I know it's been a long, long, LONG time since I last uploaded. I beg your forgiveness, my life has been very busy (including moving cities and flying all around Australia). I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway.

"I now pronounce you Man and Wife!" Guinan said.

The crowd cheered as Data and Tasha Yar kissed. Ten Forward had been brightly decorated for the occasion, with balloons and streamers everywhere.

Melina kissed her husband on the cheek. She was so happy for her Brother. Issac gurgled and squirmed in his fathers arms. Suddenly a large group of bubbles whooshed through the room to much laughter.

"Why did you invite that imbecile Q?" Picard groaned.

"Because it was a nice thing to do." Melina replied.

"MON CAPITAINE!" Q waltzed over as the music began to play and the newly-weds started their first dance. "Is it not a glorious day?"

"Delightful." Picard muttered.

"How have you been Brother? Still tenuous with the rest of the Continuum?" Melina asked.

"A little, but let's not go there. How is young Issac? Three months old I believe?" Q asked, tickling the infant. Issac laughed. "Oh what a delightful sound, the baby likes me!" Q tittered.

"He's developing faster than most his age." Melina said.

"Well of course, half of his genes came from an over-acheiving old goat and the other half came from a genetically-engineered superhuman." Q pointed out. Picard grimaced. Melina chuckled.

"Daa!" Issac swatted at his fathers face.

"Yes Issac?" Picard looked down at the boy.

"You look so uncomfortable holding a baby Jean-Luc." Q quipped.

"He's a first-time father Brother, be nice." Melina warned.

Picard tried to contain Issac, who had decided he wanted to be put down. "Issac, behave!" He groaned.

"Oh dear. Come to Uncle Q." Q took the baby, who began screaming, much to the satisfaction of his father.

"Oh dear. Come here Rexie." Melina cooed while taking Issac. The childs sobs subsided.

"Rexie?" Q asked.

"He likes it." Melina shrugged. "0 suggested it one day."

"His name is Issac, not Rex." Picard frowned. Just then, Tasha and Data appeared.

"Hello Nephew." Data said to the baby, who looked up at his Uncle.

"You look stunning Sister. Simply beautiful." Melina kissed Tasha on the cheek.

"I feel beautiful." Tasha gushed. Melina had to marvel at the change in her friend. Still stand-offish and outspoken, Tasha no longer seemed scared to be a woman.

"Congratulations Data. You've done well." Picard clapped his brother-in-law on the back.

"Thank you Sir." Data smiled.

"Oh THERE you are!" Juilana appeared with B-4. "Let me look at the six of you."

B-4 stood between his two younger siblings, while Tasha snuggled up to Data and Picard stood next to Melina and Issac. Juilana whipped out a camera and took the photo.

–

"Dare I ask?" Melina asked as Picard huffed through the door.

"I don't know why the Federation had to get involved in a dispute between some rogue Ferengi and some stupid Klingons!" Picard fumed.

"Because the Klingons were stationed at a Federation Outpost?" Melina pointed out.

"That's beside the point, they weren't Federation citizens-,"

"But there were Federation citizens in the crossfire." Melina finished. Picard grumbled and walked over to the playpen where Issac was bashing some toys together.

"By the way, have you spoken to Brother Data recently? I haven't had the chance between duty and taking care of R-Issac." Melina frowned at her husband as he gave her a warning look.

"No, he's been busy with Tasha on some project or other." Picard smiled at his son. Melina put down her folding and hugged Picard tightly.

"Feel like any more children?" Picard suggested playfully.

"AFTER dinner." Melina chuckled, poking his ribs.

"Awww, you're such a spoilsport."

"And you're cheeky."

Picard kissed his beloved wife deeply. Since the birth of Issac, the pair had grown closer and more intimate. He'd never thought he'd feel this way about anyone. Wanting to be close to her so badly it felt like need, watching her feed their son, consulting her opinion as a dedicated member of Starfleet...

–

"Come on, Data, what is this?" Geordi asked as the group forwarded into the lab.

"Yeah, Data. what's going on?" Wesley asked.

"All in good time." Tasha smiled. Melina was throughly confused. What the devil had these two been up to since their honeymoon? Issac gurlged and looked around.

"We have invited you here to meet someone." Data added.

