Chapter II

Kaja is sound asleep on the couch when two rambunctious six-year-old boys run into the house saying, "Momma's home! Momma's home!" Both boys pounce on Kaja, waking the asari. Cass watches the boys wake Kaja from the doorway. The human has a big smile on her face. Both Eric and Derek miss their momma when Kaja is away working. The asari pretends she is still asleep then suddenly grabs both boys and hugs them tight. They both squeal in delight and hug their momma.

Eric has light brown hair, Derek has dark brown hair. Both boys have brown eyes. They're fraternal twins. Eric says, "I've missed you, momma."

Kaja hugs her son tight before saying, "I missed you too, Eric. Same goes for you, Derek." She hugs Derek. The asari smirks at her smiling bondmate, "Hi, Cass."

Derek squeals again when he receives his hug. He removes a picture he made at school from his bag and hands it to Kaja. "I made this for you, momma."

Kaja feels a prideful tear appear in her eyes when she looks at the picture. Derek isn't the best artist and he did his best to make the asari in his painting look like her. The asari in the painting has a blueish/white glow around the body like when Kaja or Karrera are using their biotics. He even has a few freckles on the asari's face. There is even a police badge hanging on the belt like how Kaja wears hers. Kaja kisses his cheek, "This is very good, Derek. Thank you." She looks at her other son. "Where's your painting, Eric?"

"I gave it to mom," says Eric as he points to his mother, Cass. She holds the painting so Kaja can see it.

"Well, I think these need to be hung on the fridge, what do you think, Cass?" asks Kaja as she stands to get a closer look at Eric's painting. Eric did the best he could to paint his mother. He has her holding what looks like the Prothean memory shard.

Cass gives Kaja a quick kiss on the lips. "Yes, I agree. We're running out of room, so something has to come down."

Derek says bluntly, "The chores."

Eric joins his brother in saying, "The chores."

Kaja covers her mouth while she yawns and chuckles at the same time, "Even if we took the chores down, you'd still have to do them."

"Ah, momma," says Eric with his best looking pout. His lower lip sticks out as far as he can manage.

Derek finishes Eric sentiment, "That's not fair."

Cass grins at her sons. "Life isn't fair, Derek. You'll understand more when you're older." The human kisses her wife again then removes the picture from Kaja's hand and puts them on the refrigerator.

Kaja finally notices Karrera didn't come home with Cass and the twins. She asks, "Where's Karrera?"

"She's still at school. Remember, she has a debate meet today," answers Cass when she walks back to the living room. The archeologist sits in a chair and puts her feet on the foot stool. "Jasmine's mom is bringing Karrera home after the meet."

"Oh, I did forget," replies Kaja with a heavy sigh. She kneels down before the boys. "Please, go outside and play before dinner. I need to talk to your mom."

Eric hugs his momma before asking, "You leaving again?"

Kaja puts a goofy smile on her face, a finger to her lip, and pretends to think about her son's question, "No, Eric, not tonight. Maybe in the future, but not tonight. Is that okay with you?" She tickles his belly which causes him to start giggling.

Eric nods his head with a big happy smile on his face. "Yes, because I like having you home, momma."

"I like being home too," replies the asari. As soon as those words flowed effortlessly from her lips, Kaja knows which position to take at work. The one that allows her the most time with her family. This is one promotion she feels she actually earned by her own merit. "What about you, Derek?"

Derek gives Kaja a serious look. "You're catching the bad people when your gone, right?"

The detective hugs her son. "I try to." She decides to tease Derek some with her question. "So, you'd rather I catch bad people then be home with you?"

Cass raises an eyebrow when she hears Kaja's question to Derek. Then she hides a chuckle when she watches his reaction to it. Derek suddenly starts shaking his head, "Noooooo, momma. I like it when you're home."

Eric takes his and his brother's bags to their bedroom. When he comes back to the living room, he tags his brother's arm. "You're it," says Eric as he runs outside, laughing.

