Stardate 2261.49
"What happened to me? Where is Voris? Is Safi ok? And Christopher-" Dagny asked, choking on the dryness in her throat.
Dr. McCoy held up a hand and replied, "Everyone is ok, I promise. Dr. Voris is-"
"Here," interrupted a groggy yet all-too-familiar voice.
Dr. McCoy smiled and stepped back, then Voris' face appeared in her field of view. He looked utterly exhausted and his hair was slightly disheveled, as though he had literally just woken up.
"I suppose I'll leave you to explain things," Dr. McCoy murmured to Voris. "I'll be in my office if you need anything, doctor."
"Yes, thank you, doctor," Voris replied.
Before he could utter another word, Dagny blurted, "Why are we on a starship? Who's watching Safi? I left Christopher upstairs in the clinic and-"
"Dagny, there's something I need to tell you. You may be angry that I have made a decision that would have such a considerable impact on your future, but given the nature of all of our conversations in this matter, I felt sure you would agree with my actions."
His words sounded so ominous but she knew him well enough to know there was nothing to fear. "What are you talking about, Voris?"
"We are en route back to New Vulcan. I-"
"What? What about the quarantine?"
"If you will permit me to explain without interrupting, this may go more quickly."
Dagny shot him an icy smirk. "Just tell me Safi and Christopher are ok."
"Yes, they are both well. I was coming to that."
She relaxed, which Voris clearly took as a sign that he was free continue. He asked, "What is the last thing you remember?"
Dagny was about to say she remembered leaving Christopher upstairs to go out into the tunnel, but she couldn't exactly recall whyshe had done this. "Um, I remember it felt very important to leave Christopher in our quarters. I went out into the tunnel. There was… Nicolas was there." How did she not remember?
"You recall the Gorn occupying the colony?"
"Of course," she sighed, beginning to tell him about treating the injured lieutenant while the other Gorn officers terrorized her and Anja.
He nodded patiently. "Did you ever wonder why the Gorn asked you to treat their lieutenant rather than electing to care for him themselves?"
"Yeah, actually, but at the time, I was just so afraid of them finding out Christopher was half Romulan that I didn't really think about it too much."
"It appears the Gorn who occupied the colony were part of a rogue operation which was unsanctioned by the Gorn Hegemony. They sent some troops down to the planet to secure the mines while the rest remained on board the ship. When they detected the Enterprise on long range scanners, they left orbit to engage it, leaving their occupying force on the planet."
"So we weren't so outmatched after all," she murmured. "I mean, they had phasers and training but there were only about a hundred of them. We could have fought back."
She thought of Khel and all the others who had died and wondered why the colonists hadn't tried harder to prevent any of it. Nicolas had, and probably a handful of others, but most of the colony, Dagny included, had just sat by in utter terror while the Gorn killed their friends. If Voris noticed how depressed and contemplative she was becoming, he didn't mention it.
Instead he told a fantastic tale about how the sector of space was actually controlled by an advanced race called the Metrons, which explained the lights in the sky many of the colonists had reported over the years, and how the Metrons forced the Gorn captain and the Enterprise's captain to fight to the death on Cestus III. She recalled the voice of a Gorn officer shouting "Our captain has disappeared" and she almost mentioned it to Voris, but her memory started to trickle back.
There had been hundreds of people in the tunnels and Pearson and… she swallowed hard. Vaksur had been there and she could vividly see in her mind's eye the Gorn officer drawing a phaser pistol and- she didn't want to finish the thought.
"Dagny?"
She blinked, suddenly aware Voris was staring at her. "Pearson was trying to protect Vaksur, but they killed her. They killed this other woman too. And Pearson."
Her voice cracked but before any real tears could emerge, Voris reached for her hand, gently stroking the tips of her fingers with his two forefingers. When she began to calm down she asked, "How am I still alive?"
"According to Nicolas Svendsen's account, you lunged at two of the soldiers and the officer prepared to shoot you with his phaser, but Nicolas tackled the officer, distorting his aim and resulting in him shooting his own soldier in the back. You were still in the direct line-of-sight of the phaser beam, but the soldier's body absorbed most of the energy. Still, you sustained sufficient damage to stop your heart and disrupt your neural pathways. Fortunately, the Enterprise had just entered orbit and was able to bring you aboard for treatment in time to save your life. I am very grateful to Dr. McCoy."
