Notes:
ICT - Interplanetary Combatives Training, sometimes called N-School or the villa
Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)
Mo cheann geallta - My promised one (Gaelic)
Siame - "one who is all", a loved one cherished above all others (Thessian)
Rio
Rio de Janeiro, Earth, Sol
"I used to love this city." Shepard spoke reverently from her position behind Joker, standing with Liara on the Bridge of the Normandy as they came in low and slow for the upcoming ceremonies. The Reaper's destruction of Rio had been incredibly thorough, given the city's reputation for being a tourist mecca. In reality, the city had been an important financial and manufacturing center, a fact obviously known by the Reapers; the buildings along Rio Branco Avenue, the heart of the financial district, were only so much shattered glass, bent steel and broken concrete. As the second largest industrial hub of Brazil, with materials refineries, shipbuilding industries, steel and metallurgy, not to mention the Alliance's ICT at Vila Militar, Rio had attracted major attention from the Reapers, primarily to destroy its immense industrial capacity, but also because of the large and varied population available for harvest.
Reaper creatures had free run of the poorer sections of the city, with reports that up to a third of Rio's population had simply disappeared without a trace. Even knowing she had lived in one of the more upscale neighborhoods, Shepard couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Nikki Hills during the conflict. The South American production facility and marketing headquarters for Paragade had been completely destroyed and the residential districts overrun. Shepard felt Liara gently squeeze her bicep and she let out the deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. She turned to her lover and whispered softly, "Sorry, Love."
Liara had felt the swirling emotions through the link and offered up a loving smile, completely understanding. "It's alright, Siame; she was an important part of your life. I wouldn't expect you to have any success at eradicating thoughts of her from your mind, even if you wanted to, any more than I could forget the death of my mother. Love and loss are extremely potent emotions to which none of us are immune."
"You left out anger... which is another extremely strong emotion... one that I wish didn't exist." Shepard blew out another heavy breath through pursed lips and relaxed a bit, offering a tepid smile in return as Joker announced their final approach. Shepard shook her head at the destruction. "Holy shit. There's nothing left of the N7 school. You can barely tell there was even a military base here."
Liara's voice was cool as she worked hard to suppress the extremely strong emotion Shepard had just spoken about. "The Reapers were very good at wiping out civilizations... I'm sure they were very aware the Alliance trained the best of their best here; making the facility a priority target." She turned to Shepard, her blue eyes intense as she finished, "And I apologize if this sounds callous and insensitive, but I am also extremely relieved you were confined in Vancouver and not teaching here, as I originally believed they would choose to do with you; I believe the Systems Alliance's intransigence may very well have saved your life."
Shepard's smile turned into a light chuckle. "Are you seriously thanking the Gods for Alliance bureaucracy?"
The emotional tension broke and Liara couldn't help but laugh. "Goddess. I believe I just did." She smiled and gave Shepard a quick peck on the cheek before turning and pulling the commander along with her. "Come on, Love. I'm sure we'll be the last to arrive at the cargo bay; without the front row seat, the rest of the crew are all eager to see the remains of Rio de Janeiro."
Shepard frowned. "Not sure how eager they'll be once the cargo door drops and they actually catch their first glimpse. It's worse than London... and that's saying something."
"Sharon!" An honest, broad smile lit Samantha's face as they disembarked from the Normandy; once the cargo ramp dropped, the dust had cleared to reveal Colonel Culver and Admiral Hackett standing side-by-side at the end of it, patiently awaiting their arrival. Shepard saluted Hackett as she moved quickly down the ramp, adding, "Good to see you again as well, Sir."
Hackett offered up his stiff version of a smile. "Don't worry, Shepard. I understand how good it can feel to catch up with old friends... How simply knowing someone we care about survived the war is able to give us a sense of normalcy like nothing else can."
The two women clasped forearms just before pulling one another into a tight hug. "You doing okay, Shep? You're looking a Hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you, but coming back here can't be the easiest thing."
