THESSIA

Valya is sitting in the family room waiting for Shepard to wake up. The former commando brought Shepard home since she broke down outside the transit station. She was in no shape right then and there to talk, but once they arrived at Valya's house Shepard let it all rush out.

Valya was shocked to say the least to hear about what happened to Eva. Then her heart broke for Shepard because she has an idea of what she is going through due to her own daughter Dava and what Shadow put her through. Shepard paced back and forth and back and forth, Valya thought she might wear a pattern in her old carpet. There was no calming her down. Exhaustion finally got the best of her when Shepard finally sat down and leaned back she instantly fell asleep. She has been asleep ever since. That was four hours ago.

Valya had to take a personal day off. She doesn't feel like Shepard should be alone. She also contacted Liara to let her know that the retired Captain was with her. Valya could hear the relief in the asari's voice. When Valya asked her if she was going to stop by there was a long pause. Liara finally said no. She said that Shepard would come home when she was ready, Liara did not want to force her. Valya could hear in her voice how hard it was to say it. She hopes it doesn't take long before Shepard returns home.

Valya's eyes are slowly closing when she hears the front door. She turns to see who it is thinking perhaps Shepard got past her somehow.

"Hey Dad."

"Hi Dava." Valya slouches further into the couch.

Dava walks into the family room, "You okay? I thought you were working today."

"I was. Shepard is in the other room sleeping."

"Why?"

Valya is not sure what to share with her daughter. "She is having a hard time. She was exhausted and I told her to lie down."

"Is this because of Eva?" Dava sits down on the chair.

"So you know what happened to her?"

"Yeah. Mia told me. I'm sorry I did not tell you Dad. I told Mia I would not tell anyone."

Valya waves a dismissive hand, "Don't worry about it, I understand."

They sit in silence for a few minutes.

"So how is she?" asks Valya.

Dava shrugs her shoulders. "I haven't seen her. I am seeing Mia soon so I can ask her." Dava looks towards her father's bedroom. "So that's why Shepard is here?"

Valya nods. "She is pretty upset."

"Why? It didn't happen to her." Dava sounds harsh.

Valya looks at her. She thinks of her daughter's years of torment by Shadow. "You are right Dava of course, but it still impacts the people who love Eva."

"Why?" Dava continues with her harsh tone.

"What do you mean why? They are hurting for her because they care what happens to her."

"It's none of their damn business. You ask me Shepard is being selfish."

Valya sits up looking at her daughter. "How can you say that?"

Dava points to the bedroom, "She should be with her daughter not here sleeping because she can't handle what happened to her."

"Dava," Valya is shocked.

Dava stands, "I'm serious Dad."

Valya stands, "Honey it's complicated."

"Why? Because she's human? Because she is the powerful Shepard who saved us all?"

"Hey." Valya catches her daughter's wrist when Dava tries to walk past her to enter the kitchen. Valya locks eyes with her, "What is this about?"

Dava averts her eyes, "Nothing."

Valya lets go of her wrist. Dava walks into the kitchen, her father follows. "Are you upset with me?"

"Why would I be upset with you?"

"Because I did not handle what happened to you very well? Maybe I wasn't there they way you wanted me to be there?"

"Dad come on. You did fine."

"Did I?"

Dava lets out a sigh. "All I am saying is that she needs to be home. She needs to set aside her own feelings and make Eva's feelings the priority."

"You're right."

They both snap their heads to see Shepard standing in the hallway.

"Shepard," says Valya, "she was jus…"

"Stop." Shepard lifts her hand up. Valya does not finish her sentence. "Your daughter is right." Shepard steps into the kitchen and looks at Dava who is looking her in the eye. "You're right Dava. Thank you." She looks at Valya. "Do you think you could give me a ride home?"

"I can," says Dava, "I am picking up Mia. I can drop you off."

Shepard gives her a small smile, "You're seeing Mia huh?"

"That's right."

Shepard studies her. "Good." She turns to Valya, "My bag?"

"By the door."

Shepard closes the space between her and her friend. She pulls Valya into a tight hug. "Thank you Valya, for everything."

"Anytime Shepard."

Shepard breaks from the hug. Valya can see the shine in her eyes. Shepard looks at Dava, "You ready?"

