Chapter Text
The people at the party were definitely having a good time. It was one of the few nights that Quark’s was closed but it wasn’t empty — the Ferengi proprietor was hosting a celebration. It was almost a secret what it was about, since no one attending ever actually expected to see the day: Quark had announced his recent decision to get married.
And, of course, the woman of the hour had spent the entire party drinking, laughing, and showing off her intended.
Yasha was quite a star to watch.
But that was only after everyone had shown up, originally thinking that this was a party about his recent successes over the past year — he had, after all, doubled his entire fortune since taking Yasha on as his apprentice, and then subsequent business partner.
“What do you suppose Quark’s announcement is going to be?” Commander Worf asked Miles O’Brien. “Early retirement?”
“Are you daft? Haven’t you been around the last twelve months?” Miles laughed, staring at Worf. “Or have you and Jadzia been totally oblivious?”
“Jadzia had been spending less time at the bar,” Worf murmured thoughtfully. “I had thought that only meant she and Quark had fallen out. I was relieved to know he wouldn’t be paying so much attention to another man’s wife.”
“No! Quark had only fallen —”
Suddenly, Jadzia popped up and wrapped her arm around Worf. “He’s completely in love with her,” she sighed, beaming. “I can’t quite remember a time when he looked like that before!”
O’Brien wondered if there was a possibility of having a spontaneous aneurysm — both of these people were oblivious, and he couldn’t imagine how they both missed the ticket completely! Instead of laughing, or staring (as much as he could help it), O’Brien just shook his head and tried to continue listening and engaging.
“Who is in love with whom?” Worf asked, frowning. “Am I missing something?”
“Where have you been?” O’Brien chided playfully. He lightly “punched” Worf. “Quark! He’s in love with Yasha! They’re lovers. It’s taken long enough.”
“The female Ferengi?” Worf came again, only looking more confused. Quietly, he asked his colleague and his wife, “…Why are we at this party?”
At that moment, there was a fork clanging against a glass. “Everyone!” Quark came, standing on a chair. He looked down at the guests that had assembled at his get-together, smiling with pride and standing tall (as tall as he could get on that chair). “I have an announcement that some of you have already been made aware of” — He grinned victoriously down at Yasha, and extended his hand to her, lifting her up next to him — “and we’re absolutely delighted to announce we’re getting married!”
There was a beat of silence.
And then sheer applause.
“Finally!” someone in the small crowd shouted.
There was another clink on a glass, but this time, it was Odo sitting on the same table where Quark was standing with Yasha. “Tell us where you’re having the wedding,” he said, drawing out his words as though they had already discussed this topic at length. His head bobbed with each word, emphasizing his seriousness and his playfulness at the same time. “And… just how long have you been planning this?”
Quark rolled his eyes, and then looked at Yasha. “How long have we been planning this?”
“Six weeks, now,” she said. She grabbed Quark’s face, planting a kiss on the side of it. “And we’re having the wedding on Ferenginar!”
“But! The invitation is extended to every single one of you here. We completely understand if you can’t make it; you’re only missing the most beautiful planet in the galaxy.” Quark gave Yasha the most disgustingly affectionate look anyone had ever seen. “And when we’re getting married, the bar will remain open; we’re leaving it in the care and attention of Jadzia Dax.”
Worf and Miles turned to see Jadzia beaming and waving excitedly. “I’ll love every minute of it!” she called, holding onto Worf’s arm tighter.
“We did not discuss this!” Worf whisper-shouted.
“It’s the same week that you’re going to be soloing the Defiant,” she protested. She let out a sigh of disbelief, staring at her husband. “When I have leave? You told me it was a good idea!”
“I was under the impression that you were going to join me.” Worf frowned deeper than anyone had ever seen. “I was not aware that Quark and Yasha were going to be married at all, much less you running the bar for a week.”
“Worf!”
“Congratulations!” O’Brien shouted above the now-bickering couple.
There was another disgruntled sound behind him, and shockingly, it wasn’t Worf or Jadzia.
“I have no idea what they expect on Ferenginar,” Liquidator Brunt said, the anger in his voice seething through. He had his arms crossed tightly and made a retching face but no sound or action accompanied it (thankfully). “They’ll be a laughing stock, no matter how successful his bar is.”
The three of them — Worf, Jadzia, and O’Brien — turned to see Liquidator Brunt in his pouty state. “What in the world are you doing here?” O’Brien asked, making a face. “There’s no way Quark invited you!”
“He did,” Brunt said succinctly, sniffing. “I’m actually going to be the one officiating the wedding for them.” He shuddered. “That’s going to be the worst part about them getting married — I have to be involved.”
“Surely, you do not have to,” Worf said, holding Jadzia as he spoke. His teeth bared slightly as he added, “It is a decision you could back out of, isn’t it?”
“You’d be surprised,” Brunt told him loathingly, “but I wouldn’t expect a Klingon to understand.”
Worf nodded. “I cannot argue there. At least I’m not a Romulan.”
Brunt bristled. “Oh, just shut up! Quark’s getting married to a profit-earning feeee-male, and I have to be there for it. And what do you know about Romulans, anyway?” He squared his shoulders. “I’ve got to go talk to the happy couple…” With one more near-retch, he parted through and trudged up to the front of the bar where Quark and Yasha were.
