Part Thirteen

The Jem Hadar warrior was starting to rouse in their grips as they reached the main exit of the facility and had no choice but to fire upon the two guards there in order to make good their escape. Ezra had no idea how the Dominion warrior was going to react but hoped to be some distance away from the facility before they launched into a prolonged debate on the matter. Dylan Pierce was not at all impressed at the turn the mission had taken and was complaining prodigiously once they left the grounds and made for the jungle once more. Ezra supposed he could not blame the Starfleet operative for his annoyance considering that the choice to take an eye witness was not his own but rather one that Ezra had made on the spur of the moment. 

It was not usual for the security chief to disobey mission parameters but he refused to leave the Jem Hadar to the ministrations of that sadistic Romulan Sub-Commander. He had seen the markings on her uniform and knew that she was Tal Sh'ya, the counter-intelligence organization that was so feared within the Romulan government. The Tal Sh'ya had plenty reason to take out their vengeance against the Jem Hadar. Shortly before the Dominion War, the Tal Sh'ya had attempted to make a pre-emptive strike against the Dominion by joining forces with the Obsidian Order, its equivalent on Cardassia. The results had been the obliteration of both by Dominion forces more than prepared for the attack.

 By the time they re-entered the jungle, the Jem Hadar's revival was coming along swiftly. His legs were starting to move of their own accord and they were no longer forced to drag him along. Even a stun blast from a Romulan disrupter was no easy thing to recover from and by the looks of him, the Jem Hadar had been through enough of an ordeal as it was already. However, both men knew it when he had returned to full consciousness. As they were dragging him along, they suddenly felt his arms wrench free of them as he shoved them away from him. 

"Take it easy!" Dylan spoke up as the Jem Hadar started to retreat. The man was disorientated and wary, a dangerous combination. 

"What new trick is this?" He said in a raspy voice as he glared at them. 

"I assure you, this is no trick." Ezra interjected while Dylan kept watch that they were not being pursued. "We were in the process of rescuing you."

 "You were the ones who shot me!" He bellowed enraged but was too weak to do much more than that. "You Romulan slime!"

 "We're not Romulan." Dylan retorted sharply. "We're Starfleet officers! We came here on a reconnaissance mission because we learnt that there was a possibility that the Romulan government had not returned all its prisoners as per our treaty stipulation with the Founders."

 "You do not look like humans." The Jem Hadar pointed out. 

"You do not look like much a Jem Hadar warrior but we have no time to nit pick at this moment," Ezra quipped. "We have a starship in orbit of this world. If you come with us, we will return you to Dominion space after you confirm if there are any more of you left in that base." 

The expression on the man's face changed into bitterness and Ezra could tell just by the shadow in his eyes that they were too late for any others. "You are the only one?"

 He raised his eyes to Ezra and nodded. "I was the last. The female killed all the others."

 "The Sub Commander." Ezra glanced at Dylan, not at all surprised.  

"Lorral." The Jem Hadar answered. "Sub Commander Lorral." The hatred in his eyes was plain.

 "Do you have a name?" Ezra dared to ask.

"I was Warrior Anix," he said in a small voice. "But after this dishonour, I am not worthy of that name."

 "Anix," Dylan said trying his hardest to be kind but there were some things he had to know for all their sakes. "How long have you been without the White?"

 Anix raised his eyes to Dylan. "She wanted to keep us alive so I have been supplied sufficiently. I can be without it for at least four more days."

 "In that case, let us return to the Maverick." Ezra said to Dylan. "I am certain Nathan will be able to do something for Mr Anix." 

No sooner than he had spoken, a bolt of energy flew past his ear and vaporised the tree behind him. The flames exploded around the trunk and quickly ignited the rest of its branches and leaves, making it look like a struck match. Anix dropped to his feet, while Dylan pulled out his own weapon and fired at the direction the blast had come from. Ezra saw half a dozen Romulan soldiers spreading out, preparing to surround them. If that happened, they would be cut off.

 "Move!" Ezra shouted, grabbing the weakened Anix by the arm and pulling him forward.

 Dylan continued to fire, allowing Ezra and the Jem Hadar the margin of time needed for them to slip past the fire fight. Once he was certain that they were safe, he turned to run, hoping he would be able to make the same escape. He saw Ezra and Anix pausing in their retreat to see after him and noted Ezra's expression evolving into horror. The southerner opened his mouth to say something but Dylan never had the chance to hear it.

"Watch out!" Ezra shouted but it was too late. 

In horror, he watched the beam of energy strike Dylan in the back. The Starfleet operative opened his mouth to scream for a disrupter shot was a painful way to die but that scream never escaped him. The angry red energy swirled around his body and vaporised him where he stood. Within seconds, all that was left of Commander Dylan Pierce was his disintegrating shadow in the midst of the fire fight that was setting light to the jungle with a voracious appetite.

 "Your friend is gone." The Jem Hadar tugged at his sleeve. "You have no time to mourn him if you want to survive."

 Ezra knew the man was right and swore under his breath. He just wished he did not have to be the one to tell Alex. 

**********

 "How is she?" Chris Larabee asked Nathan Jackson when he entered the sickbay. 

The doctor was standing over an unconscious Julia Pemberton when he saw the captain's arrival and immediately instructed his nurse to continue the dermal regeneration he had been instigating over her bruised face. Mercifully, Nathan had opted to sedate Julia because the Chief Engineer had been in a great deal of pain after her brutal encounter with Vin Tanner. Nathan supposed that Julia was lucky. If it was not for the fact that Vin had not bonded mentally with Alexandra Styles, her injuries could have been a great deal more severe not to mention, emotionally devastating.

"She's alive." He answered. "So are the others."

 Chris looked over Nathan's shoulder and caught a brief glimpse of Julia. What he saw was enough to make his stomach turn in horror. The dermal regeneration would remove much of the outward bruising on her skin but at the moment; the side of her face was purple and swollen out of shape, with finger indentations against her cheek. If there was any consolation to be had in all this, it was the fact that Ezra Standish was not here to see her in this state. Chris was uncertain of how Ezra would behave when he was on the warpath but the Captain knew he had no wish to see it directed at Vin.

 "Jesus." Chris swore softly as he faced Nathan again. "How bad is she hurt?" 

"He could have killed her." Nathan retorted, padding nothing. "As it was, he dislocated her jaw, broke her hip and her wrist. There's severe trauma to her spleen which resulted in heavy internal bleeding and I think he melded with her." 

Chris had suspected as much when he saw the marks on her cheek.  

"He would have needed to find out the frequency the transponder was on to locate the Away Team." Chris answered softly; unable to imagine how they could have let Vin slip past them. No, that was wrong, Chris recanted inwardly, he was unable to imagine how he had let Vin slip past them. Chris should have locked him up in the brig for his own good but because Vin was his friend, he had not followed his instincts.  

Chris had underestimated Vin considerably and now his crew would pay for it. 

"Have you been able to find him?" Nathan asked. 

"No," Chris shook his head. "We knew the moment he left the ship but he left his com badge behind and with a planet full of Romulans with near identical bio readings as Vulcans, we're not having any luck finding him." 

"We know where he'll go." The doctor pointed out.

"Yeah we do." Chris nodded. "We've tried to get in contact with the Away Team but they're on silent running. They're not due to check in for another hour." 

"Can't we go down there?" Nathan insisted. "I mean we have to warn her." 

"Don't you think I know that!" Chris hissed, wondering if the doctor knew how difficult this was for him. Chris was fighting the urge to beam down to the Riga 3 to find Vin and drag him back to the ship but he was needed on the bridge. Shortly after Vin's departure from the Maverick, JD intercepted a transmission from the research facility that indicated that they were aware of a Starfleet presence in the area. In less than three hours, the Maverick would be intercepted by two Romulan warbirds. "I can't authorize anyone to go down there. We're in Romulan space in extremely hostile conditions. As much as I want to tear the planet apart to find Vin, I can't because there are a thousand people on this ship whose lives I can't risk for just one man!"  

"I'm sorry Chris," Nathan rebuked himself inwardly for not thinking before he spoke. Vin and Chris were best friends, of course the captain would have thought about all these factors but he was still the captain and if he acted any differently than he was doing now, he would endanger the lives of everyone on board, not just Vin. 

"It's alright," Chris shrugged, knowing that Nathan's words were motivated by his concern for Vin and everyone involved. "I'm going crazy too." 

"You hide it well." The doctor joked and forced a little smile from Chris. 

"Thanks," Chris responded. "All we can do is wait until Alex checks in and assess the situation. If its possible, we're beaming her out of there before he reaches her." 

"If not?" Nathan stared at him. 

"If not, I hope she uses that transponder." Chris answered because he did not even want to imagine what would happen if she did not.

***********

 When she heard the disrupter fire in the distance and saw the smoke billowing into the early morning sky, Alex knew that the mission had gone sour. She debated whether or not to alert the ship just yet and then decided that she would wait until Ezra and Dylan returned before taking that action. In the meantime, she reached into her boot and made certain her transponder was tucked away safely awaiting use. Alex had no intention of running out on either man but she could not blind herself to the reality of the situation if their presence here had been compromised. Suddenly, Dylan's words about what would happen to her if she were captured alive began to seem more ominous than ever and she cursed him wherever he was for planting such thoughts into her head.

 He was so different from the man she had remembered and Alex wondered how she could have ever loved him. What she felt for Vin was far more intense and passionate than anything she had ever felt for Dylan Pierce throughout the two years of their engagement. Even now, as she waited at the rendezvous point for the infiltration team, her thoughts were centered on how Vin was faring on board the Maverick, rather than the fact that the mission had gone awry. She supposed the truth was, it was not so much Dylan that had changed but rather she had. Alex was not the woman she had been before the Cardassians. There were still something that remained indicative of her personality but the rest was gone, destroyed by brutality, evolved by experience and by Vin.

No matter how much she fought to admit the truth of her feelings, that fact was undeniable. His presence in her life had helped the healing process. In the beginning, it was trying to be there for someone who was seemed just as set apart as she was from everyone else. He knew just like she did what it was to be in a crowded room and still feel completely alone. The difference between them was that Alex had not always been that way and her experience helped him to let others into his life. Although Chris Larabee had been his best friend, he had been afraid of everyone else. Alex liked to think that she was part of the reason why he had started to emerge from his self-imposed exile. He was still a little shy. He always would be she suspected but at least now he knew that there could be people in his life if he chose to give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Please, she prayed silently to herself, let him be there when I get back.

