A/N: This is the longest chapter I've wrote so far so I hope you guys like it. I'm always taking ages to update so here's a big chapter for you as an apology :) Although it may be long I don't feel that it's as strong as it could be. So some constructive criticism would be deeply appreciated. A big thank you to those of you have reviewed and added this to you fav's and story alerts, it means a lot. Enjoy!
I do not own Mass Effect or Kill Bill...no me gusta.
"Zaeed no!" Shepard screamed menacingly as the sound of a piercing shot filled the room with a deep sinking feeling.
Marla threw herself around frantically in the chair she was bound to.
"You fucking psycho!" she screamed.
"Me?" Shepard yelled. "He was ready to kill Joker you fuck!"
Joker turned his attention to every nerve in his body. He was sweating profusely and was shaking all over. As for pain? Nothing. Was this heaven?
"You just wait till I get out of this chair you bitch!" Marla called out hardly making any sense with how high pitched her voice was.
This couldn't be heaven. Unless…it was hell. How could he be in hell? He had never done anything wrong in his life, crashing the Normandy into the citadel being the one exception.
Joker dared to open his eyes to try and justify the situation. He had to have been shot! He saw Zaeed aim the gun to his forehead, he saw the deadly glare locked into eyes and he heard the shot. However this didn't explain his predicament of feeling completely unharmed.
"Joker are you okay?" Shepard asked trying to make her voice audible over Marla's yelling.
No, no it's all in your head Jeff, don't open your eyes!
He felt two hands shake him at his shoulders painfully. "Joker!"
Hesitantly Joker cracked open his eyelids to reveal Shepard who still looked roughed up from earlier.
"Am I dead?" was the only sentence he was able to force out in his state.
Shepard gave a dark laugh which made her look strangely intimidating. Yet the glistening twinkle in her eyes indicated that she was relieved.
"No Joker," Shepard reassured him with a smile. "You're pretty much alive, can't say the same for him I'm afraid." Shepard pointed her gun towards the floor.
Joker tilted his head to see Zaeed clutching his chest and muttering gibberish to himself. He was in pretty bad shape and still continued to murmur explicit profanities.
"I don't understand," Joker stated mostly to himself.
"You're probably in shock," Shepard replied rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "Zaeed was about to shoot you, I managed to stop him just in time. To think I was only coming in here to deal with that bitch."
Shepard jabbed her occupied hand in Marla's direction. They both frowned at one another in a short stand off. They didn't exactly see eye to eye and as for first impressions...
"Her name's Marla," Joker corrected. He shifted from side to side as he tried to avoid Shepard's excruciating gaze that had now been pinned onto him.
"Is it now?" Shepard prodded as she studied him. "Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to leave you two alone together."
Joker scoffed. Maybe he was getting a bit too involved with this than he should. After all Marla did shoot Jacob, not that he really minded that. Plus she tried to kill Shepard.
Yet he still didn't like the thought of any more harm coming to her, especially now that he knew who her father was. It kind of made sense now. The attitude problem, the swearing and the violence. Marla was simply born with bad genes right? Speaking of which,
"She's Zaeed's daughter," Joker forced out, the words sounding foreign to his lips.
Shepard's mouth hung agape before she crossed her arms defensively. Unlike Joker, Shepard was used to situations becoming worse and being chucked into the deep end head first.
She quickly processed Joker's words as Marla continued to throw sharp looks in Shepard's direction doing her best to look intimidating while being strapped to a chair.
In the mean time Joker left Shepard to think over what he said while she glanced back and forth between Marla to Zaeed. The sooner he got out of here the better.
He rubbed his face with his palms trying to gather some threshold over the situation. He still wasn't quite over being alive. Shepard had saved his life twice now. He realised that when this was all over with or more likely if this was all over with, he would have to properly thank her somehow.
From across the room Shepard sighed and crouched down to Zaeed's level. For someone who had been shot in the arm he was still able to grin when his eyes met hers.
"Quite…a surprise…seeing you here, Shepard," Zaeed muttered in heavy breaths.
"Likewise," Shepard replied dryly. "Don't suppose you'd care to tell me why you was about to shoot Joker?"
Zaeed gave a dry chuckle which was halted by a painful cough. Shepard waited impatiently for him to gather himself. He choked one last time and drew in a deep breath, aware of Shepard's inability to wait around.
