LESSONS ACROSS TIMELINES ^{© 2003-2007}

By Lessa Soong

Chapter Ten – Will you be on my insurance policy? 

Their routine took a dramatic turn after that evening, but it was an agreeable turn for both of them. Data was invited to move his belongings into Harper's room and he wasted no time in honoring her request. He did not remain with her every night, but he at least woke her up himself each morning. When they returned home from work each night, she would eat dinner and Data would join her for a shower. This always led to lovemaking...always. Her second job rearranged some evenings. While her shower was delayed, it was never omitted and thus lovemaking was not omitted.

 Harper turned in her two-week notice the Monday morning following Thanksgiving and Data realized that her last day would coincide with the premier date of ‘Nemesis’. He was not looking forward to that, but knew he would have to see it.

Harper decided that in order to better prepare him, she would let him view ‘Insurrection’ and make him watch and relive the events of ‘First Contact’ in a way that even caused her some trepidation.

‘Insurrection’ gave him a little trouble, but he did not have nearly the reaction as when Harper spelled out what she had in mind for ‘First Contact’.

“Just watch the movie and then I want us to...reenact the missing scenes and some of the prior ones, but I want you to say some of the things you were thinking...and feeling. I don’t want you to hold back.”

“If I do not hold back, I would hurt you, Harper. This is a dangerous suggestion.” Data sounded upset and slightly angry.

“Then initiate safety protocols or whatever... but don’t hold back your feelings or thoughts, just don’t forget I’m not her and my frame is not made of the same stuff!” He grumbled a bit more, but finally agreed to Harper’s plan. This conversation took place in the car on the way to her second job, Thursday evening, so they agreed to put this plan into action on Monday, after work. They would need time and she would need energy.

Once they arrived home on Monday, Data was sat in front of the TV with the tape and Harper pulled the car keys out of his hands and headed to the grocery store for a while. Data was given instructions to watch the pertinent parts and fast-forward through the rest. They would watch them again together when she returned. He looked ready to explode even before Harper left.

When Harper came back she found him standing facing a wall in the living room. The hated chair was in shreds all over the room and even the hall. Harper only took notice of the condition of the man facing the wall.

“Data, it’s Harper. Turn around, sweetie.” She was not sure she should touch him, but she wanted to. She lifted her hand slowly as she considered what she should do. He stood unmoving and silent. The TV was still on and the movie was running. Lily was arguing with Picard about blowing up the ship. Harper cut off the Captain’s reply by shutting off the set.

Harper turned back to Data and just touched his back. He turned around so quickly that he knocked her arm out of the way. She was stunned and sure her arm would be bruised in the morning. But this was underway and she was not going to be able to stop it now.

“They were going to blow up the ship and kill me with it,” he seethed.

“No, Picard goes back for you. He tells Lily that he must do all he can to save his friend...you.”

“I was not worth saving. Hundreds of the crew were assimilated and I stood by and did nothing but comply with the wishes of the Queen.” Data was berating himself, but Harper decided it was a good time to slip into the role of the very vamp he had just mentioned.         

“Gaining the encryption codes is one of our goals, but to reach it, I am willing to help you reach one of yours. I can help you to feeeeelllll...more human, Data.” Harper did not have the Queen’s voice, bur her inflections were near...perfection. The exact wording was not her goal, getting him to hear her voice as the Queen’s was.

“No. They cannot be forced from my neural net. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to break the code either.” He was shaking his head as though trying not to hear.

“I don’t want to force them from you, Data.” Harper reached out to touch his face, caressing his cheek with an expression of confident power on her face. “You will give them to me willingly. Once you are properly...stimulated.” 

“NO! Not this time, you bitch!” He looked furious, but still had enough control so when he grabbed Harper and pushed her up against the wall he had been facing, she was only stunned.

“Resistance is futile.” Harper purred, once she could breathe again. “We may not be able to assimilate you, but I know how to get what I want from you. Finding your weakness took seconds, Data. Like taking candy from a baby...or was it like offering candy to a baby.” She brushed his hands from her arms and turned, walking away. Harper swayed her hips in her best imitation of the walk she had seen on the screen. She hoped he didn’t see her trying to rub the circulation back into her arms.

“No, I will fight you. You will not win. You did not win!” He turned to watch her, seeing someone else. “I never intended to give you the codes. I fooled you.”

“Did you? Is that what you tell yourself at night, Data?” Her voice was now filled with contempt. “Have you convinced yourself that you never wanted me? How predictable. Using easy and comfortable denial to explain away what really happened.” Harper found that the words coming out of her mouth surprised not only Data, but herself as well. Was she getting too much into this role?

“It IS what happened. I...was-“ he tried to defend, but he did not look like he fully believed this himself.

“YOU WERE TEMPTED BY THE FLESH!” She turned sharply and pointed at him, the accusation pushed him back two full steps.

“No, I...was just manipulating you. Allowing you to think that you had succeeded in blinding me. I needed you to believe so you would turn your back...for one moment!” His voice was trembling.

“You never asked me to turn my back, you asked me for more flesh. You wanted more of yours,” she came closer and whispered the rest in his ear. “And you wanted more of mine!”     

“I...was not...programmed...” He took hold of his head and closed his eyes, trying to fight off the confusion he had experienced. “To...process these sensations...I had never experienced those sensations...” He sunk to the floor. His eyes looked glassy and unfocused. His voice was softer, breaking.

“You had sex eight years and seven months ago. Wasn’t she good, Data?” Harper knew this was dirty pool, and she did not want to dissect her sex life with him, but...

He sighed heavily, painfully. “She did not want it. She said she did, but after...it was not the same. I did not have an emotional frame of reference. You were the first. I hated you for being the first with whom I could...feel it.”

“And I will be your last. Look and see your future’s end...” She knelt beside him, taunting him.

“NO, you were not the last...I killed you. You are gone, destroyed. I am alive. I have grown and continued to evolve. I have defeated you. I won then and I will win now. You are a ghost.” He grabbed for Harper’s shoulders again. Pushing her to the floor he extended his body out, above her, resting his weight on his toes and one arm. He pinned her to the floor without any real contact, using his body to cage her.

“I can have you back. I-“ Harper said, trying to regain her edge. But Data overran her words

“I will not be tempted by you again. I knew what you were missing. I know what it was that you could not offer. It is what I wanted. I did not want the flesh; it was the emotions I wanted. I have tasted this. Savored the nectar of passion and love. It was not within the Queen.” His eyes focused and his gaze felt more penetrating than it ever had before. He lowered his body, pinning Harper with all of him. She could feel his erection straining for release.

He was turned on!

And he was still thinking of the Queen! She knew this was what the plan had been, but now that it was happening…she was afraid…and panicked.

Shifting his weight to his elbows, he brought his hands to the front of her clothes...and tore them off. His mouth was on her breast, but Harper was no longer sure she could go through with this. She didn’t want to have sex with him if he still saw her as the Queen!

He gave her breast a last teasing lick and turned his attention to her mouth. He kissed her, but she was too terrified to respond.

He was going through with this...but she had told him to! What had she been thinking!?

She had brought this on herself but...

He stopped the kiss and looked at her.

“I love you,” he whispered, his eyes penetrating her.

Oh, my God, Harper thought. She could not hold back the burning bitter tears. She had never believed that Data loved that Borg bitch! It never occurred to her that it could have been possible.

“Tears? Why are you crying?” Data was confused. The Queen surely had never cried.

“I didn’t know that you told her you loved her. I didn’t know that you did. I- oh, God!”

“Her? The Queen? I did not tell her that I loved her, Harper. I was telling you that I love you. That is what she was missing. Love. She was not capable of love.” He looked a bit remorseful. “I am sorry for ripping your clothing...I wanted to...feel you. I still do.” He lowered himself back down kissed her again. Harper was still too stunned to answer his kisses. She was still trying to catch up.

She had not expected him to reason his way from the Queen to her. In hindsight it made sense, but she had simply not seen it coming. He had plenty of other reasons for realizing that he had not been so blame worthy. Perhaps that was not what had been bothering him after all.

He was looking down at her expectantly.

“I have upset you. You are frightened of me. I...did I hurt you?” Now he was near tears.

“No, Data. I’m fine. I was just...confused. You thought your way through that rather quickly and I’m just trying to catch up.”

“Did I frighten you?”

“A little...but I think I was more frightened FOR you than OF you.” She put her hands on his chest and tried to smile. “Are you all right?”

“I believe that I am. She is...fading. Her hold, that part of me that I could not wrangle from her grasp...it is no longer hers.” He seemed startled as well by this revelation.

“I hope that part now belongs to you again, Data. No being should have control over another. Not even a captain is entitled to that.” Data smiled and nodded his agreement. He sat up on his knees and tried to cover Harper, but her clothing was too shredded to hide much. He realized that now, she was not ‘in the mood’ for him. He experienced a long moment of fear that she would now be truly ‘turned off’ by him and may wish to end their physical relationship...but more importantly, she may not feel for him like she had.

Had he destroyed it? Destroyed this too?

“I am sorry I-“ before he could finish she jumped to her feet and tossed her ruined clothing at him. He was too confused to speak.

“Dispose of those, would ya? I’ll be right back.” She stepped carefully around the chunks of what used to be the chair. Data slowly rose to a stand, feeling great shame. He had torn apart the chair, her clothing and perhaps even their relationship. He had frightened her. He had warned her that this could be dangerous. He should have heeded his own warnings!

Harper can back out in her robe to find him stuffing parts of the ripped up chair into a garbage bag. He wore a very solemn expression. She knelt down beside him and touched his arm lightly.

