To all the members of Friends of Vedek Bareil, worldwide, with lots of love.
Author's Note: This story takes place shortly after the end of the third season DS9 episode "Fascination."
"I think that's the last of them." said Lieutenant Jadzia Dax as she picked up the last remaining brightly colored streamer from the floor of the Promenade and deposited it in a nearby trash can.
"Thank the Prophets," breathed Major Kira Nerys. "this is one Gratitude Festival I'd RATHER forget!"
"Oh, come on, you know you've always wanted to kiss Julian!" replied Jadzia sarcastically. "Tell Bareil I'm sorry, will you? I really didn't mean to hit him like that!" she added, giggling at the image of the lust-driven Vedek lying flat on the floor with the most surprised look on his face. "Oh, before I forget, Bareil gave me this....." Dax produced a silver Bajoran betrothal bracelet from her pocket. It was only then that Kira realized how beautiful it was. It was decorated with intricate, scrolling designs and archaic Bajoran characters. "Now Kira, he said it was a family heirloom, I don't *think* it was intended for me!" She gave Kira a look that said "Aren't you just a LITTLE curious?"
"What?" said Kira, deciphering Dax's face.
"If I were you, I'd go find him, you never know WHAT might happen!" responded Dax, smiling.
Kira didn't want to get in an argument with her friend, and besides, she did admit that she was curious as to what Bareil was doing with a betrothal bracelet. On the way to the temple, Kira stopped for as minute, put the bracelet on, and admired how it looked on her wrist. It looked beautiful and fit almost like it was made for her. Kira took it off and proceeded to the temple. Bareil was standing in the doorway of the temple as she approached him. Kira rested a hand on his shoulder
"Nerys," he said, resting his other hand on hers "I'm sorry for what happened today, I mean, that must have been very unnerving for you."
"Well, it must have been just *slightly* upsetting for you too, I was practically suffocating poor Bashir with my lips right in front of you." As they walked away from the Temple, they kissed for a long moment, and stood, just holding each other for a moment.
"I don't mind you suffocating ME with your lips!" he said, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
"Well, I LOVE =you=, Bashir gets on my nerves" she said.
"I would NOT want to be on YOUR bad side" he murmured, nuzzling her neck.
"Bareil . . ." Kira was about to broach the topic of the bracelet when something told her "No, not now-." and she slipped the bracelet into the pocket of his robe-- going unnoticed by Bareil.
"Mmmm-hmmm?" After a moment's hesitation, Kira found something else to say. "Make love to me." she whispered to him.
"Here?" he said, jokingly.
"No!" she grinned, moving her hands up and down the collar of his robe and impishly pinching him on the behind as she led him to her quarters.
When they got to her quarters, he embraced her, lovingly. "You know," he said, "I never got a chance to tell you how gorgeous you look in that dress." He surprised her by picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom, stealing innumerable kisses along the way.
As he set her down, she took his hands, turned around, and placed them near the top fastening of her dress. "Thank you, but I'd be much more comfortable without it."
"I think I can help there" said Bareil, as his skilled and nimble fingers began to undo the fastenings of her dress. He kissed the back of her neck, not seeming to notice the spots humans called "hickeys", remains of Bashir's less gentle foray into the same area. She, in turn, began to undo the several layers of robes and undergarments he wore, as they sank down onto the large bed. His hands roamed her body, setting off what seemed like tiny explosions in only places he had been before. His hands were slightly rough from working in the monastery garden, preparing it for the Gratitude Festival at the Vedek Assembly, and this made the pleasure all the more greater, adding a kind of new dimension to his caresses.
"Wait," she said, going over and searching in her nightstand, finally retrieving a small silk bag "I bought something for us--- I think we should use it...." she said, suggestively, returning to Bareil's arms and kissing him. It was a bottle of massage oil.
"Hmmmmmm, now WHAT are we supposed to do with THIS?" he said, waggling his eyebrows and feigning juvenile naivet‰ which drove Nerys pleasantly crazy.
