Course Correction Studio

Category: More Than a Lifetime

  • 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.”

  • A Love Less Ordinary – Chapter 1

    Story #4 in the “More Than a Lifetime” series

    Author’s Note: This story is the fourth in a series of stories that do not follow cannon and should not be taken as such. The previous stories, in order, are: 1) Delta Wild, 2) Homecoming, and 3) Graduation. The events in these stories occur in an alternate universe in which Chakotay’s stint with the Maquis happened much earlier in his life. He is married to Kathryn Janeway, and they have a daughter. In this universe, Voyager did not combine with a crew from a Maquis ship, but instead reached the Delta Quadrant with a small loss of life and most of her crew in tact. The events of “First Contact” and “Insurrection” have already occurred in this timeline, but “Nemesis” has not. The Dominion War occurred, but with vastly different results. Many of the events of the final season of Deep Space Nine didn’t occur, which means the characters that died during the season are not dead in my story.

    /\

    Ensign Danielle Janeway turned around in her seat at the table. Someone was watching her again, and she knew who it was.

    She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. Since her first day on Deep Space Nine a little, over a month ago, Dani had noticed that he’d been following her. At least it seemed that way. It seemed that every time she looked up, he was there, watching her. She knew she was probably exaggerating the whole situation in her mind, but it was odd how a man who didn’t really have a visible purpose on the station could appear to be everywhere all the time. The whole situation put her somewhat ill at ease because the man watching her was none other than Dukat. Dukat, the former Prefect of Bajor. Dukat, Captain Benjamin Sisko’s arch rival. Dukat, the egomanicac. She could go on. This man had once been one of the most powerful men on Cardassia. He had also been responsible for some of the most atrocious acts during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. From what Dani had heard, he was one of the most charming people one could ever meet, but he was also one of the most dangerous. It was a deadly combination.

    What did he want with Dani? Part of her welcomed the train of thought quickly ensuing. It would give her the opportunity she’d been looking for to take her mind off Will. The fight they’d had was horrible. Dani and Will had both said things that were harsh. Those harsh words, Dani thought, were enough to put a large dent in their relationship. They’d separated after the argument.

    Tora Ziyal sat down accross from Dani at the replimat, and rescued the Starfleet ensign from her thoughts.

    “Well, hello,” Ziyal said, joining the 24-year-old human for lunch.

    “Hello, Ziyal,” Dani greeted. She’d met the half-Bajoran, half-Cardassian young woman her first day on the station, and they’d become fast friends after that initial meeting.

    Ziyal immediately noticed that her usually chipper Starfleet buddy was now somewhat sullen. “What’s the matter?” she asked Dani.

    Dani pasted a smile on her face. “Nothing.”

    “Nothing?” Ziyal asked skeptically. “Then why haven’t you touched your food?”

    “It’s still hot,” Dani said.

    “It’s Terran chilli,” Ziyal observed. “It’s supposed to be hot.”

    Dani put her fork down and gave up the act. “Things aren’t going exactly as I thought they would a few years ago,” she admitted. “And now, I think it’s finally starting to sink in.”

    “How so?” Ziyal asked.

    “Well, for one thing, I expected to be posted on a starship, not a station.”

    “Space stations need just as many good officers as any starship. Probably more.”

    Dani considered this for a moment before continuing. “I guess you’re right about that,” she said. “But I also expected to be making wedding plans by now.”

    “Oh. I see.” Ziyal understood perfectly what Dani was talking about. Dani had told the older woman all about her failed relationship with Will Riker. Only then, Dani had appeared to be very nonchalant and matter-of- factly about it. Now, she appeared just the opposite. Ziyal was for the first time beginning to see how deeply this all had affected her friend.

    “I don’t even know how it all happened, Ziyal,” Dani was saying. “I always thought we were so secure in our relationship. It happened so fast.”

    “I know it’s difficult to accept, Dani, but maybe it just isn’t meant to be for you two,” Ziyal comforted. “If it is meant, you’ll find your way back to each other. If not, you’ll find someone else.”

    “That’s what I have to keep telling myself.” Dani reflected for a few moments. “It all makes me think, though, that my parents were right. They said it wouldn’t last. We tried so hard to prove them wrong, but in the end, we couldn’t.”

    “Well, if you were only together to prove a point-“

    “I know. We were gonna be doomed anyway. But that’s not what it was about. I loved him.”

    Ziyal waited for Dani to continue. When that didn’t happen, Ziyal spoke for her.

    “And he loved you,” she said.

    “No,” Dani disagreed. “I’m not sure if he did. He said it, but I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure if he actually did. Not after the things he said.” Dani was lost in thought. “My parents were right. We were doomed from the beginning. It kinda makes me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.”

    At this proclamation, Ziyal had to say something. “The very worst thing you can do is begin to doubt yourself,” she said. “You’ve just got to go with what you believe is right. When I started seeing Garak, there were a lot of people who didn’t approve, most notably my father. But Garak and I did what we thought to be right, and we’ve come out okay.”

    “Did someone mention me?”

    Dani looked up to see Dukat, her supposed stalker, walking towards her and Ziyal’s table. His eyes were trained directly on Dani. To her surprise, Ziyal stood, as if she were preparing to greet the man.

    “Father,” Ziyal said.

    She was addressing him, Dani realized. She stood.

    Dukat broke his gaze with Dani and looked at Ziyal, his daughter.

    “Ziyal,” Dukat said, as he kissed his daughter on the cheek. “All is well today, I trust.”

    “Of course, Father,” Ziyal replied. “Father, I’d like you to meet a new friend of mine. This is Ensign Dani Janeway. Dani, this is my father- Dukat.”

    Dani felt herself grow pale. She looked at Ziyal, who was beaming, and back at the snake-like Dukat. She couldn’t believe they were even related, much less father and daughter. This man, who’d caused the immediate suffering of millions of Bajorans, had fathered a half-Bajoran child? This had to be an interesting story.

