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ladyfogg · 4 years

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May I? - 12/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @ lyrslair

Faith stirred awake. When she opened her eyes, she rolled over hoping to see Data. At once she knew he wasn't there. His easel stood abandoned where he had been painting when she fell asleep. She craned her neck around the door frame to see if he was sitting at his console. He wasn't.

She sighed and lay back down. It was then that she saw the rose on the nightstand. It definitely hadn't been there before.

Smiling, she reached out to touch the petals before rolling onto her back. Faith stretched and her foot nudged something that moved. She glanced down to see Spot give her a sleepy glare before yawning.

"Morning, Spot," she said. "Did he leave a while ago?"

Spot stretched as she stood, before hopping off the bed in search of water.

Faith chuckled at the cat's indifference before getting up. "Computer, what's the time?"

" The time is oh-six hundred and ten hours."

She needed to get ready and find out what was going on. She assumed his sensors found something and she was eager to see what it was.

Faith headed back to her room to shower and dress. Once she was under the spray of the hot water, her muscles relaxed and she began to wake up fully. She had now slept in Data's room twice and twice she woke up more rested than she had in years.

She might even have dreamt, but she couldn't remember.

As she pondered her new relationship, she couldn't fathom how much Data had become a part of her life. Why had she been so afraid? She knew she was only a few days in, but it felt...different from her past romantic encounters. In a good way.

She had always known Data was special, but it wasn't until she spent more time with him that she realized just how special he was. She hoped she would be worthy of his kindness and consideration. She definitely would strive to be.

As for the potential sexual aspect of their coupling, his bold and honest approach to talking about it was something she was not used to.

Faith never really liked talking about sex. Mostly because her previous encounters had been anything but stellar. Anxiety made it difficult to live in the moment and when her mind wandered during sex, it hadn't exactly made for the best time.

She didn't want that to happen with Data. She cared about him too much. He deserved to have someone give him their full attention.

While she knew his brain functioned at a faster rate and he often thought of many things at once, she never faulted him for it. For one reason, he couldn't help it. That was the way he was built. And for another reason, she struggled with a very similar situation so she understood what it was like. Not in the same sense of course, but still.

Faith finished her shower and dressed. She almost headed out after taking her medication, but then she remembered that she hadn't eaten.

Just have something small. It'll make Data happy. Well, his version of happiness.

She went to the replicator and got a blueberry muffin with her usual coffee. She was two bites in when she thought she could use something savory to go with it, so she got a side of bacon.

While she ate, she scrolled through her terminal, looking up the reports from the evening. They'd be reaching the starbase within the next two hours which would mean the repairs could begin. Of course, they were stuck there until they were complete but that would give them time to figure out a plan moving forward.

Though, now that Geordi was head of the investigation, Faith was free to focus on her new status in Engineering. She had worried the others would have a problem taking orders from her, but the transition had been a surprisingly smooth one.

The door chimed and Faith was dragged out of her musings, "Come in."

Deanna entered with a smile. "Good morning. I thought I'd stop by early since we haven't had a chance to meet with everything going on."

"Good morning, Counselor. Can I get you some tea or coffee?" Faith asked, turning off her terminal.

"Tea would be great."

Faith carried her breakfast over to the table before getting Deanna a fresh mug of tea. The two women sat together.

"Your appetite seems to be returning," Deanna noted as Faith took a bite of bacon.

Faith nodded. "A little bit. Mostly I'm eating because I know Data worries when I don't."

"Things seem to be going rather well with you two," Deanna commented.

"It's only been like two days."

"What's been two days?"

Faith busied herself with her coffee so she wouldn't have to answer. Deanna, of course, could read between the lines.

"Was he your mystery date from the other night?" she asked teasingly.

"Don't think it was much of a mystery," Faith said. "You knew we both liked each other."

"I did. Also, you held hands on the Bridge." Deanna pointed out. "However, I did not expect you to act on your feelings so soon."

Faith froze. "Do you think I'm jumping into something too fast? I knew it. I should have waited! I mean, it felt right but maybe I—"

Deanna reached across the table to place a hand on hers. "Hey, hey, slow down. That's not at all what I was saying. I only meant that I thought it might take you a while to sort out your feelings."

"So you don't think this was a bad idea?"

"I think you and Data have a deep connection. I am proud of you for taking the chance."

Faith relaxed in her seat with a deep sigh. "I'm proud of me too. Data is…" She trailed off with a smile. "Unique."

Deanna smiled as well, patting Faith's hand before picking up her tea. "He truly is. And he obviously thinks the world about you."

"Did everyone know about our feelings before we did?"

"Yes."