"I got indirectly hit by a phaser and survived?"
"Yes. It is quite remarkable. I am curious why you thought it was wise to enter into a physical altercation."
Dagny racked her piecemeal memory, remembering snippets of Vaksur and Pearson and the soldiers. "I think Pearson told them where to find you. I think they were on their way to kill you and Safi."
"And you imagined you, an unarmed human woman, stood a chance against three armed Gorn soldiers?"
"No. I mean, I don't really know. I can't remember what I was thinking at the time. I was probably thinking I couldn't just stand by and watch them kill my baby daughter, my- my family."
"It was a foolish thing to have done."
"You are the only reason I'm alive right now," she snapped. "I owe you so much. I get through each day because of you and Safi. Maybe you think that's foolish."
His face relaxed slightly. "I did not mean to upset you."
"You didn't," she insisted, trying to calm down. "This whole situation has been incredibly upsetting. People died for no reason and I feel like we all just let it happen. Even before the Gorn showed up, people were turning on each other and we all just stood by and watched. Why?"
Voris looked away. "I cannot answer your query with any certainty, but it seems to me that people can grow accustomed to hatred and violence when it is introduced slowly and over time. We find ways to rationalize it out of a need to protect our families and ourselves, until the day that it comes for us."
A silent tear dripped down Dagny's cheek. "I don't know what to say."
"I do not know that there is anything that can be said."
"What happened to the rest of the colony? What about Christopher? Are Zernon and Aisla-"
"The Federation was able to regain control of the colony quite easily. Zernon and Aisla survived, as did the Svendsens and Christopher and many others. I believe the confirmed death toll following the Gorn invasion was nineteen, though many snuck away from the colony or remained in hiding, so more precise figures have yet to be tallied. However, the vast majority survived."
"What will happen to the colony now?"
"The Enterprise remained in orbit for five days-"
"Five days?" she cried. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Six days."
Dagny sucked in air through her teeth. "How have you been feeding Safi?"
"With replicated formula from the ship. As I was saying, the Enterprise remained in orbit for five days, offering medical assistance to anyone with severe injuries. The ship is taking a number of individuals back to Federation space for treatment or relocation, but the majority of colonists chose to remain. It seems the Federation has seen the value of maintaining a presence on Cestus III due to the dilithium deposits and intends to re-charter the original colony. It appears likely that many of the non-Federation citizens will be permitted to stay and may be eligible to apply for Federation citizenship after a number of years."
"What about the quarantine?"
"Vaccination programs on New Vulcan and Rigel are ahead of schedule and each of the colonists electing to leave were carefully screened. Dr. McCoy personally forwarded our health certificates to the Federation Health Ministry and we will be permitted to return to New Vulcan."
"So we're really leaving?"
"Yes. As I said, based on our prior conversations, I took the liberty-"
She held up a hand tried to prop herself up on an elbow. "No, you were right to get us out of there. I want Safi growing up somewhere safe. I just- I thought we were going to Earth."
"We are, eventually. As civilians, we were fortunate to gain passage on the Enterprise. The ship's next destination is New Vulcan and from there, we will be responsible for our travel to Earth."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what else to say. It was such wonderful news at the end of a very dark tunnel. They were safe. They were going to Earth, just as they'd planned. It almost seemed too perfect and yet, she hadn't gotten to say goodbye to anyone. She could probably send a message to Zernon, thanking him for his incredible bravery in smuggling food to her baby, and to Anja, thanking her for her cool head and taking care of Christopher while she was in the clinic. She gulped.
"You said Christopher is safe, but what happened to him? Who's going to take care of him? Khel's dead and Jake-"
"There is another matter I need to discuss with you," Voris said, his tone growing somewhat hesitant.
"What's wrong?"
"Christopher Diels is an orphan, yet he has relatives residing on Earth. Jacob Diels' parents are still alive, as is his sister. Federation authorities have reached out to them, yet it seems Jacob Diels was quite estranged from his family. His parents have no interest in raising a half-Romulan grandson and his sister maintains she is quite unable to care for another child, as she already has two children of her own. They have waived any right to custody of him."
"So what happens now?" she asked, finally pulling herself into a seated position. "Who's going to raise him?"
