The BLTS Archive - Word Gets Around
by Lady Drace (ladydrace@gmail.com)

---

Warnings: Silliness!!!

Beta: Prelocandkanar was willing to do a speed read of this
before I posted it. Thanks Sweetie!

Feedback: Yes please.

Disclaimer: I don't own any trek-stuff. I mean, come on! Do
I LOOK like I own anything like that?

---

Enough was enough. Garak thrust a bolt of cloth roughly back
on its shelf with an annoyed huff. Dukat had gone too far
this time. Regularly poking fun at the caged circus
attraction he often felt like in his exile was one thing.
But to even hint at taking away the one thing that made the
whole thing even remotely bearable... exile or no exile...
this meant war!

Dukat had strutted into Garak's shop simply to bait him
earlier that day, as he always did when he was on the
station. Predictably, Garak easily deflected the poor
attempts at getting a rise out of him. But just before he
left, Dukat had suddenly pulled out a very unexpected ace
from his sleeve. Just thinking back on it made Garak's
clench his fists until his knuckles burned.

Garak had delivered his final stab in their discussion,
using Major Kira as the ultimate weapon. A cheap trick, but
an effective one. Dukat really was delusional when it came
to that woman. But then things took a very uncomfortable
turn. Just as he was about to stalk out of the shop, he
turned back, smirked very unpleasantly at Garak and said in
an offhand voice:

"You know...I might be overly confident when it comes to
Nerys, but at least I have the courage to make an effort.
Oh, I know you, Garak, better than you think."

Garak simply blinked at Dukat, not taking the bait.

"I highly doubt that, Dukat."

Dukat's smile became down right frightening when he
replied, "Really, Garak. Don't try to be clever in front of
your own kind. We're not all as easily fooled as your little
Federation lunch companion."

Ignoring his stab of worry at the words, Garak simply sent
Dukat his best customer-serving smile and said:

"You certainly could have fooled me."

Grinding his teeth for a second, Dukat made Garak confident
that he'd won, but then that frightening smile was back and
Dukat actually laughed, as he slowly backed out of the shop.
Just before he reached the doors, he made his final move.

"In any case... I think I shall have to pay a little visit
to the infirmary, now that I'm here. After all, the doctor
on this station is one of the best in this star system. I'm
sure I can persuade him to give me a thorough physical."

And then he was gone. Not only had he had the last word for
the first time ever in their silly little debates, but he
had delivered the one challenge that Garak simply could not
ignore. He felt very tempted indeed to run to the infirmary
and rip Dukat's head off for putting his pathetic moves on
poor Doctor Bashir, but his self control served him well.
No. There had to a better way to get him back for this.

He thought about it for most of the day, and by closing time
he had a plan ready, that actually made him smile to
himself, as he locked up the shop. With a little luck, the
first stage of his plan would be executed that very night.
With a new spring in his step, he made his way to Quark's
bar.

---

Quark's was thankfully not overcrowded, so Garak took a seat
at the bar next to the ever present Morn, being fussed over
by Quark himself. Ordering kanar, Garak settled down
prepared to wait patiently for the right moment to set his
plan in motion. He could hardly believe his luck when he
almost immediately spotted the key player in his scheme,
descending the stairs from the holosuites upstairs with Dax.

Their costumes would suggest they had left another one of
those fairy tale scenarios that Jadzia was so fond of. Both
she and the major looked radiant in their flowing satin and
lace gowns, but of course Kira was as uncomfortable as ever
about the whole thing and wore a frown that spoke volumes
about her evening. Dax apparently had somewhere else to be
and strode from the bar with her dress flowing behind her.

Kira pulled off her veiled hat and sat down heavily at the
bar one seat away from Garak. Perfect. He really could not
have planned it better himself.

"Why, Major, you certainly look ravishing this evening!"

Kira quirked an eyebrow at the Cardassian, just as Quark
came to take her order.

"Thanks... I guess. Yes, I'll have a-"

"Please, allow me to buy you a drink! It's not every day one
gets to drink with a vision of such skillful tailoring so
wonderfully displayed."

Ignoring Quark, who was openly listening in, Kira squinted
at the tailor.

"What are you up to, Garak?"

