"Damar." Kira shook him. "If we are going to save Raina and the baby, we need to get her to the med bay."
Damar didn't respond. Instead he just cradled an unconscious Raina in his arms.
"Damar!" Kira yelled. When he finally looked at her, she knew she had his attention. "We need to get her to the med bay."
Wordlessly, he carefully picked up Raina and carried her out of the cell. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he walked to the med bay. She felt so small and light in his arms.
"C….Cor..at?" Raina groaned.
"Shhh, beautiful. We're going to make you better." When they got to the med bay, he gently laid her on the bed and turned towards a Cardassian doctor. "Doctor, I don't care how you save them, but you will save them."
The doctor could see from his eyes that he was deadly serious. "I don't know much about Human physiology but I'm sure I can work it out."
Damar, Kira and Ziyal moved to the side as the doctor and a Bajoran nurse worked on stabilizing Raina. She wasn't in established labour yet and the baby's vitals were perfectly fine, so they knew they had time to work on Raina.
"Damar, did you now know that they had her here?" Kira asked him.
Damar shook his head. "If I had known, I wouldn't have left her in that cell." He shook with worry and fury. "I tried to protect her, and I failed."
"Damar, you weren't to know my father would do this." Ziyal tried to comfort him. "Raina told me something that Garak told her."
"What was that?" Kira asked.
"He said, "Women that Dukat claims to love, normally end up dead." It was true for my mother and it maybe true for Raina. It was true for my little sister." Damar and Kira looked at Ziyal in horror. "She believes that Cora was killed."
Barely a second went by before Damar stormed out of the med bay, full of fury and murderous intent.
He stormed to the cells with Kira in hot pursuit. "Damar, what are you doing?"
"To stop those mines from detonating prematurely." He growled.
They headed to the cells where Rom, Leeta and Quark were being held. "What's going on?" Quark asked, both terrified and confused.
"We are going to organise a little gift for those Dominion reinforcements." Kira said drolly as Damar ordered the Jem'Hadar soldiers to open the cells.
The Federation forces pressed on despite being outnumbered. They had taken losses but so had the Dominion forces. Sisko's belief in their success had started to wane but he ignored it. Failure wasn't an option.
"Captain Sisko?" The chief called out.
"What is it, Chief?"
"I'm sensing four hundred ships on sensors."
"Hail the lead ship." Sisko smirked. "I'm glad the cavalry has arrived."
Admiral John Cavendish appeared on screen. "I could have brought more ships, but I was in a hurry."
"Any word on the USS Colchester?"
"They aren't far behind. The Romulans have been patching up the rest of the ship on the go."
"We'll be sure to make sure we don't have too much fun without them."
"Leave some for the Romulans, Ben. They are very angry with the Dominion. Cavendish out."
"Captain Sisko to all ships. The cavalry has arrived."
"Captain. It seems that a Cardassian squadron has broken flank to engage with Admiral Cavendish's fleet." Said Garak.
"That's our opening." Jadzia remarked.
"Push forward."
"Sir. The sensor is picking up four hundred ships entering the sector." A Glinn reported to Dukat.
"Send a squadron to deal with them." Dukat barked.
"Weyoun, it's time we used our advantage."
"Hail the Defiant." Weyoun demanded politely. "Captain Sisko, this foolishness only result in the execution of Captain Cavendish."
Sisko caught Dukat's reaction to Weyoun's threat. So, Dukat didn't know about Raina's abduction. "I apologise, but we both know that you have been trying unsuccessfully to extract information from Raina. She might already be dead, if she's not she soon will be, and she wouldn't want us walking away from this fight."
The connection to Sisko had been hijacked and the image of Admiral Cavendish appeared on screen. He wore a look of burning hatred.
"So you are the odious piece of shit that murdered my daughter and granddaughter." He sneered.
Weyoun blinked rapidly at the insult. "And you would be?"
"Your worst fucking nightmare." John cut the comm instantly.
"Dukat, go to the cells and get the Human." Weyoun ordered. "They wont surrender if they think she's dead."
