TITLE: The Second Time Around

CHAPTER: 1, Just as Wonderful With Both Feet on the Ground

LOCATION: Earth, Alliance Marine Officers Training School, Quantico Virginia

TIMELINE: Twenty Years after the Battle for Earth

AN: Many thanks to Black_Berry on deviant art for permission to use the description of her beautiful turian/human woman. Please take a look at her artwork blackby dot deviantart dot com / art / Preya-the-turian-human-child-298912557


The Admiral stepped out of the ground car to the flash of vidcams buzzing around her face like a swarm of angry bees. Twenty years and they still wanted a piece of her. Determined to maintain her composure, she resisted the urge to tug at her uniform or duck her head. The days of punching reporters were long over. Still, she intended to give them nothing to report.

She'd politely asked to be left alone. Didn't want to meet anyone, sit through a ceremony, be honored, or presented with some meaningless award. She just wanted to enjoy watching her daughter graduate from Alliance Marine Officers Training School. Back in London, her staff, had promised to make sure she was left alone. Underlined, by the fact that she'd made it an order. But it was not to be. No one but her daughter even knew she was coming here. So, who told?

They'd had more than a few discussions about her choice of entering the Marines. Two years ago her daughter graduated with highest honors from MIT and completed an advanced degree in military strategy on Palaven. Both her parents approved of those choices. Until the day, their daughter came home talking excitedly about putting her degrees to best use in the Alliance Marines. An unusually long silence followed while her parents had stared at each other in shock.

She should have kept her mouth shut. She should have listened to her husband. Instead, what did come out of her mouth only ensured her daughter's entry into the Marines. She winced at the memory of her words, "You have the best education and opportunities for success. Your desk is covered with letters of invitation to military think tanks and university fellowships. Now, you're telling us, you want to throw it all away by turning yourself into cannon fodder?"

Her daughter's response had hit hard. "Oh, Mom. The only reason those schools want me is because of you and Dad. I want to make my own way in the world. Make my own mark. Just. Like. You. Did."

The consequences of that long-ago conversation placed her here in Quantico Virginia. To watch her daughter, Cadet Vrill Shepard-Vakarian be sworn in as an officer in the Alliance Marines as a second lieutenant.

At a signal from her aide, the admiral skirted the crowd by following him through a short tunnel and down a flight of stairs. They found themselves in a garden located next to a private courtyard. With a nod from the Admiral, the aide left to run interference for his boss by making sure no one followed her. It was here the mother and daughter arranged to meet. Scanning the area, the admiral finally noticed the cadet standing at attention just a few feet away.

Her mother and father knew she was a beautiful girl. Of course, she was. She was their daughter, and she represented all the positive and beautiful things that had come out of the adventures and horrors of those years of battling the Reapers.

The doctors had tried to talk her out of allowing the pregnancy to reach full term. She'd politely invited them to go fuck themselves. They warned her she could die and probably of massive hemorrhaging. She said if that were so then they'd better get back to their laboratories and figure it out. Her husband had practically begged her not to go through with it. They'd made it through the war, they were together , and that was enough of a miracle for him. He wasn't about to lose her now. She'd given him that look and crossed her arms over her chest. It was a look he'd seen a hundred times before. It was the look that meant, lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. And so, as he had so many times before, he followed her lead.

And it had led to victory. He held her hand during the birth, helped her remember to breath and cursed himself for getting her pregnant in the first place. All of that was forgotten when they placed that tiny bundle in his rough warrior's hands. The blinking softness of her blue eyes and the strength of her three tiny fingers as they wrapped themselves around her father's heart. They had named her Vrill and cried together at the small miracle in their arms.

Twenty years later, that miracle stood in her dress uniform at rigid attention. Holding her salute until the admiral acknowledged her. Vice Admiral Anne Shepard drew herself to attention and returned her daughter's salute.

"At ease, Cadet," was all she could get out before her arms were full of her daughter.

"Mom! It's so good to see you! How long can you stay? I made dinner reservations for us later. You look fabulous. Then she noticed her mother's silence and tears in her eyes.

