Here I am again! Bringing you another of my very long multi-chapter fics! This is one of my personal favorites that I have been keeping to myself for a long time. But I think it's time to share it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any affiliated characters or plots. Just the stuff that came from my imagination...

Annabelle Cassidy took a deep breath before leaving her dorm room. She ran her hand through her curly brown hair and stared at her petite frame in the mirror. The first day in a new place always seemed to terrify her. It happened when she entered high school and again when she headed to college. But this should be different, she thought. Here they should accept her. And yet, even that gave her anxiety.

Annie didn't remember much of her childhood. Flashes here and there but not much. Her adoptive parents hadn't been much help either. They only knew what she knew, that she was a telekinetic; she could move things with her mind.

It was why she had joined Starfleet. It was a place she wouldn't be considered strange.

When she graduated college, she had received a call from Captain Pike asking if she would be willing to meet with him and the admiral of Starfleet. He told her that her abilities would be valued there. She had been hesitant at first but the admiral had promised her a place on Captain Pike's ship when she finished her time at the Academy and she had agreed.

The Admiral had therefore assigned her to train in every aspect she could; medical, xenolinguistics, navigation and engineering. She would then serve on the Enterprise, once the spacecraft had been completed, in any capacity needed and would be available should they need her abilities.

But the first day still scared her. Especially should anyone ask about her childhood because she didn't have anything to say and she feared what people would think.

"Come on, Annie," he roommate Sarah insisted. "We'll be late if you stand there, staring at the door any longer."

"We?" Annie asked. "Your first class isn't for another couple hours." She insisted.

"But you're going to need someone to walk with to your first class or you might never leave this room," Sarah laughed. "So let's go!"

Annie was overwhelmed with gratitude for her friend. They had met in college and although they were complete opposites, they were instant friends. Annie was tiny and boney while Sarah was tall and curvy. Annie had curly brown hair and Sarah had perfectly straight blonde hair. Sarah was the talented dancer and Annie was the talented brainiac. But most importantly, what Annie had in shyness, Sarah made up for ten-fold in her outgoing personality.

They left the building and started off to where Sarah insisted the medical building was. They walked for a few blocks before Annie began to doubt her friend's sense of direction. After they passed yet another nondescript building, Annie turned to her roommate.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" She asked as the continued to walk.

"Nope," Sarah admitted. Annie stopped in her tracks and turned to her.

"Wait, what?" She started just as something hit her from behind causing all of her books and papers to fly from her hands.

Moments before, Jim Kirk had gotten out of his command training class early and, instead of wandering around aimlessly waiting for his next class, he decided to intercept his friend Leonard McCoy on his way to a medical training class in the hospital building.

He saw the dark-haired man in question walking across the lawn with a book and folder clenched tightly in his right hand. He made a bee-line right for the doctor and when Leonard saw Kirk, he only rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" He grumbled.

"Naw, I got out early. Figured I'd come find a friendly face," he replied playfully.

"Then I sure as hell shouldn't be who you were looking for," McCoy only half meant. In all honesty, it felt kind of nice to have a friend already in Starfleet, even if he was the most annoying recruit alive.

"Cheer up Bones, you're gonna love it here and I know it!" Kirk bumped his friend.

"Dammit Jim, I told you to stop calling me Bones," Leonard bit back at him turning his attention to Kirk. However in doing so, he stopped looking ahead of himself and walked straight into a small woman dressed in cadet reds who had unwittingly stopped walking to yell at her own friend.

Leonard immediately crouched down to help pick up the strewn papers.

"I'm sorry, darlin'," he said. "I didn't see you there." Annie gave him a small smile.

"It's fine, I've got it," she answered as she quickly twisted her hand in a circle and all of the papers and books flew back into her arms, including the few Leonard had already picked up. The surprised looks on the two strangers' faces made Annie want nothing more but to run back to the dorms. They just stared for a moment before Sarah noticed how uncomfortable Annie looked.

"Hi, I'm Sarah Thompson and this is Annabelle Cassidy," her roommate introduced herself and Annie to the two men hoping to cut through the awkwardness.

"I'm Jim Kirk and this is Leonard McCoy," Jim replied sticking his hand out for the girls to shake. Leonard followed suit and Annie made a move to leave.

"Wait," Leonard called, causing her to turn back. "Are you headed to the medical building?" He asked. He had noticed that one of her books was the same as the one he was also carrying.

"Yeah," she answered a little sheepishly.

"But we are a little lost," Sarah chimed in nudging her friend. Annie shot her a confused glance.

