Chapter 25: Home Front
"Are we clear?" Shepard asked calmly as he hacked into a terminal and initiated the download of several important files.
"Skipper, when have we ever left stragglers?" Ashley asked while grinning at her husband.
"I'm pretty sure we dealt with everyone on our way in, Loco." Vega added placidly.
The rather prolific trail of dead enemy combatants that littered the secret research complex that the trio was currently occupying seemed to confirm Vega's statement. John Shepard was at that moment completing an assignment that he'd volunteered to handle for the Alliance. He'd been accompanied by his wife and their old friend, James Vega. Shepard had agreed to return to the field for several reasons, but his biggest happened to involve his eldest children and the trouble that they'd recently encountered. Ethan in particular, had recently faced far more danger than Shepard would have liked and he didn't like the possible implications of what the young man and his mercenary friend had uncovered. Someone powerful was plotting in the shadows and he'd be damned if they'd bring any harm to his family.
"Alright, the download is complete. Let's contact Joker and EDI and get going." Shepard ordered.
"Sounds good to me, I just hope whatever's in those files helps keep the chicos safe." Vega replied casually.
"They'll be a lot safer with more of these bastards dead." Ashley added before giving one of the dead soldiers lining the floor a look of pure contempt.
"You're right about that, Ash. And we'll see to it that this filth has plenty of company before long." Shepard agreed before giving the dead men his own look of loathing. To the galaxy at large, John Shepard was a hero without equal and a bonafide legend. He was also known for his compassion, diplomacy and having a level head. All of these virtues of course went out the window if his family was being threatened. It was a lesson that someone, somewhere was going to have to learn the hard way.
A few hours later aboard the Normandy, Shepard found himself lying on the bed inside of his all too familiar personal cabin. It was exactly the same as it had been when he'd last used the Normandy to travel to Grissom Academy almost a decade earlier. The ship was no longer an active vessel and spent most of its time docked on Earth while engineers studied its systems in their attempts to mass produce similar vessels of war without the same monetary expenditure. Several attempts had been made over the years to memorialize the Normandy or decommission her entirely, but Shepard had always stepped in to prevent such actions. The Normandy deserved better, EDI deserved better and as long as he was still breathing they'd both remain active even if he was the only one utilizing the ship. The younger captains may have quietly scoffed at the old frigate whenever they were out of earshot of Shepard, but he knew better than anyone how viable the old girl still was. It was that knowledge that motivated him into doing everything in his power to insure that the Normandy received the proper maintenance and upgrades that she deserved. The ship may have gotten older by a couple of decades, but no one would ever be able to complain that she was outdated.
"So, have you decided how we're going to explain things to the kids yet?" Ashley asked curiously while laying beside him as her head rested on his shoulder.
"Allie and Ethan probably already know. As for the others, well, we'll just have to be honest with them." Shepard sighed. He'd never in his life lied to his children, but recently he'd come dangerously close to doing just that when he allowed them to make the false assumption that the work that he and his wife were currently doing for the Alliance involved their usual training of recruits and diplomatic meetings.
"Will and Hannah will be the troublemakers, mark my words. They hate it whenever we're even close to a situation involving combat." Ashley remarked wearily.
"I know, Ash. But this is getting way too big for Ethan and Allie to handle alone, even if they have Mal backing them up. They're all way too young to be facing a conspiracy this expansive on their own." he replied with a note of concern in his voice.
Ashley immediately smiled at her husband's mention of their daughter's boyfriend. It had taken over two years and dozens of family gatherings, but he'd finally begun to warm up to the young mercenary. Mal's actions against the pirates who'd threatened their daughter's safety had also gone a long way towards earning her husband's acceptance. "I hear that Mal has vowed to wipe out everyone involved for endangering Allie and Ethan. That boy has guts, I'll give him that. Zaeed trained him well." Ashley remarked fondly.
"He's reliable, I'll admit it. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about everything else." Shepard replied stubbornly.
"Well at least you're civil whenever he visits, that's a start anyway." she added in an exhausted tone.
"I don't have much of a choice, the kids all love him and so does everyone else." Shepard stated plainly.
"Poor, Skipper." Ashley laughed.
"That's right, poor me. How about you cheer me up?" Shepard replied playfully.
"Over two decades and five kids later and I still manage to turn you on, huh?" she replied before kissing his neck.
"Damn right, Commander." Shepard added before grabbing his wife and caressing her face. "What else would you expect when I have the hottest wife in the galaxy?" he teased.
"Just shut up and get ready for a work out." she eagerly responded.
