Course Correction Studio

Author: Brandie

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 6

    Dani Janeway opened her eyes at 7 a.m. sharp at the sound of her alarm blaring in her ears. As she slowly sat up, attempting to gather her thoughts for the day, an alarming thought hit her like a phaser jolt – it was the day after her and Dukat’s interview with Jake Sisko.

    She stood and wandered into her living room, not exactly knowing how she should feel or what she should do. What was on the other side of the doors of her quarters? Would there be an angry mob? Or would no one care? Would people be as cold as ice to her? Or would they treat her like they always had, only to talk about her behind her back they were sure she was out of earshot?

    Dani looked at her computer console. Maybe she should check her messages for the morning…

    She sat down at her desk to access her messages. The first one was from Jake, confirming that he’d posted the interview with the Federation News Service. He’d attached a copy of the finished article to his message. Dani opened the attachment and skimmed over the article. It seemed pretty accurate and balanced, to Jake’s credit. He’d actually presented them for what they were: two people who were in a relationship and merely wanted to live their lives with the same opportunities as others in their position. Maybe this whole thing wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe when people read this, Dani thought, they’d be more receptive to the idea of her and Dukat together.

    When Dani read the next message in her terminal, that optimistic thought quickly dissipated. “You should be ashamed of yourself, you Cardie-loving bitch,” the message read. “The uniform you wear would be better-deserved by a Romulan, you traitor! Get off that station and go to Cardassia with that spoonhead and all the others of his kind.”

    Dani quickly deleted the message. Maybe the article hadn’t had the effect she thought it had after all. It hadn’t if the previously opened message was any indication. Dani moved on to the next message. This one was from a familiar face – Emma Shale. Dani immediately rolled her eyes and accessed the message.

    “Well, what a nice surprise!” it read. “Dani and Dukat – has a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself. So, I guess this means you’ll be resigning your lofty position on Deep Space Nine. I always knew you wouldn’t make it. Thanks for proving me right!”

    Dani angrily deleted the message, a sense of dreadful foreboding of what the remaining 43 messages on her terminal were about. And it was only 0700 hours. The day hadn’t even started, yet.

    Damn, she thought. What she feared most was becoming reality.

    She rose from her terminal, intending to return to her room to dress, but paused when the door chimed. ‘Somebody’s here to confront me in person,’ she thought. And here she was in her pajamas, a skimpy shirt with no sleeves and a matching pair of shorts.

    The door chimed again, and she dismissed the issue of her clothing, or lack thereof. “Come in,” she said. The doors slid open, and Dukat glided in. “Marac,” Dani said. She was relieved that it was him and not some angry reader.

    Dukat noted her sigh of relief. A glance in the direction of her computer monitor confirmed his thoughts. “I take it you’ve read your messages for the morning,” he surmised.

    “Some of them,” Dani replied.

    “They weren’t encouraging,” Dukat guessed, again correct in his assumption.

    Dani merely shook her head to the negative. She took a few steps and sat down on the sofa. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so insulted so many times in such a small amount of time,” she said. “And that was just one message.”

    “I don’t mean to sound pessimistic,” Dukat said, joining her on the couch, “but I don’t think you’ve seen the end or the worst of it.”

    “I know you’re right,” Dani said. “And that sucks.”

    “Danielle – I’m here for you,” Dukat told her. “We will get through this. Together.” Dani looked at him, unsure. “We will,” he insisted.

    When Dani walked into Ops that morning, she had that feeling that everyone had been talking but had suddenly stopped when she’d stepped off the lift. She quietly and quickly made her way to her station. She logged in and began to review the sensor readings from the day before. She hadn’t even been working ten minutes when Captain August Bunche stepped out of his office. “Ensign Janeway, could I see you in my office please?” he summoned.

    Dani looked at Kira momentarily before making her way across the room to the Captain. She followed him into his office adjacent to Ops. She stood at attention until he instructed her to sit, which she did.

    “Ensign,” Bunche began, “I believe you know why I have called you here. It appears that your relationship with Dukat has become public knowledge, thereby making it official to some degree.” Dani nodded, wondering where the captain was going with this.

    Bunche continued. “I’ve known about this relationship for weeks, as has most of the station,” he said, “but command is just now only hearing about it. This whole scenario makes them nervous, Ensign.”

    “Sir?” Dani said. She didn’t quite understand what he meant. Nervous?

    “Ensign, I received orders this morning to relieve you from your duties until further notice,” Bunche revealed.

    Dani couldn’t believe her ears. “What?” she managed to say.

    “Personally, Janeway, I think an officer’s private life and what he or she does off-duty is his or her own business and does not necessarily have any bearing on that officer’s on-duty performance. However, as I’m sure you’re well aware, you are, by no means, just an average officer, and Dukat is…well, Dukat. Starfleet is afraid of a scandal, which is where this is headed.” ‘It’s probably already

    reached that point, Bunche thought, regretfully. “I’m sorry, Ensign,” he said, and he truly was. This was a good officer, and she had the potential to be one of his best eventually. “I’m going to have to follow through on these orders,” he informed her.

    Dani couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d barely been on duty a couple of months, and already she was being suspended. This had to be some kind of record for the shortest time on duty before being relieved of duty. “Am I to be confined to quarters as well, sir?” she asked, making every effort to appear to be taking the news in stride.

    “No, I don’t believe that’s necessary,” Bunche said. “I do hope you understand Headquarters’ reasoning behind this, Ensign.”

    “Yes, sir. I do.”

    Bunche nodded. “You’re dismissed.”

    And so that was it, Dani thought. Her Starfleet career was probably over. She nodded to the captain and rose. She left the office and Ops without so much as even a glance at anyone on her way out. It wasn’t because she was too embarrassed to look at them; it was because she was too mad.

    The lift doors slid open, and Dani steamrolled through them and down the corridor toward her quarters. Once she entered her quarters, it was apparent to her that she wanted, needed to throw something, kick something, hit something. She would go to the gym and work off all the pint-up rage she was feeling.

    How could headquarters dictate to her how she was supposed to live her life? Who were they to tell her who she was supposed to be romantically involved with?

    She unzipped her uniform jacket and peeled it away from her body. It was then that the communications beacon on her terminal started to beep. She walked over to her desk and sat down at the computer. The comm, the screen showed, was from her parents. As she activated the message, hoped it was a recorded message and

    not actually live, with someone on the other end. Immediately, an image of both Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay appeared on the screen.

    “Dani,” Kathryn said, “we were just about to give up on you.”

    ‘Damn,’ Dani thought. ‘If only I’d come in a few seconds later…’

    “Yeah,” Dani began, “Sorry about that. My shift in Ops just ended.” She studied her parents’ expressions. They weren’t giving up anything. What did they know? “What’s up?”

    Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other and then back at Dani. “Dani,” Kathryn began, “there have been some rumors floating around Starfleet. Very disturbing rumors. Concerning you and,” Janeway swallowed, “Gul Dukat. I’m sure you had to have heard of them by now. They’ve been floating around now for about two

    months.”

    So they had heard after all. “I have heard them,” Dani replied.

    “And I’m sure you’ve heard of the article on the news service concerning you this morning,” Kathryn said.

    Dani nodded. “Yes.”

    Kathryn continued. “Well, Sweetheart, we just wanted to hear your take on this. I mean, is this something that began as a prank or joke that spun out of control? Something like that? Or…it’s just that we expected what people were saying to die out, but the stories keep coming, and the article this morning-“

    “You want to know if it’s true,” Dani interjected.

    “That’s right,” Chakotay said, speaking for the first time. “We want to know so we can put an end to these despicable lies. Tell us you’re not involved with Dukat so we can stop this.”

