The Eve of the Ensigns' Arrival, T'Pren's Quarters

"That's very noble of you Pren," he said, pausing to kiss her forehead. "Saintly, even. I don't think it's going to come to that. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for." He rested his fingertips on her temples, in hopes of somehow spreading his icy calm to her again.

T'Pren closed her eyes at the kiss and the touch, not bothering to wipe her cheeks dry when a tear or two slid down them despite her best efforts to the contrary. But she didn't feel like crying. Not with Rai there, offering her his placidity.

Eventually her breathing calmed and she opened her eyes to meet Rai's gaze. "I worked so hard to hide that part of me from you last time. I never wanted you to see it."

"I knew it was there, and you don't have anything to be ashamed of. You can't help it, they did terrible things to you. Your mind is so much more complicated than you ever planned, but it's so strong." He gently wiped tears off her cheeks.

The half-Vulcan studied the Betazoid with a soft, vulnerable expression, taking in the man himself and his words for a long, silent moment before she leaned in to gently touch her lips to his. Her body calmed against Rai's, even her heart finally slowing to its normal, quick but steady pace.

"I was making plans," she admitted when she pulled away. "In case it seemed I might lose control of myself. Plans to alert you or put myself out of commission somehow."

She let her gaze drop to their laps for a moment and then pulled it back up to Rai's face. She followed her eyes there with a delicate touch -- human this time in its formation -- on his cheek, cupping it and running her thumb along the bone. "Thank you for being here." But their connection made it clear she didn't just mean the room at that moment. She was thanking him for being there with her emotionally. For being there as a friend and a lover. For being there that night. For being there at all. For being himself. For being born.

Gingerly, Rai took Pren by the shoulders and laid him on the bed beside her. Nestling her prone body inside his, he encased her, quietly making a fortress of his body.
"He won't get to us, or you again tonight. You're safe now," he said, consoling her to the best of his ability. He wondered if he could convince her that, behind phasers and shields and defense that she was indeed safe.

T'Pren went willingly, filling whatever space Rai wanted for her and fitting herself against him like a puzzle piece. She welcomed his security needfully and closed her eyes, letting herself exist in their connection so she didn't have to pay attention to the Cardassian architecture in the room.

"I know I am," she sighed out finally. "You make me feel safe."

He waited until her breathing became regular, until her tiny ribcage rose and fell at an even cadence before he let his eyelids droop. Still on some level of defense he waited, and finding a few hours passed with no messages, no pages, no transmissions, he finally fell asleep beside her.