Faith laughed before taking a sip of coffee. She could see Deanna studying her oddly. "You look like you have something else you want to say."

"I do," Deanna admitted, putting down her teacup. "I assume you've thought about the unique circumstances that come with dating an android."

"Yeah. Well, I mean I know it's going to be different than dating a human," Faith said. "There's a learning curve of course, but it's not like I'm a huge dating expert either. Be decided to take it slow, together."

"It sounds like there's a lot of communication," Deanna smiled. "That's a great start."

"You know Data. Sometimes there's too much communication," Faith admitted, going back to her breakfast as Deanna chuckled. "But he's cute and he means well. I'd rather talk a lot than not at all."

"Commander La Forge to Lieutenant Diaz."

Faith put her coffee down and tapped her communicator. "Diaz here."

"If you're up, you might want to meet us in the Brig. There's something you're going to want to see."

Faith and Deanna shared worried looks. "On my way." She stood. "Counselor, maybe you should come with."

"I think so too. Let's go."

The two women headed to one of the few areas of the ship Faith hadn't visited. Her brain immediately went to a dark place. Was Data alright? Did something attack him? What's in the Brig? Oh god, is he in the Brig? No that's dumb. You're overreacting.

When the doors to the Brig opened, she heaved a sigh of relief as she saw Data standing next to Geordi and Captain Picard. All three stared into one of the cells and when Faith approached, she was met by a strange sight.

At first, the cell looked empty. She couldn't see anyone until something on all fours threw itself against the forcefield, appearing in mid-air as it flew backward from the force.

The creature was small, barely four-feet tall with a long dirty tunic and goggles that made its eyes look huge. It looked like it had welded bits of metal to itself, creating a makeshift armor. Its teeth were sharp when it bared them to her, crooked and yellow as it got back up and attacked again. The forcefield held. It snarled and jabbered in an unknown language, suddenly walking upright as it paced. It waved its hands, its four-fingered hands.

There was a shimmer of light and then it was gone, cloaked by either technology or its own abilities. Faith guessed the latter.

"What the hell is that?" she asked.

"We do not know," Data answered as she moved to stand by his side. "We tracked its signature around the ship for an hour before Lieutenant Worf was able to subdue it."

"How did it get on the ship?" Picard asked.

Geordi held up a device that looked like a wristwatch. "This transporter. At first Data and I thought it traveled inter-dimensionally, but it used regular transport technology. It must have tapped into our computers in order to use the transporter frequency."

"Luckily I included transporter readouts into the device I created. It boosted our sensors which caught the creature moving around the Enterprise," Data explained.

"Is it at all connected to the ship that attacked us?" Faith asked.

"It would seem so," Data answered. "I detect similar technological signatures between this creature and that ship."

"But why?" Deanna asked. "Why is it here and why did its ship attack us?"

"Maybe it bummed a ride and its comrades thought we kidnapped it," Geordi suggested.

"Regardless of the reason, we must assume it will return," Picard said. "And we need to find out how it got on in the first place."

"I did not think it was possible it transported with the away team," Data said. "However, based on its technological know-how and natural cloaking features, one can conclude that that is the most logical way."

"Counselor, can you sense anything?" Picard asked.

Deanna took a tentative step towards the cell, focusing on the alien. "Anger and fear mostly," she said. "Both are very strong. It is a sentient being, it knows where it is. But beyond that, I can't tell."

"Now we need to find out which planet it came from," Faith said.

"Well, we can't get very far until our repairs are done," Picard said. "Let's figure out where it came from so we can return it."

"Is it secure in there?" Faith asked, unable to keep from worrying.

"We have removed anything that can be used as a weapon and reinforced the forcefield. It will not be escaping," Data assured her.

"Good to know," Picard said. "La Forge, Diaz, report back to Engineering to prepare for the repair crews. Mr. Data, report to the Bridge and have Security increased in this area. Let's not take any chances."

"Aye, sir," they said, recognizing a dismissal.

The three of them left the Brig, although Geordi seemed to walk ahead of Faith and Data, giving them their space.

Faith fell into step with Data. "Missed you this morning," she said under her breath.

"I did not wish to wake you," Data said. "I understand sleep is difficult."

"Thank you for the flower. It was very sweet."

They reached the turbo-lift and stepped in with Geordi. When it stopped at Engineering, Faith told him, "You go ahead. I'll be there soon."

He gave them a smirk. "Take your time," he said, stepping off the lift.

When the door closed and the lift began to move, Faith said, "Computer, pause lift."

It stopped and she turned to Data, who gave her a quizzical look. "Why did you do that?" he asked. "The captain told you to report to Engineering."

