[A/N: The mass effect universe and all characters (with the exception of London and Teagan) belong to Bioware.

Thanks to zebrahater for being my beta and correcting all my silly mistakes. Sometimes at 4AM I find myself writing stupid things like, "Shepard needed to fill his air with lungs." *sigh*

Also, I had to start off the Shadow Broker DLC so you might recognize some dialog. ]

[Chapter Nineteen: Things fall apart]

[ Illium/ Dracon Trade Center/ 7PM ]

Jack growled lightly as she looked over towards the commander, "We had one damn day off—a day that you fuckin' promised to take me out…and we end up doing this? Better be worth it, Shepard."

John sighed lightly, keeping the sights of his rifle on the asari in front of him, "I already said I'm sorry, Jack. These things come up sometimes…I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Garrus cleared his throat, "Is now really the time?"

Liara was aiming her hand cannon with deadly accuracy at the asari SPECTRE Tela Vasir. Shepard, Jack, Liara, and Garrus had the spectre backed against a glass window leaving her with no place to run. T'Soni's eyes were narrowed, her stance tense, and tone rigid. "Once she had my location she signaled the Shadow Broker's forces. They bombed the building to take me out. She found Sekat, took his data, and killed him," Her eyes glanced over the asari spectre. "…I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."

"Good guess," Vasir said with a chilling smirk as a small, blue biotic ball formed in her palm, "…not that you'll ever see what's on it, you pure blood bitch!" The large window behind the specter shattered, each dagger edged piece of glass thrown biotically forward towards Shepard and his team. Liara had no choice but to lower her pistol and quickly shield the small crew with a biotic sphere. Jack clenched her jaw tightly, "That's my damn job."

When Tela noticed her attack had been obstructed she shot a spiteful at Shepard's team before turning on the balls of her feet and hastily moving to jump out the now shattered window towards her freedom. Liara's eyes widened, "Shepard, she'll get away!"

"Like hell she will!" John sprang after the asari spectre and closed in. He lowered his shoulder and lunged into the woman, clinging to her armor as they plummeted down four stories. Vasir lit up with a bright blue aura slowing the speed of the two entangled bodies' descent, managing to smash her boot against Shepard's chest to knock him away before landing.

John crashed into the ground with a loud groan, taking a moment to fill his lungs with air before even thinking to sit up. As he lay on his back, Shepard witnessed Liara jump over the edge and light up in bright blue hues much like Vasir had, landing with an absurd amount of grace, "You," he coughed lightly, "couldn't do that before I tackled her off the edge?"

T'Soni simply ignored the out of breath man and ran after the SPECTRE, Jack and Garrus quickly joining their commander to help him up. "How the hell did you two get down so quickly?" John asked, looking up at the distance they would have had to jump.

Garrus pointed over to the right, a grin on his lips. "Stairs."

Shepard rolled his eyes and growled in annoyance as he nodded his head in Liara's direction and started to sprint, "Of course—why didn't I think of that? Fuckin' stairs!"

xxxxxxx

When John and his team had finally arrived, Liara and Vasir were caught in a standoff. Both asari had been taking cover behind hovercrafts and shooting their pistols when given the chance. However, Shepard's arrival pushed the asari SPECTRE to make the quick decision of calling her car to her location. Liara was proving to be a pain as it was—Tela couldn't afford to be outnumbered on top of that.

When the hover craft was in position, Vasir's body once more lit up as she threw herself over the edge of the building, landing easily into her opened vehicle with little concern and speeding away. "Damn it!" Liara cried as she stood up to quickly check all the surrounding hover cars, hoping that one would be unlocked. After several attempts, and a few car alarms later, T'Soni found what she was seeking—an unlocked taxi cab. Quickly she got inside the craft to hotwire it. Shepard sighed heavily and took his place at the driver's seat, playful eyes looking over the asari by his side, "I'm fine by the way—thanks for asking!"

Jack eyed the two curiously, her lip curling lightly at the thoughts in her head. "Why the hell would he want her to make sure he's okay?" Her eyes ran over John's facial expression. It was soft and even seemed loving in some ways. He couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful Liara. "What the hell, Shepard?" Before the tattooed woman could vocalize her displeasure, the Turian at her side had already begun to speak.

