AN: This is just for fun. I needed to write it, so I am! It's not tied to my other little series, and might become something more expanded in the future. (The more Lwaxodo, the merrier, in my opinion.) However, this particular little piece will be about three chapters long. (It may run to four, depending on how the pieces I have planned pan out when I'm actually putting them into chapter form.)
I own nothing from Star Trek.
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
"I've thought about staging some illegal contraband, just to try to cheer him up," Quark said sincerely. "I can't let him in the bar—he brings the whole place down. It's terrible for business."
"The mood appears to be contagious in nearly any environment," Bashir said. "I don't really know how Odo functions—or any other members of his species—exactly, but there are some strong indications that he's something of an energy being."
"Meaning?" Sisko asked.
Bashir clearly hesitated, carefully picking his words from everything that was available to him.
"Odo doesn't eat or perform any of the other biological functions that we might consider normal to a humanoid. Still, every being must draw energy from somewhere."
"His bucket," Sisko supplied.
"He does rest when he's in his bucket, and that does seem to regenerate his energy," Bashir agreed, "but it's possible that it's not the only source of energy, just like sleep isn't our only source of energy. We also require food…water. It's entirely possible that he draws energy from his surroundings—whoever or whatever is around him—and, as a result, he puts his own energy out into the space around him to…to…"
"Recycle it," Kira supplied, clearly having some understanding of what Bashir wanted to say, as though they had discussed this before. Of course, Sisko was absolutely not under any impression that the group gathered before him hadn't discussed this to some length. Otherwise, he couldn't imagine that all of them would have ended up in his office at once.
"Has there been any problem with station security?" Sisko asked. Everyone looked at each other. Sisko watched them exchanging glances. He could practically hear the silent conversation taking place in the room, but nobody was offering the words out loud. "Well?" He pressed.
"He's still doing his job," Jadzia confirmed. "There haven't been any problems and, in fact, Odo has detected at least one problem with a cargo hauler that docked at the station. Thanks to him there was some stolen cargo returned to Halafa, but…"
"Let me make sure I understand," Sisko said. "There's no security concern about which to reprimand Odo, because station security is functioning as is expected. Is that correct?"
"It's not really about security," Jadzia said.
Sisko smiled and nodded. He understood.
"It's personal," he supplied. He got various nods and half-smiles that told him that he was fully on the same page as those who were standing in front of him. "What do you want me to do about it?"
"Someone needs to…talk to him," Bashir said.
"Consider that your next task," Sisko said. "Tell him—it's a station mandated consultation. Whatever you have to say, Doctor."
111
Bashir could feel the irritation practically radiating off of Odo. He made a note of it—just another piece of proof that Odo was, in fact, a being that had some sort of energy transference abilities—and pretended that it didn't bother him, and that he didn't even notice it.
"Why exactly are you wasting my time again?" Odo asked. "I have things to do, Doctor. There are three new arrivals scheduled to the station in the next hour alone."
"This will only take a few minutes," Bashir said.
"What is this, exactly?" Odo asked.
A physical and emotional well-being assessment," Bashir said, hoping that his pretend assessment sounded at least somewhat convincing. Kira had been kind enough, at least, to stage a performance that her appointment had been immediately before Odo's, so that she could leave talking about it as Odo came in—proof that this wasn't some kind of way of singling Odo out for a conversation that was, without a doubt, going to be uncomfortable.
If it was effective, it would be worthwhile. Bashir tried to remind himself of that fact.
"Physically, most of your markers are just where they have been…" Bashir said.
"What you mean, Doctor, is that your scans are exactly what they always are," Odo said. Bashir nodded. "Need I remind you that we know very little about my species?"
"No," Bashir said, forgiving Odo immediately for his unusually testy mood. "We are learning more, however, and this only helps to improve our understanding. Now let's talk about your emotional and mental wellbeing."
Bashir felt the shift in the air around them. He felt, himself, the shift in the emotions that Odo was emitting, probably without realizing that he was doing it.
"I am fine, Doctor," Odo said.
"Have you been—resting like you should?" Bashir said.
"It is hardly a choice for me whether or not I spend the necessary amount of time in my bucket," Odo said.
"And—how do you feel when you…" Bashir hesitated, wondering how he might word things so as to not be offensive in any way. It was always difficult to deal with new species or little-known and little-understood species. "Wake up," he said, deciding to keep things as neutral as possible.
Odo frowned.
"I don't feel anything," he said, not that Bashir believed him at all. "I have a job to do, Doctor, and I wake up to do it…which is what I need to be doing now. So, if you don't mind…"
Bashir sighed.
"Thank you, Odo, for your time," Bashir said. "I think that will be enough for now."
Bashir released Odo to go back to work. He waited until he was sure that Odo had gone about his business, and then he headed to Sisko's office to give him a report—and to suggest that someone else see if they might have more success.
111
Sisko usually felt that being direct was the best way to handle many situations. He also knew, though, that some beings—regardless of their species—required a certain amount of easing into things before the directness was really appreciated or even accepted.
"Commander…I really have a great deal of work to do, and I've been repeatedly interrupted, as of late…" Odo said.