Garak chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Really! Here I'm simply trying to be friendly and
immediately I'm suspected of being up to something. Should
it really surprise you that even the outcast Cardassian
would feel generous in the company of such beauty?"

Kira's eyes were still narrowed and apparently she didn't
trust Garak any further than she could throw him. So to
Quark's immense disappointment, she simply excused herself
and found a table elsewhere in the establishment, where she
was quickly joined by Odo. Garak followed her form with his
eyes all the way to her table, and not until Quark had
delivered her drink and returned to the bar, did Garak
return to his kanar.

Quark sighed at the sight of Odo joining her, and talked to
the air.

"A damn shame. One of the most beautiful females on the
station, with hands that were simply made for oomox, prefers
to drink with the biggest stick in the mud that ever lived."

Garak sipped his kanar and glanced at the constable.

"Yes, the lovely major does seem to hold the admiration of a
multitude of races. Especially Cardassians..."

Suddenly aware of what Garak had said, Quark turned to the
tailor with a sneaky grin.

"Oh? And would that admiration extend to you, by any
chance?"

Garak could have danced with joy at how perfectly things
played out, but he kept his face calm and simply said in an
undertone, that was easily audible to the huge Ferengi ears
not two feet away:

"Oh no. I wouldn't want to go down that road again."

Sipping his kanar, he pretended not to notice how Quark
suddenly gripped the edge of the bar for support and stared
at him with a mixture of horror and excitement.

"You... you're not telling me that you... and the
major...?!"

Hitching on his best bland face, Garak swirled his kanar a
few times in his glass before answering.

"Of course not. I told you no such thing."

With that he drained his glass and left the bar, only
containing his grin with massive effort. Stage one executed
to perfection.

---

A few days later, Kira entered Ops with a fresh frown and
went to her console without returning any of the greetings
coming her way. O'Brien sent Dax a questioning look, but she
simply shook her head covertly at him in a -don't ask-
gesture. When the major went back to the turbolift, Dax
followed her and started talking as soon as the lift was in
motion.

"Are you feeling all right, Nerys?"

Kira spun around to meet the Trill's concerned eyes.

"Why is everybody asking me that today?! Everyone keeps
treating me like somebody I know died! Something really
strange is going on!"

Dax lowered her eyes and shrugged.

"Well, I suppose people just want to make sure that you're
ok... considering."

The venom dripped from Kira's words as she asked:

"Considering... what, exactly?!"

As the turbolift came to a halt, Dax wisely attempted to
escape, but it was too late. Kira cornered her and her eyes
shot lighting at her friend.

"You know something about this, Jadzia! What's going on?!"

Trying to slide past the major, Dax replied evasively:

"It's really not my place to say."

Capturing her arm in a vice like grip, Kira snarled:

"Oooooh no. It most certainly IS your place to say!"

Knowing she was caught, Jadzia motioned for Kira to leave
the turbolift with her, and went into one of the alcoves on
the promenade. Folding her arms over her chest, Kira waited
with smoldering eyes. Dax swallowed and tried to explain.

"Well.. it's just... word has been going around the station
for a while that you've just... uhm... ended a romantic
relationship."

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Gossip. I should have known. All right then. Who should I
supposedly have had a relationship with?"

A few seconds later half the promenade stopped in shock as
the major's voice made the shop windows tremor.

"WHAT???!!!!"

---

Not five minutes later, Garak saw the major stomp into his
shop, practically shooting daggers at him with her eyes, and
the one costumer browsing his wares was clever enough to
flee from the shop immediately.

"I should have known you were up to something the other day
at Quark's!"

Garak simply smiled placidly at the furie in his shop.

"Good day to you too, Major. And whatever you seem to think
I was up to I'll tell you again, like I did then, that I was
merely being friendly."

Kira looked like she was about to spontaneously self-combust
as she snarled:

"Then how would you explain that the whole station suddenly
thinks that we've had some sort of affair and have recently
broken up?!"

Letting his eyeridges rise, Garak replied calmly:

"Do they really? Well, I would suppose that Quark has been
starting rumors again. I guess it was only a matter of time
before he ran out of more interesting material."

Stepping in so close to the tailor that he could feel the
angry heat from her face, Kira hissed at him:

"Are you trying to tell me that you have nothing to do with
this?"

Rolling his eyes, Garak pushed the major gently away from
him.

