Published in the Star Trek Fanzine "Eridani" in 1994.

LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING

Written by MaryD
maryd_oz@yahoo.com.au

(C) February 1994

The Operations Centre was a hive of activity as Commander
Benjamin Sisko walked up his office. Behind him came Major Kira
Nerys, his Bajoran liaison officer and second in command, Lt Jadzia
Dax, the science officer and Dr Julian Bashir. They entered his
office and sat down.

"There seems to be a problem with some plants down on Bajor's
third moon. I'vejust been talking to a government minister and he
tells me that people are havingadverse reactions to some of the
vegetation." Sisko said looking at his officers.

"Is it a virus?" Dr Bashir said, leaning forward.

"That's what I want you to find out, Doctor. It's most unusual
for a virus to be found in vegetation but we must find a source of
this contamination."

"When do we leave, Benjamin?"

"Right away!"

************

As the officers were making their way towards the runabout,
Mekong, Quark walked towards the group with a bag slung across
his back.

Major Kira stopped him.

"What do you want Quark?"

"Ah Major Kira, can I ask a favour?"

Kira looked at him and turned to leave.

"I really need transportation to Bajor's moon..."

"What for? And how do you know where we're going?"

"One hears things...I have some...business to attend to..."
Kira looked at Dax, who shrugged, then reluctantly motioned Quark
to come along.

************

They approached the moon and Kira landed the runabout near a
clearing. There tomeet them was the minister from the Provisional
Government. He welcomed them andshowed them to the village.
"Women are most affected. We can't figure it out. I'm glad you're
here," the Minister said shaking Bashir's hand.

"What's wrong with them?" Bashir asked as he set down his
equipement.

"Well I'd hoped you will tell me, Doctor!"

"We'll get onto it right away," the Doctor assured him.

"Yes, certainly. If you need anything I will be staying over
there." He said pointing to a house near a hill.

As the Minister was heading away Quark scuttled after him.

"I wonder what those two are up to?" Kira said more to herself
than anyone.

***********

Night fell and the village bedded down for the night. Kira and
Dax walked towardstheir bungalow when Kira tripped over the prone
figure of Bashir.

"What the hell are you doing Doctor?!" Kira snapped

"I'm sleeping under the stars! I've always wanted to camp out...
never had achance before...you should try it Major!"

Kira sighed.

"Doctor, I've slept under stars, under logs, in tunnels and
places I can't even remember, I think a bed is _much more
comfortable_,"

Kira snapped and walked away leaving Dax and Bashir to look after
her.

"What's wrong with her?!" Bashir asked as he snuggled in his
sleeping bag. "MajorKira has no sense of adventure."

"_Good night_, Julian..." Dax shook her head and smiled to
herself as she followed Kira.

*************

Later that evening, both Dax and Kira woke to thes sound of cries
from Bashir and raced to find what the commotion was about. When
they got there, Bashir was sitting up in his sleeping bag staring
at Quark who had trodden on him as he was going to his bungalow.

"You shouldn't be sleeping in the middle of a road!" Quark
roared.

"Why didn't you look where you were going!"

"Both of you shut up!" Kira yelled and did an about face and
walked back to her bungalow. Inside she paused and wiped a clammy
brow.

"Do you feel warm, Dax?"

"No." Dax said as she settled once again.

"It seems to be kind of warm tonight," Kira muttered as she got
comfortable.

Dax was already asleep.

*******************

Later, out of a sound sleep, Bashir felt a hand caress his face
and woke to find Kira kneeling beside him. His eyes bulged and he
sat bolt upright.

"Ma..Ma..Major...what are you doing...doing here?" Bashir
stammered.

Kira leaned toward him and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"Julian, I want to make love to you," she said softly.

"Ah..you do?...Major..I think.."

"Call me Nerys, Julian."

"Ah Major...Nerys...ah Kira--"

Kira kissed him again and she started to unbutton his shirt.
Bashir tried in vain to stop her. A light was turned on and Kira
got up.

"Come to my bed, Julian." She whispered.

Bashir's jaw had dropped as he watched Kira walk away. He shook
his head.

Julian you've been eating too much Klingon food he thought to
himself and settled back into his sleeping bag and also took a
final look into the darkness.

*********

The next morning, Kira and Dax went straight to work on the
samples they were to collect.

Bashir met them at the runabout with some soil and water samples.
Kira brushed past him. Bashir then dropped the samples he was holding.
Dax looked at the broken samples and sighed.

"I'm going to get some of those samples..." Dax said as she went
towards some vegetation.

Kira went over to Bashir who had turned around to do some
calculations with the computer. She turned him around and kissed
him then took his hands.

"You didn't come to me last night Julian." Kira said seductively
as she ran her hands through his hair and then took his hands.
"These are the hands of a brilliant doctor...and lover," Kira said
softly and kissed them.

Bashir looked astonished.

