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From Romulus With Love
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Published:
2016-07-06
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2021-05-17
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38,179
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12/?
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Negotiations

Summary:

In the wake of the Dominion War, the Federation seeks to strengthen its ties to the Romulan and Klingon empires. Senator Vreenak of Romulus and Ensign Reina Hence of Earth are grudgingly dragged into working together in a cultural exchange program and establish ties of their own. Originally posted on my FF.net account!

Chapter Text

 

As Julian Bashir pressed the hypospray to the Klingon’s neck he could only reflect that this certainly was not what he thought he would be doing today. A barfight between Romulans and Klingons, though not unexpected in hindsight, ruined his plans for a nice outing with Garak on the holodeck. The Cardassian had expressed disappointment at his cancellation, though he smiled when Bashir recounted the details of Senator Vreenak being launched over the bar at Quark’s.

Resisting the urge to laugh at the memory, Bashir hurried to treat the next Klingon waiting. This particular group hadn’t taken much of a beating, and only by the insistence of Sisko did they agree to be examined. Idle Klingons did not do well for a sick bay.

The Dominion War had ended only a few months past, and politically and logistically there was still a good deal to sort out. The powers that be, in this case, the Federation, decided that it was a perfect time to reorganize and renegotiate peace accords and agreements with the Romulan and Klingon Empires. A conference was currently being held at Deep Space Nine with several retinues from each interstellar power.The general idea was that if the three powers could unite and shed blood together against the Dominion, they could certainly further strengthen the bonds between their peoples. Unfortunately, the end goals and objectives of the negotiations were vague at best. And the chaos of war still bled over into peace time, making bureaucratic dealings and directives all the more unclear and frustrating, and the negotiators were beginning to feel it. This tension led to the dredging up of old grudges and bloodfueds, particularly between the Romulans and Klingons who had spent more time at war than practically any other species in the galaxy.

This latest bout of fighting was brought on by thinly veiled insults that a Romulan centurion directed at a particularly testy Klingon warrior, an aide of General Martok. One thing led to another, and well, here they all were, crowding up sickbay.

Bashir glanced over his shoulder at his newest assistant, Reina, who was currently examining a bruised Romulan, strategically placed away from the Klingons.

“Well, it looks like you’ll be fine,” Reina said with a smile as she moved the dermal regenerator over a nasty gash the Romulan had sustained.

The Romulan only scowled at her in reply.

Bashir smirked. As his newest assistant, Reina was a vivacious young woman, who could easily charm any human (a most other species) male off his feet. In fact, Bashir had always imagined her as someday becoming the wife of an ambassador or Starfleet admiral, wining and dining political adversaries and opponents alike. With a few flashes of her brilliant smile, they were sure to fall at her feet and acquiesce to anything she wanted.

 The Romulans were proving to be quite a challenge to her, however.

“I do not need to be here.” The Romulan said tightly.

“That gash on your head says otherwise” Reina replied with an even tone.

“If those Klingons had any honor, they would not have started the confrontation.”

Unfortunately, this last remark was heard quite clearly by the Klingons.

“What did you say?!” one shouted, crossing the room, “I’ll rip you apart Romulan! It is you who has no honor!”

“That’s enough!” Bashir said firmly, stepping between the Klingon and his target.

The Klingon sneered “What business do you have interfering in this, human?”

“It is his sickbay.” Reina reminded him. “And frankly, that’s no way to talk to someone who just spent time and effort focused on your wellbeing. If you have further concerns to address with the Romulans, I suggest you send it up to your superiors.”

She wagged one finger at the Romulan in front of her, “And that goes for you too!”

The Klingon hesitated for only a moment, then with a parting insult directed at Reina, exited the room. His colleagues closely followed.

Now, Bashir allowed a smile to grace his face. He had been wrong. Reina wasn’t destined to be an ambassador’s wife. She was destined to be the ambassador.

A little while later, once the sickbay had been cleared of battered Romulans, and the less battered Klingons, Bashir realized two key Romulan officials involved in the scuffle listed in Odo’s report hadn’t reported to Sick Bay.

With a sigh, Bashir tapped his comm badge “Bashir to Sisko”

“Sisko here.”

“Sir, Senators Letant and Vreenak have not checked in after the incident in Quark’s. Would I be committing a diplomatic offense in sending someone to check in on them? Wouldn’t want to be the cause of any bruised egos by playing nurse to them.”

“Frankly, I don’t care about their bruised egos. They acted like damn children.”

Bashir grinned, “Even so.”

“Even so, yes, check up on them. Sisko out.”

Bashir turned to Reina who was scrolling through a PADD, “Reina, could you do me a favor and check up on Senator Vreenak? I’ll take Letant. Just ensure he hasn’t sustained significant damage.”

Reina grinned “Play nurse to a senator? That’s what I live for!”

Her sarcasm was not lost on Bashir, “Just be delicate. I’m sure he’d find some way of turning this around on the Federation.”

Reina threw her hands up in a gesture of defeat, “Fine. I’m sure he’s a giant sweetheart anyway.” She muttered.

Bashir smiled, “Testy today are we?”

“That’s what happens when Romulans and Klingons both come for a visit.”

Bashir laughed, “You’re just mad because your smiles weren’t enough to win any of them over.”

Reina grinned brightly, “Luckily, you’re not immune.” She pinched his cheek affectionately, then swept past him to gather up some supplies.

Bashir shook his head. Vreenak would have his hands full with that one.

 

As Reina made her way to the quarters of the esteemed Romulan senator, she couldn’t help but feel the urge to laugh at her predicament. In taking a medical assistant position on the far flung Deep Space Nine, she had seen her fair share of assignments that were unusual in nature. This was especially because of the station’s proximity to the wormhole. All sorts of new medical phenomena came with the territory of contacting new species in the Gamma quadrant.

This upcoming task was familiar however. She had treated her fair share of grumpy, old men who were all too conscientious of appearing weak. She suspected that this case with an important, dignified Romulan senator would prove to be similar.

This assumption was proven wrong from the moment she spotted the double doors of the senator’s quarters. Outside were stationed two Romulan guards with dispositions that did not imply they would allow her to waltz in.

She steeled herself for an argument then stepped forward.

“What are you doing here?” one queried.

Reina offered her brightest smile then said peaceably, “I’ve been sent by Doctor Bashir, just to check up on the Senator.”

“He is in no need of assistance.” The other guard said firmly.

“Even so, it would make Commander Sisko that much more relieved if I personally saw to his comfort.” Reina said calmly.

The guards looked to each other, then one nodded. He pressed a button on the side panel of the door,

“Senator, Starfleet has sent a girl to see to your comfort.”

Before Reina could correct the guard’s unfortunate, and she suspected deliberate, phrasing, the doors slid open with a hiss. The guards stepped aside to allow her entrance.

Reina entered cautiously, suddenly very aware that she was uncertain how to act in the presence of an interstellar diplomat.

At first, she couldn’t see him. Then spotted the top of a dark head on the sofa.

“Senator?”

He sat up and craned his neck to observe her, “Come.” He said. He was seated in a relaxed fashion, a PADD balanced on one knee and a drink in hand. Reina approached, surprised at the senator’s even tone.

Reina walked around the sofa, “Hello, I’m Ensign Hence, Doctor Bashir sent me to-“

“See to my comfort?” Vreenak supplied with a wry look. “Yes, I know.”

Reina flushed a little at that, “That was poor phrasing sir.”

“You think my guard has poor phrasing?”

Reina felt herself blushing even more, “Well that particular remark-“

“Hmm,” the Senator cut her off. His eyes swept over her, and she found herself scanning him in return. Vreenak was not nearly as old as she had thought, though it was often difficult to tell where Romulans were concerned. He had neatly cut black hair, with no signs of graying, and sharp facial features that reflected the remarkable intelligence he was rumored to possess. All in all, nothing that Reina had expected. Her medically trained eye also picked up on his posture, which looked as if it was accommodating some internal pain.

Without invitation she took out her tricorder to scan him, seating herself next to him in the process. He raised an eyebrow at her abrupt manners, but allowed the scan to continue.

 As she went to work on her examination, she felt his scrutinizing gaze on her face. It was making her vastly uncomfortable, a feeling which reflected itself on her face as a blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks. She didn’t dare stare directly into his face, but she got the impression that he was amused by her nervous energy.

 “Find anything?” he asked.

“You’re a little bruised up, but nothing serious. I’ll give you something for the pain.”

Vreenak scoffed, “Are all Starfleet medical officers so insightful?”

Reina willed her body not to react to the abrasive comment, but felt the blush on her face intensify anyway.

“Are all Romulan senators so easily drawn into petty disputes at bars?” she replied.

Vreenak’s lips tightened in anger at her remark, and Reina silently berated herself for her lack of control. It wasn’t like her to be so belligerent. She had dealt with plenty of patients with nastier attitudes than this guy, and yet for some reason he was managing to push her buttons. And she couldn’t get this damn blush off of her face.

She reached for her hypospray, noticing a bottle with blue liquid on the table in front of them. The same substance filled Vreenak’s glass.

“Kali-fal?” she asked.

“I’m glad you know the Romulan name Ms. Hence.”

“Ensign Hence.”

He waved a hand, “Yes of course. I’d offer you some but it’s an extremely intoxicating beverage for humans, particularly females.”

Reina didn’t know if it was because of Vreenak’s flippant attitude or her own discomfort in the situation, but seemingly of its own accord, her hand reached out and took the glass from the Senator’s hand. Meeting his shocked gaze, she calmly gulped down the remaining contents of the glass.

Instantly, her mouth and throat were aflame. She struggled to maintain her composure as she said, “I’ve had worse.”

Vreenak grinned, “Oh yes, I’m sure you have.”

He plucked the glass from her hand and placed it on the table.

“Don’t try and stand for a few minutes.” He advised.

Defiantly Reina stated, “Well, unfortunately duty calls. If you need anything else please don’t hesitate to call sickbay.”

Vreenak watched Reina amusedly, “Ms. Hence, you haven’t given me my injection.”

 “Right, of course. I was just getting to that.” Reina cleared her throat and turned to Vreenak, who propped his arms up on the back of the couch and watched her with the hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth.

Reina adjusted the dosage level on the head of her hypospray, then quickly injected the medicine into Vreenak’s neck. She was surprised to feel her fingers brush against pleasantly warm, dry skin.

 “There. That should take care of any internal pain.” She said, “As I said please contact Sick Bay if any other symptoms arise.”

Reina rose from the couch and her vision began spinning.

“Wha-“

She landed back on the couch with a huff.

“Ms. Hence, are you sure you are unaffected by the kali fal?” Vreenak asked amusedly.

“Like I said, I’ve had worse. I just have terrible balance.” She lied.

“Hmm, well in that case don’t let me keep you. Please attend to your duties.”

Reina held in a growl. Smug bastard. Her ire at the Senator propelled her into standing once again. This time she managed to stay upright, but that was about as much progress as she made. When she leaned forward to gather her supplies, her vision once again began swimming and she came dangerously close to collapsing on the low coffee table.

Surprisingly, she felt warm hands on her hips tugging her backwards. Soon she found her back pressed up against the chest of Vreenak, who was now standing to assist her.

“Ensign.” He chuckled.

Reina felt the rumble in his chest vibrate against her back and recognized it as a pleasant sensation.

“Senator.” She said thickly, “I do apologize. The drink may have had more of an effect than I realized.”

It hurt her pride to admit it, but for the sake of diplomacy with the Romulan Empire she figured it would be best not to further antagonize the high ranking senator who just got his ass beat by a group of Klingons. Best to apologize for the damage she may have already done, then hightail it out of there.

She twisted herself around to face the Romulan, grateful that he gripped her arms to help with her balance.

“Forgive me. I’ll see myself out.”

“I doubt you will.” He remarked dryly, “Unless you plan on crawling on your hands and knees to your quarters.”

For some reason this description struck Reina as suggestive and she felt the blush on her face returning. Luckily, Vreenak was occupied with his communication device, contacting his guards.

“Neral, please come and assist Ms. Hence in returning to her quarters.”

The door slid open and the guard who initially heckled Reina walked in. Vreenak handed Reina off to him.

“Goodbye Ms. Hence.”

Reina didn’t bother replying.

As the guard called Neral escorted her back to her quarters, Reina avoided eye contact with him only muttering when necessary to give directions. However, she did sneak a few peeks at him a couple of times and was surprised at his neutral, almost bored face. Did he often escort inebriated women from the Senator’s quarters? He certainly seemed unfazed by this task. Or maybe it had just been an off kilter day for the Romulan guards after the earlier altercation, and everything else just paled in comparison.

They finally stopped at Reina’s quarters and Reina thanked the guard for his service before typing her security code into the door’s panel and quickly ducking into her room.

Her first priority was to drink some water. She had always been something of a lightweight and the last thing she needed was to end up hungover because of her ill advised consumption of kali fal.

Once she felt the drunken effects wearing off, she put in a call to Julian to explain why she’d be missing the rest of her shift. She decided to be honest about it. After all, she hadn’t had many indiscretions during her career and she trusted Julian to forgive her mistake. Besides, if she did lie about it and Vreenak decided to report the incident to Sisko she’d have more consequences to deal with.

Luckily, Julian laughed it off.

“Romulan ale? Reina, you know the effects it has on the human body! It’s highly intoxicating in comparison to human alcoholic beverages and you…”

“I know, I’m a lightweight. I had no business messing with the stuff. I was just…I don’t know.”

She didn’t care to explain that Vreenak had flustered her so badly that she wanted to do something, anything, to push back and regain her confidence in his presence.

After her conversation with Julian, Reina rummaged through her clothing and changed into the most comfortable outfit she had, a ratty t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. Setting an alarm for the next morning, she snuggled into bed and found herself dozing off to thoughts of being caressed by warm, dry hands.

Chapter Text

Vreenak rubbed his raised temples tiredly as he seated himself in the chair of his desk in his temporary quarters. To say it had been a trying and exhausting day was an understatement. After the disgraceful fight with the Klingons his men had instigated and the strange episode with the Starfleet ensign, Vreenak had had just about enough of socializing for the day. And as the brawl had shown, the ongoing negotiations were proving to be unsuccessful, to the point that Vreenak expected his delegation to be recalled to Romulus any day now.


The beep signaling a subspace communication sparked irrational hope in his chest. Perhaps this was the order to withdraw?


“Computer on screen.” He ordered.


To his utter dismay and irritation, Benjamin Sisko’s face filled the view screen.


“Captain, how can I help you?” his tone retained its normal relaxed and even tone, but inside he was boiling. The Starfleet captain was proving to be persistent in the peace negotiations, and Vreenak was hating him more and more with each passing day.


“Senator Vreenak. I trust our medical staff saw to your needs satisfactorily?” Sisko asked, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.


“Indeed”. As strange as the female Starfleet officer had been, he couldn’t deny that she had administered treatment.


“I trust the Ferengi’s establishment was not too badly damaged?”


At this Sisko openly smiled, “Oh I’m sure you’ll be getting a bill soon”


Vreenak grimaced. He despised having to dish out apologies. As a matter of fact, he had deliberately avoided them as much as possible throughout his career. Generally, the political game on Romulus relied heavily on subterfuge, more so than on other worlds. In avoiding issues directly, politicians never really found themselves in front of podiums dishing out apologies. Unfortunately, Vreenak now found himself in such a position.


“I’ll be sure it’s paid in full. I apologize for the disturbance” he added stiffly.

He reached to turn off the viewscreen but was stopped by Sisko’s booming voice.

“Just a moment Senator. I have a request”

Of course, he did.

“How may I be of assistance?” Vreenak asked, his voice taking on a tightness.


“Given the state of the negotiations, my superiors at Starfleet command have come up with a rather…creative measure that might assist us”


Vreenak nearly snorted. Just what this situation needed, human creativity.


“I’ve been authorized to institute a cultural exchange program, between members of my own crew and the delegations of the Romulans and Klingons, provided we have your agreement,” Sisko explained.


Vreenak raised an eyebrow, “A curious method”


“It would be a 6-week program, taking place here on the station. I’d like to set up a meeting with you to hash out the details, see if you’d be willing to lend your support”


It was clear to Vreenak that this cultural exchange program was nothing more than a ploy by Starfleet to prolong the stay of the delegations on Deep Space Nine. Likely, they thought that such a program would support the idea of “togetherness” or some other equally ridiculous idea that the Federation professed to uphold. In any case, he was sure his government would never sanction such an endeavor.


That thought bolstered his confidence considerably and he nodded at Sisko, “Perhaps tomorrow morning Captain?”


“0800?”


“That will work”


The next morning, Vreenak went to meet Sisko in his office. He fervently hoped the Klingons had given an outright rejection, thus putting an end to Starfleet’s ill- advised venture, but his hopes were dashed at the sight of General Martok’s one-eyed visage seated next to Sisko.


He inclined his head politely, “General”


“Senator. Glad to see you in one piece.” He chortled, “Heard you took a bit of a tumble”


‘ Tumble’ was a generous word to describe being thrown by one of the General’s own aides.


“Have a seat.” Sisko said, “Kali fal? Or perhaps bloodwine?”


Vreenak eyed Sisko’s own half drunk glass of the blue liquid, recalling the shocked look on the Starfleet ensign’s face when she had downed his drink the night before. He guessed that since Sisko was not laid out on the floor, the drink before him was a synthesized version of his homeworld’s most famous beverage.


He politely declined, and didn’t even entertain the notion of drinking the repulsive bloodwine.


The meeting went on without delay and Sisko’s description of the program surprised Vreenak in several ways. First, it would apparently use a partner system that required each pair to spend several hours a week together doing different cultural activities, alternating between cultures with each event. On top of that, there were going to be general meetings where Federation members, Klingons, and Romulans discussed their progress. It was up to each faction to select six members of their delegation to participate.


Vreenak predicted utter disaster.


“You can see that in leaving the planning of cultural events to the participants, we’re giving them the opportunity to take a more active role,” Sisko said.
General Martok grunted, “They’ll have equal opportunity to avoid the program entirely if they wish”


“Well, they’ll get out of it what they put into it I suppose”


“What is the point of having the program, and the headache it involves” Vreenak asked irritably, “if you’re not going to ensure cooperation from all sides?”


Sisko stood, bracing his hands on his wide desk, “Because in order for one person to share their culture and heritage with another they have to be willing to do so, and in turn have a willing recipient. You can’t force cultural learning down someone’s throat!”


“And if you find a lack of willing participants?” Vreenak challenged.


“Then our little project has failed” Sisko stated bluntly, “Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a try.”


Vreenak snorted, “Ever the idealist”


“For once I concur with the Senator.” Martok growled, “It seems a bit optimistic”


“What the Senator fails to realize” Sisko looked pointedly at Vreenak “Is that I already have the full cooperation and, dare I say it, enthusiasm from the Proconsul. Perhaps that won’t guarantee participation, but it will surely lend some weight to our cause”


“What!?” Vreenak near bellowed, slamming a fist into the arm of his chair.


Sisko fixed his gaze on him, “I was surprised as you are”


Vreenak seriously doubted that.


Martok guffawed, “Your cousin really is nothing like you, Vreenak!”


Sisko looked back and forth between both men waiting for an explanation, but Vreenak kept his mouth closed in silent fury.


“The new proconsul is a kinswoman of the venerated Senator here.” Martok grinned, his lips pulling back to reveal several rows of sharp white teeth, “She’s an unusual woman by Romulan standards, with liberal tendencies”


Sisko repressed the urge to laugh. He had indeed gotten that impression from his conversation with the woman, whose earnest face and curious inquiries were a stark contrast to the seething Romulan in front of him.


“Really? You know Vreenak, I can almost see the family resemblance.” Sisko said, grinning at the chagrined Senator.


Vreenak pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to quell the headache that was beginning to throb against his skull.

“You know, it seems like it will be a rather interesting experience” The proconsul in question said over the comm later that night.


Vreenak struggled to keep his temper in check, “Proconsul, surely you see that this is nothing but a plot by the Federation to-“


“Yes, yes I know.” The proconsul said, waving her hand in what was a decidedly un-Romulan like fashion in Vreenak’s opinion.


He repressed an adolescent urge to scream in frustration at the situation. He had spent the last few minutes struggling vainly to convince his cousin of the futility of this Federation foolishness.


“But we can spare a few weeks to humor them if it means we learn something more about humans and the Federation” she continued.


“Ael”, Vreenak hissed, giving up on formality has is cousin had done “Are you certain you’re not letting your own peculiar fascination with humans cloud your judgment?”


The proconsul bristled, “And are you certain your own prejudice against humans isn’t clouding yours? Perhaps this program would do you some good. Have you considered participating?”


“Of course, I won’t!”


“You will now. I expect weekly reports from you on your progress”


Progress? Progress in what?


Vreenak gritted his teeth “With all due respect, I am a Romulan senator. My place is on the senate floor, not on a Federation station exploring the supposed joys of human culture!”


Ael smiled sweetly, “And yet the only floor you’ve been on recently is that of a Ferengi’s bar”


Vreenak’s face tinged green, “That was-"


“Cousin” Ael interrupted, this time, her tone more gentle, “Consider this a recovery period. You served the Empire valiantly during the war with the Dominion. I know it may not be the Romulan way, but allow yourself time to breathe. And believe me, when I say that a little human interaction is preferable to the incessant Reman slave debates that are currently occupying the Senate”


She huffed indignantly, “It seems my opinion no longer holds as much standing as it did on this issue. They say I’m biased by my abolitionist views as if-“


“Ael” Vreenak sighed, “I’ll do as you ask”


Truth be told, spending time with humans did seem preferable to the never ending debates on Reman slaves. The issue had only grown more polarizing since the use of many Remans against the Jem’Hadar during the war.


“Wonderful! And do remember to write home occasionally, my mother has been asking after you” Ael advised brightly.


Despite himself, Vreenak felt a smile tug at his lips, “Of course”


His cousin’s near sunny disposition was off-putting to many Romulans, especially in her chosen profession as a politician. However, Vreenak always believed that her success despite that was a testament to her character. She was a formidable woman when she needed to be.


“And you will tell me all about the humans when we next meet?” she queried.


“Naturally”


“Well then, enjoy your time on Deep Space Nine, cousin!”

Chapter Text

Once all sides came to an agreement about the program, things started moving fast. The delegations quickly picked out their participants. From the Federation and Klingon delegations, most, surprisingly ended up being volunteers. But, Vreenak wasn't the only unwilling participant. That he had made sure of. Whether it was the vindictive streak in him, or the part that begged for company in his misery, something had prompted him to drag his old friend and colleague Senator Letant into the Federation's little experiment as well.

"Vreenak, this really isn't necessary." Letant protested on the day the news was broken to him.

"Oh, I think it is." Vreenak smirked.

"One senator missing from the senate floor is bad enough, but two?" Letant pressed.

"I think you may be overestimating your importance." Vreenak said.

"And I think, as glad as the senate may be to be rid of you, you're underestimating yours." Letant shot back.

Vreenak chuckled quietly. He had always appreciated the banter he shared with his friend, and he suspected that these talks would make the coming weeks a little more bearable.

He picked up a PADD and scrolled through the data Sisko had sent him that morning about the program. One participant name in particular caught his eye, 'Reina Hence'.

