"Tell Me No Lies"
Chapter 10 –"Immortal Beloved"
*Just a little heads up…This chapter is extremely long, due to the fact that it is the last chapter of the story. So get comfortable and enjoy. Thanks for reading.
-x-x-x-x-
She assumed that this is where he had been hiding on his sleepless driven nights, ever since he had been relieved of duty. Alone, Tasha watched silently from the entrance as his hands drifted across the ivory keys.
He appeared to be a man that was possessed, driven madly by the music his fingers were causing the instrument to produce. She didn't recognize the piece he was playing, although she did notice that there was no sheet music lying upon the piano, which meant he was clearly playing from memory.
The melody was alluring, even romantic and for a moment, she wondered if he was thinking of her. That possibly the passion he was generating within his music was a small glimpse into the desire he felt for her.
Perhaps, Data no longer wanted his love to be the empty, nonsensical music that drifted out into a vacant night, but instead the ferocity of his playing suggested that he wanted nothing more than to give a voice to such longings. And that his late night visits to the piano were merely a cheap substitute over his frustrations of being unsuccessful in that venture.
It had been a week since his visit to her quarters and yet the android had plagued her mind ever since. It was mainly at night that she would find herself entertaining thoughts of the man before her. Night after night she would torture herself with memories she had only created with him.
The one night she seduced him in her quarters, the look of disappointment when she informed him that the encounter never happened on the bridge. Their conversations following that blissful event, the night she confessed her feelings and he kissed her in a blinded rage of passion, only to leave moments after he realized his lack of control. The intense look in his eyes as he approached her crumpled form in the caves of Galorndon Core, the gentleness of his touch the last time he occupied her quarters as he caressed her cheek.
And now, as she stood in Ten Forward surrounded by the music, she became overwhelmed by one more memory. The very day she met him. Of course, she had heard of the android, it was impossible to travel anywhere in Starfleet and not know of his creation nor the Doctor behind such brilliance.
At first, she was alarmed when she learned that she would be serving with a machine and to be honest, she wasn't particularly comfortable with the prospect of serving under a robot. She had prepared herself for everything. And being the skeptic that she was, she looked up every known record of him. She read all of his test scores while he attended the Academy, learned of his medals for gallantry, his time served on the U.S.S. Trieste and his climb up the ranks.
She was prepared for it all. Until she met the man in question and soon realized her folly. Despite her familiarity with the android upon reading his personnel files, they all left out one key point – How handsome he really was!
She was a little taken back when she first entered the observation lounge after shuttling the Captain to his new command. Upon introduction, all she could do was stare. Not because the android was so lifelike or so personal with everyone but because he was so damn cute. She knew that he was going to be trouble for her and the best thing, no; the safest thing for her to do was to stay far, far away.
And so she did. He tried desperately to be her friend in the beginning. He was always so polite, in his child like inquiries, only to be shot down by her resilience towards him. But fortunately for her, Data was very persistent. Eventually, he broke through her resolve and shortly after, what she feared the most happened.
The Tsiolkovsky Virus did nothing but supply her with the excuse she had been looking for. It enabled her to give in to her secret desire to bed the android and to her surprise he was more than compliant to her demands. Until she got him into the bedroom, where he took full control of the seduction as she willingly handed over the reins, gifting her body with the most passionate love that she had ever experienced.
Her reverie was broken by the sudden halt in the music and for a second she thought it was due to the fact that he had become aware of her presence. One look verified that he was still oblivious to her intrusion. She watched as he placed his elbows on top of the black piano, his face buried deep into his hands as he took an exhausted breath, his shoulders slowly rising and falling with the aspiration of his breathing mechanism.
Tasha winced inwardly from the obvious war that Data was waging inside as he dug his palms into his eyes and then slowly slid his hands down stretching his face into something that looked like it belonged in a Funhouse mirror.
A dissonant noise filled Ten Forward as he folded his arms on top of the keys and lowered his head to rest upon them. Quietly, she approached the brooding android, her hand slightly hovering over his shoulder as she pondered interrupting his melancholy state. She slowly retracted her hand, choosing against her desire to comfort him.
Instead, she cleared her throat in a small effort at announcing her presence. Slowly, he raised his head, his eyes wincing from the light as recognition clearly flashed across his gaze.