Little A had to get out of the house. After hearing about how her father hit James then left the house she cannot handle the tension. Between trying to say the right thing to Eva and not side with anyone she is tired of it and needs to get out and breathe. She doesn't want to upset anyone; she just wants everything back to the way it was. She called Kaya who understood her mood, the asari told her to come over right away.

Little A knocks on Kaya's door. The asari quickly answers. She wraps her arms around her and kisses her deeply.

Little A forgets everything she was upset about because of the kiss. When they finally break apart she breathlessly says, "Wow, what was that for?"

"I know you're hurting and I wanted to show you that I am here for you and that I love you."

Little A pulls her into another hug. She holds her tightly. "I don't deserve you Kaya."

"I don't deserve you either Aethyta.

Little A finally steps back from the hug. "How is your Mom?"

"Better! You want to come in?"

Little A looks around. "Could we maybe go for a walk?"

Kaya smiles, "Sure. Just let me tell her."

Little A doesn't wait long. Kaya emerges from the house and quickly grabs her hand. They start walking.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asks Kaya.

Little A shakes her head and squeezes her hand. She presses her lips together and tries to swallow the lump in her throat. She feels like she is going to cry but she doesn't want to.

They walk together in silence for a while. Their feet take them along a path that leads around a small lake. It is a beautiful sunny day. There is not a cloud in the sky. Weather like this won't last too much longer, fall is just around the corner and with it cooler temperatures.

Kaya pulls Little A off the path into a wooded area.

"Where are we going?" asks Little A.

"You'll see."

Kaya ducks under thick branches then turns to face Little A. "See? Our own private spot."

And she's right. When Little A turns around in a circle she can hardly see through the dense brush.

Kaya pulls her into a hug. She kisses Little A on each cheek. When they lock eyes she says, "I thought you could use the distraction."

Little A's eyes move to Kaya's lips. She leans in and kisses her fully on the mouth. She presses her tongue inside and holds the asari tight. Her heartbeat quickens when she hears a soft moan from Kaya. Little A moves her hands down and grabs the bottom of Kaya's shirt and lifts it off in one smooth motion. Her hands caress each breast before moving to Kaya's back to unhook her bra. She kneels down and takes a nipple into her mouth as her hand kneads the other one. She knows how much Kaya love's this. She feels the asari's knees go weak. Little A quickly holds her and eases her down onto the ground.

Little A moves down the asari's body using her lips to leave little kisses along the way. Kaya lifts her hips to help with her shorts removal. Little A teases with kisses along the inside of her thigh. Kaya arches her back in anticipation. Little A raises her hand which Kaya takes. Both sets of eyes go black.

Little A lets go of everything in the meld she thinks of nothing but Kaya. As she brings Kaya over the edge all she concentrates on is making Kaya feel good because it makes her feel good. It was only after the second time Kaya went over the precipice that Eva entered Little A's thoughts. Flashes of Batarians enter the meld. Little A can no longer push down her sorrow. She feels tremendous love from Kaya who is trying to get her back into this moment, but Little A is crying now and clinging to Kaya.

Kaya soothes her as best she can. For every bad memory Kaya counters with a happy one. She deepens her concentration to flood Little A with memories she has of them. Finally Little A is able to get a hold of her emotions. Through her tears she flashes her own favorite memories of the two of them together. Then she shares her favorite family moments with Kaya.

When the meld ends Little A is on top of Kaya holding her. Her face is nuzzled into her neck. Kaya strokes her back up and down. She kisses her forehead and squeezes her close. "I'm here."

It was all Little A needed to hear to let go once more. She lets the tears fall. She lets her body shake with her sobs because she feels safe with Kaya because she trusts Kaya and she is grateful for her.

"I'm here."

Arelia is on her way home after a long evening at work. The bad news is she has been up for nearly twenty-four hours straight, the good news is, she doesn't have to go back into work until tomorrow. She is looking forward to a long hot bath and lots and lots of sleep.

Admiral Kraven of the Alliance still has not called for help from the Asari, Turians or Krogan. He said they are handling their own at the moment and are even starting to drive back the Batarians. Since the attacks seem to be central to Earth, the other Planets are not sending troops unless asked. To be safe, however, Arelia is keeping security tight. It is a well-known fact that the Batarians hate humans, but that does not mean their attacks will remain directed at Earth.