"You're thinking of Dad. I know. He's been on my mind this whole week. I wish he could be here too."

Shepard placed her hand over her daughter's heart. "His Spirit is right here with you."

Then they were trying not to cry and be brave, but losing on both counts. A year ago, the day after Vrill had returned from Palaven. Mother and daughter had been shopping, when Garrus had suffered an aneurysm and died alone in the house. They'd walked in laughing and talking. There on the floor, holding a picture of the three of them to his chest, lay the love of her life. Her soulmate and the only man she'd ever allowed into her heart. Gone in the course of a typical afternoon. On a day when the sun had been shining and signs of spring everywhere, the universe had taken him away. She had just a few memories of the days following his death. She knew about only because her daughter had told her they had to sedate her.

Cadet Shepard-Vakarian hugged her mother again, "Mom, I want to join the rest of the cadets now. Will you be okay?"

"Sure. I think I'll take a walk. I'm so proud of you Vrill," she said, touching the angular planes of her daughter's cheek.

"Love you too. See you later. I'll be watching for you."

She watched Vrill walk away with so much pride and happiness she thought her heart might burst. Her daughter was equal parts human and turian. Turian in her three fingered hands and talons. She was tall like her father and instead of a proper turian fringe, she had a flowing mane of her mother's red hair. She had her parent's blue eyes, her mother's fierce determination and her father's warm heart and courage. If there'd been a moment of concern about how Vrill would fit in, it was squashed on her first day of school. Vrill treated everyone with respect, so she expected and got the same from everyone else. With her striking looks and natural leadership abilities, she'd been successful at every goal she'd set for herself.

The courtyard next to the garden belonged to the Commanding Officer of the entire Quantico school complex. His offices overlooked over the patio area. At the moment, while the two women spoke quietly that CO stood silently in the shadows. Waiting patiently for the cadet to withdraw.

Fifty years old, still powerfully built, with a full head of salt and pepper hair. He wore the years and his rank well. He was in better shape than most of his cadets. A fact he made known and considered it part of his charm and reputation. They cadets hated to see him enter the gym. Therefore, going to the gym became one of his favorite pastimes.

When he saw they were alone, Brigadier General James Vega stepped into the sun to make himself known. A grin split his face as he realized he suddenly felt exactly like that green lieutenant who'd been her guard so many years ago.

"I'll have to speak to security. Who the hell allowed the Navy to get in here?"

She whirled toward the familiar sound. There he was walking toward her with the same cocky attitude and just as handsome as ever. Her feet felt stuck to the ground, her mouth opened but nothing came out. As he neared, he started laughing. Oh Spirits, that laugh! Then his arms were around her and he was lifting her up and spinning her around. The last time she had seen him had almost ten years ago at the Normandy's decommissioning ceremony.

Then the two top ranking officers on the entire installation were laughing and hugging and forgetting all about who and where they were. He held her off the ground and she acted like a teenager by hanging on to his neck.

"Hey Lola, let's get out of here before an overachieving cadet catches us out here and tries to ding us for PDA. There are three hours before the ceremonies begin. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get a good seat."

He led her up a flight of stairs and down a short hallway. The buildings were old and the gardens below decorated the stucco walls in a rainbow of colors. A spray of purple bougainvillea clung to the wall next to the door he opened for her.

"This is my private office. No one is allowed in here so we won't be disturbed."

Inside worn leather furniture occupied on the side of the long room while a desk and small conference table stood on the other. The room was intensely masculine and yet very welcoming. The admiral came to a stop in front of a small weapons display.

"Some things never change, Lola. Right?" he said with a grin, leading her to the couch.

He sat down next to her and took her hands. "Admiral, I don't want anything to take that smile off your face, but I want to say this. I was so very sorry to hear about Garrus' death. He was the best and the bravest of us."

"Thank you, James. I miss him."

"I know you've been busy. I keep up with your career." Vega squeezed her hands.

"Well, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't kept up with any of you."

He waved her comment away. "You've been busy rebuilding London and raising that girl of yours. I've seen her student records and I've seen her in action. She's a force of nature. She will make an excellent officer.

