So here's the next chapter. Still so much to do. I know i've shown you guys a little incite into Gavin's life and you are going to see a little more of other notables because I just can't focus entirely on all Alex here. Enjoy.
Alex was about to head home when her com notified her of a incoming call. Sighing, she answered it. "Stefanos."
"Commander? This is Lieutenant Gail. Could I have you hit the Officer's Club in say… a hour?" The younger man blinked slightly, brows furrowed as he glanced down at something.
"Umm, yea sure. What's this about Lieutenant?" Alex found that strange and her expression matched the younger man's.
"Can't say ma'am," he said apologetically.
Alex sighed. "Ok. I guess it won't hurt."
Lieutenant Gail nodded. "Thank you Commander. You have a good evening ma'am." And then the connection was cut.
Alex frowned as she lowered her arm and leaned back in her chair. She could only thing that the General wanted to meet with her considering who the Lieutenant was aide to. Shrugging, she rose up to her feet and left. She could get home, take a shower and then head to the OC.
Alex entered the Oak Leaf about 40 minutes later and one of the bartenders she knew waved her over. She sat on the stool and grinned. "Hey Lecter."
Adam Lecter nodded to Alex with a grin. "Here's your usual." He placed a bottle of her favorite beer before her after removing the cap. "You might want to head back to the conference room."
Alex picked up the bottle and took a sip before lowering it and eyeing the bartender a moment. "Ok," she said as she got up and sauntered through the growing crowd to the room.
A officer was leaning on the door talking to a few others when she tilted her head slightly. The Major grinned at her and shifted away so she could enter then leaned back against the door like nothing happened. Alex slipped into the room and then stopped to see General Frederick.
"Sir?" She didn't know whether to salute or not and he just waved her to sit down across from him.
"It's after hours Commander, no need to be formal. Join me?" He held his own beer up and Alex nodded, taking the offered seat. The General took another swallow of beer before a waitress slipped into the room from another door and set a platter down on the table between them. Once she was gone he turned serious after nudging the platter.
"What's going on?" She picked up a fry covered in cheese and popped it into her mouth.
Frederick did the same before washing it down with a sip of beer. "So, first off. Just a warning but the Brass are looking to tack you up as our poster child. Second, I figured that you would have said some variation of "hell no" to them if they told you they were looking for you to be the next Anderson."
Alex took a sip of her beer and then popped another fry in her mouth. She chewed slowly after what he said then swallowed. "Hmm. I can't say you would be wrong there sir." She washed the food down with a gulp of beer. "Another year and I'll be off for a couple of years. And I have no interest in being their poster child. Not when most of them are so blind-" She stiffened her jaw and cut off her words.
The General gave a smirk, understanding what she didn't say. "Commander, I let them know already that you had no interest in that sort of thing and gave them a few good reasons."
Alex nodded. "Thank you sir."
He leaned back slightly and relaxed. "You are a good part of this training center Commander. Most of the people you train have the highest talent for leadership and skill of any N school grad. It is because of you that we have exceptional people out there. I rather keep you happy. They can't understand that, damn paper pushers." He snagged another fry and chewed on it.
"I just wanted to give you a heads up on this so it doesn't take you by utter surprise. I know you might react very badly," he pointed out, pointing a fry at her before eating it.
Alex just grinned. "True, sir. They wouldn't be happy with me or dad after. I swear he's got more dirt on the brass than they think. I don't ask and I really don't want to know. I just don't want to see incompetence in the leadership."
Frederick nodded. "It's prevalent in those that give free rides to entitled morons and family."
Alex snorted as she finished her beer. "Of that, we both have seen… I think."
He chuckled softly and tipped his bottle of beer towards her briefly. "Agreed. It's half the reason things SNAFU'd after the FCW." He ate a few more of the fries.
"This all you wanted to let me know?" She glanced over at the General a moment before the waitress came back in and replaced her beer for her.
He shook his head slightly. "I'd like to keep you with the lower grade N's for the rest of the year which means about 2 more groups. But after that I think you need to mother a few of the upper tiers through their final assignment. Ryan will be gone at the end of the month for a few months. So you are taking over the infiltrators. Garret can take the tech skilled ones till she gets back. Might be longer than a few months."
