2177
Chicago, Illinois
"What?" Andrea said into the phone. The man on the other end started to say something.
"This is Captain And-"
"No!" Andrea said, seeing something out of the corner of her eye, "No, Sean, wait that's not the right spot!"
Sean looked up guiltily, form where he had been about to hang a large painting. "Left side," Andrea said. This show had to be perfect. She needed this success. The show opened in two and she needed someone to notice her. She had two days to get it together and then... show time. This was her Senior project, her final chance to prove herself before graduation. Two years of holding down two jobs and passing all her classes with high marks and too many sleepless nights to count. Her family didn't have the money for this kind of school and there wasn't any room for less than perfection.
Sean glanced at her, annoyed. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," she said, "but really. Left."
"Excuse me?" Said the man in the phone.
"Not you. Sorry."
Sean rolled his eyes, but moved the painting. She flashed him a thumbs up..
She put the phone to her ear, "ok, your turn. Go." She strode towards the entrance of the gallery.
"This is Captain David Anderson, Alliance Navy. I'm contacting you on behalf of one of our marines. Katherine Shepard."
Andrea froze, "I- what?"
"Hey Andrea?" Tina touched her shoulder, "did you want the blue or purple low lights to go-"
Andrea held up a hand, "shhhh."
"Should I call back?" The man on the phone said.
She made a noise of frustration, "No. not you. Someone else." She held up a finger at Tina mouthing for her to wait. She hesitated, "I haven't talked to Kate in years. She... she said she was shipping out and she- whatever, it doesn't matter- Is she okay?"
There was a note of exasperation in the man's voice, "she has you listed as her emergency contact. I'm calling you personally because something happened. Have you turned on the news?"
Andrea sank back against a wall, until she was cross legged on the ground, "sitting. What? No. What's wrong?"
There was a long pause, "Miss Calhoun, are you aware that the colony Elysium has been under attack for three days."
Andrea blinked, "Oh, yeah!" She shook her head, "sorry, it's been an insane few days. I saw on the news this morning. but... what does that have to do with anything?" She was absolutely positive she had heard something, but with the show and graduation there hadn't been a lot of time to really focus. It had been all over the news, but Elysium was a world away and her job at the coffee shop, and her classes were all right here.
A long, long pause. "Lt Shepard was on shore duty when the attack occurred. Batarian slavers and pirates, broke through the colony defenses. She's a hero, ma'am. Without her a lot of people would have died."
Andrea blinked. For a moment she was sixteen, curled under a scratchy hotel blanket with Kate Shepard feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
I didn't even get one of them, Kate had said, her hands curling into fists and clenching until the knuckles were white as milk.
"Is she alive?" Andrea asked. "Is she-"
"She made it," Anderson said quickly, "she's injured, but she's okay. A little scratched up. She hasn't slept in more than half a week. She's in the hospital on Elysium in surgery-"
"Surgery?" Andrea swallowed, "What for?"
"We can talk more when you get here."
"Get there?" She repeated robotically. "No, no, no," she said, "I have a senior project to present, graduation a-"
"Ma'am," Anderson said, "if someone needs to write a note to your school I can do it. She's going to need a friendly face when she wakes up.
Andrea blinked, pursed her lips, "Ok." She said then, "No wait, I don't have any money. There's like, approximately three credits in my account. I can't-"
"Send me coordinates. There will be a car there within the hour. The Alliance can cover this."
Andrea had spent the next half hour frantically calling her professors. She had a bad habit, she knew, when she was involved with something- like her senior project, she supposed- she tended to barricade herself in. She ignored the outside world and she worked on whatever it was needed doing. She had lost herself in this last Senior project and it was showing. Her professors, when the situation had been explained, excused her, without a single exception. Her boss rearranged shifts. It was over in minutes, she was ready to leave.
As soon as she hung up from the last call there was an Alliance driver waiting outside for her.
Andrea got in the vehicle. It had a very spy movie feel to it. Ultra tinted windows, black, leather seats. She glanced at the driver, a young man in dress blues. "Hey, I have no clothes for this trip and I haven't showered since morning yesterday. Can we stop at my flat?"
"Captain Anderson mentioned you might need that. We have about an hour before I have to get you to the airport." He was young and clean shaven and smelled like soap and too much cologne.
