AN: This is just a fun little one shot. I have never written Kira/Dax, but I wanted to play with the characters. Since I'm really into doing some fall-flavored fics right now, I thought it was a great time to try one.

I haven't decided if I might do one more piece to this one.

I own nothing from Star Trek.

I hope you enjoy! If you do enjoy, please let me know! I love sharing fics with people, but it's always more fun if I know someone is actually reading and enjoying them!

111

Intoxication. Relaxation. Romance. Rejuvenation. Pleasure. Comfort.

The so-called selling points of a vacation on Darmasia IV looked like a collage of every possible feeling or experience a person may desire. Of course, the small planet was just finding its way as a pleasure planet, and it was competing with big names to draw crowds to its brand-new season-themed tourist attractions.

"Experience the intoxication of the celebrated Earth season. Wrap yourself in comfort and coziness as you let go of stress and leave the world behind."

Kira had to admit that, listening to Jadzia read the brochure with that purring quality to her voice did make the trip sound at least a little enticing.

Enticing—that was one word that she hadn't heard in any of Jadzia's literature so far.

Kira didn't want to smile. She didn't want to look like she approved of this at all, but she was almost powerless against it. Jadzia was beaming—so damned pleased with her selection—and it was contagious.

Kira didn't often take vacations, but neither did Jadzia. Still, Bashir had only recently returned from a medical conference and, while there, he'd attended a number of workshops on workplace team-building, stress relief practices for crews, and any other number of borderline-hokey things that he wanted to really promote on the station—at least until there was something new to explore.

His enthusiasm for these things, much like his enthusiasm for certain practices in the past, would wane with time, and everyone knew that. However, at the moment, many of them were somewhat at his mercy. Sisko, too, thought that Bashir's suggestions were things to seriously consider, and he was pushing their implementation. At least some part of Kira though that Sisko might be pushing Bashir's agenda because, as long as he was making suggestions for who ought to be signed up for this or that, he was being left out of the line of fire.

Kira was being sent on a mandatory vacation in the company of Jadzia as part of a station-wide team-building exercise of sorts. The idea was that the two of them would bond as coworkers, strengthening their understanding of each other and ensuring that everything ran even more smoothly when they worked together, but they would also reap the benefits and rewards of a relaxing vacation where they were each able to let go of their worries or concerns.

At least, that was somewhat how it had been reported to Kira. She'd only half-listened after words like "mandatory" and "effective immediately."

"If you want to experience the Earth season," Kira said, "why not go to Earth?"

"It's the off-season there," Jadzia said, quickly and dismissively, still looking at the brochure with stars in her eyes.

They were supposed to decide, together, where they were going, but Kira didn't care, so she'd put the responsibility in Jadzia's lap—not that Jadzia seemed to be really fighting the practice. It hadn't taken her long at all to come up with this possibility, and she seemed so attached to it that Kira was pretty sure it would be the one that they chose.

"You're going to love it," Jadzia said, looking up from her brochure. "Just—give it a chance. Give me one day of planning things for us to do together. If you hate it, you can hide in the room for the whole time, and I'll tell Julian you participated in all the stress-relieving options available, and you're absolutely ready to return to work—a new Bajoran."

Kira sighed. She was going to have to do this at any rate, she might as well do her best not to entirely ruin things for Jadzia.

She put on the best smile she could.

"It looks like we're going to Darmasia IV!" She offered, wondering if she sounded as insincerely overly cheerful as she felt.

111

"The first thing is the wardrobe," Jadzia said.

They had just gotten to their cabin. It was cozy, but rustic. As part of its charm, Darmasia IV offered a variety of getaway options to enhance any vacation desire. It was, in essence, like a living holodeck suite—different parts of the planet, with varying climates—were dedicated to the creation of retreats meant to satisfy any taste.

