Chapter X
Citadel
Liv fumbles with her apartment key, trying to get the door open. Her problem is Tracy is kissing the most sensitive areas on her neck. Once Liv gets the door open, she turns to kiss Tracy. They enter the apartment kissing, groping each other. Liv kicks the door shut with her foot, breaks the kiss long enough to ask, "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes." Tracy removes her shoes before she runs both hands across Liv's face, pulls her closer, then kisses the asari.
They lose themselves in each other and make it as far as the couch before Liv's eyes turn black. This is something both want and desire, to feel their naked bodies against each other, to hear the sounds emitting from their pleasure. Liv's dress ends up hanging off a chair, while Tracy slides out of her dress as they slowly kiss and walk towards the bedroom. Bras and panties litter the floor as the asari/human couple land on Liv's bed.
Tracy's on top, nibbling on the asari's neck, while Liv's hand explores the hairy area between Tracy's legs. A soft moan escapes the human's lips and she moves her hips against Liv's fingers. Tracy's hands move all over Liv's body while her lips plant soft kisses along the asari's neck and chest. The last thing either expected is for Liv's comm to start buzzing at this late hour. They ignore the incoming call and continue to pleasure each other.
The comm stops buzzing then a minute later, the caller calls again. They continue to ignore the caller until the fourth call. Tracy moves to Liv's side. "Liv, please answer that, so we can get back to our business." She kisses the asari before Liv gets out of bed to answer her comm.
Liv puts on her robe then answers the call. "What?" asks Liv without checking to see who is calling. Tracy shakes her head at her lover because Liv's being rude to her mom.
Liara politely asks, "Am I interrupting something, Olivia?"
"No, well, yes. What do you need, mom? You normally don't call repeatedly." Liv is still being rude to her mom.
"Then that should tell you what I need to tell you is important. I need you to come home. Something happened tonight and I want you and Gaia home," says Liara. She's a little annoyed with Olivia's tone, but gets a feeling Liv is with someone and her call interrupted their meld. If that is the case, Liv's rudeness is warranted and understandable.
Liv looks over to Tracy, who is moving to stand behind her. "What happened, mom?" Tracy wraps her arms around Liv from behind and holds her.
Liara wonders how much to tell her daughter over a comm link about what is going on. "Kaja needs you right now, Olivia. I know you won't want to do this, but please do it anyway. Go to Earth and pick up Gaia. Here is her location. I'll make sure she's expecting you. I don't want to go into details, just know Kaja needs her family. That includes Gaia."
Liv's heart sinks to the pit of her stomach. Either something happened to Kaja and she's in the hospital or something happened to Cass or the kids. Liv isn't sure which thought is worse. Kaja being hurt or something happening to Cass or the kids. The last time mom called telling Liv to come home, Kaja was in the hospital with a gun shot wound to the shoulder. "I'll rent a shuttle and pick Gaia up. What if she doesn't or can't leave. What do you want me to do then, mom?"
"If she refuses or can't come home, then leave her on Earth. I'm sure I can persuade her to come home. I'll let her know your coming. I love you, Olivia," says Liara before she ends the transmission.
Liv covers her face and says, "No, no, no. What did he do?" She turns in Tracy's arms and starts crying knowing something bad has happened. She doesn't know what happened, but knows it's bad.
Tracy rubs Liv's back trying to comfort her. She gets a feeling something happened to Cass not Kaja. "Worry about that when you get to Elysium. I have to work in the morning, Liv. I'll catch the first available shuttle to Elysium after work and I should be there late tonight."
Liv steps back, looking at Tracy. "You don't need to do that."
"Yes, I do. Cass is my closest friend. If something happened and Kaja needs you, then I want to be there too. I'd leave with you and deal with Gaia if I didn't have to work," says Tracy as she wipes the tears from Liv's face.
"I love you." Liv kisses Tracy then goes to get dressed and pack a few days worth of clothes for her trip to Elysium. Normally, Liv loves going home to visit her mom and Kaja. Especially loves the time with her nephews. This isn't a normal trip home. Liv's only gotten a few calls from mom to come home unexpectedly and it's always bad. Dad dying, Kaja getting shot, now this.
"I love you too, Liv. What do you want me to do?" asks Tracy as she hunts for her panties. She finds them on the floor next to the bedroom door.
Liv changes into a pair of navy blue cargo pants and a dark purple knit shirt. She ties her boots then starts packing her bag. "Nothing really. Stay here if you want. I can take a taxi to the docks and rent a shuttle."
Tracy puts her shoes back on then joins Liv in the bedroom. She holds the asari in her arms. "I'll take you. I'll go home, pack before going to bed. That way I can take my bag to work then head to the shuttles when I get off. If I can work it out, I'll leave early. Want me to contact you before I leave?"
