"Where did you hear that?"
"They."
"Hmm. They talk a lot."
"They certainly do."
--Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega, "Pulp Fiction"

0830 hours, the Promenade

Kira Nerys was falling, falling gently into a warm darkness that had no bottom...and on the way down she was finding that she wasn't falling but flying. Her bones were liquefying inside her body and her skin was pulsing with excitement...she heard nothing but the rush of blood in her ears and she felt nothing but his lips on hers and his arms around her. She was completely off balance, both literally and figuratively, but she felt no fear...because if there was one thing of which she was certain, it was that Odo would never let her fall.

He filled her arms as perfectly as if they had both been shaped for this moment, and perhaps they had. All the meetings, all the conversations, all the missions and the trips and the assignments and the battles...she didn't know how it had happened but she did know that she could no longer deny that he'd been bred into her very bones and grafted onto her flesh.

Some dim faraway part of her mind was shouting at her that this was probably not the appropriate time or place for such a display, but it was as unheard and unheeded as a blade of grass crying out to the treetops. [Odo,] her mind whispered. [This is Odo...your colleague, your confidante, your dearest friend, and you are kissing him?] No, we are kissing each other. So there. You wanna make something of it?

She felt she could kiss him forever, and that if she never left his embrace she would be perfectly content. Her arms tightened around him as if she could never hold him fast enough or pull him close enough. His warmth suffused her, his sweet clean smell surrounded her, and for the first time in her life Kira felt complete.

Finally their lips parted and Kira buried her head in his shoulder. He was holding her so tightly she feared her ribs might crack but it didn't matter. Her breath was coming in quick, slightly ragged gasps and she could feel tremors running through him...his entire body was thrumming like a zither string.

"Odo..." she whispered hoarsely. "Nerys," he replied in like fashion.

She had no idea where to begin. There was too much to be said, too much to do, too much to feel and think and consider. She opened her mouth to speak with only the vaguest notion of what would come out. "Do you realize we just had our first kiss in the middle of the Promenade?"

His shaking intensified and for a moment a pang of fear shot through her. Could he lose his shape out of sheer embarrassment? After a few seconds of uneasiness she drew back and looked up into his face, laying a hand on his cheek. He was indeed struggling to keep his composure...but his eyes shone with happiness, not mortification. A smile curled her lips as she realized he was holding back laughter. Laughing was not something Odo did often, she herself had only heard it perhaps twice, and this seemed an unlikely moment for an attack of mirth but there it was. Their eyes met and whatever modicum of composure remained promptly vanished as they both burst into laughter that was part relief, part unbearable joy, part embarrassment and part anxiety over this sudden and dramatic change in their relationship. They embraced again, holding each other for all they were worth as their laughter mixed with the rising sound of applause from the surrounding crowd.

After a few moments she whispered into his ear, "Let's get out of here." She felt him nod and they drew apart. He looked down at her and gently stroked his fingers down the side of her face. Kira felt her heart skip a few beats at the expression in his eyes as he did that...for a moment she felt as if she were the one who might turn into a puddle of goo on the floor. He reached down and twined his fingers through hers, gave her hand a quick squeeze, then steeled himself and looked around at the bystanders. They were still clapping like this was the best show in the quadrant...and perhaps it was. Kira couldn't stop smiling. He pulled her away from that spot on the Promenade which she was sure would never again feel quite the same and towards his office. The crowd surrounded them as they passed through it, everyone grinning and murmuring. Both received dozens of "good for you" claps on the back or shoulder and Kira saw more than one teary face. She kept a tight hold on Odo's hand. She was more embarrassed for him than for herself. She didn't really mind the public exposure but knew that in the days to come he would be in a more or less constant state of mortification. She only hoped that he considered it a fair trade.

0833 hours, Sickbay

"Dr. Bashir! Come quick!"

Julian dropped his PADD and rushed into the admitting room. "What is it?" he asked, looking around for someone in need of his help...but there wasn't anyone there except his nurses, who were all standing at the door and staring out at the Promenade. It had been Rashika, his head nurse, who had called him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door.

"Oh, you've just got to see this," she said.

When Julian saw what they were all looking at, his jaw dropped down to his chest and his eyes blinked in disbelief. There on the Promenade, surrounded by a very interested crowd, was the astounding sight of Kira and Odo engaged in a passionate kiss. "Good Lord," he managed. He felt a lump rise in his throat...one would have to have been made of bronze not to have been touched by their ardor, which seemed to radiate off them like sunlight. He watched them with dawning realization. Surely they had to have loved one another for a long time, even years. Passion like that does not spring up overnight.

"Oh...that's so beautiful," breathed one of the other nurses.

Julian smiled. "So it is, Ensign. So it is."

