"Cassandra! Cassandra!" Shepard called, getting over her initial shock and trying to catch up to her child.
Cass heard her mother's voice and picked up the pace, weaving through other Alliance men and women down the busy hallway, turning a sharp right at the last minute, the girl prayed it was enough to lose the older woman. She had no idea where she was, but all she really felt was the need to get away from her mother.
The entire building felt like a maze; the floor she was on, anyways. The walls were white and there were doors leading to god knows where, taking a few turns the girl meandered into what looked like a main hallway, large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ship yard, as well metal staircases leading up and down near the end of the main hall.
Looking back over her shoulder, the girl saw no sign of the commander and started to move upward; thinking that was the way she might've come earlier. Pressing her way up the stairs to the next floor, the girl nearly leapt over the edge of the railing and in doing so ran head first into a blue uniform clad man.
"Hey, look where you're going- Cass?" Anderson's eyes widened.
"Oh- um, sorry, Anderson." Cass frowned, straightening and glancing around for her mother.
"So, I suppose you, um, finally came to visit your mom…" Anderson trailed off guiltily, knowing he may have been the reason she was here in the first place.
"More like forced," Cass grimaced, "Anyways, how do I get out of here? I need to catch a shuttle back to the Citadel."
Anderson's lips thinned into a line. "I really think you should go to the hospital-I, Where's your mom anyways?"
"Right here." Shepard appeared behind the girl, making her jump forward and whip around.
"Fucking great." Cass mumbled.
"Oh, Shepard. I see you two have finally been reunited." Anderson stated awkwardly.
"Yeah, for the second time today, it appears." Shepard directed at her indignant daughter.
"Um, right."
"Anyway, Cass and I were just heading up to the medical center; I'll talk to you later Anderson." Shepard stated, reaching forward and grabbing the teen's arm to discourage any more escape attempts. Cass nearly hissed at the contact.
Anderson nodded and headed down the stairs, while the mother pulled the daughter along.
"Cassandra Shepard?" The female medical assistant called into the nearly empty waiting room.
Cass stood shrugging off the hand her mother seemed insistent on keeping on her shoulder. Shepard went to follow, but Cass turned sending her another glare.
"You can wait here." The girl sneered.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Shepard frowned, "What if you need me-"
"I don't. If I haven't already made that abundantly clear already." The girl's tone icy and removed; turning she followed the assistant through the office doors.
Shepard paused, and then sat back down.
Cass lounged on the couch in Shepard's room, wearing an oversized N7 t-shirt of her mother's along with a pair of cloth compression shorts, she felt good to be clean now that the blood was off of her and out of her hair. She finally got stitched up at the medical center, luckily the damage was not too bad, but she was pretty sore; and her mood wasn't helping much. Her mother's attempts at small talk were irritating to say the least and she had been constantly brushing the older woman aside for the better part of an hour.
"I can probably send someone out to get you some more clothes, and-"
"When are you going to let me leave?" Cass asked quietly.
"I- what do you mean?"
"You heard me." Cass stated firmly, turning to the woman in a small armchair at the opposite end of the black leathered couch. "I want to leave; when are you going to let go."
"You want me to let go of you?!" Shepard asked incredulously. "I'm your mother-"
"I want to leave. Is that difficult for you to understand?"
"No. I'm just trying to protect you-"
"Would you stop saying that!" Cass gritted her teeth.
"I can't! I'm your-"
"I know! I get it! But this doesn't work."
"What doesn't work about this? We're family."
"That's crap. This idea that because we're related, we're supposed to work, that we're supposed to love each other and be responsible for one another. We don't work."
"Of course we do! We-"
"I don't want to try anymore. You're my mom, I get that, but we don't work anymore; we don't fit."
"Cass, please, I don't think you mean that." Shepard frowned.
"Don't tell me what I mean! I know exactly what I'm saying, there's too much at stake for you to be selfish."
"Selfish?" Shepard's brows furrowed in confusion.
"You're Commander Shepard. You're the hero of the galaxy! I can't take you away from saving everyone! I can't be selfish! And you can't be selfish by keeping me here! It's not fair." Cass yelled, bringing a hand up to her now aching head.
