Title: Final Choice 
Author: Ainzfern 
Series: DS9-M/U 
Codes: MU Garak/MU Bashir, Q. (Although Bashir seems a bit 
more AU in this) 
Rating: NC-17 (M/M - Violence - NON CONS)

Disclaimer: Paramount owns STAR TREK ... etc and so on and
so forth! My only pay here is personal joy. 

Summary: The entity known as Q visits the MU Terok Nor and
takes First Officer Garak on a midnight odyssey. During the
trip, Garak is forced to confront a few home truths about
what he really wants, and is ultimately forced to make a
hard decision concerning his slave's welfare. 

Archiving: Certainly - if you want to- please let me know. 

Feedback: Yes please! All comments welcome. 
ainzfern@hotmail.com 

Author's Note:  You will notice that this Q is quite
removed from the TNG wisecracking, never serious, pain in
the butt fella that pops up when you least want him to.
This is quite deliberate. I realized that whenever Q
appeared in a Starfleet uniform, we could expect humor. But
when he wore the crimson robes and the kabuki make-up -
then it was get deadly serious time. Q dressed as the judge
and executioner, was NOT someone who could be taken
lightly. Thus I have presented him in this incarnation for
my story. Again, BIG FAT SLOPPY THANK YOU to  Cait for 
doing the BETA for me!



Final Choice.

"Wake up!" The imperious command echoed through the
darkened bedchamber.

First Officer Garak sat bolt upright in bed, disruptor in
hand. In one smooth action he sighted his target, aimed and
fired.

He felt no regret as he did so. The rules were well
established. One did not enter the First Officer's private
bedchamber uninvited. To do so was to die.

The disruptor beam lanced out and caught the shadowy
figure square in the chest. To Garak's astonishment, the
beam seemed to bounce off the intruder, arcing across the
room and grounding itself harmlessly into the far wall with
a brief flash.

"What...?" Garak gasped.

The figure strode towards the bed. There were no lights on
in the room. Nevertheless, as the intruder advanced,
illumination came from somewhere. The figure stepped into
the soft glow and faced Garak calmly.

He looked human, but Garak quickly discarded that notion.
Humans did not generally shrug off a disruptor blast to the
chest.

He was quite tall, dressed in floor length robes of deep
scarlet. His head was crowned with an intricately folded
black wimple. His face... great Guls!.. his face was
incredible. Slightly too sensual to be real. The rich mouth
was almost too full. The cheek bones a touch too high. His
glittering eyes were elaborately made up, staring
unblinkingly out at him from a perfectly alabaster face.

Looking at him, the First Officer got the strong feeling
that this stranger's appearance was not so much by nature
as by design. As if a sculptor had striven for perfection,
and yet somehow managed to go just beyond it.

It was a beautiful face, but an overwhelming one. It was
not an easy face to look at.

Gathering his wits, he got off the bed and appraised the
strange creature. Garak was still dressed in his uniform.
The only concession the First Officer made to sleeping was
the removal of his breastplate. He seldom slept even semi-
naked. He preferred to be ready for any eventuality.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Q"

Garak's eye ridge quirked irritably. "That answer means
nothing to me."

"I shouldn't think it would, Elim dear," Q replied
blandly, "I've never been here before."

"How did you know my name?" Garak barked. 

Q smiled beatifically at him. "I know everything."

"What are you?" Garak asked.

"Q"

"No, not your name! Your race!"

"I am Q... It is who I am and what I am. We do not have
names. We are not defined by your limited mortal
conventions. We are Q. That is all you need to know."

Garak swallowed loudly in the sudden silence. He could
feel something... a presence, a power. It was coming off
the being's form in waves. He realized he was in new
territory.

He took a step backwards. "What do you want from me?" His
tone was a little less sharp.

Q smiled. It was a cold, glittering, imperious smile.
"Only your attention, First Officer. I merely wish for you
to heed my words."

"You've brought me a message?" Garak surmised, suddenly
interested.

"Of a sort," Q replied.  "Come with me." He turned with a
graceful flare of his heavy robes, and led the way out of
Garak's bedchamber.

Garak was instantly affronted. He took orders from no one!
He gave them! He was the Intendant's First Officer!
However, despite his offence, he was helpless to disobey
Q's preemptory command. It was as if his legs moved of
their own accord.

