*beep* … *beep*
Natasha knit her eyebrows as she was pulled from her sleep. She groaned, looking around for Rayhel.
*beep*
She sat up, realizing the sound that woke her wasn't her daughter, but her Omni tool. Garrus slept in the chair next to her, Rayhel in his arms. Natasha laid her head back down, seeing it was 0400.
*beep*
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make the sting in them disappear as she blocked out the noise.
*beep*
She sighed as Rayhel chirped lightly, opening the Omni tool to shut it up. She squinted her eyes, letting the incoming transmission through.
"Natasha?"
"Who is this?"
"It's Melanis."
Natasha rubbed her face, knowing she was far too tired to handle a phone call. Being half asleep was making her hear things.
"I'm sorry, who is this?" she asked, trying to wake up.
"Natasha, you have to come get me. It's Melanis."
The man on the line was beginning to make her angry.
"Melanis is dead, who is this?" she asked irritably.
"I'm alive, I'm at headquarters. I used Omni gel. The mercs are dead. I need help."
The man was talking rather fast, making Natasha even more frightened as she listened to him. She put her hand up, as if to slow him down, even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"Slow down. How did you even survive?"
"I heard the gunshots, I hid, I didn't have a gun. By the time I came out, the shots were over. Everyone's dead. I need a doctor."
"I can't…." she started, then shook her head. "I can't leave where I'm at, but I can send Garrus-"
"No, don't send Garrus!" The man seemed angry now, sighing heavily. "I need you, Natasha. I trust you."
"We're a team, we all trust each other, I'm not going without Garrus."
"Garrus won't understand, he'll just kill me."
Natasha considered what Garrus would do or say to Melanis, knowing he hid away while the rest of the team was shot down, including Calpurnia. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Fine." she replied, getting to her feet. "I'll come get you, but I'm taking you straight to the hospital. Garrus will want an explanation whether he's here or there."
"I'll come up with something."
Natasha closed out the transmission, looking around the dark room before setting her eyes on Garrus. Rayhel snored loudly beside him. Natasha smiled before walking out of the room, wondering if she'd be able to handle getting Melanis back to the hospital alone. She bit her lip, stopping in the middle of the hallway to look over at Calpurnia's room. Melanis requested she didn't bring Garrus, but he didn't say anything about bringing other help.
Caeus was shifting in his chair when she got to the doorway of the room. He caught sight of her, blinking a few times before sitting up straight.
"How is she?" Natasha asked.
"She's been sleeping all night, so I'm guessing she's not in pain."
Natasha smiled slightly before folding her arms over her chest.
"I got a call, and I need to go back to the base."
"What? Why?"
"Melanis is alive and he needs medical attention, and I'm going back whether you agree to help or not."
"Natasha, everyone was dead. There's no way…"
"He said he hid, because he didn't have a gun."
Caeus seemed to think it over before sighing. He stood, letting go of Calpurnia's hand to walk over to her.
"Why are you asking me, and not Garrus?"
"Melanis is scared that Garrus will kill him for deserting his team in a fire fight."
Caeus seemed to understand, straightening up in front of her.
"Let's go."
"More drinks!"
Natasha and Rayhel laughed as Calpurnia waved down the bartender from their little table. Natasha shook her head at her friend.
"You can't just flag them down, you have to go get your own."
The bartender brought them another round, though he seemed unhappy about having to do it. Calpurnia had had more than a few. Natasha could tell she was getting a bit tipsy, and she was just starting.
"The pace you've set for yourself would hint to the untrained eye that you've never bonded before." Rayhel said with a laugh, watching Calpurnia chug down another glass.
"I'm not drinking away nerves, I'm just having fun." Calpurnia replied.
"As if this is your last night of freedom." Natasha said before taking a drink from her own glass.
"It's an excuse to have fun, let me drink!" Calpurnia said before downing another glass.
Rayhel shook her head, staring down at her own drink with a small smile. Calpurnia nudged her.
"I could get you laid tonight."
Rayhel laughed at her, shaking her head.
"I'm good."
"Come on, you're young and fresh in the military. I bet that guy would go for you."
Calpurnia pointed at a turian who stood at the bar. Rayhel shook her head.
"I'm quite alright, thanks."
"He's cute, right?" Calpurnia asked, looking at Natasha for some back-up.
