+Title: Sinless : A Garak and Bashir Mystery
Author: JA Ingram (cjjingram@peoplepc.com )
Rating: NC-17
Codes: DS9 G/B AU Series
Part 
Disclaimer: <shakes head> I hate these goddamned things. Figure it out 
for yourself. Anyway, Paramount contributed a little to the story, but 
not much.

Summary: Sequel to The Cheap Date, the first Garak and Bashir mystery 
(please see the revised version), and yes, nookie happens. Political 
intrigue, murder, mystery, and a twist, oh my! Consider this pretty 
much AU. There is a definite basis in canon throughout this story, but 
consider it sliding into AU and every other story in the Mystery series 
after Sinless will only use actual canon as a touchstone. I'm setting 
this during Season Five, before they started fucking it all up. After 
this, it's all me and my twisted brain. 

Author's Notes: Charlene Vickers helped me keep my eye on the prize and 
really deserves a co-author credit for everything she has done to help 
me with this story. She stayed up for almost 24 hours to help me hammer 
out the plot of the mystery, she came up with most of the characters 
names, and she betaed this story for me-let's just say, if it turns out 
to be a good read, it is mostly because of her doing. I just provided 
the voice and the key strokes. First and foremost, this is dedicated to 
Charlene Vickers, my psychically conjoined twin (I can't gush enough 
about her, honestly), for Mark Stanley, my sweet baby brother who 
wanted more (Honey, you got more. You owe me--big time.), and lastly, 
to Sophie Masse, also known as BGM, who will always be my sister in 
slash--I don't know where you are, but if you find this, I know you'll 
enjoy it.




Chapter One: The Vedek's Dilemma



The clicking of the knitting needles soothed Garak as he watched the 
sweater he was creating for his lover come into being. The silky soft 
Bajoran cotton slipped though his fingers; he cleared his mind of every 
thought, concentrating only on the stitches and bindings, and combining 
the deep bronze yarn with the lighter gold in a simple yet elegant 
pattern. He wore a pair of spectacles over his eyes as he stared 
intently at his work, his long, nimble fingers weaving the patterns and 
working with the plain metal tools in his hands. The shop had been 
fairly empty that day thanks to the lull that followed the annual 
festival season. Business wouldn't pick up again until the harvest 
began on the main continent next month, bringing farmers and tradesmen 
eager to sell the fruits of their labors and spend the proceeds. Fresh 
produce was always in demand for those who were tired of eating 
replicated foods, and several restaurants aboard Deep Space Nine 
specialized in its preparation. 

The few customers who had stopped by stared curiously at the older 
Cardassian, amused to see him seated in a comfortable chair at the 
counter knitting his sweater with the spectacles perched on his nose. 
Some snickered, some stared, and a few of the station's inhabitants 
merely shrugged and chalked it up to Garak's eccentric ways. Even 
Julian Bashir, his lover of only a few weeks, looked at him oddly. 
Garak was so intent on the motion of his hands he didn't notice him 
approach until the other man was practically standing over him.

"If your eyes are hurting you, I could take you to the infirmary to 
have them checked," Julian said looking highly amused.

"What? Oh! Hello, Julian," Garak said with a wide smile, tilting his 
head up for a quick kiss. "No, that's all right, I only use them 
occasionally. The Retinax V solution makes me nauseous and I only have 
a slight astigmatism. For a Cardassian my age, I happen to be very fit, 
as well you should know," he winked flirtatiously then finished the 
last stitch and arose from the chair, stretching his sore back. "Is it 
lunch time already?"

"Not quite. In fact, I came by to tell you I won't have time for lunch 
today. The captain wants me to go down to Bajor with him, and I figured 
I'd stop by and give you the bad news personally," he said, picking at 
the knitwork curiously. "What is this?"

"It's a sweater," Garak said, removing the spectacles and gesturing 
toward him, "for you. I thought you might like it just to lounge in on 
your off hours." He rubbed his knuckles. "I'm a little out of practice, 
but it's coming along nicely, I think."

"You knit?" Julian asked dubiously.

"Yes: why? Haven't you ever seen anyone knit before?"

"My mother and my aunts," Julian said, leaning on the counter. "It's 
not something you'd expect out of a former spy, though. It's something 
you'd expect old ladies to do in their spare time. I always imagined 
you'd be more interested in chess or some other game of strategy for 
relaxation, not knitting and purling the day away."

"Then you obviously don't know a lot about this kind of yarn work." 
Garak arched one eye-ridge in a gesture of superiority. "It keeps the 
hands limber and it's very relaxing, almost meditative. Several of the 
greatest warriors, assassins, and sportsmen in history knitted, 
including many a battle-scarred Klingon, believe it or not." Garak 
shrugged. "Not that I aspire to be a Klingon, but I don't often get the 
chance to work with yarn and, unlike your holonovels and strategy 
games, when I'm done, not only are my hands exercised and my mind 
clear, but I actually have something tangible to show for my labors." 
He held the half finished sweater against his amused lover and smiled. 
"That looks like it's going to be a nice fit, don't you think?"

Julian chuckled and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You are 
something else, Elim Garak. Most people would be cursing my parentage 
for skipping out on them for the third time this week and here you are 
knitting me a sweater." He pulled Garak close and laid a sweet kiss on 
his lips. "I'm a lucky man to have you."

Garak felt his body lighten and his senses tingle at the intimate 
gesture. "You have me, then?" he asked coyly.

"Twice last night and I believe you managed to catch me once too, or 
have you forgotten," Julian growled softly in his ear and Garak flushed 
warmly. "I wish I weren't so busy today or I'd play hooky and remind 
you."

Garak nuzzled Julian's cheek and asked, "Are you coming over later 
then?"

"Hopefully." He stepped back and smiled broadly. "I really should start 
leaving a few more things at your place. This getting up in the middle 
of the night and going back to my quarters is getting old."

"Maybe...we could change our routine, then?" Garak ventured. "Perhaps 
we should rethink our arrangement a little?"

"That's a great idea," Julian said, settling a warm hand behind Garak's 
neck and threading his long fingers through the Cardassian's silky 
black hair. "Why don't you start meeting me in my quarters instead. 
Your shop doesn't open until after my shift starts so you'd have more 
than enough time to go home and change."

"That...sounds good," Garak said, more than a little disappointed that 
Julian didn't get the hint.

Julian kissed the tailor one last time and gave him a quick pat on the 
behind. "Thank you for the sweater, sweetheart." He grinned, "Look at 
you! Only three weeks together and we're already practically settled. 
See you tonight!"

Garak stared after him as he rushed away toward the infirmary, the 
doctor still blissfully unaware of the effect his words had left 
behind. "Settled." The word left a bitter taste in his mouth. He picked 
up his knitting and sat back down, "Only old women knit, eh? You're 
getting to be an old fool, Garak," he muttered. Julian was more right 
than he knew. After they had captured Colonel Ranol, the Bajoran 
extremist and drug lord responsible for infesting DS9 with a narcotic 
known as Orange D, Julian Bashir had taken Garak to the infirmary, 
fixed his bruises and cuts, and then proceeded to take Garak to his 
quarters where they had made mad, passionate love for the first time. 
Since then, they had spent nearly every evening in Garak's quarters 
where they began the night with a simple meal followed by lovemaking, 
after which Julian would take a quick shower and go home. 

At first, the arrangement had worked well for Garak. It had started out 
as a - what was the term Julian had used - quick roll in the hay, but 
then Garak's age and nesting instinct had taken over and he had grown 
used to the doctor's presence in his quarters. There was probably some 
deep-seated psychological reason for it, Cardassian nature combining 
with a lack of childhood nurturing he supposed. He picked up his 
knitting and began to soothe himself with the click-clack of the 
needles again. As a child he had been hidden away, never afforded the 
love or comforting touch of a parent. As an adult, he learned the first 
time one of his lovers was killed for just knowing him that having a 
private life was a detriment to an agent. 

He'd grown used to the solitude of his life in exile in as much as any 
Cardassian could, using the wire the Order had implanted to release a 
constant stream of endorphins until it had malfunctioned. After Julian 
had removed it and saved his life a few years back, he decided he 
needed to create a community around him in order to combat the 
loneliness that almost destroyed him. Survival instinct won out. 
Slowly, he had reached out to the denizens of the station and the 
Federation personnel, which led to him building up a fairly successful 
business. Despite Garak's best efforts though, he had never truly felt 
like one of them. He felt he would always be an observer, living among 
them but not a part of them. Garak never forgot he was a man without a 
homeworld, but just when he had begun to accept that, Julian had worked 
his way into Garak's life and into his heart. Now, much to his chagrin, 
he was very much in love with the human doctor who was almost twenty 
years his junior. Well and truly trapped. Tain would be amused.

It had started with the light touches Julian rewarded him with 
throughout the day, the soft kisses and thoughtless caresses which told 
more of his affection toward Garak than mere words ever could. Those 
brief moments of physical contact had become addictive, and every night 
the tailor schemed to make his beloved Julian stay just a little 
longer. He'd finally started sleeping over the whole night on his 
weekends off, bringing some toiletries and allowing Garak to provide 
him with a change of clothes and space in his wardrobe for his things. 
There were two toothbrushes on the sink, and there were always Medical 
Journal PADDs sitting on the counter near the toilet for Julian to 
peruse as he slowly began the process of waking up and facing the day.

For Garak, their relationship had been building for five years, finally 
culminating into intimacy in the last three weeks. This was the 
reasoning of a 50-year-old Cardassian starved for companionship, 
however. It was painfully obvious even to Garak that although Julian 
Bashir cared for him deeply, the 31-year-old doctor wasn't as eager to 
move their relationship to the next level. For Julian, their 
relationship began the night he laid Garak on soft white sheets and 
made eager, passionate love to him in the way all young men did, filled 
with promise and abandon. As intimate as his behavior seemed, Dr. 
Bashir was still a bachelor and Garak merely a lover among many. Their 
relationship was currently monogamous and probably would remain so 
until the sex lost its bloom, but the Cardassian desperately wanted 
more these days. More than he suspected Julian Bashir had to offer.

"You're an idiot, Garak," he fussed aloud as he counted his stitches. 
"Chasing after a man almost half your age then expecting him to be 
happy settling down with you when he's got a universe of fresh young 
things vying for his attentions." He made a disgusted sound in his 
throat. "Be happy with what you've got, give him his damned sweater, 
and don't forget to bring a change of underwear when you go sneaking 
into his room tonight. Oh, and don't forget to thank him before you go 
shuffling back to your room to fiddle with your knitting and jigsaw 
puzzles. The life of a former spy! Might as well call myself an old 
spinster and acquire a cat." He paused. "I wonder where I'd go about 
getting a permit for one? Oh well, with my luck, it'd mate with a vole 
and cause some kind of station-wide disaster. Be worse than a bunch of 
tribbles and cause a planet-wide run on kitty litter or something."

"And what exactly is a cat?"

Garak's head snapped up and he looked into the amused eyes of an older 
woman dressed in the robes of a Bajoran Vedek. 

"Is that one of those domesticated Terran animals that goes about 
urinating on trees and eating skeletal remains?"

"No madam, I believe that's called a pog or duppy or something." He 
really was losing his touch, he thought. This is the second time in 
less than ten minutes he'd been snuck up on. "A cat is a small furry 
parasite that claws furniture and tends to bond with older humans. 
Several of the Starfleet people seem fond of them, but personally I 
prefer a nice wompat. They don't shed as much from what I understand." 
He looked at her curiously. As a rule, Vedeks rarely ventured into his 
shop. A few Bajorans shopped with him regularly, used to his presence 
and viewing him as a non-threat. He didn't recognize this woman, 
however. "Did you need my help with something, madam?"

"You're Mr. Garak, aren't you?" She asked, approaching him with a 
curious smile, "Of course you are, how silly of me. You're the only 
Cardassian on Deep Space Nine, correct?"

"As far as I know." Garak put his knitting aside and stood up. "I don't 
normally receive clergy in my shop. Do you need me to make you some 
ceremonial robes or perhaps you're looking for a gift for someone?"

"Actually, I am looking for something." The Vedek looked at his chair. 
"May I sit? It's been a busy morning for me."

"Of course." Garak moved out of the way and allowed her to sit in his 
chair. She picked up his knitting and examined it carefully.

"This is very fine work, Mr. Garak," she said admiringly. "I used to do 
this sort of thing, but my joints get so sore these days, I'm afraid my 
hands can't manipulate the needles anymore."

"Thank you." Garak bowed slightly in acknowledgment of the woman's 
praise. "It's the damp," he said, making small talk, allowing her the 
time to get to the point of her visit. "As my age catches up to me, I 
find my own joints creaking now and again. The knitting keeps me well 
oiled," he joked.

"For your grandson?" she asked.

Garak winced. "My...friend."

"Ah, you are a blessed man indeed then," she said, folding the knitwork 
carefully. "I have a friend who told me about you, in fact. She works 
with orphans on Bajor-- Jomat Luscon?"

"I remember Ms. Jomat," Garak said carefully. The conversation was 
beginning to go in a rather unexpected direction, and Garak began to 
eye the older woman with renewed interest. "Forgive me, I seem to have 
forgotten your name."

"That's because I neglected to give it," the Vedek said, suddenly quite 
serious. "My name is Merel Atina, First Vedek of the Capital Temple." 
She gestured to the door of his shop. "If you would be so kind as to 
lock the door, I have a proposal I would like to discuss with you. I'll 
be happy to recompense you for any lost business, Mr. Garak, so you 
have nothing to lose but time."

"When you grow to be our age, Vedek Merel, time becomes a very precious 
commodity. However," he said as he reached over and pressed the panel 
which closed the door to his shop and turned to face his companion, 
"the day is going quite slow and my lunch companion has abandoned me. 
Perhaps after our talk you would care to join me at the replimat." 

"You don't think a Bajoran Vedek and a Cardassian tailor eating 
together would seem odd, Mr. Garak?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered. "I imagine it's about as odd as a Bajoran 
Vedek considering blackmail."

