"You know.... You two are loud when you have sex," Lin’s irritated voice drifted from the bottom of the stairs to where Dori was mixing eggs in the kitchen. "You’re twice as loud as a matter of fact because the rest of us aren’t getting any."

A devilish grin lit Dori’s face as she put the eggs down and went back to chopping mushrooms. "Oh, were we loud last night? Gee, I’m sorry." She looked up as Lin stumbled into the kitchen and sat at the little breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the formal dining room and the living room.

"Liar."

"Damn right." Eggs went into a skillet and the mushrooms dived in after them. Soft classical music drifted in from the living room and Dori smiled again. Earlier she and Rei had been alone out on the veranda watching the sun make it’s climb up the mountains and a waltz had drifted out from the house.

She’d always been of the opinion that there were three types of waltzes. First was the Formal Waltz: This was one where you and your partner either knew each other a little or not at all and were very correct and diplomatic and your hands were where they were supposed to be. Next came the Friendly Waltz: you know the person you’re dancing with well. You dance close enough to whisper about the fat woman in the center of the floor wearing a dress two sizes too small for her and laugh. Those dances were a lot of fun. And then came:

Foreplay.

The Foreplay Waltz had to be her favorite. The slide of your lover’s body against you, branding you with their heat only to slide away and then return with each revolution, teasing you with images of what could be if only the two of you were alone. Sharing looks and words that no one else could see or hear and would be scandalized by if they did. Reality fades until the two of you really are the only people in the world...

Only to have your friend Lin scream, "OH PROPHETS IT’S TOO EARLY TO BE AWAKE!" and interrupt what was fast dissolving into a make out session on the lounge.

With an exasperated sigh and a chuckle Rei gently pushed Dori off her. "If she comes down and there’s no food she’ll start eating the walls."

"Or Ian," Dori quipped as she walked inside.

"EWWW!! Dammit I didn’t need that image in my mind either!!!!" Rei yelled as Dori’s laughter drifted back towards her. It made her laugh just thinking about it.

"What’s so funny?" Lin asked suspiciously bringing Dori back to the kitchen.

"Nothing."

"Suuuure."

To appease her cranky friend, Dori slid a cup of coffee over to her. The scent of coffee wafted up and Lin slumped, relaxing as the smell told her brain that bliss was soon to follow. "Coooofffffeeeeee.....mmmmmmmmm...."

"Is that coffee? I smell coffee. Is that coffee?" T’lara slowly made her way into the kitchen, eyes open only enough to make sure she didn’t bump into anything as she took a stool next to Lin. A mug was set before her and her face disappeared behind it.

"Where the hell is the oska pepper?" Dori mumbled reaching up into the spice rack and pushing bottles around.

Lin looked up blearily at her. "Is that edible?" She asked pointing at the skillet.

Dori raised an eyebrow. "Everything I cook is edible, moron. It’s your cooking you can’t stand."

"Oh."

T’lara looked at Lin and smirked. "How did you pass the academy with a brain like yours?"

Lin shoved her off her stool and took a sip of her coffee. "I haven’t had sex in three months. Back off."

"I can’t get no...Sa-tis-fac-tion," T’lara sang and laughed from the floor.

Dori snickered and nearly dumped the entire bottle of spice into the skillet as Lin gave T’lara the evil eye and moved to pounce on her. "Keep singing," she growled, "let’s see how far I can kick your ass."

But T’lara was ready. "I can't get no satisfaction." She stood and jumped up on the bar and began to dance as she sang. "Cause I try, and I try...and I try.... and I try. I can't get no, I can't get no—AHHHH!!!!!" Lin leapt at T’lara, who promptly dove out of the way and landed somewhere in the living room with a loud thump.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how one looked at it, Lin flew across the bar unable to stop herself and crashed into a half-asleep Ian. Both went over with a yell and crashed to the floor. Dori ran over to them wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Are you two okay?"

"Uhhhh....." Was the only answer she could get from Ian as he reached behind his head and felt for any lumps.

Lin grimaced and rubbed her nose where it had impacted with Ian’s chest. She sat up and unconsciously slid back a little before her eyes opened wide in the realization that she was straddling his hips.

And apparently his body was taking a definite interest in that action.

Ian looked up at her in shock and wondered if she was going to hit him because of that. "I-I-I um...." Come on, Brain, don’t fail me now!

