Gaila came bouncing into Nyota's room a day later, her arms overflowing with gifts and candies.

"Ny!," she squealed as she quickly deposited her load on a nearby chair and rushed to Nyota's side. They quickly embraced and Nyota fought back a wave of tears.

Gaila stepped back and frowned. "Ny….are you….crying?"

"Yes," she admitted reluctantly, "It's these damn hormones! I've been so emotional lately. Yesterday I saw an animated holovid about a lost butterfly. I cried the whole time. I'm a mess," she replied despondently, and Gaila smiled.

"Awww….Ny…You're supposed to be emotional. You just had a baby," Gaila replied softly and rubbed Nyota's back in long strokes. "Besides, you're not Vulcan like Spock."

A nurse bustled in and her eyes caught sight of the unregistered weapon near Nyota's bedside. She approached quickly and before she could confiscate it, Nyota was growling in anger, her eyes glowing cold with malice. The nurse stepped back in surprise, yelped and quickly exited the room.

"See Ny, you're still the same old you. You almost gave that poor woman a heart attack,"

Nyota grinned evilly, her eyes lighting up with glee, "I did, didn't I?"

"Yep. You're still you. You're just a more emotional you," Gaila assured her and Nyota smiled.

"Ny, I held the baby. Spock let me. He's beautiful," she crooned and Nyota smiled even wider.

"I don't know if I'm just biased or not, but I think he is," she told her and Gaila grinned and Nyota sighed happily and lay back onto the mound of pillows behind her.

"So what did you name him?," Gaila asked, "Cuz Spock wouldn't tell me."

"That's because we haven't officially given him a name. We have to have a naming ceremony first. It's part of my mother's family's tradition. I wanted to honor her in some way."

Gaila nodded and remained silent a moment as Nyota's eyes glazed over in sadness before she turned to face her once more.

"Well, I'm going to be there for sure," she squeezed Nyota's hand and smoothed back an errant black curl springing out from behind her ear.

Nyota gasped and then reached behind her. "Oh, I wanted to give you something."

Gaila squealed. "Cool. I love gifts."

"Since you're now an ambassador, I figured you needed a weapon, one that packed a punch. Enjoy," she said and graced her with elegantly wrapped box.

Gaila looked at the box in awe and fingered it gently before ripping it open. In the center of soft layers of Bajoran silk lay a dagger, with a large jewel embedded with a glowing center. Gaila gave a gasp of surprise and glee and then gently lifted it from its housing.

"This is gorgeous,"

Nyota nodded. "That jewel has been calibrated to work with your own physiology, emits twenty five thousand quants of electro static interference and the blade is ten times sharper and more durable than cryminium lead. An ambassador has to protect herself."

Gaila's voice hitched as she continued staring at the blade. "Ny, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you."

Nyota found her heart swelling with happiness as her friend hugged her.

"Well, I guess now that you're a mom, you'll have to stay home and bake—or something," Gaila joked and Nyota wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"I'm horrible in the kitchen. Spock does most of the cooking anyway," Nyota replied and added offhandedly, "I don't think being a housewife is for me."

"Well, what are you going to do?,"

"I'm going to stay on leave for a while and heal. But the first chance I get, there's a colony on Isthus, there's been some reported slave trading. I'll go there, maybe check it out-,"

"With guns—I mean, blades—blazing, I'm sure," Gaila said, a note of disapproval creeping into her voice.

"You sound like Spock now," Nyota intoned, a hint of tired anger underlying her voice. "Am I that horrible that everyone wants to change me?"

Gaila's gaze softened. "Oh, Ny, nobody wants to change you. I just think you can be a little less—um-,"

"What?," Nyota challenged.

"You know—bloodthirsty?," Gaila ventured and Nyota sighed.

"Maybe you're right. Spock thinks I should see the ship's counselor."

"You still having nightmares?," Gaila wondered and Nyota nodded.

"Sometimes."

"Then maybe you should."

Nyota thought a long moment, feeling a tiny knot beginning to unravel within her. She had everything she'd ever wanted now: a career, friends, a mate, and family. Perhaps it was time to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.

"For the first time in my life, I'm happy. I mean, really happy."

Tears pricked her eyelids and she sought to contain them, "I just don't think I deserve it sometimes."

Gaila gave Nyota's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Yes you do. We all deserve to be happy. I think the ship's counselor might be a good idea, Ny."

Nyota fell into Gaila's embrace and for the first time in years, Nyota cried. Not for just for the past, but for herself.

That night, as she sat beside Spock, nestled in the circle of his arms, with the baby resting comfortably in her embrace, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she did deserve to be happy. All the things that had ever happened to her seemed to disappear as Spock traced his hands across her hair and touched the baby's cheek every so often.

The baby stirred, cooed and then readjusted its position before going back to a deep, unworried slumber.

"Ashayam," he whispered into her ear and she smiled widely and planted a kiss onto his lips.

"Yes, Spock," she answered.

"There is nothing I would not do to make your life pleasant and filled with all that you require."

"Sweetheart, you've already given me everything."

Spock's lips quirked up at the corners and Nyota smiled once more. She snuggled deeper into his side and sighed contentedly.

Yes, maybe she did deserve to be happy after all.

A/N: This has been an awesome adventure! My new story will be coming up soon and it will be an early Nyota/Spock fic at the academy. Thanks for all the comments and reviews!