The Newsgroup Would Like To Recomend . . .
Deep Space Nine General Romance

Title: KISS OF SHADOWS

Author: T'Lin (LinkyS@aol.com)

Series: DS9

Code: K/m, K/E (hc)

Rating: R

Note 1: on ASC, a challenge was suggested for Halloween '00 -- to write a story with Vampires, Roses & Tears. I wrote a drabble ("Vampire's Kiss") in answer to this challenge ... I then decided to elaborate on my original drabble, to make it a full story. Sadly, I did not finish it in time for Halloween posting. Oh, well, there's always next Halloween.

Note 2: This story is part of the Femme Fuh-Q Fest -http://www.oocities.org/femme_fuhq_fest/

Summary: A pall seems to have settled over the station ... Ezri is concerned over the effect it is having on Kira. The prolog here is the drabble "Vampire's Kiss", ŠT'Lin - 0010.09

Warning: this story deals with some 'dark' issues, and contains some mild sexual contact (although no sex, per se) ... m/f as well as f/f ... if this is not your thing, I suggest you skip it.

Archive: FFF, ASC/EM, BLTS, TREKSLASH and my web page - http://www.oocities.org/tlin_s/ ... all others, please ask first.

Feedback: Yes, please ... all feedback gladly accepted, and appreciated. Send to LinkyS@aol.com, or post to the list.

KISS OF SHADOWS

by T'Lin - 0102.03

A solitary figure, dark ... mysterious, made his way to where Kira stood, staring at the stars.

He had seen her before, alone ... sad. Desperation ... grief poured from her being.

As he approached, he noticed the tears streaming, unnoticed.

She was lovely in her wretchedness ... vulnerable ... lost ... needy. He would make her his own.

With one look, she was under his control. His touch, fire ... igniting her passion ... renewing her loss. He feasted on her emotions ... and her blood.

Kira awoke, disoriented and confused ... with a rose at her side.

Ezri sat, alone, in the replomat, reflecting on recent events. A pall seemed to hang over the station ... nobody was free of it's influence. In the few short months since she had been here, much had changed. Most notably, the war with the Dominion had ended ... however, a situation that should have engendered celebration had only resulted in sadness, depression and loss.

First and foremost, the Captain had disappeared ... he was with the Prophets, and only they knew when he would be back. They had told Kasedy that he would return, and for her sake, she hoped he did ... but in the mean time, Kasedy and Jake have gone to Bajor, where she would deliver her baby, without her husband.

Then there was Julian ... poor, lost Julian. The ending of the war was especially devastating for him. It sometimes seemed as if every person who had ever been close to him had left, in one way or another. First Jadzia had died ... then Garak returned to Cardassia ... then Miles went home to Earth, with his family. Ezri had tried to be a part of his life ... she had thought that it was what she wanted, and what he needed ... but their relationship was as brief as it was intense. She quickly discovered that it would not work ... and with the last letter he received from Garak, Julian realized this too. Ezri was glad that he had joined Garak on Cardassia Prime ... she hoped they would be happy.

Ezri sat back with a sad smile, as she saw Kira enter the replomat. Kira was another one who had suffered a personal loss with the ending of the war ... she had lost Odo. He had gone to be with his people ... help them heal, and hopefully come to a better understanding of 'solids'. He said he may come back some day, but I could tell Kira didn't think he would.

She had been quite melancholy about his leaving at first, but eventually seemed to 'get over him', as the saying went. Lately, however, she seemed listless ... as if she were not sleeping. Very much like when he first left. Ezri was concerned ... she cared about the Bajoran Colonel ... and wanted her to be happy.

This morning, Kira looked worse than usual. She was pale, with dark circles under her beautiful eyes, and she moved as if she had no energy. Ezri saw her get her usual cup of raktajino and look around the replomat ... searching for a familiar face. Spotting Ezri, she made her way over and slumped into the chair across from her friend.

Shocked at her friends appearance, Ezri reached out to take her hand, as she asked, "are you all right?"