Lin wracked her mind for something witty to say. "Bolo!" She squeaked out and clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. Witty, Lin, real fucking witty.

Dori rolled her eyes in disgust and whacked Lin upside the head with the dishtowel before going back to save her omelet from burning. "Nymphomaniac," she muttered.

His brow slightly furrowed, Ian stared at Lin. She was beautiful, definitely a woman, and she hadn’t hit him. This was slightly out of the norm but he was willing to roll with it. "Um...How-How do you know my name? Well, actually it’s a nickname but how do you know it? I don’t think we’ve been introduced." Which was true, Lin was usually out by the time he woke up. "Did Rei tell you?"

It was actually about this time that Rei chose to come back inside, a basket of flowers hanging from the crook of her arm. She noticed T’lara on the floor of the living room clutching her sides and laughing so hard she might burst. The smell of food cooking brought her around to the kitchen where she finally caught sight of T’lara’s source of amusement. And the insanity never ends..."Lin, dearest," she said pleasantly. "Please don’t hump my friends in the living room. At least not when there are so many people about." With that, she calmly stepped over Ian’s head and walked into the kitchen and put the basket on the bar before kissing Dori hello.

"Rei! Don’t you know it’s rude not to introduce your guests to each other?" Lin said in mild outrage. Momentarily forgetting she was still straddling Ian, Lin shifted to look at her ill-mannered friend. The slight moan that escaped Ian’s lips caused her to shift back and say with a sheepish smile, "Sorry."

"No problem," he gasped out.

A shriek of laughter was heard from the couch and the four of them looked over at T’lara. "I think you’re getting pretty well acquainted without the names."

"Shut up!"

Smirking, Rei focused her attention on Lin. "I thought you’d introduced yourself before you knocked him unconscious."

"That was you?!"

"I did not knock him unconscious!! He slipped and fell!"

"In any case," Rei said as she brought a few plates over to the bar, "Ian meet Mai Lin. Lin this is Ian Bolin, who also goes by the nickname Bolo."

Still very aware of how their bodies were reacting to one another both Ian and Lin valiantly tried to move past the ludicrousness of the situation. He stuck his hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure’s all mine." Or at least it will be, she thought as she shook his hand. "Welcome to Bajor." She looked at him another moment before shaking her head. "And other women still let you go. Un-fucking-believable." Carefully, she got up and sat down on a stool.

His body protesting the loss of hers, Ian managed to pick himself up and sit at the bar. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

T’lara, finally able to control her laughter enough to stagger over to the kitchen, took a seat as well. "Oh come on, Ian. Don’t tell me you don’t know what Bolo means."

"Um...No, actually I don’t." He said cautiously as he cut into his omelet. "It was a nickname Tisk gave me." He looked to Rei for a little help.

"Tisk was the one involved with you right?" Lin asked Rei, who nodded. "So he was...bisexual too?" Now that brought up all sorts of interesting images...

Ian nearly choked on his egg. Patting him on the back, Rei replied, "No...I think he’s pretty straight...Assuming that Tisk only knows basic Bajoran," she looked to Ian for confirmation, "Bolo is apparently an Australian nickname."

"Yeah, Bolin, Bolo. It’s just a nickname he gave me." He looked at the four women currently trying to contain their laughter. "Why? What does it mean here?"

T’lara and Rei broke out in howls of laughter while Lin looked like she’d hit a latinum mine. It was finally Dori who took pity on him and explained. "Bolo, Ian, is Recantha slang for..." she looked for a way to explain it tactfully. "Well...a gentleman who is very well endowed." She looked at Lin’s face and shook her head. "And from the look on Lin’s face you must fit into that category."

Ian looked over at Lin who nodded very enthusiastically. His face went lobster red. "Oh my...I take it that’s a good thing?"

"Oh yeah," all four women chorused.

Sniggering, T’lara said, "Just be real careful when you slide tab A into slot B and everything should be just peachy. Ow!!" She rubbed her side where Lin jabbed her with a fork.

"Must you be so indelicate?!" Lin seethed.

"Oh puh-lease!" T’lara snorted. "If it weren’t for the three of us," she said indicating herself, Rei and Dori. "You’d have jumped him while he was unconscious."

