11.
A/N: I'm so so sorry for delay everyone! I actually went on a little trip to America and forgot my laptop! I then brought the Hunger Games trilogy and got completely stuck in a week long Hunger Games book world haha! But here's two just for you guys!
Two more months flew by and before Isabelle realised it she'd been aboard the Subversion for a year and how much had changed for her in that year, the best stuff happened in the last two months though. Major Francis proved to be a much more efficient leader often sending out team after team in one day just to get an area cleared of hostiles before the days end, he also turned out to be a massive fan of Admiral Trufello often telling Isabelle about how it was her father that made him want to join the Alliance and thanks to that adoration of her father she managed to get assigned back into her old team with Julia, Stuart and Stark within the first week. So thanks to Major Francis the fighting was going excellent and thanks to that the morale on the ship was the best it ever had been, and as if that wasn't enough Shepard had also managed to make the Galaxy just that bit safer against the Reapers. Isabelle caught as much of the news as she could and from what she'd been told Shepard had managed to get an Alliance between not just the Turians and the Krogans (a fact Stark would not believe until he got a call from his sister who had just befriended a Krogan) but between the Geth and the Quarians too! Shepard even fought off a Cerberus attack against the Citadel, something which had worried Isabelle out of her wits until her Father phoned to inform her that he was okay she still worried about her mech dog though, Patches which was why she welcomed the shore leave to the Citadel with open arms as it meant a chance to make sure Patches was okay.
"You do realise he's a not an actual organic dog right? He's made of metal, if, on the off chance that Cerberus decided attacking your home of all homes on the Citadel was something they needed to do, if they did attack it Patches would be more then capable of defending himself…" Stuart tried to reason with the slightly panicking Isabelle as they hailed a cab headed for her old home.
"You haven't seen the way he falls down the stairs in the morning…" She glanced out the window of the cab as they approached the house. "Besides I wanted to pick up some other bits from my house anyway so this is a good excuse." She smiled reassuringly back at Stuart who couldn't help but smile back at her as they climbed out of the cab.
"Well it looks fine from here…" He said as they came to the front of the house seeing the building unaffected by the battle. They entered the home only for Isabelle to be thrown to the ground by a blur of white and metallic groaning.
"Belle!" Stuart yelled jumping to his girlfriend's aid.
"Ahahahaha…" Isabelle chuckled out gaining a confused look from Stuart. "It's fine Stu, it's just Patches!" She said sitting herself up so she was looking the FENRIS mech in the strange flat face that it had.
"You're no harm to anybody are you boy?" She spoke in a childlike voice scratching the underside of the metallic dogs face.
"You realise he probably can't even feel that right?" As if on cue the metallic mech then fell on to its butt in a seated position and lifted its back leg up to its face as though it was trying to itch away the tickling feeling that Isabelle was causing. She just looked up to Stuart with her eyebrows raised in a 'told-you-so' way and he couldn't help but allow a chuckle from his lips as he rolled his eyes at his beautiful girlfriend sat on the floor with a robotic dog.
"So what exactly are you planning to do with Patches? I mean I know Major Francis likes your Dad and all that but I doubt he'll let you get away with having a mech on board…" Stuart asked as he helped Isabelle to her feet and then followed her through the hallway and into a lounge like area.
"Oh I know… And I don't suppose I could smuggle him on…" She pouted as she motioned to one of the chairs for Stuart to sit, he did. "Would you like a drink? I think we have…" She left the room while speaking walking into the adjoined kitchen the mechanic groans of Patches following her everywhere. "Orange juice that…" She opened it up and sniffed it pulling a face. "Has most definitely gone off… Or Whiskey?" She laughed holding up a half empty bottle of whiskey Stuart laughed.
"Well we are meeting Julia and Stark in a few hours for drinks I suppose there's no reason not to start early!" He laughed Isabelle smiled pouring out a couple of glasses.
"So…?" Stuart questioned watching Isabelle as she sat down stroking her mech who stopped at her feet and sat down. "Unless you were being serious about smuggling him in... In which case I don't think I'll be around when you get back to the Sub."
Isabelle laughed at his words. "No, no I wasn't being serious… I think, I think I'm going to give him to next door…" She smiled looking down at the mech. "There's a young girl living there who has always loved him but her parents don't have much money and… I think they're in bad debts to some bad people so if I can give them just that extra bit of security… Why not right?" She was staring into the centre table for most of her sentence but her eyes darted over to Stuart at the end of it who for a few moments after she spoke just continued to stare into her sparkling green eyes that he adored so much before reaching over to her and kissing her gently on the lips.