He followed the strange entity out into his luxurious
living area. On the far side of the room, Q was standing
next to a large divan, staring down at the slumbering
figure curled up on it under a heavy brocaded comforter.

"My body slave," Garak said by way of explanation,
glancing down briefly at the resting human.

Q looked sharply at him, eyes narrowing. "A slave...? Ah
yes, one who does not own himself. A strange concept. One
that I fail to see value in."

"What is your interest in him?" Garak asked.

"You needn't whisper," Q told him. "He won't hear us. I
don't want any interruptions... and to answer your
question, I have little interest in him. But, YOU do."

"I have no idea what you mean."

Q ignored him. "I note that he sleeps out here."

"It is his place," Garak said shortly.

"Seems a shame. All this soft warmth out here, just going
to waste while you lay in your vast bed by yourself."

"This is his PLACE!" Garak barked.

"But you do take him to your bed, don't you?" Q nodded
knowingly.

"When I desire it, yes. He IS a body slave, after all."

"But afterwards, you send him away from you."

Garak's face grew set. "Of course."

"Of course..." Q echoed. "Even though you don't want to."

Garak snarled at him. "How DARE you suggest..."

"I am not SUGGESTING anything, Elim dear. This is the
reality that I sense from you. That it is what it is, do
not blame me!" Q smiled again. Then he turned back to
regard the human.

"He sleeps thinly," Q said sadly. "He's still in pain."
Those penetrating eyes pinned Garak again. "You didn't have
to hit him like that, you know. Why did you?"

"How I treat my property is MY concern, not yours!" Garak
snapped.

"He wasn't looking at you, was he?"

"Shut up."

"He wasn't SEEING you, was he? He'd gone somewhere
else..." Q continued implacably.

"Stop this!"

"He always does though, doesn't he? And you hate it. You
desire, no you CRAVE his attention when you fuck him, don't
you?"

"Enough!" Garak lunged at Q, hands outstretched, fingers
curled into claws.

Q calmly held up a hand and locked the furious Cardassian
in place. "Temper, temper, First Officer... it just won't
do!"

The enigmatic entity took another lingering look down at
the human. "He's really very beautiful, isn't he? You're
quite lucky to have him. It's Julian isn't it? That's his
name?"

Sneering, still trying to break free, Garak said nothing.

Q turned to him, smiling. "I'm going to do you a favor,
Elim dear," he said. "I'm going to take you on a little
odyssey. A little trip into your possible destiny. Who
knows? You might even gain the wisdom to make a choice."

***** 

The light faded. For an endless moment, Garak floated
seemingly bodiless. 

He blinked. He was standing in a small dwelling, a cottage
of some description. The d‚cor was simple but homey. It was
a warm, welcoming little place. He did not recognize it at
all.

"I'd be very surprised if you did know it," Q said from
behind him. "You won't have been here for a year or two
yet."

Garak shook his head sharply, trying to clear his
thoughts. "What does that mean? Where have you taken me?"

Q leaned close to him. "Through space, through the
wormhole, through the rift of dimensions... and through
time."

"I don't understand."

"Just wait... and watch. It will become clearer soon," Q
promised him.

There was a soft click. The front door opened.

Julian walked in, laden down with bags. Garak could see
that his hair had grown even longer. He was clean-shaven
and simply dressed in light linen pants and a loose, high
collared blue shirt.

The First Officer drew in a sharp breath. //He's never
looked so beautiful.//

As Julian passed by them, depositing his burdens onto the
bench in the small kitchenette, Garak could see how his
eyes glowed. The human's entire stance was joyful. He
seemed almost breathlessly exited. He sparkled.

//Great Guls! He is utterly stunning!//

Garak found his voice. "What is this, where are we?" he
demanded again.

"A possible future."

"For him?" Garak nodded at the busy human.

"For you both."

He looks happy," Garak mused.

"He is," Q replied. "It's quite amazing what having
someone to love you will do for a hopeless spirit."

Garak looked sharply at the tall entity. "Love him...? He
a slave!" Garak shrugged. "I imagine he's found himself a
new Master. They must have paid me very well. I've never
even considered setting a price for him."

As he watched the human, his expression grew bitter.
//Look at him! Checking the time, panting for his owner
like some little pup. He never waited like that for ME I'll
wager. Oh yes, he knew exactly what a display like this
would get him. I never DID want him too sure of himself.// 

His eyes narrowed as he watched Julian fussing around in
the kitchenette, preparing a light repast, which he took to
the small dining table. Every now and then, he would look
up and check the time again.

