."
They thanked her, and then Odo helped Lwaxana get dressed, not really caring how they would spend the rest of their day beyond the fact that they would be spending it together.