“You okay?” she asked. His eyes met hers, searchingly.

“I am experiencing much...remorse regarding my actions towards you. I frightened you and that was what I had hoped to avoid.” Data was not sure if this would help, but he had to try to apologize. She sunk lower on the floor, moving closer to him. She slid her hand down his arm to his hand. She laced her fingers with his.

“It was a frightening experience for you, how could it not be for me? I knew you could see it through. I knew you could win. I’m proud of you. I knew this would work...so I got you a present.” Harper told him, grinning with anticipation. He looked confused.

“You did? When?” Data asked, stunned by her capacity to stand by him.

“Well, I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, but it just never came together...but I think fate decided to intervene today. I’ll be right back.” She leaned closer, kissing his cheek quickly before heading down the stairs to the garage. He listened to her open and close the side door to the van. Data remained, kneeling on the floor. The trash bag was in one hand, the remembrance of Harper's fingers in the other hand. He sat there confused and astounded that nothing about him repelled her.  

“Data, stop cleaning and sit down on the couch,” she called from the bottom of the stairs.

“If you wish,” he answered, letting the bag drop from his fingers, still bemused.

He heard her climb the stairs slowly. He could tell that she was carrying something...

Harper came into his field of vision, holding a box 15 inches across on all sides. She wore a bright grin. She sat down in the couch, placing the box between them. Data was sure he heard the box...squeak. 

“Open it!” she urged him eagerly. Uncertain, he lifted the flaps of the box. Once the last flap was pushed aside, he made a startling discovery.

There were two dark eyes looking at him from inside the box! And they belonged to a short eared, short tailed, black...puppy.

The puppy yelped and rose on its hind legs to get a better look at Data.

“I had been planning to get you a kitten, but...well like I said, I think fate had other ideas. They were selling these sweet little puppies in front of the store for 25$ and I just couldn’t resist after a little envisioning.” Harper admitted. Data lifted the puppy out of the box, a grin covering his face.

“Envisioning?” he asked while lifting the puppy closer to his face. The puppy licked his nose and Data laughed.

“Yes, just this,” Harper replied softly.

Data lifted the puppy up enough to establish gender. She was a she. “Does she have a name?” He asked Harper as the pup squirmed and wiggled to get at Data’s face again. He chuckled and submitted to the pup’s will.

“Well, sort of. I was going to let you name her, but I kind of came up with one as soon as I held her. But if you want-“

“What is the name?” Data asked Harper, attempting to dodge a tongue. He could have easily done so, had he simply lowered the puppy from his face, somehow that thought did not occur to him. Data began to giggle.

After a laugh, Harper replied. “I think she looks like a Sadie.”

Data focused on the puppy, grinning. “Do you think you look like a Sadie?” Just in time the puppy gave a bark. Harper was sure this was intended to reflect the puppy’s desire to lick Data again, but the android took it as an agreement to his query. “Then Sadie it is,” he proclaimed and smiled at Harper.

Harper put the box on the floor and scooted closer to Data. Reaching out, she gave the puppy some pats and found that she wanted to pat Data even more than the dog. But that could wait. He needed the wounds to close and heal.

“Welcome to the family, Sadie,” she said softly. Data lowered the puppy to his lap and stared at Harper.

“You see us as a family?” he asked, uncertain. She too felt uncertain at his question.

“Well...yeah. I guess...don’t you? If you think I’m trying to replace your real family...I mean Geordi and Deanna and all...I know I could never-“

“Harper, is it not possible to have more than one...family group?” Data asked, gently.

“Well, I guess...I have Melody and then there’s mom and daddy and then Brinna...I also have Robin’s family. I don’t see them much, but I should get a card and a call for Christmas.” She felt like she was babbling.

“And now?” Data asked. He lowered the puppy into the open box and returned his full attention to Harper.

“And now, I love you. And I know that I could never replace them, but I can’t stand the thought of you leaving me. I guess I’m jealous of them.” She looked a little ashamed of herself and regretful of being cornered into admitting such selfish feelings. The puppy began to yelp a protest.

Data felt a wave of relief wash over him when she affirmed that her feelings for him had not been shattered by the recent events. “I miss them, Harper. But if I was pulled back right now...I would miss you...very much! I like the idea of us being a family. I think I should tell you of a belief that has been...growing within me.” He waited for a response from her.

    “Okay you make it sound like you’re pregnant, but I know that’s not possible.” She still looked sad and remorseful.

“No, I am not pregnant,” he said with a grin. “When Q first arrived here that day...he told me that he could be more patient in his lessons with me. He referred to my not living forever, but said I was ‘here for the duration’.”

“Duration of what?” she asked.

“I asked that as well, he did not answer. But I have a growing suspicion as to the answer. I believe that it is possible that I am to remain here...for the rest of your life.”

Harper looked shocked. “But why?”

“Because you love me...and I love you,” he told her, but she shook her head.

“Q doesn’t care about that, Data. He doesn’t care a fig about who loves who anywhere or in any time.”

“I agree. However, I suspect the lesson I am to learn is somehow related to, or affected by our relationship. He promised not to take me from you...”

“...And if I were dead...”

“I do not wish to think about that,” Data said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. She smiled.

“My forever is going to be a lot shorter than your forever, Data. I know you never like hearing this phrase, but...what if you’re wrong?” He gave her an incredulous expression. “Come on, in this case, it is possible!”

“Then consider this. I intend to stay until the day you wish me to go.”

Sadie was a fine addition to the ‘family’. Data even got down on the floor with her to play for over an hour that evening. Finally, he took her outside for her needs and gave her some puppy food that Harper had purchased at the store for her. Harper sneaked off for her shower, the first one she had taken without him...

The water was hitting her face as she replayed the conversations of the evening again in her head. The events and feelings also rolled over her. Since Data’s appearance, Harper’s life had turned into an emotional roller coaster. His dealings with the Borg, the blonde who was flirting with him...that still worried Harper at times... Her dealing with Robin’s death, the attack at the mall and the trial. That had been odd since Data had to use another holo-disguise since the Slime had seen Jayden Soong. Data had chosen to look like an older version of Dr. Soong and Harper had found it difficult to be held by him.

Now there was the last day of work and leaving her friends there behind to be immediately followed by the movie. The last day of work worried her, but the movie made her stomach hurt. She had not told Data but in the last weeks she had read two interviews with Brent Spiner that had hinted that Data might indeed die in the movie.

What if the character’s death had an immediate effect...physical effect on the Data who would be sitting beside her?

Harper tried to brace herself for the coming days. With her head resting against the wall of the shower as she sat on the bench in the large stall, she felt the saltwater mingle with fluoridated and run down her face.

Her head came up as she heard the door to the bathroom open. Data’s silhouette could be seen through the frosted glass. He opened the door and shut it behind him. Without a word, the naked man of gold crossed to her and gently urged her to her feet. He was not erect at the moment, a rarity, but she doubted he would remain that way. His passionate kisses told her she was right.

“Thank you for Sadie. She is sleeping in the box now. Why did you not wait for me? I have no interest in missing this time together.” He kisses her again before she could answer.

“I just wanted a moment. I need quiet time alone to think, unlike you who can think in a crisis.” She tried to smile reassuringly. He tilted his head, considering.

“Is something troubling you, Harper. Do you feel that our relationship and our living together causes me to ‘invade your personal space’?” He seemed to be thinking about moving away. She rested her head on his shoulder and allowed his body to keep most of the water from hitting her. She realized that this caused her to be cold and turned him around so the water would hit her.

“No, Data. You don’t invade my space, even if you could be considered an invader from another place and time. It’s just that I don’t get much time alone. At home you’re almost constantly with me if I’m awake. At work...I’m working. So even if I am alone I don’t really have time to think. At the store it’s the same, too many people for a quiet moment. I used to be alone all the time. It’s just an adjustment to go from that to constantly being in someone’s company.” She lifted her chin and allowed him to kiss her again. She let the warmth of his mouth and the hunger of his passions to drive away the sadness. He was getting hard, but she did want to mention something before they made love...she looked in his eyes and decided it could wait.

Data worried about her melancholy eyes, he asked if she wanted to wait until later, but she shook her head. He smiled at her and reached for the soap...

Harper was squeaky-clean from head to toe...it was time to make her dirty again... Data rinsed the last traces of shampoo from their hair and pushing his own out of his face, he pulled her into a serious kiss. He felt released...freer than before to give more of himself to Harper. The grip that his trauma had retained on his emotions was waning. Harper avoided taking credit for what she had done, referring only to the work that Counselor Troi had done. But there were certain things that he could not have done with Counselor Troi...

Something about the way Harper kissed him always caused Data to want more. He found that he often recalled her description of how kissing someone would get old eventually since there was no longer any mystery. So far, he did not think this applied to how he felt about Harper.

“Harper? Do my kisses excite you?” Data asked her. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Her gaze was unfocused. Something he associated with her being taken over by desire.

“How can you ask that? Kissing you makes the tiny hairs all over my body stand up.” She smiled at him and lifted just enough to reclaim his kiss. After several minutes of progressively intensifying kisses, Data bent his knees and reaching around from beneath Harper's bottom, he lifted her up.

“What are you doing?” She gasped. He had never done this before, but he hoped it would work. Theoretically it should, but Harper encompassed a realm of new experiences for him and what he wanted did not always pan out.

“I hope to initiate sexual contact...here.” He walked with her two steps to press her back lightly against the shower wall for support. Lifting her up just enough and with the control most human males could not boast, he lowered her down while penetrating her.

“My dear Mr. Data, you are getting rather adventurous,” she uttered, in a breathy voice. She wrapped her legs around him, linking her feet behind him.

