Arelia walked with Nala for at least a few more hours trying to get the lay of the land. Though exhausted she continued to push herself because she doesn't know when she will next be drugged. With every step Arelia mentally takes note of her surroundings. Right now it seems the only way out of the valley is up the path where she and Nala sat together overlooking the small house. And though they did not ascend further the rest of the walk did not produce any other alternatives.
The task looks daunting at best, to hike all the way up the path, Arelia knows she will need to get the drugs completely out of her system before trying such a feat. She is not sure she can convince Nala to let her prepare all of the meals. Arelia at some point will actually have to trust the asari not to drug her.
"You look tired dear, we are almost home," says Nala.
During their walk the asari held hands from time to time. Arelia trying to find a good balance of when to show affection and when not to. She does not want to be too obvious what she is doing. She feels very out of practice at such tactics. Her desk job she feels has left her a bit soft.
Arelia stumbles, her ankle twisting due to a misstep and loose rock on the path. Nala is there to try to stop her from falling. Nala is not is not able to catch Arelia in time instead she helps propel the asari to the ground both landing in a thud.
Nala sees Arelia wince at the pain and though she likes lying on top of her she quickly gets up on her hands and knees to survey the damage. "Lie still," she says gently.
Arelia props herself up on her elbows to look at her ankle and the asari that is taking such care not to hurt her. Arelia is wondering what happened to Nala to make her so angry, to make her hate. Looking at the woman before her now it is hard for Arelia to see the asari who kidnapped her. Arelia shakes her head at the thought. STOP Arelia you love Miranda. I love Miranda, I love Miranda. She still could not help seeing the good in Nala.
"Does this hurt?" asks Nala as she carefully pokes and prods at Arelia's ankle.
Expecting the touch to hurt Arelia is holding her breath. When Nala hits a sensitive spot Arelia hisses through clenched teeth. "Yes..there."
"Okay," says Nala with a soft smile. "It is not broken. I can help you back we are not that far."
Arelia has no idea where the house is. Though the dense trees are beautiful it is making it difficult to create landmarks in her mind for a possible escape. Navigation out of here will be extremely challenging. She could just kick herself for being so careless; this is a setback she can ill afford.
Nala stands and offers a hand, Arelia takes it with a half smile half grimace. On her feet now she barely puts pressure on her left ankle. Nala steps in close and allows Arelia to lean on her as she half hops back to the home.
Shepard and Valya return to the Shepard/T'Soni household a.k.a headquarters. They are excited to have a lead on Nala and Arelia. Their hope is to track the shuttle that Nala took.
Entering the house, it is just past lunch time. Dara is in the kitchen.
"Valya, Shepard welcome back. I have left over lunch in the refrigerator if you are hungry."
"Hi Dara," says Valya as she hugs and kisses her bondmate of two years. "Thanks I am famished. Shepard you want some?"
"Sure," Shepard's eyes dart around.
"Liara is lying down and Raina is taking a nap. Kasumi is still upstairs and last I saw Miranda she was in the secure room," says Dara.
It amazes Shepard how Dara seems to be able to read people. She smiles at her asari friend, "Thanks Dara. I'll be right back."
Shepard enters the master bedroom wanting to check on the love of her life. Liara is in the process of sitting up when Shepard comes through the door.
"Elly," says Liara.
"Hey Liara," Shepard crosses the dimly lit room and sits on the side of the bed next to Liara. She leans in and kisses her fully on the lips. "You feeling okay?"
Liara shakes her head a little, "Just a little headache. The nap helped. How are you?"
Shepard smiles, "Good. Valya and I found something. You up to joining us in the family room while I give a sit rep?"
"Yes, I will be right there."
Shepard stands to allow Liara to stand up. When she does she is steady on her feet which Shepard is happy about. She waits for Liara before leaving the bedroom.
The sun is nearly set by the time Nala and Arelia reach the home. They were farther out than Nala indicated, perhaps it was to not to worry Arelia. Feeling aches all over her body, Nala sets Arelia down in the small room Nala uses to read in. Arelia is all too happy to be off of her feet. She slumps back into the chair, leans her head back and closes her eyes, she is utterly exhausted.
She jumps at Nala's touch; she did not hear the asari return to the room.
"It's okay dear; I am just applying some medi-gel to help with the pain and swelling. I didn't mean to wake you."
"I…I didn't realize I fell asleep." Arelia looks outside and the sun is fully set now. "Aww that feels nice," says Arelia at the coolness of the gel.
Nala smiles. "I think you and I both need a bath."
Arelia snaps her head up; she cannot hide the fear in her eyes. She does not want to be intimate with Nala. She quickly looks away trying to focus on her own clothes. She could not help but see the hurt expressed in Nala's face.
"I will draw you a bath Arelia." Nala gets up to leave the room.
Arelia to compensate for her mistake reaches out to Nala and catches her hand. Nala looks at her. "Thank you Nala, for everything."
Nala gives a small nod, though Arelia knows she is hiding the hurt she inflicted just seconds prior. How is Arelia going to tell Nala that she will never love her? Nala is trying so hard, surely she knows it will not work. Arelia is too tired to think about how to approach the subject right now, all she wants is sleep.