"Want me to show you?" she said, running her tongue up the ridges of his nose slowly.
"THAT would be wonderful." he replied, reciprocating with another lick in the same area. Kira positioned herself behind him, then opened the bottle of oil and smeared some onto her hands and concentrated the force of her massage on Bareil's bad shoulder, the one he had hurt while playing springball. "Ah, =I= see now." he replied, kissing her oily hands as they encircled his neck. He tasted something slightly sweet on her skin.
"Did I mention that this stuff was edible?" she purred, nibbling at his earlobe.
"Ah, now THAT has possibilities...." he said, covering his hands in the warm, rich-scented oil and switching positions with Kira. "Is this how you like it?" he said, massaging her back and neck in small, very concentrated circles. Kira's only reply was a guttural moan of ecstasy as his oiled fingers found their way into many places they had not been for a long time, his tongue ensuing slowly and inexorably. "You know, this doesn't really taste all that good. I kind of like to lick the plate better." he teased, deftly cleaning off the last spots of oil from her skin.
"You're terrible!" she said, giggling and pulling him into a long, intense kiss. She gave him a few "love bites" on the neck.
"Stop!" he said, laughing and knowing he was turning her on even more by his playful distress.
"Sorry, it's just that you taste so good!" she responded, a rare, girlish giggle escaping her lips. Kira then began to pleasure him with an intense oil massage, pressing her entire naked body against his back. She then adopted the position and manner of a cat in heat as she cleansed his beautiful muscular body thoroughly and slowly. When she was done, he pulled her into his arms and held her there, staring into her eyes for a long moment.
The long kiss that followed seemed to set both of them afire with love and passion and it continued into hours of intense and wonderful lovemaking that seemed to last for days. It seemed there was no one else in the entire universe but the two of them, touching and caressing each other with an intensity quite possibly greater than that which had created universe itself and climaxing several times in explosions that rivaled the first primordial stirrings of the stuff of life.
"You know," Bareil said, hours later, holding Kira close to him and stroking her gently, "I think we'd better rest, after all, I don't want to be falling asleep as I make the announcement of my life."
She brought her head up from his chest, and looked into his eyes. "What announcement?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing, just about a certain wedding." he responded nonchalantly.
Kira sat up. "Are you asking me to marry you, Bareil??"
"Well, I guess I'd better ask formally-- Kira Nerys-- will you marry me?"
Kira grinned from ear to ear and made a mental note to thank Jadzia for prodding her to find out about Bareil's betrothal bracelet. She answered him with a long kiss, probing his tongue with her own. "I take that as a yes??" he replied, kissing her back.
"Yes, definitely, yes." she responded, and they sank back onto the mountain of sheets, blankets, and pillows. This time, their lovemaking was slow, loving, and leisurely, like a warm summer breeze. They finally fell asleep until 2200 hours, when the chrono alarm went off to wake them up an hour before Sisko's party. They woke up and reluctantly separated from each other for a few minutes as they showered and dressed.
Later, at the party, when all of Quark's overpriced hors d'oeuvres were eaten, everyone was seated for dinner. Bareil clinked his fork on his glass to get the attention of the group and pulled the bracelet from the pocket of his robe. "I have an announcement to make," he said, as he took Kira's wrist. "as you probably know, Major Kira and I have been seeing each other for quite a while. I had planned on proposing to her at this year's Gratitude Festival, but as we all know, things got a bit mixed up." A soft wave of chuckles emanated from the room. "So, now that everything is back to normal, I would like to happily announce that she has accepted my proposal of marriage, and we have set the date of the wedding for next year's Gratitude Festival." Against a background of applause, Bareil slipped the betrothal bracelet around Kira's wrist and kissed her, whispering "I love you." softly in her ear. Sisko proposed a toast to the happy couple and everyone clinked glasses.