Sisko was half-listening to him and half-marveling at the fact that he could sense what everyone else had discussed with him after each of their somewhat failed attempts to figure out how to help Odo.
Until now, Odo had been content, for the most part. He'd always seemed to manage his emotions, getting anything under control relatively quickly and easily in comparison to some others that Sisko had encountered along the way. Now, however, his emotions were very clearly getting the best of him, and he was sharing them with everyone else—something they hadn't really noticed when he'd evidently been sharing only positive or neutral emotions.
"This will only take a moment," Sisko said, smiling at Odo and hoping that reassured him and, perhaps, relaxed him a little. Getting him to relax might, after all, be the key to getting him to listen. "Please…Constable…sit down."
Odo acted as though he might protest again, but he finally sat, shaking his head gently as he did so. Sisko sat, too, in his own chair and leaned back just enough to make it clear that he thought this should be a casual conversation. He picked up his Padd. He pretended to have something important downloaded there but, really, he only had a rough list of what everyone else had already told him, and what he thought he might say to Odo.
"Have I done something wrong, Commander?" Odo asked. His irritation was evident in his tone, but Sisko felt it in the air around him. The others had described that, and now the feeling that was prickling at his skin confirmed that they were right.
"On the contrary," Sisko said. "You have done an exceptional job for this station, Odo."
Sisko thought that, with the praise, he saw some evidence that Odo might actually consider relaxing a bit.
"Well…I take my job very seriously," Odo said.
"I know you do," Sisko said. "It's commendable. There is something to be said, however, for a man who also knows how to have balance in his life."
"Balance?" Odo asked.
Sisko hummed and nodded.
"You have accrued too much time off," Sisko said.
"That's not possible," Odo said. "I do not require time off."
The way that he said the last two words made it sound as though they tasted badly.
"Just the same," Sisko said, "it's allotted to you the same as it is to everyone else, and you've got too much accrued. You should—take a vacation."
"I do not take vacations," Odo said.
Sisko realized that Odo wasn't going to make this easy. He read back over his notes, flipped the Padd over on his desk, and leaned forward, leaning on his arms. He sighed.
"Odo—let's talk…just as friends," Sisko said, trying a different approach.
"Friends?" Odo asked.
"Yes," Sisko said. "I consider you a friend—and so do many others on this station, whether or not you return our…affections."
"Well…I…certainly wouldn't want you to misunderstand," Odo said. "I do…" He hesitated. Sisko wasn't offended at all. He simply waited Odo out. He noticed a slight sinking movement in Odo, as though his whole being somewhat melted forward a bit. The atmosphere changed, and Sisko felt his throat tighten from the sensation of sadness that took the place of the earlier prickle. "Of, course," Odo continued, when he was ready. "I do consider you…friends."
"Good," Sisko said sincerely. "Odo—I'm just going to be direct with you. I feel, at this point, it's the best way to talk about this. It might be the only way."
"I appreciate your honesty," Odo said.
"I thought you might," Sisko said. "The truth is—we're worried about you, Odo."
"Worried, Commander?"
Sisko hummed in response.
"Odo—it has come to our attention that…you may be feeling a bit…down," Sisko said.
As if the words had more power to them than words usually had, there was a visible shift in Odo. He seemed to demonstrate the word "down" in a natural shift of his body. He hung his head, too. Sisko relaxed a bit more into his position, leaning on his desk. He felt like, perhaps, he'd finally found the best way to communicate with Odo—all along, they should have simply been direct.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Sisko asked. "We could…discuss it. We can discuss anything you like."
Odo didn't look at him.
"I'm afraid, there's really nothing to discuss, Commander," Odo said.
"But you have been feeling down?" Sisko asked.
"I have been feeling…something," Odo said. "I am, admittedly, rather unfamiliar with many of the sensations that I have been experiencing."
"It's none of my business, but…I can't help but notice that this started when Lwaxana Troi departed the station," Sisko said. Odo looked at him. That was all the confirmation that he needed. "I see," Sisko said, feeling like he saw far more than was being openly communicated to him at the moment. "Odo—at the reception for your wedding, at Quark's, Lwaxana announced to everyone that you were both thankful for our well-wishes and support and, for that reason, you had to be honest. The marriage had just been an elaborate plan—a sham, of sorts—to win her freedom from Jeyal."
"That is what Lwaxana said," Odo confirmed.
Sisko felt confident, already, that he knew the rest of the story, but he wanted to give Odo a chance to speak his truth aloud, perhaps.
"Lwaxana remained with us for…weeks, I believe," Sisko said. "Staying with you as husband and wife, if I'm not mistaken."
"You are correct," Odo said.
"Was the marriage annulled?" Sisko asked.
"Not officially," Odo said. "It isn't safe. Not for some time. Besides—there is no reason to risk jeopardizing things with Jeyal. If he heard of the annulment, he might try to come back for the baby."
"Of course," Sisko agreed. "That's very…logical. Lwaxana…was going to stay with us until after the baby came. That was my understanding."
