"How did your date go?" Deanna asked, sitting down opposite Charlotte and waving the waiter over.

"How did you know?" Charlotte asked after they had placed their orders.

"Geordie told me."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Of course he did." She shook her head. "What did he say?"

"I asked him where Data was, and he said, 'If he's taken my advice, on the holodeck.' So, how was it?"

"Great. You should've seen him as Sherlock, with a dressing gown and pipe, strolling around the living room while he delivered monologues and solved a case a minute. I nearly cracked myself."

"Was this really the first time he had asked you?"

"Yes. Six years, can you believe it?"

The waiter returned bearing food. Charlotte looked over her plate of salad at her friend and senior officer's bowl. "Chocolate cake for lunch?"

Deanna shrugged. "Chocolate is for every occasion."

For a while the table was silent as the two women began their meals, then Deanna put down her spoon with an embarrassed look. "Charlotte, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Go ahead; you are my councillor, after all."

She lowered her voice. "Are you and Lieutenant-Commander Data in a physical relationship?"

Charlotte suddenly choked on her mouthful of food, and Deanna had to wait a few moments while she recovered. When she had caught her breath, Charlotte's face was as red as one of the tomatoes in her salad. "W-what brought this on all of a sudden?" she stammered.

Deanna could sense her discomfort, and cursed herself for bringing it up. "I'm sorry; you don't have to answer if you don't want to. It was merely curiosity."

Charlotte looked around Ten-Forward and cleared her throat. "It's ok; you just caught me by surprise. No, we're not in a physical relationship." Some of her embarrassment wearing off, she smiled. "One of the advantages of an android boyfriend is that you can take it as slow as you want and he won't complain."

Deanna was relieved that she hadn't taken offense. "You certainly do seem to be taking your time. If you don't mind my asking, do you have any plans of taking it to the next level any time soon?"

"Not really; I think we're both confortable where we are now." Charlotte leaned forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Speaking of the next level, what about you and Commander Riker? I don't know much about your past, but he's handsome, and a good leader, and I can tell you both still have a lot of chemistry. What about it? Any plans?"

"Charlotte, you are beginning to sound like my mother!" Deanna laughed, blushing. "She's intent on getting me married off to someone."

"And what do you think of that?" Charlotte asked, feeling that the roles of councillor and patient had suddenly been reversed.

"It's…annoying," Deanna admitted. She took her last bite of cake and gave a small smile. "But I can handle her most of the time." A sudden though crossed her mind, and her smile widened. "Speaking of marriage…this is probably breaking doctor-patient confidentiality, but I would only do this for you. About two years ago, before Keiko and Miles O'Brian's wedding, Data came to me puzzled about wedding customs. I can't remember how we got onto it, but he told me that one day, he hoped to marry."

Charlotte leaned back to absorb this new information. Of course, she hadn't been around then, and she wondered if C2 had noticed anything.

"He had one reservation," Deanna continued softly. "That he would never be able to grow old with the one he married."

"But if he married me, he wouldn't have to worry about that," Charlotte whispered, catching on.

"Exactly."

They sat in silence for a few moments, while Charlotte briefly thought about her future with Data and Deanna wondered whether she had done the right thing. Finally, Deanna stood up. "I should go; I have another date with someone else."

Charlotte stood too. "Thank you, Councillor." She leaned forward and briefly hugged her friend. "You've been helpful."

"I hope so."