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You Can't Fight a Tidal Wave	By : madradena Category: Star Trek > The Next Generation Views: 1693 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own ST:TNG nor Dreamland, nor the characters from either. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
After performing his cheerful song about his break-up on the stage of the Club, He sits down at the bar - good moods gone. The Waiter walks up to him with a note in hand:
"Excuse me, Sir. One of the customers asked me to give you this note."
He takes the note: "Thank you!" and starts reading it.
"Hi! I'm here with a friend. I wasn't sure you wanted to see me, but if you do, I'm at the table by the window."
He sighs looking over at her sitting at the table by the window, and starts to push through the crowd.
At the table, She is arguing with her 'friend':
"Look, I said let's go!" he growls at her.
"I just wanna say 'Hello'. Is that such a big deal?"
"Hey!" He gets to them.
"Hey!" She looks at him and they lock gazes.
"Of all the crummy gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you had to walk into mine." he tells her on a distinct accent she immediately recognizes from an old-old favorite. She looks at him now knowing she should never have left him!
But her friend butts in: "Wha? You own this place?"
"No! It's a line from... ah, forget it!" He says waving "We haven't been introduced."
They stand up from the table, and the friend glares at Him: "I know who YOU are! I'm her fiancee!" he declares.
"Ah, really?" He asks looking over at her.
The fiancee growls at him: "Yeah, really."
"Well, then. Congratulations." He looks over at her again "To both of you."
"Ah, lets go, babe!" the fiancee says tired of the conversation.
"Please! Could I have just a moment! Please!" she pleads.
The fiancee gives in: "I bring the car. When it comes, your moment is over." he tells her possessively and leaves them alone.
"Nice guy..." He remarks.
"I'm sorry... sometimes he forgets his manners... So what's new? How is the world treating you?" She tries to smile at him.
"Ah ya know... life's just a bowl of cherries." He replies on a silent voice.
"It's nice to see you." She admits and can't stop smiling at him.
"I guess you were wrong, ha?" He remarks still on a sombre voice.
"About what?"
"It looks like you DID forget me." He says with palpable disappointment.
Her face all serious again: "No. I didn't."
And She starts singing:
"I remember you
You're the one who made my dreams come true
A few kisses ago
I remember you
You're the one who said I love you too
I do, didn't you know
I remember too
A distant bell
And stars that fell
Like rain out of the blue
When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of them all
Then I will tell them I remember you
Was it in Tahiti, were we on the Nile
Long long ago say an hour ago
I recall that I saw your smile
I remember too
A distant bell
And stars that fell
Like rain out of the blue
When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of them all
Then I will tell them I remember you"
"See you around." She says finally.
"Yeah."
They say goodbye the same way they did, when they've last seen each other, and She leaves him there gazing after her long after She's gone.
On the stage, a band is starting to play. Time is passing by. A waiter walks up to him:
"Can I get you a drink, Sir?"
"No, thanks. I'm going home." He replies and walking on the street, He starts to sing his own lament for the lost love:
"In the wee small hours of the morning,
While the whole wide world is fast asleep,
You lie awake and think about the girl
And never, ever think of counting sheep.
When your lonely heart has learned its lesson,
You'd be hers if only she would call,
In the wee small hours of the morning,
That's the time you miss her most of all."
In the next few days, the rehearsals went almost boringly well. Everything progressed as planned. They were finished with developing the first half of the play, and were advancing in the rest as well putting themselves back on schedule.
"Beverly," Reg started as they were all standing at 'the table by the window' in the restaurant, "may I ask a question?" and as Beverly motioned him to go on, he did "There's this line about all the 'gin-joints in all the towns in all the world'."
"Yes, Reg." Bev nodded.
"The script never states where it's from, though it's implied that it's a well-known excerpt. Do you know what this is?" he finished looking at her with curious wide eyes.
"It's from..." Beverly started.
"Casablanca." Data and Emma said in union with her. They looked at each other surprised for an instant, then Emma turned her head away.