He frowned. It sounded familiar for some reason. As he continued to read through the lists, he realized that Reina Hence had been labelled as his partner for the program's duration.

Letant peered at the list as well,

"Reina Hence." he said, "Your partner?"

"Yes, it would seem so."

"A human?"

Vreenak grimaced, "Indeed."
-

"Who'd you get?" Ling asked Reina excitedly.

They were poring over a data PADD in Quark's, chattering excitedly about the upcoming program. Reina had jumped at the opportunity to be part of a cultural exchange. She had always been fascinated by alien cultures and was delighted to have the chance to learn something new about one. Especially because the Romulans hadn't exactly been open about things of a cultural nature with the Federation since their first contact.

"I didn't even check!" Reina said, as she began furiously scrolling through the PADD, "Let's see, it says here…Vreenak…oh my God."

"Who?" Ling asked, oblivious to her friend's despair.

Reina buried her head in her hands, "Vreenak….kali fal guy."

"Kali…Reina, we haven't even started the exchange yet. I don't know any Romulan."

"Romulan. Ale."

"Oh! Oh…"

Reina repressed the urge to scream, and she pondered briefly if it was too late to back out of this. Her excitement about studying the wonders of another culture had all but evaporated. There was no way a human hating Romulan senator would make this a decent experience for her. Not to mention, the last time she saw him she could barely stand without his help, hardly the stuff of good first impressions

She sighed heavily, "Well, who did you get Ling?"

"Senator Letant. They're buds right? Maybe we could go on some double dates?" she winked.

"Or we could form a support group for all who have ever had to deal with Romulan senators." Reina replied wryly.

"I'm sure we'd find some willing members from the Klingon delegation."

"Or from any other race across the galaxy."

"Willing members for what?" Bashir sauntered over to their table, drink in hand.

"Doctor!" Ling jumped, knocking over her own drink in the process, "Oh!"

The reddish liquid of her Warp Core Breach seeped over the table, and Reina quickly moved their PADDs out of its path.

"I'll get something to clean that up!" Bashir offered as he hurried away.

Reina shot Ling a sympathetic smile, "You've got it bad, girl."

It was Ling's turn to bury her face in her hands, "So bad."

Reina normally loved to light heartedly tease the science officer about her crush on Julian, but now she could only drum up sympathy after her own embarrassing, alcoholic encounter with Vreenak.

She looked to where Julian stood at the bar, apparently waiting for Quark to fetch a towel. Approaching him was Garak, who had become one of his closest friends on the station, and Reina suspected, something more. She watched Bashir greet the man with a broad smile, and took note of how his entire body seemed to relax in the Cardassian's presence. Yep, definitely something more.

Reina shot a glance at Ling who was busy attempting to brush her beverage from her uniform.

"Hey, let's get out of here." Reina said, moving to collect her things.

Ling looked up from her task, bewildered "But, we just got here and Julian's coming back."

She twisted around, looking for the man in question and her gaze alighted on him and Garak, now drawn deep into conversation, contentment etched across their faces.

"Yeah, never mind. Let's get out of here." Ling muttered.

Reina's gut twisted in sympathy for her friend.

"Let's do something fun!" she offered, jumping up from the table, "What happens at Quark's on a Friday night anyway?"

Ling offered her a pained smile, but moved to follow her.

As they exited the bar, they passed some Romulans grouped together at a table, their dark heads leaned forward in conversation.

With a pang, Reina realized that Vreenak and Letant were among them.

"Maybe now would be a good time to introduce ourselves." Ling said, following Reina's line of vision.

"I guess you're right." Reina said, blowing out a long sigh. There really was no point in delaying it.

With trepidation, they approached the Romulans' table. Several faces turned toward them, scanning them with a fair bit of curiosity. Of course, Vreenak was the last to acknowledge their presence.

"Hello." Reina said, with a smile.

She noticed some faces softened, but others retained the stoicism she had come to expect from the little she'd seen of the Romulans around the station. Vreenak's face was the stoniest of all.

She directed her next words toward him, "I'd just thought I'd introduce myself, again. Since I'm apparently meant to be your partner in the exchange. This is Ling, she's Senator Letant's partner."

Vreenak nodded politely at both her and Ling, but to his side, Letant offered a smile and extended his hand toward Ling. She took it, smiling politely in turn. It didn't surprise Reina that Vreenak didn't offer her the same gesture.

"I remember you from yesterday." Vreenak said suddenly, "Were you very sick from the kali-fal?"

A few Romulans around him chuckled, letting Reina know that the story had gotten around. Likely due to the aggravating Neral, the guard who had escorted her back to her quarters.

Instead of embarrassment, Reina was now experiencing a strong sense of resolve. She hated being condescended to, and she was determined to not let his attitude cow her.

She laughed, "No, thank goodness I wasn't. I had a very restful night, in fact. Did your injuries heal nicely?"

Vreenak frowned, "Yes. Apparently, despite your unbecoming conduct you are a competent physician."

Reina continued to smile, "What a compliment."

"It wasn't."

"I'm aware, Senator, I'm just introducing you to the concept of sarcasm. It's common among humans."

"We have it on Romulus."

"Excellent! A few more exchanges like this and I think we'll mark the program down as a success."

Letant observed the conversation with undisguised amusement, while Ling's eyes darted between Reina and Vreenak, worriedly observing the lines of tension on their faces.

Reina stared directly at Vreenak's surprisingly, blue eyes, watching as they flickered from anger to…amusement? The moment was gone when Vreenak turned his attention to Letant.

"Senator, I believe we were about to leave."

Letant looked at him in surprise, but agreed, "Yes, I believe so."

Vreenak stood immediately upon his agreement, and began walking away. Letant stood as well, but turned to Reina and Ling first, "A pleasure to meet you both."

His eyes lingered a bit on Ling before he turned to follow Vreenak. The other Romulans at the table turned back to their conversation.

"Can you believe that?" Reina seethed as she and Ling lounged in her quarters later that night, "The man is so arrogant!"

Ling laughed, "You were giving it as good as you got though."

"Of course! I wasn't going to stand there and listen to his pathetic attempts to embarrass me. You know, he's got more reason to be embarrassed, frankly. Getting his ass handed to him in a seedy bar."

Ling shrugged, "Maybe that's why he was lashing out."

"Ugh, I don't care. I just can't wait for these six weeks to be over."

Reina drained her glass of red wine, then went to pour another.

"And what about you?" she asked Ling, "You're stuck with Letant! How do you feel about that?"

"He seems a lot nicer than Vreenak at least. Maybe it won't be so bad."

Reina sipped at her wine, hoping at least one of them would come out of this with their sanity intact.
-

"I don't understand what you take issue with." Letant said, for what Vreenak estimated to be the eleventh time that hour.

"Spending time with gorgeous, intelligent women is not exactly a punishment!" he continued.

"If it were up to me I would not be spending time with Starfleet officers of any kind, regardless of their beauty or intelligence, which is in question I might add." Vreenak argued.

"Oh I don't think it is. But you do agree that they're beautiful?" Letant pressed, a smirk forming on his face.

Vreenak instantly thought of Reina's exotic curly, blonde hair. Several wispy, tendrils had escaped her bun and framed her soft, brown eyes as she had fiercely defended herself against him.

"No."

"Neither?"

"The one of Asian origin is aesthetically pleasing."

Letant laughed loudly, "I suggest you adopt a gentler manner toward your partner, or else these six weeks will be hell for you."

Vreenak suspected these six weeks would be hell regardless.
-

The exchange was scheduled to begin a few days later, on Monday. It was agreed that after the tumultuous events of the weekend it would be best not to have any general meetings or opening ceremonies. Instead, as Sisko had first stipulated, it was up to the exchange pairs to arrange their own introductory meetings. Starfleet had provided some general guidelines for how the first meeting should go, which Reina had hurriedly scanned through on her PADD before getting dressed in black leggings and a brown tunic.

Vreenak and Reina had arranged to meet at a small café on the Promenade. It offered a wide range of foods from across the galaxy, and even some experimental dishes from the Gamma quadrant. Reina figured neutral territory was ideal for the first meeting, and the lack of Starfleet presence would hopefully lessen his aggression. Most importantly, Reina knew for a fact that Ling had chosen the same location for her meeting with Letant, so if things went terribly wrong, she had an ally.

She waited at a table she had found far into the café. It afforded some privacy, which she thought Vreenak might appreciate. It also placed her away from the café front window, which she suspected she would be tempted to jump out of after a few minutes in the senator's company.

She checked the time. He was two minutes late. And here she thought Romulans were known for their punctuality.

Five minutes. Maybe she had been wrong. Perhaps his lateness was a cultural quirk.

Looking to the other side of the café, Reina saw Ling engaged in conversation with Letant, both sipping at their beverages. Not a cultural thing then.

Ten minutes. Definitely deliberate.

At fifteen minutes, Reina stood to leave, attracting Ling's attention. Her friend shot her a worried look. Reina waved and smiled tightly, letting her know it was alright, then left the café.

"Looks like Senator Vreenak didn't show up." Ling laughed nervously.

"My colleague can be quite the stubborn fool when he wants to be. I'm sure your friend will straighten him out." Letant said.

He smiled wolfishly over the rim of his cup at Ling, who blushed slightly, "Now, where were we?"

Reina struggled to keep her temper in check as she stood face to face with Neral. The guard was currently throwing every excuse in the book at her as to why Vreenak was unavailable.

"I know for a fact he doesn't have a meeting scheduled with Sisko, because he has a meeting scheduled with me." Reina seethed.

The dark eyes of the Romulan stared down at her contemptuously.

"Then perhaps he just doesn't want to see you." he shot back.

"Oh no, he's not getting away with that. Stubborn Romulan mule."

She reached around Neral to knock at the door, but was stopped when he gripped her arm tightly and wrenched her back.

"The Senator is not taking visitors." he repeated sternly.

Meeting Neral's eyes, Reina defiantly stuck out one leg and kicked the hard, metal door. The resounding thud made Neral's face tighten in anger.

"Human! you are-"

He was cut off by the opening of the door. Neral and Reina stood frozen in front Vreenak, as he looked on with mild amusement.

"Ms. Hence. Can I help you?" Vreenak asked smirking.

Reina ripped her arm away from Neral and turned to Vreenak, "Why didn't you show?"

Vreenak raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps if you demonstrated some patience-"

"You were fifteen minutes late!"

"Was I? Oh dear, where did the time go?"

Neral smirked at Vreenak's blatant sarcasm, and Reina felt as if her head was going to explode. She let out a loud laugh of disbelief.

"You know what, Vreenak, forget it. I'm not going to deal with this. I'll talk to Sisko right now and release you from being my partner."

He scoffed, "You and I both know that is impossible. We're under the command of our superiors."

Reina sighed and rubbed her temples tiredly. Unfortunately, he was right.

"Then cooperate with me here a little." she said, "It can't hurt to try."

Vreenak abruptly turned and walked back into his quarters motioning for Reina to follow. She did so hesitantly, shooting Neral a scowl before the doors slid shut behind her.

Vreenak pulled out a chair from the dining table, and uncorked the bottle of kali-fal sitting on it, before pouring himself a drink. Reina was beginning to think the man was an alcoholic, though she probably didn't have much room to talk. He settled into the chair, crossing his legs and looking every bit an authoritative senator. Reina hated him for his apparent ease, and it didn't escape her notice that he didn't pull out a chair for her. Perhaps he expected this meeting to be quick, but Reina was determined to stick around as long as possible.

She pulled out a chair next to him and straddled it, arms crossed over the top.

His eyes scanned her posture, in such a way that Reina had to resist the urge to straighten her back or arrange her hair in a more flattering shape. She was noticing that this was a reoccurring reaction she had to him.

She cleared her throat, "All right then Vreenak, what's the deal here?"

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, "I suggest we…fake our participation in the program."

"As in make up everything on our reports and then bullshit our way through the general meetings?"

His lip curled in distaste at her wording "Correct."

Reina paused for a second, considering the pros and cons of such an arrangement. Pro, she wouldn't have to deal with Vreenak. Con…she wouldn't have to deal with Vreenak. As much as she dreaded talking to the man, she couldn't deny a burning curiosity she held for him. He was cold, sharp and foreboding as his physical features reflected, but Reina has always loved a challenge. It was what brought her to join Starfleet, the thrill of being thrust into unfamiliar situations and relying on your wits and wiles to overcome obstacles. And right now, Vreenak was definitely an obstacle to the task she had been assigned in this exchange.

Reina's mind drifted to the night she met him. That was certainly a score unsettled. The Starfleet officer in her longed to prove her worth to him, show that she was far more capable than what that first meeting had shown.

Then there were those hands of his that she had dreamt about, only the other night. She looked at them now, occupied with gripping the glass of kali-fal. Her gaze drifted upward, taking in the expanse of his chest and the place his collar met his long neck. Briefly, she found herself wondering what it would be like to plant a kiss right there. She imagined pressing her body against his, thawing his cold exterior with many such warm kisses. Romulans were rumored to be a passionate, emotional species, and yet the man in front of her looked about as emotional as a rock. What would it be like to elicit affection from such a man?

A cough from Vreenak alerted Reina that he was still awaiting her answer. She looked up, embarrassed to find him watching her peruse his body, with an amused glint in his eye. Now was definitely not the right time to be pondering her attraction to the man.

"No." she said firmly.

"Excuse me?" his brows furrowed in confusion.

"We're committed to this project, you and I." Reina said, "And your first lesson starts here."

She reached over and plucked the kali-fal from his hand, "On Earth, a good host always offers their guest a drink."

She sipped delicately this time, remembering her last encounter with the beverage. Vreenak stared at her for a minute, shocked.

"Is it also a human custom to take someone else's drink?" he ground out.

Reina smiled, "Oh no, that's a personal quirk. I have a lot of those."

"Ms. Hence-"

"Please, call me Reina. What's your given name by the way?"

"You may address me as Senator Vreenak, at all times." he hissed.

"Okay then, Vreeny."

"Ms. Hence!"

"Reina, please!"

"I will not participate in this ridiculous Starfleet charade of a program!" he shouted.

Reina stared at him a moment.

"Vreenak, I understand that you believe are many things that make Romulans superior to humans."

He folded his hands in his lap, in an attempt to compose himself, "That's hardly a belief. Many would argue it is based in fact."

"Hmm." Reina's finger traced the rim of her glass thoughtfully, while Vreenak watched her expectantly.

"Well, if there's one thing we outdo you in, I'd say it's compromise. Humans have a knack for making do with the worst situations, even the ones we find especially distasteful."

She smiled sardonically at him, then rose from the chair, "I'll send you my schedule and we'll work something out for this week."

"Ms. Hence-"

"Ensign" she cut him off, "If you won't use my given name, I expect you to at least use my rank. I've earned it after all."

Vreenak met her gaze, surprised at this show of backbone. A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. She was certainly irritating, but this human might prove to be an interesting partner after all.

"Very well, Ensign." he said smoothly. He rose from his chair gracefully, standing close to her. Taking the kali fal from her hands, he let his fingers brush against hers for an indecent amount of time, and Reina repressed a shiver at the sensation. He drained the rest of the beverage quickly, then met her gaze.

"Perhaps our next encounter should involve a nonalcoholic beverage." he suggested.

"Agreed." she whispered, a little distracted by the Senator's proximity.

"Though I'm beginning to get a taste for kali fal." she added louder.

Vreenak stepped away, "Until next time, Ensign."

Later, Reina met up with Ling. She was delighted to hear that Ling's meeting with Letant had gone smoothly. Apparently, he wasn't as temperamental as his friend.

"He has a really nice smile for a Romulan, too." Ling was saying.

Reina was at least comforted to know that she wasn't the only one who was finding her Romulan strangely alluring. But, she definitely wasn't quite ready to admit that to her friend just yet.

"So am I going to be the only member of the Romulan support group?" Reina griped teasingly.

Ling laughed, "We'll see! It's only the first meeting. We're gonna be spending a lot of time with these guys."

And to Reina, that was both a terrifying and exciting prospect.

Chapter Text

General Martok sat at Quark's bar watching the Ferengi fastidiously rub a smudged glass as his narrowed eyes scanned the establishment with interest. From the few times Martok had come in contact with the man, he picked up that this was a habit for him. People from all over the galaxy flowed through Quark's, thanks to the presence of the Bajoran wormhole which had caused a boost in traffic. Some days the flow in the bar took the form of a trickle, and other days, like today, it was a river after a storm. The possibility of someone not paying their bill in this large crowd was surely not far from the Ferengi's mind.

Martok watched the shifting facial expressions on Quark's face, as he assessed one threat after another. His large, sensitive ears began twitching at something particularly distressing. Amused, Martok followed his gaze to the source of the discontent.

A group of jovial Bolians at one of the nearby tables were laughing uproariously. Their neighbors, a group of Denobulans who had just arrived, seemed less than amused at their antics. With a grumble, Quark dropped the glass to the table and hurried over, no doubt to prevent the loss of valuable business.

As Quark busied himself berating the Bolians, Martok's eyes were drawn to a laughing, human woman seated not far from the Denobulans. Her dark, smiling eyes were fixed on a man in front of her, though he could only see the back of his head. Martok's lip curled, glad he was unable to hear the man's, no doubt, extraordinarily, witty dialogue that apparently so delighted the woman. Human mating rituals were so bizarre.

The man suddenly turned his head, making visible his bowled haircut and sharp features. Senator Letant. So, Starfleet's exchange program seemed to be progressing better than anticipated, at least with this partnership. Martok watched as the woman briefly excused herself with a smile and walked over to the bar, not far from where Martok had seated himself. He recognized her as one of Starfleet's personnel. Though with her long, black hair sweeping past her shoulders and the genial look she wore, she appeared nothing like the uptight officers he saw so frequently on the station.

"Excuse me" she directed this toward the bar hand, another Ferengi.

"Could I get a Risan Sun Rise?"she asked, smiling.

"Uhh, I'm afraid we don't have that." the Ferengi fumbled, "But I could get you some Rigelian bloodwine?"

She shrugged "I'll take it!"

Martok resisted the urge to laugh. The sweetness of a Risan Sun Rise was a far cry from the robust taste of a Rigelian bloodwine. It was rather kind of her to accept the Ferengi's counteroffer, Martok realized. It was a genuine kindness as well, not the type humans so tended to when it was easier than confrontation. Kindness was not a trait Klingons were known for, but they could appreciate genuineness. It was a trait, Martok believed, many species found refreshing.

He watched with growing interest as the woman finished her exchange with the Ferengi. As the turned to leave the crowded bar, her eye caught his from across the room. Her smile faltered, and she looked at him with concern. Martok realized that in his concentration he was no doubt glowering at the girl. He quickly relaxed his features to a more neutral position and raised his glass to her.

Her dark eyes flickered over him briefly before her lip curled and transformed her face with the same affable air she had worn before. She raised her glass in return, then retreated to her table and the Romulan. Martok studied the man's reaction as she returned to him. His charm seemed to be operated by a switch, in an almost duplicitous way, a typical trait for Romulans. This combined with the Starfleet officer's radiant smiles made it no wonder that he had mistaken them for a couple. They seemed very cozy with each other, indeed. With a sigh, Martok drained the rest of his own bloodwine and left the bar.

Reina sat curled up on her couch imagining being eaten up by its cushions. She pictured it giving a loud belch after it swallowed her whole. After that, it could spread the word. Let every other piece of furniture in the galaxy know how delicious humans were. Then the galactic feast would begin and the Federation would surely be too distracted to continue this exchange program. Goodbye, Vreenak.

But alas, that dream would never come to pass. Reina was sure to find herself under Vreenak's scrutinizing, blue gaze soon enough, and this time, she would be trying to explain the finer points of Earth cuisine. Food was a safe enough topic to start off with, Reina had figured. Vreenak seemed satisfied with her suggestion and now she perused a database on her PADD full of Terran recipes. It was hard to imagine discussing any of them with the Senator.

Hoping for some inkling about his preferences, she flipped to another screen on her PADD to access his biography on the Starfleet database. This certainly wasn't the first time she had read up on the man. The day before she had educated herself on his Senatorial record and his diplomatic experiences. To her surprise, he had been assigned to missions on Andoria, Betazed, and even Vulcan. His domestic record was no less impressive, revealing that in the past two years he had pushed through five bills in a time where the Senate was fractious and political tensions high. There was little doubt the man was accomplished.

Reina hated it, but she desperately wanted to impress the man. She chalked it up to her training in Starfleet, which strongly emphasized pleasing your superiors. And the thing was, Reina never had an issue with that. In every assignment she had been given, she had earned the respect of both her peers and leaders. Sure, she butted heads with people occasionally, but regardless there was a recognition that she had earned her place in Starfleet. With Vreenak, there were too many factors that slanted him against her for her to win over him easily. It was healthy to be challenged, however Reina reasoned. It might not always be a pleasant business, but it was bound to happen occasionally.

However, Reina knew for certain that the flutterings in her stomach and the direction of her thoughts about the man were not par for the course in a situation like this. Every time he fixed his gaze on her, she felt like she was twelve years old again, nursing a crush on William Patton down the road. William was the heartthrob of the neighborhood, always quick with a smile and eager to help with whatever task someone had for him. Will worked on her parents' front lawn at the insistence of her father, who liked his lawn cut the old fashioned way, with particular attention paid to its corners. Will would always mow in the late afternoon, when the sun shed beams of light on his sandy brown hair, given it a golden hue. He had looked like an absolute angel. Even now, Reina could distinctly feel the peculiar pattern her heart would beat when he was close and the giddiness he evoked.

Vreenak, on the other hand, was a different sort of beast altogether. With him, there were no distinctly human smiles that were aimed to comfort or tease. He only aimed to calculate, and Reina longed to both throw him for a loop and prove her worth.

As she continued to scroll through the recipes, she found one that she hoped would accomplish the former. With a grin, she tapped a few times on the PADD to bring up a recipe and made a list of ingredients.

The door to her quarters slid open with a hiss and Ling walked in the room. Reina has long since given her the access code to her quarters. She eyed Reina's broad smile with trepidation.

"What's got you so cheery?" she asked.

Reina placed the PADD on the low coffee table in front of her, "Just making plans for the Senator. I want to be certain he learns a thing or two from this."

"Hmmm. You're doing food, right?"

"Yep."

"Don't feed him live octopus."

Reina gasped with mock indignation, "You think, I, would put him through such a traumatic experience this early on? Never."

Ling eyed her, "Okay, just remember that when you tried it in Tokyo you were near tears."

Reina smirked, "I could handle it if it means I get to watch him suffer."

Shaking her head, Ling seated herself next to Reina on the couch.

"How about sushi then?" Reina asked, "It's iconic yet polarizing, and a classic."

Ling nodded tiredly, "Makes sense to me."

Reina studied her friend's face, noting lines of tension "You okay?"

Ling yawned "Yeah, yeah. Just tired, long day."

"Any particular reason you stopped by?"

"I just-" Ling paused a moment, "These Romulans are really something aren't they?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"I mean, Letant is so charming. But sometimes you can't help but feel they're putting on a show. I mean, deception is a big part of their culture, isn't it?"

Reina blinked, considering her words for a moment "I think it can be. But they also don't shy away from expressing how they feel. At least, Vreenak doesn't. It's pretty clear what he thinks of me when I talk to him. And he knows what I think of him."