"Alex!" Alex heard Ezra Standish call out.

 Following close behind the security officer and his Jem Hadar companion was a phalanx of disrupter blasts that set the vegetation ablaze whenever they did not hit their intended target. Alex pulled out her own weapon and started firing into the Romulan contingent in pursuit, holding some of them back as Ezra and a Jem Hadar warrior tried to reach her. Her eyes searched for Dylan and her blood ran cold when she realised that he was not with Ezra.

 "Where's Dylan!" She demanded.

 Ezra looked at her with a slight shake of his head. "I am sorry Alex, he did not make it." 

"Didn't make it?" Her voice started to quiver. "Dylan's dead?"

 Ezra nodded his answer.  

Alex turned away; swallowing the lump in her throat as Ezra started firing at the Romulans in the bush, attempting to take them alive. They could not transport with so much artillery coming their way. They would be vaporised before the transporter could lock onto them with any efficiency. Ezra gave Alex a moment, trying not to notice the glistening moisture in her eyes as she mourned silently and stoically for her former lover and would be husband.  

"Alex?" Ezra asked after a moment. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine."

 "We need to leave!" The Jem Hadar reminded them, cutting through the personal conversation to remind them of the situation at hand.

 "We're not going anywhere unless we can keep them from making shooting ducks of us!" Alex retorted, forcing away her grief for the moment.

 Suddenly another entered the fire fight and thought it was a weapon, both Alex and Ezra recognised it immediately. Both were trained tactical officers with more than a passing knowledge of weaponry and disrupters had a very specific harmonic resonance. As they listened to the sound repeat itself, they became more convinced of what they were hearing. Ezra peered above the tall grass trying to catch sight of their pursuers when he saw one Romulan sail through the air only to receive a very abrupt landing against a tree. Bone shattered in that all too familiar crunch and he let out a cry as his spine snapped against the thick trunk. Another Romulan was similarly dispatched as if something very mad and very strong had slipped into the Romulan lines and was creating havoc.

 "What the hell?" Alex asked confused. "Was that a phaser I heard?" She looked to Ezra for confirmation.

 "That was a phaser," Ezra nodded. "I am certain of it."

 "What is going on?" Anix inquired just as puzzled. The Jem Hadar had also been trained to discern the differing discharges of Alpha Quadrant weaponry to come to the same conclusion. "Did your ship send reinforcements?"

 The shooting had all but stopped but the sounds of bones breaking and Romulans crying out in pain rode the swell of silence that followed. Alex and Ezra looked at each other in puzzlement; uncertain of how to correlate all the conflicting data they were being bombarded with. They maintained their position for the time being, waiting until there were no more sounds of life emanating from the Romulan camp before Ezra turned to Alex and gestured her to maintain her position while he went to investigate.

 "Stay here." He instructed as he left their hiding place and stood up to get a better view of the terrain before him.

 Parts of the surrounding vegetation was still burning furiously. Thick waves of black smoke was rising into the sky and would no doubt bring more Romulans to investigate when their comrades did not return. Ezra could see the broken body of one Romulan lying flat across a fallen log. The centurion was not moving and judging by the angle of his head, his neck was broken. Ezra wondered if it was not wiser to leave this instant, instead of remaining to find out what had caused this carnage of broken bodies and shattered bones.

 "You see anything?" Alex called out from where she was.

 "Yes," Ezra answered back as he moved closer towards the Romulan camp. "Every indication that something a great deal more annoyed than us have chosen to take offence at the Romulans."

 "Maybe we should just bug out and call it even." Alex suggested, her voice becoming more distant as he moved further away from her.

 "Your logic is impeccable." Ezra remarked, "I think you may be right." He agreed upon seeing another dead body. This was the one that had broken its back when flung against a large tree.

 A rustle of leaves to his side immediately caused Ezra to swing towards it with his weapon drawn, he was about to pull the trigger when the tall grass parted and Vin Tanner appeared, his hands covered in blood.

 "Vin?" Ezra exclaimed in shock, his gun dropping to his side. "What are you doing here?'

Vin did not answer and lunged. Ezra did not even have time to take aim and fire as the Vulcan forced him to the ground. Vin ripped the disrupter from his hands and flung it into the underbrush, his face almost unrecognizable in its savagery. His hand clenched around Ezra's throat, pinning him to the muddy ground as he raised his fist to strike. Ezra felt his air passages immediately constricted under Vin's powerful grip. He tried futilely to speak but his words came out in gasps neither did he have any luck prying Vin's fingers from around his neck. With a sinking feeling, Ezra realised quickly that it was possible the Vulcan had no idea who Ezra was and even if he did, was too far away from himself to even care. Vin was about to render him unconscious when suddenly he froze at the sound of Alex's voice.

 "Ezra!" She called out; unaware that he was in trouble only that she could no longer see him.

 Ezra watched Vin's face change from brute savagery to feral need and he forgot all about Ezra as he leapt off the security officer. It took a few seconds for Ezra to regain his breath but when he did, he saw Vin scanning the area like a hunter who had just caught the scent of his prey. Even in his presently, debilitated state, Ezra knew what Vin wanted. He had no idea how the Vulcan had found them or had even left the ship for that matter but the look in Vin's eyes made it painfully obvious what had brought him here.

 "Alex!" Ezra shouted. "Get out of here!"

 Alexandra Styles heard the panic in Ezra's voice and immediately handed a spare phaser to the Jem Hadar warrior next to her and told him to hold position before she went after the security chief. Ezra was in trouble, she thought erroneously as she ran through the jungle, trying to reach him before he went the way of Dylan Pierce. Alex forced away thoughts of Dylan as she hurried to help Ezra; she would have time to mourn him later. Right now, Ezra needed her help. Baser instincts told her she ought to have heeded his advice but Ezra would never leave without her and she was not about to do the same.

 Suddenly, out of nowhere, she was thrown to the ground in a full body tackle. Alex let out a short cry of indignation as she landed on hard soil, with the weight of someone's body pressing down on her. During her disorientation, she became conscious of someone straddling her. Even though her mind was in somewhat of a haze, she could feel the familiarity of his scent and snapped her eyes open to find herself staring in absolute shock at Vin Tanner.

 "Vin!" She gasped.

 "Alex." He smiled but there was nothing pleasant about it. His eyes were full of burning hunger as his hands roamed over her face, sliding over the suppleness of her skin and then gliding downwards to cup her breasts and knead them gently. "So beautiful." He whispered as he lowered his lips to hers and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss.

 Alex felt her head swim as his lips devoured hers, taking from her all it could in a surge of fiery desire. She could feel his hands tugging at her singlet, preparing to tear it off her body when he could not gain access to her flesh. While his touch was pleasant, this was hardly the time or place for such behaviour, not to mention the fact that he was probably deep in the throes of Pon Farr and could hurt her without even being aware of it.

 "Vin," Alex started to push him away. "Stop it."

 "No," he muttered, nuzzling her neck. "You're mine." He responded kissing the tender flesh of her neck.

 "Vin, get off me!" She repeated herself, making a stronger effort to dislodge him. 

Vin raised his head and stared at her. "YOU'RE MINE!" He hissed and grabbed her hands and pressed hard against the space above her head.  

"Vin stop it!" She shouted, becoming more panicked as he stopped listening to her. His hand had enough power to keep her wrists pinned down to the dirt.

 "I love you Alex," he whispered softly in her ear. "I love you so much."

 He was lying on top of her, effectively keeping her pinned to the ground. Alex was still in a state of disbelief but clarity sliced through her when she felt him fumbling through the narrow gap separating their bodies, his fingers questing towards the waistband of her pants. Alex tried not to feel her terror spiral out of control because this was Vin, he would never consciously hurt her, she told herself. However as she looked at his eyes, dark and unseeing, his lips nuzzling into her skin, tasting her, touching her, no matter how many times she had told him to stop, she realised that she was beyond reaching him. Her mind flashed back to his quarters where he had told her to get out because he could not control himself. Did he mean this? Alex did have much time to ponder the question because the moment she felt his hand delve deeper into her pants, his fingers brushing lightly against her mound, she knew the Blood Fever had him completely and utterly.

"GET OFF ME!" She snarled and twisted hard, giving herself enough momentum to slam her knee into his ribs and send him sprawling. Alex flipped upright, wasting no time and delivered another kick that connected with his jaw and brought him down again. As he recovered, she searched frantically for her weapon, knocked out of her hand when he had tackled her earlier. Looking away briefly, she heard his footsteps against the rotting leaves on the ground and turned sharply just in time to see him throw himself at her. The power of him knocked them both over and Alex rolled onto her stomach and started scrambling away.

A fist locked around her ankle and pulled her back with incredible force. Alex slipped off her hands and felt her head hit the dirt hard.

 "DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!" He roared and for a moment, Alex was too terrified to move, her mind thinking irrationally how much like Gul Lemar he sounded at that instant. She was shaking when she felt him pull her to him, his hands on her hips. His palms rounded the bone, taking a firm hold of her while she was on her hands and knees.

 The memory that inspired was too much for her and something inside her snapped like kindling.

 "NO!" She screamed hysterically. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Alex flung around, nails bared and slashed Vin across the face in almost savage fury. "NOT AGAIN!" She swung her fist around and slammed her knuckles into his jaw. Vin reeled form the unexpected blow but Alex was too far gone to stop and swung again. "NOT EVER AGAIN!"

 He grabbed her hand as she tried to hit him again and shoved her back hard. The rage in his eyes was beyond expression. Vin was staring at her but he had no idea who she was. Alex scrambled away, preparing to run when suddenly a bolt of energy struck him square in the chest. The blast sent him flying backwards and when he landed he was completely unconscious.

 Alex let out a gasp of immense relief and looked up to see Ezra clutching his throat with one hand and holding a disrupter in another.

"Are you alright?" He asked coming towards her.

Alex threw herself into his arms and actually wept. "God yes! Oh Ezra, he was going to..."

"I know," he stopped her from having to say it. "Alex, it is not Vin's fault, it's the Pon Farr."