"Sure." Natasha replied, half glancing at the man in question. "Go for it sweetie."
"I don't want to guys."
Rayhel suddenly felt the need to drink with them, though she knew she couldn't.
"Here."
Calpurnia seemed to read Rayhel's thoughts, sliding her glass to the girl. Rayhel huffed out a laugh.
"I'm fifteen."
"Shit, I was drinking at fifteen."
"Look how that turned out." Natasha laughed, looking at the empty glasses that sat in front of Calpurnia.
"I'll have you know, it's common for young turians to drink."
"Yet it's still illegal." Rayhel countered.
"Just drink and hush."
Rayhel looked to her mother for permission. Natasha shrugged.
"Don't tell your Dad." she said, tipping her glass up again.
Rayhel reluctantly took a drink from the glass, glancing around as if the bartender would come over and knock it from her grasp if he saw it. The drink burned down her throat, though she enjoyed the taste.
"I won't tell your Dad if you choose to go home with someone." Calpurnia said.
"I'm not interested." Rayhel said firmly.
"Why not?"
Rayhel sighed, taking another drink from the glass.
"He's not my type."
"How do you know?"
"He's just not." she shrugged. "I want someone that Dad approves of, not some guy for the night that I won't see again in my life."
Natasha smiled proudly, but Calpurnia scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"It's funner than it sounds."
"I'll be sure to tell your soon-to-be bondmate that." Natasha replied.
"Look, it's just expected that a turian is casual, most are at her age."
"I'm not most." Rayhel said.
Natasha couldn't help the proud smile as it returned. Calpurnia scoffed again.
"Drink a few more, we'll see what you say then."
Natasha looked over the bridge of the base, taking a deep breath. Caeus stayed in the shadows. He'd told her to be cautious, in case it was a trap. He was to stay hidden so that she'd have some backup if needed. She walked across the bridge silently. Upon entering the living area, she saw ten bodies lined up along the wall, all with blankets over them. She knit her eyebrows. There was only supposed to be nine. She went to turn back, her heart filling with doubt and regret as she was greeted by a man she didn't recognize.
"You must be Natasha." he said with a smirk.
"Who are you?"
She recognized the armor he wore, knowing the Blue Suns hadn't given up.
"You're Archangel's girl, aren't you?"
Natasha took a deep breath, glancing around the room as others surrounded her. She gave the man a look.
"What's it to you?"
"Well. See, one of your guys shot our leader-"
"It wasn't him."
"I'm aware. You guys sent a mole to infiltrate us. Unfortunately, I'm the next in line. We're far from over."
Natasha tried playing off her fear, folding her arms across her chest and smirking back at him.
"So am I supposed to be scared?" she asked, looking around at the men. "You have what, five guys here?"
The man stepped forward, reaching out for her, playing with her hair, his smirk still planted on his face.
"This is going to be fun." he said simply. She idly wondered what that would mean, but she was sure it wouldn't take long to find out. She knew there were more, but she doubted the whole mercenary group would bunker down here to wait for four people. She batted his hand away as he stroked her face. He laughed shortly. "Feisty. I suppose Archangel picks them well. I hope his right hand impresses me."
Natasha balled her hand into a fist and swung it in the air, successfully hitting his face. He let his head fall to the side for a moment before smiling back at her.
"You killed my men." she said, her teeth clenched.
"You're next." he replied, give his men a signal before putting his finger to his earpiece. His face changed to irritation quickly, looking around the base's living area. "Where?"
Natasha was grabbed, her arms behind her back as she figured they'd caught Caeus sneaking around outside, her spirits dampening slightly. He was the only fall back she had. She bit her lip, waiting for the men to do whatever they had planned for her. The man finally dropped his finger from his ear, looking over at her.
"Smart enough to not come alone." he smirked.
Sure enough, two men strode in with a struggling Caeus, forcing him to his knees in front of their leader. Natasha hung her head briefly as the man walked around Caeus in a circle, as if inspecting him for something.
"Let her go." Caeus said with a nod in Natasha's direction.
"Why would I do that?" the man laughed.
"There's plenty of reasons. She's a Mom, and a woman. If you plan on hitting her, plan on having to beat me down too."
"I'll manage."
"Well if those reasons don't stop you, you can always just remind yourself that she's Archangel's right hand. He'll kill you for this."