Ling smiled knowingly "I think your honesty with each other is the start of a beautiful something."

"A beautiful something" Reina repeated dryly.

"Yes! I mean, you don't waste time pretending to get along. I feel that so much tension in relationships comes from pretense, and here you two are openly disliking each other. It can only get better."

Reina stared at her friend, trying to find some clue as to the source of this outburst.

"Is something bothering you? You don't usually talk like this,"she said, warily.

Ling shook her head, "No, it's nothing really. Just some thoughts.

"Are you-"

Ling laid a hand on Reina's knee "I'm fine. Just tired, really"

"Okay." Reina watched her friend closely. Whatever was bothering her, tonight would not be the night to discuss it.

"I'm gonna get to bed," Ling said.

"Yeah, I think I'll follow your lead. Got a session to prepare for good, old Vreeny!"

Ling laughed lightly, "Well, I wish you luck with that."

After Ling had left, Reina drew up a list of ingredients and a game plan for the following day. It was simple and straightforward. Vreenak would come over to her quarters, they would eat and discuss their thoughts. If the conversation stalled, Reina would turn to her strategically placed vintage books around her quarters. They had served as conversation starters in the past. Reina smiled wryly as she recalled a visit from Sisko that ended with a heated discussion about the usefulness of studying ancient English literature thanks to one of these books.

Reina did a brief review of the space, as she knew she had very little time to prepare between the end of her shift and Vreenak's arrival. She was surprised to realize her anxiety about the situation, for now, was gone. Ling's cryptic words had been both relieving and thrilling. If she believed in the possibility of their relationship improving, well, then it might just happen. Of course, it didn't change the fact that for now, the man was unbearable and that Reina would no doubt be on the defensive for a while.

Still, Reina allowed a little thread of optimism grip her as she drifted off to sleep that night.

Vreenak stood outside of Ensign Hence's quarters, allowing himself a little time to prepare before announcing his presence

This little Federation scheme was still, in his opinion, a waste of time. Wasting time for political purposes had never been a favorite past time of his, even when he used the tactic himself. However, it was bearable. What was not bearable, however, was the woman on the other side of that door.

He told himself he had no desire to spend time with such a temperamental, ridiculous woman, who drank all his kali-fal, no less. The image of her delicately sipping at his glass while her warm, brown eyes arrested him challengingly, popped into his mind. Again, ridiculous.

Before he followed that train of thought into dangerous territory, he pressed on the communicator panel to announce his presence.

"Ensign Hence, this is Senator Vreenak"

The door slid open with a hiss. Reina stood before him in an apron over a dark sweater, wearing a brilliant smile.

"Hello, Senator."

He offered a tight smile in return "Ensign"

"You're late" she noted.

"Hardly" he responded tersely.

"It's 7:01" she pointed.

"I was here at 7:00"

"So you just stood outside the door for a whole minute?" Reina pressed.

"Yes"

"Contemplating whether or not to run?"

"I see now that I made the wrong decision"

Reina laughed brightly "Well, please come in!" she strode away, clearly expecting him to follow.

The woman was already testing his patience.

Vreenak examined her quarters with curiosity. He hadn't expected so much…color. Granted, it was mostly drowned out by the gray of the bulkhead walls; it was difficult for even the most ardent decorators to overcome the ever present color on the station. But there were spots of color from art on the walls, and knickknacks of various sorts on two large shelves pressed against a wall. She had even thrown blankets across the back of the couch, giving the room a homey feel. Vreenak fingered one of these with curiosity and suspected it was handmade. All in all, it was a pleasant room, for a human to inhabit at least.

He turned his attention to the kitchen area where Reina was standing at the counter, arranging some food on a dish. She noticed him watching.

"Feel free to take a seat, do you want water or anything to drink?"

"That depends, will you take it right out of my hands again?"

Reina laughed "You're safe for now"

"Water would be fine then" he replied.

He sat on the couch, and Reina soon joined him placing a glass of water in his hand and a dish of food on the table. She sat on the couch next to him, tucking her feet under her legs. He observed her relaxed posture with interest. Such an informal greeting would be reserved for family on Romulus. He couldn't decide if this style was one of her 'quirks' or just common practice on Earth.

His eyes were drawn to the food she had placed in front of him. It was composed of circular pieces with brightly colored shapes of some substance in the center, surrounded by a white layer. He had to admit it didn't look unappetizing.

Belatedly, he realized he still had the container with his food offering in his hand.

"This is my dish," he said, handing it over to Reina.

"What is it?" she asked, beginning to pry the lid open.

"A dessert"

"Perfect!"

"Will we eat here?" Vreenak queried.

Reina shrugged, "I thought it was a good spot. This is meant to be a cultural experience, not a meal. Formality doesn't seem too necessary."

"So this is not usual for you?"

"Eating at the coffee table? No."

"I mean, maintaining such an informal atmosphere."

Reina paused a moment, then slowly said "Typically, if I don't know a person well I act with some formality. As with your case."

"But not tonight?" Vreenak asked still perplexed at her demeanor.

"No, tonight I've decided to receive you as a friend." Reina offered him a timid smile.

"I hope that's alright" she continued, "I thought it'd be more conducive to our task here. Besides, it might help us get along. I think we're capable of that."

Vreenak gazed at her a moment, a bit taken aback at her honesty. If she were Romulan he'd have instantly suspected some ulterior motive, but being who she was, he couldn't think of a reason she'd have for misleading him. It made him wonder what prompted this apparent change of heart.

"Very well," he said, "What do we have here then?"

He gestured toward the plate.

"Oh, that's called sushi. It's a dish originating from an area on Earth called Japan. It has rice, seafood, and vegetables."

"Hmmm, how do you eat it?"

Reina pointed to a pair of wooden sticks next to the plate.

Vreenak cocked an eyebrow "Those are utensils I assume?"

"Yes, here I'll show you."

She picked up the sticks and clinched the top one, cradling the other in the crook of her thumb. She clicked them together, demonstrating that the food was meant to be pinched in between them.

Vreenak frowned, "It isn't the most efficient system is it?"

"Only if you're not used to it, but it's something to try." Reina returned.

Vreenak smiled at the terseness in her tone "Very well. May I?"

She handed him the sticks and watched for a moment as he struggled to place them in the same configuration Reina had shown him. After his third attempt, Reina moved to help.

"No, here, like this"

She gently adjusted the placement of his fingers, and Vreenak watched in fascination as her small hands moved over his. They were cool to the touch, pleasantly so. And soft. He found himself imagining what it would be like to lift one to his lips and delicately kiss each finger, one by one.

Disturbed at how quickly this image had popped into his head, he yanked his hand away, "I think I understand now, thank you, Ensign"

"Fine" she replied tersely. He detected the note of umbrage in her voice, but for the moment chose to ignore it.

Using the strange utensils, he managed to bring a piece of the 'sushi' to his mouth. He decided it was quite tasty. As he reached for another one, he was stopped by Reina.

"Try some wasabi with it. The green stuff. Take a good chunk, though, it's pretty mild in flavor" Reina advised breezily.

Using one of the sticks, he pieced of a section of the green substance on the plate and scraped it onto a piece of sushi. He popped it in his mouth. Almost immediately, he shouted and dropped the stick.

"What? What's wrong?" Reina asked worriedly.

Vreenak felt tears spring to his eyes as he felt his mouth bursting into flames, "That is incredibly spicy"

"Really? That's so strange. It's not to humans."

"Well, how wonderful for them" Vreenak muttered before draining his water.

"I'll grab you another one," Reina said sweetly, taking the glass.

After polishing off two more glasses of water, Vreenak decided to give sushi a break.

"Perhaps, now would be a good time to try the dish I brought," Vreenak said tightly. He was not altogether surprised that tasting human food should be such an unpleasant experience, but it was unwelcome all the same.

"Good idea," Reina said. She opened Vreenak's container and stared at the orange, circular confection within curiously.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's called an Osol twist, quite tart by Romulan standards, but perhaps with your apparently invincible tongue it will taste sweet," Vreenak remarked acidly.

Vreenak watched as Reina bit back a smile. He was beginning to suspect that she had deliberately led him astray with the wasabi. Her reaction to this twist might reveal the truth.

"Oh no," Reina replied, "I think our ability to process spice and bitterness are separate. In this case, I'll suffer just as much as you"

Vreenak narrowed his eyes "It would be interesting, actually, to see your reaction to the wasabi. I'd be curious to compare"

"You have quite a fixation on comparing Romulans and humans, don't you Vreenak?"

He held her gaze "Simply curious, that's all. To see if you're as unaffected as you say."

"Fine" Reina said.

She reached over and began tearing off a piece of wasabi.

"My piece was a little larger than that" Vreenak said.

Amused, he watched as she struggled to control her frustration. Now, he was almost sure she had lied.

"Fine" Reina repeated, pulling off a bit more. She popped the green glob in her mouth and held Vreenak's gaze as she chewed on it.

Vreenak watched as she struggled to hold her face in check. Her brown eyes brightened with tears, as she held in a cough. He smiled.

"See, I'm fine."she choked out weakly.

"Most impressive indeed. You have me quite convinced of the superiority of the human tongue" Vreenak said evenly.

"Well, I'm glad you've learned something," Reina said. Her face had begun to turn a slight shade of red.

"You know, if we've finished with the sushi I think I'll just take this out of the way"

Without waiting for a reply, she whisked the dish off the table and ran. Vreenak didn't need to turn around to know that she was likely preparing herself several glasses of water. As he waited for her to finish up her pretense, he examined some of the other objects on the table with interest. He picked up one in the shape of a rectangle and ran his hand over the smooth, hard backing. He found he could open it to reveal hundreds of sheets stacked together, containing line after line of what he assumed to be an Earth script.

"Ah, you found one of my books"

Reina returned to the couch with a plop, looking considerably better.

"Is that what it is called?"

"Yes, it's how information and stories were shared prior to technological advancements"

He thumbed through its pages, "I believe something similar existed in Romulus' history"

"Before the split with Vulcan?" Reina asked.

Vreenak's dark eyebrows drew together as he frowned, "That is not a subject many Romulans enjoy discussing"

"Of course not"

He ignored her sarcastic tone "What is the subject of this book?"

"It's a novel, actually. The Princess Casamassima by Henry James. It was written several hundred years ago"

"This could not possibly be a copy from that time" he stated. For some reason, this seemed to annoy Reina.

"Yes, I'm more than aware of that," she said sharply "This is from a company that specializes in recreating vintage items"

"Could you not find the novel in a database?" Vreenak asked. He failed to see the point of purchasing such an item.

"Well yes, but there's something nice about having the pages in front of you. Knowing that it contains the elements of a story from start to finish. It's a world in your hands, really"

Vreenak watched Reina's face transform with excitement as she described this. He hadn't expected such a passionate defense of her choice in purchases. From his experience, many humans were apt to explain that such a thing was a guilty pleasure, or done on a whim. Reina had found justification and satisfaction in her choice. This intrigued him, but he was hesitant to admit any such thing.

"I had read that humans tend to romanticize archaic items nonsensically"

He watched the excitement in her eyes dim with a pang of guilt. He hadn't expected his words to hit so hard.

He cleared his throat, "You haven't tried the Osol twist"

Wordlessly, she reached for the container and chose one at random. She bit into it and chewed for a moment, contemplating.

"That's actually really good!" she said before popping the rest of it in her mouth.

"You're surprised?" Vreenak asked.

Reina swallowed "Well, I don't know if you're aware but Romulus isn't exactly renowned for their culinary creations. Or for much of anything cultural for that matter"

Vreenak scoffed, "I suppose I should have expected such an ignorant response from a Starfleet officer"

"I guess so, " Reina said, standing. She had tensed considerably. "Thank you for coming Senator. I'll contact you to arrange our next rendezvous"

Vreenak stood as well, observing the bright anger in Reina's eyes. After this exchange, he would have expected to feel similarly, or at least irritated, but instead, there was nothing but a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. He attempted to salvage what he could of their conversation.

"May I suggest a topic?" he asked.

"Go right ahead"

"Music"

"Music?" she seemed taken aback.

"Yes, I understand Earth is fairly diverse in this area"

"As it is with all areas"

"Indeed, however, music holds a special interest for me"

Reina gazed at him thoughtfully, "All right then, music"

They walked toward the door.

"And there's something I'd like to say before you go" Reina started, turning toward Vreenak.

The door slid open and the harsh light from the hallway spilled into the quarters, illuminating them. The light caused Vreenak to notice a slight sparkling on Reina's lips. He realized it was sugar, no doubt from the Osol twist. Without thinking, he reached out and delicately brushed it off with his thumb.

Reina stared at him dumbfounded "Senator, why-"

Vreenak cleared his throat, "There was some sugar, on your lip"

Reina's eyes widened as she met his gaze. He was sure her shock was mirrored on his own face.

"I will be in contact with you," he said shortly, before turning on his heel and striding away.

Chapter Text

Reina arranged to meet Ling for drinks later that evening. At 2200 hours, she sat a Quark's bar drumming her fingertips on its surface as she waited impatiently for service.

In some ways, the evening with Vreenak had gone exactly as she had predicted. Had she hoped for less snarky comments from the man? Absolutely. Though that certainly wasn't expected. But what was even less expected was him touching her so tenderly. For a moment it had seemed natural, comforting even. The fallout of that moment had seen her respond to him by gaping like an asthmatic fish. The drumming of her fingers rapidly increased as she recalled Vreenak's dark eyes, colored with some unnamed emotion as he stared at her. Why was it that the man was such a mystery to her?

He had been quick to duck out of there, so clearly the gesture, which had made time suspend for Reina, meant nothing to him. And she feared that the way he affected her had been very transparent in that moment. Unable to bear another second of reflection on that thought she twisted around in her seat, looking for some distraction.

Some ways down the bar, Quark was deep in conversation with a skeevy looking man, no doubt discussing some scheme that would land them with mountains of gold, pressed latinum. If the look on Quark's face was any indication, the conversation would not end anytime soon. Reina's impatience mounted.

"Quark!" she finally snapped, "could you leave your conniving for another time and see to your customers?"

Quark glowered at her before tearing himself away from his companion with regretful apologies.

"Very rude of you, Ensign, to assume that what we were doing, was conniving"

Reina was unfazed, "And yet, that's exactly what you were doing"

Quark looked unashamed "I'm negotiating business, that's all. What's got you so aggressive this evening?"

Ling appeared at that moment, sliding into the seat next to Reina.

"Hey! What'd I miss?" she asked.

"Oh, just me, being emotionally abused by your friend here" Quark somehow felt obliged to answer.

"At this point, I should charge her for therapy costs" he shot Reina a scowl.

"Quark, with the amount of wine I purchase here, you have enough to have three therapists working on you full time"

"The Risan wine?"

"Yep"

"Coming right up"

Quark scurried away, eager to make the sale.

"He just understands me like no one else can. What a guy." Reina sighed dramatically, placing her chin in her hand.

"Wow, I've never heard you talk about a man like that. Have you considered proposing?" Lee said.

Reina lifted her head off her chin, a look of contemplation on her face "You're right"

"Hey Quark!" she shouted, "You wanna get married?"

The Ferengi in question, who was busy pouring a glass of dark, red wine, shot her a glare.

"That's not the first time you've asked him, is it?" Lee commented.

"And it won't be the last"

Quark returned with the glass, sliding it in front of Reina.

"Thank you, thank you Quark!" Reina muttered before taking a gulp.

"You can thank me by quitting with the marriage proposals. How do you think that makes me look?"

"You? How do you think that makes her look? Desperation isn't cute" Ling interjected.

"Yeah, well she doesn't have tables of customers sensitive to disruptions" Quark retorted, "You saw what happened with the Denobulans the other day"

Reina drained the rest of her glass before commenting "It's a bar! What kind of atmosphere are they expecting? I mean there's practically a holographic prostitution ring upstairs-wait, what were you here for Ling?"

Ling looked taken aback "Me? Oh, I was-"

"She was here with that Romulan senator" Quark interrupted, "Not bad for a Romulan, he tipped well"

Reina dropped her head to the side, aiming a conspiratorial smile at Ling "Really? What cultural exchange did this involve?"

"We just talked! I mean, communication is important in these types of things. We haven't planned activities, per se, but-" Ling tried to explain.

"So, he's taking you out?"

"I mean-"

"And to Quark's?"

"Well-"

"What kind of low life is this guy?"

"Hey!" Quark interjected.

Reina ignored him "I'm kidding, of course. But, seriously, this is sounding more like dating"

"Well, if you would let me do the explaining" Ling began with an edge of impatience.

"Sorry," Reina muttered, before turning her attention to the second glass of wine Quark had placed in front of her.

Ling sighed, "To sum it up, it has been more like dating. And it's only been a couple of times, but he's determined to be charming, and flirtatious. And I can tell, he's persistent. Basically, he's the type of guy my mother would adore"

Reina grinned. Ling's mother, Sying, was galaxy renowned thanks to her exploits. She had started with a career in transportation services, mostly splitting her time between Earth and Vulcan. This came to a screeching halt, when, to protest new Federation regulations on interplanetary business, she hijacked a shuttle. Nothing much happened from there, as she was apprehended by Federation authorities quickly. The real instance that catapulted her onto the galactic stage, was the manner in which she extracted herself from custody. The Starfleet officer assigned to preside over her case was a divorcee, and apparently easily susceptible to charming woman. And charm him she did. Not only was she cleared of charges, but she married the man two weeks later. It was a brilliant ploy, really. The story of their miraculous love story sent the press into a frenzy, balancing out the outcry against the clear corruption of the case. Sadly, and not surprisingly, the marriage ended quietly in a divorce a month after the fact.

But that wasn't the end of Sying's exploits. After twenty years, six husbands, and dozens of scandals involving dozens of worlds, Sying had done what all infamous personalities worth their salt did. She wrote a book. And to no one's surprise, the tell-all autobiography was at the top of the galactic charts. Last Reina had heard, Sying was on a book tour, as well as juggling several law suits from various political juggernauts in the galaxy, who were not pleased with their portrayals in the book.

Privately, Reina greatly admired the woman, though she had never met her. She was a vibrant character it seemed, a sharp contrast to Reina's own dour parents. Though she would never mention this to Ling, who she knew was still affected by the years she had spent living alone with her father (husband number three). She had felt the absence of her mother keenly. Though now, as a successful woman in her own right, she had mostly come to terms with the fact that her mother was not homemaker material.

"Your mother would love you shacking up with a Romulan senator" Reina agreed.

"Politicians were always her type" Ling sighed.

"But not yours?" Reina asked. She knew Ling was a private person, not given to the kind of antics her mother got herself up to, but she didn't think her largely, absent mother's opinion would affect her that strongly.

"No, they were the type who would show up at me and my dad's doorstep every so often. To introduce themselves as my stepfather. They were all flashy, charming, for the most part, kind. But they didn't stay. Not that I wanted them to, I mean, I was so happy with my dad. But, now that I see those traits in Letant, I-" she broke off suddenly, looking searchingly at Reina.

Reina rubbed her arm sympathetically, "It's okay Ling, I get it"

They sat in silence for a moment.

"You know, this is all new, with Letant I mean," Reina said slowly "You have time to get to know him, take things slow as you want"

Ling nodded, "That's true"

"I think you're getting your hopes pretty high with him after you know, Julian" Reina shot a glance at Ling, wondering if she had gone too far.

But Ling seemed receptive "That's true too. I've just gone through a whole range of emotions recently!"

"Well, I've got something to cheer you up then"

With vigor and excitement, and fueled by no small amount of wine, Reina recounted the tale of her ill-fated session with Vreenak. By the time she reached the wasabi incident, Ling was crying with laughter.

"How much did you eat?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Enough to regret it, that's for sure" Reina grimaced, recalling the burning sensation that had filled her mouth and nasal cavities.

"Well, at least you got to practice some acting skills" Ling pointed out.

"Oh, he was not fooled in the least. But that wasn't even the most ridiculous thing that happened"

"Then what was?" Ling asked, riveted.

"He wiped sugar off my lip" Reina cringed, remembering the embarrassment that had followed.

"He wiped sugar off your lip" Ling repeated slowly.

"From the Osol twists he brought. Then, I stood there looking like an idiot, as he walked away"

"What?" Ling asked befuddled for a moment, before adding slyly "Why was he looking at your lips?"

"Well, if I asked him it would probably have something to do with his superior Romulan vision" Reina imitated Vreenak's deep, gravelly voice "'Ensign, the sparkly granules on your lips are ridiculous and distracting. By the way, Starfleet is terrible'."

Ling smiled "Oh, they were distracting, but probably not for the reason you think"

Reina scoffed "I guarantee you, it's exactly for the reason I think"

"Sure," Ling said, clearly unconvinced.

"Anyway, it was probably just a ploy to distract me. I was about to tell him off, you know?"

"Of course, you were" Ling laughed.

"Yeah! For being such an ass. I mean, I've never met someone so contrary in my life. He had something negative to say about everything. And I really tried to be polite. I really did" Reina huffed in annoyance. The more she reflected on the situation, the angrier she became.

Ling smiled "You got to torture him with the wasabi a little bit at least"

Reina returned the smile "That I did"

As Reina prepared for bed that night, she paced her quarters anxiously for the better part of an hour. Generally, she found she could find some peace with any worries she held by simply stewing over them for a few moments. It was a tactic she had used many times since joining Starfleet, where she was thrust into stressful situations on a near daily basis. The frequency of these situations only heightened with the Dominion War, during which time Reina had felt she had grown both as an officer and as a person. She may not have been on the front lines, but a fair share of the casualties had flowed through Deep Space Nine. Reina had been exposed to the wounds of war. Literally, in Sick Bay, but also in the torment that was so finely etched onto the faces of her patients and colleagues. No, she was not some fresh faced cadet straight from the Academy. She was a seasoned officer and damned proud of it. There was no way she'd allow anyone, especially a Romulan senator, diminish that accomplishment.

Though, she acknowledged to herself, her desire to prove her worth to him was not the only thing drawing her to him. It was getting more difficult to tamp down her growing attraction to the man. Every time his eyes swept over hers, Reina felt a thrill of awareness, excitement even, that was foreign to her. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to explore it, even if that exploration came through a forced exchange program.

Reina made a decision. Before losing courage, she swept out of the room.

Vreenak turned over in bed, pulling a warm, supple female form closer to him. The woman sighed and nestled closer to him. He chuckled softly and pulled aside a mass of curly, blonde hair to kiss the back of her neck. The woman moaned in pleasure as Vreenak's warm lips traced a path across her skin. Groaning in response, Vreenak slid a hand up her torso to cup one breast firmly. He tossed a leg over hers, determined to press against as much of her as possible. She giggled lightly, then started to turn to face him and-

"You are not permitted to enter!" a firm, male voice shouted.

Vreenak groaned as the woman in his arms slipped away and he was dragged back to reality. He awoke groggily, as he struggled to figure out what nonsense had interrupted such a pleasant dream.

"Neral, are we going to have this conversation every time I visit?" a female voice sounded now.

"Maybe you should consider the frequency with which you visit" the man practically snarled "And at this hour?"

"Why do you care again? Isn't it a little strange that you have such an investment in what I choose to do?"

