Twice in a Blue Moon
by Jules Lake Heath
NC 17
A sequel to SurpRisa!
Fandom: Star Trek The Next Generation
Twice in a Blue Moon
by Jules Lake Heath
Picard was stopped three times on his way to breakfast to be told that Riker had worm-holed at the Throe the previous night and asked if his friend was okay. He knew he had to be or he would have already been contacted by Data. Never the less, by mid-afternoon Picard could stay away no longer. He had to find out about Will.
He stood at the door for a moment before he pressed the chime, trying to convince himself he wasn't prying -- he was concerned. It took Data a long time to get to the door and he looked odd when it opened.
He was dressed in solid black, no sign of the flash or dashing colors he had been displaying. His face was stoic, absolutely expressionless. He silently stood aside, opening the path for Picard to enter. The room was littered with shreds of silk and tossed clothing. He looked at Data without trying to hide his alarm.
"How is Will?"
"He will be fine. He is sleeping."
Picard glanced at the bedroom, his relief apparent. Then he looked at Data, his concern returning.
"And how are you?"
"I will be fine, as well, Sir."
"Mmm." Picard eyed him uncertainly. He bent and picked up a blue rag.
"It looks like you had a difficult morning."Data solemnly nodded. "May I sit down or would you rather I left?"
Flopping down on the couch in complete resignation, he said, "I do not know."
Picard sat down next to him.
"Every relationship doesn't work out," Jean-Luc said, hazarding a guess as to the reason behind Data's depression.
"I know," he said quietly.
"Are you in love with Will?"
"No. I am not in love with anyone. I do not know if I ever will be."
Picard smiled at him affectionately. He had every symptom except pimples.
"Surely your father wouldn't have given you the assortment of emotions you've displayed without including the ability to fall in love."
"Will...did not love me, either."
"Does that devalue the experiences you shared? Does it diminish the passion you felt or the memories that you will have forever?"
Data carefully considered his answer. "It changes the perspective, but does not reduce..." He realized, where Picard had been leading him. "No. It does not."
"You had a good time?" Picard nodded encouragingly.
"Yes, I did," he said with the hint of a smile.
"Then you haven't lost anything, Data."
He pulled the scrap of material out of Picard's hands. "I have lost a very expensive blue shirt," he said as the smile became fuller on one side of his face, feeling ridiculous.
"A small price to pay."
"I suppose it is."
They were silent for a moment.
"Captain, Jean-Luc, I suppose it is now safe to say that things have changed."
"Data," he said tenderly, "I don't believe they have...not in the way that you mean.
This is still not the right time." Data's questioning eyes told him that he did not understand.
"Are you familiar with the term 'catching someone on the rebound'?"
"No, Sir."
"Well, Data, you're still riding on the crest of what I understand was an extremely
passionate affair." Data nodded in agreement. "That means you're still experiencing an emotional state resulting from that affair. You're feeling, as you have said, very confused. If we were to begin a relationship now, you would be on the rebound from your relationship with Will.
"Not only would that be taking unfair advantage of you, it would also distort the feelings that we would be developing for each other."
"I believe I understand," he said earnestly.
"However, that doesn't mean we can't go to the last night of the Shakespeare festival -- if you think Will has sufficiently recuperated."
"He probably will not awaken before this time tomorrow."
"What did he take?"
"Altered Origami. It rained down on him from the ceiling; it was not voluntary."
"I've never heard of it."
"It is a hallucinogen in its original form. What Commander Riker had was more potent and altered to be an aphrodisiac. It is more...difficult to control, especially for the uninitiated."
"It sounds disturbing."
"It is a direct link with the subconscious mind. The results can be very disturbing and highly enlightening."
"I'm sorry his enlightenment hurt you so badly, Data." He still was not himself.
"Have you decided about the festival?"
"I do not believe I will attend tonight, Captain. However, if you will accept the tickets, they will not be wasted."
"I don't want to go without you," he protested. "Besides, you'll be here by yourself while Will is sleeping and do nothing but mope. That's not what you need right now. Trust me."
'I always have.' "Yes, Captain," he replied in soft tones.
"Good. Now go put on your nicest clothes."
"But the festival doesn't begin for hours."
"I know. I will be leaving in the morning so you're taking me to your tailor this afternoon. I need a few things and I like his work. We'll also need time to stop for something to eat." Data stood and stared wordlessly at him.
"Am I going to have to make this an order? I suppose I am! Commander Data, you are hereby ordered to act as your captain's personal security guard until he returns to his quarters this evening. You will stay by his side, show him around and most importantly, you will have a good time so as not to depress him. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Then get dressed and let's go," he ordered.
By the time Data emerged sheepishly from the bedroom, Picard had picked up the evidence of his tantrum and tidied the room.
