Data: Although I am an android, I have not excluded the possibility that I, too, may someday marry.

[TNG S4E11 Data's Day]

T'Mal was floating in space near a small space station in Earth orbit. It was very quiet. Suddenly a few dozen little meteors hit the station.

'What? …' she muttered. 'Computer, freeze program!'

Nothing happened. She looked a bit afraid.

'Computer, end program!'

There was no change. T'Mal pulled herself closer to the station and grabbed the railing. She looked around anxiously.

Then a few more meteors came. One of them hit her leg. She screamed in pain.

'Computer, exit!' She gasped with fear and tried to calm down.

'Ortez to Commander La Forge. Geordi, are you busy?'

'Yes, we have a pretty serious computer update problem. Is it urgent?'

'Um, I don't know,' said T'Mal. 'I'm in the Holodeck Four, my program went crazy and I can't end it. I'm wounded.'

'I'll send Ensign Harper to you, he'll open the door from the outside.'

'Thank you, Geordi.'

Full of tension, she clung to the station. It was very quiet again. After some time she heard a male voice.

'Harper to Lieutenant Ortez. I'm outside the Holodeck Four and I'm dissableing it … now. Hmm, something is wrong. Lieutenant, has the program ended?'

'No, nothing's changed.'

'Lieutenant, are you in imminent danger?'

'No, it doesn't seem so,' replied T'Mal.

'Good, because it looks like it'll take a while. Please wait and remain calm. And inform me if anything changes. Harper out.'

T'Mal tried to check the condition of her leg, but the thick spacesuit restricted her movements. She pulled herself towards the entrance to the station, but it was jammed. The meteors seriously damaged the station. T'Mal swore.

'Ortez to Ensign Harper,' she said after long minutes of waiting. 'I have a problem.'

'Harper here. What kind of problem?'

'I'm in a spacesuit, it's damaged and I'm running out of oxygen. I don't have access to an alternative source.'

'How long do you have?'

'Thirty minutes.'

Harper was silent for a while.

'Please remain calm, I'll get some help.'

After a few minutes she heard a familiar voice.

'Hey, T'Mal, it's Geordi. I'll get you out of there, don't worry.'

'Okay.'

However, minutes passed and there was still no progress.

'Twenty minutes,' said T'Mal in a slightly trembling voice.

— — —

'It's no use,' said Geordi in frustration and pressed his combadge. 'La Forge to Bridge.'

'Picard here.'

'There's been a holodeck malfunction and we can't open it from the outside. The computer doesn't respond to any command. Lieutenant Ortez is inside and she's in danger of suffocating. We have only twenty minutes to open the door or end the program.'

'What do you propose, Commander?' asked Picard.

'I could manually reroute the holodeck's circuits, but it would take about three hours. Can Data come here?'

'He's on his way. Picard out.'

Soon Data joined Geordi at the holodeck with an impassive expression on his face. While Geordi was explaining the situation to him, they heard T'Mal.

'Fifteen minutes.'

They started working. Data's hands moved so quickly they were barely visible.

'Ten minutes.'

'Hold on, we've got this!' said Geordi to T'Mal.

'It will take at least fifteen minutes,' said Data in a dispassionate voice.

'Five minutes.'

After a while they heard a loud squeak.

'T'Mal, are you alright? What happened?' asked Geordi anxiously.

'You've got more time!' She sounded surprisingly cheerful. 'I remembered that during these missions they experimented with recovering oxygen from rocket engines after take-off. I managed to get to the container.'

'How long do we have?'

'About an hour.'

'Great,' said Geordi with a wide smile. 'We need just a few more minutes.'

Soon after, the door to the holodeck finally opened, showing the empty room and T'Mal sitting on the floor. Data went inside.

'Are you alright?'

'Well, I'm not dead.' T'Mal got up and staggered. She started jumping on one leg towards the exit.

'Wait.' Data quickly walked up to her and having taken her in his arms, he carried her to the corridor.

'You have quite a big nose!' She giggled when he put her down and poked him on the nose. He looked at her in confusion.

'Let me see your leg.' Dr. Crusher came to them from Sick Bay.

T'Mal pulled up her trousers a bit, revealing the wound.

'T'Mal, is everything okay?' asked Geordi.

'I assume this is a polite inquiry about my unusual behavior,' replied T'Mal. 'The answer is nitrous oxide. It was used as an oxidiser in rocket propellants. When they were experimenting with recovering oxygen from the engines, some of the nitrous oxide was getting into the oxygen containers. The amount is fairly harmless to humans but highly intoxicating for Vulcans. Long story short, I'm high!'

