The Case

Epilogue: The Man in the Mirror

Author's Note: Every story deserves a happy ending. I also can't resist foreshadowing. Dotted throughout this epilogue is the groundwork for what is to come in later instalments of this series.

-X-

Captain Louvois banged her gavel to call the courtroom to attention.

Data surveyed the room.

He was completely alone, sitting in the centre of a circular chamber. There was a bright light overhead – so bright it was blinding.

Though he was alone, Data felt as if he were surrounded by menacing shadows that clung to the edges.

Data turned back to the bench. Only this time it wasn't Captain Louvois – it was Bruce Maddox.

"The court has rendered a finding of property," Maddox grinned.

He banged the gavel.

Data gasped as he sat up in bed.

He clutched the sheet, reminding himself that he was safe in Tasha's bed.

Tasha's hand snaked out from under the covers and reached for his waist.

"Mmm, morning," she said as she snuggled up against him.

Data relaxed back against his pillow. He knew that his dream programme was trying to work through what happened. There would be nightmares – Deanna had warned him.

But he was confident that he could work through that during their sessions.

"What's wrong?" Tasha asked.

She could sense something was up.

For a moment, Data said nothing as he soaked in the feeling of waking up together.

"Nothing," Data replied with a small smile.

He reached for Tasha's hand, twisting his fingers into her own as he held it up to examine it.

"Nothing at all," Data said, eyeing the ring on her finger.

Tasha had become aware of the weight on her hand shortly after she'd awoken and realised he must have slipped away during the night to retrieve it from Captain Picard.

"I'm not ungrateful, just surprised you left," Tasha commented. "After all, you said you were going to hold me until I required sustenance the next morning."

"And you said the only important thing in this relationship was that we came back," Data reminded her. "I came back home."

He paused and brought her hand to his lips.

"I wanted you to wake up and enjoy this moment," Data confessed. "After all, I have waited a long time for it."

And there was a moment where I never thought it would come. Data thought.

They had woken up engaged. Their first morning with something tangible. It had taken months for them to figure out just what their relationship was – and even longer before Tasha was comfortable with any sort of label.

Now all that was in the past.

Waking up together felt different.

"At home?" Tasha asked.

His wording had caught her by surprise.

Data lifted his eyebrows as he considered her question.

While they both felt ready to move in with one another – they had been in disagreement for weeks about which one of their quarters would become 'home.'