Hello! So here we have our last chapter for Jori and this time I feel happy about it. I don't want to end it but I'm sticking to my original plan so here is the end. I would suggest keeping an eye out for Jori: Destination Earth at some point in the future if you really liked it. In the mean time I need to get back to another story that I've been neglecting. Thank you for reading my impromptu story and please review if you feel so inclined.
To my Beta: thank you for your encouragement, ideas, questions, and corrective suggestions.
Jori lay naked, staring up at the unadorned ceiling of his bedroom. An equally naked Deena lay asleep in his arms, head resting on his chest, one hand curled up and tucked under her chin. Her breath tickled his skin with each slow exhale, soothing him in a now familiar way.
Sleep eluded him for some reason. The recent memories of the past couple weeks, which ran continuously through his mind, was the most likely culprit. Two weeks had gone by since Cerberus's attack on the Citadel and they had only just had Deena's promised talk a few hours ago.
Shock and emotional exhaustion had stolen much of the relief they might have shared after emerging from their hiding place. Cerberus had left the citadel racked with devastation. Survivors scrambled to clear, mend, or replace the damage that had been wrought; and it didn't take long for Jori and Deena to be swept up in the tide of aide and reparations. For the first couple days, everyone worked together seamlessly, making great progress in their endeavors. But when a new wave of refugees docked, it broke the aura of recuperation, especially at the overcrowded hospital.
Jori and Deena both had been entirely consumed by their duties at Huerta Memorial in the aftermath of the attacks. The two of them had been assigned to emergency care. Their extended hours and the constant need for doctors to attend to the overflow of patients, left them completely drained by the time they returned home. Unable to do more than eat, sleep, and perform the requisite hygiene routines, the talk he'd promised Deena, kept getting postponed.
His first day working with emergency patients, Jori unexpectedly encountered more smiles, thank yous, and grateful praise from patients of all types than in the entire time he had lived on the Citadel. It seemed everywhere he went, more and more individuals acknowledged him as an equal and genuinely greeted him with simple courtesy. He might have assumed it was all Deena and her smiling self that attracted such warmth, but the majority of the time she was not at his side to cause the sudden friendliness of others.
In contrast to all the kind interactions he encountered, Jori still received the unwanted looks and sneers he was usually accustomed to. While the instances of kindness might give reason to hope that the prejudices could be set aside with the galaxy in such a state of duress, Jori also understood that if the masses wouldn't let up on the quarians then there was no reason to expect them to let up on him just because his medical skills were in need. But the routine prejudice was somehow, less threatening in light of the acceptance he received now too.
The third day of emergency work, brought him an experience that sent his newly forming positive mood crashing down. He was bandaging up a little arm that belonged to a happy asari child named Celda. She was a chattery little thing that reminded him so much of his Deena, full of wonder and questions that he gladly answered to the best of his ability. Surprisingly she took his hand with little qualm as he lead her back to her parents to give them instructions for her care as she recovered. As expected, her asari mother greeted them with a smile and held out her arms to welcome her newly mended child. But her turian father interrupted the moment by inserting himself between his daughter and Jori.
"Don't you touch my daughter," the turian seethed as he bodily intimidated Jori into retreating a step. "I don't care what you just did for her. You ever come near my child again I will kill you."
When the father turned back to his family to escort them out, Jori could hear him lecturing his child using words such as: homeless, killer, and monster. The last one felt like such a kick to the gut, that it had him retreating to the nearest empty corridor to recuperate from the blow. It killed him a little inside, it really did. That little asari child was going to grow up fearing and hating drell, with Jori as the poster child for her hatred.
"This is why I became a pathologist. So I wouldn't have to work with patients in person and deal with their bigotry," Jori grumbled to Deena one day during one of the few and far between breaks they happened to catch with each other.
