After Nathan had left, Elnor's thoughts turned to Zani. It had been far too long since he'd last talked with her. After Raffi had convinced him to stay on Earth, his last conversation with Zani had been to refuse her request to return to Vashti. He hadn't even told her why. Although he knew she didn't expect explanations or feel like he owed her anything, he still felt bad about that. Now that he knew more about placing calls, he looked up the local time on Vashti where the nuns' compound would be located. Yes, it was mid-afternoon there, too, just as it had been on Nepenthe. Briefly, Elnor wondered if the entire rest of the galaxy lived in a perpetual mid-afternoon. Dismissing that fanciful notion, Elnor punched the keyboard to place a call to Zani.

Zani answered immediately, her face lighting up with pleasure when she saw it was Elnor. "Elnor! To what do I owe this honor? It's so very good to see your face again!"

Elnor smiled with delight at seeing her again, too. "Nothing really, Zani. I was thinking about you and decided to call you."

"Ah, now, young man, there must have been something on your mind that caused you to think of me? Or are you suddenly finding yourself homesick?"

"I've been half homesick since I left," he answered honestly, "but I know it was the right thing for me to do. Still, sometimes it's hard figuring out how even simple things work here in the Federation. At least on Vashti, one knew what the rules were. I am glad you told me to leave though."

"And I am glad that such a good opportunity for you presented itself when it did. Do you stay in touch with Picard now that both of you are on Earth?"

"Yes, I do! I visit with him and Laris pretty much every weekend. It's not like I had imagined it as a child, having Picard as a father figure in my life, but he does seem to enjoy having me around. We never run out of things to do or talk about."

"Nothing is ever as we imagine it will be, and your childhood is long over by now, young man," Zani replied with her sage wisdom. "However, that does not mean new relationships cannot be forged. I'm glad to hear that you are doing so. Now who is this Laris? I don't believe I've heard of her before."

Elnor thought Laris couldn't be summed up quickly, but decided he'd try. "First, she's Romulan."

"Ah, so you're not completely among humans."

"Not at all. She goes out of her way to prepare Romulan dishes when I'm visiting them and make me feel welcome. Oh, she's also ex Tal Shiar." Elnor grimaced, but he felt it best to get that bit of news out of the way quickly.

Zani's face clouded. "Is anyone ever ex Tal Shiar?"

"If anyone is, I think it's her. You know I would never be anything but honest with you. She's been with Picard for a long time since she defected. First, she and her husband served as his bodyguards, security, and ran his family business for him. Now, after her husband's death, from natural causes," Elnor was quick to add, "she and Picard fell in love and are married."

Zani's shocked expression said it all. "Picard? Married? I didn't think he had it in him to make such a commitment. I am glad, however, to be proven wrong."

"Something changed about him, after his last mission," Elnor said. "I believe he was forced to confront something about his past that had always troubled him and caused him to fear making commitments of a personal nature. He's much more. . . open, now."

"You know I feel more openness is always a good thing. However, were you not with him on his last mission?"

"I was," admitted Elnor, "but I sort of died."

"What?"

"It's been awhile," sighed Elnor. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Zani's eyebrows arched high on her forehead. "I can see that. Shall we start with this bit about you dying?"

Their talk lasted long into the night. By the time Elnor went to bed, having for once neglected his lessons, Elnor felt what he'd always known but sometimes needed to be reassured of-that he was surrounded always by Zani's love for him and the lessons she'd taught him would always be a part of him.