I was overjoyed by the response the last chapter got. I just want to thank Mousey57, Analya-Shepard, ultimate_idiot, blaiseingfire, Qn_Q, Redi_Chalyn, and "Shepard Vakarian". You guys are awesome!


MASS EFFECT
HOME AND FAMILY

Chapter 03:
"Mother & Daughter, Part 1"

Calmly, Shepard took a deep breath. "Mom," she began, trying to center herself. "Remember how you mentioned in your message that you wanted to meet my boyfriend?" She asked, her voice steady and even as she spoke. "Well, Mom... here he is." She finished with a smile, gesturing to the Tuarian.

Garrus took this as his cue and stepped forward, while the older human woman remained silent as he moved to greet her. "Hello, Mrs. Shepard," he began, his mouth and mandibles shifting into what Jane knew to be a smile. "My name is Garrus Vakarian, and it's a pleasure to finally get to meet you." The Turian continued, extending his hand to the elder Shepard in greeting.

"The Hierarchy places great value on military lineage," Garrus continued. "So I must it's also a great honor to meet not only the mother of such a distinguished soldier and leader as your daughter, but also a decorated leader in their own right, such as yourself." He finished, cordially.

Mrs. Shepard became silent, and Jane seemed to pale slightly, while her mother looked him over for a moment, an unreadable look on her face...

"My goodness," she began. "But aren't you a tall one!" Hannah Shepard exclaimed, before clasping his hand between hers, a smile now gracing her features.

Jane wasn't sure what to make of this sudden development... She couldn't say it was unexpected, mostly because she'd never been sure of what expect. On one hand, she could tell with some certainty from her mother's reaction that she wasn't upset. But the way she'd reacted... It was just so casual- so normal- and that left her unsure as to how to process what had just happened.

"Well, we clearly have a lot of catching up to do," Mrs. Shepard spoke up. "Surely the two of you must know of somewhere we can sit down for a bit and talk, before settling in?"

Shepard finally managed to collect herself sufficiently. "Well, I'm currently living on-site at the nearby Alliance LA base." She began. "There's plenty of places to choose from there. We can flag down a taxi shuttle at out-processing and it'll be short ride from there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." The older woman replied.

"Here, let me help you with that." Garrus offered, gripping up the larger piece of luggage by the handle and easily hoisting it under his arm in a quick fluid motion.

"And so considerate too," Mrs. Shepard beamed. "If only all the young men working under me were more like you. Though..." She paused, turning to her daughter. "Jane, are all Turians as courteous and considerate as this, or is Garrus just that nice?"

The younger woman blushed. "Well... I suppose it's a bit of both," Shepard replied. "Though, I'm a bit biased towards thinking that Garrus just happens to be very... charming." She finished with some effort, her blush darkening slightly as she ran a hand through her main of red hair.

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

"It feels like ages since the last time we had a chance to sit down for a proper visit." Hannah Shepard remarked as she relaxed in her seat. "I mean, we've had what- maybe a half dozen long distance talks over the extranet or on one of those fancy... Quantum Entanglement Communicators?" She finished, making a face as she strained to properly recall the name.

Jane nodded. "Yes, well, I tried to be a dutiful daughter and keep in touch, but between everything that was going on and the whole dying issue... Well, let's just say that I wasn't really in any position to make regular calls to you." She replied with a mild shrug. "It's hard to keep up a correspondence when you're dead, there isn't exactly a convenient postal service between the living and the great beyond."

He mother made a sour expression at this point. "A parent shouldn't outlive their children... I know the risk comes with being in the military, hell, I've written more death letters than I care remember, both for the people lost under me... and well," she paused. "let's just say there's a stack of letters that I can look forward to burning when I finally retire." Hannah added gravely. "But I didn't come here to fixate over things like death, not when there's so much more living to be done!" She amended, perking up.

Shepard smiled at this. "Life can really ware you down if you're not careful... I've spent these last few years constantly worrying about what the next day might bring." She began, relaxing in her own chair, across from her mother at the table. "Sometimes, I feel so tired and broken down, that it's hard to even get out of bed... But then I think about the alternative, and I keep going."