"Ah, I see your powers of investigation are truly admirable, Lieutenant. Your ability to hunt down any crew member at such ungodly hours of the night, are truly impressive - Even if they desire to be lost." Data mumbled.
"The Captain wanted me to inform you that you will be placed back into active duty starting at zero eight hundred hours, effective tomorrow morning."
He stared at her dumbfounded. "And the Captain found this little bit of information to be paramount at two o'clock in the morning?"
"No."
"Are we engaged in some life or death standoff that it is imperative that I be reinstated to duty at this very hour?"
Again, she answered stoically. "No."
A sly smile crept across his face, as a sparkle met his eye. "Good..." He scooted over and patted onto the bench to the vacant spot beside him. "Sit." He demanded.
For a moment, she thought he might be drunk again. But the thoughts of his impeccable playing flashing across her mind just moments earlier caused her to reconsider that assumption. So she complied and took a seat beside him and when her eyes met his, she tried desperately to suppress a smile due to the look upon his face. He was smiling like a Cheshire cat who had just succeeded in catching his prey.
Tasha quickly averted her eyes back to the piano, ignoring his piercing gaze, her fingers lightly stroking the ivory keys.
"What was that composition you were just playing?"
Still, very much aware of the fact that his eyes were completely fixated upon her, stubbornly refusing to look away.
"It was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata."
Her fingers lightly pressed on one of the keys, causing the sound to echo throughout lounge.
"It was very beautiful."
"Yes, well I have learned in my endeavors that it takes something very unique to inspire a man to compose something so alluring..." She turned to meet his fiery gaze. "Perhaps a woman." He revealed.
Tasha swallowed hard, trying to ignore the persuasion of his eyes as she studied the black and white keys with a new sense of intensity.
"Are you suggesting that Beethoven wrote that piece about a woman?"
"It was not a suggestion. In fact, it is recorded throughout history that he wrote the moonlight sonata for his fiancé. Many believed the woman to have been the elusive 'Immortal Beloved' but those theories were later proved not to be the case."
Again, she ventured a look in his direction with an arched eyebrow. "Immortal Beloved?"
"Yes." He calmly whispered. "It is widely known that the composer harbored a secret love affair with a woman whom he testified to be the love of his life." Tasha watched in suspense as his eyes began to search hers. "His letters support those facts."
"What letters?"
Data's head tilted slightly to the side, as he quoted two lines from one of the three infamous letters, with just as much conviction as the author himself.
"Why this deep sorrow, if we could be united we would feel this pain no longer. Where I am, you are with me too. Soon, we will be together and what a life it will be."
Tasha stared at the man before her, rendered completely speechless. It was almost as if his words were an omen, an unspoken promise of the love that was meant to transpire between them.
"Wow, I guess he really did love her." The awkwardness of the instilled tension caused her to revert to humor, only to have Data reiterate the seriousness of the situation, as his eyes still sought out the truth that lied buried deep within hers.
"Yes, he did!"
She cocked her head to the side, as suspicion creased the corner of her narrowed eyes. 'Did he just confess to loving me in a subtle way,' she thought to herself. She had to give him credit; he was very sly about getting his point across that was for sure.
Once again she tore her eyes from his consuming stare. Her fingers began lightly pressing against the keys, performing a simple rendition that had been taught to her long ago. And in her peripheral, she could see Data's face light up from her hidden musical ability.
He watched in disbelief as she played, mesmerized.
"I was unaware that you were familiar with this particular instrument. May I ask how you learned to play?"
"You don't want to know!" She responded zealously.
He arched an eyebrow suspiciously, urging her to answer.
Tasha complied. "Alright…Dare taught me shortly after he rescued me on Turkana IV."
"You were correct in your premise."
She looked at him confused.
"I did not want to know." He relented enviously.
She chuckled a little from his honesty and softly began playing once again, as she spoke over the faint sound of the music streaming from the piano.
"You know, I don't remember that much about my parents. I was a curious child, much like you are now. But when you're raised on a world that is driven by hate, it's really hard to imagine love. What it would be like, what it would feel like. I mean, how would know when you've finally found it? I didn't have the answer, so being encouraged by the love I saw between my parents I asked them."
