Beverly stood in her friend's old room at the Resistance's holo-disguised building and stared out at the beautiful sunset over the once studio lot. They had been looking around for over an hour, but found no trace of Emma or Data - or anybody else for that matter... She sighed feeling her heart sink: why did she let them go?!

"Beverly." she heard from behind her, and turning, she saw Picard standing in the doorway.

She swallowed and cleared her throat to somehow find her voice "Have you found anything?"

He walked up to where she was standing at the window and looked out "No, nothing." he replied then turned back to her "The whole building is empty. Not a single soul is around. They vanished without a trace."

"So Jones was here before us..." she concluded on a low voice bowing her head.

"We don't know yet. But presumably, yes." he sighed heavily seeing how devastated she was. But they were now on a mission, this was not the time for emotions "But even if he was, we don't know whether he found Data and Emma here at that time." he told her resisting the urge to give her comfort in any other manner but in words.

She looked at him "Do you think they weren't here when the place was raided?"

"Nothing suggest the contrary. Or have you found any trace of Emma here?"

She shook her head "No. I looked around." she motioned to the bed "The bed is cold, nobody has been sleeping in it for a while - and Emma would definitely need rest. I checked the bathroom: the soap on the washbasin is dry. It hasn't been used in days either. Nor Emma's towel."

"So they haven't been here yet." he concluded feeling a measure of relief.

"But where are they if not here? Emma was adamant about coming here. She said the only place they could be safe is with the Resistance."

"Well... That theory definitely proved wrong." he stated dryly. He walked around aimlessly brooding "You know, Beverly, I'm not surprised at your friend's mindless behaviour. This is just one instance of the many occasions." he stopped and turned back to her "But Data." he shook his head seemingly really confused "His clarity of thought has been my own guide for almost a decade. And now..."

"And now, he's in love." she finished for him on a soft voice.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before he answered "That is not an excuse for insurgence."

"Jean-Luc..."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Beverly, your friend is the worst influence ever on him. She's reckless, irresponsible, even self-destructive! And Data doesn't have the kind of experience to see that she's dragging him into something, he doesn't have the power to control."

Beverly stood there frozen to the spot gaping as she listened "Jean-Luc! Emma..." she pulled her shoulders up looking for the right words "Emma is not bad influence!"

"For god's sake, Beverly!" he snapped "Data, our Data, committed an act of rebellion for her! He broke out of the brig knowing full well that Riker and Troi were on their way back! He broke out of there knowing that for him, there might be no way back! Even if they survive this all, his career is practically over! He sacrificed everything for a woman he'd known for only two months! And who's selfish enough to abuse his implicit trust and childish infatuation!"

"She's not a bad person! She's troubled, yes, hot-headed, yes, but essentially, the situation she's got into by being married to Jones is not her fault! And I refuse to let you treat her that way!"

"You can defend her all you want! As her friend, it is your obligation to do so. But I'm not Lieutenant Jones' friend. But Data's! And I find it extremely difficult to forgive someone who effectively ruined the life of one of my closest friends."

She let out a long breath: she recognized his overbearing care for Data to be something similar she used to feel when Westley had his first girls in his teens. She knew they were not suited for him, still she knew she had to let him make his own choices - and some of them turned out to be a lot better than she thought at first glance.

She stepped up to him with a pleading expression "Haven't you seen them together? Just once? Haven't you seen it in their eyes?" he looked away stubbornly, and she put a gentle hand to his cheek to turn his gaze back to hers "They need each other." she smiled understandingly "I know it's difficult to see Data make a decision based only on his emotions. But if you care about him as much as I know you do, you have to accept that he did change in that regard. He became a lot more human. More we've ever seen."

He looked into her eyes for a long moment, but before he could answer, they heard voices from the corridor. They turned to the door to see Will and Geordi stepping through it.

"Have you found anything, Number One?" Picard asked with his usual carved in stone expression.

"It seems nobody has been around for days. There's no sign of a struggle though. It's as if these people vanished right in the middle of having dinner, or reading a book or doing any other activity." he shrugged seemingly quite bewildered of the thought "Creepy..."