    Dukat extended his hand to Dani. She looked at it before cautiously taking it.

    “Dani,” Dukat began, “That’s an interesting name.”

    “It’s short for Danielle,” Dani explained.

    “Ah. Why do you shorten it like that?” Dukat asked.

    “I don’t know. My parents always called me by it, and it just stuck, I guess.”

    “Which do you prefer?”

    Dani noticed that Dukat hadn’t let go of her hand, yet. “I haven’t really given it much thought,” Dani said in reply to Dukat’s question. He let go of her hand, but his steel blue eyes held a steel-tight grip on her.

    “Father, Ensign Janeway was just assigned to the station last month,” Ziyal put in, not noticing the interplay between her father and her friend.

    “Oh?” Dukat asked. “How long will you be staying?”

    “I don’t know,” Dani said. “Until Command tells me otherwise.”

    “Ah, the uncertainties of military life…Well, I would love to stay and have lunch with you ladies, but I have an appointment with the good doctor.”

    Ziyal immediately became worried at the mention of the doctor. “The doctor? Father, what’s wrong?”

    “Nothing, my dear. I just decided to get a little check-up. That’s all,” Dukat assured Ziyal. He kissed her goodbye. His gaze wondered back to Dani before he left. Dani looked at Ziyal. Ziyal spoke before Dani could utter a word.

    “Something tells me you didn’t know my father was Dukat,” she said.

    “Something tells you right,” Dani said.

    “Sorry about that,” Ziyal apologized. “Honestly, I forget who he is. To me, he’s just ‘Father.’”

    The two women reclaimed their seats.

    “I bet I know what else you’re thinking,” Ziyal said. Dani watched her expectantly. “How can I love someone with a background like his?”

    “The thought has crossed my mind,” Dani admitted.

    “This is how I look at it: I know he’s done a lot of things. Bad things. But all I can do is hope that he’s telling me the truth when he tells me he’s sorry for what he did. I have to judge on his actions at present because that’s what matters.”

    “You’re wise,” Dani said. “Not many people can do that.”

    “I’ve been through a lot,” Ziyal said. “I’ve learned a lot. Sometimes, things aren’t always so clearly black or white.”

    Considering Ziyal’s words, Dani, for the first time, ate a forkful of her chilli. Maybe things weren’t always so clearly cut, but there was no mistaking Dukat. He was evil. Maybe Ziyal could love him, but nobody else did, that was for sure. The man had caused so many people so much pain. If it weren’t for Ziyal, she wouldn’t mind seeing the man’s head on a stick.

    Dani looked down at her chilli. After that first bite, she’d realized that it was actually quite good. She scooped up some more on her fork and brought it to her mouth.

    “I see you’ve regained your appetite,” Ziyal said, observing Dani as she ate her lunch.

    “Yeah,” Dani said after swallowing. “I’ve still got the rest of my shift in ops to finish, and I’m probably not going to get another chance at food until dinner, so, you know…I should eat while I can.”

    “Wonderful,” Ziyal said cheerfully. She was glad to see that Dani wouldn’t be starving herself anytime soon. Perhaps her friend would get over her past relationship with little incident and be okay after all. She rose. “I hate to leave you to dine by yourself, but I promised to meet Garak in 15 minutes.”

    “Don’t worry about it,” Dani said with smile. “Go on. I’ll be okay.”

    “You’re sure?”

    “Positive. Go ahead.”

    Ziyal smiled before leaving. As Dani watched her go, something crossed her mind. Garak, had once been a spy, hadn’t he? He’d done horrible things to people and was an excellent interrogator, she’d heard, often resorting to very…effective means of information extraction. Why did it appear that he was so forgivable while Dukat wasn’t, Dani wondered. While Dani had noticed that not everyone fully trusted the tailor, it was apparent that the majority of people would rather deal with him that with the former Cardassian leader.

    On another note, Dani thought rising from her seat, Ziyal was surrounded by shady figures. Her father, her boyfriend…Dani supposed the old saying rang true in her case – women really were attracted to men who were like their fathers. With that thought, it became clear to Dani how Ziyal could love her father after all that he’d done. If she could fall in love with Garak and forgive him of all that he’d done in the past, she could just as readily forgive her father.

    Walking over to the recycler, Dani shook her head. She didn’t think she could ever forgive someone’s faults that easily when the faults were as objectionable as those of Garak and Dukat’s. Dani pushed the thoughts to the side as she prepared to return to her post in Ops.

    That night, Dani tossed and turned in her sleep. If you could actually call it sleep. She’d been having a restless night dreaming of Will. In the dream, she’d relived the fight they’d had, only in the dream, they’d made up and reconciled. The last thing she remembered of the dream was his strong embrace and gentle kiss. When she’d woken up and realized that it wasn’t real, she’d cried.

    Dani sat up in bed, leaning against the head board. There was no way she was going back to sleep now. She was afraid that her mind might betray her again by forming another dream like the one she’d just experienced. She couldn’t go through that again.

    She looked over at the chronometer at her bedside. It was 0215 hours, but that fact didn’t convince Dani that sleep was what she most needed right now. No longer tired or sleepy, she got out of bed and got dressed.

    Fifteen minutes later, dressed in work-out attire, Dani walked into the station’s gym. Not surprisingly, it was deserted, but it was all for the better, in Dani’s opinion. She looked around at all the equipment and wondered what would best suit her needs. She needed something that would help her expend a lot of energy. Her eyes immediately travelled over to the row of treadmills. No, she didn’t feel much like a run. Besides, she’d always found the activity to be boring. She much more preferred the stationary bike. But she discovered that she didn’t really want to do that either.

    Dani scanned the room again and her gaze fell on the punching bag in the corner. As she began to walk over to it, the appeal of the activity began to increase. She just needed to take out her frustration on something, anything. What was more perfect than a punching bag?