"I know," she composed herself and pulled away from him. Turning around, she went to Vin's side. The Vulcan was unconscious and bleeding where her nails had scratched him across the face. When he was like this, he bore no resemblance to the monster that had tried to rape her a few minutes ago. Her fingers stroked his brow with tears in her eyes because she knew without doubt or hesitation, that she loved him and he had behaved as he had because he could not stop himself.

"I love you." She whispered, tears running down her cheeks and splattering onto his skin. "I love you Vin and I won't let you die."

There had to be a way out of this. She could not let this happen! She could not let him die. Dylan had slipped away from her without Alex being able to lift a finger to stop it. Alex could not bare letting Vin go the same way. This was all about biology! It had nothing to do with what he wanted and everything to do with what his body needed. Somehow, there had to be a way that did not involve him violating her like some filthy animal! That rage and violence had to go somewhere! It was as if all that energy needed to be expended one way or another, in not through mating then through violence.

 Suddenly, the answer was so clear. 

"Alex, we must leave." Ezra came towards her. 

"Yes," she nodded slowly as the answer flooded her consciousness with its glimmer of hope. "We have to leave." She met his eyes. "We have to take Vin back. I know how to stop this." 

Ezra stopped short and stared at her. "Excuse me?"  

"I know how to stop this," she said as she wiped her tears away and stood up. "I have to die."

Part Fourteen

"Are you out of your mind?" Chris Larabee balked as he stared at Alexandra Styles in the corridor across the door from Holodeck 1.

"With all due respect Captain," Alex returned his gaze with just as much intensity. "Do you have a better idea?"

Chris opened his mouth to answer but found he did not have a better solution than the one she had proposed, even though he had serious qualms about whether or not its feasibility was allowable, not to mention sane. However, for the first time since the issue of Pon Farr had reared its ugly head among them, Chris had a way out. Unfortunately, it was not one he was not happy to take. The Away Team had been transported back to the Maverick for less than twenty minutes and already one of its members was proposing a course of action that would see her in as much danger as she had been on Riga 3. As much as Chris wanted to help Vin Tanner, he remembered the promise he had made to the Vulcan before the Pon Farr had robbed him of all his sense and that was to ensure that Vin did not harm Alexandra Styles in anyway. Unfortunately, what Alex was suggesting would not only see her placed in harm’s way but much more if the situation were left to speed out of control.

"No but if that’s the option we have, then it ought to me." Chris stated defiantly, desperately seeking for reasons why she should not be the one to undertake this dangerous gamble for Vin’s survival.

Alex was already shaking her head. "Captain," she paused and then considered her next words carefully because she could see the conflict in his eyes and knew that this was no easy decision for him. Vin was his best friend and the affection he held for the Vulcan was no less passionate then her own, though different in its manner. "Chris," she started again, "we both know that it can’t be you. I am the one he wants to mate with, what I am proposing is a risk in itself, we can’t buck the odds further by trying to play it safe. I’m not blind to how dangerous he is at the moment, trust me after what I went through with him on Riga 3, I know exactly what I’m facing but I have to be the one to do it."

"Why can’t we use a simulation throughout?" Chris demanded. "You don’t have to be in there at all!"

"It won’t work if you use a simulation!" Alex declared exasperated, wondering how many debates she would have to endure before he realised that there simply was no other way. "He’s acting almost completely on instinct. He’ll know if it’s a simulation by smell alone. It has to be me."

"Alex," Chris hesitated still, not entirely convinced even thought the arguments for, were compelling and irrefutable. "He’s into the blood fever completely now. He doesn’t know you or what you mean to him. If he were to hurt you," Chris did not want to say kill even though they both knew that was what he meant, "he would kill himself when he came to."

Alex nodded, understanding that all too well. "The alternative is to let him die by doing nothing. We can restrain him but eventually, the chemical imbalance will shut his systems down and he’ll slip into a coma. All we will be doing is to watch him die slowly, without ever knowing whether or not this could have saved him."

Chris closed his eyes and turned away, struggling with the choice he knew to be the only one he could make. Vin’s life over the one thing the Vulcan had asked of him, how the hell was he supposed to make a decision between the two like that? Yet Chris knew he had to because he was the captain and because Vin was his friend. Sometimes to help, one simply had no choice but to break a promise. Taking a moment to himself as he came to the inevitable conclusion, he faced Alex and saw the fear in his eyes that he might turn her down and had a flash of insight that she would do this thing even if he refused her.

Just like he would do, if it were Chris is Alex’s place.

"Are you sure about this?" Chris asked softly in a tone that indicated he was not asking as her captain but rather as her friend.

"No," she gave him an honest answer because he deserved one. "I’m terrified of facing him in there. I saw what he was like on the planet and there was an instant when all I wanted to do was run away but the only thing that scares me more than doing that, is watching him die." Her voice started to crack but Alex being Alex, composed herself immediately and met his eyes again. "I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him alive, whatever it takes."

Chris had no doubt of that but as much as he wanted Vin to come out of this alive, he knew that conclusion would mean nothing if Alex died in the process of making it happen. "I know that," he nodded, his hand touching her cheek as he spoke. "But you make sure that doesn’t mean you let him kill you either. Vin would never want that and he’d never forgive himself for it."

"I won't let that happen." She said firmly but wished she could be more confident about that statement. In truth, she was frightened to death of facing Vin but she had no choice. This was the only way she knew how to save his life and if it meant having to face her fears, then so be it for she was not going to let him die because of her lack of courage. "I'm going to make it and so is he."

Chris wished he were as confident as Alex about that because he certainly did not feel that way. If he obeyed his instincts, he would be going in there instead of her but there were realities he had to face. In less than two hours, Romulan warbirds would reach them. The mission had been successful despite the loss of Dylan Pierce. The Federation and the Romulan government had the proof they needed regarding the experimentation that was taking place on Riga 3, thanks to the Jem Hadar prisoner Ezra and Alex had brought back to the ship. Now it was up to Chris to deliver the Dominion citizen out of Romulan airspace back to Federation territory. As much as he loathed admitting it, his place at this time was on the bridge of his ship, bringing the thousand lives that depended on him for their survival to return them safely out of danger.

"I'm holding you to that." He replied finally.

"Thank you Captain," Alex answered, grateful for his reluctant blessing. "I promise I'll be careful."

"You'll do more than that," Chris retorted sharply. "If it looks for one minute that you can't handle it, I want you out of there Commander, do you hear me?"

Alex could tell the tension in his voice was generated out of worry for her and thus nodded obediently. "I'll keep that in mind."

Chris swallowed and said softly. "Save him if you can Alex," the hope in his voice was apparent but also the reality. "But save yourself if you can't."

*********

 Ezra Standish was glad that he had not been present when Julia had first been brought into Nathan's SickBay. If he had been there to see the extent of the injuries described so prolifically by the doctor, Ezra would not have been certain he would have the disposition to be so forgiving about Vin's part in it. He had been informed about the injuries sustained by the crewmen who was unfortunate enough to be in Vin's path when the Vulcan had made his bid for escape. Fortunately, the dermal regenerator had removed much of the external bruising on Julia's body even though Nathan was not about to release her from his care for at least a few days. Considering the nature of her injuries, Ezra seemed to agree.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be injured in this scenario," Ezra said to Julia as he held her hand. She lay on her bed; still somewhat hazy from the sedatives she had been given to take the edge of the pain she was feeling.

"You know me," she gave him a little smile, "always landing myself in trouble."

"That is without doubt," he replied, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I am sorry I was not here to stop this." He glanced at Vin over his shoulder. The Vulcan was not far away from her bed, heavily sedated and held to his own bed by restraints while kept under the watchful eye from the other side of a security force field.

"Don't be silly," she muttered dreamily. "Its not your fault. Its not Vin's either."

Ezra was glad she bore no malice towards the Vulcan because he did not. Vin was one of his best friends and though he felt a little sting of anger at Julia being hurt, he knew that Vin had no control over what he had done. Julia had just been unfortunate enough to be in Vin's path as he was gripped helplessly in the thrall of the Pon Farr. It could have been anyone he attacked, Julia being where she was at that time was merely bad luck.

"I am aware of that." Ezra nodded, assuring her that he was not angered by Vin's actions even though he was perfectly justified if he was. "I am afraid, we seem to be at an impasse in Vin's condition. What he almost did to Alex..."

"Is she alright?" Julia asked concerned, raising her head slightly off her pillow before Ezra placed a gentle hand on her shoulder instructing her not to move.

"She was badly shaken by the incident, added to that the death of her former fiancée, " Ezra let out a deep sigh. "I do not envy her position at this time."

"You think her plan won't work?" Julia asked, fully appraised of what Alex intended to do to cure Vin of the Pon Farr once and for all. Like Ezra and Nathan when they had first heard it, Julia was horrified by the idea but could see the logic in Alex's deliberations and the truth was, this was a solution where there had been none before it.

"I do not know and as security chief, I am reluctant to let her find out the hard way. She should not have to do this in the state Vin is in. At the best of times, he's almost four times stronger than any human is but with the Pon Farr, he would probably be even more formidable. He went through a dozen Romulans without even breaking into a sweat."

"I wish there were something else we can do." She looked over his shoulder at the young man who was her friend and felt her heart shrivel up in worry. "I hate gambling like this."

Ezra started to smile. "Yes, I would prefer the odds to be a little better than they are."

Suddenly, Nathan's com badge trilled softly in the quiet of the SickBay and the doctor emerged from inside his office where he had withdrawn to give Ezra and Julia some privacy. However, he knew that they were waiting with the same anticipation as he was about Chris' decision regarding Alex's plan. He strode to the force field and met the gaze of Ezra and Julia as he touched his com badge.

"Doctor Jackson." He spoke hesitantly.

"Nathan," Chris Larabee's voice filtered through with grim reluctance. "Prep him and have him transported to Holodeck 1."

"Chris, this is crazy." Nathan protested immediately.

"I know that but unless you have an idea of how else to save his life, this is how its got to be." Chris' voice was taut with annoyance and bitterness. Clearly, the captain disliked being forced to make this decision any more than anyone else liked him reaching it.

"No, I don't." Nathan conceded defeat. "Alright, I'll get him ready. I just hope you know what you're doing."

