Chapter Seven: Like Family


Coming off the elevator, music still echoing in their heads, Shepard and her squad walked out into the C-Sec lobby. Before she could begin making her way down her list of errands, Sam was ambushed by a reporter.

"Commander Shepard! Shepard! Humanity has questions!"

Shepard couldn't avoid eye contact in time as the reporter hurried her way, camera in tow. The Commander released an annoyed sigh, like a dug in tick was sucking at her blood. She waved off her team and tensed as the camera encircled her.

Ryder and Tali wandered away from her, finding a place not too far from the ongoing scene in front of them.

"I can't imagine how Shepard puts up with all of this." Tali remarked, hands folded over her lap as she found a seat. "It seems like everywhere we go, someone puts her on the spot."

Ryder leaned back against an adjacent wall, "Seriously, how's someone supposed to work with all these interruptions?"

"Meanwhile, Saren is out there, doing as he pleases."

"Galaxy's a big place. Scott remarked. "But we'll find him."

"Scott!" A voice shouted from across the lobby. Ryder stood up straight, searching for the source. He spotted her marching toward him from the Presidium elevator.

"Great..."

"Someone you know?" Tali craned her neck to see past him.

"More than I'd like to..." He murmured as the woman finally stood face to face with him, heels dug in and arms folded right. "Hey Sara, what's up?"

"That's it? You get transferred under the first human Spectre out of the blue, without a word and that's all you have to say?" His sister fumed.

"You're acting like I didn't have Andy pass along what happened. Plus, I left a message with mom."

"Mom's in the hospital, you idiot." Sara explained. "She's not doing great."

Before Scott could muster a response, Shepard returned from her surprise interview. "Damn journalist and her snide insinuations..." She muttered before encountering the other Ryder twin. "Everything okay here, Scott?

"Sorry, Shepard. This is my sister, Sara."

Shepard nodded, "Nice to finally meet you." She added, noting the family resemblance. "What brings you to the Citadel?"

"It's our mother..." Sara told her. "She hasn't been doing so well, even with all the Citadel doctors our dad drags to her bed."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Shepard offered before turning to Scott. "We can take a shuttle there if you need to see her."

"I'd appreciate that, Commander." Scott replied. "Sorry about the detour."

"It's alright, Scott. The Normandy's taking time to refuel. We'd be still waiting after any errands I would've run either way." Shepard assured him.

"She's been admitted to a hospital on the Presidium." Sara pointed out. "We can still make it before visiting hours end if we hurry."

The ride up to the Presidium was tense with four passengers tightly packed in a standard transport vehicle. After helping Wrex retrieve his family armor and Garrus find his run-a-away Salarian, Shepard saw it as just another favor to her squad. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder what could be going through Ryder's mind at the moment. With no battle or shootout to distract her, she thought back to those desperate moments back on Mindoir.

Having just survived sprinting through a field of crops while slavers launched their charged nets at her, Samantha's feet felt torn open. The taste of copper, coated her lips after watching several friends get blasted away by a grenade. Bursting through the door to find her parents not gone, but reduced to splatters on the walls of her home. The anxiety of not knowing until realization set in.

"Shepard?" Tali called out to her out of concern.

Samantha shook off the flash back with a roll of her neck. They were standing in the hospital lobby as the Ryder twins were checking in. "Sorry Tali... You were saying something?"

"I was just saying how difficult it must be, for Ryder." Tali stated. "On the Flotilla, our greatest fear is not having enough resources to stay warm, fed, or healthy. It's one thing to lose someone you care about suddenly. It's different watching them drift away... and all you can feel is helpless."

"Regardless of how you lose someone, it's never easy." Shepard replied. "It takes time to heal the space they left behind. But at least Ryder has this moment. That's more than some can say."

"That's true." Tali admitted. "Still, Scott always seems so... collected. I don't think I've ever seen him so anxious."

"You think I should talk to him?"

"It couldn't hurt to stay close." The Quarian continued, "He smiles more when you're around."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her squad mate. Tali was quick to backpedal on her statement soon after. "Oh, I think I see a kiosk with... Dextro-based chocolate... see you later!" And she hurried away.