Vreenak sighed and rubbed his temples wearily as he recognized the speakers. Once again, Reina Hence had succeeded in interrupting his life in spectacular fashion. The woman was haunting both his waking and sleeping hours.

Vreenak rose, deciding to put a stop to the dispute between his guard and the ensign before it could escalate. When he opened the doors to his quarters, he was confronted with the alarming image of Neral looming over Reina, a snarl on his face. Reina, for her part, seemed to be preparing to let loose a verbal tirade on the guard. She was dressed indecently, by Vreenak's estimation, in only a tank top and sleeping shorts. It was quite a contrast to his guard's severe, battle ready uniform, but he had no doubt Reina was proving herself to be a worthy enough adversary. Finally, she caught sight of Vreenak as he leaned against the doorway assessing the situation.

"Ensign,, " he said calmly, "Please, come in"

She shot Neral a victorious look before sweeping past Vreenak into the quarters. Vreenak ignored the guard and closed the door swiftly behind him, leaving him and Reina in the dimly lit room. He had not bothered switching on the lights, wanting to convey that this meeting would be short. But now, as Reina stood before him her skin glowing warmly, invitingly under the dim lighting he realized what a mistake that had been.

Before he could order the computer to raise the lights, Reina said "Vreenak, we need to discuss something"

They certainly did.

"Yes, perhaps now would be the time to discuss your habit of barging into my quarters at every opportunity"

"Now that's an exaggeration" Reina protested.

"Is it?" it was ,after all, happening with alarming frequency.

"Look, I just want to clear the air!" she burst out.

"You do?" Vreenak asked his voice calm. He was beginning to learn that, with humans, it was better to let them exhaust whatever energy they had rather than to waste breath questioning it.

"Yes! Believe it or not, I was excited about this program" she said.

Somehow that didn't surprise him. She would be zealous about something so disgustingly idealistic.

"I thought it'd be a real opportunity to learn something new. That it'd be fun even, but ever since I got partnered with you it's been stressful" she continued.

He mused on this for a moment, "So I make the project more stressful, and less enjoyable"

"Yes, yes you do, " she said bluntly.

He let out a laugh, which seemed to surprise her. Her honesty was somewhat refreshing, if abominably rude.

"You take every opportunity possible to insult me as a human, and especially as a Starfleet officer. Frankly, it's infuriating" she pressed.

"What about yourself then?" he asked.

"Me?"she asked, fixing him with wide eyes.

"Yes! You can't pretend you haven't had something to do with our less than cordial relations. That green substance you fed me?"

Reina clamped her lips together repressing a smile, as her brown eyes sparkled at him, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Of course you don't" he said dryly, even as his lips twitched of their own accord.

Reina sighed, and the look in her eyes was searching "I say we call a truce. Get through this, cordially, and maybe learn something new?"

Vreenak's eyes drifted over her earnest face, framed becomingly by her golden curls. Perhaps it was the late hour, or just his own lack of control but he found himself reaching for one blonde tendril. As Reina's eyes widened, he was grateful at that moment that she was not Romulan. As a human, to her, such a gesture may be friendly, even overly so, but it would never have the significance that it would to a Romulan woman. He rubbed the soft hair between his fingers admiringly.

"Is this a common hair color for women on Earth?" he asked quietly. He tried to recall the numerous human women he had come across in his travels, but only Reina's face filled his vision.

She blinked up at him, her brows narrowed in confusion "It's not one of the most common, no"

Her sweet scent was filling his nostrils, urging him to draw her closer. His mind recalled the dream that she had roused him from, and he realized that he was dangerously close to seeing that dream realized.

Careful Vreenak.

Stepping back, he dropped the hair "It seems I've learned something already"

Reina stared at him, seemingly dazed "What? Oh! Yes, it's not common on Earth, but also not uncommon. Somewhere in between I guess. Really unremarkable"

Vreenak strongly disagreed with this, but wanting to prevent them from falling into another strange spell that could only end disastrously, he prodded the conversation along.

"It's late," he said.

"Yes, I should get going" Reina hurried toward the door, then turned to face Vreenak again, "Thanks for this talk, I think we've reached a good point"

She flashed a nervous smile, then exited, leaving Vreenak in the dim light, still wrapped in her scent.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Reina slept in a lot later than usual. Her late night rendezvous to Vreenak's quarters resulted in a little too much excitement on her part for her to get to bed at a decent hour. Luckily her shift at Sick Bay didn't start until later that morning.

After two cups of replicated coffee, Reina was resolved to push Vreenak's undue familiarity with her out of her head. He was a Romulan after all, and best friends with Letant of all people who, as Ling had implied, had already shown himself to be the fakest of the fake. His caresses were just a ploy, a game even, and one that Reina planned on winning. He wanted to flirt? She'd show him flirting.

And with that thought, she was suddenly struck with inspiration.

"Computer!" Reina shouted, jumping up from her position on the couch, "Open my most recent playlist."

Music was the next cultural topic she and Vreenak had agreed to tackle, and she was determined to push his boundaries as much as she could. Reina wasn't a music fiend, per se. She couldn't recite the answers to music trivia, and certainly couldn't remember why the Beatles were important to music history (a fact that had driven an ex of hers crazy). But, she had a passion for dancing and singing her ass off whenever the occasion warranted.

"Which song would you like to hear?" the computer asked.

Reina grinned, grateful she had taken the time to program this particular feature in the computer. She chose a classic pop song and wondered how Vreenak would react to hearing it or even….

The centuries old song started to play and Reina danced along as she grabbed her PADD and started perusing the historical databases, looking for a starting point with Earth's music. Her dancing soon took priority and she was dancing and singing along unapologetically to the song.

"When I had you to myself, I didn't want you aroooooound!" she shouted. As she sang, she reflected on how good it was to let go of the past few days and to enjoy herself. Vreenak wasn't the MOST stressful man she had encountered. That honor belonged to her musically inclined ex, but the mix of excitement about the program, her attraction to the Senator, and the usual trials of life certainly took their toll.

Her musings were interrupted by the door chime.

"Computer, pause music. Come in!" she chirped, panting slightly from her dancing.

The doors slid open and Neral walked in. Reina was startled.

"Oh, look!" she began, "It's the senator's most loyal guard dog."

He, unsurprisingly, scowled even as Reina offered a cheery smile. She waited a moment for him to announce his reasons for coming, but none came. The Romulan looked vaguely uncomfortable standing in Reina's home. She thought that maybe anywhere that wasn't outside of a door, staring down passerby was an unbearable place for him.

After another awkward moment, Reina asked mostly out of obligation "Would you like to sit?"

This seemed to propel him into action. He snapped his heels together and sneered "The Senator has sent me with an invitation to the Holodeck of the Ferengi's bar. Two days from now, six pm."

Reina drew back "Oh! Does he- Or did he say why?"

Neral's sneer deepened, if such a thing was possible "Surely, you know why. You know what happens in those holodecks"

Reina blushed hotly at the insinuation. It was an ill kept secret that Quark's holodecks served as places of sexual gratification for the bar's patrons.

"I'm sure that is ABSOLUTELY not the reason the Senator has extended this invitation, and I don't think he'd appreciate you blemishing his character in this fashion" Reina scolded.

Neral leaned in close, the hard lines of his face just inches away from Reina's, "It's not his character I'm blemishing"

His gaze raked her body, taking in the tank top and shorts that Reina had yet to change out of. She had sweat during her dance and the shirt clung to her body more than usual, leaving little to Neral's imagination. Reina continued to blush, but lifted her head proudly, refusing to be cowed by this over zealous guard.

Neral scoffed "The Senator would not take such an interest in you had you not paraded yourself in front of him like a whore. Like fresh meat in front of a warrigul"

Reina felt like she had been gut punched. Of course in her profession she had dealt with her fair share of verbal, and even physical, harassment but it wasn't often she heard it shot at her with such vitrol. Not wanting to give Neral the satisfaction of seeing her upset, she shook her hair back and offered a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh, believe me" she purred, "if I wanted the Senator in that way, I would have him. I'd have him right over there" she pointed to her bed, "while you waited outside for us to finish"

Neral drew back in rage "You bit-"

Reina continued over him, "You've delivered your message, and now I think you can go"

The guard was clearly still appalled and enraged, but Reina saw a spark of something else in his dark eyes. She suspected she knew what it was, which made her all the more eager to see him leave.

"Raalar" the Romulan spit out viciously, before he stalked out the door.

Reina shrugged. Whatever that meant.

Ling found a seat on one of the benches that lined the Promenade and watched passer bys of various species hurry along with their errands and lives. After a sixteen hour shift, her goal should have been finding her way to her bed, but for some reason, she was hypnotized by the blur of life on the station that morning. Hundreds of faces passed by her, a cocktail of ridges, smooth faces, bulging eyes, narrow gazes, bright fashion, dull colors, each person containing their own little world in a wide galaxy, and an even wider universe.

Ling stared, processing these sudden, existential thoughts when she felt a presence beside her. She looked to see a one eyed Klingon seated next to her.

"Hello General Martok" she said.

He laughed "Have we met, Ensign?"

Ling smiled, "No, but you are a well known war hero"

The General had been a key leader in the war against the Dominion, and before that Ling had heard the story of his imprisonment in a Dominion internment camp many times. It was remarkable that he had both survived that ordeal and returned to lead a war effort. Even so, Martok frowned at her comment and Ling belatedly realized that perhaps the war wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss.

Quickly changing subjects, she asked "Uh, well what brings you to the Promenade?"

"I enjoy walking and…thinking" he said.

"Better than pacing in your quarters, huh?"

Martok grunted in response. Although he had sat down next to her, he didn't seem too eager to engage in conversation, and the pair sat in silence for a moment.

"General, are you participating in the cultural exchange?" Ling suspected that might be the source of his discontent. She wondered what poor Starfleet member would be sampling gagh in the name of unity.

"I am" he stated "As a leader amongst my people, it is only right to set an example through my participation"

"Sound logic" Ling offered.

Martok scoffed, "Perhaps my exchange partner is having influence on me"

Ling fought the urge to laugh "Are you paired with a Vulcan, General?"

"Indeed"

Ling grinned. If there were two cultures that opposed each other in almost every aspect, it was that of the Klingons and the Vulcans. It was hard to imagine the formidable General Martok participating in meditation or sitting quietly while his logic was picked apart mercilessly by a Vulcan. It was equally ridiculous to picture a Vulcan swinging a bat'leth or singing drinking songs.

"Who is your partner?" she asked. There weren't many Vulcans around Deep Space Nine these days.

"Lieutenant T'Lar" he answered.

"Oh! I know her well!" Ling said. T'Lar was a fellow science officer. She was a quiet woman, but kind. It was maybe counter intuitive to think of a Vulcan as kind when they weren't nearly as effusive as humans, but Ling always thought of herself as a good judge of character. The Vulcan was diligent and, of course, logical but she seemed to enjoy the company of emotional beings much more than some of her race.

"Then you know that she is a proud, intolerable woman!" Martok snarled.

Ling frowned, "How many times have you met?"

"Just once"

Ling smiled, "Then you can't possibly know what she's really like. I took a while to warm up to her as well. Before I realized I was expecting more from her than was fair."

"What do you mean?" Martok asked.

Ling sighed, "I guess I mean you can't always expect someone to adjust to your standards all the time"

"Do you speak from experience?" Martok asked. His posture had stiffened, and he stared at Ling intensely.

"Now, what do YOU mean?" Ling returned. She wondered what had peaked the Klingon's sudden interest in her.

"Your partner is Senator Letant"

She smiled. So that's what it was. The relationship between Letant and Martok was infamously testy, especially during the Dominion War when tensions between them came to a head before the invasion of Cardassia.

"Yes, yes he is" she finally answered.

"Is he respectful?" Martok continued.

"Indeed, I am" a new voice joined the discussion.

Ling fought back a blush as she turned to see the senator in question standing behind her. She wondered how long he had been there and if Martok's timing of his question had been deliberate.

"Senator" she greeted, before Martok could open his mouth and let loose the string of curses she was sure he had planned, "We were just discussing the exchange program"

"Specifically, you were discussing MY involvement in the program" Letant countered with a diplomatic smile. His sharp features were fixed on Ling and she gulped. Damn it. The man was unsettling.

"Yes, we were" Martok's voice had raised a little, and he stood, "Knowing how deceptive and COWARDLY Romulans are, I felt duty bound to make sure the Ensign was safe"

Letant's face twisted in anger, before settling back into a diplomatic façade, one that Ling was becoming familiar with. Instead of countering Martok with an insult, he turned to Ling "Tell me, Ensign. Do you feel unsafe with me?"

Both men awaited her answer, but it was Letant's face that filled Ling's vision. Gone was the charming show he put on each time they had met. His eyes were challenging, fierce even, revealing a turbulent undercurrent that Ling had only caught glimpses of before.

The answer was no, she didn't feel safe with him. She didn't suspect that he would hurt her, but she knew there was a more dangerous element to him that he had so far kept concealed. That certainly wasn't the answer to give in front of Martok, however. Ling wasn't sure how that might embolden him. She wasn't the biggest fan of conflict, and generally avoided it when possible. This was reflected in her unfortunate habit of deflecting questions with humor, which is what she did now.

"With the number of guards you have around you?" Ling asked in a voice that was at least an octave higher than her natural one, "I'm the safest woman in the galaxy!"

She laughed nervously, as both men stared at her incredulously. Luckily, her awkward Earth humor seemed to do the trick and dispelled the tension in the air.

"Um, General Martok please do let me know how things progress with T'Lar. She's a wonderful woman" Ling offered, in an attempt to wrap up their conversation with some degree of grace.

The General looked skeptical at that last statement, but nodded, "I will. Farewell."

He stalked past Letant, letting his shoulder whack his in a final show of aggression. Letant scowled, but before he could offer a parting jab Ling gently touched his arm.

"Senator, would you mind walking me back to my quarters?"

He softened, "Of course"

They walked in silence for a few moments, while Ling pondered her next move.

"I apologize for what you just heard" she blurted out, "I would hate for you to think that I was speaking ill of you. I wasn't. Martok is just spirited and-"

"Don't make excuses for him" Letant cut in.

"And out of line" Ling finished, meeting his gaze, "I don't make excuses"

Letant offered a small smile, "Of course you don't"

Ling was wondering what exactly that meant when the Romulan continued.

"The man is an animal" he said with an air of condescension. His chest puffed out as he continued "And I don't like his sudden interest in you"

Ling shook her head, "He's not an animal. There's just more to him than you can see. More to all Klingons in fact"

Letant smiled patronizingly, "My dear, my kind has been dealing with his since before you humans set foot in space. You'll forgive me if I remain unconvinced by your human tendency of optimism"

Ling certainly wasn't finished with this conversation, but recognized that there was no point in arguing at this moment. Or perhaps her weariness was finally settling in. Luckily, they had just arrived outside of her quarters.

"You never answered my question" Letant said softly.

"What?"

"Earlier, I asked if you felt safe with me" he answered.

Ling felt trapped under his gaze for the second time that day. He was standing closer to her than he had on the Promenade, and she could see the fine detailing on his purple senatorial garb. She suddenly wondered what it would be like to hug a Romulan. This Romulan. Would it be a stiff and uncomfortable? Or would his hard edges melt away in a warm embrace? Willing herself to not sway toward him and test out her theory in her tired state, she straightened.

She met Letant's eyes, which still had the hard, calculating edge she had seen earlier. But calculating what?

"I'm not totally comfortable with you" she answered honestly, "So far in this exchange I feel like I've just seen an exercise in your diplomatic skills"

His eyes lost a bit of their sharpness and it seemed he was satisfied with her bluntness. He reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. Pressing a kiss against the back of her knuckles, he pulled her closer and Ling, caught off guard, practically fell into him. A warm hand settled onto her hip.

Letant leaned forward, until his lips were at her ear. "I promise you, I am skilled in more than diplomacy"

To her complete embarrassment, Ling moaned at the feel of his breath ghosting across her ear. His hand on her hip tightened in response, and she heard him take a sharp intake of breath.

"Letant-" Ling breathed. But abruptly, he pulled away.

Ling opened her eyes, just realizing that she had closed them to begin with. The Romulan was gone.

"Wow" she whispered to herself. She needed a nap…and a drink.

Chapter Text

“This” Vreenak spread his arms wide to indicate the grand room around him, “is the Senate Cultural Center of Romulus”

He watched as Reina spun slowly to take in the space. His holographic recreation of the main reception room of his planet’s hub of the arts was flawless, in his opinion. And it might as well be since the Ferengi at the bar had charged him a fortune for the holosuite’s use. The room was decorated in a traditional style and was dominated by wide, marble columns that swept up to support intricate, embellished arches. Below the arches was a balcony that encircled the upper half of the room.

It was unusual for Vreenak to see that balcony empty. Senator Letant referred to it as the bloodwing’s perch, and it was an apt name. Romulans, especially those in the upper echelons of government, were far too gripped by paranoia to not take advantage of the high ground, even in a social gathering. There was no better location to keep an eye on one’s enemies, or one’s friends. The balcony made the room an intense space, constantly reminding its occupants that they were under surveillance.

Vreenak found he liked the room a lot better when it was empty.

The room was lit by lantern like devices that simulated candlelight, but most of the its light came from the glass ceiling through which the light of the stars shone through. That was Vreenak’s favorite aspect of the room, and one that he anticipated would impress Reina. When he saw the Starfleet officer gazing up at the ceiling mouth agape he realized he had been right, and smirked satisfactorily.

“Wow” she whispered, “That is…something.”

Vreenak chuckled “Something?”

“Wait, one second” she said.

To Vreenak’s surprise the human darted to the middle of the vast marble floor and laid down on her back.

"What are you doing?” Vreenak asked, bemused at her actions.

“It’s a better view this way” she said.

Vreenak scoffed. She was like a child, this human.

“You have most certainly seen the stars before” he said, exasperated as he walked to meet her prone figure.

Reina tilted her head back to smile at him, “Sure, but now I work among the stars. It’s a little harder to get the distance I need to appreciate them.”

Vreenak rolled his eyes, “How very droll.”

“I didn’t create a room that showcased the beauty of the stars, Romulans did.”

“Please get up.”

“Maybe you should get down” Reina countered. She looked up at him with a small half smile.

Vreenak stared at her incredulously. Was she seriously suggesting that he lay down next to her? Even for a human that was a bold flirtation, and she knew it. Her smile was innocent, but her eyes held a challenge. Not quite knowing what the game between them was yet, but curious enough to find out, Vreenak laid down on the cold floor next to her. Rather than meet Reina’s gaze, he stared up at the same stars she had been gazing at and discovered that they were better viewed at this vantage point, though he would never admit to that. He was hyper aware of the soft female form next to him, and did his best to focus on the stars as if he had never seen them before. This infuriating woman’s intrusions on his life in the past few days had caused a lack of control on his part, but he would be sure it wouldn’t happen again.

“Better?” Reina prodded.

Vreenak asked “Is this a common activity for humans?”

“Stargazing? I suppose so. I mean, I like it. It’s even kind of roma-“ she stopped.

Vreenak turned to look at her, “Kind of?”

“Nothing” she said coolly. She turned to meet his gaze, “Besides, we’re here for some other purpose I assume?”

She lifted herself off the ground and dusted off her uniform, almost stiff and businesslike. Her changeable moods were starting to give Vreenak whiplash, but he followed her lead anyway.

He cleared his throat, “I suppose I haven’t explained exactly where we are.”

“The Senate Cultural Center” Reina said.

“Indeed. This room is comparable to ballrooms on Earth , though it’s only one small part of an enormous center where the planet’s top musicians, dancers, and other performing artists hold performances” Vreenak explained with pride.

Reina stared incredulously at him “Dancers? Sorry, I guess I can imagine Romulan musicians, but I’m having a hard time picturing dancers”

Vreenak detected a thrill of excitement from Reina at this revelation, and he prodded it.

“You are fond of dance?” he asked.

“Oh! I enjoy watching it anyway. Earth has many diverse styles. My dancing takes the form of stepping side to side rhythmically and wriggling a bit” she laughed.

Vreenak raised his eyebrows “Please don’t demonstrate”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe for now” Reina said.

“This is also where the Senate and other branches of government hold official functions” he continued to explain.

“So this is where the Tal Shiar holds all their birthday parties?” Reina quipped.

Vreenak shot her a warning glance, “Do not mention the Tal Shiar”

Reina paused dramatically and peered around one of the nearby stone pillars, “Why, are they nearby?”

“Reina!” Vreenak nearly yelled.

She seemed taken aback by his tone, and it occurred to him that perhaps the reputation of his planet’s brutal secret police had not reached all ears in the Federation. Vreenak now found himself in a difficult position. His service to the Empire had included a stint as the Vice Chairman of the Tal Shiar, though midway through the war with the Dominion he had left the post. It had been a rocky shift, and he had to pull in every favor he was owed to accomplish it. The Tal Shiar would much prefer their members to die in their service than pose a security risk to the Empire. However, Vreenak had agreed to restrict his work as a Senator to that which involved less bloodshed and aggression. He rebranded, in a sense. And as a result he felt his position in the Senate shifting. The war hawks of the government avoided him like the plague, and no doubt laughed at him behind his back. However, he had been warmly embraced by the Senators who more often advocated for diplomatic solutions to galactic disputes, such as his cousin.

But, Reina knew none of this. And if another Romulan on the station were to overhear her mention of them, assumptions might be made about what information had been shared with her. That kind of misunderstanding had consequences, and Vreenak shuddered at the thought of Reina in the custody of the Tal Shiar.

“Believe me when I say that they have killed people guilty of less than an innocent joke. It would simply be best to not to bring them into conversation at all” he explained.

Reina stared at him wide eyed, “But, I have no connection to Romulus”

Vreenak gave her a tight smile, “No connection to Romulus?”

“Well, if they come for your sushi making cultural exchange partner then they’ve clearly run out of all the important things on their to do list” Reina huffed, “Anyway, what are we here for? I don’t see any musicians around”

“As I was trying to explain, official functions of the Romulan government will, at times, involve music and dancing” Vreenak said testily, though he was relieved that she had dropped the subject of the Tal Shiar.

“What kind of dancing?” Reina prodded.

“Computer, play Vobal’s Waltz #3” Vreenak said. He cast a sly grin at Reina, “I’m about to show you, my dear”

The music started up and echoed through the cavernous room. Vreenak hummed along slightly. It was a well known tune on Romulus, perhaps one of the planet’s most famous classical work. Some might consider it overplayed, but Vreenak had to admit that he found it enchanting. Without thinking, he started moving through the steps of the dance that accompanied the song.

“Oh, you’ve got some moves!” Reina said teasingly.

In response, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his dance.

She laughed, “But I don’t know the steps!”

“Improvise” he said playfully, surprising himself.

So, Reina did. While Vreenak knew that grace was too much to expect from a human, he enjoyed Reina’s attempts at following the dance. And based on how much she giggled through it as they spun around the room, he gathered she did as well. After she stepped on his foot for the second time, however, he halted them. His sudden stop tripped up Reina even more and she fell forward, both hands splayed on his chest.

“Oh, I’m dizzy” she said, her soft, brown eyes crinkling with laughter. Blonde curls had escaped the updo that she had put her hair in and gently framed her face. She was panting slightly from being whirled around the dance floor, and a slight flush had crept onto her cheeks.