"I suppose he could try."
"Pretty cocky for someone who was just promoted a day ago."
The man tilted his head at Caeus, a smile spreading across his lips.
"You're not even a part of the team, are you? You're the mole."
"You're just mad I killed your boss."
The man's smile faltered slightly as he squatdown in front of Caeus.
"You killed some of my men fighting your way out of here. We're even."
"You killed my men." Natasha spoke up.
The man just smiled, not looking over at her. She desperately wanted to smack the look off of his smug face. He stood up straight, pulling out his pistol to point it at Caeus. Natasha was quick to let out a string of incoherent words as she struggled to find something to stall him with.
"What do you want?" she asked. "There has to be something you're interested in, something you want to call it even. What is it?"
He looked over at her as she prattled on, letting his hand fall to his side. She bit down the urge to give him a nasty look as he smirked at her.
"What are you offering?"
"Anything."
"What if I just killed him and took what I wanted?"
His eyes traveled down her body, then back up to her face. She forced back the snarl that threatened to curl on her lip.
"What would be the fun in that? Archangel would just come after you. Why not call it a truce?"
The man seemed to weigh her words, looking around at his men, then down to Caeus, then back to her.
"Put her in the room." he ordered.
The man who held Natasha's arms behind her back led her away from the living area, forcing her up the stairs of the base. He was forceful with her, squeezing her arm tightly before shoving her forward and locking her in a room. She let out a few panicked breaths as she raced to think of a solution. She opened her Omni tool, praying to whatever Gods there were out there that Garrus would wake up enough to answer his call. She closed her eyes, waiting to hear his voice. The call ended after a moment, her Omni tool shutting. She groaned, trying again. It failed. She felt her anxiety beginning to spill over as she paced the small room. The door opened after a few moments of silence. The man smirked at her again, locking down the door. She did her best to suck it up and be tough, but she had never felt so scared. Even when she had to shoot down the first intruder on Omega, she wasn't this scared. The way the man looked at her, the way he smiled, all of it just screamed horror to her. She stepped backwards as he tried advancing on her, her back pressing to a wall. He put his hand on her face, running it gently down her neck, resting it on her shoulder. He let his face move inches from hers, his breath hot on her cheek, his other hand wandering on her hip. She moved her head to the side, desperately wishing she could disappear through the wall.
"What would Archangel think if he could see this?" he asked gruffly. "What would his reaction be to me touching you like this?"
Natasha closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat, doing her best to refrain from crying.
"I think Archangel is a fake. I think he's nothing but a regular guy with a death wish."
His words pricked at Natasha's patience, which she had so little to begin in the first place. She bit back any response to his words, not giving him the satisfaction. He kissed her cheek softly, pushing his chest to hers.
"What would he say to this?" he said. "What would he do if he saw me in his territory?"
"He'd break every bone in your body."
Natasha opened her eyes, looking past the man to see Garrus. His rifle was raised at the man, a growl in his chest. A wave of relief flooded every inch of Natasha's body as she watched the man step away from her. She eyed the gun in his holster, biting her lip before reaching out for him. He struggled against her, but she managed to get it away from his grasp, pointing it back at him. He chuckled.
"So what now, Archangel?" he said, putting his hands up in the air lazily. "You going to kill me? Torture me?"
"I'm going to give her the chance to do whatever she wants to do in defense of herself before I decide what I'll do."
Natasha stared at the man as Garrus spoke, then shook her head.
"I want nothing to do with this pathetic waste of air." she spat back, inching closer to Garrus' side.
"Well that settles that." he replied, staring the man down.
"You'll never get rid of us all, Archangel. You'll lose. You'll get everyone killed, even your little bitch." Garrus stepped forward, putting the barrel of his gun to the man's chest. "My only regret is not being able to watch it happen when you die."
"My apologies." Garrus replied before lifting his gun to the man's head and pulling the trigger.
Natasha jumped slightly, looking away from the lifeless corpse that hit the ground. Garrus turned to her, taking her hand and leading her from the room. She pulled at him, planting her feet on the ground and shaking her head frantically.
"No, there's mercs down there!" she hissed.
"How do you think I got in here? The basement? Come on."
She followed him down the stairs, seeing Caeus in the living area with a gun, standing amongst the dead bodies. Natasha looked at Garrus with worry.