"I'm not here to blackmail you, Mr. Garak," Merel said. "Would you 
please sit with me?"

Garak nodded and walked over to the fitting rooms, taking a stack of 
hat boxes off the plush chair against the wall and dragging it over to 
the counter. "I'm afraid I haven't any tea or anything in the shop. I 
dislike having food and drink around the material."

"I'm fine." She patted the chair. "Please?"

He sat and waited quietly. He had a feeling that, as Julian would say, 
the other shoe was about to drop.

"I understand your reaction, but I don't believe anything Luscon shared 
with me could damage your position on this station." She nodded her 
head as his spine stiffened. "I know about your connection with her, 
but I won't repeat the information to anyone - which is why Luscon took 
me into her confidence to begin with. In truth, if you told the 
Emissary what really happened..."

"Madam, I appreciate your discretion and faith in Captain Sisko, but I 
assure you: even if I cared to tell anyone what happened all those 
years ago, they wouldn't believe me. Besides, while I do not regret 
making the choices I did, that was what in part led to my current 
situation and exile. I am still a traitor to my government; what the 
reasoning was behind that betrayal matters very little."

"It matters, Mr. Garak." She reached out and patted his hand, which 
again surprised him. "It mattered a great deal to Luscon, which is one 
of the reasons I know I can trust you."

"Trusting me," Garak said grimly, "would signal that you are here out 
of desperation. I'm curious of what has you so desperate as to come to 
me, despite the praises of a former terrorist cell leader turned social 
worker." 

"I'm aware of how you captured Ranol a few weeks ago and I know you 
have contacts within shadier parts of the Bajoran community," she said 
bluntly. "My grand-niece is missing...and I have been advised that she 
may be dead. I want you to find her, and if my informant is correct, 
her killer as well."

"This sounds more like something you'd bring to the police, not a 
tailor - despite what he may or may not have been in the past," Garak 
pointed out.

"I can't." Merel looked him in the eye. "I will be frank, Mr. Garak. My 
grand-niece is, or was, a prostitute. I've never met her. My sister and 
I were separated during the war and I didn't even know she'd survived. 
I recently received information that her granddaughter, Kel Sinles, was 
murdered by a high ranking political official because she was 
blackmailing him. If I report this to the authorities it will ruin my 
career and the lives of many other people. The social programs I am 
trying to establish will be jeopardized and the Temple officials will 
be faced with a public backlash if it comes out that I, the First Vedek 
of the Capital Temple, abandoned my only surviving relative to a life 
of prostitution. Never mind that I didn't know she existed; the 
conservative party will say I should have at least looked for her...and 
they'd be right." She sighed, running a hand over her forehead wearily. 
"I'm not worried about my reputation, Mr. Garak. If Sinles is out 
there, dead or alive, she is my family and I want to do right by her, 
no matter what the consequences. If she's dead, I want to bring her 
killer to light, but I also want to be absolutely certain of his guilt 
before I accuse him. I need undeniable proof that he did it."

"Who is 'he'?" Garak asked, his attention entirely focused on the 
woman's story.

"According to my informant: First Minister Shakaar."

Garak sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. "I see."

Merel chuckled grimly. "I imagined you would."

"Who gave you the information?" Garak asked. 

"Anonymous tip," she said shaking her head. "I know, I thought it was a 
hoax at first, but they sent me this."

Garak took the data PADD from her and turned it on. There was a picture 
of a pretty young blonde Bajoran woman dressed in very stylish 
clothing, staring off to the side. He clicked the PADD again and the 
picture zoomed out. She was standing near a dais where two men appeared 
to be having a political debate. One was First Minister Shakaar and the 
other was the conservative political leader of the Bajor First Party, 
Krath Milnar. She seemed focused on Shakaar, her mouth soft and her 
large brown eyes filled with some tender emotion as she watched him 
make his speech. "She looks like you, only blonde," Garak noted.

"Her grandmother was my twin sister," Merel said sadly. "She must get 
her hair from her father or grandfather. Like I said, I didn't know 
Linnet had survived, much less married and had a family. I suppose she 
thought the same of me."

"Sinles," Garak said to himself, "what did you get yourself into, young 
lady?" He activated another program in the PADD and read the note 
detailing the information Merel had already given him. "Vedek-"

"Call me Atina, please," she interrupted. "After all, you know more 
about me than even my closest friends at this point."

"Well, I could say the same of you for me," Garak returned dryly. 
"Atina, I'm not a detective. I haven't the qualifications for this kind 
of work."

"Come now, Mr. Garak," Atina scoffed. "You have more qualifications 
than most, and you certainly have the ability to get what I need from 
you. Luscon said you were a friend once upon a time and I trust her. 
Therefore, I trust you. Help me: I'm begging you."

"Ms. Jomat and I weren't exactly friends," Garak corrected her, unmoved 
by her words. "And no matter what you heard, a Vedek of your age and 
experience, no matter what forgiveness your Prophets teach you to feel 
toward their enemies, wouldn't trust a Cardassian merely on the say-so 
of an acquaintance. Why me?"

"Because, as you said, you are a Cardassian in exile," Atina said 
coolly. "If you betray me, the word of a Cardassian will not be 
believed by any Bajoran no matter what their political leanings are. 
Also, when I said I know everything about you, Mr. Garak, I wasn't 
kidding. I was Bajoran Resistance; Intelligence and Recon. You and I 
probably crossed paths a few times. Luckily, you never noticed. I 
understand you were very good at your job until you met...well, that's 
your personal business. I know you live quietly here and I also know 
about your relationship with the human doctor."

"We haven't exactly been discreet," he acknowledged with a slight nod. 
"As for the rest, I will take your word for it."

"He doesn't know, does he?" she asked curiously.

"No," Garak said simply. "He doesn't need to."

"Why not? I mean, if I may ask?" Her aged eyes searched his face. 

"He's a good man, and yes, it would probably be something he could 
accept, but I need to keep my secrets. As you said, I am still a 
Cardassian, and always will be, exiled or not." Garak paused, "You said 
you were in Intelligence?"

"Yes. I served as a cell coordinator for more than thirty years."

"Impressive," he replied. "Especially since neither I nor Enabran Tain 
ever caught up with you."

"Oh, he did." Merel Atina's eyes darkened. "I was questioned by some of 
his lower level interrogators, like any other random Bajoran, but since 
I was young and strong, they released me so I could work the fields and 
mines. I wasn't clergy then, just a girl with a strong back and not 
pretty enough to join a Gul's harem or refined enough to serve as a 
Military wife's maid. It kept me alive with the minimum of scarring and 
my sanity intact."
 
"It was a war," Garak said, not unkindly. "I, myself, was an 
interrogator, Tain's best. I didn't often deal with Bajorans, although 
I did from time to time. Saying it was under orders doesn't erase what 
I did, nor does it justify anything, I just did my job and I survived. 
As you are doubtlessly aware, my exposure of Dukat's father isn't quite 
what led to my exile, but it is what fueled it. That said, I know the 
risks one takes when they only do what they believe is right and 
patriotic. I know that had I buried the evidence against the elder 
Dukat, I would probably now be on Cardassia as head of the Obsidian 
Order and not a mere tailor dallying with a Starfleet doctor and sewing 
clothes for tourists and Dabo girls. Simply put, I know you could 
follow this chain of evidence yourself. You have the skills to do so, 
so why come to me, then? Is it because you're afraid of sharing my fate 
or because you're afraid of the answers? If that's the case then even 
if I do tell you what happened to this girl, it won't make any 
difference. All I'll do is give you something else to lose sleep over." 

"You do have a point, Mr. Garak," she said after a long pause. 
"However, I'm not afraid of being exiled; I would be ostracized, 
perhaps. I might lose my political connections and clout and a lot of 
people would be happy to see me fall on my face. I may even be killed, 
but I have faith in the Prophets so I don't fear retaliation. I think 
what I fear the most is myself and what I would feel as I delved into 
Sinles's life. I'm afraid that if I tried to follow this case through 
myself, I'd stop before I reached my goal merely because I don't want 
any of this to me true. I failed, Mr. Garak. I failed my mother by not 
keeping my promise to always stay with my sister. I failed my sister by 
not looking for her. I failed this girl who I never knew, because I was 
so driven by my need to help others that I never thought of helping my 
own family. Basically, I need someone whose heart and life isn't 
invested in this story, just in the solving of the riddle." 

He allowed himself to absorb what she had told him before coming to his 
decision. "In that case," Garak stood up and offered her his hand. "I 
will accept your proposal, madam."

She looked relieved, almost to the point of tears, but she held herself 
together and looked him in the eye, "And your payment?" Merel took his 
hand and rose to her feet. "Despite my elevated status I'm still merely 
a member of the clergy, but I may be able to compensate you in another 
way. I have some political clout, for now at least. I may be able to 
find you a home on Bajor. It would take some doing, but you could live 
safely albeit simply. My order could give you sanctuary."

"I have made a home here," Garak replied, declining. "For now, given 
Gul Dukat's own exile, he can't reach me and I also have...other 
reasons for staying." He patted the knitwork. "I'd prefer to merely do 
this as a favor to you - with the knowledge that should I need it 
returned, my service to you will not be forgotten."

"I trust my Ranjen implicitly. Owin Grea is my chosen successor and 
should I go to the Prophets before you have had your debt repaid, he 
will honor it. If you need anything, you can talk to either of us 
freely." She headed to the door and turned to Garak again. "If you need 
access to any documents, we will provide you with whatever you need."

"Any documents relating to this, my dear madam, would be beyond even 
your reach. No, I think my own skills shall be sufficient." He touched 
the panel and the door opened. 

"I regret I cannot join you for lunch," she said with a slight smile. 
"When your work is done, however, I would be happy to be stared at in 
your Replimat by whomever passes by. In fact, should this turn out for 
the worse, I may ask you for a job. I used to sew all my own clothes 
before I entered the service of the Temple."

"I doubt it will come to that, but should that happen I think I could 
find you work. Good day." He smiled confidently and watched her make 
her way through the crowd, occasionally stopping to bless a passing 
Bajoran who bowed his head to her. 

This had become quite an interesting morning after all. Julian would be 
sorry he missed it.


Chapter 2: Medical Intervention

"Garak."

"Oh. Hello, Constable," Garak said in greeting as he entered the 
turbolift holding his yarn bag.

"I was just coming to see you," the Constable glowered at him. It was 
his usual expression, at least the one he used whenever he was in 
Garak's presence.

"Isn't it fortunate that we bumped into one another then?" Garak said 
brightly. "Habitat Level H-3," he ordered the lift.

"Why aren't you in your shop?" Odo asked, his arms crossed in a sign of 
annoyance.

"Why aren't you in your office?" 

"You disabled my monitoring equipment," Odo glared at him.

"I did that a full week ago, you didn't come to me then, why are you so 
concerned about it now?" Garak replied as he walked out of the lift and 
headed toward his quarters at a comfortable pace.

"Because a week ago you didn't have an influential Vedek enter your 
shop and stay behind closed doors for nearly half an hour!" Odo shot 
back as he followed after the Cardassian.

"You know the clergy," Garak said, waving him off with a flighty 
gesture, "She asked that I close the doors while she had her fitting. 
Didn't want anyone seeing what was under the robe, I suppose."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care." 

"What were you two talking about?" Odo asked suspiciously.

"She was taking my confession," Garak folded his hands in a pious 
gesture and looked toward the ceiling. "I've converted. I'm thinking 
about designing my own earring, something with some dangle to show off 
my swan-like neck. As soon as I get to the jeweler to have my ear sized 
I'm planning a religious retreat to celebrate! I've already offered to 
sell cookies to raise money for my Temple group. Care for a box of Thin 
Mints, Constable?"

"I am not amused," Odo replied cooly.

"You so very rarely are," Garak retorted.

"Why have you closed shop for the day?" The shapeshifter moved to stand 
in front of Garak, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

Garak sighed, "Business was slow so I decided to go to my quarters and 
take the rest of the day off."

"Dr. Bashir isn't on the station," Odo said looking at Garak as if he'd 
caught him dead in a lie.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" The Cardassian asked in 
confusion.

"Lately, he's the only reason you've had to head back to your quarters 
early," Odo said meaningfully.

"Apparently you still have some surveillance equipment still working," 
Garak muttered. "It's very rude to eavesdrop, you know."

"I like to keep my eyes on you Garak, for obvious reasons."

"Oh, I see," Garak made a show of dropping his voice and looking at the 
constable with a coy smile. "My dear Odo, while I appreciate your 
feelings, as you pointed out, the doctor and I are in something of a 
relationship. Besides," he added with a wink, "I thought you had a 
thing for the major?"

Odo never even blinked, "What are you up to, Garak?"

"Chamber 900," he said looking at the door beside Odo's head. "I'm 
headed to Chamber 901 which is down the hall, so if you don't mind?"

"I'm watching you, Garak," Odo called after him.

"And believe you me, I feel so much the safer for it, my dear 
Constable," Garak waved over his head and disappeared into his 
quarters.

--ooOoo-

After replicating a quick lunch and a large pot of tea, Garak sat at 
his terminal and began to hack into the records of the Provisional 
Government. He went through every file, every scrap of information, and 
every press clipping he could find about First Minister Shakaar, but 
there was of course, no mention of Kel Sinles. He spent hours and hours 
glued to the screen, not looking up until the door to his quarters 
chirped. He got up and stretched, then walked over to the door and 
touched the panel. "Oh Julian, you're back already?"

"Already? You were supposed to meet me an hour ago," the doctor said in 
an aggravated tone. He strode into the room and looked around. "I ran 
into Morn and he said you closed the shop early today. What have you 
been doing?"

"I've been working on a project," Garak answered simply and sat back 
behind his desk to continue staring at the screen.

"How many sweaters are you making me?" Julian asked with his hands on 
his hips.

"Sweaters? No, this is something else entirely," Garak didn't even 
glance up, he just continued to scroll though the information, his 
entire attention focused on the screen.

"What kind of project? Garak, what are you looking at?" Julian walked 
over to the desk and peered at the screen.