    Dani’s head hung. Her heart was beating like a mad drum. Her stomach was nothing more than a twisted knot.

    “Honey, it’s okay,” Kathryn said. “We know that words hurt, but it’s not the end of the world. It isn’t-“

    “They’re not just words,” Dani broke in. She rose her head and looked at her parents on the monitor. They were both speechless. They didn’t know what they were hearing. “I can’t tell you that I’m not involved with Dukat because I am. They’re not just stories. That article on the Federation news wire is real. I did the interview with Jake Sisko yesterday. The things that people are saying…are true.”

    Dani watched her parents and waited for some kind of response, but they just sat there in silence for a few moments. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t exactly sure that there was anything she could say that would make things any better. She opened her mouth to speak anyway, but before any words left her lips, her father suddenly reached over and angrily ended the transmission.

    Dani was left staring at a blank screen. Tears welled up in Dani’s eyes and didn’t hesitate to fall down her cheeks. The worst had occurred. And Dani hadn’t been prepared for it.

    Dani rose from her desk. It was official, now. If her parents had heard, chances were, everyone had heard. Her worst fear had come true. Her parents had found out about her and Marac, and her father’s reaction had been worse than she had expected. He hadn’t said a word. She’d expected him to say something, even if it had been to just yell, but he hadn’t said anything. Dani hadn’t expected that.

    She understood perfectly his reasoning for his actions, though, and she couldn’t blame him. She understood what he believed. He just didn’t understand what she believed.

    Two and a half hours later, Dani, who’d previously left for the gym for a nice long workout, returned to her quarters. The intense regimen she’d embarked on had been successful in helping her alleviate some of the stress of the situation. It could not, however, get rid of the pain she felt as a result of being virtually disowned by her parents, or by her father, at least. When she thought about the sadness, the anger in her rose again. When the anger rose, she felt like punching something. This was the process that had manifested itself throughout her workout, which was why she’d continued for so long. She could never completely get rid of the feelings, and if there was any remnant of any feeling, the process started all over again. It was all so useless. What she really wanted to do was crawl into bed, burrow under the covers, and hide from the universe forever.

    Dani sank down onto the couch and buried her head in her hands as the tears came. Her entire life was falling apart, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Well, there was one thing she could do, and doing it would probably get everyone off her back. But she couldn’t go down that road. Not because everyone else dictated that she should.

    The door chimed, and Dani’s head sprung up. “Who is it?” she asked. She wasn’t used to asking that. She usually just told whoever was out there to come on in. She didn’t think it was such a good idea to be so open now. Whoever was on the other side of that door might wish she were dead or something.

    “It’s me – Marac,” Dani heard Dukat say from outside.

    She almost breathed a sigh of relief. “Come in,” she invited. She stood as Dukat entered.

    “I thought we were meeting for lunch,” Dukat said. “What happened?”

    “I was relieved of duty this morning,” Dani informed him.

    “What?” Dukat asked, walking over to her.

    “I went to Ops for my shift this morning, and the captain told me that he had been ordered, by Command, to relieve me of duty.”

    “Because of me?” Dukat asked. Dani nodded and reclaimed her seat on the sofa.

    Dukat sank to the couch beside her. “I didn’t realize such drastic steps would be taken,” he admitted.

    “Me either,” Dani said.

    “I can’t see you any longer, Danielle,” Dukat said suddenly.

    Dani’s head snapped around to face Dukat. “What?”

    “Your whole world is falling apart all at the expense of me. Getting rid of me is the obvious solution to this conundrum.”

    Dani studied Dukat. He was right. It was the most obvious solution. But it wasn’t the only solution. “I’d rather not do that,” she told Dukat. Dani realized that she wouldn’t be willing to put herself through all this drama if she simply cared for Dukat or merely liked him a lot. “I love you,” she revealed.

    Dukat looked at her. He couldn’t believe his ears. Only a few days ago, she’d said that she couldn’t say those words, that she couldn’t tell him she loved him. But now she could?

    “I realized,” Dani began to explain, “that I wouldn’t be letting myself go through all this if I didn’t love you.”

    “Are you sure you aren’t letting yourself go through all this merely to prove a point?” Dukat asked her.

    “What point would that be? My whole life is a wreck. Everything I’ve ever worked for is slipping away. I know I’m stubborn, but I don’t think I would go so far as to risk everything just to prove someone wrong.” Dani stood and turned to face the viewports. “I just wish I could get away from this all.”

    Dukat stood and joined her at the viewport. “I have to go away to Cardasssia IV for business in a few days,” he told her. “I’d like you to come with me.” She turned and looked up at him as he continued. “I could arrange for my ship to leave early, perhaps as early as tonight, if you wish.” Dani returned her attention to the viewport, as placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered into her ear, “I can take you away from all this, if only for a little while, a

    few days. We’ll go somewhere where we’ll be completely secluded, away from everything that’s troubling you. Danielle, come with me.”

    Dani turned and looked up at him again. “Can we really leave tonight?”

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 5

    “Ensign Janeway? Ensign Janeway?”

    Dani, who was just leaving the replimat on her way to Ops for the start of her shift, turned to see Jake Sisko’s tall frame running to catch up with her. Once he finally caught up, Dani greeted him.

    “Mr. Sisko,” she said resuming her course for the stations center of operations. “What can I do for you?”

    Jake Sisko was the only son of the station’s former commander, Captain Ben Sisko. Jake was tall, a little taller than Dukat but not quite as tall as Will. He was slimmer than both of them, though, and despite the fact that he was a few years older than Dani, he still maintained a boyish appearance.

    “Mr. Sisko?” he said, repeating the way she’d said his name. “That sounds so…old. Call me Jake.”

    “Okay, Jake,” Dani said. “Can I help you with something?”

    “You sure can,” Jake said. “I hear that you and Dukat have become awfully close in the past few weeks.”

    Caught completely off-guard, Dani stopped walking, and looked up at Jake. “Where’d you hear that?” she asked him, taking extra effort to keep her tone neutral.

    “It’s all over the station,” Jake told her. “Of course, they’re just rumors, for now. People are talking, Ensign.”

    “What kind of rumors?” Dani inquired.

    “Rumors,” Jake said, raising a dark eyebrow.

    Dani swallowed. She and Marac hadn’t taken any extra precautions in order to keep their blooming romance a secret, but they hadn’t exactly gone about the station advertising it, either. Their public relationship was so ambiguous in appearance that they could very easily have passed for good friends. Many times, they’d both appeared with Ziyal, a common link between them.

    Dani had known there would be talk anyway, though, and she’d expected the rumors to start flying. “I’ve been dealing with the public and rumors on a normal basis since I was nineteen,” she informed the young reporter. “This is nothing new.”

    “Maybe,” Jake said. He lowered his voice and moved a little closer to Dani. “But the difference this time is that people are beginning to take those rumors and speculations for the truth. They’re not just rumors anymore. They evolved into fact. And it’s spreading.” Dani’s eyes rose to meet Jake’s. “Like wildfire,” he added. “The most popular and most believed thread is that you and Dukat are an item.”

    Dani maintained her composure, despite the fact that she felt as if her legs had been kicked out from under her. Her thoughts immediately turned to the possibility that her parents were finally about to find out what their little girl had been up to. She suddenly felt helpless, like things were about to spin terribly out of control.

    “Jake, I’ll be glad to talk to you,” she began, “but I’ve got to get to Ops for my shift. Why don’t we discuss this over lunch?”

    “Of course. The replimat?”

    “Yes, that’s fine. 1200 hours?”