“I am uncertain as to whether this will prove ill-advised, but if it works...” He gave a slight shrug and began slow, precise thrust while kissing her neck.

Several minutes later, the water began to run cool and then cold. Harper began to shiver, so Data reached over and turned off the water. He did not discontinue his penetrating thrusts, however, nor did she want him to.   

She came twice before he threw back his head as his own orgasm took him. Harper opened her eyes to watch the affect these sensation had on him. The expressions that crossed his face, the sounds he made, the look of peace that took him over once it was over... She loved watching him. Loved that she was able to cause such a response in him. 

Data grinned as he lowered her briefly to her feet only to pick her back up to carry her from the shower stall that was quickly growing cool.

“I will try not to be late next time. You are shivering again.” He pulled one of the new larger towels that they had bought recently and wrapped her up in it. He attended to drying himself off and then retrieved the brush for her hair. She went and threw herself on their bed, still wrapped in the towel. She sighed contentedly as he put things to rights in the bathroom before joining her. From her side of the bed, he came over and lifted her back so he could slip in behind her. She let him brush her hair in his methodical way. There were never any surprises in how he executed this practice, but she still enjoyed it and was aware that it soothed him.

Or at least this usually did...

He placed the brush on her bedside table after running it through his own hair in three well-practiced strokes. He pulled her back into his arms and while kissing her, tried to rid her of her towel. She reached down and began stroking his once again erect penis with her hands. He moaned in response.

“You want to make love again, don’t you?” she purred. Smiling reluctantly, he lowered her back to the bed. He moved to lie beside her.

“Would you be disturbed to learn that I have developed a sexual...appetite?” he asked her, worried. Harper looked stunned.

“Really? Why would that disturb me, Data?” she asked, grinning.

“I am surprise by this fact. I do not have the hormones that a human male has. I do have a desire to procreate, but sex will not help me to achieve that.” He was thinking out loud.

“Especially not sex with me. Melody ended my baby-making career. And I doubt I would be much help in assisting you to build kids.”

This distracted him. “If you could assist and it were possible in this time, would you?”

She sighed heavily. “Data, I don’t consider myself brilliant, but I do catch on quickly. If you could explain the science behind the project to me in terms I could understand, I would probably get it, but that is a far cry from being able to ‘work’ with you. I can take many things apart and fix them, but helping you to create your progeny? That’s out of my league, sweetie. I could help you pick a name!” She offered with a grin. He smiled and kissed her.

“Could you love an android child?” he asked, just wanting to know. She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand.

“I remember Lal too, sweetie. I cried when she died. As long as they never gave me a reason to fear for my life, I’m sure I could.” Harper narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you planning a secret lab in our basement?” she asked pleasantly.   

“I would require too much capital. It would require building the equipment I would need even before I could build the child. The chance that a new android would be discovered and thus my own identity would be given away makes it a poor plan.” He stopped thinking out loud and looked into her eyes. He pushed a lock of hair from her face. He ran his fingers through the silken strands.

“You are still thinking about it. You made a wonderful father, Data. You should try again when Q takes you back,” Harper encouraged him.

“I wish that I could take you back with me, marry you and have you help me create and raise many children. We could fill family quarters with children, like you planned to do with this house.” He grinned at the thought. It took him a moment to notice that there were tears running down her face. “Why?” he asked, brushing away her tears.

“You just painted a picture that spoke to my domestic heart. I would love it if that came to pass, but it never will and you know it.” She pressed herself closer to him, seeking his warmth.

“I do not know it. I do know that it would be unlike Q, but he is rarely predictable. Perhaps he would even allow us to bring Melody. Think of the opportunities she would have without the constraints of monetary need. We could see that she received the best education and was able to develop her mind fully. I cannot see her going into StarFleet, but she may find the medical path to her liking. I would not recommend the command path...” His voice trailed off as he mused further.

Harper began to laugh. “When did you become such a dreamer, my love?”     

“It could be said that I have always been a dreamer. I have always wanted to be more human,” he reminded her. He ran a finger down her neck, tickling her just enough to make her flinch. He ran his finger lower until he reached a breast.

“Sounds very human, what you just detailed. Wanting all the things that you listed. Looking for happily ever after. Funny, the man who is a fairytale come true, wants to live one,” she mused.

“You think it is so unlikely? If I had met you, not here, but rather in my time, would you have consented to marry me and be the mother to my children?” Data turned some of his attention to stimulating her nipples. He enjoyed watching her physical response to his touch.

“I would have, but you would never have asked. I doubt that you and I would’ve met. After all this is all a Q contrived...fantasy.” She sighed with pleasure. His manipulations were having an affect on her, but her comments were also affecting him.

He stopped, stunned.

“You do not believe this is really happening? I assure you, I am here. I have been living with you in your time for-“ she kissed him.

“I know you’re here, sweetie, but you’re here because he brought you here. This was not your choice and you hated it here for a long time. Hell, I think you hated me at first. Given the choice, you wouldn’t have come here and the only reason you are here in this bed with me is because it’s easy and convenient. Oh, I don’t mean to insinuate that you don’t care for me. But I’m not so full of myself that I would believe for one moment that given the choice between a randomly selected group of 99 women plus me that you would ever pick me. There is nothing about me that stands out. Well, maybe for some people...I know that people tend to remember me. Customers do and even workers from some of the neighboring stores remember me the next time they see me, but I think that’s because I talk too much. I just don’t have enough to offer you. Not to be that memorable. I would never have attracted your attention.”

Harper had talked herself into melancholy. She sat up and pulled away from him as though the fantasy was just too painful to live at the moment. Data was stunned. Was what Harper said true? Had Q set this up for Data to fall for Harper? And if Q had, was it a failure in Data or Harper that they had? Data had read stories of situations like this where two people stuck together fall in love, but Data had been given choices. He could have left when Q appeared. He could have gone out with Deborah, or Janet, or Sandra, Paula, Tralina, or even Jayla. He declined to tell Harper about any of the subsequent offers he received, since he did not wanted to upset her. 

Perhaps that had been a mistake.

“You are mistaken,” Data now told her. “You did attract me here and now. I did have other offers aside from Deborah. I turned them all down in favor of you. Not because you are convenient, but because of the feelings I knew were growing within me for you. You are not easy to deal with. I suspect that Deborah would have been a much less demanding lover, but I...I did not want her. I would not have been able to be...myself with her. I can be with you. I want to be with you. I want you to keep being difficult and trying. I need you to be just what you are.”

He forestalled any argument with penetration. He pulled her to her knees and remained within her. Bending her back, he brought her breast to his mouth and sucked her nipples until each was erect. His thrust increased and gasping for breath, Harper came. Covering her mouth with his, he kissed her fiercely and came as well.

It had been fast, but intense.

Still on their knees and embracing, they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Do you believe me, Harper? Do you believe that I will take you with me if I am allowed.” He brushed stray hairs away from her face.

Harper sighed. “I want to believe you, Data. But I wouldn’t have a place in your world.”

“You would be very interesting to historians of my time.”

She laughed. “Ha! You know more about my time now than I do. And I’ve always hated history. This whole conversation...or at least most of it is irrelevant. Q is not going to invite me for a ride to your time,” she admonished. She scooted off the bed and went to find nightclothes. Data moved in her direction.

“But if it was offered? You would come with me? I would stay here with you, would you go there with me?” Harper turned and faced him, stunned.

“You aren’t going to let go of this, are you?” she asked. He looked determined so she took his hands and smiled at him. “Whither thou goest, I will go,” she said, quoting from Ruth. It only took Data a second to recognize the passage. He nodded his approval.

Sadie was just waking up when they returned to the living room. They were both dressed in pj's as Data bent to scoop the puppy out of the box and take her outside for a moment. Harper shook her head at his temporary departure.

“Insane man. Never gonna happen, but just had to hear it in case it does...something about toting a penis around must make men crazy.” She muttered.

Sadie was scampering back onto the house shivering slightly. Harper went to get an old towel to warm her.

“Come here, baby, mama will warm you up.” Harper cooed at the pup. Sadie wiggled happily in the depths of the toasty warm towel.

“Where will she sleep at night?” Data asked. He came to sit near the two females.

“We have to get her a little bed, but she can sleep in our room. You don’t sleep through most nights, so you can take care of her when you get up.” Sadie was warm now, so she leaped out of the towel and flopped awkwardly out of Harper’s lap. Pretending nothing had happened, she walked across the floor, sniffing.

“What will we do tomorrow? I do not believe she will be safe by herself while we are at work.”

Harper grinned at him. “I thought about that. Because I have been with my company for years and I have my own office. You remember, the one you’re making me leave at the end of this week...Well Sadie can stay with me there. I just hope my replacement, Brandy, isn’t allergic to dogs. I’ve been training her...Brandy, that is.” Sadie was still sniffing around, but she started to howl a little too. “I think she’s hungry, dad.” Harper told him. Data looked amused at her last word, but said nothing.

He came back with two small bowls, one with water and the other with food. He placed them close to him and called Sadie over.

“Oh, I forgot, I called the floor people. They can be here Monday when I’m unemployed, to fix and replace the floor. You spoke to the insurance company, right?” Harper asked.

“Yes, I have the claim number and the information the women there faxed me. I will bring it home for you,” Data assured her. 

“Great, tired of a hole in the floor. Speaking of insurance, man who made me quit my job, I’m gonna have to write my HR guy a check for my medical insurance. Since this was your idea, I think you should be the one to find me new insurance, but extending what I have will give you some time.” She playfully stuck out her tongue at him.