Approaching the receptionist desk, Shepard caught wind of the conversation.

"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over." The Asari told the Ryder twins. "You'll have to come back later."

Sara pressed the issue, "Can you make an exception? I was just in there earlier today and my brother is on assignment. This might be the only chance she has to see him."

"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't."

"Excuse me," Shepard cut in between the twins to address the receptionist. "Specialist Ryder here is on assignment with my ship for the Citadel Council. I apologize for not calling ahead to clear up the issue but the nature of our work makes it difficult to know the next time we'll make port." Samantha explained with professional courtesy dripping off her words. "Is there anyway he can see his mother before we have to ship off again?"

The Asari took a step back, "You work for the Council?"

"I'm a Spectre, actually. Command-"

"You're Commander Shepard? The first human Spectre?" The Asari fumbled with her hands, uncertain of the correct protocol. "I suppose if you're on important business for the Council..."

"We won't be long." Shepard assured her. "I can personally escort the two of them during their visit if you prefer."

"I'd feel a lot better if you did." The receptionist stated as she provided the three visitor passes. "Spectre or not, just be back before my shift ends."

"Thank you." Scott said as he retrieved his pass last. He turned to Shepard as they stuck the pass onto their clothes. "The Shepard charm never fails, does it?"

Happy to see him crack a smile again, Samantha responded in kind. "Just hope you don't end up on the wrong end of it someday, Specialist." She finished with a wink.

The trio proceeded down the hall to Ellen Ryder's floor and room. With Sara leading the way, they made it to the right room in no time at all. Already having left their weapons at the initial checkpoint, Shepard opted to wait from the hall as the twins entered.

Scott moved with caution, craning his neck to see if she might've been asleep. His feet followed as he noticed his mother with her eyes closed, nodding her head to the nearby sounds chirping in from her beside radio.

"Mom?" Scott addressed her as his sister took an open seat by the bed.

Ellen opened her eyes to find both her children in front of her. "Scott... you're here."

Scott walked around the bed, standing over his mother as she reached her hand out. Taking hold of her fragile grip, Scott leaned in for a mutual peck on the cheek.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"It's not so bad, really. I feel fine." She assured him before pointing to the radio. "The nurse was nice enough to let Sara bring me your old radio."

"Nothing good on T.V.?" Scott smirked.

Ellen shook her head, "Do you remember when Sara would have baseball practice after school and you'd be the first person home? I could always tell when you were around when you had your music on."

Scott offered a sympathetic smile. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"Scott, you were light years away and on the move. I wasn't going to call your commanding officer and have her turn your ship around just to see me like this."

"Still, you could've said something. I had to find out when Sara ambushed me down by C-Sec."

"I thought I told you not to give your brother a hard time?" Ellen chided her daughter.

"I didn't!"

"She called me an idiot." Scott snitched.

The exchange brought a laugh from Ellen's chest. The strain sent her into a brief coughing fit before she relaxed again.

"You two never change." Their mother told them. "Promise me you'll be there for each other when I'm gone."

"What happened to 'feeling fine?'" Sara stated with disbelief.

"I won't always feel fine... You're both old enough to know that. And your father, you know how he can be."

"Speaking of, where is dad?" Scott inquired.

"He said he needed to speak to someone on staff." Ellen recalled. "Would you two mind finding him before he gets into trouble?"

"Yeah sure, mom." Sara promised. "Come on, Scott. Let's split up."

Scott followed after his twin, slowing down as he passed Shepard. "We'll be back in a few, Shepard. Shouldn't be much longer."

"Don't worry, I called Tali while I was out here. Garrus and her are going to get a head start on some errands. We're good on time, Scott."

Shepard waved him off and watched him hurry along the corridors. Her gaze lingered even as he disappeared behind a corner. Alone with her thoughts, she thought back to Tali's words. Was the reverse true as well? If the awkward pit in her stomach was any indication, she might've been onto something.

"Mind keeping me company?" The voice from inside called to her. Shepard peered back through the doorway to find Ellen Ryder leaning forward, soft grin facing out.

Samantha stepped into the room hesitantly, "As long as I'm not a bother, sure."

"Not at all." Ellen said she fell back into her pillow. "So, you're Commander Shepard."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Samantha managed to force out.