"Well then why don't I walk with you?" McCoy asked. "That's where I'm headed now." Sarah noticed Annie's hesitation and answered for her.

"That sounds perfect because I really have to go," Sarah said and Annie turned to her again. Sarah nodded and Annie looked back at Leonard.

"I guess I'm coming with you," she said. Neither made any move to leave though as Leonard continued to study the small brunette.

"Well, I'm going to go," Sarah chimed and looked at Kirk. "Are you coming pretty boy?" She smirked.

"Sure," Jim said smacking Leonard on the back first. "See ya, Bones."

"Jim," Leonard hissed in a warning tone but proceeded to make his way to the medical building with Annie.

"What's with her?" Jim asked Sarah once they were out of earshot.

"She doesn't have a great track record with meeting new people, ya know, being different and all. So she just avoids meeting new people as much as possible. She's really nice once you get to know her," Sarah shrugged. Jim nodded and continued to walk with her.

In the mean time, as Leonard and Annie were walking in silence toward the medical building, he felt like he needed to say something to cut through how awkward he felt.

"So are you a nurse?" He asked. He instantly turned red in the face. What a stupid, sexist question, he thought. "I'm sorry, that was a dumb question," he tried recovering.

"Um, no actually," Annie admitted.

"A doctor then?" He guessed.

"No," she answered. Leonard turned to her as they continued to walk. He studied her downcast expression wondering whether she was always so quiet or simply shy around new people.

"You don't talk much, do you darlin'?" He asked then. Annie blushed and looked at him for the first time, tilting her head a little in thought.

"Well, you see, I don't know," she answered honestly. She looked back down at her books. "Sarah says I talk too much when it's just me and her or someone I know but not a lot when it's someone new." She paused to think about the idea. "I suppose I'm just not used to talking to someone new who wants to talk to me. Usually people see what I can do and start running." Annie shrugged and continued on.

"And that happens a lot?" He inquired.

"Kind of. Sometimes people are afraid of what I can do, or they think it makes me strange, inhuman even. I guess I just have a harder time making friends. It's okay, though, I don't have to worry about having fake friends," Annie explained. She waited for Leonard to say anything but for a few moments he only scowled. "I'm sorry maybe that was too much information. I don't usually tell people my life's story in the first hour." Leonard shook his head.

"No, it was more than you've said the whole time we've been walking," he laughed. "But I just can't believe that's happened to you."

"Well, that's why I have Sarah," Annie added with a small smile finally looking back at him. "She's kind of my buffer to the world. Although I don't know what she's doing here. She's been a ballerina as long as I've known her. I guess she's just biding her time for her big break." Leonard chuckled a little.

"Well, darlin' I can assure you that you won't have that issue with me, or Jim for that matter," he assured her. "We've both been spit out by the wrong end of life ourselves." She smiled at him.

"Thank you," she whispered and they fell into silence again. Leonard thought maybe he had scared her off so he tried to continue the conversation.

"So, if you aren't a doctor or a nurse, why are you taking an advanced medical class?" He asked.

"I'm just taking as many classes as I can to be able to assist in as many capacities as I can," came her answer.

"Really?" He asked in surprise. "You don't want to specialize in anything?"

"It's not that, it's just that being a telekinetic, the Academy Board figured that it's just best if I can work anywhere, ya know, apply my abilities and stuff."

"Wow," Leonard marveled. "Wait, telekinetic, like moving things with your mind right? That's the trick you did with the books and papers back there." Annie nodded.

"That's about what it boils down to. There are some species from other planets that can do it but not many humans that have the ability. None, actually, that I know of. That's why the board was excited that I joined Starfleet. But to be honest, it's not like I had too many more places to go."

"Because everyone thinks you're different?" He guessed. Annie nodded. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't have anywhere else to go either."

"I don't know if it makes it better," she admitted. "What happened?"

"My ex-wife took everything but my bones in the divorce," he replied simply.

"Is that why your friend calls you Bones?" She asked. Leonard snorted.

"Yep, that's it," he said and she nodded. They continued a few more yards before coming up to the medical building. "Here we are." He opened the door for her.

"Thank you for walking with me," she said. "Sarah would have had me in the next town."

"The pleasure is all mine, Annabelle," he replied. She moved to walk through the door but stopped for a moment. She looked up at him.

"Annie," she corrected. "My friends call me Annie." Leonard smiled and Annie noted to herself that the man had a rather dazzling smile.

"Annie, then. Shall we?" and he ushered her inside.