Garak felt a surge of jealousy rising in his stomach, so
strong that it made him nauseous. He recognized all of the
foods that Julian had so carefully laid out. They were all
things that he himself professed a liking to.

//Little tramp!// he thought spitefully.

Q turned and appraised him closely, the expression on his
sensual face slightly smug.

Unaware of the entity's eyes on him, Garak grew more and
more enraged. His big hands clenched so tightly that his
nails drew blood from his palms. //Faithless little wretch!
Offering up MY preferences!... and you WANT this new Master
of yours, don't you? You'll beg him to take you, to fuck
you! You'll beg him like you wouldn't beg me!//

Garak's face grew cold and decisive. //Forewarned is
forearmed little human. You won't be sold. A fucking
fortune can be offered up for your plump little ass, you'll
NEVER be sold!//

Q chuckled softly. "How right you are, Elim dear."

Before Garak could reply, a noise distracted him. The
front door of the cottage opened again.

Julian's beautiful, welcoming smile was like a shard of
ice stabbing through Garak's chest. A low growl began in
his throat.

"Q," he grated, "get me out of here!"

Q sniffed. "No."

"Q!" Garak bellowed. //I don't want to SEE this!//

"Just watch."

Helpless to resist that whispered command, Garak turned
his head in time to see Julian literally fling himself into
the newcomer's embrace. He wrapped his slender arms around
his beloved's sturdy body and showered his face with
kisses. He laughed with delight as strong arms wrapped
around him in return, lifting him from the ground in a huge
hug.

Garak's eyes widened in disbelief. His jaw hung slackly.
He swayed and would have fallen if Q hadn't reached out to
steady him.

"Great fucking Guls..." he breathed.

"It's you."

"It's me."

***** 

A dark room. Garak could sense the Q's presence next to him.

"Where are we now?" he asked quietly.

"You needn't bother to modify your voice, Elim dear," Q
said brightly. "We won't be heard."

A door opened, spilling light from the room beyond into
the darkness, gently illuminating their surroundings.

"A bedroom," Garak said flatly, as he watched his older
self carry Julian past them and lay him gently down on the
bed.

Q smiled at him. "Oh yes. Apparently, you spend quite a
bit of your time in here!"

"That isn't me!" Garak snarled.

"It will be... maybe."

Garak wanted to look away, to deny the scene before him.
But he simply couldn't. He was almost spellbound, watching
himself and his slave together.

"But he's not your slave anymore, First Officer. You set
him free." Q told him softly.

"He stayed?"

"No... he came back."

Garak stared at him.

"Now you're his slave," Q continued, "A slave to his love
for you. He is your mate, your beloved... your LIFE!"

Trembling, Garak turned back to the lovers, watching
himself undressing the beautiful human. Taking his time
instead of simply tearing the material away. Bending down
to kiss that soft mouth, moaning at the heat of Julian's
response. The lovers' kisses were deep, searching and
tender. The silver-gray hands stroking over that smooth,
golden skin were infinitely gentle.

He saw himself kissing the delightful curve of Julian's
neck, running his tongue down across the sleekly muscled
chest. His future self paused to nibble and suck at the
human's small sensitive nipples while Julian gasped with
pleasure and flexed his long fingers through the
Cardassian's hair like a cat kneading it's bedding.

//Oh Guls,// Garak gave a silent mental groan, //He wants
me!//

"He always wanted you, First Officer," Q told him. "Even
from the very beginning. He had been well trained in the
art of pleasure before he came to you. There were so many
things that he wanted to do for you, give to you." Q sighed
regretfully. "But you wasted all that potential. You never
gave him any opportunity."

They turned back to the lovers. Garak's future self was
continuing his sensual decent down the humans supple body.
He glided his palms across the smooth belly, down those
firm thighs, finally bending his head again to take
Julian's quivering erection into his...

//No! I would NOT lower myself to that!// Garak was
shocked, appalled. That act was his slave's jurisdiction.
Garak received it, he did not give it.

Q laughed delightedly. "Oh, you LOWER yourself all right!
You take that lovely human cock into your mouth whenever
you get the chance, and I'll tell you something else, First
Officer... you're GOOD at it!"