There was a slight pause as they waited for Chris to answer before the captain finally spoke. "I do too," his voice was uncertain and sombre. "I do too." 

**********

Alex finished the last of her preparations inside Holodeck 1 and took refuge behind a simulated tree as she waited for Vin Tanner to be transported into its confines with her. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, knowing that if she allowed herself to feel fear then she would be destroying all that she was trying to achieve before she had even began. This was Vin's only way of surviving the Pon Farr and though the risks were great, she knew that she could not walk away when there was a chance to save him. She loved him too much to let him die. Strange, how easy it was to say once she finally got over the hurdle of admitting it.

Alexandra Styles loved Vin Tanner.

She had probably fallen head over heels the moment she met him and had taken this long to realise it because there were too many demons in her past that refuse to let her see it until now. Why did she always have to learn the important lessons the hard way? Alex supposed it was in her nature to have difficulty accepting anything that was not hard won and Vin was worth winning, she had no doubt of that. What they had was already special. His surviving the Pon Farr to become fully matured would not change that. She did not care what came after this, just along as they could face it together.

"Alex," Chris’ voice spoke through her com badge. "Are you ready?"

"As I’ll ever be." She answered taking a deep breath and knew that this was never going to be easy, or something she was eager to do no matter how essential it was. Alex knew that it would only take her say so for Chris to put an end to this whole idea of a last ditch effort to save Vin Tanner, no matter how fatal the consequences. Unfortunately, she could not and in making that decision, she had to see this through.

"Alright," the captain said reluctantly, doubt oozing from every word he spoke. "We’re beaming him in."

Alex immediately turned to a clearing directly in front of her and the line of trees behind which she had taken refuge to watch his arrival. The area surrounding her resembled the section of jungle they had been spirited away from. Vin would awake thinking he was still on Riga 3 and Alex wanted to maintain that illusion as much as possible. For this to work, he could not for a minute suspect that he was on board the Maverick but more importantly, he could not know he was on the holodeck. In telling herself that, Alex also realised that she could not remain where she was either. He needed to be able to see her the moment he awoke so that he would not connect with his brief sojourn as anything but a momentary lapse during their battle. Thanks to the frenzied state his mind was in because of the Pon Farr, he would have difficulty distinguishing anything beyond his own frantic needs.

She was snapped out of her ruminations when she heard the shimmering hum of the transporter in the center of the clearing. Alex swallowed thickly, bracing herself for what would follow. Vin’s form appeared a second later. She approached cautiously, aware that he was probably stirring out of his slumber as Nathan would have almost certainly have to had administered something to revive him after the combination of a disrupter stun blast and the heavy sedation to keep him under once he had returned to the ship. It took a few seconds before the humming ceased and Vin lay on the soft, moist ground before her. Alex studied him carefully; watching the peace of his sleep became disrupted by the coming of wakefulness.

The Vulcan opened his deep blue eyes slowly, his brain registering his new surroundings far quicker than his appearance of weakness at the moment. His instincts were predatory in this state so he knew how to provide an illusion of vulnerability while his hunter’s mind assessed his situation. Hopefully, the blood fever had robbed him of reason and logic, replacing it with blind need and instinct. She watched him regain consciousness, observed how his limbs flexed and tested themselves silently as he prepared to attack. Alex took a cautious step back, in case he tried to surprise her.

He did.

Vin rolled abruptly on to his fours and stood up slowly, his eyes focusing on Alex and recognizing immediately that she was what he sought. He made no attempt to speak to her, contenting himself with aiming that high-powered stare in her direction as he decided what she was; potential mate or enemy. To Alex, it made little difference what he decided because the choice was not his and as dangerous as it was to provoke him, Alex knew she had make him come after her. This would not work otherwise. She tried to dispel her fear, knowing that he would pick it up instantly. It was not easy to do when it was very possible that he could kill her with barely a second thought until it was all over.

"You want me?" She goaded with a little smile of confidence. It belied how she really felt.

Vin did not answer but he grunted under his breath and it sounded like a growl of affirmation.

"You want to mate with me Vin?" She continued to tease him, her body poise to run at a moment’s notice. "You have to do better than you’ve been doing."

Even though he did not speak, Alex was certain that he understood. His eyes became dark and calculated. Perhaps he did not comprehend the words but he certainly understood the derision.

"You want me?" She took a step close to him. "Then you’re going to have to fight for me. Come on Vin! Show me what you got!"

Before the words even left her lips he was barrelling towards her. Alex leapt out of the way easily and realised that for all his skill at hand to hand combat and he was extremely good, Alex knew from personal experience, the Pon Farr had made him rely on brute strength and savagery. She let him slip past her and threw a flying kick into the centre of his back that sent him reeling forward. As he landed on his hands and knees in the mud, she heard an indignant snarl of outrage escape him and she knew that if she did not maintain the upper hand, losing her virtue at his hands was going to be the least of her worries. He would tear her apart in sheer rage.

Alex went to kick him again but this time, he recovered quickly and snapped his fist around her ankle. Twisting it viciously, his powerful grip spun her around in mid air and brought Alex down hard on the ground. She landed on her back and saw him coming at her when she threw her leg up and connected with his groin. Vin let out another angry howl as Alex flipped upright once more and threw a flying kick that slammed into the side of his face. Her strategy was to enrage him enough so that he would lose whatever control he had and come after her with berserker fury. Of course, she also had to keep her distance. He was almost ten times stronger than she was in his present condition, if he manage to hit her, Alex was going to know it. She made no attempt to use her fists, preferring to use well placed kicks that would allow contact but ensure that she could make a hasty withdrawal if necessary.

Vin dropped to the ground again and she could tell by the way that he was breathing hard, that he was a tidal wave about to come crashing down on her. Alex saw him turn her way sharply and knew instantly that she would have to give seriously thought to running. Despite her determination to hold firm, Vin’s manic glare as he got to his feet, sent shivers of fear through Alex. She swallowed visibly and saw a slow smile form on his face as he realised that she was afraid and the triumph he exuded at that victory was enough to inspire her own rage. Acting before thinking, she ran forward to kick him again when he lashed out at lightning speed and grabbed her leg. Instead of twisting, he flung her easily aside; she went flying like a rag doll and slammed hard against the earth. Her shoulder flared in white-hot agony when Alex landed on it. She felt bone slipping out of place in a slick, wet popping sound that almost made her gag.

Reeling from the pain, she did not even see him come up behind her and drag her to her feet by her hair. Alex let out a cry as his fingers pulled at the thick strands of jet and made her face him. He lowered his mouth to hers and devoured her mouth with a kiss that was not at all passion or desire but one of power. Wrenching her mouth away from his, she sunk her nails into his face and pull back. Vin screamed in pain and swung a backhanded blow across her cheek. The force of it almost made her black out and Alex felt blood filling her mouth. Her head throbbed painfully and she opened her eyes just in time to see him coming at her again. Kicking out her foot in a powerful sidekick, she halted his advance briefly but she was hurt and he knew it, his next attack would wear her down.

Alex had trouble seeing and knew that he was powerful enough to have given her concussion, not to mention a dislocated jaw and shoulder. Her vision was blurring from the pain and when he lunged at her again, she was barely able to side step the attack. He swung again while she was trying to regain her balance and this time; his fist slammed into her stomach and pushed all the air out of her lungs. Alex dropped to her knees, gasping; unable to do much else when he came at her and threw her on the ground. Straddling her, he ripped the singlet she was wearing, exposing her bare flesh to him. His face became enveloped in an expression of feral need. Alex saw him lowering himself down on her when suddenly; he was yanked firmly away from her.

He snarled furiously and turned around to see Dylan Pierce standing behind him. Vin lunged at his rival who made some attempt to fight him off but could not prevail against the frenzied assault that Vin produced in his rage. The operative fought him off bravely but it did not take long before the Vulcan had the upper hand and he was beating Dylan down in an unparalleled fit of rage. Fist hammered down on human flesh until it became bloodied and broken, until Dylan no longer moved and the stench of blood filled the air. Vin was covered in it but hardly batted an eye when he caved in Dylan’s skull.

When the Vulcan was finished with the operative, he turned around and saw his mate on the ground. She rose to her feet, renewed by the space of time he had taken to kill Dylan and attacked with just as much rage. Vin was struck several times in the sternum. If he had been in his right mind, he would have avoided those blows easily but he was well into the deepest fires of the Pon Farr and he could see nothing beyond killing her. The mating impulse had withered away now; all that remained was this overwhelming need for blood. He caught her leg and dragged her to him, pummelling her face with blows that reduce her bronzed skin to near pulp. She cried out each time he hit her but her scream did not register even as he shattered her already dislocated jaw and broke her nose. Her eyes began to puff and he was certain she could not see him either.

He was covered in her blood and it felt good. The rage took him completely and he knew nothing else as his fists continued to pound against the flesh below him, until all his hands became drenched in blood and his there was no more bone left that was not broken or damaged in some way. He continued to strike until the fight drained out of him with a painfully satisfying sensation that swept through him. The fire inside his mind began to burn itself out and for the first time in too long; Vin Tanner began to descend from the darkness he had been drowning for the past two days. It felt good to leave all that rage behind, to finally have some semblance of calm returning to him as who he was began to emerge again. 

What he found when he came into the light however, was another thing entirely. 

For a moment, it did not register what he had done. His mind cleared like a fog lifting and when he finally became aware of his surroundings, he was confronted by a vision of blood. His heart stopped inside his chest as he saw her lying before him, broken and bloody. He could not see her face, for what his fists had done to her made that impossible but Vin knew without any doubt in his horrified mind that it was Alex. He knew it from the pit of his stomach and by the numbness that was slowly rising up from his soul like the stench of foul water.

"Alex." The word escaped him softly, like hope dying in his soul.

She did not move.

Trembling, he reached for her and recoiled at the sensation of her blood on his fingers. It left streaks against her skin when he searched for a pulse and found none. Vin started to shake as his fingers bounced lightly over her broken nose, her split lips and her dead eyes. Her oh so dead eyes. His emotions were a dam about to burst as he stared at her and knew with absolute certainty that he had killed her. His mind could not cope with that truth and for a moment, he refused to believe he could have harmed so brutally, the one person who meant everything to him. Yet he could not deny the evidence of his eyes even when his heart was crumbling with the paralysing idea that he was responsible for this carnage.

