Fate

Chapter 01

The cleanest thing on her was the diamond, mounted on a silver band. She constantly rubbed it off using her pants. Her hair was stringy and looked like she had dusted a fine sheet of black powder on the bronze color. The pale purple shirt and white pants she had adorned that morning bore the same marks of war with rips, holes and stains scattered across them. Some of the stains were even blood. Fallon thought the bruises on her would probably be about the same shade as the scorch marks on the outside of the transport ship and the darkness in the pod—black and discolored. She thought it was a good representation as the hull held up as long as it could, protecting precious cargo, and she protected her own precious cargo by enduring attacks on her own hull.

Like everyone else, her appearance reflected her mood. That was what happened when you were floating in a small escape pod with thirteen disgruntled people, a two year old, and yourself for several hours. Though, Fallon mutely thought that the other people were handling it well, all things considered. They had oxygen, and they had a compact lavatory, and a supply of the best field rations she never wanted to eat again. It was what was going on, or not going on, outside the escape pods that stole their minds and prayers.

Ujan had been in another escape pod, and she didn’t know where he was. She started out frantically looking out of the one portal, hoping that he’d be looking out of his and somehow, across all the space they were thrown into, they would see each other and know the other one was okay. Then there was sitting and waiting and spending the next five hours convincing herself that her husband was fine and that when they were safe again, on a Federation starship heading into the heart of Federation space, they’d hold one another and give relieved, thankful laughs at being alive. Fallon hoped. Until then, Ujan, the house they had together and their favorite place to cuddle, a hammock hanging from the front porch, swept her away.

She felt Angel shift in her arms before a snore from the man next to her yanked Ujan, the house and the hammock away. Looking to the offender, Fallon watched him snort in his sleep, his body slumped down and chin resting on his chest. Black bags were under his eyes and his skin was a grey tone of blue thanks to the very poor lighting. He had been bleeding when they first fell away. It was a nasty gash on his forehead, but nothing the emergency medi-kit didn’t heal up reasonably. Though, it didn’t do anything for the distinct and somewhat nauseating smell left by the blood he lost onto his blue tunic and face. Maybe letting him sleep was a bad idea.

“Hey, hey mister, wake up.” Holding Angel, she reached over and shook his shoulder. The man’s startled reaction and jump provoked a scaled down version of the same reaction from her so Fallon quickly withdrew her hand. She watched the man rub his eyes with big knuckled fingers before he glanced to her and Angel then looked away. The next ten minutes were mostly silent except for a soft murmured conversation between a husband and his injured wife. Her injuries were too severe for the little medi-kit to fix and Fallon hoped that someone found them soon.

When the shuttle gave a soft lurch, those that had been off in another place had been jerked back into the present. Fallon’s arms shifted and tightened around Angel before a distinct pull shifted the gravity in the pod. Murmurs of relief went through her fellow survivors as the tractor beam from whatever ship it was began pulling them to safety. They were safe.

The view and the greeters that welcomed them next was perhaps the only things that would make almost everyone on the pod want to get back on it and be sent back out into space.

A series of five Cardassian guards stood in the cargo bay, phasers rifles were trained on the weary passengers. Scarcely more than a word was heard as they filed out and lined up in front of the enemy. Did anyone even know that they survived? The man who had been snoring beside her and Angel started to speak, but Fallon wasn’t paying attention. Angel was huddled to her, but there was no way to hide her neck or her forehead, and those all telling signs hadn’t gone unnoticed. Two of the nearest guards were watching her curiously until finally the one who seemed to be the leader stopped speaking to the Snoring Man.

This soldier’s eyes went to her too and to the baby in her arms. As she watched them, she felt like there was a loud secret she didn’t know about, but was hovering over the whole bay. Her blue eyes went between theirs, and she vaguely noticed that every Cardassian she met had blue eyes.

“Who is the commanding officer of this ship?” She inquired, her attention divided between those three and the baby in her arms. Fallon should know this. Whatever this big, hovering statement was, she should know it. But, all her bases were covered and she was just a no body.

“The commanding officer of this vessel is Gul Dukat.”

~*|O|*~

Dukat came in a few minutes after the officer who escorted her there left. While he hadn’t spoken, hadn’t glanced at her or hadn’t given her any indication that he knew she was there, Fallon knew that it was a game he was playing with her. Like a cat so still that it tricked a mouse, he was waiting to see if she’d skitter across the floor for an exit.

Instead, Fallon stayed so still and quiet that she could feel her own heart beating in her chest. Dukat moved around the small living area as he prepared himself a glass of kanar. She could hear the thicker liquid spilling into the bottom of the glass after the quiet ‘thunk’ of it sounded when he sat the glass on the counter. She couldn’t smell him—Dukat did not stink—but the distinct feeling of tension had swarmed into the room with him when he stepped in. It was thick and hot in the air and she could taste it. The tension tasted bitter and her heart beat a little faster in her chest.

“So, it is Fallon now?”