"Are you sure?"

Arelia enters the estate. Oriana and her bondmate Miranda are in the middle of a discussion. Both women look about as tired as she feels. She figures they have been staying up late with the research they have been doing.

"Yes Ori I am sure, I checked it three times."

"Hello."

The sisters stop their conversation in the kitchen and look at Arelia. "Hi," Miranda approaches and gives her a quick hug and kiss. "How are you? I thought you'd never get home."

Oriana quickly pulls back a kitchen chair for the asari. "Would you like some tea Arelia?"

The asari stops and looks between them. "No thank you Oriana. I think I am going to take a bath and go to bed. What are you two talking about?"

Miranda lets out a sigh.

"Miranda says she found a connection. I was just asking if she was sure."

"A connection?"

"Remember how Cooper was with Blake and that Blake was the woman behind brainwashing Shepard?"

"Yes I remember."

"Well," says Miranda, "I was able to finally find a small money trail."

Arelia yawns. "Sorry."

"I found a large sum of money that I believe was withdrawn from Cooper's account."

"He is not alive is he?"

"No," says Oriana. "I was able to confirm just this morning that both Blake and Cooper are dead."

"But Cooper died years after Blake," says Miranda.

"She was sick if I recall," says Arelia as she looks at Oriana, "while you were working on the RUST cure."

"That's correct. Her illness was too far along for my vaccine to aid her. From what I can tell," says Oriana, "she died about two years after the vaccine was developed and distributed."

"And from what I remember Shepard telling me about her time on Mars when Blake had her, Blake and Cooper were always together. At least that is what she remembers. She still has gaps in her memory during that time."

"So the money? How do you know it is from Cooper?" asks Arelia.

"When the reapers invaded they came through the Vular system which is in the heart of Batarian space. After the war the Batarians left Citadel space again to rebuild. I found one transaction that was sent to that system," says Miranda.

"Is that even possible?"

"That is what we were discussing when you came in," says Oriana. "It is possible they returned to the Vular system. The whole reason why they are not part of the Council races is because slavery is an integral part of the Batarian caste system and it is illegal according to Council law. Because of this, the Batarians continue to live on their own away from Council space. So it is feasible that they would return to the Vular system, we are just having a hard time confirming it."

"Which is proving to be difficult," says Miranda. "If someone talks they could be risking their lives. Just because the Batarians live away from Council space does not mean they do not do business there. If they find out someone is revealing vital intel about them then the person who talks could die."

"Is there anything else that can be done to try to find them?" asks Arelia.

The two sisters seem to wince at one another.

"What?"

"Well we were going to contact the Shadow Broker, but we don't trust her," says Miranda. "I want Liara to do it."

Arelia sits down. "You can't ask her to do that, not right now."

"That is what I said," says Oriana. She also sits at the kitchen table.

Miranda also sits, "I know the system still exists, we just need confirmation the Batarians are there. I know she can get us the information. We will be able to pinpoint which Batarian is behind all of this."

"She is busy with her daughter Miranda," Arelia uses a firm tone.

"And that is why she will want to help. Liara is like us, she needs to keep busy, needs to contribute to finding the bastard behind all of this," says Miranda.

"I don't know," Arelia shakes her head. "I don't feel right asking her."

"That's why I am asking her."

"Miranda you know what I mean."

"She needs this Arelia trust me."

Arelia yawns again. "You are not really looking for my approval to ask her are you?"

"No."

Oriana swallows.

"Fine then. This is my queue to take my bath now." Arelia stands. There is no anger in her tone of voice. She knows Miranda is right. Liara has always been one to want to work during stressful situations.

Miranda squeezes her shoulder. "Sleep well. I will bring dinner in in a few hours."

After asking for a ride home from Dava, Shepard saw herself in the mirror. She looks pale and in desperate need of a shower but she doesn't want to take the time to get cleaned up. Dava just dropped her off before heading to Raina's house where Mia is staying.

Shepard with suitcase in hand enters the house. No one is in the kitchen or the family room. She sets her suitcase down just inside the master bedroom. "Liara?" No reply. She goes upstairs and checks the bedrooms. Empty.

She heads back downstairs and checks the backyard, also empty.

"They left."

Shepard jumps a little at the sound of Matriarch Aethyta's voice.

"Left?"