Suddenly a platform came down from the ceiling, and there stood an android!

Melinas jaw dropped.

"This is Lal. Lal, say hello to Counsellor Deanna Troi." Tasha introduced them to the android.

"Hello Counsellor Deanna Troi." Lal said obediently.

"Brother...is this...my niece or nephew?" Melina asked.

"Niece or nephew, a biological relation who is the child of a beings sibling." Lal said.

"Very good Lal." Data nodded. "And yes Sister, this is our child. Lal, say hello to your Aunt."

"Hello Aunt." Lal said. It looked down. "Cousin. A biological relation who is the child of an Aunt or Uncle."

Lal had noticed Issac.

"Well done Lal!" Tasha beamed.

Melina looked at the young Android. She knew there was trouble ahead. Lal wouldn't stop looking at her older cousin. It was if she in a trance.

Melina went back to her quarters and waited for Picard. She knew she had to explain the situation to him before anyone else told him – she could make him see sense and recognise this new creation as family.

"We have a new niece or nephew." She said before Picard could get a word in.

"Wha-?" Picard replied, his mind still on the report he'd finished reading about Cardassian politics.

"Brother Data and Sister Tasha have created a new Android. They have their first child." Melina tried again.

"They invented an Android?!" Picard cried.

"NO, they created their first child." Melina corrected him.

"It's not a child, it's an invention! A highly advanced one, but an invention none-the-less." Picard argued.

"No, it is their son or daughter, and it's our family." Melina told him.

Picard shook his head.

"Would you call Issac an invention? He's just another type of machine." Melina pressed.

Picard sighed.

"You win. You always do." He smiled. "When am I going to meet my new niece or nephew?"

"We can go and see them now if you like." Melina suggested. "It's named Lal."

"Lal, isn't that Hindu?" Picard asked.

"It means "beloved", and it's what I was going to call Issac if he turned out to be a girl. Since he's a boy, I told Brother Data if he ever had children that's what he'd name them." Melina told him as they walked towards the Holodeck.

Picard looked away. The three siblings were so close, and he wasn't even talking to his brother. He knew that he had another nephew, but couldn't think of his name.

Another thought then occurred to him – Starfleet. They weren't going to let Data, Tasha and Lal be a family quite so easily...

–

Picard was sitting in his quarters with Lal (who now looked like a human female) and Issac, who was getting on to eight months old. Already he could toddle around on his little legs and say "Mama" and "Papa". Truely the child of a genetically-engineered superhuman and an over-acheiving old goat.

Picard watched the two children interact. They were stacking blocks into piles, nothing too interesting at first, until one noticed the patterns of the colours of the blocks and the number of blocks in the piles. Issac was picking up the patterns his cousin was making, and then replicating them on his own.

It made for curious viewing. The two didn't need words to communicate, and they seemed happy enough playing together.

Just then, Melina walked in after her shift.

"Don't ask." She said as Picard was about to ask how her shift went.

"It will make for excellent reading later I bet." Picard smirked, refering to her end-of-shift report.

"Oh yes." Melina kissed him. She then noticed the piles of blocks on the floor and the different complex patterns. "He would do well on Terlina." She said.

"Planet of the Intellectuals." Picard chuckled.

"You have no idea. As much as we rebelled with our music and our parties, in the end we turned out just the same as our parents. Doctorates, research grants, you name it." Melina sat next to her husband.

"Research grants?" Picard asked.

"I was supposed to go to the Armagosa system and study a new substance I'd been developing called trilithium. A Doctor Soran took over my work." Melina replied quietly. "But you know nothing about that."

"Fair enough." Picard said, leaning back in his chair and watching the children play. Tasha and Data soon arrived to pick up Lal and Picard headed out to the Captains Ready Room. He had just sat down when he was paged by Starfleet.

It was Admiral Haftel, whom Melina did NOT get along with (Picard is of the firm opinion that Melina has problems with authority, but that's beside the point). He wanted to take possession of Lal.

"Oh lord, not again." Picard sighed.

"We only want what's best for the android." Haftel argued.

"I'm sure we can arrange for the Soong family to be transferred over to you." Picard stated.

"Their presence would undoubtably retard the new androids progress." Haftel replied.