"Alex," he called out, hoping she would answer, hoping that she would defy what his eyes told him. He could not have done this! He loved her! She was his friend! The one woman who understood him completely and did not care what he was. Even though she had never said it, Vin knew she loved him. How could he have done this! "Please wake up." He pleaded in a soft voice. "Please."

She did not.

"Alex." He begged again when the tears started to come. He took her up gently in his arms, as if he were afraid to wake her and began sobbing as he cradled her. He felt her blood soaking into his clothes felt the heat bleeding out of her body and knew that he could beg all he liked but it was too late. He had killed her! "Don’t say I did this. Please wake up!" He cried out in anguish. "Please don’t say I did this to you!"

Vin broke down completely as he sobbed in despair, holding her dead body in his arms, knowing that he had done the thing he had most feared when he understood that what he had been suffering was the Pon Farr. He should have killed himself first! Killing himself would be preferable then waking up to this nightmare. "Alex I’m sorry," he managed to say through his tears. "I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I love you Alex," he whispered into her dark hair, even though she was beyond hearing. "I love you."

A hand touched him on the shoulder.

He stopped crying and turned around. Looking up, he thought for a moment that his grief was making him hallucinate that he had finally gone mad and this time, without the aid of the Pon Farr. If there was one thing that could tip him over the edge like this, it was what he had done to Alex. When he saw her kneeling behind him, her face swollen, her arm hanging at strange angle and blood running a red line from the corner of her lip, he was almost glad for it.

"Vin." She said softly. "Its alright. I’m fine."

"Alex?" His eyes starting to understand that she was real, not the lifeless corpse he was cradling in his arms.

"Computer," she raised her gaze upwards. "Discontinue program."

The jungle landscape around them evaporated to reveal the black tiles of the holodeck. The body he had been holding in his arms vanished just as quickly, leaving nothing but air in its place. As Vin’s ragged nerves struggled to process everything that was happening around him, Alex leaned forward and embraced him hard, hoping the sensation would convince him of her survival more profoundly then anything else he was seeing.

"I don’t understand." He stammered even though his arms wrapped gently around her body. He was confused but could not deny that her scent was real like the warmth in her skin was every indication of life and the heart beating close to his chest, still very much his for the taking. "I didn’t hurt you?" He asked, not daring to hope that it could be true. His thoughts and emotions were still in turmoil.

"You didn’t hurt anything that wouldn’t heal," she said with a smile as she pulled away enough so that he could look in her eyes. "I knew it was the only to snap you out of it. I remembered Nathan saying that the Pon Farr had to run its course, either by mating or combat. This seemed like a good way to do that."

"I could have killed you!" He hissed angrily, not certain whether or not he would have allowed her to take that chance had he been in any position to stop her. "I killed that holodeck simulation Alex! I could have done the same to you!"

"You didn’t kill anyone," Alex took his face in her hands and made Vin look her in the eye. "I would never have done that to you. Don’t you know that I love you?"

Vin stared back at her, somewhat shocked at hearing it spoken for the first time. He knew she felt that way about him even though it was knowledge in a form that he could never explain but hearing the words filled with a great sense of joy. "You love me?" He asked gingerly.

"I have always loved you." Alex smiled. "I would never have let you harm me because I wouldn’t put you through that kind of hell. I arranged to have a simulation of Dylan give me a few seconds to get out of your way when I couldn’t keep up with you any more. Once I hid, I let a holodeck replica take my place. It was the only way Vin; I couldn’t let you die. I couldn’t stand to be without you."

"If I had hurt you…." He started to say, trying to compose himself but it was too hard. He was still with emotion after knowing that he had not hurt her and that she loved him that all he could do in response was to pull him to her again in another long embrace.

Alex did not answer, allowing herself to melt into his arms, never realizing how wonderful it felt to be having him back again. There was no need to say anything because words beyond this point seemed unnecessary and they sat there on the floor of the holodeck, holding each other and knowing without ever saying it that neither would ever let go.

Part Fifteen

It was almost a week before Vin saw Alex again.  

He spent the next three days in SickBay, being subjected to every possible test that Nathan Jackson could think of in order to ensure that the Pon Farr had indeed run its course and was not toying with them by a temporary remission. However, the test soon proved conclusively that though it was two years early, the Pon Farr had indeed come and gone and Vin would not be subject to the same turbulence for another seven years. Vin had been in no hurry to return to duty and Chris granted him a week of furlough to allow the Vulcan to recover from his ordeal, both mentally and physically. He spent most of that time in his quarters, reluctant to see anyone because he was ashamed of how he had behaved not only to Alex but also to Julia whom he had harmed when attempting to escape the Maverick.

Chris had been his most frequent visitor and the captain explained how he had been monitoring Alex inside the holodeck during their entire fight and was more than tempted to pull her out of the simulation when he saw her taking some rather crippling blows. Chris assured Vin in no uncertain terms would he have allowed his best friend to harm the woman he loved in his uncertain condition. When Chris Larabee said it, Vin knew it to be the truth. Still, the incident like all the others like it, with Alex, Julia, the security officers and even Chris and left the Vulcan profoundly ashamed of himself even though his friends told him that he had no reason to feel that way. The Pon Farr was not his fault and yet Vin could not deny that it had changed him, no matter how much of an ordeal the process had been.

He lay in his bed staring into window, reflecting on the changes in his life and the new sensations that seemed to bombard his senses now that the Pon Farr was finished with him. He felt no different than he had before this had all began with the only notable exception being how he mow felt in female company. At the very most, he seemed to notice them more. If he were forced to put a description to it, Vin would simply declare that he noticed how distinctly female they were. It was more than that though, suddenly how they smelled, how they smiled at him, tossed their hair, spoke and looked seemed to engender a physical response when before he had more or less walked blithely by without having any idea that there was anything to see at all.

And none of this revealed itself as prolifically as when he was in close proximity to Alex. When they had been alone together during those brief exchanges when he was desperately in need of her, Vin had remembered how potently he had reacted. He had kissed her before but until the Pon Farr, it never had the power to rob him of all coherent thought. Vin had shared her bed on numerous occasions, had lay spooned against her throughout the night and felt nothing more than comforted at being able to share such intimacy with her, never thinking that there should be more. He had not been mature enough to question that and Vin was certain that it was part of the reason why Alex felt so at ease with him.

Now it was different. Every waking moment was spent thinking about how she had felt beneath him, replaying their heated exchanges in his mind, feeling his body yearn in a less frenzied but no less urgent desire to touch her again. In the confines of his room, he pictured how she would taste, how she had moaned his name when he had touched her in all the right places. Without even realising it, Vin started to get hard. The tightening in his loins came upon him without warning. He remembered how her mouth had felt, how her fingers ran through his hair and over his back as he took a small rosebud nipple past his teeth, Vin felt himself releasing a groan of pleasure at the sheer intensity of that memory.

His hand drifted beneath the thin sheets covering his half-naked body and felt his erection more acutely than other. A wave of embarrassment swept over him that he should be thinking of Alex in this manner. Then he remembered what Buck Wilmington had said, that there was not a man alive who did not think about women in this way at some point, no matter how much they may deny it. Vin closed his eyes as his fingers encircled his stiffening cock, picturing Alex pleasuring him the way she had in his quarters when she had told him to make love to her, not caring whether or not he lost control. She had called his name and all that memory did was make him run his fingers faster along his thickening shaft.

God how he wanted her.

When he was in the midst of the Pon Farr, instinct had guided him but now it was pure need. He continued work himself into a heightened state of arousal, his cock standing hard and erect, moisture oozing from the slit as he started panting at the incredible sensations it produced. He thought of Alex’s hand there instead of his own and groaned again when he pictured the image of that in his mind….

**********

How much time did a man need?

This was a question Alex asked herself repeatedly over the week following Vin’s desire for some time alone. She felt a little incensed that he had chosen to isolate himself, especially after she had told him she loved him. Alex had expected to help him through this period of adjustment not be shunted aside and it would be so much simpler if she even knew why but his silence had taken even that away from her. Chris had claimed that he was ashamed. In fact, the captain was the only person whose company Vin could tolerate and though that was understandable because Chris was his best friend, Alex could not help feel a little annoyed after everything that had happened between them.

Alex had been trying to understand, tossing and turning in her quarters, unable to sleep and debating the situation from a thousand different angles when finally something inside her snapped and she made the decision that she was going to have it out with him once and for all. After everything they had been through in the last few days, Alex was not going to be content with anything less than a face to face confrontation. She did not care how late it was; they were going to talk about things even if she had to force him to listen. He had done nothing to be ashamed of. The Pon Farr had not give him any choice in the matter and considering that he was even lucky to be alive, Alex did saw no reason why he should feel badly. Besides, how many times had he been the only one who could make her see sense when it felt like the entire world was crumbling around her ears? Too many for Alex to abandon him when he needed her in the same fashion.

Climbing out of her bed, she slipped on her robe and padded out of her quarters. According to the chronometer she glanced at on her way out of her room, Alex knew that it was in the small hours of the night. The Maverick operated in the semblance of night and day despite the lack of a sun or moon and at this hour, most of the crew were in their quarters asleep like she ought to have been have been. There were a few essential departments that still functioned no matter what the time, engineering, the bridge crew and stellar cartographers who found the charting of stellar bodies much more effective when the noise levels in the ship were significantly reduced.

Vin’s quarters was on the same deck as hers. Most of the senior staff had their quarters in roughly the same location and she only had to travel down two corridors before she was standing at his door. There was no reason to knock because she knew his access code, just as he knew the one that allowed him entry into her quarters. The doors slid soundlessly open after Alex had activated the panel. She stepped inside; prepared to deliver the speech she had rehearsed all the way to his quarters but stopped short instead.

Anything she wanted to say was forgotten at the sight of him in his bed, sweat glistening over his perfect body as he stroked himself into ecstasy. His eyes were closed but his hips were moving in time to the long, languid strokes over his erect member. She saw his lower lips quivering as he experienced an impending orgasm for the first time. For an instant Alex almost turned around and left but then she really started to see him and felt a corresponding ache at the core of her when she saw him in his arousal and knew that she wanted to be apart of it. She recalled how touching him had felt, how she had begged him to make love to her once and knew that it was long past time that they explored that particular aspect of their relationship. Intimacy had never been possible before but now it was here, waiting for her to make a choice.

