This story is dedicated to ex-commander, a kind and caring friend, master of brainstorming, my first fan, if I may say. Without you, When it All Falls Down would not have been the same. You have my eternal gratitude.
Thanks to my betareaders for this chapter, ex-commander and MizDirected. Without you, the end result would be disastrous. All my love to you two. 3
No major warnings for now, except for a tiny little bit of coarse language. I'll change the warnings later, if needed.
Don't hesitate to leave comments and reviews. Constructive critics are always appreciated. :D
Charlotte Vakarian entered the Presidium Embassies and decided to sit on a bench aside the lakes to wait for her friend. She took place aside a salarian, visibly absorbed in a datapad. Charlotte picked at her omni-tool to see the time and realized she had a couple of minutes to relax and enjoy the view. She looked up into the Presidium's blue sky, free from any clouds.
Alike all the times she was on the Citadel, Charlotte ended up amazed by it. No wonder this station was the heart of the Milky Way's galactic community. The Citadel bristled with activity, resplendent in the morning light. Charlotte stared how thirty years after the activation of the Crucible by her mother, Elena Shepard, no scars remained of recent history. She knew parts of the station were still under construction, but not within the important sectors.
Charlotte took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet and spicy perfumes of a hundred different species of flowers, the gardens a riot of color amidst the white-and-gray buildings and paths of the area. She sighed in delight, smiling, while watching two asari sit down on a bench aside of hers, carried away in their conversation.
Charlotte would ever be grateful to her parents, Elena Shepard and Garrus Vakarian. Not only for adopting her on Eden Prime, but for doing what had to be done. Because of them, and the ones who followed the Normandy's lead, she lived in a renewed galaxy, freed from the Reapers, a race of sentient machines who initiated a cycle every 50,000 thousand years or so to obliterate organic life. Now, many had a future; like her, like the salarian and the asari aside of her. She hoped for a bright one, but only time would tell. In the meantime, she tried to appreciate every moment of her life.
A noise coming from Charlotte's omni-toll stripped her from her contemplative state. She switched the alarm off and looked around her, frowning. William was late again, even if she made sure they met an hour before the event started. Now, only forty minutes remained before it began and she had to get going. Charlotte straightened her Systems Alliance military uniform and checked one last time for her friend. Not seeing him, she decided to go to the Citadel Galactic Internship School on her own. Charlotte could have called him on his omni-tool, but they were going to the same event anyway. They would bump into each other soon enough.
Charlotte could not hide her surprise when she received the Council's invitation, three weeks before. Like her, all the former and current interns of the CGIS had been invited, strongly advised to attend the ceremony and in their finest attire. "Even if it can be a pain in the ass," her mother once said, "never miss official shit you're invited to. Especially if you want an interesting career." Remembering Shepard's advice, Charlotte requested a leave from her current assignment to attend. As soon as she arrived at the Citadel, she bought a new Alliance uniform and boots. She spent the whole morning getting ready, changing her hairdo three times. She finally opted for a messy but classy bun at the back of her neck, preventing of having her long black hair in her face all day. She carefully marked her deep blue eyes with black eyeliner and mascara, then her lips with bright red lipstick. Charlotte thought the make-up made her eyes stand out, as her pale skin and high cheekbones. When she glimpsed one last time in the mirror, she smiled, thinking she looked like a badass military princess. Exactly what she wanted.
The more she approached the CGIS facilities, the more people rushed past Charlotte. The crowd got pretty dense and the young woman wondered if she would make it in time to the school's auditorium. When she thought of increasing the pace of her walk, Charlotte heard a familiar voice call her name. She smiled, slowing down, then turned to greet William. He was trying to reach her through the mass, his face turning red, indicating he had been running for a while.
"Late again, Mister No-Worries-I'll-Be-There-In-Time?"
"Come on, I'm not that late," William answered, catching his breath.
Charlotte laughed and opened her arms, welcoming a hug. The young man responded to her invitation, visibly happy to see her. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, William still holding her tightly. When he let go of her, she cleaned his cheek with her thumb. Her lipstick had left a pretty obvious mark.
"How have you been, Will? Didn't hear from you in the last months. The asari kept you busy enough, since you didn't have time to call your best friend."
"Being a research assistant wasn't a vacation, let me tell you," William said, offering his arm to Charlotte. She accepted gladly.
"So I take it that your CGIS internship on Illium went well?"
"Lot of work, but amazing for the rest."
"Not just because of the asari, I hope," said Charlotte, teasing her friend.
"Charlie, you know me better. Yes, the asari were nice…"
"To look at," she interrupted, moving a bit away from William, who just gave her a little elbow bump in the ribs.