Andrea gave him the address and sat back in the seat crossing her arms as the city passed them by. She hadn't been in contact with Kate since... God... since sophomore year. They had kept at it long distance all through Freshman year, but there had been so many cute girls and so many cute boys. Plus, Kate was living in a different world. The art world and the military world were oil and water, it turned out.
Kate's world had been full of guns and armor. It had involved violence and gore beyond what Andrea could comprehend. She had come to visit at the end of Freshman year and she had spent three agonizing hours at a bar listening to Shepard and another combat vet they had run into compare models of sniper rifle. Meanwhile the cute bartender named Jake had served her jello-shots.
After Kate had gone back to Arcturus Station she had gone back to the bar with the cute bartender and well... she had broken up with Kate before anything happened. Their had been a mutuality to it. Kate didn't get the art world into which Andrea was immersing herself. She had been restless and half asleep in turns during the play they had gone too. Agreeing they had grown apart, they kept in contact afterwards. Even now, every few months they'd exchange messages. The bartender, on the other hand, was long gone.
Her phone rang and she checked the caller ID and groaned.
Maria. Oh Fuck. They had scheduled a date tonight. She had promised on a stack of Bible she wouldn't forget and here she was, forgetting. Wonderful. She picked up the phone.
"Hey you," Maria said, a smile in her voice. "We still on tonight?"
They weren't a thing yet, not exactly. There had been a date. A good one. A kiss or two, nothing more. Andrea had hoped there would be more, but skipping a second date was generally not a great way to further a relationship.
"Hey..." she said, "look, there's a thing. I need to tell you something." She explained as best she could.
"So," Maria said when she had finished, "go. Let me know when you come back."
Andrea breathed a sigh of relief, "thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Don't be a stranger. Message me on Elysium. Ok?"
"Ok, ok. Just.. Maria stop by the gallery and make sure they don't screw it all up, ok?"
"You're a control freak. Fine."
"Thanks! Kisses! Bye!" She made a smooching noise and hung up the phone. More proof that Maria was the kind of person she was looking for. Dating was fun. She liked dating. She hated anything that smelled like commitment. Besides, today Chicago, tomorrow New York, and who knew after that. Maybe she'd eve get a chance to head for the Citadel.
She hung up the phone and glanced out the window. "Sooooo..." she said, "now that I've sat here a minute I realize I've gotten in the car with a stranger, albeit a very good smelling stranger in a uniform, but my mother might be a bit upset with me if I didn't ask- where exactly are you taking me?"
The man spoke through a smile, "Captain Anderson has arranged your transport through the Alliance shuttle port a few hours away. I believe he intends to meet you upon arrival. Travel's been restricted except for essential personnel"
"Great," she said, "Great. I'm essential personnel on a colony that was just attacked, by what? About a bazillion space pirates."
"Something like that," the man chuckled. He pulled along a curb, another man in a uniform was waiting nearby when she stepped outside. Before she knew it she had tickets in hand and was being escorted to the soonest shuttle leaving for Elysium.
She realized quickly that she had been stuck on a flight with other friends and family members all headed to Elysium to see personnel who had been stationed there. It was, she realized, a lot of military wives. Theoretically, it seemed that there would be military husbands too, but the flight seemed to be lacking those. Some of the women were red eyed, more than one was crying. How many people had died in this attack? Suddenly, Andrea felt embarrassed she hadn't paid more attention to galactic events.
"Did your husband fight in the Blitz too?"
She was jerked out of her contemplation by her seatmate's voice. The woman was pleasantly plump, but still pretty. On her lap, a baby slept soundly.
"No, not my husband." She said.
The woman hesitated, "wife?"
"Not that either. Just a... friend." Andrea shrugged, "they said she's been hospitalized. They won't tell me anything else."
The woman looked troubled, "they won't tell me anything about Danny. They just said we needed to come. Do you think there's something wrong? Do you think he's ok?"
Andrea shrugged, 'I don't know anything about this. I uh... I'm kind of new to all this."
"Me too," the woman said, "I met Danny a year ago. We got married at the end of his shore duty because of the baby. I haven't seen him in six month, it was supposed to be a port call. I was going to fly out and meet him, but then-" The woman stopped herself and swallowed hard, "I'm sure he's fine. I'm sure everything is fine." She smiled, "Was your friend on the Agincourt too?"