Kira read the brochure. She read the boards, too, advertising the place outside the transporter pad hub that had moved them to their correct resort and, while they'd signed in and waited to be transported to their particular cabin in their correct area of the planet-wide resort, she'd listened to the spiel provided by one of the resort workers.

The people of Darmasia IV had a vision, and they meant to make it work. They were an up-and-coming pleasure planet with a new take on what they would offer their guests—guests they hoped would return time and time again for the unique experiences only available to them on Darmasia IV.

Kira was actually thankful for the quiet of the cabin, now that they'd transported into it. She deactivated the transporter—just as an extra precaution against any unwanted or accidental guests, and she collapsed onto the bed with a sigh.

The cabin was one room, except for a separate bathroom, where they had a miniature space dedicated to everything they might want in a real home. There was only one bed, but it was large enough for two, so Kira thought they could make do.

"The wardrobe?" She asked, crossing her arms across her body as she stared up at the ceiling.

Jadzia was busy at the replicator.

"You have to look the part to get into the experience," Jadzia said. "Part of the Autumn Adventure packet is a themed wardrobe. I loaded our specifications from the station, so they're already programmed into the replicator. Here, put this on."

Kira accepted the clothing. She looked it over as Jadzia placed shoes on the floor next to her.

"This is what they're wearing on Earth these days?" She mused.

Jadzia couldn't have looked more bored if she'd tried. Kira laughed quietly, amused by Jadzia's expression alone.

"They're creating an experience," Jadzia said.

"So—it's like a holo-program," Kira said.

"Except it's real."

Kira considered it for a moment. She'd agreed to the trip that Jadzia wanted to take—she was going to be forced into something, at any rate, until Bashir found something else to implement on the station from some new medical practice or another—she might as well embrace it for what it was.

"Are you changing first or…?"

Jadzia smiled.

"I'll change in the bathroom," she said. "You can change out here."

111

Kira had to admit that, once she was dressed, the outfit wasn't too bad, really. The sweater she'd been given to wear was loose and comfortable. Really, it was comfortable enough that she thought it might be worth taking home with her—maybe the fashion would catch on. At the very least, she could wear it in her quarters when relaxing.

Jadzia looked instantly relaxed when she'd emerged from the bathroom dressed in her own ensemble of black pants and boots with a rust orange sweater to almost match Kira's olive green one.

The weather outside was crisp enough to warrant the sweater and pants, and Kira was happy for the warmth of it when the breeze blew and rustled multi-colored leaves around them. From their cabin, their first stop was a "walk through an autumn-enchanted forest." Side-by-side, they strolled through a wooded area that was, for the most part, abandoned except for one or two other tourists that they passed. The second stop was an "apple-picking adventure" where Kira and Jadzia were expected to fill wicker baskets with apples that they plucked from over-laden fruit trees.

It was somewhere in the middle of this adventure that Kira really felt herself start to relax. Reaching up to try to grab one apple that, for whatever reason, just seemed shinier and more inviting than the rest, Kira had found she was too short and the installed ladders in the apple-picking area were anchored in places that would make that one apple impossible for her to retrieve. Standing on her tiptoes, straining, she'd been surprised to feel arms wrap around her waist. She'd almost turned, ready to slug whoever had wrapped themselves around her, to find that it was Jadzia wearing an enormous grin. She lifted Kira just enough to allow her fingertips to catch the apple, and then she lowered her to the ground.

Kira was laughing by the time she was flat-footed on the ground again. She turned around to smile at Jadzia, who was red-cheeked, either from exertion or humor.

"Thanks," Kira said.

Jadzia reached and took the apple out of Kira's hand. She held it in front of her and raised her eyebrows at Kira.

"Was it worth it?" She asked.

Before Kira could answer one way or another, though her honest answer would be that she didn't know if the apple was worth it, because she didn't know why she'd felt so drawn to pick that particular one, Jadzia held the apple just in front of her face.

"Go ahead," Jadzia pressed. "Taste it."