"Leave it to you to point out the elephant in the room, Sharon." Shepard pulled back and Liara stepped to her side, a request for an explanation regarding the elephant flitting across the link as she joined the small group. Shepard clarified it quickly and then responded to Sharon. "I've got Blue... and she's well aware of everything that happened here... what now seems like a lifetime ago." She gave the Asari a quick glance as an additional prod came over the link, turning back to Culver and asking, "Do you happen to have any clue as to whether or not Nikki Hills survived?"
Sharon's expression turned dark and a scowl crossed her face. "To be honest... I didn't care enough to bother looking." Reacting to the expression that flashed across the commander's face, she continued, "And don't be giving me that look. I wouldn't normally speak ill of someone who may very well be deceased, but that woman ripped your heart out, threw it on the ground, and stomped it to shit. I refuse to apologize for never forgiving that bitch. Only thing I'm sorry for is that my words hurt you, because that was not my intent."
Shepard looked sad as she shook her head. "No. You have every right to feel that way. It doesn't bother me that you've not forgiven her... Honestly? Neither have I." Her face changed; her eyes softened and her lips turned up into a contemplative smile as she looked at the Asari at her side. "But, for the most part, I was able to put her out of my mind after I met Liara. Coming back here... along with your bluntness... just caught me off guard. To hear you say it out loud... well, let's just drop it."
"That sounds like a deal." Sharon turned to the Admiral who, being well aware of the situation as well as David Anderson's huge roll in pulling Shepard out of her follow-on funk, had listened in silence to the conversation. Hackett had honestly forgotten about the event and, once reminded, made a snap decision that, perhaps, Shepard needed some time here to process it all. Those thoughts flashed through his mind and returned to the task at hand when Culver spoke to him. "The stage is set up and ready for your inspection, Sir. We've been working hard to get the local churches rebuilt, including the steeples, but have only managed four. I'm afraid it will have to do; the Reapers really took this place back to the Stone Age."
"Then that will simply have to be enough." Hackett gave a curt nod in response. "I know you've had other priorities here... and that most were related to keeping everyone from starving to death while trying to clear debris from the Villa. Thank you, Colonel; you and your staff have done an excellent job." His gaze traveled back to Shepard and Liara. "As for you, Commander... I don't truly have the authority over you as a Spectre but, if you'll indulge me, the Normandy should be grounded for a full 48 hours. Your people bore the weight of the lead during the war and have been humping Alliance cargo like a common freighter crew ever since we won... It's time to give everyone a break and have them take some shore leave."
"Not sure what everyone will do here... but I'll instruct Ashley to pass it on to the entire crew, Sir." Shepard glanced around at the destruction surrounding them and chuckled. "I'm sure everyone can find something to stay busy."
"Shepard!" Liara looked at her and laughed. "The idea is to have some time off... not find something else to fill the day... and I, for one, would enjoy some down time with you."
Hackett shook his head and chuckled. "I knew I liked you, Dr T'Soni. Amongst all your other accomplishments, we need you to keep the commander grounded in reality. Thank you, and try to enjoy your day off tomorrow." His glance traveled the entire group. "Right now, however, we need to check out our set up for the ceremony this evening."
Since the Reapers had been defeated, the clearing of rubble had become the most important task for the citizenry; most no longer had a workplace to go to and only makeshift shelters in which to sleep at night. Sadly, the hotels and restaurants along the famed beach in Copacabana shared the fate of most of the buildings in Rio, and the curving, 4-Km long white sand beach had, for the most part, been turned to glass by the Reaper's energy weapons – only a narrow strip along the water's edge had escaped the extremes of the destruction that had been visited inland. It was here that Andreas and Ashley had decided to go after a hasty breakfast aboard the Normandy; the Normandy shuttle deposited the pair at the north end, half-a-klick from the ancient fort known as Duque de Caxias, which also lay in ruin. As they exited, Steve Cortez told Ashley to simply give him a call when they needed to be picked up.
Once on the beach, Ashley encouraged her companion to strip down to his shorts in order to take in some sunshine. When asked about her own clothes, Ashley grinned and replied in a serious tone, "Not too many people around… I could actually go nude!" The look on Andreas face at that statement was exactly what she'd been going for. "Damn, Falk! You are just so easy!" She promptly removed the casual blouse and pants she was wearing to reveal the rather modest, black two-piece swim suit she'd put on before breakfast. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" she teased.
