Okay, so here's the second chapter. This is where the fun starts! XD … Hopefully. I don't know why but I always doubt myself and my own stories. I have no problem with 'Dual Reality' but that's 'cause I'm not doing that one alone so it's not all my own ideas.


The Shepard Siblings

Chapter 2: Meeting the family.

So far John had managed to recruit Archangel, which had turned out to be Garrus after all, and the scientist. At the moment they were on their way to Illium to recruit their third person. John wasn't sure what to feel about them.

The doors to his quarters opened and Garrus walked in with bottles of beer for both of them. He placed the bottles on the table and took a seat opposite John who immediately grabbed one and downed it.

"Easy there, John. They're supposed to last." Garrus said with a twinkle in his eye. The two of them had become good friends, the best of friends even, and John's death had hit him hard.

"Sorry." John said sheepishly. "Thanks, by the way, for getting rid of all the surveillance in my room."

"Tech was never your strong side." Garrus teased.

John leaned back on the couch and put his feet up on the table. "Give me some explosives and a timer and I'll give you the best fireworks' show you've ever seen, but don't expect me to piece together something from scratch and have it doing precision jumps. That's more Tali's department."

"You're a soldier through and through." Garrus said. "Have you seen Tali, by the way?" he then asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, saw her on Horizon. Asked her to join but she's busy with her own mission." John said and leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling, suddenly nostalgic. "It was quite a shock, actually. She's grown a lot…" he then turned quiet and mumbled. "Everybody's changed in the last two years."

Garrus didn't know what to say to that and they sat in silence while drinking their beers. John stared at the fish tank wondering if perhaps he should get himself some fish but discarded the idea knowing he would forget to feed them and they would soon die. They were safer in the pet-shops. Suddenly he stood up, drawing Garrus attention and went to pick up a dossier from his desk.

"You remember I told you I have a sister?" John asked him.

"Yeah, and Alliance soldier like you. Never saw her though… She didn't show up at your funeral." Garrus said the last part quietly. "What about her?" he asked and took the dossier John handed to him.

"She's next on the list." He said and watched Garrus read her file. "… Apparently she's working for Cerberus, now." He continued, unsure about how to feel about that. "Has been for the last two years or so."

Garrus looked up at his friend. John had told him about his sister and the complicated relationship they shared, in exchange for Garrus telling him about his own relationship with his father. He knew both John and his sister were orphaned kids who'd grown up on the streets of some major city on Earth. John had joined the military the moment he'd turned 18, or what he guessed was 18 since he didn't know his precise age, and had left his sister at an orphanage. His sister had seen it as being abandoned and hadn't stayed in the orphanage for long. They hadn't seen each other for four years until John had received some news from former "friends" about her joining the military as well, apparently following in big brother's footsteps. Their reunion had been anything but pleasant.

"You think it has anything to do with your death?" Garrus asked.

John shook his head. "I don't know." He ran a hand over his short hair. "I have no idea what to think."

"I guess we'll find out when we see her." Garrus said and looked back down at the dossier in his hand, reading through it once again. Cerberus agent. Why would John's sister join a xenophobic organisation? He wondered slightly worried.

A couple of hours and a bittersweet reunion with Liara later, Shepard stood outside of an apartment door in a very luxurious building on Illium with Garrus and Jacob.

At least they pay well. He thought and rang the bell.

If it been up to him he would have only brought Garrus along but Miranda had nagged on and on about him needing to always have a two-man team with him. John knew it was because she wanted to keep an eye on him and he knew that Miranda would have preferred it if she were a permanent member on his team but he'd rather be spaced again then have her breathing down his neck. He would have taken Mordin but the scientist had made some breakthrough or another on the Collector's and that left Jacob. John wasn't sure where he had the other man but knew that time would either prove him to be a valuable asset or an annoying liability, like Miranda already was. She also reminded him a bit too much of certain women from his childhood. The type of women he'd rather forget.