They had been seeing less and less of each other since their shifts no longer coincided. He would wake in bed alone or arrive home just in time to see her off to her shift at the hospital. Sometimes he caught a whiff of her Earth originated fruit scented shampoo or spotted one of the flowers he wanted to present to her the day he was attacked. Those days were the hardest for him, where he found himself deeply saddened by the absence of her presence.
Amazingly, Deena was able to give him little moments of her love through her absence. When she knew she wasn't going to see him for a meal, Jori would come home to find something she put together or picked up waiting for him with a note of encouragement, love, or a simple salutation. Or when he came home to find her sleeping but gone when he woke up, she would have his clothes for the day layed out and the laundry running. His personal favorite was when she snuck up on him at work to steal a kiss or two before running off to her next patient.
One time she had found him and proceeded to give him one of her kiss attacks, as she termed them. A few kisses into their stolen moment she began to lead them to a closet.
"I need you Jori," she whispered in between kisses.
He mumbled some sort of agreement, lost in the moment with her. It wasn't until he felt a draft at his waist that he realized what her goal was. Smiling, he knew that was definitely going to be a memory he was to revisit often.
After days that felt like months of their time, Jori miraculously had more than one shift off at the same time as Deena. They both agreed to catch up on their sleep to start their time together then try to find one of the gardens Deena so loved to visit that hadn't been destroyed after a bite to eat.
On their third try, they found a garden that was mostly intact with a few benches for them to sit on. Jori knew what was coming next. The conversation she promised right after he had broken his vow on that terrible day. He flinched at the the memory of that not so glorious moment of his life and knew the kill wasn't sitting well with him. Of course if the situation arose again he wouldn't hesitate to repeat his actions and he could care less about the soldier he had killed. Deena was in trouble and he did what his instincts told him to do. It just didn't...something didn't feel right to him. But he couldn't dwell on what it was that bothered him now. He had a female to listen to.
Deena scolded him as he solemnly listened to her every word. It took some time, but he began to understand she that was going nowhere, no matter what happened to them.
She had spoken with fierce resolve, "They can ostracize me. Make it so I can never make another purchase or bar me from the elevator. They can even threaten me and mine, but I will never leave you. I love you, Jori. Nothing means more to me than that."
Her declaration meant everything to him. Then and there he decided never again to doubt her and her strength to withstand the prejudice they will undoubtedly encounter together.
Jori's mind continued to drift from memory to memory as sleep persistently evaded him. There were a few hours yet before he had to get up to get ready for his shift. He sighed heavily and clutched Deena closer to him.
"You awake?" Deena's sleepy voice asked.
Looking down, Jori found her eyes still closed. He asked, "Did I wake you?"
"Not really," she yawned. "Everything alright?"
He sighed, then answered, "Yes. Just can't sleep tonight."
"Wouldn't talking help?" she mumbled.
Smiling at her offer he replied the affirmative. When she didn't answer she shook her, "Deena?"
"Hhmmm? Oh yes," she yawned once more. "Why did you come to the citadel? Were you always a pathologist? Why go and live someplace where you would encounter such hostility?"
She surprised him with her questions. She hadn't asked many in regards to his past and he supposed he should start confiding in her, especially if he wanted a lasting future with her. But he couldn't tell her everything at once or he might scare her away. No, he corrected himself, she would be fine with whatever he told her. He on the other hand wasn't ready to bare all to someone yet. Even if he loved that someone.
"I made a promise," he started off. "A vow if you will, to renounce the life I was training for. When I repudiated my training I unintentionally brought shame upon my family." He paused to listen for her reply but none came. She was more than likely asleep again but something inside told him to continue and share this with her, even if she wouldn't remember.
"To spare them, I left Kahje with little possessions. I couldn't take on the life most off world drells take, so I came here. I sought out employment and while doing so, quickly realized the second class role I had amongst everyone else." He began to stroke her hair. "Luckily, a hanar took pity upon me and taught me the basics of medicine. I caught on quickly and he passed me on to a salarian doctor who worked in the labs. Within a couple years, I became an official pathologist for the hospital."
