The BLTS Archive- Actions and Consequences
by Invicta (invicta11@yahoo.com)

---

This is a slashy Star Trek DS9 story featuring those super sexy guys,
Garak and Bashir. I've tried to make the real life information used as
accurate as possible, but apologies if there are any factual errors.
Also, I should tell you right away that I'm really awful at
understanding the Star Trek techie / scientific stuff, so just a
little suspension of disbelief may be required when you get to those
few bits!

Paramount own Star Trek and all characters, all rights are reserved
and no infringement is intended.

I've rated this story NC-17 just to be on the safe side. Pairing =
G/B. (m/m) If you would like to give me any constructive feedback then
please feel free to, it's most welcome.

This story is set during the third season of DS9.

---

It had been a very ordinary day for Elim Garak. Altering two suits,
mending a dress and commencing designs for a set of co-ordinated
wedding outfits; these tasks represented the sum total of his
achievements. *And to think I was once one of the most powerful men on
Cardassia. Well, perhaps I can salvage something pleasurable from this
most dull and boring of days.*

Garak moved to his computer, easily managed to bypass several security
protocols and within a few minutes had accessed the shift rostas for
station medical staff. He was most pleased to see that Julian Bashir's
shift was due to end in 10 minutes. It would be easy enough to set up
an 'accidental' meeting with the good doctor in the promenade, just as
he had done on various occasions in the past. Garak didn't allow
himself to do this too often however; Julian could easily become
suspicious if he 'happened' to run into Garak on a regular basis. To
the tailor these chance conversations were his guilty pleasure, and he
savoured the extra dose of the enticing doctor's company in addition
to their weekly lunches together.

Sure enough Julian left the infirmary a few minutes after the
scheduled end to his shift, and Garak looked convincingly surprised to
see him as they crossed each other's path. Julian obligingly stopped
for a moment to chat to his friend. Gul Dukat, who had arrived
yesterday on one of his infrequent visits to the station, watched
Garak carefully from his table in Quark's bar. Nearby, Constable Odo
watched Dukat just as carefully. As security chief, Odo considered it
good policy to keep a careful eye on Dukat whenever he arrived on DS9.
After all, with his intimate knowledge of the station's design and
operating systems the man could pose a considerable risk to DS9 if he
chose to. After a few moments Julian and Garak were both was
distracted by a deep whooshing sound, and they looked around to
identify the origin of the noise. Casually glancing out of a window,
Julian was surprised to see that a large spatial disturbance of some
kind was heading at extreme speed towards them. It was composed of
intensely bright  patterns of light. As it grew closer the
accompanying noise became louder.
 
"Bashir to Ops, there's something approaching the station, it-" Before
he could finish the sentence the disturbance had swept into the
promenade, passing through the walls as if they did not exist. A thin
stream of energy snaked out and touched Julian, Garak, Dukat and Odo.
As several other people standing further down the promenade watched in
horror, they all disappeared without trace.

---

The four men were completely taken by surprise when the energy stream
touched them. They felt no pain but were conscious of being moving
somewhere at great speed. Sharp movements of light and colour flashed
painfully before their eyes, leaving them confused and dizzy. The
whooshing sound was still there, strong enough now to be very
uncomfortable. Suddenly they were all slammed down against a hard
surface and it was quiet again. After a few moments the four men began
to regain their hearing and vision, and were able to get up and look
around them. Surprisingly however, the view that met their eyes was
not one which originated from anywhere on DS9. They were in a square
room which was mainly constructed of metal, and the only light came
from a small round window. They could feel vibrations which indicated
the operation of some kind of engines. Inside the room were some
lockers, a few wooden boxes, several large pieces of metal equipment
and various tools.

"What has happened here?" demanded Dukat angrily. "If this is some
trick then I will have my revenge on whoever is playing it."

"We could be in the holodeck" replied Odo uncertainly. "Computer, end
programme."

There was no response. "Computer respond! Odo to Ops, can anyone hear
me?"

Again there was no answer. Julian also tried his combadge but it
clearly wasn't working either.

"To be honest with you gentlemen, I'd like to think this was a trick
but it seems extremely real to me. How else can you account for the
sensations that we've just experienced?" Garak spoke calmly but there
was an undercurrent of nervous tension in his voice.

"You could be right" replied Julian. He told the others about the
phenomenon he had seen approaching DS9 just before they were
transported. "I'm almost certain that we were touched by it. Perhaps
it was actually an alien life form of some kind. Could it have brought
us here, and if so why?"

