Tasha stirred in his arms and brought him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes and watched her. He reached up and gently touched her short blond hair, running his fingers through it. His heart ached as he thought about how little time she had left. He softly kissed her forehead and rested his head next to hers. He closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
Just under an hour later, Tasha opened her eyes. She watched Will sleeping beside her, his arms still wrapped around her. She carefully disentangled herself from him, and managed to get up without waking him. She took a quick shower. She reached for a clean uniform to wear, but hesitated, fingering the golden material. Sighing softly, she put the uniform aside and reached for casual pants and shirt. Once dressed, she drew a brush through her short hair. On her way out she paused to watch Will again, peacefully sleeping. She stepped through the door, and went to say her goodbyes. She wouldn't visit the senior crewmembers – and her closest friends – just yet.
Hours later, she stumbled back into her cabin. Will was awake and waiting for her. He saw her face and rushed to her side. Not bothering to ask questions, he gathered her into his arms. She cried softly, wondering how she would manage saying goodbye to her closest friends when she had barely managed the other goodbyes. Trembling, she asked Will if he would go to sickbay with her. She wanted to keep a close check on her remaining time, and there was always the hope of a cure or a miracle. They walked to sickbay, finding Dr Crusher in her office.
Bev examined Tasha again, and gave her an updated time of approximately 35 hours. She warned Tasha that she would gradually weaken, and most likely be confined to a bed for the last few hours. Tasha asked if she had any luck finding a cure. Bev shook her head, "I'm sorry Tasha." Tasha noticed tears in the doctor's eyes. She hopped off the bed and took the older woman's hands in hers. "I know you did all that you could Beverly, I couldn't ask for anything more. Thank you." Bev gave her a pained smile, squeezing her hands. "I just wish it was enough Tasha." She excused herself then, and disappeared into her office. Tasha sighed softly, turning to see Will speaking quietly into his combadge. His eyes searched hers as he finished speaking and walked over to her. She spoke up before he could ask. "Thirty five hours. That's it Will, that's all I have." Her lower lip trembled and she bit down hard on it to keep from crying. Will gently caressed her face, raising her chin so she met his eyes. He stared into the depths of her eyes for a moment before pulling her into his arms and holding her tight.
Tasha closed her eyes and let the warmth of Will's body encircle her. Despite her efforts to keep them in, she felt tears fall down her cheeks. Will gently massaged the back of her neck as he spoke. "I have to go, Captain Picard wants to see me." She pulled away from him, and he saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. Will's chest ached as he kissed her forehead and let her go. "Do you want me to meet you at your quarters when I'm done?" She shook her head. "No, I'll find you." He nodded and forced himself to leave her.
Will headed for the bridge, wondering what the captain wanted to see him for. When he stepped off the turbolift, Worf informed him Picard was waiting in his ready room. Will nodded his thanks and hit the chime on the ready room door. "Come," came Picard's voice from inside. He went through the door, finding his Captain staring out into the depths of space. He stood at attention, awaiting instruction. Picard turned towards him. "Have a seat Will," he said, gesturing towards the chair. Will sat down, and Picard sat across from him, leaning his elbows on his desk. "How is Tasha doing?" "She's…" he hesitated a second, "not good, sir." He filled Picard in on recent events. Picard rubbed his face when Will finished, his concern evident in his eyes. "How are you holding up Will?" Will shrugged. "I just want to be there for her, sir." "Understood." Picard fiddled with a stylus on his desk for a moment. "Will, I asked you to come so I could get your opinion on something." He looked up, meeting Will's eyes. "I wanted to give Tasha something she's always wanted." He punched a few buttons on his console, and swiveled the screen so Will could read it. Will felt his eyes go wide and his jaw drop open as he read the screen. When he was done, he turned back to Picard and a grin broke the shocked expression on his face. "She'll love it, sir." Picard tapped the stylus on the desk nervously. "You don't think I'm assuming too much?" "Not at all, sir." "I'd like to finish this soon," replied Picard. "Could you bring Tasha by my quarters around 1900 hours?" Will nodded. The Captain changed the discussion to routine starship issues.
