Chapter Ten
Dr. Cassandra Mitchell stands at the apartment door hearing the laughter inside. A smile crosses her face as she opens the door with her arms holding a couple of bags of groceries. She stands next to the counter watching the three sisters enjoying the late afternoon. Cass doesn't want to interrupt them, so she goes back outside to grab the last two bags. When the human walks back into the apartment, Gaia notices and remarks, "Hey, the cute delivery girl has brought more food. Convenient, Kaja."
Kaja glares at Gaia, who ignores the look. The huntress thinks some things never change. "Cass, this is my pain in the ass sister, Gaia. I think you've met her before. Gaia, this is Cass. My wonderful girlfriend." Kaja points to the human standing at the other side of the small apartment.
Gaia turns quickly to look at Kaja, "I've never met her before. What makes you say that?"
Cass grins as she watches the interaction between Kaja and Gaia. Gaia not remembering meeting her fifteen years ago is understandable. Cass is willing to bet, Gaia remembers her mother's words from that day. "Yes, I remember Gaia. The actress with the obnoxious entourage." She folds her arms and looks at Kaja then Gaia waiting for a witty retort from the actress.
Liv gets up and heads to the bathroom. She is chuckling as she closes the door. The more Liv is around Cass, the more the youngest T'Soni sister likes her. The computer expert stays in the bathroom long enough to regain her composure. She has to admit, Cass got Gaia good. And her words where very truthful. That's the best part in Liv's view.
Kaja winks at Cass and flashes a toothy smile. She keeps her eye on her sister sitting in the living room chair. Gaia is speechless. Kaja thinks perfect. Absolutely perfect. Getting off the couch, Kaja joins Cass in putting the groceries away.
"Are you going to let her talk to me like that?" asks Gaia as she stands up and puts her hand on her hips. Kaja ignores the question, which irritates the actress. "Kaja, quit ignoring me."
Kaja gives Gaia an 'are you kidding me' look. "Yes, I am, Gaia. Do you remember mom getting annoyed with you and kicked one of your friends out of the house for their behavior to the human mom was working with?" asks the elder sibling.
Gaia face shows signs of embarrassment. The actress' mouth falls open and she covers it with her left hand. "Oh, shit. Cass, I am sorry. I don't remember if I said that then. I don't think I did. I am sorry. Ah, hmm. Cass. It's very nice to meet you."
Cassandra walks over and hugs Gaia. "Nice to meet you, Gaia. Please forgive my rudeness. It was uncalled for."
Liv comes out of the bathroom. She remembers the message her mom wanted to give to Kaja. "I almost forgot. Kaja, Cass, mom wanted you two to come over for dinner tomorrow. She wants all of us together. Come on, Gaia, let's go." Liv grabs Gaia's arm and heads to the door.
"You two are welcome to stay. I can cook something," says Cass.
Kaja is leaning against the counter with her eyes closed. Gaia gives Cass a sisterly hug, "I think Kaja is about to fall asleep." The asari actress nods in Kaja's direction. "I do hope to see you tomorrow, Cass."
"Love you both," comments Kaja as she makes her way to the bed. "Thanks for stopping over. I appreciate it very much." The huntress flops down on the bed with one foot hanging off the edge of the bed.
"Ah. Doesn't she look cute. Love you too, sis," comments Liv before she leaves the apartment.
Gaia isn't far behind, but before she leaves, she walks over to Kaja lying on the bed to speak to her in private. The actress gives her older sister a soft peck on the side of the head and leaves with her younger sister.
Dr. Mitchell checks on Kaja. "Figures, your sisters come over and now you fall asleep and I have something I need to tell you."
Kaja turns over from her stomach to her back and looks at the human standing next to the bed. "What do you need to tell me, Cass? I am getting tired, but I'm sure I can stay awake enough to talk." The investigator in Kaja is telling her Cass is nervous about something and has some guilt to go with it. The adrenaline starts flowing, which causes the asari to sit on the edge of the bed and pat the spot to her right. "Did something happen today?"
Cass sits down next to Kaja. The asari places her arm around the human's shoulders. Cass leans in closer and wraps her left arm around the huntress' waist. "Yes and no. No, nothing happened. When I was talking to my new boss about the job, he told me he had misspoke and said six weeks when it's really a week. I leave Monday."
The commando's brain starts to process the comments quickly and realizes it's no big deal. "No big deal, Cass. Mistakes happen. It doesn't change anything. Well, okay, it changes how much time we'll spend together before you leave. But that doesn't mean I can't come to Feros soon and we can spend more time together before I have to report back to Thessia." Kaja kisses Cass softly on the lips.
