...
Act II
A Christmas to remember
Chapter 12
Party Crashers
Most members of the kitchen-staff were actually quite happy about the fact that Brent had thrown them out of the kitchen. That way they could take a break and had someone they could blame for that. Hey, they were government employees after all, so what did you expect? Terrance Willford, Head Chef and responsible for most of these guys, took a long drag from his cigarette and inhaled another load of smoke. He looked up to the dark night sky and tried to find at least one star shining down on them. But with all the lights inside Augustgrad, it was near impossible to see anything up there.
Willford was from Korhal, just like most people from the staff. However, he hadn't grown up in Augustgrad, but on the other side of the planet. His home had been a small village in the middle of nowhere. It hadn't been anything special, but every night he had been able to look up to the sky and see the Milky Way. He had never seen the Milky Way in this place. Like said, too much light pollution. As he looked up, one of his co-workers approached him.
"And, seeing anything interesting?" Marvin asked, but Terrance just shook his head.
"Same as always." he replied and took another drag from his cigarette. Strictly speaking, smoking was completely forbidden within the walls of the Imperial Palace. That included the gardens and all the open places. But he and his co-workers were next to the delivery entrance, and pretty much no one cared for that. It was a good place to spent some free minutes and usually, no one bothered them here.
"It's been half an hour, I'm amazed that Hamilton hasn't come here to yell at us." Marvin said. It caused Terrance to chuckle.
"Yeah, like to see him try that. Bet he sends one of his guys to "motivate" us. What an asshat. Hope he has one hell of a bad day right now." Terrance mumbled and continued smoking.
"Whatever happened between you guys anyway?" Marvin wanted to now. Terrance just shrugged his shoulders.
"Ah, I once had an argument with him about how serious we should take this job." the Head Chef explained and ashed on the floor.
"Guess you agreed to disagree?" Marvin continued to bother him. But by now Terrance wasn't so pissed that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. He shrugged his shoulders once more and scratched his cheek.
"Ah, you know how that old fart is. He told me that once I'm Head Chef, I'm supposed to take this whole outfit more seriously. I am expected to work double as hard as anyone else and spent pretty much my entire life inside the kitchen in order to live up to this new position."
"Sounds like Hamilton alright." Marvin agreed. "Let me guess, you told him to get lost." Now Terrance started to laugh.
"Yeah. Told him that I have a wife and a little son and that there are more important things on my mind than that right now. Besides, I didn't become a cook in order to live for someone else but to feed my family."
"Oh hell, hahaha!" Marvin started to laugh as well. "Bet Hamilton wanted to slaughter you when you told him that. Oh, I would have loved to see his face in that moment." Terrance nodded when he heard that.
"Oh yeah, it was epic! At first, he didn't even understand what I was trying to tell him. Then, when he realized that I was dead serious about it, his whole body started to quiver. His face turned white in anger and there was even some foam at the edge of his mouth. Seriously, I have never seen him like that before. It was awesome!" Now both of them were laughing out loud. Marvin even had to wipe a tear from his cheek.
"Oh, I bet it was epic. Too bad that he didn't suffer a stroke back then, that way we could enjoy our lives without him breathing down our necks."
"Yeah well, it's just two more years, then he will go into retirement. Until then..." Terrance straightened himself and started to speak with a high-pitched voice. "...I expect the bestest of all possssible behavior of zhe all of you!" he impersonated the Chief Stewart, which caused not only Marvin but also the rest of his team to laugh out loud again. When they had calmed down, Marvin shook his head and wiped a tear of joy from the corner of his eye.
"Oh man, how I won't miss that bastard. Oh, since you brought it up; how's the family?" the cook wanted to know. A gentle smile appeared on Terrance's face.
"Good. Ellie's still at home, but we finally found a kindergarten with an open spot for Junior. He'll be going there once the new year starts."
"My God, kindergarten? How old is he anyway?" Marvin wanted to know.
"Four." Terrance told him. "He just turned four three weeks ago."
"Already four, huh?" Marvin mumbled. "Man, time sure flies." He shook his head and gave his boss a big grin. "Before you know it you'll be an old man and he will be all grown up."
"Hehehe, oh I think that can wait for some more time. After today, I will just go home and go on a nice and long vacation with the both of them."
"Really?" Marvin asked. "Where you're going? Off-world?" But Terrance shook his head.