When the door finally opened John was both shocked and outraged at what he saw. His sister stood before him in nothing but a towel that barely covered anything, fresh out of the shower, and with fresh and still bleeding cuts and bruises all over her body. Her face had been calm and collected when she'd opened the door but she moment she'd laid eyes on John they darkened in anger. She leaned against the doorway and in doing so her towel started to come undone. She grabbed it in one hand and held it firmly against her breasts. Behind him John could hear Jacob draw in a sharp breath.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Johnny-boy. Finally remembered you have a sister?" she asked with a demeaning smirk.

"Jane." John said. He was shocked at both her appearance, and worried about her cuts, and at her attitude. She didn't seem the least bit shocked to see him alive.

Jane looked him over from head to toe. "They've done quite a good job." She started. "TIM sends me updates on your progress. A week ago he called and informed me of your resurrection… So, how's it feel being back from the dead?" she asked. Behind her brother Garrus wondered out loud about "TIM" which drew her attention to both him and Jacob.

John drew in a deep breath. "Jane, I'm here to-"

"Recruit me to save the universe. Yeah, I know. Like I said, TIM keeps me updated." She interrupted him and then walked back into the apartment, leaving the door open for them to enter.

They followed her inside. The apartment was decorated with furniture from the most expensive brands and priceless pieces of art hung on the walls. There were also bottles of alcohol on every available surface and pieces of clothing were thrown everywhere.

"Wait here." She ordered and disappeared into the bedroom.

"Wow." Jacob said. He hadn't known that the sister of John Shepard was his colleague and had been happily surprised by her.

John on the other hand, did not like any of it and when he turned to Jacob the other man had his gaze firmly fixated on the bedroom door. John glared. "Stop looking, Taylor." He growled threateningly.

Jacob snapped out of it, embarrassed to have been so taken by her and caught staring. Instead he fixed his gaze on the paintings.

It's hard not to look. Garrus thought but did not say out loud. He had a sister of his own and could imagine what John was feeling right now. He had also been surprised by the human female that had opened the door, and the cuts and bruises on her also worried him.

The bedroom door opened but Jane was not alone when she stepped out, this time dressed in panties and a top. An asari stepped out before her and stared at the three other men in the room. She turned to the woman behind her and pulled her into a deep kiss before whispering something to her and then left, pushing past John on her way out. Following the two women a turian, dressed only in pants walked up to Jane from behind and placed his hands on her hips, nuzzling against her neck. Garrus' mandibles flared in shock and John's eyes widened comically before darkening with anger. Jacob had returned to staring at her.

"This was fun, Jane. We should do it again sometime." He said loud enough for everyone to hear and Jane gave a soft laugh.

The turian stepped past her and his mandibles flared when he spotted Garrus. Garrus pulled himself to his full height and tensed. The unknown turian approached him but stopped at the table to pick up a shirt, apparently his, and then the two of them stood there glaring at each other before the other turian smirked and left the apartment as well. Meanwhile Jane had returned to her bedroom and when she stepped out of it the second time she was dressed in grey cargo pants and a shirt with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Let's go." She said and walked out of the apartment. The others followed her and they were all surprised that she seemed to know her way to where the Normandy was docked.

They arrived unannounced back on the Normandy and Joker turned his chair while greeting them. "Hey, Commander! So did you find your sissssssss…"

Before him stood a goddess. A hot fiery amazon warrior with flaming red hair and emerald eyes. Body nicely curved and with a very nice rack. I think I'm on love. Joker thought. Then she turned and walked down the ship. No! Where are you going my amazon goddess? He thought desperately.

"Wipe the drool off your face Joker." John ordered darkly before he marched off after his sister. He caught her by the elbow and directed her towards the elevator. The tension left as they disappeared behind the doors of the elevator was thick enough to be cut with a knife and the crew men shared worried gazes.

