STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE is the property of Paramount
Pictures, Inc. Salute! But this story is mine. It does not intend to
infringe on Paramount's copyright in any way. Do not change or
alter in any way.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Kardasi term "sahneshta"
(precious or prized) has been graciously provided by Andrea
Evans.

TIMELINE: Mid to late 5th season.

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He rang the chime for the third time, glancing about to make sure
no one was watching him loitering outside the door. One did,
after all, have maintain a certain level of decorum given their
situation.

Still no answer.

By nature, he was patient. All of his training dictated the need to
wait, to pause, to observe before striking. However, standing
outside a certain person's quarters on a certain station at a certain
time of night did not suit him. The part of his mind which
understood the pun chuckled appropriately. The rest of him,
however, grew irritated.

He overrode the security locks and walked inside. Nothing had
changed. The lighting was the same as it always was. The room
temperature was the same as it always was. There were no silly
notes or flowers or trails of clothing leading him around the
quarters to "discover" the delectable prize. The room was as neat
and tidy as its meticulous owner.

It was only when he inhaled sharply in a gesture of frustration did
he notice it. Scent. His scales prickled automatically. A smile
drew across his lips.

The doctor, it seemed, decided to play coy this evening. How
delightful.

He could detect the variety of herbs, mostly Cardassian ones, that
barely permeated the air. There was silence; no giggles or snorts
or heavy breathing in this room. Of course, Cardassian hearing
was not as acute as a Terran's. His breathed in again, trying to
identify which scents the doctor had chosen to tease him with. To
his utter fascination, he couldn't distinguish them.

He stealthily crept toward the bedroom; as much as Julian
believed himself to be adventurous, their romps so far had been
mostly in the traditional Terran room for lovemaking (not that
Garak minded). Now, it seemed, the doctor had decided to be a
bit more daring.

The thrill chased down his spine. He adored it when Julian
attempted to be clever.

Cautiously, he peeked inside Julian's sleeping chambers, fully
expecting his adored companion to be naked and stretched out
across the bed.

To his utter surprise, the room was empty. This could only mean
two things: Julian was elsewhere on the station or he was lurking
in the bathroom.

Garak's eyes narrowed. He sniffed again, impressed at the
thoroughness which Julian had anointed his quarters. The scent
was not overpowering. In fact, it was barely on the threshold of
the Cardassian olfactory senses.

Hunting. He was hunting... he loved to hunt. Perhaps Julian
desired the feeling of being chased down, to be pounced upon...
not that Garak had never pounced upon his enticing companion
before... but....

He approached the door to the bathroom. In the five years Julian
had been chief medical officer, he had finally "earned" cozier
accommodations than in his first year. The bathroom, for one
thing, was three times as large as had been in the doctor's old
quarters, quarters which when the station had been Terek Nor
had been reserved for those of a lesser rank. Now, however,
Julian resided in the more plush quarters of a glinn with a main
entertaining area, a bedroom, and an enormous bath.

He noted the light in the bath was particularly dark, perhaps only
at 10% normal lighting. The scent was stronger as his
approached, eliciting a tingle throughout his body.

No... he wasn't hunting... he was prowling. And Julian seemed to
love it when Garak prowled.

The Cardassian now stood at the door. The sight before him was
stunning.

The room was dominated by a huge bathtub, obviously designed
to accommodate more than one bather. Steam rose out of it,
humidifying the air with the pleasant tease of herbs. Candles
flickered by the corners and on the counter of the sink, casting the
entire room in a golden hue perfectly suited for Cardassian
eyesight.

Lounging in the water-filled bathtub... actually upon closer
inspection, it was more of a whirlpool bath than a traditional
tub... was Julian, his head tilted back exposing his tender neck,
while his arms draped over the rims, only his fingers touching the
water. From all appearances, he had fallen asleep.

Garak quietly stripped, his clothes barely rustling as they touched
the floor. The tub was a new addition; the Cardassian had never
seen something as exquisite except on his homeworld. Where in
the blazes had the doctor gotten this and installed it so quickly? It
was an expensive piece of furniture! A simple stool sat by the
edge, half the distance between the floor and the meter high lip of
the tub.

He stepped onto the stool and then sat upon the edge of the tub,
trailing a few fingers into the water.

He gasped inwardly.

It was blistering, at least to what he perceived as human
standards.

Far hotter than he'd ever imagined his Julian being able to
tolerate.

But for a Cardassian... it was perfect.