Derek looks at his momma. He runs after Eric when Kaja motions to him to go play with his brother. The young human hugs Kaja again then follows his brother. Cass holds the backdoor open when she sees Derek with a determined look on his face to find Eric. Playing hide-n-seek is one game the boys love to play together and some times their older asari sister plays with them. Cass stands at the door and watches her sons play.

Kaja joins Cass, watching the boys play. Wrapping her arm around Cass' waist, Kaja moves a few stains of brown hair from Cass' neck and kisses the human's neck. "Goddess, how I've missed you." Kaja starts yawning again. She is still tired and is going to try to stay up to her normal bedtime for a work night, but isn't sure if she'll make it through dinner.

Cass turns to face her wife. She runs her finger tips across Kaja's cheek. "I've missed you too. So, sweetie, what did Chief Perez say?"

Leaning in closer, Kaja lips attach themselves to Cass' lips while their tongues duel in harmony. Their bodies press tighter against each other. As much as the couple wants to lose themselves in the moment, they can't. The asari takes a half-step back, smiles at her bondmate, then says, "There is an opening at the Academy. The next class starts a week from Monday. Or I can lead one of the undercover units. Which I would start this coming Monday and I wouldn't be home much."

The asari detective looks out the window, watching Derek and Eric wrestle around on the ground, laughing, giggling, enjoying themselves. Kaja leans her head against Cass' shoulder, "I've already made my mind up. I'll take the opening at the Academy. It will give me the most time with you and the kids. I'll let Perez know tomorrow."

"Kaja, why don't you go to bed. We both know your exhausted," comment Cass as she reaches up to caress her wife's cheek.

"I am exhausted, but I want to stay up at least through dinner. Will Karrera be home by then?" asks Kaja. She kisses Cass' cheek then sits at the table, watching the boys roughhouse in the backyard. "Look at them." Kaja points outside.

Cass opens the backdoor to yell at the twins to be careful and stop the roughhousing. The boys stop when they hear their mom's voice, but go right back to wrestling around on the ground as soon as she shuts the door. Kaja watches from the table, shaking her head. "They listen for about two seconds then go right back to doing what they were told not to."

Kaja goes outside to get the boys to stop the rough play before one of them gets hurt. The last thing either one needs is to accidentally hurt the other. There is a swing set which rarely gets used. The twins seem content on wrestling around on the ground or playing a game where they run around and chase each other. Once the school term ends next month, Kaja and Cass plan on replacing the swing set with a big fort/castle structure designed to allow kid's imagination flow.

The boys do as Kaja tells them and stop the rough playing. Eric starts swinging on the swing set while Derek slides face first down the slide. The tired asari returns inside and again sits at the kitchen table. Cass has started making a quick dinner. Spaghetti with meat sauce with garlic bread. "Karrera is home, she's in her room," says Cass as she looks over her shoulder at Kaja when she sits down.

"No, I'm not. Hi, dad. Glad you're home," says Karrera when she enters the kitchen. The young asari hugs her father then sits next to Kaja.

Kaja pats Karerra on the back, "So, tell me about your debate today."

A big bright smile appears on Karrera's face. "We as a team won our debate and I won my topic. Too bad Jasmine lost her debate, by just one lousy point. I thought she should have won, but the judging panel disagrees."

"Karrera, that sounds wonderful. Well, except for Jasmine. When is your next meet?" asks Kaja. She squeezes her daughter's shoulder.

"In two weeks. I have to write a rebuttal about seating at graduation before the next meet. The debate is for and against sitting in alphabetical order. The first debater argued for sitting in alphabetical order and why it should stay that way. I need to argue why we should sit where we want, within reason." Karrera smiles at her dad.

Cass turns to face the two asari sitting at the table. "Karrera, will you please get your brothers from outside. Dinner is about ready. Tell them to clean-up before coming to the table."