“How much will it cost?” he asked, poking her in the side with a finger. Giggling, Harper told him. Data looked alarmed. “That is seventy five percent increase in cost. Why?” he asked.

“Because I won’t work there any more. Cheaper insurance is a work benefit. That’s why yours is free, cause you work for a bigger company than I do...did...will, never mind.” She asked shrugging.

“If you and I were related I could secure insurance for you at only seventeen percent of what you will now have to pay.” Data reflected.    

  “But housemate isn’t gonna impress them,” she sighed, smiling. Harper yawned and patted his knee. “Want a glass of wine, sweetie?” she asked, rising.

“Yes, please.” He rose to follow her. “Harper, we could become related. It would be logical. There are certain tax incentives for both single and married, but I think I will be able work it to be an advantage if we were married.”

Harper closed the cabinet and headed for the refrigerator. Her expression made it clear that she was close to speechless. “Uh huh,” she said, handing the glasses to him. She pulled the bottle out and pulled out the cork.

“We already have the same physical address and joint checking and savings account. You would be required to apply for a corrected Social Security card, unless you wished to retain Robin’s name...”

“What would you prefer?” Harper asked, certain that she was losing her mind. She could not believe they were talking about this. Like this...

“I...would like you to...take...my name. Soong, that is.” He looked hopeful. She still looked stunned. Absently, she handed him his glass of wine.

“Mrs. Jayden Soong?”

“Harper Soong. Mrs. Harper Leigh Soong,” Data corrected.

“Because it’s logical and practical?” she asked, softly. He nodded. “I think I should have taken you with me to the baby shower,” she said, feeling like something was squeezing her airway.

“You admit that I was right, for once?” Data asked, feeling triumphant.

“I don’t go around saying you’re wrong!” Harper defended. “I think we should see if we can visit my family this weekend. Oh, shit...Nemesis!” Harper groaned, remembering that the movie came out this Friday.

“I may not be in the best frame of mind after seeing it, but I do not wish to procrastinate. Do you think your family will like me, Harper?” he asked.

She grinned. “As long as you don’t tell them that you want to marry me for insurance purposes.” She walked past him and back into the living room to check on Sadie. The pup was curled up on the towel, asleep again.

Data sighed inwardly. He had totally mishandled this. He wanted to marry Harper. Wanted it. But he had not thought she would agree. He hoped if he appealed to her logical side, she would acquiesce, but he failed to consider her emotional side. Data sat down on the couch, next to Harper and watched her for any signs as to how to rectify this situation.

Harper did not seem upset. But she did not seem happy either. Women were always excited when they were proposed to on the Enterprise. He had seen this time and time again. They were given to giddy laughter and blushing. They would be full of silly smiles for days.

“Harper, I love you,” Data told her. She looked at him and smiled. It was almost a patronizing smile. She patted his knee.

“I love you, too. I guess I should call mom.” She got up from the couch and crossed to the phone. Data sighed as she dialed her mother’s number.

“Guess who?” Harper said when her mother answered.

“I have caller ID, so I know this is my long lost daughter. What, just find my phone number again?” her mother teased. Harper went back to the couch and sat next to Data.

“Well, I was forced to be in the same house with you for almost two whole days just a few weeks back, I had to recover.”

“Ohhh, you’re so mean! Did Mel come for Thanksgiving?” her mother asked.

“Yeah, almost burned the kitchen down, but she was here.” Her mother gasped and asked for the details. Harper explained that Melody had been trying to fry bacon.

“Didn’t we forbid her to use the kitchen years ago?”

“We should have. Mom, I called for a reason. I have something to tell you.”

“Please tell me it’s nothing bad, it’s almost Christmas. No bad stuff at Christmas, okay?” Harper laughed.

“No, it’s not bad. I just thought I should tell you about...Jayden. The man I’ve been seeing.” Harper grinned at Data as she said this and leaned into him.

“Oh, my God. Really?” her mother gasped. “When did this happen? Recently? You said nothing of a man at the shower.”

“It’s been over three months, really. I know I should have said something. He wanted me to bring him and still won’t forgive me for leaving him behind.” Harper made eye contact with Data, who rolled his eyes and seemed to suddenly find something interesting on the ceiling.

“You’re that serious? He wanted to come to a baby shower?”

“No, he just thought it would be a good opportunity to meet all of you. He has accused me of hiding him...so I’m trying to stop. I was hoping Jayden and I could come this weekend for a visit. It would give you and Daddy a chance to tell him all the bad stuff about me.” Harper poked Data with a finger, and he was tempted to pin her to the floor and tickle her. He settled for ignoring her.

“Should I call your sister and tell her too? Or would that be too many people for him? Are you trying to scare him off, Harper?” Her mother sounded slightly confused.

“No, I don’t want to do that. Call Brinna, if she and Brandon could come for dinner Saturday that would be great.”

“When would you arrive, Harper?” her mother asked.

Harper held the phone away a little and put that question to Data. “If we packed Thursday, we could leave after work on Friday.” Data told her.

“What about the movie?” Harper reminded him. Data looked at the little bundle that was now waking again across the floor.

“We will have Sadie with us. I would not wish to leave her unattended for the duration of the movie. She would soil the van,” he cautioned. Harper thought a moment.

“Who’s Sadie?” Harper's mother interjected. Almost as though she had heard her, Sadie got up and puppy bounded over to the couch, yipping.

“Can you hear her? She’s our new baby. We just got her today. She’s still very small so I hope you don’t mind us bring her. I would have asked to stay at Brinna’s but her dogs are too big they would scare or even hurt Sadie. Is it okay?”

“Just as long as she doesn’t eat my cats. So when?”

“I may have to get back to you on that. Jayden and I really want to see the new Star Trek movie that comes out Friday, but Sadie adds a wrinkle to that. I’ll call you back Wednesday to let you know for sure, okay?” Harper asked, picking Sadie up off the floor and rolling her over to scratch her tummy. Sadie looked like she was in heaven. Data just laughed at her.

“He has a nice laugh. Okay, call me Wednesday. Love you, honey.”

“Love you, too. Madre,” Harper said and hung up the phone. She turned to lie down with her head resting on the opposite arm of the couch. Sadie took this opportunity to lick Harper’s face silly. Harper laughed and Data watched, slightly envious.

“Do you have something in mind for Friday and the movie? You had a particular look in your eye, Harper. What are you planning?” Data asked her, pulling his lover’s feet into his lap.

“Well, if we went to the theater near work, I have a friend, Janet, who lives near there. She and her husband are homebodies and I doubt they would be going out. She has a little dog so Sadie wouldn’t be too much, I hope. I could ask her tomorrow if she could puppy-sit for us during the movie and while we get a quick bite to eat...well, me anyway. Sadie, love, you are one big tongue! Go see daddy and give him a bath now.” She giggled and pushed the puppy in Data’s direction.

“Come here, girl. I will not cruelly reject you, like ‘mommy’.” Data picked her up and brought her to his face. He found that once again, he could not help but laugh as Sadie wiggled until she could lick his nose. He was surprised that he found this puppy so...charming. He had always considered himself a ‘cat person’ and Spot had been only too happy to agree.

“So, if your friend will puppy-sit, we will go see Nemesis and then I will drive us to your parent’s house in Alabama, correct?” Data asked this between puppy-induced chuckles.  

“Sounds good to me, and then you get to try to charm my folks only hours after seeing your doppelganger blow the ultimate fuse. Sound like fun?” Harper’s sense of irony made Data nervous sometimes. 

“Do they have any chairs they wish to replace?” he asked, innocently. She laughed.

“I’ll be sure to ask,” she told him, grinning. “I would like to see the reaction this chair gets from our garbage men. It looks like it was taken apart by a tornado. What part of the movie caused this?”

Data put Sadie in his lap and looked at Harper. “There were two items that resulted in the demise of the chair,” he told her in all seriousness. “First, you having set the movie to begin with the Borg pulling me under the door to engineering. Second, were the images of my reaction to my emotion chip being activated and the Queen blowing on the patch of organic flesh that they had grafted to my exoskeleton.” He looked upset and embarrassed.

“You know that you kind of look like that when we make love,” she hesitantly informed him. “You kind of sound like that too.”

Data expression became pained. “Does that disturb you?”

“You were not faking that reaction were you?” she asked, bypassing his question.

“No, I was unprepared for the sensations. I expected more signal degradation. There was an increase of sensory input information...an eighty two percent increase.” He looked regretful.

Harper gasped. “Oh, my God. Eighty-two? Data, are...are you...faking it with me?” She could not imagine the eighteen percent that Data had, could feel even remotely interesting compared with what he lost. Harper felt her whole body go numb with shock.

“No, I am not simulating pleasure in our encounters. I believe the Queen caused the sensory input to be turned more sensitive than that of a human. Compared to what you can feel, my sense of touch is better in some ways, but...in this particular area the inability to feel, not detect, but feel heat or cold has an affect. I have done experiments to determine the difference in my touch sensitivity compared with humans. There is a thirty two percent discrepancy.” Harper sighed sadly. She sat up when he told her how much more sensitive the Queen’s skin had made him, but now she just wanted to...touch him.

Harper lifted the pup from his lap and replaced herself there. She wrapped her arms around Data for a consoling hug. “God, I wish I was Lessa. There are two ways she could help you to enjoy...touching more and all I can do is...write you happy.” She felt overwhelmed with grief. She was so unworthy of him and so worthless to him. What could she possibly offer him that no other could?

“You do not need to ‘write me happy’, you make me happy. You want me for who I am. You do not reject what I am and you make extra allowances for what I am.” He pointed to where the remains of the ruined chair sat. Fluff stuffed into garbage bags and the twisted and torn metal bundled and wrapped with twine, ready for disposal.  

