And here's chapter 7. I won't keep you guys long, but since I'm back on my ME kick, I'm working real hard with this. There's a bit of fluff in this chapter, hope you like it!
"This is your great idea to stay safe?" Joker asked, gesturing to Serlus.
"Yes, Joker. That is exactly my idea, I can handle myself, my problem is being able to keep my defenses, so why not have someone stick around to help out. Garrus has his own thing to do, Wrex and Grunt are needed on Tuchanka, Liara is busy researching, Samara is busy with Justicar stuff, and Shepard, James, and Ashley are needed on the ship," Becca argued.
"Don't worry Joker, she's in safe hands, I promise," Serlus assured the pilot and Joker exhaled.
"I know what you're worried about. Joker, listen to me. I'm an adult, Serlus is as well, you can't shelter me forever. And even if it was what you're thinking, he'll be professional about this whole thing," Becca said and Joker nodded before hugging her.
"Alright, send me a message if you need anything from me," Joker said and Becca saluted him.
"Aye aye, Daddy," she laughed with the males before Joker left.
"Was he thinking...?" Serlus trailed off and Becca rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, he was. Which is not true." Although she said this, the blush could not be hidden on her face.
"Are you...blushing?" Serlus asked and Becca blushed even redder. Serlus chuckled. "Its a good look on you."
"Are you flirting with me?" Becca teased and Serlus shook his head at her.
"Don't even start, Joker would kill me if he found out we had something going on."
"He has no right to interfere with my love life either way." Becca smiled when Nightstreak began sniffing Serlus' duffle bag that held his weapons, ammo, and a few changes of clothes. "Second bedroom is open if you need it."
"Thank you." Serlus picked up his bag and headed for it, Nightstreak trotting behind him. Becca shook her head at her varren before sitting in the living room and opening up the college booklet.
Serlus came back and sat down next to her, his M-37 Falcon rifle in tow and cleaner. Becca watched him spruce up his weapon out of the corner of her eye and marveled at how careful he was with cleaning. Though, after a few minutes, she was surprised when Serlus held it out to her and she took it. Becca looked it over carefully, noting the development and design.
"Good choice for your style," Becca stated before handing it back to him, though the slight touch of their hands didn't go unnoticed and she noticed Serlus' mandibles twitch every so slightly. Becca's face reddened a bit before she turned her attention to her tv, turning it on to some action movie about a bunch of Krogan and Turians fighting a human Reaper.
"We're still so young and yet...we can't stop what we feel for others that we've known for so long," Serlus mumbled and he returned to his room. He appeared with his other guns and began cleaning those as well, setting the cleaned ones on the coffee table, which Becca offered up. They watched the movie and a few other random ones that played before Becca seemed to doze off.
Serlus looked over at her while she slept, taking note of her features. He couldn't ignore the fact she still had on her old leg braces, not the new ones she had gotten for her birthday. He shook his head before carefully lifting her from the couch and to her room, laying her down and pulling her leg braces off. Becca roused slightly, enough to cover herself with her blanket and fall back asleep. Seeing as it was early, Serlus took care to feed Nightstreak, the fish and the hamster before ordering takeout to the apartment. Once he finished, he did a check outside the complex before heading to his own room and relaxing.
~oOo~
The next morning seemed normal enough. Becca cleaned up when she woke up, put on the new leg braces, fed the pets and started breakfast for herself and Serlus. Though she noticed she was running low on supplies and would need to make a run to the market with Serlus. The said Turian entered the kitchen with a yawn and was surprised when he sat at the counter and food was placed before him.
"This is a surprise, when did you learn how to cook?" he asked.
"I've known how thanks to James, as for food that a Turian would love, thank Garrus," Becca said and started her own breakfast.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Ok I guess, it's a little strange and very quiet than how things are on the ship."
"Yeah, when you're so used to the noise, it's hard."
"And not having Joker close by is...hard." Becca went silent and finished making her breakfast before sitting down next to Serlus.
"Night terrors?" Becca nodded.
"Fire...and gunshots..."
"The ambush? Dad told me about it. He said they burned the entire camp." Becca only nodded again. They were silent for a moment before Serlus spoke again. "Becca I-" he was cut off when the alert for a visitor at the door went off.
Serlus stood and went to see who it was, looking at the screen and for some unknown reason, it was black. The camera was broken. He looked back at Becca who moved carefully and hid behind the counter. Once she did so, Serlus opened the door.
"Can I help you?" Serlus asked, Batarians standing before him.
"Is Ms. Solis in?" one of them asked. Serlus remained quiet for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, she's out right now," he answered.
"Mind telling us where she went?" the Batarians seemed to be ready to shoot at any moment.
"Move," Becca whispered into the comm and just as Serlus spun away.
A mine from a Scorpion pistol hit one of the Batarians and it exploded, causing the others to take the backfire damage. Serlus pulled out his M-23 Katana Shotgun and finished them off as best as he could. However, he overlook a bullet that whizzed past his head and right into Becca's shoulder. Once the slavers were dead, Serlus look at Becca who slammed her pistol on the counter and her hand went right to her bleeding shoulder.
"Becca!" Serlus exclaimed and her ran to her side, dropping Katana and scrambling to help.