"Nah, too expensive. I finally managed to convince Ellie to visit my parents. Just three weeks of nothing but some peace and quiet and-" But before Terrance could finish the sentence a new noise reached their ears. It was the sound of a hover-car and it came from outside the walls. That alone wasn't anything unusual, but then they heard how the car stopped and someone started to talk to the security guards standing outside.
"Meat truck, we've got some stuff for the party." they could hear someone say. Both Terrance and Marvin looked at each other in surprise.
"More food? Did anyone tell you about that?" Marvin asked. His boss just pulled his shoulders up.
"Pfff, no one tells me nothing these days." The delivery entrance was of course not unguarded. There was a big security station with several heavily armed soldiers inside. The station itself was equipped with automatic weapons and an incredibly powerful scanner, one that could find even the smallest amounts of explosives and guns.
"Come around, move your truck over there!" they heard one of the guards say. A few seconds later a hover-truck appeared in their sight and stopped right in front of the security station. Several guards positioned themselves around the vehicle. They didn't raise their rifle, but they made sure that no one would try anything funny. Both Terrance and Marvin, along with the rest of the kitchen-staff, watched how the security-guys did their thing. There had been a time when the palace had been under the protection of the Emperor's personal Honor Guard. Basically, it had been a specially trained military unit and over 500 trained soldiers had been part of that company. Now those times were over and the protection of the palace was in the hands of a normal security (albeit perfectly trained and equipped with the best gear you could ask for). However, even if these guards were no special forces, they still took their job seriously.
"Okay!" the guard-captain said and raised his hand. "Over here and stop right there!" he yelled. The driver of the truck gave him a thumbs-up and stopped his vehicle right in front of the captain.
"Kill the engine, lights out!" the captain ordered and the driver did as he was told.
"Good, now get out. We're going to check your id's, so you better have them with you!" The doors of the truck opened and several guys emerged from the big vehicle. They were all men, six in total. They wore overalls, had broad shoulders and arms like trees. Some members of the guard-unit exchanged surprised looks, but their captain wasn't fazed one bit.
"Over there, keep your hands visible at all time." he ordered. His voice was calm and controlled, but there was no doubt that he would not allow them to do anything stupid. The men complied and walked towards a double door system. The idea behind the system was simple; people had to identify themselves one at a time while vehicles were checked by the guards and towed inside. This was still the Imperial Palace, no one was allowed to enter it just like that.
Even Terrance Willford had to go through that gate every day, and every day they checked if he hadn't turned into a Zerg-doppelgänger. Apparently, no one of these guys was a Zerg in disguise. They showed the guards their id's, who checked them and then allowed them to enter. The car, however...
"Did you find anything?" the captain asked one of his men who shook his head.
"No signs of weapons or explosives. But there is some interference in the back of the truck. Could be a jammer." One of the guys turned around and looked over to the captain.
"It's just the cooling unit. The whole truck is filled with meat, you know. Meat that needs to get into the kitchen as fast as possible." he told the captain with an urgent tone in his voice. Unfortunately for him, the captain had other priorities.
"Couldn't care less about that. I won't let any vehicle in if I don't know what's inside." the captain said and turned towards his man. "Open it up." No one really noticed when the guys from the truck started to look at each other.
"Is that really necessary?" the leader of the group asked. "We're really on a tight schedule here! If we don't deliver this on time, our boss will rip us a new one and-"
"I don't care about your schedule!" the captain barked and pointed at a yellow marked area. "Wait there and don't try to act smart." Two guards moved closer and swayed their rifles right in front of them as if they were trying to reinforce their captain's orders.
"Yeah, I'm gonna make sure to tell my boss about it!" the leader then said. "Bet he will ask which asshole was responsible for that delay!" However, the captain was no fool. And he knew better than to allow this guy to make him lose his temper. So instead he looked just at the man and pointed with his finger at himself.
"The name is Captain Alleksios. With two L and a K, make sure to tell that to your boss. Now shut up and let us do our job. Or you can call your boss and explain to him why you're spending the next few days inside a cell of this building because you weren't able to behave." The captain then nodded at the guard near the transporter.
"That's a mistake, buddy." the man hissed. But the captain didn't show any sign of nervousness.