    “I’ll be there.” He turned and walked away with a smile on his face, knowing that he was on the brink of one of his best stories to date. A squeaky clean Starfleet officer and an infamous Cardassian traitor. Beauty and the beast. Forbidden love. It was classic!

    Dani turned and resumed her journey to Ops, a heavy feeling of dread descending upon her.

    Dani sat across from Jake, sipping on her mug of warm raktijino. She was trying to remain calm about this whole thing, but how could she possibly do that, when she knew that anyday now, her life could be turned completely upside down?

    “Now, before you say a thing, I just want you to know that everything that’s said here today is completely off-the-record,” he informed Dani. “This isn’t an interview; it’s merely a…fact-finding mission.”

    Dani nodded, indicating that she understood, and Jake continued. “First thing’s first – are you and Dukat involved romantically?” Jake asked with uncertainty mixed with curiosity.

    That afternoon, after her shift, Dani went to Dukat’s quarters. She walked in to find him completely immersed in his work. He was seated at his desk, staring intently at his computer screen. He looked down at some PADDs that lay scattered on his desk and then back at the screen again. He looked extremely busy, and Dani was beginning to think she should come back later when he looked up from his work at her. His features, which had been wrinkled in concentration, immediately softened at the sight of her.

    “Danielle,” he said, rising and walking over to meet her. He leaned down and kissed her.

    “You seem very busy,” Dani said. “I could come back later.”

    “No, no,” Dukat protested. “I’m never too busy for you. How was your day?”

    “It was okay,” Dani replied.

    “Just ‘okay’?”

    “Well, I had an interesting discussion with Jake Sisko today.”

    “Oh?” Dukat crossed the room and stepped up to the replicator. “Something to drink?” he asked over his shoulder.

    “No,” Dani said.

    Dukat requested a small glass of tomato juice. It materialized, and he received it. He turned back to Dani, raising the glass of bright red liquid to his lips to take a sip. Dani grimaced instinctively at the sight of it.

    Dukat froze after the first sip and then lowered his glass. “You don’t like tomato juice,” he surmised.

    “It’s like drinking ketchup,” Dani told him.

    “Hmm, I’ve never tried ketchup before,” Dukat said.

    “It’s a condiment. It’s good on things like meat and potatoes. But just because I like it on my meat doesn’t mean I want to drink it,” Dani explained.

    Dukat sat down on the sofa, tomato juice in hand. “What did you and Mr. Sisko discuss today?” he inquired, tossing the subject of tomato juice aside.

    Dani walked over and sat down beside Dukat. “Us.” She watched Dukat, attempting to guage his reaction.

    He leaned over and placed his half-empty glass on the low table before him. “What did he want to know?”

    “Marac, there are rumors around the station that we are romantically involved,” Dani informed him.

    “I know,” Dukat said. “Ziyal has mentioned them to me.”

    “Well, the problem is…I don’t know if it’s really a problem. I guess it just depends on how you look at it. The issue at hand is that these aren’t just rumors anymore, people are taking them for fact.”

    “And Mr. Sisko wishes to provide us with the opportunity to set the record straight on the issues by conducting an interview and publishing it,” Dukat said, finishing for Dani.

    “That about sums it up.” Dani rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

    “This is distressing you,” Dukat observed.

    Dani lifted her head and looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Yes, it is.”

    “Darling,” Dukat said, alarmed. He gathered her into his arms. “I had no idea this was such grievance for you.”

    “I’m just so scared. What is this going to mean for my career? And my family – what is my father going to say? Or do? When he finds out-“

    “Shhh…Do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. We shall deal with them if they occur.” Dukat calmly stroked Dani’s shoulder.

    Dani let Dukat’s words sink in. She was overreacting again. Why was that always such a problem with her? She relaxed against Dukat, letting her head settle just under his chin. They were both content in the silence.

    “Danielle,” Dukat said softly. There was something in the way he’d said her name that prompted Dani to look up at him. He continued. “I fear that you fail to understand just how much you’ve come to mean to me over these past weeks.”

    Dani sat up. What did he mean by that? She watched as he rose from the sofa and disappeared into the bedroom.

    Dani thought she’d been doing a pretty good job of gauging his feelings toward her. The truth of it, though, was that the only person whose feelings she could be absolutely sure of was her own. She enjoyed the time she spent with him. She would even go so far as to say that she was falling in love with him. She hoped, with all that was at risk for her, that he at least felt something akin to what she felt. The fact that he’d just told her she didn’t understand his real feelings caused a rising alarm in her.

    Dukat returned a moment later with a small box in hand. Reclaiming his seat, he began. “When we embarked on this relationship, I know we fell into it, for lack of a better term, with no real goals for where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do. Somehow, we’ve grown. We’ve evolved. I care a great deal for you,

    Danielle.” He handed the little box to Dani. Puzzled and curious, Dani accepted it and opened it. Inside was a beautiful ring with a bronze-looking metallic hue to it. It had an intricate design in it that Dani had never seen before.

    “Marac,” she breathed.

    “Do you like it?” Dukat asked her.

    “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Dani handed the box back to Dukat.

    “It’s made of pure gold-pressed latinum,” Dukat said, removing the ring from the box. He held it up and studied it, making sure that it was free of any type of flaw. Mistakes, especially on this ring, were not acceptable. “I had it made. There is none other like it anywhere in the universe.” He looked at Dani. “I had it made for especially for you.”

    Dani looked at him, obviously surprised. “For me?”

    Dukat took her right hand and slipped the ring on her middle finger. It looked perfect there. “I love you, Danielle,” he told her. He then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

    Dani shook her head. “Marac, I can’t say those words to you right now because I just don’t feel ready.” She stood and walked across the room.

    “I didn’t mean to place any pressure on you,” Dukat said. “I was merely stating how I felt.”

    “But how do you know that you really do feel this way about me?” Dani asked. “It’s still so soon. It’s only been a few weeks. How do you know this is real? How do you know you aren’t just in love with the idea of being in love?”

    Dukat rose and walked over to meet Dani. “Because I feel it,” he said. He pointed to his chest. “Here. I know because I don’t care what all those people out there will think when thy find out we’re together.” He placed his hands on her arms and let them trail down to her hands. “I know because being with you makes me feel good inside, like I can be a better person than I was without you. Danielle, you’re the only other person besides Ziyal who can do that for me. This isn’t the crush or silly infatuation I had when you first came aboard the station. This is real.”

    Tears formed in Dani’s eyes, and she couldn’t explain why. As they began to trail down her cheek, Dukat reached up to wipe them away. “What is it?” he asked her.

    She shook her head, and he persisted. “Danielle?”

    Yet, she shook her head again and this time said, “No. I’m fine.” But the tears were still coming. Here he was baring his soul to her, and she couldn’t tell him that she felt the same. “I feel so bad. I don’t want you to waste your time with me.”

    Dukat swallowed. He hated that she felt that way. Any time he could spend with her would surely not be counted as time wasted to him. “I know that your feelings toward me aren’t as strong as those I have toward you. But it doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t change the way I feel. As long as I have the chance to be with you, I shall be content.”

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 4

    The doors to holosuite number 2 slid open, and Dukat and Ensign Danielle Janeway strode out. Julian Bashir, seated beside Miles O’Brien at the bar a few feet away, couldn’t help but notice the odd couple as they made their way through the establishment.

    Bashir turned to O’Brien. “Who is that with Dukat?” he asked O’Brien.

    Miles turned just in time to see Dukat and Dani walk past the bar. “That’s Ensign Dani Janeway, the newbie in Ops. She helps out in Engineering sometimes.”

    “You mean Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay’s daughter?” Bashir asked.