Meanwhile, after Will left her, Tasha dried her face and went to the nearest computer console. Punching in a few commands, she brought up the names of the senior staff that were off duty at that moment. Data's name was first. Sighing softly, she tapped a few more keys and found out Data was in his quarters. She left sickbay and was soon standing in front of Data's quarters. Her hand found the chime, and she waited. She expected him to just call out for her to enter, as he had always done in the past. When the door opened instead, she was briefly startled. Data stood in front of her and regarded her with his amber eyes. He cocked his head to the side slightly, his ever-curious expression looking almost sad for a moment. "Tasha. Please, come in." He stepped to the side, and she walked past him. He followed her over to the couch where she perched on the edge. He spoke again, in a matter of fact voice. "You have come to say goodbye." He sat down on the chair nearby. "Yes Data, I have," she answered softly.
Data watched Tasha carefully. He understood that her death was imminent, as he himself had been searching for any clue to a cure for his friend. As he watched her, between one blink and the next, he accessed every file containing information on Tasha. He spent a millisecond on the memory of the night she seduced him under the influence of that nasty virus, and her brief command after that it never happened. He remembered their conversation a week later, when she had apologized and explained her embarrassment. He had never really understood, since he could feel no emotions. Now, he just sat and waited for her to speak.
Tasha blushed under Data's stare. She nervously picked at the fabric of her pants, not sure where to begin. "Data, you've always been a friend to me. I want to thank you for that." She swallowed, her hands trembling slightly. Data silently accessed his databanks to find a suitable program to reference. He moved off the chair and onto the couch next to her, taking her hand in his. She smiled at him, even though she knew it was a program. "I will miss you Tasha. I may not feel your loss as keenly as the others will, but I will notice you are gone. You have been a true friend to me, treating me just as you would a human, and I thank you for that." "Is it still your wish to be human Data?" His amber eyes met hers. "More of a desire, or a want, than a wish. That way it is obtainable to me. A wish tends to represent that which is unattainable." She grinned at him. They spent the next hour talking, reminiscing on past experiences. When Tasha left, she hugged Data goodbye. He returned her hug and, surprisingly, kissed her cheek. She walked down the corridor from his quarters with tears welling in her eyes. Touching the nearest computer console, she discovered the rest of the senior staff was on duty, with the exception of Will. Seeing that he was in his quarters, she made her way there.
She reached for the chime at his door, but the door opened for her. She stepped in, confused. Will was sitting on the couch reading. Looking up, he saw her confused expression. He smiled, "I keyed the door to let you in automatically." Weary, she didn't question it. Will set his book down on the table, and patted the cushion next to him. She made her way over and sat down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. She slipped her shoes off and tucked her feet up under her, curling up close to Will. "I went to see Data," she said, softly. "How'd it go?" he asked. She shrugged against him. "Ok, I guess. He's the only one that doesn't get teary eyed on me at least." Will ran his fingers lightly down her arm. "I still can't believe you slept with him," he teased. Tasha rolled her eyes and sat up, meeting his eyes. "What, are you jealous?" she taunted back. "Maybe," he replied, trying to act serious. She raised an eyebrow until he explained further. "Data is programmed with multiple pleasure techniques after all," he said, fighting not to grin. She laughed. He joined in, his goal accomplished.
Tasha quickly grew somber again. Will took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "Captain Picard wants to see us shortly. He asked me to bring you by his quarters at 1900." "Why?" "You'll find out when we get there." Tasha chewed on her lip, wondering what her captain was up to. She sensed that Will knew and wasn't going to share. She gave him a dirty look, and he just grinned back at her. Tears suddenly filled her eyes as she thought about how little time she had left. Will pulled her into his arms again, holding her tight until it was time to go visit the captain.
Will held Tasha's hand as he pushed the chime at the Captain's quarters. Nervous, she clung to his arm. Captain Picard called for them to enter. She followed Will in. Picard asked them to have a seat, and sat down next to Tasha. "Tasha, I wanted to do something special for you, something that would mean a lot. I could only come up with one thing." He picked up a tablet off the table and handed it to her. "Read this, and if you agree, just approve it." Tasha read through the document. Unbelieving, she skimmed it again. "Are you… I mean, this…" she stuttered, looking up at her captain. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Yes I am sure Tasha. If you want it, I would be proud to be your father." "I would be honored, sir," she said, between her sobs. Picard took the tablet from her, sitting it back on the table. Wrapping his arms around her, he rocked back and forth her gently.