"Open that door, Corporal!" he just ordered and the guard did as he was told. When the young soldier opened the door, it took roughly a second before he stumbled backward. The smell that hit the man was more horrible than anything he had ever smelt before. The sweet stench of death started to fill the area and more than a few guards started to gag. Even all the way on the other side of the delivery area Terrance and his people could smell the stench of rotten meat. He flipped his cigarette away and had to swallow hard. The feeling of bile burning in the back of his throat was causing him to grunt in discomfort, and when he looked to the side, he could see that he wasn't the only one having a problem with that smell.
"HHUARRRKKK..." the poor guy who had opened the truck hurled all over the concrete and stumbled away.
"What the hell?" the captain snarled and walked over to the truck while everyone else backed away. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it against his nose and mouth in order to filter some of that stench from the air. When he reached the back of the truck and peeked inside, his eyes widened in shock, but only for a second. He looked over at the men and didn't seem very happy.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean. You think this is funny, you jerks? Men, keep them at distance!" The guards immediately raised their rifles and pointed them directly at those men. Suddenly Terrance wondered if he and his people should return to the kitchen. They were too far away to be in any immediate danger, but still...
"Maybe we should go back inside, boss." Marvin said next to him, basically repeating the Chef's own thoughts. But the leader of these newcomers just pulled his shoulders up.
"What's the problem, man? It's just meat, we're supposed to deliver it to you guys and then we're gone. So how about-"
"THAT MEAT IS ROTTEN!" the captain screamed. "Who the hell do you think you are? Men, arrest these people! Inform the main gate that we're dealing with a potential security-breach, have them send more guys over to us!"
"That is a mistake, buddy." the leader snarled. Just let us do our job and-" But the captain didn't want to listen.
"Arrest them! Use force if necessary!" he barked and the other guards switched off the safety on their guns.
"Okay, we should probably get back inside." Terrance agreed. He could hear a soft sound right next to him. It sounded like someone was tearing apart a piece of wet cloth. Actually, it kinda sounded like cutting meat. "Marv', tell the others to-" He then turned his head to Marvin, but stopped the moment he saw the look of shock on the other man's face.
"Marv', what..." But only then he realized that something was wrong with Marvin. His eyes were wide open and looked in shock at the silver piece of metal that came out of his chest. His white cook-uniform was turning red where the blade had pierced him. His eyes wandered up to Terrance and he opened his mouth. He tried to say something, but no words left his throat. The blade had severed his windpipe right above the point where it split and led to both his lungs. A gurgling sound left his throat and blood dripped from his chin.
"Marv?!" Terrance managed to gasp in shock when a dark figure emerged from behind the twitching body of Marvin. Everything was just happening too damn fast and Terrance couldn't make out any details. However, for a second he could see the horrible maw of something that looked like a...Zerg? No, it was no Zerg. It was a helmet that was covered with Zerg-teeth. Suddenly Marvin made a step forward and right towards him. At least Terrance thought that Marvin was walking towards him. In reality, the figure behind Marvin simply pushed the already dead man forward.
Even if Terrance hadn't been in shock, he still wouldn't have been able to dodge the dead body of his former co-worker. When the blade pierced through his chest, his whole world exploded into pain. He gasped and felt how the sharp metal cut through skin, flesh, and bone. And finally one of his lungs. He stumbled backward and simply fell on the floor. The dead body of Marvin pushed him down and he felt how the blade went even deeper until it reached the backside of his rib cage and smashed into the cold and hard concrete.
"Ghaaa..." Terrance managed to gurgle, but there was nothing that he could do. His attacker pulled the blade out of his chest and it caused another wave of pain to wreck his body. He tried to scream, but his lungs were already filling up with his own blood. When he coughed, he could feel how a hot liquid shot through his throat. As blood exited his mouth, he knew that he was in deep trouble.
"We're under attack! Enemy fire!" someone screamed, but Terrance couldn't see who it was. Maybe the captain? Hope flashed through his mind. If the guards could kill those guys, they could still save him! He didn't want to die...
He wanted to see his family again, his wife and their little son. He wanted to visit his parents with both of them...
More screams reached his ears. And gunfire. Goddamn, it was so loud! Much louder than in those movies. His ears hurt, but he couldn't move. All he could do was to lie on the ground like a dying bug.
No. Not dying. He couldn't die. Not now. His family, they needed him.
