Author's Note: This was written for Kaidan Appreciation Week on tumblr, but I wanted to share it here because I miss Alex. I guess that's all. Remember, you can follow me on tumblr - tlcinbflo - for more oneshots, sneak peaks, and background info on all my characters. I do love talking about them, and will answer almost any question. Enjoy! - TLC

Shh, You'll Scare the Fish

Alex Alenko set the sky car down just outside the Orchard. It had been six months since he had seen his son, six months since he confronted Kaidan about his behavior since his return from BAaT. Alex leaned back in the seat once the vehicle was off. He scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed deeply.

Lisa and he had been concerned as soon as Kaidan returned. First, because they were kept in the dark about what had happened. Then, Alex had seen the reports about the death of a teacher after an altercation with a student. He hadn't missed the cut on Kaidan's lip, or in his side. Lisa had tried to get him to push Kaidan into telling them what had happened. Alex wouldn't force it and they watched as he closed himself off. He locked himself in his room for what seemed like days at a time.

His face grew gaunt, and his mood swung from one extreme to the other. Then, it stopped. He seemed numb, completely withdrawn, lost. His eyes were dim and he was void of … life. Alex knew, deep inside, that Kaidan had started using something, he had no idea what it could have been. He said nothing to Lisa, who grew furious with him for his silence. He reached out to a few friends who had dealt with PTSD and drug use.

Hackett responded. They discussed Kaidan's symptoms, his actions. They discussed as much as they could about BAaT. Hackett was the first person to mention Red Sand. It was widely known as a biotic enhancer, a drug that non-biotics would use to gain some semblance of the ability. What wasn't as known was the numbing effect. The absence that comes with it. The escape. As he disconnected with Hackett, he knew that had to be what Kaidan was using, and his heart broke with the realization.

He'd confronted Kaidan, who had denied it for maybe three minutes before he got angry and threw a right hook at him. He'd dodged it easily and wrapped his arms around his son. He held him tight, so tight he could feel Kaidan struggling for breath. He held him tighter still. Until he broke. Hot tears escaped down Kaidan's face and wet his shirt. They fell to the floor and he held his son while he cried.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done. He was angry, disappointed, sad, and so, so scared for him. He didn't know what he could do, so he simply held him until he stopped crying. "You're going to be okay, Kaidan." It was a promise he made him, but he had no way of knowing that for sure. They'd cleared out his stash, as and Lisa packed bags for Kaidan, Alex called his parents. He dropped him off here the next day.

That was six months ago.

He knew, from vid calls with Kaidan and messages with his parents, that Kaidan was clean, sober and getting healthy again. This would be the first time he saw him to judge for himself. He checked the time, he knew his parents would be deep in the fields today. Kaidan was expecting him, and had told him he would stay towards the house to meet him when he arrived.

Alex stepped from the car and made his way around the large house with the full porch circling the building. He paused when he reached the back. He'd found Kaidan, tending to the flower garden near the back of the house. When Alex had seen him last, he'd been too thin, waiflike, pale and fragile. That boy was gone. Alex watched as Kaidan ripped the weeds from the ground, and tossed them behind him. He felt no small sense of pride when he watched Kaidan's healthy, strong body shift as he tended the garden. His skin held a sunny glow and was tan from outdoor labor. He was thicker, maybe not as wide as he had been before he had been … sick, but he looked much better.

Alex felt the emotion burning at the back of his throat, when Kaidan sat back on his heels and wiped sweat from his forehead. He noticed Alex then, and the stunning grin that broke on Kaidan's face warmed him, and he knew in that moment, that Lisa and he had made the right decision. Kaidan pushed himself to his feet and met Alex halfway. He threw his arms around his father, holding tight, as Alex held him back. He smelled like dirt, sweat, and the farm. There was no lingering stench of missed showers and days spent hidden in his bedroom.

"Gram's got fresh lemonade and fruit salad in the house," Kaidan said as he pulled away from his dad, quickly brushing the back of his hand over his eyes. Alex grinned and followed him, pausing as Kaidan stooped to pick up and pull on his t-shirt.

Much later in the day, when dinner was finished and Alex's parents insisted on cleaning up, Kaidan joined Alex out by the creek that ran through the property. The sun was setting and the soft smell of plum blossoms and fresh water filled the air around them. Kaidan glanced at his father from the corner of his eye. He was a bit surprised when his dad had picked up the fishing poles and started towards the water, but he wouldn't question it. Kaidan had so much he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to say it. The seclusion of this space was comforting. He took a deep breath and cast his line into the water in the opposite direction of his father's.

"So, I was thinking I'd spend the rest of the year here." Kaidan began, handing a beer to his father as he sat with his iced tea. Alex looked up and met his son's eyes. "I'm enjoying it. The quiet is nice, and Grams and Pops could always use the extra hand."

"If you think that's what is best. Are you still going to meetings?" Alex asked taking a long pull from his beer.

"Yeah, of course, and I feel good here. The work keeps my mind off … things," Kaidan trailed off, knowing he couldn't get into detail even though he wanted to. So badly he wanted to tell his father what had happened. That he had killed someone. He couldn't. Papers were signed, documents were sealed.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad would be happy to have you." Alex nodded, knowing Lisa would be disappointed. She wanted her son back.

"They agreed, as long as it was okay with you and Mom."

"Well, I know your Mom wants you home. She misses you, but you have to do what is right for you, and she'll understand that." Alex promised glancing at Kaidan and seeing the relief in his frame as he leaned back in his seat. "She'll probably be out to visit soon, though." Kaidan chuckled lightly, and the sound of it rang pleasantly in Alex's hears. "Any thought on what you would do after the year is up?"

Kaidan was silent for a long time, eyes on the emerging stars. He had given it a lot of thought. The stars were always so visible out here. Every night, so far away from the city's glow, he'd enjoyed looking for the constellations in the stars. He wondered what it was like out there. What he could see, what he could learn. He sighed and turned towards his dad. "I was thinking I might enlist in the Alliance."

Alex stared at his son for a long time, he could see the worry in his son's face as he considered his plan. "I think that's a good idea. I think the Alliance could be a good place for you." He gave his son a small smile, pride blooming in his chest as Kaidan looked up to the stars, face easy and stress-free. "Look, Kaidan," Alex started and Kaidan turned towards him, his eyes expectant. "I don't know what happened out there. I know it went FUBAR, that much I figured out by the pieces I picked up here and there. You are a smart man, Kaidan, and I have faith that, whatever you did, you did because you believed it was right. I know you. I don't know what happened, but I know you, and I believe whatever you did was right. Sometimes, even the right thing has consequences. I think you've got an amazing life ahead of you, son. I can't wait to see what you do with it."

He heard Kaidan sniffle, and to give him a moment of privacy, he turned his eyes out to the stars. His thoughts going back to his time serving among them. Yeah, Kaidan had a hell of a life ahead of him. "Thanks, Dad." Kaidan's voice was soft, and full of emotion.

"Shh, you'll scare the fish."