Chapter 4

After the Ordeal

The students were taken back to Grissom Academy; following the event on the Citadel, Jack was annoyed as she had to do all the paperwork afterwards. She sat at her desk and sighed; she was worried about Ashley, and Jack had realized she cared about her. She knew Ash was a tough kid; well that was to be expected as she knew her mother, still she was a kid. Jack decided to go and check on her after the paperwork, Kahlee had told her to do it and she couldn't turn down an order from the boss.

Ashley had headed straight to her room; after they had gotten back and slumped on her bed, her terminal had bleeped with a new message. In frustration she threw a pillow at it just muffling it, someone knocked at her door, she went to see who it was. Will stood there with a few chocolate bars, in his hand; he must have gotten them from the vending machine especially.

"Here I've heard girls like chocolate." He said

Ashley smiled faintly as she took one from him, and nodded her thanks and let him come in. she sat on her bed and tore open the chocolate, and took a bite.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." He said looking at her.

"Thanks, it's just rough. My family have a place on the Citadel, so it's a little terrifying to think about that." Ashley said looking at him

"You have to have faith in C-Sec, they can handle it." Will said. "Your folks can handle it anyway."

She thought about her parents and sighed, they would be able to sort it out. She was mostly worried about her siblings; Thane and Tali were both younger than she was; it was what she had to do as the eldest child.

"I just got a message reminding us about visitor's day." Will said changing the subject. "It happens once a month and family usually come and visit."

Ashley laughed she was a little glad that she could see her family and that they were going to come; she remembered when they had come to a play she did in school as a child, the other parents made a huge deal about her mother.

"Do you think, I'll get teased about my parents?" Ashley asked Will. "They aren't like in the vids, well not at home."

Will smiled, glad Ashley was okay.

"Parents are parents, regardless of the fact they are living legends." Will said.

When they had finished talking; Will had left, he had to check if his mother was going to come for the visitor's day. Jack had poked her head around the door and saw Ashley was checking her private terminal.

"Hey Kiddo; I was coming to see how you were." Jack said

Ashley looked at her and smiled.

"I'm good Jack, Will and I talked it over." Ashley said

Jack nodded and left again, she wanted to be there for her goddaughter. She was still amazed at the fact that Shepard had made Jack her daughter's godmother, when so many people didn't even bother. Carly had said she had a godmother who looked after her when her mum, was on a mission, she wanted someone to be there for Ashley.

At the end of the last week of the month; was the visitors day, it was on a Saturday to avoid a clash with lessons. Ashley was sat waiting in the receiving room; she was sat with Will and their two friends Karl and Janey, all waiting for various family members. The first to arrive was Tali Alenko; Ashley's little sister, she had the same dark hair and green eyes though her hair was cut to a bob and she had a huge collection of freckles over her nose.

"Ash!" she proclaimed as she dashed up to her and hugged her sister.

"Hey Tali, where is everyone else?" Ashley asked

Tali let Ashley go and waved off in the distance, her parents were far away, discussing the shuttle that had brought them, and Thane was stood with his datapad reading.

"Do you like my hair Ash?" Tali asked as she swung her head from side to side. "Hello I am Tali, Ash's sister." Tali directed to Ashley's friends. Ashley had rested her hand on her forehead; Tali had always been enthusiastic where Ashley was serious.

"Tali you aren't bothering your sister too much are you?" Carly Alenko asked

Ashley and Tali both looked at their mother who had grown out her hair since retiring from the Alliance; her hair was halfway to her chest and was a deep copper. She was wearing a casual dress that had reached the floor; Thane and Kaidan were behind her looking at each other as if they were already exhausted.

"She can be a handful." Kaidan said

"Hey Mom, Dad." Ashley said to them before she looked at Thane, he was wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses. It was odd as most people had eye corrective surgery, like Ashley had, but her brother liked his glasses. "Thane, Hello?"

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Sorry Ash, this book is fascinating. It's the history of human biotics." Thane had said

Ashley laughed and shook her head.

"I have biotics; I don't want to read a history book." Ashley sighed.

Thane shook his head at her and sighed.

"It is good. It mentions Dad as he is an L2." Thane replied.

Will looked at them all.

"So, you all talk shop then?" Will asked

Carly laughed and looked at Will; she smiled kindly and then looked at Ashley.

"Not if we can help it, it's just Thane, though I mostly use my biotics to lift the couch to hoover under it." Carly said

Kaidan looked at her and frowned.

"Yeah the last time you did I thought we were under attack, I ran down the stairs to find you hovering the couch." He said

She shrugged her shoulders, and then remembered she had something to give Ashley. She held out a gift bag, and Ashley took it tentatively.

"It's a gift from the Admiral. She was on duty when she called last." Carly said.

Admiral was a nickname they had given to Hannah Shepard, Ashley's maternal grandmother, in company as she had asked them to.

Ashley had led her family around the academy; showing them her room, and leaving the gift there to open later.

"I remember coming here once; I had to save some students, from Cerberus." Carly said as she saw the statue of Jon Grissom, whom the school was name after. Thane looked at the statue and flicked through one of his many history books.

"Jon Grissom was one of the first humans through the mass relay." He pointed out.

Ashley smiled to herself, things never changed.