"Major, whatever I might have said or done, I can assure you
I certainly did not start this rumor. So why don't you go
put your considerable charms to good use with the Ferengi,
who is no doubt the originator of this particular tale?"

Seething, Kira sent Garak a last look, that spoke volumes of
his untimely death if he was lying, before she spun on her
heel and stomped towards Quark's.

---

Doctor Bashir was busy as usual in his infirmary, when Quark
staggered in with a pained look, holding on to his left ear
as if afraid it would fall off.

"Doctor! I need help! Major Kira just tried to take my ear
off!"

Getting up from his console with a frown, Bashir placed
Quark on a bio-bed and gently pried the Ferengi's hand away
from the ear to inspect the damage.

"It doesn't look like there's any damage, Quark. And why
would Kira try to hurt you?"

Quark sent the doctor an outraged look.

"I have no idea! All right, so I might have told a few
people about her breakup with Garak, but that's hardly
reason enough to pull my lobes off!"

Busy running his tricorder over the ear, it took Bashir a
few seconds to absorb Quark's words.

"I don't see any internal damage either- hold on.... Garak?
And Major Kira?!"

The Ferengi waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and
replied:

"Old news, Doctor. Now what are you going to do about my
lobe?!"

Absently reaching for a hypospray, Bashir blinked hard,
trying to absorb this piece of information.

"I can give you a mild painkiller, but that's it. Garak and
Kira? When were they together?!"

Not wanting to answer until he got his hypo, Quark sighed
with relief as it hissed against his neck.

"No idea. But trust me, it was all over their faces a few
days ago that they just broke up. I think Garak dumped the
poor major. He was all smiles and she was crushed, poor
thing."

Bashir's voice was thick with disbelief at the Ferengi's
words.

"You can't be serious..."

Jumping off the bio-bed and straightening his jacket, Quark
gave Bashir the superior look of a man, who knows something
that others don't.

"Never more so, Doctor. Thank you for your time, but now I
really must get back to my bar."

As Quark strode out of the infirmary, Bashir sank slowly
into his chair with a shocked look on his face. Garak having
a relationship... with Major Kira?! How did he manage to
miss that? He knew that he hadn't had much time for their
lunches lately, but surely something like this couldn't
possibly have happened without him even suspecting.

Shaking his head, he tried to return to work, but his nurses
would spot him several times that day, simply sitting at his
console, staring into the air with a distant look.











---

Meanwhile, Garak was unfortunately on the receiving end of
the major's wrath and was currently pushed up against a wall
with her elbow slowly crushing his windpipe. Garak wheezed a
few times before he managed to croak:

"Major, whatever I have done, surely it doesn't merit this
kind of violence!"

Kira's eyes blazed and her dangerously low voice assured him
that resistance would only make it much much worse for the
tailor.

"You told Quark that you had been with me before and would
never do so again."

Another wheeze and a futile attempt to swallow preceded
Garak's reply:

"I really don't remember saying any such thing. Did he
happen to recall my exact words?"

Squinting at the Cardassian, she let up the pressure a
little, at the sight of the blue eyes starting to water.

"He claims you looked at me and said that you would never go
down that road again."

Garak gasped in a few more mouthfuls of precious air before
nodding.

"Ah yes, I see now where things might have taken a bad turn.
Allow me to explain myself. And perhaps you might consider
releasing me? This is certainly not my preferred way of
conducting a conversation."

Again Kira's eyes conveyed very clearly, that to her, this
was certainly not a conversation. More like an
interrogation, and she was very unwilling to grant her
suspect any more freedom. But after a few seconds, she did
move away, finally letting Garak breathe freely.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched him take a few
deep breaths, smooth his hair back and straighten his suit,
before hitching on his usual pleasant smile and directing it
at her.

"I would never try to deny that I said those words. In fact,
I commend Quark's memory for recalling them so clearly. But
apparently his sordid mind has jumped to conclusions again."

A deadly look from the major made him hurriedly continue:

"When I said those words, I was merely referring to the fact
that I once had a... liaison with a Bajoran. Sadly, the
whole thing ended very badly and I was eventually forced to
go to Constable Odo to put a stop to the unpleasant
attention I got from ending the affair."

