A/N: Hey guys. Newsflash: Kaidan's dad is Canadian, and his mom is Singaporean! LOLOLOL! To be honest, I feel really epic now! :D Okay, maybe I'm just over-reacting. But that doesn't make it any less awesome. I always thought Kaidan was a cool guy. And Raphael Sbarge did an awesome job portraying him. Enough rambling, let's go. Ps: He's supposed to be a sentinel, but I made him an Adept.

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-apartment 206-

Kaidan

Kaidan's mind was, well, a wreck. It was still struggling to process what had happened. All he knew was that his usually-calm friend had attacked someone on sight, and then got tasered. By Donnell Udina no less. Everything was still a blur, but he was determined to find out why.

His gaze rested on Ashley, who was seated beside a still-unconscious Colburn. She had been at that position ever since they got him back home. God, how long is she going to sit there? Kaidan cleared his throat. "Go get some food. I'll take care of him.".

"I'm fine.". Her reply was curt and swift.

"No, you're not. If you're not hungry, then go get some sleep."

"I told you, I'm fine!". Her voice was loud, and irritation clearly evident.

"No, you're not!". His volume was equally high.

Black eyes met her brown ones, gaze intense. Heavy breathing ensued. They broke away. Kaidan composed himself. Deep breath, Alenko. Deep breath. "Ash,", his voice now soft, yet firm. "Go get some rest. I've got it. It's okay.". He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"It's fine, Ash. Go to bed."

"Yeah... Okay.". Ashley left the room without another word.

Kaidan sat down, and looked at his friend. He noticed how foreign the younger man looked when he was resting. Peaceful. Tranquil even. It was a stark contrast to the usual bright grin, or the scowl that appeared on his features every so often. Even the cruel sneer that he reserved solely for cowards and politicians was more familiar.

Come on, Cole. Wake up. I need answers.

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Colburn

Colburn shot straight up at the first hint of sunlight. His eyes opened, and then shut again almost immediately. The eye-piercing sunlight felt strangely familiar. Gah! Please don't tell me I'm back at Huerta! He opened them again, this time taking caution. He looked around.

Brown sheets... Navy blue curtains... No monitors this time... That picture he took with Sam and Lea... Home. Colburn scanned his surroundings. No one else was around. He made a ninety degree turn and planted his feet firmly on the ground, trying to find maximum purchase. He tried standing, but immediately fell back on his bed again. A somewhat familiar numbness overtook him. Jesus. Something seemed to be buzzing at the back of his ears.

Something -no, wait. Someone - in blue rushed over. "Woah, woah. Careful.". It was female. Ashley. She helped him to the nearby couch. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, if that's what you're asking. I don't think I remember drinking to the point of no return. Did I?"

"Tasered, would be more appropriate.". Colburn's head turned at the sound of that husky voice. Kaidan.

"What are you talking about?". For a second, he was genuinely confused. Then the memories came back. A charge, a punch. That neural shock, as if his nerves were set on fire. That familiar face... Him. "Oh.".

"Oh, huh? Care to explain?". The Adept's tone was accusatory. Colburn had a hunch he didn't even bother to hide his unhappiness.

"It's a long story.". Colburn hoped the conversation would stop right there. He wasn't ready to divulge his past, not in the least.

"Well, we've got plenty of time. Shepard's heading to Tuchanka to cure the Genophage before coming to get us. So spit it out.". No such luck.

"You don't trust us?". Ashley's voice was soft, but audible.

"I do. I just...". He stopped mid-sentence. No more running, Cole.

He took deep breaths. Pace yourself.

"That monster... He murdered twenty people, twenty innocent people, to save his own skin.". He shuddered as the horrifying image made its way back to his mind.

"What?". The sudden confession had elicited a feeling of doubt from Ashley. Thankfully, Kaidan was more composed, though Colburn knew he wasn't much calmer than she was.

"Explain."

"The man's name is Gregory Hutcherson. Rear Admiral, Alliance... And he was my father."

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Ashley

What the hell?

Scratch that. What the fuck?