The archeologist places both of her hands on Kaja's face when she breaks their kiss, "You never stop making things easy, do you?"
"I do try." Kaja covers her mouth as she yawns. "I talked to Matriarch Jilianea before you brought me my lunch. According to her, Dr. T'Sakos has recommended I be given a medical discharge because of my shoulder. Why did she tell my CO that and not me? Did T'Sakos say anything like that to you or my mom?"
"She did say it was a possibility, Kaja. I think you missed Dr. T'Sakos saying it. You heard rehab and focused on that." Cass kisses the asari as she gets up to finish putting the groceries away. "Are you hungry for anything?"
Kaja has a smirk on her face as her eyes follow Cass' every move. Watching Cass reach in all directions, Kaja wishes her shoulder wasn't immobile, so she can explore every centimeter of the human's body. So she can find every spot on Cass' body that causes a reaction. The asari has already found one. The smirk on her face grows bigger and so does her desire. Kaja almost says "You." Instead she behaves for her own sake plus she's getting sleepy. Kaja replies, "I'll eat what ever you make, Cass." The asari yawns, "Would you wake me in a couple of hours. I'm about to fall asleep. Please, don't wait on me to eat. I'll eat later." She moves under the covers and puts her head on the pillow.
"If that is what you want, Kaja." Cass places a finger over her lips as she looks Kaja. With every passing second, Dr. Mitchell's smile grows bigger. "You risk much by taking a nap." Cass moves a few steps and stops to give Lt. T'Soni a coy look.
"Is that so, my lady. And what am I risking?" asks the huntress with her interest piqued higher now then a few moments ago.
Cassandra moves to the foot of the bed and looks down at the wounded asari lying in it. "You risk waking up to me getting ready for bed." Cass grins as she moves across the bed and straddles Kaja's torso. "Plus you risk missing out spending quality time..." She leans down to kiss on the asari's neck. "...together..."Kisses so soft, her' lips barely touch the blue skin. "...like this."
Kaja runs her lone free hand through Cass' hair. Kaja closes her eyes enjoying the attention, but the huntress thinks this is going too fast. She grunts in pain as she flips Cass onto her back. Kaja uses her right arm to keep her balance as she kisses the human. Her desire is starting to take over, but knows she needs to keep her desires in check. She breaks the kiss to say, "Goddess, Cass." Kaja lies next to Cass. "We need to stop. I can't, not yet." She curls up on her right side, so her left shoulder isn't touching anything.
Feeling a ping of guilt seeing Kaja in pain, Cass caresses the asari's cheek. "It's okay. I didn't mean to cause you any pain. I'm sorry."
"Urgh," says Kaja as she sits up. Her eyes start to show signs of some tears. They are mostly from the pain in her shoulder, some are from feeling bad about stopping. "I'm the one who is sorry. I want to, Cass, please don't think otherwise." Kaja looks to her right to see Cass smiling at her. "Now, who is making things easy?"
Cass carefully runs her hand over Kaja's back as she sits up. "Are you going to be alright, sweetie? You look like you're in a lot of pain. Anything I can do to help?" asks Cass with concern not only in her voice, but also from the look on her face.
"Yea, I'll be fine. As long as I don't flip us over. No, the only thing I need from you is to understand," chuckles the huntress. Kaja turns enough to face the human she is falling more in love with by the day to say, "Cass, asari do not need physical contact to meld with their partner. It does however make it more pleasurable." She flashes a tiny smirk.
Dr. Mitchell stands up and offers her hand to the wounded huntress. Kaja takes Cass' help getting off the bed. "How about I make us something light to eat? I can make either salad or sandwich. Or both. Your choice." Cass pulls out the kitchen chair so Kaja can sit in it.
"Salad is fine. I'm not very hungry," answers the asari as her face continues to show signs of the pain she is in. Instead of sitting in the chair, Kaja walks back over to the bed and lies down. "Cass, never mind the salad. I'm going to rest and hope my shoulder quits throbbing in pain."
After finishing making two salads, Cass puts one salad back into the mini-fridge. As the human eats her light dinner, Cass thinks she screwed up. What were you thinking, Cass? Didn't you mention this morning how you thought this was going to fast? Then you turn around and act like a trollop. You know she loves you. That is enough. Oh, damnit. I forgot Dr. T'Sakos gave me a few doses of a painkiller in case Kaja needs it. Bringing up her omni-tool, Cass whispers softly to Kaja. "I forgot all about this. I was actually hoping you wouldn't need it, but you do." The archeologist gives a dose of the painkiller to the huntress.
