A/N: Sorry for the LONG wait, we've both been uber busy with school and life in general. Thanks again to DataLady91 for helping me to co-author this.

Per the usual, neither DataLady91 nor myself own any of the copyrights to Star Trek:TNG, its characters, etc.


"You take that back you pointy-eared freak!"

"But Sis, I thought you wanted me to always be honest with you." Aden chuckled, running down the corridors and trying not to knock-over the ships personnel. Passersby watched as he ran for dear life away from his now homicidal sister. Just as he was turning the corner Aden ran smack into a very disgruntled and surprised Lt. Worf.

"If you two must insist on petty bickering and sibling rivalry then I insist you do so in your own quarters and not running around the ship."

Seeing the upset Klingon caused Fred to come skidding to halt. Aden, never one to pass up a well-timed joke, quickly held out his leg and tripped Fred, sending her flying into the opposite wall before falling backwards and landing on her butt.

Sighing, Worf walked over to the young woman and offered her a helping hand. "What have you done this time?" he asked, not to the young lady he was currently helping, but to the perpetrator he knew was still standing behind him.

"Who, me?" Aden chuckled. "Why would you think it was ME who started all this? Is it MY fault Fred can't take a joke?"

"You know damn well that THAT is nothing to joke about, Aden!" Fred grimaced.

"What is nothing to joke about?" Data asked, beating Worf to the punch as he approached the three.

"Nothing!" Fred squeaked, caught off guard by his sudden arrival.

"Yeah, just having a conversation about routine maintenance and system updates." Aden smirked as Fred whipped her head around to glare at him.

As Data is about to question what Aden went by this his stomach growls. 'I'm hungry?'

"Well lookie here, seems someone's new implants are working, thanks to yours truly. I think now may be a good time to try eating. What say you, my dear Data?"

For one in his life Data now physically craved food. The need to consume life-giving sustenance to maintain proper bodily functions and insure his own survival. This was truly astounding! Yet again he was amazed by 'new body.'

Taking a moment to process everything, Data smiles and nods. "Yes, I agree."

Next thing Fred knew, she was practically being dragged by Aden to accompany him and Data to Ten Forward. As they sat down Aden waved Guinan over and told her they'd have one of everything she had. So now here they were, sitting at a table covered in samples of different foods from across the galaxy, Data stuffing his face to sample the tastes and textures of all of them. Some he liked, others he didn't quite as much. A few he actually spat back out and gave a disgusted face at.

"Slow down, Goku, keep up with this pace and you're gunna get a spare tire." Aden laughed, having a blast watching Data eat. Data was about to ask what that meant when Fred jumped backwards, falling out of her chair, screaming. The three watched as Fred scurried across the floor and hid under the table behind her. Guinan had just delivered a new dish to the table that looked like a fried tarantula and Aden informed the two about how Fred is arachnophobic (between laughs).

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you." Guinan apologized and took away the offensive item. Data, ever the gentleman, got up and walked over to the table Fred was under.

"You may get up now, if you wish. I believe that Guinan will not bring that dish back out." Data knelt down and held out his hand. As he helped Fred to her feet her cheeks began to redden. "Are you alright?" Data asked, noticing the blush on Fred's normally porcelain face.

"Y-Yes, I'm o-okay. Thanks." Fred stuttered, quickly releasing Data's hand once she was up. Head down in embarrassment, Fred turned towards Aden and informed him that she would meet him back at their quarters. Data watched as the young woman left, practically running out of the room.

"Despite your sister's statement, I believe that you may want to take her to sickbay tomorrow. She seems to be suffering from sporadic hot flashes and bouts of epidermic sensitivity." Smirking, Aden stands up and places his arm around Data's shoulder.

"How would you like to try a new holodeck program I just created? I call it 'Playboy Planet.'"


Back in her shared quarters, Fred threw herself onto her bed and began to cry.

Why? Why was she such a hopeless and pathetic looser when it came to him? Every time she'd get close to Data it was like her body forgot how to function properly. Why was that?

'It's probably because he's one of the first guys I've liked who didn't think I was a leper.'

Prior to her "cryogenic adventures," Fred had little to no contact with boys outside her family because her condition often rendered her unable to leave the hospital as much as she would've liked. Early symptoms of Fred's Batten Disease began to appear around shortly after her sixth birthday, with a gradual onset of vision problems and seizures. Her family also started to notice subtle personality and behavior changes in Fred along with slowed learning, repetitive speech, clumsiness, and stumbling. Over the years more problems such as poor circulation in her legs and feet, decreased body fat and muscle mass, curvature of the spine, hyperventilation and breath-holding spells, teeth grinding, and constipation began to arise more prevalently.

Homeschooled while her brother was allowed to attend public school (he was healthy enough to, unlike her), Fred was able to spend a few hours every so often outside where she would visit local shops and "people watch." During this time Fred would draw in her sketch pad and imagine what it was like to be "normal" and have friends, sleepovers, and boyfriends like everyone else. Sadly, the boys her age were usually too scared of her because they didn't understand her condition and thought she might be contagious.

Over time, Fred started to suffer mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight, speech and motor skills. Eventually, Fred started to lose her eyesight, became bedridden, and began experiencing the first signs of dementia.

