He's not quite sure why everyone in Starfleet sleeps with a chair at the foot of their bed. Has anybody in the history of the universe ever sat in that chair? Aside from people like him, of course.

He sat patiently, dressed in black, waiting for the young man to wake up. It's important to stay emotionally detached at moments like these. Not that a moment quite like this one has happened up until now. It was an honor to be in this man's presence. A man who was incorruptible. 'Aha, finally he's waking up.'

"Lights!"

The lights came on and revealed the older man in the chair. He had a gray beard and wavy salt and pepper hair. His face was hardened with lines and his eyes had dark circles under them, but those eyes were unmistakable.

"Julian?", Miles gasped as he sat up further in his bed, "What in the hell? Is that you?"

Bashir smiled, "Hello, Miles. It's been a long time."

"What's going on. Tell me why I shouldn't call security right now."

"Because, my dear Miles, you're waiting for my younger counterpart to call you. To inform you that a member of Section 31 has been detained so you can extract the cure for Odo."

Miles thought for a moment, "Ok, yeah, that'll work."

"I thought it might."

"When and where are you from and why are you here?" Miles asked, cautiously watching this Julian Bashir.

Bashir smiled. He couldn't help it.

"It really is good to see you, Miles. I've missed you. More than you could imagine."

"Talk."

Bashir's face grew serious, "Miles, I have...information...for you. It's extremely important that you do as I ask. I'm from the future."

"You don't say?", O'Brien snidely remarked, "From Julian's descriptions you look like you work for Section 31."

"Miles," Bashir chuckled, "I don't work for Section 31."

"Well, that's a relief."

"I am Section 31." Bashir deadpanned.

Miles stared in disbelief at the older, black clad, Julian Bashir.

"What? What does that even mean you 'are Section 31'?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time," Miles said sharply.

"Not really," said Julian, "I'll be calling soon to let you know Sloan is here. You know I know these things down to the millisecond by now, don't you?"

"Julian, explain this now or I will call security and whatever it is you want from me won't happen."

Julian sighed.

"I've been reflecting on where it all went wrong. On where I went terribly wrong. It was obviously this crossroads I'm at right here. I'm about to cross an ethical line and it's a slippery damned slope from there."

"We've already crossed the line so you may be a bit late in your timing," Miles said sardonically, "So, what? You want me to stop Julian from interrogating Sloan?"

Julian looked pensively at his young friend.

"Not precisely. The line must be crossed in this instance... Miles, have you noticed that since my genetics have been outed, I've become more...knowledgeable... from Engineering to Astrophysics to Quantum Mechanics to- everything."

"Sure. Sometimes I think you could do my job better than I can now. Why wouldn't you want to do as much as you're capable of?"

"I'm capable of quite a damned lot, I'm afraid..."

"Including time travel," muttered O'Brien under his breath.

"Oh Miles, how I had my justifications for it all." Bashir said with a chuckle.

Miles was growing frustrated. 'He sounds more like Garak, than Julian,' He thought.

"Get to the point, please."

Julian focused intently on Miles.

"We are, or rather, you and Julian are, about to do something-spectacular. Tonight, you two geniuses will set up a scenario in which Julian ends up gaining all the knowledge needed to bring down Section 31."

"I see it worked splendidly."

Julian didn't react to the comment. His voice was very serious.

"I need you to go with him this time. You'll understand soon. Be the voice of reason. He needs someone with an ounce of sense to keep him focused on the original goal of finding Odo's cure. Under no circumstances should you allow Julian Bashir to access any other information besides the cure."

"What happens if he gets Section 31's secrets?"

"He will start to see the reasons behind their actions. Just as tonight's actions are justifiable so will be the next one. And the next. Then another. They're so embedded in Federation politics the consequences of outing Section 31 seems the greater risk."

"So Julian changes his mind and joins Section 31."

Julian burst into uncomfortable, gut busting laughter at that.