Kira's eyes seemed to squint more and more, until only the
smallest slit of her dark eyes were visible.

"You're kidding..."

Garak's smile vanished in favour of a serious and slightly
affronted expression.

"I assure you, I never joke about love. I'm afraid that I
cannot tell you the name of the Bajoran in question, as
secrecy was part of the compromise we finally agreed upon.
But if you really don't believe me, you can go ask Constable
Odo. He can verify my every word."

Searching his face for any untruth and finding none, Kira
finally huffed angrily and resigned herself to leaving the
infuriating Cardassian behind, in favour of seeing the only
person on this station that she knew she could trust to
always tell her the truth.

Behind her back, Garak allowed himself a satisfied smirk. Oh
yes. Things were progressing nicely.

---

Quark was very busy at the bar, when Dukat sat down and
ordered a drink. Quickly getting him his order, the Ferengi
sprinted to the other end of the room, with a speed that
took even the gul by surprise. Dukat was just about to sip
his drink, when he suddenly noticed Morn looking intently at
him. In all the years both during and after the occupation,
he had never seen the Lurian fix him with a stare like that.
The slack face revealed no real emotion, but the eyes seemed
to almost... pity him!

Having just seen his daughter and found her well, (and for
once without the disgusting company of the slithering
tailor) he was in a fairly good mood and saw absolutely no
reason for a pitiful stare from the station's resident
sponge. Frowning at the alien, he drawled:

"Is something wrong?"

Morn's mouth opened as if he was about to say something, but
then he seemed to reconsider and closed it before returning
to his colorful drink. Annoyed, and very much wanting an
explanation, Dukat debated with himself whether he should
force the lump to explain himself or let the subject lie,
when he spotted the much easier target of Quark, trying to
ease himself covertly back to the bar.

Just as he tried to slip behind the counter, a grey hand
caught his left ear in a grip not unlike the one the major
had used earlier in the day, and the bartender squealed
undignified at the renewed agony of the tender area.

"Quark... these ears hear everything that goes on around
here. Don't they?"

His only answer was a squeak and a whimper, so the
Cardassian continued smoothly.

"Is there anything... anything at all... that you might want
to tell me? Something perhaps concerning me in some way?"

Seeing that Quark was about to shake his head minutely in
denial, Dukat dug his nails into the delicate skin on the
earlobe with renewed force, making half the bar turn around
at the sound of shrieking worthy of a pig taken for the
slaughter.

"Well...?"

Pointing frantically at the hand crushing his ear, Quark
indicated that the pain was impairing his ability to speak,
so Dukat let go with a final twist to the now angrily red
skin of the upper lobe. Clutching his ear for the second
time that day, Quark eased himself away from the Cardassian,
just far enough away to be out of range of the strong hands.
Dukat raised himself a little in his seat in a clearly
threatening move, that made Quark immediately spill
everything in fear for his precious lobes.

"It's just a rumor, I swear! I had nothing to do with it!
Word is that Garak and Major Kira had a fling and that he
dumped her. That's all I know, you've gotta believe me!!"

For the second time that day, liquids quivered and shop
windows shook with the force of a single word bellowed out
in unmistakable rage:

"WHAT??!!!"

A few residents were lucky to catch the blur that was the
station's bartender sprinting from his bar towards the
infirmary.

---

Doctor Bashir was jerked out of his thoughtful repose as
Quark came storming into his infirmary, clutching his ear in
a perfect imitation of his earlier visit.

"Doctor!!! Save me!!"

Following the Ferengi as he dove behind the bio-bed, Bashir
gibbered:

"Wha-? Quark?! Save you? From what?!"

Coaxing his patient up from the floor so he could inspect
the ear, Quark agreed to sit on the bio-bed as soon as he
was assured that nobody had followed him into the infirmary.

"Gul Dukat. Apparently he hadn't heard the news about Garak
and the Major, so he decided to mutilate my ear instead of
just asking me. I tell you, those two deserve each other..."

Preoccupied examining the now rather swollen ear, Bashir
commented without really concentrating on the words.

"I'm not surprised. He does tend to get rather- I'm sorry,
who deserves each other?"