Damar was silent as he led the group to the main computer.
"Kira, what's wrong with him?" Quark whispered.
"They hurt Raina and possibly killed Cora." Kira replied angrily.
Quark's nonchalant demeanour changed. Raina was a friend of his and he adored little Cora. "I want to be there when he slaps that look off Weyoun's face."
Kira pulled on Damar's arm to stop him. "Damar, you should be with Raina. She needs you."
He conceded to Kira's point. "Do not fail, Major."
Damar left the group and headed to the med bay to be with his love and child. He didn't care what happened to him anymore. He didn't care about Cardassia, the Dominion or the Federation bearing down on them. All he cared about at that moment was about his little family. His heart broke at the thought of little Cora. She may not have been his biologically, but the father in him wanted to cry out in pain at the thought of losing her. As he turned the corner he saw Dukat coming towards him. "Did you know?" He demanded.
"Did I know what?"
"Did you know they took, Raina?" Damar clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch him.
"I've only just found out." Dukat dismissed Damar's anger. "I need to take her to the control room."
"Dukat, we are friends but remember when I said to you, if it meant I had to choose between you, Raina would win every time?"
"I remember it vaguely."
"I meant it. I'll kill anyone who gets near her and that includes you." Damar left Dukat in the corridor, heading back to Raina.
Damar entered the room to find Raina on the bed asleep and Ziyal by her side stroking her hair. "How is she?" Damar asked as he moved to the other side, kissing her gently.
"She's stable and the labour is still going." Ziyal smiled at Raina as she pulled a blanket up around her. "The doctor gave her something to help her sleep through the first part of the labour."
"Has she said anything?"
"She howled and screamed about Cora. That's why the doctor sedated her."
Raina quietly cried out in pain. "Zi…."
"Shhh, I'm here." She soothed Raina until she fell asleep again. "I heard you and my father discussing her many times. I asked him if I could meet her and he just refused. She was right."
"Right about what?"
"She said, he could only see his own ambition." Tears slipped down her face. "We were only props that made him look better to others."
The silence settled between them as they focused on Raina. "Do you love her?" Ziyal asked quickly.
It took Damar by surprise. He'd never allowed himself to think about it. "Yes, I do."
Weyoun and the Changeling watched as the Federation tried to gain a foothold. But they weren't worried. They had reinforcements coming and the minefield was seconds away from deactivating.
"We'll let them have their moment. Once our reinforcements arrive, it'll be all over." Weyoun preened arrogantly.
"Sir, the wormhole is opening." A Glinn told him, alarm in his voice.
"But the minefield is still active."
Everyone watched in horror as the reinforcements were slowly destroyed by the mines. Only a few dozen ships made it out intact, but they knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the Federation advance.
"Weyoun, fifty Federation ships have broken the blockade. They are heading this way."
Weyoun clapped his hands together. "It's time to start packing."
"Tell the fleet to retreat back to Cardassian space." The Changeling ordered.
Raina grunted in pain as another contraction hit.
The Bajoran nurse was going to be the one to deliver the baby as the doctor left as soon as the evacuation was announced. "Ok, Raina. You are fully dilated now so when you feel another contraction, you can push."
"Ok." She breathed out. She looked at Damar who hadn't let go of her hand since she woke up. "Don't leave me, Corat." She pleaded.
He chuckled, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Of course I won't leave you."
"Here it comes." She squeezed the hands of Damar and Ziyal as she push herself through the pain. "They're getting stronger."
"Ok, I can see the head. You are doing very well." The Nurse encouraged.
"I had forgotten how bad the back pain was." Raina chuckled.
"Gul Damar, why don't get on the bed behind Raina to brace her back."
Damar nodded as he carefully got into the bed behind her, removing his outer armour so she wouldn't have to lean against it. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips against her cheek.
Another stronger contraction hit her and pushed down as hard as she could.
"Ok, the head is crowning. Ziyal I'll need your assistance." Ziyal nodded as she grabbed a blanket, moving down near Raina's feet. "Ok, Raina. Just more big push and she'll be out."
