Data watched Rina working on the bridge. She was very quiet now. He did not know what he had said to anger her but the way she had snapped at him indicated that he had.
He was done for today and stood up to leave.
"May I have a word with you, Lieutenant Commander Data?"
He turned to her, surprised. "Certainly, sir."
She walked over until she faced him. "I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to be so harsh. I had a very bad day and unfortunately you were the person who took the brunt of my anger. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course."
She sighed with relieve and smiled. "Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"You are more than welcome. How are you feeling?"
"Honestly? I feel weak and tired. My dear aunt wouldn't let me sleep the entire night and I spent the time to listen to her telling me for the thousandth time how useless and unworthy I am." They entered the lift. She ran a hand through her hair and looked up. He saw the exhaustion and sadness in her eyes. "I don't know how long I can take it before I start believing it myself."
He accompanied her to her quarters and sat down on her couch with her.
"You should not believe it yourself. You are called Starfleet's best lawyer. You are a kind, intelligent woman and a very caring friend and sister. I am glad to have made your acquaintance."
She sighed and leaned against him. "Thanks, Data."
He looked around in her room, his gaze coming to a stop on the piano in the corner. "What is your favorite song from your youth?"
She chuckled. "There are too many."
"Is there one fitting your current emotional state?"
She looked at him with a frown. "Why?"
"It might help you if you express your feelings through a song."
She thought it over. "Actually there is one. It's from the same singer as the one from the party."
He led her to the piano. "Would you care to sing it?"
She seemed self-conscious. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Why not? You have a remarkable voice. There is nothing to be self-conscious about."
She blushed. "Alright." She laid her fingers on the keys and began to play.
Then she sang, her voice rich and pure. Data found it remarkable that someone could be gifted with such an instrument.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
drifting through the wind
wanting to start again?"
She looked into his eyes and he could see that that was what she felt like at the moment.
"Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin
like a house of cards,
one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling down-own-own
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced"
A small smile played around her lips.
"If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough"
She was smiling brightly now, it had worked.
"'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em falling down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon"
Rina's eyes were gleaming now.
"Are you feeling better?"
She shook her head and hugged him tightly. Her shoulders were shaking. He was concerned for a moment before he realized that she was not crying. She was laughing. Data did not understand why but it was preferable to see her happy instead of sad.
"You devil, you planned this!"
"To what are you referring?" he asked innocently.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Do I?"
She elbowed him slightly in the ribs, her smile not fading and playfully ruffled his hair.
Her hand slid down, caressing his cheek, then to his shoulder, over his chest and down his stomach.
He was about to ask her about her intentions when her arms enfolded his waist and her head came to rest on his chest. His arms encircled her shoulders and he soothed the hair that had come loose from her braid away from her face.
"Was I successful?"
She chuckled. "Can't you tell? I don't know what I'd have done without you. Thanks."
"That is what friends are for."
As he looked around he spotted a framed photograph on the wall. It showed five young girls about 14 years old.
Three Data did not recognize wore cheerleader uniforms and had pom-poms in their hands. The other two wore uniforms of a soccer team; one of them had gloves in her hand. The girl in the middle he knew.
She wore her dark-blond hair in a ponytail, her bangs hanging messily into her pale face. Her ice-blue eyes were sparkling and she looked directly at the observer with a bright and cheerful smile, exposing a pair of pointed canine teeth. Underneath was a short text from a newspaper article in a language he could not understand – perhaps German. Only the names. The cheerleaders' names were Carolin, Sorena and Verena.
The girl with the gloves was called Carola and the name of the last girl he knew – Katharina-Sarina.
"Are these your school friends?"
She followed his gaze. "Yes, they are. We were really close friends." She sighed. "They even knew about me not being fully human and unlike my family they didn't care."
"If it makes you feel better I tell you that I do not care at all what you are."
She smiled at him. "Neither do I care what you are. You are too sweet and caring to be just a computer."
He half smiled. "Thank you."
She cuddled up to him again. "Il n'y a pas de problème, mon ami."
Song: Katy Perry - Firework