Karrera gets up from the table while saying, "Sure." Since the youth found her father, she is blossoming into a smart thoughtful young asari. One who wants to attend college and become a lawyer so she can help children like her. There are three universities she has applied to and is still waiting to hear back from them. University of Serrice on Thessia is her first choice. She hopes they will accept her. Her grandmother and aunt both graduated from there, so she doesn't see it as a problem.

The young asari has one more term to complete before graduation. She filled out her applications a term early, so she can get a head-start on being accepted for the spring term. Karrera only has two classes next term, so her school councilor recommend she take a course at the local university. She has yet to mention this to her parents. She plans on telling them when she figures out which course she should take. The councilor assures her the university will allow her to take any freshman level class.

Kaja helps Cass by setting the table and filling everyone's glass with ice tea. "I never thought Karrera would like public speaking when we first met, but she does and she's good at it. Look how much she's grown since she's been with us. I still wish I had known sooner."

"I know you do. I do too." Cass brings over two plates for the twins.

Kaja grabs the other three plates, while Cass gets the bread out of the oven, cuts it into slices, then puts the bread on a plate. Karrera and the twins enter the kitchen and sit in their usual spot at the table. Cass inspects the boy's hands before they sit down and Derek needs to wash his again. Eric sits next to his big sister, Karrera who sits to Kaja's right. Cass sits at the other end with Derek to her right. Everyone starts eating and the kids start talking about their day at school with Kaja telling them about her new promotion and position.

Widow System

Jimmy Nichols sits next to Jax Litner at a table with a few salarians. Each species has their own cliques. Usually, most species get along without much trouble between them based on which species they are. If there is trouble, it's because someone didn't pay a debt or stole something from someone. With the stasis bubble that lock someone in place at a moment's notice, there are not many fights between prisoners.

Derk, the computer expert, who is serving eight-to-fifteen for cyber-theft, eyes Jimmy before saying, "So, I hear your nemesis is related to mine." Normally, white-collar criminals serve their time in Level One, but Derk made a few bold statements then had to back them up. By backing them up, he ended up in Level Two.

Jimmy keeps a blank look on his face. He's seen the salarian around the unit before but doesn't know him nor has met him before today. "Is that so? She does have two sisters. Which one do you hate? The one who runs her own business or the actress?"

"The computer guru. Did you know her company handles all the cyber security for this prison?" asks Derk. The salarian grins then nods to Jimmy and Jax.

Jax smacks Jimmy on the arm, "I told you, he can help."

"No, I didn't know that. So, I take it you worked for T'Soni?" asks Jimmy. He is liking what he is hearing. Someone else who can't stand the T'Soni family.

Derk nods to Jimmy. "Yes and Dr. T'Soni is the reason I'm in this hell hole. The asari bitch caught me siphoning credits from a Council account putting them into a dummy account which I was using to funnel the credits into my account. It was the perfect set-up until she started going through accounts and found there was credits missing from a Council account. I had been doing it for almost a year and had enough credits sitting for me to live without much worries for a while and I was about to quit working when I got arrested."

The mono-toned commuter voice comes over the speaker. "You have five minutes before lock-down. Head to your cells." Every con in the prison hates hearing that voice. The Level Three cons hear it the least because they are in lock-down for twenty-three hours a day. The other two levels, they hear that voice several times a day. Some cons would rather hear a computer voice than have the guards yelling at them.

If the prisoner doesn't start moving towards their cell, the guards will come down on them. Lolly-gag enough and you sit in solitary for twenty-four hours. Most prisoners follow the rules without much complaining. There are always a few who feel the need to test a guards resolve and end up in the hole for forty-eight hours. Most don't want to end up being transferred to Level Three, so they get into enough trouble to stay in Level Two then behave long enough to have the past offenses removed.

Every six months the prisoners get a review on their behavior by the prison staff. After each review, the prisoners past minor offenses are still in their file, but no longer count towards a forced transfer to the next security level. Habitual fighting guarantees a convict's transfer to the next security level. Which is why Drek is in Level Two with violent people like Jimmy Nichols. One too many fights over the three years he spent in Level One.