"It's rude to read over someone's shoulder," Garak paused and looked 
toward the ceiling, "Great Gods, maybe I am getting old. It's the 
second time today I've felt the need to correct the manners of a grown 
man."

"Garak," Julian said, stepping away from the monitor slowly as if it 
were a bomb on its way to the last tick, "those are confidential files 
you're accessing."

"I'm aware of that," Garak said absently as he clicked to another 
document. "After all, I did go through all the trouble of retrieving 
them myself."

"Those are personal, confidential *BAJORAN* files! Shakaar's name is 
all over them!" Julian was practically shouting by the end.

"Do keep your voice down, dear man. I do have neighbors, you know." The 
tailor's eyes were squinted and he rubbed his temples. "Maybe I should 
try the Retinax solution after all. Have you any formulas that don't 
have such stomach churning side effects handy?"

"Let me see?" Julian patted his pockets in exaggerated confusion and 
said, "No. No, I don't seem to have any handy, unless of course they're 
JAMMED UP MY ARSE!"

"I did mention the neighbors, didn't I?" Garak asked without looking 
up, "Oh and, if you wouldn't mind, on your way to replicate some or 
however you plan on fetching it, would you mind replicating us a bite? 
I'm feeling a bit peckish."

Julian was practically vibrating with rage as he silently leaned 
against the monitor and turned to stare hard into Garak's eyes.

"Frowning like that causes lines around the mouth, you know," Garak 
said, unmoved.

"Tell me now why you are hacking into Bajoran Government files or so 
help me, I will call Odo, lover or not," Julian said coldly.

"Did you have a bad day, my dear?" Garak blinked, feeling a bit hurt. 
"Really, there's no need to be so callous." He watched as the doctor 
closed his eyes and silently seemed to count to a slow ten, then 
apparently thought about what he was going to say and decided a ten 
count wasn't long enough. As Julian struggled with controlling his 
anger, Garak turned off the monitor and picked up his knit work and 
began to fill the silence with the steady click-clack of the needles.

"What do you think you are doing?" Julian asked through gritted teeth, 
drawing out each word slowly.

"One of the sleeves," Garak replied, holding it out for him to see.

"Damn the sweater, man! What the hell are you up to?!?" Julian growled 
and slammed his hand on the desk.

"Oh, you mean the intelligence gathering?" He sighed and continued his 
work, "Business is slow so I decided to diversify. It's not exactly for 
profit, mind you, but there could be some sort of benefit down the 
line."

"Diversify?" Julian asked sarcastically as he sat on the corner of the 
desk, "If you wanted to diversify you would have gone into jewelry 
making or perhaps opened a scent or gift section to your shop, you 
wouldn't have gone into spying on the Bajoran First Minister!"

"You know, that idea about the gift section isn't half bad. Perhaps 
something with tasteful souvenirs or art work? A scent shop could get 
cloying by the end of the day, especially if customers kept spraying 
it, not to mention how the oils would damage---"

"Seriously, do I look that stupid?"

"The uniform could use a little work, but that's hardly your fault," 
Garak offered.

"Enough with the banter," Julian ordered quietly.

Garak's hands stilled and he looked into his lover's eyes. He knew he 
was on dangerous ground when he saw the expression on the other man's 
face. Julian was beyond angry...in fact, what he saw wasn't even anger 
anymore. It was pain. His face was white and his eyes had a hollow, 
desperate look to them. The sight of his friend in this state softened 
his resolve.

"Fine. The truth then?" Garak sighed.

"That would be my first choice, yes." He said the words plainly, 
without even a hint of irony. "Are you back to doing business for the 
Cardassians?"

"No! I'm not suicidal or stupid, Julian. I could hand this station over 
to the Military Command with a bright red bow attached and still face a 
firing squad the second I touched home soil," Garak scowled. "I'm 
looking into the disappearance of a girl. A Bajoran girl-her family 
believes she may have been murdered."

"I thought you were going to tell me the truth." He said, sitting on 
the corner of the desk and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"That is the truth!" Now Garak was getting annoyed. "For five years all 
you've wanted from me was a straight answer, and the one time I give 
one I have to put up with-!"

Julian waved his hand defensively and said, "Okay! Fine! You're helping 
a poor Bajoran girl-okay. I can believe that. I was there five years 
ago when you helped that Cardassian boy and I saw you with the mixed 
race orphans. I know you have a soft spot for children, Garak. What I 
don't understand is if you're looking for some lost, and possibly 
murdered, girl, why are you looking into Shakaar's files?"

"Well..." Garak looked at Julian warily.

"Spit it out!"

"You won't believe me!" 

"Try me."

He took a deep breath, "Her aunt thinks he's the one who murdered her."

Julian was quiet for a moment as he took in his companion's statement. 
"You're right, I don't believe you."

Garak threw up his hands in defeat and Julian got up from his perch on 
the desk and added, "Wait, I didn't quite mean it the way I said it. 
What I meant was that I believe that's what she told you, I just don't 
believe Shakaar is the type of person who goes around killing little 
girls!"

"Neither do I and neither does she-THAT'S the reason she asked me to 
look into this!" Garak was now the one throwing up his hands in 
annoyance. 

"Okay, all right, calm down," Julian got down on his knees to look 
Garak in the eye. "I believe you. In fact, I'm going to help. I can use 
a few of my contacts and-"

"Julian," Garak interrupted, "You weren't the one she asked for help. 
It's my investigation."

"Well..." Julian patted his leg patronizingly, "You don't have to 
handle this by yourself. I'm perfectly willing to lend a hand, and I'm 
sure once we've found the remains, a trained physician will come in 
handy. You'll need DNA evidence, an autopsy, the whole nine yards. 
Plus, I did take several psychology courses at the Academy. I can 
provide a profile of the killer to the authorities and perhaps comfort 
the family if it comes to that." He smiled sweetly. "You don't even 
have to bother thanking me, as my friend and my companion, I'm more 
than happy to step in and assist you."

Garak stared at Julian, his mouth slightly open, not out of shock, but 
because he had no idea of what he should say first. A lot of things 
came to mind. First, that he'd never noticed how much of an ass Julian 
Bashir could be and how completely annoying that particular smile he 
was bestowing upon him was. On one hand, Julian was genuinely offering 
to help, and Garak was sure that in his mind, he wasn't trying to be a 
complete jackass. On the other hand, whether Julian had realized it or 
not, he had just proceeded to imply to Garak through his actions and 
attitude, that the elder Cardassian was somehow less than competent 
because the doctor had siphoned all of the Cardassian's knowledge and 
skills through the act of intercourse like a mosquito. Only in his 
case, this particular mosquito rolled over and went to sleep after 
sucking you dry then proceeded to hog the covers.

"No." It was the simplest and least obscene word he could think of.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Julian asked looking at him slightly askance.

"I mean 'no'," Garak stated, "as in, no, I don't want your help. No, I 
don't require your help. No, I have not gone senile merely because 
you've seen me naked--no, no, no, and, by the way, NO!" Garak jumped up 
from his chair and stalked toward the door to his quarters slapping the 
panel forcefully, "Now, go home and leave me to my work."

"Dammit Garak, calm down! I didn't say anything to warrant this 
childish reaction!" Julian shouted. "Now sit down and we can start 
over."

"Did you just tell me I was behaving like a child?" Garak asked slowly.

"Yes-no, damn it!" Julian ran his hand through his hair then pointed to 
the couch, "Can we please sit down so I can at least apologize for 
sticking my foot in my mouth? Please?"

He thought about it. He considered a slew of violent actions mixed with 
inventive and obscene phases, but decided against it. He hit the panel 
to shut the door then walked back to the sofa and sat down. He didn't 
say anything, he merely glared at Julian.

"I'm sorry." Julian said coming to sit next to him. "I'm so sorry. I 
was an ass and I said the wrong thing. I, in no way, meant to imply 
that you were incapable of doing something like this alone. You, my 
darling Garak, simply blow me away. You are the most exciting, most 
vigorous, most intelligent man I have ever known. You are my best 
friend, my confidant, and if I was ever in trouble or needed help like 
this girl and her family, you are the one person I know I could count 
on to save me." He lifted Garak's hand and kissed it, then pressed it 
to his cheek. "I not only get to learn from you and benefit from all of 
your travels and experiences, but I get to wake up next to you. Never 
let my stupidity or my clumsy attempts at offering to help you with 
something, cause you to forget that I'm here because I care for you, 
not Garak the tailor cum spy, but my lover. More than that, someone I 
could love."

"Well..." Garak felt his mouth twitch upward. "If I must, then you're 
forgiven." 

"Thank you," Julian leaned over and kissed Garak on the mouth softly, 
his tongue teasing his lips ever so slightly until the Cardassian 
melted into the embrace.

When they parted, Garak asked shyly, "So, you just told me you could 
love me."

"I did, yes," Julian smiled.

"You never said that before," Garak brushed some imaginary lint off 
Julian's shoulder and looked down at his shirt.

"Yes I have," Julian said with a mocking frown, "I say it every time I 
touch you, just maybe not with so many words."

"I must admit, I liked the words. Very much," Garak knew he had a silly 
grin on his face, but didn't care. 

"And...do you think you could love me?" Julian asked, kissing Garak's 
neck and holding one of his hands.

"Perhaps," He breathed.

"Are you going to say it?" He began to nibble on Garak's neck 
playfully.

"I love you, Julian," Garak moaned, feeling himself begin to grow very 
warm and hard. 

Julian took Garak's face in his hands, searching his eyes before 
kissing him with tender passion. He rose from his seat, pulling Garak 
with him. Julian then wrapped his long, lightly muscled arms around 
Garak's waist, again kissing him, only this time with barely contained 
need. Julian was so hard Garak could feel him through his clothes as 
their erections ground against each other. He felt all the breath leave 
his lungs and his vision swam. "Come with me," Julian's voice was 
hoarse with desire and the Cardassian followed him obediently into the 
bedroom.

When they got to the bed, Julian turned to Garak and kissed him again, 
sucking at his lips slightly. He unzipped his jacket and let it slip to 
the floor then stopped kissing the other man just long enough to pull 
the blue turtleneck over his head where it landed by the discarded 
jacket. Garak looked at the smooth contours of Julian's chest, at his 
flat stomach and bronze flesh, and reached out to touch him. Julian 
tugged him close and teased his lips with his tongue and unbuttoned his 
tunic. Garak's clothes joined Julian's on the floor and he gasped as 
his human lover began to suck and bite at his throat, licking the small 
fleshy teardrop shaped embellishment on his chest.. 

Garak massaged the muscles of the other man's shoulders, enjoying the 
feel of the tight, smooth skin under his fingertips. He loved the way 
Julian smelled, spicy and exotic, his skin warm and sweet. Julian 
reached up and pulled Garak's hand down to his erection, grinding 
himself into the other man's palm. "Can you feel me?"

"Yes," Garak gasped, unzipping Julian's trousers and reaching into his 
underwear to hold the his velvety hardness. He stroked him up and down, 
causing Julian to moan.

"I need you naked," Julian growled, pulling at Garak's pants and 
releasing his own erection. "Get on the bed."

Garak hastily finished undressing as Julian watched. He kicked off his 
shoes and sat down, removing his socks then slipping up the mattress, 
waiting for his lover to join him. This was the Julian he loved. Dark 
and sleek, totally aware of his sexuality and of its effect on him. 
Julian slowly finished undressing himself, his eyes burning with an 
almost frightening intensity. How many others had ever seen this side 
of Julian Bashir, Garak wondered. Not many. If they had, they never 
would have let him go.

His black hair was slightly damp with sweat, his lean muscled body 
glowing with a copper sheen in the low light. He had very little hair 
on his chest, just a little around the flat, brown nipples and lower 
still, leading down to his washboard stomach. His penis was lying 
against his navel, hard and waiting, framed by tight, dark pubic curls 
that Garak longed to bury his face in. 

Julian Bashir's body was a wonderland of delights. 


--ooOoo-


As the Cardassian greedily drank in the sight of him, Julian allowed 
his own eyes to steal over Garak. In the last few weeks they had been 
intimate with one another dozens of times, but he still delighted in 
the novelty of the Cardassian's naked form.

Garak was very fit and trim, his thighs well muscled, his stomach flat 
and his body well kept up. He didn't look like a 50 year old man. How 
Garak had managed it, he didn't know. He'd never seen him work out and 
he knew Garak had a penchant for rich foods, but looking at his naked, 
sculptured physique one would never know it. This was the body of a 
disciplined man, Julian thought. It had been a bit unsettling to him 
when they first became intimate, the texture of his skin and seeing how 
his body reacted to his touch was a completely alien experience. His 
skin had a gray cast, and like a snake's flesh, it was almost glassy 
smooth with textured scales. He loved the embellishments and whorls 
that decorated his lover's body, the complexity of his form. Garak's 
masculine beauty filled him with powerful emotions that he had never 
felt before. His cock was of a darker shade of gray, smooth and hard. 
Julian stepped to the bed and crawled on his hands and knees between 
the other man's legs, kissing his way up his thighs before running his 
tongue up Garak's shaft. 

Julian wrapped his hand around the base of Garak's penis and began to 
stroke him. He opened his mouth and drew him inside, causing Garak to 
gasp and claw the sheets. He then used his tongue to tease the slit of 
his penis as he gently sucked and circled his erection with his mouth, 
his hand keeping a steady pressure at the base. Julian did this until 
Garak began to moan and shift, then he removed his mouth. Garak groaned 
in disappointment then gasped when he lifted his sack and began to suck 
and nibble at the flesh under his heavy balls above his entrance. He 
drew up his knees as Julian teased the forgotten erogenous zone, his 
strong hands gripping the Garak's thighs. Julian reached back for 
Garak's penis and began to suck at his again, this time taking him 
inside until he hit the back of his throat.

"J-Julian-" Garak gasped as he came.

After licking him clean, Julian looked up and grinned. He began to bite 
and nip at Garak's stomach playfully, his tongue dipping into his 
navel. He made his way upward until he got to Garak's nipples and he 
began to suck and tease them with his teeth, not hard enough to hurt, 
but enough to make the Cardassian's stomach tighten with need. 