The ride up to John's quarters was held in silence but not once did John let go of his bone-crushing grip on his sister. He pushed her into the small corridor leading to his room and pushed her through the doors, locking them behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed at her, barely containing his anger.

"Helping you destroy the Collector's." she responded calmly and looked over his quarters. She walked down the steps and sat down on the couch as she grabbed one of the bottles left from earlier, now lukewarm but she drank it anyway.

John glowered. "That's not what I meant and you fucking now it, Jane! What the hell are you doing working for Cerberus! And what the hell was that at your apartment!" he demanded to know.

"For your information it's not my apartment. It's Cerberus property and what I'm doing working for Cerberus is none of you fucking business, Johnny boy!" she yelled. "You left, remember?" she said mockingly.

"I died!" he yelled back at her punching the wall in anger.

"And the three years before that? Let me, guess. You forgot." She snarled. "Why the hell did you have to come back, anyway? I was doing just fine with you dead, Johnny." She said angry at him.

John was stunned. His sister, the only family he'd ever had, just told him she wished he were dead. Told him she'd been better off with him dead. "Get out." He hissed and didn't wait for her to follow his order. He grabbed her once again, this time by her hair, and forced her out, throwing her out of his quarters so hard she slammed against the wall in the corridor before closing and locking the doors behind him.

Jane hissed at the pain from having her hair pulled and rubbed at her skull. She took the elevators down to the crew's deck and rubbed her arm where John had grabbed her, fresh bruises already starting to show. When the doors opened again the turian from before stood there, waiting for her. She raised an eyebrow in question.

"You should have those wounds checked." Garrus said mentioning to the cuts visible on her arms but also wanting to have her completely checked over.

"I don't think so." She said and went to push past him but was grabbed for the third time today, however this time gently, and directed towards the med bay.

Both Chakwas and Mordin were in the med bay having some discussion about Joker's condition and possible treatments when the doors opened to reveal Garrus holding a female human by the arm. Garrus face was impassive but Chakwas had learned to read the emotions his eyes always seemed to express and could see his concern. Her gaze then fell on the smaller being of the two and she smiled, immediately seeing the resemblance.

"Hello, dear. I'm doctor Chakwas and this is Mordin. Welcome to the med bay. " she said with a welcoming smile. Her eyes then turned to the cuts and bruises on her arms. "Now, let's have a look at you, my dear." She said and mentioned to one of the beds.

Garrus pushed her towards it and made her sit. He did not leave and blocked her exit. Chakwas chuckled softly. "Now if you would hold up your arms, dear, I'll have you back in perfect condition in no time at all."

"She has them on her back as well." Garrus suddenly spoke up drawing Chakwas' attention.

"Oh?" she said and turned back towards her patient. The look in her eyes told her she wanted her to take off her shirt. But when she didn't show any indication of taking anything off, Garrus took a step forwards.

"Fine!" she yelled and pulled her shirt and top off in one go. Leaving her naked from the waist up. "Asshole." She growled at him.

"Hm. Seems to be turian markings." Mordin voiced as he looked at the cuts on her back and then turned to Garrus. "I would recommend-" he started but stopped.

Garrus growled warningly, telling Mordin to drop it. Mordin said no more but turned to his omni-tool and started mumbling about 'turian behaviour'.

"There, all done!" Chakwas spoke up and picked up Jane's clothes and handed them to her. "There shouldn't be any infection but if you feel any pain or discomfort at all don't hesitate to come to me. I have a strict doctor-patient confidentiality." She said and smiled.

Jane only looked at the doctor and then put on her clothes before exiting the med bay. Leaving behind her three amused beings.

"Most interesting." Mordin then mumbled and turned back to his omni-tool.

Chakwas smiled at Garrus and he gave her a nod before leaving the med bay as well to return to his calibrations now that he'd done what John had asked.


So? What do you guys think? I especially like the whole scene at her apartment. ^o^

This was fun, but now I have to go back to writing 'Dual Reality'. Hopefully, I'll have another chapter up soon. For both stories.