The asari leans back against her human girlfriend. "Nah, I'll be at either my mom's or Kaja's house depending on where I'm needed."
Liv zips her bag, then looks around her bedroom wondering what else she should bring with her. Putting the bag over her shoulder, Liv takes Tracy's hand as they leave the apartment. Tracy drops Liv off at the shuttle docks then heads home to pack her bag for her trip to Elysium. A wonderful late night was brewing, only to be squashed by news from Liv's mother about her sister. Both knew that call was coming, yet neither expected to receive it.
Earth
Gaia T'Soni sits in her trailer relaxing before she is needed on set. The one thing Gaia doesn't care for very much is production shoots at night. She'll do them without complaining about it because it's part of her job. But she'd prefer not working at night and tonight's production is going to last until the sun comes up. They get to do it again tomorrow. Her human personal assistant enters the trailer's main area, "Gaia, ma'am. Your mother is on the comm link. She says it's important."
Gaia's relationship with her family has been strained for almost seven years. She doesn't talk to her older sister, Kaja. She doesn't talk to her younger sister, Olivia. She barely talks to her mother and if her mother is calling, it's important. "Thank you, Dee. Now, please leave." Gaia's tone is curt and dismissive
"Of course, Gaia. Would you like for me to get you anything?" asks Dee.
Gaia shakes her head, "No, thank you." Dee bows respectfully to her employer then leaves the trailer to give Gaia the privacy she needs. The actress answers the comm on the terminal next to the sofa she is lounging on. Liara's face appears on the screen which makes the young asari smile. "Hi, mom. What do you need?"
"Hello, Gaia. I need for you to come home," says Liara.
"Why?" Gaia wonders why she needs to go back to Elysium. Her mother's tone is stern and yet it has a softness to it Which tells Gaia something is wrong back home. Chances are it has something to do with Kaja.
Sighing, Liara answers, "Gaia, remember after your fight with Kaja when I said there would come a day your family will need you. That day has come, Gaia. Please don't argue with me, just come home. Olivia is on her way to pick you up."
Gaia rubs her crest, thinking. She has one scene today and two scheduled for tomorrow night Her part in this vid is small enough, maybe the director will work with her about it. If not, she'll leave and take the PR hit. If her mom wants her home, she'll go home. "Fine, mom, I'll come home. I am working, though mom. I will try to arrange it to where I can leave when Liv gets here. What's going on?"
"I'll tell you and Olivia more when you get here. I love you, Gaia. I have other things I need to do," replies Liara.
"Love you too, mom. I guess I'll see you soon." Gaia ends the call then goes looking for the director.
Normally, salarian directors have their production schedule set in stone and hustles the crew to keep things on time. This director isn't a normal salarian. His productions are more relaxed and they don't always get everything done when it needs to get done, but he rarely goes over budget, so he's given leeway on that by most of the producers he works for.
Gaia walks up the salarian saying, "Mort, I need a moment of your time. It's important."
Mort finishes talking to a crew member then turns his attention to Gaia, "Sure, Gaia, what is it?"
"I just got a call from my mother. I have a family emergency back on Elysium. My younger sister is on her way from the Citadel to pick me up," says Gaia. She gives her director a sympathetic. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay and work tonight and I don't know when I'll be back."
Mort looks at the production schedule for the next five days. Gaia is needed for three days, but her scenes can all be shot in one day. She's a known star doing a small role in a low-budget film. He's willing to change the production schedule around her emergency. It's unlike the asari to ask to leave during filming. Her reputation around the industry is she comes to work every day, does her job professionally, and rarely complains. "Okay, Gaia. We can do your scenes when you get back. I need you back by Monday night."
Gaia places her hand on Mort's upper arm, "Thank you, Mort. It might be in your best interest to replace me. I don't know when I will return. My mother didn't go into specifics, so I don't know what is going on, but I know it's serious. She wouldn't have called if it wasn't."
"I hate to lose you, Gaia. Contact me when you find out more and then I'll make my decision to replace you or not," pleads Mort with his hands clasped together.
The asari grins at Mort, "I will. Thanks again." She heads back to her trailer to gather her things so she can meet Liv at the spaceport. "Dee, cancel everything on my schedule until I say other wise. I'm headed to Elysium," says Gaia when she walks by Dee.
Dee follows Gaia into the trailer. "Do you need me to get you a shuttle, ma'am?"
"No, Dee, I don't. My sister is picking me up. I just need the driver to take me to the spaceport from the hotel," answers Gaia as she grabs the few personal things she brought with her.