    “Yeah. That’s her,” Miles confirmed.

    “What’s she doing with Dukat?” Julian took a sip of his root beer.

    “Nothing’s for certain, but the word going around is that they’re a couple.”

    At that last statement, Julian began to cough. Miles turned to his friend to see what was wrong with the good doctor. “Julian,” he said, concerned, “what’s the matter?”

    Finally Julian regained enough control to talk. “They’re a couple?” he repeated. “Since when?”

    “A few weeks ago, from what I heard,” the chief said.

    “How did that happen?” Julian asked.

    Miles wasn’t sure if it was directed at anyone or was simply rhetorical, but he provided an answer anyway. “I have no idea.”

    Julian drank some more of his root beer. “Well, Dukat certainly has found himself a catch.”

    “Yeah,” O’Brien said. “So has Janeway. Her parents are going to go through the roof when they get word of this.”

    Dax and Kira entered Quark’s. They spotted the doctor and the engineer at the bar and decided to join them.

    “Hey, Julian, Chief,” Dax greeted. “What’s going on?” She and Kira took seats on either side of Bashir and O’Brien.

    “We were just talking about the station’s newest couple,” O’Brien said distastefully.

    Dax grimmaced mentally. “Janeway and Dukat,” she said.

    “Yeah,” Julian began. “Dukat? She couldn’t find anyone to date but Dukat?”

    “Who else did you have in mind, Julian?” Dax asked suggestively, causing the doctor to blush slightly.

    “I had a talk with Dukat the other week,” Kira said, jumping into the

    conversation.

    “What did he say?” Julian asked.

    “He swore to me that he wouldn’t hurt Dani,” Kira replied.

    “Typical,” O’Brien put in.

    “He swore it on Ziyal’s life,” Kira added.

    Bashir, Dax, and O’Brien all looked at each other and then back at Kira. They all realized the significance of a declaration such as that, just as Kira had recognized it that day when Dukat had said it to her.

    “So…he’s serious?” Julian asked.

    “Apparently so,” Kira said. “Cardassians may be a lot of things and they may be capable of a lot, but one thing they do not do is go back on their word like that. When they bring children into the mix, it’s for real.”

    The four of them let that bit of information sink in for moment. Then O’brien spoke up. “I don’t understand it,” he said. “You got plenty of lads around here that would be more than happy to go out with the girl, and she picks Dukat over the lot of ’em.” It was no secret that Miles O’brien had more than a few misgivings about Cardassians. He’d had a few brushes with them in the past during his Starfleet career and was extremely unenthusiastic in matters

    concerning members of the race.

    “It’s a bloody shame ‘sall I can say.” The Irishman rose from his seat at the bar. “Well, I’ve got to get back to Engineering.”

    “I’ll walk back with you a ways, Chief,” Julian said, standing. “I’ve got to get back to the infirmary, myself.” He turned to Kira and Dax. “See you later.” He walked out of Quark’s with O’brien.

    Dax turned to Kira, who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Kira felt Dax’s eyes on her and was prompted to say something. “I just…I don’t know what do think,” she said. “This is Dukat we’re talking about. I’m with Miles on this one; I don’t understand it. I didn’t understand it with my mother, and I don’t understand it now.”

    Kira’s mind wandered back to her experience with the Bajoran Orb of Time, during which she’d discovered that her mother had been Dukat’s mistress during Bajor’s occupation. The revelation had come as a shock to Kira, and she wouldn’t have believed it herself if she hadn’t witnessed it with her own eyes. She could never understand how her mother could have fallen for Dukat. Sure he was a charmer, but how could she, knowing what had done, the suffering he had caused. The same went for Tora Naprem, Ziyal’s mother, and now, for Danielle Janeway.

    “There must be something I’m missing,” Kira said. “Something about him that I’m not seeing.”

    “Well, whatever it is, I’m not seeing it, either,” Dax commented.

    Kira looked at her Trill friend. “I guess I should take comfort in the fact that I’m not alone in my sentiment, then.”

    Dax gave Kira an encouraging smile. “Come on; let’s get to Ops.”

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 3

    Colonel Kira Nerys pressed the door chime outside Dukat’s quarters. It was the morning after his date with Danielle Janeway, and Kira was mad. She hadn’t had a chance to go and talk to that Cardassian snake Dukat before his evening with the young Ensign Janeway, but it was Saturday, now, and she was off duty. She had

    all the time in the world.

    “Come in,” a voice beckoned from within the quarters. Kira pressed the open button. The doors slid open, and she stepped in. The doors slid shut behind her.

    “You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked like that,” Kira said. “I’m sure there are plenty of people around here who’d like their chance at you.”

    Dukat turned to face Kira. “Why, Colonel – I didn’t know you cared.”

    “I don’t,” Kira said bluntly. “It’s just that I’ve got enough to worry about around here without a murder on my hands.”

    Dukat let the insult pass, as usual. “What can I do for you, Colonel?”

    “You could leave, but I know that’s not going to happen, so I’ll settle for this-” She took a few steps toward Dukat. “You could leave Ensign Janeway alone.”

    Dukat had known it would only be short time before Kira came barking up his tree about the matter. She was right on schedule. “Ah, so this is about Danielle?”

    “Yes, this is about Danielle,” Kira said. “Dukat, there are plenty of other women on this station to choose from to have your way with.”

    “They are, Colonel, but I don’t want them; I want Danielle,” Dukat insisted. “And for your information, it isn’t about having my way, as you so put it.”

    “What is it about, then, Dukat?” Kira asked Dukat in a manner that told him that she already had an answer for her own question. He didn’t answer, but merely looked at her, interested in where she was going. “What kind of game are you playing this time?” Kira continued.

    “No games, Colonel,” Dukat said. “I’m merely a lonely man who’s found some companionship.”

    The laugh that came from Kira was more than just a little sarcastic. “Okay, we’ll play this innocent act. You’re looking for companionship. But why her? What’s so special?”

    “She is what’s so special, Colonel,” Dukat said. He walked over the sofa and sat. Kira remained standing. “When she looks at me, there is no fear in her eyes. She doesn’t see me as some monster, although she has every reason to. The only thing she isn’t sure of is if she can trust me, for which I can’t say I would blame her if she didn’t.”

    “If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t,” Kira spat.

    Dukat nodded. “You could be right,” he said. He realized that Danielle still hadn’t come to him with her decision on whether she wanted to pursue this relationship with him, and as far as she was concerned, this relationship might already be over. But he would never let Kira know that. He wanted the upper hand while he could still maintain it. He didn’t want to give her any fodder for her cannon. “So far, though, Danielle has given me a chance.”

    “A chance to what? Hurt someone else?”

    “I would never dream of hurting Danielle. I’d rather cut off my own arm.”

    “Don’t say that around too many people. You might start to give people ideas.”

    Dukat stood and walked around the coffee table to Kira. “This isn’t a joking matter, Colonel. Do you really think I’d do anything to hurt Danielle?”

    “Yes. I do.” Kira’s brown eyes met Dukat’s blue ones and embarked on a most intense stare-down with them. Kira couldn’t believe that the man actually had the nerve to sit here and lie to her face. Well, actually, she could believe that. What she couldn’t believe was that he actually expected her to believe that what he was saying was true. Like she was some kind of idiot!

    Then Dukat said something to Kira that turned her entire train of thought surrounding him around. “I swear on the life of my daughter that I would never do anything to hurt Danielle, just as I would never do anything to harm Ziyal,” he said.

    Dukat didn’t blame Kira for not believing him. He hadn’t expected her to. She never had before. But she should know, having spent enough time with Cardassians and with him, that when he or any other of his species swore on the life of his child, that was his highest word, and it was assured that it would not be broken.

