Chapter 4
Amelia
October 25th, 2189
"I'm glad you could take some time off and come here with me," I said, smiling at him as we walked through downtown London.
"Me too. It's nice to see London rebuilt."
"Yeah, I'd never seen it before the Reapers. Glad I got a chance now."
We stopped in front of a pet store after walking for a bit, "C'mon, let's go in here! The kids will love it!" I hoisted Gaius out of his stroller, and Garrus followed suit with Octavia.
"Hello. Can I help you—?" The young female clerk asked as we entered. "Are you Admiral Shepard?"
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you," I replied, shaking her hand. "This is my husband, Garrus, and these are our children."
"Oh my goodness! My family watched the Garden ceremony earlier this week. I can't believe I get to meet you in person! Oh! I'm sorry, what can I do for you?" The clerk's speech was rapid-fire.
"I think we just want to look around for a bit, let the kids see all the different animals. Thank you, though."
"Oh, of course. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"
-0-
"Look at that, Gaius! Isn't that a pretty fish!" I said as he tried to squirm out of my arm and reach through the tank to grab the small, vibrant blue fish as it swam around.
"Oh, would you look at that… this tank has auto-clean and auto-feed features built-in," Garrus said, running his talon along the small text on the sticker. "That means not even your mommy could forget to feed them!"
With my free hand, I smacked Garrus's arm lightly. "One time! It happened one time!" At Garrus's doubtful stare, I admitted, "Okay… maybe twice."
"Ahhhh," Gaius whined, reaching a small arm out over my shoulder, one finger pointing towards one lone adult dog inside an enclosure, surrounded by puppies.
I signaled for the clerk and made my way over. "How old are they?" I asked as the German Shepherd puppies ran to the pen's edge to greet a new friend.
"Eighteen weeks," The clerk answered.
I set Gaius down, and he made a beeline to the edge of the cage, getting upset that he couldn't get his hands through the wire mesh.
"Garrus…?" I asked, my eyes relaying the rest of the question.
"Anything for you, Amatra."
"We're on Earth for a few more days, and I'd love to adopt one of the puppies. Which one of them is the most relaxed?"
"That would be Bailey," The clerk answered, pointing to one slightly smaller puppy than the rest. On queue, the puppy walked up to the fence and attempted to lick the clerk's hand.
"She'd be perfect! Can I come back in a few days and pick up the dog and everything else I'll need for her?"
"Of course! I look forward to seeing you then."