Gaia and Dee leave the production, heading back to the hotel. During the ride to the hotel, Gaia wonders what is going on back home. Until two days ago, she was vacationing in Hawai'i and hasn't paid much attention to the news. She shakes her head at Dee, who is arguing with a batarian about Gaia canceling an appearance. She patches into Dee's call, "Dray, this might come as a surprise to you. My family is important to me. I have a situation back home and I can't attend your opening Saturday evening. I'm sorry, but you'll have to continue without me."
The batarian, Dray, replies, "You owe me, Gaia. I'm going to have a lot of disappointed people to deal with. Me included."
"Fine, fine, Dray. I owe you. I'll contact you when I get back and we'll talk." Gaia chuckles a little. Dray is so dramatic, but an excellent painter and sculptor and has been nervous about his opening for the past two weeks.
He has several painting going on display and a few smaller sculpted pieces as well. His bigger pieces aren't finished and the batarian hopes he can finish them soon and have another showing. "Buy one of my pieces, Gaia. That way I can put a 'sold to Gaia' sign on it. If you buy one of my pieces, others will buy them too."
"How much, Dray?" asks Gaia. She rolls her eyes. He's got a quad, she thinks. Then again, she is bailing on him for family responsibility.
"How does ten thousand sound?" Dray hopes the low amount isn't offensive, he isn't looking to fleece a friend.
Laughing when she hears the amount, Gaia counters, "I'll give you fifty and you pick the painting for me. I am sorry Dray, I was looking forward to attending your opening Saturday. I'll make it up to you when I get back. I gotta go." Gaia terminates the call.
The car parks next to the front door, Gaia and Dee both go inside and pack their things. Gaia doesn't have much with her, so packing it doesn't take long. She's double-checking the room when her omni-tool starts beeping. "Hi, Liv."
Liv has a somber look on her face and it makes Gaia wonder if Liv knows what is going on. The look on her face says she knows something. "Hi Gaia. I'm in queue to dock. I've been assigned dock AA-14. I can pick you up if you want."
"No, I have a car waiting for me. What's going on, Liv?" asks the middle sibling.
"I don't know, but I don't think it's good, Gaia. Especially if mom is telling us to come home and tells me to pick you up. However, Gaia, I can speculate on it if you want," answers Liv.
Gaia slings her bag over her shoulder, "Tell me what you think when I get there. I'm leaving now."
The call between them ends, Gaia checks out of her hotel room, and gets into the car to go to dock AA-14. She opens the extranet terminal in the car and looks over news from Elysium. There's nothing about her family in the news, so what ever is going on, the news outlets don't have a story yet. If there is really anything going on. Gaia shakes that thought from her head. The call from her mom, the look on Liv's face when she called all tell the actress something is wrong at home. Mom didn't tell Liv either, so she doesn't think she's being left out of the loop. Which is a relief to the actress.
The driver parks the car as close to AA-14 as possible. Gaia informs her driver she will contact him when she returns from her trip and to enjoy his time off. Gaia usually takes her driver and assistant with her on every trip she takes, but has been asked by mom in the past to not bring her entourage with her when she comes home. So, Gaia has come home alone since. Which isn't enough by her mother's standards. She doesn't see a point to coming home when Kaja is two houses down and refuses to speak to her.
Gaia thinks to herself as she walks from the car to the dock. Maybe this is the time to mend fences with her older sister and her family. Gaia knows about Karrera and the twins. She did see Karrera in the house when she was fighting with Kaja outside by the pool. She's never actually met them, but both Liv and Liara have told her about her niece and nephews. Finally meeting them during this time feels awkward to her already. She can only imagine what Cass or Kaja has told them about her. She uses the turian, Garrus' philosophy about expecting the worse.
Liv docks the shuttle when Gaia arrives. "Perfect timing, Liv," comments Gaia when she sees Liv. "I just arrived."
"You look good, Gaia. It's nice seeing you." Liv takes Gaia's bag from her as the two sisters enter the shuttle.
Gaia sits in the copilot's chair, while Liv stows the bag, then flops in the pilot's seat. "You look worried, Liv. What's do you think is going on?"
Waiting for the systems to go from standby to ready, Liv asks, "Paid any attention to major news stories in the past three weeks?"
"No, I have not. I was vacationing, relaxing from a stressful production. I wasn't paying attention to much of anything beside lounging around being waited on hand and foot until a few days ago. Why, what happened?" responds Gaia.
Liv sighs, wishing she didn't need to explain what's going on with their older sister. "Remember the last time mom asked us to come home?" Liv would rather ask Gaia a bunch of questions, so she can maybe figure it out on her own than tell her directly. If Gaia doesn't piece it together, she will have to tell her.
Gaia gives Liv a curious look. "You think what's going on now has to do with what happened to Kaja two decades ago?"