    She picked up one of the pairs of accompanying boxing gloves and slipped them on, fastening them and making sure they were the right fit. They were comfortably snug. For a few minutes, she merely looked at the black bag hanging before her. She’d never boxed before in her life, so she wasn’t quite sure of what kind of technique she was supposed to be using. She tentatively punched at the bag one time. It gave way a little and swung slightly. Maybe there really wasn’t that much technique involved, Dani reconsidered.

    Dani held both of her hands up in a boxing stance and began to bouncily shift from foot to foot. She punched at the bag a few times, these hits a little harder than her initial test blow. As she began to punch more and more, her mind found its way back to Will, no matter how she tried to fight it. Dani gave it up, and let her thoughts roam freely over their failed relationship.

    None of it made any sense to Dani. How could they have spent four years together, loving each other so vigorously and then let it all crumble in a matter of minutes after a few harsh words? How?

    Punch, punch

    Jab Had they really only been together to prove her parents wrong? Jab If that had been the case, it certainly all made sense how everything could crumble so seemingly easily. But four years? It didn’t seem plausible that a relationship could last that long if there had never been any real love involved in there somewhere. Punch

    Well, Dani knew that hadn’t been the case, at least not on her end of it. She’d loved Will Riker. She still loved him. She just didn’t know if he really had. And that was what was so frustrating about the whole situation. Hook, punch She’d spent four whole years of her life loving this man, and what had it all been to him? Punch A mistake? Punch, punch, hook

    She was really starting to work up a sweat now. Punch It didn’t seem that way, like a mistake. At least when they’d been together. Now that they were apart, yeah it felt like a mistake. Jab, jab, jab, jab A very painful mistake.

    Through it all, though, Dani still couldn’t believe Will had thought she was cheating on him. She couldn’t believe that he’d been so convinced. A mistake. Punch She remembered how his words had stabbed at her, how it’d hurt so much when he’d called her young and irresponsible. He’d called her that, and in his eyes, he’d wasted four years of his life. What they’d had, what Dani had thought they’d had, meant nothing to him. She had meant nothing to him. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch, punch At a point which she could not determine, the tears had started flowing. But she continued with her workout, regardless.

    Will may not have loved her, but she’d loved him, dammit! She went full force against the punching bag, letting out a long scream of frustration. Finally spent, she exerted one last feeble punch on the bag as she let out a sob. The sob was followed by another one, and another. Before she knew it, they were coming full force. Dani held on to what little support the punching bag could provide and fell to her knees. She was in a pitiful state, on the floor on her knees, sweaty and crying like a baby. It was truly one of her worst moments. She would’ve been content to remain that way had someone not tapped on her shoulder.

    “Are you alright?” a man’s voice asked her.

    Dani immediately sprung to her feet, acting as if nothing was wrong, as if she hadn’t, only moments earlier, been crying on the floor like a little girl. She made sure to keep her back to the man, though.

    “I’m fine,” she said quickly. She dabbed her runny nose with the back of her wrist.

    “Are you sure?” the newcommer asked again with a smooth, silky voice.

    Dani quickly removed the boxing gloves. “I’m fine,” Dani insisted, still refusing to look at the man who had addressed her. “I just…got a little tired, that’s all.” She didn’t even worry about replacing them on the hook from which she’d retrieved them. She simply threw them to the ground.

    “Ensign Janeway?”

    ‘Great,’ Dani thought. Despite her efforts to conceal her identity, this person had discovered who she was. She slowly turned around to greet this person who’d intruded on her ‘alone time,’ and her heart nearly stopped. Dukat was standing before her. She didn’t know what to say. He’d happened upon her while she was in this very vulnerable state. She hadn’t really expected, or wanted, to run into anyone at this hour, and he’d come and caught her completely off-guard. She suspected she looked a mess. Her eyes were probably puffy, her nose red, her hair stringy and wet around the edges. Then, it suddenly occurred to her – why did she all of a sudden care what she looked like in front of this man?

    “I didn’t know anyone else was in here,” Dani finally said.

    “I apologize,” Dukat said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

    “No, I was just leaving.” Dani walked away from him, heading for the exit. She was halfway there when he called out to her again.

    “Ensign?”

    Dani turned to face him. He was approaching her. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again.

    Dani nodded. “Yes. I’m good.”

    Dukat nodded. He cast a glance over at the punching bag and then returned his gaze once again to Dani. “You know, I’m not really in the mood for a workout right now. Would you, perhaps, like to join me in the replimat for a drink?”

    Dani’s immediate instinct was to decline the Cardassian’s offer. But if she did refuse him, what would she do? Go back to her quarters and be depressed? Did she really want to go back to her bed and cry until it was time for her shift?

    Of course not. She wanted to be with someone else, anyone else she realized. And right now, Dukat just happened to be that someone, since he was here now. Why not?

    ‘Because he’s a murderous maniac,’ she found herself thinking before she even realized it. But before she could refuse the offer, she heard herself accepting Dukat’s invitation.

    “Okay,” she said.

    A few minutes later, Dani and Dukat were in the empty replimat sharing a table. In front of Dukat rested a cup of red leaf tea, which he had convinced Dani to try. A cup of the same beverage also sat in front of her.

    “Is it a habit of yours to engage in aerobic activity at three in the morning?” Dukat inquired.

    “I could ask the same of you,” Dani said. She sipped on her tea, which she was enjoying very much. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said, answering Dukat’s question. “Now, you – do you usually work out at this time in the morning?”

    “Yes,” Dukat replied.

    Dani looked up from her tea at him. Was he being facetious? She watched as he took another sip of his tea and continued. “It’s very difficult for a person like me to do some things during normal waking hours. Using the gym facilities is one of them. It becomes a bit awkward when everyone is watching your every move.”

    ‘Pity,’ Dani thought, staring down into her tea. She didn’t feel any sympathy for Dukat, though. For all she cared, he deserved it, to be hated and ridiculed for the rest of his days.

    It was when Dani looked up from her tea again that she realized, for the first time that Dukat wasn’t all that bad-looking. He was actually quite attractive – for a Cardassian. No, Dani reconsidered; Dukat was attractive for anyone. Dani internally shook the thought from her head. She did not need to be thinking about this man in that manner.