"What we should be concerned about is how to return to the station, if
indeed we have actually left it," commented Dukat sharply. "I would
suggest that a reconnaissance of the area might prove useful."

The others agreed and began to look around the room. Dukat moved to
the window and his eyes widened in surprise. Although it was almost
dark, about four or five metres below him he could clearly see the
ocean. It was calm and the waves lapped gently. No land could be seen
on the horizon.

"It would seem that we're on a vessel at sea" he said. The others
crowded round him to look.

"And from the look of things, it's a human vessel" commented Julian.
He pointed to one of the pieces of equipment stored nearby which had a
metal plate attached to it. The words on the plate read 'WILLIAM
HOBSON & SONS, GLASGOW, 1908'. "Glasgow is a city on earth" Bashir
told the others. Suddenly the other implication of the wording hit
him.

"Oh my. If I remember rightly, in the past it was the custom to mark
objects with their date of manufacture. That being the case it looks
like 1908 is actually the date that this implement was made, and if so
then we must have-"

"Travelled back in time? You can't be serious!" finished Dukat. Odo
and Garak just stared at them both, unsure of what to believe.

Julian was thinking furiously. "I know it seems unlikely, but as far
as I can see everything that is in this room is consistent with early
20th century earth technology. At that time sea-going vessels were one
of the premier means of travel between different parts of my planet. I
don't know what exactly has happened here, but something was powerful
enough to pick us up and move us away from the promenade altogether.
If it could do that then perhaps it could move us back in time as
well. To be honest with you, I think we're in deep trouble."

---

"So as I said, they just vanished after the ....whatever it was
touched them" said Quark to Sisko and Dax. "Do you think that they're
dead? I mean, Odo and I weren't exactly lifetime buddies, but I'd like
to know if he's still alive."

"At the moment we're not making any assumptions about what took place
here" replied Sisko. As he and Jadzia headed back to Ops, they both
looked worried. "We have to find out if they're alive, old man. Work
with O'Brien and anyone else that you need, this is top priority. If
they are alive, then find out how on earth we're going to get them
back. In the meantime I'll try and deal with the Cardassians; it'll be
hard to convince them that someone on this station didn't deliberately
cause Dukat to disappear."

"Understood" replied Dax. Although she wasn't in any way fond of Garak
and Dukat, Odo and Julian were her friends. If they were alive then
she had no intention of letting them down.

---

Back in the 20th century, the four stranded travellers were busy
arguing about what to do next. No further clues as to their current
whereabouts had been found in the room, and everyone accepted the need
to stay hidden until they knew exactly what was going on.

Bashir and Garak felt that they should try to find a cabin to hide out
in, then it would be easier to come up with a plan for their return to
DS9. Dukat and Odo took the opposing view that it was better not to
leave the room in case the energy stream crossed through this point in
time and space again to take them away. In the end the decision was
made for them when footsteps were heard coming towards them in the
corridor outside.

Fortunately the person passed by without coming in. Julian heaved a
sigh of relief as he heard the sounds fade away.

"Now do you accept that we have to find a better hideout? Next time we
might not be so lucky. There's nowhere in here for us to conceal
ourselves if someone comes in."

Dukat sighed. "Very well doctor, but tell me how we can possibly find
unoccupied quarters and then get to them without being detected? The
tailor and I will look somewhat conspicuous if this is 20th century
Earth, will we not?"

"Yes, you probably would at that. Surely we can figure out a way to
get what we want, let me think about it for a minute."

Julian was as good as his word, and shortly afterwards he suggested
that Odo might be able to accomplish this task.

"Odo, you'd need to make your way around the ship until you find the
office where the cabin keys are stored. If you were to assume a form
which won't arouse too many suspicions - perhaps a cat or dog might
work well? Hopefully there'll be at least one empty cabin which we can
appropriate for the length of our stay."

"Well, I can only hope that we won't be needing them long doctor. No
disrespect to your planet, but I'd much prefer to be somewhere else."

---

It took him over two hours, but eventually Odo returned with the keys
to two unused cabins. By that time the other three were staring to
feel hungry and thirsty. Dukat and Garak were also pretty cold, since
the room was unheated. Julian was extremely glad to see the Constable
returning. The two Cardassians had traded insults ever since he left,
and it had looked at times as if their verbal abuse would spill over
to physical attacks.

Trying to keep the peace between the two of them had not been a role
which Julian had enjoyed very much.

"What took you so long?" asked Dukat impatiently.