Ian felt as if his face was going to explode. It was almost too much. He hadn’t been rejected, he hadn’t been slapped and here was a beautiful woman who wanted to sleep with him.

Being a bolo was an apparently desirable thing to be.

He could learn to like this.

Lin peeked into Rei’s office to catch the tail end of Ian’s conversation to Earth.

"Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s fine. I’m enjoying myself. ...Ok. Love you. Say hi to everyone for me." He shut the monitor off and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

"Trouble at home?" She asked softly.

"Hmm-aaack!!" Craning his neck back to look at her, Ian had overbalanced in his chair and fell backwards to the floor.

He seemed to fall over a lot. It was actually sort of endearing once you got used to it, she thought as she kneeled next to him. "You okay?" She asked taking his hand to help him up. Once, he was up though she didn’t let go of it and, gently rubbing her thumb into his palm, she asked about his family.

"We pretty close knit. Got an uncle in the..." Blinking, his eyes dropped to their hands and he felt his face grow warm.

She stepped closer bringing her body up against his. He stood just a hair taller than her and they studied each other’s faces in the half-light and liked what they saw. Her small hands left his and skimmed their way up his chest to gently touch his face. He let the pads of her fingers drift over his face as if she were blind and it was the only way to know what he looked like. A wondering smile lit her face as she traced the outlines of his glasses. One finger trailed down his nose and over his lips...

Her eyes widened when he caught her finger between his lips and sucked on the tip of it. It was a move that surprised him as much as it did her but the blush on her cheeks and the brilliant smile on her face gave him the confidence to continue. Five words flitted through his mind as he let her finger go and brought his hands up to her face.

"COME ON, LIN!! IS HE GOING TO GO WITH US OR NOT?"

No, that’s not right...

The mood shattered and Ian and Lin at each other uncomprehendingly for a moment before realizing that the voice was T’lara’s and she was shouting at them from downstairs.

"I’m going to beat her severely," Lin sighed resting her head against his shoulder.

"Can I watch?"

After a moment they both laughed and Lin took his hands in hers. "Go get into a pair of jeans. We’re going to the bar...Oh, and wear something leather." She kissed him on the cheek and sauntered out the door.

Slightly dazed, Ian watched her leave. Then what she said clicked into place. "Leather?!!"

* * * *

The black leather pants slipped on like a second skin and she pulled on a black tank top because it was still warm outside. Rei was just sliding on a jacket over her outfit when Dori touched her on the shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t know who Cirrin wants you to meet."

Cirrin’s call had come yesterday as they were getting home. The comm. beeped just as she was unlacing her boots and with a glance saw whom it was from. Warily, she allowed it through expecting that Kae had gotten him to call only to be asked to help someone he was sending down to Bajor.

She could have refused.

Instinct had told her to say yes.

Damned if she wasn’t going to listen.

She handed Dori a phaser and adjusted the holsters under her sleeves before loading her own phasers in. "That’s why you’re going with me."

"You really should have gone with leather pants. I’m sure you’d look hot in them," Lin’s voice drifted down from the second floor.

"Um...Lin...I’m adventurous...but I’m not that adventurous," Ian replied as they came down the stairs. Apparently, adventurous for Ian was a leather jacket, jeans and a white t-shirt. He stopped and looked at the other three women then at Lin. Lin and Rei had gone with leather pants and tank tops while Dori and T’lara were dressed like him. All four of them sported leather jackets. He sighed in relief. "Well, at least I’m not over dressed for this."

"Ready to be on the back of a motorcycle, Ian?" Rei asked lightly as she opened the door to the garage and she and Dori headed for her car.

"Wait! Wait...You’re not going on a motorcycle?" His eyes shifted between her car and the two cycles in the garage. He had the feeling that his natural clumsiness and a cycle would be bad news. He could see broken bones in his future. Bad. Very bad.

"Well, there are five of us and two cycles. Doesn’t quite work," Dori said as she slid into the passenger seat. "Besides, you won’t be driving. You’ll ride with Lin."

Lin and T’lara were waiting patiently out on the driveway for him. Taking a deep breath, Ian tried to suck in as much courage as he could and not throw up. "I can do this. I think I can. I think I can." Slowly he put one foot in front of the other and made his way to Lin’s cycle.

T’lara was already on hers adjusting her helmet. Lin held one out to him and made sure it was strapped on before putting hers on. "Can you hear me, Ian?"

