Chapter 1
Three Years Old
He walked alone with only his thoughts for company on the slow march forward.
His heavy footsteps hit the dusty parched earth with a unrelenting and steady rhythm, the stray dust billowing like clouds around his feet and obscuring them from view.
In his ear, through the small comm piece placed there, chattered voices full of desperation and confusion as the planet's entire populace attempted in vain to flee their home-world and out into the marginally safer void of space.
But not him. He knew better. There was no safe place to turn to now, no shelter from what was coming. The dream they'd all lived in had come to an end. He'd find them all eventually.
His body carried him onwards with a unchanging gait as he passed through the empty and smoking ruins of what had once been his home. The city he had spent part of his childhood growing up in now nothing more than fire and crumbling ash. He knew he should feel sad or angry or at least something along those lines but there was nothing there. Inside he was cold. As cold and hard as the darkest winter on the exposed glacial fields of the Hossem valley far north in what was his true home.
This was just what had to be. This was not the first time this happened and it would certainly not be the last. The city had fallen and been raised back up so many times in history. This would be just the same.
The distance passed by easily enough while his destination was not quite set in stone. Still, he knew where he was going. He knew the task set before him.
In the bright sky above, brother fought brother as the wyrms battled out their insidious civil war with stray blasts torching the broken city and rupturing the already scorched earth.
In the distance beyond all of that, he could make out the vague outline of civilian ships heading space-ward. Out of habit, he whispered a small prayer of good luck to the brave souls bound for the stars.
After a brief climb up the remains of a building that had fallen sideways and now, like a tree among a forest, was propped up on its side by its neighbors, he stood at the very top and saw his destiny at hand.
The city was no longer before him but behind. Ahead, a solitary figure stood waiting. Waiting for him.
Before he moved, a voice he knew as if it was his own heartbeat finally echoed over the others that chattered in his ear.
"Little bird? Where are you?!"
Gaius snapped upright as he awoke from the dream.
His heart rattled like an engine going out of control in his chest as he took in deep shaky breaths that hurt him with the intensity.
Gaius was too surprised and far too busy gulping in the cold night air to even cry.
It was dark. Too dark for his young eyes to see anything but the dimmest of outlines in the bedroom.
The only noise that he picked up was the rushing of blood and pounding of his heart coupled with the deep raspy breaths filling his lungs.
"Little bird, you okay?"
His father's deep languid words shook Gaius out of his fear. From the same loving voice something else was murmured that he couldn't quite make out even though it was said sleepily near his ear. Shortly afterwards Gaius felt hands, large and familiar, slip around his far smaller chest before they gently pulled him backwards to rest against the warm hard surface of what he knew was the carapace covering his father's chest.
His mother shuffled in the bed too before she mumbled something on the other side that Gaius couldn't hear.
She too had soon moved closer, locking Gaius in between her soft comfort and his father's security.
He lay there in the dark, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets and his parents bodies.
Surrounded by the familiar warmth, smells and the very welcome feeling of safety, Gaius soon fell back asleep.
A few hours later and Shepard was fully awake and had forgotten the brief few minutes of that early morning when Gaius had had his bad dream.
"You remember the days when it was only you and me in the bed?" Garrus mumbled just about coherently to her - his words muffled by the small boy stretched across him.
"Yep. We'll have to start getting the little bird to spend all night in his room. Make it the next priority," Shepard chuckled as she grinned at the still sleeping Gaius who in his endless tossing and turning had wound up pinning Garrus's head and neck to the bed with his own body.
All she could see of her husband was the top of his head and his blue eyes as they peered over their son at her.
"We should wake him. Big day today," Garrus rumbled, his watchful eyes following Shepard as she pulled on her old N7 hoodie. Some comforts never changed and it was now ritual that she'd spend an hour or so every morning she was home clad in her pjs and that hoodie.
Shepard followed up by quickly pulling her now longer red hair back into a loose ponytail.