He trailed off. There was nothing else really to add to his answer without turning it into an autobiography. He would eventually tell her of the vow, his training, and what he went through the first few years living on the Citadel. But now was not the time.
"I left Earth to spare my family shame too," Deena suddenly replied.
"I thought you were asleep again."
"Nope," she said simply. He didn't see it but he could feel the smile she gave against his skin. "I went to school to be a doctor like any good girl. I got a job when I got my degree and I moved out of my parents' home. I did everything I was supposed to do." She hesitated before continuing. "Until I met Cameron."
Jori didn't wait for her to elaborate, "Who's Cameron?"
Instantly he felt the distance she put between them. Her mood shifted to something he never seen with her before and his concern for her went on full alert.
Sitting up, she drew in on herself. "I don't want to talk about it right now."
"Why? What happened?" he asked while sitting up.
Denna closed her eyes and turned away from him before pleading, "Please Jori. Not now. I can't...I don't think I can talk about it right now."
Something had happened to her. Something or someone had caused this much pain in a usually vibrant woman and he needed to know what it was. He itched to make it go away and see her smile once more without the past. But at the same time he knew instinctively that now wasn't the time. She wasn't ready. So he'd wait until she would be and he would be there for her.
"Alright," he softly said.
He reached over and ran his palm down the warm skin of her back. He smiled at her slight shiver and kissed her shoulder. Wanting to lighten her mood he told her, "Maybe we could find your family once everything is over."
Giving him a half smile she said, "It's a nice thought and I would love to do it... I miss them so much. But its not feasible right now. I haven't even heard anything from them."
Jori didn't miss the longing in her voice. It had been months since the attack on Earth and she still hadn't received any information on the whereabouts of any of her family members. Watching her sadden more each time she came up empty-handed after searching for answers, he knew he had to do something for her. What, he didn't know, but in the mean time...
Jori watched, happily distracted, as her naked body shifted positions while she stretched her arms out. Her breasts unintentionally reached for him when she arched her back to accommodate a more appealing stretch. He loved her breasts. He didn't know what it was about them that appealed to him so.
As he watched her, his body became aroused at the sight of her nakedness. So different than his own yet so familiar. He knew her body and what he could do to it as he knew what it could do to him. Suddenly he grabbed her around the waist to pull her onto his lap. Surprised, she shrieked then moaned when Jori leaned down to swiftly take one of her nipples in his mouth.
She lightly protested with a giggle, "Jori. What are you doing?"
He didn't answer at first. He was enjoying the feel of her wiggling in his arms every time he sucked and nipped at her hardened peak. The breathy little moans and the maddening brush of her sex against his every time her hips moved.
Pulling back he let go of her breast with a quiet pop and mumbled, "I thought it would be obvious."
She giggled once more and smiled down at him. "Again? So soon?", she asked in a playful voice.
He reached up and captured her face to hold her gaze.
"With you, always."
Jori couldn't bear it anymore. He kept seeing Deena's heartbroken face everytime she came back from the holding area in the docks. News of survivors from Earth poured in almost daily, and almost daily she went to find word about anyone she knew.
After watching her return with tears in her eyes for the third day in a row, Jori made a decision and began to research. Every moment he could spare with the extranet, he looked up what little information he could gather. Unfortunately, he couldn't get far without reaching a dead-end or classified information.
He mentally scanned for individuals he could contact to help him in his task, but couldn't think of anyone who would be both willing to help a drell and capable of obtaining what he needed. Thane would have been his first thought, but he was nowhere to be found and Jori didn't know where to begin to find him. He could ask a hanar for help but he doubted any of them would have access to the info he needed .
Reaching the end of his rope, Jori thought his endeavors were hopeless until a name popped up. It was a long shot and he had no need or business helping Jori out but it was worth the time to ask. Bringing up his omni-tool, he typed out a message with a short description of what he was looking for and sent it off.
"Cousin Jori."