"You… Are such a beautiful person Isabelle Trufello…" He breathed out once he pulled away Isabelle felt a childish grin pull at her lips and she allowed the infectious smile to cover her entire face.
"Thank you Stuart Wilson…" She whispered kissing him back.
After an hour or so of talking Isabelle realised she still needed to grab the few bits that she needed so the pair of them head up to her room for her to grab a few t-shirts her Normandy model, which gained her a smirk from Stuart.
"Shepard is my hero!" She whined.
"Oh I know, you've informed me of that enough times" He teased taking the ship out of her hands. "I just find it adorable that a woman in the early twenties had a toy ship." He mocked as he wiggled the ship through the air as though it was flying making the appropriate mouth noises.
"Shut up!" She whined playfully smacking him in the stomach and taking her model back off of him. As Isabelle rifled through her things a bit more even disappearing into her father's room to grab some bits she told Stuart to feel free to look around so he did, under the watchful eye of Patches he went back down stairs and entered a room he had not yet. It was on the left side of the house when you entered and was clearly a dining area that also backed on to the kitchen he flicked the switch on the wall, as in the hour the pair had been there it had become dark outside, to find the walls surrounding the large dining table in the centre of the room were covered in photographs. Stuart walked up to the wall opposite him searching each and every photo collage looking at the faces of Isabelle's family. He noticed there was also a desk in the room which had a collection of framed photos sitting on top of it, Stuart was shocked at the sheer amount of photos. He picked up one of the framed ones to see a beautiful black and white photo of Isabelle at what could have only been 10 with her mother, they were in the most beautiful dresses and Isabelle's mother, who was truly the spitting image of an older Isabelle, was holding the young Izzy up so that she could see over the high balcony and look at the view behind it. Her mother was looking at the camera whereas Isabelle had her back to it but her mother had the most beautiful, loving smile on her face that made even Stuart's heartstring's tug.
"My mother was a photographer…" Isabelle had appeared in the doorway watching Stuarts face as he stared at the photo of her and her mother, she placed the small box of things on the table as her eyes moved to look at the wall "That's why we have the wall of photos… The fire-fighters got there in time to put the fires out before they spread to the basement, my mother's dark room; a few got damaged by smoke but nothing serious. My Dad had these things boxed up for ages after, cursing them every day saying 'I'd give up every single one of these photos to bring your mother and sister back'" Isabelle said in a mock voice of her father as she slowly walked around to Stuarts side of the table looking at the ones on the wall before looking at him with a smile then at the photo he was holding.
"That's Dad's favourite one of me and Mum… We were at my Mum's sisters… Third wedding, I think… It was held in Ireland, some of the views there were just… breath taking…" She smiled at the photo as she took it from Stuart's hands.
"Your mother was beautiful Isabelle… You look just like her." He smiled his hand slipping around Isabelle's shoulders as he gently pulled her petite body into his chest and softly kissed her head. Isabelle just smiled into his chest as her eyes moved to another photograph one of her mother and her with little baby Abigail in Isabelle's arms. She placed the other photo down and picked that one up with a frown.
"I didn't even realise Dad had this one…" She smiled as she rubbed her thumb down the frame. "I remember this, it was the day Mum brought Abby home… I was so happy to have a little sister, Mum took this herself…" Isabelle laughed as she stared at the smiling face of her mother. "I remember sitting in the lounge and having to squeeze right up so that we would all fit in the shot." She laughed a little more. "We must have taken this photo a hundred times…" She looked at the neck of her mother to see the beautiful blue-green pendant hanging around her neck "Oh god that necklace, I loved that thing… Mum wore it all the time, she said it reminded her of me and Abby, I had green eyes and Abby had that rare mutation were one eye is a different colour to the other, you know? One of her eyes was green and the other was blue, blue-green… I remember asking to borrow that necklace once and losing it only for Dad to find it in my room days later… Mum was so angry." She smiled glancing up to Stuart with sad eyes he smiled but said no words instead he just pulled her into a tight cuddle.
"Come on, let's go before I start crying and we have to explain to Julia why my eyes are bloodshot!" Isabelle laughed placing the photo in the box with the rest of her things. She then gave the box to Stuart as she lifted Patches into the air, with a very big struggle at the sheer size of it, then rushed out the door walking a few feet down to the neighbours front door placing Patches on the floor in front of it and knocking.