Reaching into the large beach bag she was carrying, she removed and put on a pair of dark sunglasses to protect her eyes from the intense light reflecting off the sand before folding and placing her clothes within. Holding out her hand, she said, "There's room for your clothes in here as well, Andreas."
Andreas sighed in resignation. "I wasn't told we'd be going in the ocean." He removed his pants and shirt and handed them to her after folding them. Looking down at his black skivvies, he grinned ruefully. "I don't suppose these are any more revealing than swimming trunks."
Ashley was glad she was wearing dark glasses so he couldn't see the hint of desire in her eyes. With an effort, she said, "You look perfect to me." You don't realize how perfect you are! Holding out a hand, she added, "Shall we?"
With a wide grin, Andreas took the offered hand and began walking south, sticking to the water's edge in order to avoid the rough glass surface close by. As they walked, he occasionally studied the destruction to their right when he wasn't watching where their bare feet were going in order to avoid stepping on partially hidden pieces of broken metal or shards of shattered glass. "Too bad we didn't know each other four years ago, Ash. Might have been able to visit here for more than a few hours. Would have been fun to spend the night in one of those hotels over there." After thinking about it for a few moments, he added ruefully, "Of course, it would have cost each of us a year's pay for just a couple of nights."
He abruptly turned around to awkwardly take several steps backwards in front of her. Coming to a stop, he wrapped his arms around her when she bumped up against him, only to pick her up and spin her, squealing in joy, around in a circle. Setting her down again, he gently turned her around and pointed to a spot in the distance. "Sugarloaf Mountain. Cable car link has undoubtedly been ruined, but we could have a shuttlecraft take us up there; I recall there was a landing pad near the summit, large enough for a Mantis gunship to set down. It'd have a great view of the city… well, the destruction, anyway."
Ashley shaded her eyes as she gazed in the direction indicated by her companion. "Isn't there a really big statue up there – I think it was called Christ the Redeemer?"
"Cristo Redentor." Andreas smiled as he placed his right arm around in front of her; with a hand on her waist, he turned them both towards the northwest to look across the flattened city. Placing his left arm over her shoulder, he pointed to the location and said softly in her right ear, "Mount Corcovado," as he reveled in the scent of her hair. Lowering his arm, he continued, "I expect the Reapers toppled it… I think it was at least 30 meters tall, so a real tempting target just for the demoralizing effect of destroying a religious symbol. We could go up there by shuttle, if you like. The old rack-railway up there was most likely ripped up as well."
Ashley studied the top of the granite mountain to no avail. "Can't really see if there's anything standing up there or not."
"I believe the statue was just visible to the unaided eye from here – peak is about four, four and a half klicks away." Chin still touching the bare skin of her right shoulder, he concluded, "If it's not visible as an indistinct cross, they toppled it… damned bloody bastards."
Ashley smirked as she turned her head to look at him. "However would you know the distance?" Reaching up, she caressed the side of his face. "You're guessing, aren't you?"
Falk laid his hand atop hers, holding it against his cheek as he replied, "Have to be a fairly accurate judge of distances in my job, Ash." Taking the opportunity, he tipped his head as he leaned in to kiss her. Am I imagining this? Damned if her lips don't taste just like honey.
When he drew back, he smiled as she breathed, "What was that for?"
"Oh, just wondering if they taste as good as they look."
She tilted her sunglasses up onto her hair so she could look straight into his eyes. "And do they?"
"I'm not sure. I expect I need a few more samples," came the snarky response.
Ashley dropped the bag she was carrying, turned within his right arm and reached around him with both arms to draw him close. In a slightly breathless whisper she declared, "Well, here's your next sample," before she planted her lips on his in a passionate expression of the increasing love she felt for him. The enjoyable spike of heat in her core drove her to continue the kiss longer than she normally would have. Pulling back to inhale, she whispered, "We should probably keep moving." Leaning down slightly to retrieve her bag, she was surprised by the strong hand grabbing the handles.