In stopping, Vreenak had planned to instruct her on the proper moves to the waltz, but it seemed he himself had suddenly forgotten them. Reina was leaning on his chest, and his hands had not left her waist. They were halfway to an intimate embrace and Vreenak was thunderstruck by how much he wanted to complete it. It would be so easy to lean in and kiss her. To claim her. Reina’s eyes met his and seemed to process exactly what he had been thinking. He expected her to tease, to prod him, but instead she tilted her chin up and lowered her lashes slightly. It was an invitation. And Vreenak was so very tempted to accept it.

           

Reina heard Vreenak clear his throat and her eyes shot open. He hadn’t kissed her. In fact, he was staring at her looking….awkward? Which was a trait she never would have thought to ascribe to a Romulan Senator. But she supposed, most Romulan Senators didn’t have humans gazing up at them expecting to be kissed. This was great. Totally NOT embarrassing.  Reina pulled away.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t even tried to bring up human music!” she said, haplessly trying to distract Vreenak from whatever had just happened.

He cleared his throat, “I suppose you have not”

Reina thought for just a moment, wanting to quickly break the uncomfortable spell “Your music actually reminded me of something. Something from home. I was going to show you a different song, but I think you might appreciate this better”

“Very well”

“Computer, add Giselle” Reina was praying the computer had saved her program from a few months back, and was relieved when a ballet dancer appeared before them. She was in costume, maybe seventeenth century garb, topped off with satin pointe shoes.

“Giselle?” Vreenak asked.

“A character from a ballet. Ballet is a form of dance. It’s known for its difficulty and grace, and it’s often classical like what you showed me, correct?”

Vreenak nodded.

“Anyway, I’m no expert on it but Ling dragged me to a production of this ballet in New York a little while ago. I loved it so much, I wanted to relive it”

The dancer started to move, and Reina was as enthralled as she had been the first time she’d seen her. The dance was a mix of seemingly effortless grace and incredibly difficult physicality that never failed to leave her in awe. To Reina, it was a potent combination that showcased the potential and beauty of humanity. She only hoped that Vreenak would be as impressed.

It was a short dance and Giselle finished in a flurry of turns before kneeling in a grand final gesture. Reina clapped eagerly, and the ballerina smiled before taking a smooth bow. She walked off to rehearse privately as Reina turned to Vreenak expectantly.

He smiled, “I am surprised. I had not though humans capable of such art or discipline”     

“I find it inspiring to watch” Reina sighed.

“What is the story of Giselle?” Vreenak asked.

“She’s a peasant girl who is seduced by a nobleman. She gets her heart broken, and then a bunch of spirits come along to haunt him in punishment. In the end, she dies” Reina said.

Vreenak scoffed at that and Reina felt her heart sink. She should have guessed what he would say next.

"Humans put too much time and effort into frivolity”

How predictable of him. He would find a way to reduce what was clearly stunning art to a critique of ALL humanity. Reina rolled her eyes, “Alright then, what’s a story that is worth time and effort?”          

“One that has greater meaning than a girl getting her feelings hurt!”

“Okay, well it’s never quite that simple!” Reina protested.

“What you just described sounds very simple”

“When I summarize it, sure! But ballet, music and art are about seeing ourselves and our lives reflected, whether they’re simple or not”

Vreenak raised his eyebrows, as if to encourage her to continue.

“It’s…” now that she had a chance to speak, Reina struggled to find the words “it’s an elevation almost. A way to see our mundane lives lifted up and examined. To know that other people relate to it and that it can be made into something of beauty. I mean, Giselle’s heartbreak is transformed into something that pushes the limits of the human form. I think it’s incredible”

Vreenak was quiet, and Reina started to feel silly at her sudden, and passionate, defense. But then he spoke.

“Do you feel that your life is mundane?” he asked quietly.

“Maybe. At times. And then sometimes I don’t. It’s kind of in flux all the time” Reina admitted “we’re never quite settled, we humans”

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced feeling ‘in flux’” Vreenak said quietly.

Reina supposed he hadn’t. In almost every interaction with him, barring the moment she nearly tried to kiss him, he was unflappable. To her eyes, it was as if his confidence was unshakeable. Vreenak knew who he was, and he stuck to that, no matter the circumstances. Reina had to admit it was a very attractive quality. She supposed that her humanity, in all its colors and moods, would do nothing but repel him. That thought stung more than she had anticipated, and she found herself wanting to leave. Leave this man’s confusing presence, and her desire to both argue with and kiss him, far behind.

But, Vreenak surprised her at that moment with his next statement.

“Thank you, Reina”

“For what?” she asked.

Vreenak paused, then smiled “For being so enlightening”

“Uh, you’re welcome” Reina said, because truly, she had nothing else to say to that.

“I’m afraid I’ve got a business call, but I certainly hope we plan our next outing soon” Vreenak said. He turned to leave but before he could, it occurred to Reina that she had forgotten to ask something.

“Vreenak” she called after him, “What does raalar mean?”

The Romulan turned, looking alarmed “How did you hear that? Did someone call you that?”

Reina paused. Of course, the answer was yes. But, she was uncertain how much trouble she wanted to stir up between Vreenak and his guard. Chances are Vreenak would take Neral’s side anyway. Even so, she was curious.

“No!” she answered unconvincingly, even to her own ears “I mean, I just heard it”

Vreenak’s eyes narrowed, but he admitted “A raalar is an ape native to Romulus. The name is often used as a slur against Terrans”

“Oh” Reina said “fun.”

Well, THAT made perfect sense based on how Neral had used it.

“I trust you will report any such undue language to me immediately should you hear it again” Vreenak said, a bit aggressively.

Reina thought that perhaps Vreenak wanted to be the only Romulan on the station with the privilege of taking digs at humans. But, she nodded in reply anyway.

With a nod in return, the Romulan left.

“He is quite handsome” a voice thickly accented with Russian said.

Reina turned to see Giselle, now stretching on the ground, looking up at her with a coy smile.

Reina sighed, “Believe me, I know”

Vreenak decided on his walk back to his quarters that he must be getting too old for service to the Empire. He should probably retire from the Senate and retreat to a farmstead with a few set’leths and consider his life one well lived.

There was no other explanation for his burning attraction to this human. This woman. Her cheeriness, which had put him off so much at the beginning, was almost enticing to him now. He still found humans as a whole unbearably idealistic, but he nearly appreciated the quality in Reina. Her rant about the purpose of art had matched the passion that could be found in many Romulans. His species was much more selective about when to reveal that particular emotion, and more often than not it was tied to their loyalty to the state. Romulans who exhibited passion outside of that noble cause were…irregular.

And to hear Reina describe her life as “mundane”. Well, he was surprised. Perhaps that was a trait of humanity that he would never understand. They were capable of humility that did not limit their ambitions and their zest for life. Had Vreenak heard a Romulan describe themselves in such a way, he would have been very concerned about their mental state.

But, none of these musings explained his desire to kiss the Starfleet ensign senseless. And that was a puzzle that he needed to solve quickly.

As he approached his quarters, he remembered that he had given his guards the day off. It was not in line with diplomatic standards and they had been reluctant to obey, but he was loath to set their tongues wagging by bringing them to his rendezvous with Reina.

Especially now that he had another concern in regard to the Romulans on the station. One of them had verbally harassed Reina. There was no reason she would have asked him about the word raalar had it not been directed at her. The question was, why would she lie about it? Had it been a random Romulan, and there were many as part of the peace delegations, she could have simply told him that. No, it was more likely she knew who it was and was trying to keep the peace by not mentioning any names. A noble, if misguided, action. Vreenak was determined to seek out the offender and punish them. He tried to tell himself that his anger was unwarranted, but a part of him feared for Reina’s safety. The tension between the various factions on the station had not yet lifted, and there were several weeks left of the exchange program.

These thoughts weighed on his mind as he began his call with Ael.

“Cousin” she greeted cheerfully.

“Proconsul, how are you?” Vreenak asked, smiling.

“I must say I have been better” Ael said glumly.

“Ah yes. I had heard the abolition bill you supported did not pass” Vreenak said sympathetically.

“It did not” Ael admitted, “And based on how things are progressing, I am afraid that I will never find the support I need”

Vreenak grimaced. The liberal faction of the Senate, if they could be called that, was facing an uphill battle as they tried to institute reforms in a rapidly evolving empire. Slavery on Remus, and in other parts of the Empire, was a particularly ugly blemish on all Romulan society. Vreenak wanted to see it dissolved as much as Ael.

“Well, should our peace with the Federation succeed, I’m sure they would offer the necessary pressure to see it finished” he offered.

His lip curled at the thought of the Federation interfering while waving their precious moral ultimatums, but he had to admit that the end result of abolition was more important than Romulan pride.

“Exactly!” Ael agreed, “Not only would it bring about abolition, but we would be finally marching into the future. We cannot spend the next century looking down our noses at every other species in the galaxy. Not only is it boring, it’s unsustainable. The Federation is growing, and the Klingons, well. I’d rather have them on our side than face them, wouldn’t you?”

Vreenak briefly recalled his unexpected flight over Quark’s bar after being thrown by an irate Klingon warrior, “Yes, I think I would”

It was amusing to think that without that Klingon, he might not have met Reina. He smiled sardonically to himself at the thought.

“Is there something about Klingons that makes you cheery?” Ael asked, spotting the smile.

“I was simply recalling something” he answered tightly.

“Or perhaps someone?” Ael prodded. Vreenak rolled his eyes. His cousin was annoyingly perceptive.

“If you must know, I was thinking of my exchange partner” he said.

“Oh yes” Ael said, “I nearly forgot. How is that progressing?”

Vreenak paused, “Better than I expected. I am learning a few things about humans. They’re capable of surprising me”

“High praise indeed from the Senator” Ael said, “And it helps that you have such an attractive woman to learn from” she winked.

“How did you-“

“You know what a chatterbox Letant is”

Vreenak shouldn’t have been surprised. The man was a terrible gossip.

“She is…appealing for a human” he said evenly. It was a true statement, but it didn’t come close to describing his fervent attraction to Reina.

“Hmmmm” Ael intoned “Well, I hope I get to meet her”

Vreenak was taken aback by that, “And when exactly would you expect that to happen?”

Ael had a devilish look in her eye and Vreenak’s heart began to sink. He knew that look. It meant he was about to be dragged into something that he really did not want to be dragged into.

“When I first heard about this Starfleet program” Ael said, “I wondered how the Romulan government might reciprocate.”

“But any action you take will most certainly face opposition from the conservative members of the Senate.”

“Precisely. Which is why I think we should receive some Federation cultural partners on Romulus” Ael said eagerly, “All the Senate has to do is agree to act as hosts. And a diplomatic matter can be settled with the approval of the Proconsul. No maneuvering to obtain a majority on a vote in the Senate.”

Ael smiled smugly and sat back in her chair, “And you, my dear cousin, ought to invite your  partner, Reina is it?”

Vreenak was shocked. Take Reina to Romulus? The planet would burn down.

“I-um, why?” he sputtered.

“Because from what I hear she’s lovely, charming and intelligent! As is her friend, Ling, who Letant has already agreed to take”

“As usual, Letant exaggerates” Vreenak said flatly “And surely the presence of Starfleet officers would be met with suspicion! I can only see this backfiring, Ael” he protested.

“A stipulation of the agreement will be that participating officers will be off duty. It’s a cultural mission, no more. If Romulans bear witness to humans, Starfleet officers no less, mingling amongst them think of the barriers that could be broken. We’re a deeply suspicious people, and we need measures like this if we want to see any progress.”

Vreenak was quiet for a moment, then said “This will certainly solidify my new image.”

Ael offered a sympathetic smile, “I know. But, think of the statement it will make to have a man with your history bring a human to the Romulan capital. The people will know that we are capable of change”

Vreenak scoffed. The people would think that he had gone weak in the brain, and in a sense, he had “I’m still wary of this, Proconsul”

“Well, I’ve already spoken to Captain Sisko. He’s taking it to his superiors and I expect compliance on the end of the Federation. So, if I were you I’d start preparing Reina now”

Vreenak sighed. As usual, his cousin was a step ahead of him.

“Very well, when is this visit to take place?”

“Two weeks” Ael said brightly.

Two weeks was hardly enough time to prepare Reina for the nuances of Romulan culture. It certainly meant that they would be spending more time than usual together. It was a thrilling and terrifying thought. Vreenak suspected it would be an overwhelming experience for both of them.

“Very well” he said “two weeks."

The gods help him.

A/N: Thanks to anyone who is reading! I appreciate your support 😊 I’m writing this just for fun, and it’s nice to have people along for the ride. Also, if you wanted to get a sense for the Giselle dance in this chapter follow the YouTube link here! It’s real ballet, and really beautiful (I think anyway!) And happy holidays!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLSrI_hXEw

Chapter Text

It was a slow day in Sick Bay, which usually Reina was grateful for, but she found herself particularly restless that day, and would have been delighted to be confronted with a few tricky medical cases to pass the time.

She could have written her agitation off as something to do with Vreenak and her growing fascination with him, but truthfully, she was also propelled by the momentum from the end of the war. Unlike politicians, diplomats, or soldiers who often had lulls in action, Sick Bay had always been inundated with work during war time. Even when a patient was out of critical condition, their recovery required consistent monitoring. Starfleet had even sent extra support to the station to ensure that operations ran smoothly. Deep Space Nine had trafficked Starfleet personnel from all over the various theaters of action and on a day to day basis, Reina had felt the thrill of saving lives, and the despair of losing them. But eventually the flow had stopped, the support staff was gone, and jubilant as Reina was to see peace ushered in, she couldn’t deny now that she was having a hard time adjusting to the sudden calm. She needed to think about her next career move, but instead she was mulling over Vreenak and their strange, developing acquaintance.

“Do you know what my senior superlative was in high school?” she asked Julian. At that moment, the hypospray she had been flipping in her hand slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor with a clatter.

Julian raised an eyebrow “Most likely to destroy medical equipment?”

“Good guess, but no” Reina said, as she plucked the device off the ground, “Most likely to brighten your day. Bright-en” she enunciated the syllables of the last word by stabbing the air with the hypospray.

Julian smiled “Of course it was”

“Mmmmhmm. So, the only logical conclusion is that Vreenak does NOT want his day brightened. He’s a stick in the mud”

“I’m confused Reina, I thought you said your last outing went well. You said you danced” Julian said.

Reina paused. She had said that, and it was true. They had made more progress than she ever could have anticipated. But when she thought back to that day in the holosuite, she felt a tickle in her stomach remembering Vreenak’s dark eyes sweeping over her, the stars scattered above them, the almost kiss-That was the part that she had not divulged to Julian, and she didn’t plan to. Perhaps his rejection was what truly irked her. It had been charming to think of Vreenak as a suitor that was sweeping her away at a ball, but his mixed signals ruined the image.

“Well, he’s confusing. Hot and cold” Reina said. She put the hypospray down and pretended to arrange it alongside the other medical tools.

Julian eyed her ministrations, “Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from dating aliens it’s that you’ve got to give each other time to learn each other’s vocabulary”
“Vocabulary? I am NOT learning Rhiannsu, talk about confusing grammar-wait, did you say dating?” Reina turned.

Julian smiled smugly “That appears to be the case to me. If you were my patient, I’d diagnose you with heartache”

Reina rolled her eyes “That was an ILL attempt at humor, Doctor”

Before she could question him again, the doors to sick bay hissed open, and a Vulcan Starfleet officer entered. It took a moment for Reina to place her face, before she recalled that she had seen Ling conversing with her once or twice. She had the short, bluntly cut hair that was typical of Vulcans, a heart shaped face, and arched eyebrows perched atop unusually warm eyes.

“Lieutenant T’Lar! What can I do for you?” Julian asked.

The Vulcan nodded in greeting, “Doctor. I have obtained a small injury and would like to have it examined”

“Sure thing. Hop right up” he said, gesturing to a nearby bio bed, “Where is the injury?”

T’Lar extended her arm, revealing a bloody gash that stretched from her elbow to her wrist.

“A small injury!” Reina exclaimed “That was an understatement, ma’am”

“Vulcans do not lie” T’Lar said evenly.

Julian quickly ran a scan over the lieutenant, “Reina, dermal regenerator please”

Reina handed him the instrument before turning her curious gaze on T’Lar, “How did this small injury come about ma’am?”

T’Lar’s features tensed slightly, but she answered calmly “My exchange partner and I were participating in a cultural activity”

Reina frowned, wondering what the hell kind of cultural activity resulted in this kind damage. Then it dawned on her.

“Ling said that General Martok was your partner”

T’Lar nodded, “I had always been…curious about the fighting techniques of Klingons. The General demonstrated the bat’leth for me”

Julian scoffed, “Well, clearly he did more than demonstrate. Was this in the holosuite? Really, he should have had safety protocols on!”

“That would have defeated the purpose of the exercise. Fighting comes with risk” T’Lar said.
“I hope you at least got a neck pinch in” Reina quipped.

T’Lar did not smile, but Reina detected a twinkle in her eye when she turned to her and said “I made sure General Martok learned a little something of Vulcans”

“I’m glad he doesn’t have a Romulan partner to use for bat’leth practice” Reina muttered.

“Indeed. He does have a particular distaste for Romulans. I believe the news of your impending trip to Romulus and its capital has especially compromised him”

Reina froze, “Trip to Romulus, ma’am?”

The lieutenant frowned, “You have not been informed? That is most inefficient”

Julian whistled as he put the finishing touches on T’Lar’s injury “That’s quite a surprise. Don’t worry Reina, you’re ‘most likely to brighten someone’s day’. I’m sure you’ll excel on Romulus”

“How does General Martok know I’m going to Romulus?” Reina asked as she smacked Julian on the arm.

“I believe Captain Sisko received a proposal for the trip from the Romulan government. He approved, and informed the delegation leaders of its implementation. Curious, that you have not been told”

“I’ll say!” Reina said.

Romulus. As far as she could recall, no Starfleet officer had ever been permitted to set foot on the planet. Romulans were known far and wide as a secretive, xenophobic race and their participation in the exchange program on Deep Space Nine had been a welcome surprise. It was assumed that their higher ups had dragged their delegation kicking and screaming to it as punishment for the bar fight with the Klingons at Quark’s. But, no one was kicking or screaming here, as it was apparently an invitation from the Romulan government itself. Reina felt some butterflies in her stomach as she recalled Vreenak’s frightening warning about the Tal Shiar. From what little she knew, they pretty much ran the roost on Romulus, and she was supposed to just…walk in?

Speaking of Vreenak, was he coming on this trip? If he was, would he introduce her to his colleagues in the Senate? To his family? Reina was suddenly seized with the realization that she had never asked if he had a spouse. Her gut twisted. What if he had children? They would be Romulan, of course, and probably older than her and they’d definitely have inherited their father’s dislike of humans and Starfleet. Images of sitting down to dinner with a bunch of stern Romulans, one of whom she was attracted to, flitted through Reina’s mind. Forget the Tal Shiar, she had bigger worries.

T’Lar seemed to read the nerves on Reina’s face.

“You appear to be nervous, Ensign and I would say that your apprehension is justified” she said.

Reina swallowed. T’Lar didn’t know the half of it, “Oh yeah?”

T’Lar nodded, “I would exercise caution on this trip if I were you. Senator Vreenak has been reasonable thus far in his dealings with the Federation, but that has not always been the case”

Before Reina could ask what that meant, Julian put the finishing touches on T’Lar’s wound, “There you are! Right as rain”

T’Lar nodded her thanks, and with another meaningful look at Reina, left Sick Bay.

“That was…weird” Reina said, “It’s not very Vulcan like to leave a little mystery hanging in the air”

“I agree” Julian said “Perhaps she didn’t feel it was her place to tell you… whatever it was she was hinting at”

“Sisko to Hence!” Reina’s comm badge chirped.

“Well, maybe now I’ll get some answers” she said.

When Reina arrived at Sisko’s office, she was extremely relieved to see Ling arriving at the same time. That must have meant that she was included on this trip to Romulus. One saving grace at least. She shot Ling a tiny smile before snapping to attention in front of Sisko’s massive desk. Reina thought that it was a shame Starfleet never redecorated the place. The Cardassians had meant to intimidate with their architecture, and boy did it work. It didn’t help that Sisko himself was an intimidating person. Although their interactions were limited, Reina had seen enough of the captain to know that the war, and especially the prophet business, had taken a tremendous toll on him. She respected him greatly, and it was a relief to see him have the opportunity to conduct some peace making business instead of waging war. He had a particular excitement about the cultural exchange project, and he exhibited that now with his wide smile.

“At ease, Ensigns!” he said “Please, sit”

Reina shot a glance at Ling, who gave her a confused look. It was irregular for officers of their rank to sit in the presence of their captain, unless the following conversation was expected to be lengthy. After a moment, they both sat and waited for the Captain to start.

Sisko sighed happily, “I have some exciting news for you both. Yesterday, I received a communication from Proconsul Ael of the Romulan Senate. She has suggested, as a token of good will, that Starfleet send a few of our officers in the exchange program to Romulus as part of a diplomatic visit. Given that you are both paired with Romulan Senators in the program, you are the ideal candidates”

“Oh wow!” Reina said, doing her best to pretend to be shocked at the news. She suspected that Sisko liked to be the bearer of good news, and she didn’t want to spoil it.

Ling, however, nearly fell out of her chair, “Romulus!” she gasped.

Sisko grinned, “The very one. You’ll be traveling with Senators Letant and Vreenak. The proconsul has graciously offered accommodations”

“But, what exactly will we be doing there?” Reina asked.

“Essentially, you’ll be acting diplomats. Ael has informed me that there are several cultural functions taking place in the time frame of the trip that you’ll be expected to attend. I expect that you’ll also answer some questions from those in the Romulan senate who seek to better understand humanity, and the Federation” Sisko explained.

“Sir, I’m sorry but we’re not diplomats! How can we be expected to do this without training?” Ling said, looking positively frantic.

Reina looked at her friend incredulously. It was a stressful scenario Sisko was proposing, but Ling looked like she was going to vomit. It was unusual for her to lose her composure so easily.

Sisko sought to comfort her, “Ensign, I promise you will have plenty of time to prepare for this trip. Starfleet has offered to send a cultural specialist, and the Senators will guide you as well”

Reina and Ling exchanged another glance. More time with the Senators? Followed by what was starting to sound like a double date to Romulus? This was getting messier by the minute.

Sisko eyed them suspiciously, “Alright. What is it that you aren’t telling me?”

Reina cleared her throat, “It’s nothing, sir. Just that our…relationships with our partners are developing. I have a hard time imagining they’d agree to this”

Sisko eyed Reina for a moment, “But, they already have. In fact, Proconsul Ael is Senator Vreenak’s cousin. I think you’ll find him amenable to this plan”

Reina stared in surprise “Oh! But he’s so...I mean he’s always poking fun at humanity, sir”

“Perhaps he’s just poking fun at you” Sisko said with a smile.

Reina fell silent. If that’s what Sisko wanted to think she’d let him, but T’Lar’s warning was needling at her in the back of her brain. There was more to Vreenak than she knew, and she hated the idea of being on his home turf without figuring out what that was. Judging from Ling’s reaction, she was having similar qualms about Letant.