"I'm fine ... just tired," she said, as she sipped her raktajino, then seeing the concern in the young councilor's eyes, knew she couldn't leave it at that. Ezri deserved better, but she could not bring herself to tell her the truth ... a partial truth would have to do. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Ezri was skeptical ... *she* didn't know Kira all that well, but Jadzia had, and *her* memories, combined with her own observations told her that Kira was not being truthful with her. Trying to keep some lightness in her query, Ezri asked, "anything you'd like to talk about?"

Kira hesitated, as she sipped her raktajino and looked into her friends eyes ... for a moment, she considered Ezri's offer, but there was really nothing to talk about ... "No ... it's really nothing." She quickly finished her morning cup, and stood, adding, "I've got to get to Ops ... I'll see you later." And with that, she left the replomat.

After she was gone, Ezri noticed a single rose bud lying on the floor next to the chair where Kira had been sitting ... it had not been there before.

Kira sat in her office, lost in thought. Last night had been the second night in a row that she had experienced *the dream* ... and the second time she had woken up in the observation lounge. The first time, she had assumed she dreamt of Odo, for although the image in her dream was indistinct, and the memory vague, she knew the dream had awakened her passion for the changeling.

But last night was different ... last night seemed more *real* somehow. When she awoke -- stiff, sore and more tired than the night before -- she wondered what had happened to her in the night. The dream was still vague, the image indistinct ... although she could now recall a dark figure coming towards her, all dressed in black ... yet the signs of her arousal were quite clear to her.

She was somewhat mortified to think that she had fallen asleep while staring out at the stars -- where *anyone* could have seen her -- and then masturbated during a wet dream. But all evidence pointed to just such a situation ... that is, if she ignored *the rose*.

That was the one thing that her mind kept trying to forget ... the one item that made last nights *dream* not a dream, after all. Where had the rose come from? Or better yet ... who had it come from?

He watched from the shadows as Kira made her way to the window, where she had been on the previous two nights. He focused his thoughts on her, awaking her sense of despair and loneliness ... just as he would awaken her lust and passion, to feed his hunger.

As she settled into her usual place, he made his way over to her. Tonight, he would let her see him ... at least at first. He would give her a chance to accept him and what he had to offer her. If she declined, he could always mesmerize her, as he had done on the previous two nights ... the end result would be the same, she would be his for all eternity.

Ezri was restless ... she had planned to have dinner with Kira, but the Colonel had called to cancel at the last minute. She said she would be going to bed early, as she hadn't slept well the past few nights. Ezri had wanted to argue that she needed food as much as sleep, but recalling the exhausted look in her eyes that morning, she relented that perhaps sleep was more important right now.

Unable to sleep herself, Ezri decided to go to Quarks for a little company ... maybe Worf would be around ... or perhaps she could spend some time with Morn, or Quark ... anything would be better than pacing her quarters.

She took her time walking from her quarters to the Promenade ... it was eerily quiet, and those few who were around seemed to be talking in hushed tones, keeping to the shadows ... as if they were afraid to disturb the peace of the station.

Those who traveled alone along the hallways scurried along, avoiding eye contact with her, or anyone else they came across. The hub of the Promenade was empty ... as she neared Quarks, she noted that it was quiet here, too. No calls of 'dabo!' ... no laughter or music ... no hum of overlapping conversations.

As she was about to enter the bar, movement caught her eye ... a glimpse of shadow or reflected light ... but as she turned, there was nobody in sight. She shook her head, and hugged herself, as a shiver overcame her.

Fighting the irrational fear that was quickly overtaking her common sense, she entered Quark's. She didn't know what to expect, but was relieved to see Morn sitting in his usual spot, and Quark behind the bar. Then it registered ... besides them, the bar was empty.

Kira, her heart racing, turned suddenly and let out a yelp of surprise as she tried to step back ... away from the man standing just inches away. She had not heard him approach, nor had she seen his reflection ... but she knew she was no longer alone.

There was no light in her immediate vicinity, so she could not see his face ... but there was no doubt in her mind ... she had seen this man before ... if only she could remember where or when ...

"I told you STARFLEET hadn't deserted us," Quark was saying to Morn as she entered the bar. Morn just shook his head, before tipping back the end of his drink. Quark was there, giving his best customer the refill he required.