"I believe in the shoot now ask later approach," he croaked unable to sound humorous.
Shepard looked back at Marla who was still tensed up over the situation. Thankfully Joker had sat beside her and was trying to calm her down, emphasis on the "trying" part.
Shepard chose to ignore them for the time being and turned her attention back to Zaeed, applying pressure to his fresh wound. He sucked in the air with a sharp intake of breath, biting back whatever curse word he wanted to growl.
As much as Shepard was angered by Zaeed's actions a few moments ago she understood them perfectly. If she had found her own child in the state Marla was in….
Shepard grabbed his hand and placed it over the bloody wound where hers once rested. She forced Zaeed to keep his hand firmly on his arm in order to prevent any more blood from oozing out.
"Are you going to be okay?" Shepard asked him, genuinely concerned.
Zaeed cracked a ghastly grin that made his nicotine-stained teeth stand out. "I can survive a bullet to the head Shepard, this little number is nothing."
Shepard shot him a smile, he hadn't changed much at all. Physically he looked much older, his hair was actually going grey. His skin looked more tanned than usual emphasising the creased wrinkles on his body. But other than that, he was the same old merc that helped her take down the collector base four years ago.
"Speaking of...bullets to the head, what are you doing alive and kicking?" Zaeed grumbled knocking Shepard out of her thoughts.
Joker froze from across the room knowing fully well that this subject was taboo and Shepard's reluctance to answering his question.
"I was in a coma for four years," Shepard answered vaguely in a hollow tone.
While she spoke Kasumi limped into the lounge with Jacob's arm draped over her shoulders. They both paused to observe Zaeed sprawled out on the floor with Shepard sat down beside him.
Shepard didn't turn around to acknowledge them. Her eyes focused on the cracked floor while she remained deep in thought.
Joker caught Kasumi's eye giving her a look that told her to remain silent. She obeyed him without a fight and carefully headed towards Joker and a bound Marla. She and Jacob sat on the couch quietly, Jacob wincing slightly as Kasumi eyed Marla who to her relief was strapped to a chair.
Even the young girl didn't utter a word. Something within her kept her calm and willing to listen to Shepard, the woman her father had mentioned from time to time.
Zaeed turned his head to see Kasumi and Jacob settling down on the couch. He was certain that there was a high probability that he was pissed and just imagining all this. But usually a few shots of whiskey didn't have this kind of effect on him, only a full bottle.
He managed to easily forget about their presence and turn his attention back to Shepard who seemed to have entered her own world. She sat there completely still yet shaken up, something he had never witnessed.
"A coma?" he parroted. "I was told you were…"
"Dead?" Shepard sighed finishing his sentence, that constant ache she had in the pit of her stomach tightening as they dug further into forbidden territory.
Zaeed attempted to sit up slightly in order to get into a more comfortable position, clutching his wound lazily in the process. "Funny, I was told there was more to it than that."
"Is that so?" Shepard hissed getting tenser by the minute. She didn't have time for his games at the moment.
"It is," he confirmed. "Word came floating around that you had betrayed the crew, that you had been siding with Cerberus all along. That you had to be stopped."
Shepard jumped to her feet and raised her arms in aggravation. "And you believed that?" she yelled, causing Joker to subconsciously flinch in the background.
"I didn't know what to believe, so I upped and left," Zaeed explained as calmly as he could. "Everyone wanted revenge for you're betrayal-"
"But I didn't fucking betray anybody Zaeed!" Shepard roared like a caged animal. Although her temper was pretty much displaying itself Massani noticed that Shepard was still holding back. To think of the endless consequences if Shepard didn't have that kind of self control.
"You disappeared out of nowhere Shepard, what was the crew suppose to think? You didn't contact anybody! It was like you didn't want to be found, and you find it that hard to believe some of the rumours against you?" Zaeed growled, allowing the situation to get to him.
He felt angry and cheated, it was like he was finally starting to believe the rumours now that he said them out loud.
Before he dealt another blow Shepard screamed, actually screamed with such raw and unpleasant emotion, startling everyone in the room. "I was pregnant Zaeed! I didn't have the damn time to betray my crew or work with Cerberus, when the only thing on my mind was how I couldn't face the thought of everyone telling me to get rid of my child to stop the Reaper threat!"
