She moaned to Dax about this as they sat in Ops drinking their morning Raktajino while going over the station logs.
"You don't always have to go to Bajor every time you have leave. Ben was telling me I have enough leave to take a whole year off. I could come with you. Take you somewhere new."
"New?" Kira looked at her sceptically. "You do realise I am four months pregnant."
"Exactly. You're pregnant, not terminally ill. You need to relax, be pampered, enjoy a bit of sun. We could go to Risa."
"Risa!" Kira exclamation was a little louder than she had hoped, a few people looking up from their workstations. "You can't take me to Risa." She hissed.
O'Brien sat down at the Ops table with them. "Commander? Are you planning on taking Kira to Risa?"
Dax looked surprised by his interruption. "Why not?"
"She's pregnant! With my son."
"And where else but Risa will she get pampered so much. The Risian's will do everything to make her as comfortable as possible." She turned to Kira, describing the luxuries that would be laid on for them. "Full body massages, spas, hot springs, they'll give you the biggest sun lounge overlooking the lake and be fed the best food and drink from all over the quadrant, you'll have people to attend to your every need and you won't have to lift a finger the whole time you are there."
"I know about Risa." O'Brien butted in. "It's a pleasure planet. Scantily dressed women, buff men, orgies. Not the type of thing my son should be exposed to."
"So you're saying Kira has to live the life of a celibate monk while she's pregnant?"
"No, but..." Miles protested.
Kira put her hand on Dax's arm to get her attention. "A sun lounge over looking a lake? And people who will get me food, and drinks and anything I want?"
"Of course. Risa isn't just about the uninhibited Risians." She glared at O'Brien. "There is plenty of fun you can have with you clothes on."
"And I can just sit there all day?"
"You don't have to leave the hotel if you don't want to."
She turned to O'Brien, still trying to argue his case. "Miles, I'm going to Risa."
"Then I'm coming with you. I have to look after my son."
"No you are not." Kira looked at him sternly, fearing a week of having O'Brien watching over her.
"What if you go into labour?"
"Miles, what are you going to be able to do other than call a doctor? I can do that." Dax stared at him. "I have leave coming up too. I'd be happy to take Kira to Risa."
Kira braced herself against the Ops table, sneezing several times, and finishing with a round of curses. Slowly she got up from the table. "I'm going to see Julian." she sniffed. "That medication he gave me is just making me sneeze more. Dax, can you book our rooms on Risa? And make sure mine has a good view." She winked at Dax, hoping she'd make it a double room.
As Kira left, O'Brien turned to Dax. "I can't believe you suggested she should go there."
"From what she told me it was your suggestion that she have a holiday. I was just giving her ideas other than having to visit Bajor and Shakaar, who won't return her calls." Dax returned to her science station where she transmitted the room booking to her favourite Risian hotel.
*****
Kira tried to sneak up on Bashir, annoying him at every moment had become her payback for him getting her pregnant. However several sneezes caught her and by the time she recovered, Bashir was watching her, somewhat amused.
"You have to do something about these sneezes." She demanded, wiping her eyes.
"Major, Bajoran women having been sneezing through pregnancy since before humans were standing erect. There are several traditional herbal medicines you can try, but none are guaranteed to work. You just have to bear it and be glad you're not human."
She sat down in the chair, rubbing her back. "Maybe I'm just allergic to living here. The sneezing should have stopped by now."
"This is a human baby though. We don't know how long the gestation will be. But maybe you need some time planet side."
"Miles, Keiko, even Jadzia told me I should go on a holiday. Dax is booking us a room on Risa at the moment."
"Risa?"
"I'm going there to relax and be pampered, not wild orgies and the sexually unrepressed Risians."
"Major, it wouldn't matter if you were. Although I would suggest you travel with medical care."
"And who are you suggesting?" She smiled, knowing what to expect.
"I'm sure Captain Sisko could spare me for a few days."
"If it stops Miles from wanting to chaperone me there." She agreed. "Besides, the O'Brien's don't know about me and Jadzia yet and I plan to keep it that way."
****
As Keiko walked Kira down to the airlock she handed Kira an extra bag to take on her holidays. "I've packed you extra ma'kra herbs, a few bottles of water, and that Bajoran juice you like so much..., you have to remember to drink more. There's a small blanket, baby clothes... just in case things happen a lot sooner than we expected. Now at the first signs of labour you call us. I want to know if our son is coming."
"Keiko, it's only a few days. Doctor Bashir is coming with us. Nothing is going to go wrong." She looked at Keiko trying to reassure her as she took her bags and stepped into the airlock. "I really have to leave now."
"Nerys, please be considerate of our son. I know its Risa..."
"I'm not going there for the sex. I'm just going to relax." Kira reiterated for the tenth time.
"Nerys, is that you?" Dax called out, her footsteps approached the doorway.
"Just be safe please." Keiko stressed.
"I'll make sure she rests Keiko." Dax told her, taking the bag from Kira and carrying it for her. "We'll be leaving soon. Do you want to get the pre-flight started?" Dax asked, stowing the bag as Kira took to co-pilot seat.
"Glad to be of some use." Her fingers flew over the board, activating launch controls.