"It wasn't easy finding the right office on a vessel this size without
being seen, nor was it exactly the work of an instant to identify the
empty cabins and steal the keys without anyone knowing about it," Odo
replied acidly. "You may be interested to know that I had to change
shape eleven times during my journey to get these keys. Perhaps you'd
have done better yourself?"

"Never mind about that now Odo" interrupted Bashir hastily. "Did you
find out anything to confirm or deny the time travel theory?"

"In my opinion there seems little doubt about it, we are indeed back
in the 20th century. What I've seen so far is fully consistent with
such a hypothesis. I must say that the fashion of the time seems very
flamboyant, not to say overstated. You'll really hate the way they
dress here Garak. Now, let's make our way to the cabins. On the way
back here I saw a female dressed in black with a heavy veil. It was
almost impossible to see her face underneath it. If I were to
shapeshift into such an outfit and drape myself over each of you two
in turn", this said with a nod to the two Cardassians, "then we should
be able to get to where we need to go without anyone noticing us."

---

A short time later, all four men were sitting in an unoccupied first
class cabin. The other room procured by Odo was next door. To their
eyes the room seemed somewhat primitive - no computer, no replimat, no
shower even! It came as something of a surprise to the others when
Julian informed them with a smile that this was in fact luxury
accommodation by the standards of the time. After Odo once again put
his shapeshifting powers to the test by procuring some food and drink
from the galley, they all settled down to discuss their predicament in
more detail.

"Doctor, if we have indeed travelled back to the 20th century then I
think that humankind had not yet made contact with other species at
this point?" said Garak.

"That's right, and if anyone saw you or Dukat here now then we'd have
a major problem on our hands. We must keep yours' and Odo's presence
here a secret, or we risk seriously disrupting the timeline. That
could have huge consequences for the alpha quadrant in the future."

"For Earth perhaps, but not for Cardassia surely?" asked Dukat
sceptically.

"Yes, just as much as for Earth. Imagine what would happen if the
human historians of the future were studying records of this time, and
found evidence to confirm the presence of Cardassians on Earth at a
time when your people didn't officially have warp drive? Wouldn't they
interpret that as evidence of covert Cardassian interference in our
history and development, and then react accordingly? That could have
major implications for Earth's policies with regard to future events.
What if Starfleet were to decide to provide aid or even military
assistance to the Bajorans when you occupy their world, for example?
This one incident could lead to immense repercussions in the future if
things go wrong."

"I suppose you may be right" replied Dukat reluctantly. "In that case
we need to come up with a strategy which will get us back to the
future whilst minimising disruption to your timeline here. We cannot
just assume that Sisko and the others will come for us, for all we
know they may think that we are dead. Incidentally I picked this up on
the way here, perhaps it might have some useful information on it."

He handed the piece of paper over to Julian who glanced at it with
interest. He saw that Dukat had only managed to find a menu for one of
the ship's restaurants. Bashir was about to tell him this when his eye
was caught by the header; 'Verandah Cafe  ~  Luncheon menu  ~  April
13, 1912  ~  R.M.S Titanic'

Bashir had studied this period of history in depth at school, and
understood instantly the implications of being a passenger on this
particular ship. He stared at the words with a sinking heart,
wondering just how he would tell the others about the fate that was in
store for them.

---

"So, what do we have?" said Sisko.

"Not as much as we'd like at the moment sir," replied O'Brien glumly.
"Sensors indicate that the anomaly was composed of pure energy. It
appeared well within our sensor range, which could indicate that it
has cloaking abilities. On the other hand, some of our readings
suggest that it may exist in more than one dimension. It was over 200
square miles in total mass, although only a small segment of it
actually touched the station. We only had it on our sensors for about
45 seconds then it completely disappeared. Also, from the analysis
that Dax has done of the energy dispersal patterns, we THINK that it
has the capacity to travel in time as well as space."

"And that it could have taken Garak, Dukat, Odo and Julian with them."
added Jadzia.

"Actually we have no choice but to work on the presumption that it
did. It could be a trans dimensional gateway of some kind, similar to
a wormhole. The one good thing is that it's energy transmissions were
extremely regular, with no sudden fluctuations except at the point
when Julian and the rest were taken away. I don't know if we can make
this work, but it's possible that we could use a modified proton beam
to recreate the effect created by the anomaly and bring everyone back.
However we would have to set it up to focus on a specific signal,
which would be the signal from Odo and Julian's combadges. Also the
range of our transport would be very limited, say within 1-2 metres of
the combadges at maximum. So if this works and anyone else is close
by, they could be pulled back too. On the other hand, if everyone's
split up then Dukat and Garak could be left behind."

