Ned places one hand on either side of Daneel's neck, keeping him close, running his fingertips through Daneel's hair. He is impressed for perhaps the thousandth time at the amount of detail that had been put into making his body as close to a human's as possible, at the way his hair goes downy as it trails from the base of his skull down to the back of his neck

"That's... certainly a nice thing to hear," he murmurs, and he can't seem to stop beaming. "Can't think of the last time someone's said that to me."

It's all a bit overwhelming. Just a few months back there had been no one in his life but Digby. Now he's here, in this place, with River who loves him like a sister, and Daneel who loves him enough to redefine the analogues he draws between his own emotions and human ones. To love and be loved in return is a wonderful, unknown thing, for Ned.

"He's right. There's no single way to define love. Everyone feels it in different ways for different people and for different reasons."