"Just Ellen, please." Ellen gestured to the chair that Sara had occupied. "Samantha, is it?"

"It is." Sam took the invitation to sit. "How are you holding up? If you don't mind me asking."

"Honestly, this is one of my good days." She admitted. "But enough about me. You're the one who turned a frigate around just so my son could visit."

"Actually, we'd already docked at the Citadel when Sara told us." Shepard confessed. "But even if we didn't, I make frequent trips to the Citadel between assignments.

"That doesn't explain why my son's CO felt the need to accompany him all the way here."

"A good crew is like family." Shepard revealed. She remembered being comforted by those words when she first studied the Quarians. The sentiment helped her through mourning Mindoir and motivated her to join the Alliance. Meeting Tali cemented the idea even further. "I can't expect them to be there for the team if I'm not there for them."

"Then my son is lucky to be on that team."

"The feeling's mutual; Scott's a valuable member of the crew."

Ellen eyed the Commander with a quick glance, "And what's this about coming over for Thanksgiving?"

Shepard blushed, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't realize he had mentioned it already."

Ellen snickered, putting only a slight strain on her body, "It's no trouble. Alec and I would be happy to have you. It's just that Scott never brings anyone to see us. There was one girl, Andy, but they had met through Sara."

"Oh, we're not-"

"Relax, Samanatha. You don't have to explain whatever it is or it isn't. I just wanted you to know I'm grateful he has someone looking out for him."

Shepard took a thoughtful pause, "To be honest, these days I feel like he's looking out for me. Any second he catches me doubting doesn't last long if he has anything to say about it." A smile formed just from the thought of his pep talks. "It's a new experience for me."

"I have a hard time imagining the kind of doubts that can slow down an N7."

Much like her son, something about Ellen's presence allowed Samantha to dive back into her memories with ease. Piece by piece, the images that once haunted her seemed to be no more than a lazy river on a calm spring evening.

"I'm trying to stop a rogue Spectre from ending life as we know it and every moment I'm not being shot at, all I can think of is what happens if I fail."

"That's a lot for one person to take on, Samantha."

"Like I said; I've got a good crew." Shepard assured her. "But with my history, I think I'm more afraid that... that I'll be the only one left standing again."

"And a good crew is like family." Ellen repeated. "Sara mentioned your service record."

"I won't be offended if you don't think Scott's lucky to be on my team anymore." Shepard forced a smile.

"Maybe it's lucky for all of us that you two are working together."

"I don't follow, Ellen."

"You're saving the galaxy. My family, as you've noticed, happens to be in it." Ellen pointed out. "For all the good I know they can do, I was never sure if the Alliance was right for my children. Sara always loved to learn and Scott... Scott helps people, even if he has his own way of showing it. If he's helping you, watching over you... it means you're not someone he's going to let fail."

The last sentence she stated while laying her hand on Shepard's. It was as if she was entrusting her own blood with someone else, confident that her trust was rightly placed. Samantha thought to herself, if Scott was in her hands, she might do more than watch him.

Back out in the hall, the Ryder twins had regrouped with no sign of their father.

"Where the hell is he?"

"You know how dad can be, Scott. He probably went off to find the administrator. It'd be pointless to hassle random staff."

"He should be with mom."

"Like you were?"

"Don't start with that." Scott replied while still scanning for Alec. "I saw an opportunity to do some good and I took it. Are you telling me you wouldn't have?"

Sara sighed, "It just always seems like your next big shot is anywhere we're not. Am I not supposed to feel some type of way about that?"

"This is different, Sara." Scott said as he fixed himself firmly in front of her. "The reason the Geth attacked so close to Arcturus was because of dad's work. Shepard offered me a chance to help."

Sara paced a few inches from him and back. "Okay, fair enough. And then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"After this, after you've helped cleaned dad's mess; what comes after?" Sara prompted. "Will you still be with the Alliance? Are you staying on the Normandy?"

"I haven't thought that far." He admitted. "I've got a good thing going on the Normandy right now."

"And would that good thing happen to be your commanding officer?" She let the question hang between them like a tight rope. "I know you, Scott. What I don't know is if you're throwing away everything you've worked for because of a redhead with pretty eyes."