"Okay everyone listen up," says Shepard. Everyone is gathered in the family room minus little Raina who is still sleeping in her crib.
Shepard nods to Valya.
"We found the shuttle that Nala used. It is a SV98 class shuttle," says Valya.
"Thanks the same shuttle class we told you about right?" asks Miranda.
"Yes that's right," says Valya.
"We found seven of them from the last six days that used the docking facility," says Miranda.
Valya nods and continues, "The shuttle is actually owned not rented and it is under Arelia's name."
"What? Why?" asks Miranda.
Shepard chimes in, "We think it is simply to hide Nala's tracks Miranda.
Miranda nods.
Valya continues, "The dock workers mentioned that this shuttle does not have the fuel capacity to leave Thessia atmosphere. That the main purpose of the shuttle is to take day trip excursions or rent it to see the planet."
Shepard says, "The dock worker gave us a listing of destinations that are used by people looking to find seclusion."
"Do you really think Nala would take Arelia to a local tourist destination?" asks Liara.
"No," says Shepard. But what we were hoping you two could do," she gestures toward Liara and Miranda, "is place these destinations on a map so we have an idea of just how secluded we are talking. Find a way to track Nala's shuttle then compare it to these spots to see if she is somewhere near one of these areas. Or better yet, eliminate these areas as places we need to search. Because based on what we have been told there is a lot of ground to cover and if we can cut down on that, the better off we are."
"Is that it?" asks Miranda in a nice way.
"Afraid so," says Shepard.
"But it is more than we had a few hours ago," says Valya.
"Kasumi, do you happen to remember anything more than from what you already told us?" asks Shepard.
Shaking her head no, "I'm afraid not Shepard, I'm sorry."
"No worries. We got a lead, let's see it through," says Shepard.
The group adjourns, each grabbing lunch if needed and getting to work on tracking Nala's shuttle.
"How does that feel?" asks Nala.
Arelia is soaking in the bath tub. She is near sleep. Her aching body is finally relaxing. Arelia cannot tell if she is just exhausted or if the water offered by Nala she recently drank was drugged. At this point she feels like she is floating and doesn't really care. All she cares about is that she does not physically hurt anymore.
Arelia doesn't mind that Nala is in the bathroom with her. It is not as if she is seeing her in all her nakedness, the suds are covering her. After washing herself Arelia is leaning back and resting her eyes. "This is wonderful Nala," her speech is a little slurred, "thank you."
Nala simply replies, "You are welcome dear. I fear you pushed yourself too hard today. You should stay off that ankle for a day or two to be safe hmm?"
"It's okay, I will be fine. You fixed me up as you always do."
Nala is surprised at the statement. It is in fact true. Nala did 'fix' Arelia after her bondmate Michelle died.
"You are too good to me Miranda," Arelia doesn't realize she said the wrong name. Her inhibitions are lowering.
Nala can feel the heat rise within her. She will never love me. Nala wants Arelia to pay for such a slip up but not right now. In her nicest voice she can manage, "I'll be right back dear."
Arelia is enjoying her bath. She is about to fall asleep when her head snaps up with eyes wide. I called her Miranda. Oh Goddess did I really say Miranda? Arelia is so tired she is not sure what she said all she knows is that she is alone in the bathroom and she does not know how long Nala has been gone.
Sitting up Arelia steadies herself and manages to get out of the tub. She is drying herself off careful to not put too much pressure on her ankle. She is able to walk on it though not without limping. Making her way into her bedroom she does not see or hear Nala anywhere. She was hoping to go to sleep, but instead she puts on some clothes to search for her asari captor.
Arelia makes her way through the house. She goes to Nala's room, a room she has not seen or been in. The door is closed. She listens first to see if perhaps Nala is inside. She hears her of all things…crying.
Not wanting to be rude Arelia softly knocks on the door, "Nala?"
There is no reply.
"Nala are you okay?"
Arelia continues to listen and hears Nala moving around in the room, but she still does not answer.
"I am coming in Nala." Arelia opens the door to see Nala sitting on the bed her head is down.
Her bedroom is about the same size as Arelia's. Nala has a queen size bed and a dresser. The only difference is she has her own bathroom. With no other places to sit Arelia joins Nala on the edge of the bed, she sits close. "Are you okay Nala, I thought I heard you crying."
Nala does not look at her.
"Did I do something wrong?" Arelia is still not sure if she called Nala Miranda.
Nala snaps her face toward Arelia, the familiar hatred seething through her every pore. "You have to ask?" she nearly yells.
Arelia feels a chill up her spine. She had almost forgotten how frightening Nala can be and she is kicking herself for it. Instead of returning anger for anger Arelia gently says, "I will never love you Nala, you must know that."
Nala narrows her eyes at Arelia, Arelia does not waver; she does not look away. She wants Nala to know what she says is true.
"I am sorry Nala I am. But I love Miranda."
Nala quickly stands and slaps Arelia hard across the face and yells, "Don't you ever say her name do you understand me?"
