Spoilers: This story takes place 7 years after Seventh Season DS9 Episode "What You Leave Behind" and DS9 novel "A Stitch In Time" by Andrew J. Robinson. This story contains spoilers for each so if you don't want to be spoiled PLEASE don't read beyond this point. . .
Summary: Someone Garak thought that he had lost a long time ago comes back into his life bringing with her joy. . .
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Elim Garak wiped the dirt off his hands and smiled down at the plant
he had just settled into the garden. Satisfied that the plant was properly
settled, he sat back to look at the small garden he was planting for use
later on in the winter. The garden would provide him with much needed freshly
grown food and it would allow him to help a few of his neighbors if necessary.
He drank a few swallow of semi-cold water from a nearby container and he
settled back to finish planting the garden.
It had been 7 years since the Dominion War and its Occupation of Cardassia had ended. Garak had returned home with the Federation Forces and he had begun helping his people rebuild after the enormous death toll and destruction the Dominion had left behind in its wake.
The capital of the Cardassian Union had been almost leveled to the ground by the Jem'Hadar, leaving over a billion and a half dead. It had taken them nearly a year after the war ended just to clear the rubble from the city's limits. Since then reconstruction had begun and at first it was primarily living facilities they worked on since their resources were limited. The Federation offered its help and for once the Cardassian people had no pride left to get in the way of their accepting outsiders help.
Garak now lived in a reconstructed area of Tain's house, sharing his home with several other Cardassians who lost everything they had in the bombardment. The arrangements was noisy and left him with practically NO privacy but Garak found that he really didn't mind because at least he wasn't lonely.
"GARAK!!!"
Garak turned just time to stop the small boy running at him from crashing into the garden. "Tolan, why are you in such a hurry?" he asked, setting the boy onto the ground nearby. The boy smiled.
"I want to help you," the boy replied.
"All right, but you'll have to promise to be careful and to listen to me carefully. Understand?" Garak said and the boy nodded.
As they settled into working, they were unaware of a someone standing in the shadows watching them. She leaned against the house's door frame, watching them smiling to herself. Elim had changed since the last time she saw him. He was older, true but so was she. One of the most noticeable changes though was that he smiled more freely now and she even heard him laughing with Tolan. It was a happy sound.
He was happy. . .
She considered leaving and not letting him see her like this. She was crippled from the Dominion attack and she had other scars from her time with Barkan that she'd rather him not see. She sighed and taking her cane in her hand, she turned to leave, contented with having seen Elim one last time.
Garak looked up from what he was doing with Tolan and he looked towards the house because he'd felt someone watching them. He saw the back form of a woman retreating slowly leaning on a cane. She limped badly and yet there was someone familiar about-
"Wait!" he shouted, startling Tolan. "Keep digging, Tolan. I'll be back in a moment," he said and quickly got up to catch up to the woman he had just watched leave. She couldn't get far fortunately for him with that bad limp and he was there when he turned the corner of the doorway.
"Stop please!" he pleaded and was relieved when she stopped. "Paladine? Is that you, my love?"
He moved towards her back she kept her back towards him.
"No, Elim, please don't. I don't want you to see me as I am. I'd rather you remember as I used to be. Please." she pleaded with him. He touched her shoulder.
"Paladine, please. . ." he whispered, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms again. "I've spent too long thinking I'd never see you again. Or hold you. I still love you more than life."
"I love you too, Elim, which is why you can't see me like this. I'm not who I used to be." she said.
Garak stared at her hurt but still wanting nothing more than to hold her again.
"Paladine, please let me love you. Please."
"Elim, I can't. I'm sorry. I never should have come here but I had to see you one last time." she said.
"Are you another man's wife?" he asked.
"No."
"Then let me make you my wife," he said.
"Elim. . ."
"I love you and I always have. I'll love you until I die. I've wanted you to be my wife ever since Bamarren." he said.
"We were little more than children then," she replied quietly.
"It doesn't matter because I loved you from the moment you broke protocol and told me your name. Please, love, now that you're here I'm not sure I could go on with the knowledge that you're alive and I'm still not free to love you as I've wanted to all of my life. Please let me love you?" he pleaded with her.
