Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Since Jake was busy on another article, Vamshi sat in the upper level of Quark's, looking at all the patrons, dabo girls and waiters down below, much to the chagrin of its Ferengi owner. She knew he wasn't fond of Odo by a longshot, and it stood to reason that he probably didn't like her either. She never gambled and rarely used the holosuites, and she didn't require food or drink. But she enjoyed watching people in Quark's and on the Promenade, and she remembered that Odo also seemed to enjoy that pastime. A pang of sadness ran through her at the thought of Odo, but she pushed her disappointment in him aside for the moment.
Her eyes roamed over the upper level, and she noticed Kelaren alone in the corner, sipping on a drink and looking over a PADD. The Vorta scientists never seemed to stop working; it seemed that every time Vamshi saw one of them, they had PADDs in hand, reading furiously. The Changeling shook her head and stood up to join her.
But a Cardassian officer sat down at Kelaren's table, and Vamshi tilted her head. The Vorta glared at the man, but he didn't seem intent on leaving. She heard him say something, and a barely perceptible wince crossed Kelaren's face. Vamshi frowned and headed their way.
"Come on, let me get you a drink," she heard him say rather loudly. He was trying to sound smooth and collected, but Vamshi could hear the drunken slur in his voice.
"No, thank you. I think you've had enough already," Kelaren replied coldly, her purple eyes flashing.
"Come on," he insisted, reaching for her wrist. But before he could so much as touch her skin, he found himself against the wall, a tight hand at his throat. Dark eyes burned into his, and sharp teeth were bared very close to his nose.
"I'm only going to say this once," Vamshi growled. "When a woman tells you 'no', you back off. The next time you so much as look at her the wrong way, I'm not waiting to go to Weyoun or Dukat or Odo...I'm going to give you hell. Understood?"
The Cardassian narrowed his eyes, but he nodded and Vamshi released him, but stayed between him and Kelaren. He stomped off toward the lower level, and the Changeling sank into the chair he had occupied moments ago. She turned to the Vorta, who bowed her head.
"Don't you hate guys like that?" Vamshi said with a smile. Kelaren nodded and let out a long breath.
"I want to thank you for standing up for me, Founder."
"Please, call me Vamshi. And I think you could have beat his head in without my help."
Kelaren giggled. "I think the Jem'Hadar would have taken care of it."
"True, but we don't need another incident between them, do we?"
She shook her head. "We had a field day in the infirmary that day..."
They talked for more than two hours, oblivious to curious (or jealous) eyes. Weyoun sat at a table not far from them, watching Vamshi with awe. This occurrence helped alleviate his doubts about the Changeling and helped a little to clarify her feelings for him. He was not the only Vorta receiving attention on the station; she was making an effort to get to know all of them. She was true to her word.
But, he reminded himself, none of the other Vorta had fallen asleep in her arms, or been kissed until they blushed, or had her hands direct them on an instrument...
Every doubt and suspicion came flooding back, and he sighed in exasperation. He was sitting here, trying to reason whether or not a Founder was attracted to him. The very thought was absurd; the Founders didn't become attached to Solids. But Vamshi was no ordinary Founder. He knew she cared deeply about him, but he was frightened as to where their relationship was going. How would he feel if it were true, if she were attracted to him?
The terrible realization came to him that he wanted her to be attracted to him, that, in a way, the notion that she was attracted to him made her that more attractive in his eyes. He was drawn to her; he relished the times when he could be close to her. He wanted to taste heaven on his lips, to feel paradise hold him in a passionate embrace-
He broke off his thoughts and pinched his nosebridge, blushing as Vamshi and Kelaren came his way.
"Hey, sweet pea!" she called to him, smiling. "I didn't know you were here!"
He blushed and bowed his head. "I didn't want to disturb your conversation."
Kelaren raised her eyebrows, but Vamshi smiled.
"Do me a favor, would you?"
He looked up and she pointed to the lower level of Quark's. "Gul Kerok has been drinking again. Would you please tell him to keep his hands off my Vorta?"
Kelaren's eyes widened at her words. She thought she might burst from joy; it was beyond an extreme honor to be claimed by a god. Weyoun felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. Had he lost favor with her? Had he lost out to Kelaren?
"Certainly. It won't happen again, I assure you."
She smiled and clapped his shoulder. "Thank you, Weyoun. I'll see you later."
He watched the two women go down the stairs and approach the exit, and he caught the eye of one of the Jem'Hadar guards on the lower level. He jerked his head toward Kerok, then watched the Cardassian. His heart nearly stopped as he saw the officer pull something from a holster on his hip and point it at Vamshi.
He was about to cry out, but the Jem'Hadar were on top of things. Within seconds, the man was restrained, and Weyoun rushed down the stairs toward him.