"What's going on here, Quark?" Ezri asked, as she looked around, bewildered at the total lack of patronage in the usually crowded bar.

Quark, exasperated, finished pouring Morn's drink and turned to face the Trill. "You tell me! Business had been pretty slow for about a week ... but the past couple on nights, it's gotten even worse." He motioned Ezri to come closer, and leaning across the bar, as if to whisper to her, he went on in a quieter tone, "rumor has it that half of the civilian population of the station has left, and that STARFLEET is soon to follow ... as for the rest, it's as if people are afraid to leave their quarters."

Ezri was puzzled ... she had not heard about any mass-evacuation -- voluntary, or otherwise -- but she was almost certain that STARFLEET was not abandoning the station anytime soon. "Look, Quark, I have no idea what's going on, but I can assure you that STARFLEET is not going anywhere ... at least not in the immediate future." She paused, glancing out into the Promenade, then continued, "As for the 'fear' you are sensing ... I have felt it, too. Something is wrong here ... there is an uneasiness about the place ... I thought it had to do with the disappearance of the Captain, but it goes far beyond that."

"Who are you," Kira asked, trying to step away from the shadowy figure.

"A friend, I hope." He gave her a bit of room ... // no need to press her too quickly ... after all, it is so much better to get them as willing sacrifices // he thought. "I could not help but notice you, as you have stood here, crying, for the past three nights."

Kira was slightly frightened, but trying hard not to let it show. // what's going one here // she thought, as she tried to come to terms with the idea that this total stranger had been watching her from the shadows ... and she had been totally unaware of it. It was so unlike her to become so distracted ... but then, nothing about the past few days had been typical ... she was definitely not herself, nor was anyone else on the station ...

Then she started to shiver, as the 'memories' started to surface. She suddenly realized that her dreams had not been dreams, after all ... this man, whoever he was, had been part of them. She tried to back away, but her way was blocked by the support beam ... the only way out was to go past him ...

He could see her fear escalating ... it shone in her eyes. He smiled, drinking it in, becoming slightly intoxicated, as if it was the finest wine. Oh, how he loved the way she tried to fight her fear ... it added a sweetness that was lacking in those of lesser character. He would saver every moment of her torment ... then move her to the next level of his seduction.

Tonight, he would only need to slightest bit of control over her ... just enough to prevent her from calling out. He knew this, because under the fear, he could sense the curiosity ... and in this one, that was the stronger emotion ... it would always overcome the fear.

He started to move toward her ... reaching out his hand, as if to touch her cheek. Kira wanted to scream ... call out for help ... run ... but she was frozen. As the wormhole opened outside the viewport, the light shone on the strangers face ... he was beautiful, and Kira was no longer frightened ... after all, this was the man of her dreams ... the dark, shadowy figure who had inflamed her senses.

Ezri was still restless as she left Quarks. Morn had offered to walk her to her quarters, but she declined ... she still wasn't sleepy, and decided a walk around the promenade would do her a world of good. She was lost in thought, as she slowly made her way around the circuit of the upper level, but a movement below caught her eye ... someone was in the observation lounge.

Curious, she altered her course ... the utter 'emptiness' of the Promenade was unnerving. Even at the height of the war, this place was active in the middle of the night ... but not now. The place was virtually deserted. Knowing that there was *someone* up and about besides her was a comfort.

As she approached the lounge, she thought she heard a sound. It was indistinct, and at first, she was unsure if she had actually heard anything, or if it was all in her imagination. Just as she was about to dismiss it as imaginary, it came again ... she took a step closer to the entrance, and abruptly stopped.

Suddenly, she had the overwhelming urge to flee ... to get as far away from the lounge as she possibly could. She knew it was irrational, but she was unable to take another step. She leaned against to bulkhead, breathing heavily as she tried to shake this sense of dread and foreboding that threatened to overwhelm her.