"Get them! Get them!" someone screamed. Bright flashes of light blinded Terrance. He heard screams of pain, and then again that disgusting sound of ripping tissue.
"Pull back, pull baAAAAAIIEEE" the voice of the captain reached him one last time. And then everything went silent.
For a moment, Terrance wondered if he was already dead. Or if the guards had managed to defeat the attackers. But then...
"You took your sweet time, Dee!" the voice of the leader of those men said next to him. By now Terrance was too weak to turn his head to the side.
"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too!" a woman replied. "You're lucky that we got here in time. And why the hell did you have rotten meat inside the truck?" she wanted to know.
"We stole the truck last week, it was supposed to be our Trojan horse. But a certain genius forgot to keep the cooling unit switched on."
"Goddammit. This has to be a stupid joke. You nearly blew the whole mission because one idiot forgot to keep the meat cold?!" the woman called Dee snarled in anger.
"Yeah, well, tough luck. You got the gear?"
"Yeah, everything's here. Now-" Suddenly a new voice interrupted them.
"Hate to spoil the reunion." another woman said. "But we're on a tight schedule here. So get inside and do your thing, so we can do ours." They said something else, but Terrance lacked the strength to listen to them. He had to fight it! If he managed to stay alive, maybe someone would come and save him. Right before his inner eye, he could see the faces of both his wife and his son.
He had promised his son to take him to the kindergarten once his vacation was over...
Suddenly a shadow appeared over him and he was surrounded by darkness. Someone was kneeling right next to him and he could feel how that person grabbed his hand. Then his hand exploded into pain when something hot and sharp cut through his flesh. He whimpered and tried to say something, but only a gurgling sound left his voice.
"Damn, that guy is still alive. At least put a bullet through his head before you cut off his finger!" someone said. The pain was too strong for Terrance to realize that they were talking about him. All he wanted was the pain to end and to see his family again. He opened his eyes and looked up. And when he did...
The female leader of the Specters looked at the dying chef and pulled her gun out. For the fraction of a second, their eyes met. She could see hope, fear, love, and despair. She could see the faces of his loved ones inside his mind. And he? He saw nothing in those eyes. Nothing except death.
Then she pulled the trigger and all his thoughts, hopes, and dreams came to an end.
When Jim stepped out onto the balcony, the first thing he noticed that it wasn't nearly as cold as it should be. It was winter and the city in front of them was covered by a thin layer of snow. But even then, the air around them was warm. He couldn't see the heaters around them and wondered how much it cost to keep them up and running. Though those heaters were probably the last thing he should think about right now.
"Are you cold?" he asked and turned around. Jane Shepard gave him a warm and gentle smile before she stepped towards the balustrade and put her hands on it.
"It's fine." she said. "I once visited a world that was so cold that anything on its surface would freeze within minutes. The locals taught me how to deal with the cold though." That was an understatement.
"If you want, you can have my shirt." he offered her. Her smile became even wider and she lowered her gaze.
"That won't be necessary. Though I am quite surprised, I didn't know that the great James Raynor could be such a charmer."
"I told you; call me Jim." he replied and stepped next to her. They both looked at the city of Augustgrad and Jim had to admit that right now the city-lights looked beautiful. It seemed as if the whole city was just one big organism, and all the highways and streets were the blood vessels. For quite some time neither one of them said a word. Jim didn't know how it was possible, but suddenly he felt really calm and relaxed. Like he had finally found the one thing he had looked for so long...
"So..." suddenly both of them said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise and then started to laugh.
"You first." she offered to him, but Jim just shook his head.
"Ladies first." he said to her. Jane opened her mouth, ready to refuse that offer yet again. However, she then closed it and took a moment to gather her thoughts. Jim looked at her profile while she watched the streets beneath them. She truly was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
"Forgive me. I actually wanted to ask you a lot of things, but now that we're finally face to face I..." She took a deep breath and turned her head away. "...I don't know what I should ask you first." Though deep inside her heart, she knew what she wanted to tell him.
"Hmm...it's fine. There's no rush." Jim just said and straightened himself. For a long time, neither one said a word.
She's sorry, she never wanted to cause you any pain. And she's afraid. Sarah's voice echoed through his mind. A smile appeared on his face.
