“Raise temperature by 20 degrees!” Instantly the computer complied.

With his personal quarters at a more comfortable temperature Garak felt able to set about his evening rituals of bathing and eating.

Sipping the hot tea again, Garak carried it across to the small bathroom and placing the tea on the narrow shelf above the sink, he stripped from the clothes he had worn all day, neatly folding them and hanging them over the back of a simple chair.

Then activating the shower Garak stepped into the cubical. leaning against the tiled wall with his eyes closed and the scalding water pounding against his powerful body, cleansing the weariness and the dull tedium of the day, from him.

Slowly, almost reluctant to finish with this part of his evening, Garak washed and as the soap sluiced off of his body and washed away he imagined it to be his tension that swirled about his feet before being sucked into the distant recesses of the Station’s recycling unit.

Feeling a little better as he always did, Garak stepped from the cubical, and wrapping the soft, fluffy towel about his lightly scaled hip, padded on damp bare feet across to the cupboard near his bed. As he pulled the door open and selected a soft tunic top in a rich wine colour and simple black trousers, he called once more to the computer, his voice pitched in such a way as to activate the Comm link.

“Julian Bashir” he waited for a response, as he towelled himself dry, sitting on the edge of his narrow bed.

“Garak, how can I help you?” Julian answered.

Garak was pleased to hear the slight puzzlement in the young Doctor’s voice at Garak's late call.

“I was wondering if you would care to meet me for dinner or drinks tonight?” Garak was well aware of the rumours that flew about the station regarding his feelings for Julian, and knew that this would add yet more fuel to a fire that should never have been lit. He harboured no feeling’s for Julian beyond the fondness that one friend would always hold for another, and never had it occurred to him that their relationship should have gone further until he had first heard the hurtful rumours about his sexuality.

In truth Garak simply didn’t want to spend yet another evening on his own, and sad though it may be to admit even to himself, Julian was his only true friend. Garak slid into his underwear.

“Well …. I…..Why not! Why don’t you meet me at the infirmary, I'm almost done here?” Julian came to a decision.

“Then I’ll see you in a few minutes Doctor…” Garak said as he signed off. Sliding into the remaining garments, and smoothing back his black hair Garak exited his quarters, feeling lighter than he had in a long time.

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The corridors of the station that Garak still thought of as Terok Nor, were still humming with activity, though they were quieter now. It was long past night on Bajor, and most people had adapted to local time, as he had observed that people still followed a regular pattern of waking and sleeping.

The temple lights were still glowing warmly, and as he walked past on silent feet, Garak could hear a devout few in prayer even at this hour. In the doorway of another shop, 2 young Bajorans glared at him suspiciously as he passed. He ignored them as he moved along towards the infirmary.

In the distance the sounds of someone winning at Dabo in Quarks bar, reached his ears. He allowed a little smile to cross his lips at the sound, how Quark must be suffering right now!

The scent of food stuffs, cooked throughout the day by the various eating establishments, along with exotic perfumes and incense tickled at his nose.

Garak was almost on top of the infirmary before he knew it. A frown crossed his face as he looked up, startled to have reached there so quickly, and realised that the infirmary was in total darkness.

Garak, instantly alert for trouble, moved towards the door that stood like an open maw to the darkened interior, standing to one side and not making a target of himself.

“Julian?” He called, quizzically. There was no response. He was sure that Julian had said to meet him here.

“computer, lights!” He called, slipping around the door and keeping his back to the cool metal of the wall. The computer remained silent and unresponsive.

“Computer, LIGHTS!” Garak snapped and was not surprised when he received no response.

Straining his eyes through the all pervading twilight of the medical facility, Garak could make out the strange and bulky shapes of the medical equipment as they loomed from the darkness like ancient tombstones. The occasional wink of a LCD light, glinted dully from a piece of machinery here or there and to the side he could see the glow of an active computer screen from Julian's office.

Frowning deeply, Garak made his way slowly around the room’s edge to the office. Stepping within he moved behind Julian’s desk. Peering curiously at the computer screen he instantly saw that the voice activation had been disabled.

“Curious” he murmured, bending forward and beginning to undo the lockout using Starfleet codes that he wasn’t supposed to know.

As he tapped the first few keys in a series a shadow passed across the computer screen. The senses that he had honed over long years of conflict allowed Garak a moment to react where he wouldn’t otherwise have.