"Are there any other alternatives?" O'Brien and Dax shook their heads.
"All right, we'll give it a try and hope that they're all in the right
place at the right time. Get on it right away, and keep me informed"
said Sisko.

As he left the room, O'Brien turned to Jadzia. "Do you really think
they're alive?"

"I don't know, but if they are I bet Julian's having a lovely time
trying to keep Dukat, Odo and Garak from murdering each other!"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, both of them found that they
were smiling at the thought

---

"So that's what happened" concluded Julian. He had just finished
giving the others a brief account of the Titanic and it's doomed
maiden voyage. None of them could quite believe what was happening. Of
all the vessels to end up on, why did it have to be this one?

"Well my dear doctor, what you're telling us is that we have a pretty
good chance if dying in about 24 hours' time when this supposedly
'unsinkable' ship will in fact sink?" said Garak with biting sarcasm.

"No!" interrupted Dukat before Julian could respond. "I will not allow
myself to die in this place, and especially not in freezing cold
water. Regardless of the effects on the timeline, we have to come up
with a survival plan now! These people are going to perish anyway
whatever happens, but we have to make sure that we don't die with
them."

"Much as I hate to admit it, you're quite right" said Garak, waiting
for the rebuttal which he knew would come from his beloved doctor. He
was not kept waiting for long.

"No Dukat's not right at all!" insisted Julian passionately. "Nearly
700 people will live through this, and we can't do anything which will
jeopardise their chances." He hated to contradict his friend in front
of Dukat, but it was necessary to take the needs of their fellow
passengers into account as well.

Odo hastily interrupted the others before a full scale argument broke
out.

"Let's remember to keep our voices low, shall we? It's important that
any passing crew members don't hear voices coming from these
'deserted' cabins. We're not dead yet, and with any luck we'll come up
with a plan to ensure that it stays that way. Providing we all work
together rather than shouting at each other, that is. Dr. Bashir,
you're the only one who knows anything about this ship and what
happened to it. I suggest that you tell us everything you can remember
about the voyage. Every little detail, you never know what might be
useful. Concentrate especially on how the ship came to sink, and how
those who did survive managed to do so. Then we should be able to
identify the options available to us and what the probable
consequences will be if we follow each one."

Bashir agreed, and began to reel off all that he could remember as the
others listened intently.

---
An hour later...

"I've never heard of anything so ridiculous!" snorted Garak. "Women
and children first? Why in the universe should they get preference?
It's quite unbelievable. First, we find out that we've travelled in
time. Then we find out that we've travelled in time to a ship that's
going to sink. Then we find out that the sinking ship only had enough
lifeboats for just over half of the people on board. And then, just
when I think it can't possibly get any worse, you tell me that I have
to stand by and let females and their screaming children be saved in
those lifeboats whilst I perish due to some outmoded notion of
gallantry! Really doctor, if you have any more bad news then by all
means let's hear it now."

"There's nothing else to tell you Garak. And as for the gallantry, it
may be outmoded to use but in this time it's a part of life. Right now
human women for the most part don't have careers or an independent
life outside the home. Their function is to bring up children and
manage the household. It's the men who work and own almost all of the
property. The human males of this era see women pretty much as
possessions which it is their responsibility to take care of. That's
why they are saved first in a situation like this."

"Your society has changed a great deal in a few hundred years" said
Dukat in surprise.

"Oh yes Dukat, it's quite different here to the Earth that you're
familiar with. But let's get back to our problem, shall we?"

---
 
After an hour of constant and at times heated discussion, the four men
had explored and rejected several possible courses of action. Odo's
idea had been to take one of the lifeboats and launch it before the
ship hit the iceberg. However, although this would ensure that they
weren't on the Titanic when it sank, they would still be floating in a
small boat hundreds of miles from land in appallingly cold conditions.
Bashir said that it would be no use attempting to pursuade the Captain
or one of the senior staff to change course or turn back. Even Dukat
was shocked to hear that Captain Smith had kept his vessel going at
full speed even after numerous iceberg warnings had been received from
other ships. Julian did suggest as an alternative that Odo could
replace Bruce Ismay of the White Star line, who had the authority to
order Captain Smith to reduce speed. However Odo rejected this idea,
reminding them all that he was unable to shapeshift a face well enough
to fool anyone. The only option left seemed to be sabotage. If they
could damage the engines enough to stop the ship even temporarily,
then the collision would be averted. It wouldn't get them home, but it
would save their lives in the short term. Bashir was the only one who
hesitated to back this plan.