"That is what I must discuss with you. He was brought on board the Enterprise under the assumption his human family would claim him, but now that they have refused-"
"Can't we adopt him?" Dagny blurted. "I know we already have one baby and I know this must sound really ridiculous, but I cared for him for three days after his mother died. I fed him. I love him. He's so close in age to Safi and they could grow up together."
Voris reached for her hand again. "As Christopher is half-human, Terran Children's Services have been granted temporary custody. I have already submitted a letter of interest to the appropriate department and they responded several hours ago explaining that in light of our prior relationship to him and his parents, we are eligible to adopt him, following the necessary interviews and home studies."
Dagny covered her mouth to hide her laugh. "So we can keep him?"
"Provided we are deemed suitable parents, yes."
Though she still felt weak and a bit unsteady, Dagny threw her arms around Voris' neck and pulled him into an awkward hug. "Thank you so much! I can't believe we have two kids now."
Voris gently pulled away. "There is a third matter I must discuss with you."
His face held the ever-neutral, classically Vulcan expression, but Dagny knew him well enough to know he was uneasy about something. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I am certain you remember Rhaal's children, Maera and Malen."
"Of course I do," she responded.
"Their uncle, Rhaev, was killed during the Gorn occupation and their aunt has no interest in caring for them. They now find themselves without guardians."
"But what about Suna? She loves those kids."
"The situation with Sunayana Dalal is continually evolving. She had several Federation warrants issued for her arrest."
"For what?"
"Violating the Neutral Zone, piracy, smuggling, and trafficking of illegal weapons, to name the most serious offenses."
Dagny thought of all the wild tales Suna had told her during her recovery. A small part of her assumed they were full of half-truths and embellishments, but in truth Suna had openly admitted to doing all those things and more.
"What's going to happen to her?"
"She surrendered herself to security personnel aboard the Enterprise. From what I understand she is willing to allocute to her crimes for a reduced sentence but she will still serve at least fifteen years in prison."
"Maera and Malen will pretty much be grown up by then."
"Yes, I know."
"Poor Suna! Poor Maera and Malen! So what happens now?"
"I wish to ask you-"
Dagny raised a shaking hand to cut him off. "Are you about to ask me if we can keep them?"
Voris bowed his head, took a step backward, and tapped a button on the wall. A privacy divider slid back into the wall, revealing two small cots and two cribs crammed in the space next to an empty biobed. Apparently Voris had been sleeping in the clinic.
A crumpled blanket on the cot closest to Dagny's biobed gave her the impression Voris had been sleeping in it before she'd regained consciousness. Safi and Christopher were sound asleep in the two portable cribs on one side of Voris' cot, and on the other, Maera and Malen were stretched out on opposite ends. Malen was sleeping on his stomach and drooling onto his arm while his older sister was sleeping flat on her back and snoring up a storm.
"Oh my stars," she breathed. "We have four kids."
"The adoption process has not yet begun so it is premature to say-"
"We have four kids," she repeated, smiling a little.
"I am aware you did not consent to be a carer for four children. I know you desire to attend medical school and I-"
"We'll figure it out, Voris," she interrupted, pulling him into a second, more tender hug. "You're amazing. Thank you."
Voris walked slowly behind Dagny, carrying Christopher tucked into the corner of his left arm while he held Malen's hand with his right hand. Dagny was cradling Safi and listening intently as Maera regaled her with tales of hiding in the caverns. Maera's Standard had improved considerably, but she still mixed many Romulan words into her speech which often made her difficult to understand.
Dagny had spent the previous night in sickbay and Voris and the children had stayed with her. Dr. McCoy had been extremely accommodating, but it would be eleven more days before they reached New Vulcan and now that Dagny had been released, there was no need to continue to occupy so much space in sickbay.
Dagny was much improved, but she was not entirely recovered. She still suffered some weakness and hand tremors, but based on her neural scans, both he and Dr. McCoy agreed her symptoms were almost certainly temporary inconveniences.
They stopped outside of Cabin 19 on Deck 6, which bore a placard that read Uhura, Nyota, Communications Chief. The ship's senior communications officer had been kind enough to offer her personal quarters and though he had never met this woman, he hoped he would have the opportunity in the coming days to thank her for her hospitality.
