The Complication

The Holodeck

A/N: Thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, or left kudos. This is an amateur-made work of fanfiction.

Set after Code of Honour. Data/Tasha angst & fluff.

Content Warning: This chapter sees some of our characters subjected to injury.

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Data was in his quarters analysing the energy readings they had collected earlier that day. As he did not require sleep, he usually spent his nights working or furthering his study of humanity. But following his conversation with Tasha a week prior, Data had poured himself into his work and Geordi had taken notice.

Data's door chimed. It was late, but not an unreasonable hour.

Geordi entered and looked frustrated.

"Data! Poker started fifteen minutes ago," Geordi said as he threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Yes, Geordi," Data said from behind his workstation.

Data looked like he was being disturbed.

"I will not be attending, please give my apologies to Commander Riker and the rest of the crew," Data said without blinking.

Geordi looked around and took in his surroundings. The lights were dimmed and, although there were two songs playing simultaneously, Geordi was starting to piece them together. Geordi couldn't be certain, but the music sounded depressing.

"Data are you alright?" Geordi asked as he stepped toward his friend.

"Yes," Data replied.

"Then why are you sitting alone in the dark?" Geordi asked.

"I am...processing...recent events," Data replied.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Geordi questioned Data, hoping it would provide him with a hint as to what was going on. "Does this have anything to do with what happened the other day with Tasha?"

"I am fine, Geordi," Data said without lifting his eyes from his PADD.

Geordi was worried and confused. He'd never seen Data act like this.

"You will be late," Data reminded him.

"Data?" Geordi tried again.

"I am fine, Geordi," Data reassured him.

Presently, Data didn't want to go to poker. He knew Tasha would be there and it was difficult for him to be around her. Following their conversation, he wrote a new subroutine to stop himself from staring when he was around her. He had found that his neural network would attempt to override the program and he couldn't explain it other than he had a desire to see her.

"Computer, cease music," Data said.

Data leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Yes, he was awfully glad he had not removed his memory engrams.

Humans would call Tasha's eyes 'blue.' But Data's positronic brain processed Tasha's eyes as so much more. They had a value of Red = 168, Green = 211, and Blue = 196. The same shade as the druzy cavansite crystals found on Pune II, the Meconopsis betonicifolia more commonly known as the Himalayan blue poppy of Earth, and the Ferieas eel species that resided on the waters of the second moon of Jonquil.

Data would visit Professor Ishikawa in the morning. He would be able to replicate a Himalayan blue poppy from the ship's seed bank. At the very least, maybe he could find joy in things that reminded him of her.