He glanced up, noting the doctor seemed unaware of his
presence. He gently swung his leg into the water, allowing the
heat to permeate his skin, sending shivers throughout his body.
Wet heat. Dry heat. It was all the same. Quietly, he eased in,
impressed how the tub could accommodate both him and the
doctor and how the water did not threaten to spill over the sides.

His doctor. Better with calculations that Elim had given him
credit for.

For a moment, all he did was revel in the warmth, sliding deeper
into the pool until the water touched his chin. The slight waves
from his movement gently splashed against Julian's chest. He
noted with certain delight just how calm his doctor was; his
breath had not quickened, his eyes had not opened, nor had any
outward appearance that Julian was aware he was in the pool,
even in the room for that matter, showed. Intriguing. A measure
of control. A sort of discipline Garak wasn't expecting.

He edged closer, using his hands to create currents to wash over
the doctor's body. Still, no reaction. Not even a smile.

He rested his hands on Julian's knees, sliding them up the doctor's
thighs, something which normally caused tremors to go through
the human's body.

No reaction.

Out of nowhere, panic hit Garak. Memories swirled in his mind.
He pressed a hand against Julian's chest and relief flooded him.
There was a definite heartbeat. There was a definite breathing
rhythm although it was very slow.

A meditative trace? His Julian had often mentioned such
techniques learned from an unnamed Academy mentor. Was this
not a seduction as Garak had assumed? Was Julian simply
relaxing? Had Garak interpreted the scents, the candles and the
bathtub wrong? Uncertainly creased his brow as the unfamiliar
feeling of regretting he may have intruded, that he was
shamelessly imposing himself on the doctor, that he had
misinterpreted this whole scenario, came upon him.

He stared at his Julian for a moment, hand still over his
companion's heart, and then detected the slight upturn of the
human's lips.

The doctor's breathing began to speed up, as did his heart rate.
Eyelids fluttered and then opened, fixing a hazel gaze upon the
Cardassian.

"Elim...." The word was spoken dreamily, as if Julian couldn't
quite believe Garak was in the tub with him. The doctor
straightened up, his arms dropping below the surface of the water
and his hands touching the Cardassian's hips.

"I hope I'm not interrupting...."

Julian pulled him closer until Garak straddled his lap, gray
shoulders even with the doctor's mouth. Garak closed his eyes.
Lips began nuzzling his chest scales, then to his neck ridges, as
teeth became part of the massage. Julian lingered at each spot a
bit longer than the one before, lazy nibbles tantalizing in their
slowness.

Hands closed around his erection and began strong even strokes,
matching the rhythm of the nibbling. By nature, Garak was not
vocal. His Julian was. Yet now, with the scents which intensified
his senses, the wonderfully hot water softening his scales and
making his blood churn faster, the dim lighting, and the precise
ministrations being performed on him, a growl rumbled
somewhere in his chest.

The lips against his neck ridges formed smile. Fingers flicked a
particularly sensitive groin ridge, precise in the pressure and the
duration, and Elim's entire body pulsed.

His Julian. The doctor. Oh, this was planned. There was no
mistaking that fact.

He tangled his fingers through the damp curls of Julian's hair,
pulling the doctor away from his chest, and his lips crashed
possessively down upon Julian's. With all the teasing... the forced
wait outside Julian's quarters only to hunt his prey by scent into
this huge bathtub, he was no longer content to be leisurely.

"Sisko to Bashir! Report to the Defiant immediately."

They immediately broke their kiss, Garak quickly releasing Julian
and moving to the opposite side of the tub.

"Acknowledged. Bashir out." Before Julian stepped out, he
placed an affectionate kiss on the teardrop of Garak's forehead.

"Duty calls, my *sahneshta*," Julian whispered to him, a gentle
smile on his face.

Teach a Terran a little bit of one's native language and he will use
it any chance he gets. Garak refrained from rolling his eyes.

"I will make this up to you," his Julian vowed as he clambered out
of the tub and quickly dried off. "I promise."

"Of course, my dear Julian. Don't you always?"

The doctor grinned before he dashed out into his bedroom. It did
amaze Garak how quickly Julian could dress. Then again,
Starfleet uniforms were hardly the most difficult articles of
clothing to shimmy into.

"Oh, and Elim?" Julian popped his head into the bathroom and
gestured with his hand. "You're more than welcome to stay."
Then, he left.

The Cardassian sighed deeply, the frustration burning in his veins.
"It's the price you pay, Elim," he reminded himself. "The price
you pay."

**** Finis ****

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