The quarters turned out to be approximately the size of their quarters on Bergeron colony, which was really quite spacious, given the size of the ship. There was a small kitchen and dining area and two small bedrooms off the main room. He and Dagny spent the rest of the day entertaining the children, practicing Standard with Maera and Malen and holding Christopher's arms as his legs toddled along beneath him in preparation to take his first independent steps in the coming weeks. Dagny had learned that lightly pinching the tip of Safi's nose would induce her to giggle and for many hours the quarters were filled with the sounds of happy babies and exuberant young children.
He made a hearty end meal from the replicator and at 1830 hours, the family of six sat down to a meal of vegetable spaghetti. It very quickly descended into chaos—Christopher was eating solid foods but lacked the dexterity to wield utensils. Voris fed him at first but Dagny insisted he should be allowed the opportunity to explore feeding himself and minced some of the noodles for him and placed them in a bowl. Baby Christopher ended up wearing more food than he ate.
Now that she was back with her mother, Safi had no interest in bottle feeding and any time Dagny tried to put her down so she could eat, Safi would scream. Maera and Malen had made some improvements in their table manners but on this particular evening, the pair had decided it was more fun to flick vegetables at each other rather than eat them.
After dinner they spent two hours preparing four young children for bed, which was made easier by an assembly line in which Voris helped each child undress and then passed them to Dagny, who hosed each one off in the sonic shower and then helped them into their night clothes. Many members of the nursing staff had assisted him with caring for his makeshift brood Dagny had been in sickbay, and while he was grateful to them, he was even more grateful to Dagny now. The ease and confidence with which she shepherded four children was truly remarkable. He felt very fortunate indeed.
When the last baby was rocked to sleep and the last story was read, he and Dagny shut out the lights of the front bedroom and wandered into the main living area.
"I know you must be very tired," he said. He nodded in the direction of the back bedroom and said, "Perhaps you should rest."
"I am tired but I'm going to spend the next ten years being exhausted," she replied with a smug smile, dropping down onto the sofa. "I might as well get used to it."
"I do not believe I expressly stated this before, but I wish to thank you for assisting me in caring for these children."
"Voris, they're our children. All four of them. If you hadn't insisted on adopting them, I would have. I'm pretty sure we're in this together. You, me, them, all of us. It's going to be hectic for a while, but we'll fall into a routine."
He took a seat on the opposite end of the couch, sitting upright and placing his hands on his knees, a formal position that stood in stark contrast to Dagny's weary and casual slouch. He gazed at her, reviewing all of the thoughts he'd thought while hiding in the cavern and while keeping vigil by her bedside in sickbay. These were the thoughts he had kept concealed even from himself for so many months, but now that circumstances had changed, perhaps they were worth speaking aloud.
"There is something I wish to discuss with you," he began.
"Please tell me you don't have a set of orphaned triplets stashed away somewhere that you were just waiting for the right time to tell me about," she grinned, propping her head up in her hand. "I adore the ones we have but I don't know if we could handle any more kids right now."
"No," he replied, unsure whether she was joking. "Dagny, I-"
Before he could say another word, the buzzer rang. Dagny sat up and made a face. "Wonder who that is."
When Voris engaged the door release, he found Dr. McCoy standing in the corridor. "Good evening, folks. Sorry to bother you this late. How are you doing, Mrs. Voris?"
Voris and Dagny exchanged looks. "Miss Skjeggestad and I are not married."
The doctor's face burned a bright shade of red and he began rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. Dagny offered him a wan smile and added, "You're not the first person to make that mistake though. It's alright, really. And I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."
"I actually came to get Dr. Voris' advice about a patient of mine," he said, turning back to Voris.
"I was about to go take a shower anyway," Dagny replied, rising to her feet. "It's been a long time since I've had a proper sonic shower."
She wandered into the back bedroom and Voris invited Dr. McCoy across the threshold. His eyes darted over the décor and he muttered, "Nice quarters she has. Too bad she never sleeps here."
Rather than address the man's cryptic remark, Voris asked, "What can I assist you with, doctor?"
"It's about a Vulcan patient of mine. Well, half-Vulcan anyway."
"I presume you refer to the ship's first officer, Commander Spock."
"Why, yes. Do you know him?"