For the first time in his life, Zaeed was speechless. What does one say to that?
"So you know what? Yeah, I left. I left to have my child with no one there to criticise me or order me around. I didn't fucking betray any of you, as a matter of fact you all betrayed me!" Shepard continued, voice itching to break as she pointed her finger down at Massani accusingly. She had had enough with all the traitor bullshit.
Kasumi fidgeted in her seat trying to not think of the turmoil Shepard had been through. Sometimes it was easier for the thief to forget about how no-one was there for her when Shepard needed them most as the commander's body slumped from the amount of energy she just released.
Shepard was breathing heavily, allowing herself to recover from her deafening episode. She faced Zaeed once more, this time there was only a trace of anger in her orbs, the rest was a cross between self-pity and devastation.
"...He shot me Zaeed…he looked me in the face, and…" Shepard whimpered regrettably with hot tears slowly escaping her eyes.
"Who?" Zaeed asked automatically not missing a beat. He could deal with anger, tears...not so much. Now there was a new pain accompanying the bullet in his arm. A gruelling pain that surfaced the moment he saw that look on Shepard's face.
Shepard's eyes fixated on him revealing every fear, betrayal and torment she had suffered. The tears were drying up now that anger began to swell within her. "I want them all to pay, I want them to all suffer like I did. I want my revenge, and to get it I am going to need your help."
The room grew silent. Nobody dared to breath.
Zaeed reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a small cigar. While everyone in the room fixated their eyes on him he brought the cigar to his lips before slowly lighting the tip.
It felt good to have a few seconds to himself as he inhaled the fresh tobacco deeply. He let it course through his lungs before letting it sweep back up through his mouth where it engulfed the air into a husky cloud of silver smoke.
The smoked flowed towards where Shepard stood trailing thick swirls across her body and her face. She didn't move nor did she blink. She remained like an intimidating statue, a beautiful one at that. The years have been kind to her he thought lazily, even if she had an exhausted look about her.
"You came all the way to Omega for my help?" Zaeed asked penetrating the solid atmosphere.
"I needed a good arms dealer…I heard that is your profession now," Shepard confessed.
Back on the Normandy there was always some kind of squabble between Zaeed and Jacob. Zaeed managed to always have the upper hand, he had the most life experience after all. Where as Jacob was still new to supplying and maintaining weapons. If things were simple it would have worked out perfectly if Zaeed taught Jacob the tricks to maintenance and pass on his knowledge of fine weaponry. Instead they fought like varren and continued to try and out do one another.
Although Shepard never admitted it to Jacob, she felt that Zaeed had much more talent in the weapons field than he did. It was just the case of Zaeed never wanting Jacob's job that stopped the two personalities from colliding.
Shepard knew Jacob disliked Zaeed from the moment he saw him, the fact he was a mercenary did not help the tense situation. However little did Jacob know that Zaeed was the reason he was able to keep his job on the Normandy. The fact that Zaeed challenged his ability to maintain and provide weapons to high standard on a daily basis actually made Jacob become much more knowledgeable and rather skilled in his work. He trained harder and put in endless hours of effort into his guns.
Jacob had learned from the best, and Shepard felt it was a shame that he would never realise how Zaeed's interference from time to time helped him become as skilled as he was now.
"Quite a compliment coming from you Shepard," Zaeed cackled. "There's just a small problem…"
Shepard hung from his words as he blew out another puff of smoke all the while still clutching at his arm. "I've retired."
Shepard balled her hands into fists allowing a frown to develop on her face. "You what?"
"Shepard when I left the Normandy I came back to Omega to continue my trade of being merc for hire and possibly restart my own mercenary group again. Little did I know that I would end up making and selling weapons. Turns out that route was much easier to follow." Zaeed went quiet for a few seconds. He looked over towards Marla who was no longer getting herself into a state and opted to stay calm.
"That was until I found out about my Marla," he sighed. "An old friend of mine: Marla's mother was in hospital on her death bed. She had asked for me..."
Zaeed winced as he tried removing his hand from his bloody arm to get comfortable. Shepard looked at Kasumi and tilted her head to Massani on the floor. Kasumi reluctantly untangled herself from Jacob who was half asleep on the couch and made her way to Shepard.
"Grab his left arm and i'll grab his right. On three we lift him up and on to the sofa between Jacob and Joker," Shepard ordered trying to sound polite.