"You're right," Jane finally answered her husband. "The big three years. God, Garrus... where has the time gone?"
"Out the window. Probably with that frisbie he impressively fired into the neighbors bathroom yesterday."
"Don't remind me!" Jane half snorted as she tried to control the laughter that wanted to erupt. "The look on Torbi's face! Priceless!"
"He did get a plastic disc into the head while sitting on the toilet, Jane. Some places are sacred. The bathroom should be one of them."
"God! When he came out with the thing lodged in his fringe-!" Jane had to smother her laughter by clamping her hands over her mouth.
"You okay over there?" Garrus rumbled good-humouredly as he watched Jane's face go redder than her hair.
She nodded unconvincingly before she stifled the giggles enough to gasp, "We've got to get the party together before everyone arrives."
"Head out first. I'll get the little bird up once you go," Garrus hummed.
Jane, once firmly back in control, leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on the part of Garrus's head that was visible before doing the same to the small boy still snoring in his dreams.
She slipped free before stretching leisurely as she swung her legs off the bed's edge and placed the soles of her feet back down on the welcome coolness of the wooden floor. For a moment, Shepard stopped and just took it all in.
The light curtains of their bedroom flapped and expanded – almost like the sails of the old ship in the bottle Shepard had on her side table - from the breeze that seeped under the slightly open window frame. Light poured through the gaps, flooding the spots it touched with brightness and heat. Even the breeze couldn't hold out against it and it carried the warmth outside in. Jane was never so thankful for the air-conditioning system purchased by her father-in-law until she'd survived her first summer on Palaven.
Shepard's bags from her recent tour, discarded to the side of the room haphazardly, were empty which only meant that the laundry bin was now full to the brim. She'd have to sort that out soon before Garrus would feel the need to have a quiet chat over it.
She loved the room, the furniture... the large bed with it's unusual shape and structure created in the North. Garrus's uncles had outdone themselves with it. A perfect bed to suit a human and a turian so neither would have restless nights - unless planned that way of course. Jane ran a hand along the smooth polished old wood before she finally got to her feet. A Palaven morning on a beautiful sunny day always made Shepard feel strangely at peace but she didn't have time to enjoy it today like she normally would.
Shepard was content with the fact that this was home. The home that she and Garrus had forged for themselves out of the ruins of the Reaper war. And yet this life of theirs here in the outskirts of Cipritine was somewhat transient too. They would both feel the deep urge for the North after only a couple of weeks. It would grow and grow until they were unable to resist its call and would journey north to the homestead.
They would have to return soon in any case as Garrus had started the final preparations for his full induction into his clan which was now culminating in a well planned hunt through the lower caverns that could take weeks.
Shepard had been pleasantly surprised when Garrus had mentioned extremely casually what he planned. She'd had zero knowledge of how far along he was until he briefly stated it over breakfast.
Jane had quietly asked Avitus about it and he, on the other hand, could barely contain his pride and had thrown himself wholeheartedly into describing to Shepard about the preparations and how ready Garrus was for the trials. As she completely expected, her husband had done with ease everything asked of him. Just one last task left and that was it. But it had really been Atilius on one of his sporadic visits to their home who alerted Shepard to something that Garrus had kept quiet from her.
Once Garrus went through the last trial he could never be Primarch. The old rules that kept the Hierarchy machine trundling along would come into play and, while he could hold office and ranks close to that level, the Primarchship would be forever lost to him. Shepard had known that Garrus was upset – even a little anxious – over the rumors circulating that he was flying a little too close to Victus in the ranks. Not so close yet for the job itself but still far too near for Garrus's liking. When Jane had finally broached the subject to him, Garrus had shrugged before he replied, "I'd already planned on joining the rest of my family, Jane. It's just I got the kick up the ass I needed when those rumors started."
"Are you sure? I mean... hell, Garrus! This is a huge step. You'll lose-"
"What? What would I lose, Jane?" he chuckled. "I'm not Primarch and I'm sure as hell not Primarch material. Too much bloody diplomacy and not enough just getting the job done. Anyway, I'm fine just being me. The Hierarchy won't fall apart because I choose to be who I am."
