(2 Weeks Later)
Odo took a seat in his office, somewhat satisfied by his day's work. There was only so much order that could be applied to a chaotic place like Deep Space 9, even for the most vigilant and organised security officer. Although, any day that he got to wipe the smugly innocent look off Quark's face was a good day indeed. Chuckling to himself at the recent memory, he eased back a little in his chair. He had one more task to complete before he could sign off for the night.
Casting his eyes over his regular security feeds, Odo was shocked to see that the 17th camera on his list was switched on and still transmitting. Most irregular. Line 17 was the channel he had assigned to the monitoring of Garak's personal quarters. Had he finally bested the Tailor? Highly unlikely. He'd actually been a little lazy with the placement of this last one. It was positioned rather obviously on the underside of a shelf in the corridor which faced the bathroom, Garak should have located it easily enough.
Odo no longer expected the worst of Garak but that wasn't to say that he trusted him implicitly either. The more time they spent together, the more he understood some of what drove the irregular Cardassian. He found that he could at least relate to his exiled status, they were both wistful for homes that no longer recognised them. And as far as current security threats went, his breakfast companion was relatively low down on the list. Although, if he were to appraise Garak of that fact, Odo was sure he would entertain the idea of causing trouble just to keep up appearances. He could admit that his heart was no longer in the surveillance, but he had continued to bug Garak's quarters out of habit more than anything else. It was oddly comforting to know that Garak would dispose of the devices as swiftly as they were installed, proof that all was well.
Odo furrowed his brow, perhaps Garak was in some sort of trouble? He hadn't mentioned any concerns the last couple of mornings but looking back, his behaviour the previous week or so had been slightly out of character. The business with the Orion had been resolved in a timely manner, Masril was removed from the station within days, so Garak's deviation from the norm shouldn't be related to that. Deciding to investigate further, Odo enlarged the small picture from Camera 17. Everything looked to be in order, there was no sign of a struggle. He could always drop in unexpectedly to check on Garak? Although, the man shared his own reluctance to entertain visitors within his quarters, which he could appreciate.
Movement on the screen drew his attention, it appeared that Garak had returned and that he wasn't alone. Odo observed Garak talking animatedly to Doctor Bashir, of all people. He relaxed at the sight, there weren't any major problems then. This new interaction was an interesting development, he knew they had lunch together but was unaware that they socialised beyond that. The Doctor seemed to spend most of his free time engaged in the holosuite or playing darts with Chief O'Brien. Squinting at the scene before him, he noticed that Garak and Doctor Bashir were both wearing scrubs which was odd. He'd never seen the Cardassian dressed in anything but his own impeccable wardrobe. Leaning closer to hear the pair of them better, he was able to discern snippets of their conversation.
… "clearly, you have no taste" … … … "that colour reminded me of you!" … … … "still hope for you yet" … … … "how did it get in my hair?!" … … … "really, Dearest. Enhanced dexterity, indeed. The idea was to paint the walls, not" … … … "told you these overalls would" … … … "shame they are such an eyesore" … … … "take them off immediately, lest they offend you further! I really need a" … … … "not letting you in my tub until you've first taken a sonic" … … … "no sense! You are being ridiculous" … … … "don't know how they bathe back on Earth, but" … … … "insulted! I hadn't realised that Cardassians were so" … … … "expected too much! I thought a man of your intelligence would be able to comprehend the simplest" …
It appeared that Doctor Bashir and Garak had recently become entangled in a more personal relationship. As Odo watched them pace back and forth in Garak's hallway, he was startled to see how elated they both looked despite the fact that they were clearly arguing. Recalling his previous observations on the station, he reminded himself that that was how Cardassians liked it. Courting couples were always the most vocal and disruptive on the promenade, often appearing to be on the verge of fighting. As he analysed his friends' verbal sparring, they seemed to reach boiling point before coming together to passionately divest each other of their paint-stained clothes. Garak stopped for a second and tilted his head to look directly down the lens of the hidden camera. He pointedly raised a ridge before returning his full attention to his enthusiastic human partner and dragging him through to the bathroom.
Odo leapt to his feet, suddenly mortified. He felt guilty as though Garak had caught him doing something he shouldn't. He quickly turned off the console before he witnessed any more, he'd already seen far too much. There was no way that Garak could see him, was there? No, that wasn't possible. There were multiple precautionary systems in place to prevent any tampering. Calming down, he started to consider how suspiciously coincidental the evening's events had been. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Tailor had deliberately engineered this moment, knowing his work schedule concluded in checking the cameras at this time and what his likely reaction would be when presented with such a scenario. Was he being taught a lesson? If so, it was well done. He resolved to cease his monitoring of Garak's quarters immediately, Garak and Bashir both deserved some semblance of privacy.
Odo mused that he was honestly happy for Garak and wished him well. Times were tough for them all right now. Cardassia and his own people, the Dominion's so-called 'Founders', weren't making life any easier for anyone. He sobered at the realisation that Garak's change in attitude had been caused by a rare positive change in his life. Maybe the alteration he'd noticed had been a shedding of the Tailor's fictional persona? His friend no longer had to force a smile as he was content for the first time since he'd known him. It was upsetting that his first reaction had been to assume that something was wrong instead of considering a more pleasant alternative, as he likely would have for somebody else.
Garak had previously inferred that Odo thought the pair of them wouldn't make a convincing couple, how wrong he'd been about that. Given the years they'd danced around each other, he had seen this coming long before either of those two idiots had. Shaking his head at the unnecessary theatrics of it all, Odo grumbled to himself as he packed up his things. "About time too, if you ask me."
Odo locked his office and decided to go for a quick celebratory drink, or at least his equivalent. There was no harm in taking another opportunity to bother Quark, an endeavour always worth indulging in. The Ferengi would be most displeased to learn that he had lost their wager and he was looking forward to rubbing it in. Garak and the Doctor's escalating relationship was clear to see and now was the time for Quark to uphold his end of the bargain. Things were looking up, temporarily at least, and that would have to do for now.
Author's Notes:
Believe it or not, this was only supposed to be a short and concise concluding chapter from Odo's POV to round everything off... Haha what can I say? They bring it out in me! Hopefully this will only enhance the reading experience and doesn't detract from the original ending, If not, feel free to ignore it completely. x
