Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Her fingers carefully moved over the keys, and she made sure to keep them arched like Ravneet had shown her. Her eyes followed the full, black notes on the sheet of music, but she stopped what she was doing when she felt eyes upon her.

She looked up and smiled brightly when she saw Weyoun standing in the entrance of the music shop. She waved him in, and he came forward, opened his arms with palms raised and bowed his head. Vamshi repeated the motion back at him, but in a subtle way. He smiled.

"Founder...it is an honor to be summoned to your presence. Jake told me you wanted to see me?"

She nodded. "I just...want to talk. I can't just ignore you after you've stared at me so much."

"I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable," he said, an apologetic look on his face.

"It was...disconcerting at first, but maybe its just because your eyes are so...striking."

He bowed his head, but she noticed that his painfully contrite expression had melted into something softer, and she sighed.

"But I understand why you're staring at me, and I don't blame you in the slightest."

He lifted his head and his eyes met hers, and she relaxed a little as she saw a smile bloom on his pale pink lips. She took the opportunity to examine him, letting her eyes roam over his face. Then she held his gaze as she tried to think of something to say.

"How was your interview with Jake?"

Weyoun tilted his head. "Your friend asked some very interesting questions, and I look forward to reading his article."

"I'll edit it first and make sure its balanced enough," she said with a sincere smile. "He often runs his work by me. He's probably the worst speller in the quadrant." A grin graced her lips as she thought of Jake's atrocious spelling, how it sometimes forced her to make him read his work aloud to her so she could understand what he was saying.

She didn't have much to say at the moment, so she absentmindedly continued playing the piano piece. Weyoun's eyes automatically flicked downward to the small electric keyboard, and a little smile pushed a corner of his lips upward as he listened to her play.

"Do you play an instrument?" she asked, grateful that she could think of something to say.

He shook his head. "No."

"Have you ever tried?"

He chuckled. "I can't say that I have."

At his words, the strangest feeling came over her. From somewhere deep inside the darkest part of her, a desire, no...a need rose in her, and Weyoun must have caught her sudden change in mood.

"Founder?"

"May I be honest with you, Weyoun?"

He bowed his head in affirmation and she took a deep breath. After six years, the habit had stayed with her, and she felt slightly better after she did it. She gazed into his eyes and sighed.

"I have the...strangest desire right now. I want...to teach you something."

"Teach me what?" His eyes widened.

She shook her head. "Piano, art, poetry...everything. It's like this part of me is crying out, like...I need to instruct someone in something."

Her mother had taught her to be honest, and despite the fact that she didn't know Weyoun very well, a primal part of her trusted the being in front of her. She knew instinctively that he would obey her, listen to her, willingly come to her whenever she wanted him. The thought scared her; there was something inordinately frightening about holding that kind of power over another person, but the fear wasn't primal or instinctual like the strange desire that overwhelmed her. Still, she felt like she could open her heart to this Vorta, and he would guard her secrets with his life.

But maybe she was being childish. She was barely fifteen by what Odo referred to as "solid years", but she knew she was far older than that in actual years. She felt very much like a child, and she was reminded of Molly O'Brien, who could talk for ages about everything and nothing.

Weyoun slowly breathed in as she explained herself. His heart thundered in his chest, and he nearly danced for joy at her words.

"You're sure of this, Vamshi?" His voice trembled as he dared to question her.

She smiled at the use of her name and nodded. "May I teach you, Weyoun?"

He bowed and thought he might burst from the divine joy that filled him up. "I would be honored to be taught by you, F-...Vamshi." He looked up at her again and was delighted to see her expression of relieved contentment, and he followed her gesture when she motioned for him to join her behind the counter.

He stared down at the keys, then up at her expectantly. She wrapped her arm around him and carefully placed her hand over his, moving them both to rest on the keyboard. For the next hour and a half, she stayed by him, instructing him on simple fingering and scales. As she stood so close to him, she felt his thudding heartbeat reverberate through her, and the feeling was...pleasant. His eyes shone like a child when he did something right, and he was very attentive toward her. She never knew he had such deft fingers, but she watched them dance over the keys and she smiled.

"Now, play the song I taught you one more time."

He obeyed, and after a few measures she stood behind him and played with him, adding embellishments to the simple nursery rhyme he played. Her arms were almost always in full contact with his, and he nearly gasped at the proximity to a Founder. It was as if she was holding him in an embrace, her hands dancing with his to make gentle music. The...intimacy of the moment nearly overwhelmed Weyoun, but he liked being this close to her. He was inches from paradise, a breath away from heaven.

Vamshi wasn't used to being touched like this, but she continued playing with him anyway. Her skin tingled every time the cloth of his shirt brushed against her, and she liked the feel of it. When she had placed her hand over his, his skin was so smooth...

Soon the song ended and she stepped away, smiling widely at him.

"Thank you, Weyoun," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "Please...come back tomorrow and we'll continue where we left off."

He bowed his head again, thrilled by her touch and glowing from her words. He turned to leave.

"One more thing."

He turned and tilted his head. "Yes?"

She smiled and lifted up the keyboard. "Take this with you and practice, then bring it with you tomorrow."

He bowed deeply as he accepted the gift, and he left the music shop in a daze. He was floating, weightless, in paradise as he walked back with his guards to his quarters, and once inside, he collapsed on the bed in utter contentment. After a few minutes of basking in joy, he sat up in bed and played the melody she had taught him over and over, until he could play it with his eyes closed. He fell asleep with her gift on his lap, his hands posed on the keys, ready to play the song again.

Vamshi padded around her quarters, rubbing her back against the various objects in the room, relishing the feel of being something else, in this case, a cat. She thought over the day and purred to herself; her thoughts kept coming back to the feel of Weyoun's skin on hers, but she wasn't sure why she kept thinking about this. She had enjoyed the Vorta's company and looked forward to teaching him more piano, as well as other things. She didn't exactly relish the Dominion's occupation of the station, but now at least she had something to look forward to every day.

But she was confused as to why her thoughts kept coming back to Weyoun. They fixated on his eyes, his elongated ears, the texture of his hair, and the feel of his skin. She made her way over to her bucket and prepared to regenerate, and she tried her best to empty her thoughts, to no avail. She resolved to ask Ziyal about it sometime, then finally rested her thoughts.