Data remained silent as she continued on, still entranced by her fingers caressing the keys.
"And I will never forget what my mother said. She said 'that love cannot be found where it doesn't exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does'…." Tasha paused a moment, as she smiled faintly from the memory. "I believe that little piece of advice was the best legacy they could have ever left me because it has helped me so much throughout the years."
"Is that your indirect way to admitting your affection for me?" He jested.
Tasha smiled. "I believe that program is working."
Data tilted his head in query. "How so?"
"Your humor is improving." She admitted honestly.
Data grunted his displeasure. "Well, at least you refrained from telling me it never happened this time."
Tasha giggled from his remark. "Data, I think the one thing that we can agree on is that that night most definitely did happen, among other things."
"What other things?"
She stopped playing and tempted fate by turning to face his gaze once again.
"Data, despite our differences I do care for you." She confessed.
"If you cared so deeply then why did you tell me it never happened?"
"I thought that I was doing what was best for us. I had fallen for a man that claimed he couldn't love me back so I thought it would be easier to save our friendship if we just pretended that night never happened."
"You don't know the first thing about being someone's friend." He stared at her deadpanned, his tone incriminating.
Tasha looked at him in astonishment, his indifference catching her off guard, as she coldly announced the truth she had been harboring for some time.
"I don't want to just be your friend."
Data snapped. "You do not know what you want."
"Neither do you!" Tasha argued. "Maybe you're just too scared that someone might actually want to be with you."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And why would that scare me?"
She pointed an accusatory finger at the android. "Because then you wouldn't be able to hide behind your knowledge, or your frickin' mechanical outlook on certain things such as love, or your misguided loyalty to the Federation. No, you know the real reason why you're scared? It's because maybe you want be with me too!" She screamed.
Data's eyes widened from her perceptive allegations. He opened his mouth to respond, only to find that her truth had sealed his ability to articulate a proper argument. She took note of his inability to find his voice and continued on with her ravings.
"I didn't come here to tell you that I can't live without you because I can….I just don't want to." Tasha silently studied the black and white keys upon the piano, refusing to meet his gaze. "Look, I know the future is scary, but you can't just run back to the past because it's familiar. Yes it's tempting, but it's a mistake. That's the one lesson I learned from Dare."
"You are insinuating that I am afraid of the unknown. That I am reluctant to explore my feelings because they no longer hold the stability they once did."
"I'm not following you, Data."
He lightly scratched the tip of his noise, buying himself a moment to gather his thoughts. "It is frightening prospect to know that I can be hurt now by what someone thinks of me or by whether or not they chose to love me. And it is almost tempting to…." He faltered a moment but one look into her eyes gave him the courage to continue. "Pretend that I do not feel anything. That if I tell myself that very thought enough, that possibly my positronic matrix will reverse the effects of the program and restore me back to the way I used to be."
Tasha looked down from his admission, her heart literally falling to the pit of her stomach. She almost felt nauseated from her foolishness. He didn't want what she wanted. He could take the risk and accept the gift that had been given to him but he chose not to because too his ingenious, positronic mind the consequences posed to great a threat to him.
"Why do you think this happened to you?"
Data watched mercilessly as her resolve dissipated with the defeat that was laced in her question. Her sudden inability to meet his gaze, the slumped state of her shoulders, the sudden halt in her playing shortly after his confession and the endearing way she was now wringing her hands together while they lied nervously in her lap, were all signs of what most humans considered timid reactions to an impending rejection.
His hand softly reached out, covering hers. A firm grip not only ceased her anxious movements, but the touch also brought her beautiful blue eyes back to his amber ones. She smiled reassuringly, unknowingly giving him the strength he needed to compel him toward the incentive to make things right once again.
"I am not certain but I do know this - you are what I never knew I always wanted." He silently confessed. "Because for me it has always been you...Always...And I have tried to fight it, I have tried to deny it but I cannot." Data shook his head from side to side in defeat. "You are... undeniable." He whispered in an exasperated tone.
Laugher bubbled up out of her as a sudden surge of relief filtered through her entire body. "Are you trying to tell me that you're falling in love with me?"
"No…."
Tasha's smile slowly dissipated from her lips as Data's hand left hers to trace the former hints of her smile, his thumb lightly moving over her plush lips, down her chin to the tempting curves of her neck. He slowly leaned in, his eyes darting from hers to her lips, silently seeking permission as he closed the distance between them.
