TOMMY

This is the third time she's become distracted since we left the kitchen. I do need this information, but it's not nearly as crucial as I led her to believe. It just seemed like a good distraction at the time. Even so, she's having trouble focusing and I have no doubt that Dar's emotions are part of the problem. Finally, I decide to snap her out of it. "Your majesty, would another time be better for this discussion?"

Instantly, I have her full attention - and she's not happy. "Don't."

"Isosisko, if you thought for one minute that I wasn't going to tease you, you were sorely mistaken." I take her hands in mine. "Listen to me. This is only a big deal if you let it be. The first thing you need to do is find out what they want. It could range anywhere from they need you to come back right now to run the planet to giving you some credits and telling you that they don't need you and probably never will."

Suddenly, there is a fire in her eyes. "No matter what they want, I won't lose Dar. I won't give him up for anything."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about it too much. After all, all of you have told me time and again how important a bond is in the life of an Eltarian. Not really why, but that it is and I very seriously doubt that they'd work against it. Not if they need you to be a functional ruler. You said that they might be able to force you to return. How?"

She explains to me how lineage works and bloodlines. It sounds similar to things in a monarchy on Earth and I tell her so. "So you do see how they could force me."

I think for a minute before I answer her slowly. "If it's similar enough, there might be a way around it. I'm not really sure about how your laws work. Maybe Dar can find out."

Hope and relief light her eyes. "So even if they try-"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves" I caution her. "I said maybe. But you know that if you don't want to go, none of us are going to let you go that easily."

"I know. I'm sorry I got distracted. Where were we?"

I remind her and this time she stays focused. By the time our mates join us in the infirmary, we're actually having a very detailed discussion - which is giving me several more ideas about how to handle the situation on Earth. Thankfully, Pina's lent me some paper and a pencil and I'm making notes as fast as I can.

"Is this helping at all?" she asks, amusement in her voice.

"Maybe just a little" I answer straight faced. "I'll have to run some tests but it'll keep while we do a little research."