    The door chime was the only thing that broke the staring contest between the Cardassian and the Bajoran. “Come in,” Dukat called, turning his attention to the door. The doors slid open, and Dani Janeway entered. She stopped short when she saw Kira. “Colonel Kira,” she greeted, almost immediately aware of the reason for her visit.

    Kira simply nodded to the ensign. “Ensign.”

    “Danielle,” Dukat said.

    Dani walked towards Kira and Dukat. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said, already knowing that she was.

    “No,” Dukat said. “In fact, the colonel was just leaving.”

    Kira looked at Dukat. The fact that she was leaving was news to her. That skeptical glare of Kira’s was present, Dani noted. Kira turned to Dani with the same glare, on the way out of Dukat’s quarters.

    Once the doors had closed, Dani turned to Dukat. “What did she say?” she asked him.

    “Nothing,” Dukat lied. “The colonel is just concerned about my safety. She says I should keep my door locked.”

    “She’s right. Things can get dangerous sometimes. Especially for you.”

    “So I’ve heard.” Dukat gave the door one last look before letting the whole matter drop and turning his attention back to Dani. “Have a seat.”

    “Thanks.” Dani sat on the sofa. Dukat sat down beside her. “I’ve come to a decision about what I want to do,” she informed him.

    “Before you say anything else, I would like to say something,” Dukat requested.

    Dani nodded. “Okay.”

    “Danielle,” Dukat began, “I realize that you have every reason in the universe not to trust me, but I won’t ask you to ask you to be with me if it’s going to make you uncomfortable. But if it isn’t going to make you uncomfortable,” he said, taking her hand and looking intensely into her eyes, “Please – don’t deny me this opportunity to be happy.”

    “I won’t,” was Dani’s reply. “I’ve decided that we should move forward with this relationship. I decided last night, actually. I just had to be sure.”

    “Are you?”

    Dani nodded. “Yes,” she said.

    “You realize this won’t be easy,” Dukat pointed out.

    “Yes, I’m aware of that. But you tell me – what relationship is?”

    Dukat smiled. “None, I suppose,” he replied. He reached out and stroked Dani’s face with the tips of his fingers. Dani watched his face as he did so. Was she really doing this? Was she going to dive into another serious relationship?

    Another serious, controversial relationship? Why?

    Because there was something about the man sitting before her that Dani found it hard to say no to.

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 2

    A week later, Dani was in Quark’s, and she was miserable. Ever since that fateful morning that she’d run into Dukat, and they’d had their encounter, Dani had been distracted, moody, and irritable. And her work had suffered for it, too. She’d been making mistakes, and she’d been called on it on more than one occassion by superior officers. For a few days, she’d tried to deny why she was in this state. Then, she’d given up and had finally admitted it to herself – Dukat had made her this way.

    Dani didn’t know why she’d let her libido and her ego convince her head that what happened between her and Dukat would just be a one-night stand, and that would be the end of it. As Dani was finding, that’s not the way it was playing out. She couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t get the man out of her head. She also hadn’t seen him in the past week. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad. Would it be better to see him? Or would that drive her even crazier than now? She really needed to talk to someone.

    As if answering a bell or summons, Ensign Jenna Madsen sat down across from Dani. “Hello,” she said in her usual chipper manner.

    “Hi,” Dani said sullenly.

    Jenna immediately picked up on her friend’s dull sour mood. It seemed to her that Dani hadn’t been acting like her usual self over the past week. Or maybe this was her usual self. After all, they had only just met a little over a month before, when Dani first arrived onboard Deep Space Nine. Then again, Jenna reconsidered, maybe something really was wrong. “What’s the matter?” Jenna asked. “You look like hell.”

    “That’s because I feel like hell,” Dani replied.

    “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird this whole week.”

    Dani looked around Quark’s Bar. She’d found that she’d grown increasingly paranoid, always checking over her shoulder for any signs of Dukat. “I’ve got something to tell you,” she began. She’d made the decision that she needed to tell someone else about what had happened between her and Dukat. Doing so probably wouldn’t solve anything, but it stood the chance of making her feel just a little bit better, at least.

    “What?” Jenna asked.

    Dani hesitated a bit before going on. “Last week, I slept with Dukat.”

    Jenna’s eyes grew huge. “You what?!”

    “I…slept with Dukat,” Dani repeated.

    “Dani – how could you?!” Jenna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Dani and Dukat? She began to eat her tuna casserole as Dani began her story.

    Dani began to explain. “It was a one night only sort of thing. Well, it was supposed to be. I had been having some bad dreams about Will, and I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I went to the gym to work out. Dukat ran into me there. We went to the replimat for tea, he invited me back to his quarters, and we just…it just happened.” Dani studied her friend for a reaction. “He didn’t force me or anything. It was completely consensual. Actually, I liked it. I really liked it.”

    “Well,” Jenna said, “if you liked it so much, I would think that you’d be quite happy right now. What’s the problem?” She didn’t at all sound enthusiastic about the situation. Dani couldn’t blame her.

    “Well, the problem is that I convinced myself of something that wasn’t true,” Dani said.

    “Which was?”

    “I told myself that I could have this one-night stand with Dukat and be completely detached emotionally. I could do it, and when it was over, it’d be over. I’d be through. But the truth of it is I haven’t been able to get the man out of my mind since our…encounter,” Dani explained.

    Jenna’s green eyes rose from her half-eaten casserole to Dani’s brown eyes. “Need I remind you of who this man is, what this man has done?”

    “No, I’m well aware of it all. Believe me,” Dani assured her.

    “Look, this is probably still apart of your rebound phase. You’ll get over it. Just don’t do anything stupid, like agree to see Dukat again or anything, and you’ll be fine.”

    Dani nodded. “Right.”

    “Snap out of it,” Jenna urged. “This is absurd. You don’t want to spend anymore time with Dukat.”

    “I know.” Dani looked at her friend. “You’re right. You’re right. This’ll blow over.”

    “Of course it will.” Jenna stood. “I’ve got to get back to Engineering. Chief O’Brien wants some diagnostics run, and it’s my ass if I don’t get them done on time. I’ll see you later. Remember…”

    “I will,” Dani said. “No Dukat.” She watched Jenna leave the bar.

    Marac Dukat walked out of one of Quark’s holosuites and almost ran back in again when he saw that Ensign Danielle Janeway occupied a table in the bar. He was surprised to find that she was still having lunch. She was usually done by now. Not that he was stalking her. It was quite the opposite. He’d been trying to avoid her. He’d taken to dining in either the holosuites or his quarters and tried to avoid any places he knew she frequented.

    This was crazy! He was running away from a 24-year-old Terran female like a nervous schoolboy. Well, a person could only run and hide for so long, he concluded. He looked across at her, and all he could think of was that one night they’d shared. That one night of passion. He remembered the way her red hot skin had felt against his, how soft her touch had been, what a beautiful body she’d had.

    Dukat leaned back against the wall, further obscuring himself from Dani’s possible line of sight. Great Guls, his body ached for her again! And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it – or was there? He could just ask, couldn’t he? Ask to see her again. Just walk up to her and ask for one more night.

    Dukat looked at her again. She was a beautiful woman, and she’d certainly gotten under his skin, hadn’t she? He stood up tall, and started to swagger across the room to her.

    Dani didn’t even see him walk up. He seemed to come from out of nowhere.

    “Ensign, could I have a moment, please?”

    Dani looked up and there he was, standing beside her table. He was dressed in civvies. Come to think of it, Dani realized that every time she’d seen him on the station, he’d been dressed in civilian clothing. She’d never seen him in his military uniform.