"Isabelle, it's always such a pleasure to see you!" The gentle voice of the middle-aged woman that was Mrs Thankini came out of the door as soon as it was opened. "Oh and you brought along Patches, Chiti! Isabelle and Patches are here!" She called through the house and within seconds her young little Indian daughter came bundling into view.
"Izzy!" She squealed pulling Isabelle into a cuddle.
"Good evening Chi! And hello Mrs. Thankini…" She smiled at the pair as Chiti quickly pulled away from their hug and practically dragged Patches through the threshold.
"Please child, you know to call me Farhanna, would you like to come in?" She asked gesturing for Isabelle to enter.
"I would, but first I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend Stuart Wilson, Stu this in Mrs… Farhanna…" She continued when she got a stern glance from her Inidan neighbour.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Stuart Wilson." She smiled.
"You too Farhanna." He said shaking her outstretched hand.
"So how have you been young Isabelle? We have been told that you joined the army now?" Farhanna asked as they entered the living area.
"Ah, yes, my Dad, the blabbermouth… Yes, it's actually because of that fact that I'm here to see you today… I have a proposition for you and I believe your husband would also like to hear this?" She questioned hoping he was in as she knew Farhanna would not agree to anything without her husband's approval.
"Oh of course Isabelle, he will be thrilled to see you anyway!" She smiled as she stood up and went to leave the room. "I'll just go fetch him." Moments after the swinging door into the lounge area swung shut it had burst open once more causing Stuart and Isabelle to jump to their feet.
"Ahhh! If it isn't our very own Madirakshi!" Mr Thankini declared in his very thick Indian accent as he entered the room. "It is forever a pleasure to see you again Isabelle… And who is this? The unbelievably lucky man who managed to tie down our beautiful neighbour!" He laughed roughly gripping Stuarts hand and shaking it. "You are one very lucky man my friend!" He smiled Stuart laughed.
"Oh trust me I know… My name is Stuart" He said with a smile in Isabelle's direction.
"Mr Thankini, it's always so lovely to see you!" She smiled as he pulled her into a hug.
"Of course, of course, now our Madirakshi, I'm sorry to rush you but I have things to be doing I'm afraid and my beautiful wife tells me you have some kind of offer for us?" He questioned Isabelle nodding.
"Well Mr and Mrs Thankini, I would like to offer you Patches…" She said with a smile but Farhanna just frowned.
"Patches, but Isabelle you adore your dog?" She questioned.
"I do, and I hope I can still come to see him however because of my new job I no longer live at home and you know my fathers never there anyway…" She explained.
"Well Isabelle I'm not sure we can afford a dog…" Mr Thankini said.
"He doesn't cost a penny, I have all the oil you'll ever need to keep his hydraulics from playing up and I figured as Chi loves him so much… Plus he is extremely good protection." Isabelle explained the pair looked between each other.
"We could do with the extra protection…" Farhanna said.
"Please say yes!" An excited squeal came from the doorway and all eyes turned to look at it to find little Chi stood peeking in Mr Thankini sighed.
"Well how am I supposed to say no now the idea is in her head?" He laughed causing Chi to scream in excitement and run into the room hugging her father.
"Thank you so much Izzy!" She said cuddling Isabelle who smiled and shook her head.
"I'm sure he'll be much happier here then lonely in my house." She smiled standing and moving over to where Patches now was.
"Now you be good for the Thankini's you hear? Try not to fall down their stairs so much… And you keep them safe, okay?" She smiled a slightly sad smile at the flat face of the mech as she tickled under his chin. "He loves it when you do this…" She sighed. "Come on! I better go before I change my mind!" She laughed out as she gave her last round of cuddles and shut the door behind her. As she walked down the road a little with Stuart the street lights on the Citadel just staring to flicker into action he suddenly stopped under one of them grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her into a deep kiss his hands gently brushing through her beautiful long locks and coming to rest on the sides of her face as he pulled away.
"You are an amazing woman Isabelle… You might have just potentially saved those people's lives…" He smiled she blushed a deep red.
"Well, you know… All in a days work…" She laughed he just shook his head and dropped his hands down one of them slipping into one of hers as they continued along the path.
"Your modesty is amazing…" He laughed sarcastically. "What was that word that Mr Thankini kept calling you? Their Mad-deer-akshi?" Isabelle laughed at his interpretation.
"Madirakshi?" She asked he nodded. "In India it's a name for a girl, it means 'woman with intoxicating eyes'… See you're not the only one who likes my eyes." She teased he just laughed.
"They are… Intoxicating…" He said with a happy sigh as he looked off into the sky of the Citadel she just stared at him for a few moments before smiling.
