More Than a Lifetime #4: A Love Less Ordinary

Chapter 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Some of them," Dani replied.

"They weren't encouraging," Dukat guessed, again correct in his assumption.

Dani merely shook her head to the negative. She took a few steps andsat down on the sofa. "I don't think I've ever been so insulted so much in such a small amount of time," she said. "And that was just one message."

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

"I know you're right," Dani said. "And that sucks."