Andi shifted, "I uh- I don't know."
Andrea felt another stab of guilt. She should have kept in better contact with Kate. Maybe then she'd at least know where she was stationed.
As soon as the woman next to her was distracted by her baby waking up she cued up the Alliance News Network and scanned the headlines. All of them were based around Elysium
Skyllian Blitz funded by private Batarian corps
Hero of the Blitz Hospitalized
Footage From Blitz
She selected the third one. Skimming past the associated article she found the video and clicked play.
The footage was in a pre-fab. It seemed as if it were shaking, and in the background there was the sound of gunfire. The face of the film maker came into focus first. A scared looking girl, her face dirty and her breath coming fast.
They are right outside. There's a firefight going on less than a block away. We made barricades like she said but-
The door burst open and an alliance soldier entered. Another man was slung over the shoulder of the figure. A woman, Andrea realized as she dropped the other soldier with a huff. The man moaned, blood already pooling beneath him.
"You," said the woman, "medigel. Help him."
The camera shook as the girl ran to comply. In the background the woman was saying something,
"-ard, hold that barricade at any cost. Anyone heard from Hammer squad?"
In the background there was suddenly a roar, followed by cheers. The camera was poised over the wounded man now, struggling with his armor. At the noise, the woman looked up. She cursed. The camera focused on her again.
"That came from the square." She said. She took off her visor and Andrea gasped. She knew those eyes. The woman was coated in dura-crete dust, mud and blood. Her hair was so caked with dust, it looked almost like a statue. But her eyes were bright green and the single band of skin was covered in freckles.
It was Kate. Andrea was sure of it.
"Tank squad, hold position. Hammer is down. They're going to swarm the square. I'm going to hold them off." A pause, then Kate said. "Negative. Hold your damn position! Do not let them take that barricade!"
The camera had stoped moving. The girl filming was whispering. "We're gonna die. We're gonna die We're-"
Kate knelt, again across from the woman, "listen to me. I haven't got time to argue. Get this guy on his feet. You are not going to die. hear me?"
The girl nodded.
"Then turn the damn camera off and help him."
Kate stood and ran back out the door. the camera cut off.
Andrea cut the Omni-tool blinked. Then she buried her face in her hands. The woman beside her glanced over, "Oh honey," she said, "it's best not to watch those videos." The woman rubbed her shoulders with one hand while still holding her baby with the other.
"I couldn't stand seeing my Danny like that," she said, "they're... they're different when they're in battle like that."
Andrea nodded. But it wasn't seeing Kate like that, Kate had always been in the midst of a battle. A part of her had never really left Mindoir. She had hidden beneath the bodies of her friends and families. Andrea remembered a girl who had cried in her sleep and wouldn't let anyone touch or comfort her when she jolted awake, a scream on her lips. She had wanted... no she had needed to fight. What had she thought when she was given the chance to strike back.
She sat up, "I'm fine. Really, I'm fine," she brushed away the woman's hand.
For the rest of the flight she listened to the woman talk, interjecting a question now and then to keep the conversation going. She tried not to think about Kate fighting alone surrounded by her enemies and horribly outnumbered.
When the shuttle landed she bid her seat mate farewell and waved awkwardly to another alliance guy holding a sign with her name.
"Are you," she hesitated. What was she supposed to call this Guy? David? Captain? Cap?
"Private McPherson," he said, sensing her uncertainty, "Captain Anderson is expecting you. Lt Shepard just got out of surgery. I believe he is checking her status."
She just nodded mutely and got in the back of his car. For a moment she felt paranoid about her appearance. Since the last time she had seen Kate she had trimmed her black hair into shoulder length cut, that was now tossed into a sloppy ponytail. Her eyeliner and mascara were smudged from the travel she was sure, and when she took a covert sniff, she could tell she smelled.
She took a deep breath. And Kate was going to be in a hospital gown. None of this mattered. What mattered was the city already undergoing repairs outside. What mattered was Kate. What mattered were the people huddled beneath shelters of tarp in the steadily drizzling rain of Elysium.
"Rain's keeping the concrete dust out of the air," the driver said, "it's good."