"I wasn't the only human there, so the asari were not after me like that. Anyway, it was great. And Illium has the best comic book shop in the galaxy. The most exquisite collection of underground works. I spend so much credits…"
Charlotte smiled, hearing the excitement in William's voice. True, he was a nerd. But a good looking one – not only she thought so – especially in his Alliance uniform. He also wore glasses. Back when they were teenagers, he could have had surgery to correct his myopia, but as he once said to Charlotte, he always thought glasses gave him a vintage and cute look. He also stated it served as a (great) flirting accessory, a theory she could not verify for herself, not wearing any. "Also, if it wasn't for my glasses," he told her at one point, "everyone would take me for any Alliance soldier. I may work out every day, but damn, I'm an engineer. Being a Marine is part of the deal."
When she first heard of the Alliance offer and his definition of it, Charlotte knew that to William it was, indeed, a deal. As long as she could remember, she wanted to travel the stars and be a soldier like her parents. But her friend had always been more cerebral than her and she sensed William would chose to go to university instead of the military. He had the mind and the manners of an academician. A brilliant student, he became a talented engineer, his research on mass effect fields picking the Systems Alliance military interest. They offered him a full scholarship for his graduate studies if he joined the forces. Charlotte remembered his panicked voice when he called to tell her about the news and to ask what he should do.
"It's your decision, Will. It's your career, not mine."
"But what would you do in my place?" begged William.
"I don't want to influence your choice, but… I'm sure it means a lot of money and opportunities. Who knows? Maybe you'll qualify for the CGIS with this."
He accepted the deal, of course, rejoicing everyone in this family. Nonetheless, Charlotte always suspected his military dads had a role in the Alliance offering the scholarship. Kaidan Alenko and Steve Cortez were probably a bit disappointed their son went for the academic life instead of the military one, even though they never showed it directly to him. Charlotte knew for a fact her parents and William's talked about it, being at Shepard and Garrus' house when Alenko and Cortez showed up to talk "about the kids".
A bunch of years had passed since then, and sometimes, it felt like ages to Charlotte. She often wished they were kids again, running and playing in their parents' backyards, not worried by any career plans and opportunities.
"Hey, you shaved, Will! The Council will be pleased," Charlotte said.
"Yeah. Thought a three-days-beard would not be welcomed to the fancy ceremony. You don't look bad yourself, by the way. New uniform?" asked William, scratching his dark blond brushed-cut hair. The young woman knew he did that when shy or embarrassed.
"Very observant, Mister the Engineer. New uniform, new boots. And thanks for telling me I'm pretty, darling. Looking good yourself. I know a couple of asari who will love the soldier look and those pale blue eyes of yours."
"You forgot the glasses."
"Ah, true! It's the pièce de résistance, right?"
Still arm-in-arm, Charlotte and William arrived in front of the Citadel Galactic Internship School facilities. The young woman found the construction, even if not too elaborate, quite beautiful. The gray-and-white tower had been built in the middle of the Citadel Presidium's lakes, and from afar, it looked like a giant silver arrow. The crowd, now extremely dense, merged on the bridge leading to the entrance of the building. Charlotte got annoyed, not a fan of being pushed around to make way. She sighed heavily before taking William's hand instead of his arm. Taking advantage of her infiltration training, they entered the school's auditorium with no efforts. Charlotte heard William whistle, probably realizing like her the importance of the event.
In addition to the current and former interns taking place, Charlotte spotted a huge number of dignitaries from every Council species. They seemed to be exchanging pleasantries in their reserved section aside of the stage. Every news network in the galaxy appeared to be taking part in the party, all set up to do a live broadcast of the event.
Good thing I bought a new uniform, Charlotte thought, straightening it again.
"You look great, Charlie. Don't stress over some cameras."
"Why all this fuss over some Council announcement? I know the CGIS is their baby, but…"
"We should get seats," said William, changing the subject. "Don't want to be standing up all afternoon."
Charlotte spotted a group mostly composed of people wearing the Alliance uniform and guided William towards them. When only a couple of meters separated them from the group, the young woman stopped, getting into her mind through every swearing word she knew. She should have known he would be attending. Charlotte suddenly decided to change direction heading to another set of bleachers, still holding William's hand.
"You didn't want to sit with them?" asked William. He sounded puzzled. "I have a couple of friends in that group, you know."
Charlotte looked at him. His frowning indicated he seemed a bit worried, probably seeing the loss of her smile and the shadow on her face.
"No, here is better. See, we have a better view of the stage."
She knew her explanation did not satisfy him. She sat down before William could object.
"I wonder why they brought us all here," said the young man, taking place aside Charlotte.
"Some major shit is going to be announced for sure. It's going to be broadcast in every corner of the galaxy," she answered, before pausing for a second, thinking. "Do you think our parents are watching?"
"How much do you bet?"
"Enough for you paying for dinner. And I want sushi."
"It's a deal, Miss Vakarian. Anyway, I owe you at least one dinner, for not giving you so much news in the past six months."
"Alenko-Cortez, sir, this is very nice of you. And I'm sure I'll be starving when this will be over."