"She wanted to have her baby on Betazed," Odo said. Sisko thought that he seemed to sink down, becoming visibly shorter as he sat on the chair. "Betazoid deliveries can be quite taxing for the mother. If she remained here until the birth, she would have to remain for some time after, in order to recover. She didn't want to be a burden to me. She didn't want to be in my way."
Sisko hummed and nodded his understanding.
"Forgive me, but…would you have thought she was a burden? If she had stayed, I mean?" Sisko asked. He knew the answer from Odo's expression. "Man to man, and all," he added. "I am a father, after all, and do remember, Odo…I was a husband."
Odo perked up slightly. It was as though, in all his sadness, he had forgotten that he had something of a kindred spirit in Sisko—at least, in his time of need for someone to turn to, he would likely see Sisko that way. Sisko was willing to be a shoulder for Odo, and he was willing to offer him any help and advice he could as a man who had once been married to a woman that he loved dearly, and who had had a son with that woman.
"Lwaxana could never be a burden to me," Odo said.
"Of course not," Sisko agreed. He didn't point out that he could remember a time when Odo wouldn't have felt that way at all. It wasn't necessary and, besides that, he had seen a change in Odo when Lwaxana had been on the station last. He believed what Odo said, and he certainly believed what Odo was showing him now. "And the baby…"
"He is legally my son," Odo said.
"I see," Sisko said. "And—will you…be a father to him?"
"I would like to," Odo said. He looked surprised, for a second, as though he hadn't actually considered the question before. The answer was, clearly, something that simply came to him.
"Fatherhood has been one of the greatest things in my life," Sisko said simply, not wanting to make anything more difficult for Odo. "Odo—you never voiced your feelings at the reception. Did you feel the same as Lwaxana?"
Odo frowned deeply.
"Lwaxana…may not fully understand my feelings," Odo said. "I may not have communicated them well."
"And now she's gone," Sisko said.
Odo dipped his head.
"And now, she's gone," he said.
"So—go after her," Sisko said.
Odo looked up at him quickly.
"I beg your pardon…" He said.
"Go after her, Odo!" Sisko said, feeling his own excitement bubble up at the thought that it wasn't really that complicated. Odo could simply go after Lwaxana. He could know the happiness that he so clearly craved—and so could she, because Sisko had seen how she looked at Odo.
"Well…I…" Odo stammered.
"Don't think about it," Sisko said. "Don't talk yourself out of it. I'll grant you clearance to take a shuttle or a roundabout. I'll talk to O'Brien about the fastest craft we have currently available. You'll be on Betazed within a week. You'll be with Lwaxana, and your son, within a week, Odo."
"But—I have a job to do," Odo said.
"And time off that needs to be used," Sisko said. "Your leave is granted, Constable, as of now. I'm not sure how we'll get on without you, but we will manage while you go and get your bride…your family, Odo. If you leave now, and gather whatever you need, I'll put in an order to have transportation ready to depart by the time you can pack."
Odo rose quickly, clearly meaning not to hesitate at all. There was a frantic energy, now, that made Sisko glad that may of their runabouts and shuttles could practically fly themselves. Odo was a pretty skilled pilot, but his mind was clearly not entirely centered at the moment. He would benefit from the assistance of the automatic and semi-automatic controls in whatever small craft he took to Betazed.
Odo hesitated before practically running from Sisko's office. He turned around.
"I don't even know if the baby has been born," he admitted. "I don't know when he was going to come. Lwaxana is Betazoid and Jeyal was Tavnian. The Tavnian gestation period is a good deal longer than the Betazoid gestation period and, well, the baby is the first hybrid on record. Dr. Bashir wasn't able to predict exactly when he might arrive. Whenever the baby is born, Lwaxana will need time to recover from the birth…"
"Bring her back here," Sisko said. "If there's time before the baby comes, she can have the baby here. If the baby comes first, then bring her as soon as she's able to travel."
"I do not know exactly what to expect from her recovery," Odo admitted. "From what she said, it may be months…"
"You have enough leave to take all the time you need," Sisko said. "Don't worry about that. Go and get your wife and son."
The air in the room around him changed so entirely that Sisko nearly felt like he could suddenly breathe again after holding his breath for too long under water. Odo smiled at him, and then his smile fell.
"What if—she rejects me?" Odo said, clearly feeling closer to Sisko, for the time being, than he ever had before.
"Odo—I think that the way Lwaxana feels about you has been evident to this station for a long time," Sisko said. "It's certainly been evident to me. If you show up on Betazed with a shuttle and, perhaps, some flowers, and tell her how you feel, I simply can't believe she'll reject you."
"It is difficult to find the words…" Odo admitted.
Sisko smiled at him.
"She's telepathic and empathic," Sisko said. "And she loves you. Somehow, I feel like you'll figure out how to get your point across. Now—go, Odo. I'll call and authorize your leave and your travel method. Don't waste any more time. You don't want to miss a moment of the rest of your life!"
Odo thanked him, half-tossing the thanks over his shoulder as he left in a rush. The thanks wasn't needed. Sisko made the calls he needed to make, and he secretly crossed his fingers that the modified Danube-class runabout that he requested that Chief O'Brien get ready for Odo, would make the trip to Betazed in record time.