0837 hours, Quark's bar

Jadzia watched them disappear into Odo's office and her paralysis broke. She made a beeline for Quark's window to find the bartender calmly typing on a PADD. He looked at her with a neutral smile. "Good morning, Commander." She gaped at him...surely he hadn't missed it!

"Quark!"

"Something I can do for you?"

She pointed over her shoulder at the security office. "Did you see that? Did you see them?"

Quark spared a glance in the direction she was pointing and went back to whatever he was doing. "Of course I saw them."

She wanted to reach over the bar and shake him. How could he possibly be so blase about such a momentous occurence right in front of his very door? "Is that all you can say? Wasn't that amazing? I can scarcely believe it!" Her words came breathlessly. She felt like she'd just run the hundred meter dash. Oh, she would fly high on this excitement for months.

Quark regarded the agitated commander with a nonplussed expression on his face. He tapped the PADD twice against his palm. "It's about damned time," was all he said. He turned away from the window and went back to work, leaving Jadzia open-mouthed behind him.

0839 hours, DS9 Security Office

Kira sat down in what she thought of as "her" chair, drawing one knee up to her chest. Odo leaned against the edge of his desk and they just stared at each other for a few moments, unsure how to proceed.

"What now?" she finally said with a bemused grin.

He shook his head. "No idea."

She smiled up at him, considered for a moment, then rose to stand before him. After another brief hesitation, she grasped both of his hands and leaned towards him, her knees against his.

"You know this will change everything," she whispered. He nodded, squeezing her fingers.

"Change is a good thing...isn't it?"

She also nodded, slowly. "Yes, I think it is."

He slowly inclined his head towards her until their foreheads were resting against each other. They stood there silently for several long moments, absorbing each other as a new presence. "Does this mean that we're..." he began in a low, slightly hoarse whisper.

"Yes," she said, cutting him off. "We're. We are. We...are." She drew back and looked into his eyes. "And I think that in some ways, we always were." He laid his hand on the side of her face and stroked his thumb over her cheek. She covered it with her own and felt her eyes misting over, wondering vaguely if it were possible for one's heart to physically burst. She slipped her arms around him and nestled her head down on his shoulder, where it seemed to fit best. He drew her close and held her, one hand gently cupping the back of her head. There they stayed, comfortably wrapped in each other, as the world whirled on outside the office doors.

Finally Kira drew away. "I'm on duty in Ops in five minutes," she said.

He nodded. "I have work to do as well...though I'll be damned if it'll be easy to keep my mind on the criminal activity reports today."

"I'm having lunch with Dax, but after our shifts..."

"Why don't I come to your quarters at...1900 hours?"

She looked at him from under lowered eyelashes, her expression coyly shy. "I'll be waiting," she said, letting her fingers linger on his chest as she pulled away and walked out of the office.

Odo sighed as she disappeared down the corridor. On a sudden impulse he did what he'd seen the Chief do a number of times...he pinched himself, hard. Nothing changed. Is it possible that I'm not dreaming? he thought. Is it possible that I am now her...what, boyfriend? Too adolescent. Her lover? Too cheesy, and not technically true yet. Her...partner? Too neutral. He frowned in thought. Her soulmate? Too melodramatic. Her, um, constant companion? Too ambiguous.

He sat down at his desk and picked up a PADD, and it came to him. I am her...hers. I am simply hers. He smiled. That'll do.

0900 hours, DS9 Ops

Kira strode into Ops with her head held high, ready for winks and nudges, but none came. She nearly slapped herself on the forehead. Of course, they can't possibly have already heard about it up here, she thought. Thank the Prophets.

"Report," she said to Lieutenant Briggs, the night duty officer.

"Good morning, sir," Briggs said, handing Kira the raktajino she always had ready for her. Briggs was the sort who was forever whistling a happy tune and really meant it when she said "good morning." It made Kira want to punch her sometimes but she was an awfully nice person and an excellent officer so she suppressed the urge. Briggs went on with the report. "All's well." That was another Briggs-ism. Not "situation normal" or "all systems nominal" but simply "all's well." It had a quaint, archaic ring to it. "Ensign Leibowitz won't be in, he's down with the Rigellian fever. The primary phase transition coils in the secondary docking ring systems are down but it's already being attended to. Captain Sisko is expected back from Bajor at 1200 hours."

"Thank you, Briggs. Dismissed."

Briggs smiled and sketched a salute, another of her archaic quirks. "Have a good shift, Major." She went to the turbolift and was gone.

Kira smiled to herself. I'm sure I will. "You have Ops, Lieutenant," she said to Lieutenant Kolopak, the day duty officer, as she headed for her office. She had at least three hours of reports to catch up on and it would probably take her longer, seeing as she was likely to be a bit...distracted.