"So Jones found the Resistance." Beverly started to list the facts as Geordi walked about in the room to check around as she went on "He arrested everybody. And then left it all here without guards. Why?"

"Maybe not without guards." they heard Geordi from the window as he was looking outside. They turned to him, and he went on "The façade opposite this building. There was a flash of light in one of the windows just now." They stood at the window to look out, but saw nothing "If I compensate for the light of the setting sun, and go through all the spectrum from infra-red to ultra-violet, I can see an occasional movement there. You won't spot it with your human eyes." he added seeing them squinting against the light.

"So he is waiting for them to walk into his trap." Picard concluded.

"It seems so, Captain." he nodded.

Picard turned to his subordinates "Let's try to surprise Mr. Jones for a change!"

"I'd love to, Captain, but how?" Will asked wincing.

"We'll do exactly as he expects us to do!" Picard answered with a small smile.


Emma tried to move her head as she was waking, but she felt so stiff that she growled silently against the numb pain in her neck. There was a rhythmical rocking underneath her, she felt strong arms under her back and legs, and she could hear the steady heart beat of the owner of those arms as her face was pressed against his chest. She slowly realized that she must have been carried like that for quite a while, if she was as stiff as she felt.

"Mmmm..." she blinked and squinted against the darkness "What happened?" she whispered confused.

"You collapsed and have been sleeping for the last few hours." she heard her lover's voice.

"We're still on the way..." she realized looking around and seeing the dark forest around them.

"Yes, but we will arrive soon to our temporary lodgings." he replied on a colorless tone.

She sighed hearing him and seeing that he did not look at her. How can you be so far, when you're right here? When I can hear your heart beat in rhythm with mine? she felt a catch in her throat. She felt a little humiliated by the fact that she needed to be carried - as if she was really sick - and wished she could just hop off from his arms. But slowly, she figured that these might be the last moments she was able to cuddle up to him so tightly, if what she suspected from his behaviour was true that they were... over. She couldn't help herself, she reached out and sliding a hand to his chest, she hid her face into his uniform and started to weep in silence.

It took Data a while to understand what was happening, but when he felt the wetness of her tears through his uniform, he frowned looking down at her alarmed.

"Emma, are you alright? Are you in pain in some fashion?"

She felt him stop and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards the touch and saw Earl standing there with a worried expression. She looked up but failed to see the same emotion on her lover's face - this brought even more tears to her eyes.

But she nodded faintly "I'm fine... Just a little tired..." she told them on a hoarse whisper.

She felt that Data held her a little closer to himself, and she looked up at him shocked - did that mean something?! That he still cared?! It must be! Otherwise, why would he be here at all?

"I know that this is not the most comfortable position for you. But please, try to rest some more. We will arrive shortly." he told her looking into her eyes.

Despite herself, she gave him a small nod and put her head back to his chest resignedly. To her utter shock then, she felt him pressing his lips softly to her forehead. She looked up at him gaping, but he looked only at Earl.

"Do you still manage? I CAN actually carry you too, if only a bit awkwardly." Data offered once again.

Earl nodded "Don't worry. Just try to make sure, she's comfortable." he said looking at Emma smiling lovingly, and she finally returned it weakly.

She felt so confused and dozy that she couldn't even think about objecting to being still carried. They started out again, and in the warmth and security of his arms, Emma fell asleep again to the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat.

When she woke up again, she felt more rested than ever before without a shot of L-Cordrazine since she'd woken up in sickbay, though she was still exhausted. She blinked and turned her head about curiously taking in her surroundings: she was lying on something hard she eventually recognized to be the floor, but she was warm and a flickering orange light filled the small room she found herself in. It reminded her of Earl's living room at the Resistance, and she suddenly remembered sitting on a couch next to Bev, listening to her old friend. So she DID lead them to the Resistance. She sighed turning her head to the side and looking into the flames dancing delightfully in the small fireplace. The room seemed oddly familiar, and slowly, she recalled that she'd been here once with Earl and his son during one of their hiking excursions. How long ago that was! Most of the people who came with them hiking were now dead or imprisoned... Her throat closed thinking about them, and she took a deep breath to dismiss the sensation.