"Cass, this isn't like that. You're not selfish for wanting your mom, and I'm not selfish for want to be with my daughter."
"Don't you see it?!" standing, Cass threw her arms up. "I don't want you anymore! You're destroying me! I can't handle the back and forth with you! You're in and out of my life every chance you get! I can't keep you too myself and I can't give you the same courtesy anymore! You don't get to decide when you want to be there for me and when you don't! I'm done!"
Shepard sighed quietly; primarily to herself. Has she done so much damage to her child? To make her so pained? So cold?
Cass, balling her hands into fists, gazed coldly at the older woman, waiting for an answer.
"We're done talking about this." The mother spoke very calmly, her voice almost eerie.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me-"
"Cassandra! Enough!" Shepard's voice boomed, setting an air of finality.
Cass felt her blood run cold at the older woman's tone; grimacing, the teen's knuckles turned white.
"I'm not going to stay here any longer, and I don't think you're going to stop me." Turning toward the bedroom, the girl padded away, leaving her quieted mother behind.
Shepard paled slightly, as she adjusted in her chair and turned back to her data pad; would she even be able to stop her?
The next day, Cass found herself wandering around the Alliance compound; her mother had yet to say anything too her since last night's confrontation. She felt bad for some of the things she said, but she still felt that they were well deserved; but did she really want to leave not even being on speaking terms with her mother?
Shuffling out onto a balcony overlooking the water, Cass leaned over the railing; resting her elbows on the cool metal as she began to rub her temples.
"You okay, kid?"
"Hmm, yeah. Fine." Cass replied, turning to the man who appeared next to her. Eyeing the visible tattoos under the tight grey shirt, the girl looked up to meet dark eyes.
"You look familiar."
"My mother is Commander Shepard." Cass replied flatly.
"Oh, the commander's daughter. She's been talking about you for weeks, must be glad you finally turned up."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Cass' lips turned into a smirk.
"Why is that?"
"No reason- I, who are you anyways?" Cass turned, her back against the railing, arms folding over her chest.
"James Vega, at you service."
"Mm, never heard of you." Cass mused, shutting her eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sun.
"Yeah, well, whatever- Oh, Commander." James saluted.
Cass scowled, rolling her eyes behind closed lids.
"You don't have to call me that, James." Shepard smiled.
"I know." James replied, "Is there something you need, Commander?"
"No, I'm just here to see my daughter." Shepard stated, eyeing the teen warily, the girl had yet to acknowledge her.
"Oh, okay then. I'll talk to you later Shepard, bye kid." James saluted once more before stalking away.
"Cass, we need to talk." Shepard spoke, leaning over the railing next to the girl.
"Haven't you had enough?" Cass breathed.
"You're my daughter, Cass, there's not a lot you can say to make me stop."
"You may think that now." The girl's lips curled into an uneven simper, her eyes closing once more.
"Cass?"
"Hmmm?"
"I'm sorry." Shepard sighed.
"I know." Cass replied; releasing a sigh of her own. "I still need to leave."
"I know that's what you want, but-"
"But?" the muscles in Cass' jawline rippling as she ground her teeth.
"I don't think you should go."
"Why not?"
"Because, there's a war coming soon and we'll need your help." Shepard replied quietly, as if she regretted the words as she said them, feeling like now that they were said aloud, that the chances of her being able to protect her daughter were all but gone.
"Is that really why you want me to stay?" Cass' gaze cold and unbelieving.
"Well, that is one reason, but you're my daughter, is it so wrong that I want to spend time with you?" Shepard explained, looking out over the water.
Cass frowned, and followed her mother's gaze down to the water. Was her mother lying? Was she using the threat of war to keep her here? Should she take her chances, stay with this woman who continues to be there one moment and then gone the next, or should she run and avoid?
"I'll think about it." Cass swallowed, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the railing tightly.
Shepard nodded, words caught in her throat.
AN: What will Cass choose? Who knows! ;) A shorter chapter, I know! But this is just setting things up, don't worry! Please Review.