Author's Note: I have been dreading if I should post the first chapter or not, but I decided to just suck it up and post it. This is based after the battle of Wolf 359 and during the episode Family. This may contain spoilers.
Chapter 1: Rather Feel Pain
Nicole dreaded the walk to the observation lounge. Commander Riker, her father, asked to see her. Probably for an update on repairs. In Engineering, they were actually ahead of schedule. And the newest members of the team were pretty efficient workers.
Nicole took a deep breath and walked through the doors. She nodded to Lieutenant Worf as he passed her heading out. Commander Riker smiled hugely at her.
However, Nicole tried not to notice it. She stood in attention and said, "Reporting as ordered, Commander."
Commander Riker's smile faded. He put on his command mask. Nicole could sense some sadness coming from him.
It was her choice to keep their relationship professional. She was happy that he was back in her life, but she wasn't ready to talk to him outside of work.
"How are the repairs going, Lieutenant?" Commander Riker asked.
"Excellent. We are way ahead of schedule." Nicole said.
"Good." Commander Riker paused. "Admiral Collins and Ensign Collins are on the guest list to come aboard." He said.
Nicole hardly could contain her excitement. She hasn't seen her surrogate father or brother for at least a year! She found it a bit odd that Rachel wasn't coming aboard.
"I promise they won't interfere with my duties, sir." Nicole said.
"If you would like some time off to spend time with them, I could talk to Geordi." Commander Riker said.
Nicole shook her head. "That is okay, Commander."
"Nikki." Commander Riker started.
Nicole's heart dropped. He called her by her nickname for the first time. According to her mother, her father was the one who gave her the nickname. She wanted him to call her that for so long and now it almost put her in tears.
"Yes sir?" Nicole asked.
Commander Riker closed his eyes. He took several deep breaths. He was hiding something from her. What was it though?
"Nothing. You may return to Engineering. I will contact you when they are ready to come aboard." Commander Riker said, plastering his command mask on.
"Yes sir." Nicole nodded her head. Then she left the Observation Lounge.
Later that day,
Nicole tried to bust out laughing as Geordi talked about the new warp engines with Worf's father.
"Is something amusing, Nikki?" Data asked her.
Nicole looked over at her crush. Her baby blues met his yellow eyes. She could get lost in his eyes.
Nicole wanted to explain why she found it funny, but she was at a lost for words for some reason.
"Nikki, your heart rate sped up. Are you alright?" Data asked, puzzled. Nicole thought she heard a bit of concern.
Nicole tore her eyes away. She took several deep breaths. "I'm alright, Commander." She said.
Data tilted his head. Nicole just gave him a sweet smile. She then went back to tapping her fingers against the console.
Just then she got a call from Commander Riker to report to the observation lounge. What does he want now? Nicole thought.
Nicole still had a couple more sections to go before she was at the observation lounge. She chose to take the long way. However, she was overcome with a wave of sadness. It was strong! She wondered where it was coming from.
She found out that the sadness was coming from the observation lounge. Who was in there? Why would it involve her?
She stepped through the threshold. And before the doors shut all the way, Adam enveloped her in a tight hug. He cried into her shoulder. Nicole just rubbed his back.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Admiral Collins said.
Nicole noticed that he had been crying too.
Adam let go of Nicole so Admiral Collins could hug her. Before Admiral Collins let go of her completely, he kissed her on the forehead.
She then listened as Commander Riker explained that Rachel was aboard one of the ships that was destroyed by the Borg. Nicole felt like she got hit with a ton of bricks. Her heart shattered. Her sister. Her little sister was gone! She was lost on her first assignment!
A week later,
Nicole stood up to stretch some. She had no idea how long she had been sitting at the console. Data was giving her a puzzled look. And Geordi raised his eyebrow just above his visor.
"I'm okay. I've just been sitting too long." She said, smiling as she pressed her hands into her lower back and bent slightly.
"Why don't you take a break? We are pretty much good here." Geordi suggested.
"I am fine, Commander. I promise. Just been sitting too long." Nicole said.
"Nikki." Geordi started.
"Sir, I am fine. I just need to walk around." Nicole said, turning on her heels and walking around Engineering to move to another console.
However, Nicole was not fine. She was overworked, overwhelmed, and exhausted. She was the one who put this work load on herself. Not Geordi.
Her mother tried to talk to her about losing Rachel, but Nicole usually just stayed silent during the counseling sessions. There were even times where Data or Geordi tried to talk to her. She just ignored them. So she just went on with her day, convincing everyone that she was okay when in fact she wasn't.
Nicole tapped her fingers against the console. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure come up beside her.
"Hello Nikki. Do you require assistance?" It was the ship's second officer, Lieutenant Commander Data.
"No sir, I am alright." Nicole said, not looking at the android.
Data tilted his head. "I have noticed the mild swelling around the orbit of your eyes. Are you not sleeping well?"
Nicole panicked a little. She thought the make up she put on this morning to hide the dark circles. If he could see them, then what else was he able to see? She maintained her composure as best she could. She gave Data her best smile. She even placed a hand on his forearm.