Leaning on the chair, Dax kissed Kira on the neck. "It's been a long time since we got away like this."
"It has, hasn't it?" She smiled at Dax. "And I guess if we're going to Risa everyone will suspect that we're going for the buff boys you told me about."
"I'd much rather you're company though."
"Ready to go?" Bashir called, stepping into the airlock.
Kira turned, the doctor looking so much different in civilian clothes.
"Just running through pre-flight. You can stow your bag down the back."
"Good. We'll need lots of space. Leeta seems to have bought her whole quarters."
"Leeta?" Kira pulled away from Dax.
"I hope you don't mind me inviting her." Bashir commented.
"I said he could Nerys. It's just for the flight over." Dax looked at her apologetically.
Leeta bubbled into the room. "Thanks for letting me come. When Julian said he was going to Risa with you, I just knew we had to go together. I've never been to Risa before."
"Leeta wouldn't let me enjoy Risa without her."
Kira looked sharply at Bashir, then to Dax.
"I told Julian he could tell her if he could swear her to secrecy."
"Major, I promise not to tell anyone. But I do think it's rather sweet. You two make such a cute couple."
Kira gave Dax one more glare, then resigned to the fact that Leeta knew but could be trusted not to share her secret.
"The was only one problem though..."
Kira looked sharply at Leeta as Quark in swimming trunks carrying two horga'hns poked his head around the door.
"No!" Kira objected loudly, "He is not coming with us."
"He wouldn't give me time off otherwise." Leeta squirmed. "I had to let him come."
"And Leeta wouldn't let me enjoy Risa properly unless she came." Bashir added.
"And without Bashir, you're left with Miles chaperoning you to Risa." Dax concluded.
Kira looked at them sullenly. "I should have gone to Bajor with the First Minister."
"Don't stress Nerys. Quark knows if he annoys us I'm collecting on my debts." She turned and smiled sweetly at him. "All of them."
Kira saw the worried look on Quark's face and felt mildly satisfied that Dax had him under control. "I still don't like it though."
She called Ops to clear their launch, Dax piloting the shuttlecraft out, away from the station.
"Zia, I think you and I need to have a little talk again." She looked at Dax, then to their three extra guests.
*****
Transporting down, the first thing Kira noticed was the natural warmth that enveloped her, despite standing in no more than her swimwear and a light sarong. Beside her Dax inhaled deeply, clearing the recycled ship air out of her lungs.
Quark reached into his sack and took out a pair of horga'hns, gripping one in each hand like a gunfighter ready for action. "Time to test these babies out." In the distance two Risian attendants walk by. "Oh, ladies." Quark called out to them, proudly displaying his horga'hns.
The Risian women curiously approached Quark. "You seek jamaharon?"
"I seek whatever you've got."
"All that is ours is yours."
"I'll take it." He sighed in his lustful way.
Kira shook her head, watching the three walk off together.
"I told you, we won't see from him again." Dax noted.
"I know you two want some time alone, but we're having a Bajoran Rite of Separation ceremony, and would like for you to join us as witnesses." Leeta told them.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise." Kira looked at them, surprised by their comfort with each other.
"We're both happy with it. It's for the best. It's tomorrow morning, so hopefully we'll see you there." The two continued on to their rooms, leaving Dax and Kira enjoying the sunlight.
"Dax? Is that you?" Another attendant approached them.
Kira looked surprised that one of the local Risians knew her.
"Arandis? I was wondering if you were still here." Dax greeted her, kissing her on the cheek.
Kira felt slightly jealous of the attractive woman hugging Dax.
"Not only am I still here, I've been promoted. I'm Chief Facilitator for the entire Temtibi Lagoon." Arandis looked past Dax to Kira.
"Nerys, this is Arandis." Dax introduced her.
"A friend of Curzon's or yours?" Kira felt uncomfortable and very much the ugly duckling surrounded by two tall, beautiful women.
"She and Curzon spent a lot of time together on his last trip here." Dax explained to Kira.
Arandis nodded. "We had a wonderful time. Until I killed him."
Kira looked startled by the comment made by the very genteel looking woman.
"Death by jamaharon. I suppose there are worse ways to go."
Dax reassured her. "Trust me. He died happy."
"He was a very sweet old man."
Kira felt uncomfortable by the reminder of Dax's past lives, and her more recent past as a man.
Arandis looked Dax over and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Dax. Your new host is very attractive."
"I like to think so. You haven't aged a day."
"Risa's been kind to me." Arandis offered an arm to Kira too. "Come on. Let me show you around the lagoon."
Dax looked to Kira, who hesitated to take on Arandis' offer.
"Zia, I would really like to sit down and get a load off my feet." She rubbed her belly.
Dax looked slightly disappointed, but also realised that she had come along for Kira's comfort this time.
"Of course. Many pregnant women come here to rejuvenate their bodies in preparation for the birth." She smiled at both of them as she left. "All that is ours is yours."
Kira looked questioningly at Dax and by the leaving comment from Arandis. "I hope there is nothing of hers that you want."
"It's a traditional blessing. She meant nothing more by it." Dax explained taking Kira's arm and leading her towards the hotel. With Quark off finding Jamaharon, Kira felt a little more at ease holding Dax's arm. "So, what's a Rite of Separation ceremony that Julian and Leeta are having? Is it what it sounds like?" Dax asked, opening their hotel room door.