“When is this trip taking place?” Ling asked, after a moment of silence.
“Two weeks!” Sisko said, “I expect you to meet with the Starfleet specialist and the Senators on a daily basis. Your regular duty shifts will be scaled back to make way for this”

Sisko propped his fingers on the desk and leaned forward, “I need you both to understand what an important opportunity this is for the Federation. We have never formally sent officers to the Romulan homeworld. You are representing Starfleet and the ideals of the Federation. The Romulans have joined us in war, now let’s see if we can get them to join us in peace!”

“To peace!” Reina clinked her glass of Romulan Ale against Ling’s. Reina had a twisted sense of humor sometimes and insisted on ordering the classic drink as soon as they had arrived at Quark’s. It was late in the evening, several hours past their meeting with Sisko.

“I just can’t believe we’re going” Ling said, “I mean first of all, how could the Romulan government have agreed to this? It seems fishy”

Reina nodded “Oh yeah it does. And completely unprecedented. I think they know how idealistic and hopeful Starfleet can get, and I can’t help feeling that we’ve played right into their hands”

Ling stiffened at her friend’s morbid tone “Do you think something will happen to us?”

Reina paused, “I hope not. I don’t know what to make of Vreenak’s cousin, the proconsul!”

“I’ve heard she’s on the progressive side of things. So, there’s some precedent to her actions at least” Ling offered.

“Maybe she’ll be an ally to us” Reina said, “I kind of like that idea”

“And we’ll need allies. I’m not sure what the Senators are thinking. There are so many unanswered questions” Ling said.

Reina sighed and sipped at her ale
.
Ling hesitated, then added, “Are you worried about the personal aspects of this trip?”

“By personal, you mean Letant?”

Ling blushed, “It’s just, after our last meet up-“

Reina snorted, “Ah yes, his Casanova impression”

“Okay, that’s accurate” Ling said laughing, “And that’s just it” her tone became serious “I don’t trust that. I don’t trust it with human men, and I especially don’t trust it with Romulans. They’re literally known for their manipulation!”

“You don’t trust flirting, or you don’t trust Romulans?” Reina asked furrowing her brow.

“Either” Ling hissed, conscious of the ears in the surrounding bar.

“Ling, no one here would disagree with you!”

To prove her point, she tapped a Bolian sitting near by on the shoulder. When he turned she asked, “I’m taking a poll. Would you say you trust Romulans?”

“Absolutely not!” he said vehemently before turning back to his Bloody Mary.

“See!” Reina said.

Ling giggled at her antics, but continued “I’m serious, Reina. I’ve never enjoyed feeling like someone’s entertainment, and I’ve never trusted it”

Reina smiled sympathetically, “I don’t blame you. I mean that kind of loosey gooseyness landed you with how many step fathers?”

“Six” Ling answered glumly.

“She hasn’t got Elizabeth Taylor beat yet, at least” Reina said.

“Just give her time, the women in my family live long lives”

Reina sighed, “Why don’t you try just enjoying the attention? Don’t put any weight on it. It’s just fun! A sidebar on our trip to Romulus. It doesn’t have to consume your life, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to”

Ling nodded. She supposed that was a fair way of balancing it. It was just that every time Letant looked at her from underneath his arched brows with that piercing gaze she felt like an insect. Hardly worth the attention of a Senator, and yet he was interested. Would his attention continue in front of other Romulans? That remained to be seen, and was an additional worry for Ling. How was she to represent Starfleet and act diplomatic if Letant continued to flirt with her openly and whisper enticing things in her ear? She shivered, not from any chill, but from the memory of his breath ghosting across her neck. And she thought her crush on Julian had been a lot to handle.
But, she couldn’t deny the little thrill of excitement that came when she thought of the possibilities on this trip. Not only would she and Reina be exploring a new world, but they had some top tier hosts to introduce them to it. It felt a little like a fairy tale. Who knew what could happen if she just enjoyed the ride, as Reina suggested?

She smiled into her Romulan ale, beginning to like the taste of it.


“Step away, you human pest!”

“Neral, you will simply have to introduce me to your family when I get to Romulus. I just feel like we’ve become so close over the last week”
Vreenak rubbed the bridge of his nose, which was becoming a common reaction to hearing Reina’s argumentative tones. It seemed she had heard of the impending trip, which meant his peaceful evening was about to be ruined.

He opened the door to his quarters to find Reina, once again squaring off with Neral. He opened his mouth to comment on Reina’s annoying tenacity, when he saw that Neral had a tight grip on Reina’s wrist. Reina looked mostly irritated, but Vreenak saw that she was wincing from the pain of his guard’s hold. The sight filled Vreenak with a sudden rage.

“Neral” he barked, “You are dismissed”

Neral turned, “But, sir-“

Vreenak leaned in and snarled “Send another guard to my door. You are off duty for three days, is that understood?”

Neral snapped his heels together in obedience, but his eyes remained hostile “Sir”

After Neral stormed off, Vreenak turned to Reina in anger “Neral is the Romulan who harassed you”

She hesitated a moment, before nodding her head, “I didn’t want to say before, but yes”

“I know. You are a terrible liar” Vreenak said. He stalked back into his quarters, expecting Reina to follow. She did, and immediately began pelting questions at him.

“Is there a reason Neral hates me so much? Also, why did you get so upset? Did he break some kind of code?”

Vreenak only half heard Reina’s queries as he paced the room, quelling the anger that had surfaced so suddenly.

“Sit” he said.

He was fighting the urge to rip his own guard’s throat out. The feeling was absurd. All Neral did was become a little overzealous in the execution of his duties. He didn’t know that Reina was somewhat…special. How could he?

That thought calmed Vreenak slightly. Yes, the incident was not so alarming as it had first seemed.

“Neral is from a politically connected family on Romulus. Although loyal, I believe his attitude toward the policies I have supported lately influence his service. It is an irritating subject” Vreenak lied smoothly.

Thought it wasn’t exactly a lie. Neral WAS connected to a powerful political family who had hardline policies on communication and cooperation with off worlders. Vreenak’s explanation gave reasoning for Neral’s behavior toward Reina, without betraying the source of his own anger.

Reina laughed uncomfortably, “Oh! Well, a little while ago he seemed to think that I was trying to seduce you, um, or somthing. He called me a whore”

Vreenak froze, “He called you what?”

Reina answered uneasily, “A whore”

It was curious to Vreenak, the fresh currents of emotions that Reina continually elicited in him. He was reaching heights that he had never expected. Such as now, when he realized he wanted to rip his own guard limb from limb. He breathed out heavily, not willing to put on such a display for Reina at the risk of frightening her. The explanation for Neral’s behavior was suddenly crystal clear to him. Romulan men could be volatile in their sexual and romantic desires, especially when born to restrictive families like Neral’s. Young, expressive human women like Reina were not often exposed to Romulan men like Neral. He imagined her frequent visits had grated on him and elicited the contradiction between his beliefs and the temptation Reina provided.

And she had no idea how tempting she was.

She was gazing at Vreenak with her brow furrowed, and wisps of blonde hair escaping her bun. Her lips were parted, which Vreenak realized was a frequent expression she wore when she was lost in thought. Why did she always have to look like she had just been ravished? Weren’t Starfleet officers meant to be rigid and buttoned up? The other officers he had met certainly didn’t look as though they were ready to be tumbled onto his sofa at a moment’s notice and kissed thoroughly. There was such liveliness to Reina that she could tap into in a nanosecond. She could find joy in an instant and take it to new heights, as if all that mattered to her was being present in that moment. It was breathtaking. It was also going to be a problem on Romulus.

“Reina” he started, sitting on the sofa next to her. He made sure to sit a good distance away, lest he be tempted to act on his thoughts.

“On Romulus, your tendency to…human exuberance would be considered unusual. In our culture, women don’t behave in such a manner unless they’re attempting to attract a mate. I believe this misunderstanding is what occurred with Neral”

“What?” Reina said angrily, “So I brought on his behavior toward me?”

Vreenak sighed “You needn’t be so defensive”

“Why shouldn’t I be? He called me an ape and a whore, and you’re saying it’s my fault somehow?!”
“Of course not” Vreenak snapped, “Will you please listen?”

Reina crossed her arms and sat back. She lifted a brow, encouraging Vreenak to continue.
“Neral was wrong. In fact, I have a mind to dismiss him from my service”

Reina opened her mouth to speak, clearly surprised, but Vreenak lifted a hand to silence her.

“I simply want you to understand where the behavior came from. Neral is not the only man on Romulus who would act this way. It’s a result of you being a female and an off worlder” Vreenak said plainly.

Reina gaped at that, “So, what? I should change my behavior on this trip? Act more Romulan?”

“Yes” Vreenak said firmly.
Reina crossed her arms in frustration “Well as the CAPTAIN explained to me, we are meant to be representing humanity, and learning about Romulus in return”

Vreenak arched a brow “The whole point of it is diplomacy. And diplomacy is all about compromise. If you can manage to keep your sharp tongue in your mouth for short periods of time, you’ll do well”

“Thanks for the heads up on this thing, by the way” Reina said with biting sarcasm, “When exactly did you find out about this sponsored vacation?”

“My cousin informed me of her plans. I assure you, it was not my idea” Vreenak said.

“Comforting words from my would be cultural guide” Reina said.

Vreenak smirked, “I am prepared to execute my duties, make no mistake of that. I will be curious to know how you respond to my suggestions and advice”

“Well” Reina sighed, “If there’s any dancing at these cultural events, you’re going to actually have to teach me how to dance. I’m afraid I’m no good at the moment”

“No, you are not” Vreenak agreed.

“Hey!” Reina said, “A gentleman never agrees with a lady while she’s being self deprecating. You’re supposed to assure me that I did great”

“That must be a human rule” Vreenak said evenly.

Reina giggled, and Vreenak smiled at the sound.

“Though dancing isn’t going to be my biggest problem on Romulus, is it? There are many people like Neral, aren’t there?” Reina asked.
Vreenak’s brows came together in worry “There are. But you needn’t worry. The security team I select will be loyal beyond the shadow of a doubt”

Reina shot him a quizzical glance “Do you have some kind of history in security?”

It was an oddly phrased question, and Vreenak suspected it was under the umbrella of a larger question she had about his service on Romulus. For now, there was no need to disclose his relationship with the Tal Shiar, and should the trip go as smoothly as he hoped, there would never be a need.


He smiled at her diplomatically “No”
Reina grinned, “So, as I am now I’m kind of a hussy on Romulus?””

Vreenak smirked, “You’re certainly a flirt. And a bold one, at that”

Reina’s eyes twinkled impishly as she asked, “What would the Romulan equivalent of flirting be then, Vreenak? Spinning someone around a dance floor?”

Ignoring the excitement her words ignited in him, Vreenak scoffed, “That is exactly the kind of teasing you need to withhold during your time on Romulus”

“Don’t worry, I like to reserve those kind of comments for you” Reina said.

Vreenak felt a swell of pleasure at that. Although rationally he knew that Reina shared her sunny disposition with everyone, it was gratifying to think that they had developed their own rapport. Warning bells in the back of his mind told him to create some distance. She was a human after all, and appearing too comfortable with a Starfleet officer on his own planet would cause nothing short of an uproar. All of the strange possessive feelings and desire he held for her would have to be tamed in time. But, he had two weeks to enjoy her, and he figured no harm could come from it. Once they set foot on Romulus the schedule Ael had set for them would leave little room for downtime anyway. He just had to control himself for two weeks.

Reina grinned, then sat up “Alright I just had my first lesson about Romulus. What’s next?”

Vreenak cleared his throat “You should learn about your hosts, the Romulan Senate. And, by extension the Romulan government. Study what you can tonight, and we’ll meet tomorrow and discuss any questions you may have”

Reina was quiet for a moment. Vreenak got the distinct impression that there was more she wanted to ask.

“I guess I’ll get studying” she finally said, standing to leave.

Clearing his throat Vreenak said, “I appreciate your commitment”

“And, thank you” Reina said, finding his eyes. Vreenak was disconcerted by the sincerity in her brown orbs.

“For what?” he asked, uneasily.

Reina looked contemplative for a moment, then said “For taking the time to understand me”

As soon as she had left, Vreenak contacted his Chief of the Guards, a stern man named Sub Commander Pitar. He was based on Romulus, in the capital city of S’Taskor, where the military base of the city supplied all of the guards of the Senate. It was considered the highest honor to serve members of the government, and to be dismissed was a death blow to any Romulan’s career, which Vreenak knew. But, a fury had gripped him when he heard of Neral’s treatment of Reina and it would not be negotiated with. Further, he realized some of that anger was reserved for Reina. She had been content to let the insult pass, to “keep the peace” in a very human way that made Vreenak’s lip curl. Romulans did not keep the peace when harm, even a little, had been done to one of their own. That he thought of Reina as his own was a fleeting concern that Vreenak dismissed when Pitar’s hard edged face filled his view screen.

“Sub commander” he greeted.

If Pitar was surprised at receiving a communication this late at night, he didn’t show it which Vreenak appreciated.

“Senator” he said coolly “how may I serve?

“I have a guard, a Centurion, that I’d like to dismiss” Vreenak said, his voice hard. He would brook no argument on the subject.

Again, Pitar showed a distinct lack of surprise “Which guard?”

“Neral”

At this, the sub commander did show hesitance “Senator, as you know Neral’s family is well connected within the military, and indeed, the government. Dismissing him cannot be done with a simple order. At most, he can be relieved of duty until you return to Romulus to implement the order in person”

Vreenak fought the urge to roll his eyes. He should have realized that there would be complications. This was the price of running your government on nepotism. Incompetence was allowed to flourish.

“Very well, Sub Commander, I will be returning to Romulus soon and I will take the necessary steps of dismissal at that time. And, you should be aware that I’ll be bringing a guest with me”

Pitar started tapping at a PADD placed in front of him, “What will the guest’s clearance level be?”
“Civilian level. She’s a Starfleet officer, a Terran”

Pitar looked up, his cool exterior finally melted “A human? Is that wise, sir?”

“It is what I have decided” Vreenak said. It was mostly true, as he had agreed to the program. He decided not to bring up the strong arming from Ael.

Pitar stiffened, “Of course, sir. Is there anything I need to know about this human to execute my duties?”

“She’s talkative and unpredictable. And annoyingly persistent” Vreenak said, “Make of that what you will”

Pitar nodded, and Vreenak shut off communication. The sub commander had responded to the news of Reina’s visit as well as could be expected. Vreenak supposed he had better adjust to the incredulity while he still could. It would only get worse once he arrived on Romulus, blonde human in tow.

A/N: Many thanks to anyone who has reviewed or followed! I'm so glad you're following along on this journey with me :)

Chapter Text

Three days out from her and Ling’s scheduled departure to Romulus, Reina had a niggling feeling in the back of her skull that she was forgetting something. Or rather, someone. She was in the middle of a shift at Sick Bay, and occupied with wiping down medical equipment, furiously trying to pinpoint what she had forgotten. The preparations for the trip had been intensive, to say the least. A week and a half prior Reina and Ling had met the cultural “specialist” that Captain Sisko had procured for the mission. His name was Lieutenant Haskins, and Reina deemed him utterly useless. Ling had been slightly more generous in her approximation, claiming that she had learned “a thing or two” from him, but it was apparent that centuries of distrust between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire had precluded any possible kind of preparation for a trip of this nature.

Reina’s afternoon rendezvouses with Vreenak had been mildly more useful for preparation, if overwhelming. The last week and a half had been a verbal tornado of Romulan names. Names of places, senators, government functions, notable families, basic Rhiannsu (in case the universal translator failed!). Everything to do with everyone, but Vreenak himself. Oh, the man was crafty. Reina had almost edged her way into what could be deemed “personal” territory when the Senator started covering the famous families of Romulus. s'Radaik, s'Khaell, s'Droall, s'Aanikh, s’Hei...it went on, and on, and on.

Very gently, she had inquired “Which one is yours?”

He had furrowed his intimidating brows at her over his glass of kali fal (really, the man had a problem) and said nothing.

She had accepted her lack of headway in learning about Vreenak’s personal life. She had even accepted that she was, indeed, infatuated with the man. And that could all be manageable, were it not for the fact that she was going to be travelling with him to his secretive home planet in a few short days. And still, she wasn’t quite sure what they were going to be doing once there. "Cultural events" was all she had gotten out of Captain Sisko, and Vreenak had given her general information, but no solid itinerary had been given to her. She now knew the “who”, but not the “what”. As a Starfleet officer who prided herself on her preparation, she was shuffling between panic and a false sense of confidence.

So, she reflected, she was equal parts intrigued and irritated with with a secretive, distrustful man who probably had a wife. Oh, and she was representing Starfleet, and all of the Federation seemingly, on a trip to his homeworld in three short days. Life was grand.

Julian interrupted her self pity party with a friendly pat on the shoulder, “I think you’re good for the day, Reina. I don’t want to detract too much from your travel preparations”.

Reina graced him with a sardonic smile, “Please Julian, detract”.

His friendly face looked back at her with confusion “I don’t understand. Aren’t you excited? This is a once in a lifetime- No. Once in a century opportunity! No Starfleet officer has ever been invited to Romulus under these particular circumstances. It’s thrilling!”

“Well, that's just it! It's so unprecedented that I can't help but feel that there’s something else going on here. I just know it. Something sinister, something sneaky-”

“Perhaps your prejudice against Romulans is coming into play here”, Julian admonished with a gentle smile.

Reina scoffed, “Oh please, how is it even possible to be prejudiced against a people who believe that they are factually superior to every other species?”

Julian shrugged “I’m just saying, an open mind might serve you better for this particular mission”.

Reina felt a sharp tug of irritation at Julian’s words. He was right, of course, but the stress of the unknown was wearing her down, and being told to simply adjust her attitude was unwelcome. Instead of replying, Reina stared down at the newly cleaned medical tools spread out on the bio bed. The dermal regenerator caught her eye.

“That’s it! T’Lar”, she whispered, “That’s who I forgot”

“What?” Julian asked, oblivious to Reina’s irritation with him.

“I gotta go”, Reina said, before whipping out of Sick Bay.


Reina cornered Lieutenant T’Lar on the Promenade.

“Lieutenant!”, she nearly shouted.

Several curious heads swiveled, including T’Lar’s, though the Vulcan maintained her usual composed facade.

“Ensign Hence”, she asked calmly, “What can I do for you?”

Reina cut to the chase, “Ma’am you gave me a warning, when I healed your arm. About Vreenak”

T’Lar’s eyes sharpened, “I did”

Not having planned exactly what she wanted to ask, Reina paused a moment, “W-well, I suppose I need to know more”, she finally said.

T’Lar nodded, “This is not a conversation that is appropriate for a public space. We should retreat to my quarters”.

“My quarters are closer”, Reina offered.

“No”, T’Lar said, in a voice that brooked no argument.

Reina fixed her with a bemused smile.

“I will explain when we reach my quarters”, T’Lar said softly.

Putting aside her confusion, Reina nodded her consent and followed the Lieutenant to one of the further residential areas of the station. Once inside the lieutenant’s quarters, T’Lar offered her a seat and some water. Reina accepted, and as her host walked to the replicator, she examined her surroundings with interest.

The first thing she noticed was the temperature. It was so much warmer than Reina’s own quarters, which was to be expected given that the quarters’ resident hailed from a desert planet. The second notable aspect was the room’s tranquility. It didn’t give off an indulgent kind of comfort, but it was comfortable enough to aid something reflective, like meditation. A notion supported by the meditation stone Reina spotted in the corner.

Once T’Lar returned with the water, she mirrored what Reina had done on the Promenade and cut to the chase.

“Ensign, Senator Vreenak has a fraught political history, which I believe makes him a dangerous choice as your partner for this cultural mission”.

Reina blinked, “Fraught? That’s not a good word. Especially in regard to Romulans”.

T’Lar raised a brow, “Indeed, and especially in regard to the Tal Shiar. He was Vice Chairman of the organization only two years ago”.

Reina’s jaw dropped, “What? That’s insane! He nearly bit my head off when I so much as mentioned the Tal Shiar to him. If he wasn’t so...well, HIM I would have thought the man was terrified”.

T’Lar nodded, “He would have good reason to fear. One does not simply leave the Tal Shiar”.

Reina stared at the Vulcan, “But, he did. And if he left two years ago, then he left during the war. What does that mean?"

T’Lar nodded, “I do not have exact answers. But it has been suggested that there is residual anger directed at the Senator for his leaving the organization at such an urgent time. His familial connections to the proconsul of the Senate, Ael, have prevented what would have otherwise been career ending backlash. His leaving mandated that he find other connections to support him".

Confusion and doubt reared within Reina, “Wait, how do you know any of this? The Romulans are about as tight lipped as it gets about what goes on internally”.

At this, T’Lar hesitated before continuing. Finally, she admitted “I have a contact in Romulus. It has been logical for my people to remain aware of the activities of the Romulans, given our relation and history with them. We have long had our ways of obtaining the information we need. I will trust that you will respect the secrecy this knowledge mandates, and say no more. At least, not to Senator Vreenak".

“I will say nothing” Reina promised, “But that leads me to another question, is there a reason this conversation had to take place here, instead of my quarters?”

T’Lar’s unusually warm eyes fixed Reina with the patient look of a teacher “Think for a moment”

The answer almost immediately occurred to Reina, “If Vreenak is, or was, Tal Shiar, then they’ve almost certainly been keeping tabs on me. Oh my God, my quarters could be bugged!”.

T’Lar nodded, “They likely are. Which is why I urge that you remain cautious of what you discuss within your walls”.

Reina’s head swam with the enormity of what this relatively short conversation had unveiled. This trip had the potential to be so much more complicated than it appeared. She was beginning to feel sick as she processed it all. Did this mean she and Ling were in danger? Was Vreenak? T’Lar seemed to read her thoughts and put a warm, comforting hand on top of her’s.

“I do not wish to cause you undue alarm” T’Lar said, “In fact, I was not intending to mention any of it beyond what I told you in Sick Bay. However, when you apprehended me on the Promenade, it became clear that you are experiencing the “gut” feeling that this mission is not what it appears to be. I had experienced the same sensation. It is not enough to bring to the Captain, but I thought it was logical that as Senator Vreenak’s partner you have some warning”.

Reina smiled tightly, “A gut feeling? That doesn’t sound very Vulcan to me”.

T’Lar didn’t smile exactly, but the warmth in her eyes intensified “Sometimes it is logical to listen to our instincts, even when we are not presented with proof of our suspicions. Many of my kind would disagree, but I have found it is useful to listen to ourselves from time to time”.

Reina grinned at that, “I would absolutely agree. But, I suppose this means that all I can do is keep an eye on Vreenak, and stay on my guard. I won’t share our suspicions with Ling. Unless Senator Letant also has a shady past with the galaxy’s most infamous secret police?”.

“He does not”, T’Lar confirmed.

Reina gave a humorless laugh, “Oh great, so I’ve got the more dangerous, yet less charming partner. If he gets me killed, my ghost will know exactly who to haunt!”

T’Lar inclined her head slightly, indicating her curiosity, “You like him, do you not?”

Reina decided to bluff, “What makes you think that?”