    “I see you’re enjoying your tea,” Dukat said, breaking into her thoughts.

    That voice, Dani thought. It was so…smooth. “Yes, it’s fine,” Dani responded. It was the first instance that day that she’d had thought such as these, but it wasn’t the first time she’d ever thought like this. In reality, it’d all begun when she’d first noticed that Dukat seemed to be everywhere and she’d entertained the notion that he might be stalking her. Dukat was a handsome man. That wasn’t in question. And there was something mysterious about him which was appealing and drew people to him – well, most people. There were quite a few people, Dani knew, who were absolutely repelled by the man. Colonel Kira Nerys was one of them. It hadn’t taken Dani long to realize that the Bajoran absolutely hated Dukat’s guts. And Dani couldn’t blame the woman. As a young girl, Kira had been on Bajor during the Cardassians’ occupation of the planet. Back then, Dukat had been running the show on Bajor and on the station. She’d learned all this from conversations with Ziyal over the past month.

    “It’s a very delightful beverage,” Dukat said. “I usually drink it at the start of my day. I find it gives me a little boost to get my day going.”

    “What exactly is it you do with your day, Dukat?” Dani asked rather boldly.

    “Plenty of things, Ensign,” Dukat replied.

    “Like what?” Dani pressed. She wanted details. For some reason, Dukat seemed like he was hiding something. But, then again, maybe he always seemed like he was hiding something. She really couldn’t tell if he was always ambiguous or if he was really trying to keep something secret. Maybe the fact was that he always had secrets to keep. Not knowing the real deal was the scary part.

    Dukat regarded Dani briefly before answering. “As you know, I have a freighter ship that I must see to,” he explained. “Much of my time is devoted to that.”

    Dani nodded. “Um-hmm…and the rest of your time?”

    “The rest of my time, Ensign, is spent carrying out the daily tasks that most find it necessary to complete for a happy, healthy existence – exercise, doctor’s appointments, good meals. I’m actually quite a normal person.”

    Dani smiled skeptically. “For some reason, I find it difficult to associate normal with you.”

    Dukat laughed a little. “Most people do have that problem, I find,” Dukat said. “But most people, I also find, don’t give me the opportunity to prove to them that I really am not much different from them.”

    Dani studied Dukat’s expression. He had a slight smile, but his eyes were serious. There was a challenge behind those blue eyes. What was it, exactly, that he wanted her to do? “How would you prove yourself?”

    “By inviting you to come to my quarters to see how a normal person like me lives,” was Dukat’s answer.

    “And how would I know that you wouldn’t have fixed up your quarters to look normal for my prospective visit?” Dani inquired.

    Dukat coolly took another sip of his tea before answering. “Well, why don’t we go right now? I had no idea I would even run into you this morning, so there is no way I could have arranged my room in any way before- hand in anticipation of your visit.”

    Dukat’s proposal caught Dani by surprise. She took a sip of her tea and examined the situation. It was 0330 hours, and Dukat, a known murderer and traitor, had just invited her to his quarters, where they would be alone and somewhat isolated. He would be able to do anything he wanted to her there. He could if he wanted to…but would he want to?

    This was driving her crazy, this not being able to tell if Dukat was telling the truth or not. Dani decided to take a logical approach to the situation. What could Dukat do to her in his quarters that he couldn’t do to her here in the replimat at 0330 hours, when it was almost completely deserted. Almost, Dani realized, was the pivotal word, here. What ‘almost’ covered in the replimat and other public places wasn’t covered in the privacy of Dukat’s quarters. Despite the hour, a few people did trickle in and out of the replimat. People did not trickle in and out of Dukat’s quarters. That was what was so risky about going to this man’s quarters. She looked across at Dukat. This was some kind of a test or game of some sort.

    The logic card finally came through as Dani thought of something. If Dukat had wanted to do something to her, he’d had the perfect opportunity when they’d been alone together in the gymnasium. Chances were, she concluded, Dukat really was sincere in his desire to show her his quarters. Yeah, Dani thought, he was sincere now, but was he only doing so to gain her trust so that she could become some kind of pawn for him later on.

    This was all giving Dani a headache. Frankly, at this point, she didn’t care about what Dukat planned to do in the future. What really mattered was that right now, Dukat was telling the truth as far as she could tell. Apparently, that was enough for Dani.

    But Dukat had already reached a conclusion on Dani’s decision. “You don’t want to come to see my quarters,” he surmised. “That’s quite alright. You don’t have to humor me by pretending to contemplate your decision.”

    “I’m afraid you’ve reached the wrong conclusion,” Dani informed him. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer. I will be coming to your quarters.” She was a little disappointed when the look of surprise she was expecting to see on Dukat’s handsome face never registered. She quickly dismissed it, though, and stood.

    “Very well,” Dukat said, standing.

    Ten minutes later, Dani stepped into Dukat’s quarters. Surprisingly enough, the place actually was pretty normal. She looked around the living area. An ordinary-looking sofa set sat a few feet away, and the art that adorned the walls and tables was average at best.

    “Quite boring, I’m sure you’ll find, as I told you,” Dukat chimed.

    Dani whirled around to face him and was shocked that the first thought that entered her mind was what a beautiful man he was. He had piercing blue eyes, and the ridges that bordered them were elegant and perfectly formed. He was tall, perhaps six feet, with a slim, lean, muscular build. There was something aristocratic, almost regal, about him that Dani found incredibly alluring.

    “Ordinary and normal, yes,” Dani said of Dukat’s quarters. “Boring, no.”

    Dukat approached her with an arrogant swagger that was truly his own. “Why is that?” he asked her. Instead of replying right then, Dani stepped around Dukat so that she was no longer facing him. She’d just had the overwhelming urge to kiss Dukat, and she’d had to move away, quickly, before she did something she regretted. What was this? Why was she getting thse thoughts, these urges? The worst part of it all was that she couldn’t even control what her mind was thinking. She proved that point when she caught herself fantasizing about her hands moving over Dukat’s firm torso.