Instantly, the painkiller starts to take effect. Kaja still has her eyes closed, but isn't asleep. "I love you, Cass. That feels better." Kaja looks up to see hazel colored eyes looking down at her. The pain in her shoulder dulls enough for her to lie on her back. Smiling at Cass, Kaja asks, "Do you want to go to my mom's for dinner tomorrow?"
"Of course, I do. It will give me a chance to get to know your sisters better. Plus, it gives you time with your sisters. I don't think any of you spend much time together," answers Cass. She places a soft kiss on Kaja's cheek, "I love you too, Kaja." Cass grabs the data pad she brought from work with information about the dig site on Feros and sits on the loveseat to read it.
–
Next Evening-Dr. Liara T'Soni's home
Dr. Cassandra Mitchell is helping Dr. Liara T'Soni clear the table. Leaving the three sisters sitting at the tables, each having a drink in their hand. Gaia and Liv are drinking a white wine from Thessia. Kaja is drinking iced tea. Liara walks back to the table and drops off the poker set, cards included, "Set it up for all of us. No complaining that people are cheating because you are not winning, Gaia." Liara goes back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up from dinner.
"Why? Kaja always cheats and Liv counts cards. How am I suppose to win against them, mom?" asks Gaia with a defiant look and her arms cross. Her look goes from defiant to a pout when she notices her mother walking away without a look or comment.
"Kaja doesn't need to cheat to beat you, Gaia. You are terrible at cards." remarks Liv as she sips on her wine.
Gaia squints her eyes and glares at Liv. "I do not. Anyway, you still count cards. Don't deny it, Liv."
Cassandra is standing in the entryway to the dining room, watching the T'Soni sisters interact with each other. She imagines what it was like growing up in this house. Each has their own room. The back yard is huge. A grin appears when she sees Kaja roll her eyes at Gaia's comment about her cheating. Cass thinks Kaja has heard that from Gaia since they were little. She thinks she knows where Kaja learned patience. From dealing with her younger sister, Gaia. Cass walks back to the kitchen shaking her head at the sisters thinking they are an interesting bunch.
Kaja shakes her head and rolls her eyes at Gaia. The commando stands to lean forward, so she can grab the poker set. She divides all three color of chips in five piles. As she hands out the chips to everyone at the table plus her mom and Cass, Kaja comments, "I've never cheated. And no, I'm not going to let you win. You might get lucky tonight. I have not played any cards in a few decades. I'm a bit rusty." She gives Gaia a look of confidence.
"We're only having a family night together, Gaia. Remember them? I think we should do this more often actually," says Liv as she takes her chips. She puts them in three piles then starts to play with a chip between her fingers. Moving the chip with only her fingers. The chip goes from her forefinger to her pinkie and back again. "It's not like we're playing for credits."
"If we play for credits, you'd clean all of us out. Seriously, Liv, I'm surprised you don't play poker for a living instead of writing security code for computers," remarks Gaia as she pour herself another glass of wine then takes her chips. "What are we playing anyway?"
Kaja shrugs her right shoulder, but the left moves as well causing discomfort. "I have no idea. I'm not dealer. Liv? What are we playing?" asks the eldest sibling as she winks to Liv.
"I like what I do. I play cards for fun. And I usually come home with more than I left with. Usually," replies Liv to Gaia's comment. Downing the last of her wine, Liv pours more wine into her glass. "Let mom or Cass pick. That way..." Liv points her thumb in Gaia's direction. "you know who can't complain we're cheating."
"Hey! What if I want to pick the game? Ever think of that, miss smarty pants." replies the actress in a very rude manner.
Liv almost spits the wine all over the table. "Excuse me? You still haven't move past childish name calling. Have you?"
Kaja stands up and leans closer to her sisters who are sitting across from her. "Knock it off both of you. Can we for once act like adults? Even in our parents house? Goddess, look at both of you. Gaia, you're the dealer for the first round." Kaja sits back down and tosses one of the packs of cards at Gaia. It lands in front of the actress.
Liara and Cass are both watching the commotion in the dining room. Liara is close to saying something when Kaja took control of the situation. To Liara's surprise, Gaia and Liv hasn't said anything in response to Kaja's comments. While watching her daughters, Liara wonders if her and Shepard were strict enough with them. Especially Gaia. Maybe they gave her too much leeway. Gaia's antics have gotten worse as she has gotten older.
Cass says in a hushed tone, "Were they like this as kids? Needling each other?"