"Yes." Bev smiled "It's an age-old movie." she looked over at Data to go on.
He clasped his fingers together in front of him, cocked his head and cited the relevant information: "Casablanca is a 1942 romantic drama made in the United States of America, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Set during World War II, it focuses on an American expatriate who must choose between his love for a woman and helping her Czech Resistance leader husband escape the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis. Although the film was a solid if unspectacular success in its initial run its reputation gradually grew. Its lead characters, memorable lines, and pervasive theme song called 'As time goes by' have all become iconic since in Earth's culture."
"Oh... it seems on the Martian colony where I was born, it never reached that kind of popularity. I've never heard about it." Reg admitted bowing his head a bit ashamed.
Emma suddenly started to sing:
"You must remember this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by."
She went on speaking with a tentative smile on her face: "Really? No bells ringing?"
Reg stared at her open mouthed for a moment enchanted by the catchy melody "Wow..." he breathed, then noticing Sonya's glare, he cleared his throat: "No." he shook his head "Haven't heard of it..."
Emma gazed from him to Sonya then back. He bowed his head embarrassed, and Sonya took a step toward him as if to protect her territory. Emma'd been trying to be 'civilized' with them as much as she could for the last few days, and Reg seemed to be open for straightening the relationship, but it was plain that for Sonya it was out of the question.
Emma suddenly felt fed up! She turned and went to the replicator to distance herself from all of them. At least for a few minutes. She yawned as she waited for her coffee mug to appear. Fatigue seemed to become a constant companion. She had virtually no time to rest.
"Are you alright, Ms. Jones?" she suddenly heard Data's voice from behind her, and she jumped scared.
"Shit..." she breathed glaring up at him. She took her mug in her hand "Perfectly fine, Commander. Next time, if you want to sneak up on somebody like that, wait until they take their mugs in hand. The impact will be a lot more extensive. Excuse me..." she muttered frowning and walked back to the others. She was not sure which of the two options she disliked less: talking to the noobs or talking to Data.
It was enough that she had to fight her attraction every time they practised dancing or singing together. She didn't want to find the energy to fight herself even in the breaks, but he seemed to be tag tailing her wherever she went! He never spoke much, only kept following her. And so a strange kind of game was formed between the two of them - which she would've found funny, if it didn't drive her utterly crazy: the more she did everything to avoid him, the more he kept on his silent tailing. The worst was that she knew she had no reason to be unfriendly to him, but she just couldn't make herself ignore all that had happened between them.
Data looked after her for a long moment as she walked up to Beverly. In the last days, he had a lot of time to think. And he did think a lot about Emma. Whether it was a good decision to shun the possibility of a relationship with her. All his logical thought-processing units assented to the decision - if only his emotion-chip conceded to it as well...
Reg and Sonya sat down to eat a snack a bit farther away in the room, while Beverly and Emma seemed to chit-chat on the stage. He walked back up to the two women.
"How do you know so much about Casablanca, Data?" Beverly asked him kindly as he stepped up to them "It's an ancient movie, even if it's iconic."
He looked at her with a neutral expression "I looked it up when I read the line Lieutenant Barclay asked you about a few weeks ago, when you gave me the script. I wanted to better understand the scene. It was plain that it was a joke, as the 'fiancee's' taking the words literally was clearly a misunderstanding. I wanted to understand the joke."
"Have you watched the film?"
"Yes, Doctor. At the same time, I looked up the excerpt, I took the time and watched it in a lunch break." Emma stared at him suspiciously at this, but wouldn't have asked for a world how he could watch a film over two hours long in a single lunch break. He looked at her noticing her watching him and before she could turn away, he quickly asked "And you, Ms. Jones. How do you know about Casablanca?"
She shrugged and looked back at Beverly "I spent the last decade in a colony trapped in a cult of the 21st century. We actually had movie theatres. Some of them played these old 20th century black and white films. Casablanca was an ever-green." she explained never looking at him.