“I have observed that humans use humor as a defense when talking about individuals that they are drawn to”

Reina exhaled, "Well, you've got me there".

 

A/N: I've wanted to pick up this story again for a while, but life has been so complicated. With isolation going on, however, I've decided to channel some creative energy into finishing this! Any feedback is appreciated :)

Chapter Text

Vreenak gripped his mug of tea with one hand as he perused a PADD with the other. He had been receiving regular updates about the likely reception this exchange program would encounter on Romulus, and the latest of these missives were anything but encouraging. He had known his change in career would come with costs. He had! But the slave debates, and the ground being gained by progressives in the Senate was threatening to undo the work done by the traditional faction. And the division, as well as Vreenak’s ties to Ael and other progressive Romulans, was losing him allies among the conservatives that had initially bolstered his career.

Ael was throwing her considerable political weight around to bolster support for the cultural initiative with the Federation, but it was an uphill battle. Vreenak’s unanswered messages to his old allies, allies who had stood by him for decades, told him what he needed to know. 

Prior to the Dominion War, Vreenak had had a carefully cultivated reputation. He was known for his steel resolve, and his cold and calculated nature. Younger Romulans flocked to him for advice, seeking his patronage as a way of climbing the rickety ladder of Empire politics. 

And yet, he never found satisfaction in the heights he himself had climbed. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong with him. It was just that the milestones he hit didn’t feel like successes. They simply felt like inevitabilities. Perhaps it was because he had never considered the possibility of failure. It simply wasn’t an option when your choices were to survive, or not. Thus, his achievements were never sweetened with the taste of victory, just the stillness of relief. And he swam and indulged in that relief until another threat arose, usually in the form of one of his previously amicable comrades. Then, he played the game, and always, he won. Now he questioned what purpose it all served. What was there, exactly, to celebrate?

Perhaps no other Romulan who had served as the vice chairman of the Tal Shiar would feel like a failure. But, he had listened to the doubts in his head and left. Now he was a Senator, and the issues of the time demanded he choose his allegiances. He was on the cusp of deciding whether he would be remembered as a cold eyed, bloodied leader of the Tal Shiar, or a Federation puppet. It was a complicated time to return to Romulus, and even more so with his human exchange partner. He was afraid to see his career implode in front of him, and he was afraid for Reina. Ah yes, his attachment to the fierce human was yet another complication. 

She had him drinking tea and musing over human phrases, and reaching out to stroke her soft hair whenever she was within arm’s distance. It was disgusting. Like being a young man again experiencing the first throes of passion. 

The door chime interrupted his thoughts. 

"Enter", he said.

The doors to his quarters slid open to reveal Reina. Ah, perfect. Temptation, herself!

She was uniformed, and looked as though she had just finished a shift given the messy state of her curls. Although it was difficult to discern where she was concerned, because ‘slightly disheveled’ described how she looked the majority of the time. Unfortunately for Vreenak, it suited her immensely. 

Feeling sour, he decided to pick at her anyway “I do hope you don’t intend to arrive on Romulus with your hair and hygiene in that state”

Reina blinked, and then laughed “You sound exactly like my mother. Have you two met, perhaps?”

Vreenak glowered at her. 

Reina sat herself on the couch next to the seething Romulan, “Vreenak, hackles down. Obviously, I won’t look like I just got off a ten hour work shift when I step onto Romulan soil. By the way, what should I wear when we descend?”

Regretting his sharpness with her, Vreenak answered, “Not your uniform, certainly, as you are not in an official capacity. Something modest, but flattering.”

Reina gave a sarcastic laugh, “Well, that narrows it down I suppose!”

Vreenak knew when he had reached the limits of his knowledge, and simply offered, “Perhaps the proconsul can send recommendations."

Reina clapped her hands together in satisfaction, “Perfect! What’s that?”

She peered at the PADD balanced on Vreenak’s knee curiously. 

The senator snatched up the device and placed it face down on the low table in front of them. The temerity of the woman was astounding!

“You are becoming entirely too comfortable within my quarters, Ms. Hence” he huffed, “Surely humans are familiar with the concept of privacy?”

Reina grinned, offering the first real smile he had seen from her in a few days “I am nosy, I admit. You would be nosy too, if we were in MY quarters.”

“I assure you, I would not be", Vreenak stood.

“Maybe I’d like it if you were”, Reina said quietly. 

Facing away from her, Vreenak closed his eyes and bit back a sigh at the words. The past two weeks had, in many ways, been a lovely distraction from reality. But as they approached their date of departure, the taboo of Reina’s comments were starting to weigh on him. Interactions that were once light and intangible now highlighted the sheer impossibility of their dynamic. 

And the idea that there was any weight to these flirtatious comments was absurd. She was human! It was common with members of her species to collect many romantic and sexual experiences. And Reina was young, meaning this was the prime time for her to do so. So, he did not begrudge her this fancy. 

But, he knew she had no idea the mess that would ensue were this relationship to expand beyond what it already was. She had no inkling of what belonging to a Romulan meant. It could never be a mere fling, which humans so often engaged in. He knew that if he were to have this woman, he would want her permanently, Starfleet or no. This intensity of feeling was undoubtedly not shared on her end. It was time to rein things in, now. 

Turning around, he quirked a brow at her, “Very well, if you would like me to be ‘nosy’, perhaps you can inform me as to why you’re late this afternoon?”

Reina blinked, and Vreenak spotted the briefest glance of panic in her eyes. That was curious. As quickly as it appeared, the panic subsided and was replaced with a smirk.

“Women’s troubles”, Reina said. 

Vreenak fought the urge to roll his eyes. The woman really was an awful liar. 

“Let’s begin”, he said briskly, deciding that a change in subject was in order.

“All right”, Reina said, sitting up straight, “quiz away!”

“Name of the Empress”, Vreenak said.

“Sindari.”

“And her legate?”

“Nuhir Lovok.”

Vreenak posed comfortably on the arm of a nearby chair as he quizzed Reina. Her serious and concentrated face, so different from her usual demeanor, never failed to amuse him. 

“And the two of them make up the…” he prodded.

“Hfihar ih'Shiar, the Imperial House”, Reina said smoothly. 

Vreenak quirked a brow, “Your pronunciation has gotten quite good”.

“Mmhm”, Reina said, a tone of frustration coming into her voice. 

Vreenak glanced at her face. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her eyes took on a matte complexion. She looked defeated, and it made Vreenak’s gut twist to see her so. Having no experience or skill in managing changeable human emotions, he decided to continue on, hoping that this mood of hers would dissipate as quickly as it had settled. 

“And the Tricameron?”, Vreenak asked. 

“The Tricameron, or sei Hehhlirh, consists of the Praetorship and the Senate. The Praetorship is the official head of government composed of an elected Praetor, or Fvillhu. To win the Praetorship, a candidate must win the support of the majority of Senate members, and be confirmed by the Continuing Committee, a subsection of the Senate.”

Reina rattled off the information with ease, and Vreenak nodded his approval, “Good, now-”

“But!”, Reina interrupted, raising a hand to stop him, “Romulan politics is a notoriously dangerous field, and many Praetors often find their terms cut short, and not of their own volition. Is that not correct, Senator?”

Vreenak examined Reina curiously. There was an unspoken question underlying this, and he suspected it was in line with her questions about his background early on in their acquaintance. Her tone now had more urgency woven into it, and he made a note to find out why that was so. 

“That is correct, Ensign”, he replied evenly, mirroring her return to titles. 

Reina said nothing, but sat back and crossed her arms. Vreenak almost snorted at the sight. How charmingly petulant she could be! 

“And who is the current Praetor?”, Vreenak continued. 

“S’Hauen s’Droall”, Reina said. 

Vreenak scoffed, “Unfortunately, that is so”.

Reina perked up at that, “Why ‘unfortunately’?”

Vreenak shook his head, “It is of no import."

Reina raised her hands in frustration, “But don’t you see? It IS of import! Knowing who is in which role in your government is great, but that’s just the start. What if I meet these people? What are they like? Is s’Droall a jerk? Do I kiss the hand of the Empress? I would like to know these things!”

Vreenak gave a small smile. He had forgotten how earnestly curious humans were, and Reina especially so. She would never fully feel satisfied with the information she had received, and he supposed he ought to alleviate some of her curiosity now so that he would not be pestered every few moments on Romulus. 

“What would you like to know?”, he asked. 

“Well, let’s start with the Empress! What would I do if I met her?”, Reina prodded.

“Not much”, Vreenak said, “As a figurehead of our government, she requires little but a bow and a handshake. It’s not like the days of Queen t’Rehu, where a misstep in protocol might lead to you losing your head".

"Well that's good. I'd like to keep my head, I'm quite attached to it", Reina quipped.

“Indeed, my dear.”

“And s’Droall?”, Reina prodded. 

“He is the son of a career politician of the House of Droall-”, Vreenak began. 

Reina waved her hand, “No, I mean, what do YOU think of him?”

“Why do you care what I think of him?”, Vreenak asked.

Reina paused before answering, “Well, I suppose I trust your judgment. You’re the only real guide I have to your world. And if it’s as dangerous a world as I’ve heard, then I should know what someone with experience of it thinks."

Vreenak felt an emotion he had not felt for some time swell in his chest upon hearing the word “trust” fall from Reina’s lips. She trusted him. What a horrifying and thrilling notion. How long had it been since a woman had so earnestly expressed her trust in him? By the gods, it must be decades. When his wife-

No. He did not need to think of Arrhae and Reina in the same breath. Arrhae was well in the past, and Reina….well, Reina was temporary. He would carry out his obligation to her as well as he was able, and then return her to Deep Space Nine. She didn’t need to know about his past, or about the precarious political situation he was beginning to find himself in. No. He would keep her safe. And safety could be found in ignorance. 

A beeping sound indicating an incoming transmission cut short his reverie, and he tore his gaze away from Reina who had been observing his reaction to his words. 

Grasping for an escape from Reina’s question, Vreenak said “Computer, show transmission."

Ael’s handsome and open face filled the screen on the wall directly across from him and Reina, and Vreenak bit back a groan. Just what he needed, the two most persistent women in his life meeting each other. 

Ael didn’t even bother to address Vreenak once she spotted Reina, “Ensign Hence, it must be!”

The proconsul offered Reina a smile, which could, in Romulan terms, only be described as beatific. This time Vreenak could not hold in his despair. 

“Gods help me”, he muttered, as he slunk off to get to his bottle of kali fal on a side table beside the adjacent couch.

“Vreenak? Vreenak?”, Ael said, her face seemingly peering around the edge of the screen to find her cousin, “I promise you will survive this encounter without the assistance of alcohol."

Vreenak paused mid pour, astounded once again at how well his cousin seemed to know him. He didn’t need to look at Reina to know she was likely holding in a gale of laughter. 

“It is an honor to meet you, Proconsul”, Reina said, “I’m thrilled to meet someone who knows Senator Vreenak so well”. 

To his despair, she sent a wink Vreenak’s way, prompting him to slam the bottle of kali fal down on the table. 

Ael watched the exchange with growing amusement, but decided to get a word in before Vreenak completely lost composure. 

“Tell me”, she said, “What have I interrupted here?”

“The Senator was just about to tell me his thoughts on S’Hauen s’Droall, the current Praetor”, Reina answered smoothly, “I’m collecting information before the trip."

Vreenak had to fight to not spit out his kali fal, earning a wickedly amused glance from Reina. He had not thought her capable of such duplicity. It irritated him to no end, but he also had to admit to the feeling of arousal it provoked within him. Reina was a worthy opponent when she chose to be. 

Ael gave an amused snort, “Has he told you about their school boy rivalry then?”

Reina raised both eyebrows, “Not yet. Do tell!”

As Ael talked, Vreenak fumed. If it weren’t for his hard won dignity as a Romulan Senator, Vreenak might have thrown a nearby couch cushion directly at Reina’s face, simply to wipe the smirk off of it. If he did, however, she would undoubtedly do nothing but laugh and toss it back at him. Thus would ensue a tussle that could end in something much, much more pleasurable. After all, once he saw her laughing like that he would have no choice but to kiss her and put an end to her mocking. He WAS a Senator after all, and could only take so many affronts to his honor. 

As the fantasy played out in his mind, he realized with a start that Ael had her eyes on him. She gave a slow, knowing smile, as if she read his mind. He scowled at her and threw back the rest of his drink before setting the glass down. It seemed he had had enough to drink for the night. 

While this exchange played out, Reina was forming another question, “So, if S’Hauen accused Vreenak of cheating on their final exam, how is a dispute like that settled? If the exam has already happened then it’s difficult to find proof. Is it a matter of taking one person’s word over another?”

Now, Vreenak jumped into the conversation, “Unfortunately, it usually is. S’Hauen’s house had much more influence than mine did at the time. The accusation was enough for members of the faculty at the Imperial Academy to consider dismissing me."

Reina shook her head, “That’s wildly unfair."

Vreenak nodded while moving to sit beside Reina, “It is. Luckily, I had a mentor at the school who stood by me. He convinced enough of the other teachers that the weight of one accusation was not enough to counterbalance an impeccable academic career."

Reina grinned, “Impeccable, huh? What, were you a Quiz Bowl champion?”

Vreenak quirked an eyebrow, “I was captain of a team that facilitated debate. Perhaps that is an apt comparison to a ‘Quiz Bowl’."

Reina laughed, “I knew it was something! That explains a lot."

Vreenak smiled, “Are you suggesting I am argumentative?”

Reina turned to the screen showing Ael, and asked, “What are your thoughts Proconsul? Is the Senator often argumentative?”

“Incorrigibly so”, she agreed, clearing holding back a smile. 

Reina spun back to Vreenak, “That’s two votes for."

Vreenak took in Reina’s lovely flushed features and her sparkling eyes, warm from the activity of conversation, and for the first time that evening was grateful for Ael’s presence. Had his cousin not been watching, he almost certainly would have gathered Reina in his arms and kissed her desperately. And to do so would forever change the arc of his career and his life. Yes, a good thing Ael was here. 

Reina must have picked up on the change in his demeanor, because she lowered her lashes and leaned toward him before whispering, “Not very argumentative now though."

Ael broke the spell by clearing her throat, “Well, Vreenak I had some updates for you regarding a familial matter, but I suppose it can wait until tomorrow if you are occupied this evening."

Reina lurched back from Vreenak, and turned to face Ael, “Oh no, please, Proconsul! It’s about time I left anyway. It was very nice meeting you, and I look forward to seeing you in person on Romulus."

She stood, and offered a farewell to Vreenak before leaving the room. 

With Reina gone, Vreenak allowed himself a rare slouch and collapsed against the back of the couch. 

“Curious, isn’t she? Especially about you!”, Ael said. 

Vreenak pinched the bridge of his nose before replying, “That’s not something that I, or you, should be encouraging."

“It is! Vreenak, this program-”

“No, Ael! No. I cannot arrive home to greet the Senate while appearing...interested in a human Starfleet officer! Not now. There’s too much at stake."

Ael was quiet for a moment, processing Vreenak’s admission.

Then she said, “I am torn, cousin. In you and Reina I see a growing success of this program, and that gives me much personal satisfaction. But I have to agree that upon arriving home, limits must be placed. For your benefit, but also hers."

Vreenak nodded, grateful for his cousin’s good sense. 

“I have already had a conversation with her about appropriate boundaries in regards to Romulans. That should head off most of the concerns I have in regard to her behavior on Romulus. The teasing and flirting, while enjoyable, is only acceptable in her human circles”, Vreenak said. 

“I do not think the issue is other Romulans”, Ael said pointedly. 

“Very well, her conduct with ME will not be an issue on Romulus”, Vreenak said firmly, not quite believing himself.

“I'm afraid it already is”, Ael said with a sympathetic sigh. 

“What?”

“You dismissed a Centurion named Neral from your service on Deep Space Nine, yes?”, Ael asked.

“I did. He behaved in a manner unbecoming one of his rank”, Vreenak said tightly.

“Towards you, or towards Ensign Hence?”, Ael asked. 

“What has Neral done?”, he asked, bracing himself for the worst. 

“The Centurion himself? Nothing. He simply reported his thoughts on the matter to his father Mandukar s’Viaen, who has spread tales far and wide of your apparent affection for Ensign Hence. And I don't need to tell you how joyfully the anti Federation faction received that news”, Ael explained. 

Vreenak felt a brief pang of dismay at the news, but put the feeling to the side for a moment. It was more important now to paint a picture of this new enemy. Only then would he be able to figure out how to proceed. 

He frowned, before saying, “s’Viaen. That house ran afoul of debtors only a generation past. In fact, two of its members were expelled from the Senate. They are still well connected, certainly. Only I would not have thought that they had enough clout to re enter public life, much less to have any sway over my reputation!”

“Don’t you see? Neral was their opportunity to gain a foothold for their family again. His expulsion from the Imperial Guard has all but shattered their chances. They’re desperate”, Ael said, with a note of sharpness. 

Vreenak nodded, “And they want revenge on the one who dismissed him."

Ael arched a brow, “They want more power and influence. And there’s a good chance they’ll have it from your growing list of enemies. You should have seen those prancing fools once they heard Mandukar’s story during debate a few days ago. The sneaky lizard wove it into discussion about the newest emancipation bill in an effort to discredit me. Following that unfortunate incident, Delon s’Sathe was practically dancing in the Senate Chambers this week”.

Vreenak grimaced. Ael named a long standing member of the Continuing Committee who had always disliked Vreenak, but detested him especially after his defection from the Tal Shiar. Delon’s power and influence had withstood a century, much in thanks to his lucrative dealings in the slave trade. He was rumored to own and operate several Reman slave camps, though his blood money was no deterrent to his domestic and intergalactic trading partners. Ael, predictably, hated the man. 

“How bad is the situation?”, Vreenak asked. 

“Bad, but manageable thus far. Your history and standing protects you still, and the well known state of s’Viaen’s finances have led many to dismiss his accusations. However, if you return home behaving as you do with Ensign Hence now, I anticipate no amount of damage control will dig you out of this situation.”

When Vreenak didn’t reply, Ael offered a tight lip smile, “I’m afraid I must apologize to you, Cousin. I recruited you to my causes doggedly after your change in career. I knew how valuable it would be to have you on my side, but I did not consider what this would cost you, and-”.

Vreenak waved a hand to cut her off, “No, Ael. I knew what I was getting myself into in regard to your agenda. And as much as I’d like to blame you for my acquaintance with Ensign Hence, I must admit I have been allowing myself the liberty to enjoy her charms. That was against my better judgment. I should have seen that dismissing Neral would have consequences.”

Ael smiled, “I must say I am, on a personal level, delighted by your ability to connect with Reina. I had not expected it in the slightest! And now, to see my distinguished cousin infatuated with a human!”

Vreenak snorted, “It’s hardly infatuation. I can admit that I enjoy her company, and her human tendency toward flirtation. However, that’s all she’s good for. I have yet to meet a Starfleet officer truly worthy of my time, and she is no exception. There are limits, and your report of the situation on Romulus has told me that it is past time to enforce them.”

He almost believed himself when he spoke so forcefully, but privately he felt a growing anxiousness for Reina and her reception on Romulus. This told him that his feelings toward her were still anything but simple, but there was no possibility that he would admit as much to his cousin. Ael needed to believe that Reina was a distraction, a pretty bauble that amused him amidst the background of a depressingly dull space station. Perhaps if he repeatedly reminded himself of that, he would begin to transform his view of her. 

He didn’t look to see if Ael had bought his defense before continuing, “I shall need an itinerary of events as soon as possible so that she has something to focus on other than me. I also told her that I would ask you to send her, er, fashion advice.”

Ael nodded, “I would be happy to help, and I will adjust the schedule so that there’s little opportunity for you both to be seen together. And Vreenak, remember, this is also the right thing for her. Peace accords are ongoing, and we are still a suspicious people. I shudder to think what the Romulan press may put her and her friend through if this is not controlled. We are lucky to be ahead on this issue, and that our enemies are in plain sight."

Vreenak gave a small smile, “‘It is the attack you don’t see coming that proves fatal’, as they say.”

“As they say.”

A/N: Just wanted to note that I have only seen a little bit of Star Trek: Picard, so I haven’t been hit with any of the new revelations about Romulans! It does look fascinating though, and if I end up watching maybe it’ll influence this story some. For now though, I’m going off of what I find on the Memory Alpha site and other wiki pages, and my own imagination! I’m picking and choosing the details I like since there’s different timelines on Romulan history (thanks JJ Abrams :P). I’d love any of your thoughts or feedback on this! Thanks for reading :)

Chapter Text

Ling meandered along the Promenade, quietly reviewing Romulan verbs on a PADD before her scheduled rendezvous with Letant.

"Dochai- speak. Dochaikhe-do not speak."

She was starting to get flashbacks to all the xenolinguistic classes she had struggled through at the Academy, and the comparison was an unwelcome one. Frankly, she would gladly take an eighteen hour shift over verbs and nonmodal nominative cases, but here she was.

"Dochaine-spoke. Dochaiakhe-didn't speak."

She said the last one slowly as her eyes drifted from her screen to a black pair of boots that had stopped directly in front of her.

Looking up, she saw General Martok's familiar one eyed visage staring at her from under bushy brows.

"General! How are you?", Ling asked, grateful to see a friendly, or almost friendly, face. Any distraction from her language studies was a welcome one right now.

In abrupt fashion, Martok ignored Ling's question and instead volleyed one back at her.

"You are travelling to Romulus? What Starfleet p'takh decided this?"

Ling sighed. So, he had heard.

She smiled disarmingly, "The Captain, I'm afraid. Along with several Romulans more powerful than me. I can't say I'm not nervous, but I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. It's a world many humans have no access to!"

"It is a foolish endeavor! But, as long as you are going, I ask that you accept this from me."

Martok awkwardly reached for Ling's hand and pressed a small object into it. Ling examined it curiously. It was a fairly simple, metal medallion etched with the red Heart of Virtue, the symbol of the Klingon Empire.

"Should you need assistance, you need only to press the center of this device, and help will come", Martok said gruffly.

Ling stared at him, dumbfounded. She had no idea what that meant. Would it summon a Bird of Prey to Romulus itself, tantamount to an act of war? Would it simply transmit a message? It was preposterous that such power be placed in the hands of a Starfleet officer who was on an informal mission. It wouldn't bode well if the Romulans discovered she had this device. She could not accept it.

Before she could voice these concerns, Martok gripped her by both shoulders.

"Keep it safe", he said, his gaze piercing hers.

And then he was gone.

Heeding the Klingon's warning, but cursing the responsibility he had placed on her, Ling slipped the medallion into her pocket. Just in time, too, because Letant was strolling toward her, his sharp eyes tracing the receding outline of General Martok.

Hoping the Senator would ignore her interaction with the Klingon, Ling placed a gracious smile on her face to greet him.

"How are you, Letant?", she asked.

For the second time in five minutes, a question of hers went in one alien ear and out the other.

"How are your verbs coming along?", he asked.

"Well enough!", Ling said, "Although, they make me extremely grateful for the invention of the universal translator"

"I am a believer that studying language is one of the more direct ways to learn about a culture"

Ling tilted her head to the side, smiling, "I didn't realize you had developed theories on cultural learning, Letant"

Letant smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, "Whatever theories I have developed, they certainly don't involve conversing with Klingons"

Ling's smile died. And here she had thought that Letant was learning some restraint.