Garrus shook his hands quickly towards the Commander, "I'm not getting in that thing if you're driving."

Shepard grinned and nodded his head towards Jack, "I wasn't going to pick you to come anyways, Garrus."

The Turian smirked and crossed his arms, "Yeah, yeah. See ya' on the ship, Shepard."

Jack got into the sky car quickly, aggressively pushing her way past the Commander to get to the back seat, her elbow 'accidentally' hitting John harshly in the face. "Jack—"

"Come on she's getting away!" Liara called out rapidly and interrupting the commander.

John bit his tongue as the doors to the car shut. He slammed his foot on the acceleration and made a sharp turn to exit the landing pad. T'Soni gasped and fastened her seatbelt securely, causing Jack to grin viciously in return. She's such a pussy.

As Shepard dodged and weaved through the traffic and between the narrow crevasses of tall buildings, Liara pointed excitedly towards the sky car she recognized as Vasir's, "There she is! Hang a right—" John closed in onto the target. "NO—no wait left!" he shifted the wheel quickly, the vehicle jolting violently to the side.

John furrowed his brow in concentration, "I'm on her!"

"Here, take a left—she's around the corner."

As their car took the sharp turn, Liara's eyes widened. "We're not going into the construction site are…oh Goddess—"

Shepard grinned, turning the wheel sharply and pressing against the accelerator with his right foot. He ducked and dodged their vehicle with ease through the small site that consisted of crumbled buildings and toppled over walls, following Vasir through a tunnel and making another sharp left onto a highway.

Liara leaned forward in her seat, placing a hand on the dashboard as she furrowed her brow. "I'm not letting her escape with that—TRAFFIC, ONCOMING TRAFFIC!"

Shepard waved a hand at her, a large smile on his lips. "Eh, we'll be fiiine!"

T'Soni turned to look at the commander before turning back to gaze out the front window of the taxi cab. Something had caught her attention—small devices were being casually tossed out Vasir's window and left to float in the taxi cab's path, "She's dropping proximity charges…"

John's forehead wrinkled and his grip on the steering wheel tightened as he swiftly went around the tiny red devices. "I noticed."

As Shepard maneuvered his way closer towards the other SPECTRE'S vehicle, two rockets narrowly flew passed Shepard's and Liara's door from behind. Jack quickly turned her head to gaze out the back window and noticed a large sky car was closing in, "She's got reinforcements!"

John growled as he pressed his foot all the way down on the acceleration upon entering a highway tunnel, his position directly behind Vasir. "What kind of guns does this thing have?"

Liara groaned, "It's a taxi, it has a fare meter!"

Shepard clenched his jaw, "Wonderful."

Up further along the road Vasir had rammed the rear end of a cargo truck causing it to spin out of control and flip over. Shepard was going well over 200 kilometers and showing no intentions of stopping. Liara looked over to Shepard, then out towards the truck, then back again. "Truck…"

John frowned, "I know."

"Truck!"

"I KNOW."

"TRUCK!"

Jack rolled her eyes, a finger rising to press against her own temple. "SHUT. UP."

As the large cargo vehicle flipped off the ground, Shepard expertly squeezed the cab underneath it and through the small opening—the roof of the cab making scraping sounds against the roof of the truck as it quickly flew by. "There we go!" Shepard called out happily as he continued their pursuit. In the back seat Jack couldn't help but raise her hands in the air, cackling loudly at the high speed chase.

Liara had plastered her back against her seat, making a face like someone had just electrocuted her. She stared at Shepard then back towards the ex-convict, "You're enjoying this!"

Jack grinned wickedly, "You ain't?"

John laughed lightly as he swerved onto incoming traffic, his cab hot on Vasir's trail. Liara eyed the ex-convict carefully then squirmed underneath her safety belt as she observed all the cars whizzing by her window, "…she's almost out of range but…a head on collision at this speed…"

"Yeah I hear that can be pretty bad," Shepard joked and he dodged the traffic.

"TRUCK—"

"Again?—"

"Watch out—there, THERE! You're right on her!"

