It was surprisingly difficult for me to come up with something for this, so I decided to approach this prompt fill a little differently. Normally, I know what story I want to tell. This time, I’m going to just put down a first sentence and see where it takes us. The ending will be just as surprising to me as it is to you. Let’s see how it works out. c:
The Couple
Tasha woke up with no regrets.
This was the first time in regards to Data that happened in weeks. After the first night together and a few days, she figured that regret would always be a part of any relationship they carried, at least on her end. But that morning, as the computer chimed and she rose from the sheets, she smiled and allowed the pleasantness of last night to overtake her. They went on their forth date – a rather pleasant holodeck experience – conversed about life, and decided to make their pairing official.
She and Data were together. An item. A couple.
Tasha reveled over that for only a moment before climbing out of bed and starting the day with more energy than she ever had waking on the Enterprise before. She washed, dressed, ate breakfast, and walked to the bridge with a confident stride and a smile.
The turbolift was empty when she crossed into it. She waited for the doors to close behind her before she called, “Bridge.” The lift obeyed with a polite, gentle hum. Within seconds, the hum stopped, the doors opened, and the dimly lit bridge came into view. She was one of the first to arrive, then. Given her morning energy, that wasn’t a surprise. She stepped off the lift and into the room.
The bridge was populated with the essentials – five crew members in all. Four night shift officers manned security, two science stations, and the navigation panel in the front. The fifth crew member, Data, sat in the Captain’s chair. His gaze lifted from the display to her. A half-second later, he stood and faced her.
“Tasha,” he said. She descended the ramp to meet him. “You are five minutes and thirty-one seconds earlier than usual.”
“I woke up in a good mood,” she answered. She stopped in front of him with a polite smile. “How was your night?”
“We did not run into any anomalies that would have altered the course of the Enterprise, so I was able to spend processing power going through various supplement options for Spot while–”
Data stopped, blinked, tilted his head, closed his mouth, opened it again and finally said:
“It was… good.”
Tasha’s smile broadened.
“We can talk about the specifics of your night later, if you want,” Tasha said, “Maybe over lunch?”
“You normally eat lunch with Counselor Troi,” Data said.
“She has an appointment during my lunch period today,” Tasha said.
“You wish to have a date instead?”
“No, just casual conversation,” Tasha said, “We don’t always have to do romantic things together when it’s just the two of us, Data.”
Data’s head tilted again. There was a pause and then a nod.
“Lunch is acceptable.”
“Okay.” She looked up at the security officer behind the console. He had been staring, but the moment she looked up, he broke eye contact and bore his vision into the lit-up panel. She looked back at Data. “Well, I guess I’ll just go to my post.”
She turned to walk up the ramp. A light grasp on her forearm stopped her. Tasha’s eyes jerked back. Data blinked at her and then leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her cheek. It was short, brief, but filled Tasha was a happiness that mirrored what she felt when she first woke up. He pulled back and let go. She flashed a grin.
“Thanks, Data,” she said. Then she walked up the ramp, dismissed the security officer, and started her morning work.
There's a Mirror on the Wall 