"Taking her away from the people she considers her parents?" Picard blinked. "Taking her away from her cousin and extended family is bad enough but -,"

"Family Jean-Luc?" Haftel seemed amused.

"My wife was raised with Lt. Commander Data and considers him to be her twin brother." Picard pointed out. "She, by extentsion, considers Lal to be her neice. Data also married, and his wife considers the new android to be her daughter."

"Yes well. No offence Jean-Luc, but your wife and Lt. Yar aren't the most mentally stable women in the galaxy. Your wife was raised by machines, and Lt. Yar...well, the less said there the better." Haftel stared Picard down through the viewscreen.

Miffed that his beloved wife had been insulted, Picard wasn't about to stand down.

"Admiral, to you, Lal is a new android. But to Data and Tasha, she's their child. It may not be easy for you and I to see her that way, but they do. And I respect that. They will remain here for now."

"Starfleet's policy on research is clear. You're making your stand on very uncertain ground. I do hope it doesn't fall out from under you. Haftel out."

"Do not let him near this ship."

Picard spun around to see 0 standing behind him.

"Why?" Picard asked.

"It will prove fatal for your niece" 0 warned.

–

Melina fumed.

"Captain, are we talking about breaking up a family? Isn't that rather a sentimental attitude about androids?" Haftel asked as he paced the Captains Ready Room.

"YES. We ARE talking about breaking up a family. MY family." Melina stood up, unable to take anymore. "I don't know if you remember, Sir, but I owe those androids my LIFE. If B-4 hadn't grabbed me before the Crystaline Entity came-,"

"We KNOW about your unhealthy attachment to the androids Mrs. Picard." Haftel interrupted, making Melina see red.

"I don't see anything unhealthy about it." Picard stepped up. "They were raised as siblings. Just like Lieutenant Worf was raised with his human sibling."

"This is insane." Haftel shook his head.

"I don't see you trying to take Issac from us. The son of an Augment – don't you think that his talent is just as wasted here as Lal's?" Picard pointed out.

"That's a completely different matter! Issac NEEDS you for his development!" Haftel cried.

"As Lal needs her parents." Melina finished, shooting her husband a grateful look.

–

Melina sat at her station, keeping one eye on the scanners and the other eye out for any officers that might confiscate her barley sugars that she had snuck onto the Bridge to make the shift go faster. She knew that Data and Tasha were taking on Haftel now, and she left them to defend their only child.

Her thoughts turned to her new babysitter, Worf. After originally being terrified of the position (not that he'd ever admit it) he had taken well to watching the young boy. Issac was developing faster than most his age, and Melina wasn't sure if it was her genetic heritage or the fact that she was raising him the same way as she was raised – her parents had always pushed her to achieve.

She thought of how close Lal and Issac were becoming. Lal spent much of her time reading to Issac, but Issac was teaching her so much about learning. Issac adored his younger cousin as well, smiling every time she came over. In a way, Lal was very fond of Issac - "I find seeing you again very agreeable Cousin."

"MELINA!" She heard her name over the COMM.

"Sister?" She asked.

"It's Lal – it's her neural net – she's scared – her neural net is failing – Melina help us!" Tasha was in hysterics.

"Neural net failure?" Melina sighed. "Send for B-4, I'll need him. I'll be there as soon as I can." She turned to the Ensign sitting next to her. "You're in charge."

The poor Ensign looked terrified and excited as Melina left the Bridge in a hurry. She met up with B-4 on the way to the lab, and the pair entered.

Meanwhile, Tasha waited outside with Counsellor Troi, Wesley and Geordi. She felt helpless and alone. There was nothing she could do for her child except wait ahd hope.

After two hours, Haftel walked out, guilt written all over his face.

"She's alive. Her...her Aunt managed to save her...but she's facing a long road to recovery." Haftel said gingerly, his voice heavy with emotion. "I am so sorry."

Tasha wasn't listening, she bolted through the door to see her beloved Lal. Lal was leaning against her father, who was trying to get her to talk. Melina sat with Picard, who was holding her as she sobbed silently against his chest.

B-4 was holding Issac, whom he'd asked Worf to bring to the lab. Lal was staring blankly at her cousin.

"It will be okay." B-4 said. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Are you sure?" Melina whispered.

"Everything will be okay." B-4 repeated.