Chapter 6

EDEN PRIME

It had taken her five days to find her. Miranda's intel was a little out of date but after more than 21 years Jack stood before her mother.

The headstone was simple. Nothing special.

Here lies Rosalind Hill

Beloved Wife and Mother

2131-2186

"Fuck." Jack said under her breath. "Fuck." She repeated as tears began to well in her eyes. She didn't want to believe it when her search lead her here. She spent the whole flight worried about what she would say to her but by the time she landed she was excited. Now all that remained of her mother was before her.

Hill. It was such an unremarkable name. That's was her last name? She never had much use for anything beyond Jack. Seeing it now was so...anticlimactic.

Jack got down on her knees and placed her hand on the grave. "I'm sorry I missed you." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Don't know what the hell you would have made of me now. All the crazy fucked up shit I've been through. But...shit I don't know."

She should be used to loss at this point. She should have learned to move past it by now. She should have expected this. But still standing over her mother's grave hit Jack much harder than she would have ever guessed. So she cried.

"Did you know her?" A male voice called from behind her.

Jack shot to her feet and wiped her eyes dry and did her best to compose herself. "Uh what?" She said without turning around.

"Rosalind Hill. You knew her?"

"No. Why? Did you?" Jack asked not doing a good job of masking her teary voice.

"I should hope so. She was my mother." The man said as he came to a stop beside Jack. He reached his hand towards Jack. "Brandon Hill."

Jack accepted the handshake. "Jack."

"Jack?"

"Just Jack."

Brandon smiled. "Alright just Jack. You mind telling me what you're up to? Or do you often visit random graves?"

"You gotta have hobbies." Jack joked.

He laughed. "Fair enough."

"How'd she die?"

"She was killed by Cerberus when they occupied the planet."

Jack balled her fists. "Cerberus?" It was almost too much to believe. She had thought her days of having Cerberus fuck with her were over and yet even after their destruction they got one last fuck you in to her. "You're fucking kidding me."

"Wish I was." Brandon walked over the the neighboring grave. "Dad here was killed trying to protect her. You're looking at the last surviving Hill."

"She didn't have any other kids?"

"Just me. Well I had a sister but she died before I was born. Her name was Jennifer."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Jennifer has a grave under that oak tree over there. But there's no body buried. I guess it was taken for science purposes or something. I don't know. I didn't like to ask mom about Jennifer much. Seemed to upset her."

"Fuck, I guess you've had some shit luck. I know what that's like." Jack said.

Brandon took a moment to inspect Jack's scars. "Looks like you do."

"So what about you? What do you do?" Jack awkwardly asked her brother.

"Not much. Lived on Eden Prime my whole life. Survived the Geth attack, Survived Cerberus and the Reapers. Now I just work down at the Alliance docks bringing in the supplies they ship every week. Not much money in that."

"You need money?"

He laughed. "Who doesn't?"

"How much?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "I don't want your money. Mom and Dad raised me to take care of myself." Suddenly his omni-tool began to buzz. "Damnit." He muttered as he inspected the tool. "I need to get back to work." He began to walk away from Jack before he turned to face the woman. "Nice talking with ya Jack."

"Hey!" Jack called after her brother causing him to turn around again. She wanted to tell him. But what would it change? "Um, it was... really nice meeting you. Take care of yourself."

"Have we met before?" Brandon asked and began moving back towards Jack.

"No. Why?"

"I just feel like I know you."

"Really?..."

Brandon snapped his fingers as realization hit his face. "I got it! You're one of those Normandy people aren't you? They had a vid about you guys on the other night. You went up against the Collectors!"

Disappointment washed over Jack. The biotic sighed. "Yeah."

"That's incredible! You're a damn savoir of the galaxy!"

"No i'm not. Leave all that hero shit for Shepard."

"It's an honor to meet you mam. I wish there was some way to repay you." Brandon said.

"There's something you can do for me but you can't be all weird about it." Jack said.

"Anything."

Jack caught her brother off-guard when she pulled him into a hug. She shut her eyes as her tears returned. She didn't even know why she did it. She hated hugs. Or any of that sappy comfort bullshit. But something about the embrace felt like closure.

"Uh...are you alright?" Brandon asked.

Her brother's words brought her back to reality and she quickly separated from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Okay...well I gotta get to work." He reached into his pocket. "Listen, if you wanna maybe meet up again here my card. I know it's pretty old fashioned to use business cards but sometimes the old ways are the best ways." He handed her the tiny card and Jack accepted it.