She then gathered her strength and grudgingly sat up, pulling her legs underneath her. The thin blanket rolled off her chest, and she rubbed a hand against her arm: she had a Starfleet uniform top above the thin sickbay gown she'd been wearing - and in a moment's time, she realized it was Data's. She pulled the two sides tightly together as if she wanted to hug the material.

"He's outside." she heard suddenly from her side. Earl was lying there near her on the hard wooden floor under a blanket propping his head up on his fist and watching her. She looked at him with slight confusion in her eyes, and he went on "He said he needs to guard us, and he cannot do that here, inside. Would lengthen his reaction time - or what..." he grunted a little bemused "I suppose he wanted to say, you'd divert his attention." he added chuckling. She bowed her head and sighed wearily. He sat up grunting uncomfortably against the pain in his stiff and sore muscles, and slid closer to her. Stroking the length of her arm gently, he asked concerned "How are you feeling?"

She shook her head with a grimace shrugging, and took a moment before she looked up at him again and answered "As if I was hit by a steamroller. My mind is just... it's all over the place." she confessed feeling her throat closing again. She shook her head again now visibly scared "I don't remember so many things, Earl! I don't even remember meeting you again!"

"You don't?" Earl frowned worried.

She swallowed hard "It's because of the coma. It should go away sooner or later. And as Bev said, all my memories should come back, but... " she looked at him desperate "Right now, I feel as if I had a hole in my mind! It's scary..."

Earl took her hand and rubbed her cold fingers gently, comfortingly "Well, let's see if I can fill that hole for you." he told her with a smile and went on telling her the story of the last few days - at least the parts he was aware of.

Shortly, Emma sat there dizzy from all the new information she was exposed to in little more than twenty minutes: "I brought the Enterprise crew to the Resistance. Ed is conspiring with Romulans. He shot Data with a disruptor - which he survived! You hooked up with Data's MOM who then turned out to be an android! And on top of that all, I was buried under a mountain and was dead for half an hour?" she shook her head feeling lost amongst the turns of events she'd missed "Can I just go back to that blissfully ignorant coma I was in?"

He smiled lovingly seeing that her humour changed nothing "No, you cannot!" he told her, then shrugged seemingly very embarrassed "And before you get the wrong impression, and start making things up about Juliana and me... you know, she did not seem to share my enthusiasm about pursuing any kind of relationship... So please don't even start - because I can see you want to start. But please don't." he added looking away, and she could see he was actually very hurt. Still she was so curious, it took all her strength to keep her questions in! Glancing at her, he could tell she was a hair's breadth away from going for an interrogation session, so to avoid that, he held up his handds really wound-up "Okay, okay, if you want to know... when we spent that night together at the Resistance, it was exactly because we thought we'd have no chance for anything more. She was to go back to the Enterprise where she belonged, and I was to stay with the Resistance where I belonged so... You know, I'm an old fashioned guy, I'm not into one-nighters. It just seemed, it was all we could have then, so why not grab at the opportunity... But afterwards, we both went back to the Enterprise, and I was hoping..." he shook his head again resignedly "I suppose it meant more to me than to her..." he shrugged again looking up into her eyes again with a forced smile "Anyway... it doesn't matter now. All that matters now is you safe. And healthy." he looked into her eyes lovingly "You have no idea how it felt to wait, while all I could do was hoping that one day I'd have a chance at sitting with you like we do now, and talking to you again, Little Bird!" he whispered, and she wordlessly cuddled up to him. He pulled her close holding her in a firm embrace planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She pulled away after a long moment looking into his eyes "Look, if one day, I woke up to find I'm not the person I thought I was all my life, like a Kafka character from Metamorphosis, I sure as hell would go through an existential crisis." she turned her palms up "In any other circumstances, where you'd be together and had a chance to discover more about each other, I'd say, just give her some time to find herself."