"They are heading back to Earth."

"What?" Shepard is shocked. "Eva and James? They…they are leaving? Now?"

"Yep. Left about ten minutes ago."

Shepard runs and grabs her keys and is through the door quickly which is a good thing since Aethyta is now smiling. She knows all about the fight. She figured Shepard needed a little wake up call. Make her think Eva is leaving with James and she will do something about it. She just hopes her plan does not back fire.

Shepard cannot believe the crowd. This morning was bad, this looks a lot worse. She hopes she is not too late. She had to park pretty far away and is a bit out of breath when she reaches the transit station. She checks the displays for flights to Earth. She finds one that leaves in twenty minutes and is now boarding. Slip H.

Shepard says excuse me as often as she takes in a breath there are so many people trying to leave Thessia. She can only half jog as fast as she can because of the mass bodies in her way. She feels like a ping pong ball, but instead of knocking into things she is trying to avoid hitting people as she makes her way to the slip.

The crowd thins out as Slip H gets near. She thinks she sees Liara. She picks up the pace. She hears an announcement by the slip saying something about last chance to board. She hopes she is not too late. The asari she thought was Liara wasn't.

Shepard scans the crowds. Finally her eyes see Liara, Eva and James. She calls out to her bondmate, "Liara!" She can tell that the asari does not hear her. She sees them hugging each other now and Shepard runs this time knocking into someone. She apologizes as she spins and continues to run. "Wait! Wait!" She pulls up short of knocking into the three of them.

Liara, Eva and James are all standing with their mouths a bit open. "Elly?" says Liara.

"Don't go…please don't go." Shepard looks at Eva. She reaches for her but Eva backs away. The look her daughter is giving her is not a pleasant one.

"Elly."

She feels Liara's hand on her arm. Her mind is going a hundred miles a minute. "You can't go honey, I'm sorry, I…" she feels Liara's hand squeeze around her arm.

"Elly."

Shepard looks at Liara.

"James is leaving, Eva is not."

Shepard is not sure she heard right but when she looks at the bags by James' feet and there are none by Eva she feels such relief. But when she looks at her daughter she knows she is not welcome. Shepard pats Liara's hand, the asari takes it away. She clears her throat and steps up to James.

"I owe you an apology. I am sorry I hit you. I am sorry I blamed you. I was out of line." She extends her hand.

James looks at her. He smiles a little then takes her hand and gives it a firm shake. "It's okay."

"No it's not!"

"Eva," says Liara in a warning tone.

"No. No you get out here. You have no right to treat him the way you did."

"Eva."

"It's okay Liara," says Shepard. "You're right. I had no right to blame him, to hit him or to make him feel unwelcome. He is a part of this family because he is with you Eva. I have been incredibly selfish honey and I am so sorry. I was too busy thinking what I could have done to stop this from happening that I lost sight of what was important. You. What you are going through, what you are feeling, that is what I needed to focus on, what I need and want to focus on. I am so sorry Eva. I love you honey. I never wanted anything like this to happen ever. I'm just so sorry of how I handled things." Shepard feels the heat behind her eyes. She turns to James. "You are always welcome here James. And if you need anything once you get back to Earth, please do not hesitate to call. Okay?"

James puts his arm around Eva and hugs her close. "Okay Shepard, thank you. And thank you Liara."

Liara bows her head in respect. She touches Shepard's arm then steps back. Shepard steps back with her to give Eva and James some privacy.

Eva starts to cry a little. She hugs James. "I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"It's okay Eva." He kisses her cheek. He pulls back from the hug to look her in the eye. "You take all the time you need. I am not going anywhere." He smiles, "And I swear I will try to not get hit in the head anytime soon." He laughs a little which makes Eva smile.

"I love you."

"I love you Eva." James has not tried to kiss Eva on the lips since they returned to Thessia. He feels when she is ready she will let him know.

Eva leans closer and kisses him on the lips.

James is a bit surprised when Eva wraps her arms around him and deepens the kiss. He feels like his body is being bombarded with electrical volts that run up and down his body. He is going to miss her.

"Call me."

"I promise." And with that James picks up his bags and walks up the ramp into the waiting ship that will take him to Earth.

"Can I come home Liara?" asks Shepard.

Liara looks at her bondmate and smiles, "Always."