The Vorta glared at the insolent fool and had to restrain himself from slapping him across the face. The man was highly intoxicated and could hardly stand up straight. Weyoun decided to be lenient with him because of this; had he been sober he would have had him put to death immediately. But Kerok would simply be demoted and reassigned to the front lines.
Once the matter was settled and Kerok was hauled away toward the holding cells, Weyoun turned to Vamshi and Kelaren.
"Are you all right?" he asked the Changeling.
She sighed. "Thanks to the quick reflexes of your soldiers, yes."
The tension fell from his shoulders and he allowed himself to smile. "I'm glad."
Kelaren nodded in agreement, then smiled as Vamshi gently steered her and Weyoun out of the bar. They headed down the Promenade toward the infirmary, and the Changeling stopped at the entrance.
"Give the others my regards. I'll come visit them after closing time today, if that's all right."
The Vorta female bowed, then returned to her duties; the other two gave her strange looks at her giddy grin, but she refused to tell them why she was so happy. Even under Rulyen's piercing gaze, she stayed mum, and none of the hard work or a frustrating encounter with a visiting Cardassian scientist could spoil her good mood.
…
Jake wandered along the Promenade, reading over his work. He walked aimlessly, oblivious to the outside world, but when he nearly collided with a couple of Jem'Hadar, he took his mind off his article and focused on getting to the Replimat. Along the way, he spied Vamshi in the music shop, but she didn't see him wave. She was talking to Weyoun of all people, and Jake grinned at the light in her eyes. Her positive attitude practically radiated off of her, and he wondered why she was so optimistic when the Federation was likely to be destroyed in three days. Vamshi was more optimistic than pessimistic by nature, but he had never seen her glow like that.
Weyoun took his leave and left the shop, then bowed to Jake in greeting. The human caught up with him and smiled politely.
"Hello, Weyoun. How are you?"
The Vorta looked up at him in surprise. "I'm just fine, Jake. Thank you for asking." Despite the fact that he thought Jake could be tiresome at times, he found himself smiling at the human. "Working on another article?"
Jake nodded. "Just a little more and I'll get it to Vamshi...speaking of which, I saw you talking with her just now. I've never seen her so happy before."
This got Weyoun's attention and he stared at Jake. "Really?"
"Come on, didn't you see the look on her face? She was practically glowing! What'd you say to her?"
"Nothing of consequence. Why do you ask?"
Realization dawned in Jake's eyes and Weyoun had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "No reason...just curious."
"Well, it certainly was nice to see you again."
The human frowned at the quick dismissal, but he didn't dare hang around any longer than necessary. The Vorta was, after all, escorted by his usual entourage of Jem'Hadar. He turned and started to walk away.
"And Jake?"
He turned back to Weyoun.
"Don't jump to conclusions."
There was just enough of a threat in his voice to make the human boy think twice about spreading any rumors or publishing an article focused on the Changeling. Although she and Jake were friends, Weyoun got the impression that sometimes Vamshi was waiting for Jake to become a man. She was more than a woman already, and the human could be so naïve at times.
Weyoun entered his quarters and sat down on the couch, reading intelligence reports. He turned at the door buzzer and jumped to his feet when the Founder entered. He bowed low and tried to calm his pounding heart, and he managed at least to stop trembling enough to mumble out a greeting.
"Founder, it is an honor to stand in your presence. How may I serve you?"
"What's the status of the minefield?"
"Dukat assures me that it will be brought down in three days."
"Good. And the Federation fleet?"
"They're struggling to find reinforcements, and our forces outnumber them nearly 2 to 1."
She nodded stiffly and wandered to the window. "I'm going to get to the point of this visit. Your relationship with Vamshi displeases me. You've caught her attention, and she is fond of you for reasons beyond my comprehension. You should by all rights be dead right now...but she has prevented me from taking any action against you."
She turned back to Weyoun, who was trying to make himself look as small as possible.
"Since you are still alive, I might as well put you to good use."
His eyes widened in uncertainty. "Founder?"
"I want you to convince Vamshi to join the Great Link. Use whatever means necessary to sway her to our cause. She may not listen to me...but she will listen to the man she sheltered in her home for five days."
Weyoun bowed deeply. "I obey the Founders in all things."
"She's hardly a god of rank, and my patience is growing thin."
With her threat still hanging in the air, she strode out of his quarters and left him stunned and trembling in the middle of it.
…
"Now turn out!"
Weyoun stared in confusion at the scene: Rulyen and Vamshi were dancing in the middle of the infirmary as Jumana and Kelaren watched. Rulyen looked as pleased as punch to be that close to a Founder, not that Weyoun blamed him. The Changeling let go of his hand and grabbed Jumana. She wasn't prepared to dance with her, but she grinned when she took both her hands in hers. Weyoun leaned against the doorway and smiled.