Shepard was happy to discover that the cabin still held another familiar type of magic that hadn't faded over the years.
"David, as your brother, I just want you to know that what I'm about to say comes completely out of love. You're pathetic. Absolutely pathetic." Will said in exasperation as his brother stared across the fountain where they were currently sitting with their friends. He was completely fixated on an extremely pretty classmate on whom he had a very serious crush.
"David, just ask her out already." their friend Eli added.
"Yeah, you should definitely make your move before that pretty boy Logan swoops in. Everyone knows that he's after Mia, of course every guy in school is desperate to get a date with her, so you've got a lot of competition." Eli's younger brother, Bryce commented sympathetically.
"Just leave him alone! David doesn't have to do anything if he isn't ready." their friend, Sophie angrily interjected.
"Sophie's right, don't let them bully you David." Hannah added while softly patting her older brother on the back. He was the youngest of the Shepard boys and also the most reserved when it came to interacting with girls. David was shy, pure and simple, but William was determined to break him of his timidity.
"It's not that simple, I'm not like you and Ethan. I just can't walk over there and-"
"Say hi?" Will cut in irritably. "If you're not going to ask her out then at least introduce yourself. Honestly, this routine is torture for the rest of us too. If you can't work up the nerve for your own benefit, then at least do it for us. We're the ones who have to sit through this every day." he added without bothering to hide his annoyance with his younger brother's bashful attitude.
The youths were all gathered at their normal after school hangout spot in one of London's many squares that held a somewhat elegant fountain. It was one of the numerous additions that had been added during the reconstruction period following the war with the reapers.
"Will, shut up." Hannah demanded. David was the sweetest of her brothers and she had no intention of standing by while William attempted to corrupt him.
"You know, this is all your fault. Yours and Allie's. You both babied him too much and now look at the result." Will said accusingly.
"So he should be like you and Ethan?" She angrily countered. "David is fine the way he is and Mal happens to agree with me." she added as though that concluded the discussion.
"Would you two mind not talking about me as though I'm not here?" David finally cut in. It was one thing to have his brother, who was only one year older, push him around but having his fourteen year old younger sister treating him like a baby bird was a little too much to bear.
"Sorry, David." Hannah apologized. "I just don't want to see you be influenced by this idiot." she added gently.
"Thanks Hannah, but he's at least half right. I can at least introduce myself and see where it goes." David said resolutely before standing. But after taking two steps towards the girl of his dreams, he was quickly crushed when she suddenly walked off with another classmate, the infamous Logan Grant.
"Tough break, David." Bryce said bracingly.
"David are you alright?" Sophie asked soothingly.
"I'm fine, better than fine actually. It's my own fault after all and Will warned me this would happen, so I don't have a right to complain." David quickly replied before laughing but his attitude wasn't fooling anyone.
"Come on champ, let's get you a plate of fish and chips from Sterling's and start plotting how to make that jackass look bad in front of Mia." Will said after throwing an arm over his brother's shoulder.
Afterwards, they all stood and began making their way towards their favorite take away restaurant. After ordering their food and grabbing a couple of tables, they all began attempting to cheer David up. "I wouldn't obsess over it, David. Mia's a smart girl, she'll definitely see through Logan's crap." Eli remarked before eating a chip.
"David deserves better anyway, someone who'll appreciate him." Sophie quietly added while staring at David. She quickly averted her eyes after noticing the perceptive glance that Hannah was giving her. Afterwards, Hannah gave her a reassuring grin before diverting her attention to her dejected looking brother.
"Sophie's right, maybe you should try going out with someone else, maybe a friend?" she chimed in.
"Hannah's got a point bro, how about you let me set you up with someone? Remember Teresa? Well, apparently she's got a sister who's crazy about you!" Will said enthusiastically.
"Teresa? You mean that hottie from the big party you guys threw a few weeks back? The one with the smoking, uh, personality." Bryce said sheepishly after noticing the glares that Hannah and Sophie were both giving him.
"I remember her too and if her sister is half as brain dead as she is, then I think we'll pass." Hannah added coldly.
"You know, your smothering isn't helping him. In two years, David will be joining the Alliance. Before he leaves, I want him to have at least one memorable experience with the opposite sex." Will replied hotly.
"And I know what your definition of memorable is." Hannah angrily countered. "Let's also not forget the fact that that whole party was your idea and that we all got grounded as a result. Thanks to your stupidity, we have to be babysat like a bunch of kids while mom and dad are away." she added irritably.
"Quit complaining, Ken and Gabby are cool and if Mr. and Mrs. Taylor weren't hosting houseguests right now, we'd be bunking with Eli and Bryce." Will replied nonchalantly.