Turning to the doctor with a frown, Quark replied with a
tone of voice that one would use with a rather slow child:

"The Major and Gul Dukat. They're both overly emotional and
uncontrollably violent, if you ask me. I think I'll have to
talk to Odo. I'm gonna need some protection until they get
over their little tiffs and have some sex. Trust me, doctor,
there wouldn't be half as many wars in the universe, if
other humanoids got as much oomox as we Ferengi. It's the
perfect way to relieve frustration."

Momentarily thrown by a mixture of relief that Quark wasn't
talking about Kira and Garak, and confusion from several
emotions brought on by the somewhat strange statement about
oomox for all, it took Bashir a few moments to come up with
a suitable reply.

"I... see."

Returning to the safe subject of his profession, Bashir
quickly fetched a dermal regenerator and got to work on the
bruised skin of the very sensitive part of Ferengi anatomy.

"He did crush your ear pretty badly. On top of the earlier
irritation, you've got some tears in the cartilage and the
outer skin layers, so it's going to need a bit of
treatment."

The only reply he got after that was the pitiful whimpering
of a man very concerned about the state of his damaged
manhood. When he finally convinced the terrified Ferengi to
leave the infirmary and seek out the station's security
chief, the doctor sat down heavily and considered the day.
Something really odd was going on. Nothing sufficiently
strange to warrant a call to Sisko or any of his fellow
officers, but certainly enough to demand his attention.

There was a mystery here. A mystery involving one of his
best friends, no less! And especially since that friend
happened to be his very intriguing lunch companion of
several years, did he really feel the urge to find out more. 
Bashir simply could not bring himself to believe that Garak
would ever be with Kira. She hated him with a burning
passion and he certainly disliked her as well, in his
overbearing sort of way.

But... he couldn't help thinking that Dukat and Kira had a
rather hateful relationship as well, and even without rumors
to support it, it didn't take a genius to spot the sexual
tension there. No... he simply refused to believe it. Kira
would never sleep with the one Cardassian on the station,
and Garak... well. He had to admit, there was no doubt that
the tailor was rather lonely. Would he be lonely enough to
relieve his loneliness with a Bajoran?

A stab of discomfort lanced across his gut. No, why would
he? Why would he go to a member of a race who hated him so
thoroughly, when a much more suitable candidate frequently
sat across from him at their lunch table? And that was the
whole core of his unease, wasn't it? The thought that Garak
would turn to someone else, when Bashir was more than
willing to provide whatever relief the tailor needed in his
exile.

But he had never told Garak this, so he only had himself to
blame if this rumor really was true. After a few more
minutes of deep thought, the decision was made. He would not
waste anymore time! He would go to the tailor shop right now
and tell Garak just how he felt. And with a little luck, he
would also find out if this rumor was true or not.

---

In the security office, moods were running high and Odo
paced back and forth as he explained:

"Look, Major, I'm no happier about this than you are, but
rules are rules! I can't give you the names of any of the
Bajorans who have bothered Garak in the past, unless you
suspect them of some crime. Suffice to say that there are
plenty, and that given his talent for secrecy, I doubt
you'll ever find out if he was romantically involved with
any of them!"

Staring at the gruff Changeling for a few seconds, Kira
finally sighed and let herself drop into a chair.

"So that's it then. I guess I'll just have to take Garak's
word for it."

Noticing the major's pained face at the thought of extending
any sort of trust to the tailor/spy/agent she liked least in
the quadrant, Odo tried to soothe her nerves by bringing up
another crucial point with poorly contained glee.

"Well, I am by no means convinced of Garak's innocence in
this matter, but I do know someone, who is most certainly
guilty of at least escalating the situation. If you like,
you can come with me when I arrest Quark for disturbing the
peace!"

Sitting up straighter, Kira brightened at the prospect of at
least having someone punished for this miserable business.

"You can do that?"

Odo harrumphed happily and extended the crook of his arm
gallantly to Kira.

"Oh yes. And that's just for starters. We'll see what else I
can come up with on the way to the bar."

Taking his arm with obvious joy she let Odo lead her
leisurely from his office. And just before the doors closed
behind them, she said in a low voice, heavy with
schadenfreude:

"I'm sure you'll think of something..."

---

The promenade was relatively quiet, as most people were
still on duty or spending their time in Quark's this
afternoon. The traders were hidden away in the depths of
their shops, getting their wares ready for the next turn of
the shifts, that would bring fresh customers and only a few
travellers and merchants were seen crossing the airy
walkways at a brisk pace.