And she did.

Moving forward silently, she let the robe slip silently off her shoulders to pool at the floor. With just as much stealth, Alex pulled off her nightgown and reached his bed, completely naked. Only when she was about to climb into bed with him, did he realise she was there. He stopped what he was doing immediately, his face reddening in horror and embarrassment at being caught in such a humiliating manner. It was only humiliating if she did not want him as much as he obviously wanted her, Alex thought silently.

"Alex!" He gasped, wishing the bed would open up and swallow him whole until he realised that she was naked and not staring at him with derision but with the same want he had experienced while fantasizing about her.

"Its alright," she whispered huskily as she held a finger to his lips and kept him from speaking any further.

Vin swallowed hard and watched in fascination as she sidled up to him in bed and kissed him tenderly. The heat of her body next to his felt almost as wonderful as her lips against his and in his state, he reacted immediately, his lips parting for her as her tongue snaked passed his teeth. Their mouths fused together in a heated battle for dominance Vin did not mind losing. Suddenly, she pulled away and slid down his neck, marking his skin with kisses all the way down to the collarbone. Vin threw his head back at the sensation, closing his eyes as the pleasure washed over him.

He stared mesmerized as she moved down his chest, pausing long enough to suckle on a pert nipple and forcing another ecstatic groan from his lips. His fingers snaked through the hair, as he became incoherent by the overload of sensation. "Alex," he moaned softly. "That’s so good."

Alex smiled mischievously and moved her lips past the fine hairs of his stomach before responding; "brace yourself."

Without giving him any warning, her mouth slipped over his erect cock and Vin thought he might die there and then. His body pushed instinctively, every sense came alive as his cock strained to bury itself as far into that pleasing well of heat as it could possibly manage. Vin's eyes clamped down shut as his fist knotted around the sheets, the voice inside his throat drowning in that silent scream as he felt her mouth starting to suck the soul out of his body.

"Oh God, Alex!" He nearly screamed, unrestrained because he had no preparation of any kind to deal with this kind of sensation.

Alex did not speak and continued to suckle at his considerable length, picturing what this formidable piece of flesh was going to do to her insides when she finally moved the seduction to that level. At this moment however, she wanted him to feel pleasure the likes of which he had never known. She wanted to suck him dry, to taste him, to feel his desire building inside her mouth just before he exploded. He had never known carnal pleasure in his entire life and Alex wanted his first experience to be everything that ecstasy should be.

Vin could not even form a coherent thought as he forced his eyes open and watched as her lips bobbed up and down his cock, her hand holding it by the root as her tongue laved the underside of his shaft before culminating in powerful suction around the glans. The pleasure was beyond belief. He had heard about it, imagined how it might be but feeling it for himself the first time was incredible, just as incredible as watching her naked between his legs, her mouth working his cock so expertly he could barely breathe.

Alex could feel him starting to come. He was thrusting so frantically into her mouth that there was no other conclusion. She glanced up at him briefly and saw the pleasure he was experiencing by that beautiful expression on his face. His mouth was gasping for air and his hands had snaked into her hair. She doubted that he was even aware that he was forcing her head down on his rock hard member while thrusting into her lips. Alex placed a hand on his hip, holding him steady so that he would not gag her as he continued to slide in and out of her mouth. She felt her insides melt with arousal, felt the stirrings of an unparalleled surge of desire coursing through her as she saw his beautiful body squirming in pleasure. Did he even have any idea how magnificent he looked at his moment, glistening with sweat, gasping out loud and making her wish there were lips there to capture that mouth and plunder it as relentlessly as she was doing his cock?

Vin had no idea because he could not think. He watched Alex sucking him steadfastly, her soft lips moving up and down his rigid shaft with such relentless rhythm that he could feel every fibre of his consciousness caring for little else. He shuddered each time she chose to cease her oral stroking when she decided his glans needed specific attention. He watched her tongue swirl around the head, velvet heat and moisture bringing alive every damn nerve until he did not know how long he could keep from exploding. He knew he was meant to pleasure her too but as he watched that mouth pull at his cock with hard suction, he knew he wanted nothing more than let this wave of pleasure carry him away.

"Please Alex," he started to whimper, finding himself reaching that apogee. "I can't hold on! I think I'm going to..."

Going to what? He wasn't even sure if Vulcans climaxed like humans. However, his pleas seemed to make her work even harder, forcing him over the brink until his entire universe contracted around the pleasure afforded by that beautiful mouth. His senses became overloaded as he watched her, his stomach muscles clenched, his fists knotted around the sheets and a powerful shudder of sensation was reaching crescendo as she worked him harder and harder, until Vin was not just gasping for breath but rather crying out in unrestrained ecstasy.

"Oh Jesus," he started to plead. "Oh please don't stop, that's so good! That's so damn good!"

Hearing him whimper helplessly made Alex's determination to make him climax even more ruthless and she sucked harder on the tip, until the soft skin was pressed up against her tongue so tightly that she could taste every ounce of pleasure oozing out of him. His fingers were in her hair and his voice in her ears was incoherent with need. With a little smile, she allowed her fingers to explore the crevasse of flesh behind his swollen balls and her fingers, wet with his juices soon found what she was seeking.

Vin had gone silent as he felt this new sensation and for a moment, he seemed uncertain of what she was doing as she fingered the opening gently until without warning, she trust a finger inside him as she continued to suck.

"Oh Christ!" He groaned again, his back a neat arch over the matted sheets as he felt her fingers probing inside him, uncertain and yet excited at the same time. The action had made him so hard he did not know what he was thinking and when he tried to, Alex just wolfed down his cock deeper into her throat, destroying any thought as to the why to fall head long into experiencing the ecstasy of it instead. He did not dare move as he felt her inside him and had he the mind to do so, Vin might have inquired what she was doing. However, his questions were soon forgotten when she lightly touched something that destroyed whatever self-restraint still remained within him with a little brush of her fingertip.

"Alex!" He moaned a low guttural sound that escaped his mouth like the white foam riding the tip of a tidal wave. It came upon him so suddenly, like an ocean swell that before Vin knew what was happening, he was begging her, god actually begging her to finish him because he could stand it no more. When she had touched that place inside of him, coupled with the unbelievable pleasure that was her mouth giving him the most thrilling attention his body had ever received, it robbed him of whatever shred of sense he had left.

"ALEXXXX!!!!!!" He cried out as he felt himself literally explode in her mouth, feeling the jet of heat surge out of him as his mind drained of all coherence. All he could feel was this feeling of absolute satisfaction, wrapped with sugar and spice and all things nice. The pleasure that shuddered through him as he experienced his first orgasm was the most incredible thing he had ever felt. There were no words to describe it even if he had the mind to form them. His muscles clenched as he continued to pump into her soft mouth, his hand holding her head over his ejaculating cock, relishing in mindless ecstasy how it felt as she sucked him dry. Vin did not care if he died tomorrow because he had finally known what it was like to feel such intense pleasure.

His hips kept thrusting rhythmically and he wondered as he started to descend was making love to her going to be just an incredible? If her mouth could bring him to such pleasure, what was her body capable of doing? He had heard the whispers of men who talked about the women they bedded, how it felt to sink into nothing less than pure heaven and Vin felt himself wanting to know that pleasure. He wanted to make love to Alex, probably had since he first saw her. He had never been in a position to appreciate her in this way until the Pon Farr had come for him. The stolen moments where he had let his instincts take over instead of fighting them had tortured him with their promise at how much pleasure could be had from her body. The only reason he had resisted the Pon Farr as steadfastly as he had was because he did not simply want to extinguish a biological need. He wanted to make love to her.

Alex lapped him up, revelling in his wonderful taste, cleaning him with as much determination as she had lavished the oral delight that had reduced him to a quivering mound of nerve endings shuddering with pleasure. She pushed her tongue into the slit and swirled it around the head, hearing him sigh at the sensation of it. It was hard to smile but her body reacted in the spirit of it when she finally pulled herself away and nestled herself in his arms. Her own needs had yet to be satisfied but she could wait. She had wanted him to know pleasure because she loved him and because he was untouched and so new to it all.

"Alex," he whispered when she lay next to him, smiling in pleasure as she saw the supine expression on his face. His body was covered with sweat and as Alex moved from that handsome face down the length of him, she found herself moistening with desire. Jesus, he was utterly beautiful to look at. From the curve of his bicep to the taut stomach muscles to the lean but well-defined shape of his legs, he was absolutely magnificent.

"That was..." Vin started to say but the words failed him.

"Just the beginning." She concluded for him.

"I never thought it could be that way," he spoke again. He spoke in that too soft voice and the awe of what he experienced was so arousing, she would have mounted him there and then if he had yet to recover.

"Its any way we want." Alex smiled.

Leaning closer to him, she pressed her lips against his once more. His kisses were soft and as they tentatively started to respond, she felt his hand on her hair, stroking lightly. She closed her eyes because his mouth was dizzying when she felt him probe past her own lips, taking the initiative. Alex found herself grow feverish with need for him. When Vin kissed her, it felt like he was drinking her soul to become part of his own. This was completely different from anything she had ever known because Alex could feel herself being lost not only physically but emotionally as well. There was no words to describe the intensity of her arousal because she could her anticipation tightening her insides, making her throb with an ache that would know no satisfaction until she felt him plunge inside her body for the first time.

"Oh God Vin," she said breathlessly, opening her eyes in surprise because every time he kissed her, he had the power to literally make her heart stop.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked nervously.

"God, no." She shook her head, smiling. "You just take my breath away."

Really?" He asked, that cocky mischief returning to his face.

"Yeah," she laughed and rolled on top of him. She straddled across his body and lowered her mouth so that it was held poised over his mouth and whispered softly. "I am going to fuck you until you scream surrender Vin Tanner. I am going to ride you so hard that you will pop like warm champagne over and over again, all night."

The words were meaningless but their intent was not the issue, the heated delivery of the sending sent a jolt of electricity that went straight past his brain into his cock and brought it to life once again. With a smile, he looked at her and replied. "Show me."

Her eyes filled with lust and she responded in turn. "Touch me."