"Where is Rayhel?"
"With Calpurnia."
Natasha groaned.
"You woke her up to babysit?"
"Relax, everything's fine."
Just as Garrus said the words, there was a loud bang outside the base. They all rushed to the door, seeing what had caused it. Two heavy mechs advanced on the bridge, pointing their rockets at them and firing.
"Move!" Caeus yelled, pushing Natasha back in the base.
They fell to the ground as Garrus got the door closed. Natasha got to her feet quickly, picking up the gun she'd dropped.
"You just had to say something!" she told Garrus, hitting his chest.
"Let's go. Higher ground will give us a chance."
Rayhel looked to her CO, saluting him firmly. He returned the gesture before shaking her hand.
"Some fine work you did back there, Vakarian."
"Thank you, sir."
"Take a seat." Rayhel sat one of the chairs in front of the man's desk, being sure to sit as straight and proper as she could. The man chuckled. "At ease."
She let herself relax slightly, but she kept in mind that she was in front of a CO. He pulled out a bottle and two glasses, pouring turian scotch into them silently. He put one in front of her and took the other for himself. She stared down at it.
"Don't drink?"
"I'm fifteen, sir." she replied.
"Drink, Vakarian. It's alright." She took a small sip from the glass, doing her best to keep the nagging regret from her mind. "What's your goal in the military?"
The question took her by surprise, though she thought it was fair of him to ask. She cleared her throat.
"To be the best I can."
"I wasn't asking because this is a test, Vakarian, I want to know what you're working towards."
She took a deep breath, glancing around the room as she shifted in her chair.
"I want to make my parents proud of me. I want to work up the ranks. Do some good for my homeworld."
"How far up the ranks do you want to go?"
"As far as the military takes me."
"Your Dad is a spectre."
Rayhel wondered if it was a statement or a question. She nodded regardless.
"Yes sir."
"Ever think about it?"
"I suppose…"
"I'm surprised." he laughed. "Any good turian would say no, that it's not right."
Rayhel gave him a weak smile, shrugging slightly.
"I've always looked up to my father, sir. He does his race proud."
"That he does." the man said, filling his glass with more alcohol. He let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair.
"Vakarian, I know you've only been with us for a short time, but in the few months I've watched you work on your missions, I can't help but to be impressed. You have your father's talent for success."
Rayhel smiled. She tried accepting the compliment for what it was, but she couldn't help but to pick it apart.
"Thank you sir."
"There's a job offer that I need to assign someone to. Out of the recruits that came in with your squad, you're the best candidate."
"Thank you sir."
"The thing is, it's a bit of a promotion."
"Sir?"
"You'd be promoted to Service Chief, in order to run this mission smoothly. I can't send a private to deal with this kind of thing."
"Oh." It was all Rayhel could say after his words. She was quite surprised that she'd be pushed up the totem pole if she accepted. She hated how it would look to others. She didn't want special treatment just because of who her Dad was. She wanted to work for her earnings. Though he was telling her she had proved herself the best of her little squad, others would assume she was being favored. She sighed, realizing she had grown silent in thought. The commander waited patiently, drinking from his glass in the silence. "If I've earned it, I can do it, sir."
"Glad to hear it." he replied, opening his Omni tool. "I'll make sure it's official in our files."
"Thank you sir."
"You're excused, Vakarian."
Rayhel stood, saluting him before she left.
"You might wanna go say something." Garrus looked at Caeus, who nodded at Natasha. Garrus felt his heart break at the sight of her in a corner of the room, her knees curled up to her face as she cried on the floor, her hair falling around her face like a cocoon. "I'll watch the bridge."
Garrus leaned his rifle up against the wall, walking over to her. He wondered which one of the many things going on was bugging her so much. He kneeled down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to wipe her tears, looking him in the eyes.
"What is it?" he asked hesitantly.
She sniffled, shaking her head.
"I want my daughter." she cried. "I want her, and I want to be safe. I wish I could take it back, I'm so stupid."
She put her face in her hands, crying harder now. Garrus reached out, putting his hands on either side of her cheeks, making her look at him.
"Natasha, you are not stupid. The reason you came here is one of the reasons I love you. You care for the people around you so much."