"Thank you, Captain." He still sounded a bit gloomy.
"Of course, Data. You look wonderful." He took a final sip of tea. "Do we walk or beam to the tailor's?"
"It is just around the corner."
"What's it called?"
Data rolled his eyes. "Passion's Fashions."
Picard laughed as the door shut behind them.
*****
"He is kidding, isn't he?" Picard asked Data when Vreeba disappeared into another room for a moment.
"Oh no, Sir. Vreeba loves tattoos."
"I don't care how good he can sew. I'm not putting a tattoo on my head!" he said firmly.
"Let him show you some of the designs, then tell him you did not see one that you liked," Data suggested. "He will show you a few more and then decide it was not right for you, anyway."
"I like a man who knows his tailor."
None of the clothes Picard ordered were as flamboyant as Data's current style, but he wound up with a nice selection of striking clothing designed especially for him. He was quite pleased and had his purchases beamed back to his room, except what he chose to wear that evening.
Data ordered some more conservative clothing to wear while off-duty back on the ship.
When they left, they had no tattoos and Data's hair had been returned to its previous state of 'drabness'.
They had dinner at an outdoor cafe that reminded Picard very much of Paris in autumn.
After learning this, Data had said a few words to him in his native tongue and they spent the next two hours conversing in French. Picard was having such a good time that they would have missed curtain call were it not for Data's ever-reliable punctuality.
When the last act was over, Picard said his good-byes to the troupe of actors that had come to know and respect him. They reluctantly walked back to the Inn. It had all seemed to pass quite quickly; now they would go to their separate rooms, both wishing they could be together.
Data found himself wondering what might have happened had he run into Picard before he encountered Will. Would they be going to the same room tonight or would he have discovered that he did not share love with Jean-Luc, either?
Picard's room came first so they stopped outside his door.
"I guess you're officially off duty," Picard said. "I'm safely home."
"I could stay on duty a while longer, if the Captain wishes company."
"Of course I do. That's why you should go."
"Are you sure this is not the right time?"
He put his arms around Data and hugged him for a long time, a comforting hug from a friend. "Quite sure."
"Then I will go now, or you will be calling hotel security to remove you personal guard," he told Picard with a weak smile.
"Good night, Data," he said with a little squeeze on his forearms. "I'll see you in the morning before I leave."
"Yes, Sir. Good night."
It seemed like a long walk to his room. When he opened the door, Will was sitting by the holographic fire. The image of flames had done nothing to help warm his spirit.
"I did not expect to find you awake," he said upon seeing Will.
"You've changed you hair," he said, sounding disheartened.
"I must start preparing to return to the Enterprise."
"Data, I wasn't intentionally misleading you. I really thought..."
"Will, I understand. From the very beginning, we both said we did not know what would happen." He took off his wrap and hung it on a wrack. "We can still cherish the time that we had."
This seemed to make Riker feel a little better. "I wish I could have found a way to make it last."
"I, as well. However, we are 'on the rebound', Will. We are surfing in emotions."
A huge grin spread over Riker's pallid face. "You've been talking to the Captain, but I don't understand the part about surfing."
"We are riding a crest of culminated passion."
"Oh...surfing." He chuckled softly. Only Data…
He walked up to the somber android and fingered the satin material of his shirt.
"I still find you...very desirable."
Those blue eyes over the brilliant smile. He was going to miss the way his beard felt against his skin.
"Commander, is it acceptable for two people on the rebound to drown in their emotions together?"
His arms encircled Data's trim waist.
"It's acceptable to me."
"To me, as well," he said, pressing into Will.
"Data, I'm really sorry."
"There is no need for absolution. You have done nothing that needs forgiving."
"This is so hard for something you're trying to make so easy. Data, I just want you to know how difficult this has been for me. This was the hardest decision I've had to make in years."
"I know. I saw it happen."
"Thank you for taking care of me last night. And I promise you -- the next time you warn me to stay away from a party, I'm going to listen!"
"Vreeba asked about you. He was extremely upset that you were not aware of the nature of the bubbles and hoped you did not resent him over the occurrence."
"I'm glad I experienced it, once!"
"I wish I could have experienced it with you."
"I have something I want to share with you." Data's hands went to the front of Riker's pants. "No, not that. That's in a minute," he said, removing the android's fingers from his crotch.
"It's something I want to show you." He laughed. "No, not that!" He captured the roaming hands when they returned to the previous position. "It's an astronomical event."
Now he had Data's attention. He led him out onto the terrace.
There was no need to point out what he wanted to show Data. Two huge full moons hung heavy in the Risian sky. Their radiance faded the stars. They looked ready to drip to the ground below.
"Both moons are full only once every two years."
"Two point zero five seven years," Data corrected.
"OK," Riker grinned, "two point zero five seven years. But," his eyes glistened
under the moons as he spoke, "both moons have already been full once this month.