"See ya around." Jack said and after a brief goodbye she watched her brother walk away. Then she turned her attention to the oak tree Brandon had pointed to earlier. It wasn't far away from her mother's grave but just as he said a small head stone was housed under the tree.

Jennifer Hill

2161-2165

As she looked upon her own grave she couldn't help seeing the life that Cerberus robbed her of. A normal life devoid of violence and loneliness. She looked down at her brother's card. Even though part of her desperately wanted that life it was too late. She ripped the card in half and let it fall to the ground.

"Jennifer. That's a pretty name."

Jack spun around and wasn't as surprised as she should have been to see Miranda standing before her. "What are you doing here Cheerleader?"

"Looking for you."

"Well you found me now fuck off."

Miranda approached her slowly and reached a comforting hand out but Jack swatted it away. "I'm sorry Jack. I didn't know."

"What? That Cerberus killed my parents? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Everything else in my fucked up life had ended pretty much the same."

"Jack..."

"No shut up Miranda! I don't want to hear it. I don't even know what the hell i'm doing. You were Cerberus's biggest fan and you're my only friend! How fucking pathetic is that?"

"I wasn't part of what happened to you."

"Yeah well if the Illusive Man had ordered you to steal a baby from it's mother would you have done it? How about kill my parents? Would you have done that too?"

"I...I don't know."

"I think I do." Jack buried her face in her hands. "You don't know even half the shit that Cerberus did to me on Pragia. Or the things I did after I escaped. I killed people Miranda!I robbed them and I destroyed shit cause I thought it was fun. What the fuck am I doing pretending like i'm a regular person having a normal life. Any chance I ever had of that ended when I was four. This isn't who I am. It's who I wish I was."

"People can change Jack. I've changed. I could never make choices for myself. I always needed someone else telling me what to do. First it was my father than it was the Illusive man and then it was Shepard. But for the first time I feel like i'm doing what I want. We've both done things we regret and have both been people we wish we hadn't. But i'm not gonna let that stop me and neither are you."

"And what do you want?"

"I want to help you."

"Do you? Or do you just want to help yourself? Fuck, just be straight with me for once Cheerleader."

Miranda sighed. "I don't know what to say Jack. I didn't want this. I'm sorry."

"Why the hell did you come out here? You hardly ever want to see me outside of your bed."

"I was worried about you."

"Why? Concerned you wouldn't be able to find anyone else to fuck you?"

"No." Jack stayed silent. "Why didn't you tell him you were his sister?"

"Shit, you were spying on me too?" Jack said.

Miranda nodded. "I was."

"What the hell does it matter?"

"You know why I talked to Oriana that day on Illum?"

"Yeah cause Shepard told you to. I was standing right next to you."

"I did it because I was like you Jack. I didn't have anyone."

"Yeah well I'm used to being on my own. I always have been. I'm not like you cheerleader. People see you and they can hardly look away. All people see when they look at me is an animal."

"I don't... Come home with me Jack. Please."

"Whatever." Jack spat and went to move past her but Miranda caught her in a hug.

"You're not on your own Jack."

Jack tried to pry herself away from Lawson for a brief moment before she accepted the embrace and buried her face in Miranda's shoulder while she cried.

On the flight back to Vancouver Jack had remained silent. Miranda had tried to stimulate conversation a few times but the convict hadn't said a word since they left the graveyard. It was late at night by the time they had arrived at Vancouver and Miranda decided to take Jack back to her apartment since she still didn't know where she lived and Jack was clearly in no mood to talk.

She put Jack to bed and got under the covers next to her. Jack rolled over and faced her back to Lawson. Miranda rolled over as well and closed her eyes. "Goodnight Jack." she said but didn't get a reply.

For hours Jack laid awake in Lawson's bed. Finally she rolled over and listened to Lawson's soft inhale of breath to confirm she was asleep. "I love you Miranda."

Notes- Only one more epilogue chapter left in this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you're not too pissed Jack's parents were dead because that was always the plan. Sorry. But the good news is "Shepard and Liara Versus the High School Reunion" is starting soon! I hope to have the first chapter out before the final chapter of this story. Episode 2 will be running at the same time as my first OC story "The Veiled Asari". Tell me what you thought in the reviews!