The Changeling flashed a smile at him as she turned Jumana out, and after a few minutes she let the doctor go and reached out to him.
Weyoun frowned, unsure, but she insisted. Stepping forward, he lightly took her hand.
Before he knew it, he was spinning and twirling and laughing in pure glee. She laughed right along with him, then held him close as the song slowed, quietly instructing him on what to do with his feet.
The only other time he recalled dancing was in the Gamma Quadrant. He was only on his second clone, and the leader of the Thumuli Council had invited him to dance. He felt it best not to refuse her as an act of goodwill, and thankfully this dance was much simpler than the one all those years ago. He had felt foolish then, and he felt so now, but Vamshi's beaming face and joyful laughter washed all of his insecurities away.
The dance ended with him panting for breath, but he laughed with her despite his slight tiredness. The dance had been foreign, true, but it had also been exhilarating. She stroked his cheek, then turned to the others.
"Thank you all for that. Did you have fun?"
Jumana laughed and nodded, Kelaren smiled and Rulyen bowed his head soberly.
"Well, it's late. Jumana, I'll see you in the morning?"
She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. Vamshi hugged her and Kelaren, clapped Rulyen's shoulder, then led Weyoun out of the infirmary. To his surprise, she went back to the music shop. She unlocked the doors, grabbed something off the counter, then came back out. After re-locking the doors, she turned to him and smiled.
"Come to escort me back to my quarters?"
He bowed his head. "Only if you want me to."
"I'd like that."
They walked toward the turbolift, and she laughed.
"I never knew you could dance like that. You are full of surprises, Weyoun."
He blushed furiously. "I've never had a better teacher."
The second the turbolift doors closed, she pulled him close and kissed his forehead. "You're as sweet as sugar sometimes, you know that?"
He smiled slightly into her shirt, and she held him like that until the doors opened again. But even as they walked down the hallways together, he felt her hand brush his every once and a while. His heart skipped a beat each time that happened. The notion that he may have lost favor with her quickly faded. But he had to be sure.
"Vamshi?" he said as they approached her door.
"Yes, sweet pea?"
He blushed slightly at the name, but he continued as they stood outside. "Earlier today...you called Kelaren 'my Vorta', and-"
A finger pressed to his lips silenced him.
"Come inside and I'll explain."
He bowed his head and followed her to the couch, and she sat next to him. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and a hand turned his face toward her.
"Weyoun, is there any doubt in your mind that I care about you?"
He couldn't hold her gaze, and he looked down, closed his eyes and let a tear escape down his cheek. She gently nudged him so that they sat side by side and his head was resting on her shoulder. Her arm was wrapped protectively around him, and he let the tears fall.
"Why are you crying, honey?"
"I...I don't know, maybe...I feel...overwhelmed."
"Really?" she said softly, caressing his arm. "Tell me more."
He took a deep breath. "Never before have I been this close, this...friendly with a Founder. No Vorta is used to being touched so much, to being treated so well by you. Don't get me wrong, I obey the Founders in all things, but..."
"But what?"
He sighed. "Vorta...crave attention from their gods. To be noticed, to be even acknowledged for the work we do is a high honor."
Vamshi grinned. "Well, I think I've done much more than that."
"Yes, and it is overwhelming at times. I'm sure the others feel the same way, and when you called Kelaren 'my Vorta'..."
The Changeling held him closer. "Listen to me, Weyoun...just because I called her 'my Vorta' does not mean I care about you any less. Now that I've claimed her, so to speak...it felt good to do that. It feels good to give you all the attention you crave so much. I'm happy to give it to you. Weyoun..."
He glanced up at her, and she seemed unsure.
"Yes?"
She stared down at him, and the intensity of her gaze nearly made him tremble.
"Now do you see why I don't want to join the Great Link? It would mean giving up all these friendships that I have. I would lose my parents, my friends, my Vorta, my Weyoun..."
His heart stopped and didn't commence beating again for a few seconds as her last two words reached his ears. He let out a long, controlled breath and had to restrain himself from reaching out and touching her to make sure this was real.
"Now that I've found you...and the others...I don't want to lose you."
Uncontrollable tears of joy streamed down his cheeks, and she held him tightly to her body.
"I only want what's best for you, my dearest little Vorta...she sent you here, didn't she?"
He nodded. "She wants me to convince you to join the Great Link."
Vamshi rolled her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Weyoun, I'm not going to stay away from my people forever. I'm sure one day I will join them...but only when they can do what I'm doing right now with the same love in their hearts. All they've given you is coldness...I think it's time to let a little sunshine in, don't you think?"
He grinned and snuggled contentedly into her, and she tenderly wrapped both arms around him. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep, and the hole in his heart was filled once again.