"I'll come to you later tonight but we'll find a comfortable bed." Kira
whispered in his ear. She left the runabout as Dax entered with the sample.

Dax looked at the stunned Bashir.

"Are you all right Julian?"

"Ah..yes..no..I don't know..." Bashir said as he sat down. "Major
Kira..."

"She's not feeling well, I wouldn't worry about it, Julian."

Bashir looked at Dax then after Kira and shook his head as if to
clear it.

"You don't look well, Julian. Are you feeling ill?"

Bashir smiled crookedly at Dax and shook his head. He went back
to work muttering.

After working a while Dax went out again for more samples. Kira
came back with some water samples and set them down. She went over
to Julian and began unzipped her uniform jacket.

"I can't wait till tonight, Julian..."

"Major! Please...um...wh..wh..what...are..you doing!"

"I want you Julian, ever since you came on board...I could think
of nothingelse!" She took off her jacket.

Bashir tried to put it back on her. Quark's voice was heard
coming towards the runabout and Bashir fell trying to get Kira's
jacket back on.

Quark entered. "Ah! There you are, Major. The minister was
looking for you."

"Where is he?" Kira said matter-of-factly.

"Near the water towers."

Kira strode out. Bashir was still on the floor looking up at a
perplexed Quark.

"What are you doing, Doctor?"

Bashir got up from the floor and dusted himself off.

"Quark, you wouldn't believe it. You just wouldn't believe it!"
Bashir said,going back to work.

Quark went back towards his bungalow. He passed Kira on the way,
glanced back and noticed that she was looking at him. He was about
to close the door of the hut when Kira slipped inside.

"Yes, Major what can I do for you?" He asked, carefully closing the
door after her.

Kira started to undress, Quark eyes bulged. She came to him and
started to slowly run her fingers down his ear lobes which sent
Quark into ecstasy.

"Ahhhhh...Major..." Quark exclaiming not believing his luck.

"Nerys, Quark, call me Nerys..."

Kira led Quark to the huge bed. Quark's face hurt from all the
grinning his was doing.

"I didn't know you felt this way!"

"I tried to fight it, Quark, but it was no use...I want you!"

Quark let out a yelp and both of them landed on the bed.

As strenuous as Quark's loving making always was, he wasn't quite
prepared forthe voracity of Bajoran appetites, or their
endurance.

Eventually it was Quark who began to wilt first. Finally it was
over, Quark positively panting for breathand exhausted, Kira
radiant, but covered in sweat. She rolled back, and Quark managed to
admire the youthful lines of her slim figure as she stretched
out.

"You know, Major--"

"Nerys, my name is Nerys," she purred.

"Nerys...why did you wait so long! It's because of Odo isn't it?"
He said as heran his hands down her body. "We lost so much time
and _I knew_ you wanted me.. I just knew it!"

"Yes...I was afraid..." Kira whispered.

"You know, Nerys, I was really fooled. I was sure you thought I
was a repulsive,dishonest..." He stopped suddenly.

"Quark--!"Kira lost all colour and her eyes rolled up.

Quark panicked. He lifted a limp hand and watched it drop back on
the bed, shook her, and put his ear near her mouth to feel for
breath. She still breathed.

He grabbed his robe and headed for the door, he stopped and
looked back at Kira who lay bare on the bed. He raced back and
hauled a sheet over her naked form and ran out the door screaming.

He raced as fast as he could to get Bashir and Dax. He was
dumbfounded. He didn't think he had been that strenous...not
_that_ strenous. And Kira had been..well, wild...even better than
his holosuite programme.

"Doctor Bashir! Doctor Bashir! Come quickly..." Quark yelled as
he pulled Bashir towards the bungalow. '

"What _are_ you talking about, Quark!"

"It's Kira! Come quickly! She's passed out..."

Bashir and Dax followed Quark into his bungalow and stopped dead
in their tracks. Kira was on Quarks bed, naked only coverd by the
bed sheet.

"What happened?" Dax said as Dr Bashir passed a tricorder over
the prone figure.

"Ah..." Quark looked at Dax and then at Bashir and then back to
Kira."We...ah...we made love," he said softly.

"YOU WHAT?!" Dax yelled.

Quark was taken aback. He had never seen the Trill so agitated.

"She came into my bungalow and we..she..started to give me
Oomax...She was good too!" he added with a leer.

"We have to get her to the station...." Bashir said quietly.

*************

Back on DS9, Dr Bashir and Dax were seated in Sisko's office.
Commander Siskostared at both of them.

"She did WHAT?!"

Dax and Bashir looked at each other.

"She had sex with Quark, Benjamin."

Commander Sisko fought a smile that was coming dangerously close
to exploding over his face. He stood up and stared into the
viewport.

"It seems Major Kira was infected with a virus, sir.
Sh..She..made advances tome as well..." Bashir said, feeling
embarrassed.

"Why wasn't Dax affected?" Sisko asked still staring at the
stars.