"Got it," Kasumi acknowledged with a sarcastic smile.
Zaeed decided that there was no use in arguing, Shepard always got her way and if she didn't she would fight to the very end to get it. On three the two women groaned and cursed as they struggled to drag Zaeed towards the occupied sofa. All the armour and muscle made him ridiculously heavy which left the two of them panting in hard deep breaths once they finally wedged him onto the couch.
Joker moved up more than he needed to. He still wasn't quite over the fact that Massani tried to kill him a few minutes ago. The last thing he wanted to do was give him another excuse to end his life, like taking up too much space on his sofa. Beside Joker in the chair Marla accidentally let a soft giggle retreat her lips over Joker's eagerness to be as far away from her father as he could.
Joker immediately scrunched his face up in a odd manner making him look like a confused child before it dawned on him the reason why Marla was able to laugh in her situation.
The way he saw it was that although Marla was indeed laughing at him, he was the reason she was laughing. And that, was enough.
Shepard snatched her prying eyes away from Marla and Joker who's new found friendship didn't exactly please her. She waited for Kasumi to compose herself and stood before Zaeed.
"You were saying…" Shepard spoke, encouraging Zaeed to continue his story.
He looked far more relaxed now. They would still have to get the bullet out later but for now the pain didn't seem to bother him that much in his new position.
"I went to the clinic to see her, I may be cold but I wouldn't deny someone a simple request like that all because they were an ex of mine and I hadn't seen them in for at least seventeen years give or take," Zaeed recalled.
In his peripheral vision Joker could see that Marla was again focused on Massani. She was hanging off his every word as if recalling the moments herself. Her pink curls hung loose even after being mangled by all the dried up blood.
Something within him wanted to untie her, to try and tidy her up a bit. However judging by the menacing glares Shepard kept on throwing at him when she thought he wasn't looking, made him doubt that it would be a good idea and stayed put.
Zaeed clenched his fists on his lap making Joker pray that there was more room on the couch for him to move up more.
"I entered the clinic. It smelled like shit, looked like shit, it was a shit-hole to put it lightly…I found the room Chaz was being kept in after wondering around like moron repeating again and again to every doctor, where the fuck is room 67? It was up six flights of stairs if I remember correctly, it took me bloody ages…"
Zaeed began to trail off into deep thought yet again, he knew it was his wound that was making him dazed but a nice nap seemed irresistible at the moment.
Shepard clicked her fingers in front of his face sharply, "Zaeed!" she voiced. "Please continue…"
He grumbled in annoyance yet carried on with his tale. "Chaz was hooked up to all these machines, she looked…well there's no getting past it, she looked like death itself."
Zaeed's eyes drifted to the left to face Marla who shifted in the chair awkwardly. "Marla was sat beside her mother holding her hand, she was about sixteen at the time…she looked up at me and and before Chaz could even speak, I knew." Zaeed's eyes glistened over yet he still looked badass, he had deep and strong emotions but he could still snap a man like a twig, hence why nobody dared to even mention how he was acting like a softie.
"She has my eyes you see," Zaeed confirmed pointing to Marla's eyes in his weak state. Everyone quickly observed and scanned for the similarities and he was right. The dark green silver tinted eyes that only matched one of his due to a scar cutting through his right eye.
"Chaz told me to take a seat, she told me there and then 'Zaeed this is your daughter, Marla'…I didn't yell at her, I didn't smash up the place, I just accepted it. My little girl." Zaeed triggered something within Shepard. It was like she could understand exactly where he was coming from. Her eyes were beginning to water against her own will as she locked eyes with Massani.
"I had missed sixteen years of her life Shepard, and I wasn't about to miss anymore from buying and selling weapons off world on a daily basis. I made a promise to Chaz minutes before she took her last breath, that I will not continue to create or sell weapons…and I have kept that promise for four years. I don't see why I should break it now."
It all became clear to Shepard. Massani had changed for his child. Although she was grown up she was still his daughter, and he sacrificed everything he loved for her.
"Joker untie her," Shepard mumbled in defeat suddenly.
Joker became hesitant over Shepard's orders, he wanted to let Marla go but even he knew the girl was dangerous. "Shepard are you sure-"
"Yes," she commanded with confidence. She looked up at him, gave a reassuring smile and nodded.