He jumped and nearly fell on his ass. "Um...Yes. Can you hear me?"

"Yup."

"All clear on this helmet," T’lara chimed in and turned the engine on.

Lin settled onto her seat and beckoned to him. "It’s okay!" She laughed. "All you have to do is hold on. I’ll do the rest." Carefully, he sat behind and wrapped his arms around her waist only to clutch her tightly when a loud roar came behind them.

Rei’s silver convertible shot backwards out of the garage, did a 180, and screamed down the driveway out of sight. A moment later T’lara took off after them.

Jeezus! Rei drives like a madman! Absurdly, now he was glad he wasn’t in the car.

"Ian?"

"Y-yeah."

"Not so tight, baby. I have to breathe, you know."

"Sorry."

"No prob." Slowly, she started the engine and they drove off.

Killian watched the main portion of the Firecaves from his vantage point at the bar. His mind on business, he was nursing only his third beer in the two hours he had been here. Confident that he had not been followed, and wasn’t being watched by anyone he turned around and flagged the bartender. The pretty Bajoran woman leaned toward, showing her ample bosom Mike noticed and whispered, "Ready for something else?"

Mike grinned and nodded. "Actually, I’m here to meet someone."

The bartender pouted. "Who?"

"I’m supposed to be meeting the silent partner tonight." Mike explained. "Afterwards, I’d love to have a drink with you."

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "I’ll be right back." She said as she disappeared into the back.

She reappeared moments later. "Follow me." She said.

Mike kept his eyes open and followed the shapely waitress through the crowd until they headed into the storeroom and the bartender opened a door and stopped. "In there."

Mike glanced inside and saw a small room with a table and two chairs. He stepped inside and his escort shut the door, locking it in the process. Mike took the seat facing the door and waited.

* * * *

Max yelled for joy and bounded down the steps towards the car. As soon as Rei cleared the door he scooped up in a bear hug and swung her around.

"Put me down you maniac!!" She laughed and hugged him back.

"’Bout damn time you got here. What took you so long?" He draped an arm around her shoulder and they walked to the bar. Dori was waiting at the door and they could hear the two cycles coming up the street behind them.

"I wanted to see how much you missed me of course," she teased as they walked inside.

It wasn’t too crowded inside yet. The night crowd was starting to straggle in. In an hour or so the place would be so packed you wouldn’t be able to see the floor.

"Your visitor has shown up. He was shown to the spare room."

Dori turned and met Rei’s eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Might as well." She looked up at her Bolian friend. "Everyone stays out of the storeroom until we come out."

"Understood."

The room was well stocked. Boxes neatly piled into the corners of the room leaving the center free and clear. Rei took a position near the door and the light controls and Dori took one on the opposite side of the room. She manipulated the lights throwing the room into pitch-blackness except for one light in front of the door creating a spotlight. Then she flipped the control to the lock mechanism on the door and let it slide open.

Cirrin hadn’t said whom he was sending and while she respected and possibly trusted him she didn’t trust whoever was on the other side of that door. She triggered the release on her phasers and let them slide into her palms. Training them on the door she let her accent slip into the rugged tones of the Jenitza Mountains as she began to speak. "Slowly, open the door and step out. If you have any jackets on remove them and let them slide to the floor. Then raise your arms away from your body and turn in a slow circle. Believe me. One wrong move and your friends, family and whomever you work for will never see you alive again."

Killian expected these procedures. He stood up slowly and started to remove his jacket. "I have a type-2 phaser in the small of my back." He announced as he placed his jacket on the back of the chair. Mike turned around to show the phaser to his observers.

Fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck Just when you think you’ve gotten away from all of it here he comes in to remind you you’re not. Even the knowledge that Cirrin might not have realized that she and Killian knew each other didn’t prevent her from hoping he’d accidentally walk out an airlock. She shook her head. Focus, stupid.

"You know the drill," she said amazed that her voice was still steady. "Take it out, place it on the floor and kick it away from you."

Mike peered toward the door for a moment before turning his back to his observers. Slowly, he retrieved the phaser and held it out to his side. He turned back around, keeping the phaser in plain view the entire time, and kneeled, placing it on the floor. He casually kicked it toward the door with his toe. "Do you want me to dance next?" The corner of his mouth raised in a cocky grin. "Or should I strip so you can feel safe?"

