It was strange having a daughter. Data never thought he'd have one. Such a strange sensation that was brewing, one he could hardly fathom. He had wanted Lal as an experiment, to see how it would feel to be a father. To see if he could truly raise something from nothing. He felt like it would be an easy task, and in a way it was. All he had to do was teach, to watch his android progress in knowledge. But he didn't expect to actually feel. He was frightened, feeling as though he were becoming more human. Although he had always been a sentient being he didn't want to have such feelings. Didn't want to love. But it was inevitable with such a personal addition to his life.

Lal didn't know what she was, why she existed. She was confused, so curious and questioning. She wanted to know everything, so eager to learn. She was advancing quickly, growing. But she still had a hard time figuring out human nature. She couldn't understand why Riker looked at her the way he did, why his voice sounded different when he talked to her rather than others.

He was close to the bar, leaning toward her, and all she could do was smile, as she knew humans did. She didn't notice her father in the doorway, couldn't see the barely present look of annoyance on his face.

Data didn't know the exact feeling he had as he watched Riker, apparently flirting with his daughter. Any father would be upset, surely, he thought. So he questioned the man, a flare of upset in his cadence. He wanted to defend Lal. No one would get away with taking advantage. And something other than love or care began to appear within him. He realized in that moment that it was jealousy. But he didn't want to believe that. Jealousy of another man talking to his daughter, stealing her affections, perhaps, but he didn't want to believe it was jealousy of attraction. To think that his daughter would want to be with another man was a hard one to accept. He swallowed and turned, leaving the bar.

It began to eat at him, worrying him. He had nevr been concerned before, always having been rational and emotionless. And if he had emotion, he didn't want this. From his data banks he new that a romantic attraction toward one's own daughter was wrong. Immensely. It was what humans called a taboo. And he was ashamed. It was not a pleasant feeling to have among so many others. He felt like he was being drained of energy, if he could be one to aquire fatigue. But he was not, so surely he was malfunctioning.

Lal noticed a change in her father, having already become accustomed to his demeanor. Usually he was indifferent, calm, sure. But lately he'd been what humans might call clumsy. And he stuttered. Currently he was doing a diagnostic on her. He had an array of flashdrives on a tray, and various cords. He picked up a cord and went to plug it into her mechanical cranium's port, but then he froze, wondering if he had picked up the wrong one. Instead of looking at it he nervously turned to to the tray to look down, then back to Lal. Assessing that he had the right one in hand he pressed his open lips together and plugged the cord in, embarrassed by his short inability to know exactly what he was doing. If he could blush, he would have.

Not that his expression didn't hold an air of such a notion.

As well, he would have cleared his throat as he began to work. He was fumbling with buttons, unable to concentrate on what he was doing. In human words, he was fumbling. He didn't dare get frustrated though, he wouldn't add that feeling to his broadening repertoire. But when Lal lifted her head to look into his eyes his lips parted and he forgot what he was doing. He stared back into her eyes, at a loss as to what to say, or do for that matter. She was smiling at him, closed, sweet, her eyes shining. She looked so bright and happy. He knew he was supposed to be a cold machine, but in that moment he wondered if androids really could feel warmth.

Tilting her head, Lal spoke, "Father. You are different."

It was a mere statement, and a true one. He was different. All because of her. He glanced away, focusing on a spot on the floor, "Yes." Then he looked at her again in an attempt to act natural, closed-off and neutral, "I have never had such an experience, having a child. It is new and I must confess, daunting."

Lal continued to smile, a bit more sentimentally, "You are a good father."

Those words shot through a certain part of his chest, and he feared that perhaps he was over-heating. He'd been unwell lately and should have went to sickbay a lot sooner. As though he were a human, how absurd. He required a checkup at the very least. He jerked his head down to continue his work, but the words would not stop repeating within his datastream. He knew what he wanted to say in return, but the words took a while to come out, "And you are exactly what I had envisioned."

He looked down at her and could see that she was grinning. He envied her, that she could be so much more advanced in human nature than he was, that she could accept it as who she was.

"Lal," he addressed, though he didn't know why, he had nothing to say. And she she looked up at his once again he was awestruck by how happy she was. "You are so beautiful," he mused.

Now Lal was the one to blush as she looked down and exclaimed, "Oh, father!"

Data was serious as he grabbed her chin and lifted it to make her look at him again. His eyebrows rose and he spoke pointedly, "It is true." And it was then that he felt a nervousness within him like no other, and felt as though his core were about to explode. He might have even welcomed a self-distruction as he bent down to place a soft kiss to Lal's lips. He lingered, relishing the feeling of doing something he'd never done before. A new experience. He had never kissed, never wanted to. He had always found it odd that humans would show love in such a way, and it did feel strange indeed. He wasn't sure how it made him feel, if he liked it or not. But when he pulled back he saw Lal's wide eyes and part of him wondered if he should regret it.

The wonder only lasted a moment before Lal lifted her hands to grip onto his shirt and used it to help her stand before immediately placing her lips back onto his. She was aware of what the action meant, what it was to humans, affection, love, but she was too naive to realize that it was to be shunned if it was toward her own father. They may not have been biological, but it was the dynamic that made it questionable. Yet, Data accepted it, too curious. He gripped her upper arms and manipulated her lips open so that he could deepen the kiss, reveling in the new sensation and wanting to know what it felt like, what it could possibly be about it that humans found appealing. It was nice, that he deduced, and it did bring about a certain heightened state of mind. It felt as though there were a deeper connection, that Lal was physically a part of him, and that was what made him want to continue. He made a sound as he explored her mouth with his tongue and he could feel her melting into him, as though she were enjoying it. But he wanted to make sure she was alright, so he gently broke the kiss and questioned, "Lal, are you alright?"

She pulled on his shirt as if she wanted him to continue, or simply wanted him close; her expression was finally serious, "I feel... I feel love, father. I love you."

Data's lips parted and he was a bit surprised that she had the capacity to say such a thing, but then he snapped out of his stupor and breathed out, "Oh Lal..." He took her head in his hands and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head before pulling back again, "I feel for you too."

He didn't know why he couldn't say the words back. It felt too odd, too unlike him. To say those words were unfathomable. But he didn't lie, he did feel, and although that weren't much better, it was easier to say. And it was worth it to see her eyes light up again before she hugged him. He held her and he found himself smiling in return, even if it was subtle. He wouldn't trade this moment for anything, not the confusion or the loathing, for this meant more to him than anything ever had. This was what it felt like to feel, to have someone, and it was perfect.