"If I die, she doesn't have a mother anymore, and if you die, she doesn't have a Dad, and she'll grow up without parents-"
"Quit it." He could tell she was going to have a panic attack if he didn't get her out of here soon. He wiped the fresh tears from her face, giving her a small smile. "I love you."
"I love you." she said with a deep breath.
"I'm going to get you to safety. I promise."
She laughed at him, looking over to where Caeus stood.
"If he dies, Calpurnia will be all alone again."
"Stop. We're going to get out of this."
"We've been up here for two days, Calpurnia is worried as hell."
"It's going to take time, they've got us pinned down pretty badly."
"I just wanna go somewhere and be able to call it home without it falling apart."
"I know you do."
"Garrus."
He looked up to Caeus, who nodded towards the bridge. Natasha got to her feet with Garrus, walking over to the window to see what was there.
"Freelancers." Garrus noted.
"Are we so bad that everyone on Omega wants us dead?" Natasha asked.
"Let's take care of them quickly." Caeus told them.
Natasha stepped away from the window as Garrus and Caeus started shooting at the people who threatened their safety. Moments went by as they gunned the mercs down, using the last few clips of ammo they had left. After Garrus loaded the last clip into his rifle, Natasha heard yelling from down below. She looked over at the two of them. They watched for a moment before continuing their shooting.
"They're with Archangel!"
She knit her eyebrows, walking over to the door they'd locked down.
"What are you doing?!" Garrus yelled at her as she unlocked it.
"Those people are on our side!"
"Get in here!"
He walked over to her and grabbed her arm, yanking her back in the room and locking it down again.
"We have to help them get to us!"
"Natasha, stay in this room."
She hated how he spoke to her, as if she was a child. She looked away from him, which merited him walking away. He went back to shooting as a pounding rang out against the door. Caeus and Garrus aimed their guns at it, as ready as they could be for what was on the other side.
It was easy being a Service Chief. Rayhel loved the job. It was easy, and the crewmates on her ship were brilliant. She disliked being in a new squad, but she enjoyed the fact that she was branching out into her career. The lack of contact between her parents and herself was discomforting, though. She hated not having time to talk to them.
Hanging up the call she'd sent out to them was hard tonight, her reluctance very heavy as she closed out her Omni tool. Her mother had told her she was proud of her and that she was loved. Rayhel had always known her parents held her in high regard. She was their only child, but she knew she was different than other people. She'd heard their story of survival amongst everything the galaxy had went through a few years back, and she admired them both for everything. She had faint memories of how it was back then, but from what she did remember, she knew she liked it more now that there was peace everywhere. Well, almost everywhere.
She'd been assigned to a team that was helping stabilize the boarders on Tuchanka. There were so many krogan nowadays that they were on the brink of cival war. There were only so many clan leaders to control them. It was a pity, but at least they weren't attacking Palaven, or Sur'Kesh. Rayhel shook her head at herself for thinking that way. The turians and salarians weren't any better than any other species. She had to get herself in a neutral train of thought if she wanted to keep this job. It was important that she wasn't racist on the krogan's home world.
She pushed her food away from her, leaning back in her chair in the mess hall of the ship. She heard footsteps behind her before seeing one of her squad mates in the kitchen. He got himself some food before walking over and sitting across from her. He was silent as he ate, making her smile slightly.
"Hi." she said, wondering if he was pretending he didn't see her.
"Hi."
"I'm Rayhel."
"I know."
She looked around the room, biting back her smile now.
"What's your name?"
"Cyrus."
"How long have you been here?"
He looked up from his food, chewing it for a while before finally giving her an answer.
"I've been a part of this squad for six years."
"Wow. That's impressive."
"Not as impressive as you being promoted to Service Chief after only six months of active duty."
Rayhel shied away from his comment, pretending to scratch her face as she went silent.
"It's not that impressive when you remember her father is a spectre."
Rayhel sighed, looking over at the other turian that had joined them in the room.
"I got to where I am because of my hard work. My father has nothing to do with it."
"Right. Living up to a dead spectre is kinda hard."
She felt her chest tighten, her anger swelling up quickly. She didn't look at him.
"Shut up." Cyrus said. "You two are going to get along or you're going to get thrown out an airlock."
"Just getting some food." the other turian snickered, turning around the prepare himself a plate.