"I love you, Raina." Damar whispered in her ear.
Tears slipped down her face as they kissed. "I love you, too."
She pushed down harder than before until she heard an angry cry coming from her new-born baby. Damar helped her pull her gown down so the nurse could put the baby on her chest. Ziyal duly laid a blanket over the baby to keep her warm.
"Hi Casey." Raina whispered, kissing her forehead. "We've been waiting to meet you."
"She's perfect." Damar caressed his new-born daughter's head. "Just like her mother."
Ziyal left the med bay to greet Garak as she knew the Defiant was about to dock. Her father called her from behind, but she didn't turn back to him.
Dukat caught up with her and pulled on her arm to turn her to him. "It's time to go."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." She spat. "You are a despicable man."
"How can you say that to me?" Dukat was genuinely surprised that she would talk to him that way.
"Your ambitions and selfishness not only got my mother killed, but you also nearly got Raina killed. But the worst part of all is that you may have got my little sister killed." Ziyal was so angry that she had been so blind to what her father really was. "Kira was right; you are toxic to anyone you meet."
"I didn't know that they planned to attack Raina's ship."
"No, but I've seen the messages that you sent to the Dominion. You were willing to hand Raina and Cora over to them, knowing it would be a death sentence." Ziyal huffed out a breath. "Garak told Raina something once. "Women Dukat claims to love, usually ends up dead." But that's not quite true. "You just lose women you claim to love because you don't actually know how to love anyone but you."
Dukat watched as Ziyal ran away from him, his world grumbling around his feet. He lost against the Federation. Lost his lover, all of his children had turned on him. He had nothing left but the sting of failure.
The USS Colchester docked as the station to deliver an important person. Commander Surmak exited the dock carrying Cora in his arms.
"We go?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah, we go to see your mama." He told her. The joy in her eyes made him want to cry. "She'll be so happy to see you, little Captain."
"Qwick, qwick."
On the way, he encountered the crew of the Defiant. "Captain Sisko. Glad to see you in one piece."
"And you, Commander."
"Are you going to the med bay?" He asked everyone. "I heard the good news."
The crew of the Defiant rushed ahead to get to the med bay. When they arrived, they saw Damar feeding his daughter. Casey looked up at her father adoringly as Damar looked at her absolutely smitten by his new baby.
Raina's father and brother's arrived seconds later.
"Dad." Raina cried out. "Cora's gone."
"Shhhhh." He soothed. "She's fine."
Raina turned to the door as it opened. Surmak entered holding Cora in his arms.
"Mama!" As soon as Cora saw her mother, she wriggled in Surmak's arms, desperate to get to her. Within moments, she was swept up in her mother's loving in embrace. Cora looked up at mother to see the tears streaming down her face. She wiped the tears away with a little hand. "Mama's sad?"
Raina laughed, pulling Cora back into her arms. "No, baby girl. I'm very happy."
Cora sat properly in her mother's lap and Damar brought Casey over, propping her in Raina's arms as she rested on Cora's legs.
"What do think, Cora?" Raina asked.
"She pwetty baby." Cora cooed.
"She is pretty isn't she, Cora." Damar run his hand through her curls, giving her a kiss on the head. He felt like he could breathe again now Raina had both her girls. He knew Casey would look just like Cora. They were both mini Raina's.
Casey let out a cry, but Cora caressed her head. "Shhh, baby." She soothed, and Casey went back to sleep.
Emotions filled the room. Relief, exhaustion, happiness. Casey's birth had overshadowed what they had all been through and it was what everyone needed.
Hours later, Raina had settled back into her old cabin. Both girls had long fell asleep, leaving Raina and Damar alone.
"I have to leave." It pained Damar to say it, but he had to go.
"I know." Raina kissed him gently. "Cardassia needs you more than we do. But you need to promise me one thing."
"Anything." He pulled her into his arms, not knowing when he get to hold her again.
"Don't let this be the last time we ever hold each other." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"I'll hold you again. I promise you that."