Anduril; The Mended Blade
Chapter one; Concutio
Concutio. Verb. 1. Harass/intimidate.2. Rouse. 3. To damage. 4. Weaken/shake/shatter.
After a meeting with the captain, Counselor Troi cleared Data for light duties, to allow him to ease back into work gradually. In truth he was glad for the distraction that his return to the bridge provided, giving him the opportunity to focus on events outside of his own head. Barclay returned Spot to him and assured him that she had missed her owner immensely, although Data had his own opinions on the matter, as did Spot, whose first action upon returning to his quarters was to defecate into one of his shoes.
He expressed his negative emotions in his art, using the paint and canvas to try and say what he could not, and found it immensely satisfying. Troi helped him to analyse and interpret the images that flowed from his subconscious and praised him for his improvements, although he still suffered occasional bouts of anxiety. He discovered that, with the deepening of their relationship, Geordi became a steadfast presence in his life, and he was endlessly grateful for the support and kindness that his lover showed him in his darker moments. There was a depth to the engineer that Data had never seen before, that perhaps even Geordi hadn't known that he possessed, and his calming solid presence was a balm to the android's ragged soul.
It took him a further week before he felt able to involve himself in the social life of the ship, and it was with a lingering sense of trepidation that he walked into the lounge bar, his head swivelling from side to side, assessing the other patrons. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, and with a brief wave to a group of engineers on the far side of the room, he seated himself at the bar with his hands folded on the polished surface. A dark-skinned hand covered his fingers, and he looked up into a smiling face.
"Guinan!" He exclaimed, and her smile widened under her purple broad-brimmed hat.
"You bet. What can I get you?"
"But... how do you come to be on board? When did you get here? Why have you come back?"
She held up her hand and ticked off her answers on her fingers. "I have my ways, not long ago, and I go where I like." She dropped her hands again to cover his. "It's good to see you too."
Data smiled in response, turning his hands over to grasp hers. "It is good to see you."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You seem happy. Emotion chip working out for you?"
His face fell as he grimaced. "Sometimes." She frowned.
"You've had a hard time of it recently." It was a statement of fact, and he nodded to acknowledge, sliding his hands from hers to clasp them in his lap.
"It has been... difficult." He looked down, his eyes flicking rapidly from side to side as he sought the right words. "I would like to think that the positives outweigh the negatives, however there are times that I think that I would be better without either. But, I am learning, and I am sure that given time I will become... accustomed... to the vagaries of my emotions."
"Mmm." The noise she made was non-committal, just a sound to let him know that she was listening. He looked back up into her eyes and quirked a small smile.
"There are, however, some things that I am very thankful for."
"Like what?" She asked, head on one side.
"Data! Sorry I'm late!" Geordi slid onto the seat next to him and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Geez, things have been crazy down in engineering today, I wasn't sure I was gonna get away at all!"
Guinan smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see. Something to be thankful for indeed."
"Guinan!" Geordi leapt up to reach over the bar and put his hands on her shoulders. "You're back!"
"So it would seem." She leaned across the bar to embrace him as best she could, and he laughed at the awkwardness of it.
"Where have you been?" He exclaimed, letting himself fall back into his seat.
"None of your business, young man." She scowled at him in mock ferocity. "I'll go fix you two up something to drink, so I don't have to answer any more stupid questions!" She swept away from them in false indignation, and a grinning Geordi turned his attention to his lover.
"So. How have you been today? Everything okay?"
Data shrugged one shoulder, his brow furrowed. "I experienced a minor panic attack at approximately six twenty-four, lasting five point three seven seconds."
"You okay? What caused it?" Geordi reached over and took his hand, and Data squeezed it gratefully.
"Commander Riker came to stand behind me, and..." Data looked down at their hands, frowning. "I was aware of his presence, and that he was a known and trusted friend, but, somehow the proximity triggered a memory..." He paused, staring intently into his lap.
"Hey, it's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Geordi put a hand to Data's shoulder and the android looked up at him almost shyly.
"I do feel as if I could tell you anything. I trust you."
"I'm glad to hear it. And you can, you know. Tell me anything. But only if you want to."
"I know." Data leaned forwards to press their lips together, swift and chaste. His sensitive audio receptors picked up a muffled snort of laughter and someone making a retching sound, but... but that could be in response to anything, he told himself as he leant back. Probably entirely unconnected.
"You okay?" Geordi was looking at him, concerned. Data smiled shakily.
"Yes. Yes, I am fine."
Guinan bustled over, two glasses in her hands. She placed them in front of the two officers with a flourish.
"Something special for you, to celebrate." She announced. "My own recipe, so don't ask, because I'm not telling."
Geordi sipped as Data quirked his head. "What is it that we are celebrating?"
"You. Us. Everything. Life itself." She spread her arms wide, as if she could encompass the entire universe. "This moment, and all the ones that will come after it. Now drink, I'm done with philosophising. I want to know what you think."
Geordi lowered his glass and licked his lips appreciatively. "It's good. Actually, it's great!"
Data sipped and pondered for a moment, analysing the chemical components. He looked up at Guinan, who folded her arms.
"Well?"
He swallowed. "It is very pleasant."