    Dani stood. “Actually, I’ve got to be heading back to Ops,” she said. She walked away from the table, headed for the exit. She was dismayed to find that Dukat followed her.

    “Ensign,” Dukat said, following Dani out onto the Promenade. “Ensign Janeway.”

    Dani kept walking. ‘Don’t stop,’ she coached herself. ‘Don’t stop walking.’

    “Ensign, I assure you, I’ll take only a moment of your time,” Dukat said, walking with Dani.

    Dani kept walking just the same, but from the looks of it, Dukat was going to stay with her. He would probably follow her all the way to Ops if he had to. Maybe if she stopped and heard what he had to say now, that would be the end of it, and she wouldn’t ever have to talk to this man again.

    “Ensign Janeway,” Dukat said, more firmly this time. Finally, Dani stopped walking and acknowledged him by looking at him. He gestured to the small, intimate restaurant in front of which they’d conveniently paused. Dani sighed, highly annoyed, and walked in, Dukat at her heels. He pulled out a chair for her at one of the small tables. Dani obediently sat. Dukat stepped around and claimed the other seat.

    “I’m going to get straight to the point, Ensign,” Dukat began. A waiter approached their table, and Dukat quickly waved him away. To Dani, he said, “We should stop all this nonsense, this avoiding each other like some dreaded disease. I refuse to live my life aboard the station like this, always being afraid of running into you. If you’re anything like me, you probably feel the same way.”

    Dani grimmaced mentally. She hated the idea of having anything in common with the man sitting across the table from her. But, she reluctantly admitted to herself, he was right – she did hate living in fear.

    “What do you suggest, then?” Dani asked.

    “Why are we fighting this, Ensign? We both know what we both want, so why do we not just give in?” Dukat proposed.

    Dani shook her head and looked off to the side. She wasn’t doing this again. She’d made a promise to Jenna, a promise to herself, …

    “We did it before, Ensign,” Dukat reminded her. “Surely one more time couldn’t hurt.”

    “That isn’t the type of relationship I want,” Dani said. She rose from her seat. “If you’ll excuse me.” She walked away from the table.

    Dukat immediately rose and followed her. “Ensign Janeway – wait!” He caught her by the elbow. She turned and looked up at him. “Wait,” he said.

    “I refuse to be some sex kitten who’s used for your pleasure,” Dani stated.

    “I apologize,” Dukat said. “I did not mean to make you feel objectified. I merely thought it might be a way for each of us to reach a state of mutual satisfaction in our situations.”

    “I’m not interested,” Dani said. She turned to walk away, but Dukat still had her arm, so she turn and looked back up at him.

    “Perhaps I’m going about this all wrong,” Dukat said. “Perhaps the best way for us to overcome our anxiety about each other is to become cordial with one another.”

    Cordial? Dani didn’t even want to be in the same room with this man. She certainly didn’t want to be friends with him. She had to admit – again – that he may be right. Earlier, they’d just jumped in the sack after a short cup of tea. Perhaps if they worked at having some sort of semblance of a normal relationship, they would come to see each other in ways besides the super-sexual light in which they were both seeing each other currently.

    “Dinner,” Dukat said. He quickly scanned the establishment they were currently standing in. “Here.”

    Dani shook her head and looked down at the floor. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

    “Not a date; just dinner,” Dukat said, assuring her.

    Dani looked up into Dukat’s blue eyes. “Okay.”

    “Wonderful. I’ll pick you up at 1900 hours.”

    This was beginning to sound an awful lot like a date to Dani. “Fine,” she said. She hurried out of the restaurant. ‘So much for promises,’ she thought as she headed back to Ops.

    Dani passed her tricorder over the open conduit. Everything was as it should be. It was about time. After her station had gone blank, she’d gotten right to work on fixing it. That’d been thirty minutes ago. Everything was fine, now. Dani snapped the tricorder shut.

    “Kira and I are going to Quark’s after duty,” said Lt. Jadzia Dax, the Trill crouched beside Dani in front of the conduit. She’d helped Dani repair the damage to her station. Lucky thing, too. If it hadn’t been for Dax, it could’ve taken Dani close to an hour to fix the station. “You’re welcome to come along if you want,” Dax said, extending an invitation to the younger woman.

    “Thanks, Lieutenant,” Dani said, “But I can’t. I have…plans.” She stood and activated her console, still refusing to think of her plans with Dukat as a date, even though, in all reality, that’s what it was.

    Colonel Kira Nerys, Deep Space Nine’s first officer, strode up to the two women. “How’s the work coming?” the Bajoran asked, inquiring about the progress of the work on the station.

    “We’re all done,” Dax said, handing a PADD of to Kira.

    “Great,” Kira said studying the contents of the PADD. “With just enough time for me to include it in my report to the captain.” Once she applied her thumbprint signature to the PADD, she looked at Dax and then at Dani. “Say, Janeway, a few of us are getting together at Quarks after our shift is over. We’d love to have you join us.”

    “I already asked her,” Dax informed Kira. The colonel looked at Dax. “She has a date.”

    “Oh, I see,” Kira said.

    “It’s just dinner, Colonel,” Dani said, suddenly becoming very interested in the information on the console in front of her.

    “Uh-huh…so, who’s the lucky guy?” Kira asked.

    Dani cast a nervous glance at Kira before turning her attention back to her duty station. She knew Kira would not like the word that was about to come out of her mouth next. “Dukat,” Dani replied matter-of-factly.

    “What was that?” Kira looked at Dani. “It sounded like you said ‘Dukat.’” Kira laughed a little at the thought.

    “I did,” Dani said, looking up from her station console at Kira before walking across to another station.

    Kira let a skeptical laugh slip from between her lips. “What? Are you serious?”

    “Yes, ma’am, I am,” Dani said. She looked at Kira and returned to her original station.

    “You mean Dukat Dukat?” Dax asked. “As in Ziyal’s father?”

    “Yes, ma’am.” Dani studied the readout on her console.

    “We are talking about the same guy, here. Big Cardassian guy?” Kira pursued. “Cocky as hell?”

    Dani nodded and laughed Kira’s accurate description of him. “That’s him.”

    Kira and Dax exchanged nervous glances. Kira stepped up to Dani.

    “Are you crazy?!” Kira exclaimed. Everyone else in Ops looked at Kira, their attention gained by the raised voice.

    Dani looked at Dax and then back at Kira. She understood perfectly the older woman’s sentiment. “It’s just a dinner,” she said, defending the event despite the fact that she felt very much the same as Kira.

    “You know, I don’t know what young women find so irresistable about Cardassian murderers? First Ziyal and Garak; now you and Dukat.”

    “Colonel, it’s not even a real date,” Dani said. More lies. “It’s more like a…getting-to-know-you dinner.”

    “Ensign?” Dax said standing. Dani turned to her.

    “Yes, Lieutenant?”

    “That’s a date.”

    “I can’t believe you want to date Dukat,” Kira continued.

    “I don’t,” Dani said. Finally the truth. “I’m just curious. Can’t a person be curious?”

    “About him? No!”

    “Ensign,” Dax began, “we know Dukat. We know what he’s capable of. He can be a very dangerous man.”

    “I know. Believe me, I do,” Dani said trying to convince them. “This isn’t something I just planned.” Dani didn’t know how much into detail she should go with this. “This isn’t exactly our first date.”

    “Ensign!” Kira exclaimed, her voice rising an octave once again.

    Dani continued. “Look, I really would rather not go into details and, unless either of you makes it an order, I won’t. Just take my word when I tell you that I know what I’m doing – I think.”