"Can you please not call my parents by their first names?" Sophie sighed.
"Hey, they're the ones who insist that we don't call them Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly." Will replied defensively.
"What's that about anyway?" Hannah asked curiously.
"It's mostly dad, he says it makes him feel old to be referred to as a mister." Sophie explained. "It's just a smokescreen though. The truth is he just doesn't want to feel like a dirty old man whenever he's checking out women who're half his age when mom's not looking." she added while shaking her head in embarrassment.
They all laughed for a bit before resuming their discussion. "So how about it, David?" Will eagerly asked.
"Do you really think this will help?" David asked hesitantly.
"It damn sure won't hurt. Just leave everything to me. Your big bro will have everything covered." Will replied confidently.
Sometime later, after saying their goodbyes to Eli and Bryce, the Shepard siblings and Sophie began making their way towards Sophie's house. It wasn't a long walk from the Taylors and the Shepards lived fairly close by as well. They'd all grown up in close proximity to each other, so the walk between their homes was a familiar one. After reaching the Donnelly's house and entering, they were met with an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Their parents were sitting in the Donnelly's living room enjoying a friendly conversation with Sophie's parents.
"You see, Captain. I told you they'd be late." Ken chuckled genially.
"I hope you weren't all stuffing your faces with junk food again." Gabby added sternly.
"That would be my guess, so much for our dinner plans." Ashley humorously lamented.
"I'd rather they pig out on junk food after school instead of destroying our house with wild parties." Shepard added seriously while glaring at Will. He'd been forced to punish all three of his teenaged troublemakers for the party incident, but he was certain that his second oldest son had been the ringleader.
"Captain, boys their age can be a handful. Lucky for me, I've got nothing but girls. Although, that does mean that I'm always outnumbered." Ken joked.
"Trust me Ken, numbers are meaningless. The boys and I have years of painful experiences as proof." Shepard replied humorously before laughing. He promptly stopped after catching sight of the look that his wife was giving him. "Anyway, we should get going. Thanks again for taking the time to act as wardens for our hellions. I hope they didn't give you and Gabby too much trouble." he added appreciatively.
"No trouble at all, Captain. Will is a right joker, always good for a laugh. Hannah has always got along well with Sophie and Willow adores her. David's a gentleman through and through, always polite and damned dedicated to his training routines. The Alliance will be lucky to have him in a few years." Ken replied approvingly.
"Yeah, that's what I keep hearing." Shepard remarked quietly.
"Alright munchkins, grab your things and say thank you to the Donnellys before we leave." Ashley ordered.
The Shepard kids all cringed a little at their mother's use of the childhood nickname that their parents insisted on continuing to toss around before leaving the room to collect their belongings. They hadn't been expecting their parents to return for another few days at least, but their early reappearance was a welcome treat. The recent news of possible krogan aggression against the salarians had concerned all of them, mainly because they knew that their father would likely have to intervene to prevent such a calamity. After returning with their luggage, they all said their goodbyes to the Donnellys and politely expressed their gratitude to the family for having them as guests.
"Thanks Ken, you too Gabby. Ken, how about the next time I stay over I tell you the one about the sophisticated asari and the curious quarian?" Will said mischievously before he and Ken both laughed. Ken quickly passed his laughter off as a cough when he caught sight of Gabby.
"Thanks for everything you two and tell Willow to call me later when she gets home." Hannah said appreciatively. "And Sophie, don't worry. I'll handle that so just stay strong." she quietly whispered before hugging the girl.
"We appreciated the hospitality, especially with our recent reputations." David said earnestly. "I'll see you in class, Sophie." he added while smiling.
"Yeah, see you later David." she replied warmly. The weekend wouldn't go by fast enough in her opinion.
Afterwards, the Shepard family departed for their own home. The walk back was brief, but also fun. Shepard spent the time joking around with his sons while Ashley teased Hannah about her most recent hairstyle. After they entered their front door, Shepard immediately stopped everyone.
"Listen up, it's time we held a family meeting. There are some things that we need to discuss." he announced seriously.
Will, David and Hannah were somewhat shocked by his tone and the announcement. They quickly began pondering what the meeting could be about as their father led the way to the family's living room. He couldn't possibly still be upset about the party or could he?
"Alright guys, your mother and I have a few things that we need to tell you about. So I need you to stay quiet and pay attention." Shepard said solemnly. Their father was beginning to scare them and the thoughts that had begun racing through their heads weren't helping matters. Had some sort of trouble occurred while they were away? Had something happened to Allie or Ethan or Grandma Hannah? What the hell was going on?