"What reason could there be to be afraid of, Darlin'?." he whispered. From the corner of his eyes, he could see how Jane shuddered. So it was too cold for her after all. He sighed and fingers wandered to the buttons of his shirt. It wasn't much, but Jim Raynor wouldn't just do nothing while a lady was freezing right next to him. He didn't realize that the woman next to him wasn't affected by the cold at all.
Not since she had devoured the essence of that Ursadon-Matriarch on the icy world of Kaldir all those years ago.
But that was something Jim didn't need to know about "Jane".
"Maybe we should get back inside. We don't want you to catch a cold, Mrs. She-" Jim said with a soft voice and put his hand on her shoulder. It was by no means meant as an intrusion into her personal space, but when they touched, it felt as if a jolt of energy was shooting through Jim's whole body. For a short moment, for an impossible short moment, he could see through the mirage that surrounded this woman. And what he saw...
Jim wasn't a fool. And he wasn't a thick piece of wood either. There was a part inside of him that knew that this person wasn't Jane Shepard. But every time that realization was about to break to the surface, something from the outside grabbed that realization and buried it under doubts and the knowledge that she was gone for good. However, the moment they touched, that whole control slipped away and revealed her true nature.
"Sarah?" he whispered again. But that moment lasted only for the fraction of a second, and right after that, this realization slipped his mind yet again. He shook his head and when he saw that he had put his hand on Jane's shoulder, he pulled it back immediately.
"Sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't want to do that, I don't know what I was thinking..." he mumbled shook his head. He felt shame and fear. What he didn't know was that those emotions weren't his own.
"Forgive me." Jane suddenly whispered. "It was a mistake coming here. I'm sorry... I... I have to go." she said with a choking voice before she turned around and walked back inside. Something in Jim's mind screamed that this was wrong. The voice was part of his own subconsciousness, the same subconsciousness that knew more than he did. And all it told him was; don't let her go. He didn't actually make the decision, his body simply reacted. When she walked past him, he could see the painful expression on her face. His hand shot forward and grabbed her wrist. He didn't hurt her, but at the same time, he held onto her like a drowning man.
"Whoa, whoa! What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" he wanted to know. He could feel how Jane's whole body tensed up when she heard that. She looked him into the eyes and all he could see was fear, despair, and shame.
"NO!" she told him. "No, it isn't your fault. It's me..." She didn't try to walk away anymore. Instead, she stopped and turned towards him before she lowered her gaze. "I'm a coward. Coming here was a mistake. I should have stayed away from this place." Jim could see how her eyes turned watery and he could swear that for the fraction of a second her tears looked like they were made out of gold.
But Jane turned her face away and brushed those tears away. It all happened too fast for him to comprehend that those tears were truly made out of gold. He could see how her whole body trembled and he felt the urge to put his arms around her and hug her, comfort her. But he knew nothing about this woman. Instead, he released her from his grip and just looked at her back.
"It's a guy, isn't it?" he then said and could see how Jane froze in an instant. She didn't say a word, but it wasn't necessary. It didn't matter which world or what kind of people were involved. Some things always stayed the same, and Jim had seen this kind of behavior many times.
"I'm sorry." he then whispered. "I didn't want to pry into your personal life. It's none of my business anyway and-" But then Jane turned back towards him.
"No! It's fine. I'm the one to blame. There was no way for you to know that I'm a coward." Her voice was but a whisper.
"He's here right now?" Jim asked. Jane opened her mouth, ready to reply something. But then she just shook her head. Her red hair flew from one side to the other and Jim couldn't help but blush just by looking at her red mane.
"He's...somewhere." Jane said, and then she started to chuckle. It was not a happy laugh, though. "I came here to see him. But I can't even face him. He would probably just tell me that I should get lost and leave him alone. That it would be better if I had died." The bitterness in her voice was so strong that Jim couldn't help but frown.
"Whoa, now those are some mean accusations. Is that guy really the kind of man who would do that to his lady? Because if he is; point me in his general direction so I can punch some sense into him." Much to his own delight, he could see how Jane gave him an amused "Ha!" when she heard that, not realizing that it basically meant that he should punch himself. But then she shook her head.
"No. No, it's the other way around. I guess I wish he would react like that. I wish he would tell me to leave him alone and never approach him again. That way... it would make things easier." Her voice was but a whisper.
"You must have done something incredibly stupid to think that he hates you." Jim mused.