“Is it just me, or have Ferengi politics gotten a little weird?” Jadzia asked. “…Not that I’ve been keeping up with them at all.”
O’Brien shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that Quark and Yasha’s wedding is going to be interesting.”
||•○°✬°○•||
Quark sat down in his office, happy and relieved that they had gotten the party out of the way — that was the best part about parties. Quark loved parties, because that meant you were making people happy, and when it was over, you didn’t really have to do it again. Unless, of course, it was the near-constant party of the bar, but this time, the party was actually about him, and his bride-to-be, Yasha.
With a smoothing over of his jacket, he cricked his neck and tapped his display screen. “Someone’s gotta tell him,” he murmured as he punched in the commands. He waited for a moment, and then the call picked up.
“Uncle Quark! I wasn’t expecting you to call me while I was away,” Nog’s cheerful, boyish voice came. He smiled through the screen, and then frowned. “Did something happen to Father? Leeta? The baby?”
Quark shook his head, raising a hand. “No,” he said, waving, “no, they’re all fine. That’s not what I called about. I figured I should tell you before anything happens, and I wanted you to know that I wanted my nephew to at least have the opportunity to be there.”
“Be where? What’s happening, Uncle?” He frowned in a way that really looked like Rom, just then. It made Quark smirk.
“Yasha and I are going to be married.” He sat back in his chair. “On Ferenginar.” He leaned on his elbow and cleared his throat. “In the Tower of Commerce.”
Nog laughed. “Very funny, Uncle! One thing I’ve missed is your humor.”
Quark’s face fell a little, but he made sure to keep his smile on. Humor? Since when was that something that would be funny? Rom and Moogie and even Bashir and O’Brien had been asking him for months when he would marry Yasha, but his own nephew was skeptical? What were the odds? “I’m not joking. I’m marrying Yasha. We’re going to Ferenginar and we’re going to have the wedding there.”
“You’re marrying a feminist? You’re marrying a clothed female?”
“Knock it off, Nog,” Quark grouched, finally reacting. “I’m marrying her, and I love her, and we want you to be there.” He took a deep, slow breath in, trying to keep face — he couldn’t be too affectionate, or it would worry the boy. He smiled coolly, again. “That’s if you can make it, anyway.”
There was a thoughtful pause. He really took after his father. “When would the wedding be?”
“We haven’t decided yet; we’re working with someone from the FCA to make sure that nothing goes wrong.” Quark cleared his throat lightly. “We’ll be signing a W.P. and P. — assurances.”
“I won’t be off of the Celestial in two more months; after that, I can talk to my C.O. about seeing what to do about making it to your wedding, Uncle.” Nog offered a kind smile. It was infectious. “I liked Yasha when I met her. I never thought you’d really come around to her.”
“Well, I have; and I’ll let you know. Have fun, kid.”
There was that toothy grin again, widening. “Goodbye, Uncle. I love you.”
Quark’s throat went tight, but knew he barely got to see his nephew these days. He did help raise him… “I love you, too, Nog.”
The screen went black, and Quark wrinkled his nose. “Blech.” He shook his head lightly. “Never getting used to that.” He stood from his desk, and grabbed a PADD. Now that he got that out of the way, it was time to manage business…
~✬~
Brunt sat down across from Yasha as she was cleaning off the bar. “So,” he started off gruffly, “you decided to marry your old boss.”
“Believe it or not, Brunt, it was nothing easy,” she said, smirking to herself. “And I decided to make my life very profitable, and very happy — he’s my ticket to happiness.”
“You’re a peculiar female, I must say.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s your game?”
“What game? There’s no game.” She stared at him, offended. “And don’t tell me you’re defending Quark, here.”
“I know Quark well enough to know that he’s not this pathetic; so what do you have on him? Charges the FCA needs to go over? Giving to charities?” Brunt asked, leaning closer. “Or did you really just use your feminine wiles on him? How much Oo-mox did you have to offer him before he gave into your proposition?”
“How ridiculous that you think he didn’t beg and plead with me to marry him.” She hmphed. “And if I didn’t know any better, I would say that you’re just jealous of our situation.”
Brunt scoffed. “Please! Me? Jealous? Of marrying an independent female? I think not!”
“So then why are you helping us?” Yasha asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. She had that dangerous glint in her eyes that Quark often had — she really had learned a lot from him. “And, if I really wanted to climb up the latinum ladder, I would have gone for someone more… involved in the Ferengi government. I would have wanted to be sitting on the throne, right in the Tower of Commerce. I’m not incapable.”
Brunt glared, but backed down, knowing she was right. “No… you’re not.”
“Think about it this way, Brunt: You can help bring the change you need to Ferenginar.” Yasha gave a sickly-sweet smile. “And if you ever speak to me like that again in my bar…” She leaned on the counter and stared at him with seriousness, all pleasantries fading away. “Not only will I tell the entire FCA your secret, but I will throw you out by your ears.”
Brunt leaned back as though Yasha were brandishing some sort of blistering blade. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
“But you’re a female!”
“I’m going to marry Quark; not any female can do that.” Yasha stood up and flounced her dress, adjusting her earrings. “Are you going to buy anything, Brunt?”
“No.”
“Then I suppose I’ll see you again when Quark is finished with his errands.”