As he watched himself pleasuring the human, hearing
Julian's husky cries, seeing the long body arch and writhe
against the sensual assault, he had to admit, Q seemed to
be correct. The proof was right in front of him. There he
was, performing this act on his human lover with every
indication of enjoyment.

It became clear that Julian was quickly approaching his
climax. Q leant over to Garak and whispered in his ear.

"This is what I wanted you to see, Elim dear."

Garak jumped slightly, eyes still fixed on the lovers. His
older self had pulled back, replacing his mouth with his
hand, stroking and pumping Julian's member with the
confident touch of familiarity. He had leaned over the
human, supporting himself with his other arm, and was
gazing raptly into that perfect, flushed face.

And the human was looking back at him... Julian was
looking back at him!

"That's right, First Officer," Q said, "Look at him. Look
at that gorgeous little creature staring at you with such
love in his eyes! Gazing at you as you make him come so
sweetly! Here, you have what you've always wanted. He sees
YOU. All those years of beatings and tantrums. All that
time you wasted being cruel because you thought it was the
only way get his attention." Q stared at him, his eyes
penetrating. "And all along, all you had to do was love
him. Just love him."

The cries that came from Julian's throat were the sweetest
sounds Garak had ever heard. He watched as his future self
brought the young man to orgasm. He listened in wonder as
he heard his own name called out in abandon. A strange pain
was growing inside of him, an unfamiliar ache. Something he
couldn't yet define.

Julian was clutching at his older image, pulling him onto
his golden body, wrapping those long legs around his waist.
Panting and trembling, he twined his slender fingers into
the Cardassian's hair, pulling him close and kissing him
deeply.

"Elim..." he was whispering brokenly. "Please take me,
please fuck me... I need you so much!"

Garak drew in a sobbing breath at the same moment his
future self thrust into Julian's willing body. The lover's
cries mingled, words of affection and desire mixing with
the rising shouts of pleasure and fulfillment.

The pain inside of Garak blossomed. //Oh yes,// He thought
almost absently, //I can name it now... Remorse.//

"Oh, well DONE, First Officer!" Q congratulated him as the
room faded away into blackness.

***** 

The darkness lifted again. Garak instantly recognized this
place. He sighed... with relief or regret, he wasn't sure.

"You brought me back," he said, looking around at his
familiar bedchamber on Terok Nor.

"Not quite," Q murmured. "It's another future that I wish
for you to see, First Officer."

Garak looked sharply at him.

Q smiled grimly. Something glittered behind those immortal
eyes, something hard and unforgiving. As Garak's insides
shuddered with the unfamiliar touch of fear, Q commanded,
"Come with me!"

There was no possible option but to obey. Garak followed Q
out into the main living area of his opulent quarters.

There, in the center of the room, stood himself. He looked
no different, no older. Garak surmised that this echo of
the future was not so far distant as the previous one.

"You are correct, First Officer," Q affirmed. "This is
much, much closer to you."

As they approached the future First Officer, Garak could
see that he was staring intently at something. His face was
carefully impassive, the eyes unreadable. Garak of course,
knew that look. It meant something very unpleasant had just
occurred. He followed his image's gaze.

Julian was lying on the divan, his naked body covered with
the brocaded comforter. His arms and shoulders were
exposed, and various dark bruises and contusions were
clearly visible. But that was not the worst. The pallor of
his skin... he was a dreadful blue-gray color. His chest
was not rising. His eyes were closed, those sooty lashes
rested against his cheeks, never to open again.

//Great Guls! He's...//

"Dead," Q snapped. "That's right! He's dead!"

"How... did I...?"

"Oh, it wasn't you, First Officer, at least not directly.
You can take some comfort from that."

Garak swallowed. "What happened?"

"Are you sure you want to know? After all, he's just a
slave. One is no different to the other. Why should you
care?"

"What happened, for Gul's sake!" Garak bellowed.

Q harrumphed. "Very well. You leant him to the Intendant.
She said she needed him in order to add a final touch to
her negotiations with a Cardassian delegation."

Garak winced.

"Oh, don't look so upset, First Officer. It's nothing you
haven't done before! I mean, you wouldn't want him to think
that he actually MATTERED to you, would you? No...best to
send him off every now and then. Let him be passed around
for an evening like some little lap dog. Show him that
there ARE worse things than being subject to your whims,
and who knows? He might even learn to be grateful to you."