"Not until they got older. They may needle each other, but they do love each other. If they didn't they wouldn't have come when I told them Kaja was in the hospital with a gun shot wound," answers Liara in a hushed tone. "Ready to play some poker?"
"Yes, this is turning into a very interesting evening, Liara. Thank you for inviting me," answers Cass as her and Liara join the rest of the family.
Liara smiles at Cass, "You're welcome, Cassandra."
The Shadow Broker and archeologist sit at the table and rearrange their chips. Cass grins at Gaia, "So, Gaia, what are we playing. Looks like you're the starting dealer."
Gaia scans the room, thinking what game is each one good at and not play that one. Liv counts cards, so no blackjack. Cass is the unknown. Kaja is good at any type of poker. Same with Liv. Sighing in defeat because Gaia knows she not winning much. She needs luck on her side if she plans on beating either on of her sisters. Kaja is too good and Liv is a stone. Gaia can't read her at all. "How about hold'em? I might as well start losing now." comments the actress trying to gain a little sympathy from either her mom or from Cass. Gaia starts to shuffle the cards. She deals everyone two cards. Then deals three cards and flips them over on the table. The flop is 4 of clubs, Ace of diamonds, and 7 of clubs.
Liara looks at her cards. Crap is what her cards are showing. 10 of spades and 2 of diamonds. The elder asari folds her hand. Cass glances at her two cards. Jack of spades and King of hearts. Cass bets two blue chips. None of the chips have any monetary value placed on them. The chip colors are blue, purple, and red.
Kaja looks at her sisters. Liv shows nothing like usual. Gaia's posture tells Kaja she has a pair, but is it the seven or ace? Kaja looks at her cards again. Queen and ten of clubs. Kaja only needs a club for a flush. Or the King, Jack for a straight. She calls Cass' bet of two blue chips. Liv folds her hand of 9 of diamonds and 3 of spades without a second look at them.
Gaia taps her cards on the table, thinking and looking at them carefully. She is holding Ace of spades and 3 of diamonds. Gaia decided to only call the bet. She deals the turn card. It's the 3 of clubs. Cass immediately folds her hand. Which leaves Kaja and Gaia. Kaja is holding a flush. The huntress decided to slow play her hand and checks. Gaia is holding two pair. Aces and threes. She bets one blue and one purple chip.
Liv glances at both sisters. Kaja isn't showing the computer expert much, but Gaia always gives clues in her body language when she has something she likes. It's why she isn't a very good card player. Liv is sure, her sister doesn't even realize she is doing certain things to tell the table she has a good hand or not. Kaja rarely gives herself away.
Calling the bet, Kaja tosses out a blue and purple chip into the pile. Gaia deals the river card. King of spades. Kaja tosses a red chip near the pile. Gaia looks at her cards again. Then to Kaja, wondering if she should call or raise. Gaia calls the bet then shows her hand. Two pair. Kaja flips her cards to show a flush. "Thanks you very much." remarks Kaja as she pulls the pile of chips in her direction the best she can with only one hand..
Liara takes the cards and begins to shuffle them. They continue to play hold'em for the rest of the evening. As is the norm, Gaia is the first one to lose all of her chips. When Liara gets a message from Glyph and it requires her immediate attention, she gives her chips to Gaia. By the end of the night, the only two with chips is Liv and Kaja. Kaja's pile is a little bigger than Liv
Cass has been the dealer since she went out over an hour ago. "Last hand. Winner takes all. Who will it be? Lt. T'Soni, the one-armed bandit or Dr. T'Soni, the younger?" Her comments causes the entire family to start laughing. The human archeologist deals two cards to the last two players. She then deals the flop. Ace of clubs, 10 of hearts, and Queen of diamonds.
Liv looks at her cards then turns them over. She knows she has crap. 5 of diamonds and 2 of spades. No way can she get much with it. Unless she gets something on the turn or river. And even then, it's a long shot to beat Kaja if she has anything to go with the flop. Kaja glances at a Jack of hearts and King of clubs. There is a grin on Kaja's face that turns into a big smile as she turns her cards over to reveal the Ace high straight.
Dr. Mitchell deals the turn card. 8 of clubs. She deals the river, 5 of spades. Liv looks at the cards on the table and replies, "Well, I got a pair. Nice hand, sis. Well played tonight. You've not played in a few decades my blue ass. Either that or you haven't lost your skill. We should enter a tournament together sometime. I think you would do well."
"Maybe, we'll see, Liv. I'd have to play more before I would enter any tournament," remarks Kaja as she puts the chips back in the holder. Cass is helping Kaja collect all the chips.
