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"No, no, no, Data!" Geordi spoke into thin air, matching his best friend's long strides (though, quite frankly, having slight difficulty keeping up), realizing he was headed for his quarters. Of all places! "You were so close!"
Data's audio processors failed to pick up Geordi's phased deliverance, and continued his path uninterrupted, unknowing. The door chirped familiarly as he entered, Geordi following begrudgingly behind. The door swooshed closed behind them and, of course, Spot came trodding over, snaking herself between her owner's legs, emitting a rather loud purr. Data reached down, scratched behind her ears, and, with brief contemplation, settled onto the floor beside her. Geordi grew impatient.
"Hello, Spot," Data spoke ever so naturally, his cat settling warmly in his lap. He let silence fall for a few moments before speaking up again in that calculated softness, "... I lost my best friend today."
Geordi stopped his frustrated pacing rather ungracefully and spun quickly on his heels. The various obscenities that were on the tip of his tongue promptly dissolved down his throat, filling the murky pit of guilt in his stomach.
"You remember Geordi, do you not?" He asked, scratching behind Spot's ears as she looked up at him, aware that he was speaking to her, yet that being the extent of her response. Data expected no more, of course, and he continued monologuing, Spot rubbing her face against his palm. "He took care of you when I had a diplomatic mission on Designia III. He was never very… inclined to be in your presence, however I do not believe that sentiment was entirely accurate. In fact, when I returned, I found you resting in his lap as he was reading. He did not admit it, but he appeared content with your company."
Some ghost of fondness passed through Data's features, and in tandem with a brief anxious flutter in his abdomen, Geordi suddenly was struck with the feeling that he was intruding. This was a violation of Data's privacy. He turned to leave, but—
"He did not complain when I asked that favor of him. He is always… Was always willing to help. I suppose one of the most admirable qualities about Geordi was his selflessness, his kindness. He never made me feel 'less than' because I am an android. He treated me the same as anyone else. That, I am forced to realize, I will miss."
Geordi wondered if Data would have ever told him this. He wondered if Data chose not to, for reasons he wouldn't understand, or if Data never realized he might not have the opportunity to. Suddenly Geordi felt every emotion Data wanted to feel. Loneliness, for one. Grief, guilt. Happiness for all their memories together, a bitterness in knowing they had made their last. He couldn't observe for any longer, but a compulsion to hear Data's words kept his feet glued stubbornly to the floor.
"I will miss him, Spot. I know that you, in your own way, will miss him as well. I regret that I did not express my gratitude for him adequately. I also regret that I did not..." Data, in a rather uncharacteristic act, trailed off. The hand stroking Spot's fur stuttered for a brief, nearly imperceptible moment, before returning to its prior rate and heading, and Geordi fleetingly entertained the possibility that Data was malfunctioning. But he knew better. "I also regret that I did not have the opportunity to bid him farewell. I would have spoken to Counselor Troi about this, however I am sure she is coping with her own share of grief. I do not wish to make it any more difficult for her. Or for anyone else."
"You'll see me soon, Data," Geordi promised, crouching down on the floor beside his friend. He watched as Data stroked Spot's fur from head to tail, knowing that he still couldn't be seen, yet needing to be closer to Data all the same. Never once did Geordi doubt the android's appreciation for him, and the thought that Data believed he didn't contribute enough to their friendship was almost sufficient in making Geordi's face wet.
"I must go, Spot. My… lamenting is not aiding me in planning for Geordi's funeral, nor is it helping me understand the source of the chroniton particles." Gently, Data picked Spot up from his lap, and Spot, knowing her services were no longer needed, trotted off as surely as she came. Data stood, tugged down the hem of his uniform, and was out of the door in three and a half sure strides. Geordi did not leave with him.