The BLTS Archive- All Is Silence Trilogy
#3:  Reunion
by T'Lin (LinkyS@aol.com)

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Feedback: Always appreciated.

Warning: This story contains angst, and deals with m/m love ... again,
no sex in this one. If the idea of two men being in love offends you,
or if you are under 18, read no further.

Disclaimer: Garak, Bashir and all things STAR TREK are owned by 
Paramount/Viacom ... I'm just borrowing them for a bit. No copyright 
infringement is intended ... I make no profit off of this story.

April 2000

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Suddenly, a surge of warmth infuses my body, and I'm wracked with 
excruciating pain. I cry out in anguish, only to feel a hand on my
chest, pushing me down onto the bed. I open my eyes, and see my dear
doctor ... such concern in his eyes as he holds me down. "Thank God"
he says, as he places a hypospray against my throat. "I thought I was
going to lose you."

I try to speak ... but no words come out. Sleep consumes me.

---

Garak awoke to the sound of monitors beeping. He was confused ... he 
remembered the storm, both on his world, and in his soul. He
remembered  taking the drug that would end his life ... a life he
could no longer  tolerate ... a life filled with pain and loneliness.
And he remembered his dream ... that dear, sweet Julian had come to
save him. Of course, that was only a dream ... how could it be
anything but.

Yet he was alive ... this was no illusion.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was no longer in the residence he had
been staying in since his return to Cardassia ... he had left that
days ago. Nor was he in the residential hospital ... it was too
bright, and too well equipped. Was he still on Cardassia? He had to
be, but where? Realizing it must be a hospital, he took another look
around ... this look revealed that it was Federation equipment, in a
Cardassian building.

//Could it be?// he thought ... //was Julian here, after all?//

Just at that moment, his hopes were confirmed ... there, coming in the
door, was his friend. Seeing that Garak was awake, his face lit up
with a smile ... albeit a smile of concern and apprehension.

Garak, ashamed of his act of desperation, closed his eyes and wept.
Julian rushed to his side. He wanted so much to hold his friend, to
let him know everything would be alright, but not knowing how Garak
would react, he settled for holding his hand and whispering soothing
words.

Eventually, Garak fell asleep. Julian once again checked his life
signs, just to assure himself that all traces of the drug were purged.
Once he was convinced that Garak would sleep peacefully for several
hours, he left the medical facility that had so recently been erected
on Cardassia Prime.

---

As the days passed, Garak spent a great deal of time sleeping. This
was a side effect of the particular drug he had used ... it would soon
pass. In the mean time, Julian worked his ass off helping the sick and
homeless in the area. Malnutrition was the primary complaint, although
there were almost as many suffering from injury as illness. Buildings
that were no longer sound would fall down on the people as they tried
to remove their few possessions ... fighting would break out over the
small amount of food available ... and then, there were those like
Garak, who, out of desperation, tried to end it all.

While Julian worked with the civilian doctors who came with him,
others went in search of the sick and wounded ... it seemed to Julian
as if they would never stop coming. He also had to keep tabs on Garak
who, on top of everything else, was suffering from malnutrition. From
the tests he had conducted, he ascertained that malnutrition was one
of the causes of his depression ... although apparently not the only
one. No matter how well he was improving physically, he still needed
to keep his eye on his Cardassian friend.

The hours passed, and finally, there were no knew patients. Julian
took a moment to look in on Garak, but he was asleep. Not wanting to
disturb him, Julian went into his make-shift office to do some
paperwork before calling it a night.

Julian woke with a start. Looking around, he notice Garak standing in
his doorway. "I'm sorry, Doctor ... I didn't mean to wake you," he
said, when he saw Julian jump.

"Don't worry about it ... I must have dosed off while doing my
paperwork." Standing, and coming around to assist Garak, he continued,
"Please ..." he said, as he took Elim's arm, and placed his other arm
around his friends shoulder, "have a seat ... it's so good to see you
up."

"It's good to be up," Garak said as he settled himself in the chair
opposite Julian's.// It's good having your arm around me, too // he
thought, but did not voice it. As the supporting arm was removed, a
small sigh of resignation escaped, however, seeing the smile that came
to his friend's face, he wondered if there was still a chance. 

Unsure of how to proceed, he decided to start with the easy part. "My
dear Doctor ... I have no idea how I am ever to repay you for all
you've done for me." Seeing that Julian was about to protest, he waved
him off, and continued, "Please ... let me finish what I have to say."

"By all means." Julian said as he sat back, studying his friends
expressions and body language, wondering if he should use this
opportunity to tell him how he feels.

// lets see what he has to say, first ... then I can go from there //
he thought as Garak went on ...

"After the way I treated you, I would have understood if you had never
wanted to speak to me again. I freely admit that the last months on
DS9, I was barely civil to you ... and once you and Ezri started
dating, I was even worse. There is no excuse for it," he said, then,
shaking his head, went on, "actually, there is ... although I suppose
it is more of an 'explanation' than an 'excuse'." He shifted
uncomfortably, looking around at everything in the room except for the
Doctor.

After some moments, he continued, "at the moment when I 'died', I
thought I was hallucinating ... and made a promise to myself ... there
was no more need to hide ... I would tell you the whole truth. I tried
to tell your 'apparition' about the jealousy I felt when you told me
of your latest 'conquest', or even worse, when I had to see you with
someone. In the end, when you were with Ezri, it was too much ... I
had to leave for fear of giving myself away." With this admission, he
looked up into the Doctors eyes before continuing ... he had to see
his reaction ... had to know if he were to be rejected or not. "I
tried to tell you that I loved you ... whether you accepted me or not,
I had to tell you." He saw shock, and surprise in the Doctor's eyes,
and quickly looked away.

Silence hung in the room for several minutes, neither man looked at
the  other, nor said anything. Julian was the first to break the
silence, "Garak ... I don't know what to say."

Before he finished, Garak stood, saying, "Please, my dear Doctor ... I
don't expect ..."

But he got no further. Julian was also on his feet, and approaching
Garak. Before he knew what hit him, he had enclosed the older man in
an embrace, murmuring, "why didn't you tell me sooner?" Slowly, he
felt Garak relax in his embrace, and soon, his arms were around the
doctor.  "Elim," he said, "I came to Cardassia because I missed you
... and I was worried about you." Taking Garak by the shoulders, he
held him at arms-length, as he continued, "I love you ... and have for
a very long time ... I just didn't realize it until you were gone."

Garak, looking both pleased and stunned had to ask, "but what about
Ezri?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I think she and Jake are quite
happy,"  Smiling, he went on, "They've been together for four months
now, and are  planning on getting married soon." The expression on
Garak's face made him smile even more. He pulled Garak closer to him,
and kissed him. "Come on ... lets go home. It isn't much, but I'd love
to share it with you while I am here."

---

The End