Author's Note: Sorry about missing my update yesterday. So I have a tiny chapter to start with and I am updating a second chapter simultaneously. This one is more character development and I'm not particularly proud of it.

The past few days had been nothing short of fascinating for Grace. She had known about Jewish culture and tradition from Char, but that hadn't prepared her for the experience of seeing it in action. The Kastners were louder, if that was even possible, than Char. There was an interesting phenomenon that she noted after spending a day with the large group. Individually they were considerably more sedate and calm, but put them in a group and the energy seemed to grow exponentially. At first the collision of so many differing conversations and exclamations had been overwhelming for Grace, but after a little time she found it almost relaxing. Though carrying on five different conversations at once was a little taxing. Sarcasm ran deep in the family, however Grace had had years of training in that particular language from Garrus and Char.

The Kastners did tend to use more Yiddish and Hebrew than Grace knew. When she mentioned this to Char, the woman just laughed and whispered, "That's because I don't know Hebrew that well. It's been a long time." To which Grace had whispered back, "Then why do I have to learn it?" Char had infuriatingly just laughed as a response. Technically she didn't have to learn the whole language. She just had to memorize a passage, but it was still difficult. The way Rabbi Kastner read the passage in the sing-song voice made the language seem simple, but it was anything but.

The complexity of the religion and language was confoundedly off-set by the laid back attitudes of the people around her. Whenever Grace asked a question about Judaism she was met with smiles and laughter, followed by ten completely different answers, which was then followed by loud arguments between the answerers. The only constant was that the end result was food. Mrs. Kastner, or one of her many kids and grandchildren, would appear with a tray of food and the arguments would end in delighted coos and full bellies. Despite the fact that Char had never met these people, she blended perfectly into the large family. Grace felt a little like an outsider. Even more so than Garrus, who had been "adopted" by the Kastners and he even occasionally partook in the arguments. Mostly though he would sneak out of the room with Rabbi Kastner and have long discussions about turian culture.

"I don't think I understand Judaism." Grace announced to olive skinned woman as she laid down on the beach towel next to her.

"Join the club." Char murmured with her eyes closed.

"Seriously, I just don't get it. There are so many inconsistencies in the Torah and I know that it can't possibly be factually accurate."

Char laughed until tears formed in the corners of her eyes before she rolled over to look at Grace. "Are you trying to justify the Torah? Well there is your first mistake." Her blue eyes traced the lines of frustration on Grace's and she added. "So what don't you understand?"

It was easier to list what she did understand about the religion. She sat there trying to coax the words into something less confrontational and possibly offensive before she realized that she was talking to Char. The woman was practically the embodiment of confrontational and offensive. "Do you actually believe in God?"

The woman's eyes widened and she blew out of the side of her mouth. "Well that's a loaded question. Uh … I don't know, maybe? I mean he could exist. Stranger things have happened. However, I don't think that's the core of why you don't understand Judaism."

It really wasn't, but it was a start. "Why do you practice a religion that you don't believe in?"

"Hang on; I never said I don't believe in Judaism. Ugh, this is difficult. I'm probably not the one to give you the most philosophical argument. Judaism has always been about family, friends, and living your life to me. It's a binding cord that wraps all of these people together. It's about remembering who we were and who we are and trying to make the most out of what we have. I know that there are people who believe strongly in God and I'm not taking that away from them, but for me it's always been about family and remembering."

Grace nodded her head. "It just seems very superstitious."

Char's smile grew wider. "A lot of it is. I still catch myself whispering 'God forbid' when I'm stressed and thinking of all the things that could go wrong. However if you break down why we do the things we do, it might make Judaism clearer. First of all, think about Judaism as a culture versus a religion. All of our holy days revolve around group feasts. Why? Because life that is shared is a better life. I know that all of this is strange, but to the people out there" Char stretched her arm to encompass the Kastners and their friends. "It's something they were born into. It's a culture. It's true that it is so close to many other cultures. I mean our Ten Commandments are hardly original stuff. A lot of other cultures focus on working together, living life as a community, being thankful for what you have, and remembering what you might have lost; however this culture is ours. It's our little corner of safety in this giant galaxy. Personally, Judaism has grounded me many times."