Cyrus looked at Rayhel, who was still battling to keep her anger down. He took another bite of his food before narrowing his eyes at her.
"I wasn't aware your father passed away."
Rayhel looked at him, confusion clear on her face. She shook her head.
"My father's name is Garrus. He is very much alive."
"I think he's asking about the one I referenced." the other turian said, sitting down next to Cyrus. "Tell us a story."
"You obviously already know it."
"Enlighten me." Cyrus replied.
Rayhel glared at the other turian before shifting her eyes to Cyrus.
"Do I have to?"
"He does outrank you."
Rayhel rolled her eyes, sighing heavily.
"I'm adopted. Technically. I guess." she said with a quiet tone.
"Who's your father?"
"Nihlus Kryik."
"Really?"
Rayhel shook her head, rolling her eyes again.
"I have nothing to do with him. I don't even know him, I never have. Garrus is my father."
"Bitter." the turian sang, looking down at his food.
"Shut up." Cyrus said, smacking the turian on the back of the head before looking back to Rayhel. "So what does that matter?"
"Turians... Ignorant turians, see my mother as an unfaithful bondmate and my father as a bondmate stealer, I suppose."
"I don't see it that way."
"Yeah, look at your family though." the unidentified turian said.
"Point taken." Cyrus replied.
Rayhel could tell it was a hard topic for him as well as he pushed his food around lazily.
"Some turians are just too quick to judge." Rayhel said. "My parents are great people."
"I believe you."
The other turian scoffed, shoveling food into his mouth as he shook his head.
"And who are you to judge what my parents do in life?" she asked, biting back her anger again.
"This is Darius. He's an ass, but you'll learn to love him." Cyrus told her.
"Or not."
Cyrus laughed, though Darius looked up at her with surprise.
"You may look like a nice piece of ass to the crew, and you may be a spectre's daughter, but you have to earn my respect."
"Wouldn't have it any other way. Just remember it goes both ways."
Darius went back to his food and the room went silent.
Natasha stared in disbelief at the man who stood in front of her. He looked between Garrus and Natasha, holstering his weapon and stepping forward.
"Shepard?" Natasha said, her eyebrows knit tightly together.
"Archangel?" he replied with a small laugh.
"That'd be me." Garrus replied, holding his hand out. Shepard shook it as the squad mates that had followed him up put their weapons away. "We don't have much time for catching up, we're in a bit of a jam."
"Let me help you out then."
"How'd you find us?" Natasha asked.
"I came to recruit Archangel."
"Listen, help me out of here and I'll see what I can do to help you."
Shepard agreed to help them, going down to the basement to hold off some mercs who had found their way inside. Returning from the lower levels, Shepard made his way to the over watch of the bridge with Garrus and Caeus. The mercs continued to throw themselves against their defenses, trying to pull attention off the incoming gunship. Natasha took cover, flinching as bullets blazed the surrounding area, barely missing Garrus. She felt her heart sink as the bullets suddenly became rockets, finally bringing an end to Archangel's luck. Blood began to puddle underneath of Garrus as he laid motionless on the ground. Natasha didn't stay in cover to wait for the gunship to be gone. She ran to Garrus' side, tears in her eyes as she took in the sight of all the blood. She laid her body over top of his as the final shot rang out making the gunship fall from the air. She felt hands pulling her from him once it was over.
"Vakarian, get on that gun!" Rayhel ran to the turret and climbed up the small ladder. She fired it at the enemy she faced, not letting up as they dropped. Once all of them were clear, she got off of it, taking a deep breath as her squad grouped together. The battle simulation faded away, the walls of the ship coming back to view. "Nice job guys."
Rayhel took off her armor as everyone unloaded their guns and took care of their own armor. She felt a hand on her back as she unbuckled her boots. Cyrus smiled at her.
"Nice job."
"Thanks."
"You're getting the hang of it quickly."
"This ship is amazing. The simulators help a lot."
"The gun doesn't hold the talent, you do."
"Thank you sir."
"Keep it up."
"Yes sir."
Rayhel enjoyed her new CO. He was encouraging, but he didn't treat her any different from the other squad mates. She wished the other squad mates would treat her like that too. She looked over at them as she settled into her casual clothes. Two of them smirked her way, making her roll her eyes.
"They've really gotta get that subtle thing down still."