Ashley had known all along that Colburn was a reserved man. As popular as he was, no one truly knew him in and out. Traynor was the only exception, although Ashley had a feeling the Briton wasn't much better off than the rest of them. The man was observant, to say the least. He knew the favourite food, background, family members, birthday, almost anything and everyone aboard the Normandy at least. But few knew anything about him. They didn't know his birthday, his favourite colour... Nil. But Ashley didn't think anyone had noticed that. People just tended to subconsciously think that the galaxy revolved around them. She knew better.

Just when she got a little closer, when she was beginning to unravel the mystery that was called Miles Colburn, this got dropped on her? But she was determined to get to the bottom of things. Besides, this would probably be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to understand him inside out.

"What do you mean, was? Did he disown you?". Ashley wasn't able to wrap her head around the notion of getting disowned. She had an exceptionally close relationship with her father. And it tore her apart when he passed on. It still did.

"I cut all ties with him. Then I changed my name. Went to be a merc for a little while, then I enlisted.". Okay, disowning his father? That felt even more wrong. She decided to just remain silent and let Kaidan ask the questions.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?".

"Alright."

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"My father, he was a good person. He used to be, that is. He always had a knack for politics. They said I got my genes from him.". Colburn let out a small laugh. She could tell it was used to hide his disappointment. "Everyone called him a good man... But sadly, they still do.". He paused again, as if he was unsure of what to say. Kaidan seemed to notice his discomfort.

"Go on. Tell us what happened."

"That was twelve years ago, when I was sixteen. A family friend... Uncle Ross, I called him. One day, I found him rummaging around in my father's office. I tried to sneak away, but he saw me. He told me he was on a secret mission for the Alliance Council, told me to keep mum. I didn't quite believe him. I threatened to divulge everything to my father if he couldn't prove that his story was legit. He had no choice. He brought me to one of his meetings with the Council. They told me that my father was being secretly investigated corruption. I told them it was impossible. He was the most honest man in the galaxy, I said. They assured me that they would make sure justice was served. If he was innocent, he would be acquitted of all charges.". He stopped again. Ashley wondered if it was too much for him to handle.

"And then?". Kaidan nudged him on.

"That day, after I went back home, my father dragged me to his room. Somehow, he knew of the meeting, and that I attended it. Immediately, he confessed. He told me he took forty million credits from the Alliance Funds, but that was because he was desperate. A friend had coerced him to dabble in stocks. He lost twenty million in all."

"What about the other twenty million?"

"He said he used them to seal up the mouths of those that knew. He pleaded with me to not say anything to the Council. He actually cried in front of me. He said he just didn't want to lose everything he had. It was hard not to give in.". Ashley understood his feelings. It would be heart-breaking to see her own dad fall into tears before her. Every child's father was his hero.

"I actually forgave him. I was willing to cover for him. I was wrong. A couple of weeks later, I came home, to actually find him at his study. He always came back later than I did. That night, I read in the papers that Uncle Ross' family of five, their butler, and even their dog were killed. The killer wasn't found. The following week, two more Alliance officials and their families were killed, in the same way. I recognised them. They were part of the investigation team. That particular afternoon, I found him washing his shirt. It had a red stain on it. I asked him why was he washing. He didn't answer me. He just shoved me out of the room. After that, I saw him burn that particular shirt, when he thought no one was looking in the middle of the night.".

"What did you do?". Ashley felt herself dreading what Colburn was about to say.

"Shortly, a Spectre contacted me. He asked if I still wanted to defend my father. He showed me footage of him, shooting them in cold blood. Exactly a bullet each, no more, no less. The blood of a girl sprayed onto his sleeve. It was disgusting. My father just disappeared. Some abomination took his place. The Spectre told me that that monster had actually placed a contract on my head. Two birds with one stone, the Spectre explained. There would be no one left to expose his secret, and that his son's death would remove all suspicion off him. It was just sickening to hear. Afterwards, I just ran away without a word. The Spectre took me in under his wing. He trained me to become an assassin, not to make me one, but to teach me how to defend myself against them.".