"I'm fine, first aid kit," she pointed to the cabinet and Serlus grabbed the said kit and pulled out medigel. Serlus took great care to apply the gel to Becca's shoulder. Halfway through the process, they looked up at each other and Becca's blush couldn't be hidden.
"Are you...ok?" Serlus asked and Becca nodded.
"Ye-yeah," she mumbled and swallowed nervously.
"Becca...you are just...so-" Becca pulled away a bit and put her hand to her ear.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"I had an application sent in for you, Becca," Liara answered. "They accepted you rather quickly. They wish for you to stay on campus and hope for the best out of you."
"Alright thanks." Becca pulled her hand down and smiled.
"What?" Serlus asked.
"I was accepted into the college I wanted to go to." Becca hugged Serlus and he smiled.
"Becca I..." Serlus looked away.
"Shut up and do it," Becca laughed and Serlus looked at her before his mandibles twitched and he leaned his head closer. Becca grew nervous for a moment before she closed her eyes and felt Serlus' rough skin against her lips. What did surprise Becca was how natural it felt and she leaned more into the kiss. Serlus pulled away after a moment and opened his eyes slowly.
"Joker's gonna kill me," he said and chuckled.
"Over my dead body," Becca countered and she laughed. "We better clean up before someone from the crew shows up and freaks out."
"Shit, you're right. Sit, I got this." Becca sat down on the couch and watched Serlus rush around the complex cleaning as best as he could. The two of them talked somewhat as Serlus cleaned and he finished just in time for Garrus to arrive.
"Everything alright?" Garrus asked as he rushed in, going straight to Becca.
"Dad, we're fine. Had a bit of trouble with Batarian Slavers, Becca's fine, just hit in the shoulder. Nothing some medigel couldn't fix," Serlus assured him.
"Anything broken?" Garrus asked Becca.
"Not that I could feel," Becca answered and Garrus sat next to her.
"Let me see." Becca allowed him to take her arm and he moved it carefully before hearing the joint pop and Becca inhaled sharply. "My bad..."
"It's fine, that shoulder's been stiff anyway. Felt rather good actually," Becca said and hugged Garrus.
"So, I have to ask, what did I interrupt?"
"I was cleaning up the mess from the slavers. Can I talk to you, Dad? Outside?" Serlus requested and Garrus nodded, following Serlus out to the hallway.
"Something wrong?" Garrus asked.
"I...I think I'm in love..." Serlus muttered.
"Really? Becca I take it?" Serlus nodded. "Alright, I looked at the report from Becca's surgery, she's immune to the reaction our skin causes when ingested by humans. I do have to ask, how long have you felt this?"
"I don't know, having time with her recently really showed it, but I feel as though it started when we went shooting."
"It's fine, son. Listen though, I want you to be careful with Becca. Needs can't really be controlled when it comes to some situations. You could easily break something on her and it would ruin things. If she didn't have Vrolik's Syndrome, you wouldn't have to worry too much. Joker would kill you for breaking a bone on her, he has no right for a relationship seeing as she's been holed up in the ship most of her life."
"I have no idea how things will work out though, she's been accepted in that college she wants to go to."
"Go with her. Be her aid, she's handicapped and it can't be helped."
"She'll be there for four years, and who knows if she'll come back home. Do you really want me gone for that long?"
"You do what you want. You're an adult, you have been since you received your paint." Garrus rose his hand and placed it on his son's face, rubbing his thumb along the dark blue paint that matched his own. "You have a way to stay in contact no matter what, I'll still be here if you decide to come back."
"Thanks, Dad. I'll do my best to treat her right, like you taught me."
"Stay strong, stay proud, spirits be with you." They walked back in and Becca smiled at them.
"Everything ok?" Becca asked.
"Yeah, everything is fine," Garrus said and patted Serlus' shoulder. "I need to head back to the Normandy and head home. You ok?" Serlus and Becca nodded before giving Becca a hug and leaving.
"Little Father-Son talk huh?" Becca asked and Serlus rolled his eyes.
"Shush, this is weird," he mumbled
"No kidding!" Becca laughed and Serlus sat down next to her, only to have her lay against him. He moved so she was against his chest and his leg was on the other side of hers.
"Becca...I'm going with you to the college."
"What? But how..."
"I'm there as your aid and only your aid. What we have started...I want it to go further, but it might go bad if you're halfway across the galaxy. I'm sticking with you until the end, no questions asked."
"Alright...I trust you on this."
They spent a few minutes sitting together before Becca remembered she needed to take a trip to the market, which they did. Seeing as she was accepted at the college, she would be heading out soon. After getting what she needed, they headed back to the apartment and started packing up Becca's things once again. Seeing as she had a VI to care for her pets, she wasn't too worried about them for the time being.
Becca checked her messages while she was relaxing with Nightstreak and found the rules and regulations from the college, allowing her to bring pets so she prepared them as well. All that was left was to announce to the crew that she was going. Becca exhaled as she typed up a message and sent it to Shepard. What she got back was a ridiculous amount of congratulations and wishes of luck. Becca went to sleep happy that night right next to Serlus.
And that's that. Chapter 8 is being worked on right now, I'm looking at maybe Sunday or Monday if I keep working hard on it. I've got three more days of final exams then I'll be free for the summer. See you guys next time, please review!