Rayhel looked over at Darius, who leaned against his locker. She smiled back at him.
"They're boys."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"It did back in basic training, but you get used to it."
"Don't you wanna knock them out when they stare?"
Rayhel laughed, remembering a time when she was in public with her father. A young turian was eyeing her and Garrus had stepped in front of her, staring the boy down until he was scared enough to run off. She laughed, shaking her head.
"No."
"I suppose it's not so bad. You could have nightly visitors, right?"
"Yeah, I think I might start hitting people if they did that."
"Gotta draw a line somewhere." he laughed. Rayhel enjoyed getting to know the boy on her squad. She seemed to be gaining his respect more and more every time they practiced with the battle simulator. "Well. I should get some sleep. You should too. Big day tomorrow."
"Yeah I know. It's my first high risk mission." she replied, not looking at him now.
"Can I tell you something?" She nodded, putting her gun in her locker. "It's my first high risk mission too."
She looked at him with a relieved smile.
"Thank the spirits."
He chuckled, nodding at the elevator of the cargo bay.
"Come on." She followed him gladly, knowing her bed was just a floor above where they were now. Her hopes were dimming slightly at the slow speed of the elevator. She tapped her foot impatiently. He laughed at her again. "You alright?"
"I want to be rested enough. I have to make sure I bring my all tomorrow."
"Ray, you'll be fine."
She tried hiding the smile that the nickname brought on, though she didn't understand why. He'd never called her something other than 'Vakarian' before.
"You will too." she replied.
"I'm not worried. We just have to go be diplomatic."
"Against some krogan. A whole turian ship. I need to be ready."
"Scared?" he asked, stepping off the elevator with her after it came to a halt.
"I'm not scared of them, I'm just not a good speaker."
"Good thing the CO will be doing the talking."
"Until things go to shit and we have to fight our way back to the ship."
"I'll be with you. I'll even save you when you get shot." She laughed as they reached her quarters. She turned to him, seeing a smile on his face. He seemed to catch himself after they stared at each other, shaking off the smile.
"Sleep good."
"Maybe if I was with you, you'd sleep good too." She wished she could suck the words back into her mouth as she put her hand over her face. He laughed at her. "Sorry, that was wrong."
"Well. That was easy."
"Shut up."
He took a step closer to her, giving her a genuine smile again.
"Have a good night."
"You too."
"See you bright and early." he said, stepping back down the hallway.
"Gonna talk down some krogan." she replied with a thumb up.
"Night."
"Goodnight."
He disappeared into his own room before she disappeared into her own. She tried shaking the odd feeling she had in her chest, but it wouldn't settle. She sighed heavily, sitting down on her bed and rubbing her face. She didn't even know how to prepare for this mission, but she was determined to do her best down there tomorrow. Sleep would be the first factor in doing her best. Without much more thought about her turian friend or the mission ahead, she laid down and closed her eyes, sleep taking over her quickly.
Natasha wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes as she held her in her arms. Calpurnia gave her a sorrowful look.
"He'll make it." she said softly.
"I want daddy!" Rayhel cried.
"He's alright baby, you just have to wait."
"I don't want to!"
Natasha heard a small growl coming from her daughter. She was just as scared as the child was. The doctors had taken him in to stop the bleeding and get his face bandaged, but Natasha knew it was worse than that. She wondered if surgery would be needed. Calpurnia sat up in her bed, looking over at Caeus as he entered the hospital room. Her face lit up as he stood at her side.
"Where have you been?!" she asked.
"I was getting anything important I needed from my apartment."
"Why?"
"Shepard is here to recruit Garrus."
"What does that have to do with you though?"
"I'm leaving, Calpurnia. Wherever you want to go, I'm going too."
"What about your job?"
"Yeah, that's long gone."
Natasha could tell that Calpurnia was genuinely touched. Rayhel screamed in anger after breaking free of Natasha's grip. She let out a loud chirp, walking around the room quickly.
"Baby, just wait a bit."
"I want daddy!"
Natasha groaned, rubbing her temples slowly. Her patience was completely gone. All she wanted was a shower and sleep. She quickly changed the list of wants as she thought of Garrus. Him being alright was definitely the first thing she wanted.
"Well, if Garrus is going, we're all going then." Calpurnia said. "There's no way he's going alone. So I hope Shepard is willing to take us all."
