A/N: Thank you all for your patience and support as this story continues. This will be a short chapter but fear not as there is much more to come!
For those of you disappointed regarding the lack of smut in this story, I apologise.
I do not write smut. Please don't misunderstand that as some moral trepidation against it. When it's well done, it's quite lovely.
We Scots are dead brilliant when it comes to insults. But I guarantee none of you want to suffer through a story about some poke with a right stauner.
I do not wish to ruin a fic with my clumsy attempts at writing it.
Thankfully, with the help of another writer, we've found a solution! Lady_Lore reached out after the last chapter and has graciously offered to write some collaborative accompanying stories to satisfy that thirst.
Be on the lookout for her story "The Complication – Missing Scenes" that can be found on A03 and
"I believe the word 'tart' would be an apt description," Data explained to Geordi.
"And this is the first time?" Geordi asked. "What made you want to try it?"
Data had been painting a still life in his quarters with a replicated bowl of fruit. He wasn't sure what it was, but a strong urge compelled him to bite into one of the cherries in the bowl. To his delight, he could taste the flavour.
Although the sensory receptors in his mouth allowed him to analyse the chemical makeup of food and beverages, he had never previously enjoyed the sensation of tasting flavour like this. From the moment he bit into the cherry he was overwhelmed with ecstasy. He had closed his eyes as he relished in the tart, yet sweet, juicy feel of it on his tongue.
Data had decided it would be best to tell Geordi straightaway. For weeks they had been trying to find what was causing Data's new feelings.
"Curiosity. To be precise, this was the third instance," Data stated.
"Ok, what was the first?" Geordi said as he ran his tricorder over Data's head.
It had been the night before when he'd first experienced his newfound ability. He'd been in Tasha's quarters. She had been reading to him and sipping a glass of synthesised whiskey.
Tasha had tipped her head back to take a drink. She offered the glass to Data, but he declined.
"Suit yourself," she shrugged.
Tasha set the glass on the ledge of her window and leaned in to kiss him.
It took him 0.0024 seconds to realise his sensors were not overloading. Although he could decipher the chemical makeup of the whiskey, there was more – he could taste the peaty, smoky flavour of the drink on her tongue.
He broke the kiss, took the glass, and downed it in one gulp.
He coughed as it burned his throat. But Data didn't care, every moment of the experience felt wonderful.
Tasha sat back blinking in silence as she watched him.
"Everything OK?" she asked.
"Better than OK," he replied with excitement.
He set the empty glass back on the sill and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Data?" Geordi prompted.
"Yes, Geordi?" Data asked as he cocked his head to the side.
"So, what was the first time you experienced this?" Geordi repeated. "Maybe we can isolate what is causing this?"
Data paused before responding.
"I'd rather not disclose that," Data said as he furrowed his brow.
"Ok, what about the second time?" Geordi asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
Data shook his head and Geordi took the hint.
After he'd seen them in Ten Forward, Geordi had casually asked Data how things were going with Tasha. Data had replied that they were in a relationship and had a desire to keep it private. He requested Geordi not discuss the matter again.
Geordi had smiled and told him 'whatever makes you happy, my friend.'
"I can't find anything that seems to be out of order," Geordi said as he placed his tricorder back into its holster.
"My internal scans show I am functioning within normal parameters," Data said in agreement with Geordi's assessment.
Geordi replaced the panel he had removed from the side of Data's head to access his positronic brain.
"As much pleasure as I have found in experiencing these new sensations, a part of me remains bothered by the mystery of their sudden onset," Data noted aloud.
"Then I'd say enjoy it!" Geordi said as he slapped Data on the back.
Tasha was waiting in the transporter room with Captain Picard and Commander Riker. She was wearing her dress uniform in preparation for meeting the Selay delegates to transport them to the planet called Parliament where they would discuss a possible truce in hopes of joining the Federation.
Tasha had done extensive research on both peoples and learned they had quite a long history of rivalry. As a precaution, she had helped Commander Riker in setting up regular security patrols for their visit and they placed both delegations 100 yards from each other to give each group some space.
Upon their arrival, the Selay had quickly made clear their displeasure for the Anticans. Tasha didn't need Deanna's empath skills to sense this was going to be a long trip.
Ssetar, the leader of the Selay delegation, was certainly not afraid to speak his mind. Tasha suspected he couldn't really smell the Anticans. From what she had read, both races thought themselves superior to one another and would frequently and freely insult the other at every opportunity.
