Garak exited the stage as La Vipère blew her last kiss to the audience, not looking back. When he rejoined the crowd, the man with the missing teeth was still there.

"Oh good, you've got some brain cells. Now get out of the theatre and wait for the boss-lady outside." Old toothless proceeded to melt back into the shadows. Garak stole a last glance at the stage, but Qadir had vanished as if the little flame had been snuffed out. He was quick to leave the room after that.

Qadir, as it turned out, did not keep him waiting for long. As Garak stood with his back to the wall, still wondering what had happened to Bashir and Komananov, when the agent by day, dancer by night, appeared at the other end of the hallway, accompanied by a security officer. She lit up when she saw him and headed over, strutting and self-assured as if she were meeting a friend of many years. If irony could kill…

"Such a gentleman, thank you for waiting so patiently while I changed." Qadir had exchanged her costume for a simple black knee-length dress. She laced her arm under Garak's and entwined her fingers with his. "Now let's go to my office. It's a little quieter there." Qadir had a bright, toothy smiled enhanced by her hidden ferocity. Despite the familiarity of the circumstances, Garak felt nostalgic for Akkad's restrained yet gentle nature.

"Your wish is my command." Garak rolled his eyes and reluctantly allowed her to lead him away.

Qadir's "office" appeared to be an extension of her own personal accommodations on a separate floor. It was furnished like a parlor, with couches circling a coffee table in the center of the room.

"Now this is one of the best views in all of Paris." Qadir extended an arm toward the wall to wall window overlooking the city. "Abdel, qahwat min fadlik. You know how I like it." She gestured at her guard. Her native tongue was very similar to Akkad's as well. Garak could recall several occasions when the doctor had ordered coffee from the replicator with a likely equivalent phrase.

"Madam, now that I have had a tour of your, I must say, impressive establishment, I should ask what your employer plans to do with Agent Bashir and Colonel Komananov?" Garak watched warily as Qadir sat down on the couch and reclined.

"Ah, ah, ah." Qadir held up her first finger on one hand. "You're under my roof, we play by my rules. Sit." The two stared each other down before Garak made the calculated decision to obey and sat down beside her on the uncomfortably small couch. Qadir's servant returned and placed her coffee on the table in front of her. "Shukraan, that will be all for now." The man bowed and retreated to the far corner of the room. Qadir took a small sip of her beverage and smiled wickedly at Garak again. "So tell me, my good man. What brings you to La Ville Lumière?"

"You don't know?" Garak asked as the metaphorical lightbulb went off. The plan was a bit of a gamble, but he did not have a lot to work with at that particular moment.

"Well if I had to guess, I'd say our friend Agent Bashir had the brilliant idea of looking for leads on his latest assignment right here in the snake den. I do know about his run-in with Monsieur Duchamps. I'm told he tried to pass himself off as a geologist to arrange a meeting with my employer. Not exactly up to standards tonight, I was rather disappointed."

"Then he is being held as we speak?" Garak asked, examining every microscopic change in her expression.

"Yes. We have something special in store for him, so he will be allowed to live a little while longer."

"Excellent, then everything has gone according to plan. If you should decide to put in a good word for me with Dr. Noah, I would be most grateful." Garak patted her on the back of the hand and smiled in relief. Qadir looked at him as if he were insane.

"What are you talking about?" Qadir demanded, her expression had gone stone cold.

"The plan to deliver Bashir to headquarters of course, what else? These infiltration assignments are getting rather tedious."

"If you're implying that we sent you to act as a double agent on our behalf, you can stop right there. I assure you our employees do nothing without my knowledge. Besides, I never even evaluated you as a potential recruit." Qadir watched him through narrowed eyes, genuinely offended at the mere suggestion of error on her part. There was nothing of Akkad in her vindictive nature.

"And of course, you never forget a face." Garak leaned in closer until he could hear her breathing. "But madam, it would appear that a lot happens without your knowledge." A nerve was struck, and Qadir's face twisted with fury.

"You insolent ibn al kalb!" Qadir shot up to her feet and dashed the cup in her hand to the ground, leaving a dark brown puddle across the floor. "You will live to regret that!" Garak patted her other hand which was clamped down to the back of the couch.

"Really? Oh, do continue. Exactly which of your underlings are you going to send to do your dirty work for you this time? I see you were wise enough to have one handy in case such events arose." Garak glanced at the servant, whose hand rested on his hip, prepared to draw gun from holster at a second's notice. If Qadir was angry before, she was practically boiling now. She seized him by the hair and shoved a knee into his stomach.

"Don't TEST ME!" Qadir growled, looming over him. Garak grabbed her by the waist and pushed her backward into the couch. She slammed into it and from the corner of his eye, Garak could see the servant drawing his gun.

"STOP!" Qadir shrieked at him before appearing to regain some of her composure. "I will handle this myself." She stood up again and smoothed out her dress.

"Go ahead, I can't think of a better way to pass the time than by watching you make a fool of yourself." Garak laughed and shook his head at her, though he wondered whether he had pushed her a little too far with that one.

"Laugh about it now, I promise your days are numbered." Qadir practically spat in his face. Such a stimulating rage. It made him wonder just how incredible Akkad would be in such a feverish state. Oh, to see her serene features ignite with unrefined passion…but those were thoughts for another time, however tempting the image might be.

"How I would love to trade insults with you all night, but frankly neither of us has the time."

"You certainly don't. Your presence no longer amuses me, but what makes you think you'll ever leave this room alive?" Qadir shot daggers at him with her eyes. The moment of compromise had arrived.

"I know I won't die here. After all, you still need me." Garak licked his dry lips and watched the scowl reform on Qadir's face.

"I have everything I require to carry out my assignment. What could I possibly need you for?" Qadir ran her palm down the hair on the back of his head, threatening to rip at it again.

"It's not about the assignment. It's about you. Who else is going to tell you everything that Dr. Noah hasn't?" Garak reached over his shoulder and removed her hand. It stayed balled up in a fist as he held it between their two bodies.

"There are no secrets between him and I. He never questions my work or my loyalty." The muscles in Qadir's arm were as tense as titanium cables.

"Are you sure? If you are then don't bother with me, but if you're not, how will you ever really know?" Garak's fingers danced lightly over the deep scars on Qadir's hand. She said nothing but watched him for a long moment. Then, without any explanation, she pulled a cigarette and a lighter out of a hidden pocket and lit it. Garak was a little taken aback, both by the stench of the thing and Qadir's lack of a reaction. She sat there beside him and watched plumes of smoke rise from the burnt end of her cigarette.

"Very well," Qadir said before the blowing the burning hot ashes from the cigarette into his face.

"GAHH!" Garak shouted as the cinders flew into his eyes and into his airways. He coughed and hacked desperately to draw breath, but his throat felt like it was on fire. Qadir pushed him down on his back and whispered into his ear.

"Just relax. I promise it won't hurt for much longer." Garak could feel the material of her gloves and her warm breath against the side of his face but he was too oxygen-starved to fight back. He had not planned on being so powerless.

"Shh…I'll see you in the morning." Qadir hummed as Garak succumbed to the pull of the unconscious mind.