0915 hours, Habitat Ring #458

Ishtar Lebanovski unhooked her long blue skirt and hung it in the closet as her husband Drake dressed for work. "You should have seen it, honey. I'm telling you, it was like something out of a holonovel!"

Drake frowned. "Is that appropriate, though? Two senior officers playing tonsil-hockey in the middle of the Promenade?"

She playfully cuffed him on the arm. "Tonsil hockey! Where do you come up with these things? And anyway, who needs 'appropriate' when your insteps melt away." She hugged herself, remembering a time in the not-so-distant past when Drake might have done something equally spontaneous.

"Gotta go, I'm late for an appointment," Drake said, bending to kiss her chastely on the cheek as he picked up his case and left. She supposed being a plasma-field consultant was enough to leach the romance out of anyone's heart.

0924 hours, the Promenade

Ensign Sara Gomez wanted a jumja stick. "At nine thirty in the morning?" admonished her most recent boyfriend, Vikar Tyral, one of Odo's Bajoran deputies.

"Any time is a good time for jumja sticks," she said, pulling him towards the jumja stand next to Quark's.

"Right there behind you," the vendor was saying to a woman standing nearby as they approached. He pointed and she followed his eyes to a spot behind her. "I wish I'd had my vidcam going...I could've sold copies and made a fortune!" The woman laughed and moved away.

"What are you talking about?" Sara asked the vendor.

His eyes sparkled with another opportunity to inform the sadly ignorant. "Oh, you haven't heard! There was quite a scene right here this morning, not an hour ago."

Vikar leaned closer. "What kind of scene? A fight?" If there had been a fight and he'd missed it because he was off with Sara, Odo would have his head on a platter.

"Oh no, no fight. Just two high-ranking Bajoran officers kissing and grabbing at each other like a couple of kids in a holosuite!" the vendor cackled gleefully.

Sara and Vikar exchanged a puzzled glance. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Major Kira and Odo," he said.

Sara's eyebrow shot up. "Pull the other one," she said.

"I'm serious! They walked right up to there," he said, pointing, "and for a minute it looked like they were going to start screaming at each other, then all of a sudden they're kissing like they're gonna outlaw it tomorrow!"

Vikar's face was disbelieving. "Surely you don't mean...Odo? As in my boss Odo? Shapeshifter, weird nose, chip on his shoulder? And Major Kira? Kira Nerys, right?"

"Is there another Kira around here, or another shapeshifter? I'm telling you! Fifty people saw it!"

Vikar sniffed. "Well, I'll be damned."

Sara nudged him. "Maybe now you can get him to let you take a week's leave for our trip to Risa."

0945 hours, Habitat Ring Junction A45

The Chief was lying inside a power relay conduit, his legs and feet sticking out into the corridor. Damned Cardie technology, he thought for easily the millionth time. Footsteps and two young female voices approached but he paid them little attention until he heard a name he recognized.

"...and it was simply too gooshy for words. I mean, everyone knows Odo's been in love with her forever."

"I never knew that!"

"Well, duh! It's only soooooo obvious."

"So you were there?"

"Oh no, but I heard about it from one of the dabo girls...I can't remember her name..."

"Who cares about her name, tell me about it!"

"From what she said, it almost looked like they were gonna start tearing off each other's clothes right there!"

The Chief's curiosity got the better of him. He slid out of the conduit and stood up. The two civilians...teenage girls, one human and one Bajoran...stopped talking and stared at him in surprise. "Good morning, Chief," one of them managed.

"Excuse my interruption, but what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't know? Major Kira and Odo were kissing on the

Promenade this morning. Really going at it from what I hear." The girl grinned and they both turned away with identical flips of their fashionably curled hair and continued down the corridor.

The Chief stood there puzzled for a moment, then settled himself back into the conduit. Strange things are afoot on the Promenade, he thought as he returned to his repairs, making a mental note to ask Julian. He'd know.

1010 hours, Sickbay

"You should be more careful, Leeta. Hangliding isn't something to be undertaken lightly." Julian ran the bone fuser over her fractured wrist. "Quark'll be thrilled...you won't be able to work for at least two nights."

"He'll get over it," Leeta said, wincing slightly as Julian fixed her injury.

After a few beats of silence Julian broached this morning's most popular conversational topic. "So...did you hear about Kira and Odo?"

"What about them?" Leeta answered distractedly.

Julian switched off the bone fuser and looked at her. "You haven't heard, then?"

Leeta's eyebrows shot up. "I said I hadn't, didn't I? Why, what's going on?"

"They put on quite a show on the Promenade this morning."

Her forehead creased in puzzlement. "A show? What do you mean?"

He leaned in and spoke in his best conspiratorial whisper. "I mean kissing, and lots of it."