They were frustrated that the Anticans had been taken aboard first and found the accommodations were not to their liking.
Tasha was grateful Commander Riker would have to see to rearranging that.
"Neither seem like very promising Federation candidates, Sir," Tasha said with a sigh as soon as the Selay delegation had left the room.
"Even Parliament's peacemakers may find this case a little difficult," Picard said in agreement with her assessment.
Upon leaving the transporter room, she headed back to her quarters to change into her regular uniform.
Stepping onto the turbolift she found herself face to face with Data and smiled.
"You look very appealing in your dress uniform," he said quietly.
"Computer, halt," Tasha said as the lift stopped.
Data looked down at her with concern.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to be unprofessional while on duty," he said.
"Do you really think I look…appealing?" She asked with a small smile.
"Very much so," Data replied honestly.
Tasha smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Data brought his hand up to touch where she had kissed him. He looked pleasantly surprised.
"Computer, resume," Tasha ordered as the lift began to hum along once again.
They said nothing more to each other on the lift. She glanced his way before stepping off at the deck where her quarters were located, and he acknowledged it with a short nod.
They had stuck to their promise to keep things professional while on duty. Their roles as Chief Security Officer and Second Officer had to come first. Their blossoming relationship was still largely an affair kept behind the doors of their quarters.
The pair did occasionally go to Ten Forward for an evening but were otherwise cautious about any public displays of affection.
Deanna and Beverly had been more than curious during their girls' night. But Tasha had stayed rather coy about the details of her android partner.
She was a private person. She felt no shame in her relationship with Data, but she also wasn't comfortable about spilling the details to her friends just yet.
Perhaps there would come a day, but Tasha knew that would be some time down the road.
Later that day, Tasha found Data in his quarters at his workstation. It had been a long day. Worf had suffered some kind of medical emergency and had spent most of the day in sick bay. According to Geordi, it was like an electrical charge had entered his body.
Data was pouring over maintenance reports from the last six months of service. Something was impacting the Enterprise. Earlier in the day, Data had observed Doctor Crusher looking at helm control functions on Science Station #2 on the Bridge.
After her use of the computer, it had become inoperable. Captain Picard had asked Data to investigate the issue, but he was struggling to identify the problem. Data was certain there was something happening aboard that was causing these issues – the Enterprise never would have left space dock if there were this many technical problems.
His first thought had been the strange energy surges they had recently experienced, but he quickly ruled out the possibility as there was no trace of the energy signature they had previously encountered.
Tasha took a seat in front of his workstation and stretched out.
"Long day?" Data asked her as he noted she looked more tired than usual.
"We found two of the Anticans lingering around the Selay delegation quarters. They were armed," Tasha huffed. "It's like they can't even play nice for a few hours."
"I have calculated an 88.4% chance that Parliament will fail to reach peace between the two delegations. It is highly unlikely they will be admitted to the Federation at this time," Data said as he set down his PADD.
"I've got patrols pulling double duty to monitor them but they're very sneaky," Tasha said as she rubbed her temples.
"Would you like me to get something for you?" Data asked, noting that she would likely feel better if she consumed food or beverage.
"No, I'm gonna grab some dinner in the canteen with Worf. He had some kind of accident earlier. Completely blacked out," Tasha explained. "Doctor Crusher released him a little bit ago and I want to catch up on what happened."
"Of course," Data said with a small nod.
Tasha watched with fascination as he grabbed a short tumbler from his workstation and brought it to his lips.
"Data, are you drinking?" Tasha asked as she recalled him sipping the whiskey in her quarters the other evening.
"Yes!" he replied enthusiastically.
She tipped her head to the side and held out her hands to prompt an explanation.
"I have recently discovered the ability to taste flavours," he said with a small smile.
Tasha was taken aback. She knew how much it meant to him to be able to experience sensations. As excited as she was knowing this was a huge leap forward for him, she also felt a little unsure.
He seemed to be gaining new emotional and sensational awareness at an increasing pace in a relatively short amount of time.
"Honey, that's amazing," she replied.
"Geordi and I are still trying to determine what is causing these changes," he said, suspecting that she shared his concerns.
"Ok, well how does it feel?" she asked with a smile.
"Indescribably excellent," he said simply as he licked his lips.
