Tally froze as she made her way back through her bedroom window, her leg ached. Yawning she rubbed the back of her calf. She had regained full use of the leg, but still had a long ways to go before she was back to pre injury. Trying to stand she slumped down on the bed as pain over took her. "Damn it."

Shepard almost ran into her daughter's room. "Are you okay?" Spotting Tally on the bed clutching her leg, Shepard sat beside her on the bed.

Tally grimaced in pain as she tried her best to sound okay. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, it really looks that way. Good thing your momma and Rena are out, they would have you at the hospital right now."

"And you?"

"Me, I understand trying to work through the pain." Shepard paused, she hadn't really had a real conservation with her daughter in a few weeks, and to say it had been hard on the normally tight nit family would be an understatement. Taking a deep breath in, she looked lovingly at her daughter as Tally sat beside of her, finally working through the cramp. "Are you okay?" she asked again, this time putting more meaning in the words.

Tally shook her head. A million thoughts ran to her mind, but no words would form. She wanted to ask why had her mom's lied to her and never told her about her birth, she wanted to ask why now, did her mom want her in the N7 program when she couldn't even save her team, why did they love her when she was brought to them in such a horrible way. A Shepard to the core, Tally just took a breath in and solemnly stated. "I'm fine."

Shepard didn't know what to say to get her daughter talking to her again. She knew that look in the young girls eyes. She had seen it in her own so many times after her squad was killed on Elysium. It wasn't a look you could forget. Compound that with the fact she had kept the girls true heritage from her, she knew she was most likely the last person she felt comfortable talking with. Shepard just hoped for her daughter's sake she would talk to someone. "So do you have any plans today?"

Tally thought briefly about the Asari waiting in her shed by the lake. "Just thought I'd do some fishing." She hoped that would be a good enough cover story.

Letting a smile cross her face Shepard asked. "Well, I know I'm a bit rusty, but would you care if I joined you?"

"I'd really rather be alone mom." Tally felt bad but she didn't want to have to explain the wayward Asari.

The Admiral looked a little stunned; she couldn't remember either of her daughters ever saying no to fishing with her. It was at that moment she realized how badly she had hurt Tally. "Okay, but if you change your mind, I have a light day at the office today." Standing back up, she nodded stopping briefly at the bedroom door. "One more thing, if you want to go out at night, please use the front door. And you might want to take a shower, you kind of stink." Shepard smiled and made her way out of the house. Hoping that the small teasing would make her daughter realize she was still her little girl.

Tally couldn't help but chuckle, her parents were two of the most paranoid people she had ever met, and sure it was mostly merited, so how silly she felt realizing she thought she could sneak out at night. Quickly pulling at her shirt she realized she did stink and headed for the shower.

Walking through the door to the shed, with fresh clothes on, and food in her hands, Tally wasn't prepared to see the sight of a naked Asari looking back at her. The young maiden quickly turned with her back to a now red faced Tally. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I thought you would still be sleeping. I went to the house for food." Tally spoke quickly trying to keep her mind away from the beauty that she had just witnessed. It had been the first time she had seen anyone naked besides herself. Lust filled her body as she tried to get control of her emotions. "Really, I'm truly sorry…Do you like apples? I brought you one." Shit I'm so stupid.

Jilla couldn't help but chuckle at how embarrassed Tally was. "It's alright really." Tugging at her robe she smiled as she walked in front of Tally. "I love apples by the way, my mother used to have them imported in." Taking the small fruit from the stunned solider Jilla caught the whiff of a light woodsy smell. Basking briefly in the delightful smell, the Asari had no idea the effect her smile was having on Tally.

"Uhh I thought I could help you take your bags to your hotel?" The redness still hadn't left Tally's face as she stumbled over her words.

"I'd appreciate that. I don't know what to say however, having my very own Alliance body guard."

Tally looked a little shocked. "How do you know I'm Alliance?"

"The way you carry yourself. You stand straighter, and the plasma burn on your leg, well I don't image you got that tending to crops… I bet you're in the N7 program, the academy is here, is it not?"

Tally nodded. "It's here yes, but I'm not in it. Not yet anyway. I just got my admission letter not to long ago. But yes I am in the Alliance." Tugging at her shorts she hadn't thought about her leg being noticeable until now.

"Don't worry, it's not that noticeable. My father had a burn like that on his shoulder from the Reaper war, so I know the signs." Jilla smiled sweetly up at Tally as she took a bite from the apple.

Tally caught the word 'had' from the young Asari's lips. "What happened to him?"

"Shuttle accident last year." Jilla looked away from Tally's gaze as the memories of her fathers death hit her again.

"I'm sorry; I know that must have been rough." Even though she wasn't happy with her family at the moment she would be lost without any one of them.

"He survived London only to be taken out by a malfunctioning shuttle. I truly hope my luck is better in this life."

Tally wondered what Jilla was doing on Eden Prime. At first she thought perhaps she was just visiting now she wasn't so sure. "So, if I may ask, what are you doing on Eden Prime?"

Jilla took a seat on the bed, motioning Tally to sit beside of her, when she did the Asari spoke. "My mother is friends with an Asari here; she was in need of assistance so I was sent to help…Not really by choice." Jilla's eyes drifted to the far side of the room, not sure if she should tell the woman everything.

Tally knew there was more to the story then the Asari wanted to share and nodded. "Yeah sucks when our choices are taken away from us."

Jilla looked curiously over at the human, "You feel that way yet you joined the Alliance, whose very essence is to take choices away from the soldiers."

"I guess I never really thought of it that way. But yes I did. Guess I'm a sucker for punishment." Tally flashed a classic Shepard grin on the young woman.

A blue tint filled Jilla's cheeks; she couldn't help but be attracted to the woman sitting beside of her. Deciding it best to finish her apple instead of trying to speak the two sat in silence.

Tally walked beside of Jilla to one of the fancier hotels on Eden Prime. "Boy, guess your new boss pays well."

Jilla smiled. "Yes, this is just temporary, I'm to meet her tomorrow, I decided to come a little early to see the sights. I love roller coasters, and I've heard the amusement park here, rivals the one on Thessia!"

Tally's eyes light up, "Yeah it does! I mean the blue bomber is great, but it has nothing on the Shotgun!"

"You've been to Thessia?" Jilla was surprised, not a lot of humans had been to Thessia, not to see amusement parks anyway.

"Yeah, a few times. It's an amazing place." Tally smiled as they reached the lobby. She still wasn't ready to tell her new friend about who her parents were. It had been hard growing up to find true friends that wanted to be your friend, and not just being able to know 'Shepard'. Tally handed the bags over to a bell hop, and stood in front of Jilla. "I have an idea?"

"Yes?"

"How about I take you to the park tonight?" Tally couldn't help but let a bright smile cross her lips.

"Really, you would be my tour guide?"

"I think it's my duty…I mean as an N7 cadet I must make sure you have the best time here while you are visiting, free of scum that would seek to rob you, or take advantage of you." Tally knew how corny she sounded but she didn't care as she saw the smile and blue tint form on Jilla's face.

"And you don't wish to take advantage of me I take it." Jilla could tease back as well.

It was Tally's turn to wear the redness on her face. "Hummm no…I mean…no…"

"Relax solider, I'm only teasing you. Pick me up at 7?"

"Great!" Tally let the word come out with way to much excitement

"It's a date." Jilla winked before following the bell hop to her room.

"Date…it's a date…" Tally let the words sink in as she practically skipped back home...