"I'm alright, Data. I promise." Nicole said.
Data tilted his head. Nicole didn't know that he saw right through her, but he chose not to address it further since he did not want to give her any more distress. Nicole could see that he wanted to say more, but he chose to say nothing else. She nodded her head and returned back to her work. However, Data stayed close to her throughout the rest of her shift.
She didn't blame him for being worried about her. They had developed such a beautiful friendship. And it was through this friendship that she found herself falling in love with him. He was so kind and gentle to her. And when she needed space, he gave it. He even often asked to help with the most mundane tasks. No man has treated her this way before.
When her shift was over, Geordi and Data came up to her in their Sherlock Holmes get up. Nicole always thought Data looked ravishing as Sherlock Holmes. She hardly could contain herself when he did the accent.
"Would you like to join us, Nikki?" Data asked.
Nicole shook her head. "Not this time. I just want to go back to my quarters and read."
"Are you sure?" Geordi asked.
"Yes, I am sure. It's been a long couple days and a good book sounds nice right now." Nicole said.
"Okay. C'mon Data." Geordi said, motioning Data to follow him.
"One moment." Data said.
Data moved a little closer to Nicole. His yellow eyes searched her baby blues.
"I will check on you later." Data said.
Data followed Geordi out of Engineering. Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to join her crush and his best friend in the Holodeck. She really did. However, it would be hard for her to enjoy it. Plus she was super hungry. She hasn't had an actual meal these last few days. It has been hard to find the time to eat when you've been caught up with work.
"Troi to Lieutenant Riker." came the calm voice of her mother.
Nicole smiled and shook her head. Her mother probably read her thoughts. She tapped her communicator.
"Lieutenant Riker here. Go ahead, mother."
"Care to join your father and I for a family meal?"
Nicole sighed. She has only been on the ship for a few months. Her mother decided to set up these family meals so she could get to know her father. She did want to get to know her father, but only on her own terms. Not her mother's.
"Nikki?" Her mother sounded concerned over the comm.
Nicole realized she hadn't given the empathic counselor an answer yet.
"No thanks. I have too much work to do." Nicole lied.
Nicole ended the comm before either of her parents said anything. She scrubbed her face with her hand. Then she plastered a fake cheery smile as she left Engineering.
She stopped by her quarters to change into a pair of sweats and a graphic tee. She also grabbed a hoodie and put that on.
Then she headed out of her quarters. She went to the gym to work out roughly. She even found herself sparring with someone from security.
When she finally had enough, she looked a little worse for wear. Her dark hair was falling out of the pony tail. She was even more exhausted than before. And she had several scrapes and bruises all over her.
Instead of going to Sickbay, she went to her quarters.
Once the door shut, She quickly took off her hoodie and shirt. She went to the bathroom to grab the hidden med kit. She took some med classes so she could be ready during away missions. And she used that training to heal her wounds.
Some bruises she kept, because she could hide them under her uniform. She then took a sonic shower to clean off some dried blood from some cuts. After the shower, she was in the process of putting on some lounge pants when there was a chime at her door.
She panicked a little. Luckily she was able to find a random shirt to put on. Nicole was in the process of putting up the med tools when there was another chime at the door.
"Come in!" She called from the bathroom.
Data walked in. He tilted his head. It had been a few weeks since he was in Nicole's quarters last. They were usually pretty clean and organized. Now they look chaotic. Clothes were scattered all over the floor.
"Nikki?" Data asked.
"Hold on a moment, Data!" Nicole called from the bathroom.
Data couldn't help himself. While Nicole was in the bathroom. He started to pick up her quarters. He gathered up the dirty clothes. He paused when he saw what humans called a graphic tee.
It was a black Starfleet Academy Engineering shirt. It looked quite old. The design was piling and the shirt was faded. He knew this as one of Nicole's work out shirts. She liked to wear older shirts so her nice clothing wouldn't be damaged.
"Why are you inspecting my shirt like an amoeba under a microscope?" Nicole asked, leaning against the archway to her bathroom.
Data lifted his head. He observed that Nicole did not in fact have a quiet evening in her quarters. She looked even more exhausted. He even saw some scrapes on her. She usually gets scars like that from sparring. So he made a hypothesis that she went to the ship's gymnasium to work out.
"Hello Nicole, how are you doing?" Data asked.
"I am alright." Nicole lied.
Data tilted his head. He became concerned for her well-being. Especially since some of the cuts he saw looked far worse. He also noticed she was a little pale.
"Are you sure you do not need me to help you to Sickbay?" He asked, taking a couple of steps closer to her.
"I am okay, Data. Honestly." Nicole said, smiling.
"Nicole, I do not agree that you are fine. You have various scars that are far worse than your usual sparing scars. Your skin tone has become much lighter. Close to being sickly-"
Data didn't get a chance to finish what he said before Nicole became quite woosy. His fast reflexes caught her before she hit the floor. He tapped his communicator and called for a medical emergency.