The moment the shadow caught his attention, Garak tensed his muscles into a powerful coiled spring ready to move at a moments notice. As he felt the slight movement of disturbed air kiss his cheek and knew that someone was moving in fast behind him, Garak threw himself sideways landing gracefully some feet away. From behind, Garak heard the sharp crack of a heavy object strike the desk, shattering the computer.

He spun on dancers feet to face his assailant, the sparks from the shattered computer spraying and lighting the room with a eerie blue-white light. His face twisted in a mask of unbelievable rage, Julian came at him.

With a howl of fury like an animal’s scream leaving his lips, Julian swung a heavy baseball bat at Garak. In the darkness and confined space Garak found it difficult to avoid the incoming blow, it grazed his chest like a wasp’s sting as the corner of the desk crumpled under the force of Julian’s full strength. With a slight feeling of dismay even as his heart sang at the exhilaration this fracas brought him, Garak realised that Julian was using to the fullest his genetically enhanced strength.

“Come now, Julian………………” Garak spoke soothingly, even as he manoeuvred for a better position. Julian interrupted him with another slashing attack.

“Calm yourself Doctor………………”

“Bastard! Filthy BASTARD!!” Julian hissed, spittle spraying from his lips, swinging the makeshift weapon in a deadly arc that caused Garak to raise his arm in defence giving him no time to wonder at the personal attack, at what he had done to enrage Julian so.

The club struck true and hard and Garak felt the bone of his forearm shatter, heard the sickening ‘crunch’, as it gave.

“Gottcha!!!!” Julian exulted, already moving for another attack.

“Teach you!! Teach you fer murdering my family, my children!! Bastard!!”

Sickness washed over him, and Garak realised that he would have to end this quickly. With his left arm hanging uselessly by his side Garak moved into the next attack, stepping around it so that he was inside Julian’s defence.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, my dear Doctor” Garak grunted, driving his forearm sharply into Julian’s throat.

Gurgling and attempting to breath through a crushed windpipe, Julian slid to his knees on the floor, gasping. With a final swift movement Garak drove his fingertips into the nerve cluster behind Julian’s ear, dropping him into an insensible heap on the floor, the baseball bat slipping from suddenly inert fingers.

A small sigh of relief and pain escaped Garak's lips, as for a moment he lent against the wall of the office. With one foot he kicked the baseball bat away from Julian’s outstretched hand, even though he knew that he wouldn’t be waking any time soon. With his good hand holding his shattered arm immobile against his body, Garak slowly walked to the infirmary’s still open door.

Stepping back onto the light and bustle of the promenade he ignored the few curious stare’s that came his way, Garak thumbed the panel outside the infirmary.

“Security to the infirmary” he called quietly into the Comm link.

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Garak's arm was still tender, despite having been healed by a nurse, and would be for some days now, yet that was the least of his worries.

“I have already told you constable, that Julian attacked me!” Garak glared into the annoyingly calm face of Odo, who sat smugly behind his desk in security.

“Then why don’t you tell me again” Odo replied calmly.

“I can see little point in that Constable. I have, as you say ‘gone over it’ three times now! I cannot imagine what more you could possibly hope to glean from yet another telling!” Garak slumped wearily into the seat opposite Odo, it had been a trying day.

“Humour me”

“Very well: I had finished work and desired the company of friends. I put in a call to Julian & we arranged to meet for drinks. I proceeded to walk to the infirmary were he proceeded to attack me………………….” Garak started wearily, then paused.

“Something occur to you Garak?” Odo asked, pouncing on the pause like a hawk on a mouse, sitting forward in his chair and looming towards Garak.

“Just something he said as he attacked me………” Garak began slowly.

“Tell me Constable, you wouldn’t know if Julian ever had any children would you?” Garak sat bolt upright in the chair a nagging suspicion beginning to tug at him.

“Children? Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

“He accused me of ‘murdering his family, his children’. Curious don’t you think?”

Odo sat back, his eyes narrowing into twin pools of suspicion.

“Computer locate Dr Bashir…..” Odo called.

“Dr Bashier is not on this station” The computer replied crisply. Both Garak and Odo turned the heads and looked into the cell in which they could both see Julian sleeping on the narrow bunk.

TO BE CONTINUED…………………………………………………