Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Weyoun drifted back to conscientiousness and smiled at the sensation of Vamshi's soft breath down his chest. Her nose was currently nestled in the curve of his neck, and her arm was draped over his waist. When she realized he was awake, she slowly glided her hand up to his chest and began to trace the outline of his muscles. He moaned.

"Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"

He turned toward her and smiled coyly. "I was cradled in the arms of a god, so of course I slept well."

She twisted him fully around to face her and pulled him into a slow, hungry kiss, and fifteen minutes later, she reluctantly broke away. They both sighed in satisfaction, and she straddled him and rested her folded arms and head on his chest.

"Did you enjoy yourself last night?" she murmured, tracing his eyebrow with her finger.

"I never dreamed I'd have the honor of mating with a god," he whispered back, cocking the eyebrow she wasn't examining. She smiled and kissed his nose.

"And I never dreamed I'd have the pleasure of making love to you," she replied sweetly, and his eyes twinkled in gratitude. Last night, what started out as a goodnight kiss quickly heated up into something more intense, and before he knew it, they were exploring each other, letting months of pent-up passion spill forth over one another. Her attentions turned in circles from playful and teasingly flirtatious to hungry and passionate to slow and achingly tender. Weyoun had always wondered what it would be like to mate with someone, but he never imagined he'd be finding the answers with one he worshiped. But he felt like she had worshiped him last night, and the notion was strange, but the appeal was growing on him. He realized now just how deep and passionate her love for him was, and it made him want to weep for joy.

Vamshi propped herself up on elbows and played teasingly with his hair. "All your hard work is going to finally pay off today," she muttered, twirling a dark lock around her finger. He smiled.

"Yes...this war is finally going to end, for the better I hope."

"It will," she breathed back, kissing his forehead. "And we'll see Odo again, and we can both thank him."

Weyoun nodded and she helped him out of bed, then fixed his hair while he got dressed. She often told him that she loved how perfect he kept it, and she insisted on doing this one gesture for him in the mornings. He had taught her how he had always styled it, then she took it from there. It was just another sign of her love that he accepted with gratitude.

"Come on," she said with a smile. "Let's go see them off."

…

She laughed and gripped Weyoun's hand tightly as Odo and Kira walked out of the airlock and down the steps. She ran to Odo and threw her arms around him, and he caught her with a chuckle.

"Odo...I don't even know how to thank you," she murmured, looking up at him with eyes brimming with gratitude.

"I didn't want to see you so miserable, and I knew Weyoun was our best hope for winning this war."

His voice was gruff, but she could tell he was happy to see her and happy for her. Vamshi turned and hugged Nerys, who held her tight in return.

"I'm sorry for my attitude, Vamshi. I should have been more accepting of him," she whispered so softly so that only the Changeling could hear.

"I understand, Nerys...but everything's all right now. You're together again. We're all together again."

They broke apart with happy smiles, and Kira even nodded gratefully to Weyoun, who bowed back. Odo clapped the Vorta on the shoulder and smiled.

"I trust you've taken good care of Vamshi for me while I was gone?" he asked softly.

Weyoun bowed his head. "Of course."

Vamshi giggled. "You should see him, Odo. He treats me like a queen."

"That's all I asked," the male Changeling replied. "Although the two of you are an odd pair, it is nice to see you both together. You'll make each other very happy."

He sighed and turned to Vamshi. "There is someone else who came back with us. She's waiting for you in the holding cells."

Weyoun took his leave of them and headed back to his quarters, but Vamshi followed Odo all the way down to the security office. She stepped inside the other room and stared at the Female Changeling, who was seated nonchalantly on the bench in her cell.

"Vamshi," the Changeling said with a smile. "I'm glad you came to see me."

The younger Changeling sighed. "I hear you're going to prison for the rest of your life."

She nodded. "It's up to you and Odo now to help our people."

Vamshi stepped closer to the force field. "I want you to know that I never hated the Link. But you've been stewing in hatred and isolation for too long, and I didn't understand that then."

She almost smiled. "Odo has promised me that he will bring them healing and change, and one day, you can do the same. Weyoun isn't going to live forever."

"I know," she replied soberly. "But I'll give him a lifetime of happiness and love, then take that experience back to the Link. They'll know what it's like to love a servant."

"His predecessors and replacements were all very loyal to the Founders. If you must love a Vorta, I guess he's the best one for you to love. I can see now that nothing I can say or do will diminish your affection for him."

"That's right," she affirmed with a smiled. "And thank you for saying that. I promise I'll return to the Link."

"That is all I ever wanted from you, Vamshi."

With a nod, Vamshi exited the cells and embraced Odo, who was waiting for her.

"You're going back to them now, aren't you?" she whispered.

Odo nodded. "They'll die if I don't."

"I'll join you someday."

He lifted her chin. "In the Link, time disappears. It'll only be a little while before I come back to Nerys."

"We'll be waiting...all three of us."

Odo chuckled at that and held her tighter. "I know."