The Experiment (Data x reader)

Beverley

You were in your classroom when you first caught wind of the newest bizarre occurrence on the starship.

It was your first class of the day, the one that Wesley was in, and therefore, one of your favorite classes. It wasn't often that you got to teach a student who was so utterly polite, and kept up with his work even though he didn't exactly enjoy the material you were teaching him. You'd always believed that Beverley had raised her son well.

Data was on the bridge and had been ever since you'd woken up that morning. You assumed that you would reconvene with him later. In the meantime, you had to prepare your class for Starfleet's standardized essay that they would be required to take next week.

"There are three parts to the test," you explained, handing out information sheets. "Grammar will be covered, of course, but the most important-"

Suddenly, your communicator went off. "Picard to Miss y/l/n," the captain said impatiently, obviously aggravated about something. Your students exchanged looks, no doubt remembering the Q incident.

"Y/l/n here," you answered curiously.

"Y/n, please send Wesley Crusher to his mother's quarters. Tell him to go quickly. Picard out."

You glanced up; Wesley had already gathered his materials, a concerned look on his face. "Go ahead, Wesley, you heard the captain," you said gently, and he nodded, rushing out the door.

It was an odd incident, to be sure, but considering it wasn't uncommon for students to be called out of class every now and then, you tried to put it out of your head. It wasn't until your lunch break that you realized there was something wrong.

"Did you hear about Beverley?" David the music teacher asked you, taking his usual place beside you.

"What? No," you said, worried. "Wesley was called out of my class to her quarters today, but that's all I know."

David shrugged. "She lost it. She just went nuts. Apparently, she had a complete breakdown, and no one knows why. They had to tranquilize her."

The rest of your day went by in a complete blur. You suspected Q as soon as you'd heard the news from David, but as the day carried on, you became more and more certain. Perhaps Beverley had stumbled upon the truth with her theory, and Q didn't want anyone else to know; but in that case, would you be the next victim? You were confused and, quite honestly, felt a vague threat following you around throughout your classes. You were relieved when your last class was over, and you were able to go across the hall, through your office, and into your quarters. You did a double take upon seeing Data and Geordi sitting grimly on your sofa.

"What's going on?" you asked faintly, not sure if you could handle any more surprises that day.

"Y/n, I hope that you do not object to my inviting Geordi into our quarters. I felt another emotion today, and I wished for the presence of a human but did not want to disturb you," Data answered.

"Another emotion?" you asked, perking up.

"Y/n," said Geordi softly. "When Beverley... when she had her... incident today, it was directed at Data."

"At Data?" You looked over at the android. He looked as serene as ever, gazing back at you with calm golden eyes.

"I became frightened," he responded. "I was able to maintain this emotion for much longer than the last. Fortunately, Geordi was with me and was able to calm me down."

You sank onto the sofa beside him, considering this new information. So Beverley had, apparently, lost it- and at Data, no less. It was a clear message from Q, in your opinion. You were just thankful that Geordi had been there for Data.

"I can leave it you want," Geordi said, standing to leave. "I don't mean to intrude, and I'm sure you and Data have a lot to discuss."

"No, Geordi, stay. I'll get us some pastries and we can have tea," you said, rising from the couch and hurrying to produce the food, accidently tripping on Spot in the process. You gathered three cups of black tea and a few shortbread cookies and distributed them amongst your friends, taking quite a few of the cookies for yourself. You were, after all, a stress eater, and everything about the situation was stressful.

"Beverley came to the bridge." Geordi began the story unprompted, after a few minutes of silent eating. "Deanna and Riker were arguing, something about whether or not to go out to dinner together, and Picard said he didn't have time for their 'teenage drama'." Geordi allowed himself an amused grin, and you smiled slightly. "Anyway, Beverley sat beside Picard, and she... wasn't acting like herself. She looked like she didn't want to be there, and she was kind of sulking. A few minutes later, she had a complete emotional breakdown, screaming at Data and saying that he didn't deserve to feel human, and going up to him and shaking him. Data got frightened and he started calling out for you, y/n, so I stepped in." Geordi glanced up at you. "Then, I, uh, remembered you and Data were sharing quarters," he added, raising his eyebrows suggestively and you blushed, looking down at the floor. "So I brought him here and watched over him to make sure he was alright."

"It was... an irrational response," Data added thoughtfully. "I experienced terror when Doctor Crusher attacked me. However, I could have easily physically overtaken her. I am uncertain as to the meaning of this."

"Well, Data, it's perfectly normal to feel afraid when someone is yelling at you," you explained. "Even if you don't feel physically threatened, loud yelling is still an unpleasant sensation."

"Y/n's right," Geordi added. "And she wasn't acting like herself at all. She even passed out right afterwards. Everyone was afraid, Data, it wasn't just you. I was terrified."

You couldn't help but be pleased that Data had instinctively called out to you for help. You glanced over at him as he sipped his tea, and felt another rush of attraction. He had his research notebook open in front of him, filled with details about his most recent emotional experience; his experiment notes reminded you of something.

"Will... will Captain Picard want to have another meeting about the experiment?" you asked Geordi hesitantly.

Geordi sighed, shaking his head. "Doesn't he always? I have no doubt that we'll be called to some emergency briefing in the next few days. I think right now he's mostly concerned about Beverley's health."

There was another silence, and Geordi stood. "I really should be going. I'm sorry that I randomly showed up in your quarters, y/n. Sorry- I mean, yours and Data's quarters."

You knew he was teasing, and you rolled your eyes. "You're always welcome, Geordi. I'll see you later."

The door closed behind Geordi, and you turned to see Data with his posterity notebook. "What are you writing now, Data?" you asked, going to sit beside him. Data revealed the page- it was a sketch of you, very well done, standing in front of your classroom and smiling peacefully. You blushed- the drawing was very pretty, and you wondered if that was how Data saw you.

"Terror is a very intense emotion," Data responded. "I felt a distinct need for your companionship, and you were unable to be with me. While I was distressed, I created a mental image of you in order to stabilize my fears, and I believe I have captured it on paper."

If possible, your face got even redder than it already was. How in the seven heavens was Data so unbearably sweet? "I- oh, Data," you murmured, resisting the urge to embrace him. You could think of no other response, so you sat in silence, gazing contemplatively out of the window at the stars. As concerned as you were for poor Beverley (for you were convinced that it wasn't her who had thrown that fit; she would never do something so unkind), a large part of your mind was occupied with Data; was it possible that, someday, he might develop feelings for you?  

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