Alex furrowed her brows a moment wondering what he meant. "Why? She going on an extended vacay?"
The general snorted in amusement. "No. You haven't talked to her in a while have you?"
Alex shook her head. "No, this group is keeping me way to busy and I haven't seen her around at all. Of course being busy means I haven't thought about it being unusual either, come to think on it."
He laughed. "Well when you see her next… ask her." Not that he thought Alex would need to. It was obvious why Ryan was taking some time off.
"Now my curiosity is up," she murmured and took a swallow of beer.
Frederick chuckled at her as he ate a few more of the cheese covered fries. "Honestly, Alex, I'd have loved to keep you as a Trainer here but I understand you have to split your attention and time with your group. Pretty understanding group you have and honestly something we need more of here in the Alliance. It ain't just us here in the universe any longer. The FCW showed us that. You've managed to break any bigoted roots in the recruits you've handled."
Alex ducked her head a bit at the praise she was given, trying not to blush about it. "Good and bad comes in all species who can think for themselves coherently." She leaned back and snagged a few fries and ate them while thinking of a response. "I… I was very stubborn and hard headed, the type of recruit 'they' wanted. I made mistakes and paid the price, almost dying in the process. It was an Asari, a very shy one, that changed my view on things whether she knew it or not."
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "If more people were like you…," he shook his head and shrugged. "You are a good leader Alex and honestly I think you would be a great Spectre but I also know your heart is not in that and you have no desire for something like that. That's why you would make a good Spectre, you wouldn't abuse the office."
Alex cracked her neck, tilting her head to the side then sighed and shrugged. "The few I've met have been very honorable. I just don't want to be in the spotlight like that either."
He chuckled again and finished the last few fries. "That is what makes you the best leader."
Alex tilted the bottle back and finished the rest of the beer with a few swallows before setting it down. "I prefer to train 'em sir. My skill set is very particular and only of use in war time situations."
If only they both knew what was heading towards them. Alex's skill set would be needed sooner than anyone expected. Still, she gave others the benefit of what she had learned, not even sure herself what it fully entailed but she just accepted it along with the differences between her and others. And in the future? Well we all know that story that would come.
Alex arrived earlier than normal the next morning, intending on seeking out April and find out what was going on. She knew that Ryan was with the 451st and decided to head over there before kicking her own recruits out of their cots. Ducking into the mess hall she found Ryan sitting with a few other TI's at the officer's table.
Ryan looked up from her coffee to see Alex tucking her cover into a side pocket of her BDUs and she grinned as she waved her over. "Stefanos, a pleasure."
Alex grinned and grabbed a cup of the brown water they called coffee and brought it over to sit down at the table. "Since we can't cause trouble together, had to see how you were doing after the problems."
April shrugged slightly, hunched over. "Taking leave soon. Damn its been a while hasn't it?"
Alex nodded and took a swallow of the coffee, trying not to make a face. "Phew, you'd think they could at least not make this taste like dirt." She grimaced and April laughed as she leaned back.
Ryan took notice of Alex's gaze going lower then back up with questions in her eyes. "James got what he wished," she said with a smirk, her hand rubbing over her distended stomach.
"Well that explains the cryptic words the General had for me. This would mean…," she trailed off with a frown and Ryan nodded.
"Yea, I was and didn't know it at the time. Wasn't till they managed to put me back together that they told me. James nearly had a heart attack." She then smirked. "He wants to name the baby after you."
Alex almost spit out her coffee and managed to swallow it before sighing. "I suppose my name could be of either gender. Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"
April shrugged. "No, neither of us wants to know till the baby arrives. I am fine with it and so is James."
Alex nodded and drained her cup. "When are you due then?"
April smiled. "Late August. As much as I'd like to stick around till the last few months, because of what happened, they want me on bed rest. Steadmeyer is taking over for me. And your tour ends in about a year right?"
Alex tilted her head slightly as she thought about it. "Hmm, a year and about 4 months actually."
April nodded. "I should be back before then…," she said and her brows furrowed slightly. "Maybe. James really wants me to ease back." She bit her lip gently and sighed.