"It is. It's a ceremony that gives resolution to a relationship that both parties can see not working."
"Poor Julian. I didn't realise."
"He seems fine with it. Maybe he's found someone else. Maybe that's what he meant by Leeta wouldn't let him enjoy Risa." Kira opened the balcony door, finding two large sun chairs, a feast with a bottle of wine cooling in an ice bucket.
"Just as I said it would be?" Dax asked as Kira explored the area.
"It's lovely Jadzia." Kira tested the strength of the chair before finally sitting down in it. Dax knelt down in front, lifting her feet onto the footstool. She started pouring a wine for Kira and handed it to her.
"Zia, you know I can't have wine, not while I'm pregnant."
"You're lucky, because this isn't wine. It's a sparkling fruit punch, more of a fruit juice with bubbles."
"Sounds decadent." She took the glass from Dax, sipping it and enjoying sun. "Arandis...?" Kira let the unasked question hang, hoping Dax would tell her all that she wanted to know.
"Arandis was Curzon's lover. You have nothing to be concerned about, Nerys. Besides, I haven't heard from her since Curzon died, I wasn't even sure she was still working here. It was a pleasant surprise though."
"I don't know if I'd exactly call the surprise pleasant." Kira glanced at Dax, hoping to read what she was thinking.
Dax gave Kira a warm maternal type of smile, ruffling her hair, then giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're so cute when you're jealous. But trust me, you have nothing to worry about." Dax stood up, looking out over the balcony at the activity below. "When I made our booking I specifically mentioned that you were pregnant, and the Risians have organised a holiday plan for you to keep you both comfortable and energised. While you sit and relax, I might go down and see what types of activities are planned for while we here. I was hoping for a massage. We can have one now if you'd like."
"That would be nice." Kira sighed, relaxing back in the chair and letting the tropical breeze wash over her.
****
Late in the afternoon of their first day on Risa, Dax managed to get Kira off of their balcony for a walk along the Risian beach.
"Didn't I tell you it would be nice here?"
"You did." Kira sighed, leaning up against Dax. "I think even the baby is beginning to relax now. And you wouldn't believe the relief that is."
"The memory of pregnancy from my previous hosts might be a bit hazy, but I can understand it." She wrapped her arm around Kira's waist, giving her as much support as she needed.
They looked into the distance at the growing crowd on the beach.
"I wonder what is happening here?" Kira wondered loudly.
"I ran into some of these people today. They call themselves the New Essentialists Movement, they're all for restoring the moral equilibrium within the Federation, and that Risa is the playground for all things immoral."
"It is, in a way. You've got so much adult entertainment going on here, that I'm sure there are things on offer here that even Quark doesn't have on holoprogram. There are boundaries that are crossed here that I would never consider in all my wildest days. I'm sure there's even things here that you wouldn't do."
"But Risa is hardly indicative of all of the Federation. It's our rest and relax place, it's a global Quarks, with something for everyone."
"I'm just saying that you Federation lot have it easy though. You have so much technology at your disposal that sometimes you forget how to do things for yourself. Starfleet shouldn't get too relaxed, otherwise the Dominion won't just be knocking on the door to be let in."
"Here for the show?" Arandis spotted them through the crowd.
"Show?" Kira looked at her quizzically.
"I do find their leader, Mister Fullerton, very entertaining." She smiled, settling against a palm tree trunk to be amused by the extremist's message.
"He seems pretty determined to discourage people from coming here." Dax noted.
"Risa receives millions of visitors every year. And all of them leave happier than when they arrived. I don't see how one man, no matter how determined, could change that. Fullerton and his Essentialists have been here for almost a month. And no matter how many speeches he gives, the water is still warm, and the wind still smells sweet. But if he's enjoying himself, who are we to discourage him?"
The crowd hushed at a commotion, Fullerton arriving accompanied by a half dozen of his followers. The mixed group of men and woman, humans and aliens, stood out from the crowd with their conservative dress and serious demeanours.
Curiosity spread through the crowd as Fullerton walked to the top of a small rise.
"That's right. Take a good look. I can only imagine what you must think of me. A middle-aged, ponderous academic, sweating under the hot Risian suns, wasting his time telling you things you don't want to hear. But you know what I see when I look at you? Children. Pampered spoiled children."
Bashir joined them, leaving the arms of his Risian companion. "Am I wrong, or have we just been insulted?"
"Somehow the citizens of the Federation have come to believe that they're entitled to lives of ease and privilege. If you want something to eat, you get it from a replicator. If you want amusement, you go to a holosuite. And if you need protection, you call for Starfleet. But someday, someday soon, you're going to have to learn to take care of yourselves."
"That's what I was trying to say before, except for the children part." Kira whispered to Dax.
"Because if I see you as helpless children," Fullerton continued, "then how do you think the Borg see you? Or the Romulans? Or the Klingons or the Dominion? These empires look at the Federation and they see a prize, a prize we've forgotten how to protect. And if we don't change our ways, they're going to take it from us." He paused, for dramatic effect, while he let his words sink in to those who were actually listening. "The way I see it, we've got two options. We can either turn our backs on childish things and re-embrace the hard work that built the Federation in the first place or we can lie here, napping in the sun, until we wake up with Jem'Hadar guns to our heads. The choice is ours. Heaven help us if we make the wrong one."