"Or what?" yells Arelia as she too stands though not as quickly. "I told you Nala, I told you I would never love you and you still took me."
Nala in her fury waves her hand and walks out of the room, she does not want to hurt Arelia, yet she does. Arelia follows as best she can.
"You are not the same woman I knew over thirty years ago Nala. I am not the same woman. We cannot go back. I love Miranda Lawson, do you hear me!" They are in the main sitting room now which is across from the kitchen.
"You will never see her again Arelia!"
"And why is that? Because you are going to kill me?"
"Because she is dead!"
Arelia feels like the air has been punched out of her. It cannot be, what she is saying cannot be true.
"If you want to morn for your dead lover fine. But know this Arelia I have my limits. You push me and you will see the end that I gave her."
Arelia is looking at Nala trying to decipher if she is at all lying to her. "No…no you couldn't…you wouldn't."
"And why is that dear?"
"Because you say you love me! Because you said you would leave them alone!"
"I LIED!" yells Nala, her voice echoing through the small home.
Arelia shakes her head furiously, "No…I don't believe you. Even you are not that cruel."
Nala's hand is around her throat fast. She squeezes hard, "You don't know what cruel is."
Arelia is fighting for breath. She is grabbing at Nala's arm that is holding her like a vice. She cannot make her stop. Darkness dances around the edge of her eyes, she feels like she is going to pass out when Nala pushes her hard into the chair. Arelia gasps for breath her hand to her throat. Before she can do anything more Arelia feels a prick in her shoulder.
"Damn you Nala. You will have to kill me. You will never have me." She stands now though she knows it won't last long, she knows she has been drugged. "I DON'T LOVE YOU!"
Nala slams her fist into Arelia's jaw sending her to the floor. The last thing Arelia hears is Nala saying "Then you will die."
Shepard and Valya are in the family room playing with Raina on the floor. Dara is taking a much needed nap upstairs. She has been the glue of the group, providing meals and drinks and support when needed.
"Ba ba ba," says Raina as she plays with her blocks.
"Can you say Ma Ma?" asks Shepard.
Raina just looks at her and smiles "Ba Ba."
Shepard knows Raina will talk in her own time but she wants her first 'normal' word to be Ma Ma. She has read that often it is Pa Pa or Da Da because it is apparently easier to say, though she is not sure if her memory is correct.
"How much longer?" asks Valya she is anxious to do something useful.
"You know Valya for being over 100 years old you sure have not learned patience yet." Shepard smirks.
"Ha ha," Valya replies sarcastically.
"They will be ready when they are ready." Shepard is referring to the work Liara and Miranda are doing.
"So how do you like it?"
Shepard looks up at Valya, "Like what?"
"Being a father?"
Grinning ear to ear, "I love it."
Valya gives a thoughtful smile.
"You want kids some day?" asks Shepard.
"I do. I know Dara wants to start now, but I think it's best to wait."
Shepard nods. She doesn't want to pry so she doesn't.
Valya continues, "I just…I don't know. I know it's selfish, but I kind of want to explore the world more before we get tied down ya know. If we have a kid now, then we have to worry about it and I don't know. Don't you lose a part of yourself when you have them?"
Shepard thinks for a moment. "I wouldn't say you lose yourself. Your life changes, your priorities change. Your life becomes about their needs not your own, so that is a big difference. I wouldn't say you are being selfish necessarily. If you are not ready then you are not ready."
"I know," groans Valya. "It's just that Dara knows what she wants. She wants to live the rest of her life here on Thessia. She wants to teach and raise a family."
When she goes quiet Shepard probes, "And? What do you want?"
"I guess that's the problem. I'm not sure. Before I met her I always thought I would be a commando for a few centuries, now I am not so sure."
Shepard smiles in understanding. "It's okay if your dreams change Valya. Just because you saw your life a certain way 50 years ago doesn't mean you have to follow that way now. Goals change, you change, Dara changes. It's okay to adjust your goals."
"I guess," Valya sighs. "I just. Well you guys are great. When I see you and Liara and how you are with this little one, I want that too. And I think it would be great if our kids grew up together."
"But?"
"Well, I could get reassigned. We could have to leave Thessia. What if there is another war? I mean what if I don't even want to be a commando anymore, I have no idea how I would provide for my family," says Valya.
Shepard places her hand on Valya's knee. "You don't have to have everything mapped out before you have a child. Liara and I sure didn't."
"You didn't?"
Shepard snorts, "Hardly. When we got pregnant with Raina I wasn't even sure I wanted to return to the Alliance. I didn't have anything planned out at all and it scared me. But then I realized that it didn't matter. If Liara and I waited for the perfect time to have a child we would never have one. There is no such thing. If it is something you both want then you both do it."
"Just like that?"
"Well yeah why not. I mean I am not saying don't plan for it or don't save money for it, but yeah. The advantage you asari have is that you can choose when you get pregnant. So talk to Dara about it. Be open with her. Tell her your fears. She will understand."
Valya is so happy to have Shepard as a friend. "Thanks Shepard."
"I think we found something," says Miranda as she all but runs into the family room.