Alex patted April's arm. "Tell him how you feel then, otherwise arguing over it all means things are going to break appart."
April nodded then grumbled. "Gotta wake up the shitheads now."
That made Alex glance at the time and she nodded with a sigh. "See you later. Maybe hit the Oak Leaf tonight?"
April shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I've been craving one of their burgers as is."
Alex rose up with a grin. "Let's go cry havoc now." She waved to the rest of the TI's as she left the mess hall and headed back over to her group.
Alex arrived to find every light on and the group circled around something. Putting a scowl on her face she threw open the door with a bang. "What the fuck is going on here?" Her voice growled and quite a few scrambled out of the way as she stalked towards them.
When the group opened up she could see Hanity had his knee on someone's back, their arm twisted behind them and he was holding whoever it was down. Even with her growl, he didn't move, scowling down at the body face down on the floor. They all started to talk and she growled at them which made them all go silent.
"Hanity?" She stopped and glared at him.
"Ma'am, this piece of trash broke into the barracks," he said, baring his weight down when the person started to struggle.
"Up," she demanded and Hanity got up. The person started to roll but froze when she put her boot on his neck. "Do you want to tell me why the fuck you are here in an area you most likely are not authorized for?"
The person sighed and grunted. "At least take your foot off my neck," he said, voice muffled enough Alex didn't recognize it.
She stepped back and the man rose up, first pushing up with his arms to get to his knees and then slowly rising to his feet. He rolled his shoulder a moment then rubbed the back of his neck before turning towards her. Next thing he knew he was back down on the floor, his face throbbing from the haymaker Alex threw. Pressing his palm to his face he gave a faint grin. "Hey Alex."
"Asshole," she growled and then glanced at the group. "Get your asses dressed and lined up for mess." They all scrambled away to quickly do her bidding while she grabbed his arm and dragged him to her office.
"Wha-?" He was yanked up to his feet and dragged into the office.
"Explain," she hissed at her brother.
He dropped himself down into the chair before her desk and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and then his face. "You don't go easy on anyone," he grumbled.
"No fucking shit," she said and glared at him. "You realize that you might have broken some regs just being here instead of taking your dumb ass to the main office first? What gives Ren?"
He sighed and leaned back, not meeting her eyes. "I might have slightly fucked up," he finally said, his head lowering.
Alex sat there a moment then grunted. "Well we can't talk about this right now so come on. Gotta get the babies to their high chairs and you probably haven't eaten today." She pushed herself up to her feet and left the office, Darren jerking himself up and rushing to follow his overly pissed off sister.
He said nothing as she got her group into the mess and pointed at the long table facing the rest of the hall. Silently Darren walked over and took a seat, waiting for Alex to return. About five minutes later she returned with a tray and set it before him then picked up one of the mugs, taking a sip of the coffee.
Darren sighed and picked up a piece of toast, chewing on it. It wasn't the breakfast he wanted but he was well use to crappy food and coffee. That made him grimace as he took a sip and grunted. "I swear, they don't know anything but ground up shit."
That brought a cough from his right and he glanced over to see one of the other Instructors trying to not laugh. He smiled and took another sip of the ground up shit called coffee as Alex gave him an amused look.
"That is my brother," she said to the guy who had almost choked on his breakfast.
"Figures it would just be a family thing," the guy muttered with a smirk at Alex.
"Aww Coats, didn't know you cared that much," she responded with and gave Darren a bit more of an understanding about the changes in his sister.
The guy just chuckled. "You are in one of your moods today. Poor newbies."
Alex just smirked. "Yea, came in to find one of them holding my brother face down with his arm behind his back. Gonna have to pick on Ren now," she added a slight nudge of her elbow.
"Gods above, you won't give me peace now," he said with a pout.
That set of Coats and Alex just grinned. The banter continued for another few minutes before Alex got up and motioned for Darren to follow. "Laters Coats."
Alex walked out of the mess to see the group standing in their lines. The other two groups were waiting and she nodded to the other instructors as they came out of the mess. "Take 'em out Grant. I gotta talk to this lughead," Alex said and pointed to her brother.
"Ma'am," the marine said and then bellowed, moving the three groups out.
