Nothing
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Chapter Two: To Alter History
"What's going on?" Odo asked. The entire community seemed to be abuzz.
Yedrin turned to him, a huge smile on his face. "It's the Defiant, Odo. And so history repeats itself."
"The Defiant? Then they'll all be there - the crew -"
"Of course they're all there! Most of them already beamed down here! Jadzia's down here now - talk about strange, meeting yourself. You know, if the barrier didn't affect your shapeshifting you might have gotten the same privilege."
Odo barely heard what Yedrin said. He didn't care about Yedrin meeting Jadzia, or about the possibility of meeting his own alternate self. There was only one person he cared about seeing. The person who had died two hundred years ago and taken a piece of him with her.
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The Defiant was just as he remembered it. He had gotten a few surprised reactions from other members of the senior staff, but he'd barely paid attention. All his attention was focused on finding Kira.
He opened the door to Sickbay, and there she was. After two hundred years, it was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.
She didn't see him; she had her back to the door. He didn't care. He would have been content to simply stare at her forever.
But she turned, and he had to say something.
"Hello, Nerys."
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It had been the happiest day of his life. Just seeing her again had started to heal the anguish he had felt for so long. If he tried hard enough, he could still feel her hand in his.
She was going back. Dax had a plan - she was going back! She would be all right.
He should have known it was too good to be true.
"I can't let him do that. Not if it's going to cost eight thousand lives. No, we have to let history take its course, even if it means I have to die here."
And Odo felt his world, just barely repaired, shatter into pieces once again.
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Miles O'Brien had been Odo's last hope. Odo knew that Captain Sisko would never take the ship back unless everyone on board agreed, and Miles had the best reason to want to go home. But he had caved and, with the entire crew in agreement, Benjamin would allow the ship to be taken back in time.
Odo had tried one more time to talk Kira out of sacrificing herself, but she was having none of it. She had insisted.
So now he was standing in front of the Defiant's computer, altering their flight plan. He never would have done anything like this under any other circumstances, but he'd do anything for Kira. Even if she'd hate him for it.
It was done. They'd never notice until it was too late.
He slipped into sickbay. The medical staff were all absent, but the stasis unit was right where they had left it. He removed the pail, the younger version of himself.
It had been over two hundred years, but he still remembered how to link. He had to admit, however, that linking with himself was a new experience.
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Odo stared up at the receding shape that was the Defiant. Yedrin stepped up next to him and put a hand on his arm.
"I know this isn't easy for you, Odo. But this is the way it has to happen."
Odo didn't even look over at him. His eyes were fixed on the ship.
"Wait!" Yedrin gasped. "What's happening? It's turning! That's not right! That's -"
In the brief moment before his existence was terminated, Odo smiled. Everyone around him would die. But Kira would live.
And that was enough for him.
The End
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Anyone who got this as a notification or for some other reason didn't already read Chapter One, please note that I've rewritten this story and split it in half. Some of this probably won't make sense unless you've read the first chapter.