Harper stared at the recipient of Data’s rage. She tried to envision him tearing the chair asunder, his face streaked with tears of shame and vehemence. She could see it clearly. Why didn’t the image frighten her at all? His fury had not been directed at her, but she had stepped into the role of the intended recipient. She replayed the moment when he slammed her against the wall, knocking her breath from her body.

Why did this memory suddenly turn her on?!

God, nothing Data did scared her...except for the thought of his leaving her.

~ You are as selfish as they come. All you care about is that he is here with you, no matter what. ~

No, even that was too strong...Harper knew she would do anything possible to help Data or make him happy. If she woke up tomorrow to find him crying from loneliness over missing his friends, Harper would have screamed for Q until she was unable to scream anymore.

Wasn’t that why she was quitting her job? Why they now had a puppy? Why she took showers and why they were going to visit her family this weekend...to make him happy?

His kiss put an end to her thinking. Harper could never concentrate on anything else when Data kissed her...but could he?

“What were you thinking about before I kissed you?” Data asked her. Harper wondered if he was becoming a mind reader.

“You. I’m always thinking about you. I think the only time I’m not thinking about you is at work...is that why you’re making me quit my job?” she teased, halfheartedly. She noticed that Sadie was sniffing around the fireplace.

“You were not intended to put that together. I must encompass your thoughts all hours of the day and you must dream only of me at night. Do you think that is asking too much?” he teased back.

“Just a tad. Actually, in my life I have only dreamt of you four times...well, three really. Once was really Spiner. That one was odd. He was hosting this telethon sort of thing and they were doing a live audition to fill a final role they needed for Nemesis. I was watching the thing on TV, but was just watching it because it was Star Trek related. Spiner was in a disguise and no one was supposed to know who he was...but I’m good at picking out voices.”

“How was he disguised?” Data asked.

“That was the strange part,” she put her hand over her mouth and giggled. “He was dressed like a giant, black feathered owl. It was a scream, but I knew who he was...so I called in and asked to speak to the owl. He was talking to people, so it wasn’t a big deal. I told him I knew who he was and he wasn’t very happy about that as he was disguising his voice too. I woke up right after his reaction to my disclosing to him who he was.” She snickered more and blushed.

“What was his reaction?” Data asked, confused as to why she would blush.

“He said ‘damn it’ under his breath, but he was miked. So, I would have gotten him into trouble...it was an odd and funny dream. The owl suit...that was a sight!”  She laughed again, but it ended with a yawn. “Oops. I think it’s bedtime for me. You and Sadie gonna stay up and play a bit more?” she asked him, rising from his lap. Data did not look happy that she was leaving.

“I believe Sadie is not yet ready for bed. I will see if I can tire her out and join you.” His expression was sliding into a slight pout as he too stood. Harper came back and put her arms around his middle.

“I’ve gone to bed without you before, you know.” She tilted her head to the side and looked up at him.

“Not often. Sadie is going to have an effect on our evening ritual,” he grumbled.

“Like you’ve had an effect on mine. I went to bed alone Sunday, if I remember correctly,” she reminded him. He expression was now defensive.

 “The History Channel was running that special-“

“I know, I know...and the records from my time were incomplete by your time. Sucking up the information for the historians. You’re going to be in debriefing for weeks once you do return to your time.” She kissed him quickly and left him.

Chapter Eleven - Nemesis

Harper’s office was not a relaxing place, the next day. Sadie seemed to get into everything. Harper found herself laughing at the pup at least as often as she was scolding her, though. Data called to check on his ‘baby’ at 11:45, so Harper was able to slip away with said baby at lunchtime.

Harper went with Janet to purchase a leash, a dog bed and feeding bowls for Sadie at a pet store that allowed the recipients of the items to be with you while you shopped. The leash confused Sadie. Harper was so afraid that she would get away from her and get hurt or killed by a car (not something Harper would have wanted to see for many reasons) that she felt it was needed and was relieved to now have it. Harper and Janet talked about Friday as they drove back to work with bags of fast food and even some special treats for baby Sadie.

Data was glad the drive from his office to Harper's was short. When the workday ended, he was ready to see her and begin his real day. He did enjoy his Earth job, but it was not as...fulfilling as his career in StarFleet. His life here was...almost nothing like his life had been on the Enterprise. He was not challenged here as much in the area of intelligence, but he was emotionally challenged constantly.

He got out of the van and headed for Harper’s office. He wondered at her office door being closed. Data’s knock was quickly answered by the one voice that could fill him with desire. He grinned at the sight of Sadie bounding away from the door as he opened it.

“Look Sadie, it’s daddy!” Harper said in a high-pitched voice that was reserved for talking to children or young animals. Harper came out from behind her desk and grabbed the puppy off the floor. Cooing at her, she headed over to Data. “See baby, here’s daddy.”

Data felt aches in places that should not be aching as Harper moved close enough for him to wrap his arms around her. He wanted a kiss, but Sadie was now fighting to reach him.

“Were you a good girl today, Sadie?” he asked the pup as he took her from Harper. The puppy’s reply was a lick on his face and a whimper.

“She was a good girl, mostly, but she did have one accident. And it had to be on papers I needed. I was forced to write a letter asking for a second copy.” Harper grinned and tickled the puppy under her new collar.

“She has on a collar. There is also a...”

“Tag. It has her name and your name and address just in case she gets lost. I also bought her the other puppy trappings.” Harper pointed at the bed, bowls and the leash she had bought during lunch. Data looked surprised.

“How did you get all of these things? I had the van today.” Data asked her, as though that was not the normal state of affairs. Data believe he had to protect Harper from being in a car wreck by driving, as his ability to avoid an accident would be superior to hers.  It was the same for the showers he took with her to keep her from drowning in the bath.

“We went with Janet. She agreed to puppy-sit, by the way. She needed some things for her little monster too, so she didn’t mind. Sadie’s not sure about her new bed, but she stopped being afraid of it about an hour ago.” Harper reached over and caressed his cheek warmly.

Dog? What dog? The thought went through Data’s mind, but he was holding the squirming puppy, so it would be difficult to convince anyone he had forgotten her.

But the look in Harper's eyes...

“I missed you,” he confessed.

“It’s only been nine hours,” she reminded him.

“Nine hours, thirty two minutes and seventeen seconds...way too long.” He leaned over the puppy and kissed Harper lightly on the lips. Surprisingly, Harper chose this moment to take hold of his face with both hands and tease him... with her tongue, she lightly traced his lips. He tried to touch his tongue to hers, but she grinned and pulled away slightly, only to move back and kiss him deeply after a wink.

“Does this office have a lock?” he asked, putting Sadie down and grabbing Harper around the waist. “I think we will need it after that.” His expression was very serious not to mention determined.

“You’ve got to be teasing! Here? Now! Jayden, the floor? We can’t, there are windows, people will see even with the blinds.” She had her hands on his chest, halfheartedly trying to fight him off, but the scent of him always made her weak.  

 “You are the one who was teasing. I have been reading the books you have on your bookshelf. You have books from one author that could be considered...romance.” His eyes were quite suggestive.

Harper's eyes went wide. “You have to be kidding me! You read those? You stop right there! The first one I read of hers was more suspense and action with some romance. I didn’t even realize that she was considered a romance novelist until later. I found the first one on the bookshelf at work one day and I was bored!” She looked very defensive.

“You could not have been bored while reading them. They are...I believe the proper term would be...steamy.”

Harper laughed, nervously. “I was...now you listen to me, Mister, we are not having sex here! I only have three more days to be employed here, don’t get me fired!”

“Your lips says ‘no, no’ but your eyes say ‘yes, yes,” Data said in a sultry voice that shocked her. 

“You have been watching too much TV! And how many of those books did you read and when did you read them!?” She looked aghast.

“All that was on that shelf, meaning every book that was there. There were six of that author’s books and I read them Sunday while you were at work. I do have a question. There was a passage in one of those and in one of the fan fiction stories were the woman was held down, or physically restrained in some way, yet she is not disturbed. Rather, both characters found it to be sexually stimulating. Does this have any basis in reality?”

~ I should have just closed the blinds and let him have me, ~ she thought. ~ It would have been a hell of a lot easier than explaining this. ~

She sighed heavily. “I’m not sure I can explain this to you, and I really don’t think it’s something we should talk about here.” Reluctantly, Harper pulled herself out of Data’s arms and began picking up Sadie’s new items. She handed them to a confused Data. He sighed and allowed her to load him down with stuff, but decided he would not allow her to sidetrack him later.

Once they were home, Data took Sadie outside and Harper made herself a light dinner of salad and bread. She ate alone while Data played with Sadie in the living room. Data had changed clothes, which was fortunate as the puppy climbed all over him. He was lying down on the floor as he had seen Harper do once yesterday. Sadie seemed to love this. Data knotted a torn piece of the ruined chair and was using it as a chew toy for her.

“I do not understand how you see this piece of fabric as a threat, but you do seem to enjoy your attempts to intimidate it. No Sadie, you must not bite me. You could hurt Harper if you bit her, so you must not believe you are allowed to bite either of us. Good girl, Sadie. That is good. Bite the fabric. Do you suppose the lady of the house will ever join us? Is she hiding from us, Sadie?”

“I am not hiding!” Harper called from the dinette.

“She does not want to talk to me about the question I asker her earlier. But I must speak to her about it, though it may require that you go to sleep while she answers.”

“I now think I know the dangers of introducing the joys of sex to an inquisitive android!” she called, sounding impatient.