"Oh, I have an idea!" Beverly exclaimed suddenly excited "Guys!" she turned to Sonya and Reg to get their attention as well "Let's watch Casablanca together! Reg! You can program a classic 20th century movie theatre, right? It would be a great team-building for us! And it would give us the feel of the settings and time of Dreamland!"
Everybody seemed extremely reluctant. Reg felt trapped between Beverly's request and doing as Sonya expected from him. And Sonya seemed unwavering in her conviction that she would NEVER make peace with Emma. Taking up leisure activities involving her was no exception.
"It is a great idea indeed, Doctor." Data said with a small smile to try to encourage the others to join. It was so depressing that their little team was so divided, maybe Doctor Crusher's idea might help with that.
Emma knew that she was the only obstacle for half of the team to attend, so she backed off: "Yeah, Bev... You know that I have a lot to study nowadays. I've seen it already so... I'd rather take a rain-check." she shrugged apologetically. She even tried to smile, and felt it drew all of her last energies from her.
At this, Sonya's face lit up, and before Beverly could speak, she smiled whole-heartedly "Well, Beverly, I'm sure Reg can make that movie theatre." she said, and they walked up to where they were standing "Right, Reg?"
"O-o-of course!" he stammered on a thin voice blinking from Sonya to Beverly.
"Emma, you sure, you cannot make it?" Beverly tried once again smiling kindly as she always did.
Emma opened her mouth to decline yet again, but suddenly, she heard Data's voice from next to her: "Please, Ms. Jones." he said on his usual silent tone. She looked up at him, and as their gazes locked, she knew she just couldn't say no. Not to him. She felt that his intense golden gaze peered right into her soul. She tried to shake her head, but then he went on "It is but a singular night. We could make an effort at building a team." his lips curled up into a small smile, and she once again caught herself helplessly staring at them as desire washed over at her.
She turned her blushing face away and shrugged slightly "I guess I could try..." she said on a low voice. She didn't even notice Sonya's sulking gaze as the younger woman crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Great!" Beverly looked around satisfied - ignoring Sonya as well.
While Data and Emma went on practising their scene together with Beverly helping them on, Reg programmed the holodeck for their movie night with Sonya keeping him company, still sulking about the turn of events. After the rehearsal, everybody had a short break to take a shower and to have something for dinner, and they agreed to meet at 2100 at the same holodeck.
Emma arrived early, hoping she could sit somewhere in a corner. She had no energy to deal with anyone that night. She entered the holodeck and found herself in the corridor of a movie theatre. The entrance of the projection room was open and only curtained. An usher was standing next to it in a red uniform. He smiled kindly at her:
"Good evening, Ma'am!"
"Good evening! I came for the Casablanca premiere." she smiled back feeling her spirits lifting. The settings were familiar, and she just loved movies! She regularly went to see films with her husband - in the good old days... And she started to feel nostalgic.
"This way please!" he said and pulled the curtain away.
"Thank you!" she entered and looked around in the dark room. It took a little time for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she looked around curious. Reg definitely did very well in programming this one! The room was small with only nine or ten rows of seats and one tight aisle in the middle. The screen was showing commercials fit for the era - some of them even promoted the support of the war effort!
And in the middle of the room there sit Data. He leaned forward to prop his arms on the back of the seat just in front of his own and lay his chin atop his arms. His upturned face was glowing with the silver light coming from the screen, his golden gaze as always sparkled with curiosity, and Emma was once again amazed at his looks.
He turned his face toward her after a moment: "Are you coming in, Ms. Jones?" he asked with a slight smile Emma could barely make out in the dim light.
She was about to step up to where he was sitting, but then she suddenly became aware of reality. Of how they said goodbye the last time they were alone at the holodeck and the pain returned.
"I suppose it'd be more comfortable to sit farther apart." she declared and started to go upward in the tilted room to get as far from him as possible.
He stood up "I have calculated that the best angle to watch the screen is from this line, exactly in the middle." he told her turning towards her as she withdrew ever further.
"I'll be fine up here." she waved him away.