John looked out the passenger side window and offered a neighborly wave at Tela, while Jack stuck out her middle finger towards the other specter that could only scowl and ram her vehicle into Johns, the jolt nearly causing him to collide with an oncoming car. Shepard glared at Vasir and bit back, his taxi cab ramming hard into Tela's sky car. The force was enough to knock the shady SPECTRE free of control and ram into another oncoming car. The asari cried out as she plummeted into the rooftop rooms of the hotel Azure. John grinned at his success as he made his way onto the rooftop landing pad.

xxxxxxx

[Illium/ The Azure Hotel/ 10:05PM]

Liara pulled out the small chip from Tela's body, "Sekat's personal data pad. This has what we need to find the Shadow Broker. I'm putting the data through to the Normandy's computers; we can be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours…he'll know about Vasir's death before long. If…If he decides to kill—"

Shepard grabbed the asari tenderly by the arm to keep her from walking, "—we'll get Feron out of there alive, Liara. I promise."

"I know, you're here to help…just like always. "

John couldn't help but frown lightly at the comment, "That's…not a good thing?"

"When we first met you saved me from the Geth—you fought a Krogan battle master while I cowered. Now…you're doing it again…and I'm still leaning on you for help."

"That's what friends do, Liara."

Liara shook her head and turned to continue walking, "I can get us to the Shadow Broker's lair based on Sekat's data. The Normandy's stealth drive will keep them from detecting us. The Shadow Broker's agents are still shooting their way through Illium. With luck, they won't notice we've left until it's too late—"

Shepard scoffed and shook his head at Liara in disbelief, "That's a little cold…they killed innocent people."

T'Soni bit her lower lip, instantly wishing she had worded the sentence differently. "You…you know what I mean."

"Do I?" John asked callously, "When I hit the ground back at the trade center, you went after Vasir without so much as a backwards look."

Jack observed from afar, her arms crossing underneath her chest as she witnessed the exchange.

Liara shook her head dismissively, "A little fall wasn't going to kill you. I had to stay on Vasir. I had to stay rational—make the call…like I did with Sekat."

"That's Vasir's fault…not yours."

The asari shook her head, "Sekat had no idea what the stakes were. I put him in harms way to get the data I needed. I got him killed…and I'd do it again. But from here on out things will be simple: Get in, get Feron, and get out." Liara turned to continue walking once more. "…and kill anyone who tries to stop us."

"That's it?"

"That's it—"

"Just—" John reached out to grab Liara firmly by the hand, "Will you just stop for a second? We'll be jumping several light-years—there's time to talk."

Jack found herself shaking her head in anger as she saw Shepard's hand hold the asari's.

"About what?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"About us," he responded firmly, "What the hell is this Liara?"

T'Soni placed a gentle hand over the one that was grasping her own, "Shepard, listen…I'm glad you're here…"

"—But what?" he began coldly, "You worried there might be terminals you need me to hack?"

Liara frowned, taking her hand back quickly. "That's not fair! You were dead."

"I came back."

The asari leaned in, her words tinged with sadness and anger, "It's not that easy! You can't just come back and have two years of mourning suddenly vanish." She had to take a small moment to compose herself suddenly, stepping back and away from the commander. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I can't get into this. For now…let's just focus on getting Feron back."

"Fine." John clenched his jaw and watched as the asari walked away, but before he could follow in her steps he felt a hand take hold of him harshly by the wrist.

Shepard looked back towards the offender with hateful eyes before realizing who it was. The intensity burned out instantly and was replaced by a deeply apologetic gaze. "Jack I—"

The biotic shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What the fuck was that, Shepard?"

"Look, Jack…things between Liara and I are—"

The ex-convict took a step backwards, a realization coming to her mind. "—you fu…" her mouth twisted as if she had just tasted something horrible, "You fucked the real life Mr. Wiggles?"

John blinked in confusion; an image of Teagan's stuffed octopus flashing through his mind, "…wait—what?"

"You fucked her, didn't you!"

Shepard instantly waved his hands frantically in front of himself, "No! It's not like that!"

"—then you better start explaining what the hell it was I just saw or that Vasir bitch won't be the only SPECTRE I kill, Shepard."