“Then this is a joy?” His question caused her to groan with frustration. She stomped to the sink and rinsed off her dishes. Once done, she stomped into the living room with her hand on her hips.

“Are you trying to drive me crazy or is this a new talent?” she asked, exasperated.

“I believe that we had agreed that both of us were already...off kilter. Why would wanting to know more about the actions I described drive you crazy?” he asked innocently...sort of.

“You are not fooling me. You know this turned them on. What was the fan fiction you were thinking of? As I know which of the novels you are referring to.” Harper moved into the room and Data came to his feet. Sadie looked disappointed.

“It involved ‘Data’ after Lore had kidnapped and used the chip on ‘him’. I was not having sexual dreams at this time, but the writer of this story thought I was.”

“I know the one you’re talking about. I...I rather liked that one.”

“It was-“ he sounded shocked, but she interrupted anyway.

“-Hot!” she finished for him. “The thought of being forced into sex does not appeal to me, Data. But that is not what happens if you role-play and one partner is playing the dominant role. No pain, no crossing over lines that have been agreed upon before hand, and you stop if someone is uncomfortable. What about that sounds bad?” She could not believe she was doing this, but she walked around him with a suggestive expression on her face. She added a little sway to her walk and touched him with a finger on his chest, just once in a while.

“I cannot say any of it sounds...bad, however, I still am not certain I understand the difference between this and...forcing sex or rape?” Data really was confused now.

“Do you want to rape me, Data?” she asked evenly.

“NO!” he answered, sharply. “My ethical routines would not allow me to force myself on you, or any female.” He sounded appalled. She nodded her agreement.

“But would you want to have sex with me right now?” she asked. “No waiting until after my shower, no worrying about Sadie or anything else...just taking what you want.” Her tone was very suggestive. He was stunned.

“How is that not rape?” He seemed close to overload or something.

“Because I would be agreeing with it,” she whispered in his ear. “Remember when you stayed in my room when Melody was here and you were having an erotic dream? I took advantage of that fact. I sort of forced you, but I was certain that I had your approval. Was it wrong, what I did to you that morning?” Data’s breath caught at the remembered sensations of that morning. He had wanted her so intensely. Needed to feel her...kiss her...touch her...hear her tell him that she loved him. He needed this now too. He felt the rush of desire take him. He reached for her, but hesitated. Data’s ethical program was rearing it objecting head.

“Take me,” she whispered. His ethical program suddenly ceased its objections. He grabbed her and pressed her body to his. How did she do this to him? She had such an unexplainable affect on him. He did not need sex. Why was it that it seemed as though he did when she was around? His kisses were hungry. He wanted to lower her to the floor, but snippets of their conversation yesterday and some this morning ran through his head.

Harper still believed that he wanted to marry her because of the insurance. He had to dissuade her of this notion. He pulled back from her.

“No, I am not proceeding with this correctly. I have read and heard of numerous marriage proposals and none of them were for exclusively logical reasons. I believed that you would not accept my proposal if I did not have a practical reason to support it, but I see now that I was mistaken. It seems since arriving here I have had more emotional situations to deal with than before. My success rate so far is low.” Data caressed her cheek, running his hand back into her hair.

“I wish to become related to you due to my feelings for you. You mentioned thinking of us as a family, I wish for us to officially be one. Love is my motivation, Harper, not our finances.” Harper smiled a pleased, but also knowing smile.

“I knew that, but it was good to hear you say it.”

Data let out a sigh of release. She always seemed to be one step ahead of him, but she never made him feel inadequate. She just made him feel...human.

“I believe I am to formally request your hand. But your family should approve of me first. I will ask you again, once I have secured their acceptance.” Data almost sounded as though he was bragging that he would easily gain her family’s okay but he could be in for a surprise.

He kissed her again, but this time his kiss was more tender and gentle. Sadie found that ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ wanted little to do with her for a while and her instincts told her that she should not disturb them.

Later that evening, Harper called her mother back to verify that she, Jayden and Sadie would be arriving after midnight on Friday. Data and Sadie were watching TV, so Harper decided to play around on the Internet for a while. Her curiosity about the movie and whether Brent Spiner had been able to write Data out of the story was getting to her.

She had to know for sure.

It took some searching, but she found a new interview with Spiner that revealed it all.

Data dies!

Even though “her Data” was roughhousing with Sadie just five yards away from her, she covered her face with her hand. She fought back tears, because Data, her Data, would be alerted and want to know what was wrong.

Did he already know? Had he wanted to know?

Should she tell him?       

Her head was hurting. Her fears that they would go to the theater together, but she would leave alone engulfed her again. The closer the day came, the more she thought about it. This was the first time in her life she was NOT looking forward to seeing something that involved Star Trek.

“Harper? Are you ill?” Data still had Sadie in his arms, but he was moving towards her. Fortunately she had already backed out of the interview, but was still on the board where it was posted.

“No, I’m not sick. I just have a headache.”

He put Sadie down. “Can I get you some medication?” he asked, coming to her side. He was so sweet and thoughtful. So alive.

“No sweetie, I’m...fine.” Her voice broke, but she tried to make it look like she was congested and just coughed.

“Are you aware there is a full disclosure interview with Spiner on this site, Harper?” he asked, indicating the screen of the computer. With clouding eyes, she nodded. “We knew it was what he wanted to do. He assisted in writing the script. He was bound to get his wish to see to his character’s demise.” He did not sound happy, but close to resolute.

“Why!? Why couldn’t he just stop playing you? He didn’t have to kill you off!” She burst into tears and stood to cling to Data.

“He is not necessarily me, Harper. The interview does state that ‘Data’ dies to save the Captain.” He sounded like this was acceptable.

“Forgive me, love, but Picard is an old man who is past his prime. He had done his service to the universe, his time is over but yours is just beginning. First officer and then a captain yourself. There is no limit to what you could have done! If Spiner had just said, “Okay last movie, I’m done.” It would have been fine. He’s even saying that he could come back for the next movie to play B-4. What kind of sense does that make? He doesn’t want to play an android who is supposed to be strong and young looking, but he will come back to play his twin like brother who looks just like Data? That’s bull shit!“ She was ranting and he could see that she was close to screaming.

“Perhaps we should not see the movie,” he suggested.

Harper looked as though he had slapped her. If seeing this movie could cause Data’s erasure from this timeline, she doubted her presence would affect it one way or another. She had to go with him and she knew he would go...sooner or later, he would go.  

“No, I want to see it. I may not release your hand throughout the whole thing, and perhaps for days afterwards, but I think we should see it...together!” She said this firmly, but her voice was still threatening to break. He wrapped her up in his arms.

“Why is it that this is my demise, yet you are more upset that I?” he asked gently.

“We have switched around and you are now more crazy than I am. Sorry about what I said about Picard...I know you would give your life for him and he you, but I just happen to be in love with you so my views on this are very slanted.”

Data chuckled. “I know.” He pulled her closer to hug her. “If you met him you may not believe that the captain was past his prime. He has an indomitable will,” Data added. Harper chuckled.

“Yeah, but Will’s not going to be there anymore since he’s getting promoted, so that won’t help,” she teased.

Data looked down at her and shook his head. “Tomorrow, we should go to the bookstore and find you a joke book,” he chided back.

“Yeah, yeah, I need new jokes...”

As it turned out, they did end up in the bookstore. Friday they took Sadie to Janet’s house and headed for the theater to buy the tickets. The movie was not set to begin for an hour and a half, so they went to get Harper something to eat. She was finished quickly with two tacos, so they headed for the book, music and movie store.

Harper was shocked to see the novel for the movie was already out. Data picked up some of the other novels and...read them.

“This never happened...nor did this...something like this happened, but the names, dates and circumstances were just slightly-“

“Lee!” Harper exclaimed, softly. She didn’t want to use his ‘given’ or ‘assumed’ name since both of those would or could be recognized...there was a fan nearby. Harper came over to Data’s side, with the book in her arms.

“You two going to see it?” The fan, a young man, about twenty-one, with dark hair and glasses, asked. He had a sharp eye and a nice smile, Harper noted.

“Nemesis? Yes, in twenty-

“We are going to the next showing. You?” She glanced at Data, giving him a look that left no doubt that he had to stop reciting the exact time. Data just stared at the book in her arms.

“Been thinking of nothing else for weeks. You’re getting the book too, huh? Hope it’s faithful. Some of them have taken liberties and others are just word for word rehashes.” The fan had one of the novels that Harper had already read in his hand. Harper wrinkled her nose, unconsciously...she had hated the book, but she would not mention this to the guy. He might just like it...none of her business...

“I get them for clarity. If there is a line I don’t remember, I have the book.”

“You now have me, though,” Data reminded her. She grinned.

“Yes, I guess that between the two of us, we should remember the whole movie.” Her expression cautioned him against correcting her, but Data just rolled his eyes and tried to tug the Nemesis novel out of her arms.

“May I see the novel, please?” He asked politely.

“Not a chance. You’ll read it,” Harper admonished. He looked confused.

“Is that not the point of having it?” he asked. The fan grinned.

“Yes, but you will read it all right here. You are not going to read it just minutes before we see the movie!” Data furrowed his brow at her. The fan looked puzzled.

“He can read that fast, or do you mean skim?”

Harper shrugged. “He took a speed-reading course. He was top of the class. He can read a book in...minutes.” She was insulting Data. He looked right at her and looked quite put out. She just sighed.

“Can I have the book?” Data asked again.