"Come now doctor," said Dukat impatiently "you should like this
suggestion best of all. Your fellow humans will all be saved, won't
they?"

"Yes they will and I know that ought to please me, but what will be
consequences be? Painful as it is for me to admit it, these people are
supposed to die. That is the course that history took here. We would
be making a change to the timeline that will affect their history in a
big way. And some good things came out of this tragedy, you know.
Maritime safety was improved in a number of ways. If we save the
Titanic then those improvements won't take place."

Garak got up and walked over to Julian. He put one hand lightly on the
doctor's shoulder and looked down at him intently.

"I understand your concerns doctor, and certainly they are valid ones.
What you must remember is that we have already caused irreparable
damage to the timeline just by coming here. You can't prevent us doing
even more damage, every move we make will do that. Those keys we took
for example. What if a crewman is dismissed for misplacing them? It
would be our fault if he were. And if that crewman's family starved
because he had no money to buy food for them after he lost his job, we
would indirectly be responsible for that too. Actions have
consequences doctor, it is an inescapable fact of existence."

The others waited a little impatiently while Julian visibly struggled
to decide what was the right thing to do. Eventually he made up his
mind.

"I can't dispute the truth of what you've said Garak. Sabotage it is
then."

"I need to revert to my gelatinous state now" said Odo wearily. "I
suggest that we all get some sleep and come up with a foolproof plan
for sabotaging those engines by early next morning. Working out
exactly how to get back to our own time can wait until the immediate
danger is dealt with. There should be plenty of time to damage the
engines tomorrow. Gul Dukat, you can share the cabin next door with
me."

"That's certainly better than having to share with HIM" said Dukat,
looking at Garak contemptuously.

"Pleasant dreams!" replied the tailor with a malicious smile.

---

As Dukat and Odo left the room, Garak continued to think about their
current plight. Even if the collision was successfully averted, they
could still end up permanently trapped in a time where they did not
belong. Sooner or later their existence would be discovered and then
it would probably be the end. All in all, this could well be his last
opportunity to tell Julian Bashir of his feelings for him. Garak had
realised that he was in love with the doctor several months after
their first meeting. He had concealed this from Julian partly because
Garak had been taught to equate love with vulnerability.

According to the beliefs of the Obsidian order, love made a person
weak and wide open to attack by their enemies. Garak had continued to
believe that this was true even after he left Cardassia and the Order,
but of late he had begun to question his views. Could it really be so
wrong to reveal his affection to the one person on DS9 who really
cared whether he lived or died? Of course Julian had never shown any
sign of wanting to deepen their relationship, but that didn't mean
anything. *The doctor is over 30 years of age and still unmarried,
which would be almost unheard of if he were Cardassian. He has dated
numerous beautiful females but none of them have been around for long.
Perhaps he is actually looking for someone who will challenge and
stimulate him to the full. I could be that person, if he did but know
it.*

Garak made a decision. "Doctor, can we talk for a moment before you go
to sleep?"

"Sure, Garak" replied Julian readily. "What is it that you want to
discuss?"

Garak looked at him steadily for a moment before answering. "Doctor
we've been friends for some time now, and there's something that I've
been wanting to tell you but somehow the time never seemed right.
However when you consider our present situation, any further delay
seems somewhat pointless. You need to understand that I care for you
deeply, and just having you as a friend is no longer enough for me. I
want more, I want everything! If you reject my advances or even end
our friendship then I'll understand, but I just had to speak about
this now."

Julian had listened with stunned surprise to Garak's earnest
declaration. To find out that the tailor actually felt the same way as
he did! Julian had started to feel an attraction to Garak several
months ago, and his desire for the man had steadily grown. He had
tried to play down his own feelings, sure that Garak would never be
interested in someone like him. Now he was being offered all that he
wanted on a plate, it seemed to good to be true.

He studied the tailor's face carefully, trying to decide if he was
speaking the truth. Garak understood what he was thinking and smiled.


"I'm not lying this time doctor, this is too important. I do love you,
with all of my heart. May Cardassia fall if I am not telling the truth
now."

"Well we wouldn't want anything to happen to Cardassia now, would we?"
smiled Julian, coming over to sit by Garak on the bed. He reached out
and touched the tailor's face, stroking it and enjoying the feel of
the raised ridges and markings on his skin.

"I've often thought how handsome you look" he said to Garak dreamily.