She beamed with excitement at how happy he seemed in that moment.
"When you are finished would you mind returning to my quarters?" he asked as he stood up and made his way out into the main living part of his quarters.
"Sure," she shrugged.
"I was wondering if you would like to stay the night tonight?" he asked as he took her hand.
"Ok," she agreed, slightly suspicious of what he was planning.
"Then I shall see you then," he said as he planted a kiss on her forehead.
"It was as if there was someone else inside my mind," Worf said seriously.
Tasha could see he was uncomfortable with what had happened earlier.
Worf stabbed at his Zilm'kach and brought a bite of the fruit to his mouth. Aside from Commander Riker and Geordi, Tasha was the only person that was willing to eat with Worf.
He knew his Klingon dietary preferences were displeasing to most of the crew. Yet, for all his 'lone warrior' mystique, he truly did enjoy their company. He'd been grateful when Tasha had stopped by sick bay to ask him to dinner. Of all the members of the Enterprise, she was his closest friend.
"Doctor Crusher and Counsellor Troi believe whatever it was is now gone," Worf explained. "But I feel great displeasure in not knowing what occurred."
Tasha nodded.
"I would too," she said in agreement as she took a sip of her tea.
"I was told there was trouble between the delegations," he asked.
"That's an understatement," Tasha said as she rolled her eyes.
"I apologise that I was unable to assist earlier," he said.
Although he sounded emotionless, Tasha knew that Worf took great pride in his work. Anytime he missed out on the action, he took it to heart- as if he had failed.
"It's alright, Worf," Tasha reassured him. "Believe me, I doubt that's gonna be the last time these two butt heads on the trip."
Worf flashed her a rare smile.
After dinner, Tasha had returned to her quarters and grabbed the gym bag she used for Parrises squares. She threw in her dressing gown and pyjamas, her toothbrush and comb, a clean uniform, socks for the next day, and her PADD.
After a small internal debate, she decided to throw in her shower supplies too. She knew Data had a fully functioning lavvy in his quarters.
She suspected that with everything going on between the Selay and Antican delegations, he felt that it would grant him some peace of mind to have her sleep in his quarters. She didn't mind sleeping on his sofa, she had done so twice before.
It wasn't the comfiest of sleeping places, but she knew he needed his workstation. It wasn't practical for him to be down in her quarters tonight.
Making her way to his quarters, she was thankful she'd used her Parrises squares bag. She'd run into more than a few crew members. Thanks to the bag it would look as if she were off to the holodeck for a late-night workout.
When she reached his quarters, she tapped the door to signal her arrival.
The door slid open and she was shocked to find Data out of uniform. He was wearing a pair of informal black trousers and nothing else.
"Ah! A deception," he said, spying the bag she carried.
"Yeah, something like that," she replied. "Do you mind if I shower here?"
"Not at all," Data replied.
Tasha thanked him and set her bag down on his sofa. She unzipped it and began to pull out the contents she would need.
As she reached for her shampoo, Data grabbed her wrist to stop her.
He said nothing and guided her toward the unused part of his quarters.
"I have something I wanted to surprise you with," he said as he tapped the console and the door slid open.
Tasha gasped lightly. He'd never used this portion of this quarters before aside from storage for his paintings. But he'd rehoused those elsewhere and Tasha found that he'd had a bed installed.
"I realise that this is probably preferable to my sofa," he said as he indicated to the bed.
He walked over to the built-in cabinets along the wall and opened the closet.
"I recognise the desire to keep our relationship private makes it impractical to haul personal belongings back and forth between our quarters. So, I have removed my clothing and stored it in the closet in the lavvy. You may use this space to store things here if you wish," he said.
Tasha smiled. He was so considerate.
"I have very little personal clothing so it is of no inconvenience," he added as he was unsure how she would respond.
"Thank you," she said as she walked over to him and took his hands in her own.
He looked pleased and that made Tasha feel ecstatic.
Data turned her around and began to rub her shoulders, kneading gently at the knots caused by the rival delegations. She sighed softly as the feel of his hands rubbing away the stress set her at ease.
"I'll be working on these reports for a while yet, but I've placed a canister of bath salts to ease muscle tension on the edge of the tub. When you are ready to sleep please let me know," he whispered into her ear.
She turned and around set her hands on his chest.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" she asked as she brushed a quick kiss on his lips.