He didn't know how long he lay there before he finally was able to reason what had happened. Someone behind him had taken a plasma conduit lead from inside the broken bulkhead and thrust it between them. Every molecule in his body buzzed inside him for what seemed to him like weeks, but finally he was able to coalesce himself into his normal bajoran shape.

"Kail…?" He faintly heard a voice near him whisper. It took him a moment to remember whose voice it was. It was Connie's voice. He willed himself to open his eyes to look into her pretty face with her light brown hair and her dark eyes.

She smiled broadly back at him with uncontained joy and gave him a great big bear hug. "You're all right! I'm so glad!"

He hugged her back and laughed as he gently caressed her hair as it fell onto his face. "Are you sure I'm all right? I feel horrible."

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, a little anxious. "When Chief O'Brien pulled out that plasma conduit from the wall and stuck that changeling with it, we thought you were dead along with that other changeling until Doctor Bashir ran his tests and found that you were still alive!"

Kail looked wearily over at the doctor on his other side and gave him as genuine a smile as he could fashion. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Oh, no," he protested with a grin. "Thank you, sir. You are the one who saved my life, as I recall."

Kail smiled again and turned back to Connie. "Connie," he said softly and gazed into her deep eyes, "will you stay… Will you stay with me? I love you."

Connie hugged him again enthusiastically. "Of course I will!"

"Then let's go to Bajor and be joined!" Kail exclaimed with happiness.

Someone in the back of the room cleared their throat before she had a chance to give a reply. Their eyes followed into the shadows. Major Kira stepped forward from the shadow of the consoles and spoke first. "I'm sorry, Kail, but now that we know your current "status," I don't think the Bajoran government will allow you to return to Bajor."

Kail's eyes fell.

"Maybe we will go to Earth, then," Connie hopefully volunteered.

Captain Sisko then appeared at the side of Major Kira. "I'm sorry, Ms. Preston, but I don't think the Federation government will allow Kail to stay on Earth, either, unless he is in a laboratory."

"Have I not already proven that my loyalties are not to the Dominion?" Kail pleaded. "Is there nowhere that we would be welcome?"

At this Captain Sisko smiled and said, "You are welcome here on Deep Space Nine and will remain so for as long as I am captain of this station."

"But," Kail still pleaded, "will I be allowed to at least visit my friend Dovan now and again on Bajor?"

Major Kira hid her frown. She understood his reasons for wanting to visit old friends. "I think something can be arranged."

Kail grinned and neither of the two had ever before felt so much joy. He took Connie into his arms and kissed her long and deeply.

And they lived happily ever after.