"Do you think we're really that helpless?" Dax commented back to Kira.
"I think if we need to be more alert, that if we don't then something big will catch us of guard."
"Even a soldier needs to sleep once in a while." Arandis pointed out.
"Only a foolish solider would sleep without someone to watch his back." Kira countered, taking Dax's hand and leading her back on their stroll along the beach, Arandis and Bashir joining them. "In the Bajoran Resistance, it was a fatal mistake to do anything without at least one person on guard at all times. Sleep, eat, wash." Kira looked at Dax, who remembered her Resistance story of Bajoran wash parties. "Even when you think you're protected, the enemy can sneak up on you."
"I just think that Mr Fullerton has chosen the wrong audience." Bashir pointed out. "I don't know about everyone else here, but I'm on leave, and when I transported down here, I left my life and problems back on the station, happy in the knowledge that Starfleet is out there protecting me. If he wants to talk to someone who can actually do something, I think he should try and get an audience with Federation council."
Arandis slipped her arm around Bashir's. "But you see Julian, if he spoke to someone who would actually listen and took action on what he had to say, then he would have no cause to fight, he would lose his audience and his soapbox, and return to being a plain man in a drab suit. And where's the excitement in a life like that?"
******
"Did you see all the destruction in the Solarium?" Dax whispered to Kira.
"Shh." Kira hissed back, trying to keep the sombre mood.
"It was those New Essentialists. They staged a little rampage yesterday evening. Held the guests at gunpoint while they tore the area to shreds. Arandis was busy re-fitting the area this morning."
"Well maybe they're tired of no-one listening to them."
"No one was hurt though, they didn't use loaded weapons."
"Well they are polite extremists. Now be quiet."
"Our paths have grown apart." Leeta recited, drinking from a shallow bowl, then handing it to Bashir.
"What was one is now two." Bashir sipped at the bowl too.
"The time of sharing is over." Leeta took the bowl and smashed it on the ground.
"May the Prophets guide you toward the path of happiness."
"And may they walk with you always." They leant forward slowly as if to give each other one last passionate kiss, ritualistically turning their heads away from each other just before their lips touch.
Together they stood up, no longer a couple.
"That's it?" Dax looked first to Leeta, then to Kira for confirmation.
"What were you expecting?" Bashir looked at her.
"I'm just surprised. In all my lives, I've never been through a relationship break-up that has been easy."
"If it's not meant to be, then why fight it?" Kira responded, siding with Leeta and Bashir.
"I was expecting at least some fireworks." Quark looked disappointed at the whole display. "Where's the anger, the vicious name-calling, the irrational accusations? I never would've agreed to be a witness if I knew you were going to be so... civil. It's disgusting."
"Personally, I think it's admirable. No incriminations, no hurt feelings. I've never felt so good about the end of a relationship." Bashir smiled at Leeta.
"I agree. Now I can finally be honest about my feelings." Leeta backed him up.
Bashir suddenly stopped, his smile gone. "What does that mean?"
Leeta squirmed a bit, beginning to wish she hadn't made the comment. "It's just... for the past few months I've been... I don't know... thinking a lot about... another man."
"Let me get this straight, while you were still dating Julian here, you were having fantasies about someone else?" Quark suddenly looked interested.
"I'd rather not discuss it now." Leeta looked uncomfortable, wishing she could sink into the ground.
"You brought it up, you might as well tell me who it is." Bashir demanded, already feeling hurt.
Greedily Quark stared at her. "Yes, do tell."
"It's..." She looked at Quark.
"Me?"
"Your brother Rom." She looked apologetic at Bashir.
"My brother Rom?" Quark was shocked that his idiot brother had managed to attract a dabbo girl.
"His brother Rom?" Bashir was stunned, unable to process that he had been dumped for a Ferengi, and a supposedly dumb one at that.
"Everyone gets itchy. Some people ignore it, some people lie and cheat, and others discuss it." Kira shrugged. "Correct Jadzia?" She looked at Dax, remembering a similar conversation they had when Kira first started dating Bariel.
"I knew you'd understand Nerys." Leeta put her hand on Kira's shoulder. "You understand what it means to go against Bajoran tradition."
"You're in love with my brother Rom too?" Quark stared at her now, still trying to take in Leeta's revelation.
"No!" The question made her shudder with disgust. "No, of course not."
"Who then? You can't get any more traditional than the First Minister." Quark looked at Leeta then to Kira for an answer.
"It's none of your business." She glared at him.
"I always thought the Major was into something kinky. Who is he?" He pressured Leeta.
"Nothing like your brother Rom. He's so sexy." Leeta walked off as if in a daze, thinking of Rom, Quark staring at her in disbelief.
Dax let out a small chuckle. "I'm hoping that a good thing." She rested an arm around Kira's waist, whispering in her ear.
Quark's eyes followed Dax's arm, too stunned by Leeta's confession to even discretely ogle Dax. Kira jerked away from her, storming off. Surprised Dax chased after her.