    Dani gave herself a mental shake. Why? Dani knew this was a rebound, from Will. That’s why she was thinking like this. She was presented with a perfect scenario to restore her confidence. Will had probably already rediscovered that confidence in the arms of Counselor Troi, Dani thought bitterly. Could she possibly find that in the arms of the man standing in this room with her? Could she simply sleep with him without a relationship? Could she do that? She’d never in a million years believed she would ever even contemplate doing something such as that. But now, here she was, presented with just that option. She unexpectedly turned and faced him.

    Should she give in? She wanted to, so very much. And why shouldn’t she? What regrets could she possibly have? Not many, she concluded, if any at all. It would be one night, no strings attached.

    “I have a question,” Dani began.

    “By all means, ask,” Dukat instructed.

    “When I first arrived on the station, it seemed like you were following me,” Dani said. “Were you?”

    “Why does it matter?” Dukat asked.

    “Because I want to know,” Dani said.

    So resiliant, Dukat thought. “If you must know, Ensign, we happen to share similar daily schedules in that we both visit many of the same places near the same times,” he explained.

    “Were you watching me, then?” Dani persisted.

    “That, I must say, I’m guilty of,” Dukat admitted freely. “But, if I’m not mistaken, it isn’t all that unusual for a man to stare beautiful woman, is it?”

    Dani studied Dukat. Flattery would get him everywhere tonight. He wanted it, she could tell. Not that Dani was being overly-confident or anything. She knew she wasn’t the most beautiful thing to ever walk through Dukat’s doors, but with a man as virile as he, the odds were pretty low, near non- existent, that he would object or decline. So, without further delay or any warning, Dani stepped to Dukat, wrapped her arms about his neck, and kissed him deeply. He didn’t pull back a bit or seem the least bit surprised. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

    Three hours later, Dani awoke in Dukat’s arms. She glanced over at the chronometer on Dukat’s nightstand. 0715 hours. She had to be in Ops at 0800 hours. She looked up at Dukat. He was still sleeping soundly. Dani began to work her way out of Dukat’s arms. She knew it would probably wake him, but she didn’t know any other method of getting away. As expected, Dukat stirred and squinted through his sleepiness and the dark at Dani, as she rose from the bed and began to pull on the various articles of her clothing that had been discarded around the room.

    In a few moments she was fully dressed.

    “You’re leaving me so soon,” Dukat said.

    Dani turned and looked at him. He was reclining on the bed, propped up on one of his elbows, and looking sexy as hell. “I have to be in Ops at eight,” she told him.

    Dukat nodded. “I hope this won’t be the last time we’ll be seeing each other,” he said, as if granting her permission to leave.

    Dani knew that it had to be the last time. This was a fling. One night only. She couldn’t afford any additional encounters. She simply nodded vaguely before turning and walking out of Dukat’s bedroom and quarters.

  • Graduation – Chapter 9. Party Time

    That had been yesterday. Just like that, four years had been washed down the drain. Dani wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to give Will the satisfaction of seeing that he had made her cry.

    Everyone listened to Rear Admiral Camden as he spoke.

    “And now, I’d like to present to you a group of cadets who have more than excelled in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and command. These students have proven that they have what it takes to lead others successfully. These Academy graduates are not only at the top of their class, but also Command School graduates. Cadets – as I call your name, please step forward.” And he started announcing the names of the command school graduates. It didn’t take him long to call out the names. Out of the class of 300, only fifty had applied to command school. Out of fifty applicants, only 23 were accepted. Out of 23, only 10 completed the program successfully.

    The admiral made it to Dani’s name, which was number five on the list.

    “…Cadet Danielle Janeway…” Camden announced.

    Will had been watching Dani even before she stepped forward to take her place with the other command school graduates. He couldn’t believe that she’d walked out on him just the night before. He’d wanted to cry then, and he wanted to cry now, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He had always been close to Dani, even beforeVoyager had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant. But they’d grown even closer over the past four years. Joined at the hip almost…

    Xxx

    “Dani, where are my boots?” Will asked. He was running around his quarters frantically searching for his uniform boots. He was to attend a diplomatic function in twenty minutes, and he couldn’t find his boots.

    Dani, who had dressed at Will’s, was attending as Will’s date. Right now, she was putting her earrings in. From the bathroom, she yelled, “They’re in the closet.”

    Will searched the closet frantically but didn’t see them anywhere. “Where?” he yelled. “I don’t see them? Are you sure they’re here?”

    Dani put her second earring in. “I put them there myself,” she said. He is so clueless, she thought. “Check the floor, the right side.”

    Will looked on the floor of the right side of the closet and, surely enough, found his boots neatly waiting to be worn. He picked them up and then sat down on his bed. It was only when he went to pull his boots on that he realized he wasn’t wearing any socks. He looked over the bed. They weren’t lying out anywhere.

    “Dani-” Before he could even ask, she was out of the bathroom – and she had socks with her. She walked over to him.

    “Here,” she said, handing him one of the socks. The other in hand, she bent down and socked his bare foot. She picked up the corresponding boot and slid his foot into it. Standing up, she said, “There.”

    Will stood, now completely dressed.

    “Are you ready?” Dani asked, inspecting Will’s dress uniform. She absently straightened the jacket and brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders.

    “Do I look alright?” Will asked.

    “You look fine,” Dani said.

    Will looked at Dani. Instead of a dress uniform, which she wasn’t obligated to wear because she was not yet an officer, wore a long, sleeveless, royal blue gown. “And you look gorgeous.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Maybe we should just blow off this party and stay in tonight,” Will suggested, moving in on Dani. She stopped his advance with her hand.

    “No way. You’re not missing this and getting into trouble because of me.”

