A/N: Thank you for your continued patience and support with this story.
C/W: Contains abusive behaviour, smut, and dub con/rape. Will contain Data/Tasha fluff and eventual smut. Lore is a master of manipulation. Lore/Beverly (but it's not what it seems).
This is a fic in which Lore (still his lovably flawed, chaotic self) plays the long con before showing his true colours. Also, Lore and Data have significantly greater capacity to feel than canon suggests.
From the moment the homemade French toast hit her mouth, it had felt like a tiny slice of ecstasy.
Across the table, a pair of golden eyes watched with eager anticipation as she slid the fork out from her lips to snag another strawberry.
She had been through so much lately that he wanted to do something to show her how special she was.
"These are the fluffiest eggs I've ever had," Beverly said in astonishment.
Lore grinned.
"Good enough to earn the chef a kiss?" Lore asked.
He could be wickedly cheeky in the morning.
Beverly made to get up, but Lore beat her to it.
"Ah, ah," he insisted.
They shared a slow, affectionate kiss.
Technically, yesterday had been their first day back together.
But last night had been their first night back together since Lore's release from the brig. It had been a bittersweet reunion overshadowed by the fact Data was jetting off on holiday and Wesley had still refused to speak with his mother.
Beverly was doing her best not to let it impact her.
But Lore could see just how much she worried about her son.
Lore knew first-hand how deeply such concern could affect a mother – especially one that loved as fiercely as Beverly.
"You know, it turns out a faulty sensor was responsible for tripping that alarm last night," Beverly mused as she nibbled on her breakfast.
"Really?" Lore replied, feigning surprise.
He picked up his saucer of coffee and sat back in his chair. Of course it was a fault sensor. Lore had busted it in the hopes of delaying his brother's departure. He had only planned to rattle Data - he hadn't expected to be handed the opportunity for one last, delicious chance to shake up Lieutenant Yar.
"Well thank goodness it was not a real alarm," Lore said.
"Mmm hmm," Beverly replied.
She brought her hand up to cover her mouth.
"We were lucky," Beverly added.
Dramia II plague could have been a serious medical issue had the alert been real. Even with quarantine procedures in place and a known cure, it didn't take much for the contagion to knock down a crew for a week to ten days.
"At least it didn't stop Lieutenant Yar and your brother from their little holiday," Beverly said with an air of disdain. "I'm just glad they're gone for the next week."
She frowned.
"Even if they are sitting on a beach on Tauphin IV enjoying the sunshine," she added. "And the salt. And the sand."
Beverly sighed.
She adored the beach.
It just didn't seem fair for Data to attack his brother and then be rewarded with a holiday trip to a pleasure planet.
"Oh I'm sure," Lore said absentmindedly as he scrolled through the morning's Federation news on his tablet.
All of sudden, his PADD lit up with an incoming transmission.
Lore sat up. His eyes went wide as he bit back a grin.
My old friend. Lore thought with relief.
It was good to know she was alive.
As he read through the message, Lore tapped his device to respond with a series of graviton pulses. It had taken him days to figure out a way to communicate.
And he was so grateful that he had.
As he transmitted the coordinates of Tauphin IV to the Crystalline Entity, Lore felt a wave of synthetic endorphins surge through his neural net like a shot of liquor.
If his brother wanted to celebrate his engagement, then Lore was going to be sure to send him something he'd never forget.
"Maybe they'll have so much fun away from here, they won't want to come back?" Beverly pondered aloud.
She chuckled to herself.
"I'm sorry that was wicked," she apologised.
Beverly sighed as she took a sip of coffee.
"I just meant, maybe they'll put in for a transfer or something. It's hard to be married on a starship," Beverly said.
While her marriage to Jack had been wonderful, Beverly was no stranger to the challenge of serving together with her spouse.
"Who am I kidding, I bet they didn't go to the beach. They're probably at that stupid lighthouse," Beverly said as she shook her head.
"Oh, I'm sure," Lore agreed.
He clicked send and his message was off.
"I sure hope they get time for a little fun in the sun before it's too late," Lore said with a strange twinkle in his eye.
Tasha Yar shuddered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
She could hear a pack of wolves howling in the distance. There was no way to precisely tell how far away they were – nor how many of them were out there.
It was still dark, but Tasha was looking forward to the sunrise.
At least once the sun was up she would feel safe enough to sleep.
After a trek up the mountain trail, she had found her campsite easy enough. Though remote, the area was clearly marked.
As required, her 'campsite' was actually more of a platform that was hoisted up into the trees. It was a matter of safety in these woods. At three metres long and weighing nearly two-hundred and fifty pounds, the wolves that roamed Neira were both larger and more aggressive than those found on Earth.