Quark, still confused about everything that had just happened, handed an equally stunned Bashir his horga'hn. "Here. You need this more than I do."
*****
"Nerys, wait!" Dax called after her. Eventually she caught up with her, gripping her shoulder to stop her.
"You see. That's why I didn't want anyone else coming here with us." She fumed. "Sometimes you just can't help yourself."
"Nerys, I didn't think you'd mind Leeta. I know she doesn't work in the most accepted profession on Bajor, she's very open minded, I had a feeling that she would be understanding of us and that you could trust her."
"Maybe, but she did bring along that damned Ferengi. You might think he's harmless, but I know Odo can threaten information from him, and he can be bought for a lot less."
"I admit I wasn't expecting Quark. But you don't realise how big his Tongo debt is."
"Jadzia, this is not a joke. This is my life. This is Bajoran authorities sending me away for social retraining."
Dax reached out, putting her hand on Kira's shoulder, "Nerys, I never meant..."
Kira pulled away. "Don't coddle me Jadzia. I don't want your sympathy. I just want you to understand how serious this is."
"I know this is serious, but don't you think you're taking this a little hard?"
"Don't tell me I'm overreacting, that I'm just being hormonal. This is not me being irrational. I am being realistic. Kai Winn and her cronies would love to find out about this, about you and me, and have me removed from my posting so they can put in someone a little more in their control." Pulling out of Dax's grip she continued back to the hotel, leaving Dax staring at her.
"Just give her some space." Arandis had crept up from behind, witnessing the exchange. "And while you do that, come up with me to the activity area, you need to relax a bit." Dax let Arandis lead her away.
****
Kira slowly walked down to the activity centre, finding out from one of the attendants that Dax had gone down there. She felt bad about their argument, hoping to be able to rationally discuss it now.
Dax's laugh filtered through from behind one of the curtains.
"Jadzia!" she called out, pulling back the billowing material.
Instead of finding her being given a massage, or relaxing in a chair, she found Dax sitting with Arandis, while together they massaged a lump of clay, the action too sensuous to be simple pottery.
"Yes Nerys?" Dax looked at her.
Instead of the rational reasoning she had been working out in her head, Kira exploded. "How could you? We have one argument and you're back in the arms of your ex-lover."
"That's not what this is."
"Funny, because that's what it looks like. How can I trust you when you do this to me?" Kira stormed off, trying to throw the curtain in rage, but instead it softly floated down.
"Nerys!" Dax got up to talk with Kira, but the curtain tangled around her legs, stopping her from chasing after Kira.
****
With the mid-day sun now overhead, Dax and Bashir sat on pool deck chairs, sipping cocktails with outrageously large umbrellas and fruit, in the hope it would cheer them up.
"From what you've said, you knew what you were getting yourself in for when you first got involved with Nerys."
"I know but you would have thought she'd loosen up a bit during that time."
"Four years may seem like a long time for two people to be together, but its not that long when it comes to prejudices. And that's what you're up against. Both from Bajor and Nerys."
"Nerys isn't prejudiced. Maybe against Cardassians, but that's understandable."
"She believes that there is no one she can trust with your secret. Even non-Bajorans."
"That's on natural after what she has seen and been through."
"Suspicious of Bajorans, maybe, but Humans, Ferengi, Trills, no one else would hold the same beliefs as the Bajorans yet we're all lumped in the same category for her."
A large drop landed on Dax's arm. She looked around, seeing no one in the pool that could have made a splash. Another drop landed on her thigh, and on Bashir. Thunder cracked in the near distance, as the skies opened up, tropical rain carrying quickly across the lagoon.
Quickly they grabbed their things, running back to the hotel for cover.
Stunned and wet people milled around in the foyer, looking out the windows at what had been a sunny day.
"Great. Just what we needed." Quark walked over to them, water beading across his head.
"I thought it wasn't supposed to rain in this part of Risa." Dax looked at Arandis.
She looked around to the growing wet crowd. "It's not. Something must've gone wrong with the weather grid." She turned to the other attendants, huddled around in concern.
Leeta came running in from the rain.
"At least we're all safe and inside now." Dax commented.
"What about Nerys?" Leeta asked, looking around the crowd.
"She stormed off before. She most likely went back to our room."
Leeta looked at her with concern. "If this was half an hour ago, I saw her heading off towards the river mouth. Definitely no where near the hotel."
Panic rose in her stomach. "Julian, Nerys is out in this rain."
"She's probably hoping she can wait the storm out under a tree." Dax glared at his lack of concern. "We'll go and look for her. It's better to be safe than sorry. Miles would kill me if anything happened to her or the baby."
"Me too. Risa was my idea." Without caring about the rain Dax ran back out into the storm, heading towards the beach to get to the river mouth.
*****
With wet sand now stuck up her legs, Dax sprinted as fast as she could down the beach. The foreshore fanned out wider with the delta created by the river, brown silty sand and small pebbles out-lining the riverbed.
With her vision limited by the rain she called out for Kira, only to hear the pounding of tropical rain on rocks and the distant sound of thunder in reply. A set of footprints led up away from the beach, slowly being eaten away by rain. Dax followed them to find them stop where the sandy beach front turned to grass, hollering out Kira's name in desperation.
