A glimpse at Shepard's life through her interactions with the people most important to her, starting with her life on Mindoir and going through post-ME3. F!Shep/Kaidan and F!Shep/Vega Rated M for violence and language.
A huge thank you to Mordinette for being my first ever reviewer and encouraging me to keep at it.
This was inspired by my first fic, Epilogue. I plan on keeping to canon with most of the in-game events, but may take some liberties with backstories and dialogues. And if you read my other story, you know I made some minor changes to the ending.
Please review! I am new at this and would love all your input!
It all belongs to BioWare, I just can't leave it alone.
It is in the shelter of each other that people live. -Irish Proverb
Mindoir, 2170
Kiliane Shepard was seriously pissed. She may have gotten her father's looks but she certainly got her Irish temper from her mother. No one wanted to be around her when she was angry. So when she heard footsteps behind her in the barn, she knew it could only be one person.
"Keaghan, I at least thought that you would understand. I know Mom and Dad don't get it, but you're my twin brother! You know me better than anyone. How could you take their side?"
"I didn't take their side. I just...understand their side. You're my best friend, Kili. Did you seriously think I would be happy when you said you wanted to leave Mindoir?"
"I'm not leaving right this second! But I have the credits to graduate early, and the Alliance will take me when we turn seventeen as long as Mom and Dad consent. Keaghan, you know I've wanted to be a marine since we got our first toy soldiers. And even if I didn't, it's not like there are a lot of other options for someone like me."
No one was quite sure what to make of Kiliane's biotics-especially since Keaghan had never shown any tendencies. Her doctors said that every other case of biotics and twins they found showed both children being affected. On top of that rarity, Kiliane's abilities were the strongest any of them had ever seen.
Keaghan looked at her sadly, sighing. "I know...I mean, I've always know that you were going to be taking off one day. I just thought I'd have one more year. And so did they. Kili, they're just scared. And fear makes people react...strongly. Give them a little time to get used to the idea-they'll come around. You know Dad can never say no to you and he'll eventually wear Mom down."
Kiliane turned towards her brother. She looked into the eyes that were so much like her own, light grey with the smallest flecks of green. She gave him a small smile.
"So Brother, when did you become so smart?"
"One of us had to get the brains."
She laughed and then sighed.
"I'm sorry I overreacted. Also that I maybe implied you have a strong attraction to sheep...even if it is true."
She easily ducked under his jab, laughing. Turning serious again, she continued, "I've just never belonged here and you know it. But that doesn't mean I won't miss you. No matter where I go, you will always be my home."
"I'd be lying if I said there was a small part of me that wasn't jealous. Taking off to see the galaxy sounds like a great adventure, but you've always been braver than me Kili. And I actually enjoy working the farm. I just don't know who will get me into trouble now."
"Ha! Well, we still have a few months for me to teach you everything I know. Come on, I think I owe Mom and Dad an apology too."
She grabbed his hand and together they started towards the house.
Several hours later, Kiliane jumped out of bed. She listened intently trying to figure out what had woken her from a sound sleep. After a few seconds, she heard it again. Voices in the yard. She saw a light come on in the hall and heard her mother and father whispering furiously back and forth. Going towards her door, she opened it and peeked out into the hallway. She noticed her brother doing the same so she ran across the hall to his room.
"Kiliane, Keaghan!" She heard her father's whisper. "Stay put while I go see what's going on. Shut that door and don't you dare open it again unless I tell you to!"
They nodded and watched their father make his way to the staircase with his pistol in hand. Their mother followed closely with her own shotgun. James Shepard had insisted that everyone in the family know how to use a weapon to defend themselves. Life on a colony world could be dangerous. They had all heard the stories but so far, they had been lucky and never had to use them.
Aileen Shepard waited and the top of the stairs while her husband continued down to the first floor. After she lost sight of him at the bottom, Kiliane shut the door as he had instructed, joining her brother on the edge of his bed. The next minute felt like an eternity. But then she heard the sound of the front door being forced open and her father shout "Batarians!". Then all hell broke loose and everything started happening way too fast.
She heard shouting and gunfire from downstairs. At some point she heard her mother scream and run down the stairs. They heard the shotgun blast, followed by more gunfire and then...silence. She felt Keaghan reach over, barely registering the pain from the force with which he gripped her hand. Several more seconds ticked by.
Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and a batarian was pointing a gun in her face. Kiliane sat, absolutely paralyzed. He was shouting something at her but she couldn't focus on anything but the shotgun in front of her. He shouted at her one more time and when she still didn't respond, he slammed his weapon into her face. A gash opened across the bridge of her nose and her brow, blood pouring freely down her face. Her brother jumped up and try to wrestle the gun away from the batarian.
Then the gun went off and she she watched in horror as Keaghan fell to the floor, a large red stain spreading rapidly across his abdomen. Her anger broke the spell and she jumped to her feet and stood in front of the batarian.
"You varren-fucking BASTARD!"
The batarian barely had time to register that she had even spoken. The last thing he ever saw was the small, human girl glowing bright blue and her fist coming straight at his face.
Kiliane had put everything she had into her swing and she felt a sickenly satisfying crunch as his face imploded under her fist. He dropped like a stone to the floor. She stared at him for several heartbeats before the blue glow faded and she turned back towards her brother. He was still conscious-but barely. She ran over and knelt at his side, trying desperately to stop the flow of blood.
"Keaghan, please hang on. Please, you can't leave me!"
"Kili...I'm sorry...I love-"
"NO! No, you are not saying good-bye. Don't you dare say good-bye!"
"Kili! You need to…to run...please…"
Tears streamed down her face as she realized that he was right. It was a miracle that he was even still conscious and there were probably more batarians nearby. If she didn't get out of there she would die too, and his sacrifice would be for nothing. She nodded to him.
"Keaghan, I love you. And...and you were wrong you know. You are so very much braver than I am. Than I will ever be. You always have been."
Openly weeping, she watched as he gave a small smile and took one last, shuddering breath. She watched him for a minute more before reaching over and closing his eyes.
Moving fast, she crossed over to the batarians body and grabbed his shotgun. Quickly and quietly, she ran to the stairs, listening for sounds below. Hearing nothing, she proceeded down to the first floor. Rounding the corner to the front room, she stopped in her tracks at the sight that greeted her.
Her father lay in the middle of the room, her mother right next to him. She knew in her heart that they were dead but she ran over and checked for pulses anyways. Nothing. They were surrounded by three dead batarians. Taking in the scene, she saw that two of them seemed to have been killed by her father's pistol and the third by her mother's shotgun.
"At least you took some of the bastards down with you," she said quietly.
Realizing that there would probably me more batarians coming once this group failed to report back, she grabbed her father's pistol and ran out the door. Scanning quickly to make sure the yard was clear, she made her way towards the barn. She and her brother had spent hours playing hide and seek there and she knew a couple good places to hide out from the slavers.
And she knew that's what they were. That's what the pistol was for. During her father's weapons training, she had taken to the shotgun just like her mother, but hell if she was going to be taken as a slave. If the batarians found her, it would be much easier to turn the pistol on herself.
Luckily, she didn't need it. The next person she saw was an Alliance marine.