Where to begin? Vin asked himself, as he looked at her sitting on top of him, her tousled hair and bronzed nakedness before him. Already he could start to his rekindling desire and he slid his arms over the firm thighs on either side of him and gently twisted her towards the bed. He recalled how he had touched her before and felt himself stiffening further as he recalled how wonderful it was to hear her moaning his name in unbidden pleasure. Images of how she had tasted returned to him with jarring potency, how she had pushed more of herself into his mouth when he had lowered his lips to suckle. All those memories burned inside his mind, waiting to be relived again and now their time had come.

Alex did not resist as she allowed him to slide on top of her. His weight on top of her felt terribly satisfying and she immediately ran her hands over his back, a shudder of pleasure escaping her when she felt his hardening member pressing up against her lower belly. His fingers traced the skin of her shoulder, his lips nuzzled gently into her neck, planting soft kisses along the tender flesh before she felt the tip of his tongue tracing a line along her collar bone. Alex closed her eyes and shifted position giving him more access to her neck. She did not see the smile that crossed his lips but she certainly felt the mouth that began nipping gently at her smooth flesh.

"You taste good." He said huskily and allowed his hand to mould over her breast. It felt soft and warm in his hand and he began to fondle her slowly, exploring the weighty feel of it as the tips of her erect nipples brushing gently against the center of his palm. He watched her eyes cloud as she began to become lost in his touch, her head dropping back until her back began to arch towards him. The more he kneaded the flesh, the more languidly she began move, until her breasts were pulled tight and her nipples stood dark and erect, waiting for more than just his hands. Vin found that resisting that rosebud nipple was almost as hard as its wait to be pleasured. Gliding down her body, Vin quickly enveloped one rigid points of flesh in his mouth and began to nibble gently.

Alex felt the soft warm heat of his mouth enclosing erect tip and immediately groaned from the spectacular sensation. His tongue went to work immediately, recognizing the reaction as a demand for more. Vin kept pulling at it insistently the more confident he became. He heard her whimper softly as she became more fevered by his oral stimulation. Carried away by instincts older than he, Vin slid one hand in between her legs while the other entwined his fingers between hers. Her body moved under his like warm silk fluttering beneath a cushion of air and the sensation hardened his cock until he had could barely think coherently. As his desire continued to build, his fingers slid past the damp curls between her thighs and tentatively explored the soft, delicate folds of velvet.

Unconsciously, she parted her legs a little wider, giving him better access to her moist depths and Vin found the more he suckled, the more pliable she seemed to his ministrations. He fingered her gently, fascinated by her warmth and the aroma of her passion as he captured her mouth again. This time, there was no doubt or hesitation in his actions. He kissed her passionately and with confidence, his tongue snaking past her teeth and delighting in the feel of her own stroking his. Having been pleasured by that sweet mouth once already, Vin wanted to give her the same in return and continued his explorations, until his found his way into the warm channel that led to the core of her. Her muscles clenched upon feeling him and Vin felt his fingers sucked into a melting pot of warm honey. The sensation alone made him groan out loud and he almost ejaculated from the sheer promise of what those muscles would do for other parts of his anatomy. He began to understand with eagerness what pleasure he w as going to be afforded when he slid his cock into her for the first time.

"Jesus." He moaned, his voice escaping him in a gasp as the power of those taut muscles tightening around his digits.

"God, don't stop." She mumbled senselessly, her hips gyrating as she began riding his hand. His fingers were just wonderful and she wondered through a haze, just how he knew exactly where to touch her. She could feel him pressing up the wall of her slick depths, exploring her as if she were some wonderful new discovery.

"Never," he whispered even though he was not even conscious of having spoken. Suddenly, his finger grazed a hard, pearl of erect tissue and was rewarded with a most acute response. She gasped his name with complete abandon and her legs seemed to spread wider and more wantonly as if he had touched some part of her that destroyed whatever restraint she had left. Her inhibitions melted away completely now and Vin saw her breath had shallowed in anticipation of his touch her there again. He rolled his thumb over that same place and felt a gush of moisture surging against his fingers as her leg hooked over his hip.

"Vin please," she closed her eyes as he continued torturing her with sweet pleasure. Alex threw her head back and let out another whimper of ecstasy when she felt him swirl his wet finger tip around that tiny node of flesh, sending her into a deeper state of sexual frenzy then she had ever known. Her own fingers were digging into his back as the movements against her heated flesh became more and more intense, until all she could feel herself burning slowly with incredible pleasure. She was riding him faster and harder, her hips and his fingers moving in a strange sort of rhythm as he brought her to climax with no idea that he was doing it. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her, wonder in his face as she cried out his name again and then a smile at having brought her there.

Vin never thought Alex could look more beautiful to him then the moment she reached the peak of her pleasure. Her body was hard and taut under him, while her moist depths were ecstasy personified in a sensuous mix of heat wet and pressure. Her muscles tightened around his fingers as she came and the expression on her face was one he would carry with him forever. She was finally his in a way that he had only dreamed about before.

"So beautiful," he whispered as she came down, her breath still panting his ear. "You are so beautiful."

" Vin," Alex stared her glazed eyes at him. She had felt pleasure but not the kind that would complete her. "I need you inside me." She begged in low hungry voice. The climax at his hand only served to stoke a deep need with her, one that she could no endure waiting for any more. "Please, come inside me."

Vin did not hesitate. He was so hard he could barely think. Seeing her climax had been the most erotic thing he had ever seen in his life. Vin never thought that there could be so much satisfaction at knowing he had made a woman feel that way but now he wanted to please her again, the way she had pleasured him. The memory of what her mouth had done to his cock sent another jolt of electricity through him and Vin found himself sliding eagerly between her legs, groaning at the contact of his glans against her skin until it finally nudged past her folds. His breath caught and he stiffened at the exquisite pleasure of penetrating her.

Christ he never thought, never dreamed, it could be feel so good! ,

Vin had to close his eyes and grit his teeth to brace himself as he felt shock waves of pleasure reverberate throughout his body the further he slid into of her tight depths. Warm suction coaxed him in with promises of agonising sensation when both her legs wrapped around his waist. Vin was forced to knot his fists around the sheets to keep himself from crying out. However, the sheer intensity of sensation strangling his hardened cock was beyond belief and he began panting in quick short breaths. Alex's nails were raking through his back and in that pain, he felt beatific pleasure in every inch of the journey to her sweet center.

"So tight," he muttered incoherently into her hair, "God, you're so tight."

Vin filled Alex like no man had ever filled her, like no man she would ever want again. Just the initial stages of their coupling had sent her spiralling into a whirlwind of sensation from which she did not ever want to surface. Her fingers slid over the firm muscles of his rear now that he was exactly where he should be. It was beyond belief how he was making her feel, Alex had never imagined it could be like this. She loved the smell of him, the taste of him, the way he felt buried inside of her all the way to the hilt. She knew that with him, she wanted to be taken hard and fast. Deep inside of Alex, three was the incredible fulfilment of knowing that Vin loved her, that someone could love her and better yet that she loved him, without fear or hesitation, without care of past wounds and forgotten lovers.

"Mate with me Vin," she whispered in his ears. "I'm yours."

He raised his head just long enough to meet her eyes and she saw just how overcome with sensation he was but not so much that he could not appreciate the significance of her words. His cobalt colored eyes sparkled just enough for her to see the happiness in them before the passion of the moment overcame him and he began to thrust into her. His face melted into an expression of utter helplessness as the first onslaught of pleasure overcame him. His jaw was slack at the incredible feelings running through his hard cock and it was all the more wonderful because she had given herself to him.

"Mine." He groaned as he started pumping into her with unsteady strokes. "Always, mine."

It did not take him long to develop a rhythm and the reality was, he knew he would not last as long as he would have liked. The sensations bombarding him were beyond his ability to cope with. He had thought seeing her go down on his cock, with her warm lips and talented tongue was as much pleasure as he could possibly imagine but he had been wrong. Pumping into her warm, feeling her muscles tighten around his hard shaft the more and more frenzied their lovemaking became, Vin knew he was poised on the edge of something that would tear the mind from him almost as completely as the Pon Farr. Yet this would be infinitely better because at this moment, he was in complete charge of himself and not compelled out of some biological need.

Jesus, he was fucking incredible, she thought blissfully out as his pace increased and he was starting to pound into her relentlessly, every ounce of pent up desire was finally finding its release and Alex was grateful for all of it. Her insides a flamed with incredible sensation and when she saw him pushing into her, muscles flexing and glistening magnificently in the manner exclusive only to him, she felt a surge of desire that almost rivalled the lust by which he was taking her.

"Oh Vin, don't stop!" Alex was not even aware of the words leaving her mouth but she did not care as long as he continued what it was he was doing. She was flying higher and higher with each hard thrust, until she could hardly breathe for the pleasure of it all. It had been so long since anyone had been able to bring her to the dizzying heights she was now experiencing with Vin but Alex also knew with certainty that she would go to her dying day, never wanting to be with anyone else. She could feel the approach of her release; it was like the sunrise in the horizon, filling with her with warmth and light, until she could see nothing else but its brilliance.

"Alex," Vin whimpered helplessly. "I can't hold on..."

Alex took his face in her hands and smiled, thinking he never looked as handsome as this moment, when he had utterly lost control of himself and was finally about to succumb to the incredible dance of pleasure they had created together. "Let go Vin," she answered dreamily. "Let go."

Before he did so however, Vin pressed his fingers under her cheek, setting into motion the final act of completion between them. Vin wanted to slip over the edge together and as he concentrated, fighting the impulses of his body as he linked his mind to hers, he could feel how close she was. He could feel her desire for him and her love, it filtered through his mind like a force of nature until their melding became one not only of body but of soul. With that final barrier between them lowered and he was inside her in more ways then one, Vin could no longer hold back. Letting himself go as she had instructed, Vin felt his entire world shatter in an explosion of colour and ecstasy.

Alex felt his tumble head long into the full vent of his orgasm. She felt herself being filled by his warm seed as he came hard inside her. A guttural sound of pleasure and satisfaction escaped Vin as he came crashing down and Alex realised that she was not just seeing it on his face but experiencing it with him. Alex could feel everything he did at the moment of his climax, how he was burning alive with pleasure. She could feel his need to continue pumping into her body, determined to savour every ounce of that soul crushing eruption of sensuous delight coupled with fire and slick, warm heat.