"Yes, Gaia, I do." Liv pilots the shuttle away from Earth, heading to the Mass Relay.
"Why?" Gaia isn't understanding everything and feels something is missing, but doesn't know what. Then it comes to her. "Oh, it has to do with those escape convicts, doesn't it? That I did hear about. People were talking about it, but I'll be honest, Liv, I wasn't paying that much attention to what was going on."
"Yes, it has to do with that. We can speculate all the way home, but I'd rather not talk about it, Gaia. I fear the worst," says Liv bluntly.
Gaia sits in her chair and thinks about her relationship with her older sister and why they no longer speak to each other. Liv hasn't spoken to her in years and yet, she's acting like they are still close. Will Kaja do the same? Or has something happened to her sister? She isn't sure, but hopes Kaja is alright and they can patch their relationship. Perhaps, they can go back to being sisters, not two people who know each other but never talk.
The two sisters don't speck much during the flight to Elysium. Gaia nods off in her chair. Liv does the same after setting the auto-pilot with an alarm to sound when they are ten minutes from the relay. Liv's thoughts before she dozes off are on both her sister and her girlfriend. She's more worried about Kaja now than she was before her mom's call. She's never been more grateful to have Tracy back in her life. She isn't sure she would have gotten though her professional disaster without her.
Elysium
Eric asks, "Momma, where's mom?"
Kaja pulls both boys close again before attempting to regain her composure. They need her to be strong like always, but since Cass is gone, Kaja feels adrift without her anchor. She cups each boy's cheek with her hand. Eric with her left and Derek with her right. She says, "Eric, Derek. Mom isn't coming home."
Liara and Karrera are both standing on the patio behind the boys and Kaja. Liara puts her arm around Karrera's shoulder and squeezes it tenderly. The youngest asari asks, "What happened, dad?"
Kaja's hands start to shake, she looks at her sons who are both confused, but not crying. She doesn't think they understand she's never coming home. Not yet anyway. Since everyone but her sisters are here, Kaja decides to tell them what happened. She holds both boys close, while she says, "We were too late. There wasn't anything I could do to save her. She died in my arms." Tears roll down Kaja's face when the boys start crying and clinging to her.
Derek say through the sniffling and the tears, "Bad guys never win, momma, bad guys never win."
Kaja feels bad enough but Derek's words cut through her like a hot knife to butter. Only with a jagged edge because this wound hurts even more. Unable to give any response to her son's comment, Kaja looks at him with tears in her eyes. She misses his mother as much as he does. What can she say to help him understand that sometimes the bad guys do win. His words also resonates with her in a positive way. The bad guys only win if you give up and she's not about to give up. Her sons need her now more than ever and she's determined to be there for them.
She wipes her face with her palm then says, "Hungry? We can go home and I'll cook us something to eat."
Eric continues weeping, but attempts to say, "Anything, momma?"
Liara says, "I'll cook some banana pancakes and plain pancakes with the banana on the side for you, Eric."
"You don't have to do that, mom. I can cook," says Kaja.
Liara admires Kaja's fortitude during this time. Maybe she should worry about her less, but she won't and she knows it. Kaja's too much like Leia in many different ways. "I want to, Kaja. One thing you don't need to worry about today is cooking. Have you contacted Cassandra's parents yet?"
Shaking her head, Kaja answers, "No, I should go do that." She looks at her weeping sons, "Will you two go and changed out of your pajamas while I call your grandparents on Earth. They need to know about your mom."
The boys nod then wipes the running noses on the sleeve of their pajamas. Kaja shakes her head with a grin on her face because they did it in perfect unison. Even as down as everyone is in the house, the boys can still do something innocent to lift Kaja's spirits. Hopefully, when their newest toy arrives later in the afternoon, the boys can forget their mom's gone for a short time. Derek says when he hugs Kaja, "I love you, momma."
"I love you too, Derek. I love you too, Eric." Kaja rubs their backs, hoping it will help calm them down.
Eric pushes away from his momma as wipes his face, "I want my mom."
"I know you do. So do I, but she's not with us anymore and we have to deal with that. All of us." Kaja motions for Karrera to join the hug. She hugs Eric then moving them both closer to her dad. Liara joins in too.
Liv and Gaia walk through the front door, both dropping their bags on the floor by the couch then they go looking for either their mom or sister. Liv stops cold and covers her mouth with her right hand when she sees everyone hugging the boys. "Oh, no," says Liv.
"What?" asks Gaia. She then notices what Liv is already witnessing. Everyone is outside except for Cass. "Oh, I suppose we should join them."
"Yes, I suppose we should," replies Liv.
The two sisters join everyone else outside on the patio. Gaia goes as far as the patio door, while Liv stands closer to everyone as she says, "We got here as fast as we could. What happened?"