Leeta gave him a reproachful look and slid off the biobed. "Oh, Julian, there you go again. You know just because I'm a dabo girl doesn't make me stupid. What, do I have 'gullible' tattooed on my forehead?"

"I'm not joking, Leeta! A hundred people saw them!"

She blinked. "You're not joking...really? They really did that?" He nodded mightily with an exaggerated "aren't I just the gossip-monger" look on his face. Leeta smiled and clasped her hands together. "How wonderful," she breathed. "With all this war and death, love is a revolutionary act!"

Julian grinned. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

1025 hours, Habitat Ring Officer's Quarters

"What have you done to yourself?" she demanded, standing up to examine the gash in his forearm.

Worf growled something under his breath that she couldn't make out. "He faded left and I miscalculated," he rumbled. "It is a minor wound."

"You should have Julian take a look at that."

He stepped wordlessly into the shower, tossing his exercise clothes into the cleaning processor. Dax leaned against the wall by the bathroom and raised her voice over the sound of the water, giving mental thanks yet again that he'd managed to accomodate the decidedly non-Klingon custom of bathing into his daily routine.

"How much do you love me, Worf?" she asked.

She heard him choke a bit on the water. "What?" he replied, more a surprised interjection than a request for clarification.

"You heard me."

"Jadzia...what would make you ask something like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Do you love me enough to...let's say...grab me and kiss me in public with a hundred and fifty people watching?"

"Why would you want me to do such a thing?"

"Would you be embarrassed? Would you be too self-conscious for such a spontaneous display? Would it go against the Klingon way?" she demanded, her voice rising. Suddenly this seemed very important. The water shut off and he came out, wrapping his robe around him, a puzzled look on his face.

"What has gotten into you, Jadzia? Is it so important whether or not I would kiss you in public? I'm sure I don't know anyone who would make such a spectacle of themselves." He sat down to tie his hair back. She stepped closer and leaned over him.

"Yes, you do. Odo and Kira did it this morning. I was there, and it was the most passionate thing I've ever seen." She straightened up. "I'm on duty, I'll see you later." She walked out, leaving her confused husband to stare after her with his wet hair dripping water onto his shoulders.

1050 hours, the Promenade

"...could have waited until they got to his..."

"...incredibly romantic. I just wish that I..."

"...way he was looking at her? Prophets, I felt it across the..."

"...for years. She never gave any sign that..."

"...Bareil? Wait, there was someone else that..."

"...no, no. That ended after she left and had her son. After..."

"...so embarrassed. Sure it might be..."

"...thought he was kinda cute. And you know it makes you think about..."

"...mouth shut. Usually he tells everyone if he's only got a new dabo girl..."

"...start crying right there..."

"...at least five minutes..."

"...probably seven years at least..."

"...never knew? You're not..."

"...together now?"

"...see it?"

"...was amazing."

"...Wow."

1134 hours, DS9 Ops

Kira finished the last of her reports and smiled, pleased with herself that she'd been able to finish so quickly...though most of the credit went to the song "Repose of the Prophets." It was an old Bajoran hymn, very depressing and sonorous, that Kira had always despised. Whenever her mind wanted to turn to the subject of a certain shapeshifting security chief, which it wanted to do with distressing frequency, she made herself think of that cursed song, and it got her mind right back to the task at hand.

She got up and walked cheerfully out of her office and into Ops...except that it was not the same Ops she had left. That one had been efficient and neutral. This one was smirky and giggly. As she descended the steps she was painfully aware of everyone looking at her. Ensigns were nudging each other and exchanging knowing glances, Bajoran privates were conscientiously concentrating on their work with blushes coloring their faces and smiles playing about their lips, even the usually grim-as-Death Lieutenant Kolopak looked like he was suppressing a grin.

They've heard, Kira thought to herself. Oh well. Kira strode unabashedly to her duty station. "Report," she said to Kolopak.

He took a deep breath. "Situation normal, sir. Repairs on the primary power conduits are complete. Captain Sisko has been delayed and will arrive at 1400 hours. Engineering reports that the kiss...uh, the kinetic relays are being...um...overhauled..." He was unable to continue, his shoulders shaking with stifled laughter.

Kira nodded, a rueful smile on her face. "Okay, everyone, go ahead. Get it out of your systems," she announced. Kolopak dissolved into giggles...which sounded odd coming from a six-foot-four Bolian...and the rest of the Ops crew erupted into cheers and clapping. Kira turned in a circle, bowing sarcastically and rolling her eyes in good-natured accession. The outburst quieted after a few moments. "Thank you all for that show of appreciation for my contribution to today's gossip machine. Now, can we get to work?"

"Absolutely, sir," said Kolopak, all business.

"You were telling me about the kinetic relays?"