Seeing Garak like this, stark need etched on his face and his breath 
coming in short, desperate pants; it was almost intoxicating. How 
Julian had managed to resist the Cardassian for the last five years was 
mind-boggling.

--ooOoo-

Garak felt himself harden again. He gripped him under the arms and 
pulled him up, kissing him as Julian ground their erection's together. 
He tore his mouth off of Garak's and nibbled on the thick ridges on the 
side of his neck. Garak moaned and looked down Julian's muscled back, 
watching his rounded buttocks flex as he teased him.

"I need you," Garak gasped.

"Where?" Julian asked.

Garak reached out to his nightstand and fumbled for the drawer. As soon 
as he had the bottle in his hand he handed it to his lover. Julian 
smiled and sat up. He poured a small amount of the slick fluid onto his 
hand and stroked his own hardness then reached for Garak. The 
Cardassian braced himself for the coldness of the liquid, then as it 
warmed against his skin he began to thrust himself into Julian's fist. 
Julian kept one hand on Garak's erection, then, after he tossed aside 
the lubricant, he positioned himself at Garak's opening and eased 
forward gently.

Garak held his breath, then let it out slowly. He concentrated on 
keeping himself loose as Julian eased himself forward, giving Garak 
time to adjust after each tentative thrust. This was how they liked it, 
rough, but not too rough, with just enough lubrication to ease the 
penetration without losing too much of the friction. When he was in, he 
began to make love to Garak with long, smooth strokes, the hand wrapped 
around his erection keeping time with their bodies.

 He looked up at Julian. His face was alert, his eyes locked with the 
Cardassian's as he thrust himself gently inside of the other man's 
body. The light from the living area made it look as though Julian was 
surrounded with a halo, his black hair damp against his forehead. He 
reached up to stroke the other man's chest, lifting his legs a little 
higher so he could take him further in. Garak tightened himself and 
watched as Julian's jaw flexed in response. Julian shut his eyes and 
moaned, then looked down at Garak again, something primal reflecting in 
his eyes. He gripped Garak's thighs and thrust hard, pounding inside of 
him over and over again, tenderness giving way to raw need. The 
Cardassian cried out, shutting his eyes hard as he gave in to the 
sensation of being loved by Julian Bashir, coming. At the same time 
Julian shuddered above him, crying out as he felt Garak's seed splash 
against his stomach. 
 
After what seemed like hours of lovemaking though it was probably only 
a few minutes, Julian rolled off Garak and they both gasped for air, 
sweat dripping from their bodies. Garak's heart was pounding so hard 
for a moment he thought he might be having a heart attack. "That 
was..." His voice sounded strange to his own ears as his thumping heart 
tried to drown it out, "That was good."

"Very good," Julian agreed, feeling sleepy but content.

"No, that was very, very good," Garak said in amazement. "In fact, I 
don't think I've ever had sex that good in my entire life."

Julian rolled on his side to face Garak, his arm propping up his head 
against the pillow, "Really?" He grinned, "The best you ever had?"

"Really," Garak turned to look at him, willing his sated body to move. 
"It was...I've never gotten an erection back that fast and that thing 
you did to me? No one's ever done that before."

"Which thing?" Julian asked in surprise.

"The second thing," Garak answered. "You know, when you put your mouth 
under there?"

"Ooh," Julian frowned, "No one's ever done that to you before?"

"No," he answered. "I guess I've never had anyone want to do that to me 
before now."

"So I was your first?" Julian seemed inordinately pleased with himself.

"For that, yes," Garak replied, running his hand down Julian's chest.

"I wonder if there's anything else I could do to you that you haven't 
done before?" He asked with a scandalous grin and he caught Garak's 
hand then nibbled at his textured fingertips.

"You could try, you never know," Garak breathed as Julian leaned in for 
a kiss.
 
"We're going to have to take a shower later but right now all I want to 
do is hold you in my arms and get some sleep," Julian said, pulling 
Garak to him and letting the Cardassian lay his head on his chest. 

"You are a treasure, Julian Bashir," he said, the thumping of the other 
man's heart lulling him into sleep.

"A treasure? No one's ever called me that," Julian murmured.

"You are a treasure beyond price and I would do anything just to see 
you smile and to be held just like this," his breathing was beginning 
to slow and he let his eyes fall shut.

Julian made small circles on Garak's back and caressed the tender 
scales between his shoulders, "Anything?"

"Mmm," Garak responded, his mind already beginning to slip away.

"So you won't mind me giving you a hand with the investigation then?" 

The Cardassian's eyes suddenly popped open with anger.

"Go. Home."

"But Garak-"

"Out!"

"Garak wait!"

"NOW!"

"Listen to me dammit-!"

"I cannot believe that you ruined what could have possibly been the-you 
need to leave!" Garak arose from the bed, wrapping the top sheet around 
his waist. He stumbled slightly but didn't stop until he was through 
the living room and to the door, slapping the panel angrily.

"I told you I was sorry!" Julian said plaintively. Tugging on his pants 
and carrying his shoes with his shirt and jacket slung over his arm.

"And then you tried to manipulate me!" Garak nearly shouted, "Not that 
I don't appreciate your methods, DOCTOR Bashir, but I have a lot of 
work to do and I would appreciate it if you would go to your own 
quarters!"

"Well, if we can't discuss this, then at least we could just go to bed, 
right? It's late and we could both use some sleep. We can work this out 
over breakfast," Julian smiled and held out his arms invitingly.

"I think I'd rather sleep with Gul Dukat without the benefit of an 
antiviral chaser than spend one more minute in your company. Good 
night, doctor!" Garak was practically seething with anger.

Julian walked out of the door quietly then turned, "Garak, if you would 
just-"

"And as for needing your help with anything, *doctor*, I can damn well 
get the DNA myself and, if it comes to it, the autopsy, too! It can't 
be that hard if you could figure it out!" Garak slapped the panel and 
punched in a lock out sequence. If Julian Bashir wanted any more sex, 
he could go screw himself. "I hope you step on something sharp on the 
way to the turbolift!" He shouted at the closed door.


Chapter 3: Bashir goes snooping


"Garak? Open the door! We can work this out," Julian hit the buzzer 
again. "Come on, sweetheart! It's just a little misunderstanding! It's 
our day off tomorrow and I was going to make you breakfast. You know 
how you like fresh scones! I have everything set up in my quarters, 
Garak. Open up, I'm tired!"

//Shove your scones, Bashir! And if you don't leave my door I'm calling 
security!//, came Garak's response over the door intercom.

Julian heard a stifled laugh and spun around to find Garak's neighbor 
and a female companion staring at him, snickering at his disheveled, 
half-dressed state as he stood gaping at the door of Garak's quarters. 
"Um, doc...?" Ensign Patrick said, his voice trailing off as he looked 
down pointedly and his girlfriend giggled.

"What?" Julian looked down and blushed, "Oh. OH!" He zipped up his 
pants quickly then doubled over in pain, "Shit! Dammit!" He tugged at 
his crotch and his eyes began to water profusely.

The man grabbed his girlfriend's hand and they hurried into his 
quarters leaving Julian cursing and pulling at his crotch. He kicked 
Garak's door then howled and hopped on one foot, "Dammit!"

When there was no response, Julian limped toward the turbolifts. As he 
stepped inside and commanded the computer to take him to his quarters 
he straightened and mumbled, "This is definitely not going the way I 
planned."


--ooOoo-


The next morning Julian awoke in his quarters with a sense of purpose. 
It was Friday, both his and Garak's day off. Garak always closed the 
shop on Fridays because it was the Bajorans' day of worship and, being 
the lone Cardassian on the station, the last thing he felt he needed to 
do was further irritate his landlords by selling his wares on their 
Sabbath. This meant that Garak would be holed up in his quarters 
hacking through Bajoran encryptions and such, smouldering over last 
night's fight. By now, news of their late night argument was probably 
all over the station, not that he cared. It was an unpleasant turn of 
events, yes, but it was his own fault as much as Garak's. He should 
have anticipated that Garak's stubborn nature would get the better of 
him. Julian had decided to deal with this situation in a more 
constructive way. He had decided to conduct his own investigation then 
present the evidence to Garak with all the grace and dignity he was 
capable of. Garak would then apologize, and, naturally, Julian would 
forgive him with a gentle reminder that had he just listened, they 
could have worked this out much sooner.

One couldn't fully blame Garak for his behavior, really. He had put his 
proverbial foot in it and it was perfectly in keeping with who he was 
to say the absolutely wrong thing to a lover. Julian had never really 
excelled at the art of conversation-debate, yes, not pillow talk. His 
experiences in physical and emotional intimacy were somewhat limited. 
Since coming to Deep Space Nine, he had sex with some women and a few 
men, but they had mostly been Bajoran or human, and none of them had 
prepared him for his relationship with the Cardassian. Garak was a 
different experience altogether. He was a contradiction. First off, 
while mildly effete, was very much a man. He had his moments of 
feminine hysteria, like last night, but that was probably due to his 
artistic temperament. At the same time, he could be very logical and 
highly intelligent. Once Julian showed him that he was capable of 
providing a valuable contribution to this investigation, he was sure 
Garak would let him participate.

Julian formulated a quick plan as he got dressed, opting for his 
uniform instead of his usual off-duty clothes. On Fridays he would 
either hit the holosuites for a bit of adventuring or, as of the last 
few weeks at least, he and Garak would spend the day together either in 
his or Garak's quarters or out and about enjoying one another's 
company. Since Garak despised the Starfleet uniforms, Julian usually 
wore a nice suit to their dinners or a comfortable pair of jeans and a 
sweater when at home. 

"Sweater," Julian said quietly, reaching for the thin dark blue sweater 
hanging in his wardrobe and rubbing the silky weave between two 
fingers. He'd bought that sweater the first weekend he and Garak 
decided to play tourist and visit some of the newer shops along the 
Promenade they'd never been to before. They had a nice brunch together 
then gone shopping. Garak wanted him to buy a tan sweater, saying it 
would better suit his complexion. He'd chosen this one instead because 
it reminded him of Garak's eyes. When he'd said that, Garak first 
looked startled then said, "My eyes are not that color." He responded 
by saying that obviously Garak had never looked in a mirror when he was 
in the middle of an orgasm."

They quickly paid for the sweater then spent the rest of the day in 
bed.

"Are you still knitting that sweater for me, I wonder?" Julian mused 
aloud, "Or are you so angry that you've tossed it in the recycler?" 

He didn't like fighting with Garak. He just wanted things to be back to 
the way they were. Things had been going so smoothly up until this 
point and he wanted to walk into the next room and see Garak lounging 
on the couch doing a puzzle and humming along with whatever was playing 
over the computer's sound system. He wanted him back where he belonged. 
Although he needed his own private time during the week to refresh and 
regenerate, on the weekends he had gotten used to not sleeping alone. 
The sex was better than he ever imagined, but the lack of company, 
their link, is what he missed most. When he initiated his relationship 
with the tailor, he never expected he would wind up feeling this way. 

Julian shook off the morbid mood that had come over him and quickly put 
on his uniform. This whole situation was spiraling out of control. He'd 
tried to say he was sorry the night before and Garak had thrown him out 
of his quarters. Now, it was Garak's turn to apologize and once he had 
gotten the information he needed, he'd present it to Garak and the 
Cardassian would rush to make amends.

Julian walked out of his quarters, took the turbolift to the Promenade, 
then exited heading toward Odo's office. There were two things he could 
absolutely count on when it came to the constable: His paranoia and 
distrust of Garak, and his daily schedule which he kept with religious 
accuracy. 

He needed to be able to identify the aunt in order to find the niece, 
but to do that he'd need Odo's surveillance footage. He knew, though, 
that if he merely told Odo what he needed, the constable (being a 
stickler for protocol) would contact Major Kira. Since Kira was 
somewhat involved with Shakaar, the investigation would likely end 
before it had even begun. Julian went to the little coffee shop across 
from the security office and waited for Odo to emerge while he 
pretended to type on a PADD, as he ate a bearclaw.. He didn't have long 
to wait. Precisely at 0830 hours, Odo emerged and headed toward the 
turbolifts to Ops for his daily security report with Captain Sisko. 
Julian grabbed his PADD and casually wandered into Odo's office.

"Dr. Bashir? Isn't today your day off?"

Julian smiled at the man sitting at the receptionist desk. "Good 
morning, Leanis! Yes it is, but Odo needed some follow up information 
from that nasty business we had last month. Is he in?"

"No sir, you just missed him. Can I take the files for you?" He asked 
politely.

"That's okay, I can leave it on his desk. Odo said if I missed him to 
go right in, he left a PADD for me to read through and sign. You know 
how the Bajoran and Federation legal systems are-everything has to be 
done in triplicate. Personally, I don't understand why I have to do all 
this paperwork. It seems to me that we have that so called 'Colonel' 
dead to rights."

Tell me about it, that's all I've been working on for the last month!" 
Sargent Leanis said, "Normally I wouldn't let anyone into the 
Constable's private office, but since it's you, doctor..."

 "Thanks. Odo said it would take a while. Any idea if I'll be out of 
here by lunch, or do I need to order in?" Bashir smiled and winked.

Leanis returned the man's grin and pointed to a large stack of PADDs on 
his desk, "I don't know exactly what he wants you to sign, but given 
what I've had to type up lately, it might take a while. I'm fairly 
certain you can get through it within a reasonable amount of time, 
though. Just make sure you read your statement thoroughly and if you 
find any discrepancies, let me know and I'll make any corrections you 
need." Leanis looked at the coffee cup in Julian's hand. "Is that from 
the new place across the Promenade?"

"Yes, it is. It's a pretty nice little place, actually. The pastries 
are wonderful," Julian lowered his voice, "If you wanted to sneak away 
for a few minutes and treat yourself, I promise I won't say anything."

"I couldn't-" the young man said, eyeing Julian's cup with envy. "I can 
wait until the constable comes back."

"Are you sure?" Julian asked, "You know how dreadfully long those 
meetings can get."

