Even with the lights off in her cabin, Raina still felt like the room was spinning. She felt horrifically sick and she hadn't been able to lift her head from the pillow since her shift finished the day before. She didn't want to be ill, since Dukat was due in the next day. It had been two years since they started their relationship and they wanted to celebrate. Even though only a couple of people knew about their relationship, it was still a solid relationship and it was going better than either of them expected.

Raina forced herself out of bed and struggled her way to Julian's clinic. Fortunately for her, he was still there. "Julian, I don't feel so good."

He caught her as she stumbled towards him. "Raina, you look dreadful." He helped her to the bed and set the medicomp to scan her. She looked deathly pale and her skin was clammy. The results of the scan stopped Julian dead. "Well, I know the cause of your symptoms."

"What?" She groaned, slinging her arm over to shield her eyes from the brightness of the infirmary.

"You're pregnant, Raina."

"I'm gonna be sick." Julian just managed to get a bowl in front of her before she vomited all over herself. She laid back down, huffing out a breath. "How many weeks?"

"7 weeks. I'm not well versed in hybrid pregnancies, at least not Human/Cardassian pregnancies." Julian frowned. "You don't seem best pleased."

"I don't know how to feel, Julian." She admitted. "I really want a baby, but I'm scared. What if he doesn't want it? What if I miscarry again?"

"I will monitor your pregnancy weekly." He promised her as he pressed a hypo into her neck. "This should ease the symptoms in the meantime."

"How will I explain this to Starfleet Command? I'm pregnant with a half Cardassian."

"We can worry about that when we need to. Our priority to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy."

"Can I see it?" She asked, flutter of hope in her chest. When Julian brought up the moving image on screen, tears welled in her eyes. "It's so little."

"Go get some rest. No exertion or stress."

"Thanks, Julian." She kissed his cheek before leaving to go back to her cabin. It was strange but she didn't feel pregnant. But she was in a coma for most of her previous pregnancy, so it was all new territory for her. She had no idea how she was going to tell Dukat or how they'd even make it work between them.

Raina was stuck in OPS when Dukat arrived and she was looking forward to seeing him. She was exhausted when she made it back to her cabin and expected him to be waiting as he normally did. Only this time, he wasn't there. She fired off a quick message to him, asking where he was. Several messages and hours later when she still had no idea what had happened, she went to the only person she could ask. She stood in Garak's store, waiting until he was finished with a customer. Once they were alone, she pounced. "Garak, where's Dukat?"

Garak wasn't sure how to respond to the look on her face. It was a mixture of annoyance, worry and urgency. "I believe he and Major Kira took a runabout in search of a lead."

"Lead to what?"

"I'm afraid that I was privy to that information."

Raina picked up a tool and threw against the wall in a rage. "Well, I guess he's back to fucking Bajorans."

When she stormed out of the store, Garak sent Dukat a message to give him some not so gentle advice. While he hated to Dukat and believed he wasn't good enough for Raina, he didn't want her to get hurt.


Kira didn't exactly enjoy the prospect of spending alone time with Dukat, but she would endure for a good reason. She could easily pretend he wasn't there, if it wasn't for the constant pinging of his communicator. "What is that?" She asked.

"Nothing important." He said, quickly. He didn't read the messages, but he knew it was Raina trying to get hold him. He needed to find out what happened to Naprem and Ziyal before he could truly move on with Raina. He'd fooled himself into believing that she would understand why he was ignoring her.

"So, how long has it been?"

"How long has what been?"

"Since you tricked Raina into thinking you were a decent man."

"You know nothing about me and Raina." He bit, keeping his feelings under control.

"I'm guessing that its her that has been trying to contact you." She turned to him; her eyes narrowed with contempt. "Interestingly, you just referred to her as "nothing important." Does she know you don't find her important?"

"I don't need to prove anything to you, Major." He turned away from her, keeping his focus on the space around them. "Why do you care so much?"

"I, like many others, care a great deal about Raina." Kira lost the ability to keep her disgust under control. "You know Raina nominated me to write evaluations for Starfleet on her mental health. I've had to listen to Raina open every wound she has, and she has absolutely no value in herself."

"Is there a point to all this?" He sighed.

"Hurt her, Dukat and you'll regret it." Kira warned him.

"Is that a threat, Major?" He asked, most bemused.

"No. Just unfriendly advice."

Once on Dozaria, Dukat and Kira found the remains of the ship they were looking for. A collection of graves was near the crash site. Dukat sent Kira into the ship, while he checked the graves. It was there that he found the remains of a young child. He found a piece of jewellery that he had gifted his daughter the last time he saw her. So many emotions barrelled through him, anger, guilt, sadness. He wanted to believe he was doing the right thing by her and her mother by sending them away, but it cost his daughter her life. He would have to live with that.

"Who was she?" Kira asked, as she stood over the grave.

"She was my daughter." He admitted as he stood up, clutching the jewellery in his hand. "Her name was Ziyal."

"I'm sorry." Kira genuinely meant that. While she didn't know what it meant to lose a child, she knew what it meant to lose a loved one.