    “So by-the-book. Starfleet Academy is doing something to you.” Will smiled. “Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

    Xxx

    Dani and Will walked into the Zikonian ballroom arm-in-arm. Neither of them had expected quite so many people to be in attendance at a diplomatic function, such as a dinner, but maybe diplomatic dinners were a big deal on this planet. Or in this city, at least.

    “I hate these things,” Will whispered to Dani, as he and she walked through the large room.

    Dani’s smile seemed frozen on her face as she whispered his reply. “Don’t worry – it’s only a few hours.”

    A man whom Dani and Will both took to be a waiter approached them. “Beverage?”

    Dani and Will each picked up a glass. Will nodded slightly to the waiter. After the waiter left, Will said, “At least they give us something to make it through the night with.” He took a sip. “Not bad.”

    Dani took a sip, as well. “Alcoholic?” she asked.

    “I think so. Whatever it is, it’s strong and highly potent. I’m already getting a bit of a buzz.”

    “Yeah, me too.”

    “I think that’s enough of whatever this is,” Will said. He dreaded the thought of what could happen if he and Dani happened to get drunk on this occasion. Dani handed him her glass, and he deposited both on a passing waiter’s tray.

    “Will?”

    Will turned at the call of his name. Captain Picard was making his way toward him and Dani. A Zikonian diplomat was with him.

    “Will – I’d like you to meet the Zikonian chancellor, Litus Spar,” Picard introduced. “Chancellor Spar, this is my first officer, Commander William T. Riker.” Spar and Will shook hands.

    “Pleased to meet you, Commander,” Spar said.

    “A pleasure,” Will said.

    Picard continued. “And from Starfleet Academy, Cadet Danielle Janeway.”

    “How do you do?” Spar greeted Dani, shaking her hand. Dani smiled and nodded.

    “If you all would excuse me,” Dani said. Will looked at her. She leaned into him and whispered, “I’ll see you at dinner.” Before Will could protest her departure, she was gone. She’d gone and left him to his own devices. He looked at the Zikonian chancellor and pasted a smile on.

    Xxx

    At dinner, 30 minutes later, Dani rejoined Will at a large table.

    “That was dirty,” Will said to Dani, as they sat.

    “I never agreed to stay with you the entire night,” Dani said. Will looked at her. “Besides, you did pretty well without me, didn’t you?”

    “I would’ve done much better with you by my side,” Will said. “You’re more of a diplomat than I am.”

    “Really? That’s news to me.”

    Xxx

    Will rolled onto his back, taking Dani with him. They had returned to the ship from the Zikonian diplomatic dinner over an hour ago. Dani now sat atop Will, kissing him. His fingers were immersed in her long, dark tresses.

    Dani sat up and leaned back down again to rest her head on Will’s bare chest.

    “Marry me, Dani,” Will said.

    “I will,” she said. “I already said I would.”

    “No. I mean sooner. Now.”

    Dani sat up. “What’s the big hurry? It’s not like I’m going anywhere. Are you?”

    “I just don’t want some younger guy to take you away.”

    “I don’t want a younger guy – I want you.” She once again place her head on Will’s chest. “You know you’re the only captain of my ship.”

    “Yeah. For now.”

    Dani sat up again. “What does that mean?”

    “In a few years, when I’m in my fifties, will you still feel that way?”

    “What about when I’m in my fifties? Are you sure you won’t want someone younger?”

    “When you hit fifty, I’ll be in my…let’s just say I’ll be pretty damn old. I’ll be lucky to have anyone.”

    “I believe that when you love a person, you never stop loving them, no matter what happens. No matter if they’ve sprouted a few gray hairs here and there, or they’ve formed a few wrinkles, or put on a little weight – you always love that person.” Dani leaned down so that her face was close to Will’s. “I love you, Will.”

    “I love you,” Will replied. Dani kissed him.

    Xxx

    That had only been a year before. Only a year. Will believed what Dani had said, about loving someone forever. He still loved her, and he knew that she still loved him. But sometimes, love just wasn’t enough.

    Will looked down at the field.

    “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the graduating class of Starfleet Academy,” Camden said. “Cadets – Atten-tion!” The cadets snapped to attention. “Each of you entered this Academy cadets, and now each of you shall leave as Starfleet Ensigns. By the power invested in me by the United Federation of Planets and by Starfleet, I now proclaim you graduated.”

    The audience members stood and clapped and cheered. It had been a long road, but they had finally made it. Another chapter of Dani’s life was coming to a close. Despite the new ensigns’ efforts to maintain straight faces, many of them broke into smiles. But Dani wasn’t smiling this day.

    It was the night of graduation. The general sentiment among the Academy graduates was that everyone was entitled to have a good time after working their asses off for however many years it took them to get through the program. If that just happened to involve getting drunk, so be it. And for Dani Janeway, on this particular night, it meant exactly that.

    Xxx

    ‘I’ve made it through the Academy,’ Dani thought. Through command school, Emma Shale…Nimembeh. ‘I deserve to kick back and have some fun for once.’ She kicked back the last of her first bottle of Romulan Ale. Dani Janeway was now officially drunk.

    “Way to go, Dani!” Kyle said. Their whole little group was at one of the many parties sure to be taking place around San Francisco that night. “I knew you had it in you,” Kyle continued. He offered her another bottle of ale, but she promptly refused.

    “No,” she said. “But keep it handy in case my buzz starts to wear off.” She and Kyle were shouting over loud music, and her speech had the tiniest hint of a slur in it.

    “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Kyle said. He was proud. Dani had finally learned how to drink.

    Dani retreated to a balcony outside the apartment. Rane followed. “Dani?”

    Dani turned and watched Rane approach her. “Hi,” she said.

    “Are you okay?” Rane asked.

    “Of course,” Dani replied. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

    Rane studied her drunk friend for a moment. “I don’t know. You just seem sort of down for a person who just graduated from the Academy – and command school – at the top of your class. You should be one of the ones having the most fun.”

    Besides Emery, Dani hadn’t told anyone at the Academy about her and Will. Now, she decided, was as good a time as any.

    “Will and I broke up,” she said.