"The 'alternative'?" Hannah asked her daughter, quizzically.

"To give up and run." Jane replied coolly. "But then, you didn't raise me to be a quitter, so I soldiered on and kept fighting." The younger woman revealed calmly. "There was too much at stake- too many lives on the line- not numbers, but people... including my friends."

"Not just friends, it seems." Her mother added slyly. "I always had a feeling that you wouldn't be like most people... You took after me, the Alliance and space are in your blood- so it's not all that surprising that you'd end up falling in love with someone... different."

Jane blushed. "To be honest, Mom, there was a time when I thought I'd have to have a totally different kind of talk with you." She admitted bashfully. "I was so busy being the Commander, and the men were either too intimidated of me, or just didn't do for it for me... Then, Garrus came along, and everything just sort of came together for me." She paused. "He is... I trust him implicitly, I've never felt so at ease as I do when I'm with him." The redhead admitted, still blushing as she spoke.

"Like you can let your defenses down and be yourself?" The older woman asked, getting a silent nod from the younger woman. "It's not easy to find someone that you can instinctively trust, that's part of the reason I never remarried after your father passed away."

Shepard nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I miss Dad a lot too."

"Just between the two of us," Hannah began, her tone picking up. "As one woman to another, is there anything else in particular about him that appeals to you?"

Jane smiled bashfully. "Um... Well, maybe it's just me, but his voice... Before we were even together, I always liked the sound it." She hesitated briefly. "And now... Well, let's just say I can never get enough it- there's just something about the way words sound when he speaks them..." The woman revealed after a moment. "And I'm pretty sure he knows this too."

Her mother nodded, a knowing expression on her face. Before their musing could continue any further, Garrus returned to the table- balancing a carrier in his hand, containing their drinks. The women looked up at the Turian as he set about handing them their drinks. "Jane, Mrs. Shepard," he offered politely as he handing them them the cups, before taking his seat at the table.

The elder Shepard smiled, steam rising from the fancy coffee drink. "Please, there's no need to be so formal with me. Garrus... You're practically family as it is, call me Hannah." She offered, before noting the look on her daughter's face. "Jane, I may have been out of the dating scene for while now, but I can still tell when two people are totally committed to each other.

The younger Shepard blushed faintly, before stirring her iced fruit drink with the straw. Before she could speak up, her mother continued. "Seeing as how I'm likely to have some Turian in-laws in the near future, perhaps you'd like you tell me a bit about yourself and your family, hm?"

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Hannah sat in the back of the shuttle, next to her daughter, while Garrus was in the front driver seat, making sure the taxi remained on its designated course back the base.

"...I was tasked with heading C-Sec's investigation of Saren, for all the good it did- his Spectre status made him virtually untouchable." Garrus explained. "After the sham of a trial, I went off on my own to follow up a few leads... without realizing that Jane was doing the same thing."

The younger Shepard chuckled. "Yeah, and the next time I saw him, it was in this little Clinic in the lower wards." She explained. "These creeps had the cute French Doctor at gunpoint, and then Garrus just sweeps in and takes the guy out with one shot- like it's nothing." Jane continued with a smile, as she recalled the run-in. "Back then, I was all up my moral high horse about 'how reckless' he be was one he did that... Oh man, I can't believe you stuck with me, even with all the preaching I did."

Garrus shook his head. "I learned a lot from you, Jane... Like how to be a better officer." The Turian remarked with a smile as they sped along. "And the difference between doing things the right way and doing things the easy way." He continued. "But I still had a lot to learn... Since you had to bust me out on Omega when I got in over my head." He lamented with a chuckle.

"Listen to this guy, mom," Jane began. "He literally holds off an army of mercenaries single-handedly for over a day... And yet, he feels the need to apologize- because he couldn't hold out against hundreds of people for a second day." The woman continued. "Honestly, Garrus, you can be so adorably clueless at times. The fact that you were alive and upright when I reached you is amazing- enough to make my girlish heart flutter anew." Shepard added teasingly.