But like a quiet before the storm, it was only a matter of
time before chaos erupted violently in the peaceful setting.

Odo and Kira were about to enter Quark's bar, when Dukat
stormed past them without casting one look in their
direction. Taking a quick look inside the bar, Odo was
convinced that some wrongdoing had just taken place. One of
the barstools was practically ripped from the floor and Morn
lay in a dazed heap at the end of the bar.

He was covered in shards of glass and various alcoholic
liquids, apparently knocked off the shelves above him in a
scuffle of some kind. The unusual thing here was not Morn
getting into a bit of a fight. No, the unusual thing was
seeing Morn with a huge black eye and several cuts and
bruises across his muddy face. Whoever did this had
certainly taken the poor Lurian badly by surprise.

Several other costumers looked rather terrified and the
dabo-tables were not spinning. Everything Odo saw made him
more and more concerned, and he was about to step inside and
find out more, when very loud noises from another
establishment suddenly called his attention back to the
promenade. Seeing that a few of the dabo-girls were more
than happy to help Morn to the infirmary, Odo turned his
back to the bar and went to investigate further, with the
major in close pursuit.

Hardly two steps away from the bar, Odo was almost knocked
over when a terrified Ferengi bumped into him, only to grab
him about the waist and attempt to hide behind him.

"ODO!! HELP! I demand protection! People can't just assault
me like that whenever they feel like it!"

With a harrumph of disgust, Odo promptly shapeshifted out of
Quark's grip, making him stumble backwards into the major.
Kira pushed him roughly away from her, perfectly ready to
enjoy watching the constable drag him back to a holding
cell, when more noise distracted them.

Taking a firm hold Quark's upper arm, Odo dragged his
squirming catch with him towards the clothing shop, that was
apparently the source of the noise, while calling for more
security.

When Odo, Kira and a very unwilling Quark entered the shop,
they only barely managed to get out of the way of one of
Garak's mannequins, as it came flying towards them. It
soared through the open doors and landed on the promenade
outside with a loud metallic 'clang'.

From somewhere further inside the shop, there were sounds
of more things being thrown and a strange combination of
laughter and animalistic roars.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARDLY VOLE!!!"

Dukat's voice was muffled by a large pile of fabrics he had
apparently been tangled in, in his attempt to get his hands
on the tailor. Garak himself came skipping towards his three
newest visitors, with a grin of someone playing tag, rather
than someone about to be killed by his mortal enemy, who was
currently clawing his way through the expensive wares he was
trapped in.

"Constable! How perfectly timely your arrival is! I'm afraid
Gul Dukat is under the impression that I wronged him
somehow, and I must say that I'm beginning to fear for my
safety!"

Before Odo could say anything, Dukat came storming at the
tailor, his face a grimace of rage and his hands already
making strangling movements from several feet away. Garak
stepped aside smoothly and Dukat, unable to stop his own
momentum, smacked into poor Quark with the mesh pattern of
his chest plate first. The Ferengi promptly collapsed with a
sad little sound when the metal made contact with his
forehead, efficiently stopping the Cardassian's progress.

Just then, Bashir stepped into the shop, his eyes widening
in horror at the scene before him.

"What the hell is going on in here??!"

Just then, Odo managed to catch Dukat and shapeshifted so he
locked himself around the upper arms of the gul, while
attaching himself to a loop in the bulkhead behind them. He
slowly managed to pull the incensed Dukat back to the wall
and away from Garak, who had only narrowly escaped the
enraged attack directed at him.

Kira had flattened herself on the other side of the entrance
to avoid being mowed down by Dukat, and bent down to check
on Quark while the doctor remained frozen in the doorway at
the sight of the battlefield in front of him. His eyes took
in the breathless tailor, the raging Dukat caught in Odo's
golden tendrils, Kira checking Quark's head and finally the
interior of the shop reduced to a mess of rags and broken
furniture.

Dukat seemed to finally regain his powers of speech after a
while of struggling in Odo's grip and snarled:

"Let me go! I'm going kill him this time! By my life's
blood, I will KILL HIM!"

Merely becoming more convinced that keeping Dukat immobile
was a very good idea, Odo asked sharply:

"Why? What has he done to you?"