"I'll carry this for a bit." He used his free hand to grab hers and intertwined their fingers. Ash had returned her sunglasses to her face so he wouldn't see the amazement in her eyes at what she had glimpsed as she leaned over. Falk's shorts were form-fitting, to the point that any arousal he experienced was nearly as visible as if he was wearing nothing at all. I don't think he needs any more samples from my lips, she thought as she walked alongside him. Damn! How'd I get so lucky to find this man at the end of a fuckin' war? As she walked, she continued to think about him… and them. I really need to find us some private time tonight… offer him a sample of a different sort… something a bit more intoxicating than my mouth. She giggled at the thought, eliciting an interested, sidelong look. She walked on, offering no explanation for her mirth. He'll learn soon enough.
Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, Earth, Sol
After enjoying the sun on the beach and a few bouts of kicking their heels up and splashing each other in the shallow waters, Ashley and Andreas had taken the time to dry their feet and legs before pulling their clothes back on and calling for transport. Cortez was more than happy to take them wherever they wanted to go; the shuttle soon landed on the lower plaza below the base of the platform on which the 30-meter tall statue had stood since its construction was completed over 250 years ago. Clambering out of the small transport, Ash had almost immediately stumbled over a broken piece of concrete. Looking about themselves as the shuttle left, they both noticed an inordinate amount of concrete rubble strewn about the smaller of the two plazas.
Looking towards the upper level, Ash placed a hand over her mouth at the sight of the immense crater where once had stood a towering black pedestal supporting the colossal concrete and soapstone statue of Jesus, arms outstretched from his sides. It appeared the statue and its support had been vaporized by one strike from a capitol Reaper's main weapon. The bits of concrete rubble scattered around were all that remained, probably blasted out of the statue's interior as it exploded. "Damn Reapers! What could they possibly gain by destroying this?"
She hadn't expected an answer, so was surprised when Andreas said softly, "It was done to demoralize the people here, Ash. Reapers didn't care about peoples' religion, or the icons that represented it. Everything I saw in and around London happened here as well. It was all about the harvest for them, about maximizing the take... and a demoralized people of any race or species are less inclined to fight back, more apt to simply give up."
Ashley closed her eyes to the scene of destruction as she shook her head. Feeling a strong arm around her back with a hand on her hip, she melted into Falk's embrace for a few moments before tilting her head and reopening her eyes to look into a pair of cool gray eyes gazing lovingly back. Andreas took her upturned face as an opportunity to softly kiss her, which she returned a bit more ardently as a quote from Tennyson instantly sprang to mind. ...and our spirits rushed together at the touching of the lips.
Drawing back, Falk smiled as he began walking, carefully guiding Ashley past the rubble to the edge of the lower level to stop at a still-standing balustrade. "Great view of the city… or what's left of it, anyway." Pointing to the peak across the small inlet, he added, "There's Sugarloaf Mountain."
Leaning against the top rail, she gazed first at the mountain and then at the broken city below. Ashley mused aloud, "How will all this ever get rebuilt, Andreas? It just seems so… hopeless."
A strong hand gently massaged between her shoulder blades, sending chills down her spine. "I don't know, Ash. Right now, it's too soon for people here to be thinking of anything but day-to-day survival. I'm sure at some point it will all be rebuilt, probably better than before." Turning around to look at the crater marking the location of an obliterated Catholic icon, he added, "I'm not so sure about this, though… don't know whether this can ever be replaced."
Pushing herself upright from the railing, Ashley turned to study the devastated platform before them. "It has to be replaced, Andreas. It's as much a part of Rio as the beaches down below."
"I suppose you're correct," he replied thoughtfully. "Hopefully, we'll be able to return in five or ten years, see how much has been done."
"I'd like that… a lot." Glancing at the sun, she offered, "Think we should be off, then? It's time to start getting ready for the ceremony."
Nodding as he replied, he said, "Better be heading back to the Normandy. Call the shuttle?"
Activating her omnitool, Ash made the request before turning to face Andreas. "I've had a wonderful time today. It's been really nice to pretend we don't have responsibilities, even for a few hours."
Andreas reached around her, drawing her into a tight embrace. "I've made up my mind." Taking a breath, he said, "Ashley Williams… I've fallen in love with you. No matter where I go, no matter how many light years separate us in the future, I. Love. You." Tilting his head, he leaned down slightly and pressed his lips to hers.