"Come on, Liv. You said you would go out with me after we played cards." says Liv as she downs the last of the wine in her glass when she stands up.
Dr. Olivia T'Soni sips on her wine and looks at the time. "It's close to midnight, sis. You still want to go out? On a Thursday?"
"Yea, why not? Are all the clubs closed on Thursday nights now days?" asks Gaia in a sarcastic manner.
Finishing her wine, Liv says, "Fine, let's go. Mom, mind if we take your car? If not, I'll get a taxi."
Cass jumps in, "If you wait a few minutes, we can give you a ride if you need one." She hands Kaja the last of the chips.
"No thanks, Cass. It was nice of you to offer," replies Liv when she sees her mother wave them off.
Liara says before Gaia and Liv leave, "Have fun and be safe. I'll see you both in the morning."
"Night, mom," replies both Liv and Gaia in unison. Gaia grins at her older sister and the human standing next to her. "Cass, it was great having you here. I hope we can do this again in the future. Kaja, I hope your shoulder heals soon. I'm leaving with Liv tomorrow. It's been a while since I've been to the Citadel. And I'm taking your place on the cruise."
Kaja smiles with her teeth showing. "Have fun. Too bad I'm unable to go. But I think I have another place to go besides staying here on Elysium." She reaches out with her hand and locks pinkies with Cass. Then decides to take her hand instead. "Mom, I think we're headed back home. Dinner was wonderful like usual and thanks for everything."
"You're welcome, Kaja," says Liara as she stops herself from calling Kaja 'little one'. "Cass, I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight? I also hope you discover something new while on Feros."
"It's always exciting at a dig site as you know, Liara. Maybe this site has more than Prothean artifacts. We can hope. Thank you so much for inviting me over. I had a wonderful evening. I second Kaja's comment about dinner. Wonderful," comments Cassandra Mitchell. She glances over to Kaja. "Are you ready to go home?"
"Yes, I am. Mom, I'll talk to you soon." Lt. T'Soni gives her mom a hug the best she can with only one arm and a peck on the cheek, "I love you, mom."
The Shadow Broker smiles at her daughter then to the human archeologist standing next to her. Liara has something to give to Kaja, but thinks this is a bad time. She'll keep watch on the situation for a few more days and see if anything changes before talking to Kaja. "I love you too, Kaja. Cassandra, it was wonderful having you. We'll have to do this again before you leave for Feros."
"How about Sunday? I leave early Monday morning," replies Cass. She receives a nod of approval from Kaja and a smile.
"Sounds perfect. See you both then," comments Liara before she gives both Kaja and Cass a hug goodbye.
Lt. T'Soni and Dr. Mitchell depart from Liara's house to go home. Cass is driving while Kaja leans back half asleep in the other seat. Cass reaches over and squeeze Kaja's forearm. "Your family is very fun to be around. Gaia isn't what I expected. She is actually very nice. Not as nice as you, but nicer than I thought."
Kaja replies with a big smile on her face, "She's a pain in the ass, but has a good heart. When she isn't being a pain in the ass." The asari laughs at her comment.
"It seems to me, you and your sisters still pick on each other even as adults. I did notice that. Especially Liv and Gaia. I can only imagine what it was like growing up with them. I think they are the reason you are so patience with people. Or maybe that's an asari trait. I don't know," replies Cass.
"I'm glad you think that, but I don't know how patient I am. I can lose my patience at times. Especially with Gaia and Liv going at it," comments the commando. She closes her eyes and wonders what the future holds for her. Things would be perfect if she hasn't gotten shot by Eclipse. Or she thinks it's perfect. She is spending time with a person she cares deeply about. The more time she spends with Cassandra Mitchell, the more Kaja wants their relationship to work.
Normally, the huntress would chalk up these feels she has for Cass as possible lust, but the feelings the asari has for the human are deeper than anything she has experience before in her short asari life. These feeling are both scary and exhilarating at the same time. There is one thing making this easier on Kaja T'Soni. Both her mom and her sisters like Cass. Kaja is still unsure what to do about her military career, but she is certain about her feelings for Dr. Mitchell.
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this week's chapter. I still have more to come.
The EC has been out for about a week and I've done every ending. I'll be honest the EC is very well done and I thank BioWare for their time and effort put into it. However, I really hope they work on some single player mission DLC to be released in the future. I think taking back Omega with Aria sounds like fun.
See everyone next week for Chapter 11. Keep an eye out for the last short from "Lover Mode" on Friday.