Chapter 3: Bonding, Part II

Citadel, 2175 A.D

Jane sighed. She wasn't sure what to feel, coming back to visit her mom after having finished her N7 training. The Villa had carried a "no outside communication" policy, and for almost a year, she had to obey that rule, unable to send her mother even a simple text message.

Despite that, Jane couldn't help but feel proud. The end of her N7 training had her promoted to the rank of Commander, and that meant the various sacrifices she had made so far worth it.

As she stepped off the ship, Jane could see Hannah running up to greet her. She barely had the time to gather herself before Hannah slammed into her.

"My baby! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"Ack! Mom, stop! You're gonna kill me!"

Hannah broke her embrace, smiling at her daughter.

"Heh. I heard the news. So, gonna do anything to celebrate your new position, 'Commander' Shepard?"

Jane chuckled. "Nah, not this time. Think I'll just stay home and enjoy any shows I missed during my time at the Villa."

Hannah shook her head. "Oh Jane, I know that you're a grown woman right now, but….can I make a suggestion?"

Jane sighed. "Mom, if you're gonna tell me to go out and try finding a date…"

"That was one time!" Hannah exclaimed.

"Yeah, and it was super awkward." Jane replied.

Hannah huffed, before looking downwards. "Jane, listen. This is important. During your time at the Villa, I ran into an orphaned teenager, bleeding in front of my office. He doesn't remember anything besides his first name and his former skills as some crazy inventor and investor. I took him in, and I'd like for you to meet him. Who knows? You two might hit it off."

Jane stopped. "Wait, you adopted someone?!"

"No, no, I just became his guardian. He doesn't seem to trust people that much. Even I have difficulty at times getting him to open up."

Jane sighed. "Ok, I'll meet him, where is he?"

The two could hear a conversation in the distance.

"Of course it is risky, you bleeding idiot! That is the point! No one else sees the potential here! No, I have not lost my mind! Get it done, or I will find someone else to do it!"

A white haired teenager with a cybernetic right arm clicked on his omni tool. "Idiots and fools." he grumbled, before turning to the duo, looking a tiny bit apologetic.

"Apologies, Hannah. My account manager is being rather stubborn lately, it's nothing to worry about. I'm presuming that the woman next to you is your daughter?"

Hannah nodded. "Yep! Whitley, meet Jane Shepard, newly minted Commander of the Alliance Navy!"

Whitley smiled, extending his hand. "Charmed. Your mother has told me quite a bit about you."

Jane smiled back, shaking the offered arm. "Good to meet ya."

A Few Hour Later, Shepard Apartment

Jane was in the middle of putting on her hoodie, when she heard a knock on the door.

"I'm decent!" she shouted to the door.

Whitley appeared out of the thin crack that he'd made. "I heard that you were going out. I was wondering...could I come? Hannah usually doesn't let me out, she is under the impression that I am a troublemaker."

Jane smirked. "Are you?" she asked. Whitley's cheeks turned red.

"Well, I may have…uhm...started a fistfight between myself and a few Turians outside a Souvenir shop. B-but in my defense, they were bad mouthing your mother!"

Jane laughed. "Ok, that does sound like something mom would get ticked off about. Alright, you can come with me, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you, buster. You're 15, and mom would kill me if she found out I let a 15 year old on my watch get drunk or something."

Whitley grimaced. "Believe me, alcohol is the last thing I want. I don't remember why I hate it so much, but I find the idea of it quite...distasteful."

Jane chuckled. "Ok, Mr. Soap Opera. Let's go!"

Citadel Wards

"And that's how I was able to pass the vehicle test!" Jane exclaimed.

Whitley laughed. "How the hell did they not fail you for that?!"

"Cuz I've achieved the best time in the history of the N7 Program, that's why!"

Whitley chuckled, before walking to the railing that overlooked the entirety of the Citadel. Jane leaned on the railing, next to the boy.

Whitley sighed, taking a breath. "I'll be the first to admit. When I heard you were coming back, I was rather intimidated. But, now that you're here, in front of me, I have to say, my fears were rather unfounded. I'm… glad, to finally meet you face to face."