1146 hours, Quark's bar

"Brother! Brother!" Rom came hurrying breathlessly...which seemed to be his primary mode of locomotion...into the bar, toolkit in hand. "I heard the most interesting rumor about Major Kira and Constable Odo!"

Quark rolled his eyes. "For the thousandth time, it's true. Is that all anyone can talk about today?"

"Well, brother, it's a small station...it's not too often that we get such interesting things to talk about that don't involve war or death or things going horribly wrong!"

"I suppose so...it's almost enough to make me wish for a nice juicy battle to take everyone's mind off Odo and Kira's love life."

"But brother...I thought you wanted Odo and the Major to..."

Quark raised a finger. "I never said that, Rom. I never said it, and you never heard it."

"Of course, brother...but I guess I thought you'd sort of hoped that Odo would be happy."

Quark leaned over the bar. "Rom, a happy Odo is the stuff that nightmares are made of. If he's this annoying when he's miserable, imagine what he'll be like now!"

"Well...I think it's wonderful! If only everyone in the universe could be as happy as Leeta and I are..." He trailed off, his eyes glazing over. Quark threw up his hands.

"Please, Rom, you're scaring the customers."

1213 hours, the Replimat

"Tomato soup and grilled cheese," Jake told the replicator. He felt like comfort food just now. He'd been in his quarters all morning working on a story that had gone nowhere fast and ended up getting sent to data heaven. Nothing depressed him more than the quick and dirty death of one of his stories, especially when it had started out as promising as this one. He sat down at a table behind two Starfleet ensigns, a man and a woman, who had that vaguely familiar look that just about everyone on a small station got after awhile. He couldn't help eavesdropping...it's my job, he told himself, I'm a reporter.

"Do you think they'll get married?" the woman was saying.

"Jeez, Susan, that's jumping the gun a little bit. It's only been...what, four hours? And I happen to know that right afterwards she went to Ops and he stayed in his office." Jake's ears perked up. Who were they talking about, and what had happened four hours ago?

"I imagine she had to, she's in charge with Sisko gone." So...one of the people had to be Kira. And what was that about marriage? "After a moment like that I sure wouldn't be able to concentrate on work."

"I think it was kind of embarrassing. I don't know what came over him, just grabbing her like that. He'll regret it tomorrow when all his deputies are snickering behind his back." Jake's brow creased...deputies? The only person around here who had deputies was Odo. Grabbing Kira?

"He won't regret it. I saw him walking on the Promenade about an hour ago and he looked like he could have just floated along five feet off the ground." Jake was now listening intently, all pretense at eating forgotten. This was too interesting. "Anyway, everyone knows he's had a thing for her forever."

"You know, once upon a time I thought I might have had a chance with Kira."

Susan snorted. "Don't you wish. Like she would settle for a lowly ensign after the almost-Kai and the First Minister!"

"And now a shapeshifter. You can't tell me that won't ruin her forever if they don't last. Kind of a tough act to follow, a guy who can...do what he can do." He trailed off as if troubled by the idea. Susan just laughed. Jake grabbed his sandwich and ran out of the Replimat to find Julian.

1245 hours, Quark's bar

Kira calmly ate her hasperat, enjoying the frustration she could feel coming off Dax in waves. The Trill hadn't touched her asna but was merely sitting with her arms folded on the edge of the table staring expectantly at her friend, her eyebrows reaching new heights of stratospheric elevation.

"You haven't touched your lunch, Dax," she finally said. "Not hungry?"

"You're determined to torture me, aren't you?" Jadzia exclaimed.

"I don't know what you mean," Kira replied, donning her best wide-eyed innocent face.

"You are going to drive me to an act unbecoming a Starfleet officer."

Kira didn't string her along any further. "Jadzia, at this point you know as much as I do. You saw the whole thing."

"But...I bet I know what your 'moment of clarity' was about."

Kira nodded, a slow smile spreading on her face. "Yes."

Jadzia reached across the table and took her friend's hand. "Just tell me one thing, and I'll leave you alone. For now."

"What?"

"How do you feel?"

Kira sighed and her smile broadened. "Wonderful." She paused. "Complete."

Dax grinned. "In that case, let's eat." She picked up her fork and started in on the asna.

1340 hours, Cargo Bay 13

The doors opened and Odo tried to look everywhere at once, which didn't help because everywhere he looked there was something happening. He quickly counted fifteen humanoids involved in the fracas, six Terrans, four Bajorans, two Nossicans and three Ferengi...and they all seemed intent on killing each other. Boxes flew, bodies tumbled, and curses in four languages bounced off the walls.

"Prophets," muttered Vikar, standing next to him. Odo's eyes focused on one of the Terrans.