"No, I-well..." 

Julian, seeing the man's hesitation, forced his smile to remain casual 
and relaxed.

"I do have to go to the head," Leanis said in a low voice. "You 
wouldn't mind watching the desk for me? I'll be back in five minutes, 
tops!"

"Grab a cup of coffee while you're up," Julian said smoothly. "And you 
have to get one of their doughnuts. The bearclaw I ate was as big as my 
head."

"Pretty good, huh?" the young man said wistfully as he looked over 
toward the shop. "Yeah, maybe I will-that is, if you don't mind?"

"Go on, and hey," he finished his coffee and handed Leanis the cup, 
"Mind getting me a refill while you're over there? I didn't sleep very 
well last night."

"Sure thing, doc!" Leanis got up from the desk and took the cup, "Want 
anything besides the coffee?"

"I shouldn't, but...get me one of those Develian Cream eclairs, would 
you? I think my waistline can handle it." He chuckled, 

"Just don't go blabbing about it to my patients. Wouldn't look good to 
see the CMO stuffing his face with sweets this early in the day!"

"Man, that does sound good!" Leanis's mouth was practically watering. 
"I'll be right back."

"No problem," Julian said as Leanis buzzed him into Odo's office.

"Just comm me if you need anything!" He said as he headed toward the 
shop.

"If anyone could see this they'd say that sleeping with a Cardassian is 
beginning to rub off on you, Bashir," Julian said to himself as the 
door closed behind him.

Julian sat behind Odo's desk and began to access his terminal. If he 
tried to hack into Odo's files without his password, all kinds of 
alarms would probably go off. Luckily, he had a back door. He reached 
into his pocket and pulled out a small cylinder-shaped instrument about 
three centimeters long. He turned the device on and connected it to an 
access port on Odo's terminal. He'd kept the instrument well hidden, 
even from Garak. He had his own secrets, and if anyone began to suspect 
him of something, he had wanted the means to protect them. Within a few 
moments, the terminal's interface flashed and Julian was inside.

 The way the device worked was ingeniously simple. Instead of trying to 
access encrypted information, it counted keystrokes and determined 
which words or codes were used most often and when. It then quickly ran 
through the list of keystrokes until it came up with a likely password. 
The device, known as a code stylus, was very illegal and very high 
tech. He had bought it from someone he'd met through Morn. Luckily for 
him, Morn owed the doctor a few favors, and if nothing else, could be 
depended on to keep his mouth shut. Within seconds, Julian had full 
access to Odo's files. He scanned through the video files from 
yesterday, but found nothing related to Garak's shop.

"Apparently, when he told me he disabled Odo's bugs, he wasn't 
kidding," Julian's brow wrinkled in frustration.

Julian scrolled through the files and came across one labeled, "Main 
Promenade". "Okay, let's see just how thorough Odo is with his security 
feeds."

Sure enough, there was Garak's shop, although the video was taken from 
a great distance. He scrolled though the feed until he saw a woman walk 
toward Garak's shop and enter. Unfortunately, he couldn't zoom in 
enough to see her face clearly, so he advanced the footage until she 
left and noticed she paused to speak to a few Bajorans along the way. 
In one frame she was standing near the Bajoran restaurant across from 
the Temple. Julian went back to the list of files and found the 
security camera nearest the restaurant. He fast-forwarded until he came 
to the correct time code, and sure enough, there she was. "A Vedek? Now 
that is rather unexpected."

He didn't recognize her, but then again, Bajoran Vedeks often came onto 
DS9 to talk with Captain Sisko. His position as Emissary meant that 
besides running the station he was also a religious figure to those 
faithful to the Prophets. He downloaded her picture into his PADD, and 
decided to pay a visit to the Temple. Julian started to get up, then 
paused. He scrolled back through the security files and finally found 
some footage with Garak's name listed from about a week ago. "That must 
have been before he disabled the cameras," Julian muttered. One 
particular file caught his attention. It was labeled, 'Garak-901'. 
"That's his quarters."

Julian punched a key and the next thing he knew, he was looking at 
video feed from inside Garak's quarters. The camera was looking down at 
the living area, above the sofa. As Julian watched, images of he and 
Garak stumbling into view filled the monitor. Garak was tearing at 
Julian's clothes while they kissed, falling onto the couch where they 
began to make love. He saw his face melt in pleasure as Garak writhed 
beneath him, his eyes shut tight. Without thinking, Julian began to 
delete the feed. The next thing he knew, an alarm went off in the 
office and he quickly disconnected the code stylus and turned off the 
monitor. 

Leanis rushed into the room, "Doctor? What happened?"
"Oh!"Julian picked up his PADD and arose from Odo's chair, "I dropped 
my PADD on Odo's keyboard. Oops," he shrugged.

"Oh, yeah, he's got the computer set up so if you enter an incorrect 
password the alarm goes off," Leanis reached over and punched a few 
buttons, turning off the alarm. "It's okay, I've set that thing off 
myself. You find everything you need?"
"Yes, it wasn't nearly as interminable as I expected," he patted a 
stack of PADDs on the corner of the desk. "Is my coffee out there?"

"Yes sir, on the desk," Leanis looked at Julian curiously, "Say, doc, 
are you feeling okay? Your color is a little off."

Julian blocked the images from Odo's monitor out of his mind and tried 
to smile, "Like I told you before, I didn't sleep well last night. In 
fact, now that I'm done here, I'm probably going to take a nap or 
something."

"Well, anyway, thanks for watching the office for me," Leanis said as 
he followed Julian out of the room. "Don't forget your coffee and 
eclair."

Julian picked them up and nodded, "I'll probably run into Odo before I 
head back to my quarters, but on the off chance I don't, if he asks 
tell him it's on his desk."

"No problem," Leanis waved as Julian left.

Later, he was definitely going to have to talk to Garak about Odo's 
surveillance footage, that is, if Garak would talk to him at all. The 
thought of Odo watching them while they-Julian tensed. He couldn't have 
watched the whole video or he surely would have heard from him by now. 
He cleared his mind and headed toward the temple. He couldn't worry 
about that now, he had to get Garak back and to do that he needed to 
take an active role in this investigation. Julian Bashir wasn't 
particularly religious, but he knew most of the Bajorans who lived on 
the station, and the doctor, for the last four years or so, had often 
volunteered his medical services to the Bajoran Children's Project. He 
entered the sanctuary and quietly made his way past the worshipers to 
the office in the back. The temple secretary, Milina, was busy tapping 
at her PADD and looked up as Julian entered.

"Oh, hello! What can I help you with, doctor? If you want to speak to 
Prylar Kelvin, he's in the middle of prayer...?"

"No, no, I just wanted to ask you a question," he pulled out his PADD 
and showed her the woman's picture. "One of my nurses said this woman 
came by the infirmary yesterday to speak to me about my volunteer work 
on Bajor but I was out and she didn't get the woman's name. I was just 
checking to see if she was here."

"No," Milina said slowly, "That's Vedek Merel. She was here yesterday, 
but she went back to Bajor. I'll bet she wanted to ask you about the 
orphans!" She smiled, "The Vedek is very dedicated to them. She's an 
amazing woman."
"Is she?" Julian asked curiously.

"Oh yes, in addition to all the social programs she has initiated on 
Bajor, she also is First Vedek of the Capital Temple. She's very close 
to the First Minister," 

"I'm sorry I missed her then," Julian smiled. "I'm surprised I've never 
heard of her."

Milina gestured for Julian to come closer and whispered, "Between you 
and me, there's a lot of whispering among the Vedeks that she should 
have been the one to succeed Kai Opaka instead of Kai Winn. Politics," 
she shrugged. "She does a lot of good work though. If Vedek Merel had 
become Kai, she probably wouldn't have been able to make as much of an 
impact as she has. The Kai, well, it seems the higher up you get, the 
further away you have to keep yourself from the people."

"Well, it seems like that would apply to Kai Winn," Julian 
commiserated.

"Awful woman," Milina said quietly. "The Prylar would skin me alive for 
saying so, but the last time she visited she treated us like we were 
here to fetch and carry for her. Kai Opaka was so much nicer."

"I agree," Julian smiled. "Thank you, I'll call down to Bajor as soon 
as I get to my office and find out what she needed."

"You're welcome, doctor, and please give the Vedek my regards."

Julian exited the Temple and headed for the infirmary. Not bad if I do 
say so myself, he thought. In less than an hour he already had a great 
number of the pieces to the puzzle. He still didn't know what would 
motivate a high ranking Vedek to go to a Cardassian exile for help, but 
he now understood her connection to Shakaar Edon. Now all he needed was 
the name of her niece. It shouldn't be too hard. Despite being cruel 
overlords, the Cardassians were very good at keeping accurate records. 
During the occupation, all Bajoran births were well documented. Julian 
could access the records through the terminal in his office.

Julian was nearly at the infirmary when someone tapped his shoulder. 
"Yes?" he turned to find Odo glaring at him along with two security 
officers.

"Dr. Bashir, I'm afraid you're under arrest for illegally accessing 
security files. Please follow me," Odo said in a gravelly tone.

"I don't suppose I could explain-?"

"Explain it to the Captain," Odo interrupted him. "He's waiting for us 
in his office," Odo held out his hand for Julian to proceed. "After 
you, doctor."

From the look on Odo's face, this wasn't going to be pleasant.


--ooOoo-


Sitting in the Captain's office while Odo and Sisko silently stared him 
down like he was a schoolboy being sent to the headmaster for a 
scolding. Julian lifted his chin a little and made sure to keep a calm 
expression on his face.

"Dr. Bashir, would you mind explaining to us why you were deleting 
secured files in Odo's office?"

Julian quickly and carefully considered his options. He couldn't very 
well say that he was snooping around because he was trying to get to 
the bottom of some mystery Garak was working on, could he? Sisko would 
hardly be amused. His only other option, even though it was a risk, was 
to come out fighting, "Tell me sir, did Odo happen to tell you what was 
on the file I was trying to delete?"

Both he and the Captain turned to Odo who was beginning to look 
uncomfortable.

"No, he didn't." Benjamin Sisko eyed the changeling curiously. 
"Constable?"

"It was surveillance footage of Garak," Odo said evenly.

"And why would you be deleting surveillance files of Garak's shop, 
doctor?" the captain turned back to Julian.

"Not his shop, sir. His inner quarters," he replied stone-faced.
"I see," Sisko said slowly. "I've heard some rumors to the effect that 
you and Mr. Garak are involved."

"We are, sir." Julian replied evenly. "We haven't tried to hide our 
relationship in any way, however, I do think some things are best kept 
between consenting adults."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning sir, that the surveillance footage I attempted to delete was 
of a sexual nature," Julian flushed at the words and avoided looking at 
Odo.

"Is this true, Mr. Odo?" Sisko's face was beginning to darken, from 
anger or embarrassment Julian couldn't tell but it was probably a 
mixture of both.

"I assure you, Captain, I was unaware of their...personal interaction 
until after the fact and the feeds were disconnected." Odo said calmly.

"The feeds were disconnected because Garak disabled them," Julian 
pointed out.

"I did not look at them in their entirety and had I been informed, 
doctor, that you and Mr. Garak-" Odo began before Sisko cut him off.

"Mr. Odo, I understand that as the lone Cardassian aboard the station 
it is important to keep track on Garak's activities, but that doesn't 
excuse this type of invasion," the captain said tightly. "You will 
delete all files collected from Mr. Garak's quarters, sight unseen. Are 
we clear?"

"Yes, sir." Odo's face was tight and calm, but his voice had a cool 
edge to it.

"In addition, you will disconnect those camera feeds permanently, 
understood?" 

"Of course," Odo agreed. "And, as I mentioned before, I assure you, 
doctor, that I stopped watching the surveillance as soon as I realized 
what was happening, I merely filed it away."

"You should have deleted it. In fact, you should have never had it to 
begin with," the captain looked livid. "Mr. Garak did your office and 
this station a great favor when he and the doctor brought that drug 
ring down. Admittedly, I don't entirely trust Garak, but he still has a 
right to a certain amount of privacy."

"Understood, sir," Odo said. "And I agree totally. I'm very sorry, Dr. 
Bashir. I assure you that your private business will remain private."

"Thank you," Julian nodded in Odo's direction. "I'm sure Garak will 
appreciate that as well."

"Now, with that said, had you merely come to me and told me what your 
concerns were, doctor, I would have had those files deleted without you 
having to break and enter into Odo's office," the captain leveled his 
dark gaze back toward Julian. "However, as I understand it, those 
particular files weren't the only ones you accessed. Mr. Odo was 
briefing me on Vedek Merel's visit with Garak yesterday when you broke 
into his files. I want to know what that has to do with you."

Odo turned his piercing gaze toward Julian, "As soon as you tried to 
delete that particular file, I was alerted and I was able to find which 
video feeds you accessed. Given the personal nature of your 
relationship with Garak, I'm wondering why you felt the need to check 
up on his visitor by breaking into my files. Why not just ask Garak?"

Damn. "That's a long story," Julian said, fidgeting in his chair.

"Well, lucky for you, doctor, I'm in the mood to listen to your tale. 
Where is Mr. Garak now?" The captain turned again to Odo.

"I sent a security detail to fetch him. They should be here 
momentarily," Odo answered.

"Anything you need to tell me before he gets here, doctor?"

"No, sir," Julian replied.

"Very well," the door to Sisko's office opened and Garak stepped in. He 
was freshly showered and wearing casual clothes, a simple black tunic 
and pants with a pair of soft loafers. "Mr. Garak, glad you could join 
us."

"I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter, captain," Garak said. 
"Odo's men barely gave me time to throw on some clothes. I almost 
arrived here wearing only a towel."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Garak, but I'm curious as to 
why you were entertaining Vedek Merel and what that has to do with Dr. 
Bashir breaking into Odo's office?"

Garak looked at Julian in surprise, "You broke into Odo's office?"

"Well...yes," Julian scowled at him. 

"Why?" Garak seemed genuinely confused.

"To figure out who the woman was, of course," Julian said, completely 
ignoring the fact that Odo and the captain were looking on.