"We surmised that my metabolism wasn't affected. Practically all
the people affected by this virus had different reactions to it."
Dax said matter-of-factly.

"Doctor, you said Kira made advances towards you? What did she
say to make youthink that she did?"

"Ah..she...ah..told me I was a good doctor and ... a good..lover."
Bashir whispered.

The smile on Sisko's face broadened. He was glad he wasn't facing
them. He continued to look out.

"How is she doing now?"

"She's still in the infirmary, she doesn't know why she's there but she's
feeling pretty awful at the moment."

"Does she know what happened?" Sisko asked, his smile vanishing
as the reality of Kira's problem settled on them all.

"No. We thought we would hold out until we could figure out what
it was."

"So who is going to tell her?" Sisko said and turned around to
face them.

Bashir looked terrified. He didn't want to the job of telling
Kira that she made advances to him and had sex with Quark. She
would be mortified. He looked at Dax.

"I want to live till my next birthday, Commander!"

Dax looked at both of them and sighed.

"I suppose that just leaves me..."

Dax got up and strode out of the office and down the steps past
Ops.

************

Dax walked towards the infirmary just in time to see Quark about
to enter with flowers in one hand and a bottle of Bajoran Fire wine
in the other. She grabbed him by the jacket collar.

"What are you doing here!"

"I've come to see my beloved Nerys, of course! Don't be jealous
Jadzia!"

Dax stared at him increduliously.

"I've come to see how she is and hoping our love making didn't
injure her! We were rather...rough!" Quark said and grinned.

Dax looked at Quark and wished she could once hit him on the head
and do some damage.

"I'm not jealous, Quark and it's not Nerys. It's Major Kira to
you!"

"Well...it wasn't..we didn't need formalities...she told me to
call her by hergiven name, it was pure harmony, Lieutenant! That
little green monster is rearingit's head...if you want I'll come
by your quarters and..."

Dax flung him across the corridor and he hit the wall panel.

"Quark listen to me, Major Kira was infected with a virus. She
had no control over her actions. I suggest you keep your mouth
shut because when Kira finds out she will splatter you to a
pulp and Julian wouldn't want Ferengi blood all over his
infirmary!"

Quark paid no attention as he looked towards the infirmary.

"She doesn't know we shared the most enjoyable afternoon
together?! You know Lieutenant, I never thought a Bajoran warrior
would be so much fun - even better than the holosuit ...." Quark stopped
short.

"You have a holosex program of Kira?!"

"No...I don't need to anymore!" Quark said, his eyes gleaming and
smile as he remembered the passionate way Kira made love. "Are you
telling me she doesn't remember anything?!"

Dax sighed.

"No, she doesn't remember any of it."

Quark whistled in amazement.

"I've never had that response before! All right Jadzia, I'll come
by later and bring her my gifts." He said and walked off.

Dax sighed again and watched as he walked away. She shook her
head and went into the infirmary. She found Kira on one of the
biobeds.

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've drunk ten cases of Quarks special brew! My head feels like
it's about to burst!" Kira said and she put her hand to her head.
"What happened to me?"

Dax looked at Dr Bashir's assistant and motioned her away.

"Well...you had a virus."

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"The virus had that side-effect. We were there for two days and
an insect that we brought in with our soil and water samples bit
you and some hours later you passed out."

"Oh...what was I doing before that?"

Dax looked uncomfortable.

"You made love to Quark." Dax said hurriedly.

A look of total shock registed on Kira's face, replaced seconds
later with anger.

"I WHAT?!" Kira screeched.

"You slept with Quark." Dax repeated.

"I heard you the first time!" Kira said as she struggled to get off the bed
but she was restrained by Dax. "You can't mean I had sex with that little
troll!"

"Well, the virus affected you in the sense that you were making
advances to both Julian and Quark."

"Oh God!" Kira held her head in her hands. She looked up at Dax.
"I made advances to Bashir?! What did I do, have sex with him as
well?!"

"No...you didn't have sex with Julian, you just told him that you
thought he was a good doctor..."

Kira brightened up. "That's not that bad, he is a good Doctor."

"You also told him that you wanted him and that he was a good
lover." Dax said trying to suppress a grin.

Kira groaned.

"Maybe that little troll made it up that I had sex with him?!"

"Ah..no..he couldn't have."

"Why? I wouldn't put it past him!"

Dax placed her hand on Kira's shoulder.

"You passed out in his bed...when we found you, you were
unconscious and..."

"And what?!"

Dax took a chair and straddled it. Kira was about to explode.

"You didn't have your uniform on."

Kira looked stunned and horrified.

"I was naked?"

"Yep...like the day you were born, but Quark did cover you with a
bed sheet before he came and got us, if that's any comfort."

Kira swore.

"I'm going to kill that little troll!" Kira said as she lay down
on the bed and closed her eyes.

THE END!

(the end of this story..not the end of Quark although he did come close to being thrown out of an airlock)