"Ms. Jones, we are here as part of a team. Sitting so far away from everybody else will not help you in joining the team."
She sighed now impatiently "How can you be so single minded?" she muttered then shrugged and walked down the aisle to him "Fine." she gazed up at him "Where do you want me to sit, Sir?" she asked not being able to stop her voice to have a taunting edge to it.
He did not reply, just moved one seat to the right and motioned for her to sit, where he previously did. She gave him a small nod of acknowledgement and lowered herself into the seat. He sat next to her, and they turned to the screen. For a long minute, they sat there watching the commercials on screen. Emma tried everything to ignore his presence so close to her but if she moved even a little bit to the right, their shoulders touched. She felt somewhat embarrassed by his nearness - or more precisely the thoughts that were triggered by his nearness. She needed to adjust her position in the seat to at least try to move a little bit away from him. She put her hands on the armrest of her seat for support just to feel her fingers encounter with the skin of his hand. She turned her head surprised and met his equally surprised gaze.
She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away: "Sorry." she whispered.
"No, I am sorry! Please, make yourself comfortable." he told her on a silent voice dropping his hands in his lap.
"No, I'm fine! Don't worry!" she squirmed in her seat again taking her hands off of the armrests. She relaxed against the soft cushions of the chair and felt her shoulder brush his again. It seemed unless she sat in a very awkward position slightly leaning to the left, their bodies were meant to touch.
And here she was to watch the most romantic film, with some part of her body brushing against the man she was attracted to from almost the moment they met. And the film was over two hours long... and it hasn't even started yet. She sighed and resigned herself to the fact that this night would be the most tantalizing one she had experienced since she was aboard the ship. Maybe not counting the one when they almost kissed. The memory of how her lips travelled along the line of his nose to his lips, how he tried to capture her mouth with his own just flooded her mind. Oh, just stop it! she shouted to herself.
"Are you alright?" she heard his voice and suddenly realized that she had been looking at him for the last few seconds.
She was grateful for the darkness around them, because she felt that her cheeks were just burning "Yeah... I just..." she muttered - you just what? you stupid chick... What's the end of that sentence? She turned back to the screen hoping he would let it go.
But Data being Data did not let it go. "You just what?" he asked sincerely curious.
Emma looked back at him, thinking about what the hell she could make up to say, and finally, her mind produced the one thought she was contemplating all day: "I was just wondering... are you still angry at me?"
Both of them were equally surprised. Before Data could answer however, the curtains opened up, and the others filed in talking with boxes of popcorn in hand.
"Hi, guys!" Beverly greeted them as she sidled towards them in the row "Here!" she handed a box to Data and one to Emma.
He reluctantly took it but was about to give it back "Doctor Crusher, I..."
"It was traditional to eat popcorn in movie theatres, Data. Reg researched it and even found a way to replicate it!" she explained as they sat down. Reg was nodding smiling absently then turned back to Sonya.
Data still looked a little unsure at the strange looking food in a paper box, and Emma couldn't help but smiled "It's part of the experience, Deadpan. Don't deny it from yourself." she told him on a soft voice.
He looked into her eyes and was stunned to see a certain tenderness on her features she showed very rarely - she did the night she told him to go to Counsellor Troi for help. That night they almost kissed, almost...
"What is it?" she asked, and he realized that he was still gazing into her eyes. She smiled again "Try it!" she told him, and popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth.
He finally complied, started to chew on a piece and looked delightfully surprised at the taste, then after swallowing it, he suddenly looked somewhat uncomfortable grimacing. Emma chuckled softly: "Now, THAT is also part of the experience! It sticks to your teeth, as if it was glue. Believe me, it's better than taffy!... Don't worry! Just eat on, all's gonna come off eventually - if not, it will, when you brush your teeth."
He grunted a bit disillusioned but obeyed and ate on. He had to admit that he liked the taste of this strange food and also the feeling of it cracking under his teeth. They settled back in their seats and ate on in silence, while the others chit-chatted until the film started.