"That's probably the understatement of a lifetime. Several lifetimes actually."
"So, got this hunk of a guy a name? Maybe some juicy celebrity I have never heard about?" Suddenly Jane felt how her heart started to beat faster. Crap. A name. Not again!
"It's... uhm... his name is..." Just a few meters ago two men walked by the balcony, talking to each other.
"I swear, that guy claims that he can trace his ancestor back to Ancient Earth, from Russia to be exact. He even says that he has the documents to prove that." the first man said, but the second just groaned when he heard that.
"Dear Lord, he's making fun of you! Garfield isn't even a Russian name!" the other man said.
Garfield... Russia. Garf... Russ...
"Garrus." Jane suddenly said and looked at Jim. "His name is Garrus." Jim frowned when he heard that.
"Garrus? What kind of name is that? Is it his for- or his surname?" Jane's eyes widened in despair when she heard that. But luckily two servants walked past the balcony only seconds after those two men.
"...yeah, one of the guests made a mess back there. Better get a vacuum cleaner and get rid of it before Hamilton gets a stroke. And we better call a car to pick that guest up." the first servant said.
"Know where the next vacuum cleaner is?" the other servant wanted to know.
"No, but ask Ian. He should know where one is."
Vacuum... car... Ian... Vacu... car... Ian...
"Vakarian. His name is Garrus Vakarian." Jane finally managed to squeeze out. Jim's brows wandered up when he heard that name.
"Garrus Vakarian? What kind of name is that? Sounds like some alien cop from a weird sci-fi-story." Jane pulled her shoulders up when she heard that.
"I think his ancestors are Germans or something like that..." she just mumbled. Gosh, she really had to stop making up names like that.
"Oh!" Jim then said. "Yeah, that makes sense. These Germans sure used to have strange names."
Uh huh...
"So what happened between the both of you?" Jim then asked. He didn't want to cause any kind of emotional trauma, but he felt nothing but sympathies towards this woman. And for some odd reason, it hurt to see her like this.
"It's... complicated." Jane sighed.
"It usually is. Until you come to the part where it gets easy." Jim replied. "Did he...cheat on you? Treat you badly?" That was the usual explanation for most issues between lovers. But Jane just shook her head.
"No! No, he isn't to blame. It's my fault. He...he..." She turned her eyes away, not able to look him into the eyes.
She's afraid...Sarah's voice whispered in the back of his mind, jet Jim disagreed.
"Give her time." he mumbled to himself, still not realizing that the voice inside his mind might in fact not be a hallucination at all.
"So, what happened?" Jim repeated his initial question. His words were soft and understanding, and when Jane looked up again, she had to swallow hard. She returned to the balustrade and put her hands on it.
"I..." she began and took a deep breath. "I screwed up. I betrayed his trust." Jim stepped next to her and put his arms on the balustrade as well. Both were now looking at the city right before them.
"Everyone makes mistake, Mrs. Shepard." he then said. "Sometimes we do stupid things because it appears to be the right thing at that time. Life isn't perfect and we just try to make the best out of it." He could see the painful expression on her face. It was as if she wanted to tell him something, something that would change his opinion for good.
"I did it several times..." she then whispered. "Not only once, but many times. He waited for me, he even forgave me... and I did it again."
"Well, I'm sure you had your reason." Jim just told her. When Jane heard that, she tightened her grip on the balustrade. Why? Why was he so generous? If he would know her real identity, would he react differently? If he knew that this was in fact not about Garrus Vakarian, but Jim Raynor? Jane felt how her own determination started to waver. And with it the control over her own powers. It was too late. She closed her eyes and could feel how her disguise started to grow weaker. Right now, she lacked the willpower to go on with this charade. Here he was, so close to her. All she had to do was to turn towards him and stop influencing his mind. Once she would stop that, he would probably realize who she was in an instant. There was no point in avoiding the unavoidable anymore. She turned her head away so he wouldn't see those golden tears streaming down her face.
"...Jim... I..." she started to sob and was ready to show him who she really was.
"Hey, it's okay!" Jim suddenly said and did the one thing she hadn't expected; he took her into his arms and pulled her close to his chest. Jane's eyes widened in shock, but at the same time, she didn't fight it. He held her tightly and she could feel the warmth of his body on her skin and through her dress.
"What...?" she whispered.