"No, I meant why did you have to break into Odo's office for that?" 
Garak seemed almost amused. "I thought that by now you would have 
learned to use a remote terminal for that sort of thing. You never go 
into the proverbial lion's den unless absolutely necessary, doctor."

Odo scowled, ignoring the insult Garak had just paid to his security 
measures. "Answer the question, Garak."

"Vedek Merel was having a private fitting," Garak said simply.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Odo muttered.

"Can you prove otherwise, Constable?" Garak shot back.

"Mr. Garak, Vedek Merel is a very important political and religious 
figure on Bajor. Somehow I can't see her having clothing tailored by a 
Cardassian exile, however talented he may be," the captain leaned 
forward, eyeing Garak sharply.

"Why thank you, captain, I appreciate your confidence in my 
workmanship," Garak beamed.

"I am not amused, Mr. Garak," Sisko said coolly. "Now tell us what is 
going on."

"I'm afraid that I can't sir," Garak said. "What the good Vedek and I 
discussed was of a personal nature and of no interest to you or the 
Federation. It was told to me in private and if Vedek Merel did not 
share her confidence with you, neither will I."

Benjamin Sisko leaned back into his chair and folded his hands, "Very 
well, Mr. Garak. I can appreciate your loyalty and your honesty," he 
turned to Odo. "Arrest Dr. Bashir for breaking and entering and records 
tampering. I'll begin court-martial proceedings as soon as I can 
contact Starfleet Headquarters."

"What?" Julian sat up in his chair, "But captain, I-!"

"I'm sorry, doctor," the captain shrugged. "Since Mr. Garak is 
unwilling to cooperate, I'm afraid that I have no choice but to 
prosecute you."

"That makes no sense!" Julian burst out.

"You did violate security when you entered my office under false 
pretenses, doctor," Odo pointed out.

"Yes, and the only thing I deleted was a sex tape you had of me and 
Garak!" Bashir's face was red with frustration.

"You had a sex tape of us?" Garak turned to Odo, "Why constable, does 
the Major know about your proclivities?

Odo squared his shoulders, "It was an accident."

"I think placing hidden cameras in a person's quarters and then, 
apparently, keeping potentially embarrassing video files on their sex 
lives seems fairly deliberate." Garak said evenly.

"Mr. Garak-" the captain began.

"Captain, if you prosecute Dr. Bashir then the circumstances of his 
capture will come into light. While Mr. Odo's surveillance may or may 
not be legal given my indeterminate status as a Cardassian exile, it 
would certainly cause a great deal of embarrassment to your command," 
Garak said evenly, "If you want me to tell you why Vedek Merel 
approached me, fine. However, our discussion must be off the record and 
private." He turned to Odo, "Not that I don't trust you, despite your 
recent fascination with my love life, but it is a private matter."

"Nothing about you or your love life fascinates me, Garak," Odo bit 
back.

"Then what exactly were those cameras doing in my quarters, Constable?" 
Garak asked innocently. "I've seen those looks you give me, you 
gorgeous blue-eyed devil. Why, if it weren't for Julian..."

Odo started to make his rebuttal, but Sisko stopped him, "Enough, 
gentlemen. Mr. Odo, if you wouldn't mind excusing us, please?"

"Very well," Odo said stiffly then exited the room.

Julian looked over to Garak, "Is it all right if I stay?"

"Might as well. If I say no you'll probably just get into trouble 
again," Garak replied.

"I wouldn't have gotten into trouble if you had just talked to me 
instead of flying off the handle like you did!" Julian returned.

"I wouldn't have gotten angry if you hadn't been patronizing and 
condescending," Garak shot back.

Sisko rubbed his temples and took a deep breath, "Can we just get on 
with this, please?"

"Very well, but only if I have your word that none of the information I 
give will leave this room and that Dr. Bashir's record will remain 
unblemished," Garak turned his steely gaze toward the captain and 
awaited his reply.

"You have my word. Now talk," Sisko ordered.

Garak sat back in his chair, "Vedek Merel received an anonymous tip 
that her grand-niece whom she had never met, had been murdered by First 
Minister Shakaar."

Sisko blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I reviewed the information she was sent and it seems credible. I don't 
know if Shakaar killed the girl, but I am fairly certain they did know 
each other. I believe she may have been his mistress."

"That's...quite a story," Sisko said carefully.

"Wait, I thought you said it was a little girl?" Julian turned to 
Garak.

"I never said that. You just assumed it," Garak retorted.

"All right," Sisko held up his hands in defeat. "Get on with it, please 
Mr. Garak."

He turned to the captain and continued, "I retrieved some files from 
the Bajoran Central Archives and finally found Kel Sinles's birth 
records. She is Vedek Merel's grand-niece. I tried to find more, but I 
could not find records of her clearance to work in the sex trade - or 
any arrest record, for that matter."

"She was a prostitute?" Julian asked in surprise.

"The source said she was, but I couldn't find any proof of it," he 
turned to the captain, "Prostitution is legal in certain provinces on 
Bajor. Had she been a legal sex worker, she should have been 
registered. If she was working illegally, she'd never been arrested or 
fined."

"Anything else?" Sisko asked.

"I wasn't able to find any more information on her other than her birth 
records. I have a picture and I know that she bears a resemblance to 
Vedek Merel and that the woman in the picture looks to be 20 or so, 
which is how old Kel Sinles would be now," Garak shrugged, "I really 
don't have much else as of yet. The Vedek came to me because she knew I 
had some contacts and she also knew that as a Cardassian, if I told 
anyone about this investigation, I wouldn't be a credible witness. The 
informant said that Sinles was blackmailing Shakaar and he accidentally 
killed her and disposed of the body. I don't know if it's true, but so 
far the rest of the information she was given appears to be accurate."

"I know Shakaar, and I doubt if he would be capable of something like 
that," Sisko shook his head.

"I've seen a lot of men do things they didn't think they were capable 
of, Captain. Shakaar is up for re-election and the opposition has a lot 
of support from Kai Winn and the conservatives. This could be true, or 
it could be a ploy to discredit him and Vedek Merel. That's why she 
asked me to look in on it for her," He paused, "On the off chance it is 
true, if Starfleet gets involved, Shakaar could destroy all of the 
evidence before we can bring it to the Bajoran authorities. If it's not 
true, starting an official investigation this late into his campaign 
will ruin his chances of being re-elected and Bajor would not likely be 
joining the Federation at any time in the near future. As I understand 
it, Krath Milnar, the conservative candidate, is vehemently opposed to 
it."

Sisko stared at his hands, deep in thought. Finally, he looked up and 
said, "Continue with your investigation. Officially, I can't know 
anything about it, but unofficially I want you to report anything you 
find directly to me. If you need any resources from us, they're yours, 
but I want you to work with Dr. Bashir on this." When it looked like 
they both might have something to say about that, he held up one hand 
to silence them, "I don't want to hear about it. Whatever your personal 
problems are, work through them. I want Dr. Bashir on this. If we need 
to back up any evidence you uncover, frankly a decorated Starfleet 
officer might be seen as a more credible witness to the Bajoran courts 
than a Cardassian tailor."

"Understood, Captain," Garak acknowledged.

"Yes, sir," Julian nodded.

"Excellent," Sisko smiled. "I'll expect you to report to me regularly 
on this. Dismissed."

Julian and Garak both headed out of the office toward the turbolifts. 
As the doors closed, Julian turned to Garak, "Can I ask you something?" 
Garak looked at him curiously, "When I mentioned the surveillance video 
of us-you know, you didn't seem all that shocked. Why not?"

"That's because I already knew about the cameras," Garak replied.

"You knew?!?" Julian's face went beet red, "You knew Odo could-would-
saw that and you didn't tell me?"

"Why do you think he didn't complain when I disconnected all of his 
cameras the next day?" Garak said with a smile, leaving Julian to glare 
at him in silence.


Chapter Four: The Game is Afoot.

Garak sat at the desk tapping on the keyboard as Julian lounged on the 
couch, his PADDs piling up around him. For the last two days that they 
had worked together, their only conversation had been in reference to 
which foods they wanted replicated or to ask the other person to pass 
them a PADD. It had been a war of silence, and frankly, Garak was 
tiring of it.

"Julian?"

"What?" Julian asked in a bored, slightly abrupt tone.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" He asked, "I'm the one who can't keep himself out of 
trouble," he clicked through a few screens on his PADD, not bothering 
to look up. "After all, I'm the one who panicked and deleted files just 
because I saw my naked butt bobbing up and down on Odo's monitor. I 
should have done like you and been all casual about it. Maybe give him 
the thumbs up right before my big finish? You know how proud I am of 
that swivel move I do with my hips!"

Garak threw his hands up in frustration and pushed his chair away from 
the desk to look at his lover. "I'm trying to apologize here. If you 
keep it up, I'm going to have to think of Odo's face when he saw us and 
start laughing so hard the apology won't seem genuine anymore."

"Personally, I think he saved it so he could learn my techniques, that 
way when he finally does get into Kira's knickers he'll actually have 
something to show her," the doctor muttered darkly.

"My darling Julian, the man is a shapeshifter. He could out maneuver 
both of us with his eyes closed." Garak sighed, "Believe me, as 
aggravating as the man is, I've considered the possibilities. Why Major 
Kira hasn't I'll never know."

"Somehow I don't think you're his type," Julian said, dropping his PADD 
on his lap and rubbing his eyes wearily.

"The question is," Garak said, getting up from behind the desk and 
walking until he stood above Julian, "am I still your type?"

Julian looked up and said, "Of course! I'm just feeling pissy because I 
made a horse's arse out of myself and managed to do it in front of 
Sisko of all people! The man hardly seems to tolerate me as is. Then, 
to top it all off, here I was set to prove to you how clever I could be 
and you had to save my career because I made some damned foolish 
mistake. I guess those spy holonovels didn't teach me as much as I 
thought they had." Julian sat up, pulling his feet off the couch to 
make room for Garak. "I suppose the reason I've been acting so cold for 
the last two days is because my pride is stinging."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Garak said, sitting down and 
cupping his cheek. "You have the most marvelous mind and you heal 
people! If I had your intelligence and your dedication-well, not that 
it needs to be said, but, I admire you very much. I still can't figure 
out how you got past all the encryptions."

Julian looked at his hands and smiled slightly, "Well, I do have a 
trick or three. Nothing on your level, of course."

Garak grinned, "And so modest! It took me weeks to crack Odo's codes 
and you did it in a matter of a few minutes. We'll make a spy out of 
you yet! With those results I think I'll start playing those holo-
adventures myself!"

Julian kissed Garak on the mouth softly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not rubbing it in. I was an arrogant, egotistical, condescending 
idiot and you could have really let fly and been perfectly justified, 
yet here you are making me feel better," Julian said. "Why are you so 
good to me?"

"Probably because I want to have sex again in this lifetime, but 
instead I'll say it's because you've been a good influence on me."

"Good answer," Julian said, leaning in for another kiss.

After a minute or two, Garak pulled away with a groan, "If we keep this 
up, we'll wind up in bed and we'll never sort this mess out."

"Let's just forget about it and go to bed then," Julian suggested. 
"We've been at this for the better part of two days and the most we've 
come up with is that Kel Sinles was a good student and the last thing 
either of us found was some accounting records showing she worked for a 
library half a world away from where her picture was taken during the 
debate Shakaar had with Krath Milnar."

"It's not adding up," Garak said, obviously frustrated. "How does an 
intelligent young woman who has an interest in library sciences wind up 
becoming a blackmailing mistress to a politician? I think we're going 
about this case in the wrong way."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, we're dealing with far too much information," Garak said, 
rising from the couch so he could pace back and forth. "We're 
concentrating too hard on details we already know. We need to stick to 
the basics and work from there!"

"We...well, we want to know where the Vedek's niece is, right?" Julian 
asked.

"Exactly, at the heart of it, that is essentially what we want to 
know!" Garak turned to look at his companion. "Think about it. If this 
were simply a missing persons case-no political intrigue, no murder 
investigation-would we be relying so heavily on the information we were 
sent? No. Thus far we've used this anonymously sent PADD and have been 
trying to find facts which fit what it tells us. It's not bearing 
fruit! I say we pursue the Kel Sinles we know exists. We know where she 
was born, we know that she paid taxes and held a job, we know according 
to the Provisional Government that no death certificate has been issued 
for her. That is who we need to track down!" He picked up the PADD and 
looked at her picture, showing it to Julian, "Look at this woman: that 
is not a librarian from a backwater town. That woman is wearing the 
latest hand tailored Bajoran fashions, her skin and hair are flawless. 
That is not the face or the style of a woman who spends her days 
cataloguing data! This is a woman with a certain amount of street 
smarts and cunning. It doesn't add up."

Julian took the PADD and examined it, then looked up, "People change, 
they grow! Shakaar could have bought her the clothes and the hair and 
makeup are merely cosmetic. All I see is a picture of a beautiful girl 
around 19 or 20. I think you're relying too heavily on instinct."

"Instinct, my dear, is why I'm still alive," Garak said simply. "No, I 
have to say the problem I'm having with this is the fact that I haven't 
been following my instincts." He tapped the PADD in Julian's hand. 
"This is leading us on a wild goose chase! We need to look for Sinles 
where we know she was last. We need to go to Bajor, specifically to the 
Belava Province, and find that library where she worked. Even if no one 
knows where she went from there, we can at least confirm that this is 
her picture and maybe get a handle on how she thought. I need to know 
who she really was so I can predict where she'd go from there."

"Bajor?" Julian put down his PADD and thought about it. "It won't be 
easy getting you there. Not many people are going to want to answer a 
Cardassian's questions."

"True," Garak sighed and sat back down on the couch.

"I could go alone, or we could place a call down there from here?" 

"No," Garak said, "for something like this we really need to be down 
there together. There are subtle physical cues to watch for, plus I 
want to walk in her footsteps, see what she has seen...I have to go." 
He turned to Julian, "Tell Sisko we need a transport to Bajor first 
thing in the morning. I'll contact Merel Atina and tell her what we're 
planning to do and ask that she send her assistant to meet us. His 
presence could help open some doors which would otherwise remain shut."