"I'm so proud of her. I didn't know you were here. Does she know who you are?"

"No. This place is so big. It was easy to keep my early career quiet." Vega poured them each a cup of coffee and returned to the couch. "So much time has passed. These cadets are thinking of other things. They grew up in a galaxy at peace. Although I make sure your reports on the Collector's and The Reapers are part of their mandatory reading curriculum."

For several moments, it was still and quiet as they sipped their coffee. Shepard reached over and put her hand over his. It took him by surprise and he had to resist his reaction to turn his hand to grasp her's. He remembered her strong and capable hands. He didn't have to look up to remember every single detail of her appearance. Always too thin, she could confound her enemies with her petite frame and get close enough to rip them apart. They always underestimated her and she always used it to her advantage.

Their lives were so full of death and violence in those days. She was fifty-three years old now and still straight and strong as she'd been in those days on the Normandy. Her hair wasn't long anymore, but cut in a spiky style which highlighted the strong bones of her face. But it's her eyes which reflect the years. When she glances at him, he catches a glimpse of sadness and stress. But around her eyes are the laugh lines of a woman who has also known happiness.

Of its own accord, his hand turned and she didn't pull away. Of course, he'd been in love with her. The entire crew had loved her. It was Garrus who found his way to her side. At first, he'd been jealous as hell. Then as he learned to fit in and earned his place on her team he'd been content just to be part of it all. He laughed quietly as he remembered those early days.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Me, flirting with you. I was such a kid."

"A handsome kid and fearsome marine."

"Well, maybe then. But hey, fifty is the new thirty, right?"

"If that's true then what were we on the Normandy? Grade school children?"

"We needed to be; otherwise we might have questioned just what kind of crazy mess we'd charged into."

"What about you, James? Kids? A wife? Someone special?"

She watched him close his eyes and walk away. Turning his back to her, he stared out the window.

"James, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Tell me if you want to."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Ever." In two long strides, he was back at her side. The emotions played out across his face. She recognized that look. It was grief, a familiar companion this last year.

"Her name was Maria. She had black hair and dark eyes. She reminded me of you. Which probably wasn't a good thing. But, at the time I needed… I think she knew something wasn't right. Then one day, she'd taken the public transportation. I always made her take the air car. But that day I was late for a meeting , and she had a doctor's appointment in the city. Didn't even question why she didn't go to the docs on base. It was until I got home that night…. Late as usual. The police were waiting for me. The Airbus had crashed… I remember someone asking me a question. It must have been the doctor; "Son, did you know she was pregnant?"

"James, I'm so sorry for your..."

¡Dios mío!, look at the time. You'd better turn yourself back into Vice Admiral Shepard. We need to take our places. I would be honored if you would join me on the podium," he said, offering her his arm.

She was already shaking her head. "I only came here to watch Vrill. This is her day and I'm not stealing her thunder."

"I understand, drawing her arm through his, with a conspiratorial wink. Before he opened the door, he turned back to her and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Shepard."

"You flirting with me, Vega?"

"Without a doubt, ma'am. Without a doubt."

~0~

"Cadet Vrill Shepard-Vakarian"

In spite of her plan to be tough, tears streamed down her face as Vrill walked across the stage. She felt Vega's presence behind her.

"I know it's not who you're really wishing for. But I'm here for you."

"What is she doing?" Vrill was pulling something from her pocket and whispering something to the Captain. He grinned and nodded.

"Cadet Vakarian you've sworn to uphold and defend the covenants of the Alliance. Do you now accept the responsibility of your new rank as a second lieutenant in the Alliance Marine Corps?"

"Aye sir. I do."

"Then it is my honor to pin this rank to your collar. Ladies and gentlemen, this 0-1 pin I present to the Cadet, originally belonged to her mother, Vice Admiral Shepard. Congratulations, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir," Vrill stepped back and saluted the officer. Then executed a perfect facing movement and followed her classmates off the stage.

"A door closes…" Admiral Shepard whispered to herself.

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us." Vegas finished the quote for her.

"Yes, that's it. James, I want… Let's get out of here."

"Tus deseosson órdenes para mí, mi señora."