Only half an hour passed, when exhaustion caught up on Emma so much so that she fell asleep. After a few minutes of unconscious nodding her head from side to side, she finally settled comfortably against Data's shoulder. At the touch, he turned to her and was surprised to find her deeply asleep against him. He studied her features for a few moments considering to wake her up, so she wouldn't miss the film. But then decided against it. She seemed tired and as she had already seen it, it seemed pointless to wake her. Besides, it gave him a warm, tender buzz to feel her cuddle up to him. Even in her sleep. He turned back to the film, but starting a process thread separate from the one which was paying attention to the film, he mused on their situation.
After about an hour, Emma started to stir and woke up. She was shocked to find her face crumpled into the android's uniform, and she raised her head so sharply at the realization that a wave of dizziness washed over her. She cautiously glanced up to Data, but he seemed not to pay attention to her stirring. His eyes were fixed on the screen, and she settled back into her seat once again feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
The film went on and soon they got to the last scene, where the protagonists had to part. The line "We'll always have Paris" reminded Beverly of the young woman that came aboard the ship when these creepy time-shifts happened everywhere aboard over a decade ago. You could meet yourself in the turbolift and she did just as Data, Will and Jean-Luc! Yes, that woman... That woman was the wife of the scientist causing the phenomenon, and she remembered well how Jean-Luc looked at her. It was obvious they had a past, a past she knew led back to their time together in Paris. She felt a pang of jealousy, and immediately, she shook her head slightly to clear her mind: there was no point in thinking about these things. They both had several love interests since, and their friendship endured. It was probably the dark mood of the film that got the better of her.
The film ended, and soft lights came up. Suddenly, they heard a strange noise from their right, and Emma, Data and Beverly looked sideways to see Reg wiping his tears with a tissue.
"I-I'm sorry..." he breathed still trying to get a grip "But it's just so sad..."
They all smiled sadly and a little embarrassed then started to get up. As they walked out into the entrance hall, Bev rubbed her thighs a bit uncomfortable: "My legs went to sleep in these seats."
"Tell me about it..." Emma had to agree - her whole body was stiff and numb at the same time, and she rubbed her neck with a hand. Falling asleep in that seat was a bad idea on several different levels at once.
They started to file out of the holodeck, but Data lingered behind. The others stopped at the corridor and the doorway and looked back at him:
"You coming?" Emma asked.
"No, thank you. I think I stay for a little while longer to practise some of my songs. I do not have anything to do tomorrow anyway..." he tried to joke, not that he would be missing any sleep even if he had to do anything. Nobody laughed. They said good night and left him alone. As the door closed, they just could hear him asking the computer for the settings of Dreamland.
Emma didn't reach her quarters. Even as the doors closed on Data at the holodeck she knew she would not reach them... She couldn't resist. She had to get back, see if he was alright - and if he was, maybe to talk to him. Maybe to somehow straighten this whole mess she felt they got themselves in. Before the lift arrived on her deck, she called to the turbolift to take her back to the holodecks.
Data was walking slowly on the street setting chanting softly one of his character's lament of love:
"...When your lonely heart has learned its lesson,
You'd be hers if only she would call..."
She watched him for a moment longer, feeling her heart lurch hearing his heart-breaking melody, then sighing, she stepped up on the stage. He turned to her, looked into her eyes, and sang the last lines to her:
"In the wee small hours of the morning,
That's the time you miss her most of all."
He then sat down on the edge of the sidewalk slouching, his hands dropped in his lap. He was gazing down numbly, and Emma felt her heart sink as she saw tears in his eyes. She walked up to him, and slowly sat down close to him with one leg twisted under herself, so she could turn to him fully. Her heart seemed to miss a beat as she noticed in the soft grey light that his tears were yellow. Eyes of gold, skin of gold, tears of gold - is there any doubt that his heart is of gold too? She fought the urge to just take him into her arms and hold him as close as she could.
She smiled again that tender smile: "I can't believe that silly Broccoli managed to infect even my Deadpan with his crying." she told him on a low voice.