His lips hovered over hers as he whispered the well-guarded confession. "I am saying that I already have."
Tasha's lips ferociously landed upon his, savoring the taste of the man that had broken down all her defenses, causing her to bare her soul to him - her deepest most intimate desires in the hopes that he would not refuse her.
She lightly traced his bottom lip with her tongue and to her surprise he opened the kiss, taking it to a more intimate level that left her breathless and wanting more. If she ever met his father, she would most definitely have to thank the man for making Data an expert in area's such as these.
Tasha opened her eyes as she rested her forehead against his. Data was already staring intently into her blue orbs.
"I love you…" He whispered, as he gently kissed her forehead. "I love you not only for what you are." Data kissed the tip of her nose. "But for what I am when I am with you." He paused, his eyes holding hers. "I love you not only for what you made of yourself." He gently leaned down and kissed her lips. "But for what you are making of me."
Tasha closed her eyes, as Data peppered her neck with small kisses, his tongue lightly flicking out to suck on the base of her neck, eliciting a moan from Tasha's lips.
"I simply love you…." He backed away, his lips hovering inches above hers. "All of you…." His lips passionately descended upon hers. He grabbed her waist, pulling her up with him as he abruptly stood to his feet, as one swift kick of his boot carelessly discarded of the bench that was beneath them.
He pulled her body to his, easily picking her up as he set her on top of the piano, the keys making a dissonant noise in the process. He continued fiercely kissing her, the passion he evoked nearly leaving her breathless as they parted, his lips venturing up the curve of her jawbone, only to linger over her left earlobe as he lightly sucked the sensitive bud.
"And sometimes I want you so bad it hurts." Data breathed.
Tasha dropped her head back, exposing the soft skin of her neck. The invitation was too tempting and Data immediately began his assault of pleasure upon her skin, sucking and licking his way down to her collarbone. He slightly pulled back the fabric of her uniform, exposing the tantalizing possibilities that lied beneath, exploring every inch that was revealed to him with his tongue. Only to be rewarded by Tasha's soft whispers of ecstasy beckoning him for more.
His hand lightly glided up her waist to knead the fullness of her breast. His anticipation growing more and more, as the evidence of his arousal kept grinding itself into the confines of her right thigh, seeking the release he so desperately wanted. His hands grabbed hold of her buttocks, pulling her closer to his midsection, as he pushed himself hard into her center.
"Oh God, Data…."
The android trailed his lips back up the length of her neck, capturing her lips once again. His tongue roughly brushing past the barriers and into the warmth confines of her mouth, slowly mimicking with his tongue what his body wanted to do to her.
Suddenly, the sound of a woman clearing her throat interrupted their fervor. The two lovers slowly turned their heads in the direction of the intruder, only to find a very amused Guinan standing in the middle of Ten Forward.
She comically held a hand up, halting any explanations that the couple was about to produce.
"Please tell me that you two aren't preparing to christen the piano."
"If you are referring to Lieutenant Yar's and my desire to copulate, you are correct in that conjecture."
Tasha was appalled, as she playfully slapped Data on the arm. "Data, rule number one in dating. You do not have to inform the entire crew every time we plan on having sex."
"I did not inform the entire crew….just Guinan."
Guinan chuckled a little. "I think what she's trying to say Data is…I didn't need to know all that."
"But you had already stated the claim of our desire upon your arrival, I was merely verifying it." He looked back and forth between the two stunned women. "Never mind….we will resume elsewhere."
Data assisted in helping Tasha down from the piano, grabbing hold of her hand as he firmly but quickly led her toward the exit.
"Thank you." Guinan whispered as the couple retreated.
Neither replying as they hurried out of the lounge and toward the turbo-lift.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Author Notes: I'm guessing this is the last chapter…But I might do an epilogue that consists of the couple's rendezvous in their quarters. Although it will undoubtedly be rated M and not placed in the main section when updates occur. So if you guys want to be on the lookout for it, you might want to hit 'follow' or just keep an eye out for the update. I haven't started it yet, so it may be about a week before I post it. Thanks for all the reviews and kind words. I'm glad that you all enjoyed the story.