Ashley's spirit soared at Andreas' declaration, just as a stab of heat in her center threatened to buckle her knees. Recovering her wits, she reluctantly pulled her mouth from his and said in a breathless whisper, "I love you too, Andreas. I've never met anyone like you, and… well, I don't know everything about you yet, but I want to… know you, that is. Damn! Why am I always so tongue-tied when I'm with you?"
Falk chuckled softly. "Must be my boyish charm… or, maybe it's the accent."
Ash simply smiled as she hugged him tightly. "You're probably right about the accent… not so sure about the charm, but it's growing on me."
Rio de Janeiro, Earth, Sol
Shepard was both relieved and happy; in a welcome change of pace, the memorial had gone well and, with the pro-military crowd due to a city full of Alliance supporters because of all the business that came along with the existence of a large military base, her speech had been well received. Even the presence of Legion as a lead in for announcement that the Geth would be arriving to assist in the rebuild was accepted as if it was simply routine. Shepard assumed the city was so desperate for assistance, it was likely the people of Rio could honestly care less where the aid came from; no matter the source, it would fill the current void of much needed help. As a final goodbye, Shepard held up her right hand, clenched in victory, as she smiled one last time for the crowd. She then turned and retreated to the rear of the stage to talk with the crew and guests who had accompanied her on the stage for the event. "I've already informed Lieutenant Commander Williams and she's made the announcement to the rest of the crew, but I need to confirm that those of you who spent the day with Admiral Hackett and me actually heard the news." She smiled and glanced at Liara, who was as eager as she knew the rest would be. "Hackett has banned us from doing any more supply runs for at least the next 36 hours. We will not be departing Rio until the morning of the 29th; that gives you all of tonight and tomorrow to have fun. Just be back on the Normandy by tomorrow night, 2300 hours. Dismissed!"
As the rest of the crowd rapidly dispersed, two persons remained; Legion and Riana. Liara glanced at her First and smiled knowingly. "Go, Riana. I'm sure you already received the news from Traynor and, by now, she's planned at least a dozen things for you both to go do and see in the city. You witnessed the difference in today's crowd. We'll be fine... Go have fun."
Riana was so relieved, she couldn't help herself and bowed for the first time in a very long time. "Thank you, Mistress." As she stood back upright, Liara saw the happiness on Riana's face and could not bring herself to say anything about the show of fealty that Liara disliked so much. The grin did not fade from the Asari Vanguard's face as she nodded emphatically and continued, "Sammi has assembled a list that could take days to accomplish. My first task will be to make her prioritize those she wants to do tomorrow and those we need to save for a repeat visit in the future. I hope it is not as disappointing for her as our trip to Oxford."
As Riana practically sprinted away, Legion approached. "Shepard Commander. If you have no requirements to levy against my time, I will immediately speak with Culver Colonel to begin the coordination of our assistance here. As a courtesy, I will keep you informed of our plan of action and the number of units we choose to activate within the city. Is this acceptable?"
"Absolutely, Legion. However, there is one thing I want to remind you of." Shepard smiled. "I want to ensure the Geth are progressing on the repairs on Haratar station. You are most definitely not allowed to put your own goals on hold in order to help us. Is that understood?"
Shepard would have sworn she heard humor in Legion's tone as he responded, "We have 2.4 million platforms, Shepard Commander, of which nearly 600,000 were present either on Earth or aboard the fleet in orbit. They returned here from Arcturus with the combined war fleet and have yet to be tasked in any capacity. One million are aboard Haratar station, also unassigned, and the remaining 800,000 are now working on Rannoch building new Quarian cities on the southern content. We have sufficient resources to complete whatever you require of us, with ample reserves to fully repair our home as well. Progress on Haratar is excellent and is now utilizing only 532 of the available one million available."
"Right." Shepard chuckled. "Just as long as you keep Haratar as one of your priorities, you can do whatever you want, Legion. I guess we all need to sit down and figure out how to distribute the resources we have available... including food. We should add your ships into the distribution network, provided people won't panic when a Geth ship descends onto their colony; we simply need to get the word out about what we're planning, so people are ready when it actually happens. Have fun talking to Sharon. You can fill me in once we all return to the Normandy tomorrow night."