“No! Now is there anything you want to buy or are you just going to read everything here and lower this fine store’s profit margin?” she teased. Data grinned.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look like Brent Spiner? Or Mr. Data?” the fan asked...Data. Harper made an effort to not react to the guy’s question. She exchanged a quick glance with the android beside her.

“My friend, Harper, noticed that when we first met. However, I am not Brent Spiner. There have been reports that he had one goal in mind in his assistance in creating this movie. My goal would not have been the same.” Data said, factually.

“I should say not!” Harper echoed vehemently.

“So, then you heard the rumors about Data’s...” Both Data and Harper were nodding. “Death,” the fan finished. “I’m Charles, by the way,” he told them. Both of them had been named, so they did not offer their names again.

“I’m still really upset by the news, but he heard that ‘Data’ saves the captain and thinks that makes it okay. I’m not sure I agree. Have to see it first.” Harper looked from Charles to Data and back.

“I know what you mean, Harper. Data’s my favorite character. He rocked in ‘First Contact’! The ‘resistance is futile’ line when he’s about to break the coolant open was so cool! Well, almost time. Hope you guys enjoy the movie. Nice meeting you, bye.” Charles waved and headed for the checkout counter with his book.

“You need to change your hairstyle, love. He was right. You look too much like...Data.” Harper grinned up at him; Data just stared back at her. He leaned close to her ear.

“There is a very good reason for that,” he said grinning.

“Yes, but you and I are the only ones who are supposed to know that,” she scolded.

“And Melody,” he added.

“Stop evading the issue. You look too much like a very beloved fictional character,” she said exasperated.

“Fictional?”    

They sat in the back of the theater. Charles saw them and waved from the middle of the theater. The lights soon went out and the previews began. Data was confused about these, as this was his first time in a theater.

The film finally began. It was...dark.

The wedding reception part was interesting, but the  ‘Data’ on the screen seemed...unmoved.

B-4’s discovery was fun, but the line ‘I feel nothing...’ delivered by Data regarding the other android being given all of Data’s memories, gave two people in the back of the theater...pause.

Data’s loss at the near end of the movie caused Harper to need tissues. Her companion handed them to her and put his arm around her shoulder. He whispered consoling words in her ear, but for some reason, his reassurances that ‘he’ was still here, did not lessen her tears.

During the brief gathering in Data’s honor, Riker spoke of his first meeting with the android and the tune that Data had been whistling. Will could not remember the tune...but like many others in the theater, Harper could.

“Pop goes the weasel,” she muttered.

“Correct. I am still unable to do the tune justice,” Data whispered back.

The film ended and Harper jumped to her feet. Data was hard pressed to keep up with her race from the theater without pushing people aside. He did have to ask the pardon of many that he made his way past, though. He did not catch Harper until she was almost at the exit. He pushed open the door for her and took her hand to lead her to the van. Once he had opened the car door for his housemate, he pulled her to him. Harper sobbed against him.

“How could Geordi just let him go? Why was Data so reserved for the whole movie? What was that line about feeling nothing about? I have never seen the crowd so quiet at the end of a Star Trek movie and I have seen them all in the theater.” She was close to hysterical. Data helped her into her seat. He closed the door and got in on the driver’s side.

“I find it surprising that you had time to even notice the crowd’s reaction. You left very quickly. Geordi took the actions he was ordered to take. I am his superior officer, Harper.”

“But ‘Data’ was defying orders!” she argued.

“True, but he would still have to follow my orders.” Since Data could talk and debate this with her and drive, he headed the car towards Janet’s house to retrieve Sadie. “Will the book have the movie retold word for word or will there be differences?” Data asked her.

“Should be some differences. Some of the scenes that they deleted should be there, why?” She asked him.

“Please hand me the book. I am hopeful that it will explain some of our questions.” During the next red light, Data read the book. He looked stunned and Harper asked why. Data handed her to book.

“Page 59. Open the book and read from “No, I do not mind.” and read from there to the next page.” Data instructed her.

“It says, “No, I don’t mind.” And it’s supposed to be you saying it,” Harper noted.

“I assume that is what is called a typo.” Data did not smile at this. The vibes she was getting from him told her that he was decidedly unhappy. She read.

“What the Hell! The chip is ruined? But...it was mentioned in ‘Insurrection’.” Harper had just read a part of the book that stated that Data’s emotion chip had been overloaded and destroyed by the Borg Queen sending more sensation than it could handle to Data.

Data glanced over at her. “I think we just found a significant difference in the timelines Harper. The chip is still in my head. I have emotions and I have mapped out what my father did to create it. If it were destroyed, Geordi and I could indeed recreate it. Once I decided that I wanted to keep the chip and continue using it, Geordi and I felt it was necessary to take steps to ensure that we understood it should another problem arise. We found the chip was intended to fuse to my neural net to prevent removal. We found out how to remove it, but I rarely turn it off. I believe...and Counselor Troi concurs, that my growth as an emotional being requires that I experience them.”

Harper stared at the words on the pages of the book. “I can’t believe they would even want to do this. Gene Roddenberry would have never wanted to steal Data’s emotions from him once he was given them. This is...I can’t...This is just wrong. The chip was mentioned in the last movie.”

“Yes, I remember. The captain asked Geordi if the chip could be the cause of my malfunction and Geordi informed him that I have not brought it with me. This is also unlikely. Why would I partake of a mission and not even bring my chip with me? From what I understood of the originally assigned mission, emotions would not interfere. If emotions hampered certain efforts, I could have simply deactivated it. Leaving it behind serves no logical purpose.” Data sounded like he was straining to make sense out of all of this. Harper could sympathize.

They arrived at Janet’s house and collected Sadie, who was quite pleased to see them. Data spoke sweetly to the puppy and took her out for a quick visit before they began the journey to Harper's parent’s house. Harper thanked Janet and hugged her a final good-bye.

“We’ll miss you at work on Monday,” Janet told her, sadness creeping into the woman’s voice.

“I’ll miss all of you too, but the rest will be good. Thanks again for watching Sadie.”

“No problem. If you two want to go out again and need me, just call.” The two women hugged and Harper left.

Several of this day’s events were depressing her. The movie, the new revelation about Data’s emotion chip, and her last day at work. This had been an emotional day and it wasn’t over yet even if it was almost 11:00.

Once Sadie was safely in her travel cage, Data and Harper belted in and the trip began. Data handed his new cellular phone to her so she could inform her mother that they were on their way. Harper hated cell phones, but it was his money too...hell now most of it was going to be his...

The call completed, Harper relaxed into her seat looking like she was pondering...or brooding over the day. Thursday she had emptied her office so they would not take unneeded items with them to Alabama. The only things she had taken today were a few pens and a picture. The picture was of Jayden Soong. Harper had taken it a month ago. Data had been sitting on the couch when she came up to him with her camera and told him to activate his holo-disguise. He was wearing black jeans and a black silk shirt that Harper bought for him on her way home from work one day. Data was confused when she got the picture developed and then framed. He had no idea how she had taken it to work without his knowing, but he saw it on the corner of her desk one day when he had come to take her home.

He had paused at the sight of his framed image. He had looked at it when she picked up the picture at the store, but had not thought about what he had seen. In the picture, he was of course looking at Harper...and he looked happy.

“Okay sexy man, I want you to smile pretty for the camera for me. Show me those nice white teeth and those nice fake eyes. Too bad I can’t take a picture of those eyes of sunshine, but that would cause too many questions.” She had snapped the picture and he had been thinking of asking her about her comment, but he had not been given the opportunity.

“Harper,” Data said now. “What is your opinion of my eye color? Is it aesthetically displeasing?” he asked. She looked into his blue eyes.

“No, Blue is fine. I have blue...well gray, but they look blue if I wear something blue.”

“No, you misunderstand. I was referring to my eyes, not Jayden’s eyes.”

Harper smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes...oddly. “I love you, Data. From the top of your overly perfect styled hair to your golden toes. Your eyes are part of you and I love them...the yellow ones, just fine. Why?” she asked. She sounded distant, even while telling him that she loved him, she sounded faraway.

“Overly perfect styled hair? You would prefer...messy?” he asked, confused and concerned.

“No, but a part on the side or even in the middle would not cause you to suffer from systems failure. I just think you need to work on Jayden looking less like Data. Why did they have to kill him? This truly does not make any sense to me. Sorry, changed the subject. I think I’m stuck in a feedback loop or something.” She looked away from him and stared straight out the front windshield.

“I am not able to explain why the script for the movie was written as it was, other than to state that the authors felt it was a good story. I can agree in certain areas, but I do object to the assumed destruction of my chip before my own destruction-“

“Death.” Harper corrected.

“I am a machine, the word-“

“I know damn well just what you are and I repeat-Death! You are a self-aware, growing, evolving mostly inorganic life-form. You are alive now. If you were not, that would be dead.” She was angry. He was not sure if she was angry with him or still affected by the events in the movie.

He decided that he would let the matter go. If it made her feel better to hear dead instead of destroyed, it was a small compromise.

“Very well, then I remind you, Harper, I am not dead and I will meet your family with the exception of Melody, for the first time this weekend. Is there anything I should know to prepare for this meeting?” He hoped this would distract her. She was silent for a moment, thinking.

“Daddy loves trains. Mom loves cats. You and she have that in common. They both love Star Trek, but I love it more than them. Daddy introduced me to it, but I went further than he expected.”

“I would not disagree with that assessment,” he teased, affectionately.

She sighed. “Brinna and Brandon are not fans. Brin thinks I wasted my time even watching it. My writing had her completely disgusted with me.” She still did not look at him and her voice was lacking her usual spark.

“I wish that you would continue your writing at times. I know you are tempted to work on them.” He looked over at her, but she just shook her head.