"Oh joy," he growled. "It's McSwiney. That explains a lot." He strode into the middle of the fight, his right arm losing its texture and elongating. He swung it in a wide circle like a wrecking ball, knocking all the combatants to the ground. He shook his head and tsked them as they lay rubbing their heads, his arm contracting to its usual shape. "Gentlemen. Looks as though we haven't been working and playing well with others." He motioned the deputies forward and they began removing the unruly traders. Odo grabbed the front of McSwiney's shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"Odo!" McSwiney spluttered. "You know it's always so nice to see you..."

"You never learn, do you? One would think that after a dozen fights you'd get the idea that it's unwise to cancel shipments after accepting payment."

"I was gonna give em their stuff, I swear!"

Odo hmphed. "Tell it to the magistrate." He set off for the holding area, dragging McSwiney after him.

"But...what are the charges?" McSwiney whined as Odo activated the force field on his cell.

"For now, public fighting...which as you're well aware is against station regulations. Give me a few hours to track your movements and we'll see what else we can add to that," he said magnanimously. He turned to go.

"Oh hey Odo! Congratulations!" McSwiney called after him, a dopey grin on his face.

Odo turned sharply, scowling. "For what?"

"You know! I heard about you and the lovely Major! Boy, she is sure a foxy..." He trailed off as Odo fixed him with the deadliest glare he could muster. "Never mind," McSwiney finished lamely in a small, cowed voice.

Odo hmphed again and turned to leave, grateful that the prisoners couldn't see the smile on his face as he left the holding area.

1420 hours, Docking Ring Airlock Three

"Welcome back, Captain!" Kira said, smiling.

"Major! Are you a sight for sore eyes," he said, rubbing his forehead.

"Long trip?" They started down the hall towards the turbolift.

"Any period of time spent with the Kai is too long."

"I can appreciate that," Kira said with a laugh.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" he asked.

Kira bit her lip. You could say that, she thought. Maybe I should tell him. He might have a problem with public displays by officers and it would be better for him to hear it first from me. But is it any of his business? I suppose the conduct of his officers is his business. Best to tell him myself before he can hear it from someone else.

These thoughts flashed through Kira's head in half a second. "Well...there's something I think I should report. Of a personal nature."

Ben looked at her quizzically as they boarded the turbolift. "If it's of a personal nature you're under no obligation to report it, Nerys. Of course as a friend I'm happy to listen."

"I know...but...it's something some captains might have issues with."

Sisko's expression turned concerned. "Then you'd better tell me."

"This morning..." Kira felt a flush rising from under her collar. "I found myself in an unusual situation in the middle of the Promenade."

Ben was more confused than ever. "What kind of situation?"

Kira took a deep breath. "Kissing Odo in front of Quark's," she said quickly.

Sisko blinked. He couldn't have been more surprised if Kira had said she'd seen the Loch Ness Monster eating rakht at the Klingon restaurant. "Seriously?" he said.

She couldn't hold back a smile as she glanced up at him. "Seriously."

Ben smiled back. "Sounds very spontaneous and romantic, if you ask me."

"It was...and very unexpected. It just happened so suddenly, and I think we forgot where we were. I'm telling you because we're both senior officers and a lot of people were around...and to be blunt, I'm talking about more than a peck on the cheek here. It's just that some captains would have a problem with it."

"Yes, they would. On a starship, it's inappropriate. It might even be so on a station like this...but in this case I'm more inclined to give a cheer and congratulate you. I'll look forward to hearing the whole story later." He glanced down at her. "And if you don't mind my saying so, it's about time the two of you figured things out."

Kira grinned. "Yes, it is."

He elbowed her. "Only let's not make this a regular event on the Promenade. You wouldn't want to give Quark ideas about selling tickets."

Their laughter echoed up the turboshaft as the lift spirited them back towards duty.

1530 hours, Conference Room 4

Odo came into his weekly deputies' briefing bearing a stack of PADDs and thinking of about eight things at once. McSwiney's constant whining, a missing Rigellian trader, this meeting, a new stack of requests from Sisko...and most importantly, the memory of how Kira had felt in his arms and the persistent, not unpleasant anticipation of seeing her this evening.

At the moment, he had twenty deputies. Most of them were seated in the rows of chairs but about five were standing in the corner shoulder to shoulder. He dumped the PADDs on the table. "Good afternoon," he began gruffly. "First an update on today's cargo bay fiasco, and..." He looked around. "What?" All the deputies were in some stage of smiling, grinning, or trying not to. Odo began to get suspicious. He looked again at the five standing deputies, who really were unnaturally close together. "Okay, what's going on?" he asked resignedly.

"We...got you a little present," Vikar said. Odo stepped forward.

"I'm going to regret this, but...a present?"