With nothing more than a blink of lights, the Prime unit turned and departed the stage to seek out the colonel. Shepard watched his retreating back until Liara leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Do you want to follow him and spend more time with Sharon?"
Shepard smiled and turned, depositing a quick kiss on the tip of the Asari's nose. "Nope. I already talked to her and we're going to meet her for either a late lunch or early dinner tomorrow. Until then, I'm all yours, Mo cheann geallta."
"Excellent." Liara lifted her brow markings suggestively before continuing, "Then I propose we return quickly to the Normandy and get into something much more comfortable. I would like to simply take a walk with you, in your positively scrumptious jeans and boots, through whatever remains of the Villa." As Shepard opened her mouth to protest, blue fingers moved quickly to intercept the words before they could escape between open lips. "No, please. I desire to share in your memories of the place, before all this destruction. I want to see the beauty of the city that you once fell in love with, Siame. Can you do that for me?"
"You're remarkable. Do you know that?" Shepard placed her hands on Liara's waist and pulled her close. "I remember walking the gardens on Thessia with you, while you shared memories of your mother. How could I possibly deny you the same in return, Liara?"
Liara's smile bordered on a smirk as she replied, "You really can't, can you?" She laughed lightly and placed a soft kiss on Shepard's welcoming lips. "Come on. I'm hungry, so our first challenge will be to find someplace to eat."
Shepard stepped back and gave her a doubtful look, starting down to ground level at the rear of the stage as she responded. "I doubt there's any restaurants open. It's probably limited to the Normandy or the rebuilt Alliance Mess at the Villa. Your choice, Blue." Whatever Liara's response was, the commander didn't hear it. As they cleared the final step and Shepard lifted her head to look at the path before them, her feet came to an abrupt stop. The world around her momentarily froze as her eyes locked with a pair of blue eyes that did not belong to Liara... Instead, they were the baby blues of someone Shepard hadn't seen in nearly seven years... not since just after the mission that had gone so horribly wrong on Agebinium in 2181. They were the haunted blue eyes of Nikki Hills.
Nikki had heard the announcement; the Normandy and her crew were coming to Rio for a memorial ceremony and victory speech, the fifth of a six-stop tour of Earth. Her mind drifted back to the day upon which she had learned of Shepard's death... and how she had cursed herself for never gathering enough courage to go to the Alliance officer to apologize. Originally thinking her chance to do so had been utterly destroyed with Sam's demise, she had lied to her lover, Kate, on the day of the service, explaining her tears away by saying the memorial for so many Alliance members made her think of the death of her younger brother Jon.
She had lived with that lie for almost five years and had almost convinced even herself that she had moved on... until the news of Shepard's magical reappearance hit the news. She had been unable to hide her joy and relief and once Kate had forced her to explain it all, including Nikki's initial regret that she would never be able to correct her mistake, her relationship with Kate was over. No amount of apologizing or saying she had finally gotten over Shepard would sway her lover; Kate had been intensely angry and left in short order. It was the last time Nikki saw her.
Now that she stood face-to-face with the long-time object of her desire, along with her blue-skinned fiancée, Nikki was unable to find the words she needed to speak. She had watched the news and seen their betrothal ... and having seen and overheard the conversation between Sam and the Asari, she immediately recognized there was no hope. Samantha's tone positively oozes love... and all the years we were together, she never once spoke to me in her native tongue... Never. She truly loves this alien! Fucking Asari... How am I supposed to complete with a damned mind reader who can get inside Sam's head?
"Nikki?" Shepard's tone of voice, in no uncertain terms, garnered her immediate attention and cemented her assumptions. In her shock, Sam sounded cold and aloof, and her surprise was reflected in her voice... and she seemed almost annoyed at Nikki's presence.
Shepard stared at the blond-haired woman before her. "What are you doing here?" Nikki was a gaunt version of the vigorous, athletic woman she had once known; it was obvious the battle for Earth had not been any more kind to her than to any of the others who had been lucky enough to survive the war.
