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Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: New: Frightfully Fun G/B PG 13 Halloween Challange
From: lostinms@network-one.com
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 21:28:42 GMT
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	I don't do scarey, okay? I had nightmares after seeing
Jurassic Park, it took me a year to get over reading Cujo, and I have
not ever seen nor do I ever want to see Hellraiser. My idea of
Halloween is toilet paper in the trees, cute little costumes and
practical jokes, so I hope this will suffice for the Halloween
Challenge.  I actually thought of it some time ago, just needed the
extra push to get it in story form.

	In this story, Garak and Bashir have become a couple, and they
are both on Earth for a year, doing work for Starfleet to help with
the war effort. Garak is helping Starfleet to think like a Cardassian,
and Bashir is working on Jem Hadar genetics. Premise enough?  I hope
so.  Anyway, we all know Bashir likes dressing up, right? He will be
teaching Garak a little about human customs and holidays, and Garak
will find that this is one he kinda likes.




                             Frightfully Fun
                                   by
                             Olivia Monteith



	This season, autumn Julian had called it, did not agree with
Cardassian body temperatures, Garak thought to himself as he beamed
into the kitchen of the small house. It wasn't as nice as summer had
been. The sunlight wasn't so bright, but the air was cool, and
uncomfortable. Julian had already assured him that winter would be
cooler still.

	Strangely, Julian seemed to be jubilant at the prospect and
absolutely radiant about the leaves on the trees changing to all those
ghastly bright colors. He remembered with a fond smile that Julian had
also enjoyed the warmer months of summer. Julian had taken him
swimming, and Garak had relished the sight of his beloved in the
tight-fitting swimming trunks. It was possible that just being home
had brought Julian out of the depressingly cynical state he had gotten
into before leaving Deep Space Nine. Garak could understand.

	He called out to Julian, as he headed down the hall to their
bedroom. All he wanted was a hot shower, a thick robe and a warm human
to settle down for the evening with. He heard a reply from the
bedroom, just before reaching the door. "I'm in here. I'll be out in a
moment!"

  Garak smiled wickedly as the thought of grabbing Julian and
wrestling him to the floor crossed his mind. Perhaps the shower could
wait.  He was lost in these thoughts, planning his first move, when a
figure with very pale skin, grey-blue eyes, and very large teeth
stepped out of the bathroom.

	Garak jumped back in spite of his Obsidian Order training.
This person was unlike any alien race he had ever encountered, and...
he was laughing at Garak in an oddly familiar way.  "Julian!! What in
the name of the Great Gul are you doing?! I've made numerous costumes
for you before, but at least then you had a holosuite to wear them to,
and Chief O'Brien to go traipsing off with. What are you supposed to
be?"

	"I'm Count Dracula! A classic figure in Earth's horror movies.
How do I look?"

	"I don't know if you look much like him, but you certainly
frightened the hell out of me."

	"Good, that was the effect I was going for."

	"Excuse me Doctor?  Don't tell me you went to all this trouble
just to give me a scare!"

	"Of course not, Garak. It's Halloween! An Earth holiday, when
everyone dresses up in costumes, some funny, some scary, and so on,
then the children go from door to door and collect candy. It's all
just for fun."

	"Sounds rather oddly human to me. If these children's parents
can afford to buy or make them costumes, can't they afford to buy them
candy? Wouldn't that be cheaper and easier?"

	"But, that's not the point."

	"I'm afraid the point escapes me then, unless you humans want
to torture your children by dressing them in ridiculous clothes and
making them work for their candy."

	Julian only smiled fondly at Garak, and shook his head before
cahnging the subject. "I got you a costume, too. I thought you might
be too busy with Starfleet to make one yourself. I hope you don't
mind...." he was saying as he opened the closet door and pulled out a
green tunic, with matching tights, a belt, and an odd looking hat.

	Garak made no move, only stood where he was. His eyes swept
over the skimpy outfit, and then back to Julian, with a look that
clearly said he thought the young human had lost his mind. "You're not
serious." Apparently, Julian hadn't heard him. He continued to beam,
exclaiming, "You'll be Robin Hood! It's great isn't it?"

	"It's definitely,.....green. It's just not the statement I
wanted to make."

	Julian looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"

	Garak closed his eyes, drawing on the reserves of patience
that saw him through those trying times, such as those long, grueling
interrogations, those times when there was nothing to do but wait for
the enemy to attack, and when one was dealing with a slightly obtuse
human doctor.

	"Julian, I've played many roles in my life. I've played the
dutiful son, the loyal citizen, ruthless agent and torturer, and more
recently, the Cardassian traitor, but I'm not quite ready for drooling
idiot. I am sorry to ruin your holiday, but I have to decline. The
only thing I will be changing into will be silk pajamas, slippers and
my warmest robe. Now if you're finished with whatever you were doing
in the bathroom, I'd like to take a shower."

	Julian did seem disappointed. He smiled a little sadly and put
the offensive garment back in the closet. "I understand. I guess I was
assuming quite a bit. Of course you wouldn't be interested in some
silly custom of my culture."

	Garak hated that. He had committed atrocious acts in his
lifetime, he had worked with the Federation against his own people,
and yet, this human could pout just a bit and make him feel guiltier
than Tain or the state ever could.

