Love Me Dead

AN: Thank you all for your lovely and amazing reviews. Including the people that sent me support via DeviantART. The past few years have been difficult for me, so it's nice to get back to writing.

Chapter 9

Lore walked silently to the door, setting his eyes and ears on the tension beyond. Mother was crying again, she did that a lot now, mostly about him. Father was assuring her everything would be ok, that the colonists were backwards and just didn't understand- that they'd learn.

"You shouldn't ease drop" a soft voice brought Lore from his spying, looking over at his twin, Data, who sat so prim and proper in his chair. Giving his little brother but a glance before returning to listening through the small opening of the door.

"Why is mother crying? Did I do something wrong?" Data asked simply and Lore winced at this. Data would never disappoint their parents like he did.

"No Data, I made mother sad. Now read your books" Lore snapped, and Data complied immediately, returning to his assigned reading. Data didn't deserve Lore's frustration, and it was nothing his little brother had actually done wrong, he wanted his brother to remain innocent and not hear the pain in their parent's voices. At least Soong had the good sense not to give Data an emotion chip yet, so he could be blissfully unaware of the bullying and hostility the humans had towards him. Lore had no such happiness, and he'd wished Often-wrong had left him without the emotional ability to loathe himself for what he was.

His mother wailed a bit too loudly "He scares me!" and it landed like a knife in his chest. Lore would never hurt his mother, how could she possibly fear him. There was a time when his mother adored him, held him close to her like a small child, kissed his face and made him feel like the most important person in the universe- no anymore.

"He's learning, Dearest. Give him time." Soong assured her desperately

"Data doesn't behave like that!" and he heard his father trying to calm her.

Lore thinned his lips sadly, he never seemed to get anything right. He seemed to get accused of malice even when he did nothing wrong. The most recent situation, when his father had to talk the neighbor down from killing him after Lore had been caught in an intimate position with his daughter.
The fair and beautiful creature had been so good to him, she never looked at him in fear, or distrust; he couldn't help how he'd felt about her. It wasn't as if the situation had been planned by him either. She'd one day just grabbed his hand, and gently led him into the barn, and asked him to make love to her. He'd happily complied, and she held him so close, kissing his face with love and he shook at her touch. Lore hadn't anticipated the anger at their being caught, despite her assuring her father that they were in love- which made her dad scoff at the absurdity of loving a machine. Now she was gone, sent crying on the last transport to live with her grandmother far away and leaving him broken hearted. Dr. Soong had scoffed at the irate man, telling his son he understood he did nothing wrong, and that they probably wouldn't have made such a big deal out of the situation if he'd been a biological teen boy. That the primitives they lived with didn't understand him; but that didn't remove the gentle memory of the girls soft warm hands as she touched him, kissing his lips as he pulled her close. Lore didn't tell his father they had wanted to leave together when she turned 18, and they endeavored to move far away and live together forever.
Father had talked the girls father down from enacting his fury on his mechanical son, but it didn't help the matter that Data felt no shame and kept losing his clothes and was being accused of 'sexual deviance'- that was absurd on its own given his complete innocence. Lore couldn't understand why the humans were so hateful.

"You should deactivate him" Lore could hear his mother whisper, and his father shushed her angrily, and chastised the thought. Lore retracted from the door. 'Deactivate him', like he was a toy, or a object, and not their son. It devastated him, but as the days turned into months, that devastation turned into rage.


Lore startled awake, disoriented in the darkness and trying desperately to separate dream from reality. He ran a hand through his hair, commanding his mind to calm itself.

"Are you ok" a soft voice whispered in the dark, the arm resting across his waist moved.

He shook his head "I'm fine, just a bad dream from the past" Giving Frea a reassuring smile, but she wasn't convinced it seemed. Frowning a bit her lips pursed ever so slightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she sat up, leaning and resting her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him, her breath warm against his neck. Lore glanced at her, a peaceful look crossing his features as he looked at the woman next to him. Lacing his fingers into the hand spread across his chest reassuringly, and pulling it to his lips to kiss gently on the knuckles.

"I've rather focus on the future instead" he gave Frea a smile, leaning over to kiss her softly as he laid back down. Pulling her close to spoon her against him snuggly, and nuzzling into her hair, letting the scent dissipate his anxieties.

Frea stroked his arm around her reassuring him. "I have nightmares about the past too. At least we have each other" and he could sense her compassion. He would not let the past take from his future, and settling himself into her warmth. The night was long and lonely, but he was loved at last.


Lore's father had been a lover of women, or so he'd confessed as such to his son long ago, reassuring Lore that he was just like him in that sense. Lore's father often spoke "How beautiful and gracious a creature to allow us to love them" his father had lamented to his child one day- concerning Lore's mother, and Lore at taken it as his usual nonsense and prattling. But looking at Frea on the empty beach, the blue ocean before them crashed violently, and the warm wind played in her hair- he perhaps could understand the sentiment. Her eyes were closed in peace and contentment, as they sat in the sand, her head tilted even so slightly towards the heavens as the sun glistened in her hair and danced against her features. He felt small; an unusual feeling. Small, and taken in by these feeling he had, desperate, like a thirsty horse in the desert that had discovered an oasis to drink from and never wished to leave. Lore hadn't realized he was staring until she opened her eyes; and giving him a loving smile. He felt his heart race as she took his hand in hers, and he was reminded of a love he'd had from long ago. That was an innocent love, built in his young heart; But this was a passionate condition that bloomed within him, and he hadn't felt such feelings in such a very long time.

"Thank you for bringing me here" Frea leaned against him and he wrapped an arm around her. Warming her smaller frame against his own.

"I've been many places…but always alone. Now I have someone to share them with." He said thoughtfully. The white crests of the ocean pushing sprays of mist against the rocks. It was not a place you'd want to swim; But he could enjoy the savagely of the mighty ocean, and the crystalline sands.

"I promise you won't ever be alone." Frea sighed and hugged him closer as they watched the waves break against the cliffs in the distance.

Lore smiled, leaning down and kissing her on the head gently, stroking his hand across her back. Frea turned to look up at him, a certain seriousness in her eyes as she considered him thoughtfully. Stroking gentle fingertips across his cheek as he cocked his head ever so slightly. Her breath catching in her chest, thinking about what her life would be like without him. She couldn't even imagine, the thought of anyone but him being by her side urged her soft whisper.

"I love you."

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AN: I'm working on the next chapter now, but I wanted to write something romantic before I got into the thick of it. All my best to my readers, XOXO