Shepard's non-favorable appraising glance was not missed and Nikki's most common defense mechanism instantly sprung to the fore; anger. "I felt the need to attend the memorial... and though I wanted to see you, Samantha, it's obvious you don't care to see me, so I guess that doesn't matter." Her own voice took on a chill as she continued, "I thought to apologize for the way I treated you and to see if you'd forgiven me, but it's evidently not the case, so I won't waste your time... or my breath."
"I never said that." Shepard sighed in resignation, Liara's comforting presence in her mind keeping her from answering in kind. "You simply surprised me, Nikki; I... For some reason I didn't expect to see you here. But I did ask Sharon if she'd heard anything... If she knew whether or not you had survived the war."
"And, of course, she had no idea, because she wouldn't care. That woman hates me and I have no doubt she probably hoped I had died in the war." Nikki snorted in disgust and continued, "Can't say I'm sorry to disappoint... but I also can't say I ever heard from you, querying about my wellbeing either."
Incredulous, Shepard's jaw dropped. Liara grit her teeth and forced herself to remain silent, refusing to interfere, but Shepard felt the seething anger through the link and spoke out. "You have to be fucking kidding me, Nik! Last time we spoke, you made it very clear you never wanted to hear from me again... So excuse me for adhering to your damned last request!" She harrumphed and continued, "I'd show you the damned letter that showed up at the lodging office along with my stuff, in case you forgot what you wrote, but it was destroyed when I... when the Normandy was blown to bits above Alchera." She shook her head in disgust and vehemently spit out, "Everyone thought I was dead... and my mom sure as Hell didn't say anything about you attending at my funeral, so fuck you and your bullshit attempt at making me feel guilty, Nikki."
Shepard turned abruptly to the side and stepped away, practically dragging a surprised Liara with her. A suddenly panicked voice called out from behind them. "Samantha, wait! ... Sam!" As the commander angrily turned back, she was surprised to see tears streaming down the woman's face. "Damn you. You broke my heart with the news that Jon had been killed... but, after a time, I realized how stupid I had been. Then, when you supposedly followed him to the grave... when we all thought you were dead... I realized that my anger and my embarrassment had kept me from ever apologizing and from asking for your forgiveness; I thought I was too late. I was an idiot, Sam. I know that now... and today, as always, I used that same stupid anger to hide my true feelings. I still love you, Samantha Shepard. I always will." Nikki's bereft blue eyes continued to stream tears but, however slight, also held a glimmer of hope.
Shepard stared at Nikki in stunned silence for a moment; feeling the emotions of outrage and resentment screaming at her through the link, she was surprised Liara wasn't glowing with biotics. She firmly squeezed the hand of her Ionúin Álainn and pushed back against the roaring flow with assurance, love and calming patience. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, to quiet her own racing heart and to ensure her voice came out leveled and controlled. "I'm sorry to hear that, Nikki, because I don't feel that way about you anymore. I haven't for a long time. You do know that I'm engaged to Liara, don't you?"
Nikki's face twisted in anguish and tears continued to stream down her face as she nodded to the affirmative, no words leaving her lips.
Shepard nodded only once and stood tall, her shoulders squared as she looked the woman directly in the eyes. "Then I'm sure you must realize how terribly inappropriate that statement is, particularly given Liara's presence at my side. I told you once before I didn't do casual... and that has never changed, Nikki. I am Promised to Liara now... she is my future. I love her very much, we are going to get bonded as soon as time allows, and I plan on staying with her the rest of my life. I'm sorry if it seems cruel of me to say that aloud, but you need to completely understand that you and I were done the day you sent me that awful letter. And your apology? Whether I was dead or not, you were right – you were too late. You and I will never be together again, so you need to pick yourself up and move on, Nik. I certainly have."
With that, Shepard turned away from Nikki Hills for the final time. Smiling reassuringly at her Asari life mate, she took Liara's hand again as they walked away toward the Normandy, not once looking back.
A/N: Shepard was in N7 training when she originally met Nikki Hills in Rio. She was with Nikki for almost 4 years (2177-2181) and then met Liara two years later, early in 2183, roughly 5½ years ago. If you subtract the near-2 years of being 'dead,' Shepard was with Nikki only slightly longer than she has now been with Liara. If you have not read QuickShots, or simply want the reminder, Shepard and Nikki's romance is chronicled in QuickShots, Chapters 12-16.