Further along the banks became rocky edges, the river slowly rising as the rain started taking hold. She considered crossing the river, trying to find any signs that Kira could be on the other side of the swelling waters.
"Dax!" Bashir yelled at her from behind. She turned to see Bashir carrying a large canvas beach umbrella over his head, as well as his med-kit. "This was the best the Risians could do. They're not prepared for rain." He handed Dax his tri-corder, setting it to scan for Bajoran life signs.
"I found foot prints. Headed up this way. It might be her." Dax puffed, still trying to catch her breath after the run across the sand.
"After you ran off I checked with the attendants. Two others said they saw her run off but no-one's seen her return. There's a strong chance she's still out here."
Silently Dax stared at the readout, extending the range to find her. "I think I've got her. Five hundred metres upstream." Again Dax sprinted off, the firmer grass allowing her greater speed than the sand had. As she approached the location she panicked, not finding Kira on the grass, and calling her name returned no response.
She went closer to the river edge, staring out over the bank.
Below her Kira sat by the waters edge on a large rock, looking out across the river and seemingly unperturbed by the rain. Climbing over the rocks Dax sat down beside her, the water roaring louder over the boulders. "Nerys?"
Kira jumped, seeing Dax she held her tight. "Thank the prophets you found me." She looked down to her ankle. "I slipped and caught it. I can't pull it out."
"I'd be more worried about the cut on you're head." Gently Dax touched her forehead, assessing the damage.
Kira put her hand up to feel the damage, finding blood on her hand. "I thought I just bumped it."
"Julian should be here soon. He runs a little slower." Dax looked at Kira, hair matted down as the rain fell. "I'm sorry about what you saw before. Arandis may have been Curzon's lover, but she isn't mine. She was just offering me comfort after our fight."
Kira looked up at Dax, searching in her eyes. "After Lanara..."
"After Lanara, I realised that I cannot live someone else's life. And although I still feel that love for Lanara, it is not coming from Jadzia, but from Dax's memory of Taurius. And the feelings I have for Arandis comes from Curzon. I may be Taurius, and Curzon, and all the others, but I am also Jadzia, and it's Jadzia that is in love with you."
Kira blushed, "That's one of the sweetest things I've heard you say." Kira held Dax close, resting her head on Dax's chest.
"When you two are ready...?" Bashir stood behind them, handing the umbrella to Dax to hold over Kira.
"Sorry Julian." Kira pulled back from Dax, trying to neaten herself.
Quickly he assessed her situation. "Your foot is stuck tight?"
"I've already tried pulling it out. The rock is jammed on top too tight, and I think it's beginning to swell."
Bashir held the rock, lifting it only millimetres higher. Now with the pressure gone Kira wriggled her leg out, Bashir letting the rock go, where it fell down against the other.
"That's a lot of weight to have sitting on your leg." Bashir murmured, running the scanner over it. "Nothing broken. You've got a fair bit of bruising. I'll clear that up when we get you back to the hotel." He ran the scanner over the cut on her head, using the dermal regenerator to clean and heal the wound.
"Julian, what about the baby?" She looked at him, worry on her face.
"Are you in any pain?"
"No. It's just that I fell fairly hard when I slipped."
Gently he poked her stomach, scanning the baby with the tri-corder. "He's okay Nerys. Although I do suggest you keep off your feet for a day or two." He turned to Dax. "When we get back to the hotel, she is only allowed to move between the bed and the sun lounge." Bashir ordered.
"Do you think I should tie her down or something? You know how stubborn Nerys can get." Dax smiled to Kira, helping her to stand.
Together they supported Kira on the walk back to the hotel, sandwiching her between them to almost carry her.
"Jadzia, I'm sorry I over-reacted. I know I should trust you more." She turned to Dax, hoping to have a deep and meaningful conversation with Dax, despite Bashir beside her.
"And I have remember that you're not a joined Trill, that I can't expect you to understand immediately how these seven lives I've had all work together, sometimes causing conflict."
"You also have to stop going out with your ex's. Whether it's mutual choice or death that parted you. Especially Captain Boday, he was kinda creepy."
"You just didn't like his transparent skull."
Kira shuddered at the image. "No! Especially when he used that fact in a pick up line, on me!"
"You're not really happy with the arrangements for our open relationship, are you?"
Kira looked at Dax guiltily. "Not really."
"Oh, good. I didn't know how to tell you, but I never really liked you going out with Shakaar."
Kira laughed. "Already ahead of you. Just before we left for Risa, I sent him a communication telling him I thought it was best if we went our own ways. Although I did say he could leave making it official until after the baby is born."
"What did he say?" Dax asked.
"I set it to transmit just after we left. I don't want to deal with him yet."
Bashir spoke up. "You should have done something sooner. We could have had a Rite of Separation ceremony as a group. Me and Leeta, you and Shakaar. I'm beginning to feel that a lot of relationships are just shams."
Dax reached over and patted Bashir on the shoulder. "Don't worry Julian. You'll find someone new."
"Hmm, maybe some nice man without a paranoia complex." Bashir sighed.
"It's the paranoia that keeps me on the station." Kira reminded them.
