Thank you! Yes, it felt good to be able to end on a more upbeat note for a change. They've all taken a beating lately in one way or another. This episode always stuck with me, imagining how it would be to go from the oppression of the occupation to the return to a system that is inherently unfair. I could see a lot of angry, frustrated people using those lower than them as "whipping boys". Such an ugly situation.

Leeta is more forgiving than I would be, too. I was actually OK with allowing that to be the way they split in my stories, departing further from canon. The bit about their paghs and faith arose fairly spontaneously from the character she has become in my head. I think Bajorans have a pretty unique way of viewing relationships, and their spiritualism permeates every aspect of their lives.

The flirting scene was fun and another thing that popped up out of the blue. Garak was way more cooperative than I expected him to be in that scene. Thanks very much for taking the time to review!