Drek starts to head to his cell when he says, "We'll finish this tomorrow. Seeing you, Nichols, has piqued my interest. Maybe we can do business."

Jimmy nods while replying, "I hope so."

The inmates head to their cells for the night. After lock-down, the convicts get another hour with the lights on before they are turned off until 0545. The same boring routine every day does different things to different people. For some, having a routine is the best thing for them. They have structure and they enjoy it. Most hate having the same routine day after day and desperately want to do something to change it. There is no way a con is every going to change their routine in a positive way. The only thing they can do is change how they do things and hope the guards don't mind. Or the other cons.

Jimmy Nichols climbs to his bunk and lies on his back staring at the ceiling. Rocco is brushing his teeth. The man is a messy eater, but he keeps his teeth as clean as possible. Jimmy swears Rocco brushes his teeth four or five times a day. The toothbrushes the prison provides are so tiny, it's impossible to make a shank from it. Jimmy ignores Rocco's complaint about how small the toothbrushes are when he starts up again after rinsing his mouth out.

The only thing on Jimmy's mind is getting off this station and find a way to get to Elysium and finish what he started two decades ago. He knows two things. Kaja T'Soni lives on Elysium and is a cop. Her leaving the military to become a cop makes Jimmy chuckle to himself. He always feels a little satisfaction knowing the ammo they loaded all the weapons with was modded and put T'Soni in the hospital for almost a week. At times Jimmy is conflicted. He wished Anika had killed T'Soni, but if that had happened, he wouldn't get the pleasure of plotting and executing her death himself. An evil scowl appears on Jimmy's face when he starts planning on how he is going to remove the asari from the galaxy.

The next day, Jimmy goes through the motions like it's any other day, but he's hoping the salarian comes up with some type of plan soon to get off the station. For some reason, Jimmy thinks the salarian already has a plan in place and wonders if there is a spot for him. Derk seems pleasant enough and has a grudge against a T'Soni sister, so that is a plus in Jimmy's book. After the morning meal, Jimmy goes to his job in the prison.

As he mops the one of the many hallways he mops on a daily basis, Derk and another salarian with a guard walk by. Derk pretends to trip and falls into Jimmy, causing him to drop his mop. The salarian quickly stuffs a note into his back pocket as he picks up the mop. "Excuse me. I didn't see you."

Jimmy nods to Derk. "Pay more attention next time." He goes back to mopping the hallway. The human hopes the cameras didn't catch Derk putting something into his pocket. The guard didn't see it, but the cameras catch everything. When they designed the prison and set-up the cameras, they made sure there are no blind spots in any hallway. He finishes mopping the hallways then moves to inmate processing area. There are no inmates being process at the moment. Every day, he mops the floor before the new inmates arrive.

Once Jimmy finishes with his job, he goes back to his cell to look over the note he received from Derk. He wants Jimmy to come to his cell during their free time after dinner. That's all the note says, but Jimmy again hopes this pans out. He desperately wants to finish his job and take out T'Soni, but hiring someone to do the job didn't work out very well. He's serving more time because of it. A lesson he won't ever forget. If you want a job done right, do it yourself.

The day drags on longer than normal. The boring daily routine makes the days seem longer than they really are, but with Jimmy looking forward to meeting with the salarian after dinner. It seems this day will never end. During his recreation time, Jimmy goes to the gym to use the exercise equipment. He's trying to clear his head and not dwell on Kaja T'Soni. The more he thinks about the asari, the more he wants her dead. It eats at him because he is unable to get to her. Not while he is still locked up.

Derk sits on the stool next to the small table in his cell. Jimmy knocks on the door jamb, "Mind if I come in?" The salarian waves for the human to enter his cell and he has his friends keep an eye out for the guards while Derk and Jimmy plan their escape. "Let me ask you this, how did Jax know you were the one to talk to and not the the laundry crew?"