The Cardassian strained against his bonds again, sputtering
and hissing.

"This filthy animal has gone too far! First he seduces my
daughter with all his toxic lies, and now he's had his hands
on MY NERYS!"

The yell following this statement was enough to catch
everybody's attention, even the fuming Dukat.

"EXCUSE ME?!"

In an instant Kira was nose to nose with Dukat and her wild
eyes left no doubt that she was very deadly.

"I am not 'YOUR' ANYTHING, DUKAT! I have never been yours in
any possible way, and I assure you, I never will be!"

Dukat blinked at the force of the words flung at him and
suddenly he felt Odo squeezing him a fair bit harder than he
would like. Seeing that odds were suddenly against him, he
immediately relaxed his pose and appealed to the stunned
doctor:

"Doctor Bashir, would you be so good as to take poor Quark
to the infirmary? I'm afraid I accidentally knocked him
out."

Sadly, even Bashir had now had enough. He was by no means
willing to aid Dukat in deflating the situation he created
himself in the first place and replied in a cold voice:

"Pardon me if I don't think I need you to tell me how to do
my job."

With that, he bent down and proceeded to examine Quark with
the tricorder he always had on him.

The security force Odo had called for earlier finally
arrived, and they stormed into the shop with their phasers
ready, only to come to a dead stop at the sight that greeted
them. Odo untangled himself from the bulkhead, without
letting go of Dukat and while Kira was busy sending him
deadly looks, he addressed the doctor himself:

"When you're done treating Quark, have him escorted to my
office. I have a few things I need to discuss with him."

Closing his tricorder with a snap, Bashir replied smoothly:

"Of course, constable. He's not in any danger. I think he
simply fainted from shock."

He then addressed a few of the deputies still standing
immobile in the doorway, apparently unable to decide what to
shoot at or who to arrest.

"Could you two take Quark to the infirmary? One of the
nurses can take care of him. I'll be along shortly. I have a
few things to take care of here first."

Casting nervous glances at Odo who nodded at them, they
hurriedly picked up the Ferengi and practically ran towards
the infirmary. The remaining two deputies each took hold of
one of Dukat's arms and allowed Odo to resume his form, with
Kira still promising murder with her eyes.

Turning to Garak, who had been silent during the whole
exchange, Odo sent the tailor his best menacing glare and
warned in his gruffest voice:

"I'll be back later to have a little chat, Garak. Don't go
anywhere."

Treating the constable to his best genial smile, Garak
answered pleasantly:

"Of course, Constable. You know that you're always welcome
in my humble establishment."

With a final harrumph, Odo gestured to his deputies to take
Dukat away and strategically placed himself between the
fuming Kira and the uncomfortable gul. Dukat took the
opportunity of sending Garak a few last venomous glances
before the doors slid closed behind them, leaving the tailor
and the doctor alone in the suddenly deadly quiet shop.

Garak turned to the young man, puzzled at his remaining
behind.

"Can I help you, Doctor?"

Bashir blinked a little surprised, and met the tailor's
questioning eyes.

"I... I just wanted to ask you something."

The older man quirked an eyeridge and simply said:

"Oh?"

Swallowing a few times, Bashir stepped a few steps closer to
Garak and finally said:

"I just wanted to ask you... is it true? About you and
Kira?"

Garak cocked his head in surprise and fixed the doctor with
an amused look.

"Why, Doctor. What could it possibly matter to you?"

Swallowing again, the doctor let his eyes drift to the floor
and gathered his courage.

"Well... I just wanted you to know... you don't have to."

The tailor frowned and asked:

"I don't have to.... what exactly, Doctor?"

Suddenly the young man was very close indeed and the brown
eyes met blue again with renewed courage.

"If you ever get too lonely... you don't have to go
elsewhere for... intimacy. Come to me."

With that, he slowly pulled away from the now rather
breathless Cardassian and made his way back to the
infirmary.

Garak was frozen to the spot for a few minutes before he
felt like his brain was functioning properly again. Then
slowly, ever so slowly, a broad smile appeared and he
chuckled to himself as he went about cleaning up his shop.
Oh, he would have to thank Dukat the next time they spoke.
What a difference a few well selected words could do in the
ears of the right people.

---

The End