Everyone turns their attention the newest arrivals. Derek squints his eyes at his aunt Gaia. She looks familiar to him, but he isn't sure where. Eric moves closer to Gaia, wiping his face with his hand. "Who are you?"
Kaja hugs Liv then walks over to Gaia to give her a hug. "Thanks for coming, Gaia. I have a few kids you need to meet."
Eric's mouth drops open, he looks over at Derek who has the same expression on his face. "Momma, that's Gaia!" exclaims Eric.
"She was the evil Ardat-Yakshi in the last The Justice Code vid!" adds Derek.
Gaia smiles at the two boys. She kneels in front of Derek. "I see we have a Justicar Doreen fan."
"Gaia, that is Derek. Derek, that's your aunt Gaia." Kaja takes Eric's hand, "And this is Eric." Kaja waves for Karrera to come closer, which she does. "This is Karrera. You've seen her once before, but were never introduced."
Derek looks at Gaia, then to Kaja who nods at him, then to his grandmother and aunt Liv, both nodding at him. "You're my aunt?! WOW!"
The riff between the siblings seems to have disappeared. Gaia being here has brightened the boys spirits in an instant. They seem to have forgotten about losing their mother for the moment. Even if their upbeat mood lasts only a few minutes, it's something Kaja is grateful for. Kaja pats each boy on the shoulder, "Please, go change out of your pajamas while your grandma cooks breakfast." The boys do as they're told and head to the bedroom to change clothes. Kaja looks at her sisters, "If you follow me, I need to contact Cass' parents. I can tell all of you at the same time what happened."
Everyone enters the house. Karrera stays with her grandmother and helps makes breakfast for the family. Kaja heads to the study with her sisters following behind. A grin appears on Kaja's face when she hears the boys chatting about their famous aunt and not crying. Liv hugs Kaja before sitting on the small sofa in the study. Gaia sits next to Liv. Kaja closes and locks the door, she doesn't want the boys walking in during her conversation with Cass' parents.
Kaja sits at the desk, punches in the information and waits for an answer. It's still morning on Earth and Kaja hopes someone is home. Mrs. Mitchell answers, "Oh, hello, Kaja. Good morning."
"Morning, Mrs. Mitchell. I have some news. Is Mr. Mitchell home?" asks Kaja. She keeps inhaling deeply to calm her nerves.
"RAY!" yells Mrs. Mitchell, but her face isn't in the camera's view. She looks at the camera again then says, "He's coming. Something happen?" Mrs. Mitchell looks away when her husband enters the room. "Here he is."
Kaja nods and answers when she sees her father-in-law. "I have some news about Cass." Kaja closes her eyes to fight back the tears, but they fall anyway. "Yesterday afternoon, the escaped convict, Jimmy Nichols, kidnapped Cass before she was able to pick Karrera up from school. I got to her too late. I'm sorry, but Cass died in my arms last night from a stab wound in her back."
Liv covers her face and starts bawling when she hears what happened. Gaia doesn't know what to feel. Cass was always good to her sister and she appreciated that, but over time she grew to dislike the woman. She's not even sure why she disliked Cass now that she is thinking about it. The middle sibling holds her younger sister close, trying to comfort her. Kaja glances at her sisters. Liv's taking the news hard and she can't read Gaia. Which is probably a good thing.
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell stare at Kaja's face on their viewer in shock. Their daughter kidnapped and murdered. Ray finally breaks the silence when he asks. "What happened to Jimmy Nichols, Kaja?"
"I killed him, Mr. Mitchell." There is not one ounce of remorse in Kaja's reply. She doesn't feel any. She still wants those who helped him dead. Once she gets everything in order, she's going to discuss it with her mother. "The medical examiner has her body for an autopsy. I'm hoping they release her later today, so I can start making plans for Cass' funeral."
"Good. One good thing at least," says Mr. Mitchell.
Mrs. Mitchell says, "Ray!"
"Well, it's true, honey," retorts Mr. Mitchell. He turns his attention to his daughter-in-law. "Kaja, thank you for telling us. If you need anything let us know. As soon as you have made the arrangements, let us know the details."
"I will, I promise. Again, I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough," replies Kaja. She wipes her cheeks with her fingers.
Mrs. Mitchell says before terminating the call, "It's not your fault, Kaja. We're sure you did everything you could to save her. Thank you."
After the call ends, Kaja pulls Liv into an embrace. Gaia hugs them both. She unsure why Liv is taking it so hard, maybe because she's closer to Cass than she is, or there is something else she doesn't know. Liv looks at Kaja, "I'm sorry, sis. I feel partly responsible."