Upon her arrival, Tasha had initially wanted to set up a campfire.
Unfortunately, she'd caught wind of a pack prowling about and had hastily scrambled up the tree. They'd crossed under her campsite twice since her arrival.
Tasha knew it wasn't safe to go down. Starfleet Security and aikido aside, Tasha knew it was foolish to think she stood a chance with a lone phaser against a pack of Neirian wolves.
Despite being nearly twelve metres off the ground, she didn't feel terribly safe way up in the trees.
Wolves could climb – but they could wait.
So Tasha had sat freezing by herself as she waited for sunrise.
Once the sun was up, she knew the wolf activity would likely die down. She could make a fire, set up a perimeter alert, and prepare for the night to come.
It was isolating and Tasha felt more alone than she had in ages.
But she could breathe.
Tasha's eyes fell on the antique book resting on top of her sleep sack down by her feet.
She'd had sense to snag it on her way off the shuttle and figured it would be something to do while she was out here alone.
But it was still dark, and Tasha was on edge.
More than that, she was reluctant to try and read. She was so cold that she was shivering. Tasha had no desire to take her gloves off to turn pages.
Crunch.
Tasha slowed her breathing, doing her best to remain perfectly still as she listened, straining her ears as she listened to the sounds of the forest.
Crunch.
She could hear something coming closer.
Whatever it was, it was heavy – heavy enough to sink through the snow and break the branches that littered the ground below.
It stopped beneath her platform.
Tasha closed her eyes. She really did not want to look over the side. Doing so would rock the swinging bed and alert the wolf to her presence.
The last thing she needed was to have them waiting around for her to come down.
Tasha swallowed hard as she gripped her phaser.
After several moments, there was no sound and that struck her as unusual. Tasha couldn't understand why there was no growling.
With a growing sense of panic, she considered this may not be a wolf at all.
Wolves were the primary threat. Lynx were also a concern.
And Lynx could climb.
Tasha chanced a peek over the edge of her platform. She nearly tumbled over the side as she was met by a pair of yellow eyes.
But they were not the ones she had been expecting.
"How did you?" Tasha trailed off in shock.
One Hour Earlier
Data dropped the tray of food and rushed out of the cabin.
He raced around to the backside where a large, wrap-around balcony overlooked the valley below. It was hundreds of feet down.
He tried not to panic as he looked for any possible clues.
There was no ice that could lead to a slip or fall. And despite all of the collective trauma she had lived through, Tasha had never given any indication of self-harm.
Data conducted a quick sweep of the immediate area and found no sign of Tasha.
He next went down to the lobby in the main lodge and spoke with the clerk at the front desk. To Data's dismay, the clerk said she had not seen Tasha since their check-in.
The clerk had seen just how panicked Data was and assumed the worst. She herself had survived an abusive relationship. After seeing Tasha's desperate attempt to flee, the clerk presumed Tasha had left with good reason and had no interest in revealing any information that might help him locate her.
Utterly rattled, Data had left the main lodge unsure of his next step.
Obviously, Lore had violated her luggage.
But Data couldn't understand why Tasha had chosen to run away rather than talk with him. It scared him that she hadn't left any kind of note or given him a head's up she was heading out on her own for a while.
It hurt.
Data knew her trauma wasn't about him. But he felt like he had somehow failed to provide the support or care she needed.
Why did she leave?
More importantly, Data needed to know if she left of her own accord or if something had happened.
As much as it pained him to do so, Data had even calculated the approximate area of land below their cabin balcony and conducted a search of the area – reminding himself that the chances of Tasha falling or jumping were slim - each step of the way.
Despite her disappearance, Data was relieved he did not find her at the bottom of the valley.
Stumbling back toward the lodge, Data was in daze.
Neira was a large planet, and he did not have the resources of the Enterprise at his disposal.
But he did have a shuttle.
Data shook his head.
Of course! Data thought.
It would only make sense that Tasha would return to the shuttle. Most of the services in the village didn't open for another few hours. The recreational pursuits available at the lodge weren't going to open up until 10:00.
Tasha likely went to the shuttle for some time alone. That was the most logical explanation.
When he found the shuttle empty, Data's sense of alarm had gone on red alert.
Troubling still was the fact that ration packs, a cold-weather survival kit, and a phaser were all missing.
Data collapsed at the helm as he stared out the viewscreen at the vast, dark expanse of Neira's wilderness.
They were supposed to be reconnecting.
Rediscovering their love for one another.
Hell, this was supposed to be a celebration of their engagement.