Andrea nodded, making a sound of agreement. "Were you here for-"
"I was part of reinforcements." He paused, "you're here for Shepard, right?"
"She's was- I mean, she is my friend."
The driver looked at her in the rear view, "I knew her in boot. Haven't seen her since, but ma'am, you need to know, she held the plaza for twelve straight hours on her own. Without her this whole place would have been slaughtered."
Andrea nodded, remembering the footage. She searched for something to say, "I can picture her being the hero." She said finally, "I just want her to be alive. No one's told me anything."
They pulled into the hospital, "Then it's a good thing the Captain's waiting for you," McPherson said. "This is your stop. That's your guy."
He indicated a man by the door. He could have been a football player his shoulders were so broad. He stood head and shoulder above Andrea, though at 5'2" in heels, that wasn't saying much. Kate was tall too, it was part of what had attracted her all those years ago. He carried himself with an aura of power and there was a mess of ribbons and medals pinned to his chest.
"Miss Calhoun?" He asked.
Andrea craned her neck up and offered him a small smile, "that's me. How is she?"
"Still sedated, but the doc's said she's been in and out of consciousness. She was exhausted, dehydrated and wounded when we reached her."
"Wounded?"
"She took the high ground, hacked some colony defenses, and held with a sniper rifle for as long as she could. She took a couple of hits, but she's going to be just fine."
"Okay," Andrea said, she stopped, "As long as she could? What does that mean?"
The Captain sighed, "she was wounded, probably exhausted... we think she rigged an explosion to block access to the plaza. She got caught in the blast."
"What?" Andrea stopped moving.
"Miss Calhoun," the military man stopped and turned, putting a hand on your shoulder, "What she did is one of the bravest damn things I've ever seen. She's going to be fine. Shepard's gonna fight another day."
Andrea took a long breath, "okay. Take me to her."
Anderson stopped at the door of the room, "I'll let you go in alone. I'll be back later tonight to check in."Andrea nodded and stopped outside the door. She took a long breath and stepped over the threshold.
Kate slept inside. They must have cleaned her, she wasn't coated in dirt and dust and god knows what else anymore. Her hair was just as red as she remembered. It hung down around her shoulders; she still had the same pesky clump that hung down the middle of her forehead. Same freckles. Same furrow between her eyebrows. There were new lines around her eyes. Eye. The left side of her face was bandaged from forehead to jaw. There was a cast on her right arm and burns all down her left shoulder. Someone had pulled a blanket to just below her shoulders. Her hands folded on her stomach. There was an IV dripping in fluids and a heart monitor steadily beeping by the bed.
Andrea felt as if someone had forced the breath out of her body. In just a few strides she was across the room. She put a hand to Kate's cheek. "Hey you," she whispered. "It's me. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Pulling over a chair she sat down and intertwined on off her hands with Kates. It still fit. It still fit better than she ever would have thought. She leaned her head back and dozed.
It was Kate's groan that woke her. Then, suddenly, Kate jerked, breath unsteady. "Hey," Andrea said, "hey, it's ok." Kate opened her good eye, blinking hard. Andrea reached out carefully and put a hand back on forehead, stroking back the errant shock of hair, "it's ok. You're safe now. Everyone's safe."
Kate focused on her, and squinted. "Andrea?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse and she stopped, coughing. Andrea reached for a water cup with a straw on the bed try nearby and held the straw to her lips. "Slow," she urged as Kate drank.
Kate spat out the straw and looked at her, "what are you doing here?"
"Typical Shepard hospitality, huh?" She offered Kate a shaker grin, "did you learn that on Mindoir, or is that a fun new character trait from the Alliance?"
"You know me. Overflowing with tact and curtesy." The corner of Kate's mouth tipped up.
"The big guy with all the medals called me. Said you never changed your emergency contacts out."
Kate let out a breath of pain as she adjusted herself on the bed, "sorry about that."
Andrea reached out and grabbed the small controller and pressed the button to call the doctor. Kate glanced at it, "I'm fine. Don't-..."
A woman in scrubs walked in. Andrea let the woman fuss over Kate for a few minutes. When she came back in Kate was propped up, face turned towards the window. "How are they out there?" She asked without turning.
"They've got quite the rebuilding project on their hands. But they're alive." Andrea walked over to the bed again, "I hear you're responsible. That big guy with the medals called you a hero."