"Don't! Goddess, Liv, don't. If anyone is at fault, it's me. I didn't get there fast enough," says Kaja. She unlocks and opens the door when she hears someone knocking.
Karrera says, "Dad, breakfast is ready. Eric and Derek are already eating. Is there anything I should be doing?"
Kaja hugs Karrera, "Thanks, Karrera. There isn't anything I can think of besides doing what you've been doing." She kisses her daughter's cheek, "You've been great through this. Thank you. Did you go home and pick up a few things last night?"
"Yea, dad, I did. I hope that was okay. I had to talk grandma into letting me go," answers Karrera. Liv and Gaia head to the kitchen for some breakfast leaving Kaja alone with her daughter.
"Well, you must have been quite persuasive if your grandmother let you leave. I suppose all those debate meets you had this last term has taught you a thing or two. Are you okay, Karrera?"
"I don't know what to feel, dad. I already miss her and yet I don't feel like crying. What does that say?" asks Karrera. The youth leans against her father.
Holding Karrera close, Kaja answers, "You can only feel what you feel, Karrera. There's no right or wrong in that. Oh, crap. I need to contact the museum. Go and eat, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Okay," says the young asari. She hugs her dad again then heads to the kitchen to join everyone else.
Kaja contacts the museum to inform them about Cass' fate. Before heading to the kitchen, Kaja thinks about anyone else she needs to contact. She types a few names on a data pad, so she can contact Cass' friends about her death. The most important people know and everyone else can wait for the news later in the day. She heads to the kitchen when there is a knock on the door. Kaja waves her mother off when Liara comes into the living room.
Kaja opens the door to see Deputy Chief Perez with an officer from the Alliance with her. "Sergeant T'Soni?" asks the Alliance officer.
"Yes. What's going on, Chief? Kaja looks at Perez, who doesn't give anything away with her posture or demeanor.
Perez says, "Step outside and shut the door, Sergeant." Kaja does as ordered. "The Alliance wants to place you under arrest for the death of Nichols. Come in quietly while I work on getting you released.."
"My bondmate was murdered last night. I didn't do anything worth being arrested over unless there is some Alliance law I don't know about," protests Kaja.
The Alliance officer says, "I'm sorry, Sergeant T'Soni, but I'll have to ask for you come with me."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Kaja asks, "Can I at least tell my family I have to leave? If I just vanish, my sons will be more upset than they already are with their mother dying."
Chief Perez says, "Let her Lieutenant, she's broken no laws that I am aware of and this is a load of varren shit and you know it. It's bad enough you picked up Det. Livingston before coming over here."
The Alliance Lieutenant shakes his head and waves his hand in a dismissive manner, "Fine, go ahead. Just don't take too long."
"Thank you," says Kaja as she enters the house to tell her family she has to leave to answer more questions for the Alliance about what happened last night. She neglects to mention she's being arrested. Her sons don't need to know that. At least not yet.
Chief Perez keeps an eye on Kaja for the Alliance officer. She whispers into her top detective's ear before they leave for Alliance HQ. "Kaja, I'm coming with you. This is bullshit and I'm not going to let the Alliance railroad two of my best detectives over a territorial pissing match. I knew what you and Detective Livingston were doing and I was fine with it. I should have you and Ben released by this afternoon if not sooner. So, don't worry about anything and be honest with them like you always are, Sergeant."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I can't thank you enough, Chief," responds Kaja. She goes to give her sons a hug and tells them she will come back. She promises. She isn't sure when, but she will return.
Eric refuses to let Kaja go. He is crying, "Don't go, momma. Don't go."
Liara places her arm on Eric's shoulder. "Eric, she has to go. Please, let go."
"No, momma don't go," pleads the younger twin.
Perez has seen enough. She snaps a few pictures with her omni-tool then gets on her comm to call for two uniforms to stand guard outside Liara's house. Kaja isn't going anywhere and if the Alliance doesn't like it, that's too damn bad. She goes outside to inform the Lieutenant, her detective isn't leaving her family today, but she's willing to placate them by having Kaja under house arrest. Only on her terms.
Kaja hold Eric close, rubbing his back for comfort. "I have to go, Eric. The Alliance needs to talk to me. I will return, Eric, I promise." She keeps her hold on Eric, then stands and carries him to the sofa. While setting him down, Kaja notices a growing crowd in the front yard. There are four uniform Illyria PD, five Alliance personal, Deputy Chief Perez, plus two more Alliance officers. In the street is a local news team filming what ever is going on between Perez and the Alliance.
Kaja takes Eric's hand then leads him to the kitchen. "We have a situation outside. I need to go before it gets out of control."
Liara moves quickly to the living room window facing the front yard and sees the situation Kaja is referring to and it doesn't look good. "Goddess, what the hell is going on?" Liara heads outside, but before she gets to the door it opens and Chief Perez enters.