Joker refused to answer back anymore and much to Marla's approval began to untie her wrists and ankles.
Kasumi remained by Shepard's side with her jaw hung open, she was about to protest before Shepard held up a hand forcing the the thief to back down.
She had a bad feeling about letting the hormone fuelled girl who shot Jacob run free, but Kasumi trusted Shepard. If she didn't have faith in her then who did she have faith in? But trust or no, Kasumi wasn't to happy about her decision.
Free from captivity Marla rose from the chair and broke out into a long satisfying stretch that cracked her back to her approval.
Marla noted the thief's angered looks and was more than happy to return them but first things first. Squeezing past Joker's legs she silently mouthed a "Thank You" that only he could see before hugging her father with force.
"Are you okay?" Zaeed asked running his fingers through her knotted hair. Her lip was busted along with a shiner that was beginning to develop across her right eye.
"I've been better," she joked pulling in for another hug.
Holding Marla within his arms Zaeed looked up at Shepard who was observing the scene before her. "You know, nobody did tell me why my girl looks like she's been battered." He sounded like a volcano ready to erupt. But to Shepard that meant there was time to cool him down.
"Zaeed she left me no choice, she shot Jacob," Shepard explained in a hurry.
Zaeed ignored Shepard for a second pushing Marla away and holding her by the shoulders. "Is that true? You shot Taylor?"
Marla nodded hesitantly yet nothing about her expression showed any signs of guilt which was making Kasumi even more furious.
Zaeed gave a hearty laugh. "That's my girl!…I take it you and Shepard got in a scrap after that eh? Judging by those bruises and cuts on the two of you's…"
Marla nodded again but this time with a sick grin on her face. Shepard couldn't believe it, Marla resembled Zaeed in more ways than one, it was quite scary.
"Don't know what you're smiling for, from the looks of it you lost. I didn't see Shepard strapped to a chair." On that note Zaeed gestured for Marla to sit between him and Joker, he still had a bullet wedged in his arm and was desperate to try and relax for a moment.
Marla pouted and played along despite the fact that her dad had just insulted her in front of the legend that was Shepard. She slouched herself against the matte material carelessly like a stroppy teenager. Marla crossed her arms in annoyance barging into Joker as she did so. This time Joker didn't move away but he also had the intelligence to not move closer.
"I would appreciate it Zaeed if you were to reconsider," Shepard reasoned.
She was really relying on his support, without it she was in big trouble, more trouble then she was willing to let on.
Zaeed grimaced at Shepard while fiddling with his armour. "Shepard why do you need my help? If you're still after the Reapers then aren't you better off getting the council's assistance. You have proof they exist now."
Shepard gave a hopeless laugh and paced the room slowly. Her main focus on revenge had completely taken up her thoughts. She had completely forgotten about the Reaper threat. However she was readily prepared to dismiss it. It had been four years and things were still okay…for now. For once she wanted to be selfish and right now she wanted to get her revenge before anything else.
"I'm not here to get the Reapers," Shepard informed him darkly with her back to everyone. "I'm out to get Garrus."
Zaeed stopped breathing for a second. Surely she wasn't serious?
"And why would you want to do that?" he snarled leaning forward despite how painful it was to do so.
Shepard stared helplessly at the floor and in a husky voice whispered, "Why do you think?"
It all suddenly dawned on Zaeed. Everything slotted into place. He didn't bother with unneeded questions of how it was even possible for Garrus to get her pregnant or how it was even possible for Garrus to shoot her and his child, traitor or no it was something you just didn't do.
Shepard was a fighter he'd give her that and Garrus was an old friend of his. But he knew where his loyalties lied.
"Shepard," Zaeed breathed.
Her eyes were bloodshot but she turned around anyway to face him. Joker looked concerned like he just wanted to get up and hug her despite his issues with displays of affection.
Kasumi seemed to have the same idea but like Joker remained seated. Zaeed ignored the rest of the world for those few seconds and gave Shepard his full attention.
"You know that promise I swore to keep and have kept for four years now?" he reminded her.
Shepard nodded lightly biting her lip.
Zaeed smiled at her contently with no venom behind it for what would be the first time ever. He actually looked quite loveable when he smiled and meant it. But it was nothing compared to the words that left his mouth next.
"Consider it broken."