"As long as you're sure."
"Positive. Never been happier in fact."
So for Garrus – once this last event was over - there would be no Primarchship. Or, as he put it so tactfully to Victus when the other turian had joked with him over it, there would be no more nightmares on the distant horizon for him.
Shepard crossed the short distance to the door barefoot before she looked over her shoulder at her boys still lounging on the bed – Garrus gazing up at her from behind the little boy collapsed across him.
"You know what... I need to get the birthday breakfast made before we can even consider any party work. Give me ten minutes then you can wake the small one. Otherwise you'll be making breakfast."
"You know you make better pancakes then me and that's all he was asking about yesterday. I'll keep the monster pinned down here until you're ready," came the muffled but happy reply.
Jane grinned before she slipped out and made a beeline for the kitchen.
She squinted as she neared the kitchen itself from the sunlight that poured in through the patio windows, flooding the rooms its brightness. All she could think about was how she just needed to reach the fridge with its pancake batter carefully stored within from last night.
Jane's hand skimmed over the cold marble counter-top - made from a slab imported from Earth - as she searched for the sunglasses she could have sworn she left there. In her search, she stumbled across something else entirely.
Jane carefully lifted up the small box wrapped in pretty green paper and tied with a vibrant red ribbon that had miraculously appeared. "Where did you come from?" she murmured to herself before inspecting it. Nothing to see from the outside except how perfectly it was parceled. They'd even wrapped the lid and main container separately so you could open it without ruining their good work with the wrapping paper. Someone had clearly spent a lot of time making sure it was just right. Jane, always cautious, ran a quick omnitool scan which to her faint disappointment didn't find anything remotely suspicious.
With no other choice at her disposal, Jane finally lifted the lid to peer inside. She rather do this now then risk something happening to Gaius. To her surprise, within the container and cradled safely in soft fluffy wool, was a little metal bangle carved with tiny intricate symbols she didn't recognize. Her omnitool scans only told her that it was constructed of a particular metallic alloy not commonly seen. After that, it was just a bangle.
Shepard reached in and fished the piece of jewellery out, frowning as it felt like the metal shivered at her touch. That was clearly not possible but it still put Jane on edge. She quickly snatched the small dog-eared card just inside the box and, just a few words in, Jane sighed in relief as she read the note scribbled in a very familiar hand.
To The Littlest Bird,
A third birthday in many cultures is an important event marking your life changing from one stage to another. I like to think it also calls for a very special present.
This is from Zul – a place far far away. Even far beyond the stars that you can see!
She'll be there for you when all other hopes go out.
Love,
Grandma and Grandpa.
Shepard chuckled when she turned the card around and saw the notes scribbled there too.
P.S. Don't eat all the birthday cake. You will be sick.
P.P.S. Don't take up smoking – your Grandma insists.
P.P.P.S. Your Grandma also says to wash behind your ear canals. She knows you're not doing it and disapproves.
Shepard sighed before staring at the card in her hand fondly.
"Sam... next time let us know when you're here," Jane said out loud to the seemingly empty room before she placed the bangle and message back inside its box.
Jane had just turned her attention back to what she'd originally gotten out of bed that early to do when the sound of tiny scurrying feet immediately alerted her to the arrival of her boy who was barreling down the hallway at top speed towards her.
"Hello!" Shepard chuckled as she caught the giggling Gaius midflight and lifted him high into the air. Her three-year old squealed happily before he reached down for his mother to hug him instead.
"Mornin'" Garrus greeted with a sniffle as he strolled in more sedately after the madness that was Gaius's arrival.
"Was that really ten minutes?"
"Oh it was. I couldn't stop the little whirlwind once he woke up. I love you but not enough to take anymore accidental kicks to the face," Garrus drawled as he set about making some coffee - both turian and human.
"Well, time for breakfast then!"