Grace could understand that. Like lessons that were learned over and over until they became droll rhetoric. Usually she didn't have to use mnemonics to remember the months or capitals or history, however every once in a while her brain refuses to work properly and she has that crutch to fall back on. So maybe religion didn't exist for the vast majority of your days, maybe its purpose was to help you when you had a really bad day. When your troubles seemed to outweigh your entire person and you don't know what comes next. Maybe religion was for that. On a normal day, Grace wouldn't have to remember to love or forgive or to not covet her neighbor's wife.

Grace smiled at the bikini clad woman beside her and rolled over onto her back to soak up the sun. "That still doesn't explain the chair dance. The Horah? What is the meaning of that?"

Charlie could not help the goofy grin plastered on her face. Grace was attempting to circumvent the surprisingly large group to reach her, but the girl was continuously cornered by older women. Charlie could not hear what the conversations were about, but she could guess. Finally Grace shot her a look across the noisy park and Charlie chuckled and set her glass of wine down on the table.

"Looks like Grace needs an evac." Garrus rumbled to her right.

"I'm going, I'm going." Charlie stated with mock exasperation.

The service had been short, much shorter than Charlie had remembered from her own childhood. Grace had simply read a portion of the Torah for the Shabbat service and then Rabbi Kastner had taken over. What Charlie was incredibly suspicious about was how perfect Grace's Hebrew had been. The lilting chant was flawless. Charlie had spent years going to weekly school sessions with Rabbi Applebaum and her Hebrew was nowhere near as good. Grace had had one week.

When Charlie reached the girl she found that the conversation was exactly what she thought it was. Some woman (Charlie recognized her from the service, but didn't know her name) had cornered Grace and was going on in some detail about her nephew who was apparently only a year older than the girl.

"I'm sure that he is a very nice boy, but I don't live on Earth, ma'am." Grace's face was strained with quickly dissolving patience.

The woman waved her hand as if differing solar systems did not matter. "Yes, but you should meet him. How often does one meet a good Jewish boy? Hmm?"

Charlie bit back a chuckle and slipped one arm around Grace. "Ma'am, I believe that someone at the tables was looking for you." She told the woman and quickly steered Grace away before the woman had a chance to react.

Once they were out of earshot Charlie looked down at Grace. "Lesson one: Do not engage them."

Grace stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "Why are they all trying to marry me off?"

Charlie let out a short laugh at the small woman. Grace appeared to be a delicate china doll to her. The girl was wearing a short lace covered light green dress with sheer lace long sleeves. It struck a nice balance between the child and adult. To Charlie though, Grace was always a child. It didn't help that Grace had only just surpassed five feet tall. For the girl to assume any intimidating pose was adorable to Charlie.

"If they were really trying to marry you off, you would have a ring on your finger and be standing at an altar before you could blink." Charlie smiled down at the girl.

"It's not funny, Char." Grace admonished the older woman. "I'm only fifteen. I shouldn't even be considering marriage until I'm, at least, your age."

"That long, huh?" Charlie chuckled. "Well I have already had several dates thrust upon me from this crowd. I don't really know why they try so hard, but think of it like a compliment. They think you are good enough for their own family."

Charlie took Grace's pause as an opportunity to lead the girl away from the crowd. "So how did you do it?" Charlie asked Grace once they were alone.

There was a slight falter in the younger woman's step that Charlie did not miss. "What do you mean?"

Charlie didn't say anything to her, but stared into Grace's green eyes. She knew the girl knew exactly what she meant.

Grace fiddled with her fingers. "Fine," Grace said. "I stole the words from Rabbi Kastner."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at the statement. "What does that mean exactly? Can you speak Hebrew now?"

"No." Grace said with a frown. Charlie was not so much a fool to not know that Grace was attempting to placate her. Her frown and general demeanor were too finely crafted to be genuine. "I tried to learn, but I just couldn't get it right. So, I borrowed what I was going to say from the Rabbi."

"It didn't have to be perfect, Grace." Charlie knew better than to hide her emotions around the girl. Even though she knew that she needed to admonish her, Charlie couldn't help but feel a fair amount of pride in Grace. Grace had been thrust into an impossible situation and had used her natural abilities to pull it off. It had to have been a risky move, but it paid off.

"I know it didn't have to be perfect," Grace said and then lifted her head to look straight at Charlie. "But I wanted it to be. Not for you or anyone there, but because I wanted to be the best."