Data and Geordi looked at each other, puzzled.

'It will last for two or three hours,' said Dr. Crusher, who, having healed T'Mal's wound, was now examining her. 'She should be escorted to her quarters,' she added, looking at Data and Geordi.

'I will do it,' said Data.

He helped T'Mal up and they started walking towards the turbolift. At least Data was walking—T'Mal was jumping every other step. When they got to the lift, she began humming and tapping the rhythm with her hands. Data glanced at her, baffled.

'Bésame,' she started singing in the lift, 'bésame mucho—

'Como si fuera esta noche la última vez.'

Data looked more and more perplexed.

'Bésame, bésame mucho—

'Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después.'

She kept singing until they reached her quarters.

'T'Mal, it is advisable for you to stay here,' said Data.

'As you wish, Commander,' she said seductively.

'I am not saying this as your commanding officer but as your friend. I am merely repeating the doctor's advice.'

'I know,' said T'Mal and walked up to him. Data looked at her in confusion.

'I must admit I fail to understand your reactions. I assume this is the effect of your mental disorientation.'

'I guess so.' She stepped even closer, stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. His eyes widened in surprise, then closed for a moment. After a few seconds she stepped back, gazing at him longingly. He looked at her with bewilderment.

'Will you be upset if I go now?' he asked eventually.

'No.' She smiled slightly.

'Please rest. We will see each other tomorrow.'

He left her quarters, looking a bit crestfallen.

— — —

Data was in the holodeck with Picard and Dr. Crusher, in the office of the private detective Dixon Hill.

'I saw your light and figured you were working late,' said a stranger in a dark suit. 'Guess I was right.'

Suddenly they heard a knock.

'That must be my secretary,' said Picard. 'Please come in!'

The door opened and a female silhouette appeared. However, it wasn't the secretary but T'Mal in a tight red dress.

'Captain,' she said, 'I'm sorry to interrupt, but you are needed on the Bridge. We're approaching Cardassian space.'

'Thank you, Lieutenant,' replied Picard and left the room. Dr. Crusher followed him. Data walked up to the door and stopped next to T'Mal.

'I am confused why you came here,' he said. 'You did not need to.'

'Well, yesterday you left so early and didn't come back. I wanted to see you.'

She grabbed his tie, pulled him towards her and kissed him, much to his surprise. After a while she stopped and looked at him yearningly, but didn't step back. He stared at her in shock for a moment, then embraced her sheepishly. He leaned over and kissed her passionately.

Data opened his eyes and sat up in bed with a perplexed expression.

— — —

Troi was sitting at the bar in Ten Forward, sipping a drink, when Data joined her.

'Hi, Counselor. May I ask you a question of a personal nature?'

'Yes, of course, Data.'

'Why do people have dreams involving erotic imaginery?'

'Well, it depends on the context,' replied Troi. 'Sometimes the dream is about a person they find attractive or even love. And sometimes a dream is just a dream—an effect of the sexual function of human biological bodies. In this situation it might involve anyone—someone they know or a total stranger. It might be someone they find attractive or not. To be honest, sometimes people have very silly dreams. Why do you ask, Data? Did you experience such a dream?'

'I am just curious. Thank you, Counselor.'

— — —

Troi went inside Sick Bay.

'Are you busy, Beverly?' she asked.

Dr. Crusher walked up to her.

'No, I'm not. I've just had a pretty long conversation with Lieutenant Barclay, but I think I'm done for today. Are you okay?'

'Yes, I'm fine. I was going to my quarters. You know, about an hour ago I had the most unusual conversation with Data.'

'Data? What did he say?'

'He actually asked about erotic dreams,' said Troi.

'Do you think he had one? But he's always said he has no sexual desire, hasn't he?'

'Well, maybe it's similar to his emotions. It's there, but he can't recognise it.'

'Who could he have dreamt about?' asked Dr. Crusher.

When they were talking, Data appeared at the end of the corridor. He was walking towards them, but he stopped when he heard their next words.

'I hope it was Lieutenant Ortez,' said Troi. 'He usually talks to her about his emotions. I was surprised he came to me. Did you know he painted her portrait?'

'Really? Do you think he could be in love?'

'I'm not sure, but it seems to me it's possible.'

'What about her? Does she feel anything for him?' asked Dr. Crusher.

'Yes. I've sensed it for some time now. She loves him. Normally I'd find it adorable, but, to be honest, I don't know what to think. It's Data after all.'

'I believe he's capable of more than it seems.'