"It's okay, Jane." Jim told her. He couldn't see her face, but he could hear her whimpering. "It's okay. Don't fight it. Sometimes...you just need to let it out." And then...Jane let it out. She raised her arms and put them around Jim's waist before the tears started to stream down her face. Since her head rested on his shoulders, he couldn't see the tears of gold falling down her cheeks. Nor did he see when the face of Jane Shepard started to change when the mirage finally faded away and Sarah Kerrigan finally returned to him.
"Shhh...everything's okay, Jane." Jane. He still didn't know the truth. Because "Jane" didn't want to tell him the truth. How could she? She hadn't come here to return to him. She had come to end this tragedy once and for all. However, it appeared as if she had overestimated her own determination. And she had underestimated Jim Raynor.
That tends to happen with the two of you... that voice that sounded like Sarah's spoke to them at the same time, which caused Jim to chuckle.
"Don't worry, Sarah..." he whispered to the voice inside his head, not realizing that the head so close to him was hearing the same thing. "...you will always be the only one for me." That caused Jane to sob even harder. It was not fair. Not fair. Not FAIR!
She wanted to tell him. Wanted to show him the truth. But at the same time...
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump...
His heartbeat. Jim's heartbeat. It was a strong heartbeat, and she remembered the short time they had spent together when they had shared his bed. Sometimes she had watched him while had slept. Aside from the fact that Jim Raynor drooled in his sleep from time to time, he was quite the mouth-breather. But that had never bothered Sarah. Instead, she had rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump...
Now it all came back to her. Now she could hear that heartbeat again.
"Jim... I'm..." she whispered, but he just put his hand on her head and brushed over her hair.
"It's fine, Jane." he told her. "You don't have to act all brave and strong all the time. It's what most people try to do. And they usually fail. No one can ever shoulder the burden of the entire world and keep a straight face."
If anyone wanted to describe what James Eugene Raynor was all about, it was one thing; heart. Jim Raynor wasn't about logic. Or reason. Or fame. Or power. It was heart. The same heart that told him to hug a complete stranger and show her that she wasn't alone in this world. Sarah wanted to run away. Deep inside her mind, she knew that there was no happy end to this story. She knew that, because unlike Jim, she didn't possess a heart at all. She had proven that time after time.
But if she had no heart, then why did it hurt so much?
Focus. Focus. Focus. Regain control. She had to regain control of both her mind and her powers and leave before he would finally realize who she truly was. She was a goddamn coward, but right now she just wanted to be everywhere else but here. She knew what she had to do. There was only one little problem...
...she didn't want to leave him.
How long had she waited for this moment? Right now, she held the only man who had ever loved her in her arms. And the full realization hit her like an asteroid; she still loved him just as much. Maybe more than ever.
He always believed in you...she could hear her own voice in the back of her mind. And much to her own dismay, Jim answered only confirmed that.
"I've never stopped believing in you, Sarah..." he whispered, not realizing that he was talking to something that wasn't even a hallucination.
So all the time, that voice had talked to the both of them. Sarah had no idea what it was, or who, but there was no doubt about it; it formed a connection between the both of them. The entire time Sarah hadn't been able to see the truth. They had always shared a special connection, ever since she had decided to love this man. This bond had helped her during cold and lonely nights when she had fought for the Sons of Korhal. The Queen of Blades had used it in order to torture Jim, teasing him for failing Sarah in the first place. And the Primal Queen of Blades? She had tried to ignore that feeling in order to do what had to be done. But that bond had never seized to exist.
The tears continued to stream down her face, yet she managed to regain her composure. At least partially. She just wanted this moment to never end. She could do that, could she not? Her powers were almost limitless, so why not use them? She had dimmed them down to the absolute minimum, so no one would find her. Her little trip to Aiur had taught her that keeping a low-profile wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. However, it had needed Artanis to see through her cover, and no matter how much she loved Jim, she knew that he wouldn't be able to figure out who she was as long as she refused that to happen.
But... maybe it was time to show him the truth?
Like so many times before, it was Jim who showed her the path.
"Better?" he whispered. She buried her face in his shoulder and managed to nod, which caused Jim to chuckle. "Man, I'm really a lucky dog. I just wanted to say hi to an old friend and instead, I get to comfort such a beautiful lady." He rubbed her backside and sighed. "You rich guys certainly have all too familiar problems, you know that?" However, Sarah didn't say anything. His words helped her to calm down. And when Jim realized it, he gave her a soft squeeze.