"Your father and I have decided to return to active duty. That means that one or both of us will be away on missions for the Alliance from now on. We'll always let you know ahead of time and make arrangements to have someone look in on you. I know this might be hard to accept right now-"
"Why?!" Hannah shouted furiously.
"We have our reasons, Hannah. There are things that we need to take care of. I know that's a selfish answer but you'll all just have to accept it for now." Shepard explained. "More than anything I wanted you, your brothers and your sister to have as normal lives as possible these past two decades. It's not fair that Allie and Ethan got to benefit from that effort more than you guys simply because they're older, but that's how the situation has played out. I don't expect any of you to understand our decision and I know you're angry right now, but no matter what, I want you to know how much your mother and I love all of you." he added sincerely.
"Why, damn it?! Doesn't the Alliance have enough?! My sister, my brother, my grandmother and now both of my parents?! How much more can they take away from me?! In two years they'll have David too and it still won't be enough, will it? Haven't the two of you given enough?! The entire galaxy owes you their lives and they just keep...asking...for more..." Hannah broke down. She dropped to her hands and knees and desperately cried. She simply couldn't handle the prospect having two more members of her family in harm's way. Ashley made her way over and embraced her, she had expected the outburst but it still hurt her to see her daughter so despondent.
"I'll never understand it, dad. How you can lay everything on the line for those assholes." Will remarked coldly. "They treated you like a lunatic when you tried to warn everyone about the reapers and you ended up saving all of their sorry asses. They don't deserve you, mom, Allie, Ethan or grandma and they damn sure don't deserve David. I hope they at least appreciate what you and mom are sacrificing in order to clean up whatever mess they've made this time." he added angrily before leaving the room. As Hannah continued to cry in her mother's arms, Shepard was left facing his youngest son who hadn't said a word yet.
"You don't have to explain anything, dad. I know that you and mom have a good reason for doing this. Someday, I'll have a better understanding of what you're going through and I'll be a better man for it, I think." David said resolutely. "It'll be rough if you're both away, but we'll manage. And don't worry, I'll stop Will if he tries to throw another party." he quietly joked. Shepard immediately made his way over and hugged his son. His youngest boy and the wisest of his children, sometimes he felt that he didn't deserve him. There was nothing more that could be said and so Shepard and Ashley held their youngest children for as long as possible, several dangerous scenarios were about to unfold and they wanted to preserve what little peace they had for as long as possible.
Later that night, the Shepard kids held their own meeting in David's room to discuss the day's revelations. "It must have something to do with the krogan and the salarians." Will speculated.
"I'll bet Ethan and Allie know. They might fill us in if we called." David surmised.
"I doubt it, besides they're both busy. Allie's been transferred and Ethan just got another commendation and a promotion. They're both corporals now." Hannah replied quietly. "And we all know what they're aiming for." she added sadly. All three of them knew that their older brother and sister were intent on becoming SPECTRES.
After several minutes of silence, Hannah finally turned to face David. "And what about you, are you still planning to put us through this bullshit too?" she asked, somewhat irritably.
"I still say it's a bad idea. You could always come with me to C-Sec. At least being a cop on the Citadel means you don't have to answer to the Alliance. I'm no fan of the Council either, but at least I'll never have to see them in person if I work the Wards." Will remarked seriously.
"Sorry, but I've made my decision. I know you guys will worry about me, but I'll be fine." David replied calmly.
"You can't just say that! God, David! Do you have any idea what you'll be facing and I don't just mean the enemies you'll have to fight. You're a Shepard and everyone is going to expect you to be some kind of dynamo like dad and mom. You work hard enough already and I know you...you'll push yourself and you'll keep pushing...and we won't be there to tell you to stop!" Hannah said frantically before bursting into tears.
David simply held his sister while she cried and faced his brother who was already staring into his eyes. "I know what I'm walking into and I know what everyone will expect from me. I've known for a long time now. Allie knew too and so did Ethan. I'll have it worse because I'm not a biotic but I intend to face it all anyway. You're right, I will push and I will work hard, harder than everyone else because that's part of who I am. But I won't break and I won't give either of you a reason to cry. That's my promise to both of you." he said firmly.
Afterwards, all three siblings embraced each other. It would be one of the last tender moments together that they'd get to have. In the days to come, David Shepard would begin accelerating his training. Serious events were beginning to take shape and his family was going to be at the forefront of the coming crisis. He had to get stronger, his family was going to need him and he had no intention of letting them down.