Faith smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I will. I just wanted a minute alone with you." Looking into his eyes, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment, letting fear and uncertainty wash away.

He was so much more handsome than she ever realized. The flawlessness of his features never ceased to amaze her.

"I see," Data said, placing his hands on her waist. "Would you like to make out?"

Faith laughed at the blunt question, feeling her face grow flush. She thought about declining but really, she'd only be hurting herself. "Yeah, okay."

Data cupped her cheek and drew her into a kiss, harder than she anticipated. She nearly stumbled backward, letting out a muffled noise of surprise, but his free hand caught her, palm pressed firmly against her lower back.

Data drew his mouth away at the sound, looking at her questioningly. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Not at all. You just took me by surprise," Faith said, already breathless.

"It was my understanding you enjoyed when I took charge. Has that changed?"

"Nope, not at all. Come here."

She kissed him this time, moving her lips against his. Her desire was overwhelming, muddling her mind yet heightening her senses. Her body erupted with goosebumps, heat coursing through her veins. Data's hand slid into her hair, cradling the back of her head as he increased the pressure of his kiss.

Faith lost herself in the feeling, giving over complete control. He accepted it, massaging her lips with near-perfect precision while holding her flush against his chest. She felt like putty in his clearly very capable hands. It was suddenly way too hot in the turbo-lift, every inch of her body craving to be free of her uniform so she could feel Data's skin along hers.

Her head spun and she suddenly remembered she needed to breathe. She broke the kiss, gasping.

"Hooboy," she panted.

Her chest heaved, lips slightly damp with spit. Data stared into her eyes, seemingly unfazed by what just happened. But she knew better. She had already begun to learn to read his expressions. It was his eyes. They looked at her differently each time they kissed. She couldn't explain it, but she felt it deep in her bones.

"Your temperature has increased dramatically," he commented.

"That's because I am extremely turned on right now," she blurted out.

His eyes widened, head cocking to the side. "Interesting. So you do not require manual stimuli to become significantly aroused?"

"Maybe you're just a damn good kisser, Data," she smirked.

"Perhaps we should test that theory."

"Stars, yes!"

She went in for another kiss, grabbing his wrist to bring his hand to touch her somewhere anywhere. But before anything else happened, the lift beeped, signaling it was being called.

"Damn it!" Faith growled, resting her forehead against his.

"Perhaps now is not the best place and time," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Data allowed her to stand up straight and step back. She fixed her disheveled hair as his arms slipped from her waist.

"We'll finish this later," she promised.

"I would like that very much," Data said with a soft smile. "Computer, resume."

The lift continued to move and as soon as the doors opened, she slipped past Ensign Ro who stepped on. Faith shot Data a smile and small wave, which he returned.

She took the long route to Engineering so she could cool off a bit. Kissing had never produced such instant lust before. She needed to be careful or she was going to throw her whole "going slow" plan out the airlock.

Geordi was in his office when she arrived. He waved her in. "Diaz, we'll be reaching starbase soon. I want you to coordinate the repairs to the shields. Barclay and I will handle the warp repairs."

"Will do, Commander," she said with a nod. "Did they give us a timeframe on when this will all be done?"

"A few days at least," he said, getting to his feet so they could walk. "We won't know for sure until they come aboard. All non-essential personnel are being evacuated to the base. Some of the power systems are going to need major repairs so it'll be safer if fewer people are on board."

"Understood."

As she made a move towards the shield console, Geordi stopped her. "Hey, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

He smiled and leaned in close. "I'm really happy for you two."

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm happy too."

After that, the focus turned to ship repairs.

In fact, Faith wasn't able to think about anything else for the next two days. It turned out that the damage was a lot more extensive than they originally thought. Faith and Geordi spent hours working with the repair crews trying to get things done as quickly as possible.

Data was required on the Bridge as he tried to solve the mystery of where their alien prisoner came from. She only saw him at night when she went to visit him in his quarters after her shift.

They'd have dinner while he filled her in on the search, then she'd pass out while he worked.

On the third day, Faith joined the senior officers in a briefing meeting to share the results of his search.

"In scanning the Modrore system, where it is highly likely this entity came from, I narrowed down the possible planets to one," Data said, showing them the planet in question. "While most of the planets in the system had abandoned ruins, the second planet had considerably newer ruins than the others. I compared the organic DNA and fingerprints Faith and I found to our prisoner. They are a match. There are traces of that same organic matter in high levels on that planet."

"As I recall, the atmosphere there was a little choppy," Riker said. "If a storm rolls in, transporting may be difficult."

"We are also not moving anytime soon," Picard said. "Data, what would you suggest as a course of action?"