John swallowed quickly, "Jack, this thing between Liara and I was…it was a long time ago. She was different—young and curious and—no, we did not have sex. Wanted to but I knew—"

The commander didn't have the chance to complete his sentence before a biotically glowing fist connected hard with his mouth. John could feel his lower lip bust wide open as Jack let out a gasp that sounded like a mix between angry and torn.

"Wrong answer, Shepard."

Shepard quickly spit out a decent amount of blood and wiped his mouth, watching his girlfriend storm away towards the exit, "Jack let me just—Jack WAIT!"

She was gone.

xxxxxxx

[The Normandy/ Med Bay/ 10:45PM]

Jacob was pacing around Lawson, his hands extending towards the woman in an attempt to stop her movements, "Miranda, I don't think you should take those out—"

"—too late." Miranda said flatly, ripping out the connections that kept her attached to the monitors of the medical bay with a wince. Jacob groaned, "—will you just stop! Dr. Chakwas said specifically that you needed—"

"Bloody hell Jacob, I'm fine!" she said coldly and quickly, her Australian accent coming out thicker than usual. "I'm bloody fine. I need to get out of this damn room… I want to just go back to my office, bunker down, lay on my own bed, work on my terminal and—"

Jacob put both his hands on her shoulders, "Miri, stop. You're still weak and still hurt and—"

Miranda pushed Jacob's hands off of her own shoulders roughly, "I am not weak. Did you not just hear anything I said? I'm okay! And Jacob, my name is Miranda—not Miri, Miranda. Hell, call me Lawson—Operative even!"

Jacob growled loudly in annoyance, "What has been with you! Your mood has just been terrible as of late." He paused to think, "Are you on your perio—"

"—finish that sentence Jacob, and hurt or not, I will round house kick you in the face." Lawson said through closed teeth, walking quickly out of the medical bay.

Jacob dropped his hands to the side in defeat as he pursued, "Where are you going?"

Miranda clenched her fists to her side as she walked towards her office, "I just said I was going to my office!" She paused suddenly, turning to face Jacob with such intensity the man took an involuntary step backwards, "—you know Jacob, you never listened. Ever! Not once while we were together!"

He blinked as he raised his hands in defense, happy that the hour was late and no one else was on deck three. "Hey—whooooa. Where did that come from? What are you even talking about—listened to what?"

"Me! You never listened to me," Miranda said, the muscles in her cheeks flexing. "We never talked for the sake of talking…it was always what you wanted to speak of, what you wanted to do."

Jacob pointed a stern finger before letting his hand drop to the side, "That is not fair, Miranda. Maybe if you weren't such a," he knew better, but he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth, "ice queen and would actually TALK about yourself from time to time, I would have listened! All the small, insignificant things you've ever told me—I've remembered. Everything."

Her eyebrow went up, "Insignificant? Really, Jacob?"

"—you know that's not what I meant."

"…what's my favorite color?" she asked, her voice curious and harsh.

Jacob rubbed his eyes, "…you never said—"

"Yes I did," she said quietly, "…the Illusive Man had sent us to the Citadel to pick up a package. We got there thirty minutes early and I had wanted to buy a new sweater with whatever time we had…but they didn't have it in my favorite color. What was it?"

The officer sighed lightly, his eyes looking over the hurt expression in the operative's face. "Miranda…what is this really about? Because I know it's not about us. You made it very clear that there was no us a long time ago. And you've actually supported me and Kasumi in our relationship…so I don't understand. Why are you angry at me?"

Lawson covered her face with the palms of her hands, "I'm…I'm sorry, Jacob. You didn't deserve that—any of it. I'm just… exhausted. I need to sleep in my own bed and actually get some rest."

Jacob observed as the operative walked up to her office door and pushed the green button. When he spoke, his voice was unsure but tender. "It's about… her…isn't it."

Miranda wordlessly looked down onto the ground before taking a step through the open door frame, the entrance hissing shut behind her back. Lawson had closed her eyes, inhaling deeply at the familiar, faint scent of lavender that usually lingered in the air of her bedroom. When she finally reopened her azure orbs, Miranda noticed a small box on the lip of her bed, its deep wooden color contrasting dramatically against the blandness of her office. Curiously, the operative made her way over and picked up the small object tenderly. When she opened its lid she found the box to be empty. However…there was a small, twirling lion at its center that caught her eye.