Dukat turned around and looked at the woman sitting so still and so nervous on the edge of the couch. “Tahlandi Fallon, Fallon LaFluer…how many other names do you have that I don’t know about?” The tall, graceful man approached her and moved quietly behind the couch. His right came down and touched her shoulder before moving her hair to the side and running his fingertips along the back of her neck.

Closing her eyes, she clenched her jaws and willed off memories. With each feather touch of his fingertips, they pushed in, flashing and forcing themselves across the front of her eyes the way Dukat used to tease and force himself on her and convince her that she enjoyed it too. That was how it happened; she knew there was a difference between real happiness and happiness you made yourself feel out of necessity.

“Just those two. They are all I answer to now.” The woman responded and felt his fingers cross to her other shoulder before finally leaving as he moved away. Finally Fallon opened her eyes again and watched Dukat as he sat the drink down and continued to stand, towering over the woman. Deciding that she’d try to shift the balance, Fallon started to stand.

“Sit down.” The order didn’t sound malicious, but Fallon heard the no nonsense tone in his voice and obeyed without hesitation. Her daughter was in another room, kept away from her and she didn’t know where her husband was. This wasn’t the time to think only about her survival. “No,”

Breathing in deeply, Fallon stood up and faced Dukat. “The survivors from the other pods, what happened to them?” The woman pulled herself up, willing herself to stand up to him and be stronger than she truly was. She had been strong enough to leave him, she was strong enough to stand up to him now.

“There were only two other pods, the rest were destroyed, presumably because they never ejected from the transport.” Dukat said and took a step closer to the woman. She tried to take a step back. “One of them was mistakenly destroyed by one of the other ships in our fleet.” Dukat stepped closer again, putting less than a foot between them and Fallon took another larger step back. A second later and she felt his hands on her arms and, with a force that her smaller body didn’t possess, Dukat grabbed her and pushed her until her back was against the wall behind the nearest chair.

“Why did you leave me?” She could feel his hot breath on her ear and despite all her desire not to, goose bumps spread across her skin. Fallon gasped out softly when his hands went to her hips and squeezed them, holding her to the wall and inflicting just enough pain to remind her that he was always stronger and always, always in control.

“Why did you leave me?!” He whispered the demand to her and shook her body, forcing the smaller woman to grab his strong arms for some kind of feeling of stability. When she still didn’t answer him, Dukat forced her hands from his arms and, twisting her around, pushed Fallon’s chest to the wall and sandwiched her body between him and the wall.

“I had to survive!” She finally got out. He wasn’t doing this to hurt her, she could tell that because he wasn’t crushing her. Instead, she could feel the centerpiece of his uniform pressing between her shoulder blades. His body radiated warmth and, as she felt it bathe her lower back, backside and her thighs, the woman couldn’t help but close her eyes and breathe out. She could feel his head next to hers and his hands pressed into her hips again, his fingers flexing. Below that, his uniform did little to shield the contours of his body from her. She could feel his erection pressing in the valley below her bottom and between her thighs.

“That place was mine, those people were mine. I could’ve provided you with anything in just a short amount of time, even a way off. Instead, you left me there.” Fallon kept her eyes closed. She didn’t regret leaving, though she didn’t want to think about that life anymore. Angel was all she wanted from it, not even the memories.

Fallon didn’t answer him and, when she didn’t, she felt him pull away from her. Straightening up she turned around and looked up at the towering figure. Well, at least he wasn’t going to kill her, at least she didn’t think. Maybe he wanted to play first. As she looked into his face, still as a statue, she debated if she’d prefer a quick, merciless death or the game he’d put her through.

Wordlessly, the Cardassian took her arm before pulling her through a waiting doorway into, what she discovered, was his bedroom. What their humble dwelling had lacked last time they were together, he made up for now. The bed was large with three different covers on it. The lights were down low, like the rest of the quarters, with light outlets along the walls and illuminating Cardassian masks that were mounted strategically. It was difficult to resist stepping further into the quarters to touch over the nearest black toned mask.

These lavish quarters were hardly what she expected when she thought of a warship, but then again, Dukat had a thing for non-Cardassian women and, from a xenophobic race, that was hardly what she expected either. They were so well decorated and were a marvelous blend of good, cultured taste and a certain homely feeling. A pair of boots and black bundle on the floor gave that accent, and it made her smile before she could completely stop herself.

Sharp beeps caused her to spin around and she looked at him by the door. His fingers slid over the glowing command panel, pressing in on green and yellow buttons as he put in a code.

“You are a mess.” She’d be offended if it wasn’t true “and you need a shower.” Fallon almost asked if he would be taking it with her.

“The replicators will give you food and clothing,” Dukat paused and gave her a simple smile. Approaching her, he cupped his hand over her neck before kissing under her other ear.

“If you try to replicate anything else, I will be alerted. And, it would be all for nothing as it is restricted.” Dukat whispered into her ear. Straightening again, he didn’t say anything else to her but turned and stepped out quickly. Fallon’s eyes widened and she rushed to the door just after it shut.

“Dukat! Dukat, bring me my daughter! Dukat!! My daughter, she’s with the others! She’s YOUR daughter Dukat, bring her to me, PLEASE!”