"Thank you…" She grinned.
Later that night they found Julia and Stark at the bar in purgatory already halfway past drunk Julia practically tackled Isabelle as she entered the bar, they were sat with a large group of heavily intoxicated members of the Subversion.
"Isabelle!" Julia screamed as her and Stuart entered the room. "Where have you been like… All night?" She said Isabelle laughed.
"Jules you do realise it's only like… 9pm right?" She asked but Julia didn't seem to even register her talking.
"Oh, you've been with him… To be fair I don't blame you if I was with a pretty boy like Wilson I'd never leave the bedroom if you know what I mean… You know what I mean?" She said Stuart's face practically glowed red in the dark bar as Isabelle almost fell to the floor laughing.
"You know he can hear you right Jules?" She managed to get out past the laughing.
"Oh yeah… He knows what I mean!" She said winking at him which only made Isabelle laugh harder.
"Look Starks going to the bar… I'm going to go join him do you want a drink Belle?" Stuart asked already walking away Isabelle just nodded at him assuming he probably was just going to guess what she wanted to drink. Isabelle slipped her arm into Julia's more to keep her stable enough to reach the table full of the rest of the crew then out of friendship.
"So what have you and Stark been up to all day?" Isabelle asked her friend as they reached the table and sat down, she waved a hello to a few of the members of the table that she knew including the Turian that she had gone through most of her training with.
"We were shooting stuff…" Julia managed to mumble out Isabelle laughed as she looked at the unfocused Asari.
"I hope you mean in a range or something 'cause I don't think C-Sec would take too kindly to you and Stark just running around the Citadel shooting things." Isabelle laughed.
"Fuck C-Sec!" Julia suddenly shouted out gaining a few glances from most of the surrounding customers and Isabelle realised that it was a poor choice of words on her part. "They couldn't even fucking keep this place from being overrun by Cerberus! Ha! Fucking pathetic!" She chuckled out louder then needed and gained a few glares this time Isabelle smiled over to the people apologetically.
"Alright so where were you and Stark shooting then anyway?" She tried to change the subject.
"There was, we went to one of your human arcade things that they have down on Zakera ward, it, it was so fun there was these plastic water guns and you shot into a volus' face and it eventually exploded!" Julia screamed out her hands bursting out like a balloon.
"Okay… That sounds a little violent…" Isabelle mumbled before looking back at her friend. "But you had fun?"
"Oh yeah! I won, I won… Erm… This!" She suddenly pulled out a stuffed Hanar. "It, it's not real…" She said poking into the cushiony soft fabric of the pink stuffed toy. "It's just a toy…." She mumbled.
"Oh, yeah I was wondering that." Isabelle replied sarcastically staring wide eyed wondering how she was so drunk and where the hell the boys were with their drinks. "So did Stark win anything?" She asked to keep the conversation.
"STARK!" Julia suddenly screamed out making Isabelle jump out of her chair ready to fight, Julia found Isabelle's movements hysterically funny. "Wh-Where is Stark?!" She asked Isabelle blushed a deep red as she sunk back into her chair hiding her face from the giggling strangers.
"He's getting some drinks, though I sincerely hope he's getting you a tap water…" Isabelle mumbled behind her hand.
"WHAT?!" Julia yelled but didn't wait for a reply. "OH! There they are!" She said pointing at the approaching pair.
"What on earth took you so long?" Isabelle asked Stuart as soon as he sat down beside her.
"Sorry, Stark wouldn't shut up about…" He glanced up to Julia. "You know…" He whispered nodding towards her.
"Well you got the lucky end of this deal; if she hasn't been loudly cursing about C-Sec then she's been screaming every word and scaring the shit out of me!" Isabelle hissed as she reached for her glass taking a sip of the red liquid to find it surprisingly tasty.
After a few more drinks Isabelle was still finding it hard to tolerate Julia who was also still drinking despite the fact that Isabelle had got her four different bottles of water all of which had gone untouched. Luckily for Isabelle, Julia had managed to latch herself on to one of the Quarian girls from the Sub and together they were dancing like maniacs on the dance floor which gave Isabelle some quiet time with Stuart and Stark.
"How long have you two been here anyway?" She asked Stark as she watched in awe as Julia managed to clear out a circle in the centre of the dance floor then proceed to throw out some dance moves that were almost too alike to the dancers on the podiums.
"Ur, I 'unno…" He shrugged then made a loud squeaking noise which Isabelle could only assume was the Turian version of a hiccup. "'Bout three hours… Maybe?" He questioned trying to look at Isabelle but having to close one eye to focus.