"The laundry idiots are nothing but a distraction. They just don't know it." A smug smile appears on Derk's face. "Jax knows everything, Nichols, you of all people should know this. Besides I need your help to get into the janitorial closet." Derk keeps one eye on Jimmy and the other on the door. The last thing they need is for a guard to overhear what they are saying. There are plenty of camera, but very few record any audio.

Jimmy gives the salarian a confused look. "Why do you need access to the closet? There's nothing in there but cleaning shit."

"Because there is an access panel I can splice into and shut down systems to make it easier to escape. Day after tomorrow when you're mopping the hallway, put something in the door to keep it slightly ajar. The laundry idiots plan on their attempt in two days." Derk pauses when he sees a shadow on the floor moving closer to the door. He shuffles some cards to make it look like they are playing card when the guard walks by. Derk deals ten cards each when the guard makes a second pass.

The turian guard peeks his head inside the cell. "What's going on in here?"

The salarian answers, "We're playing a friendly game of a salarian version of gin rummy."

The guard replies, "Out Nichols. If you're going to play cards do it at one of the public tables. Not in here where it looks like your plotting something."

A smirk appears on Nichols' face. He hands the cards back to Derk. "Alright. I'm going. Thanks, Derk for the lesson. I still suck, but maybe you can continue to teach me."

"Sure, no problem," says Derk when he takes the cards from Jimmy's hand.

Jimmy leaves Derk's cell. The turian guard goes back to walking around the unit making sure no one is doing anything they shouldn't be doing. Derk also leaves his cell and sits at a table closest to his cell. Two other salarians join the computer hacker at the table and wait to see if Jimmy decides to return and chat more or wait until a better time. Jimmy is smarter than he looks. The human goes and starts talking to other human inmates.

Derk watches Jimmy from across the room. He wonders if the human remembers his uncle, Doren, who worked for Eclipse and was killed when the Council sent in a Spectre to deal with the merc group twenty years ago. Derk wants to help Jimmy for two reasons. One, he wants to pay Dr. Olivia T'Soni back by escaping using her systems to do it. Two, Jimmy worked with his uncle and Derk wants a little pay back for his death. If Jimmy is successful, it will hurt Dr. T'Soni even more.

The mono-toned voice comes over the speakers telling the inmates they have five minutes until lock-down. Grumbling is heard throughout the unit. In the real world, it's still early. In prison, it's getting close to bed time. Derk has one day to get Jimmy up to speed on his plan. He's the one who talked the laundry crew into an attempt. They think Derk is going to shut down the systems to aid in their attempt. He isn't, he's going to set off alarms on the laundry end of Level Two and shut down systems in the hanger bay where visiting shuttles dock. Derk knows there is an IT tech from SecureTech scheduled to do maintenance on the prison's Level Two systems in two days.

Derk like Jimmy desperately wants off the station too, so they can get their revenge against a T'Soni sibling. Unlike Jimmy, Derk is happy to humiliate Olivia, he doesn't want her dead. He thinks she has a big head and is way too cocky for an asari her age. All the salarian wants to do is escape using his knowledge of the prison's systems because he worked for her and by using Olivia's company and her employee to leave the system. It's the perfect plan. The question remains, can they pull it off? He'll know in two days.

–

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have more to come.

Thanks to everyone who reviews/faves/put my work on alerts. You people rock. Well the last of the DLC is soon. MP DLC is tomorrow. Maybe I'll get influenced again with the new kits and write another story between Marcy Thomas and Leia Shepard. I would expect a story about their sniper contest with Garrus included after this story is completed.

The SP DLC is next week and it's also been one year since ME3 was released. I have enjoyed the ME3 DLC very much. Even though I've read many complaints about Omega. Maybe just maybe, the Citadel DLC will make me want to do my run with Miranda as the LI. It's the only ME3 romance I have not seen. Well, I've not done Thane's either, but I don't see a point of importing a LI who dies at the 1/3 mark of the game and it's not preventable.

See everyone next week. Stick around for this ride, it's a little bumpy for more than one T'Soni family member.