The operative closed the box's lid and looked out the small window near her bed momentarily before closing her eyes in thought.

…London, where are you?

xxxxxxx

[Commander's Cabin/11:30PM]

"…just give me a second to explain, will you" John pleaded as he tried to keep the biotic from packing whatever belongings she had in his room, "It was a long time ago, Jack! Liara is not the same person—I'm not the same person!"

"You chased after her. You even fuckin' said 'Liara, there's time to talk about us'," the biotic mocked angrily, "Shepard, you told me you wanted to fuck her! So you know what," Jack said casually, throwing what few items of clothing she had in his bedroom into her pack, "be my fuckin' guest. She's down with the fringe, the cripple, and the bucket-head right now, but I'm sure once she's done with them—she'll be more than happy to come up here and screw your brains out all night," she said acrimoniously as she zipped up her pack roughly.

John reached out to grab her hand, "You're not listening—"

The biotic rammed an angry fist against Shepard's forearm to break their contact, "No you're not listening! This?" she motioned between the two of them, "…this wasn't ever going to work, Shepard."

John's brow furrowed sadly, "…you don't mean that, Jack."

Jack clenched her jaw and looked down at her own trembling hand, "…chumps like us aren't meant to last, Shepard. I'm a no-good and you're a goody-good. We don't mix…sooner or later we'd end up killing each other. Besides, I was gonna' get tired of you eventually…it looks like you just beat me to the punch."

Shepard shook his head, his tone hurt. "…is that what you think? That I'm getting tired of you?"

The biotic dropped her small pack in frustration, quickly folding her arms under her breasts tightly in an attempt to soothe herself. "…I don't know anymore, Shepard. I feel like I'm fuckin' losing myself in this—in you. And I don't like it. I don't wanna' to be that chick that has her heart—" Jack swallowed the tightness in her throat, taking a small moment to think of her next words carefully. "I ain't gonna' chase you. And I reaaallly don't wanna' have to paint myself fuckin' blue to get you off."

John moved only a step closer towards Jack, his hands cautiously reaching out to touch her shoulders as a small smile came to his lips, "…Jack…you've never had to do that before. And believe me when I say…you 'get me off' just fine."

Jack couldn't help but grin, a gently closed fist hitting the commander on his chest. "I'm being serious, you fucker."

"…so am I, Jack. Liara and I are just friends. Our relationship was very complicated a long time ago."

Jack bit her lower lip, slowly picking up her pack then looking deeply into the Commander's eyes, "…I know. And that's why you need to sort this crap out before I put a bullet between your eyes outta' frustration."

John took another quick step in disagreement towards the biotic which in turn caused Jack to take a step back, "Shepard, don't. Figure your shit out then maybe, if you're lucky, I'll be around to hear what you have to say."

"Don't even joke like that, Jack."

The biotic shook her head, a saddened and disappointed look filling her dark hazel eyes as she turned to leave."…I'm not."

xxxxxxx

[Sigurd's Cradle/ Planet Watson/27.3 Degrees North-Equatorial Regions/4:30AM]

The faint light of the already rising sun could hardly be seen behind the dark clouds its rays hid behind, dimly lighting the deep sapphire colored sky above the small and rundown home. Its walls were battered and windswept, its walkway was worn. Most of the frames that outlined the windows were loose or discolored. There were no more of her mother's flowers, no more of her father's vegetables. The years and the elements had not been kind towards the little family home; they had left it ragged, bare, and lonely.

London could feel the muscles in her abdomen tighten and her stomach turn to knots as she looked upon the uneven door of her home. She leaned over, placing her hands on her knees and shakily breathing in deeply to try and steady her nerves. The gentle, cold rain that fell onto her feverish body was welcomed by the young brunette. The image of her dead parents lying side by side had haunted her dreams for the past five years, and now the only thing that stood between the nightmare and the reality of the image could be measured in mere feet.

London slowly made her way up the old cobble-stoned walkway, briefly stopping underneath the badly maintained porch to trail her slender fingers over the old wood of her mother's now broken rocking chair. Her eyes closed, the memory of her mother's voice echoing sweetly in her mind.