Paladine sighed but she turned, pulling back the hood of the cloak she was wearing. A noticeable scar ran down from her left temple to her right cheek. It was faded, indicating it had been there quite a number of years, certainly more than 7 years. It wasn't the Dominion that had given her that scar but instead it had been Barkan. Garak reached out to touch her face, caressing her face and gently lifting her head when he reached her chin. She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Do you still love me know, Elim? Even with this?" she asked, pointing to her scar and she held up her cane.
"Yes, I love you, Paladine. More than ever. Please be my wife?" he asked again. After a moment, she nodded her consent and in the next moment she was in his arms. He held her as though there were no tomorrow.
"What about Kel?" he said suddenly. She never accept her mother marrying the man who killed her father.
"She's dead, Elim." Paladine breathed into his shoulder.
Elim pulled back to look at her.
"Dead? How? I knew I hadn't see her in a long time but-"
"She died of some illness that the doctors can't give a name to. She's been dead over a year now," she said.
"I'm so sorry, my love," he breathed and she nodded burying her face into his shoulder. They were silent for a few moments.
"Do you still attend the Oralian Way meetings?" he asked after moments had passed.
Paladine nodded. "My daughter is gone but I still believe in their teachings, Elim. In fact attending the meetings is what let me know that you were still alive and had returned to Cardassia. I saw you in a meeting a few months ago. When did you become a believer?" she asked.
"I'm not sure I am. Kel is what drew me to the meetings because through her I was able to hear an echo of your voice, my love. I thought you were dead. I had been searching for you ever since the war ended," he said.
"I wished to remain hid for several years after the war, letting only Kel know I was alive but not wanting her know my location. The last time I ever saw her was right before she died. Elim, I had so much healing to do. I still do." Paladine said.
"What about your leg?" he asked, leading her to a seat nearby.
"A gift from the Dominion. The doctors say that I'm lucky to have it although I'll never again have full use of it. I'll have to walk with a cane from the rest of my life," she answered.
"It doesn't matter now, Paladine. I'll take care of you now," he said.
"Garak!" Tolan's young voice came. "Where are you?"
"My young charge has finally missed me it seems. I'm over here, Tolan." he called back. A second later Tolan came running and he stopped breathlessly before them.
"Who's she"? he asked upon seeing Paladine.
"She's going to be staying with us, Tolan," Garak replied, taking her hand.
"Taking in another are we, Garak?" a voice said from behind. It was Tolan's mother, Amiz. Tolan went to her and she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, Paladine is going to be my wife," he replied.
"That's up to you," she replied and quickly went back into the house taking Tolan with her. Paladine noticed that she seemed hurt.
"Shall we walk back out to the garden to see what damage Tolan may have done?" he asked. Paladine nodded and they stood together. Garak offered her his arm which she took with reluctance. Paladine waited until they were a good distance from the house before she spoke.
"Elim, that woman we just spoke with. . ." she began.
"Do you mean Amiz?" he asked.
"Yes, Amiz. Elim, I think she has feelings for you," Paladine watched him for a reaction.
Garak laughed. "My dear, I don't think so. She just recently lost her husband, a husband who is buried over there," he pointed to a barren tree. "The only reason she'd be interested in me is because it's a rather dangerous time to live alone if you happen to be a woman and the danger is greater for her because she has a child to care for. No she IS not interested in me."
They reached the garden at that moment and Garak was relieved to see that the boy hadn't destroyed his entire morning's work in a few minutes of digging when he wasn't supervised.
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Entry:
Doctor, I hope you'll be able to forgive my rather lengthy silence but I have remarkable news. . .
I found Paladine at last, Doctor, or rather it would be more appropriate to say that she found me. We were joined, married as I believe human call it, a little over a year ago and I must I am happy to report something to you that is nothing short of a miracle. We are expecting a child to be born in the late fall, early winter.
Doctor, I'm not sure how good of a father I will be but then again I suppose no one is until he faced with the challenge. I am looking forward to holding my son or daughter for the first time, and I will work to give them a better Cardassia than the one I've known in my lifetime. For the first time in the longest time I can remember, I am happy.
You're still welcome to visit us sometime, Doctor. You'd be surprised to see how much progress we've made on rebuilding since the war. I'll write again soon.
Simply,
Elim Garak
**Fin**