After a few moments, her breathing was back to normal. She stayed leaning against the wall, listening ... trying to determine what was going on in the lounge. The sounds were quiet ... muffled ... indistinct. At one time, she thought she heard weeping ... at another, it may have been lovers. She was about to dismiss it as none of her business, when she distinctly heard the word 'stop' ... and it was Kira's voice.

Stepping away from the wall, she once again tried to enter the lounge ... but as the irrational urge to flee hit her once more, she called out, "Kira? Are you alright?"

She collapsed to her knees ... fighting the urge to run away ... forcing herself to go to her friend. Feeling nauseous, she continued to fight ... until she finally was in the room far enough to see the two figures struggling near the viewport. Completely unable to go any further, she hit her commbadge, and called out for security.

Within seconds, the sound of several security people was heard coming down the corridor ... hearing this, the man who was struggling with Kira shoved her away, and ran past Ezri, heading in the opposite direction.

As he passed, Ezri was suddenly able to move once more. Recovering quickly, she made her way to Kira, as the security detail entered the room. She told them he had run off ... and after a very quick description, they followed.

Kira was shaking. Ezri, barely recovered herself, but obviously in better shape that her friend, took the Bajoran in her arms, and held her close ... gently rocking her as she whispered words of comfort.

They were still sitting there, leaning against the support beam, rocking gently, when Quark entered the observation lounge an hour later. Kira had stopped shaking, and as far as Ezri could tell, she may have fallen asleep. At Quark's approach, she whispered, "did they catch him?"

He just shook his head, as he knelt down in front of us, saying, "not that I've heard. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ezri smiled at him weakly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, there is ... um, could you have someone beam us to my quarters? I really don't want to wake her just now, but I don't want to sit on the floor all night, either."

"No problem, I'll take care of it right away ... then I'll find out what I can from security for you," he said, as he touched Ezri's cheek, and gave Kira a light kiss on the forehead. Standing, he added, "take care of her ..."

He left quicky, Ezri was a bit puzzled by his reaction, then a memory of Jadzia's surfaced ... she could only assume that Quark had a bit of a crush on Kira, just as he had had on Jadzia. ... she smiled ... she wouldn't be surprised to learn that he probably had a crush on her, too. Quark was kind of cute, in a 'ferengi' sort of way ... but definitely NOT her type.

// now Kira, on the other hand ... // No, she would not think of that right now, she admonished herself, as she felt the tingle of the transporter overcome her.

Ezri was pleasantly surprised to discover that they were materializing on her bed. She would have to thank Quark, and whoever was on transporter duty, when she saw them next. Since they were placed sitting on the center of the bed, it was an easy task to lower Kira's head to the pillow, and slip out of bed to get a blanket.

At the sudden lack of contact, Kira stirred slightly, but did not waken ... Ezri carefully removed Kira's boots, then her own. When she returned to the bed, Kira had rolled onto her side, so Ezri lay next to her ... spooning her ... holding her close ... as she drifted off to sleep.

Ezri awoke a short while later very much aroused ... and quickly realized that Kira was also awake. As a matter of fact, she was the reason that Ezri had awoken in her present condition. They had, apparently, switched positions while they slept, and as Kira was spooning Ezri, she was fondling her breasts and nuzzling her neck ... she knew exactly how to stimulate the spots with her tongue ... a technique that Jadzia had taught her, and was universally effective with Trills.

Ezri, wanted this very much, but knew that this was not the time. Kira had just been through a traumatic experience ...she was vulnerable, and most likely confused ... and until they had a chance to talk about what happened, engaging in a sexual relationship would not be in her best interest.

Of course, rejecting her would not do, either. So Ezri had to take this slowly ... forget the fact that she was horny as hell, and get Kira to talk. Her first step would be to move, so that Kira would not be able to lick her spots. Once that bit of stimulation was no longer distracting her, she was able to think more clearly.

Rolling over to face Kira, she was pleased to see a smile on her friend's face ... the haunted look of the previous morning was no longer there, although the dark circles under her eyes had not gone away completely. Obviously, she was still suffering from lack of sleep ... or possibly something more. She would have to convince her to visit the new doctor ... but that was for later. Right now, she wanted to find out what had happened.

