When It Pours

Hours later, her screaming nightmare brought all three running to her side. From the way she spasmodically alternated between clinging to them, and pulling away from them, it wasn't hard to guess the content of her nightmare. For a change, the three were kind, sympathetic, and obviously even genuinely fond of her, despite their various turbulent histories with her, and for once not scolding or bringing up awkward, unpleasant suggestions of facing her fears.

Finally, appreciative and relaxed in Dukat's arms for a while, she looked up at him wistfully. "You know, this would be touching, maybe even romantic, if you hadn't already been chasing after me for so long."

He gazed down at her and said sincerely, "I can't pretend not to be who I am."

She lowered her eyes. "No. And I wouldn't want you to be phony. I just always keep feeling that you just want to add me to your collection, and you look for ways, angles, to push things in that direction."

He appeared genuinely mystified. "What collection??"

"Of women?" guessed Damar. "But you see that he has no woman, at the moment."

"I should have said, 'Consecutive collection', not simultaneous," she clarified, only slightly testily.

Ill-timed, Rusot burst into the room. "I heard screams!" He stared at Kira in Dukat's embrace. "They allow you to sleep in your clothes??" He seemed deeply suspicious, doubting the relationship that the four claimed.

Knowing how much depended on her ability to brazen her way through this, Kira retorted confidently, "Of course they let me put my clothes back on afterward! If there were to be an emergency during the night, I'm certainly not going to go running out of here in...nothing!"

Seeing that he was still skeptical, Kira desperately, impulsively, passionately kissed Dukat. Feeling Garak's, Damar's, and Rusot's delighted stares, and Dukat's eager responsiveness, Kira self-consciously broke away from him, and addressed Rusot gruffly, "Are you still here?! How dare you! We need privacy! Get out of here!!!" Grinning, he left.

One glance at Dukat's broad grin, and Kira collapsed against his chest with a huge sigh. It was a while before she finally dared to look up at him, and at Damar and Garak. Their continued deep, glowing amusement made her demand defensively, "What??!!"

"Not bad." Dukat tenderly caressed her cheek. For the first time, she didn't flinch.

Garak, sitting beside her, casually commented, "Have I ever told any of you just how much I hate being claustrophobic? It's quite a handicap; it puts me at considerable disadvantage with others. I never know when I'll be found out, or faced with it, and how many extra complications it will introduce into other situations."

In the same easy-going vein, Damar asked him, "Have you ever tried to get over it?"

"Oh yes, to varying degrees of success. I'm not over it, by any means, but I've made some progress and I'll never stop trying."

Sitting on the floor across from Kira, Damar asked her in feigned lightness, "You ever wish you could get over yours?"

"Sometimes," she managed, not looking up at him.

"Have you ever tried?"

She spasmodically shook her head.

"Why not?"

She looked up with emotional pain in her eyes. "It's not the kind of thing that you can try, and then just stop the other person abruptly if you can't handle it. No one would agree to be that patient with me."

"You're so sure of that?" Garak asked gently.

"Maybe you haven't asked the right ones," suggested Damar kindly.

She met each man's smiling eyes uneasily and sagged in Dukat's arms. "You know, it was so much easier when all I had to do was hate you guys. Maybe you're still being manipulative, and maybe you're not, but either way, ...you're right, in everything that you've said." Her expression was hopeless, she was trembling noticeably, and silent tears ran from closed eyes.

"Don't get upset again," Dukat whispered. "It's all right. We're not going to...."

She cut him off with a gentle finger to his lips. The eyes of all three widened, especially as she steeled herself and said, "Please, gentlemen, help me to get over my fear."