Oh she could just hear Dori jacking up the power on her phaser. "Well," she said in a bored tone looking him up and down. "Your clothing is tight enough that it doesn’t conceal much and...I’m not interested in anything underneath it..." Well, if he did have something concealed under there besides himself she was certain he’d go for her first. When he did Dori would take him out. "I don’t think a strip will be necessary but hey, if it makes you feel more comfortable to stand naked and talk business go right ahead." When he didn’t move after a few moments she said, "No? Hmmm. Well, what did you want to discuss?"

In the back of his mind, he thought he vaguely recognized the voice. Mike shook the thought off and crossed his arms. "I need a guide. I was told you could help me." He said. He leaned back against the table, his legs crossed at the ankles. "How long are we going to keep playing ‘spy vs spy’?"

Mike casually moved his left foot so that the toe of his boot was facing the doorway. The phaser that was integrated within the boot was set for a wide-pattern stun, in case things went bad. He was sure there were at least two of them, but no more than three. As long as things stayed calm. He wasn’t worried.

"For as long as it takes." Rei studied him carefully. For a guy who could possibly get his head blown off he seemed incredibly nonchalant about everything. Somewhere on him he’s got an ace in the hole. Damn, maybe I should have made him strip. She wished Cirrin had gotten more off Killian than that he wanted help. If all he wanted was a freaking tour guide to Bajor she had better things to do. "The fact that you’re here and not at a travel office tells me you don’t want anyone to know what you’re doing. I don’t do things like this for just anyone since I retired but, as a favor to Cirrin, I agreed to meet you. Now, where do you want to go?"

It was starting to click in his head now. The voice, though disguised, was strangely familiar. He crossed his arms and said, "Orias."

"Ahhh, Orias," she purred, her mind reeling with the information and knowing it was going to disrupt her life. "The pimple on the ass of the civilized universe. What would an intelligent looking gentleman like yourself want to go there for?"

Killian frowned slightly as a hundred reasons popped in his mind. Thoughts of cold-blooded murder, ripping a certain Bacardi’s spine out and showing him his own heart, still beating were at the forefront. Mike settled with "I’m looking for an old friend."

"Old friends are hard to find on Orias depending on if they want to be found or not," she let the phaser in her left hand slide back into its holster and debated on whether or not to raise the lights on her position. For the life of her she couldn’t remember if security would have known where Tisk had headed for or if Killian had figured it out on his own.

It made sense though. Tisk was too unique to blend in on any planet with a Federation presence and enough time had passed that a warrant would have been issued and circulated. He’d have had to hide where no one asked questions and didn’t give a damn for the Federation.

But that didn’t explain Killian. Why the hell was he here?

Rei pressed a hand to her womb as a wave of pain washed over her. It traveled up her spine and jack hammered into the sides of her head. She bit her lip and mentally screamed as a sudden knowledge made its presence known in her mind and her body reacted to it.

For Dori the sudden silence in the room was like an alarm. She’d been observing the verbal thrust-and-parry between the two with interest. Rei knew who she was talking to and she could see the human mentally trying to place her voice despite the accent change. Mistake! Her mind screamed at her. Serious mistake!!! All she wanted to do now was rush forward and get them both out of here. Should have put my foot down and never have allowed this meeting.

She didn’t move however. In the split second she’d decided to move and end this once and for all, something stopped her. Dori forced herself to trust Rei’s instincts and so she stood in the darkness barely breathing and waited.

Oh, Prophets, I really want to die...Just as suddenly as it was there the pain vanished leaving nothing but a hollow feeling that threatened to swallow her whole. Rubbing her stomach, Rei forced herself to take slow, measured breaths as she fought her way through the thousand thoughts running through her mind and focused on the subject at hand. Killian, Tisk, Orias. She looked up at Killian who was peering into the dark and looking as if he was going to march over there and see what was wrong. Deal with it later, Rei. She fell back on a few old meditation techniques that cleared her mind and left it as still as a calm lake.

And the first thought that floated to the surface was: He’s not supposed to be here.

When she was sure her breathing was back to normal and the pain wasn’t coming back Rei leaned against the wall back in control of herself and with no indication that anything had been wrong. "Tell me," she said softly, dumping the fake accent, her voice steady and sure. "Is Starfleet spread so thin that they have to pull captains from their ships to go find assassins?"

