AN: This story takes place before Dukat joins the Dominion.
I walk to the view port and watch as the wormhole opens, I've been living here three months now and it's a nice place to be. Nerys is warm and loving to me; although I know she has no love for my father.
I know he did a lot of horrible things to her people and her planet but he would give anything to erase it if he could. I see the looks people give me. I'm the daughter of the former Prefect of Bajor and his mistress. But he's my father and I love him.
He's the only family I have.
From the time I can remember I've adored my father, he was with me and my mother Tora Naprem a lot, but would leave to be on his homeworld every now and then. My mother was beautiful; she had long black hair and the dark eyes like me.
One day when I was eight my father sent me and my mother onboard a ship; he said it was for our safety and I believed it. The ship crashed and my mother died and I was alone at the mercy of the Breen. Others were with me but I wished for my father.
The years passed and I began to lose hope of ever getting off that world, I thought about suicide many times but could never go through with it. Then one day my father came and for a few moments he looked ready to kill me.
The others told me it would happen, that my father would do this in order to keep his illegitimate child a secret. Then when he lowered the weapon and embraced me, I knew my dreams were finally coming through.
I still remember those moments and I do get angry but my father is all I have and it's mutual, his Cardassian family rejected him for loving me. Nerys has also become my family and I love her too.
I also love Garak; he's a Cardassian exile who lives here as well. He's willing to be my friend even though he knows my feelings go beyond that. I've made other friends here as well. Jake, Dr. Bashir, and Captain Sisko is very nice. Right now I'm in a pretty good place and my life is better than it's ever been.
I've learned to ignore the stares and whispers that I know are there, I've survived much worse. Just then I spot someone very special coming toward me.
"Father!" I rush toward him and his face breaks out into grin.
"Ziyal." He embraces me and for a long moment all my burdens fall away.