"I am very sorry about this, Dr. T'Soni. The Alliance is overstepping their authority on this. I've come to a compromise with them," says Perez. Kaja joins Perez and her mother near the front door. Perez continues in a softer tone, "Sergeant T'Soni. I hate to do this but I need your badge and your sidearm. You are confined to your own home until I can straighten this mess out. There will be two officers posted outside your house on an eight-hour rotation. One is from the Alliance, the other is ours. I'm sorry, it's the only way I could keep you with your family."
Kaja sighs, "I need to go home to give you my badge and gun, Chief." She tells Eric and Derek they are going home. Both boys grabs her hand as they leave the house with four armed escorts. Perez gets between the news camera and Kaja's sons as they walk home. When they get home, Eric runs to his bedroom. Kaja with Perez and the Alliance Lieutenant go into Kaja's bedroom for her to get the items Perez requested she hand over.
Derek lingers in the hallway near the master bedroom. He watches Kaja hand over her police badge and her department issued pistol to Perez. He moves closer to the door then asks, "Why are you taking my momma's badge? Is she no longer a police officer?"
Kaja has a hard time looking at Derek. Perez gives T'Soni a sympathetic look then glares at the Lieutenant. "Your momma is on leave." The human moves closer to Derek, she says quietly, "Yes, she's still a police officer. She'll get these back soon. I can promise you that." She pats him on the shoulder then leaves with the Alliance officer right behind her. Two guards stand on the front porch. One is IPD, the other is Alliance. They're working in eight-hour shifts until Sergeant T'Soni is released from her house arrest.
Derek asks, "Are you in trouble, momma?"
"Yea, I suppose I am with the Alliance. My boss doesn't think so," replies Kaja as she hugs Derek and kisses his cheek. "Since I can't leave the house, what do you and Eric want to do?"
"I want mom to come home," answers the young human.
Hearing her sons say they want their mom home is heartbreaking to Kaja. She wants her bondmate to come home too, but Cass isn't coming home ever again. Getting Eric and Derek to understand that is the next challenge in their lives. She hugs her son and places a loving kiss on his forehead. "She's not coming home, Derek. I miss her too."
The young lad starts crying again, which causes his momma to take him into her arms. Derek wraps her arms around Kaja's neck as she picks him up and carries him to the living room. As Derek lets go of Kaja as she puts him on the couch, three asari enter the house. Gaia has the leftover breakfast with her, "Mom said she would be over soon. She has work to do." Gaia rolls her eyes when she says her mother is working. She takes the food to the kitchen. Kaja follows to grab a pancake, she's hasn't eaten anything yet and is hungry.
Liv and Karrera are carrying their bags. Karrera takes the bags she is carrying to the boy's room. Almost everything in the bags is from the boy's room. Eric is on the top bunk, sitting against the wall with his knees against his chest, crying. He watches Karrera though teary eyes. She sets the bags on the bottom bunk then climbs the ladder to join her brother. They don't speak to each other. However, Karrera wraps her arms around Eric and holds him while he cries. Every so often, he mumbles through the sniffling and tears, "I want my mom."
Liv tosses her bag on the floor next to the couch then sits next to Derek. She's regained her composure since Kaja left with the boys. Derek leans against his aunt. Liv puts her arm around her nephew. Like Karrera and Eric, no words are spoken between them. Derek asks softly, "Why did my mom have to leave us?"
It's a question Liv doesn't have an answer for and she doubts Kaja has the answer either. Kaja barely hears Derek's question, but attempts to answer it the best she can. The eldest T'Soni sibling sits next to her son. She shoves the last bite of her pancake into her mouth while she rubs on his back. "Derek, I always believe things happen for a reason. The galaxy is a mysterious place and sometimes things happen for reasons we don't always understand. We have to deal with them and keep moving forward." Tears for in Kaja's eyes, but she keeps going with her thought. "Your mom leaving us is a reason we will never understand. I do believe that where ever she is, she is looking out for us and she will always be a part of us." She places her hand over Derek's heart and kisses his temple.
Liv and Gaia exchange looks and shrugs. Both wonder when their older sister got so wise. Her little speech to Derek is something their father would have said in this situation. Liv is amazed how well Kaja is keeping it together. Kaja is so calm about everything when she knows keep down how much her eldest sister is grieving, but isn't letting her sons know it. The situation with the Alliance is odd at best and Liv doesn't understand what is going on, but she knows she doesn't like it.