Once she dropped the accent, Killian knew exactly who he was talking to. He cursed under his breath. "We are not spread any thinner than the Bajoran Militia." He paused for a moment. "Major." He narrowed one eye and listened closely for any sign of impending attack by Krysa or her companion.

~ This is a mistake. ~ His gut was screaming. She was too close to Tisk and if she didn’t know where he was, she knew now. "This is a bad idea Krysa. You don’t trust me anymore than I trust you." If she did know where Tisk was, she would cover for him and never take Killian too the slimy bastard. "Question is: are you going to kill me or let me leave knowing your secret? I was hoping to have a drink with the bartender before I left Bajor." He stared at the doorway, trying to see past the spotlight by sheer force of will. It wasn’t working. Mike rotated his ankle in his boot, powering up the phaser in case things suddenly went south.

"I’m not a major anymore, Captain," Rei smiled grimly in the dark. "And you’re right, this was a bad idea. "She unlocked the door to the storeroom, the noise drifting in through the cracks. "So let’s pretend it didn’t happen. Go off and play, Killian. I have a bar to help run."

"I like that plan, " was all he said.  He heard two distinct sets of footsteps leaving the doorway as he powered down his boot phaser, retrieved his palm phaser and put his jacket back on.  Mike walked back out into the very crowded main portion of the club and saddled up to an empty seat at the bar.  The sexy bartender walked over to him and Mike said "Now.  Where were we?"

Rei and Dori paused for a moment outside the storeroom as a cheer rose from the crowd around the bar. Rei nearly had a heart attack as a scotch bottle was thrown, flipped in the air and came down with a resounding crash on the floor. Quickly, they escaped into the office as a moan of disappointment and a little laughter floated in the air.

"What do you want to do?" Dori asked stepping beside Rei as she looked out the window wondering what the knowledge of Tisk’s whereabouts would mean. Unease creeped inside and made a home for itself inside her heart.

Rei was silent for a long time turning it all over in her mind. "I think...we should go back to the bar and have a little fun. Then we should go to B’hala. Did Anij or Jania speak to you about it?"

The switch in topics confused her for a moment but Dori recovered enough to answer back with a yes. They started for the door. Halfway there, Rei took her hand and stopped her.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

A gentle hand slid over her cheek and turned Dori’s head around so Rei could look at her. "I’m not going to go running off in the middle of the night and leave you. Okay? I never did it before and I won’t start now no matter what the reason."

Dori managed a nod and Rei kissed her reassuringly. "She’s a part of me, but not as large a part of me as she used to be. I control the Wraith not the other way around. I...I’m just as scared as you are of losing each other, losing this, just when we finally got it back." She put Dori’s hand above her heart. "I’m here. I’m committed. If anything is going to happen we’re going to discuss it...Okay?" Rei said it to reassure Dori but, more importantly, to confirm to herself that this was the course she wanted to take with her life. Dori was her main priority and everything else could come after. Hell with Tisk and Killian and all of it. She had a life to get on with.

And Dori was reassured...to a certain extent. The unease was still there, weak but still there. Not because she thought Rei wasn’t being sincere but because in some ways she knew Rei better than the woman herself did.

Part of the woman she loved was a scared little girl who’d lost everyone she’d ever loved because she couldn’t protect them. As long as she cared about Tisk, as long as his future was uncertain, as long as he was out there and might need help then part of Rei would be his. The part that wondered if she could have done something, pushed harder, done more than what she had, been more than what she was. She’d always been one to say, "Well, if that’s what they want. Fuck ‘em. Fuck ‘em all. I don’t care. Let ‘em die." But the words were always hollow ones and she never believed in them.

With a sense of certainty Dori knew he’d be a shadow in their lives if they did nothing.

And deep down she realized Rei knew it too.

Rei led the way out of the office and into the bright lights of the bar. They both laughed and joked, moving with ease behind the bar as they served drinks and caught bottles and danced the night away. They played until the wee hours of the morning when Lin and Ian staggered out of the bar exhausted and happy and T’lara gave Max a ride home before continuing on to her own house to catch some sleep.