“With you looking over my shoulder? Not a chance.” She stated flatly.

“I could watch TV in the bedroom. Or take Sadie for a walk. I have been thinking of purchasing the supplies in order to resume my painting. I could give you some privacy so we are not ‘attached at the hip’ continually.” He looked over and finally she returned his gaze.

“I’ll think about it, Data. But since I’ll be home alone more now, I may just work on them while you’re at work and out of my hair.” She tried a teasing smile, but she still missed the mark.

She slept for over two hours off and on during the trip. Data kept quiet and let her, since he was worried about her. Even in her dozing, she woke up regularly. Her sleep was plagued with upsetting dreams she told him once she gave up her quest for rest. They stopped to let her stretch her legs and give Sadie a break as well. Data tried to talk her into stopping somewhere for food, but she refused. She had not eaten her dinner well and this just added to Data’s apprehension.

She remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Data worried in uncomfortable stillness.

The Ista household, home to Harper's parents, was dark when they arrived. Harper had a key, so she unlocked the door while Data saw to Sadie and tried to keep her from barking. Harper's mother was waiting for her in a recliner in the living room when she entered the house. The older woman woke and lifted her head.

“Good, you made it. Where’s this mystery man of yours?” Marie Ista asked as her daughter came across the floor to hug her mother.

“He’s outside, walking the puppy. You could have gone to bed, Madre.” Harper hugged her and took in the familiar scent of home and her mother.

“I had to make sure you guys got here, didn’t I? Turn on the light in the corner. I want to see this man when he comes in.” Harper sighed, but moved to follow her mothers order.

Data came in the house seconds later. He was whispering words of praise to Sadie.

“You were a very good girl. You are a sweet girl, yes you are.” He cooed over the puppy until he noticed that he was the center of attention. “Mrs. Ista, I assume?” he said, looking up.

“You got it. Jayden what was your last name again...tired,” Harper's mother asked as he came into the room, still holding the puppy.

“Soong. I thank you for inviting me to stay in your home, Mrs. Ista. I hope the short notice caused you no inconvenience. I see that our late arrival has. I apologize.”

Marie looked from him to Harper. “Is he always this formal?” she asked.

“Mostly. He will loosen up in a year or two, I hope. What room do we get?” She asked changing the subject.

“You get yours. He sharing?” her mother asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Yes, he is.” She turned her attention to Data. “Let mom have Sadie, Jayden. We can bring in our things and then we can all go to bed. I’m wiped!” Data nodded and handed the puppy to her mother.

“Be a good girl, Sadie,” he cautioned his pet before smiling sweetly at her and handing her down to Marie.

Marie found herself grinning at this exchange.

Harper's old room in her parent’s house was larger than the one they had at home. The bed was a queen size, smaller then the one at home. Data liked the idea that this would mean less room for her to roll away from him at night. It had been hours since he had kissed her and suddenly he longed for one, but now was not the time.

They finished unloading the car, including bringing Sadie’s travel cage to their room. The couple returned to the living room to find Sadie checking out the room and Marie watching her.

“She’s a sweet little thing. Well, let’s get some sleep. We can catch up in the morning when Daddy’s up to hear too. Glad you got here safely. I look forward to getting to know you tomorrow, Jayden. Good night.” The older woman nodded to them both and left the room.

In their room, Data and Harper pulled nightclothes out of bags and dressed for bed. Harper finally joined him in the bed and he could not suppress the need to kiss her any longer. He greeted her with hungry kisses. Kisses that spoke of need and desire. Love and passion. At first she seemed to respond, but all at once, she stopped him.

“I’m really tired, love. I can’t tonight. I have to sleep.” The sadness that had been in her eyes since the character of Data had leaped from the Enterprise to the Reman ship, sealing his fate, stared back at him. A thought occurred to him...she was mourning again. But this time she was mourning him.

He loosened his hold on her and she rolled over to face away from him. He wanted to again assure her that he was alive and here, but she knew this. Repeating it was futile. He wanted to hold her, but as his sexual response was still on automatic, he was reluctant to do so. He rolled on to his back. Sadie had been displaced by Harper's move, so she padded over to her master. The pup came to rest at his side, between them and went back to sleep with a puppy yawn.

Data analyzed his feelings about the movie with the additional information in the book overlaid in his mind. He thought of the exchanges that he had seen between his doppelganger and his friends’ doubles. The moments between ‘Data’ and B-4 had also been interesting, yet impossible. The three prototype androids that had come before himself and Lore had never been even that functional. Data had spoken to his ‘mother’ extensively regarding her recollections on this subject. He felt that the information of what went wrong for his father would help Data avoid the same failure in the future. While Noonien Soong had not fully explained the failures to his wife, Juliana understood enough to make it clear to her son that the three prototypes had suffered failures that would make it impossible to even turn them on again...Just like his daughter Lal. They were gone, non-functional, as Harper would say...dead.

The scenes that followed the explosion of the Scimitar replayed in his brain. His friends reactions to ‘his’ loss...he wondered if they were really experiencing these feelings in his timeline. He had not exploded in a blaze of glory, but he was gone. Was time moving on for them? Moving on without him? He had no way of knowing. He glanced over at the still woman beside him. He knew that she was not sleeping, but was trying to convince him that she was. He knew that she was mourning his character’s loss even thought she had the real thing. It must be confusing for her.

Harper had been emotionally invested with his character for many years. Had written stories that...

That had to be a big part of this, Data realized. Her stories. How could she reconcile the character’s death in her stories? If she followed the pattern of mourning, she would most likely deny the happenings in the movie. Data could not argue with this reasoning, since he intended to see that he used the foreknowledge of the events that took place in Nemesis to prevent as much as he could from happening. While some of the losses may be needed to better relations with the Romulan Empire and the Federation, he thought it would be possible to reduce the losses on the Enterprise and prevent his own loss. If it came down that it was not possible, Data would indeed give his life to protect his friends and the ship, but surely he could make sure that Geordi constructed two to the ETUs...

The book had hinted that Data was capable of emotion without his chip. This had been the only part of the book that had been shocking to him. Harper was struggling to deal with a death, but Data was startled by his reaction to something that he had always considered impossible. But there had been fan fiction that also had gone in this direction. Data felt that it was something that he should explore for himself. Emotions without his chip. The structure of his brain supported growth, of course, and emotional growth was something he was still working on. This was perhaps something that he would be working on for the rest of his live...no matter how long or short. But knowing what the chip did and how it allowed him to...feel, was it possible to bypass the chip and still feel? Could his brain develop the connections that enabled emotional responses, were the neural nets reforming...reshaping him into a being that was able to feel more like a human could feel? Would it one day become an innate ability and not just impulses that came from a tiny chip in his brain? Thinking over the problem and turning hundreds of theories and facts over in his mind, Data realized that yes, it was possible, perhaps even...likely!

The corners of his mouth slowly creeped upwards. He could not see it, but his eyes were also full of excitement and unexpected pleasure. He was going to have to begin experimentation in line with this hypothesis. Perhaps not this weekend, but soon. He reached over and gave Sadie a pat. She whimpered. She was dreaming, yet Harper was still awake.

Data rolled over carefully. He resettled his puppy against him, staring past her towards the woman whose shoulder the moonlight illuminated.

“You are not sleeping, Harper,” he said, softly. He had often been teased about his predilection for stating the incredibly obvious. Even the Worf character had teased the Data character in the movie about this. But it was a good way to let her know she was not fooling him.

“Keep seeing the explosion. Geordi’s face as you began to run. They’re going to bring you back as B-4, and I don’t like that idea.” She rolled over to face him. Even in the dark, he knew her expression was grim. He reached over and ran a finger down her cheek.

“In the Star Trek timeline of this world, that seems likely. That bothers you. Why?”

“He is not you,” she said with conviction. “I think it is an insult to believe that he could ever become you. Even the Data in the movie said as much. Shinzon was not Picard and B-4 is not Data, even with all of his memories.” Data pulled her closer until she had her head resting on his chest. Sadie nestled tightly between them.

“I have all the events of this and the prior movie to take back with me, Harper. Q allowed the captain to remember his experiences and I believe that he will allow me to retain the record of mine. I will use the knowledge to prevent what I can. The result of these events seemed to be leading to greatly improved relations with the Romulans. I must do what I can to insure that outcome, as it has been long desired. Ambassador Spock was willing to give his life for reunification. I too see infinite advantages to an alliance with our long time enemies. The Dominion wars took a devastating toll on the Federation. This would be a highly beneficial event for both sides. I must do everything necessary to ensure that it comes to pass.” He spoke softly, but firmly.

“But you would also be a great benefit to those future proceedings. Your past dealings with the Romulans, your dealings with Spock. Your untimely death could lead to the breakdown of these talks-“ She sounded pleading and close to tears.

“I am not a diplomat, Harper. That is the captain’s forte, not mine. Commander Riker is also quite gifted in this area, but I am not. I assure you that I will attempt to forestall my death, but should it happen this way, it would please me to know what the result could be.” He kissed her forehead. “I will try to survive the day, Harper,” he assured her.

“But I will never know if you do,” she observed. Now the tears came. He held her while she sobbed. He could not promise that his existence would not end in this way. He could only promise to do everything in his power to prevent it...if he was not destroyed even sooner in his timeline.

It took some time, but after thirty-two minutes and twelve seconds, Harper's fierce grip on him finally relaxed and her breathing slowed. She slept. Data sighed and allowed himself to also relax. In the middle of this bed, three different beings huddled together. Three members of a family. Three beings who loved one another. In a moment, they were all dreaming.