Garak stared at the beautiful, terrible corpse. He was
shaking, horrified as he watched himself gazing, cold
faced, down at his dead slave.

"And when it's over," Q said leaning close, "he'll be sent
back to you, his spirit a little more shattered, but
otherwise none the worse for wear."

Garak shuddered.

"Only this time," Q continued implacably, "this time, what
you didn't know was that this delegation of businessmen had
a particular amusement. They liked to test their toy's
limits. They liked to see just how much their playthings
could actually take... and you know, they were so HONORED
that she chose to give them something beautiful. It made
the experience SO much more exciting for them!"

A dreadful moan came from Garak's throat.

"Of course the Intendant apologized to you. She offered to
get you a new one. She said if ONLY she had known, she
NEVER would have asked for your Julian in the first place."
Q smiled coldly. "Of course, she was lying. Your coveting
of this particular human animal disturbed her. She thought
it made you weak and vulnerable. She's very protective of
her power base. She wanted a STRONG first officer. So what
better way to rid you of your distraction then to have this
whole plan set up to look like one terrible, regrettable
mistake."

"What did they do to him?" Garak whispered, sweat breaking
out on his face, the muscles in his jaw working
convulsively. 

"They weren't content just to fuck him repeatedly," Q said
harshly. "Nor were they satisfied with beating his body or
throwing him back and forth to each other like some little
rag!"

Garak bit down on his lower lip, his eyes still locked on
Julian's cold body.

"Oh no, they had so many more interesting games to play.
They had... implements. Sharp ones." Q shrugged. "I hardly
think I need to tell you how they used them."

"No..." Garak shook his head violently.

"Oh yes. It went on for such a long time, too. He tried SO
hard to stay alive...he really did. He thought that if he
could just live long enough, he would make it back to
you... and you might help him."

A harsh sound burst from Garak's throat. With dismay, he
realized he was weeping.

Q was merciless. Never taking his eyes off the First
Officer, he went on. "Do you know what the last thing he
heard was?" he asked lightly. "The Intendant's voice,
toasting the success of the negotiations. They stood over
him, drinking sweet spring wine and congratulating each
other as he lay twitching in agony, bleeding to death at
their feet." He sighed. "It was not a gentle death, Elim."

Garak's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees on the
floor. "I didn't know!" he cried.

Q hauled him up and glared into his face. "Well, now you
do!" he hissed, eyes blazing.

A dreadful thought struck the first officer. "When?" he
demanded, clutching at Q's robes. "You said this was
close... how close?"

Q's eyes glittered. "Too close, First Officer. The
delegation from Cardassia Prime arrived today. The
negotiations went well. The Intendant should be ready to
conclude them tomorrow. Then, she'll come and ask you for a
'small' favor."

Garak stared at him, face drained of color.

"Choose, First Officer," Q intoned.

"I can't..."

"CHOOSE!" The shout nearly burst Garak's eardrums. He
clapped his hands to his head, trying to shut out that
voice, but it was hopeless. When Q wanted to be heard, he
was heard.

"You are out of time, First Officer. You make your choice
tonight or fate will make it for you." Q's eyes were cold,
his voice imperious. Garak cringed as he felt wave upon
wave of pure power emanating out from the towering entity
in front of him.

"Will you choose this life, First Officer?" Q demanded.
"Will you choose your status, your wealth, your power?
Standing at the right hand of the Intendant herself... an
admired man, a feared man? Or will you choose HIM?" Q
reached out spun him around.

He was in his quarters, back in the right time. The
beautiful human slave on the divan was merely sleeping, his
skin still warm and golden. His quiet breathing still
lifted his smooth chest.

Q was gone.

As Garak slowly approached the slumbering human, he heard
a soft whisper in his mind.

"Either way, First Officer... you can't let him die like
THAT, can you?"

For an endless moment, Garak stood looking down at him.
Seeing him in the context of something other than just a
possession. Really seeing him. Perhaps for the first time.

"You're right," murmured softly, "I can't."

The First Officer chose.

His breath grew ragged, hissing between his clenched
teeth. He felt the hot press of tears behind his eyes, the
burgeoning swell of anguish in his heart. Slowly, as if
bound against his will, he leaned down over the sleeping
form and reached out with trembling hands towards that
helpless, delicate human neck. 

END.

Ainzfern.