"Oh Jesus Christ!" He gasped as he drained himself into her and felt her mind splinter when she succumbed to her own release and gripped him just as surely as he had taken her on the tidal wave of sensation. Vin felt her warmth wash over him as her muscles tightened around his cock and he was privy to all the incredibly erotic thoughts that moved through her mind as she feasted on how he felt inside her. Vin had never thought the meld between them could mean so much when utilised in this way and knew the physical coupling had been elevated into something extraordinary because of the bond he had now established between them.

"Vin," she muttered dreamily as she started to descend, thoroughly enjoying how it felt when he collapsed on top of her, exhausted and sated at the same time. "That was incredible."

To that he could not disagree and Vin remained inside of her, completely contented by this feeling of knowing that he would never be alone again after this. The meld would always ensure he carried her with him in some way. They were bonded now. In every sense of the word, she had become his mate. Perhaps it had not happened as it should have during the Pon Farr but Vin was Vulcan and like all Vulcans, he did not mate frivolously, no matter what his upbringing might have been. Whatever happened tomorrow, one fact remained irrefutable, their souls were linked now.

"Marry me." He whispered softly as he lay against her breast, nuzzling at the silky texture in the afterglow of their incredible lovemaking.

And to her utmost surprise, the possibility that had so frightened her days ago, seemed the farthest thing from her mind as she considered up the question.

"Yes," she responded with a smile her fingers splayed across his back. "I think I will." 

Part Epilogue

There were times when Chris really hated being a starship captain and then there were other times when it was the privilege he always dreamed it would be. Fortunately, this was one of those occasions where it was more the latter than it was the former. After the tumultuous two weeks, where they had thought Vin Tanner would not survive the Pon Farr and their incursion into Romulan space, Chris found himself presiding at the one event whose sudden arrival was one he welcomed completely. In retrospect, he supposed it was inevitable that things should transpire this way. After all, as much as Vin Tanner appeared and behaved outwardly human, he was nevertheless a Vulcan and there were some things about him that no amount of distance or upbringing could change. The Pon Farr had been one of these absolutes, the other was the fact that Vulcans took their mating seriously and the only possible conclusion that followed his selection of a mate was the ceremony to make it legally binding.

In truth, as far as Vulcan law was concerned, the ceremony itself was just a formality. The moment Vin and Alex had consummated their relationship in a physical sense, they were married. Under normal circumstances, Chris would have had serious reservations about encouraging Vin to enter a matrimonial state so soon after his sexual awakening but Mary explained that once bonded to Alex, Vin was emotionally tethered to her permanently. It was a bond that would last all their lives or until one half of the connection was severed through death. With that assurance and what he knew of Vulcan marriages, Chris decided that Vin was an adult who knew his own mind and the only thing Chris ought to be doing for his best friend was to support his choice.

The rest of the senior staff viewed the coming nuptials in more or less the same way, feeling grateful that Vin was still among them while at the same time showing their solidarity by getting into the spirit of the coming event. Buck Wilmington, known far and wide for his wild bachelor parties that heightened the bar for tasteless debauchery, gave Vin a lively send off, complete with Orion slave girls and Romulan ale in scandalous amounts. As he recalled the revelry of the evening, Chris felt profoundly grateful that modern medicine had found a way to kill the devastating effects of a hangover. If not, he doubted he would be in any state to stand up right, let alone marry anyone.

Alex and Vin had opted to keep the actual ceremony limited to a select few guests although there was no stopping Inez from throwing them a reception in Four Corners, which was open invitation to all members of the crew. Vin seemed a little embarrassed by all the attention while Alex seemed to take it as she took most things, with calm deliberation. Considering she was human and that this proposal had come upon her abruptly, she was rather at ease with the whole situation. Chris suspected that it had much to do with the fact that she knew her mind and her heart when it came to Vin and everything else beyond that was incidental. As for Vin, Chris had never seen him happier and that kind of joy was made him the envy of every man on the ship, Chris included.

In the meantime, the mission to Riga 3, despite the loss of Dylan Pierce was still considered a success. The Jem Hadar’s testimony had given the Romulan High Council the proof it needed to purge the Tal Sh’ya for its part in conducting unlawful experimentation on the citizens of a foreign power, following the Treaty of Cardassia. Starfleet Headquarters informed Chris that Romulan officials had arrived on Riga 3 to find the facility abandoned by its chief researcher, Sub Commander Lorral who had taken a shuttle out of Romulan territory shortly before their arrival. She was reported to have set course for Breen space.

It appeared that Lorral had been acting on her own despite her Tal Shy’a membership and though most of the higher echelon members of that organization denied knowing anything about Riga 3, the Romulan Praetor was not about to let such ignorance stand in the way of their punishment. The Jem Hadar warrior was promptly returned to Deep Space Nine where Colonel Kira had authorized his immediate repatriation to Dominion space. Thanks to the innovations of DS9’s chief surgeon, Julian Bashir, the warrior was able to stave off the effects of withdrawal until his return, since the station lacked samples of Ketracel White to feed his addiction.

Soft music interrupted his thoughts and Chris looked up to see Alex and Josiah entering the Holodeck through the archway. The setting was a representation of Vin’s ranch home in Texas, with the sun burnt aroma of dry grass in the air and the hot sun blazed down on them. It was an idyllic venue of blue skies, open spaces and rugged landscape that was very much in keeping with the personality of the bride and groom, Chris thought to himself. The entire senior staff was present with some notable inclusions, being Casey Wells, Audrey King, Lieutenant Katovit, the holographic android Bishop, Transporter Chief Rain, Assistant Chief Engineer Chano and his date Claire Moselley and of course Inez Recillos.

All who needed to be were in full dress uniform, although the bride herself was dressed simply in a crème satin gown with scalloped neckline and long sleeves that hung just beneath the curve of her shoulders. Her hair was worn up, held in place with delicate white flowers. The groom however, seemed uncomfortable in formal clothing, trying to restrain himself from pulling at the uncomfortable collar while Ezra, his best man, was a perfect contrast of dapper calm. It was the usual reaction of the young Vulcan every time he was forced into his ‘dress blues’ as he called it but succumbed to the tradition on this day because it was an important occasion and certainly warranted the suffering.

Chris sought Mary out in the faces before him before giving the maid of honour a little smile when he finally found her. Mary looked just as breath taking in and at times, like this he appreciated how lucky he was to have her in his life. She was wearing one of those figure hugging dresses he always liked so much and gloriously golden hair was worn lose, capturing the light from the simulated sun from above. Chris wondered if she had any idea how lovely she looked and made a note to tell her when they had a private moment alone.

Almost as if she knew what was in his mind, the protocol officer returned his smile with one of her own as she held Billy’s hand in hers. The boy looked fascinated by the proceedings and noted the warmth exchange between his mother and the captain. Chris shifted his gaze to Billy and winked at the child, bringing forth a smile almost as pleasing as his mother’s. Mary ruffled Billy’s hair and blew Chris a silent kiss before she returned her gaze to the proceedings. Alex continued her journey up the aisle at Josiah’s arm and the Counsellor looked completely at ease next to his radiant companion. As they made their way through the guests, Josiah leaned over and whispered something in Alex’s ear that brought a smile to her face as she cast a furtive glance in Buck Wilmington’s direction.

Obviously, Buck and Josiah practical joke feud was not entirely ended.

Chris was uncertain what was being said but guessed it almost had entirely to do with where Alex’s garter would land when she finally threw it. Buck had stated most firmly that he was not giving up his bachelorhood for anything and thus unwittingly threw down the gauntlet as far as the subject was concerned. Chris shunted the thought aside, certain that they would be seeing the fruit of Alex ad Josiah’s discussion later on, at Buck’s expense. Instead, he cast his eyes to Vin who was trying hard to suppress a happy grin at his arrival of his future wife.

Taking a chance to speak to Vin before the ceremony got underway, Chris leaned over and whispered softly, "You’re ready for this?"

"Yeah," Vin nodded with a smile. After everything he had been through the last two weeks, this was one decision that Vin had absolute confidence in making. However, he appreciated Chris’ reasons for asking. He knew that a lengthy engagement was probably a wise thing to do but he felt no need to wait. His feelings for Alex would not change in a month or a year and as she glided down the aisle, her eyes fixed on him with real pleasure, he knew that it would make little difference to Alex as well.

"I reckon I am." He replied letting out a deep breath.

Chris gave Vin a long look and realised that Vin did know what he was doing and that was all the confirmation Chris needed to proceed with his conscience clear. The captain patted his shoulder and nodded with a smile of acknowledgement, "I reckon you are too."

"I should hope so," Ezra interjected, unable to resist interrupting the moment with his sardonic. "Considering your bride is ten feet away from the altar." The security chief chuckled. "Although if you like, I am certain I can think of something if you choose to make a run for it."

Vin shook his head and turned to Ezra. "I suggest you watch your own back Ezra," Vin retorted, capable of giving as good as he got. "After all you just had to buy Julia a cat, how far do you think you are from where I’m standing right now?"

Ezra’s eyes widened at the dawning possibility and glanced quickly over his shoulder at Julia. The Chief Engineer was sitting next to Nathan and JD, beaming happily at Alex and seeming just a little too affected by the event for Ezra’s comfort. "That is not funny." He said clearly worried.

"The hell it isn't," Chris laughed, not about to let Ezra get away with it. "Pretty damn funny but then you don’t have any commitment issues do you, Ezra or should I get Casey to start picking out another wedding gift?" The captain’s eyes gleamed with evil amusement.

"I suppose when I get to your age, I shall have some minion spare me the trouble of that chore as well." Ezra returned smugly.

"Hey guys," Alex broke in as she approached, having heard most of the conversation "Do you think you could put this remarkable show of maturity aside until after my wedding?"

"Your wedding?" Vin stared at her.

"My wedding," she retorted as she took her position next to him. "It’s going to be perfect and romantic and if any of you men ruin it with your juvenile behaviour, I will kick the crap out of all of you." She said sweetly, winking at Vin with mischief.

Chris stifled a laugh as Alex smiled in his direction while Ezra leaned over to Vin and remarked with complete sympathy. "Welcome to wedded bliss."

THE END

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