Kira Meru realized she was alone again on Terok Nor. Alone with Dukat being the only person to keep her company. He wasn't unpleasant. She hadn't lied to Luma about that. He had been more than kind to her when he had every right to do whatever he pleased to her. He hadn't pushed himself despite the fact she had been living in his quarters for months now. She had a separate bedroom that she kept closed and locked. Dukat had never stepped foot within it but he left his bedroom door wide open every night as an open invitation. He would kiss her and hold her when she allowed it but he had done nothing bolder than that.

She was starting to think maybe his treatment of her wasn't just an act as Luma Rahl had insisted. Maybe he was exactly what he said he was: A sentimental Cardassian that believed deeply in the concept of love and mutual respect for a partner. He had an interest in art, something considered a waste in Cardassian society, and he would even ask her questions about her faith when he caught her constructing a personal shrine. He hinted that meditation might even be a good thing to teach Cardassian soldiers to help them relax.

Meru was even starting to convince herself that perhaps the Prophets wanted her to help convert Dukat. It seemed like a crazy idea at first, but the fact that he showed the slightest interest in her religion gave her hope. Imagine the change that might come over the Prefect of Bajor if he believed in and served the Prophets! She might win his love, then his soul, and then she might save the people of Bajor by simply showing love and affection to a complicated and misunderstood reptilian man. She could sense there were seeds of a good man in him. She needed to believe it, especially whenever he put his hands on her.

"You look gloomy today," Dukat observed over their breakfast that morning. "Or is it perhaps that the replicator broke down again? The standards on this station are not as high as I would like them to be."

"I was just wondering what happened to Luma."

"Again? Well, I told you she seems to have vanished. The bomb went off without injuring anyone. If she had died in the blast, we would have found some trace. She was not seen in the ore processing station or the mines. Not even my informers could tell me where she might have gone. The one undercover Resistance agent we ferreted out insisted he had never heard of a woman named Luma Rahl before."

"You didn't torture him, did you?"

"Not I."

That wasn't the answer she was looking for, but she knew better than to pry. Just because he didn't personally torture the poor man didn't mean he hadn't signed the order to have it done. She suppressed a chill.

"Did the two of you really become so close so fast?"

"She was better than most friends I have had. She defended me and my family in the refugee camp, Dukat. She stuck close by me when we were taken away. She was even willing to forgive me for even considering, uh, being with you. She saved both our lives from that assassination attempt. I didn't think the Resistance had a presence on this station or that they would kill civilians."

"I didn't suspect it either, Meru, but the Resistance has never balked at killing their own kind. I'm afraid most of them see comfort women that aren't openly resisting their Cardassian mates as Collaborators and no better than the enemy."

"And as your woman, I am seen as nothing better than a pampered whore."

"Don't say that, Meru! It's not true!"

"I know."

"I don't see why you were willing to forgive Luma for the things she said to you in the first place. How did she know about the bomb anyway?"

"None of that matters anymore. I liked her because there was also something about her that seemed so familiar."

"Whenever she stood beside you, I must admit, she looked as though she was your sister," Dukat mused. "A much angrier and hostile sister."

"She did have nose ridges that were eerily similar to mine. It's possible that she was a long lost relative."

"I'm sorry, but I know very little about Bajoran ridges. Explain this concept to me please."

"Family clans share similar nose ridges," Meru happily explained. "Luma looked very much like my grandmother Kira Inanna."

"Your grandmother on the male side?"

"No, my maternal grandmother."

"Does that mean that your husband took your surname? Is that a common practice on Bajor?"

"No, but he was glad to do it. Do you understand the D'jarra?"

"All I know is that it was a strict caste system your temples enforced the Occupation began."

"It's nearly a dead concept now. The Kira line is one of the oldest and most prestigious among my caste, the Ih'valla. It's been shrinking terribly over the last few generations. We were of the caste of artists which wasn't the highest in society, but it was considered very important and respectable. There were no male heirs left and Taban's clan had plenty and was not as famous as ours."

"Are you saying that you married beneath you?" Dukat was puzzled. "No Cardassian woman would ever do such a thing."

"Not really. It was my great aunt that did that. She fell in love with a man from the Mi'tino caste. They were considered low ranking merchants and farmers. She didn't care that she was disowned. She left home and never returned. Maybe Luma was a direct descendent of Kira Inanna?"

"A very intriguing theory, my love."

He was gazing at her dotingly. She still couldn't decide if she found those gazes creepy or heart racing.

"I'll find another Bajoran woman to be your companion," he patted her hand.

"Dukat, you can't just 'find' a woman to be my friend. That just seems wrong."

"You know, Meru, you can call me Skrain."

"Why?"

"It's my name."

She looked at him with wonder. He thought her expression was adorable and kissed her parted lips. She never thought a Cardassian's gray lips could be so soft and sensual.

"I'll see you again later tonight," he promised.

"Yes, Skrain," she gave his name a try.

Using his first name obviously pleased Dukat. He kissed her again with more enthusiasm this time.