"Care for a jumja stick?" Ezri's new boyfriend, Jake, asked her.
"Sure. Thanks." Ezri took the jumja stick. The two walked along the Promanade, eating the sticks.
Then Jake pointed. "Look. It's the Colonel."
Colonel Kira Nerys stood next to a viewport. As Ezri and Jake watched, the wormhole opened, and she smiled and closed her eyes, allowing her face to be bathed in it's luminence.
"She always does that." commented Ezri. I've often wondered why..."
Years later...
Captian William Riker of the Enterprise-F gazed at his new Senior Staff. The news of Picard retiring due to his catching of Irumodic syndrome, in the hopes of keeping himself alive longer, had been rather saddening. Deanna Troi had then gone to join Worf on Qo'noS, and Lieutenant Ezri Dax had taken her place. Thier security chief had also taken the opportunity to transfer, and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok of recently returned home USS Voyager had taken his place. At first it seemed almost certain Data would become to new First Officer, but then Bajor had joined the Federation. And as Kira Nerys had previously had a Starfleet commission, she now resumed it and was given the position of First Officer, while Data kept his old position, as did Dr. Crusher and Lieutenant Perim.
Riker had held this first meeting with the intention of getting to know each member a little better. Therefore each member of the Senior Staff was getting the chance to ask another member a question, who then asked another member a question, and so on, until everyone had asked everyone else something.
"I've heard," Crusher was saying to Dax, "that you're engaged to be married. Is that true?"
"Yes," replied Dax. "Jake Sisko proposed to me right before I left Deep Space 9 to take this position, and I accepted. We will be married when he comes here in a month."
"Congratulations." offered Kira.
"Thanks." replied Dax. "I'd like to ask you a question, Kira."
Kira nodded. "Sure, what?"
"When we were on Deep Space 9, after the end of the Dominion war, whenever to wormhole opened, you'd turn towards it with a blissful look on your face. And just a few minutes ago you had that same look on your face, and seemed oblivious to our conversation. Why is that?"
Kira smiled. "That is a secret between Odo and myself. He even kept it from the other Founders for the longest time. But now I suppose I can tell you."
"When the war ended, the female changeling, as you know, turned herself in to be tried by the Federation. In return, Odo took her place in the Great Link. He intended to teach the other Founders what he had learned, and we both knew doing so would take a lifetime. I asked to accompnay him back to the Founder's Homeworld. He consented."
"When we went through the wormhole, Odo and I formed a physic link. We would be able to communicate, and still be together."
"But when I came back, and went back through the wormhole, I was no longer able to feel him. I realized it was the distance, but also realized that our link had not been severed until the wormhole closed."
"Whenever the wormhole opens, our connection resumes, and we touch from afar. When I was looking strange a few moments ago, that's because the wormhole had just opened, and our contact had resumed."
She turned towards Data. "Data," she started, "does Starfleet ever forget your sentience?"
"They have on several occasions," replied Data, "including..."
Later...
Later, when the meeting had broken up, Nerys walked into her new quarters. She looked around before preparing for bed.
She was in her nightgown when she suddenly stopped and smiled.
The wormhole had opened again, and she could feel his mind. I love you, Odo...
And far away, in the Link, he felt her touch. I love you, Nerys...