Isabella stood up from her rocking chair; her long, brown, loose curls falling over her shoulders as a stern finger pointed towards the direction of her only and dearest child. "You get down from that tree right now!" A happy London stuck her tongue out playfully in response, "I can't yet! I haven't found any honey for my pot!"

"Little girl..." the woman sighed heavily, "—Ay Dios mio, you get down right this instant! You are far too high!"

A tall, muscular man with dark, golden hair came out through the door, a large smile on his lips as he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the nape of her neck, "…oh leave the child be, Isabel. She's a good lass; determined like her mother and curious like her father."

Isabella turned in the Irish man's strong grasp and lifted to the tips of her toes to kiss his lips sweetly, "…you forget to mention that she also gets the 'pig-headed' and 'foolish' traits from your side, Mr. O'Conner."

"Well, Mrs. O'Conner, if I'm not mistaken—you're the one that reads her that little bear book every night. She's only doing what you've inspired her to do."

The beautiful Spanish woman ran her thumb over her husband's lips, "…and that would be?"

"…to reach for something greater than she. To climb…and to keep on climbing until she gets what she wants."

Isabella sighed softly as she placed her cheek against her husband's firm chest, "…I just don't want her to get hurt, my love."

Mr. O'Conner shook his head and finally caved into the wishes of his exquisite wife, "Alright you heard your mother, little lion." He called out, "Get off that tree and come wash up before lunch."

London whined softly, "But papaaaa.."

He raised a finger in warning, "London Esadee O'Conner—no complaining, just do as I ask please. Lunch will be ready soon."

The tiny brunette began to make her way down the broad trunk of the tree, exhaling dramatically. "Yes, siiiiiiiir."

Thick, wet eyelashes slowly lifted to reveal now reddened eyes. London brought the back of her wrist to wipe the offending tears before turning to face the door to her home. She had to pause after placing her palm on the handle to mentally prepare herself for the sight of her parents. Questions ran through her mind with urgency, her stomach once again churning with sickness. "I am no doctor" she began fearfully, "I have no idea how their bodies will look after seven years of decomposition. Have animals gotten to them? Would they be…intact?"

The sniper's hand was trembling as she pushed the door open, her eyes widening with horror as she realized the place where her parents should have been laying together was now… empty. Instinctively she reached for her pistol and aimed it into the dark living room, her eyes wildly searching for the slightest hint of intrusion. She squinted through the darkness, her gray orbs tracing over every outline of furniture and decoration. The furnishings had been repositioned, decorations had changed, and interior repairs had been made.

London made her way from room to room with no noise, her gun gripped firmly in her hand and her eyes fully alert only to find that each area she encountered was clear. Slowly she made her way down a hall and towards the master bedroom where her parents used to sleep. The door was closed and she cautiously leaned in to press her ear against the old wood grain. Her forehead wrinkled when she heard the gentle snoring of a man. Yet something caught her attention causing eyebrows to go up; she could also hear the loud breathing of what seemed to be a woman as well.

"Go in now," she thought tactically, "you'll have the upper hand if you catch them asleep and off their guard."

London breathed in deeply, the grip on her pistol tightening as she brought the heavy slam of her boot against the doors surface causing it to swing violently open with loud crack. She pointed the laser of her M5 directly onto the man's forehead, her eyes suddenly widening at the sight.

The intruding couple sat up quickly in the bed. The woman instinctively covered the small body in between her own and the man next to hers, while the male quickly threw up his hands and planted himself in front of the woman's body. "Please," he called out quickly, "w-we are unarmed—there is a child in this bed!" he swallowed quickly, the fear in his eyes prominent, "…please."

London eyed over the woman and the small body she covered before looking back at the man's terror stricken eyes angrily, "Who are you? What are you doing in my home?"

"I'm sorry," he said rapidly, "W-we had no idea this home was still occupied. My family and I h-have been here for a while. We didn't have any other place to go and we had stumbled upon this house and..."

London clenched her jaw, her laser sight still placed pitilessly between his eyes. "How long have you been living here?"

"One month, Ma'am." he said so quickly that London knew there was no way he could have been lying.

"Who do you work for? Who sent you?" the sniper asked with a harsh, cautious tone.

The man shook his head unknowingly, "…m-ma'am?"

