Chapter 9: Leaving

Anna and Kaidan had been standing in the kitchen, inventing another meal from leftovers and vegetables when they heard Molly's omni-tool go off. Neither paid attention to it until they noticed her go quiet. Kaidan volunteered to peak into the living room, where he could see his mother sitting on the couch, speaking quietly with a sad smile. Kaidan reentered the kitchen and shrugged at Anna, guessing they would hear about it at lunch. At the table, Molly's quiet mood persisted, and Anna finally sighed.

"Molly, what is it? You've been quiet since you got that call. Is it Irene?" Molly smiled sadly at Anna and took the girl's hand.

"No. Your mother called." Anna's concerned thoughts turned fearful. "No, dear, it's nothing like that," Molly soothed. "She was wondering how your training was going, and if you would be ready for an Alliance biotic tutor. She wanted to know if I thought you were ready to go back." Anna sat at the table stunned. She knew she would have to return to her mother, hadn't wanted to leave her side after her father's death. But over the past several months, she had come to know the Alenkos like a second family, and judging by Molly and Cedric's reaction, they felt the same way. Anna looked at Kaidan to see him firmly closed off. She could guess that Kaidan was as upset by it all as she was, and Anna picked at her food for a moment before speaking.

"Do you think I'm ready?" She asked.

"I think Kaidan is the best judge of your biotic skills. But I think that if you want to, you should go back," Cedric spoke, and Molly nodded her head in agreement. Anna then turned her attention to Kaidan.

"Well, what do you think?"

Kaidan sat at the table, quietly thinking. Of course she would have to go back. It was only a matter of time before Anna had to return to her mother and life with the military. She had spent 6 months training every day to catch up. She was technically competent enough to jump into a class and only need a few private lessons to be at the level of her biotic peers. She was a fast learner and would have fit in with the rest of them at Jump Zero. She knew how to cook and her only deficiency was in recipes, and she could look those up on the extranet. She was at the point where she could fit back in on an Alliance vessel.

But was he ready for her to leave? If he was honest with himself, he wasn't. She was the closest friend he had outside of Brain Camp, and they had grown close. Eight months ago, he had resented her for coming here and disturbing his peace, but now he was going to have difficulty readjusting to a life without her.

But did he have a right to keep her here unfairly? Would she miss him as he knew he would miss her? Did she want to leave? Had she dreamed of going back to her life on a ship, filled with people instead of the quiet seaside?

"Kaidan?" Anna's voice cut through his thoughts. He realized that he'd been thinking for longer than he should have.

"You could go back to the Alliance and only need a few lessons. I think you'd do well back there," he answered honestly, the words falling out of his mouth regardless of his own thoughts. He stared down and ate his lunch in silence, unable to look into her face and see her joy at leaving when he couldn't share it. Anna and his parents discussed placing a vid-call to Hannah, arranging her biotic tutor, and how to send the civilian clothes she'd purchased in Vancouver back to her mother's ship before she returned. After lunch, they began to set their plans into motion. For the most part, Kaidan was able to keep out of the way, and after a few hours, went down to the beach to think and to try to stop thinking.

Few people were out on the beach at this time of the year, which suited him just fine. He had a jacket, and watching the sun lower helped take his mind off of things. It wasn't until the sun was halfway through setting that he heard steps next to him. He turned to find Anna.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked bluntly, one arm crossed over the other, her 'I'm going to fix this' look on her face.

"Talk about what?" He asked innocently, not really wanting to ruin her mood.

"That little black raincloud over your head." She answered, and he let out a soft laugh.

"I'd hate to get you wet," he replied as she sat down.

"Then how about what might be a similar topic?" She asked, and he glanced over, raising an eyebrow. She fiddled with her hands for a moment before speaking. "I don't know if I want to go back." She stated, and he almost fell over in shock. "Speechless?"

"A little. I thought you would be jumping for joy at the idea of going back to your friends," he admitted.

"And I do. I want to go back. I want to be with Mom. I want to become a stronger biotic." As she shifted, he saw her discomfort. "But I want to stay here. You and your parents," she trailed off with an almost pained look on her face. Kaidan took one of her hands, and she squeezed his. "I've never laid roots down before. Alliance brats know that friends are temporary. You get a little attached to the young ones, but you know that the ones your age are likely to change ships or age into the older programs. Biotic kids will go away for a while for training. So I never made any friendships like this. I never bonded with anyone like this. But you and your parents helped me through Dad and the surgery. And now I don't know if I want to leave," she whispered. Kaidan felt his heart constrict at his friend's pain and relax in the knowledge that he wasn't the only one thinking this, so he wasn't sure what to say aside from squeezing her hand again, stronger this time.

"I feel the same way if it makes you feel better. After BAaT, I didn't have many friends. You are my closest friend outside of it. At first I didn't want any visitors. When you first arrived, I told myself that you'd be gone soon and then I'd be alone again. And I looked forward to it," he confessed. "Now I'm sad to see you go too. But it's your decision. My parents wouldn't mind if you stayed, you know that." Anna smiled softly, nodding her head. "And I think your mother would understand if you wanted to stay on Earth."

"I know. That's what makes it so tempting to stay. But you and I saw what happened to Dad." She shook her head, and he could feel her biotics buzz. "I can't let that happen to anyone else. If I can step between someone else and that, I'll do it. So I have to go back to the Alliance." The conviction in her voice left them no choice: she would leave, and she shook her head. "But I am going to miss you." She leaned against his arm and squeezed his hand.

"Then we'll stay in contact. We'll message each other and vid-chat. We'll find some way to keep in contact." He liked the idea more and more as he said it, and he felt her nod against his arm. "So how long until you head back out?"

"A week. It'll take that long to get the shuttle and Mom's ship to work out a connecting point." They were silent for a minute before she spoke again. "What will you do now?" He sighed and leaned back a little. He'd given the topic some thought in the past, but he couldn't seem to settle on a path that fit him.

"I'm not sure. I'll try to get a job, but I'm not sure what my long-term plan is. I'm not sure if a university is my thing. Not to mention that woman's comment about Cerberus wanting me." The memory floated over both of them ominously before Anna shook it off.

"Well we both know what your answer will be. You could always join the Alliance instead."

"I could," he answered thoughtfully. "But I want more time to think about it. I might try going to a university first." They let the conversation thread go, watching the sunset. The future would come soon enough, and they still had a week to enjoy each other's company.