Chapter 5
A few days later, well into an evening, Julian and Ezri lounged together in a booth at the back of Quark's bar. They had just lost the great battle in yet another of the doctor's suicidal holo-fantasies. The conversation drifted to station news as the couple lingered over their drinks. "Have you seen Rathaus lately?" Ezri asked suddenly.
"No, he mainly keeps to himself," the doctor answered. "I haven't seen much of Kira either, aside from work."
"I was afraid of that. We haven't talked since the party."
Bashir's interest was piqued. "Do you think anything is wrong?"
Dax's pixie face creased in concentration and her eyes grew unfocused. "I don't know. They are newlyweds," she paused. "But even for newlyweds, they're a little scarce and Betazoids are typically extremely social. Nerys and I used to get together at least twice a week."
"I get an odd feeling about him; he's so uptight and formal. Have you noticed how possessive he is of her?"
"It's sort of obvious. But it could just be that he hasn't adjusted to their being together. After all, he hasn't had to share her before this and now he has this whole station full of people who want her attention."
"Now that we're on the subject, what do you think of this marriage? Professionally, I mean" Julian asked.
"We're having clinical meetings in Quarks, now?" Dax smiled.
"I was going to ask you, anyway. But we could wait until tomorrow, if you would prefer."
"I really can't say," Dax hedged. "It's all so sudden."
"And Nerys was awfully depressed after Odo left," the doctor added. "If she had asked for my professional opinion, I would have advised her to wait longer, especially after all the stress and changes she's endured recently."
"She really wasn't herself even before the marriage, though she tried to hide it." The Trill thought hard for a moment. "If only we knew more about Rathaus himself."
"I suppose that I could ask Ambassador Troi. If he's a wealthy Betazoid, she must know something about him."
"That's a good idea. Meanwhile, I'll invite Nerys to lunch the day after tomorrow. Make sure she's okay."
"Why don't you try to see her tomorrow instead? Tell her you need to see her about a personal problem. She's always made time for her friends in the past."
"You really are worried about her aren't you? That's so sweet," Dax intoned.
Julian gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. "I thought that was what attracted you to me in the first place."
"No, it was your eyes – and your annihilation fantasies." They laughed and snuggled closer together.