Jane chuckled. "I'm glad to meet you too." She took a breath, clapping her hands together. "So! Mom told me you were a bit of an engineering and finance whiz! What're you planning to do in the future? Gonna join the Alliance?"

Whitley shrugged. "I probably will not join the Alliance. I do not know why, but the thought of joining the military makes me feel...abhorrent. Perhaps it's related to something in my past life."

Jane was a little disappointed in that, but she shrugged off that feeling after a few moments. "Ok. If not the Alliance, then what?"

Whitley rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. I could try my hand in triple majoring in Economics, Mechanical Engineering, and Software Engineering at Citadel University."

Jane choked. "Wait, wait, triple major?! I've never heard of anything like that!"

Whitley chuckled. "Well, for what it's worth, I am a genius, Jane. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Also, you and Hannah wouldn't have to worry about the fees. I can handle this with my own pocket, if need be."

Jane shook her head. "It's not the money angle that worries me, Whitley. It's the mental angle. How're you gonna be able to juggle three different majors at once?"

Whitley shrugged. "I'll manage." He turned to Jane. "In the meantime, what're you planning to do?"

Jane shrugged. "I'll be enlisted on a warship for a while. After that, me and a couple of my buddies are planning to take our first shore leave on Elysium."

Whitley perked up. "I heard about that. A human colony, right?"

Jane nodded. "Yep, and an extremely nice vacation spot too! It's a shame you and Mom won't be able to come visit."

Whitley nodded. "That does sound like a shame." He turned to Jane. "You'll at least send a postcard, right?"

Jane laughed. "Postcard? Ok, sure, if I find one, I'll send it to the Citadel."

She sighed. "Let's go home, Whitley."

Shepard Apartment, Midnight

The Shepard women were occupied by the serial playing in front of them. Whitley had gone to bed some time ago.

"What do you think, Jane?"

"About the new actor, mom?"

"Ha! No, I meant Whitley. Did you two hit it off?"

Jane sighed. "He's a bit weird, and really smug, but he's a good kid. He's got the cutest puppy eyes ever, mom."

Hanna laughed. "I know, right?! It just melts your heart, I swear."

Hannah sighed, looking rather downtrodden. Jane took notice of it, turning to her mother.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jane. I'm fine."

Unfortunately for Hannah, Jane did not reach the position of Commander without being able to analyze people, to realize when people were telling the truth, or whether they were lying.

It didn't take long for Jane's mind to connect the pieces between their recent topic and her mother's mood.

"You wanna adopt him, don't you?" Jane remarked.

Hannah sighed again. "That transparent, huh?"

Jane chuckled. "Only to me, mom."

Hannah nodded. "I'd love to add Whitley to our family, Jane, but I can't help but feel that he would never agree to it. He has issues trusting people. Hell, it took me a long time before he really opened up to me. Maybe someday in the future he'd be willing to go through with it, but now isn't the time."

Jane nodded. "Don't worry, mom. These things have a way of sorting themselves out."

Meanwhile, Whitley's Room

Whitley took out the folder that he'd put in the bedside drawer. He'd been thinking about it for some time, but he always found some excuse to push it away. After meeting Jane, however, Whitley had realized that he had run out of excuses. Plucking what small bit of courage he had, Whitley opened the folder, his night vision assisting him in the endeavor.

Report of Adoption

Whitley stared at the page for a few more seconds, before writing on the top of the page.

Whitley Shepard

"Whitley Shepard." Whitley repeated it to himself. For some reason, it sounded….right. Like a piece of his life that had gone missing for so long had been pieced back.

The rest of the night passed, with Whitley diligently working on filling out what he could for the form. He intended to finish the necessary arrangements by the time Hannah's birthday rolled around, which was going to happen next month, a few days before Jane left for her enlistment.

AN: Adoption approaches! XD

Sorry for the wait, guys. I wanted to wait for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition to drop before I progressed any further into the story. Playing through the games again have given me a BUNCH of ideas, and I can't wait to incorporate them. As much as I want to get to the start of Mass Effect 1, though, there's still several things that need to happen. I decided to list them, in case anyone was interested.

Adoption

Skyllian Blitz/Elysium from Whitley's perspective (War Hero Shepard)

Setting up Whitley's Renegade Characteristics (This one'll stretch at least two chapters)

Start of ME1

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!