Garak was deeply moved by the words and by the tacit acceptance of his
advances, and he reached out to draw the doctor to him for a kiss.
They melded together gently at first, and then the kisses increased in
ferocity as each man gained in confidence. Bashir began to run his
hands all over Garak, stroking and stimulating him to a frenzy. At the
same time the tailor was holding him in a firm grasp which made Julian
feel totally protected. With a smile, Garak reached out and began
taking off his beloved's clothes.

---

In the cabin next door Odo had decided to use the bath to take his
rest, so Dukat had the bedroom to himself. His bed backed onto the
wall which divided the two cabins. Dukat had assembled all of the
spare blankets and wrapped them around himself in a fairly hopeless
attempt to keep warm. As he was almost asleep, Dukat was pulled back
into consciousness by muffled sounds coming from the next room. He sat
up, wondering if something was wrong. Surely Garak and Bashir had
remembered about the need to keep quiet? As the noises increased in
volume, Dukat suddenly realised with a shock that they were the sounds
of lovemaking. To make absolutely sure of this he pressed his ear to
the wall. Right on cue he heard the doctor declaring his love for
Garak, and the tailor replying in kind. There could be no doubt, they
were together.

Dukat lay back on the bed and smiled to himself. Who would have
thought that his old nemesis would find such an attractive companion
to grace his bed? If they both managed to survive then this piece of
information could be a very useful weapon in his cold war with Garak.
After all, nobody back at the station must know about the
relationship. Presumably Garak was anxious to keep it a secret. As
Dukat considered how best to use Garak's love for Dr. Bashir to his
own advantage, the sounds from the next room grew increasingly
passionate. To his surprise Dukat found that being an unseen witness
to Garak's lovemaking was causing him to become hard. This reaction in
himself puzzled Dukat. He had never before considered it pleasurable
to observe others doing what he would much rather do himself. And it
was Garak, his enemy! But still, for some reason the tailor and the
doctor were proving to be quite an aphrodisiac. Dukat decided to enjoy
the sensation. He pulled away the bedclothes and reached inside his
briefs to stroke his partly erect member. As the chorus of gasps,
moans, thumps and cries from the next room grew more frequent, so
Dukat pumped his own sex more intently. With a gasp he felt the first
stirrings of pure pleasure break over him. He was ready to come, he
knew that his climax was only seconds away, but just for a moment he
held himself in check....

..... until in the next room Julian and Garak came, and Dukat allowed
himself to climax exactly at the same moment. Dukat's small cries and
moans of pleasure were drowned out by their own more powerful sounds,
and neither Bashir or Garak heard him as they writhed in glorious
pleasure. Meanwhile Dukat pulled his limp member back into his pants
and laughed softly to himself.

*What did they tell you at military academy, Elmo? When you want to
achieve any objective, it's vital to perfect your timing! Well, I
certainly did that just now, although this was probably not the sort
of objective your instructors had in mind when they taught you that
lesson!* With a final chuckle, Dukat curled up again and fell asleep.

---

"Are you ready to make the retrieval attempt yet Chief?"

"Not just yet, sir. There are a few problems still to be ironed out. I
need about another six hours before we can safely try anything. I'll
set you know as soon as we're ready."

"Very well Chief. I just hope that will be soon enough. We don't know
what problems our people are facing wherever they are."

---

Much later in the night a confused babble of noises caused Julian to
stir from sleep. Groggily he sat up and climbed out of the bed, only
to gasp with shock as his feet plunged into icy water. He ran to turn
on the light, and saw that water was steadily running in under the
door. The cabin was also listing about 20 degrees down at one end.

*How on earth can it be happening now, this just isn't possible. It
was the night of the 14th that the ship sank, I know it was. Unless -
oh God, that menu must have been an old one from the day before...*

Julian rushed to the bed and roughly shook Garak awake. He explained
what had happened and told him to hurry up and dress. After doing so
himself, the next priority was to alert Dukat and Odo to the danger.
In the corridor, numerous well dressed passengers were moving hastily
to the top deck. In response to his knock and call, Dukat opened the
door carefully and let Bashir in. The Cardassian looked grim.
  
"Dukat, we're a day later than we thought. All we can do now is try
and save ourselves. Nobody will think to question yours and Garak's
appearance, they'll be too busy trying to protect themselves. What
about Odo?"

Dukat directed him to the bathroom before moving to dress himself.
Julian went in, leaned over the bath and asked Odo to reform into his
humanoid shape. Nothing happened, and he repeated the request urgently
but Odo still remained in liquid form.

"You may have to leave him doctor. As I understand it he cannot return
to any other form until his rest cycle is completed."