"Well, that certainly explains a few things- such as why you were so eager to get me up in your cabin for a private chat." The Turian countered smoothly, without even looking. Jane promptly flushed red, while her mother promptly burst in laughter.

After Hannah calmed down and managed to compose herself, she spoke up. "So Garrus, do you have any family that I should know about?" She asked, leaning forward slightly in her seat.

"My father, and a younger sister- Solana- back on Palaven." He began. "They were trapped planet-side when your daughter and I met back up on Menae." Garrus paused. "They were lucky, they managed to get out alive... As for my mother, well, she'd been sick for a while- before the Reapers attacked..."

"I understand," Hannah offered sympathetically. "Steve- ah, Jane's dad- he was diagnosed with cancer when she was a teenager." She explained, putting an arm around her daughter and ruffling her red hair as she continued, her hand on her shoulder. "Jane was still in the academy when he died... I remember talking to her for hours at a time, while she was on leave for the funeral, telling her that he would've wanted her to go back and finish her training."

She paused, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. "In the end, she went back, finished her training, and went on to get recommended for the N7 program..." Hannah paused. "And, well, that's why she happened to be on Elysium, when the Scyllian Blitz took place."

"Mom... you're making me blush." Shepard protested. "Besides, it's not like I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn't have, given the situation... I just grabbed my rifle and did my duty as an N7."

"It's more than that, Jane." Garrus remarked. "You're not just another Marine, you're 'Shepard', you're a leader, people look to you and follow your example."

"I never asked to be some kind of icon for others." Jane replied, her tone subdued.

Hanna nodded. "That's exactly the point, sweetie... Sometimes, just being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference. You go where you're needed, and that's what matters."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

The three of them entered Shepard's quarters, the door sliding shut behind Garrus as he set down the older woman's luggage. The Turian's omni-tool chimed, prompting the the other two to turn to him as the glowing interface sounded off again.

"Garrus, go ahead and take the call." Jane offered with a smile. "I'll show my mom to the guest room and help her get settled in while you take care of that." The redhead offered, already picking up one of her mother's bags and gesturing for the older woman to follow her, leaving him to watch as the two of them swiftly vanished down the hall- towards the rooms. The design of the Alliance-provided living quarters were similar to the prefabricated housing in the colonies, except better furnished.

"Thanks Jane." He offered her, before quickly retreating to the kitchen, to answer the bleeping from the holographic device flickering around his right forearm. Garrus hadn't been expecting to receive a call at this time, but given the hour- and the fact they knew his private number- gave the Turian some idea as to who might now be trying to contact him at the moment.

He activated the omni-tool, the interface manifesting around his arm, projecting rectangular display directly ahead of where he stood. The data in the corner confirmed the identity of the familiar face that was visible on the holographic projection...

It was his father, Gaelon Vakarian.

(- End of Chapter 03 -)


I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. A lot has been going in my personal life, so it's been hard to find the time to work on all the various projects I have going on at the moment. I'm sorry if the chapters have seemed a bit brief, but the story is based around a small group of characters- and with only three speaking parts, I can only include so much before it just turns into padding that ruins the pacing.

On the other hand, the shorter length keeps things from getting stale, and allows me to keep a sharper focus on the core elements- in this case, the dynamics between FemShep, Garrus, and Mrs. Shepard. One of the goals of the story was to avoid the usual tropes that might be expected. It would be very easy to write the mother as being uncomfortable with their relationship, but I felt that- given the type of person she raised- that Hannah would have to be pretty open-minded herself. And so her primary concern isn't who her daughter is involved with, but just that she knows she's happy. On some level, I think she picked up on the unease Jane was fealing, so her quip at the end of the previous chapter was meant to break the tension between the three of them with humor.

In regards to future of the story, I'm really enjoying writing this and where it's going. Meeting Shepard's mother on Earth is just the first part of the story. The next act of the story will involve Shepard's formal introduction to Garrus' family on Palaven. I'm looking forward to writing that.

Now that I'm back on track creatively, I'll hopefully have the next chapter written and posted sooner than it took me to get this one finished.

-Bojack727