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"Yeah. He even introduced me to Zaeed Massani. I became his pupil, and lived a few years as a merc under him."

"I thought you despised mercs."

"Most of them. Zaeed's an exception. He's got character. I felt like Robin Hood from the vids. We'd take orders who were low-life scum, and went for the occasional bounty-hunting. We shared the money with the poor ones on Omega. Those were the good days.". A smile crept up Colburn's face. It was heartening to see him happy. Focus, Williams! But the smile left as fast as it came. "I went to enlist, after three years with Zaeed. I got posted in the Army, even though I applied for the Navy."

"Hold on a sec. If he's a Rear Admiral, that means he's in the army too. Wouldn't you be under his jurisdiction? He would've killed you then."

"I changed my last name. Besides, with so many recruits, it would've been hard for him to find me. And the last thing he would've expected was me to enlist, right under his nose."

"The most dangerous place is the safest?"

"That's right.". Ashley was impressed.

"Where did Colburn come from?"

"It was the closest human name to the Spectre's last name."

"Oh." Ash was slightly surprised to find out the simple, practical reason for his name.

"I got posted to N7 afterwards. During that time, I learnt that he found out about my true identity. Not too long after, I received an offer to become a Spectre. The first human Spectre. Zaeed told me something smelled wrong, so I declined."

"And so, Shepard got the title."

"Yep."

Okay, now Ashley was confused. "Wait a minute. Being a Spectre would mean that the Citadel Council would have to agree. Humanity didn't have a spot yet. How the hell would he manage that?"

"I have no idea. But he definitely had something to do with it. I'm sure of it."

Kaidan chimed in. "Where was Chakwas and Hackett in all of this? They should've been around, right?"

"Sadly, they were good friends with him, and still are. At that time, the Alliance was divided into two, almost like the Iron Curtain during the 20th century. Half trusted him to be innocent. The other was convinced he was guilty. Both of them had believed my father to be innocent, till now."

"How did you manage to get under Hackett's care personally?"

"Somehow, that guy convinced the Admiral that we had a family squabble, so he took me under his charge. It became a stalemate. He was able to keep constant tabs on me, but couldn't do anything since I was under Hackett. It was the closest thing I could get to being a marine. But the Reaper invasion changed everything.". The silence that followed seemed to say, for better or worse I don't know yet.

"I think we all need time to process.". Obviously, Kaidan couldn't stand the silence more than either of them.

"Yes you do. I'll take care of myself. Go back.". Colburn, still looking out for them after the revelation. Ashley could only imagine how difficult it was for him. Kaidan left almost hurriedly. She still lingered around. "Aren't you going?".

She couldn't control herself any longer. "How long were you planning on keeping this from us if nothing of this happened yesterday?". He didn't answer, but looked away instead. She forced him to look at her in the eye. "Answer me."

"I don't answer hypothetical questions."

"Not good enough.". She pressed on, hoping he would budge. He stayed silent. She just remained still. She would only leave once she had a satisfactory reply.

After what seemed like a few centuries, he finally spoke up, his voice almost inaudible. "Forever."

"Why?"

"That's enough. It's pass my breaking point. Leave."

Ashley could sense that he was keeping himself from lashing out at her. No one had spoken to him like that before. If it were others, he probably would've gutted them even before they finished their question. She left, silent. As she walked back to her apartment, her thoughts went wild. She just didn't understand why he was so reluctant to share. Given her current relationship -scratch that. Close friendship- with him, she expected him to open up more. Then again, she should've seen it coming. If he wouldn't tell Traynor everything, why would he confide to you? She was going to have to try harder, she thought.

Ashley entered the bedroom. She was mildly surprised to see her terminal blinking. Green, she thought. Incoming messages. Wonder who that'll be. The first one was from Lynn. The second and third were just advertisements on 'Inter-galactic dating sites'. She scrolled to the bottom. There was one from an unfamiliar sender.

The user I-D read: Greg Hutcherson.

A/N: That's all, folks! This was really, really long.