"Big guy?" Kate thought a second, "Anderson?" She grinned, "I thought he was there when they found me. He got on the radio near the end."
"Was he the one who told you how to blow up half your face?" Andrea teased.
"Came up with that one on my own," Kate said, that corner of her mouth turning up again. It was just as endearing as she remembered. "I improvised a bomb and then I got in the way."
"Stupid," Andrea chided, "you're supposed to be not in the way when things explode."
Kate slapped her forehead lightly, "goddamn. I forgot."
Andrea grabbed Kate's hand in both of hers, "you big jock." She smiled affectionately. Beneath her hand she could feel Kate's callouses. She didn't remember these callouses. Kate gripped her hand. "You came," she said.
"Of course I came." As soon as she said it Andrea knew it was true. She'd travel all the way across the galaxy of Kate called. "So," Andrea said, "are we starting with my stuff or your stuff? I want to know everything."
When Anderson re-entered Andrea was seated on the side of the bed, one leg tucked under her. "I shit you not. He invited me to some weird family reunion in the country on a first date."
Kate shook her head, "he thought was a good idea? had he met you?" She paused, "you need to consider that men are bad at things."
"Sometimes," Andrea sighed, "but it was fun. It was a good date. He let me take his car off-roading. It could have been worse. "
"You always were a daredevil," Kate said, "remember when we wrecked your brothers four wheeler on that hill."
"Oh yeah," Andrea said with a grin, "he still hasn't let that go. I hear about it every damn Christmas."
"Poor Jake."
"Poor me," Andrea pouted, then glanced up. Anderson stepped in looking distinctly awkward, "hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Kate straightened in bed suddenly. Andrea wondered if she should tell Kate to ask for more pain meds. She was obviously uncomfortable. "Captain," she said. She was smiling but there was something ill at ease in her eyes.
"It's ok Lieutenant. You've earned a break," Anderson said. "Glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Tired, sir."
"Then take a load off for a few days," he glanced at Andrea for a moment, then back at Kate, "but there are some things we should discuss."
Andrea took the hint, "Kate, I'm going to go get some dinner." She grinned, "want me to smuggle anything back up. Milkshake? Whiskey?"
"I'll be just fine."
"Suit yourself," Andrea said, walking out of the room.
She paused at the door listening for just a moment.
"Sir, have you heard from the families yet? I feel like I should say something, talk to them?"
"Shepard, you've got a long road ahead of you. Focus on getting on your feet and… well… there are some decisions we need to make."
Andrea flinched, this sounded serious. For a moment she wanted to turn around and find some way to protect Kate. She was obviously nursing some wound Andrea couldn't quite get at yet, but she had always been good at getting Kate to spill her feelings. It was just a matter of time.
No, it wasn't her job anymore. She didn't have any claim on Kate and she couldn't control what she did with her life. She had walked out of the relationship and she had done it willingly. Kate needed her as a friend. Not as a girlfriend.
She walked out the door. Let the military people talk about military things.
When she returned an hour or so later Kate was alone again. She was still awake, and looking down at a piece of paper. She was reading and re-reading a sheet of paper, but when she noticed Andrea she crumpled it in one hand, smiling.
"Good news,"she said, smiling, "they're letting me go. Other people need the bed."
"But you're still-"
"I'm fine," Kate said. There was a note of finality in it. "I'm taking a month or two off. I'll get some rest. Probably head back to Arcturus in a couple days."
Andrea realized she had changed from the hospital gown into sweatpants and a white tank top. "Alliance is paying for a hotel room at some place in the part of town not too damaged." Kate said, "I can talk to Anderson about getting you a room or," she hesitated, "you could just stay with me."
"Oh," Andrea said with a smile, "sleepover. Just like old times."
Kate chuckled, "now with more pain killers."
The sun was low on the horizon as Andrea sat next to Kate in the back of the van. Before releasing them a nurse had removed the bandages from Kate's face. The wound was a clean red mark that ran from forehead and skittered down to her cheekbone. Her arm was still in a sling and was bandaged from wrist to shoulder.
Kate was watching the scenery go by. She was troubled, Andrea noted. She had been since the Captain had walked into that hospital room. Andrea pursed her lips for a moment and tried to brighten the moon, "we should watch old movies tonight. Like we used to."