Gaia sits quietly in a chair closest to Liv. She feels like a stranger in her sister's home and she knows it's her own fault. If there is ever a time to mend the rift between her and Kaja, this is the time. Gaia leans her head from the left to the right then back to the left again, watching Kaja console Derek. She sees how much she has missed by her actions and now she can't even remember why she started to dislike Cass in the first place. The reason no longer matters with Cass being murdered. The actress has a new found admiration for her sister. Kaja was always calm in stressful situations, and this is different than anything she has seen before. For the first time in decades, Gaia admires Kaja's fortitude.
Kaja whispers to Derek she is going to check on Eric. She turns on the monitor, so the boys can watch any vid they want. Derek finds the Aralakh cartoon then starts watching it. His momma notices what he puts it on. Now she can tell Eric what Derek is watching. She walks into the boy's bedroom to see Karrera holding a weeping Eric in her arms on the top bunk. Karrera's been crying, Kaja can see her bloodshot eyes plus they look puffy. "Are you two okay?"
Eric wipes his face, looks at Kaja, then answers bluntly, "No."
"Yea, I'm fine, dad," replies the young asari.
Kaja puts her chin on the top bunk, looking at Eric. She grins at him, trying to calm him down without saying anything. It doesn't work. "Eric, Derek has the Aralakh cartoon you like on. Your aunts are here. I will do you good to be with everyone instead if staying in here with just your sister."
"Are you leaving, momma?" asks Eric as he moves from Karrera's embrace.
Shaking her head, Kaja replies, "Nope, I'm grounded to the house."
"Huh?" Kaja's choice of words confuses him. "Who grounded you?" asks the youth.
"The Alliance did. Instead of leaving, my boss got them to let me stay home as long as I stay home. So, will you join everyone else, Eric?" Kaja offers her hand to her son.
Eric doesn't takes Kaja's hand, but he does give his momma a hug when he gets down from the top bunk. Karrera follows suit and gets down from the top bunk, hugs her father, then they go to join the others. The younger twin walks over to Gaia, "Can I sit with you?"
Gaia pats her lap, "Sure, Eric, right?"
Nodding to Gaia, Eric climbs into the chair so he can sit in his aunt's lap. "Yup, I'm Eric and he's Derek." He points to his twin, who is sitting next to his aunt Liv then leans against Gaia. She looks at Kaja who is smiling the best she can at them. When she sees Kaja's reaction to Eric in her lap, Gaia holds her nephew close for the first time.
Karrera sits in another chair while Kaja flops on the couch next to Derek. Kaja is getting tired and sleepy. Any adrenaline she''s had since telling everyone what happened has worn off. Everyone is watching the cartoons the boys like so much. The sobbing has stopped, but Kaja knows she'll start crying as soon as she is alone. She is able to keep it together when she is near her family, but she knows the moment she heads to her bedroom, she's going to breakdown. Kaja doesn't want to do that in front of her sons or Karrera.
Kaja dozes off on the couch and no one wakes her. The twins are content, watching their cartoons with Karrera, Liv, and Gaia. Derek uses Kaja's thigh as a pillow and Eric is leaning against Gaia's shoulder when Liara finally arrives a few hours later. She has news for Kaja, but sees her daughter is finally sleeping, so she'll wait until she wakes up before giving it to her. The sight of Eric and Gaia brings a smile to Liara's face. As much as her daughters fight with each other but when times are at their toughest, they always come together and support each other the best they can.
Liara has been working with Illyria Police Department in applying pressure on the Alliance to back off their stance Sergeant T'Soni and Detective Livingston committed a felony while hunting for Dr. Mitchell. Even though the evidence says otherwise, the Alliance is attempting to throw the two detectives under the bus because the IPD failed to contact the Alliance about Jimmy Nichols' whereabouts. It's posturing by the Alliance and neither Liara nor the police department appreciate it very much. Between Liara's backdoor pressure and Deputy Chief Perez's front door pressure, things between the two departments are cooling off, but it's still unclear how long it will take before things simmer down enough for them to release Ben from custody and for the guards to leave Kaja's house.
A/N: Next week is the last chapter for this story. Then I am taking a two week hiatus to continue to work on the story, I have not completed. The next story is nine years after the conclusion of this story and is about how the family has moved forward. The focus is Kaja and the twins.
A guest commented they thought Kaja was the one they thought was going to die in this story. If the guest only knew that was my original premise for this story. As I started writing it and a little persuasion from my proofreader, tkvis from BSN. I decided I didn't want to kill off my favorite original character.
Then I started thinking what was a fate worse than death? Where do my stories go if I kill Kaja? The more I thought, the more I decided I wasn't going to kill her but someone else was going to die instead. Then I had to choose between Karrera and Cass and at one point I thought about killing both.
I don't think this story has a happy ending, it is a tragedy after all. They don't have happy endings, but one could see the ending as a little bittersweet and you understand why I think that next week.