Alex turned to Darren and sighed. "Come on."
She went back up to her office and settled back behind her desk as Darren settled in his chair. For a few moments Alex was silent and then leaned back, her hand resting lightly on the top of the desk.
"What's going on Darren?" Her brows were furrowed up and Darren realized he had concerned her too much.
"For fucks sake this is getting more complicated than we meant it to be," he muttered as he rubbed his hands over his face and then suddenly jerked them down. "Me and Becca got married." And then he waited for the fallout from Alex.
Alex stiffened a moment then shot her brother a surprised look. That faded away and she relaxed, eyeing him. "What did you do?"
He sighed and looked down at his hands clenched in his lap. "We unnn… made a mistake."
Alex pursed her lips and tried to understand when it suddenly hit her and she snorted. "Really Ren? Couldn't keep it in your pants long enough to make her a honest woman? Dad's gonna have a field day with this."
He groaned. "Please, don't tell him."
Alex gave a laugh. "Most likely the bastard already knows."
He huffed loudly. "I hate to say it, but you might be right."
Alex leaned towards him and tapped the desk to catch his attention. "I can't say I am surprised about this Ren. I knew how you felt about her. Problem is regs. One of you…," she trailed off and leaned back. "Well there is a choice you two need to make. And an offer to listen to. I still need a good engineer besides Kelea. It would require her to move… or you to resign."
He frowned a bit and pondered a moment. "I'd have to talk to her to see which of us wants to." He sighed. "It was pure accident…," he murmured and shook his head.
"Ren, look how fast Kat got pregnant the second time," Alex pointed out. "I swear our family is hyper fertile." She shook her head slowly. "Probably why I'm afraid of getting involved with any guy."
The frown Alex wore made him realize that she felt alone even among family and friends and he sighed as he leaned towards her and reached out to cover her hand she was staring at on the desk. "Alex, you just haven't yet met a guy that can match you. You might appear to be a much like an Amazon warrior but like them you are very selective."
She jerked her gaze up to her brother as he spoke then scowled at him before she slumped back, tugging her hand away from his. "I hate when you actually make sense," she grumbled.
He just smirked at her. "Let me talk with Becca to see if she wants to stay with the Alliance or not. Either way I don't care. Hell I am tempted to work with my little sister and go kick some ass without worry. I am ready to move on honestly but I don't want to do something like Dad or Kat. It's too boring."
She looked up and smiled slightly at him. "Well Gus is a great pilot but having someone that knows their way around a larger ship would help. We got one hanging around being retrofitted and cleaned up. With the Legion growing we have the Vengeance, the Elephant and now the newest one which hasn't been christened yet. She needs a good captain. Spots open for you Ren."
He just shrugged. "Tempting. Pay is better I bet."
Alex just chuckled. "Vastly better. We are doing quite well. And each merc gets a share of any goods freed."
He nodded and then stood up. "Let me talk with Becca then. I'll let you know as soon as we make a decision Alex."
"Take your time. I won't be back for another year anyways. So they are doing make work and training recruits to the standards I expect. Granted… I have a feeling I will be glad for well-trained recruits in the future." She frowned at her hands.
Darren opened his mouth then closed it. He learned to understand that his sister's instincts were well honed and if she felt that way, the most likely the shit was going to hit the fan eventually. "Give me a week or two and we most likely will have some sort of answer for you."
Alex just waved her hand and then got up. "Well enough with fucking around. I gotta go ream some troops so their egos can get popped."
Darren just chuckled as he walked out of the office and Alex followed him, veering off when they exited the building. The groups were doing PT and she could see they were starting their run around the track. She came up behind Marks and stood there silently watching them run.
"Commander," Marks said and then grunted at the slower ones. "How the fuck do they pass the first grades when they can't even fucking keep up?"
Alex narrowed her eyes and grunted. "Grab those two. Make their asses hurt from squats if you have to. They are not going to last longer I think. Fucking entitled shits."
Marks nodded and strode out strongly, his voice growling as he dragged Turner and Neuman out of the scrum and forced them to do pushups and squats till they were dripping with sweat. Alex turned to the rest of the group, focusing on her own and smirked. They were about to find out who they had taken down in the barracks.