It was a beautiful day, and he took her back to his private patio. An aide came out and Vega quietly ordered something simple for them to eat and drink.

"I have no regrets," the Admiral commented quietly.

He surreptitiously handed her a glass of lemonade and decided to stay quiet and just listen.

"I loved Garrus. He was everything to me. Just the other day, I realized I could not remember his scent, his touch. It's not fair; I don't want to lose those memories!"

"You haven't lost him. Don't worry. I think - I can't believe I'm giving you advice instead of the other way around – maybe for the first time, you simply remember him now from a different perspective."

"I don't want to let go of him. I can't."

"No one is expecting you to forget him." Vega turned her gently around so he could see her face.

He ached to touch her. "Let me comfort you, mi señora."

"James. I'm so glad you're here." His arms encircled her and pulled her against him. He curled himself around her, trying to shut the world out for her for as long as she needed it.

"Mom? Are you back here?" Second Lieutenant Vakarian had come looking for her mother. She's seen her leave with another officer, but the ceremony delayed her from joining her. Rounding the corner she found her mother in the arms of another man. Someone she thought she ought to recognize. However, his face was hidden against her mother's cheek so she couldn't be sure. He was a marine…

"Mother! What are you doing?" Vrill had an authoritative voice and she knew it. She knew how to use it to get people's attention and how to get what she wanted (Although, it never worked with parents.) Officer's training school had taught her to temper it and use it professionally. But what had just come out of her mouth sounded like a five year-old, complete with foot stomping.

Brigadier General James Vega, Hero of The Battle for Earth, member of the SR-2 Normandy's illustrious crew and decorated war hero, drew himself up to his full height. Keeping one hand on Shepard's arm, locked eyes with the young officer. The effect was immediate.

Her mouth slammed shut and her spine snapped straight. Whatever else she'd been about to say floated harmlessly down to the grass at her feet and died a quiet death.

Shepard composed herself and turned to face her daughter.

Vrill was not a stupid girl, maybe a little spoiled and accustomed to getting what she wanted. Achieving her goals not by manipulating people, but by using her intellect. She was also brave and courageous. These were aspects of her personality she acknowledged. After all, she was her father's daughter.

She was also possessive of what she believed belonged to her. Another trait she shared with her father. In her memory, she'd never seen another man touch her mother. Her parents were always affectionate with each other and with her. Just before her father had died, they had a good talk. Garrus had implored her that if anything happened to him, he needed to know that Vrill would be there for her mother. Vrill had accepted the assignment with all the determination of a good turian and locked it in her heart. Until now.

"Permission to speak, sir"

"Depends on what you have to say."

"I wish, General, to inquire as to my mother's state of mind."

"Your mother?"

"I wish to inquire if Vice Admiral Shepard is alright, SIR."

"James…"

"Be at ease, Lieutenant. Come on over here. I know you know who I am. What you might not know, is that I was a part of your Mom's crew on the Normandy."

"James Vega… The James Vega?"

Shepard and Vega shared a grin as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Spirits… Mom… Admiral, why didn't you tell me?"

"I just found out myself. He's always known you were here."

Tearing her eyes away from the General, she addressed her mother. "Mom, I came to ask you if we can go to dinner tomorrow night. The other guys want to go out and celebrate. Do you mind?"

"Go have fun, Vrill. I'll catch up with you later."

The lieutenant turned to hurry back to her classmates, but stopped herself just time. "May I be dismissed, sir?"

"Carry on, Lieutenant."


The Second Time Around

Love is lovelier

The second time around Just as wonderful With both feet on the ground

It's that second time you hear Your love song sung

Makes you think perhaps that love Like youth, is wasted on the young

Love's more comfortable The second time you fall Like a friendly home The second time you call

Who can say, What brought us to this miracle we've found

There are those who'd bet Love comes but once and yet

I'm oh so glad we met The second time around

The Second Time Around, by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen,

Sung by Frank Sinatra: you tube watch?v=GjsO7V24PqY


When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us. -Alexander Graham Bell


Tus deseosson órdenes para mí, mi señora – Your wish is my command, my lady.