And now she was gone.
Data sat up as his eyes flitted back and forth rapidly.
Their engagement.
As he queued up the sensor console, Data only hoped that Tasha would be alright when he found her.
Present
"Your ring contains a specialised atomic signature that can be traced by my internal sensor programme," Data explained.
Despite the chill, Tasha pulled the chain out from her cold weather suit and glanced down at her engagement ring.
She slipped it over her neck. With no small amount of pain, she dropped it over the side and down to Data.
It hurt.
It hurt more than Tasha could have imagined.
But it felt like the right thing to do.
"I think there are things you want that I can't give you," Tasha said. "I won't give you."
She sniffled.
It was cold enough that her tears were at risk of freezing on her face and eyelashes.
Data was so shocked that he simply watched the ring fall, staring in disbelief. It only took two seconds to land - but for an android it was an agonising eternity
After a few seconds, Data knelt down and retrieved the ring from the snow.
"Why?" Data asked simply.
He longed to understand where he went wrong. A part of him also felt that he deserved an explanation – even if it wasn't something he wanted to hear.
Up in the tree, Tasha rolled her eyes.
She really didn't want to get into this when they were out in the middle of nowhere, separated by a platform on a pulley, and the air temperature was cold enough to ice a Tholian.
"Data, I know you've been very patient with me. And, well," Tasha paused and grumbled. "Look, I've really been trying. And I'm sorry. Because I think our expectations differ."
Data was taken aback.
"Tasha, I only desire to do whatever makes you happy," Data insisted.
Data was grateful when he saw the platform begin to drop as Tasha lowered herself down to ground level.
His brief moment of relief faded as he saw how angry she was.
"Don't!" Tasha sobbed. "Just get out of here!"
Data's shoulders slumped. He glanced down at the ring and then back up to meet Tasha's eyes. He may have been a great deal stronger than her, but he'd been brought to his metaphorical knees.
"I will leave you the cabin. I can stay in the shuttle. Please come back with me," Data said.
There was a strange feeling of moisture beginning to prick at the corner of his eyes and threatening to spill over.
"I-I-I am uncertain what this sensation is. But I do not want it," Data said as his coolant system struggled to maintain his functioning.
He took a step back as he ran an internal diagnostic to try and slow his processing.
Data was at risk of a central processing shutdown if he didn't get a handle on his neural net.
"Please go back with me and I will leave you the cabin for the duration of our stay. I only wish to ensure your safety. Please, Tasha. Trust me," Data pleaded.
"I thought I did," Tasha said softly.
She crossed her arms and glanced out at where the first glimmer of sunlight were starting to peak over the horizon.
"I really thought I could," Tasha wept.
Data's logic programme was struggling to rationalise just where he had miscalculated in emulating human behaviour to have caused such a reaction. It frightened Data to think he had been so far off the mark that he could be the reason for causing Tasha such pain.
"I do not understand," Data confessed, terrified. "I-I-please."
"Why?" Tasha demanded.
Data blinked – scared and confused and desperately seeking answers.
"Was it not enough? Is it me?" Tasha asked. "Was it because you think I'm-"
She bit her lip to stop it from quivering.
"Because of him?" Tasha finished as her voice cracked.
Data watched, horrified, as Tasha tried to explain her frustration.
She couldn't look at him anymore. Her hands were trembling.
"I know you try. You try so hard," Tasha said.
She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her glove.
"But it's different with him. It is. It just is and I would give anything to take back that night," Tasha snivelled. "But I can't."
She shrugged and took a shaky breath.
"And I don't blame you. I get it. It was one thing when it. Well, it was different before," Tasha sighed. "You say you don't have emotion, but you do."
Tasha looked up at Data.
But rather than love, she looked upon him with pity.
"I think whether you want to admit it or not, you're bothered by this," Tasha concluded. "And I do not blame you. Sorry it took me this long to figure it out."
"Tasha, I love you," Data insisted.
He was struggling to understand where their conversation was headed.
"Yeah," Tasha nodded. "I think you do. But I think there's a part of you that realises I'm ruined."
Her brow furrowed. She shook her head as she studied Data's face.
"I'm ruined and there's no going back. I get why you did it. I wouldn't have said yes, but I would have appreciated you asking me at least," Tasha admitted. "But I suspect you didn't want to have to admit it because you worried it would make me feel bad."
Data cocked his head to the side.
"Well, it feels a lot worse this way," Tasha confessed.
I get why you did it.
Data was stuck replaying this in his mind.
Tasha's tears were frozen to her face now, stinging her reddened skin in the frosty air.
"You can keep them," Tasha announced. "I don't want them back."