    “He’s hurt a lot of people, Ensign,” Kira said, her tone somewhat softer. Dani looked at Kira. She understood that what the colonel was talking about hit home for the Bajoran. “We just don’t want you to become one of them.”

    “Well, I thank you for your concern, but I don’t even believe that this is going that far. This is one date,” Dani reminded them. At the same time, she hoped she was right. She hoped that what she was telling Dax and Kira held true.

    “That’s all it takes,” Kira shot back.

    Dani had just finished brushing her hair when she heard her door chime. She looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was 1850 hours. Dukat had arrived.

    Dani gave one more look at herself in the mirror before walking into the living room of her quarters. It’d been a while since she’d last worn a dress, and she had to get used to the sensation of loose material brushing against her legs. She stopped at the door and opened it. The doors slid open to reveal Dukat with an armful of red roses.

    “Dukat,” Dani greeted as cordially as was possible. “You’re early.”

    Dukat looked a little alarmed. “I’m sorry. I can come back-“

    “No, it’s okay,” Dani assured him. “Come on in.”

    Dukat stepped into Dani’s quarters.” “These are for you,” he said, offering Dani the bouquet of a dozen red roses.

    “Dukat,” Dani said accepting the roses. “You didn’t have to do that.” She smelled them. “Dukat-are these…” She sniffed at them again. “Are these real?”

    Dukat smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

    “Well, I am thoroughly impressed,” said Dani walking over to the replicator and requested a suitable vase. As Dani watched as the vase materialized, she wondered what kind of scheme Dukat was running. He’d brought these flowers so he could obviously impress her, and it’d worked. What was he trying to do…She placed the flowers in the vase and placed the vase on the living room table.

    “Perfect,” Dani said, admiring the new addition to her table. It really did brighten up the room. She turned to Dukat, who wasn’t admiring the flowers, she realized. His staring at her unsettled her. She didn’t know why when he’d seen every inch of her naked body only a week before. “Are you ready?” she asked him.

    “Of course,” Dukat said. He offered his arm to Dani, as he had the day before.

    “Shall we?” She accepted his arm and immediately noticed that he had a very firm, very muscular arm.’Must be the work of the Cardassian military,’ Dani thought. ‘They sure know how to turn them out, don’t they?’ Then as if an automatic reaction to her own mind, she scolded herself for admiring Dukat. ‘Stop it!’

    “So, if you could, would you have changed anything?” Dani asked Dukat once she and he had been seated and their orders had been taken.

    “Changed anything about what?” Dukat asked.

    “Changed anything about your life, your career,” Dani elaborated.

    Dukat blinked at her a few times. “You’re talking about the Occupation.” He looked down, slowly shaking his head. “You don’t waste any time getting straight to the point of things, do you?”

    “Classic Dani,” she said.

    “Did I mention that you look wonderful tonight?” Dukat asked, skirting Dani’s question.

    “Thank you, Dukat, so do you.” Dani was telling the truth. Dukat was wearing a forest green shirt that matched his skin tone very well.

    “Your hair is very enchanting in that style,” Dukat continued, commenting on how Dani’s dark hair fell into loose rings around her face.

    “Thank you,” Dani acknowledged. “You’re avoiding the question.”

    This woman was bold. And she wasn’t going to give up on this. Dukat liked that.

    “Okay, Ensign,” he said, his demeanor becoming more serious. “Let’s get down to business. What would I have done differently? Well, let’s see…I would’ve improved the living conditions on the station and on the surface, for certain. I would have made sure the Bajorans were fed better. If I could, I would have made sure that my soldiers were less brutal.”

    At this last proclammation, Dani laughed ruefully and looked off to the side. Then she said, “You know that if you had given the order, your men wouldn’t have laid a finger on those people.”

    “I would never have given that order. You have to understand that I had to keep order some way. Telling my men they couldn’t use their own judgment when it came to the Bajorans would be condemning the whole operation,” Dukat explained.

    Dani didn’t believe that for a second. There had to have been better ways handle things. She looked at Dukat. “What else would you have done differently?” Dani inquired.

    “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ensign, but I can’t say that I would have changed much else,” Dukat said truthfully.

    “Why not?”

    “I wouldn’t want to change anything that would’ve prevented my meeting Ziyal’s mother.” Dukat studied Dani for a moment. “I know you’re dying to ask, so please do.”

    Dani was somewhat relieved. She and Ziyal had never discussed her family, only the fact that she was half-Bajoran and half-Cardassian. They’d never talked about the particulars, like who her parents were, how they’d met, or what her life had been like. Despite her rather blunt question earlier, she hadn’t wanted to wander into the forbidden territory of the heart. Dukat had picked up on her hesitation, and he had read her like a book.

    “How did you meet her?” Dani asked.

    Dukat sat back in his chair and began his tale. “Well, Ziyal’s mother- Naprem was her name-was a Bajoran, as you probably already know…”

    Toward the end of the tale, Dani could see that Dukat was finding it difficult to continue. His voice had become low and hoarse, and he seemed like he was close to tears.

    “I was not there for my daughter when she needed me most,” Dukat ended. “And for that, I can never forgive myself.”

    “Ziyal has,” she said.

    Either Dukat was a great actor, or he really did have a heart, Dani realized. Unlike that night when they’d had tea the week before, now, she was actually feeling sympathetic toward the man.

    Dukat remembered where he was and quickly gathered himself. He was obviously embarrassed for letting his raw emotions become so apparent in such a public place. He cleared his throat and said, “That she has, Ensign.”

    Dani looked down at her meal. Neither she nor Dukat had touched their dinners.

    “Do you dance, Ensign?” Dukat asked.

    Dani looked at him. The question had caught her off-guard. She looked at the musical ensemble that had taken the little stage at the front of the place not too long ago. It consisted of two Bajorans, a human, and a Bolian.

    Dani looked at Dukat. “Do you?” she asked.

    Dukat was on his feet before Dani even finished asking. He held out his hand to her. She took it and stood.

    “I didn’t think Cardassians danced,” Dani said as Dukat led her to the little dance floor in front of the band.

    He put his arm around her and said, “They don’t; but I’m the exception.” He pulled her a little closer as they started to move to the slow rhythm of the music.

    Dani looked around at the other restaurant patrons. They were all looking at her and Dukat as if they were ghosts. Dani couldn’t blame them. If she saw her and Dukat dancing together, she’d probably gawk, too.

    Dukat must’ve noticed her distraction, for he said, “Are you dancing with them or me?”

    Dani looked up into Dukat’s eyes and, to her surprise, felt herself relax.

    “Now,” Dukat said, “isn’t that much better?”

    “Of course.” The words had no sooner left Dani’s mouth than she found herself in the middle of a dip. When Dukat raised her, she asked him, “Where’d you learn that?”

    “It was something I picked up,” he replied.

    “Impressive,” Dani said, a smile spreading across her face.

    “Did you really like it?” Dukat asked. Dani nodded. “Then, tell me, Ensign, what do you think of this?” Dukat twirled Dani around and brought her back to him.

    She was now closer to him than she had been before. His hands rested on her hips, and hers, on his arms.

    “I think,” Dani began, “that you are a much better dancer than a lot of men I know.”

    “I’m a mere amateur,” Dukat said with mock humility.

    “You may have found a hidden talent, Dukat.”

    “‘Dukat’ is what my enemies call me,” he informed her

    “What do your friends call you?” Dani asked.

    “‘Dukat,’” he said, eliciting a laugh from Dani. “But you may call me ‘Marac.’”

    “‘Marac’…” Dani repeated. She’d heard that it was a real honor if a Cardassian allowed a person to refer to him or her by the first name. Dani was touched.