"He is my cousin."
The whites of the doctor's eyes grew visible. "You're joking."
"I'm not in the habit of telling jokes. His father, Sarek, is brother to my father, Silek."
"He never mentioned it."
"Perhaps it he never felt it necessary to mention it."
Dr. McCoy mouthed a few silent syllables and then laughed to himself as he shook his head. "That green-blooded-"
Voris cocked an eyebrow. Whatever Dr. McCoy had planned to say next, he clearly decided it was better left unsaid. He held up the PADD in his hands and presented it to Voris.
"I took these readings during his annual physical three days ago. But even before that, he's been- look, I know you Vulcans pride yourselves on logic, but he's been almost…agitated. I'd go as far as to say nervous, even. When I saw Nyota this morning, she mentioned he hasn't eaten in days. The thing is, the biocomps don't seem to think anything is out of the ordinary. I'm stumped."
Voris didn't need to study the medical charts in any depth—he had a strong suspicion he already knew what was wrong. He disliked that his cousin's very private matter was now a source of discussion between two physicians, rather than between Spock and his mate, whoever that was. Before Voris could find the most suitable words to insist that Dr. McCoy should drop this matter, he was already talking again, this time waving his hands in a dramatic gesture as he explained how Spock demanded they stop off at New Vulcan on their way to Altair VI.
"New Vulcan isn't even on the way to Altair VI! It's like he's lost his Vulcan mind!"
Voris capitalized on the brief pause in the doctor's rant to say, "He has not lost his mind, I assure you. At least not in a way that you would understand."
"Then what's going on?"
"It is a private matter."
The doctor's eye bulged. "What do you mean, a private matter?"
"The Nyota person you spoke of earlier, what is this person to my cousin?"
He seemed irritated by the question. "Well, I guess they would both probably say they don't like labels, but if I had to characterize her as anything, I'd say she's Spock's girlfriend."
"These are her quarters," Voris added, looking around. "Where is she staying while we are occupying them?"
"In Mr. Spock's quarters, I think."
Voris handed the PADD back to Dr. McCoy. "I think you will find that Commander Spock's condition will improve without any medical intervention."
"How can you be so sure? You haven't even told me what's going on."
Voris crossed his arms. "There are many medical mysteries that defy explanation, doctor. But you would be wise to trust me on this."
His face contorted into a bizarre expression, something stuck halfway between a scowl and a smile. "You're a lot like your cousin, you know that?"
"Am I? I have never formally met him."
A streak of incredulity tore across the doctor's face. He opened his mouth, then shut it again just as quickly. "I'd like to say you've been a big help, doctor. If you're sure he's going to be ok-"
"I am quite sure," Voris interrupted.
Dr. McCoy shook his head and moved toward the door. "It's been a pleasure talking to you. I'll let you get back to your quiet evening."
"I wish to express my gratitude," Voris said when they reached the door. "Your quick actions and expertise saved the life of someone quite dear to me. You are owed a great deal of thanks."
He slapped the tops of his thighs and laughed aloud. "Maybe you're not like your cousin after all. And I would say 'you're welcome,' but it's my job. I'm glad your- I'm glad she's alright. And sorry if I made any assumptions earlier, it just seemed-"
"You have not caused any offense. Good night, doctor. I'm sure we shall see each other again soon."
Dr. McCoy raised his right hand to form a bad impression of the ta'al. Voris appreciated his attempt and returned the gesture, then the two men parted ways. Voris lingered in the main room for a while, wondering if Dagny had gone to bed and whether he should disturb her. They had shared a bed together on Bergeron colony, but it seemed wrong to assume he was welcome in her bed here just because he had been on the colony.
He knocked gently on the door and when he didn't get an answer, he supposed she was either still in the shower or had already fallen asleep. He snuck into the room to collect his nightclothes, but just as he began rooting through his bags, the lavatory door opened and she emerged wearing only a towel.
"Oh," she yelped, blushing and pulling the towel down to cover more of her exposed legs. "Did Dr. McCoy leave already?"
"Yes," Voris replied, turning his back to her to give her some privacy. "I am sorry if I have disturbed you."
"No," she said with a small chuckle. "I don't know why I'm so shy all of a sudden. It's not like you haven't seen everything I have to offer before."