    Rane couldn’t believe her ears. “When?”

    “A few days ago,” Dani said.

    “I’m sorry,” Rane said. She noted that Dani seemed awfully calm about having ended a four-year long relationship with a guy she’d been crazy about and who’d been crazy about her.

    “It’s okay,” Dani looked at Rane. “It was good while it lasted.”

    Someone inside the apartment announced, “It’s time for Suck and Blow!”

    Dani looked at Rane and smiled. “Come on – we don’t want to miss all the fun, do we?” She went back into the apartment with Rane following close behind.

    Xxx

    Will stood, in dress uniform, in the middle of the Academy ballroom talking with a group of professors. One really couldn’t call it talking, though. Will was mostly listening. No, he wasn’t really doing that, either. His mind was elsewhere that night. It was the night of the Academy graduation, and Will was attending Starfleet’s annual gala to commemorate the event.

    Will realized that one of the professors had addressed him. Will did little more than nod and offer a fake smile.

    “Would you gentlemen excuse me please?” Will said, excusing himself from the group. As he walked away, he took a drink from his glass. That was when he noticed that the color of the drink was the same color as Dani’s eyes. He quickly found that he was unable to down the rest of the beverage, and deposited it on a nearby table.

    I should be with her, tonight, Will thought. I should be with her right now, celebrating her arrival on the Enterprise.

    Instead, he was sulking because they’d broken up-and because Dani was going to Deep Space Nine instead of the Enterprise. Because he’d been a fool. He sighed and wondered what she was doing at this very moment.

    Xxx

    At the party, Dani was lying face down on somebody’s bed. She giggled for the fourth time in two minutes.

    “If you don’t stop moving, this isn’t going to look right,” Khatain said.

    “I can’t help it,” Dani said. “It tickles.” She buried her head in a pillow as she felt another wave of giggles coming over her. The Klingon shook his head and continued with his work.

    Dani lifted her head once the giggles had passed. “Khatain, how much longer will this take?” she whined.

    “I am almost done,” the Klingon said. “If you didn’t want it so detailed, I would have been done eons ago.”

    “It has to be detailed. Any other way wouldn’t be right.” Dani rested her head on the pillow once again.

    “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this,” Rane said. She was seated in a chair beside the bed.

    “Why?” Dani asked. “My father did it.”

    “Your father did it for a reason.”

    “And I’m not?”

    “You’re drunk.”

    “I am not,” Dani argued. She lifted her head and realized that the room was suddenly spinning. “Okay, maybe I am.” She lowered her head onto the pillow again. “But I know what I’m doing. I’ve always wanted to get the mark of my father’s people.”

    “Yeah, but on you a-“

    “-Back!” Dani interrupted. “It’s my lower back.”

    “There,” Khatain said. “It is complete.” Dani looked up at Khatain. She hopped out of the bed and hurried over to the nearest mirror, which was mounted beside the closet. She turned around so that her back was facing the mirror. Looking over her shoulder, into the mirror, she spotted the symbol on her lower back. It was the same triangular-shaped symbol that appeared on her father’s forehead

    above his left eye.

    “Is it satisfactory?” Khatain asked.

    A smile slowly appeared on Dani’s face. “It’s perfect,” she said. Khatain handed the necklace he had used to draw the design back to Dani. Dani turned around and looked at herself in the mirror frontally. She looked at the charm she was holding and back at herself again. She was ready to start over again. It seemed that her life, so far, had been a series of new beginnings. Voyager, the

    Academy, Will…and now Deep Space Nine.

    “Deep Space Nine, here I come,” Dani muttered.

  • Graduation – Chapter 8. Breakdown

    Dani stood on the Academy green during the graduation ceremony remembering that Thanksgiving when Will had surprised her by showing up. Her mother had told her of a conversation between Tom, Harry, and Data that she’d overheard. That entire ordeal had made her smile. They had been the good memories. As she remembered the last year of her Academy stay, though, thoughts turned to less pleasant memories. It was somewhat ironic that Tom, Harry, and Data had been worried about infidelity. It was ironic because it had actually become an issue in Dani and Will’s relationship, only Will hadn’t been the one who’d stood accused – he’d been the accuser.

    Xxx

    Dani discreetly pulled at the collar of her dress uniform. She’d only had to wear it on a few earlier occasions, and every time, she’d hated it, just as she hated it this time. The were unflattering, ugly, and impossible to keep clean. Dani looked at her friend Rane Skara. She seemed right at home in her uniform.

    “At least they aren’t those horrid dress things people had to wear before the design changed,” the Bajoran said, referring to the earlier style of the dress uniforms. Dani had to at least be thankful that they hadn’t had to wear those. Still, though, she contemplated just how much better off she was in what she was wearing now. It was different from the earlier style, but just as ugly. And now she looked like a waiter, too.

    Dani plucked a glass of ginger ale from a passing waiter’s tray. “I don’t understand why this has to be so formal anyway,” Dani said. “This is supposed to be a celebration, isn’t it?”

    “This is a celebration,” Kyle Hicks said, joining Dani and Rane’s conversation. “This is how they celebrate.” He pointed to a group of Academy professors and Starfleet brass who were standing together talking across the crowded room.

    Kyle took a swig of his ginger ale and frowned. “But it’s definitely not how I celebrate,” he said, looking dejectedly at the non-alcoholic beverage. He handed it off to a nearby waiter.

    “Guys, we only have one more day to go. Tomorrow we graduate and tomorrow night, we have our own celebration,” Rane said. “A real one.”

    “With real drinks,” Kyle added.

    Dani smiled at her friends. Saying goodbye to them would be difficult. None of them had been given the same assignments. Rane would go to the Grissom, while Kyle was going to Starbase 123. Dani would be going to Deep Space Nine. It wasn’t the Enterprise, as she’d hoped, but it was a good post. It meant, though, that Dani’s relationship with Will would remain a long-distance one. She looked across the room at him. He was currently chatting with a captain and an admiral, but he didn’t miss her look. He looked at her and flashed her a smile. She smiled back before turning back to her Kyle and Rane.