He blinked for a moment then turned to her puzzled "I have never heard about crying to be infectious, Ms. Jones." he muttered.
She snorted still smiling and bowed her head. After a moment, she looked at him ruefully: "But it is. See?" she asked wiping a tear from her eyes. His lips parted in wonder, and she smiled "Mirror-neurons... Tell me, are you really crying because of your song? Or it's rather because of Casablanca?"
He bowed his head and wiped his face with the sleeve of his uniform: "No." he moaned softly. Then he looked up sharply as if to quickly clarify things: "Although the themes of the film are very close to the emotions that make me cry."
"I see." she nodded after a moment to encourage him to go on.
He shook his head lost "In Casablanca, Rick had to let Ilsa go because that was the most sensible thing to do. The most reasonable thing. Maybe even the most ethical. And before having emotions, I would not have had any arguments against the conclusion of the film at all! However... now, even if I still know intellectually that this is the right thing to do, I still feel it to be wrong! How can it feel wrong, when it is so plainly right?! And..." he looked into her eyes deeply, his expression turning desperate "...this was exactly how it felt to let you go! It IS the right choice to make! The right thing to do! And yet it all feels wrong!" he bowed his head again and turned away from her as his tears came again, but Emma didn't let him.
Out of instinct and the need to give comfort, she put her arms around him: "No, no, no... don't turn away!" she whispered and turned him back to her gently. She took his face into her palms and held him firmly. He looked at her through his long, wet lashes as they locked gazes, his cheeks had golden tracks of tears, and he reluctantly raised his hands and took her by the wrists. She cuddled closer until their foreheads touched, and they just held onto each other like that for a long minute.
This time, there was no rush of desire, no hot irresistible passion. Only the need to be near another living being and the need of comfort. Emma slowly leaned closer to his face. He did not move just breathed steadily through his slightly open mouth. She then lowered her lips to his cheek and tenderly kissed the trail of his tears. She advanced inch by inch downward, sometimes catching an occasional tear with her lips. Instead of tasting salty, they were almost sweet. Her lips lingered above his for a long moment, taking in his breath and giving him a taste of hers, then she tilted her head to the other side, noses brushing and kissed his tears away there too.
When she was finished, she snuggled her cheek to his and drew in a shaky breath to calm her racing heart. Data's arms came around her waist as hers circled his neck. And she felt him holding her close and burying his face into the nape of her neck.
Then she started whispering "You have to know that you're not alone in this. I feel the same you do. I have to fight myself every day, at every rehearsal, every moment you hold me close and we dance. I have to fight myself even now. If you knew of all the things that cross my mind at only the slightest of touch..." she chuckled softly "...you would be shocked, I think."
He couldn't help but smiled snuggling closer to her with eyes shut. He felt as if a huge weight was lifted off his chest! "I do not believe you could shock me... Perhaps the other way around!"
She smiled into his shoulder and told him on a muffled voice: "I have seen some stuff in my life, believe me!... But..."
She then reluctantly pulled away and sliding her hands down his arms, she took his hands in hers. She looked into his eyes "It's more than just mutual attraction. Not that I would belittle the impact of that in my life... there are times it makes hard to think at all, let alone study or even... doing my job." she had to chuckle at his surprised expression, but then went on "But... there's more." but she was not sure how to go on...
Data looked at her with the most innocent expression she had ever seen on anybody's face and asked: "Are we in love, Emma?"
A soft laugh escaped her lips: "Oh, god, Deadpan. If you keep at being the sweetheart you are, I'm afraid I won't stand a chance at avoiding falling for you..." then shook her head "but no, we're not in love, Data. Maybe the closest term to phrase this is having a crush."
"A crush? I have read about this concept!" Data declared excited "It is an infatuation, also called puppy love, a fascination or beguilement..." he seemed to consider this for a moment "I believe it IS the adequate term describing our situation the most precisely, however... I do not thoroughly see the difference between a crush and being in love."