"Nerys, do you honestly think that any of us on the station would let you be sent back to Bajor for social retraining?" Dax asked.
"I don't know if Dax has told you this, but during the Federations first year on the Station, when you rescued Li Nalas from the Cardassian's Labour Camp, and the Provisional Government reassigned you back to Bajor, we all fought for you. Sisko, Dax, O'Brien, me, Odo. Especially Odo. We'd only been working together for a year, we weren't a family like we are now. We organised that rescue party, Sisko went against Starfleet orders by getting involved with the coup, just to get you back."
"And we've all stood up against Kai Winn before, especially you." Dax reminded her. "You mean so much to Bajor as a informal leader and representative for your people. And to all the people who know you on the station. I'm sure you will have an army behind you, stopping the religious authorities from taking you away. I'll certainly be there."
"Me too."
"I'm sure even Quark will turn up to fight for you Nerys."
"Yeah, with a holovid." She laughed, lightening the mood.
Arriving back at the hotel, they quickly found themselves hostage to the Essentialists as they entered the foyer.
Quickly assessing the situation, Dax realised the Starfleet tri-corder held by one of the Essentialists was rigged up as an uplink to disrupt the weather grid.
"You're responsible for the failure of the weather system?" Dax asked, suddenly finding all the weapons trained on them.
"Zia, these weapons are loaded this time." Kira whispered to her.
"Having a little trouble with the rain?" Fullarton looked at them all. "If Federation citizens cannot handle a little bad weather, how will they handle a Dominion invasion?"
"I can handle the rain." Dax spoke up. "But we are here on holiday. We spend our days fighting off the Klingons, the Cardassians, the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar. And after months like that, I need some time away from that life to relax, or we all become too tired, too distracted to be effective soldiers. And what use is a tired solider when defending the Federation?" Dax spoke angrily. "And what's more, my pregnant friend here got trapped by the rising river. Had we not been alert, you would have been responsible for two deaths."
"Maybe people will start to listen to us then." Fullarton looked them all over, his own weapon trained on Kira. "I am sorry for your accident though. No harm done."
The disregard riled Kira. She feigned the baby kicking, resting her hand on her stomach nearer the rifle. Distracted for a second, Kira grabbed nose of the rifle, ramming it into Fullarton's chest and pushing him over backwards, before turning his own weapon on him. "Now give me that tri-corder." Fullarton's supporters looked uneasily to him for orders.
Seeing an opportunity, both Dax and Bashir grabbed weapon's off hesitant Essentialists.
"I think you better do as she says because you don't want to cross an angry Bajoran woman with a phaser rifle." Dax commented.
Fullarton waved the man with the uplink to hand it over, and for the others to lay down their weapons.
The Essentialist stepped forward, handing the tri-corder over to Kira.
"Don't you work on the Essex? A junior engineer?" Dax queried the young man.
"Yes... yes sir."
"Commander? Do we arrest him?" Bashir queried, enjoying the look of shock on the ensign's face.
Arandis looked to them. "Before you arrest him, I think we could use his engineering skills to help fix the Weather Grid he has disrupted."
"I think that's only fair." Dax held the weapon up to him again. "Although if you don't help, I'm sure your Commanding Officer would love to hear about what you have been up to on your holiday."
"Yes sir." He stood humbly by Arandis, waiting for her to tell him what needed to be done.
The Risians start disarming the Essentialists, Fullarton trying to regain any air of authority while Kira had her weapon trained on him. Dax, Kira and Bashir handed over their weapons to the Risians, Dax letting Kira rest against her to assist her to their room.
"Do you think its over for them?" Bashir asked, looked back to see now unarmed Essentialists returning to their hotel room.
"I think they'll try again, but I'm sure the humiliation of being stopped in front of so many people will make them think twice about Risa."
*****
Kira relaxed in the sun lounge, watching the rain falling in sheets over the sea. Dax's makeshift shelter made from beach umbrellas and waterproof sheets allowed her to sit outside in the rain, enjoying the brisk air, while also keeping dry.
Suddenly the downpour stopped, Kira watching as a definite line between the rain and the dry weather swept across the bay. The clouds lightened and brilliant rays of sunlight poked through the clouds, giving off streams of misty light known on Bajor as Prophet's Hands.
"Zia, come and look at this. The rain has finally lifted." She called out to Dax, then realised that she was still out organising a surprise.
Minutes later Dax burst through the door. "It's finally stopped raining." They both told each other at the same time, then laughed.
"I guess you've noticed it, being outside and all." Dax held out her hand to Kira. "I've got something to show you."
"Julian said I have to keep off my feet."
"He only said for a day or two. It's been two, and I've already cleared this with him."
"Cleared what?" she let Dax help her up.
"You'll see. Come on, the others will be waiting for us in the foyer."
"Just as long as Quark isn't there."
"I've asked Arandis to keep Quark busy for the rest of the afternoon. He won't be bothering us."
Kira looked at Dax strangely, as she helped her on with a silk wrap over the top of the loose fitting dress she wore. "Arandis would do that for you? With Quark?" The thought disgusted her.
"You don't get to be Chief Facilitatior without being able to delegate jobs, but I think it might be one Arandis would like." Dax took Kira's arm, escorting her down to the foyer.
