February 14th—Valentine's Day

Once again—like every day—Data found himself standing in front of Jenna D'Sora's quarters, waiting for her to answer the chime.

Before he knew it, the orange doors in front of him swished open, and Jenna stood in the doorframe. "Hi, Data," she said, then she glanced down at the bouquet of roses in his hand. "Oh, Data, they're gorgeous!"

Data turned on his sub-routine designed strictly for his girlfriend. His voice turned from its usual tone to a smooth, romantic tenor. "They are, naturally, for you, dear Jenna." Data held the bouquet out to her.

Jenna took the red roses, beaming. "You didn't forget!"

"I would never forget you," he said, smiling.

Jenna smiled, but gave him a strange look, as if she wasn't very enthusiastic about her boyfriend's change in tone. Or, maybe not. Data would have to see what she thought about it later…

Jenna gestured into her quarters. "Oh, come in," she said. "I don't know how many vases I have left, considering how many flowers you're giving me."

Data looked at her and tilted his head to the side in consideration. "Would it please you if I stopped giving you flowers? Or if I started giving you vases, perhaps?"

"No, no," Jenna said, finding a place to put the roses. "I like the flowers. I was just commenting." At Data's confused expression, Jenna stated, "It was rhetorical."

"Ah," said Data. "You do not expect a reply to your comment."

"No, but maybe it wasn't a very good comment. I'm sorry I confused you." Jenna felt some sympathy for her android boyfriend. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a relationship with someone and be clueless as to how they were feeling. Though, she was proud of his attempts to read her body language and facial expressions to judge her thoughts or feelings.

"An apology is not necessary. Our relationship is a very informative and helpful experience for me," Data replied as he walked toward her.

"Me too. It's definitely different dating an artificial lifeform," she replied as Data took her shoulders in his hands and stared at her straight in the eyes. He looked loving, Jenna thought with approval.

"But rewarding?" he asked her, his voice back to being smooth yet unnatural, Jenna thought.

Jenna nodded and bit her lip. Data noticed this and wondered if his intense gaze was making her nervous instead of the desired effect of making her amorous. He relaxed his gaze and began to speak. "I have a special surprise planned for you, my dear."

"Oh, ok," Jenna replied, no idea what the android had in mind. But the thought of a surprise excited her.

"I hope you have not eaten yet," Data said. When Jenna shook her head, Data took her hand and started to lead her to the door.

"Wait, Data, I look dreadful!" Jenna said before she could be led into the corridor.

Data cocked his head to the side as he considered her image and her statement. "I see nothing wrong with your appearance," he stated, innocently.

Jenna laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Sometimes, I think you are more a man than any human man!"

Data reflected on the comment. "I will consider that a compliment."

"As you should," Jenna said, a smile in her eyes.

"Here," Data said, reaching toward her. "If you insist you do not look acceptable for the surprise—which you do—let me help." He pulled some locks of hair out of her bun and let them fall to her shoulders. Jenna touched the renegade tresses and peered into her mirror. She was amazed at how beautiful Data had made her hair fall. There wasn't a strand out of place.

"Ready now?" Data asked her.

Jenna smiled. "Ready."

By the time Data and Jenna had reached Data's quarters, Jenna was really excited. Jeff had never done anything like this for her!

The doors swished open and Data turned to Jenna, motioning for her to come in first. He smiled at her reassuringly.

Jenna was surprised to find the whole room was converted into a Valentine's Day celebration—the lighting was dim, there were candles scattered among side tables to set the mood, there were red and pink heart decorations—but not too many, so that it looked just perfect—and a set table with a single candle in the center adorned with two plates—one on which a small box perched.

Data released his gentle grip on her hand as she walked forward, taking in his converted Spartan quarters. There was nothing Spartan about them now!

"Wow, Data, this is—magnificent! It must've taken you all day to do this!" Jenna fingered a little pink heart on the table. Her eye caught the deep red box on the plate, and she picked it up.

Data came up beside Jenna. "I have been told that women especially enjoy the taste of chocolate."

Jenna laughed as she viewed the decadent chocolates in the box. They ranged in shape and color—some squares, some circles, some a deep, rich brown, some a creamy white. Jenna opened the box and grabbed one of the white chocolates. She took a bite and let the creaminess fill her senses. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed.

One could describe Data as pleased that Jenna was enjoying his gift to her. The android watched Jenna's expressions carefully, taking in every nuance and detail. This being his first romantic relationship—but most certainly not his first lustful relationship, if he counted Tasha—he took careful measures to note all of her body language, hoping to catch any problems before they happened if he noticed something going wrong. The emotionless android was giving his best efforts.

Data felt the time was right to continue, and he chivalrously pulled out the chair for her. Data knew it was a risk, because he noticed many women did not like these old-fashioned methods of courtship. But Jenna sat down, nothing more than a curious expression on her face at what was to come next.