	"Do I really have to wear that damn thing?"

	"Not if you don't want to. Just help me with the door.
Whenever someone rings the bell, you open it, and begin handing out
the candy. When you step back from the door as if to set the bowl down
or close the door, I'll spring out and scare the children."

	"Scare the children? How absolutely gruesome. Aren't you
afraid of traumatising them?"

	"No, like I said, it's all in fun."

	"I suppose one would expect no less from a culture that tells
stories of children being eaten by huge hairy beasts to their young
ones before tucking them in at night."

	Bashir's response was cut short by the ringing of the
doorbell. His contact augmented eyes positively lit up as he said,
"The first ones! You go ahead, I'll be hiding around the corner here.
When I hear you say 'Good night' that'll be my cue. Go on, there's the
candy, right there on the table. Okay, ready?"

	"Really, Doctor, it's not that difficult," he said dryly as he
picked up the bowl.  Garak opened the door, and looked down into the
wide eyes of three human children, a little girl in an odd, black,
pointed hat, a child dressed like a robot of some sort, and a boy
wearing a miniature Starfleet uniform. He stepped forward, one hand
full of candy, and reached out to give the little girl a piece of
chocolate, when all three of them began screaming loudly, and turned
away from the house, running at breakneck speeds.

	Garak turned around, looking to see if Julian had stepped out
from his hiding place prematurely, but no, the human seemed just as
confused as he was.  "Was that part of your plan?" he asked as he shut
the door behind him.

	"No, they were supposed to get the candy before they ran away
in horror," Julian replied in a baffled tone of voice.  They stared at
one another a few more seconds, before the bell rang again. Julian's
face broke into a smile once more. "It'll work this time," he said
confidently before ducking behind the corner again.

	Garak took a deep breath, and opened the door once more. This
time there were six children in various costumes, who turned their
eyes to Garak, and their jaws dropped open. One of the smaller ones
began to cry, and once again, when he stepped toward them, they all
screamed and ran away in horror. There was a suspicious looking puddle
on the front porch where the smallest child had been standing..

	Garak stared unbelievingly after them, and soon felt the
presence of Julian at his back. "What the...?" Julian was querying.

	The curious face of a human woman popped around the hedge, and
her face promptly broke into a delighted smile. "Great costume!" she
said enthusiastically.

	"Thank you," Julian replied, obviously pleased.

	"Actually, I meant your friend, but yours is nice, too. Where
on Earth did you get it?"

	"It didn't come from Earth," Garak said icily.

	"Oh! And you even sound like a Cardassian, too! Wonderful!!"

	Garak drew a breath to tell the woman just what he thought of
her heritage and manners, when Julian quickly interjected, "Thank you,
really, but we have to get ready for the next bunch," before pulling
Garak in and shutting the door. He then promptly dissolved into fits
of hysteria against the other side. He laughed till tears ran from his
eyes. The whole while he was being watched by a very angry Cardassian.
When he finally calmed down, he found that Garak was wearing a look
that had frightened ruthless killers. Julian merely started laughing
again.

	"I don't see what is so amusing."

	"I.... I didn't think about the fact that a Cardassian would
be far more frightening than Dracula. Of course you would be, we're at
war with Cardassia, and you're the only one on Earth at the moment, at
least the only one not in prison. These children aren't used to seeing
a Cardassian, and no one even knows you live here... what with you
having to beam in and out to avoid being stopped by security.... It's
too hilarious."

	The more Garak thought of it, the more amusing it seemed to
him as well. He fought to keep his scowl firmly in place, but soon he
was smiling, and then chuckling at the thought of the human child
actually peeing on the porch.

	When the door rang again, he quickly grabbed the bowl, and
swung open the door with enthusiasm.  As he stepped out, children flew
everywhere. He stood there on the porch, laughing maniacally, a few
seconds before comeing back inside and shaking with laughter.

	Together, they spent hours terrifying unsuspecting children,
and by the end of the evening, the fun was renewed once more when
Garak caught some delinquent youths decorating their shrubs and trees
with tissue.  He leapt out from cover of darkness to grab one boy in
an iron grip. The sheer terror in the boy's round eyes gave him that
feeling of absolute power he used to have during his days in the
Obsidian Order, when merely the mention of his name made Bajoran
terrorists shudder.

	Finally, around midnight, he came into the house, nearly
glowing, if a Cardassian can glow. In the living room, he found
Julian's long black cape laying next to the still full bowl of
candies. Near the doorway leading to the hall, were his shoes. Garak
noticed a trail of clothes leading conspicuously to the bedroom door.
He cautiously opened the door and peeked inside, half expecting to
have the doctor come screeching out at him.

	Instead, he found Julian sitting on the bed, one leg curled
under him, dressed in a white bathrobe, and reading a novel on a padd.
He was freshly out of the shower. Garak could tell by the flush of his
skin and the damp curls of hair that framed his face. He looked up at
Garak with a soft, warm smile.

	"It seems you had fun tonight," he said quietly, his love for
the Cardassian evident in his voice and features.

	"Oh, my dear Doctor," Garak said huskily, advancing on the
young man and plucking the padd from his hand. "The fun isn't over
yet."




	The rest is up to your sick little imaginations. :P


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