Kate hummed non-commitally.
"I could show you some of the stuff in my senior show. I have some holos."
"Sure."
"I could serenade you with my death metal band's latest hits."
"What?" Kate glanced at her and let out a breath at Andrea's shit eating grin. "Sorry I'm just-uh-"
She looked out the window and leaned up to the driver, "pull over."
The car stopped and Kate was opening the door almost before they were stationary. She moved slowly, in obvious pain, but Andrea's heart clench at the way Kate seemed used to moving while in pain. She had spent the past four years in an art studio, exchanging ideas and her biggest challenges had been tight deadlines while maintaining a job or two to pay her bills. It had been hard. She had worked her way out of Effingham Illinois through sweat. But Kate had been through some things she didn't know if she would ever understand.
Andrea hopped out after her. Kate was crouched by the side of the road. She picked up something and stood. Andrea walked over and glanced over her shoulder. "Dogtags?" She asked, looking at the silver tabs. "Holman, Daniel."
She remembered the woman on the plane and winced. It couldn't be the same guy right?
"What are the chances he just dropped those?" She asked quietly.
Kate didn't answer. She dropped the dogtags in the pocket of her sweatpants and walked back to the car. "We should get back to the hotel." There was a dead note in her voice Andrea had only heard when she had been the new girl in school, just a few months removed from Mindoir.
They were quiet the rest of the short ride until they walked into their hotel room. "Swanky," Andrea commented.
Kate half smiled and sat down on the bed. "What did you want to watch."
Andrea plopped back into the sofa. "Ugh so comfy," She said with a grin. She pulled her knees up on the sofa and surveyed a list of movies on the television. "Blasto the Jellyfish 2?" She suggested, "I saw the first one. It was good."
Kate shrugged, "sure."
Andrea took a long look at her, "how about first you tell me what's going on."
"I guess," Kate said after a moment, "I've been a bit zoned."
"A bit," Andrea agreed. "Want to talk. I came half way across the galaxy to see you, not to guilt you or anything but…"
Kate chuckled, then grew serious again, "Anderson and I had a long talk."
"I noticed."
"They're giving me an award. It's a star of Terra. It's kind of a big deal."
Andrea raised her eyebrows, "that's good." Kate frowned slightly, "bad?" She said again. Kate shook her head. "I give up," Andrea said, "tell me how we feel."
"We feel good. But…" Kate hung her head, "It's a lot. I had to make a call out there. A hard one."
Andrea rose and walked to the bed. She sat down on the bed beside Kate, "want to talk about it?" She sought out Kate's hand with her own.
For a long moment Kate stared at their intertwined shook her head, "I want," she let out a breathy laugh, "I want to go back to Effingham to the bowling alley and be sixteen again."
"Really?" Andrea made a face, "Their pizza tasted like ass."
"Yeah, but remember that time we smuggled in a bottle of whiskey and you ended up dancing on that table."
Andrea burst out laughing, "oh god yes," she made a face, "oh god no. I can't believe you remember that. Didn't you steal some of the bowling pins?"
"Yes! And then we didn't want to get caught so we wanted to sink them in the river."
"Except they floated." Andrea groaned. "We were crazy. It's no wonder my mom didn't want us hanging out."
Kate straightened indignantly. "You were the bad influence. I never got in trouble on Mindoir." She paused, "I mean, except the time I hacked the school system to show naked baby pictures of the school bully as the desktop background."
Andrea chuckled, "completely provoked I assume."
"Entirely."
They were face to face now and so close she could see the flecks of god in Shepard's eyes or count her freckles. They were both quiet for a breath. Kate made the first move, "the good old days," she said quietly, moving a bit closer. She brushed a hand through Andrea's hair.
Andrea pushed aside the sickening feeling that this was a bad idea. "The best," she said. Her lips touched Kate's. It was, she reflected, just the same as she remembered. The only difference she could tell was that they had both improved at the whole kissing thing over the time spent apart.
They parted. For a moment they were eye to eye, breathless. Then Kate moved towards her again a hand gliding to her waist. Andrea held back, "I don't know if this is a good idea," she breathed. For a moment she pictured Maria… but it wasn't like they were actually a thing yet. Still, hooking up with an ex didn't bode well.