And the uncertainty that had hung around the room all night followed Rei and Dori out of the bar and all the way home

* * * *

Ian had dropped six beer bottles, one bottle of andorian fizz, two bottles of scotch (Rei had been extremely pissed about those), and one bottle of vodka before he’d gotten the hang of flipping the bottle into the air and catching it before pouring anything into a glass. Of course, Lin had given him a hands-on demonstration, standing behind him and guiding his hands as they threw bottles into the air and caught them. It was only after she’d shown him that he’d try it on his own and drop them.

He was better at dancing, Ian decided as he and Lin parted ways in the hall and went off to their rooms. For the bar patrons, some who’d been coming in since the Firecaves opened, to see all four women who’d put the place on the map was a special treat. The hoots and hollers as they’d danced still rung in his ears. From what he’d seen Lin, Dori, Rei and T’lara enjoyed being uninhibited, sexy and playful as much as the people did.

He stripped and looked at the soles of his shoes to see if they really were as worn as he thought. Being pulled up onto the bar was as fun in real life as it had been in the holodeck and Ian had to admit that being told he was desired for his body and not just his brain was a serious ego boost. He’d become just as uninhibited, dancing and joking with his four friends. Trying his luck, Ian had started flirting with some of the other women at the bar and to his amazement they’d flirted back! Finally being at the center of the attention made him realize just how much Tisk had inadvertently overshadowed him. Why spend energy bringing out the shy guy hiding in the corner when you had a perfectly willing and able man in front of you?

He’d been very jealous of his friend’s charm and ease with women. Now, maybe, he was learning to assert himself without making a muck of it. Dimly, he heard the garage door open and Dori and Rei’s voices drift up the stairs before he turned on the shower and the water drowned them out.

* * * *

God, it was good to wash the smell of smoke off him. He felt behind his head to the hairs that had been singed when Dori had set the bar on fire. That’ll teach me to be slow moving, he grinned wrapping a towel around his waist, and letting the steam that had accumulated during his shower flow out the door as he opened it and put his glasses on--

"I was wondering when you’d get out."

--Only to come to a complete halt as his brain short-circuited.

Lit by the soft glow of the candles she’d placed around the room, Lin sat on the bed leaning against the headboard. Her red hair was piled carelessly on top of her head and shadows played across her soft skin before disappearing into the black lingerie she wore. His eyes traveled down the silk cloth that hid what he most wanted to see to the black stockings she wore and then to the...

Boots.

She was wearing these sexy little high-heeled boots.

Shit, that was a turn on.

Ian blinked and forced his gaze up to her face and the temperature in the room shot up ten degrees. She was wearing this smile that he could only describe as a ‘come fuck me’ smile.

The smile was even more of a turn on.

Especially since it was directed at him.

Lin slid off the bed and walked towards him extremely pleased by the look on his face. She’d showered and dressed in record time nearly killing herself as she sprinted from her room to his with the candles in her arms. Then she’d almost burned herself lighting the stupid things.

But, Prophets, it was worth it for that look in his eyes.

He rushed towards her and tripped over the leg of a chair and went sprawling into her. The landed on the floor hard and lay there dazed for a moment.

Well, so much for seduction.

Ian recovered leaning up on his elbow to look at her, she had the same idea and they knocked heads painfully.

"Sorry," they said in unison before looking at each other and chuckling.

"I’m usually a bit more together than this," Lin said looking at him and rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, I’m making a muck of it."

"No, no," Ian said adjusting his glasses. "If it makes you feel better I’ve never done this before."

"Never done what?" She smiled. "Have sex with a Bajoran? We’re not really that different from humans when it comes to sex. Everything is still in the same place." That wouldn’t be hard to overcome, she told herself. It’d be easy to teach him.

"No...I’ve never had sex before."

Whoa...Virginity was a different thing altogether. Lin sat up and looked at him in disbelief. "You mean...Never?"

He nodded wondering if his total inexperience would send her from the room in disgust.

She swore her eyebrows had just shot off her head and hit the ceiling. "Seriously?!"

"Is...that a problem?" Please don’t let it be. Please don’t let it be.

"No...no" I can work with this. OH YES! I can work with this! Carefully, she stood and pulled Ian up with her. "It just means," she turned him around and had him sit on the bed, "I can’t screw this up for you." Lin’s mind raced. She’d never had a virgin before. What the hell do I do?!

"I don’t think you could," he laughed self-consciously. "If anything I’d screw it up for you."