Jori looked up from his omni-tool at the sound of his name. Kolyat, Irikah's son, stood in the doorway.
"Kolyat," he exclaimed in surprise. He approached the younger drell and exchanged with him the same embrace he shared with Thane the last he saw him. "How are you? Its been so long."
Kolyat gave a sad smile, "As well as can be expected."
"I didn't know you were on the Citadel. Have you seen your father? He was here too, but I haven't seen him in a few cycles."
"You haven't heard?" Kolyat asked. When all Jori did was look at him, Kolyat swallowed as if about to bring bad news. "My father, he...he passed away during the attack."
Jori's mood instantly changed to one of grief. When he had decided to forgive Thane for his transgressions, he had no idea it would be the last time he ever saw him.
"Kolyat, I'm...I'm sorry...I" he was at a complete loss of words. Unable to verbalize the mix of emotions fluxing through his soul. Sadness, anger, commiseration, and disappointment, all competing for dominance.
"It's alright," Kolyat said before Jori could collect his thoughts. "I knew of the animosity between the two of you."
"We settled that shortly before he died," Jori clarified.
"Oh? Well then perhaps you'd like to attend the memorial service I am holding for him."
Jori looked at him in confusion, "Memorial? Surely his body needs a proper send off to cross the sea appropriately?"
Kolyat bowed his head and weakly told Jori, "We actually couldn't find his body. He was badly injured while protecting the salarian councilor and was temporarily left behind as his female went after the one who injured him." Kolyat looked to hold back a retort then continued. "By the time she returned, the entire area was covered in flames. Thanks to the fire, security cameras cut off before we could see what happened. There was no way for him to escape with his injury," he finished while blinking rapidly.
Jori watched as his favorite cousin's son held back the unshed tears he held for the loss of his father. It was a shock to hear of the death of Thane, but Jori knew he had been ready for Kalahira's embrace. He was saddened at the loss, but wouldn't dwell on it, for he knew Thane was now at peace.
Kern had actually agreed to help. And he did so much more than just finding information. He actually set it all up: the location, the transport and exchanges. There was no way a direct approach could be made, but it was better than remaining on the Citadel. The only thing left to worry about was why Kern had done all this. It wasn't as if they were friends and he didn't think Deena and Kern had more than a passing acquaintance.
What was he thinking? It didn't matter. If Kern wanted to set it all up, then far be it from him to question it. He had more pressing things to do now with only ten days until departure. He had to pack and make arrangements with his work and apartment. He needed to contact Kolyat and inform him of the situation. He needed to…well there wasn't much else to do except...Deena, she needed to know.
He headed to the hospital in hopes of finding her quickly. This news couldn't wait until they were both off. Who knew when that would be anyway?
After checking with the first on-duty doctor who could pinpoint her whereabouts, Jori made a turn down the hall. The first room he glanced in he found her, as beautiful as ever. Her hair was up in the pony tail he saw her leave for her shift in; a few wisps of hair had escaped its confine.
"Deena."
She gasped and turned to him. Then she smiled at him the way she always did when ever she saw him. Right then and there he knew his decision was the right choice.
"Jori, what are you doing here? I thought you had off."
He approached her and took her hands in his. Her forehead scrunched in an adorable way as he looked at her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
He shook his head in the negative. Taking a breath he asked her, "Will you go to Earth with me?"
She stilled, her voice quietly hopeful, "Why?"
He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and caressed her soft skin with his thumb. "I know someone who has family there that she would dearly love to find."
"But what about you? You can't just up and leave everything you have here. You have responsibilities, and I can't just -"
He hushed her. "Everything I have is right here in front of me, and no matter where you go, I will follow you." He kissed her parted mouth. "We are going to Earth, and we are going to find your family, Deena. Is that alright with you?"
He watched her process what he was telling her and chuckled at her look of disbelief.
"Really?" she asked, hope filling her eyes. "You're sure?"
Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on hers and whispered, "I will do anything for you. I love you."
"Oh, Jori!"