Them? Data considered.
"You can have the ones you asked about too. The pair you were so fond of," Tasha offered in a bitter voice. "Take the whole damn outfit. You know what? Why don't you just pick out anything you'd like when we get back. Anything that's special."
While the words would normally have been a gesture of kindness, they were dripping with disdain. Data understood that in this setting, this was a statement of pain.
"Just take that whole bloody drawer of knickers," Tasha shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose that's the least I could do for you. I certainly don't ever want to look at them again."
Data now realised just where her mind was at.
"Tasha, I did not-" Data began to say.
"Don't!" Tasha shouted as she stepped forward.
A fresh batch of warm tears began to roll down from her eyes.
"Don't tell me how you did not intend to hurt me," Tasha fumed. "Don't come here and pretend to be so patient and perfect when all you do is remind me that I will never be-"
She stopped and took a breath to compose herself.
"I don't want to talk about this. I don't even want think about us ever again," Tasha said. "It hurts too much."
Data stepped forward to go to her, but Tasha backed away.
"Please don't," she requested. "It's just another reminder that I'm not…that I will never be what you deserve."
A part of Data was ready to back away, to leave, and to quietly resume his duties if that was her wish.
But another part of him couldn't simply let this go.
Deciding it was a calculated risk that he could not afford to skip, Data stepped forward and gripped her shoulders.
"Tasha, I am determined to say something to you after which time I will follow any and every request you make of me – even if it is to never speak to you again," Data said firmly.
Tasha froze.
"If you are referring to the undergarments in your luggage then you must know I would never do that," Data assured her.
He needed her to know that.
Even if it wouldn't change the outcome of their argument.
"Logically, would the person who asks for your consent to kiss you, violate you in such a manner?" Data inquired.
"I'd like to believe that," Tasha sniffled. "I really would. But, Data. I thought it was Lore the first time. The second time, I didn't want to believe it was you. Now here on the trip?"
Tasha looked utterly miserable – conflicted between wanting to believe in Data but understanding the evidence was not in his favour.
Data frowned.
"This has occurred before?" Data asked darkly.
There was something in his reaction that made Tasha think there was a chance this had all been a misunderstanding. He seemed so genuinely surprised.
Data could see her hesitancy.
"When? For how long?" Data demanded.
He was going to ensure that such instances were added to the long list of charges he was tracking when it came to his brother's indiscretions.
Simultaneously, Data racked his memory engrams for any clues as to when it had previously occurred.
"Is this why you became distant during our shore leave?" Data asked.
Tasha didn't respond verbally, but the shift in her expression was all the confirmation he needed.
It was no wonder she thought Data had been behind it.
"What do you need from me? How can I prove to you that I would never, ever hurt you like that?" Data asked.
Tasha didn't know what to say.
She wasn't sure there was anything she could say.
Checking the security records and entry logs had been a dead end. As long as Beverly was still under Lore's spell, he had an airtight alibi.
And Tasha still had no explanation for just how he was getting in and out without a trace.
"Tasha, I will have Geordi completely disable and remove the entirety of my sexuality programme. I will give you the microchip in a box if that is what you wish," Data offered. "And should you still wish to end our relationship, I will respect that. And you may keep it."
Tasha looked horrified.
Data panicked.
It hadn't been his intention to disgust her – only to offer her some sort of permanent reassurance that he would never, ever violate her or her personal belongings.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you," Data apologised.
Tasha did not flinch as he thumbed away the tears on her cheek.
"I take great pleasure in our sexual relationship. But if that makes you unhappy, if you feel unsafe, or if you simply have no wish for sex, then say no more," Data went on.
Tasha squeezed her eyes shut as her eyes continued to water, blurring her vision.
"I will gladly remove that component of my construction if only so that when you look upon me, it is not with fear or betrayal," Data concluded.
Tasha felt awful.
Data had followed her up a mountain and quite literally offered to give up a significant component of his human development goal for her.
And not even with the goal of winning her back – simply to give her peace of mind.
"Data, I don't want you to change w-w-who you are for m-me," Tasha sobbed. "That's not….I c-can't ask you to do that."
Data took a step back and Tasha regretted the loss of warmth.
He put his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.
"As I previously stated, I only wanted to make that clear. As promised, I will now follow any and all requests you make of me," Data said sadly. "Including, should you wish me to leave."
"Data," Tasha began to say.
All of a sudden she froze.
"Data," Tasha squeaked.
Data's audio receptors perked up as he heard a growl.
They had been so focused on one another and their disagreement that they hadn't realised the pack of Wolves that had surrounded them.
