AN :: this is a little scene i jotted out last week (ie on christmas...) while helping Sparticus328 beta what is now up as "Broken Glass." No real warnings, perse... But there is a Slash, male/male pairing implication here, tieing into Sparti's story.

DISCLAIMER :: Star Trek and all involved characters and locations belong to CBS/Paramount and Gene Roddenberry. The supplemented plot was derived by Sparticus328. Permissions granted by Sparticus328 for me to post this up.

Crossover: Scene 11 "Reunion"

"...I seem to have lost my uniform..."

The tailor's hands froze on the suit he was dressing on a display unit. His eyes peeked around the form to find the doctor standing in his doorway. The man leaned against the door frame, looking disheveled.

"My dear Doctor, you look like you've seen better days." Garak came around slowly, eyes wide, noting the single back-step Julian made at the advance.

"Better days are here again..." He offered cryptically.

The dim light over the door hid Julian's appearance well enough from a distance. He wondered if the closer vantage would expose the deeper injury... the one in his eyes that he couldn't quite mask.

Julian stepped in past the door. Garak took in the ill-fitting Cardassian garb, the tunic sagging off one of Julian's shoulders, and gave him one of his crooked smiles, indicating the outfit with an elegant gesture of his hands, "Though, somehow, you really make this work."

Julian couldn't help but laugh. But he could manage no reply.

"May I ask where you've been for so many days, Doctor?" Garak cocked his head slightly in question, but asked gently.

"I -" Julian hesitated, wondering if this was such a good idea; Garak was too perceptive. "Major Kira is giving a report on what happened... I should really be there..." He trailed off.

"Nonsense!" Garak gesticulated with his hands. "Kira can handle that. The Major is quite capable." He stepped toward the doctor - again a tension, a retreat, as Julian shied from Garak's outreaching right hand. This gave the Cardassian pause - and concern. He looked at the younger man and took a breath, swallowing... realizing... waiting...

But Julian said nothing.

In the pause, Garak considered, his fingers making motions against his thumbs... Then the tailor moved, sidestepping toward the doorway, around the doctor, to the PADD on the wall. He keyed in a quick code and the shop sealed itself.

He turned back and stepped slowly toward Julian. He tipped his head lightly, his eyes wide. "Julian..." The Cardassian frowned, uttering the name he'd rarely voiced before, "tell me what happened...?"

It was a gentle request from a friend, and it grabbed at something in Julian's chest and twisted him into a knot...

As a sorrowful devastation descended on the doctor's face, Garak stepped closer and set his left hand on his properly covered right shoulder... "Oh... Julian... what -"

But Julian lost control, a sob bursting forth as tears stung his eyes - And a hard, ridged brow creased with concern above soft blue eyes...

Julian lifted his right hand to grip the one on his shoulder - And was pulled into an embrace. Wrapped into Garak's arms, he wept into the Cardassian's shoulder, comforting himself with the soft fragrance... As Garak's right hand pulled him close and stroked gently at the back of Julian's right shoulder... his soft voice hushing... "You're home now... It's alright... Julian... tell me what happened... You must have come to see me for a reason..."

~.oOo.~

AN :: that's it. just one short sweet sceen. n_n i had differeing images from Sparti as to what the scene looked like when we were talking about it before she wrote her version... if you've read Sparticus328's "Broken Glass," you may notice some differences in the begining bit - and that's because i was working off an older, unedited/unaltered version... i'm not one hundred percent sure it's layed out how it played (very wroughly) through my head, but the general jist is there and i thought i'd share...

hope y'all enjoyed it! please shout out in a comment any thoughts. and check out my twitter page ( TAPo_o) for my poetry and original works (shameless self promotion) - link on my bio...