All at once, the sea of tan uniforms parted like the Red Sea and those five standing deputies stepped aside. Behind them was a statue that they'd replicated, with modifications. Odo recognized it at once as Rodin's "The Kiss," but both figures were wearing Bajoran uniforms and...the woman had nose ridges. He walked forward to examine it, the sound of good-natured snickers rising all around him. The famous statue had been, rather cleverly, altered so it depicted not Rodin's fictional lovers but himself and Kira. His first thought was to be furious, but he reconsidered. His deputies often tried to make social inroads with him just in an effort to be friendly, but he'd never been quite sure how to react. He wasn't averse to the idea of being on more casual terms with his deputies, at least off-duty, but old Nanook of the North didn't find it easy. He could discern that they'd played this little prank not to make fun of him but to express camaraderie and give them all an opportunity to laugh about his already-infamous display this morning.

He'd been silent too long, the deputies were getting nervous and wondering if they'd miscalculated and made him angry. He put his hands on his hips and turned to glare at them. They all blanched. "I'm shocked at this shameless display of ignorance!" he barked. They began to shuffle around anxiously. He gestured at the statue. "That looks nothing like me, the nose is all wrong and I'm not that tall." He considered the statue again as the deputies glanced around at each other with dawning relief. He took a deep breath and went on. "And Major Kira's hips are not that wide. Trust me." He turned back to his assembled staff and smiled, dropping a wink. They seemed to exhale simultaneously and cheered. Odo made his way back through their congratulatory laughter to the conference table.

"Odo?"

"Yes, Tishna?"

"Don't you think that statue would look good in front of Quark's?"

"Oh, I don't know...I rather hoped to put it in my office." A ripple of laughter ran through the deputies. "Now, back to this fight..."

1745 hours, Officer's Mess

Admiral Necheyev would not shut up. Ben appeared to be listening raptly but was, in fact, thinking about baseball. Dax was amusing herself trying to make Worf break his composure by running her foot up and down his shin. Julian was cutting his food into the tiniest little pieces he could manage so he could keep pretending he was too busy eating to pay attention. Kira was staring dreamily out the window, her chin propped on her hand, her fork twirling idly in her half-eaten linguini. Sisko cast her an envious glance now and again. I bet I know what she's thinking about, he thought. Lucky her.

"...and so the re-taking of Sector 34 will open up a key launchpad for the inclusion of..." The Admiral was essentially repeating a briefing they'd all had yesterday and doing so in a clipped monotone that acted on the mind like Saurian brandy. Kira supposed the Admiral might get offended if she perceived their lack of attention but she was having trouble caring. She'd spent the entire day determinedly not thinking of Odo and by the Prophets, she was going to think about him now. Besides, if she knew the Admiral the thought that she wasn't captivating everyone within earshot wouldn't even occur to her.

Her thoughts drifted, the Admiral's voice receding to a distant buzzing noise that was easily ignored. Her stomach did a funny little flip as she contemplated seeing him tonight after her shift, and what that might lead to. Isn't it amazing how quickly one's perceptions can change, she thought. Just two days ago Odo was my oh-so-platonic friend, and now just the thought of seeing him is making my insides go quivery. Every time she closed her eyes she could see the way he'd looked at her over that holographic dinner table, and it made a thrill go up her spine now just as it had then.

As soon as decorum permitted, Kira excused herself and hurried to her quarters. She had preparations to make.

1830 hours, Quark's

"So...are we going to talk about Kira and Odo or are we just going to pretend like we're not interested?" Julian said.

"I, for one, am very interested," Dax replied.

"It is no one's business but theirs," Worf grumbled.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud," she said, punctuating her words with an elbow to the ribs. "Talk is cheap around here."

"It's amazing how quickly news spreads on this station," Sisko commented. "I heard two Terran merchants discussing it over in the docking ring this afternoon."

"And it's amazing how news gets exaggerated," Dax added. "There were perhaps fifty people here when it happened. By this afternoon the crowd had grown to five hundred and I think by now everyone was there and saw it personally!" she said with a laugh.

"Don't tell me we're still on this," said Quark with a sigh as he came over to take drinks orders. "All day it's been nothing but Kira this and Odo that. Frankly, I'm sick of it."

"Oh, Quark, you have no romance in your soul," Julian chided him.

"Hooray for romance! As long as it doesn't affect business," he quickly added.

"I say it's about time they got together," the Chief said.

"Hear, hear," Dax agreed.

"I wonder if it'll go anywhere," Julian mused.

"Well, she told me they were meeting tonight to discuss it...her words, not mine," Dax said with a mischievous grin.

"Oooh," Julian said, rubbing his hands together. "That means more news for tomorrow!"

"Let's hear it for new gossip!" Dax exclaimed, raising her glass.