    This was all so bittersweet. Dani was ecstatic that she was about to graduate and become an officer. Her career in Starfleet was about to get off the ground. At the same time, she was going to have to leave these people who’d become two of her closest confidants in her time at the Academy.

    Dani hated having to do this. While she hadn’t had a high school graduation and hadn’t had to go through that ordeal, she’d gone through a similar experience when Voyager had returned to the Alpha Quadrant and she’d had to leave the friends she’d made there. And here she was having to do it all over again.

    “I can just imagine some of these admirals at a real party,” Kyle said. “They probably wouldn’t be such tight-asses if they’d get a little booze in them.”

    Xxx

    Will looked up from his conversation with Admiral Davies and Captain Chang and looked across the room at Dani. Obviously, she found something very funny. She was laughing hard and trying her best to hide it. Will smiled. He was going to have to get her to-

    Will’s smile fell immediately. Dani’s hand rested squarely on the chest of the man standing beside her. He watched as the Bajoran who’d been standing with them moved off, leaving the two alone. The man placed his hands on Dani’s arms and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He then whispered something in her ear after which Dani hugged him.

    It all could’ve been innocent, and Will would’ve passed it off as such if it weren’t for the rumors he’d been hearing around the Enterprise lately. He and Dani had talked about it, and she’d denied that there was anything going on between her and any of her classmates. But, then again, the look that he’d just seen her give that man, that wasn’t just a look between friends – or was it?

    He wanted to believe Dani. He wanted to with all his might, but could so many people really be lying? He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d heard it all over the ship. Literally just about everywhere he went on the Enterprise, there was some ensign who’d recently graduated telling someone else about what he or she had seen Dani do and who he or she had seen Dani with. And now, this ambiguous evidence presented itself before him. Was Dani – his Dani – cheating on him?

    Xxx

    “You said that you would never intentionally do anything to hurt me,” Dani said heatedly. “Don’t you think the same goes for me, too? I would never ever do anything to hurt you, Will.”

    “Then, you and I must have different guidelines on what hurts and what doesn’t,” Will said. “When I find out that you’re seeing other people on the side, playing me for a fool, that hurts.”

    “For the gazillionth time, I’m not seeing anyone else. You’re the only one.” Dani could tell by the way Will looked off to the side that he didn’t believe her. She had no idea where all these accusations were coming from. Just this afternoon, they’d both been at the reception, and things had seemed fine. She thought they’d resolved this issue the first hundred times they’d discussed it. Obviously she was wrong. “Just where are you getting your information, anyway?”

    “It’s everywhere. Everyone knew – except me.”

    “There was nothing to know!”

    “Every time we get new ensigns fresh from the Academy, I have to hear all the latest gossip about who ‘the Commander’s girl’ was last seen with.”

    “Will, you should know, better than anyone, that rumors fly around this place like crazy. And besides, nobody forced you to listen.”

    “Dani, I saw you this afternoon,” Will revealed.

    “What?” Dani asked. “Of course, you saw me. I saw you, too. We both saw each other.”

    “No,” Will said. “I mean with the blonde man. I saw the way you were with him.”

    “You mean Kyle. Will, you’re mistaken. Kyle is a friend. A very good friend.”

    “Yes, I can see that he is,” Will said coldly.

    Dani didn’t appreciate his tone. “Will, tomorrow, I’m going to graduate, and I’m never going to see him or any of my other friends again. What you saw was nothing outside of what any other two people in our situation would do.” She couldn’t believe he was trying to make this into something that it wasn’t. It was like he was looking for her to cheat on him.

    She’d always thought they had a solid relationship. That he didn’t have more faith in her, more trust…it hurt.

    Dani walked over to the couch and sat down, burying her head in her hands. “This isn’t working,” she muttered.

    “What?”

    She looked up at him. “This – us. It isn’t working. Over the past six months, every time we’ve met, we’ve ended up fighting about the same thing.” She laughed. “I can’t believe this – you’re actually accusing me of being unfaithful.”

    “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Will asked, somewhat defensively.

    “It means that you’re the one with the track record for this sort of thing.”

    “Ahh, so you were expecting me to be unfaithful, then?”

    “Well, when that’s all you’re hearing from everyone…” Dani trailed. “And it’s not any different from what you were expecting of me. You were expecting me to cheat, too, weren’t you?”

    “Guess you know how it feels, now,” Will stabbed. He regretted the moment he said it. It was a low blow, and he knew it.

    ‘Ouch,’ Dani thought. That had hurt. Dani stood. Glaring at Will, she made her way to the door. Her hand was on the button to open it when Will spoke.

    “Run away,” he began. “Is that what they’ve taught you at the Academy?”

    Dani turned. “What do you want me to do? Just sit here and argue with you? Sorry. I can’t do this every time we see each other. I’ve got better things to do with my life.” She turned back to the door preparing to open it once again.

    “You know, you’re right,” Will said. Dani, once again, hesitated before leaving. She wanted to hear what he had to say. “I did make a mistake.” Dani almost turned back around to him. Will’s better judgment told him he should stop, but he ignored it and continued anyway. “But the mistake wasn’t today; it was four years ago. The mistake was ever getting involved with someone as young and irresponsible as you.”

    Dani almost burst into tears right then and there, but she willed her self to maintain her composure. Instead she turned and looked at Will.

    Dani’s eyes stabbed Will, right through the heart, and he immediately regretted everything he’d said. “I’m sorry you feel that way,” Dani told him quietly before turning back to the door. She opened it and walked out.

    He sat down on the couch in the hotel room he’d booked for the purpose of attending Dani’s graduation activities. He felt like he didn’t know what to do next. Had he just ruined a relationship he’d had with a wonderful woman. How he wished he had listened to his better judgment and just shut his mouth. Now, he’d messed up – bad. And he didn’t know how, or if, he could do anything to fix what had gone wrong.