They were all around them, snarling, attracted by Tasha's previous crying.
On instinct, they turned and moved closer together until their backs were against each other so they could watch from every angle.
"I have a phaser," Tasha said.
She was so cold she wasn't sure her fingers would be able to operate it.
"Lower your head," Data ordered.
He did not want the animals to believe they were being challenged.
"Behaviour indicates they may back down if I appear as a larger threat," Data surmised.
His exobiology degree wasn't merely decorative.
"Do not run, but walk and get back on your platform," Data advised.
She would be safer in the trees.
The pack began to circle, barking and growling as they eyed the pair.
"Now," Data ordered.
Tasha took two steps forward toward the platform.
Using his audio programme, Data was able to emulate the sound of a large bear. He raised his arms and attempted to look as intimidating as possible.
The wolves eyed him carefully.
With all the snow, he did not have the advantage of having anything he could use to throw and scare them off.
Tasha was about to raise the platform when the lead wolf charged Data.
Data anticipated the attack and threw it off without a problem. But Tasha knew she couldn't leave him. It seemed this played right into the wolves' plan as they surmised she was the weaker prey.
One of the wolves lunged forward at her.
Data was there in a flash, pulling it up and throwing it to the side. Such an act left Data at a disadvantage as he had turned his back on the bulk of the pack.
One of them struck, sending Data toppling down. With android reflexes, he grabbed Tasha as he fell and rolled so that she was protected underneath of him.
Following their anticipated attack pattern, they tried to aim for his neck.
The first wolf got a nasty mouthful of nothing when it tried to bite down on his bioplast and duranium construction.
However, Data knew this position could not be sustained. As Tasha was so fond of reminding him – he was sturdy but not indestructible.
The pack continued circling and snapping at Data.
Without warning, Data felt an intense and immobilising sensation as a piercing sound rippled through his audio receptors.
The wolves howled in pain and raced off.
After a few seconds it stopped as quickly as it had come.
Data collapsed on top of Tasha.
"I am sorry," Data said, propping himself up. "There was high-pitched frequency that momentarily disrupted my spatial-"
Data stopped talking as Tasha pressed a finger to his lips.
"I reattuned the phaser," Tasha explained.
"Oh," Data replied.
"Are you alright?" Tasha asked.
She was worried about Data – physically and emotionally.
"My system has sustained only minor damage," Data assured her.
Data sat up and moved away from Tasha. He did not wish to crowd her or take advantage of their position.
"Can you forgive me?" Tasha asked as she crawled toward him.
"There is nothing to forgive," Data replied.
Tasha gave him a disapproving look.
"Data, I," she sighed. "I really should not have-"
"Trauma makes people react in extreme ways at times. Ways that may not always be logical, but they feel right to you," Data said.
He reached up to cup her face.
"I only ask that you talk to me next time. I will always give you whatever space you need," Data promised.
Tasha closed her eyes and covered Data's hand with her own.
"The sun will be coming up soon," Data remarked, observing the first rays that were peeking over the horizon.
"I know somewhere we can watch it," Tasha suggested.
Snuggled together inside the sleep sack, Data and Tasha watched as the red and orange hues of the Neirian sunrise began to streak across the sky – bringing with it bitterly cold sundogs.
Tasha frowned as Data took hold of her hand and slipped her glove off.
Before she could say anything, he slipped her engagement ring back onto her finger.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey," he sang softly against her ear.
For the second time on their trip, Tasha felt like she couldn't breathe.
Only in this instance, it was a wonderful feeling.
"You will never know, dear, how much I love you," Data paused as he kissed the top of her head.
"Sir, we're receiving an emergency subspace transmission," Worf advised from the Tactical console.
"On screen," Picard ordered.
Worf shook his head.
"Audio only," Worf replied as he patched it through to the main system.
It was a garbled mess. There was screaming in the background and a choppy, broken plea for help.
"Can you clean it up at all? Isolate the audio?" Riker requested.
Worf tapped his console as he attempted to cut out the background noise.
"It would appear the transmission was cut short," Worf said.
"Help us! Please! It came out of nowhere. It's absorbing our phaser fire and-" the voice in the emergency transmission ended.
Everyone on the Bridge shared a knowing look.
It was a chilling audio file.
"Mr Worf, where did that transmission originate?" Picard inquired.
"Tauphin IV," Worf said.
Geordi turned around in his chair at the Operations console. He was filling in for Data during his absence.
"Sir, that's where Data and Tasha went," Geordi said darkly.
Captain Picard did not respond.
"Mr Crusher, lay in a course for Tauphin IV. Maximum warp," Picard ordered.