'But all that changed, thanks to THEM.' Fred sighed as she rolled over on her back and glanced at the now protruding assimilation tubules in her hand. Sure, the Borg weren't exactly one of "the Good Guys," but if it weren't for them, or that money-grubby Frak, who knows where she'd be now? She hated thinking about it, but she felt somewhat indebted to them. In a way—a truly bizarre, twisted, and unintentional way—Fred was saved by them.

'Bet I'm the first person to ever think that!' she laughed at herself.


Aden's holodeck program was interesting to say the least. The landscape and architecture were from Earth circa 1920 but with obvious modern influences such as replicators and hover boards. Data calculated the main building was approximately 1,951 square meters (21,987 square foot) that sat on 5.3 acres. It was a Gothic-Tudor mansion with ivy-covered stone walls, leaded glass windows, a slate roof, burnished copper drains and castle-like turrets in the corners. Outside the heavy golden oak front door was a white marble fountain with lion heads and cherubs spouting water. Aden explained to him that it housed 30 rooms including a grand hall, library, living room, dining room, gymnasium, and a wine cellar. Outside was a private zoo and aviary, tennis courts, a waterfall, and a large swimming pool area edged in stone (including a patio and barbecue area, a hidden grotto, a sauna, Japanese koi pond, and a bathhouse).

There was a separate building on the property's north-side which Aden called his game house. From the fountain in front of the main entrance, there were two sidewalks, which ran past a wishing-well. The sidewalk on the right led to the game house and ran past what Aden explained was the Hollywood Star of Hugh Hefner. The building's front entrance opened to a game room with a pool table in the center. This room had a number of vintage Earth arcade games, pinball machines, player piano, jukebox, television, stereo, and couch. Further exploring led Data to discovering that the game house had two wings. Walking to the left, one found a room with a soft cushioned floor, mirrors all around, television, and an exit. There was also a restroom with a shower. Upon his inspection of the right wing he found a smaller restroom and entrance to a bedroom. This bedroom was also connected to another bedroom, which had an exit to the rear backyard of the game house. The game house had a backyard with lounge chairs, and gates on either side.

The most apparent fixture in the house wasn't the amazingly detailed craftsmanship but rather the copious amount of practically naked, buxom women. All throughout his self-guided tour Data found it hard not to notice how the women here seemed to revel in their naked sensuality, reminding him of Counselor Troi's homeworld of Betazed.

"Hot, aren't they?" Aden smirked, noticing the glances Data was giving the women.

Data was about to comment on how the 30°C (85°F) temperature of the simulation might be effecting the women's internal temperature when part of his "new and improved" internal dictionary kicked in and informed him of the slang meaning for the boy's remark.

"Hot: a slang term used to denote a person one finds to be gorgeous, pretty, beautiful, cute or attractive; to express extreme sexual desire or attraction." Data rattled off as Aden shook his head and smiled. "While I will admit to being physically attracted to these women I'm afraid that I must remind you that despite their aesthetic appeal these are not real women, Aden. Therefore it would be ill advised to start any sort of romantic relationship with them. Perhaps it would do you some good to talk to Geordie about this, as he has some degree of experience in this-"

Aden's hand over Data's mouth caused him to stop. "Data, I brought you here to have some fun, no strings attached sex. This place isn't meant for you to look for Miss Right or anything like that, it's meant to get you laid. Jeeze, I told Fred we should've gotten rid of that stupid habit you have of rattling off definitions, but she said that was part of your character and charm." Aden shook his head and let go of the droid's mouth.

Data frowned at his friend and told him he wasn't one for promiscuity. Sex for the sake of sex was something he didn't have interest in, not only because it served no purpose but because now he was (hopefully) able to father children of his own and he would be remiss if he accidently impregnated a woman he no real feelings for.

That was what Data had meant to do. What he should've said. Instead he decided to give his friend the benefit of the doubt and try things his way. The rest of his time there was spent as Aden's pupil in the "art of seduction." (How he got conned into that was something Data himself couldn't even figure out.)

Finally, after about an hour or so Data had decided that he'd had more than enough of Aden's program and make a bee-line for the exit, dragging the young Vulcan by his ear. Once outside Data let go of his friend and lectured him whilst turning off the program.

"I am programmed in multiple techniques, but I am quite certain that several of their techniques are illegal on at least twenty planets in the Federation - except for Orion, that is."

Aden grimaced, rubbing his sore earlobe and eying what Data was inputting into the computer. "Yeah, well, we're not ON any of those planets, Data, so just chill. I should've known that my program would be too much for someone of your…limited taste. If you wish I can design you a less creative one that won't fry your sensitive circuits."

"I do not think so, Aden." Data grimaced, finishing his work and turning towards the youth. "However, as both an officer and a friend, I am going to require that you speak with Councilor Troi about your…extracurricular activities. I am certain that she will be able to help you cope with whatever mental trauma you are experiencing that would cause you to create such a program in the first place."

Aden tried to tell Data that there wasn't anything mentally wrong with him, at least not when it came to creating his program. But when faced with the alternative of his program being brought to the attentions of Captain Picard for his consideration Aden opted for having his head shrunk.

"That analogy is incorrect as one's head cannot be-"

"It was a joke Data, a joke!" Aden explained, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Where are you going?" Data inquired, watching his friend storm away.

"To remind Fred just how much she owes me for not letting your ass blow up on the Scimitar!"


A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter and that Data wasn't OOC. Please remember to review, a simple "Keep up the good work" or "You could use more work on [insert suggestion here]" etc. will do. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is ALWAYS welcomed, blatant disrespect and insults are unwarranted and will be reported.