DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Trek: TNG or it's awesome characters. I only own Armanya who is stuck inside the Jeffries tube in my mind.
SIDE NOTE: I am not what you would call a "Techie Trekkie". I do not understand the terminology regarding the ship and it's inner workings. This is why I tend to focus on people and the relationships aboard the ship, instead. Sue me. And if I get good reviews and quieries on my OC's past, I will upload a story I wrote years ago regarding her life pre-Enterprise and post-Enterprise. But for now, I introduce this lil gem.
"You're coming to the party, aren't you?"
Lieutenant Reginald Barclay had just exited his quarters when he found himself standing face to face with his commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge.
"M-me? A party? What's the-the occasion?" Barclay stammered in his usual nervous tone.
"Lieutenant Armanya Collins is returning from her three month holiday," he replied, smiling. "You should meet her. Trust me when I say once you have met her, you'll never forget it."
"Is she the h-human officer you and Lieutenant Data found stuck inside one of the Jeffries tubes more than a year ago?"
Geordi chuckled. "The very same. Data brought her to Ten-Forward a few minutes ago and she had no idea about the party. Besides, you have to come. I'm sure she'll want to meet you since the two of you will be working closely on specific future projects."
Barclay opened his mouth to protest, but the visor-wearing man grabbed his arm and led him in the direction of the lounge. Why did he have to insist on forcing him to mingle with the crew and complete strangers? Geordi of all people shoud know how he struggled with social interaction. This is going to be a complete and total nightmare; maybe after a few minutes, I can slip into the holodeck and-
"Go grab some punch; I'll be right back to introduce you," Geordi cut into his thoughts before he wandered off.
Barclay decided to do as he was told and poured himself a cup of Guinan's famous fruit punch. Maybe if I stand very still over here by the wall, no one will notice me, he thought to himself, watching the interaction between the crew.
"Aw, thank you, Fuzzy Man!" she heard a female voice exclaim to Thralen, the Enterprise's sociologist as the blue-skinned Theskian hugged her tightly.
Perhaps she is Collins, Barclay wondered, as he watched the back of her return the warm embrace. He forced himself to look away, instead deciding to use his energy to stare at a large stain on the floor.
"So, do you always hold the wall up at parties or is this one just a special occasion?" a female voice suddenly asked from beside him.
Barclay jumped slightly and looked up before glancing at the woman who was talking to him. As soon as his eyes locked onto hers, he lost his breath completely. She was beautiful! "I-uh, w-well I-" he stammered, trying not to look at her deep blue eyes for too long, fearing if he did, he would melt.
"It was a joke," she smiled. "I'm Lieutenant Armanya Collins, by the way."
Barclay stared at her outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it, mentally cursing that his palms were cold and clammy. "Lieutenant Reginald-Reg-Barclay."
"I thought so. Nice to meet you," she replied, extracting her hand from his, her dark blonde wavy hair cascading over her shoulders. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you since I've returned. We'll be working together, but there are a few things you should probably know about me beforehand."
Like to stay out of your way and mind my own business, he thought to himself miserably. As popular as she seemed to be with the crew, if he made her angry, the rest of the team would be quick to defend her and reprimand him.
"Did you eat any of the cake?" she asked, not leaving her post beside him.
"The c-cake? Uh, no. Not yet," he managed to reply.
She looked at him, a twinkle in her eye. "You do like cake, don't you?"
Barclay nodded, looking at the massive chocolate cake. "Yes. Very much so."
"Good. You were scaring me for a minute. I tell you what; why don't you cut a decently big slice of that cake and you and I can split it later?" She looked at her watch. "I have something to take care of with Chief O'Brien, but what do you say you meet me back here in two hours? Just tell Guinan to put the cake on ice until then. Okay?"
Barclay nodded again, feeling both excited and queasy. She wanted to share her cake and talk to him...privately!
Suddenly, he realized he was really going to be alone with this beautiful stranger and his pulse began to race and a bead of sweat formed along his brow.
"Lieutenant Barclay; are you feeling satisfactory? You look rather ill," Lieutenant Commander Data asked him as he passed by with Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
"I-I'm fine. It's just suddenly...warm in here."
Data looked at him, his head covked ever-so-slightly. "The current temperature in this room is at sixty-eight degrees fahrenheit. Perhaps you should allow Doctor Crusher to assist you to sick bay."
Sick bay! That's it! I'm sick. I can't go because I'm-
"I think this piece will be big enough for the both of you, don't you think?" Guinan's voice asked, cutting his thought process short.
He looked at her strangely as she held in her hands a decently sized piece of cake on a plate. "Wha-how-?"
"I work here; sometimes, I hear things. Now do you want me to put this piece away for you and Lieutenant Collins or not?"
Barclay looked down as if he had been caught with his hand inside the cookie jar. "That would be fine. Thank you," he muttered before walking out of Ten-Forward, embarrassed and terrified.
"I still can't believe you are going to go on a date with Lieutenant Broccoli," Chief Miles O'Brien shook his head as they stood inside the transporter room.
"It's not a date. We are sharing cake and discussing-did you say Lieutenant Broccoli?" Armanya asked mid-sentence.
"It's a little nickname Wesley Crusher came up with."
Armanya rolled her eyes, her annoyance with Doctor Beverly Crusher's son obvious. "I should've known that spoiled pipsqueak would've done such a thing. But that's beside the point. The point is, I need to let him know about me. My abilities and all that. Besides, he's human, I'm human, we were both miserable when we first arrived, et cetera. And also like Barclay, I didn't make many friends at the start, either. If it wasn't for Data and Geordi, I know without a doubt, my life would have taken a very bad turn. Maybe that's all Barclay needs, as well."
"I didn't think about it like that," O'Brien confesssed, making slight adjustments to the transporter.
"And I believe it was a certain chief who said over a year ago that perhaps I should be sent back to Earth in a nice little package," she added with a mischevious twinkle in her eye.
O'Brien stared at her, mouth open and face turning red. "Well, I-who told you-?"
Armanya giggled and swatted him playfully on the arm. "I'm not angry. It's okay. I admit I was a very troubled individual."
"You still are. But you are just the kind of trouble the USS Enterprise needs from time to time," O'Brien teased, winking at her.
Guinan watched Barclay closely as he entered the now nearly vacant lounge and walked towards her at the bar. He looked completely miserable.
"I'll have that cake now," he said softly. "And a glass of milk. Cold."
"Coming right up," she told him. "You sure you don't want a milkshake? Collins will order one. She likes strawberry and banana."
Barclay wrinkled his nose instinctively. "Cold milk will be fine."
A minute later, Guinan came back withe the cake and his milk. "You don't have to look so depressed. Most guys would be ecstatic to have a woman keep them company."
"It's not that...it's just-I'm not very good with conversation. She's so...at ease here and I-well, I am not. I just don't understand why she wants to have her c-cake with me."
"Maybe because she is more like you than you think," Guinan pointed out. "Collins didn't exactly fit in here, either, when she first came. First week she was here? She locked herself in the holodeck and cried. Every night, Data would find her in the empty holodeck."
"She-she did? But why?" he asked, leaning forward.
"You'll have to ask her that question," Guinan replied, nodding her head towards the door, where Armanya had just entered.