There was a strange fluttering in Kira's chest and in her stomach. It was unexpected. She didn't know what it meant. An apple, after all, shouldn't mean that it suddenly felt a little difficult to breathe. Kira decided that, perhaps, the atmosphere on Darmasia IV wasn't quite what Bajorans needed.

She considered reaching for the apple—taking it into her hand and biting it as she normally would a piece of fruit—but something in Jadzia's eyes and the hint of a smile on her lips told Kira that she wasn't meant to take it. She leaned forward, and Jadzia made no move to say she disapproved of the plan. Kira held her eyes, unnerved just slightly by Jadzia's strong and steady gaze. She bit the apple, and closed her eyes as the sweet-yet-tart juice ran into her mouth. She pulled away and opened her eyes to find that a hint of Jadzia's smile remained on her lips, and her eyes hadn't broken the gaze.

"Good?" Jadzia asked.

Kira nodded.

"You know—there's a long-standing tradition in nearly every species that has apples, or something like apples, that they're the forbidden fruit. In literature, especially, they always represent something that the person is not supposed to have, or thinks they shouldn't have, but they usually desire it so much that they finally give in and taste it, no matter the cost."

Kira let her eyes flick to the apple that Jadzia still held in front of her face. She could still taste it on her tongue. It was one of the best apples that she'd ever eaten. Still, deep in her stomach, there was a feeling that told her that they weren't talking about the apple—not really. Her heart pounded. She held Jadzia's eyes.

"What's the cost?" Kira asked.

"That depends on the story," Jadzia said. "Sometimes, it's nothing—the taster realizes they were only being denied something wonderful for an ungrounded belief that they somehow held. Sometimes, it's something as severe as death—or even something worse than death, at least, for the species that holds the story."

Kira's heart didn't slow itself at all. Her breathing felt shallow and rapid. She had faced fear. She had faced danger. She'd felt the exhilaration of both.

This was something else entirely. This was something she'd never felt before—not quite like this.

Or, perhaps, this was something she'd simply always denied herself.

"Is the cost worth it?" Kira asked.

Jadzia smiled slightly. Kira noticed that her pupils were much larger than they often were—than even they had been an hour ago.

"That's up to each person to decide," she offered.

Kira sucked in a breath as a futile effort to calm herself. She couldn't calm herself—she'd never been able to do that—but she could at least steel herself enough to move forward, toward whatever frightened her, as long as she was secure in the idea that the risk she was taking was worth it.

This felt, somehow, worth it.

Kira bit the apple again. Jadzia's hand held it steady and firmly. She didn't seem at all surprised by the movement or by Kira's choice. For a brief second, Kira had the amusing thought that, perhaps, Trills had some telepathic ability that she didn't know about.

"Good?" Jadzia asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"Why don't you try it?" Kira asked, moving the bite she'd taken to her cheek.

Jadzia smiled. She reached her hand up and pulled Kira toward her. At first the kiss was soft and sweet. Kira's heart felt like it slowed a little, relaxing in the comfort of the kiss. Then, the kiss deepened when Jadzia made motions for it to do so and Kira allowed them. Kira admitted Jadzia's tongue passage into her mouth, and felt the flood of passion that came with tested nips and licks between seeking breath to keep the kiss going. Finally, the kiss turned playful, and it broke with laughter. Kira's pulse kicked up again, this time for a different reason.

"You stole my apple," Kira teased. Jadzia had taken the bite from her in the heat of the kiss.

Jadzia hummed and shrugged her shoulders. Her cheeks were pink, and Kira wondered if the blossom of the kiss showed on her features, too.

"Was it worth it?" Jadzia challenged playfully.

"I don't know," Kira teased back. "Let me taste again."

This time, it was Kira who reached for Jadzia and demanded a kiss—not that she found Jadzia at all unwilling.

Maybe a fall retreat to Darmasia IV was a good idea after all—of course, Kira thought they'd left the best part off of the brochure.