Disclaimer :: I don't own anything Star Trek. Or Data... though I wish I could... But Starfleet ruled that he is sentient and, therefore, not property.

Dialogue 2

The door slid open. Deanna looked up from her work pad. "Data! What brings you to my office?"

"Counselor Troi," Data nodded in greeting and stepped into the room to allow the door to close, "I have something I wish to speak with you about. To be, counseled, as it were."

She nodded toward the couch as she stood from her desk, "Please, Data, take a seat."

"Thank you." Data nodded and took a seat on the section of the long sofa closest to the door.

The Counselor moved around the coffee table and took a seat next to him. "So, Data what is it you would like to talk about?"

Data paused for a moment, blinked twice and opened his mouth, "I have been having dreams, Counselor, of a romantic nature. Yesterday, I was in Ten Forward when Geordi noticed that I seemed distracted. I began to tell him about my dreams, but he seemed to become uncomfortable with the line of conversation rather quickly. I do not wish to make him uncomfortable, as he is my friend, so I thought you may be a better option."

"It seems odd for Geordi to be uncomfortable with you, Data. He's usually more than happy to try and explain the eccentricities of human nature to you."

"Yes, I know." Data paused to think a moment. "I believe the surprisingly emotional nature of what I wished to express to him may have been to blame. I have noticed that human males do not tend to be as open to emotional outpouring as females often are."

"Well, that's true." Deanna smiled. "You're feeling emotional, Data?"

"Not as such, Counselor. It is complicated. The dreams I have been experiencing have become of an emotional nature to me."

Deanna nodded for him to continue, "Go on."

"I have been dreaming of a young woman. In these dreams we..." Data paused, trying to word it correctly, "are intimate."

"You have sex?"

"Yes, Counselor."

"Data, does this girl have a name?"

Data paused for a moment, processing, thinking. "Not directly, Counselor. I say it sometimes when we are together, but it is hazy and unclear, as if I can not hear it clearly from my own mouth."

"You say it when you're together?" Troi asked.

"Yes," Data affirmed, "when we are in coitus."

Deanna blinked. It was still sometimes rather striking how blunt Data could be... "Ah," she smiled, awkwardly, "I see." She shifted and sat forward, looking at him. "Is she someone you know?"

"No." Data shook his head lightly. "I have never met her before."

"Why don't you describe her to me then?"

"Alright." Data blinked, remembering... "She is of Anglo-Saxon decent... pale skin and dirty-blond hair, which falls past her shoulders and she often wears it tied back in a messy bun. She has..." Data felt his artificial pulse pump a bit harder... his mind drifting into his memory of his dreamings... "small breasts... and an athletic build. Not tall for a woman, but not short either. She is somewhat muscular, and rather lithe... and..." Data trailed off. He found himself unable to continue - the image of her body stretched out beneath him overwhelmed his focus... her pale legs... thighs under the surface of his palms... soft flesh of her ribs under the surface of his palms... as he lowered himself to kiss her...

"Data? Are you alright?"

Data's head snapped back to attention at the sound of Troi's voice. "Yes. I am sorry."

Deanna smiled. "It's alright, Data. That was quite... beautiful. I have to say, I'm surprised that you don't describe her in her measurements, but in a more poetic manner."

"Do you want to know her measurements?" Data tipped his head slightly in question.

"No, Data," Deanna laughed, "but I think I understand why Geordi may have been uncomfortable."

"Will you enlighten me, Counselor?"

Deanna took a breath. "It's clear that you're interested in sharing your... rather intimate feelings about this dream woman with someone. Geordi is your best friend, yes?" Data nodded. "So of course he's the first person who you would turn to to confide in. But if you are having such intimate dreams, the content may be what made him uncomfortable."

"Ah," Data's head lifted slightly in understanding, "I understand." He looked at the Counselor, "My desire to express my rather sexual experiences to him stepped over a line. I confess, since then I have wondered how much I wish to share... and, though I do wish to talk about these dreams, I find I am, myself, uncomfortable with the idea of sharing the more intimate details."

Deanna thought for a moment. "Data, when you dream of her, are you always having sex?"

"Almost always, yes."

"And does that bother you at all?"

"No." Data replied innocently, shaking his head slightly. "It is an aspect of interpersonal relationships that I can not achieve within my circle of friends on board the ship."

"Ah." Troi nodded in understanding. "But you said, 'not always,' yes?"

"Yes, Counselor."

"Well, tell me about one of your other dreams, then. Maybe that will be easier, less awkward."

Data looked down and shifted in a thoughtful manner. "Well, there was one... in a night club."

"A night club?"

"Yes," Data nodded, "the kind with techno music, in this case, a variety called Trance. I had heard something similar on my last shore leave. I was standing in the middle of the dance floor with all the lights and music... and all these people dancing..." he cocked his head as he recalled... "then she was standing in front of me. We danced. It was in a kind of slow motion..."

Deanna stared. She'd never seen him speak in such a fluid manner before, like he was trying to describe something but the words were just out of reach.

"Then we stopped and all the people disappeared... and she kissed me. A kind of slow, soft kiss... that felt like it lasted for hours..." Data was gazing off into some distant corner without focus. His voice was low... almost a whisper... "Then she took my hand and lead me to my bed, in my quarters, and we just laid there for a long time... sometimes kissing... but without clothing..."

He took a breath and seemed to come back from wherever his mind had taken him. "Counselor, I find I desire to know more about this woman, but since she is not real, there is no way for me to talk to her."

"Well," Troi took a deep breath, "dreams come from within us. You have to look into the subconscious to find their meaning, and it's not always straightforward. Have you tried controlling the path of the dreams?"

"I have researched several methods of lucid dreaming and have had no luck in controlling my dreams whatsoever. That said, discovering her origins within myself would not help me to learn more about who she may be as a person."

"Data, do you think it's wise to become so attached to someone who isn't real?"

"I find I am hesitant to initiate romantic relationships with other humans. I am concerned about the fact that my life has no definitive end, where as, if I were to, say, get married, my wife would grow old and die. I can not. I feel it would be too painful for me to endure it. Or that my significant other would grow resentful of my continued vigor and life."

"But this dream woman doesn't present such a complication?"

"That is correct, Counselor."

Deanna gave a small smile. "And you enjoy the sex?"

"Yes." Data gave a curt nod.

"Now, you don't have to go into detail if you don't want to, but, why is that, Data? Is it merely in your programing to enjoy such things?"

Data once again paused to process. "In my dreams, I have human skin. I can feel her skin. I can smell her and touch her hair and feel all of the tactile sensations that I can not, in reality, feel. I have never before been able to feel a kiss... or the caress of another's hand on my bare waist. I enjoy running my hands over her skin and feeling her warmth. I enjoy the feeling of the sheets against my skin. Is it not the same for humans?"

She smiled broadly at him. "No, Data, that's exactly how it is for humans."

~.oOo.~

AN :: i've had this chapter done for a long time now - wrote it very shortly after chapter one... - and i was very happy to find i didn't have to change anything. it was possibly going to be tricky given it had to line up with chapters two and three which i wrote and altered only recently. apparently i wasn't as scatter-brained as i thought. :D ...i'm not a hundred percent on the night club dream bit, but removing it would leave a large gap, and it's not so oc that i hate it...