Emma shook her head: "If you've never felt either, it's perfectly normal that you don't know the difference. It's not something that you can intellectually grasp. At least, I could not, when I was a teenager. You have to feel it." she smiled encouragingly "When you feel it, you will know it."
Data bowed his head self-consciously: "Emma, I am not a teenager. Not chronologically, not in any other sense of the word. With my intellect and with the emotion-chip, I should understand these things better."
She sighed with an understanding smile: "No, you're not a teenager. You were born an adult, your body is clearly that of an adult man - khm focus Emma! - your mind is brilliant, your emotions are deep and sincere, and on top of all that, you have the emotional awareness of a two-year-old."
Data gaped at her wide-eyed, shocked: "You really think so?" he asked on a thin voice.
"Well, make that a ten-year-old. Still. You're struggling to integrate your feelings with your intellect, you're trying to grasp why you feel certain things, while you're not even sure what exactly it is that you're feeling at all. Those are things kids struggle with - and some adult people with ... a form of autism."
He frowned: "But autism is cured in infants, Emma."
She winced: "Not on a world stuck in the 21st century, no... Look." she squeezed his hands "You'll learn all of this. Give yourself time. After all, you have had emotions for only two years, still you've already come a long way. A lot longer any human would in such a short time! You just need some more time." she smiled consiprationally "You of all people have all the time in the universe, right?"
"But I do NOT have all the time!" he declared, and she again sensed a tinge of desperation in his voice.
"Why would you think that?"
"Because if I take so much time - who knows, what if I would need years? - what would happen to us? What would happen to our crush? You would find yourself another man! Someone who knows what is going on in his head. Someone who is as practised in love-affairs as He is in Dreamland. Someone who can give you what you need and is not a confused child..." he again bowed his head almost as if sulking.
Emma suddenly gave him her usual smirk: "You know what, Deadpan? You ARE a confused child." she told him, and he looked at her with a sad, knowing expression as she went on "Not only confused but selfish as well! Are you not thinking about what I would want? What I would choose? You are writing my life for me for the next few years!" she then seeing his remorseful face, gave up on pulling his leg "Okay, forget what I've just said, I was just teasing you. Look. Who knows what the future brings? We barely know each other. We might end up having a few mind-blowing nights, and then after our bodies get satisfied, we'll realize that hmm... she is a smug, sarcastic bitch, he is an eternal baby - and we break up. Data, I don't want to know the future. I don't want to swear to you that I'd wait for you, and I don't want you to feel obliged to the things you are saying now in a year's time. The hard part is that it's always changing. Once you're angry at me, then you're crying for losing me..."
"I am not angry at you anymore..." he muttered regretfully.
"You see?" she smiled again.
"I was wrong in being angry with you, and I am sor..."
"No!" she put a finger on his lips "Stop being so hard on yourself. Stop pushing yourself as if you had a deadline to meet. Let it go..." she said on a soft voice massaging his hand from the tight fist it had been in "And you will find what you're looking for. It'll just come to you!" she laced her fingers through his then leaning close to his face, she gave a small kiss to the tip of his nose. "Now, come!" she told him letting his hand go, and hopped to her feet.
"Where?" he looked up at her confused.
"You're here to practise, aren't you? Let's dance! Is there a better way to get to know each other?"
He stood up and cocked his head "Emma, it is already past midnight. I have to warn you. You will be very tired tomorrow."
Emma laughed and stepped into his arms taking up the classic dancing position "Maybe I was missing something, but was there ever a time in the last weeks, when I was not tired, Deadpan? Besides, I had a good hour of sleep in the cinema, on a very comfortable albeit a bit bony pillow." she pushed her fingers into his shoulder smiling, then as Data returned the smile, she called out: "Computer, waltz please!" the music began, and they started dancing. After a minute or so, she spoke up again "And about needing time..." her voice was a little shaking "You are not alone in that either."
"Because you are still married?"
