More Than a Lifetime #3: 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-