Data slowly stepped back and headed towards the turbolift.

— — —

The door opened and Data went inside T'Mal's quarters. She was sitting on the couch, but she got up when she saw him. She looked a bit uncomfortable.

'I don't remember much of what happened yesterday,' she said, 'just some glimpses. Did I do anything … embarrassing?'

Data stared at her in silence for a moment.

'No,' he replied. 'Although you told me I had a big nose and sang a song in an obscure language known as Spanish.'

'Obscure language?' T'Mal smiled slightly. 'This is my mother tongue! One of the most popular on Earth.'

'Hmm. If you say so. I am sorry.'

'Regarding your nose—it suits you. I hope you're not offended.'

'Not at all,' said Data.

There was an awkward silence for a while.

'Are you sure I didn't do anything else?' asked T'Mal carefully.

Data opened his mouth but didn't say a word at first.

'You kissed me,' he said eventually.

She froze and then started playing with her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

'Oh.'

'There are many emotions I do not fully comprehend, but I am not mystified by the desire to be loved,' said Data.

'That's so pathetic and illogical.'

This time it was he who froze, staring at her in bewilderment.

'I fail to understand this situation,' he said eventually.

Visibly upset, she went quickly to her bedroom and closed the door. He stood still for a while, then walked over there.

'I believe I must have said something that upset you, but I do not know what it was. Can you please tell me?'

For a few seconds he waited for an answer, but there was none, just a muffled sound of crying.

'Do you want me to go away?' he asked.

There was still no answer. He took a step towards the exit, then turned around and opened the door to the bedroom. She was sitting on the floor. When she saw him, she wiped the tears with her hand.

'I am sorry for—everything. Do you think I am pathetic?' he asked.

'No, of course not.' She looked away.

Hesitantly, he sat down next to her.

'Do you think you are?'

She didn't answer.

'I suspect your lack of response may support my question. In this case—I strongly disagree.'

She glanced at him.

'Since I do not fully understand your reaction, I will just tell you openly—I wish to upgrade our relationship to a romantic one,' continued Data. 'Your previous behavior suggested it would be welcome.'

'Are you doing this only because you think this is what I want?'

'No, I am not. I have observed my own unusual reactions concerning you. I have even suspected malfunction. But, as Sherlock Holmes says, if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. The only possibility I can see is that I love you.'

T'Mal stared at him silently for a while.

'Do you still want it?' she asked finally. 'Even with my inadequate reactions?'

'My reactions are often considered inadequate too. Perhaps we can be inadequate together.'

'Yes. Yes, we can.' T'Mal smiled slightly.

— — —

Data went into Engineering.

'Geordi, you sent for me?' he said.

'Yes, I did,' replied Geordi. 'I need your help with the system diagnostics. I want to make sure everything functions perfectly after the update. We can't afford to let the holodeck turn into a killing machine again.'

'I agree. Initiating life support system diagnostics.' Data tapped on the console. 'Geordi, I need to tell you something.'

'I'm listening.'

'Yesterday I proposed to T'Mal that we upgrade our relationship to a romantic one.'

'Really?' Geordi was surprised. 'How did she react?'

'She was upset and started crying.'

'I'm sorry, Data. Sometimes … sometimes that's how it is.'

'Oh. You have not asked about her reaction to my initial proposal, but her final answer,' said Data. 'I am sorry for the misunderstanding. She agreed.'

'Really?' This time Geordi's response was much more cheerful. 'I'm happy for you, Data.'

'Thank you. Life support system is fully operational, no malfunctions detected.' Data tapped on the console again. 'Initiating weapon and defence system diagnostics.'

'May I ask why she was upset at first?'

'I believe I did not express my wish precisely enough.'

'I see,' said Geordi. 'You know, last time you wanted to start such a relationship, you asked others about it. And it seems to me that this time you were sure this is what you want.'

'Yes, I was sure. Last time I did not develop any … feelings for Jenna. I did not have a wish to be with her before it happened. It is different now. I have noted that I am spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about T'Mal to the point I might say I am preoccupied. I want her to be happy. I want to be with her and look at her. I want to hear her voice.'

'Well, Data, I never believed I would ever say this, but it sounds like you're in love. To be honest, I envy you. Weapon and defence system is working properly.'

'Initiating holodecks' diagnostics,' said Data, tapping on the console. 'This is what I thought as well. I used to be very alone. There was no one like me. I was very excited when we found Lore, but he turned out different than I expected. Although T'Mal is not an android, she makes me ... feel less lonely.'

'I'm glad she does.'