Perfectly Logical

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

Chapter Twenty-One: What The Blind See

Tasha had never thought it was possible to be so annoyed with weddings. In fact, it wasn't really the wedding itself that bothered her. It was the surrounding environment.

The lieutenant and crewman marrying had decided to make a big production out of things, and had invited the entire crew. However, it was quickly becoming a couples event. Established couples were attending as pairs, but others were going around trying to get dates like it was the Sadie Hawkins. As a young, single, and attractive female, she'd already turned down three separate requests, all from men who just stared at her the whole time, who had in her past year of service aboard never even spoken to her. She knew she was possibly oversensitive, but she didn't want another Sadie Hawkins experience, not did she want to be someone's 'arm candy' as Tom Paris would have called it. She would go single or not at all.

At least, that had been her original plan. But her roommate was determined to make it otherwise, and she wasn't as understanding as Deanna Troi. Tasha knew she'd have to find a date for herself or risk a blind date. The trouble was, she needed someone single, kind, interested, and who would keep their distance. There just wasn't anyone like that on the ship.

"Um, mind if I join you?"

She glanced up to see someone she vaguely recognized standing by the other chair. "Uh, no. Go ahead." He was a shuttle pilot, from what she could recall.

It was a little strange, talking to him. Much of what Deanna had taught her about reading people had to do with their eyes, but she couldn't see his eyes. He was wearing a strange metal device over them.

"I know what you're thinking."

"What?"

"You're wondering why I wear this. The answer is I have to. It's the closest thing I have to eyes."

"You're blind," she realized.

"Yep."

Tasha began to relax a little. Once she got past not seeing his eyes, she realized he had an extremely expressive face. It was as easy to read as anyone's eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't recall your name."

"Whoops, sorry. It's Geordi. Geordi La Forge."

"Tasha Yar."

"Yeah, I know. Um..."

Tasha couldn't help smiling at the man's shyness. "Yes?"

"I - I, uh, I keep meaning to talk to you. I just never seem to get up the courage to do it."

"You're doing fine."

He smiled and relaxed a little. "Thanks."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, uh, don't take this the wrong way or anything, that is I'm not aiming for anything serious, that is youwanttogototheweddingwithme?"

"What?" The whole last part of the sentence had come out in an unintelligible jumble of syllables.

"Do you want to go to the wedding with me? I mean, as my date?"

Tasha was momentarily taken aback, and her first instinct was to say no. But he'd already said he didn't intend for this to get serious, and he actually seemed nice. Maybe he was the answer to her wishes.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go with you."

"Great! I - uh, I'll meet you, well, I could pick you up -"

"My quarters are on Deck Seven, Section Four." She smiled again at his awkwardness.

"All right, great."

"Hey. What are you going to be wearing?" The invitation had specified that they could appear in either dress uniform or civilian formal, and she knew her roommate would insist upon the latter.

"Uh, why?"

"Because my roommate's going to ask me so she can coordinate. And I want to give her an answer besides 'I don't know' or she'll never leave me alone."

"Oh, okay. I'm just wearing dress uniform - I have no real sense of color coordination and I don't want to try. Your roommate can do the coordination for us."

Tasha laughed despite herself. "All right, then."

"Ensign La Forge, please report to the shuttlebay."

"Oops. I'll see you later."

"Okay." As Geordi hurried off, Tasha did too. She walked into her quarters and was instantly barraged by her roommate, Sarah. "Hey, Tasha, I was thinking I could set you up with -"

"No."

"Tasha -"

"No."

"I didn't even tell you who yet!"

"Doesn't matter."

"I am not letting you be the only girl there without a date. Now why won't you at least consider -"

"Because," she interrupted, "Geordi La Forge asked me in the mess hall. And I said yes."

"Oh my God, you did?" she squealed. "Wait. Who's Geordi La Forge?"

"He's a shuttle pilot."

"Oh, come on, Tasha. You can do better than a shuttle pilot, for heaven's sake. This guy's a lieutenant."

"I told Geordi I'd go with him. Anyway, I like him. He's sweet."

"Fine, whatever. At least you have a date. You know what he'll be wearing?"

"He said he'll just be in dress uniform. He's a pilot so that's red."

"Red, hmm? Well, let's see what we can do with that?"

xxxxxxxxx

The dress her roommate came up with was a soft champagne that came to mid-calf. As per Tasha's insistence, it wasn't overly dressy, but it did have a certain elegance, and Tasha had to admit it actually looked pretty good. She was just glad she'd talked the girl out of the heels she'd had in mind. The stiff flats were uncomfortable enough.

