Hannah's Suite


Title: Hannah's Suite

Prompt: none/10_prompts

Summary: "The city gives you any time to breathe. ...Space? It's the one place you can't breathe and I feel like I've got all the space in the world." A series of drabbles and short stories focused on Hannah Shepard during and before the Alliance and Mass Effect.

Author: Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)

Rating: G

Word Count: TBA

Chapters: Undetermined

Character(s): Hannah Shepard, John Shepard, Jane Shepard, David Shepard (OMC)

Spoilers/Warnings: None

Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all things related are property of BioWare and Electronic Arts.

Author's Note: So Recently, I've been getting into Mass Effect since watching the ME3 demo (it was a straight up therapy for me during a week-long duration of a flu bug) and while Sheploo is probably my favorite default Commander Shepard (the unselected Jane Shepard #4 is my girl, though) I never thought of the character as interesting (beyond his or her physical and vocal appearance) until I found out they had parents (or a mother that wasn't fridged, Hallelujer!). Watching clips of "Spacer" Shepard communicate with his mother, a friend from the past and get a mention that his mom is well in ME3, was quite frankly the most refreshing thing about the game (you know, besides Ashley and the Ashley/Shepard relationship). And suddenly I want to know more about Hannah Shepard's life more than I want to know about the outcome of all three games depending on what backstory you choose for your dry bread protagonist. They should make a DLC for Hannah Shepard (lawl).

Things you should know: Hannah Shepard is earthborn and doesn't decide to live in Space until she enlists in the Alliance at the age of 20. David Shepard is the name I've given Jane Shepard's father - he's a ginger haired African-American soldier born in Washington D.C. and Hannah's childhood friend, eventual sweetheart and husband. Peri Whitaker is David and Hannah's childhood friend (also African-American), a pilot and captain of her ship "Black Boa" (a cookie for all who get the reference); Matthew "X" Veldhorst is Hannah's first boyfriend, father of John Shepard (shamelessly based on Mark Vanderloo) and a critically acclaimed author with one daughter named "Hannah Clarke" Veldhorst (Clarke is Hannah's maiden name).


Prelude: Datalog Entry: To the baby

There's nothing glamorous about my life, kiddo. You'd think with the progression of the future since the twenty first century, we'd change as a people, but we haven't. There are still poor and rich people; the middle class and the poor still carry the weight of the world on our backs while the rich live off the fat of the land, tax free; minorities aren't even minorities anymore and yet their still treated like an afterthought. I can't tell you how many times my friends Peri and David would tell me how poorly their still getting treated, and how many times I dismissed it like it was nothing because I wasn't in their shores.

I was stupid of course, young and stupid, but I know better now. …Okay, maybe I still don't know a whole lot. I'm a sixteen year old girl, six months pregnant with you and its all thanks because I fell for the charms of some pretty boy with the body of a god. His name was Matthew. Matthew X, I never could pronounce his last name; he'd give me funny look and laugh at me as if he was saying, "ha-ha, typical girl can't pronounce my name", and I felt so stupid that I just forgot trying and called him Matthew or "Matt".

Mom is still furious with me. She hasn't spoken to me in days since she kicked me out of the house. She really had high hopes for me; I did my best to not disappoint her, especially after hearing how she'd brag out me on the phone to her friends. "My daughter is going to have a better life and it's all because she knows where her priorities are."

Then I met Matthew and my grades started to slip, my chores are getting done less and less. But I didn't care, I was the greatest time with Matthew and it was all because of the sex and the way he doted on me; gave me sweets, held my hand and serenaded me with stories of his childhood. The next thing I know I'm twenty pounds heavier from a food binge and failed to notice the gut hanging in front of me wasn't a result of a backed up system or weight gain, but a baby.

Truth be told, this my bed and I have to lie in it now. I could've gotten an abortion, that probably would've been my option if I knew I was pregnant, but I'm stuck with you. And for what it's forth, I don't hate you; I'm pretty undecided about how I feel about having a kid. I mean, there's not much I can do, I'm having you, but will I like you? I hear its love at first sight when mothers see their babies outside of the womb, so who knows? Maybe it'll be the same with me.

I'm just hurting right now. Peri is taking care of me, but I can't help but feel sorry for myself and hating myself for letting get as far as they did with Matthew. I haven't been to school in months; my teacher's know my situation and Peri's been bringing my homework assignments over and taking them to the teacher, I'm sure Matthew X thinks I hate him or something… if he cares.

On the upside, I got a letter from David Shepard. Now there's someone I haven't spoken to in years. We were just kids when his parents packed up and left for Singapore's "greener pastures." I wonder what he looks like? If I get a picture, I show it to you when you're older.

Love,

Your mom,

Hannah Clarke