"To new gossip," Miles agreed, raising his.

"To minding our own business," Worf grumbled reluctantly.

"To true love," Julian said with a grin.

"Amen to that," Sisko added.

"How about to Kira and Odo," Dax continued. "Much happiness...finally...and more passion on the Promenade." They laughed and clinked their glasses together.

1855 hours, Habitat Ring, quarters of Kira Nerys

Kira was fidgety. She'd changed out of her uniform and had finally decided on a plain red dress after trying on almost everything in her closet. She fiddled with the light level, toyed with the idea of music and rejected it, wondered if it'd be rude to have wine out when she was the only one who could drink it and even debated if she should wear shoes or stay barefoot as she usually did when relaxing at home.

She went to the window to look at the stars. The sight of the familiar constellations and the brighter point that was Bajor never failed to calm her, and just the knowledge that the Prophets were nearby, watching over her, put her butterflies in perspective. She'd just begun to feel normal when the door chime sounded and sent her pulse rate skyrocketing again. "Come in," she squeaked, and cleared her throat. The door slid open and he entered, looking equally nervous. She smiled, more glad to see him than she could have articulated.

"Nerys," he greeted her. They stood in silence for a few uncomfortable moments, he lurking by the door and she fidgeting by the window. She was never quite sure what happened next, but one of them must have twitched or something because all at once they were in the middle of the room in each other's arms. Kira hugged him tightly, the feeling of his arms around her amazingly natural and comforting.

"Odo," she breathed. "I've been thinking about this all day."

They drew apart and he raised her hands to his lips and kissed them. "So have I. It's been quite an unusual day."

She took his hand and led him to the sofa, curling up on it with her legs folded beneath her. "Tell me about your unusual day and I'll tell you about mine."

They exchanged accounts of the long hours since they had parted, sharing their feelings of anticipation and nervousness, and by the time their tales were told all uneasiness had vanished and they were laughing together about Odo's new statue. "Did you keep it?"

"Absolutely. Vikar beamed it to my quarters where it occupies a place of honor next to the potted plant you gave me."

"You'll have to show it to me," she said, suddenly aware of how close together they were sitting.

"I will," he whispered. He looked deeply into her eyes, in that same way that made her shiver, then looked away. "Nerys, I..." He hesitated. "I want you to know that I don't expect anything. We've both had time to consider what happened this morning, and if you're having second thoughts about us then I understand. Your friendship means more to me than anything, and I don't want to jeopardize it." He sagged as if the short speech had exhausted him.

Kira smiled and took his hand in both of her own, marveling at his insecurity. "Odo...something happened between us today, something that I think has been a long time in coming, don't you agree?"

He nodded silently, his eyes fixed on their linked fingers. She thought for a moment before continuing.

"I remember when I was in the Resistance, when we'd be lying there unable to sleep because our minds were too full of horror, sometimes we'd talk about falling in love and what it was like or what it would be like. A bolt of lightning from above, catching some mysterious stranger's eye from across a crowded room, a romantic beginning...we spun those fairy tales for ourselves so we could keep believing there was something in life besides death and fear." Odo watched her face, mesmerised. "We pictured the people we'd fall in love with, what they would be like, how we would meet them and how we would love them. We vowed that when it happened we'd get in touch and let each other know how it turned out, and if it was like we'd imagined it being." She slid closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Tomorrow I'm going to contact my friends from the Resistance. Do you know what I'm going to tell them?"

"What?" he managed.

"I'm going to tell them that today I fell in love with my best friend, and it was the easiest thing I ever did. It wasn't a bolt of lightning and it wasn't a mysterious chance meeting, but it was far better than any of us ever imagined it would be." She put two fingers under his chin and made him look at her. "I'll tell them that in a moment of pure clarity I saw that you make me whole." She smiled. "So you can try and give me a way out if you want to, just don't expect me to take it. I've waited too long for this."

Odo felt joy so intense it was almost painful flood him as he realized that she meant it. He opened his mouth, completely unsure of what he was going to say. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked, frowning.

"For not having the courage to tell you how I felt about you."

She nodded. "We share the blame for that, Odo, make no mistake. And we have wasted a lot of time."

He smiled. "Then let's not waste any more." He drew her into his arms and kissed her, happiness flooding him as he felt her arms go around him and her mouth respond to his.

More words came then, long-awaited words spoken against skin and faces and hair, but in the end there was nothing more to say. Nerys felt herself lifted as if she weighed no more than a cloud and carried away, and as night fell on Deep Space Nine the lovers did as lovers do.

Somewhere battles were being fought and wars were being waged. Somewhere cities tumbled, lives ended, planets quaked and heavens trembled...but that night, in at least one small corner of it, all was right with the universe.

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