"My dear Miles, I didn't join Section 31- I created Section 31!"

Julian's laughter continued as Miles' expression grew mortified.

"You can't be serious."

Julian continued laughing.

"It is quite the nod to irony, isn't it? It's the punchline of a lifetime!"

Julian laughed so hard he was crying.

"This isn't funny. We're talking about making serious changes to the timeline."

"You're-you're right, It's not funny."

"Well, maybe it is, a little."

"Yes, it is-just a bit."

"If you like dark humor."

This sent Julian into another fit of laughter, but it was more subdued. How he'd missed this friendship.

"How, Julian. How did you create Section 31?"

Now Julian wasn't laughing at all. O'Brien found the mood swing a bit startling.

"The more actions I took, which of course, I thought were for the greater good, the more unintended consequences occurred... I'm responsible for suffering of epic proportions trying to play God," Julian said with self contempt, "I couldn't light the quadrant on fire and walk away as it burned! I made the best decisions I could trying to put them out... They weren't mine to make though. They never were. I created this method of time travel and I used it to travel back to when Section 31 had been created." Julian became silent.

"And?"

"And what? There was no Section 31." Bashir said simply.

Miles looked perplexed.

"I, Julian Subatoi Bashir, started a secret organization outside of Starfleet to try to locate and stop Section 31 from forming. To protect the interests of the budding Federation. I had technology unlike anything else in the time period so I figured it'd be easy to track them down," Julian started laughing again, "and guess what?"

"I think you already spoiled the ending."

"Ah, but it hasn't ended yet. You're going to end it from the beginning. All you have to do is two things."

"If I stop Julian, won't that mean Section 31 will have never existed?"

"No, no, no, it's a paradox, Chief."

"Oh-"

"You don't really want me to explain it do you-?"

"Well-"

"It's confusing."

"I suppose not, then?" Huffed O'Brien.

"Good, it's for the best. In short, I will cease to exist from the moment this Julian takes a different path. There will be a different future, but not a different past."

"But you went to the past-"

"Miles. Time is short. Trust me on this."

"You said there were two things I need to do. What's the second?"

Julian's demeanor completely changed. His hardened features grew softer. Sadder.

"Miles. I'm not going to tell you not to accept the job on earth just to keep me out of trouble."

"Wh- I haven't applied to a job on Earth."

"You will. And you'll get it. And you'll leave. You love your wife, Chief."

"Of course I love Keiko. She's my wife."

Bashir smiled a nostalgic smile for a moment, recalling a conversation they'd had in the Alamo program so many years ago.

"Don't take off right after the war though. Wait at least 3 months."

"Why?"

"Because a rogue Jem'Hadar ship will destroy your transport," Bashir's voice cracked, "You and your family will be killed. Things settle down around 90 days after the peace treaty."

A familiar voice beeps in over the com.

*Bashir to O'Brien*

"Yeah?" Answered Miles as he stared at the older Bashir.

*Mr. Sloan is here, Miles. I've got him in the containment field.*

"I'm on my way."

*Good. Bashir out.*

Julian stared at his best friend from decades ago.

"Miles. You're a good man. Please, never lose touch. He needs your friendship...Your wisdom. Now go stop me from becoming...me."

"You can count on it."

"By the way," Bashir whispered, "Keiko's still sleeping. She slept through all this?"

"Heh. Keiko could sleep through a Yridian Yak stampede."

Bashir smiles as Miles leaves the room to, unbeknownst to him, create the means by which peace is brought to the Alpha Quadrant with his younger self.

His smile fades as he realizes O'Brien hadn't yet applied for a position on Earth.

"Is this another paradox? No, no, no, Miles and his family were going to leave, weren't they?"

"Earth's a great idea, Julian." Mumbled Keiko in her sleep.

Bashir started laughing. Just a bit at first. Then harder and harder until he was laughing so hard he was crying again at the cruel, dark humor of the universe.

Then he blinked out of existence.