She gave him a tentative nod "Because of the impact of that marriage. You're not the only one in this universe who's afraid of losing someone. I was so afraid of losing my husband that I let him treat me in a horrible way." she couldn't bring herself to go into any details. When she looked into his eyes, she saw that his expression was painful. Her heart missed a beat as the realization dawned on her: it hurt him to see her in pain. "So..." she felt a little breathless suddenly, and knew it wasn't because of their waltz "It creeps me out that I too feel scared of losing you. It's as if I am dragging myself into this dangerous territory again... I need time to sort out my feelings too. See? It's complicated..."
This time, Data was the one who smiled encouragingly: "I will give you all the time you need!" he promised and mimicking her previous actions, he leaned close to her face, and before she could get the impression that he wanted to kiss her on the lips, he quickly gave her a kiss on the nose. He then looked into her eyes with his sincere golden gaze "I am glad we reconciled. Even when I was angry at you, I hated that feeling." he confessed.
Emma nodded: "I hated that too, Deadpan." she told him smiling.
They snuggled more comfortably into their embrace and danced on. Emma felt she grew wings, and if she was asked, she could have flown! She tried to hate how much her world could turn by making peace with a man. She felt the control was completely taken away from her, but she felt so good, she just couldn't care!
"Emma?" she heard his voice and looked into his eyes smiling.
"Hmmm?"
"What are we going to do?"
"I was thinking about waltzing for a little while, then we could go to sleep." she told him knowing he didn't mean that.
Data didn't get the teasing from her voice, he grew even more serious "I did not mean tonight. I meant having a crush! I understand that people who feel that way tend to start a relationship. However, we both are reluctant about going down that road. How are we going to resolve that contradiction?"
"It's not necessary to go down that road. Take Broccoli and Sugar for an instance. OR Bev and your Captain - although they have something that's a lot more serious than a simple crush going on."
Data blinked at her wide-eyed. Emma gave him two huge chunks of completely new information in just two short sentences, and he was not sure how to comprehend all of this! Emma laughed at his expression "Don't tell me you didn't notice. You know them a lot longer than I do!"
Data seemed to think a little. He was inexperienced with emotions, but he was not unobservant. He tried to run a quick analysis on his memories about both couples, trying to find clues about what she had stated about them. After a minute, he finished and looked at her thoughtfully "I might agree on Lieutenant Barclay and Gomez. They seem to be close friends, and Lieutenant Gomez seemed to be jealous whenever you danced with Lieutenant Barclay. However, I cannot find any relevant data on the Captain's and Doctor Crusher's behaviour in this regard."
"You’re right, you might not know about THEM. I know only because I know Beverly, and she was talking about these things in her messages. So please don't tell this to anybody, okay?" she winced regretting that her mouth was always moving before her brain was...
He nodded seriously "Okay... So?" he looked at her expectantly.
"So what?" she asked losing the thread.
"So what is the conclusion that we can draw from these instances?"
"Oh... Well. I suppose the conclusion is that we should take our time. Let's just try to be friends, and let's try to resist this crush until we know more about each other. And until our lives is a little less hectic. What do you think about that, Deadpan?"
He cocked his head thoughtfully "Are you going to tell me if your opinion changes? If you have 'taken your time'."
"Yes, I will. I promise." she nodded smiling "Will you promise me the same thing?"
"Of course!"
"Good!" she smiled broadly, then suddenly, she stopped dancing and pulled him close into a tight embrace, her arms around his neck "Just don't ask me not to do this!" she whispered into his ear and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek.
"Do friends really do that?" he asked smiling incredulously at her - knowing full well that Geordi never displayed such an act of affection toward him, and no friend was ever closer to him than Geordi!
"Yes, absolutely!" she answered looking at him convincingly "Very often."
He smiled shyly "I believe friends resisting a crush might be a more appropriate definition to those who do that often." he told her and pulling her close, happily returned her act of affection.
She cuddled up to him "Good thing I can't fool you, Deadpan! You keep me on my toes."
Dialogs + lyrics in Italics are from Dreamland, except for As time goes by lyrics which is from Casablanca
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