"Any idea how long we'll be staying?" Julian asked.

"More than a day, possibly a week or more. We'll have to pack and we'll 
need lodging," Garak said thoughtfully. "I know a Bolean on the station 
who does some specialty lacework for me from time to time. I can get 
him to take over running the shop for a week. Merel said her order 
would give me shelter if we needed it so that's done. As long as Sisko 
approves you taking some time away from your duties to go to Bajor, we 
should be set."

"Looks like we're going to Bajor."

"Looks like it."

"So," Julian said, casually placing his arm around Garak, "I guess we 
should think about going to bed and getting some sleep?"

Garak turned to the doctor slowly, "Sleep sounds good," he smiled, "but 
first..."

A few minutes later, Julian gasped, "I like this plan so far."

 --ooOoo-


They landed the shuttle near the monastery gate. A tall, grey-haired 
man wearing the bright blue robes of a ranjen approached them as they 
stepped out into the bright sun. "Mr. Garak, Dr. Bashir," he said, 
nodding at the two of them, "I am Owin Grea, Vedek Merel's ranjen. 
Please come in. The prylars have made us lunch so that we can discuss 
our business together."

"Thank you," Garak said, looking around at the structures as they 
entered the gate. "It's very beautiful."

"It is," Julian agreed, breathing in the sweet smell of the fruit 
ripening on the trees, "and not at all what you'd expect a monastery to 
look like."

Owin chuckled, "Oh yes, I had heard in some of the human religions, 
monks live a very spartan existence. The members of our sect do not 
live extravagantly, but they do live well. This particular monastery 
harvests the fruit of the Agauba trees to make everything from 
preserves to natural medicines. They are completely self reliant. All 
the grains, fruit, and vegetables they need are grown right here. They 
keep cows for milk and braga fowl for eggs, and each one of the Prylars 
has a background in animal husbandry or agriculture." He pointed to 
some children playing near a well, "They also have an orphanage here 
where the children are taught a skill or trade so that when they are 
old enough to leave, they will be able to support themselves."

Garak looked closely at the features of one of the children, "He's part 
Cardassian."

"Oh yes," Owin nodded and smiled kindly at Garak. "I chose this as your 
home base exactly for that reason. Many of the children here are of 
Cardassian descent. They call this the Forgotten Children's Home. Some 
of the monks here are also of Cardassian lineage, and were hidden here 
during the occupation because of the purity laws sent down by the 
Military State. The villagers near by have learned to be tolerant of us 
and trade easily with the monks, and they, for the most part, feel no 
need to leave the confines of these walls. It is a place for joy and 
self-reflection."

"Half-Cardassian monks?" Julian asked, "I've never heard of that."

"Our numbers are not many, but we exist," an older man with slightly 
softened Cardassian features and the nose ridges of a Bajoran 
approached them from where he had been working the soil of a small 
vegetable plot. He was wearing the rough brown work robes of a Prylar 
and smiled at them both. "May the Prophets guide you both to what you 
seek, I am Danna Bril. I will help you find whatever you need during 
your stay with us."

Owin bowed his head slightly in the other man's direction and touched 
his ear in blessing, "May the Prophets bless you."

"And you as well, Ranjen," Danna returned. He looked at Garak 
curiously, "It is a pleasure to meet you both, especially you, Mr. 
Garak. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like."

"Thank you," Garak said, "I'm looking forward to trying some of those 
preserves Ranjen Owin was telling us about."

"We have some excellent, full-bodied wines as well! Please, follow me."

The lunch was simple but well prepared and after eating, the Prylar 
excused himself to return to his weeding leaving them with Owin Grea to 
discuss the case. "Vedek Merel said that you tracked her niece to a 
village near here?"

"We found some employment records saying she worked at a library," 
Garak elaborated. "We need to travel there this afternoon to ask some 
questions."

"Ah yes, I know where that is. As I said, the villagers there are used 
to our presence. If you have any trouble accessing any records, just 
tell them to contact me here. I'm not leaving for several more hours. 
The village is less than two kilometers from here. You can walk or use 
one of the land transports the Prylars keep. When you return, Danna 
will show you to your rooms."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Garak said.

"Yes, thank you; lunch was delicious," Julian agreed.

"Thank you," Owin bowed his head in acceptance. "Just find Sinles, 
please. I'm afraid this whole business as worn heavily on the Vedek. 
I'm ready to see it done, whatever the outcome."

"That's our intention," Garak said, his voice confident. "By the end of 
today, one way or another, I intend to find someone who knew this 
girl."

"Prylar Danna is not aware of the specifics of your mission, just that 
you are looking to reunite a woman with her family. If you need 
anything, ask him, but the Vedek requests you keep the information as 
confidential as possible. He knows that I have authorized him to 
provide you with any documentation or contacts you require and will not 
ask you any questions specific to the case. If you need me, for 
anything, call me on the communications console in your quarters and I 
will be available day or night. May the Prophets aid you both in your 
search."

"I'm not a particularly religious man," Garak said, "but I'll take help 
where ever I can get it. Thank you."

--ooOoo-

The Belava Province wasn't quite a backwater village, but it certainly 
wasn't very large. People milled around, wandering in and out of some 
of the quaint shops and restaurants. There was a farmer's market filled 
with some of the early harvest and children ran about playing between 
the fruit stands, snatching small grapes and eating them while the 
fruit sellers were distracted. All in all, picture perfect. Hardly the 
type of place you'd expect a sophisticated politician's mistress to 
call home.

Garak received a few glares, but as the Ranjen had said, most of the 
villagers ignored his presence. "I think that large central building is 
the library," Garak said, pointing to a tall white structure on the 
main street.

"It does fit the description Owin gave us," Julian agreed and they 
walked in together.

The library was big and dimly lighted to protect the few paper scrolls 
and books that it contained. Most of the room was taken up by the large 
tables and many chairs in which sat various students, citizens, and a 
few clergy who were examining various documents and terminals. They 
quietly made their way to the information desk where a small boned 
woman with brown hair and eyes was typing at her computer. "Miss?" 

The woman turned to Garak and almost did a spit take. "You-hello? 
You're...not one of the Prylars, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Garak said easily. "I'm here looking for someone who 
worked here recently."

"Okay," she looked at him askance. "How may I help you?"

"Have you ever seen this woman?" Julian asked, handing her the PADD 
with Kel Sinles's image.

"No..." she said examining it with a frown. "I've worked here for 
nearly three years and I've never even seen this woman. When did you 
say she worked here?"

"It would have been while you were here," Garak said, his voice tight 
with disappointment. "Is there any chance she may have worked on a 
different shift or are there any other libraries near here?"

"No, sorry," she said, then gestured toward an older woman who was bent 
over the terminal of a young boy, tapping on his keyboard and showing 
him something on the monitor. "That's Mrs. Dekalpa, our head librarian. 
She might know who this is, she works with most of the students and 
tends to have a better memory for faces than I do."

They thanked her then walked over to the older woman who straightened 
when she noticed them approaching, "Gentlemen," she greeted.

"Good afternoon, madam," Garak nodded respectively. "May we borrow a 
moment of your time?"

"How may I help you?" She asked, looking from one man to the other.

Julian handed her the PADD, "We're looking for this woman. Your records 
show she was recently employed here. Do you know where she is?"

"I'm sorry, but this woman has never been here," she said, examining 
the picture and frowning.

"Look carefully," Garak urged. "Her name is Kel Sinles, she's 20 years 
old and she was hired a few years ago."

"What did you say?" She looked up sharply.

"Kel Sinles," Garak repeated. "Do you know her?"

"I know Sinles, yes, but this isn't her," the woman chuckled. "I'm 
afraid you gentlemen have been misinformed."

"We were told this woman may have been the victim of foul play," Julian 
said, pointing to the girl's image.

"That's a shame," Mrs. Dekalpa said softly, "but Sinles is very alive 
and well."

"Where can we find her? Sinles?" Garak asked.

"You already have. She's at the information desk."

--ooOoo-

"My great aunt? But I don't have any family."

They were in the office. Garak and Julian stood across from Sinles and 
Mrs. Dekalpa and were trying to explain why they were there without 
giving away too many details of the case. "Vedek Merel. She's your 
grandmother's sister. She didn't even know you were alive until 
recently," Julian said.

"And what exactly does this have to do with the blonde girl in the 
picture?" Mrs. Dekalpa asked curiously.

"Someone told the Vedek that this was Sinles and that she had gone 
missing about a month ago. She asked that we help find her," Garak said 
carefully. "I realize this has come as a shock, but Merel Atina 
genuinely wants to get to know you. She was separated from her sister 
and assumed she was killed during the Occupation; that's why she never 
looked for you. She's been searching ever since she discovered you 
existed."

"That I existed or this woman?" Sinles asked coolly.

"You," Julian reassured. "That was just some bad information she 
received from an anonymous source. She'll be thrilled when we tell her 
you're alive and healthy."

"I'm not interested in meeting her," Sinles said simply, putting the 
PADD back down on the desk.

"Sinles," Mrs. Dekalpa began.

"No," Sinles turned to look at her. "My parents died when I was 15. If 
you and your husband hadn't taken me in, I would have had to live with 
the Prylars or at some other orphanage. She didn't care enough to find 
me until she saw this...this-whoever this is, and frankly, she can keep 
looking. Tell her I don't need her."

"We'll tell her," Julian said reluctantly, "but if you change your 
mind..."

"I won't."

"Come on, doctor," Garak said, "Ladies."

As they walked out of the library toward the monastery, Julian turned 
to Garak, "That's so sad."

"What is?"

"That girl. All those years alone and she doesn't want to meet her only 
living relative? The Vedek is going to be crushed."

"We have bigger problems to worry about than that, doctor," Garak said 
cryptically.

"What problems? We found the girl, the job is done," Julian said 
simply.

"Half done," Garak corrected. "We found Kel Sinles, not the girl in the 
picture."
"So?" Julian said in confusion. "The informant got the facts wrong. 
It's obvious that Kel Sinles isn't anyone's mistress and we know she's 
still alive. The Vedek just wanted to find her niece."

"We'll see," was all Garak would say. "We shall certainly see."


Chapter Five: Settling for Second Best

They ate a delicious, if rather subdued dinner that night and afterward 
were shown to the visitor's housing by the Prylar. "There are two 
bedrooms," he pointed to two doors across from one another, "and this 
is the main living area. There is a bathroom behind that door. Only 
one, I'm afraid." he apologized. "The communications terminal is on the 
desk near the window. There is no kitchen, but if you get hungry the 
dining hall isn't locked. Help yourself, just make sure to clean up 
whatever dishes you use. We don't have replicators here." He opened the 
door and smiled. "If you gentlemen need anything, just ask. There are 
extra blankets in the closets and wood near the fireplace. It will get 
cold tonight, so you may want to start a fire now. Sunset is in twenty 
minutes or so and the temperatures fall rapidly here in the hills."

"Thank you," Garak said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Yes," Julian said, looking around at the simply furnished but very 
comfortable room, "this is wonderful."

"Blessings of the Prophets on you both, then. Goodnight."

Garak looked around the small cabin and took a deep breath, "I could 
really learn to like this."

"I would have thought it was a little on the rustic side for your 
tastes," Julian chuckled, sitting down on the canvas covered couch in 
front of the fireplace.

"It could use a few homey touches, some art on the walls and a little 
color here and there, but it's all anyone would really ever need," 
Garak said admiringly. "One couch, a desk and a chair, a bathroom, and 
a bedroom. Not much less than what I already have on the station, 
really."

"Well, if this is the VIP suite, I wonder what the monk's cabins look 
like?" Julian scoffed. "No replicator, no computer other than the comm 
unit, no holovid-what is there to do but look out the window."

"I can think of a few things," Garak said, throwing him a playful wink.

"Yes, but they're monks," Julian rolled his eyes.

"Julian, Bajoran clergy aren't necessarily celibate."

"I know," he said, "but these are monks."

Garak leaned on the fireplace mantle and grinned, "So?"

"Well...I mean..." he paused, "Danna and his fellow clergy don't seem 
to be the type who throw wild orgies after picking fruit and weeding 
the flower beds all day."

"There's an old saying I learned from my time with the Obsidian Order. 
It goes, 'You never can tell what's hiding under a priest's robes'." 
Garak scratched his chin in thought, "Of course, that was referring to 
hidden weapons and such, but it could apply to this situation as well."

"Stop. I'm getting mental images and it's hurting my brain," Julian 
closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch. "I keep seeing Owin Grea 
adjusting his garter belt and fishnet stockings under that blue robe of 
his."

"That could be interesting..." Garak said thoughtfully.

"Stop that! You're scaring me."

Garak chuckled, "Enough playing. I have to comm Merel about her niece. 
You start the fire and I'll ring her up."

"Sounds good," Julian said, getting up from the couch and wrapping his 
arms around Garak's waist. "Maybe we can steal a teapot and some 
muffins from the kitchen and sit by the fire later."

"An excellent idea," Garak said, kissing him lightly. "And when we're 
full and all of the tea is gone, we can commit sacrilege on the sheets 
of holy men."

"I love it when you get in a blasphemous mood," Julian chuckled and 
kissed Garak again, cupping his bottom and squeezing playfully.

"I could call her later," Garak said breathlessly against Julian's 
mouth. "Tomorrow maybe?"

"No, work first then..." Julian kissed along Garak's jawline until he 
got to his earlobe and then sucked and tugged at the ornate lobe, using 
his tongue to tease the whorls of his ear until Garak began to pant 
with need. "You have such sensitive ears," he chuckled. "What are you, 
half-Ferengi?"

"You'll pay for that one," Garak said, rubbing Julian's hardening 
erection through his trousers. He kissed the other man's throat and 
began to bite and suck at his Adam's apple, "but later." He moved away 
from Julian who practically groaned in disappointment. "It was your 
idea, remember?"

"I changed my mind?"

