More Than a Lifetime #8: The Edge of Heaven

Chapter 10: Can't Let Go

"You know, ever since we met, I've noticed something about you," Kyle said. He lay on a lounger beside Dani on a white sand beach in a quiet, less touristy part of Risa. There were a few others out enjoying the sand and sparkling water, but this particular beach wasn't nearly as crowded as the more popular beaches located near the busier resorts.

"What's that?" Dani asked, responding to Kyle's statement.

"You're attracted to men with power," Kyle said.

Dani's head whipped around to Kyle, as she prepared to fire a defense at him, but she hesitated before the rebuttal could leave her mouth. When she took a second to think about it, she realized that Kyle's observation probably wasn't that outrageous.

"Let's see, there was Commander Riker, Gul Dukat...and now Captain Archer," Kyle continued.

Instead of becoming defensive, Dani reflected on Kyle's observation for a moment. "You're right," she said. "I never noticed it before because no one's ever said it out loud to me. But in my defense, I grew up surrounded by powerful people. I'm accustomed to being around them." She shrugged. "I guess it's subconsciously affected what I find attractive in men."

Kyle propped himself up on his elbow and angled himself to face Dani. "There's something I've been dying to know for a while," he said.

"What is it?" Dani asked.

"What exactly was the deal with Dukat?" Kyle asked. "I mean, how did you ever end up with him?"

"I don't want to talk about him," Dani said calmly, staring out at the ocean.

Kyle shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm an idiot for even asking. I...I can imagine that the whole ordeal must have been devastating for you. I know you cared deeply for him."

Dani looked at Kyle but didn't say anything. "No doubt you heard about the condition I was in when they found me on Cardassia Prime," she said.

"Yeah. They said it was Stockholm syndrome. But I know better than that."

Dani released a small laugh. "Oh, really?" she asked, somewhat skeptically and somewhat warily. She was unsure of what Kyle was driving at here.

Kyle sat up on his lounger and swung his legs over the side so that he was now fully facing Dani. He buried his feet in the soft sand and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Ever since we found each other again, I've been struggling with something," he said. "There's something I've been debating whether or not to tell you. At first, I thought it would be best to just let the past stay in the past, but the more time that passes, the more I feel like I'm keeping a big secret from you, and it's making me feel like shit."

By this point, Dani had also sat up and turned to face Kyle. "Kyle -- what is it?"


"Dani," Kyle began, "I was there, that night on Cardassia Prime, when...when Dukat was killed."

Dani's mouth hung open, unable to form any words. She didn't have to. Kyle knew that the information came as a total shocker to her.

He continued. "You were sitting there, crying over Dukat's body," Kyle said. "I told you that we had to leave because it wouldn't be safe for you there without Dukat's protection. On the way to the transport, I told you not to look back."

Dani couldn't believe she was hearing this. "But I distinctly remember a pair of brown eyes looking at me when those words were spoken. The face was covered by a mask, but I remember the eyes. Your eyes have been blue for as long as I've known you."

"Everyone on that mission had their appearances altered slightly," Kyle explained. "It's a safety measure. We all had brown eyes then."

Dani wanted to ask him why he'd never told her any of this, but she thought she knew the answer - that the mission had been classified.