"Andrea," Kate breathed, "I just need," she swallowed, "I need…" she trailed off, brushing a thumb across Andrea's cheekbone."I don't want to be alone right now." Her voice was almost a whisper.
Andrea grabbed the hand, planted a kiss on Kate's knuckles. She noted the webbing of scars on them now. "Yeah, you're shit at being alone," she whispered back.
Later, much later Andrea stretched. She kissed Kate's cheek her fingers playing over the bruises along her side and thigh. She touched the bandages along Kate's shoulder. "Is that where they shot you?"
Kate glanced at her out of the corner of an eye, "yup. I was stupid. Let my shields go down. Didn't have anyone to cover me."
Andrea made a face. She hated the thought of people hurting Kate. She had always thought of her as tougher than nails, but now she seemed fragile. Breakable. The thought of someone, anyone aiming a gun at her made her feel nauseous.
Kate caught the expression and rolled onto her uninjured shoulder so they were face to face, "Hey," she said, "hey, I'm fine. See?"
"Yeah," Andrea said, "but you're going to go out and do something like this again. I just- I never thought of any of it as real. All that space war stuff has always felt so far away. But you could- you could die."
Kate smiled, "don't worry, I have no intention of dying anytime soon." She hesitated, "but things are about to change."
"Change how?"
"This afternoon Anderson told me I got invited to the villa."
Andrea frowned, "what's that?"
"The N program. Special forces. It's a pretty big honor."
Andrea studied Kate's face, "you're telling me good news like it's bad news again."
"You don't know why they invited me."
Andrea swatted her gently, "stop stringing me along and explain it then."
Kate hesitated, closing her eyes, "I made a call out there. It was the right call," there was something fierce in her voice, "I had to hold that plaza. But I left people to die. I sacrificed people who I couldn't help." She hesitated, "they were killing everyone. Civilians. Kids. I had to stay and hold because I knew it would save more people. The guys I was here on leave with died holding a barricade .Lot of civilians too. It was math, just shitty math."
Andrea sighed, "so all this good stuff is happening to you, but…"
"But they're just dead."
"Yeah."
"So, what happens next?" Andrea asked, "and, if you don't mind me asking, what does this mean?" She gestured between them. Kate lifted her head, kissing her lightly.
"What do you want?" She asked quietly.
Andrea tapped her chin, "You're going to the villa?" She asked. Kate hesitated, then nodded. "Good," she said, "you earned it. You should go."
For a moment she remembered the woman on the plane. The woman who had found out that her husband would never some home. The little boy who was going to grow up and Never know who his dad was. All that kid would know was that his dad was a hero who died on a colony somewhere out in the stars.
She lay back and looked up at the cieling, "I have a show tomorrow night," she said, "and I have to leave in the morning." The words felt like nails in a coffin.
"And after?" Kate asked.
Andrea took a breath, banished her tears. "I want to travel. A friend and I have plans to go to New York. Maybe after I'll go the citadel, or Thessia, or…who knows."
Kate stared at her, "you're saying goodbye."
Andrea grimaced, "I'm saying this isn't going to work for me."
"It doesn't have to end like this," Kate said, a frantic note in her voice.
Andrea shook her head, "you're my best friend. You always will be," she said slowly, "but I can't live my life waiting for a phone call telling me you ended up dead somewhere. "You're risking your life and you're reckless and I can't." She shut her eyes banishing the tears, "I can't. I'll leave now if you want."
She started to get up but Kate grabbed her wrist. "You promised." She said, "you said you'd always be here."
Andrea shook her head, "not like this. Not some domestic wife waiting for you to come home. Is that what you thought? Is that what you want?"
Kate looked at her, " I want you. It's always you in my head. No matter who else."
Andrea shook her head slowly, "I don't think it matters what either of us want. I can't spend my life waiting for you. It's not fair to me."
There was a scowl on Kate's face as she let go of Andrea's wrist. She swallowed hard and shook her head, "Sorry to have bothered you then." She said coldly, "I'll change my emergency info."
Andrea looked at her sadly and grabbed her clothes retreating to the bathroom to change. She splashed cold water on her face and took a couple deep breaths. Pulling up her omni-tool she typed out a few quick messages and within a few minutes a cab was pulling up. It was time to go home.