Chapter 31

Family Matters

May 26th, 2187

"I didn't bring one person. I brought a lot more," Sonya said.

Several people, more than a dozen, came out from just beyond the outer most limit of the light being emitted from the house. The sky overhead was completely overcast and provided no help.

As they began moving into visible range, he could start making out a wide variety of figures. Whoever they were, they didn't comprise a single race.

His arm began to arc back as he readied to switch his omni-blade on. Before he could to start swinging back, someone grabbed him from behind.

"Shepard, like you could play dead with me," a woman said playfully.

It took his brain a second to connect the voice to the person.

"Ka... sumi?" he asked tentatively.

The renowned thief decloaked and he could – barely – see her arms wrapped around his waist pinning his arms.

"I thought we'd break the house in for real. Not like how you've been doing it. Quiet little dinner parties? Blah!" Sonya said. "We're gonna do this properly. After all, my little bro is getting married."

Sonya held up a bottle of very expensive liquor in each hand.

Markus could now clearly see Kolyat, Samara, Zaeed, Jacob; everyone was there.

Several glasses of champagne and a few shots of the liquor Sonya brought, everyone was starting to feel a little loose. All save for Markus who was trying as best he could, to keep a respectful distance from everyone else. It was around midnight when he slipped away to the second floor.

He stood on the balcony with half a bottle of '22 on the rail. It sat precariously but he needed his hands free to light his cigar. The view of the lake made it a good place to brood. He let out a depressed sigh soon as it was lit.

'Come on, Mark. It's not all that complicated. You want a normal life but you can't handle a little surprise like this without thinking your own sister is trying to kill you. So, what are you going to do about it? Options, options.'

'Option one – work on it with Tali here, in this house. You'll be putting a strain on both of you if you do and it might end up driving her away. Option two – go back in the field as a battle couple.' He paused at that thought. It wasn't a particularly pleasant one. Living on the outskirts of civilization, pretending to be a drug smuggler to get information on someone who poisoned a member of the Alliance, or surveillance on up and coming politicians among the other races.

'Which leaves, option three.' He shuttered at the last one and took a large drink straight from the bottle.

"Chugging my sixty year old scotch like beer? I thought I raised you better then that," Hanna said from behind him.

Markus turned to see her in the doorway with two glasses. Both of them were empty.

"Sorry about that. Had a... a particularly nasty thought. Wanted to wash it out. You know how my brain is."

Her head bobbed to the side. "Well enough. Would you at least let me have some before it's all gone?"

He filled both half way and took one of the glasses.

"What had you in such a rut that you chose to duck out of your own housewarming party, er, late housewarming party?"

"Oh, same old same old. I think I need to do some maintenance on my leg. Feels like I've got a bit of a pronation. Can't be sure though. Good as prosthetics are, it doesn't quite feel the same as it did, you know?"

She took a sip from her glass.

"If you're going to lie to me, at least make it something believable."

Markus downed his glass and refilled it. Looking at it with intent, he explained what had been going through his head for the last several hours.

Through the whole thing, she never said a word. After it was over and he explained what it was he had been thinking about, she set her glass on the rail and looked at him.

"Obviously it's your choice. But take it from someone whose been through a few similar instances in her life: if you have a family, whether it's just someone you're going steady with, a spouse, or the whole kit and caboodle with children, you hold onto them with everything you have and then some. I know I didn't seem to do that much with you and your sisters. I thought that by focusing on my job I'd be making a safer galaxy for you all to grow up in. But those are my demons. The two of you love each other. When she thought you might be dead, it crushed her. I've been on that end a few times.

"I'll admit, when I first heard about you and Tali, I didn't know how to feel about it. But it didn't take long for me to figure it out: you'd do anything to make her feel happy. So let me ask you, in her position, if the person you loved just ran off on their own without saying anything, broke off your engagement, what would happen?"

"That was why I took that huge drink if you recall. I want to stay with her, more than anything." He was about to continue but she cut him off.

"Then get your ass back down there and enjoy your fiancée. Oh, that just doesn't sound right. Um... eh, forget it. You know what I meant."

A shallow but genuine grin crossed Markus' face.

"Thanks, Mom. I plan to. Feel like a little karaoke? Figure everyone should be drunk enough to be up for it."

"I think I'll pass. You haven't seen what happens when your father gets drunk at a party."

The Shepards returned back to the first floor. The kitchen and living room weren't too badly crowded given how many people were in the house.

Within half an hour most of the Normandy family had decided to pack it in. Markus and his sisters stayed up for karaoke as he suggested earlier. Sonya staggered up and selected a song. Like all of the ones she had picked, they were old Earth rock songs. The four had been going for nearly an hour. At this point, they too were winding down. When Markus announced he was going to sleep the others called it a night.

Outside the window, the sun was just coming up as Shepard made his way to the bed. With force, he pushed himself out and closed the blinds before making his way back where he collapsed beside Tali.

Sonya stood on the balcony on the second floor just outside the room she was staying in. With the sun coming up she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun.

'Jeez. I'm gonna feel this tomo... later today. Fuck.'

Amanda groaned behind her. The two were sharing a bed. Even with the extra beds provided by Isabella's White Raven and the Normandy there still weren't enough beds for the entire crew so a couple of people were doubling up.

"I thought you went to bed already," Sonya said.

"Well I was, but someone decided to let the light in."

"A view like this is worth a little pain. Come on, look at it."

Amanda dragged her feet all the way to the railing where she saw how heavy her sister was leaning on it. "You're too drunk to make it back aren't you?"

"Yeeaaaahhh. A little." A Cheshire cat like grin was plastered over her face. It quickly vanished, replaced by one of serious worry. Her voice changed too; the easy-going party girl tone was replaced by one that Isabella hadn't heard in years. "You know, this probably wasn't the best call. Surprising Markus like that."

"Huh? What do you mean?" It was strange. Sonya wasn't ever all that serious. Not unless there was something that was weighing on her. If she had anything to drink, then you could bet that she wouldn't have a care in the whole galaxy no matter what was going on around her. For her to change her expression so quickly caught Amanda by surprise.

"The party was a huge hit. Everyone loved it, Markie included."

"No, it wasn't. Not like it was supposed to. I..." Sonya sighed. She took the second to recompose herself. "I should have actually thought it through before agreeing to it. If the same thing happened to me, I would have been expecting an ambush. He was too. He's been through a lot. If this had been pulled on you or Izzie then it'd be fine. You're used to a relaxed life. Markus, Mom and I, we're used to people trying to kill us like that. It's why he snuck out for a bit. He needed to take a breather; to reground himself. We owe him a big apology. Tomorrow. Right now, that big matress is calling my name and it is sounding very, very nice.