    “You may call me Dani,” she said.

    “No,” Dukat objected. Dani was surprised. He didn’t want to call her by her first name? She was a little embarrassed. Maybe she’d appeared too forward by offering Dukat the privilege of calling her by her first name. Dukat continued.

    “I don’t think so,” he said. “I like Danielle much better.”

    Dani smiled. She was beginning to like this man. That much was certain. But could she afford to? Could she afford to let her walls down for this person?

    “I really had a good time tonight,” Dani said. “Better than I had expected.”

    “I, too, had an enjoyable evening,” Dukat said. The two were standing outside

    Dani’s quarters, their dinner having come to an end. “I hope this won’t be the last,” he added.

    This was it. This was the pivotal moment that was going to determine whether Dani was going to pursue this relationship or not. Her date with Dukat had proven that they could have a cordial relationship and hinted at the fact that they could probably be more than just friends. It was obvious to Dani that Dukat wanted to be more than just friends. But Dani just didn’t know if she could trust him completely.

    “Dukat-” she began, but then remembered. “Marac, I-“

    “I’m just asking for a chance to prove myself to you,” Marac said, slightly pleadingly. He watched Dani’s face as she visibly wrestled with the decision.

    “Please,” he said. “A chance – that’s all I want.”

    Dani looked up at him. He wasn’t really asking for more than any other man in his position would ask for. And the gamble was the same. Would he lie to her? Would he play her for a fool?

    Dukat could tell that the decision was a difficult one for her and nothing he said this night would persuade her to say yes to him. “Why don’t I give you some time to think this over?” he suggested to her. “I don’t want you to feel pressured either way, and it’s obvious that is what is happening.” Dani nodded.

    Dukat leaned down and kissed Dani on the cheek. “You know where to find me,” he whispered into her ear. He gave her one last look before walking away.

    Dani watched after him for a few moments before turning and walking into her quarters. She stopped at the table and looked at the vase of red roses. Her comm badge, which lay beside the vase on the table, chirped, and she heard Jenna’s voice filter through. “Madsen to Janeway; come in.”

    Dani picked it up and answered. “Janeway here.”

    “I’ve been trying to reach you forever,” Jenna said through the comm link. “Where have you been?”

    Dani swallowed. She knew Jenna wasn’t going to like the answer to that question. She looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was a little after 2100 hours. “Why don’t you come over. I’ll tell you all about it.”

    Jenna Madsen appeared at Dani’s door ten minutes later. “Dani, what is going on?” Dani stepped to the side, and Jenna walked in. She stopped short and her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw the roses on Dani’s coffee table. A wide smile slowly spread across her attractive face. She turned to Dani, who was making her way from the door to the couch.

    “Someone had a date,” Jenna surmised.

    “Yes…” Dani said, sitting on the sofa.

    Jenna was at her friend’s side in an instant. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, slapping Dani playfully on the arm. “Who’s the lucky guy, and how did it go? I want details.”

    Dani took a deep breath. “Jenna, you’re not going to like what I have to say next,” she said.

    “Why not? Was it a total disaster?” Jenna asked.

    “No,” Dani said, “it went very well, actually.”

    “Then what is the problem?” Jenna pressed.

    Dani looked her friend of only a month directly in the eye. “I went out with Dukat tonight, Jenna.”

    Jenna’s expression changed from curiosity to something that Dani couldn’t quite pinpoint. “You what?!”

    “We went out on a date,” Dani said.

    Jenna rose from the couch and paced a few times before looking down at Dani. “Dani – you said you wouldn’t!”

    “I know, and I didn’t mean to.”

    “What? It just happened? Like when you two slept together?”

    “No.” Dani rose and walked over to the other woman. “I meant to say no. I was going to, but the man wouldn’t leave me alone, so I thought that if I gave him what he wanted, which was dinner, maybe that’d satisfy him, and he’d leave me alone.”

    “I can’t believe someone as smart as you would think something so stupid,” Jenna said.

    “What?” Dani asked. “It started out like that. I seriously went into this with the intention of not seeing him anymore after this.”

    “So, what changed. What went wrong?”

    “Nothing. That’s the problem. Everything on the date was perfect. I found that he’s really a decent person, when you get to know him.”

    Jenna rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. She felt like a mother whose child was trying to convince her of the merits of orbital skydiving.

    Dani continued. “It’s true. He’s not really a bad person.”

    “You’re going to tell me the bad Cardassian government made him do all those horrible deeds,” Jenna quipped sarcastically.

    “No. I’m going to tell you that everyone does things that they regret later on, and the fact that those people did those things once doesn’t mean they’re the same person they once were or that they’d do those things again,” Dani explained. After saying all this, Dani realized that she had just succeeded in convincing herself that she did in fact want to see Dukat again. What kind of hypocrite was she if she could defend him using the words she’d just said and still refuse to give him a chance?

    “I really do think he’s changed,” Dani continued. “Did you know that he dances?”

    “Dukat?” Jenna asked. The skeptical look that graced her features was replaced with one of disbelief.

    “Yeah,” Dani said. “He’s pretty good at it, too. The man is definitely full of surprises, as I found out by the dancing thing. He’s also very charming and sweet…and I’ve decided to see him again.”

    “Dani!” Jenna exlaimed. “You can’t! This is the man who has the blood of Bajor on his hands. He’s not Romeo or Casanova; he’s a cold-blooded killer!”

    “You’re wrong,” Dani said emphatically. She couldn’t believe that after the time she’d spent with him tonight. She shook her head. “You’re wrong.”

    Jenna could see that she wasn’t getting anywhere with Dani by attacking Dukat. So, she decided to try another approach. “Dani, what about your parents? What are they going to say? What about Will?”

    That last question sparked a little flame in Dani.

    “Dani, please don’t tell me you’re pursuing this as a way to get back at Commander Riker,” Jenna said.

    “Will and I are through,” Dani said sharply. “He’s probably found his way back to Counselor Troi’s arms by now. As for my parents, I don’t know. I’ll deal with that when I get there.”

    “‘I’ll deal with it when I get there’?” Jenna repeated. “I don’t think it’s

    going to be that easy, Dani. You do realize that this is the very man who bears at least some responsibility for destroying your father’s home colony?”

    “I’m not stupid, Jenna. Of course I know that. When this gets back to my father, he’s going to explode. But if I do everything to please my parents, I’ll never live. This is my life. I’m going to make my own mistakes. And if this is one, then…so be it. It is. Marac-“

    “Marac?” Jenna said in disbelief. “Are we on a first name basis, now?”

    “Yes,” Dani said. She was unable to keep a small smile from appearing on her lips.

    Jenna sighed, giving up on any effort to try and dissuade Dani from continuing with her doomed relationship with Dukat. She reclaimed her seat on the couch.

    “What else happened on your date?” she asked.

    Dani followed Jenna back to the sofa. “Nothing, really,” she replied. “He took me back to my quarters and we said goodnight. That was it.”

    Jenna sat back and crossed her arms. “What does Ziyal think about all this?”

    Dani sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her, yet.”

    “Don’t you think you should?”

    “I will.”

    Jenna looked out the view ports behind the couch. “You know, Colonel Kira could order you not to see Dukat,” she said. “She doesn’t like him, either, and if she found out you two were dating-“

    “She already knows,” Dani interjected. “I told her and Lt. Dax this afternoon that I had a date with Dukat.”

    Jenna turned back to Dani. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” she said.

    “I do,” Dani said.

    “I don’t mean to trample on what could be your happiness, Dani. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

    “I know,” Dani said. “And I appreciate it. I just think you’re wrong.”