2169 CE – Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/France/Île-de-France
The Adelaide Brooke Interplanetary Space Port
After checking out of their hotel, Alex with a new, suspiciously plump suitcase, the pair made their way to the Space Port. The journey was rather subdued. Even discovery of the X2K's seat warmer and recline switch did little to alleviate the pair's mood.
Silently, they passed through the foyer of the port. Alex waited back while Liara checked herself in. A nearby vid screen caught her attention.
With her limited knowledge of the language, Alex could pick out the French news reporter mention something about the death of a notorious gang leader in a port town in the north. She was surprised to hear that police were not treating the death as suspicious. Figures. même merde, ville différente. Still, probably best to take the train back.
She caught up with Liara and the two headed to the departure lounge, sitting side by side, opposite the terminal.
"I'm gonna miss you, Indy." Alex said, breaking the nigh unbearable silence.
"Indy?" Liara asked, perplexed. Deep in thought, Alex didn't appear to notice.
"Wait, would that make me Short Round?" The Human grimaced at the thought.
"I- wait, what's a short round?"
"Never mind, forget I said that. I am going to miss you though. You've grown on me, Blue. Like a wart." Alex added, earning a playful dig in the ribs. Liara smiled, before falling deep into thought.
"You know, Alex. Y-You could come with me. I could use an assistant. Plus you would get to travel the stars. You said that you had always wanted to do so. Admittedly, that would only be when we were not underground, digging through ruins, of course."
Alex's eyes lit up at the possibilities. She deepened her voice, imitating the old vid narrators.
"Yeah, the dynamic duo, riding through space, on our quest of archaeological derring do! Me and you; Red and Blue, kicking ass through time and space!"
Liara scoffed, correcting her.
"We'd be Blue and Red; it just sounds ridiculous your way."
Alex laughed. Glancing down, she caught the sight of the Hanar plush toy she had bought for Ivy. Picking it up, she smiled sadly, turning it over in her hands.
"I'd love to, really, I would. But I can't." She held up the toy "Not while people down here still need me."
"I know." The Asari said. It was a silly question to ask, really. She watched her Human companion quietly for a moment.
"You do realise you can't save everyone, all of the time, no matter how hard you try?"
"I know." Alex replied, giving her a weak smile.
The tannoy announced boarding had begun on Liara's shuttle, breaking the silence that had fallen between the pair. Standing up, they regarded one another, before embracing in a tight hug. Alex felt an odd prickling sensation in her nose. She gave a sharp sniff.
"Promise me something." Liara said, drawing herself away after a few moments. Alex looked up hesitantly.
"Promise me, that one day, you will live for yourself."
She thundered on, her tone brokering no argument, even as Alex opened her mouth to retort.
"Alex, from what I have seen of you this past week, you have done nothing but live for others. You hire yourself out to the Reds for money. You use that money to provide for the children you claim as your own. Heavens, you are only here today because I paid you to."
" It's a selfless life, Alex, and a noble one, but tell me, when was the last time you did something purely because you wanted to?"
The Human opened her mouth, only to close it again and shrug. Liara continued.
"Promise me that one day, you will do something you want to do, for the sole reason that you want to do it."
"I always did want to travel the stars." Alex repeated, nodding her head in agreement. "Maybe one day, I will." She smiled, before her face fell one more.
"Hey, Blue, will I ever see you again?" she asked in a strained jovial tone, poorly masking the desperation behind the question. Although Liara smiled, her shoulders slumped.
"I do not know." She admitted.
"The galaxy is a large place. But perhaps. I certainly hope so."
She gave her Human friend one final squeeze, before picking up her bag and moving through the gate, turning around to wave, before moving out of sight. Alex stayed to watch the shuttle lift off from the lounge window, the prickling sensation in her nose returning.
When the shuttle was a dot in the sky, Alex turned around, collecting her own bags. With another sharp sniff, she felt a warm trickle run down her cheek. Touching her scar, she was relieved to find her wound wasn't the source of the leak. Venturing further up, she clumsily pawed at her stinging eyes. She was crying. That was new. She had never cried before. Not like this.
Goddammit, Blue. She gave a sigh, stepping out into the French sun.
A/N - Right, that's it, mostly. I'm trying to write an epilogue of sorts with their meeting on Therum but I can't seem to get the wording right, so it might be a tiny while before it's up. As it goes I plan to do more stories in this 'verse with this Shepard, but again, it's easier not to bother with a time scale.
Again, thank you so much for the reviews and help fixing my mistakes. It is super appreciated! Now more than ever, I'd guess, I'd really appreciate it if you could review this and tell me what you think, about little bits or over all. This was my first bash at fanfic, so I'm a little unsure of what was good and what was not.
So once more, thank you, and see you on the flip side! :)
