If nothing else was true about Itza Lotta-Bain it was that she absolutely hated the heat! The tall blond headed woman stormed over to the thermostat for the third time in twenty minutes and set the temperature to 50 degrees. "Just why the hell did I come to this god-forsaken planet I'll never know!" She huffed and stormed back to her chair at her work desk and tried earnestly to get back to work. In truth she knew exactly why she had come here; her husband had been offered a great teaching position here in San Francisco, California on Earth. Sometimes she wished that she had stayed on Trill like Goran suggested; even he knew that she would hate living on Earth but she couldn't imagine being separated from him for two years. She and Goran had been married for fifteen years and had a nine year old son, Tarapin. Unlike her their young son was enjoying their time here, he loved all of his friends at school and his soccer team. Her husband was getting on great as well with his fellow professors; the men in her life also loved going surfing. It was a new pass time that they had been introduced to and it took up practically every spare family moment they had. Where she hated the sunny weather they loved it!

"Just eight more months," she kept telling herself. Just eight more months and they would be back on Trill where they belonged and she wouldn't have be forced to do her research on several wormholes from the confined space of this two bedroom apartment. She missed her work at the Trill Science Ministry and she hadn't really been able to keep in constant contact with her colleagues do to the war and the frequent communication blocks by the Dominion. She thanked whatever powers that be that her parents had come to visit for the last month. It had been great to have familiar faces around; of course they took great delight in spoiling their only grandchild. At this Itza grimaced, not because she hated the way her mother and father fawned over Tarapin but because of that last night they were there. The conversation had been so positive until her sister's name was mentioned…

Two days ago…

"I'm so happy to have the family together, it's been to long!" Lorna Lotta smiled and looked around the dinner table at her daughter, son-in law, grandson and husband. The sixty-two year old woman had been terribly upset when Itza had told them that she and her family were moving to Earth for the next two years.

"Well not everyone, grandma. Aunt Jadzia isn't here." Tarapin innocently chimed in as he spooned another bite of his favorite Earth dessert, rocky road ice cream. He didn't seem to notice the sudden morose countenances of the adults. Jadzia, that name had been virtually unspoken for as long if not longer than Itza and her family had moved to Earth. No one had heard from her since she had gotten angry because of their reservations concerning her relationship with a Klingon. Itza thought her sister was making a mistake; Jadzia had always been a little impulsive but most times it was an endearing quality.

"Have you heard from her, Itza?" Her father, Anse asked. Anse had always tried to stay out of the quarrels of between his wife and daughters. It pained him that Jadzia who had always kept in touch had now cut herself off from her family.

"Tarapin take your ice cream to your room." Itza didn't want her son to hear this inevitable conversation. After the boy left she sighed, "No, not since that day. I'm worried about her with this war going on. I check casualties' list everyday hoping that I don't come across her name…"

"I thought she would have gotten over herself by now." Goran took a sip of his drink, he had never much cared for his sister-in law and he had a feeling that Jadzia felt the same for him.

"I thought I was the only one who checked those damned lists. So many names every day, it's a shame." Lorna sat back in her chair; her husband took her hand in his.

"She must really be angry; she's never gone this long without communicating." Itza said.

"Maybe she's tried but the war…" Lorna started but Goran interrupted.

"Don't make excuses for her, we all know the truth. She's chosen a Klingon over her family; she doesn't care how much pain she has caused this family as long as she's happy."

"Or maybe she's hurt, I mean she was so happy when she was telling us about this guy and we just berated her and pre-judged the man she claims she loves. If the situation was reversed I think I would have gotten angry too." Itza folded her arms on the table and felt so ashamed for the way she had acted towards her sister. They had been so close growing up and she had to admit that she missed that.

"Well I still say it is a mistake, Klingon's and Trills; can there be two races more opposite of each other?" Lorna refused to believe that her youngest child was in love with this Klingon. Jadzia just liked to go against the grain, do the unexpected. Lorna was sure Jadzia would get over this fascination like she had with the Galamite, the Betazoid, the Tholian and that Vulcan that she had been obsessed with her first year at Star Fleet Academy. Her daughter had a fickle heart and her fire for this latest love interest had probably already fizzled out.

"You can't help who you love, Lorna." Anse piped in.

"No you can't but I know my daughter."

"People change you know." Itza pushed her plate away; this conversation had wiped out her appetite.

"Maybe; but I tell you who Jadzia really loved, Pisho. I always hoped the two of them would get married, he was perfect for her." Lorna looked off with a disappointed yet hopeful gleam in her eye. Jadzia was nearing thirty and not getting any younger. "When I get back to Trill I will try to contact her, this has gone beyond ridiculous!" The older woman finished…

Now…

Itza couldn't focus; her work would just have to wait until another day, a nice long soak in the tub sounded like a great idea at that moment. Goran wouldn't be home for another few hours and Tarapin was spending the night at a friend's so she would have no interruptions for quite a while. Just as she stood, her computer consul beeped notifying her that there was an in-coming request for video communication. She sat back down and couldn't help but feel uneasy at the all cap letters, 'URGENT' that were flashing across the now screen. She slowly tapped the monitor; and wasn't prepared for the tear stained face of her mother.

"Mom, what's wrong, why are you crying!?"

"It's terrible…" Lorna trailed off as a fresh batch of tears started.

"What's happened!?" Itza tried to stay under control as she sat helplessly in front of the monitor.

"They've grounded all of the transport ships until further notice because of battle areas nearby, we can't leave…" Again the older woman trailed off trying to gain her composure.

"Mom, you're not making any sense!"

"When we got home there were several messages from a Commander Worf – you know…" Itza was all too aware of who Worf was, looked like her mom's theory about Jadzia having moved on from the Klingon by now had been wrong.

"What did he say, has something happened to Jadzia!?" Fear gripped Itza's heart.

"You have to go there, she's alive but you have to go there she's been terribly hurt."

"Where's dad?"

"He's trying to talk to someone from our government to get permission to take passage on one of the Federation ships in Trill space. You are closer to Deep Space Nine, please, Itza you have to…"

"Of course, I'll take the first transport out; did the message say anything else?"

"It said that her condition might be…fatal. Oh, god she should be with her family; she shouldn't have to be alone!" The tears just wouldn't stop coming…

"She won't be mom; I'll let you know when I get to DS9!"