"Kira?" she asked, and when she had her full attention, she continued, "can you tell me what happened? Who it was that attacked you? Had you ever seen him before?" The questions came flowing out of her ... she wasn't sure which answers she wanted first, but she needed to know that Kira was alright.

She shook her head ... the questions bringing that haunted look back to her eyes. Ezri hated to see her like that, so lost and confused. Taking her once again into her arms, she whispered, "it's alright ... you're safe now." When Kira seemed to relax once again, she went on, "can you tell me anything?"

Kira took a shuddering breath, then seemed to get her composure back. "Not much. I didn't know who he was ... yet he was familiar." She shook her head, then continued, "you remember I told you I hadn't been sleeping well?"

Ezri nodded, she did not want to interrupt Kira's words.

"Well, that wasn't entirely the truth. I had been having dreams ... but not just ordinary dreams ... they were very erotic ..." She paused, and looked at Ezri. Seeing encouragement in her friends eyes, she found the strength to continue without too much embarrassment. "I found this to be very disturbing ... not so much because of the erotic nature of the dreams, but because of where I was when I had them. You see, I was not in my quarters when I had them ... I was in the observation lounge."

Suddenly, the tears started again, and she turned away, "and last night, I realized that they were *not* dreams ... I was ... he had been ..." she could not go on. The reality of what had happened to her had finally set in.

"Shh ... hush now ... you're safe ... it's over ..." Ezri kept repeating these words over and over, as she held Kira close. When Kira's tears abated once again, Ezri said, "come on now, let's get some more sleep ... in the morning, we'll see if the security people caught the guy ... OK?"

She sniffled once, then nodded her agreement. With her head resting on Ezri's shoulder, she fell asleep almost instantly.

In the morning, Ezri woke to find Kira gone ... slightly panicked, she hopped out of bed ready to go searching for her. As the activity brought her fully awake, she realized that Kira was in the shower. With a sigh of relief, she crossed the room to the fresher door, and called out "good morning ... did you sleep well?"

The sound of running water stopped, and Kira called back, "thanks to you, yes." In seconds, she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and rubbing a smaller one over her short hair. Crossing the room, she gave Ezri a light kiss on the forehead, saying, "Thanks ... for everything."

"I just wish I could have done more. I must admit, you seem much better this morning ... a good night's sleep certainly seems to have done wonders for you."

"Yes ... it's as if a dark cloud had been obscuring the view, and was suddenly gone." she said, as she made her way back into the fresher to get dressed.

She was right ... that feeling of 'oppression' that had been bothering Ezri for days seemed to be gone ... she smiled as she asked, "so tell me, have you talked to security yet this morning? Did they catch the guy?"

"Yeah ... I talked to them. Seems they spent the night searching, to no avail ... they even went over the security tapes of the station, including the ones of the observation lounge, and there was no sign of anyone there besides me ... and then you. They said it looked like I was fighting with myself."

Kira emerged, fully dressed, and shaking her head. Seeing the bewildered look on Ezri's face, she continued, "however, about one hour ago, a small ship left the station ... no one knew how long it had been here, or where it had come from ... nobody had seen it before. They tried to hail it, but there was no answer ... when they scanned it, there were no life signs on board. Just as they were about to put a tractor beam on it, it disappeared ... we can only assume that my mysterious assailant was on that ship."

"But aren't you curious? Don't you want to know who he was?"

"No ... I think it is enough to know that he is gone ... and will not be back. And yes, before you ask, I *know* he is gone ... I don't know how, but I do." Kira went over to Ezri and sat next to her, she took her hand, as she continued, "it's over ... time to go on with my life, and forget this ever happened. I fear that too much curiosity over him would only bring him back here ... and the next time, I doubt I would escape him so easily.

"Come on ... get dressed, then we'll go get some breakfast ... time to face a new day." Kira stood, still holding Ezri's hand, and pulled the shorter woman to her feet and into her embrace. With a kiss that was more than just friendship, but not quite passionate, she once again said, "thank you," then released Ezri with a slight shove toward the fresher.

// time for a new beginning, indeed // she thought, as she watched the Trill leave the room.

THE END

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