"While you have permitted me to view you in a state of undress in the past, that does not mean you are permitting it in the present."
"I suppose that's true," she said softly.
He walked toward the door to give her some privacy and was halfway there when she said, "Voris?"
"Yes?"
"Does it- does it ever bother you that people think we're married?"
He froze. She was broaching the very subject he had wished to discuss with her earlier. "What would be the purpose in possessing feelings about the illogical expectations of others?"
"Are their expectations really that illogical though? I mean, we have a child together. Now we're going to raise three more kids."
He glanced over his shoulder, unsure whether it would be ruder to converse with her while facing the wall or to look at her when she was wearing nothing but a towel. He was also uncertain what she intended to imply and rather than make an illogical assumption, he decided it would be wise to allow her to continue speaking.
"I guess what I'm saying… I don't know. I don't really know what I'm saying."
"Perhaps you would like to get dressed and we could discuss it-"
"Do you think you'll ever get married again?" she interrupted.
Voris swallowed and shifted his weight to the other foot. Not so very long ago, he had been preparing to take a Vulcan woman he barely knew as his bondmate.
"My biology is such that I cannot remain a bachelor for the remainder of my life."
"What if- did you ever-"
Her emotions were descending into chaos. So were his own. With each passing moment it was becoming more difficult to maintain his composure. He finally turned to face her and discovered her cheeks were a vivid scarlet color and her eyes were beginning to water.
"Do you think you might ever want to marry me someday?" she finally asked, her voice hardly rising above a whisper.
"I would marry you now if you would have me."
Her mouth fell open and her eyes flicked down to the floor. He could not sense whether she was shocked or confused by his admission. Fearing that he had misjudged her intentions, he felt compelled to explain his logic. "It was my first thought when I learned you were pregnant."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "But you didn't even know me then."
"No," he agreed. "But we shared a lingering bond and given the circumstances, I felt compelled to take you as my mate out of duty."
She bit her lip and shrunk nearer to the far wall. "Duty? Like, you didn't want to but you felt like you should?"
"Regardless of what I wanted at the time, you initially made it very clear you didn't want anything to do with me. You agreed to let me participate in raising our daughter as a compromise."
"I- it wasn't- I didn't want to marry you then because I didn't know you," she said, pulling the towel more tightly around her body. "And I definitely didn't want to marry you because it was the 'right thing to do' or whatever. It seemed crazy enough that I was agreeing to move in with you. But I didn't want to be petty and tell you that you weren't allowed to know your own child."
"You imply your opinion has changed."
"I don't- I don't know," she said, her voice cracking. "I've gotten to know you. I know we've had our differences and our arguments, but when you were in those caves with Safi, I didn't-" She was openly crying now, but he had the sense it would be better to approach her than to maintain his distance. When he was nearly a meter away from her she asked, "Is there ever a chance you'll want to be with me? Not out of duty, but because you want to?"
"I have wanted to be your mate for quite some time, not only out of duty, but also out of profound admiration and affection I have developed for you over the course of the past year."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"When we relocated to Cestus III, I became your de facto supervisor and the power dynamic of our relationship became even more skewed than it had been when you were simply financially dependent upon me. It would have been extremely inappropriate to encourage you to become my mate under those circumstances. When I considered that in conjunction with your earlier attitudes toward me on Aldebaran, I decided the only proper thing to do was to allow you, when or if you ever wanted to, to be the one to broach the subject of matrimony. I am aware that I lack many things a young human female would prize in a mate, a sense of humor, for example."
"You're wrong," she interrupted, chuckling to herself through her tears. "You actually do have a sense of humor, even if you don't mean to."
"You fail to discern the larger principle," he countered.
"What's that? You think you're not enough for me?"
"No, merely that you are still quite young and may not yet know your own mind."
"I know I'm young, but I've seen enough of life to know I want you for who you are, Voris. I love you. You saved my life. You were there for me when I had nothing. You delivered our baby girl. You changed her diapers and went hungry so she could eat and now you're willing to take on three more little ones that need a home. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough. I don't care if you aren't romantic or if you don't laugh at my silly jokes or if we'll only have sex every seven years, I just want you."