"No, sorry." Garak walked over to the terminal and began his call to 
Merel Atina while Julian shrugged and started piling wood and kindling 
into the fireplace. "Vedek Merel?" Garak asked as soon as the woman's 
face appeared on the screen.

"Mr. Garak!" Merel said, smiling with relief, "Owin gave me the news. 
He said you left him a message that Sinles was alive?"

"Yes, she is, but I didn't tell your Ranjen everything. I thought it 
might be better to tell you this myself," he took a deep breath, "I'm 
very sorry, but she doesn't want to see you."

Merel's face fell but she kept her composure, "I see."

"Right now she's stinging from the fact that you didn't come to find 
her sooner. If it's of any comfort, I think she'll eventually change 
her mind. Her foster mother seems intent on having her talk with you, 
for a sense of closure if nothing else."

"Thank you for your reassurance. That's very kind of you, Mr. Garak," 
Merel said. "As I said before, whatever you found at the end of this 
journey, I would be satisfied. Perhaps, someday, Sinles will contact 
me. I would like to meet my sister's granddaughter, but only when she 
is ready."

"I do have something else to add," Garak said. "As Owin may have 
mentioned, Sinles was not the woman in the picture your informant gave 
us, nor was she ever a prostitute. I'm not sure what is going on, but 
whoever that woman is, she's still missing, if she even exists."

Merel looked at him thoughtfully, "Do you think that there really was a 
murdered girl, then?"

"I don't know," Garak said. "The picture is genuine, I know that. I 
found another copy of it in some articles written on the political 
debate and Julian ran across two other pictures where this woman was 
somewhere in the background or seen talking to the First Minister at a 
rally. Whoever she is, she does appear to know him. We have to now 
decide if the informant was lying about everything, or if the only 
mistake he or she made was naming the girl as your niece."

Merel remained silent as she considered his words carefully.

"I'm willing to continue the search if you want to find her," Garak 
said. "If you choose to drop the investigation, I will understand and 
Dr. Bashir and I will head back to Deep Space Nine in the morning. 
However, if you want to pursue this, we can stay until the end of the 
week. I'm sure we'll find something by then."

"If this girl was murdered, then we are the only ones looking for her," 
Merel said at last. "I don't want that on my conscience. Find her, for 
better or for worse. Hopefully, she'll be safe and sound as well. Comm 
me when you know something."

"I will," he agreed.

"And Garak?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I owe you lunch at your replimat for this, no matter what 
else you find." She smiled then the screen went blank.

Garak rose from the desk to watch Julian struggling with the fire. 

"It's not lit yet."

"I know that," Julian said irritably. "I can't get this bloody thing to 
work!"

Garak frowned, "It's just a fire, what do you mean you can't get it to 
work?"

"See for yourself," Julian handed him a pewter box and grimaced. "I 
can't find the damned button. I've pressed every inch of the bloody 
thing but I can't get it to do anything."

Garak look at the small metal box carefully, rasping his thumb against 
the textured surface then smiled, "I think I have it!" He pushed the 
top of the box and it slid aside to reveal a gray stone inside the 
container. "It's a tinder box. The monks here must be very dedicated to 
doing things the old way. Strike the stone against the ridges at the 
top of the box and it will spark."

"If you say so. Personally, I don't see what's wrong with a plasma 
lighter or at least a box of matches. Old ways, indeed," Julian took 
the stone and struck it against the box causing a flurry of sparks to 
hit the twigs he used as kindling. The fire began to sputter and smoke 
so he used the stone again to produce more sparks, "Shit!" He sucked 
his thumb. "I burned myself," he grumbled.

"Yes, but look at what a lovely fire you have to show for it," Garak 
said with a smile.

Julian got up from the floor, still nursing his thumb, "It would have 
been easier to just use a phaser on low stun and it wouldn't have 
caused me to lose skin in the process."

"Here, let me see," Garak clucked, looking at the small white burn on 
the pad of Julian's finger. "I guess it's true; doctors do make the 
most god-awful patients, don't they?"

"I'd offer you an obscene finger gesture but you're holding my hand," 
Julian grouched.

"Where's your medkit?" Garak asked, looking around.

"With the suitcases over there," Julian thrust his chin over toward the 
bags stacked by the front entrance. "The DR unit is near the top."

Garak took the small instrument from the top of the bag and walked over 
to Julian, adjusting the power levels as he walked. "Here we are."

"I can do it," Julian reached for the instrument.

"As can I. You're the patient, remember?"

"Fine," Julian held out his thumb. "Just make sure to adjust the power 
output and set it on level 4."

Garak gave him an exasperated look, "I know," he ran the scanner over 
Julian's burn and watched as it slowly began to heal. "As time goes by, 
I'm beginning to believe that you have control issues."

"I have control issues? Me?" Julian scoffed. "You're the one with 
control issues!"

"How so?" Garak asked, putting down the dermal regenerator and crossing 
his arms across his chest defensively.

"Just look at you, the way you're standing speaks volumes," Julian 
said, rubbing the new pink skin on his thumb tenderly. "If I hadn't 
made the first move in this relationship, we would have spent the next 
few years tap dancing around our feelings and we never would have 
gotten together. You're always hiding behind innuendo and mystery, so 
focused on self-preservation that you never let go enough to live 
life." The doctor looked at him, "Actually, that does bring something 
to mind. I've been thinking we need to have a talk about our 
relationship."

"I think you're just being melodramatic," Garak tried to move away but 
Julian held his arm.

"No you don't, we're having this discussion," Julian ordered. "Come sit 
with me."

Garak shrugged his shoulders in defeat and they both took a seat on the 
couch, the light fire the fire casting shadows on the walls and lending 
a cheery warmth to the small room. "I was just making a small joke, 
Julian. There's really no need to get all morbid."

"I'm not trying to be morbid," he said. "I'm trying to have a serious 
discussion with you, for once."

"We have serious discussions all the time!"

"We talk about politics, literature, and station gossip. Lately we've 
been doing a lot more groping than talking, but we've never really 
talked about us." Julian took a deep breath and reached out, taking 
Garak's hand in his. "There are a few things I need to say to you, and 
now is as good a time as any."

Garak gave him a dubious look, "You aren't going to...I don't know, ask 
me to marry you or something? I refuse to wear a dress--even for you, 
Julian--and damn medical science, I'm too old to be carrying your 
baby!"

"Hush up, you old fool, I'm trying to be serious here," Julian scolded. 
"You see, this is what I mean! You're always using wise cracks and wry 
humor when it's inappropriate."

"Defense mechanism," he shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's just...this whole thing we're doing has me thinking," Julian said 
slowly. "Vedek Merel is all alone in the world, I mean, she has a 
family of a sort. Her sect and her friends, but the one person to whom 
she has real family ties just refused to have anything to do with her. 
And this other woman-we don't know if she's alive or dead, and no one 
is looking for her...that's very sad, I think."

"I agree," Garak said carefully, trying to follow exactly what it was 
Julian was trying to get across.

"I know I'm not making much sense," he ran his hand through his dark 
hair then reached out for Garak's hand again. "You and I tend to get 
ourselves in a lot of trouble."

"To say the least."

"Exactly," he agreed. "I want to say this now, while we're safe and 
warm and here, not on the station dodging Odo's cameras and the alien 
menace of the week." He looked at him intently, "I care for you a great 
deal. I've come close to saying it, but I've never actually said the 
words before..."

"Julian," Garak looked down at their entwined hands. 

"No interruptions, this is hard enough," Julian chuckled nervously. "I-
I'm in love with you. There, I said it." He took a deep shuddering 
breath and closed his eyes, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Is that it?" Garak asked.

"What do you mean, 'is that it'?" Julian asked, flabbergasted. "I'll 
have you know, that was pretty damn hard to say for someone like me. 
What I'm really trying to tell you is that I'm ready to consider 
exploring the idea of a commitment."

"A commitment?" Garak asked with a raised eyeridge.

"Not anything permanently binding," Julian hastened to add. 
"Just...more of the same only, well...more."

"More?" Garak's heart seemed to skip a beat or two, "Like, perhaps, 
sharing quarters?"

"Living together? God no!" Julian said, then hastened to add, "I mean, 
not that I wouldn't like to, you know, do that eventually, maybe, 
but..."

"But what, exactly?" Garak asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"I'm doing this all wrong," he muttered. "I just meant that we should 
agree to be together exclusively-as a couple. We should start taking 
vacations together and go to social functions--test the waters, so to 
speak. All we do now is eat in and sleep together, and every once in a 
while we have lunch or shop on the Promenade and that's all we do!"

"We live on a space station. That's all there is to do," Garak pointed 
out.

"I just thought we should say it out loud, that's all," Julian sulked.

"So, let me clarify what it is you want me to understand," Garak said 
slowly. "You are in love with me-"

"Yes! Exactly!" Julian said, relieved.

"And you want a commitment?"

"Right!"

"But not too much of a commitment."

"Yes! See, now that is why I love you, sweetheart," Julian kissed 
Garak's hand and grinned. "You understand me perfectly."

Garak rolled his eyes, "I understand that you are a complete and utter 
ass, Julian."

"But-"

"Don't get me wrong," Garak sighed, "I've known you were an ass for 
quite some time and I accept this about you. In fact, it's one of the 
things I love most about you for some god awful reason."

"Thanks, I think..." Julian said with an uncertain frown. "Are you mad 
at me now?"

"No, I'm not mad," Garak said, slightly disappointed. "And I want you 
to know that I love you as well. I'm glad you were honest with me and 
said what you said."

"Thank you," Julian felt a little uneasy still. "Did you want to move 
in together or something?"

"No, of course not," Garak avoided Julian's gaze by staring into the 
fire. "I'm perfectly satisfied with our relationship as it is now. I 
wouldn't change a thing."

Julian squeezed Garak's hand, "I'm glad, and I agree totally. Things 
are really good between us, and I hope they will be for a long time. 
Who knows? Maybe some day, a few years from now, we might decide to do 
something a bit more permanent. I just wanted to tell you that I'm in 
this for the long run."

Garak didn't answer him. Instead he got up from the couch and looked 
around the room, "This is a really nice place," he said. "A man could 
really be happy here, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Julian said, looking around. "Personally, I prefer the 
station. Like I said, it's on the rustic side and I imagine it could 
get pretty lonely. All these monks have are each other and their 
gardens."

Garak picked up another log and tossed it on the fire, watching the 
sparks fly, "Did I ever tell you I worked as a gardener once?"

"On Romulus--I remember," Julian chuckled. "Has it come to the portion 
of the evening where you tell me some cock and bull story about how you 
planted some peonies and somehow that led to a politician's unfortunate 
demise?"

"No, nothing like that," Garak said softly, sitting on the floor 
tucking his knees up and watching the flames lick at the wood. "You've 
already heard most of those stories. No, I was just going to say that I 
enjoyed working with the plants back then. I enjoyed the whole process 
of it; working the soil, choosing the seeds, watching them grow into 
beautiful flowers and vegetables-it's like working with cloth, really. 
You start out with something raw and when you are done, you have this 
beautiful creation and the satisfaction of knowing you've accomplished 
something real. I loved gardening especially, because what I did made 
things beautiful and fed people. That's something I never liked about 
working for the Order. It seemed like all I ever did was destroy things 
then, tear down lies and lives. The first time I ever felt truly at 
peace was when I worked as a gardener. Sort of the same way I felt when 
I was knitting you that sweater," Garak smiled sadly. "I wonder if I'll 
ever get to finish it?"

"Of course you will," Julian yawned. "As soon as we get back to the 
station, you'll finish it up and I'll wear it the next weekend we have 
off together."

Again, Garak didn't say anything, he merely turned and kissed Julian on 
the mouth as he arose from the floor, "Have you looked at the bathroom 
yet?"

"Not yet," Julian gave him a crooked grin. "I wonder how big the tub 
is?"

"Let's go find out, shall we?" Garak invited, pulling him off the couch 
and tugging him along, their hands clasped together as they acted once 
again as lovers should.

--ooOoo-

Garak lay on the bed, listening to the sounds of the fire popping in 
the next room and the light snores of his lover whose head was nestled 
in the crook of his arm. They had taken turns in the bath, washing one 
another's hair and backs, then retired into one of the bedrooms. Garak 
made love to Julian that night, entering him slowly and stretching out 
every moment of pleasure until they both came, shuddering and crying 
out in fulfillment. The bed was small, smaller than his bed on the 
station, but the mattress was soft and Julian usually slept on his side 
anyway. 

He couldn't sleep. His mind was too busy running around in circles. 
Julian slept as if he hadn't a care in the world, and he probably 
didn't. All was well with Julian Bashir. He had everything he ever 
wanted: a respected position, friends, a home, and a lover he could 
depend on to warm his bed without demanding more from him. 
Unfortunately, very soon Julian Bashir was in for a very rude 
awakening.

Garak had made up his mind, after he found the girl in the photo, he 
was going to call in Merel Atina's favor. She could grant him asylum 
here in the monastery, perhaps even secure him Bajoran citizenship. He 
wasn't overly certain about taking up the cloth, as it were, but he had 
done a lot of things he didn't quite believe in for a lot less. Who 
knows? As time wore on, perhaps faith in the Prophets would come as 
well. Cardassians had once worshiped the Hebetian gods whose tenants 
were very similar to that of the wormhole aliens. Perhaps, like love, 
faith happened quietly, sneaking up on you until it was just there. 

He stroked his hand down Julian's back and smiled tenderly as the 
doctor snuggled deeper into his chest. He could still see Julian. The 
doctor came down to Bajor quite frequently, and even if he did accept 
the robes of a Prylar (if they'd have him) the Bajoran faith accepted 
the concept of homosexuality easily and did not force celibacy upon its 
members. And this way, when Julian eventually tired of him, which he 
undoubtedly would, he'd have something to fall back upon. 

He kissed the top of Julian's hair and rubbed his chin on the other 
man's soft curls. He could sell his shop to the lace maker, the Bolean 
had let him know on previous occasions that he'd be interested in that 
sort of arrangement. He could donate the proceeds to the order as a 
sort of good faith buy-in, and perhaps secure a position teaching at