"We should keep going." He turned stoic as usual. "We'll need to find shelter before it gets dark."

They found shelter in a cave and had brief reprieve the seriousness when Dukat sat on something. The look on his face was priceless and something Kira was unlikely to forget. Then she thought back to his daughter. "Who was the mother?"

"Her name was Tora Naprem. She was my mistress during the Occupation." He swallowed the guilt he was feeling.

"How did they end up here?"

Dukat sighed, thinking of what led him to send them away. "I knew the Occupation was coming to an end. They couldn't live on Bajor or Cardassia, so I sent them to Lissepia."

"What is it that you wanted out of coming here?" Kira asked, taking a bite of food.

"I want to close this chapter so I can move on." It was a half-truth, but he wanted to ease his guilt. It was unpleasant to live with and he didn't want to keep carrying it.

"With Raina?"

"My children adore her." He half-laughed. "Sometimes I think they love her more than me."

"Well, she is an amazing woman."

"That she is." Dukat agreed.

"So tell me something." She leant forward, resting an arm on her bent knee. "Why are you ignoring her?" She chuckled when she saw the fear in his eyes. "You've done something, and you don't want to have to deal with Raina's anger."

"It was the 2 year anniversary of our relationship starting. We were going to celebrate."

Kira's shot up in surprise. "Yet you're here and you're avoiding her. She must disappointed, hurt."

"I didn't want her to know beforehand." He admitted.

"Because you want her to be angry at something you did do, rather than what she thinks you'll do?"

"Raina can be very unforgiving."

"So don't give her reasons to be."

The pair managed to find survivors in a Breen mining camp, one which happened to be Tora Naprem. Dukat was pleased to see her alive, after all he did her love her once. Still cared about what happened to her.

"Skrain!" She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I knew you'd come for me."

"I'm sorry about Ziyal." He put his arms around her but remained stiff and slightly distant.

"She didn't suffer, at least we have much."

"Dukat, we should go." Kira urged.

Kira sat piloting the runabout back to DS9 getting all the more irritated at Naprem and her fawning all over Dukat. Even worse when it seemed like he enjoyed it. Raina was going to end up hurt in the middle of this. "So Dukat, are you planning to contact, Raina now." She smirked when she caught sight of him looking like a naughty child.

"Who is, Raina?" Naprem asked.

"Tell her, Dukat."

"Raina is someone." He uttered.

Kira laughed. "How has Raina put up with you for 2 years."

"She's your mistress?"

"No." Dukat swallowed hard. "She's my partner."

"But you're gonna leave her right?"

Dukat never thought he'd find himself in this position. He was used to women throwing themselves at him, but he'd never had women fight over him. He didn't want to hurt Naprem, but Raina was his love and the woman he worshipped. "No. I'm sorry, Naprem. I love, Raina."

Nobody else spoke for the rest of the trip back to the station. Kira had no desire to get in the middle of the ex-lovers. Dukat went until full denial mode. Naprem was angry that she had been replaced. When they docked at the station, Naprem followed Dukat to the Promenade deck. "Are you just going to ignore me?" She asked, desperately.

Dukat stopped to look at her. "Naprem, I'm glad you're alive, but things have moved on." The end of his sentence trailed off when he caught sight of Raina walking towards them. She stopped dead and the look on her face killed him.

Naprem turned to see her rival. "Is that her? She's Starfleet."

Raina turned around and started to walk away at a pace, with Dukat chasing after her. They ended up in Garak's shop with Naprem joining them shortly after. "Raina, stop. Let me explain." Dukat pleaded, hoping Naprem would leave.

"Is this what you've been doing. Shopping for your new Bajoran whore? Kira turn you down did she?" Raina spat angry at him. She flexed her hands repeatedly for fear she might throw something at him.

"It's not like that." He could tell how angry she was by the way she balled up her fists. "This is Tora Naprem. I told you about her."

"Oh, well. I guess you don't need me anymore."

"No, he doesn't." Naprem shouted. "We had a life together before you came along."

Raina felt the room spin and the overwhelming need to vomit hit her like a train. Pain had spread in her lower stomach, but she willed it away. "Why don't you both jump out an airlock."

Dukat reached out to her, clutching her arm. "Raina, please." He pleaded.

"You should have told me." She said through gritted teeth. "Now get out of my way."

Dukat stood to one side to let Raina through. She stopped just short of the door, turning to Naprem. "Just so you know. I met his kids, his family. I've been in his home. You were just his mistress. Remember that when you try to laud it over me."

"I had his child." Naprem gloated.

"Well, you won't be the only one." Raina threw back. Suddenly, Raina doubled over in pain and she stumbled out towards the infirmary. Dukat was behind her, trying to help her but she kept resisting his attempts. "Get away from me!" She rushed into the clinic, calling for Julian who rushed to her side. "Something's wrong." She cried.

Julian looked to a panicked Dukat. "Well, help me get her on the bed." He did just that, picking her up and placing her on the bed while Julian set up the scanner.

"I'm sorry, Raina."