Voris took a step in her direction and she did the same, bringing them both to within an arm's length of each other. The top row of her teeth sawed into her bottom lip. She was terrified and brimming with anticipation. He extended his left hand toward her and was pleased when she adjusted her grip on her towel and offered her own left hand. The warm sensation of ozh'esta flowed up his arm and it was clear she was deriving pleasure from it also.
"What is this feeling?" she mumbled, biting back a smile.
"It is ozh'esta," he explained.
"I don't know what that means."
"It has no direct translation, but the closest approximation is a finger embrace. It is a practice generally only performed between mates."
"You've done this before though," she said, finally looking him in the eye.
"Yes, in situations where you had become hysterical and it was necessary to calm you."
Not for the first time that evening, her complexion reddened. "It feels really nice."
He nodded. "I am curious about one thing."
"What's that?"
"A moment ago, you expressed the idea that we could only mate every seven years."
"Isn't that how your pon farr works?"
"No. While the hormonal fluctuations induced by pon farr make it necessary for me to mate every seven years, like all healthy, sexually mature Vulcan adults, I am capable of mating whenever I chose, provided I have a mate who also consents."
"Oh." Dagny's face flushed an even deeper shade of red.
"It was not my intention to suggest we ought to mate more frequently," he quickly added. "If you prefer we only mate during pon farr-"
His sentence was cut short by the press of her mouth on his. The kiss remained soft and chase for a number of seconds, then his tongue began to lightly trace along her bottom lip. Their kiss became more passionate and their ozh'esta grew more frenzied and soon his free right hand reached for her face to meld their minds together.
He was so eager to allow his mind to melt into hers that the world beyond her momentarily ceased to exist. Her thoughts became wild and consumed with physical desire and it was only when he released their finger embrace to run his free hand along her waist that he discovered her right hand had let go of the towel wrapped around her body and she was now completely naked.
She shivered in anticipation but he detected sufficient hesitation in her to prevent him from exploring her body any further. He dropped his right hand, broke their kiss, and began to pull his left hand away from her face to terminate their meld, but she took a half step forward to physically maintain the intimate link between them.
"Please don't stop," she pleaded, communicating via their bond.
"You seem uncertain," he explained, raising his right hand to her face to enhance their connection.
"I'm not uncertain about you. It's just that I've only ever been with two people. One of them was you and I honestly don't remember much of it. I don't want to disappoint you."
"I have also only coupled with two people, one of them being you," he explained, tracing his thumbs across her cheeks in an effort to get her to open her eyes. "You honor me by offering to share your body with me."
She shivered again and took a slow breath. "My body isn't- it's not- it's not like it used to be."
"Look at me," he urged.
She finally complied and for a brief instant, he felt lost in the light blue eyes gazing back at him.
"Your body is the greatest thing you'll ever possess," he insisted. "It is the physical form that is you. You are alive because of this body. It has given life to our daughter. It isn't rendered perfect by a lack of scars or wrinkles but because it encases your heart."
She rested her forehead against his chest and sighed. She said aloud, "Apparently I was wrong about you not being romantic."
"Was that romantic?" he asked, craning his neck to attempt to look her in the eyes. "I admit I am a poor judge."
A small laugh burst from her lips and they were quickly locked in another kiss. When she began to fumble at the buttons of his shirt, he gently pushed her hands away, not because he intended to keep his shirt on but because he thought himself capable of unbuttoning them more quickly. Rather than remain idle, her fingers traveled to the fastener on his trousers and it wasn't long before they were both naked and tumbling onto the bed.
The press of her warm belly and thighs stirred a hunger within him that he hadn't consciously been aware of until now. Her fingers played along his chest and down his back and it took incredible restraint to keep himself from beginning the act of mating until she was physically ready. As the night wore on, the hot pulse of her body proved be a formidable match for his logical mind but the fear of rushing through the arousal process and injuring her was sufficient to keep him in check.
It was only when her soft moans eventually shifted into garbled and frustrated cries that he yielded to the inevitable. The sensation was an initial disappointment, only because he was as close to her as he could possibly be and still somehow it wasn't enough. He wanted to be nearer to her. He wanted more of her. He shifted his weight to free up his right hand, which he used to grope at her face until her mind sprang into sharp focus and became intertwined with his. Their bodies fell into a natural rhythm.
