 The Bajoran Gratitude Festival, an
annual celebration, is about to get underway, and both Kira and
O'Brien await the arrival of their loves. But while Kira's
encounter with Bareil is sweet, O'Brien's long-anticipated
reunion with his wife Keiko is strained — she is exhausted and
their daughter, Molly, is sick. To make matters worse, Lwaxana
Troi also arrives, and immediately seeks out Odo, hoping for a
romantic rendezvous, but he is uninterested. Similarly, Kira is
too busy setting up for the festival to spend time with Bareil,
and Keiko is too tired to enjoy her time with her husband. But
at the opening festivities, Lwaxana experiences a brief
headache, which Bareil and Jake seem to feel simultaneously.
As the festival gets underway,
Bareil and Kira finally find some time to spend together, but
are interrupted by Jake, who insists on speaking with Kira in
private. Once Bareil leaves, Jake shocks Kira by saying he is in
love with her. Bareil, meanwhile, wanders to Dax, and finds
himself suddenly smitten with her. As all this happens, Lwaxana
continues her futile pursuit of Odo, then has another brief
headache near Dax, who appears to feel it also. O'Brien's
romantic endeavors are also thwarted as Keiko says her research
on Bajor will keep her there for another few months, then storms
away from her angry and hurt husband.
O'Brien talks with Quark, where the proprietor treats him to a
taste of the Ferengi philosophy on women, inadvertently showing
O'Brien how much Keiko means to him. Meanwhile, Kira finds
Bareil, and is hurt when he dismisses her as no more than a
friend. Dax, while hiding from Bareil, has joined Sisko, and
surprises her friend with the announcement that she is really in
love with him.
Bashir's examination of Dax reveals nothing wrong, and she
pretends it was all a joke until she and Sisko are alone again,
at which point she kisses him. Meanwhile, O'Brien speaks to
Keiko through her locked bedroom door, telling her he will
resign to stay together, but Keiko says she needs to think about
it. Later, Odo, Lwaxana, and Bashir see Kira on their way to
Sisko's upcoming party, and Lwaxana feels another headache, at
which Bashir and Kira react. The two of them then go to the
Infirmary, where they immediately kiss passionately.
At the party, Sisko watches in horror as Dax chases him, Bareil
chases Dax, Bareil hits Sisko, Dax slugs Bareil, Jake moons over
Kira, and Kira and Bashir can't keep their hands off each other.
Keiko arrives at the party in a stunning red dress, walks up to
her husband and tells him not to resign, then kisses him. Quark
shows up, then proclaims his undying love for Keiko. Luckily,
Sisko and Odo notice that before Quark saw Keiko, Lwaxana had a
headache, after which Quark seemed to feel the same headache.
Bashir discovers that Lwaxana has Zanthi Fever, in which
Betazoids experiencing a headache from the condition project
their amorous feelings for someone onto those in close
proximity. To Sisko's surprise, it only affects people who
already have a pre-existing latent attraction. Bashir cures her
and says everyone will be back to normal in a few days. But for
Keiko and O'Brien, the effects of this Gratitude Festival are
real.
See Also: Image Captures |