"One moment," the handsome android said to her, lifting a finger to add a gesture to his words. He left the room and came back with two dishes covered with lids. He set the dishes on top of the plates at the two ends of the table.

Jenna looked down at the cover, wondering what she would be eating tonight. She could feel the heat emanating from the dish, and wondered fleetingly if Data had burned his fingers. But then she remembered it would have to be one hot dish to really hurt him, and even then he wouldn't feel pain. She was still going to have to get used to having a boyfriend made not with bones and muscle tissues, but with cybernetics.

In one smooth motion Data lifted the lid to Jenna's dish, and the delicious aroma of a fine filet filled her senses.

"Data, this smells wonderful!" Jenna exclaimed.

"I tried this human delicacy once before while I was at Starfleet Academy—in a highly rated restaurant. I memorized the nutritional and organic composition of the meal, including the complexities of the original steak sauce, and programmed the replicator to perfect it. I have it cooked to medium, but if you do not like that, I can replicate another one."

"Medium is fine," Jenna said, slightly dazed that Data would go through all this trouble for her. "Medium is perfect."

Data leaned over to better see Jenna's expression, noticing the repetition of her words. "Are you unhappy?" he asked, his naivety and inexperience at fully understanding human behaviors becoming obvious. Maybe she didn't like that the steak was replicated—some people didn't like replicated food, Data had noticed. But Data had also noticed that some people were disgusted by the idea of eating real, un-replicated meat that had come from an animal. When people were raised on replicator food, eating the flesh of a real animal became too much for some.

"No, Data, I'm just shocked you would do all this for me!" Jenna smiled at him.

The android stood back up to his full height and lifted one corner of his mouth in a smile. Then, he began to pour a deep, rich red wine into both of their glasses. He began to speak smoothly again, enunciating every word.

"Today is Valentine's Day—you deserve to understand the extent of my affections."

Jenna just smiled before taking a bite of the wonderful steak, deciding not to get in to a questioning about how much "affection" he really felt for her. She would enjoy the evening, and talk to him about her looming worries later.

Data sat on the other side of the table, lifting the cover to his own meal and placing the napkin on his lap. He began to eat his steak, more for the sake of the dinner than because his systems needed the nutrients.

The dinner commenced pleasantly, with Jenna and Data engaging in conversations that helped them both understand each other more. Jenna was very satisfied with the steak, not just because of the taste but also because she felt touched by Data's thoughtfulness. This whole dinner was very thoughtful, including the roses he had surprised her with and the chocolates.

At the end of the meal, Data brought out a chocolate soufflé with a single strawberry on top. Jenna popped the fruit into her mouth, enjoying the taste, then ate the rich soufflé.

Once dessert was finished, Data asked, "Based on my predictions, this meal was very satisfying, was it not?"

"It was wonderful, Data!" Jenna said warmly. "Everything is so wonderful! You are so thoughtful, so caring!"

"I thank you for your kind words," Data stated, giving her a small smile. Jenna was learning to love that sweet quirk of his mouth. "But I was doing only what is considered socially acceptable on February 14th."

Part of Jenna took this statement as Data being modest, dismissing her gratitude humbly. But another part of Jenna made her think maybe Data was just playing a role, playing a part that was humanly "acceptable" for the situation he was in. This thought made her sad, made her think maybe this whole relationship was just—for him—an act. But, for this day, she pushed those doubts aside.

Jenna started to stand up, and Data rushed to her side, diligently pulling her chair out for her. Jenna smiled at the dedication to chivalry—he obviously found it to be very romantic. She agreed with those thoughts.

When Jenna was standing, she stared lovingly for a moment into Data's luminescent eyes.

"Data, how can I thank you? You have made today wonderful. And here I was thinking you would forget about Valentine's Day!"

"I never forget," Data answered truthfully. Data thought of how Jenna seemed so happy, and how grateful he was Riker had helped aid him to make this day perfect for her.

Jenna laughed lightly and pulled the android closer to her. He was the sweetest being on the ship and he was all hers. He was gentle, he was kind, polite, giving, and sweet, so sweet! He was a bit naïve and innocent, but those traits just made him cuter. He was adorable when he looked at her confused with that small, questioning twitch of his head to the side. Her eyes ran down his face, noticing the contrast of his chocolate brown hair with the pale of his skin, his beautiful, gentle eyes, his straight nose, his smooth lips. She found herself leaning forward and kissing those lips tenderly. He kissed her back, much to her joy. Jenna D'Sora considered herself the luckiest girl in the Milky Way galaxy. Data was all hers, and no one else's.

In theory, everything Data did for Jenna that day would work out. In theory, everything did work out.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" she replied.

Data was her valentine.

I hope you've enjoyed! For those of you with Data crushes (like me!) I really hope this made you feel all fuzzy inside! PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you so much for reading my story! Remember, if you want to know more about me or my other Star Trek stories, check out my profile. I've got a lot more to come, too! Happy Valentine's Day!