London growled, "I said, who the hell do you work for!"

The woman spoke up quickly, a small sob in her voice as she noticed the small blue dot on her husband's forehead, "We're farmers! Please—take anything you want. We'll leave—we'll leave right away, just let us go."

London's chest was heaving heavily now, her eyes frantic and unsure of what to do. She could tell the couple was telling the truth, but she had gone through way to much shit to ever trust anyone so freely—especially as of late. "Tell me what you grow."

The man had repositioned himself so his wife and child were once more hidden behind his back, "O-oranges, ma'am. We buy the seeds directly from Earth and grow them outback. The climate here is perfect and they grow quickly to be the size of large grapefruits. It's how we make our living...w-we sell them locally. There's a small town about—"

"—eight hours from here, I know." London said biting her lower lip, her weapon faltering slightly. "…there were two people in the living room. They were…" The sniper swallowed, unsure of how to word the sentence. "t-they were…"

The other woman looked onto London with a soft sadness in her voice, "…did you know them?"

London's lower lip trembled momentarily before her steely gaze once more took over, "They were my parents."

The woman placed a hand on her husband's arm and, "Frank…"

London eyed the man with a raised brow. "What did you do with them?"

"…I buried them properly and side by side, Ma'am. We made a clearing out in the woods behind the house where they could be at peace."

"And what did you do with their belongings?" London asked, her tone quickly becoming cold. "This house was full of our things—you had no right to go and just move everything around. Where are they?"

Frank raised his arms higher, "I know, I know…and we're sorry. We didn't sell anything if that's what you're asking. Everything was put into a large container…it's in the shed outback. I can take you—"

"…papa..." came the voice of the tiny two year old boy who was snuggling into his mother's warmth. London's eyes shot open as the child's eyes peered deeply into the depth of the M5's barrel, then into the intensity of London's gray orbs. She instantly lowered the gun in shame. "I'm..." The sniper looked at the tightly gripped pistol in her hand, tears spilling over and down her cheeks as she looked up and towards the small family, "I'm so…sorry. I didn't mean to be so…to become…I just thought that you…"

Frank watched as the young woman turned to leave hastily through the back door, his wife clinging to his side and holding onto their child tightly, "We should leave Frank, she might come back and—"

"—I don't think she will, honey." He said softly, not having missed the sudden helplessness in London's eyes, "I don't think she will."

The sniper had bolted through the back door, stopping only at the shed to pack her family photos, her mother's favorite yellow sun dress, and her father's small qitan crafting toolset.

The rain had become heavy and London had slipped several times as she ran through the woods desperately trying to find the clearing the man named Frank had spoken of. It felt as if she had been running for an eternity; her legs and calves ached as her heart pounded loudly in her ears, but soon London could see where the trees parted into a neatly crafted semi-circle. Her legs instantly stiffened, her posture frozen as she saw the large grave that easily fitted two bodies. Instead of a headstone there was a rather large rock adorned with the delicate handwriting of small words lightly chiseled into its surface.

-=- Though we knew not your names, we will always remember your kindness. You have given my family hope when we had none, a roof where rain once pelted our heads, and a warm bed where there used to only be cold earth. It is with our deepest respect and utmost gratitude that we bury you in this place of peace and honor. We wish you well on your journey, friends, and hope that wherever you are now, that you are together and happy. -=-

London walked up to the stone and fell to her knees as trembling hands slid over the rock's damp surface, gray eyes reading the kind words slowly. She released a low, throaty sob as she laid her body down next to her parents. Her cheek laid flatly against the cold, wet ground as her fingers grasped tightly at the mud above the large grave. "…tell me what to do …" she whimpered softly into the stillness of the forest. "Please…I need your help…mama, daddy…tell me what to do…"

Time had passed slowly and eventually the rain had stopped. London had made no effort to move; her body felt cold, limp, and heavy from the wetness that surrounded her form. As a ray of sunshine landed upon the sniper's back a single tear rolled down from her eye duct, the thoughts of a woman with raven black hair and a beautiful smile warming the chilling ache in her bones.

I wish you were here.

[End Nineteen: Things fall apart]

[ A/N: Feel free to hit me in the face with your reviews or random comments. ]