"Wow… You, you two should really get some rest…" Isabelle said staring at the Turians open eye he nodded.
"Maybe…" He repeated before looking at Stuart. "Look it's Wilson!" He suddenly blurted out.
"I've been sat here next to you for like an hour Stark." Stuart said with a furrowed brow which didn't relax when Stark suddenly burst into laughter at his words.
"Oh Wilson… You're so funny!" He practically yelled, Stuart just stared at him open mouthed then looked back to Isabelle who just shook her head and shrugged. "LOOK! IT'S JULIA!" Stark suddenly yelled out, Isabelle followed to where his outstretched talon was pointing and saw Julia heading back to their table.
"Oh thank god, maybe we can get these two to leave now?" Isabelle whispered to Stuart who just chortled out a laugh.
"Ha, yeah, good luck with that one!" He said only to look at Isabelle's face and realise she really did mean we.
"Julia I'm glad you're back…" Isabelle suddenly stretched her arms out as she quite obviously faked a yawn. "Ah… I'm getting pretty tired, aren't you? We better go back to the room-" She continued trying to convince Julia but the Asari didn't even seem to hear her as she rushed back to her seat and sat down.
"Anyway… Another thing about C-Sec…" Julia randomly started Isabelle frowned in confusion unsure if she was just carrying on with their earlier conversation or continuing a conversation she was having with someone completely different and hadn't realised she wasn't talking to them anymore.
"…I mean their security protocols must be pretty shit if Cerberus managed to hack them right?" She was speaking far too loudly again and gaining a lot of attention as she laughed and mocked C-Sec. "I mean its Cerberus we fight those bastards every day and win all the damn time!" She cackled out as more people started looking over, a few Turians who were looking over even twitched a little.
"Julia I think maybe you need to tone it down a little…" Stuart whispered.
"Yeah come on Jules let's get you back to the room before anything happens…" Isabelle chimed in.
"You know what I think?" Julia continued even louder as though she hadn't even heard the others. "I-I think that C-Sec just laid down and took it, they realised they were shit compared to Cerberus so they just, they just lay their arms down and took it like the little bitches they are!" She growled out her last insult as suddenly the three Turians and even a few humans they were with suddenly jumped out of their seats and turned on the foursome.
"I don't like your tone Asari!" The closest Turian growled out as they got close.
"Her tone? Oh don't worry, she's drunk, has no idea what she's saying…" Isabelle tried but Julia stood out of her seat.
"My- MY tone?! What about it? You one of the C-Sec bitches yourself?" She growled this made Isabelle also jump to her feet which in turn brought Stuart and, a dishevelled but ready to fight, Stark up too.
"C-Sec did their goddamn best to make sure this place didn't fall to those dogs! Just because you lotta some of those 'N7 Special forces' that everyone's been going on about don't mean I aint afraid to show you what's what around here!" The Turian hissed out as he and his gang stepped forwards.
"Look, sir," Isabelle stepped forwards coming face to face with the Turian "I'm sorry for what my friend is saying but please believe me she is just far too drunk and has no idea what she's saying, in fact she's former C-Sec, she would probably agree with you in more…" Isabelle looked back to her Asari friend as she struggled to stand up. "Sober circumstances…" She looked back to the Turian with an apologetic smile but he didn't buy it, instead he made a noise not unlike a scoff.
"You're just saying all that to keep your Asari pal outta trouble, I heard you trying to quiet her down earlier…" He growled. "She should get taught a lesson!"
"Okay, maybe I am just saying that, but look at her… Would beating her up really feel like you were teaching her a lesson? Or would it just feel like a bunch of guys beating on a helpless drunk Asari?" Isabelle tried to reason with him and once she saw his brow plates relax and she realised that he agreed she smiled.
"Come on, there would be no point, she's being an idiot but beating on her now would just look unfair on your part, we're leaving now, we won't be a bother any more we promise." Isabelle smiled the Turian thought for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, just make sure you get her to keep a lid on it next time…" He growled Isabelle nodded.
"Of course, I will…" She said as her and Stuart escorted Stark and Julia out of the bar.
"Wait, what… What's happening? Did we win?" Julia asked as she hung off Isabelle's arm.
"Yeah we won…" Isabelle sighed out holding all the Asari's weight before glancing back to see Stuart was patting Stark on the back as he vomited over the side of the railings. Looking at the sight of the four of them Isabelle couldn't help but laugh which only made Stuart break out into laughter too as they finally dragged themselves into a cab and back to the hotel they were staying in.