"I'm not leaving him. Go and get Garak, I'll try to sort something out
with Odo."

As Dukat left the room, Julian looked around for a suitable container
to place Odo in. There were some glasses in the bathroom but they were
too small. There was only one possibility. It was somewhat
undignified, but in the circumstances Bashir felt that Odo wouldn't
mind. He picked up a chamberpot from underneath the bed and carefully
lifted Odo into it. Garak and Dukat came back into the cabin. They
both wore lifejackets and Garak handed another one to Bashir. Despite
their calm exterior each of them was clearly in a state of extreme
nervous tension. Both had a strong survival instinct, both hated the
cold intensely and in Garak's case he was determined to protect his
beloved Julian. Without a word the three of them left the room and
headed towards the stairs.

On deck, all was chaos. People screamed, called out, cried, moved
about, stood silent, ran, jumped, prayed. The Titanic was listing
violently and one end was already fully submerged into the water. All
of the lifeboats on their side of the ship were already gone. Bashir
grabbed hold of a crewman to ask about the lifeboats on the other side
of the ship.

"I'm very sorry sir, they've all been launched."

"All? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes sir. there are none left. I'm sorry."

With a curious glance at the two Cardassians the man ran off.

Bashir's face held an expression of infinite sadness. "If only they
had provided enough lifeboats for everybody when they built the ship."
Dukat pulled at his arm savagely, his face a mask of rage. "There's no
time for if only doctor. What are our options?"

"Well, we have to get away from the ship before it sinks otherwise the
undertow will pull us down. The only way to do that is to get into the
water, but at that temperature we'll probably all be dead within
minutes."

"We might stand a better chance of we can float on top of the water
rather than swim in it. Look, that man is using one of those wooden
seats to do so. If we could tie several of them together-"

"All right Dukat, let's try it."

The three frightened men staggered down the deck towards the submerged
end, grabbing hold of several deckchairs as they moved along. In his
pot Odo was totally aware of his surroundings, and he was furious at
his own inability to reform and help the others. All he could do was
wait and hope that they could look after themselves.

Julian wedged Odo into a corner of the deck whilst he and the others
quickly made up their makeshift raft. Garak also smashed a chair to
provide several pieces of wood which could be used as oars. Despite
their care each of them was already getting wet. They climbed on top
of the chairs, and each man gasped as the icy water soaked them
through completely. Julian, Dukat and Garak started to row at a rapid
pace, intent on getting away from the nightmare that surrounded them.
The two Cardassians were shivering steadily, and Garak's teeth
chattered so much that he could hardly talk. Each stroke of the oars
was harder and harder to accomplish as the cold ravaged them. At a
safe distance from the ship they stopped. There were no lifeboats
nearby, but a number of other people struggled in the merciless water.
Julian reached out to try and help an old woman who was nearest, but
before he could grab hold of her she sank below the water silently. He
sobbed with frustration.

"There are so many people dying Garak, and there's nothing we can do,
nothing at all..."

Garak looked at him sympathetically. "I know Julian, I understand how
you are feeling. It's a terrible thing to see your own kind perish and
be unable to help them."

"It's so cold..." whispered Dukat. "Surely there must be someone who
can help us, I can't stand this for much longer."

"The Carpathia is the nearest ship to us, and she won't arrive for two
hours. Try to hang on Dukat," begged Julian. Dukat sighed in what
might have been acceptance, and laid his head down on the raft.
 
Five minutes later, and the cold was winning. "Garak, Dukat, please
try to keep awake. You mustn't go asleep whatever happens."

Dukat smiled at him sadly. "We have a few minutes left doctor, no more
than that. Awake or asleep, it will the same. In these conditions none
of us can hope to survive long enough to be rescued by the Carpathia."

"No, I don't accept that! If we can just find a lifeboat-"

"Julian you said it yourself; our presence here must not be discovered
by the humans of this time. When we are dead you must push our bodies
over the side and ensure that they sink to prevent us from being
found."

"Oh Garak-" Julian could find no words to express the sadness that was
in his heart. To have found his true love and to lose it within a day.
The unfairness of it choked him. He leant forward and touched his
lover's face tenderly.

"I will do as you say. Wait for me won't you, on the other side?"

Despite the chilling cold Garak found that a small part of his brain
was still able to be challenged by Julian's words, with their
assumption that an afterlife existed for them to go to together. If
they had been safe back at DS9, there were many witty remarks that he
could have made about it. But they had very little time, and Julian
needed reassurance. With a struggle Garak managed to move his icy hand
across to hold onto Julian's.