"I can't even fight." Natasha shrugged, looking at her.
"Yes you can, you just don't like it. Who does?"
"Rayhel can't go on that ship."
"Daddy!"
Rayhel screeched loudly. Natasha grabbed her and pointed at her firmly.
"No."
"Daddy!"
"No."
Rayhel blinked at her, an angry look on her face.
"Daddy."
"No."
Calpurnia bit back her laughter.
"Definitely your child." she whispered.
"Damn turians." Natasha sighed, leaning back in the chair.
Their attention was brought to the door of the room as a doctor came in.
"We did all we could for Mr. Vakarian, but the damage was irreparable. He suffered some blood loss, but otherwise-"
The doctor was cut off as Garrus strode into the room. Rayhel screeched loudly, running to him. Natasha stood quickly, walking over to him. He had bandages on his face and mandible. She winced slightly.
"No one would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" he asked.
"Hell Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some more face paint on there and we'll call it good." Calpurnia laughed.
He laughed before holding his face.
"No one make me laugh, my face isn't holding together enough as it is." Natasha hugged him, happy that he was alright. "Shepard is waiting out there for me."
She nodded, looking to Calpurnia, who worked her way out of bed. She walked with her back hunched slightly, holding her stomach. The doctor protested, but Calpurnia waved her off.
"I've got this." she said, walking to the door, Caeus by her side the whole time.
"Let's go." Natasha said.
"We're not all going-" Garrus was interrupted by protests from both of the women before he put a hand up in defense. "Sorry, jeez…."
Natasha walked out to the waiting room, the rest of the turians following her. Shepard stood at the sight of them, a smile on his face.
"Good to see you up and moving, Garrus."
"Thank you for the help, Shepard." he replied, shaking the man's hand again.
"Anytime."
"While I know you were coming to recruit me, I have a gang that refuses to leave my side. I can't go with you without them."
Shepard looked at each of them in turn as if he was weighing the options. He took a deep breath before nodding.
"Alright. They can come."
"Even my daughter?"
Sheppard gave him a small look of confusion before looking to the small turian that hugged Garrus' leg. He nodded.
"She's safe on the Normandy."
"Define safe." Natasha replied, folding her arms over her chest.
"The Normandy is one of the best ships the council has to offer. She's safe with the team I'm putting together."
Natasha was weary, but she knew her choice had already been made for her. Garrus never left her side when she needed him, and she refused to leave his side when he needed something.
So they went with Shepard aboard the Normandy. They were given a tour and were introduced to the two Cerberus operatives. Natasha hated the idea of working with Cerberus, but she trusted Shepard had a reason for doing so. After everything was settled, the three turians and Natasha sat in the mess hall, talking about the day's events and what it would be like on the Normandy. Natasha listened to them talk, feeling as if she'd fall asleep in her chair if she didn't go to bed soon. She looked down at Rayhel, who sat in her lap, her head lulled over her arm as she snored.
"Well, I'm off to bed." Calpurnia said. "I need rest."
"We do too." Garrus agreed, standing now.
Natasha stood just to have Rayhel taken from her. Caeus smiled at her.
"You guys go have some 'you' time. We'll watch her." Calpurnia whispered to her.
"I'm too tired for 'us' time."
"Buck up."
Natasha laughed, following Garrus out of the mess hall. Their room was small, but Natasha didn't care. All she saw was the bed, and how comfortable it looked. As soon as she laid down, she groaned, letting out a large breath.
"Tired?"
"Very."
"It's been a long few days."
She sat up, looking at him as he took off his armor.
"It has."
"I'm sorry for everything I've put us through."
"I don't blame you for anything, Garrus. Someday we'll laugh about all of this."
He smiled, wincing afterwards. She gingerly touched the bandages on his face once he sat down on the bed.
"It's not that bad." he reassured her.
She sighed, pulling him in for a kiss. She knew he was just as exhausted as she was, but he still returned the kiss, deepening it as his tongue found hers. She let him push her down to her back and she smiled at him. It'd been a while since they'd had some time alone. They were both grateful for the time they'd been given for the night.
Natasha finally felt safe as she laid in his arms later that night. The ship had a low hum, but she didn't mind the noise. She was safe in the arms of her turian, and she couldn't be happier about it.