Bashir and Leeta were already waiting there, plus one of the Risians, although Kira was uncertain who he was with.
"Ready to go?" Bashir asked, picking up the picnic basket and handing it to the man with them. "Oh, Nerys, this is Tarbett, he's my date for the picnic."
"Nice to meet you." Kira nodded unsure how to react.
Leeta looked at Bashir. "I never knew you liked boys Julian?" She looked at him, surprised by the revelation.
He came up between Leeta and Tarbett. "I like girls too." He told her slipping his arms through both, and leading them down to the beach.
Dax took Kira's arm in similar gallantry fashion, leading Kira out of the foyer.
Down on the beachfront Bashir, Leeta and Tarbett set up a picnic just above the tidal line so they could watch the retreating tide.
"This looks wonderful Jadzia." Kira awkwardly sat down on the picnic rug, the sand already beginning to dry and shift beneath her as she moved.
"I wanted to enjoy the sun, and this seemed like the perfect idea."
Leeta unpacked the food for them, laying out plates of fruit, salads, cold meats and a variety of sandwiches.
"Oh, such a spread." Dax hesitated, unsure what to try first.
"Can I recommend the bai fruit?" Tarbett suggested, picking one up and placing it in Dax's mouth.
"Oh, it's so juicy and sweet." In turn Dax fed Kira, who relaxed back to enjoy further pampering.
"Kira, I'm so glad you were able to convince Miles and Keiko you were coming here." Bashir piled up a plate with a selection of food.
"I didn't so much have to convince them, as tell them I was going, and then listen to them give me every excuse under the sun. Then I explained that a Bajoran woman needs to be calm and relaxed in order to give birth, and that a holiday that encourages it will benefit me and the baby. How could they resist that?"
"I think they are still convinced that we're both coming here to have wild orgies and all manner of things that they are convinced their son shouldn't be exposed to." Dax laughed.
Leeta's ears pricked up. "Oh, no one told me about wild orgies."
"Actually, research suggests that a child is more relaxed and has a healthier sex life itself if it's parents continue on with their sex life as normal during pregnancy." Bashir gestured with a * stalk, then ate it thoughtfully.
"Maybe the O'Brien's have extra sound proofing in their room, but I don't think they have got up to anything since I moved in." Kira loudly whispered to them in confidence.
"I think I recall Miles saying something about sending Molly off to stay at a friend's place while you were away." Bashir winked at Kira, who blushed red at the thought of the O'Brien's being intimate, then turned her full attention back to her lunch.
Feeling satisfied with their meal, Bashir and Tarbett went off on a stroll along the beach to walk off their lunch.
"Did you know Julian liked men too?" Leeta asked Kira and Dax.
Kira felt guilty. "Yeah, he told me a few weeks ago, when he found out about Jadzia and me."
"What is it about you and Rom though?" Dax asked, intrigued.
"I don't know what it is about him, but I find him sexy. Maybe it's the way he's stood up to Quark and Ferengi tradition. He's a bit like me, a rebel to his culture. I know how being a Dabbo girl is viewed on Bajor, and it's not the most honourable job to have. But I'm good a calculating odds in my head, and I can wear the outfits. And I think it's so brave of Rom to abandon the Ferengi greed for profit and do something he's good at. He's a marvellous engineer. Quark is really beginning to regret pushing him away because no one quite understood how those holodecks were set up but him."
"I cannot understand this attraction either of you have to Ferengi. They are short, hairless little trolls."
"So if I was a Ferengi, you wouldn't be attracted to me?" Dax posed a hypothetical situation.
"If you were a Ferengi woman, you wouldn't be the station's Science Officer. Although I could imagine you enjoying walking around the station naked."
"Wouldn't that be something?" Dax grinned. "If you'd wanted I could have booked us in to a nudist resort here. It's so liberating and fun."
"If there is a specific area for nudist, how come I've seen people walking around without clothes on here?" Leeta asked.
"Oh, clothes are optional anywhere on Risa. Public nudity is encouraged."
Leeta's face lit up. "Oooh, if that's the case, I might leave you two and go and enjoy the water." Quickly she stripped down, leaving her clothes in a pile before running off into the surf.
Kira chuckled. "That looks like a nice idea. I haven't been skinny dipping in a long time."
"You want to go swimming?"
"You wouldn't tell me where we were going, so I didn't bring my swim suit."
Dax helped her up, both of them leaving their clothes behind with the picnic blanket, and walking into the sea.
Slowly they waded out to chest height, Kira letting the currents pull her feet from the bottom so she was floating.
"Aren't you glad that I convinced you to come here for your holiday instead of going to Bajor?"
"Definitely. It's been interesting." Kira conceded.
"And I've learnt a few things."
"I think we both have. Although you should have told me earlier you didn't really like Shakaar. He was a good friend, but a terrible lover."
"I'm sure he'll understand."
Fish gently swum up against their legs, Kira looking down through the crystal clear water. Dax swum closer to Kira, their legs tangling as they tried to stay afloat.
"I think I could quite happily stay out here all day." Kira gently ran her hand over Dax's naked form.
Dax gently took Kira's chin, kissing her softly on the lips, making her forget about the passage of time.