"Oh no you couldn’t," she said before leaning down to kiss him breathless. When they broke apart Ian looked dazed and Lin was panting. "Stay right there. I’ll be right back." At his slow nod she dashed out of the room her mind having hit on a possible solution.

Lin stood out in the hall bouncing from foot to foot as she knocked on Dori’s door. Rei poked her head out. "What? Oh, nice outfit."

"Do you still have the scarves?"

Rei stared at her for a moment and blinked. It was past three a.m. You couldn’t blame her for being slow on the uptake. "What?!"

"The scarves!! The scarves I gave you for your twenty-sixth birthday! Sex, going to have sex, need scarves, going to have sex."

There was a snicker as Dori called out, "Better give her the scarves before she explodes all over the halls, Reia."

With a resigned sigh, Rei slipped out and they padded across the hall to her old room. "You couldn’t replicate the damn things?" She asked as she went to her dresser and took out a key. "The box is in the closet."

"You can’t replicate quality like that, Rei. I got those on a trip to Risa. Those things are strong enough that a Klingon isn’t supposed to be able to break them." She dove into the closet with Rei. Clothes...stuffed animals...shoes...a whip went sailing out into the room to land with muffled thumps everywhere.

Rei paused in her search. "You’ve slept with a Klingon?"

"Well...Yeah," Lin said leaning back against the wall. "Once. I discovered that it wasn’t really me...And it was annoying."

This statement caused Rei to double over in laughter. "Annoying?!"

Lin started to laugh. "Granted I’m pretty adventurous and I’ve been known to get into a little ‘chase me around the room and spank me’ among other things but...throwing your partner around and practically breaking bones," her nose scrunched up in distaste. "And he wouldn’t stop howling!" She shook her head. "I was black and blue the next day. I could barely walk. T’lara thought I’d been beaten up, you know?"

Rubbing her sore sides, Rei thought back to the day after Tisk had slept with B’Tap and once when she’d seen Jadzia after a very enthusiastic night with Worf. She chuckled. "I actually have seen the after affects of sex with a Klingon," she said beginning her search again. "I don’t mind a little rough housing but feeling like I’ve had the shit beat out of me during sex is pretty much a guaranteed turn off." With a triumphant smile she reached into a shelf and brought out the box. "I assume you gave as good as you got?" She asked unlocking the box and pulling out four beautiful scarves of red, blue, purple, and gold. They shimmered in the dim light.

"Yeah. Broke his arm an a few ribs." Lin took the scarves and hugged Rei. "Thanks! I’ll give these back after I clean them."

"Wait!" Lin turned at the door. Rei paused for a moment before saying, "Why don’t you keep them? I mean...you’ll probably get more use out of them than I would and it’d be a shame to let them collect dust. I never got a chance to use them anyway." Plus the idea of sharing sexual toys just didn’t appeal to Rei at all, even if they were cleaned.

Lin’s face lit up like the sun. "Really?! Thanks! See ya, tomorrow!" Then she was gone.

Shaking her head, Rei slipped back into Dori’s room. "Never knew Ian was into bondage," she said closing the door. She turned around only to be hit with something in the stomach. "Oof!" Automatically, she caught it in her hands and looked down. It was a backpack. "What’s this for?"

"B’halla," Dori, who’d been dressed for bed when Rei left was now dressed in jeans and a shirt, said. "Get dressed. We’ll stay at the apartment in Capital City and head for B’halla in the morning."

"Why not just go to sleep now and then leave in the morning like civilized Bajorans?"

Dori sighed and sat on the bed. "Have you ever heard Lin have sex?"

Rei blinked. Seemed tonight was full of surprises. "...Does that mean you and—"

"NO!" Dori looked indignant at the very idea. "No, nonononononono." At Rei’s raised eyebrow she rolled her eyes. "Do you really think she and I could have slept together and kept it a secret from you?"

The woman had a point.

"I left my jacket at the bar one night and went back to get it." Dori got up and went over to the dressed and started passing Rei clothes. "I went by the office and I heard this crash and...well, to put it simply, it was Lin and someone she’d met that night and," Dori shook her head and chuckled. "Rei, she’s a screamer. Hell, she could give opera singers a run for their money."

The idea of scarves, Ian, Lin, screaming and sex all in a bedroom just down the hall had the desired effect on Rei.

"I’ll get dressed."