He face broke into a beaming smile. "I'm glad to hear it. And don't you dare let on what's in it." She wagged her finger. "So, tell me..." She crossed her arms on the bar and leant over them conspiratorially. "When did all this start between you two?"
Data opened his mouth and then snapped it shut again, with a swift glance at Geordi.
"Would you care for me to approximate?"
"I think that would be fine, yes." She smiled.
"Five weeks, thr..." He broke off to consider for a moment. "Just over a month."
Geordi chuckled into his glass. "You're getting better at that, you know." Guinan grinned.
"I can't say I'm completely surprised, I always had a feeling there was something between you two. So what started it off?"
"We were drunk." Said Data, and Geordi snorted his drink. Guinan threw her head back and laughed loudly. Data's head swivelled between the two of them, mystified.
"Well, he's not wrong..." Said Geordi, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "But it wasn't quite that simple."
"Well, most things that are worthwhile aren't simple. Most times the things that matter most take hard work. Dedication. I should think you would both know a thing or two about that." Guinan leaned back, brushing an imaginary speck from the gleaming bar. "Otherwise neither of you would be here. Now, I've got customers, so if you'll excuse me." She nodded to them and glided down the bar to greet another crewman.
"Man, it's good to see her again. Wonder what she's doing here." Mused Geordi. Data made a non-committal noise in his throat, and Geordi looked at him sharply.
"Something is wrong, isn't it?" He said. The android shook his head, looking down into his half-empty glass.
"I can hear... they are talking about us." He murmured.
"Who?" Said Geordi, making to turn around, but Data gripped his forearm.
"No, please, I... I would like to leave."
"Data, we just got here." Geordi covered the android's hand with his own. "Is what they're saying that bad?"
"They are being... derogatory. About us... Our relationship."
"Well, forget it, ignore them. They can think what they like, doesn't change how I feel about you, so it doesn't matter. Now, I came here to see you and have a couple of drinks, so just relax and focus on me, okay?" Geordi reached out and brushed his knuckles across the android's cheek. Data managed a small smile.
"All right." Data murmured, sipping again from his drink. It really was a pleasant beverage, and he focused on the flavour and how it made him feel as he watched Geordi, who was listing the minor disasters that had plagued his day. Data studied the way his mouth moved, how he shifted his weight and used his hands for emphasis, and he allowed his mind to drift slightly, imagining those lips doing something other than talking, and those hands running over his body. As his mind wandered, his auditory sensors focused on the mention of his name by someone on the far side of the room. Almost without meaning to he homed in on the conversation around that table.
"...It's disgusting. I can't believe that he's parading that thing around in public."
"Oh stop it! He's not a thing! Besides, he's your superior officer."
There was a snort of derision. "I don't see how a machine can be an officer, it makes no more sense than handing over command to the ship's computer."
"He went through the academy, just like anyone else."
"Oh yes! I'm sure 'he' aced every test, but that doesn't mean anything, just that 'he's' got every book filed away in his memory banks! They should never have let it in to the academy in the first place."
"I'm done with this conversation, you're an ass." There was the sound of a chair scraping back, and footsteps on the carpet. The door hissed open and then closed again.
"Whatever, she's only pissed because she has some weird crush on the machine. It's gross, unnatural. And right here, in the bar? It's putting me off my drink."
There was a burst of chuckles.
"So I said, you can't just expect to... are you listening to me?"
"No." Said Data, focusing his attention back on the engineer. Geordi looked annoyed, but his expression softened as he reached out to take the android's hand again.
"If it's really bothering you, we can go." He said softly. "You want me to go have a word with them?"
"No!" Said Data, a little too loudly, and a few patrons turned to regard him. He ducked his head in embarrassment. "No." He said, softer. "I... Perhaps we should just leave. I am sorry that our evening is being cut short."
"Not your fault." Geordi's face was grim, and he gripped the android's hand tightly. "Was what they were saying insubordinate?"
"It... it was a private conversation. I should not have been eavesdropping."
"It's not private in a place like this. I'm gonna go talk to them, you tell me who it was." Geordi made to rise, and Data clamped a hand to his shoulder.
"Please." He hissed, eyes darting. "I... I do not wish to cause any offense."
"You're not the one causing offence!" Geordi's voice rose, and heads turned again.
"Is there a problem?" Guinan appeared next to them, leaning over the bar. Her dark eyes were flashing, and Data had no doubt that she knew exactly what was going on.
"No. There is no problem, Guinan." He took a breath and stood. "We were just leaving."
"So soon? Are you sure?" She frowned a little. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
"Perhaps we can continue our conversation at a time when the bar is not so... crowded." Replied Data. He tried hard to make his voice bland, but even he heard the tremble in it. Suddenly the bar seemed too warm, the voices too loud. He darted his eyes to the door and back to Geordi, who sighed.
"Okay, fine. Let's go. See you later, Guinan." Geordi gave her a half-hearted wave as he followed the android, who was already striding towards the door.
From their table on the other side of the room the engineers watched them go, and Lars Jensen sneered to himself.
Behind the bar Guinan's eyes glittered darkly.
"Yeah. Not simple." She shook her head sadly.