"Is he here?" he finally asked.
"Mwho?" she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Your boyfriend. Garrus. Is he on this party?" Jim wanted to know and brushed over her head.
"The man I love... is here, yes. But he doesn't want to see me." she then whispered.
"I don't believe that. No guy in the universe would refuse to see such a lovely woman like you are. How about this; we're gonna look for Garrus, and you tell him what he means to you. And if he doesn't believe you, I'm going to beat some sense into him."
"You don't know what I did to him..." she replied. "You just don't know..."
"Here's a truth of life; a man is nothing without the woman that loves him. And trust me, there is no such thing as "impossible" when you love someone." His words were filled with pain, but also hope and love. Sarah knew that they were directed at her. She then gathered all her strength and raised her head. She looked at the city lying before her while Jim looked back inside the palace.
"Is there anyone... in your life?" she wanted to know. Suddenly she could sense his sadness and despair. But there was something else...something warm...
"Yes." he whispered. "There is someone I care for."
"A woman?" she wanted to know.
"The one you only meet once in a lifetime." he told her.
"Where is she?"
"She..." Jim had to gasp. "...had to leave."
"She left you?" Sarah asked again.
"She had to. It wasn't her choice." Those words made her almost choke.
It was her choice. One that she always regretted. Sarah heard her own voice and cursed on the inside. Was there no off-switch to this thing? However, Jim decided to talk to that voice both of them could hear.
"You did what you had to do, Sarah. If anything, then I was too blind to see it." He raised his head and looked up to the dark night sky. For a short moment, Sarah was afraid that he would see her and she turned her head away. But Jim didn't notice any of that. Instead, he stared up and a faint smile appeared on his face. "I've never stopped believing in you." he said to the mental image of his lost lover.
That was it. That was the last straw. She had screwed it up again. She hadn't come here to cause Jim any more pain, she had just wanted to see him one last time and make sure that...that...
Just what the hell was she even trying to do here?!
"So, wanna find your boyfriend?" Jim chuckled. She had to do it. She had to end it now or it would destroy her, destroy both of them. She could feel how her strength started to fail her. All that power she possessed was like a star that was about to be unleashed. And the only thing that kept those powers in check was her mind. If she would stay here, all sorts of things could happen. Even worse, Jim might realize who she really was. And so she decided to give in.
"Yes. Yes, that would be nice." she whispered and gathered the small amount of control she had currently left.
"That's the spirit, girl. Now, let's take a look at you." Jim finally released her from his tight embrace and made a step backward. And when he looked into the woman's face...
...Jane Shepard looked right back at him.
"See? Sometimes those things just have to get outside. Otherwise, they will just consume you." he told her. Jane put her hand on his chest and shivered.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump...
She would miss that heartbeat. But she had to do this. Otherwise, neither one of them would be able to move on. He grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.
"Ready to find your loverboy?" he wanted to know. After some time, she finally nodded.
"Yes. I'm ready to face him." she whispered. It was a lie, but a good one. He gave her a warm smile when he heard that.
"I'm proud of you, Mrs. Shepard. You're a lot tougher than you look." No. No, she wasn't. Right now, she felt like she was made out of glass.
"Let's go." Jim then said. "Let's find this Garrus-guy and tell him what huge idiot he is for not spending this evening with such a beautiful lady." He then turned around and walked towards the ballroom. "You coming?" he added. Jane only nodded and made a step forward...
...before she finally decided to drop the act. Right behind Jim, her whole form changed and turned back into the person she truly was. Her short, red hair turned long again, her face returned to its triangular shape and her full lips reemerged. If anything, she looked even more beautiful. She pressed her hands against her cleavage and mustered all the strength she had left. The air around her body started to glow and Jim stopped when he felt a warm feeling in his back. It felt like wonderful sunshine.
"Mr. Raynor...there's something I need to tell you first." she told him. A smile appeared on his face and he turned around to her.
"I thought I told you: Call me Ji-" Before their eyes finally met, a new voice reached their ears. One that neither one had expected.
"EVERYONE DOWN! THEY GOT GUNS!" someone yelled before a shot was fired and everybody inside the ballroom started to scream in panic.