"I had advised you to stay away from General Martok", Letant said shortly.

"You did. But frankly, I won't be told who I can and can't speak to", Ling said, growing annoyed.

"I'm not sure that your judgment can be trusted if you insist on communicating with that zoo animal!", Letant said, real irritation flashing in his eyes.

Ling was taken aback by Letant's sudden flare in temper. Up until now, his prejudices had been breezy and casual. He typically dismissed humans and Klingons in the same tone that one might use to order a salad. But right now, the mystery of his temper wasn't interesting to her.

Instead she threw her hands up, and let her voice raise a decibel, "Well, don't trust it then! What do I care?"

"Oh, come now, Ling! You, above others I have met of your kind, are at least capable of being reasonable. The Klingons and Romulans have an enmity that stretches back centuries. You cannot expect my kindness toward them"

Ling's temper was sparking now, and her eyes flared as she stared down Letant.

"So, I'm different than other humans? I'm capable of being reasonable?", she spat.

Letant nearly shrugged, "Yes. Isn't that what I said?"

Ling stared at him, mouth agape. The man's obtuseness was truly astounding.

"Well, then here's a lesson for you, Letant. I'm not different from others of my kind. I am not exceptional, and I'm happy with that. I'm human, and I like it"

With that, Ling stormed past the Senator letting her shoulder whack his as she passed him. Wincing, because the move hurt her more than it did him, she continued on down the Promenade.

Reina drummed her fingers anxiously against the table in front of her. She was waiting for Ling to arrive at the cafe on the Promenade that they sometimes frequented during hours that it would not be seemly to be seen drinking at Quark's. It was run by a friendly Bolian named Cras who had taken a liking to them, and, Reina suspected, their gossip about the Starfleet personnel on the station.

Naturally, he had heard about the planned expedition to Romulus, and since this was the morning of departure, he had graciously offered Reina a free pastry, one of Bajoran culinary origin. Another one, meant for Ling when she arrived, was placed on a plate across from Reina. The Bolian also offered fervent wishes of good luck, which only served to heighten Reina's anxiety.

Oh, where was Ling? The only thing making this trip remotely survivable right now was that the two of them would be suffering through it together.

Reina had thought after her virtual meeting with Ael that there was some hope for her and Vreenak to maintain the cordiality that they had built. But, the very next day Reina had arrived at his quarters for their usual meeting and been turned away by his guard. A Centurion that she hadn't recognized informed her, not unkindly, that the Senator was in virtual conferences with other Senators, and would be all day.

When Reina prodded for more details, the guard calmly informed her that he could tell her no more, but that she was welcome to contact Vreenak herself.

Having built up enough faith in their dynamic by this point, Reina shrugged off the incident and simply messaged Vreenak later that evening. She received a reply the next morning with an itinerary, and further details of the trip. But, no explanation for his cancellation, and no mention of further meetings. The following day, Reina received a message from Ael containing advice on what to pack clothing wise. She was grateful for a female perspective on this, and quickly shared the information with Ling.

All in all, Reina was feeling better prepared than she had a few days prior. But, still! Vreenak falling off the map like he had was strange. In the short time that she had gotten to know him, flakiness was not a trait he had demonstrated.

She was wondering how Ling's preparations with Letant were going when Ling herself finally arrived.

"Oh, thank God!", Reina said, "I was starting to think you'd- What's wrong?"

Ling's face was stony, and her mouth pressed together in a thin line. She didn't have much of a temper, so Reina had only seen this face once or twice before. In fact, the last time was when her flighty mother had come to visit.

"Oh no", Reina said, "What happened?"

"Letant is the galaxy's biggest, gaping asshole", Ling bit off.

Reina held back a laugh. The other sign that Ling was ragingly mad was when she cursed. And when she did, she did it well.

"What'd he do?", Reina asked, taking a bite of her pastry while settling into her chair for what was sure to be a good story.

"He scolded me like I was a child because he saw me talking with General Martok, and he doesn't like him. Ergo, I'm not ALLOWED to like him", Ling fumed.

Reina chewed her pasty thoughtfully, "It sounds like he's jealous."

Ling sighed, "He's just massively prejudiced. I know Klingons and Romulans don't get along, historically. But, they did just fight a war together! You'd think a conversation wouldn't be out of the question."

Reina snorted, "Yeah, you'd think."

"Anyway, maybe I'm really just mad because he manages to dress me down for this while insulting humanity in the process. Maybe that's what I get for not fighting back early on. If I can't change his mind, at least don't have to stand there and listen to it!"

"You were trying to be diplomatic", Reina said, "And believe me, the fighting approach doesn't always work any better"

"At least you're standing up for yourself", Ling said regretfully, "I was pulled in by Romulan charm and never quite got out from under it."

"Well, you aren't alone there. I now see why Letant and Vreenak are best buds", Reina sighed.

"I thought things were fine with Vreenak?"

"They were! Until he blew me off after I met the Proconsul the other day. I haven't seen him in days", Reina smiled tightly.

"Fuck", Ling hissed, before taking a savage bite of her pastry. Her eyes brightened a moment later.

"This is delicious, Cras!", she called back to the counter, where the Bolian was serving a Bajoran family. He gave her a grin and a wave.

She exhaled softly. Food had seemed to work its usual magic of taking the edge of things.

"It's just exhausting, Reina", she said mournfully, "I'm afraid we'll never be anything other than ridiculous humans to these men."

Reina rolled her eyes, "But you were right! About General Martok. Letant is the small minded one."

"I know. I know! But, I don't feel any better."

"Not getting sick are you, Ensign?", a male voice interrupted.

Reina and Ling turned to see that Captain Sisko had joined them, and both rose to greet him.

"At ease, Ensigns! At ease", he said, graciously, "I'm just here to wish you luck...and to remind you of the limits Starfleet is placing on you during this trip"

"No uniforms, right sir?", Reina asked with a smirk.

"And no communication with Starfleet", Sisko said.

This came as a surprise.

"At all?", Ling asked.

"No", Sisko said firmly, "I had a teleconference with Proconsul Ael this morning, and this is another agreed stipulation. You may communicate via the internal private channels of the homes you're housed in, but that's it. When it's time to leave, the Romulans will make the necessary arrangements with us."

"Can I ask why?", Reina said.

"I can't say for sure", Sisko said, "Only that I imagine it maintains the feeling that this is a simple cultural expedition for your Romulan hosts. They want to control what information gets out as much as possible."

Reina processed this a moment. She had learned a great deal about Romulus through the time she spent with Vreenak these last two weeks. And none of what she had learned suggested that initiatives taken by Romulan politicians, especially at the highest level, remained simple. T'Lar's warning was still echoing in the back of her mind. None of this, she felt, was wise to bring up to Sisko.

"Any idea who we'll be staying with, sir?", she asked instead.

Captain Sisko shook his head, "I'm afraid not. You know how it is with Romulans. They like to keep their cards as close to their chests as possible, until it is absolutely necessary to show them. But! It looks like your guides are here, and I'm sure they can tell you more"

Reina heard a small groan from Ling as they both turned to see the current banes of their existence striding toward them along with a contingent of guards. It was a real shame that they made an impressive pair. It almost made it difficult to be angry with them. Almost. Vreenak was definitely the taller of the two, and more humorless, while Letant retained a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that looked anything but innocent.

As the two pairs of Romulan eyes zeroed in on the human women sitting at the cafe table, Sisko glanced between the groups curiously. Reina wondered if the captain had considered all the possible outcomes of pairing up two young, effusive human women with attractive, distinguished men. Perhaps if the men had been human, the possibility of fraternization would have occurred to him. As it was, the thoughts of romantic tension between a Starfleet ensign and a Romulan Senator was likely unthinkable to Sisko. If only it was as unthinkable to Reina.

"Senators", Sisko greeted cheerfully, as the men reached the table, "I wish you best of luck on your journey"

Letant scoffed, "Romulans don't believe in luck."

"I can't wait to find out what Romulans do believe in", Ling said sardonically, before finishing her pastry.

Letant cocked his head, a gentle, patronizing smile growing across his face, "You've had two weeks to learn something of us, my dear."

"Two weeks that have finished with animal analogies, and a disappointing response to well wishes like that you have shown Captain Sisko. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm", Ling said, with a tight smile.

Captain Sisko looked to Vreenak, perhaps hoping for him to step in with reassurance that the trip would start more amicably. But, Vreenak was barely engaging with the present company and seemed to be especially avoiding Reina's gaze. For her part, Reina chewed on her pastry slowly as she examined Vreenak's still form.

So, the Captain offered his goodbyes and exited. The expedition was, after all, out of his hands now.

"My dear-", Letant began to say to Ling.

"Oh, no!", Ling said, standing up "One thing I am NOT, is your dear."

A low whistle and then a laugh reached their ears. From his position behind his counter, Cras was listening in on their exchange as he kneaded some dough.

"Listen, you Bolian-", Letant started.

"Uh uh", Ling said, "Leave it."

Letant shot Vreenak an indignant look, as if to express his shock at Ling's sudden backbone, but still Vreenak was studiously ignoring the confrontation raging in front of him. So his gaze moved to Reina, the question in his eyes.

"Don't look at me, Senator. You're the one who pissed her off", Reina said.

She collected her and Ling's garbage, deposited it in a receptacle near the cafe, offered Cras a good bye, and began to follow Ling who had set off for the shuttle bay. Letant and Vreenak had no option but to follow.

"That was good", Reina whispered to Ling with a grin as they sped ahead of their exchange partners.

"You think so? Because frankly, my temper is wearing off and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Ling said, worriedly.

Reina shrugged, "The silent treatment is a good back up."

"What happened to 'kill 'em with kindness'?", Ling asked.

"I'm letting hate win today."

"Oh, for the love of- We can hear you!", Letant called out, from a few meters behind.

Reina and Ling looked back to see an exasperated Letant, and an equally tired looking Vreenak with four guards even further behind them.

The sheer ludicrousness of the situation suddenly struck both women and they turned back to each other and laughed. The stress and recent anger of the past two weeks had taken their toll on the women, and suddenly it released itself in droves. The laughter was uncontrollable and each time they looked back at Letant and Vreenak, it crescendoed.

"Absolutely mystifying", they heard Letant say.

Soon enough they reached their assigned shuttle bay, from which they'd board the Rio Grande and be transported to a Romulan warbird, decloaked just off of Deep Space Nine. Their luggage had been pre packed that morning, and the helmsman had already arrived.

Reina and Ling wiped the tears from their eyes as they crested the last wave of their stress induced giggles.

"Are you both...well?", Letant asked.

"Are we well?", the women said as they looked at each other and fell helplessly into another round of laughter.

Letant stared at the two in confusion, while Vreenak stepped forward.

"Reina", he bit out sharply.

The laughter died instantly.

"Senator", Reina said coolly, "what is the issue?"

"If there was ever a time for you to begin to act with some decorum, it would be now. Neither I, or Senator Letant, will cosign this ridiculous behavior when we arrive on Romulus"

"Vreenak, you-", Reina fumed.

"Shut up", Vreenak snarled.

Reina's jaw snapped shut, and felt the terrible, growing immobility of embarrassment in her chest. Not just embarrassment, but despair. Vreenak had never spoken to her this way before, but now she was seeing the dangerous side of him. This was the visage of a man who had been a part of the Tal Shiar.

Ling, a braver friend than Reina could have ever asked for, jumped in, "Senator Vreenak, surely you see that I instigated-"

Vreenak's cold gaze alighted on Ling, "Oh, I'll allow Senator Letant to deal with you, Ensign. He's a far kinder man than me when it comes to handling the frivolity and uselessness of human women"

The words were a gut punch to Reina, who could only close her eyes and reflect on the last few weeks. Everything she had done with Vreenak from showing up to his quarters late at night, to dancing, to sipping his kali fal. What did he see her as if not frivolous and useless?

The romantic figure she had built Vreenak up to be was slowly slipping away. In his place was the stern, enigmatic reality. What a fool she had been.

"Ensign Hence, you will conduct yourself without reproach over the duration of this trip or you will be dismissed, in disgrace, to Deep Space Nine. Is that understood?"

At this, Reina finally found some steel. It had just been clarified by her captain that this mission was unofficial, and Vreenak had no business making empty threats to her career. She burned to find a chink in his armor to remind him of his own vulnerability. The fury in his eyes when she told him of Neral's treatment of her flashed in her mind. 

She met his gaze before answering, "Just like you so valiantly dismissed Neral the other day"

Vreenak had kept only a few paces distance from Reina and Ling while he delivered his humiliating reprieve, ensuring that Letant and their guards would be privy to it. But now, he stepped close to Reina, almost as close as they had been when they waltzed together.

Looking alarmed, Letant followed his friend. He placed a hand on his elbow, as if to warn him not to do anything rash.

Reina stared defiantly into Vreenak's eyes as he used his height to cow her. Frankly, he was succeeding. Vreenak was terrifying in this state. Though not a physically bulky man, his height lent much to his ability to intimidate. But, it was his eyes that that did most of the work. They looked like they didn't belong to him when they were in this state. Rather like he had carved them out of ice.

"Get on board, Reina", he said in soft, deadly tones.

Furiously, Reina stormed past Vreenak into the open, circular doorway that led to the airlock, and the beginning of their long journey.

A/N: Many apologies for the long wait! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Sadly, I lost my jobs due to COVID and had to do some job searching for a while. Thankfully, I found a job and now that I have something of a schedule back, I'm hoping to update a little more regularly.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback always appreciated :)

Chapter Text

     The journey from the station to the warbird passed in stony silence. The helmsman, a lieutenant who Reina had only known in passing, seemed to pick up on the energy of his passengers and made no effort to make conversation.

     Reina found herself wishing desperately that the Romulans had simply agreed to transport their group directly to the warbird. Some nonsense about secrecy and distrust contributed to the decision, she was sure. Now they were all left with this permeating, awkward silence.

     From her seat next to her, Ling caught Reina's eye and offered a mouthed "I'm sorry", but Reina shook her head in response. There was only one person to blame for her current emotional state, and that was Vreenak.

     Once they arrived on the warbird, they were greeted by the ship's captain, who didn't so much as blink at the presence of his human guests. He was either well trained or well informed, Reina mused. She and Ling were directed to follow a security officer to their quarters. The officer stepped toward them, and Reina recognized him as one of the centurions who stood outside of Vreenak's quarters on Deep Space Nine. As such he was also, unfortunately, present for Reina's dressing down by Vreenak outside of the Rio Grande.

     The Romulan was young, and handsome, Reina couldn't help but notice. He was blessed with very symmetrical features, and a boyish, smooth face highlighted by his brow ridges and arched brows.

     "I'm Dano", he said to Reina and Ling, the slightest smile gracing his face, "Please, allow me to take your bags.

     Reina blinked, "Oh, thank you, but I'm sure we can manage"

     Dano grinned, highlighting his handsome features even more, "But, you shouldn't have to"

     It was an unexpectedly warm greeting. Reina looked at Ling, questioningly who just shrugged, before saying "Alright then"

     Dano effortlessly lifted both of their bags and strode down the grey corridor, leaving Reina and Ling to follow.

     Reina didn't bother to look back to see where Vreenak was off to, but she noticed the glance Ling exchanged with Letant who offered her a wink. Now that Reina and Vreenak had firmly taken first place as the most acrimonious exchange pair, maybe it was only natural that the other two try to balance out the group's energy out with some positivity.

     For her part, Reina was beginning to believe that they were fighting a losing battle. In fact, she was already prepared to mark down this entire trip as a loss. She focused on Dano's strong form striding in front of her as she allowed her feet to carry her further and further away from Vreenak. Her anger, which had buzzed since the conflict with him on the station was dissipating.

     It was so bizzare to her that such a brief acquaintance could stir up emotions like this. Even her last breakup, which had been a year before, had not stirred up the depth of emotion she was now carrying. She supposed it was, in part, because she and Tom, her ex boyfriend, had always co existed with the knowledge that a new Starfleet posting could separate them at any moment. And, being an engineer, and being quite good at it as well, Tom had been in demand during the war.

     When he accepted a permanent assignment on Bajor, Reina barely found it within herself to mourn his leaving. She was certainly well enough occupied with the influx of patients that war had brought.

     That wasn't to say she hadn't had her heart broken before! She knew that she had issues with rejection, but she coped by always ensuring she felt in control in a relationship. She invested just enough to enjoy it, but kept a large part of herself out of the equation to ensure that her feelings didn't get too hurt when the universe pulled her apart from that person. It was a system that worked, and worked well.

     But then, why? Why did a man she had no actual relationship with trigger these feelings within her? It was a mystery she had no energy or willpower to solve right now, so she focused.

     She focused on Dano's form still striding in front of her, and resolved to make the rest of this heinous trip run as smoothly as possible.

     "Don't you think you were just a tad too hard on her, old man?", Letant asked Vreenak as they were escorted to their quarters, which were, thankfully, in the opposite direction of Reina and Ling's.

     "No", Vreenak lied. He wasn't so soft as to disbelieve that Reina was out of line, but he regretted his tone with her. To her credit, she had maintained her composure, but in her eyes Vreenak had seen the hurt he was causing. He had unleashed a side of himself he hoped she never had to see, and it was unforgivable. Now, there was no chance that they would return to their old rapport.

     Rationally, he knew this was better for her, and better for him. Emotionally, however, he deeply regretted the encounter.

     "There have been rumors of my 'infatuation' with her spreading on Romulus", he explained to Letant "I'm sure I don't need to explain why I am a target of this libel and you are not."

     Letant nodded, "You do not. But, surely with your shifting allegiances, your new friends would better appreciate being introduced to a good humored human"

     "She will recover in no time", Vreenak said, "I have seen how changeable human emotions are, and she is not exempt from that trait. In fact, I believe she wrote the rule book on it"

     Letant shook his head, "My friend, I believe you and I have made the same mistake. We have discounted the depth of emotion within humans. In many ways, their passions rival ours"

     Vreenak snorted, "Don't go soft on me now, Letant. I don't think I can bear the remainder of this experience if you do"

     Reina and Ling were sharing quarters for the duration of the trip, which suited them just fine. The room was sparse, containing only two beds, a small kitchenette, and an adjacent bathroom. Not ideal for a long term assignment, but luckily it was was only a one month journey to Romulus.

     Reina immediately fanagled with the computer's music selection, disappointed at the expected lack of human music. Luckily, she had brought along a data chip full of her favorite tunes just for a situation like this. She was struggling with the configuration it required however.

     "Wait, let me see! I'm the science officer here", Ling said, as she examined Reina's work at the data panel.

     "Be my guest!", Reina said, heading for what she assumed was a food replicator "I'm going to see what wine selections they have here. Right now, my only goal is to be three sheets to the wind several times before we get to Romulus"

     The door chimed. And Reina looked at Ling curiously, before saying "Enter."

     Dano, who had so graciously played the part of bellhop earlier, stepped in. He smiled his disarming smile, which was starting to grate on Reina's nerves the more she saw it. Handsome Romulans were no longer welcome in her life as far as she was concerned.

     "Ladies. Are you at all attempting to alter computer configurations?"

     "To listen to some syntho-pop? Yes", Ling said blandly from her place at the panel.

     "I'm afraid it's triggered a security alert on our bridge, and the Captain has requested that you cease your activities", Dano said with an apologetic smile.

     Now why was this man being so gentle with them, Reina wondered. She instantly suspected an ulterior motive, though she couldn't think of a rational one off the top of her head. Perhaps all her time with Romulans was muddling her brain.

     "Well, thank you for letting us know", Reina said tightly, "We'll stop"

     Dano nodded once, then exited.

     "I don't trust him", Reina mused.

     "Why not?", Ling asked, "He may very well be the nicest Romulan either of us have met."

     "I know, that's why I don't trust him."

     The door chimed again.

     "Oh, what now?", Reina said, irritated, "Come on in!"

      In came a smiling Senator Letant. When was the universe going to spare her from smiling Romulan men? Or unsmiling for that matter, she thought, considering Vreenak.

     "You know what, this one's for you", she told Ling, before heading to the replicator to find wine.

     "Ling, I have come to make amends", Letant said.

      The senator's back was facing Reina, so she was free to make a shocked face at Ling, who tried to ignore her as she focused on Letant.

     "I see", she said.

     Reina couldn't see Letant's face at this point, but she watched with horror as he lifted and gently cradled one of Ling's hands. Ling blushed at the gesture, which caused Reina to roll her eyes so hard she thought she might strain them.

     "I apologize for my conduct in regard to...General Martok. I want this mission to be a success for the both of us, and will work to make it so."

     By this point, Reina had managed to replicate a bottle of wine and she noisily splashed its contents into a replicated glass. Unbelievable! By pure chance, Ling gets the emotionally intelligent man capable of apologies? Or one who was good at faking it.

     When she felt eyes on her, she looked up to see both Ling and Letant staring at her. After a moment, she realized she had been speaking out loud.

     "Well, it's true, isn't it?", she said, defensively.

     Ling rolled her eyes, "Please continue, Letant"

     "Oh, come on! You don't buy this, do you Ling?", Reina said.

     Letant blinked in surprise, "I assure you, I am sincere!"

     Reina scoffed, before taking a gulp of her wine, "You're all sincere, until you're not."

     "Reina, if you don't mind, Letant is actually trying to apologize to me. Maybe you should stop before you end up owing me the next apology", Ling said tersely.

     Reina promptly shut up. But not without leveling a warning look at Letant.

     To his credit, Letant solidly ignored her and turned back to Ling.

     "Truly, I am sorry. My behavior was not appropriate, and not reflective of the graciousness and kindness you have shown me"

     Ling smiled, "Apology accepted. Let's have a good trip?"

     Letant nodded, "Indeed, we will"

     Letant turned to leave, but as he strode out he threw one parting comment to Reina.

     "Go easy on that vintage Ms. Hence. I've seen that particular brand of Romulan wine tire out a Romulan general"

     Reina made a rude gesture to his departing back, and she could have sworn she heard him chuckle as the door slid closed behind him.

     "Are you going to act this way the entire trip?", Ling asked her.

     "If I need to", Reina said.

     "Reina-"

     "Look, I'm glad you got the decent Romulan, but you'll have to forgive me for my suspicion of him. He and Vreenak are apparently best buds"

     "Well, maybe you should give Vreenak some time. He might realize he was wrong"

     Reina leveled a disbelieving frown at Ling.

     Ling threw her hands in the air, "Fine! Maybe he won't. But you could at least let me happy that things are going well with my partner"

     Reina rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'm going to bed"

     "Fine", Ling said. She turned to grab her luggage and began the process of unpacking her clothes in silence.

     Reina huffed and threw herself down on the bed closest to her. She already felt tendrils of guilt from the argument with Ling creeping up.

     It was, unfortunately, typical of Reina to be selfish about her feelings when she was hurt. She knew it wasn't Ling's fault that Vreenak had been so horrible to her.

     Apologize, that's what she would have to do. To Ling, and probably Letant. Ugh.

     Tomorrow...that was a tomorrow issue.

     She drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I'm trying to hold myself to updating regularly. Believe me, this story remains on my mind! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.