"Jacob. I know you're there–"
"Jacob, please. You don't kno–"
"Come on, Jacob. I need to ta–"
He flipped wearily through the messages, head leaning on one arm. Jacob didn't know what he wanted from him. Forgiveness, maybe? Tough luck, bastard.
For days now he had been trying to contact Jacob. In fact, he probably started trying right when he got to the Alliance holding cells. The places where they kept the lunatics, the druggies, the murderers. The tyrants.
The door slid open. "Hey, Jacob," the commander greeted casually.
He turned and saluted. "Commander," he replied. "I... I want to thank you."
"No need." The commander sighed weakly. "I do this a lot, and not for the gratification. Just tying up some loose ends."
"Right. But it means a lot to me. So... thanks."
"Well, then." Shepard turned and smiled back at him. "You're welcome."
As he shifted his gaze back to the monitor, something flickered. He stared. INCOMING TRANSMISSION, it read.
He paused for a moment, his finger lingering over DECLINE but eyes glued on ACCEPT.
DECLINE.
ACCEPT.
DECLINE.
ACCEPT.
DECLINE.
ACC–
"You have reached Operative Taylor," the VI informed, startling him. "You may leave a message after the tone." It bleeped.
"Jacob." It was a worn, tired voice, a voice he used to respect. "Please, if you're there, pick up."
He scowled.
"I need to talk to you. Just... please."
One hand reached out to the screen, hovering over the END button.
"Please. This is my last call."
He stopped. His last. Forever. The Alliance allowed ten calls. There were nine messages. So he'd spent them all on him.
He sighed and pressed ACCEPT.
"What?" he spat.
"Jacob!" The voice was overjoyed now. "Jacob! I'm so happy to hear you again."
"Make it quick," he answered flatly. "What do you want?"
The voice sighed. "Jacob, you know... I am so proud of you. Of everything you've done."
"How would you know what I've done?" Jacob snapped. "You couldn't even account for what you did."
A pause. "Seeing you in person," the voice said, "made me realize how much I really lost. You've changed."
He smirked. "Haven't we all?"
"True." The voice chuckled. "Oh, but you are still the righteous boy I knew."
"Too late to say the same for you," he growled.
"Jacob." The voice sniffed. Jacob couldn't tell if it was crying. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Jacob pressed END.
"Yeah," he muttered, turning away from his father for the last time. "I'm sorry, too."
~o~O~o~
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
— Abraham Lincoln
A/N: Don't know where this came from, but I wrote it. O_o Ehh.
I've been on a oneshot spree lately, haven't I? Anyway, thanks for reading! HAVE A NICE DAY :D