"I will wait for you Julian, I promise."

Five minutes later and the three men lay motionless on the raft. The
freezing water and biting night air had taken their toll. In the sea
around them were other dead and dying passengers. The Titanic itself
had just plunged under the water on the way to her final resting
place. It was totally dark, and getting increasingly quieter.
Suddenly... a bright light leapt out from the sky, gathered up Julian,
Dukat, Odo and Garak, and took them away. None of the other passengers
saw it happen. A few did catch sight of the light, and assumed it was
a rocket or flare launched by a lifeboat. When nobody came in answer
to it, they lost interest.

---

As the bodies of the missing men materialised on the transporter pad,
the senior staff waiting nearby looked horrified at what they saw. Odo
remained in liquid form, and the pot that still held him was firmly
gripped by Julian. All three of the others were soaking wet. The two
Cardassians had gone purple in the face, and Julian's skin was almost
blue. None of them moved, and it was impossible to tell by looking
whether they were dead or alive. Sisko quickly had them beamed to the
infirmary, hoping that it wasn't too late.

---
Two days later...


Julian opened his eyes slowly, wincing for a moment as the bright
light hit him. He felt warm, so lovely and warm. It was such a change
from- "Garak!" he cried out. "Where is he, is he all right?"

A figure stepped in to his line of view. It was Odo. "He's going to be
fine doctor, and so will Dukat in case you're interested. You were all
suffering from extreme hypothermia, and for a while we weren't sure if
any of you were going to survive. You can imagine what the others
thought when you arrived back here frozen stiff."

Julian smiled painfully. "Yes I can indeed. Are you all right
Constable?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you. I'm very grateful to you for looking after
me doctor. Although I might well have survived the sinking of the
ship, it's quite possible that I would have been left in the 20th
century if you had left me behind. Did you know that your hands were
frozen solid to that bowl when you got back here? Don't worry, the
skin damage has been repaired now."

Julian looked pleased at this, but he was clearly tired so the others
left him to rest. Three days later he was recovered enough to be able
to get up and go to the next room to visit Garak. Fortunately the
nurse left them alone almost immediately after checking Garak's vital
signs. The Cardassian was awake and his face brightened when he saw
his lover arrive.

"How are you feeling Garak? You look pretty good considering what we
went through."

"I could say the same for you, although I must admit that my mouth
feels very cold still."

"Your mouth? Have you advised any of the staff here about it so that
they could check on you?"

"Oh I wouldn't want to bother them, and anyway I know of something
that would cure the condition."

"What?"

"A source of warmth pressing against me, such as somebody else's lips
for example. It's a very successful treatment, so I'm told." His eyes
twinkled as he smiled up at Julian.

"Ha ha, very funny. You had me worried for a moment," Julian said
scoldingly, giving Garak a stern look which didn't fool the tailor for
a moment.

"So you won't help me then Julian? Well, I'll just have to suffer in
silence. I was under the impression that you would do anything for me.
I seem to recall that you did said something to that effect at some
time recently, now when was it?" Garak said with a frown, pretending
to try and remember.

Julian sighed heavily. It was clear that Garak wasn't going to give
up. "You know exactly when it was and what we were doing at the time,
you annoying man. I want to kiss you, of course I do, but what if
someone comes in?"

"That's hardly likely now, is it? Nurse Dellane has just been to check
on me so she won't be back for a while, and apart from yourself I'm
not likely to get any visitors wanting to make sure that I'm getting
better. Now stop arguing and kiss me."

With a smile, Julian leant down and kissed him passionately... just as
the nurse came back into the room to collect her forgotten datapadd.
Both men were too engrossed in their exploration of each other's
mouths and bodies to notice her. Nurse Dellane's eyes widened, and she
grinned in amazement as she quietly left the room again. *Just wait
until Jadzia Dax hears about THIS!*

Blissfully unaware that within two hours everyone on DS9 would know
all about their relationship, Julian and Garak pledged their love and
desire for each other. They both longed to be discharged from the
infirmary, so that they could renew their physical relationship and
spend many more blissful nights together in the future.

---

The End

---

PS. In case you were wondering, yes I did get the idea for this while
watching Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the Titanic movie. I
was tempted to give them a cameo role in the story, but they probably
would have just got in the way of the plot! (Please don't say what
plot?, there was one in there somewhere, really!!)

PPS. And if you think that there probably weren't two unused first
class cabins next to one another on the Titanic, then I'd probably
agree with you. A little artistic licence was however needed so that
Garak and Bashir could get it together and Dukat could listen in!

--