Joy, expectation, pleasure, and love culminated in an eclipse of ecstasy. Despite their quaking and tensed muscles, they managed to pull themselves apart and ended up panting, sweaty, and trembling on tousled sheets. Dagny pulled the blankets over them and tucked herself against the right side of his body, then turned her head to stare up at the ceiling. Voris was more attuned to her than he'd ever been but he still had difficulty deciphering what she was feeling.
Rather than attempt to deduce her emotions, he decided to simply ask her, but as he composed the words, she slipped her fingers between his and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. If nothing else, he knew she was content.
"It feels like I've known you forever," she whispered. "It's strange to think I've only known you for a year."
It suddenly occurred to him that it had been exactly a year since he had first met Dagny. They had met under the most inauspicious of circumstances, but they had also met on the anniversary of her birth. Vulcans didn't regard such things except in an administrative capacity, though he knew human culture placed significant emphasis on such things as birthdays and anniversaries of major events.
"Today is your birthday."
She tore her eyes away from the ceiling to face him on the pillow. "It is?"
"The current stardate is 2261.50. You are twenty-one years of age today."
The view from his periphery indicated that Dagny herself had been oblivious to this fact. "Wow, that really slipped by me."
"I believe it is customary to say, 'Happy birthday.'"
She exhaled a light laugh. "Thank you."
"I regret that I have failed to procure a gift, which I am aware is also a human tradition."
"Well, last year you got me a baby—even if she was a little belated—and this year you got me three more. Let's stop there, shall we?"
He sensed she intended the statement to be a joke, but there was sudden, profound sadness pooling within her. It pained him in a way that she would forever associate meeting him with losing her family.
When she sniffed, he knew tears would soon follow. Rather than wait for her to turn to him for comfort, he tightened his grip around her and pulled her into a firm embrace. Salty rivers flowed from her cheeks onto his chest. He had never preferred to see her cry, but now her pain felt more tangible than ever before.
When her outpouring of grief began to subside, he brushed the wet, tangled hair back from her face and said, "I still have the images of your family Ann Svendsen gave you."
"But I broke the PADD. It shattered and-"
"The duotronic memory core was salvageable. I transferred the data to my personal device after the incident. I would gladly share it with you."
A long silence fell. "You know, my dad used to have all these sayings. One I heard a lot was that we should look to the past only if it brings us joy, and look to the future only if it brings us hope."
"They are wise words."
"The future gives me a lot of hope but the past is still too painful."
"I will preserve them for you, until you are ready."
"Thank you," she breathed, landing a gentle kiss on his chest.
"There is still the matter of acquiring a gift to celebrate the anniversary of your birth."
She laughed. This pleased him. "Birthdays were never a really big deal in my family. With fourteen kids, it was always someone's birthday. My mom would usually make a small cake, but birthdays were more about spending time with family than presents."
"Would you care for a cake?"
She giggled. "The idea of cake sounds so extravagant after the past few months."
"It does," he agreed.
"What a year this has been. Losing the Albret. Three different homes. An outbreak, famine, invasion, a baby, three more babies." Her body stiffened and she turned her head upward to look him in the eye. "I wasn't kidding, you know, when I said the last thing I needed right now was another baby."
"I quite agree."
"Well, it's just that- we just-"
"It is highly unlikely that you would naturally conceive again."
"And I was half dead of radiation sickness the last time and about nine months later, Safi came along. I come from a family with fourteen children, Voris."
He cleared his throat. "Perhaps in the morning we should investigate contraceptive methods."
As if to second his remark, the sharp cry of a baby drifted in from the other room. By the frequency he could discern it was Christopher, though positive identification became irrelevant when Safi began crying seconds later. He and Dagny exchanged looks, rolled out of bed, and searched the floor for clothing to don.
When they entered the room, they discovered all four children were awake. Dagny began nursing Safi while Voris tempted to soothe Christopher, and when Maera said she needed to use the toilet, Dagny escorted her to the lavatory. It wasn't long before Voris noticed Malen was gone. Voris found him in the kitchenette area, playing with the replicator as some kind of white liquid poured from it and pooled onto the floor below.
Dagny was correct that it had been a very trying year and he was keenly aware the next one would be filled with its own unique set of trials. Yet the sight of Dagny standing in the doorway and smiling at him made him realize he rather looked forward to whatever lay in store.