Charlie blew air out of her mouth and leaned against the rough bark of an oak. "Wanting to be the best is a good goal to have, but it's a dangerous road to go down. I know I can't stop you from using your abilities, however try to take a bit of caution with you. You are incredibly powerful. You have proven that over and over again. The more you prove your strengths, the more people will recognize them." Charlie put a hand on Grace's shoulder. "I promise you that you do not want to draw too much attention from people. Now I know that I seem to be telling you one thing and then doing the exact opposite, but you are more important than I am."

Grace shook her head at the last statement.

Charlie smirked and said, "You really are. Grace, you are an incredibly intelligent woman and I know that you know exactly what I'm referring to. I am allowed to be a little reckless and loud, because I, in the long run, am unimportant. However, there will be people who see you not as a woman but as a mystery and curiosity. Because of this you need to pass unnoticed. I would never tell you to not use your abilities, but use them wisely. Use them to be the best, but exercise caution and mask your true power."

Grace spread her hand in front of her and studied the appendage. "Before the attack on the station, I was scared of what I can do. I felt like a freak. My teachers would push me to 'master' my biotics, but I always held back a little. But now, I don't know, it feels different. On the one hand, I have a small voice telling me not to enter another's mind, but a greater part of me is screaming for more. Char, I have killed people. How do I reconcile that? Is there something wrong with me that I want to feel that powerful again?" Grace looked up at Charlie and clenched her fists at her side. "I don't mean that I want to murder someone, but there was a rush that followed saving people. I was stronger than the turian. I've never been stronger. I've always been the child. But for a horrible moment I was the powerful one and I liked it. I don't want to go back to being weak ever again."

Charlie reexamined the young woman standing in front of her. Grace was deceptively calm and quiet. Even though she knew the details of what had transpired on the station, Charlie had never heard Grace describe it in such detail. The teenager had her own secrets and was very good at keeping them. She was right though, Charlie had always considered her a child and that was a mistake.

"Grace," Charlie spoke without knowing where the sentence would lead her. "I know that feeling well. When I was your age I picked up rugby, because I felt weak. I didn't have a lot of control over my life, but finding something that I was good at made me feel strong. I'm not going to tell you that I know what it is like to be a biotic, but I understand feeling like an outsider. There is nothing wrong with wanting to test your strength or abilities, but just get permission first if the person is not a foe.

"As important as it is to feel powerful, it is more important to know your weaknesses. When I played rugby, I didn't really understand my weaknesses and I suffered a crippling injury because of it. I can't stop you from getting hurt, but I can pass on some knowledge of my own." Charlie stole a glance at Garrus across the park. "I'm not supposed to tell you what your present is. Garrus will probably kill me, but such is life. We have researched quite a few different martial art styles and sports that you might excel at."

Actually Charlie and Garrus had spent months researching the subject. Shortly after Charlie moved to Elysium, Grace and Micah had approached Charlie and firmly asked her to train them in hand-to-hand and weapons. Obviously Charlie was thrilled with the idea. After gaining permission from Micah's father she brought the pair to a gym and began simple training. Micah had taken to combat like a natural, but Grace had floundered. The girl didn't really have the strength or height to follow through most of the exercises. Charlie tried several techniques with Grace, but she just wasn't particularly good at hand-to-hand. So Grace left the training to Micah and focused on weapons training which she was fairly decent at. Charlie had not given up though.

"Now I know that you think biotics don't need to excel at close fighting, but I can assure you that is not true." Charlie smiled at Grace and tried to exorcise some of the severity of the conversation. "So, we tried to find something that would let you utilize your natural tactical gift. I know that this might seem a little …" Charlie searched for the appropriate word. "Old school, but we found an excellent teacher in Illyria. So how do you feel about fencing?"

There was a pause where Grace seemed to consider the idea. "With a sword?" She asked doubtfully.

"Well not exactly a sword. There are three different weapons that they use."

"When am I going to duel someone?" Grace asked with a smirk.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Hopefully never, though that would be kind of awesome. Fencing will train your muscles and give you more strength and flexibility, but I think the best part is that it's a mind game. Learning from your opponent and reading their strengths and weaknesses, we kind of thought this might be good for you. If you don't want to do it, I won't push you, but Garrus might. Apparently he didn't know that humans dueled with swords and has barely shut up about it since."