"Is that really what you think I'm doing?"

"After Andy... can you blame me for asking?" She simply responded.

"No, but thanks for bringing it up... again."

Scott made his way back to his mother's room with Sara close behind. Seeing no sign of Shepard out in the hall, the twins continued through the doorway. Upon entering, they found not only Shepard but Alec Ryder.

"Sara, Scott... I was wondering where you'd gone off to." Their father said from his wife's side.

"Looking for you, actually." Sara replied with her arms folded.

"I wanted to go over possible arrangements with the administrator for your mother." He explained. "Didn't realize you'd be bringing a Spectre with you, Scott."

"I was on assignment. Shepard was nice enough to get me here." Scott continued, "Speaking of... we really should get going."

"Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back." Ellen assured him before turning to Shepard. "And I'll be seeing you next holiday."

"Wouldn't miss it, Ellen." Shepard nodded for Scott as she left the room.

"Dad," Scott called out. "Mind if we talk in the hall for second?"

Alec squeezed his wife's hand, a quick exchange of smiles before parting. With the three of them out of the room, away from the Ryder women, Shepard let her squad mate take the lead.

"The outpost I was stationed on got attacked by the Geth. We're hunting the Turian responsible and were hoping you could give us some insight."

"I heard about the attack." Alec sighed, recalling some of the soldiers stationed near Arcturus at the time. "I'm not sure how much more I can add."

"The data they stole was on a project you worked on called pathfinder." Shepard cut in. "Do you have any idea what would make the data so valuable to someone working with the Geth?"

"That's hard to say." Alec shrugged. "The project was more in line with enhancing the human body by networking functions with that of an artificial intelligence. The Geth are advanced enough but I don't see why they would want to co-inhabit an organic body."

Shepard ran over the possibilities in her mind. With Saren's Spectre access, he could've known about the incident that blacklisted the Ryders without actually having access to the research itself. That would've prompted his attack on Scott's outpost but to what end? Unlike Liara, Saren had no way of having Alec continue his work. The Geth have their own shells already with Saren's true goal being to bring back the Reapers. Was this how he intended to do it?

"Alec, was there any progress made on the project that wasn't mentioned in the data?" Shepard prompted.

"Are you accusing me of going behind the Alliance and Council's back with something as dangerous as artificial intelligence?"

"I'm not interested in trudging up the past, Alec." Shepard told him firmly. "But I need to know if our target has any incentive to pursue your research further."

"The answer is no. Goyle and the Council made it clear with no exceptions. Regardless, the resources needed to continue would be outside of my access. Satisfied?"

Shepard deferred to Scott with a quick look. A small gesture told her they were done for the moment. "I am. Thank you for your cooperation." Samantha emphasized before heading back towards the elevator.

"Scott." Alec called out. "Any idea when you'll be accepting that job offer I told you about?"

"Sorry, it'll have to wait until we take care of Shepard's rogue Spectre. I'll be in touch as soon as I'm able, dad." Scott added as he followed Shepard.

The two stood in the elevator, silence creeping in as the doors slid closed.

"I didn't realize you had other prospects, Ryder." Shepard commented.

"I'm more inclined to stay on the Normandy for as long as she'll have me." Scott answered back. "Saren or no Saren."

"I'm happy to hear that." Shepard turned the conversation towards a lighter topic. "Your mother seems to like me, at least."

After a moment smiling to himself, Scott allowed himself an honest remark. "Of course she does. You're smart, thoughtful, good in a firefight... easy on the eyes."

"Is that a professional opinion, Specialist?"

"Just stating facts..."

"Is that so?" Sam wondered as the elevator arrived at the ground floor. Just before the doors slid open, she leaned in and gave Scott a quick peck on his cheek.

With his heart beating twice as fast in half as much time, Scott felt Samantha's lips long after they left his skin.

Tali and Garrus awaited them at the lobby. Shepard exited first, passing between her companions. "Alright team, let's get to it."

Garrus clicked his mandibles at Ryder's frozen expression. "You coming, Ryder?"

Scott cleared his throat after shaking off the stupor. "Yeah... Wouldn't miss it."