"The planet is not far from here," Data said. "I suggest I take a shuttle to the planet to gather more evidence. Anything larger may attract unwanted attention. It will take fifty-two hours with a shuttlecraft. By the time I get there and survey the planet, the Enterprise's repairs should be complete."

"And then we can meet you," Picard finished.

Data nodded as he took his seat next to Faith. "Exactly."

"I don't like the thought of you going there alone," Riker said. "Someone should go with you to help."

"I can go with him," Geordi suggested. "Data and I know exactly what we're looking for."

"No," Picard said, shaking his head. "I need you here to help finish repairs. Lieutenant Diaz will go."

Up until then, Faith had been silent. The idea of Data going out alone had not sat well with her either. But never in a million years did she expect she would be the one to go with him.

"Sir?" she asked. "Me?"

"I agree," Riker said. "Diaz is great, don't get me wrong, but the Away Team should be led by me."

"I need you here, Number One," Picard said. "Unfortunately this isn't the only important mission on our hands. We are receiving a special visit from Starfleet and I need my First Officer with me to attend. Lieutenant Diaz is well-versed in the alien technology and has shown she can handle herself in a crisis. I think she'll do just fine."

Faith's head was spinning. She could feel the other officers looking at her and tried not to let her anxiety show. "I can handle it, sir."

"Excellent. Well, that's settled then. Mr. Data, Ms. Diaz, prepare for your mission and let me know when you're ready to go. Dismissed."

Faith felt lost and numb as she got up from the table. She had never been on a mission or an Away Team before. Not to mention, the idea of being in an enclosed shuttle for a long stretch of time did not appeal to her.

She didn't say anything in the turbo-lift, too lost in her own thoughts. In fact, she didn't even realize Data had followed her to her quarters until they stepped inside and he took her hand.

"You are nervous," he stated. "I will say there is a twenty-percent chance of encountering danger on this mission."

"I've never been on an Away Team," she said. "I'm just surprised the captain picked me."

"I am not," Data said. "It made the most logical sense. Geordi and Commander Riker could not attend, Lieutenant Worf must stay behind to guard the prisoner. Counselor Troi and Doctor Crusher do not possess the necessary knowledge and skills. That left you and me."

She followed his logic. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She took a deep breath. "Well, at least give me a little warning next time. I got really worried when you said you'd be going alone."

"I have gone on missions alone in the past."

"Yeah, but I wasn't your girlfriend then."

Data studied her. "Are we officially using those terms? I was unsure."

Faith hadn't realized what she said until he pointed it out. "I mean...I'd like to if you're comfortable with that."

"It does seem to describe our relationship accurately."

"Great. Good. Great." She cleared her throat. "I guess we better get ready."

"Yes. I must ask Lieutenant Barclay to care for Spot while we are gone. I shall meet you back here in an hour." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, before taking his leave.

Faith took a few deep breaths before she began to pack. She had just finished closing her bag when the door chimed. "It's open!"

Dr. Crusher entered and greeted Faith with a smile. "I thought you might need this for the trip," she said holding up a hypospray. "Since you haven't had any side effects from the medication, I put together a long-lasting dose so you don't have to worry about taking it every day."

Faith breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried about that," she said. "How long will this last?"

"Two weeks. Much longer than I hope you'll need," she said, pressing the hypo into Faith's shoulder. "Figured longer would ease your anxiety. One less thing to worry about."

"Thanks, Doc."

"So? You excited?" Beverly asked, sinking onto the end of Faith's bed.

"Anyone would be about their first mission," Faith said. "I'm a little nervous but…"

"No! Not about that," Beverly said, waving her hand. "About being alone. For hours on end. With Data…"

Faith caught the insinuation in her tone and her eyebrows shot up. "Beverly!" she said in a scandalized voice. "You minx."

Beverly laughed, getting to her feet. "All I'm saying, you two are going to have a lot of time on your hands."

"Which I didn't think about until just this moment so thanks for that."

The doctor laughed again and gave Faith a hug. "You'll be fine. And when you get back, you, me, and Deanna will have wine so you can tell us all about it."

"This isn't a romantic weekend, Beverly. It's an away mission."

Beverly gave her a sly smile and patted her cheek. "Could be both," she said, wagging her eyebrows.

"Don't you have patients to heal or something?" Faith asked, shooing the doctor out of her room. "Go do your job. Stop being a perv."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said, hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying...think about it."

Faith watched her leave before sinking onto the couch with a whole new set of anxieties.

Trust me, that's all I'm going to be thinking about now.

#commander data #lt commander data #data tng #data soong #star trek next generation

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