ACT FIVE

FADE IN

7 INT. DS9 - RO’S QUARTERS

Ro HUGS Evik warmly. Around them, the evening is winding down for everyone. 

EVIK
Thank you for a lovely evening,
Laren. I genuinely enjoyed myself. 

RO
I’m glad you could come, Nath. We
should do this again sometime! 

EVIK
My quarters next time? 

RO
If you want. 

Evik picks up his empty dish of maltiv stew off the table. 

EVIK
Well, a good evening to you all.
I’ll see you bright and early
tomorrow for the senior staff
briefing. 

A GROAN goes around the room at the thought of having to get up in the morning. Evik chuckles, and heads out to go home. The door closes behind him. Bashir stands as well. 

BASHIR
Right, I suppose I’d better be
off as well. 

MATTHIAS
I’ll join you. I’ve got young ones
to kiss goodnight. 

Matthias and Bashir both head to the table to pick up their own empty dishes and pay their respects to the hosts. 

RO
Julian, you and I should get
together and have a drink. Make
fun of the young ones together. 

CANDLEWOOD
Hey... 

BASHIR
That might take a lot of drinks. 

CANDLEWOOD
Hey! 

As Bashir heads towards the door, Matthias heads towards Cenn, who is likewise gathering up his stuff. 

MATTHIAS
Desca...? If you want to come and
talk to me, I’m always available,
okay? No pressure, that’s not an
order, just a friendly suggestion. 

CENN
I’ll think about it. 

MATTHIAS
If you want a counsellor, I can
be detached and professional...
but I’d rather do it as a friend. 

CENN
Thank you, Philippa. I appreciate
the offer. And maybe I will, in
a little while. 

MATTHIAS
Okay. Good night. 

CENN
Night. 

Matthias heads to the door, joining Bashir. Ro sends her a grateful smile for offering to help Cenn, and then they are gone. Cenn rights himself and prepares to leave as well. 

CENN
Thank you for everything,
Commander. I’m glad I came. 

RO
(faux warning)
No - in here it’s Laren. 

She reaches out and hugs him. He resists it for a moment before giving in. Prynn is watching this, and remembers when she did the same for Ro, only last episode. 

RO
(quiet, close)
You going to be okay?

CENN
Eventually. 

They let go, and Cenn heads to the door, waving goodbye to the last remaining attendees - Nog, Candlewood and Tenmei.

TENMEI
I think that’s our signal. Come
on, you two. 

The three of them pick up their own dishes, offer half-hugs of thanks, and head to the door. Before they get there, however, Candlewood turns back and points at Ro and Quark. 

CANDLEWOOD
Hey - you know what I just
realised? You two never said the
thing you’ve never said before. 

Instant tension. Ro and Quark exchange awkward looks. Once again, Candlewood has blindly blundered into pointing out the elephant in the room. 

CANDLEWOOD
(blithely continuing)
That’s sneaky - you get everyone
else to make some grand admission
but you get away without saying
anything. 

Nog and Tenmei also exchange awkward looks - they were both there for the Natima problem. They grab Candlewood by the arms and basically drag him to the door, eager to just get him out of there before he makes it any worse. 

CANDLEWOOD
Hey, what are you doing? You’re
being very rude. 
(realising 
he’s leaving)
...Okay g’night! 

As the door closes, Prynn throws a nervous and apologetic smile towards Ro and Quark, and then they are gone. 

Ro and Quark are left alone. 

RO
Well! That was quite an evening. 
(awkward pause)
You don’t have to stay and help
me clean up if you don’t want.

QUARK
No, I promised I would. Besides,
you said we needed to talk. 

She did say that, yes. Damn it. She heads to the table and begins gathering plates, a transparent attempt to delay this uncomfortable conversation. 

Quark heads across the room to pick up glasses, tidying up what barely needs any tidying. He won’t push her. 

QUARK
I had no idea about Cenn, did you? 

RO
Not a clue. But he’s never really
been one to talk about himself. 

QUARK
Unlike certain other people, who
can’t ever seem to shut up. 

RO
Hard to believe we were ever
that young, isn’t it?

QUARK
With age comes maturity, so they
say. I don’t know... seems like
some things are just as confusing
as they always were. 

He wasn’t meaning to make that a point... but Ro takes it and sags a bit. She turns to face him. He realises and faces her too, from across the room. 

RO
What are we, Quark? 

QUARK
(no accusation)
Why ask me? I have no idea. 

She turns again and carries the plates in her hands towards the replicator, where she dematerialises them away, all the while trying to put her thoughts into words. Quark waits. 

RO
When I saw you with Natima, it
completely took me by surprise.
I had no idea how to react to it. 

QUARK
You said it was fine. 

RO
Yeah, well... it should have been.
But it caught me off guard. Seeing
you with someone you obviously
cared for... I’m not even sure I
would call it jealousy, but I’m
not sure what else to call it. 

QUARK
I’m not in love with Natima.
Not anymore. 

RO
The unspoken end of that
sentence being... 

Quark puts down the glasses he was collecting, walks over to Ro, takes her hand and leads her back to the table. She goes with him, and they sit together. 

This is less intimate than the couch or soft chairs would be, enough to give them some distance and not make it too invasive. But Quark is going to be totally honest here. 

QUARK
Yes. Yes, I am in love with you.
I never said it before because I
was always pretty sure you didn’t
feel the same way. But it’s true.
Do you love me? 

RO
Of course I love you, Quark.

QUARK
But are you in love with me? Bear
in mind that ‘no’ is an acceptable
answer - not because it’s what I
want to hear, but because it’s
what I already believe.

RO
Quark, you are the closest friend
I’ve ever had. I know I can always
come to you for advice, for fun,
for comfort. I’ve let my defences
down with you in a way I never did
with anyone... but is that love?

QUARK
I can’t answer that for you.

RO
You deserve somebody to love
you that way. I feel like the worst
person ever that it can’t be me.

QUARK
Nobody deserves anything, Laren.
The Great Material Continuum
gives, and the Great Material
Continuum takes away. You try to
navigate as best you can, use your
talents and your instincts and
your experience to guide you...
but in the end, you’re always
at its ineffable mercy. I don’t
expect love. I’m just happy to
get whatever flows my way.

RO
(soft chuckle)
You’re not making this any easier.

All this finally out in the open, Quark takes a deep breath and sits back.

QUARK
So what do we do now? 

RO
I honestly don’t know. 

QUARK
We could always “offer it up”. 

RO
Leave it for the Prophets to worry
about? That might please Nath,
but I’m not sure I know how to
do that. I’m a worrier. 

QUARK
I know. What I’m saying is, you
don’t have to be. Not about this.
I am here for you, in whatever
capacity you need. Whether I
ultimately profit from that is up
to the Continuum to decide, but
it’s not the reason I’m here. And
honestly, I feel like I already
have all the profit I need. 

Ro sniffles through the smile, and stands. 

RO
Shall we get this mess cleaned up? 

QUARK
That’s what I promised. 

Quark stands, and they start cleaning up the room again. 

As they move companionably around the room, the air much lighter now than before... 

8 EXT. DEEP SPACE NINE

Pulling away from the station... 

FADE OUT

END OF SHOW