Jean-Luc sighed, unable to determine where he should begin the discussion. Deanna looked at him knowingly and, feeling the Captain's emotions run wild from unsure to frustration, began the conversation for him.

"You are worried that Heva is hiding something…or that she is an imposter." Once the subject was presented, Picard thought it would be easier to let the words flow to express how he felt. Yet now that it was on the table, he couldn't stomach it.

"I am more afraid of the latter, Counselor." He said grimly.

Deanna stood and walked to the window, her head bowed and eyes closed in deep thought. "Today when Heva came into sick bay…I felt something that I didn't feel before. I felt like I was looking at a stranger. She was so collected, so full of a strong sense of peace it was unlike how she has been the past day or so. Before today after she'd been allowed to leave sick bay to rest in her quarters I'd felt nothing but fear, revulsion and paranoia from her. She did try to hide it from everyone else but I could feel it clearly." She stopped here to inhale sharply. The Captain listened intently, it was as though he were hearing himself speak. Deanna's feelings mirrored his practically to a tee. When Deanna continued, her voice was hollow, fearful even. "Then she looked at me…her eyes were so….dead. It was Heva, but it wasn't. In between the calm façade and her pleasant demeanor I could feel Heva's fear and anger. In those eyes I saw neither. It was like looking at a corpse but feeling intense emotions from someone alive right beside it. I'm not sure what to make of it."

"Do you think perhaps the pain Lore inflicted on Heva has permanently damaged her mental well being?" Picard asked quietly.

"I'm not sure. It could have had an adverse affect on her like assaults do on many people. Lots of individuals suffer from multiple personality disorder and even post traumatic stress disorder after encounters not unlike Heva's." "Do you think there's something you missed? It seems all too…strange to me. Those sort of things usually come out over time, not immediately don't they?" Deanna tilted her head to the side and gave a curt nod. "Sometimes." she replied. "There have been cases where the victim was succumbed to the after effects almost instantly. In Heva's case, maybe it was because Lore and Data are twins. In her mind, since she's been behaving so irrationally toward Data, it could be that seeing him reminds her so much of Lore that she's taken back to the memory of her torture. It may never go away, and yet it still could. Perhaps we are just reading into things too much. I would like to begin having regular sessions with her until I'm completely certain."

Jean-Luc nodded. "Should we talk to Data?"

"Yes. I will later. I have already planned to call him to my office for a session regarding the effects Heva's behavior is having on him." Deanna's voice took on a subtle sadness that Picard picked up and understood completely. All of Data's life his pursuit of becoming human brought him many rewards and also some scarring elements. This, unfortunately, could be something that Data would have a harder time coping with than either of them wanted him to have.

"It's me." Data said to the closed door of Heva's room. He'd been standing outside of it ringing her bell several times to violent objections. Finally, Heva opened the door looking disheveled and scared. Her eyes found Data's and she breathed a sigh of relief. Data found it painful to look on her while she was like this. Whatever Lore had done to her, it had permanently scratched deep scars inside of her.

He reflected on his session with Deanna briefly.

"Allow her time to adjust." Deanna had said. "It would be best to give her time before we ask her to regale her encounter to us. She does need to let it out, and that might help her a little. But all we can do now is support her and let her know we're here to help her as well as protect her." "What if she never stops confusing me with Lore and she's afraid of me for the rest of her life?" Data asked fearfully. The expression on Deanna's face at that question still made Data feel sunken and hopeless.

"Then you will have to let her go."

The words echoed hauntingly in his mind while he followed Heva into her room. The scene that met his eyes was shocking. The entire room had been overturned as though a storm ripped through it. Clothes, equipment, information pads, glasses, and many more objects lay strewn about the floor. Some were broken while others poured liquids or decorative sands onto the floor. After scanning the room for a moment Data's eyes fell on Heva, who sat on the bed with her knees against her chest.

"What happened here?" he asked finally. When Heva didn't answer, he approached her cautiously and sat slowly down on the bed. Heva jumped a little and her eyes became round when they landed on Data. "It is alright, it is only me…Data." Data whispered, patting her leg gingerly.

Heva nodded rapidly and looked away. "I just…lost it I guess." She answered him at last. "I don't know what's happening to me. One minute I'm fine…the next I can't stand to be in my own presence…another I blank out and I don't remember anything that's happened…and yet another I'm afraid of the man I love. How does any of that make sense?!" She cried out and choked back a sob, hiding her face in her knees. Her shoulders quaked as she wept against her legs.

Data wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, shushing gently and rubbing her back.

Heva sniffled and finally rose her head. "What's happening to me?" She asked, shaking violently. "I've been through a lot in my life and it's never effected me like this. The Borg assimilated me, I've nearly been killed countless times…I don't understand what's going on. Am I going insane?" The question lingered heavily on her lips and her eyes went blank with terror. Data couldn't find the words to say. He didn't want to tell her what she didn't want to hear, but he wasn't sure how to comfort her either. For the first time in his life he felt hopeless, as though everything was crashing down.

What if Heva did go insane and had to be detained in a mental health facility for the rest of her life? He would lose her to herself and there would be nothing in the world to save her. He held back tears and attempted to create a look of reassurance and console on his face. "You are not going insane, Heva." He forced. "This will pass. I promise this will pass." He held her to his chest and let a single tear escape his eye. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours before Heva finally fell asleep.

Data slowly lay her down and covered her with a blanket before he left her room. Walking down the corridors to the bridge like he always did suddenly felt like a journey through time to an inevitable hell that was waiting for him in what could be a manner of days, months, even short hours; a life that could possibly be without Heva.

I'm so sorry for the long wait for these chapters guys. We don't have internet at home and this was my first chance to submit them in the past month or so. I will have more on the way and I'm also sorry for some of the sloppiness. Enjoy!