"I told her, for me nothing changed by knowing that she's an android. I still... feel the same about her!" he told her frustrated.

"Yes, but probably, she has no idea how SHE feels about herself!" she squeezed his hand gently "When one day, this whole mess is over - and if we survive what's to come - I hope you'll go to her and give the two of you a chance at being happy!" she smiled "She's an extraordinary lady. And you're a perfect match! I want you to be happy, Earl!"

Earl sighed "If we survive..." he then smiled at her stroking her hair out of her face gently "Why don't you go to your young fellow, and do as you advise me? You should find your chances at happiness too."

She bowed her head suddenly feeling an insurmountable desperation welling up in her "I... I don't think he'd welcome me... anywhere near him." she whispered and wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

He stroked her arm gently "Why would you think that?" he asked confused.

She shook her head still looking down "I... I don't remember if we ever reconciled... I just remember that we had a huge fight - in the last few days, we couldn't have one lousy talk without it turning into shouting. I-I don't know if we managed to figure ourselves out or... just broke up." she broke down crying, and he pulled her close stroking her back "Oh, I'm so ridiculous with this blubbering!" she moaned "Ever since I woke up, I do nothing but crying! Anxiety and restlessness is a known symptom of anemia, but I just hate myself so much for not being able to control it!"

"Emma... Shh... Hush, you're talking nonsense."

She pulled away looking at him visibly distressed "Earl... I found this incredible guy. And as long as we were together, I know I kept pressing him about all the wrong things! I was never able to openly show him or tell him what he means to me, because I'm just so afraid! Ed took so much from me, that sometimes I wonder, if the real me, who used to love him without reservation, who gave everything to him... if that gal is still there. Or am I just an empty shell, who's not able to give Data the kind of love he deserves, because... I simply ran out of it all! I prodigalized all my love to somebody who never deserved it, who used me as if I was an object he could possess. And there's nothing left anymore. Nothing, Earl! And if I think about that, I think... it's maybe better this way." her voice broke, and she started to cry openly as she went on "If we broke up, I should actually be happy for him, because it'd give him a chance to find someone who can give him what he deserves. If only it didn't hurt this much!" she hid her face in her palms, and Earl pulled her into a loving embrace once again.

He of all people knew the most how much courage it must have taken Emma to at least try to start a relationship after her marriage. But seeing how devastated she could still get over her own inhibitions, the painful thought struck him that she might never be able to completely move away from her past and heal her wounds. But he had to try to help!

He gently pushed her away and taking her face into his palms wiped her tears with his thumbs "Or you could just go out now, and try to be completely honest with him."

She shook her head "No..." she moaned fearfully.

"You could say, he's worth it enough to stake it all on a single cast, and you could go up to him, and tell him, you love him, and you're sorry, and that you want him back. Despite whatever happened between the two of you."

He let her go, and she sniffled wiping her face "What if he says he doesn't want any of this anymore?" she asked on a thin voice.

"Would he be here, if he thought that?"

"Earl, you've seen him! You've seen how distant he's been ever since we met again in sickbay!"

"Em, he was just as worried as I was, while you were in a coma. On the morning when we went to the mines in my car, you were sleeping on his lap..." he shook his head "I have no idea whatever happened between the two of you before you came to me, I also don't know what he figured in that android mind of his during those three days he had to spend in the brig all alone. But it's sure as hell, that you won't figure it out sitting here with me, crying about lost opportunities. And as much as I want to console you, I'm not helping you, if I'm nursing you and letting you shun away from the possibility of being in love." he stroked her hand gently "Sometimes being in love is more about taking the risks than anything else."

She sighed and nodded weakly. But she felt so exhausted... AND hungry! She probably was artificially fed while in coma, but they'd left over half a day ago. "Alright..." she whispered "But first I need some of that L-Cordrazine, and some food, if we have - I don't want to pass out on him, while I'm trying to unburden my little heart... It would do no good to the motivation factor." she grimaced wryly.

Earl chuckled and fetched the bag they brought from the Enterprise.