That's two blue moons."
"Inquiry: blue moon?"
"On earth, the second full moon in the same month is called a blue moon. To have two blue moons on the same night is very rare."
"On Risa, it occurs once every three hundred eight-two point three two years," he said as he gazed appreciatively at the rising satellites. "Rare, indeed. Thank you for showing me."
"We don't have to go inside. It's...secluded."
"Here, in the light of two blue moons?" he asked in fascination.
"Right here. Right now!"
"I do not believe that would be appropriate," he said as he took a step backwards and stopped.
"I do." Will suddenly grabbed Data by the wrists. He squeezed harder than he would have with any other partner. "I think it's very appropriate." He pushed Data back into the wall by the room. He raised his hands above him and pinned them to the marbled surface.
"What were the chances that this could have happened?" he whispered. "Even you couldn't calculate them. Maybe that's what has made this so special. In a lot of ways, we're like those two moons up there and I will never forget the time that we shined in the same sky."
He released Data's arms and held him in place with a forearm. Of course, he could have easily freed himself, but that would have broken the illusion.
With his other hand, he unfastened Data's pants and then opened the flowing shirt.
Running hands over his exposed torso, he extracted him roughly from his clothing.
"We should not do this here," Data protested and tried to lean forward.
"Oh, no you don't. You're not going any where." He threw Data back against the wall.
"For the rest of the night, until those moons set in the morning, you're mine!"
*****
The door chimed.
"Oh, God! Didn't we just go to sleep?"
"Two point three hours ago. It is Jean-Luc."
"Tell him to go away," Will groaned with exhaustion.
"I can not do that," Data said, honestly shocked.
"I was only kidding," Riker said, not sure if that was exactly the case, but started moving when Data handed him a robe.
"He is leaving today," Data informed him.
"Then I'll say good-bye and go back to bed." Data shot him a reproachful look.
"Well, you don't get tired. You don't know what it's like!" Riker grumbled.
"I will bring you coffee," Data promised over his shoulder.
The Captain was at the door, back in uniform and appearing business as usual.
"Well, it looks like the night agreed with you, Data," he said when he was greeted with a smile.
"Yes, Sir. Will you come in?"
"I do have a little time," he said as he walked inside. He'd taken a seat by the time Will slowly walked into the room.
"Oh, my! You did have a time of it. You look like you could use a vacation, Number One."
"Another vacation might just do me in if I don't get some active duty in first."
"I hadn't realized Origami could be so...draining." Riker smiled at the misunderstanding.
"I've recovered from that. I spent last night...surfing."
"Surfing?" Data heard Picard asking as he returned with coffee and tea. If it had been possible, Riker was sure he would have blushed.
"Yes. Under the full moons," he said as he followed Data with teasing eyes.
"Oh, 'surfing', of course," the Captain said with proper amusement. He took the cup from Data and said,
"Well, you will be glad to see these." He handed them each a PADD. "Your orders have come through and I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that we've all been reassigned to the Enterprise. However, there is a notation on yours, Will. They've offered you another ship."
"Commander, I might remind you that if you accept this commission, there exists the possibility that I could be promoted to First Officer."
"I'm going back to bed."
Data smiled wickedly at Picard as he did just that.
* * * * *
"Hello, Counselor," Data said when Deanna stepped onto the lift.
"Hello, Data. Are those new clothes?"
"Yes. I obtained them while I was on leave."
"Very nice," she said, feeling the material.
"You must have had an interesting vacation."
"Extremely interesting. I believe I will try to take leave more often."
"That's wonderful! I'm glad you had a good time. And you've done something with your hair." He would have to show her some the holo-images that had been burned on Risa.
"I plan to return it to its original style. I just have not had time."
"That's a shame. It looks good on you."
The lift opened and they both exited to go to their quarters. They made small talk as they walked down the corridor. Then she hung around his door, obviously wanting to be invited in and told all about it.
"I brought you something from Risa. Would you care to receive it now?"
"Sure, Data," she said, happily following him inside. She saw him look around his cabin and sensed the excitement he felt from returning home. He led her to a stack of packages that had already been beamed aboard and were waiting beside his bed.
He opened a few of them to show Deanna some of his clothes. She was glad she had told him to be discrete! He finally located the one he had brought for her.
It was a lovely, sweeping evening gown designed by Vreeba.
"Data, this is beautiful! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it!" Her mother would be very pleased to see her in something this...regal.
He timidly unpacked the holograms and showed them to her.
"That's not you!"
"I believe you can recognize my eyes."
"Well, I know it's you but...Data, you looked so different!"
"It was a highly enlightening experience."
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I am not sure. However, I found out something else."
"What was that?"
"I enjoy surfing."
juls Heath (c) 1997