Sarah's own dress was far more outrageous and took a lot longer to get on. As she exited the room, she bumped into someone.

"Hey, what are you doing hovering around the door like that?"

"Sorry." It was a familiar voice, but it was a lot less hesitant than it had been the last time she heard it. "Just waiting for someone."

"Me, right? You just had to get a look at me, even though I'd never date a lowlife like you. You like what you see? Oh, wait, you can't see it, can you?"

God, Sarah could be such a snob. "Actually, he was waiting for me." Tasha spoke up on her friend's behalf.

"Oh, well, then I'll leave you two to it," she said airily, and hurried off.

"I'm sorry about my roommate. She gets like that sometimes."

"It's okay. I'm used to it." But Tasha could tell he was hurt.

"You shouldn't be. You don't deserve to have to put up with that."

He looked over at her. "You know, you're the first person besides my parents to ever tell me that. Most people just told me to get a tougher skin."

"Do me a favor. Don't."

"Huh?"

"I barely know you, but I think I like you the way you are. You don't seem particularly thin-skinned, and you have a right to be upset. You do know I turned down three men before I said yes to you?"

"You did?"

"I did. They wanted to move fast and be in charge and maybe they'd be considered thick-skinned but I hate that attitude. You were as shy about this as I was, and I liked that."

"I wish I could give you a compliment, but you'd know I was making it up."

"That's another thing I like about you. Two things really. First of all, you're honest. Second, I'm absolutely, positively sure you're not going with me just because of the way I look."

He laughed. "Well, much as I'm enjoying this, we won't be going anywhere if we don't hurry."

He offered his arm and she took it, smiling.

xxxxxxxxx

"I don't really know how to dance," Geordi admitted.

"That's okay. I don't either."

"You don't?"

"Nope."

"Well, the way I see it, we have one of two options. The first is to sit here all night."

"And the second?"

"The second is to dance anyway."

"I'm up for it if you are."

No one on the floor was dancing as haphazardly as they were, but no one was having more fun either. Though they saw more than a few couples leaving early, the two of them didn't leave until the official end. They were having too much of a good time.

Tasha and Geordi left together and he even walked her back to her quarters. "I - that's the most fun I've had in a long time."

She smiled. "Likewise."

She wasn't exactly sure how it started or who started it. One minute they were standing there together, and the next they were locked in a gentle kiss.

"Wow," he whispered when they separated.

"Yeah," she whispered back.

"So, uh, when do you get off on Tuesday?"

"That's the day after tomorrow?" Tasha didn't normally need to ask but she was understandably disoriented. "Um, 1700."

"I get off at 1800."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh, definitely. Meet me on Holodeck Three at 1830? I'll handle the reservations and the program."

"Okay."

He leaned over and kissed her gently again. "I'll see you then."

Tasha found Sarah in their quarters, already out of her dress and on her bed. "Where have you been?"

"The wedding only just ended." Tasha slid down the zipper on her dress and slipped it off.

"You don't have to stay until the end, you know."

"Yeah, but why not? It wasn't like we had anywhere else to be, and neither of us has an early morning tomorrow."

"Tasha, that - that guy. The blind guy. He wasn't actually your date, was he?"

"As a matter of fact, he was."

"Oh, come on. You went with that over the guys you turned down?"

"Yep, I did. And not only that, we're meeting the day after tomorrow for another date."

"You're crazy."

"And," she continued as if Sarah had not spoken, "he kissed me twice. Tell me, did your date kiss you?" Tasha wasn't normally the type to smirk, but she was sick of her roommate's superior attitude.

"He's using you, Tasha! He's being all nice to you because you're the only girl who will go within five feet of him."

"Then everyone else is missing out." She flopped down on her bunk and turned her back.

I got this idea partly from the fact that the novel The Buried Age has Geordi and Tasha both serving on the Victory and partly because of Tasha and Geordi's relationship in the first season. I know some of his actions can be put down to having an insane crush, but they seem friendly at least right from the start, so I decided to play with that. She also mentions something in "Skin of Evil" about him being there "in the times I felt the most despair." However we only see one such example onscreen, so it's not much of a stretch to say the other examples happened before TNG. One of those will be in the next chapter.

Note I changed a line of dialogue at the end of Big Doors Chapter 26 to reflect this relationship, which hadn't been mentioned originally.

Please review. I'm still looking for potential sequel titles!