Chapter 4

Kaja and Neena are on the dance floor dancing to the newest dance beats. The club is packed and so is the dance floor. Kaja has relaxed enough to really enjoy her evening. When the song ends, Kaja pulls Neena close so she can say into her ear, "I need a drink. Do you want one?"

"Hell, yes. I'll find us a table," replies Neena. She points to a few empty tables in a corner away from the dance floor.

Kaja smirks and nods to the turian then heads to the bar to get their drinks while Neena finds a semi-quiet table. She stands at the bar while the bartender pours their drinks, Kaja's attorney friend, Paige approaches. "May I buy you a drink, Kaja?"

"No thanks, Paige," replies Kaja.

The bartender gives Kaja her two drinks. One is ice brandy and the other is turian whiskey. Paige notices the two different drinks. "You with someone?" asks Paige. She is confused to why Kaja has two different drinks. She is unaware that Kaja is seeing anyone. As far as Paige is concerned, Kaja is the finest catch in the city. If only she can get the asari's attention to move beyond their professional working relationship.

Kaja nods while replying, "Yes, a friend just moved here from the Citadel and asked me to show her around. I got a message from her before I left work. You should let me introduce you to her." She grabs the drinks then heads to the table Neena found.

"Sure, why not," says Paige as she follow the asari. The human attorney is a little confused and a little upset with Kaja because she asked her out and she shows up with someone else. She lets Kaja's rudeness slide because she knows Kaja had a bad day with having to arrest her son.

"Paige, this is my friend, Neena. She just moved here from the Citadel. Neena, this is Paige," says Kaja as she sets Neena's drink down then sits next to the turian. She motions for Paige to join them at the table.

Neena stands and offers her hand to the human, who accepts it. "It's nice to meet you, Paige."

Paige sits next to Kaja, "It's nice to meet you too, Neena." She moves closer to the asari as she talks to Neena. "How do you like Illyria so far?"

"I like what I've seen so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more. It's refreshing to breath real air again after living on the Citadel for the past two and half years." Neena mimics Paige by also moving closer to Kaja as they talk.

Kaja leans back in the chair to give Neena and Paige room to talk. She glances at Paige then to Neena, both seem to want to show the other their interest in Kaja. One moves closer, so does the other. One touches Kaja's arm, so does the other. Kaja is enjoying the attention, but has no interest in Paige. Neena's another story. She is attracted to the turian, but isn't sure if she wants to try to see if there is anything more between them. Not with the problems she is having with Eric.

"Excuse me for a moment. I see Ben and Belinda are here." Kaja stands pointing to the couple walking towards the bar. "I'll be right back. I want to talk to Ben for a moment." She takes a drink from her brandy before heading towards Ben.

Neena moves to the chair Kaja was sitting in. Paige gives the turian a semi-warm grin. She views Neena as the competition for Kaja's attention and from what Paige has noticed so far, she's losing. Paige hates losing. Whether it's a court case or a friendly card game, the human's competitiveness is high and losing isn't an option. Her competitiveness also makes her an excellent attorney. Yet at times, it has put strains on her relationships with not only her lovers but her friends.

Paige asks, "So, did you get transferred?"

"No, I took a new job here," answers Neena. The turian gets the sense the human is also interested in Kaja. "What do you do? Do you work with Kaja?"

"Not really, I'm a defense attorney. We first met when I handled of a case her squad was involved with last year," replies the human.

Neena smiles, she recognizes Paige now or the name. She's the lawyer Kaja put on retainer last year when Eric started getting into trouble at school. She remembers Kaja telling her about it. Knowing Paige is the attorney Kaja is using in case her kids run afoul of the law, Neena sees the human a little differently than before. "So, you're the attorney Kaja hired for her sons last year?"

Paige leans back in surprise by the question. It seems the turian knows about her. Yet, she knows nothing about the turian. The attorney is seeing the case unfold in front of her and she's losing. She hates to lose. She also realizes even though Neena just moved here, she's closer to Kaja than she is. "Yes, I am. How long have you known Kaja for, Neena?"

"Since last summer. I met Kaja through her sister, Liv and her girlfriend, Tracy. I met them at a tech convention on Earth a few months earlier. I hit it off with her sister right away and the same was true with Kaja. She's fun to be around," answers Neena with a huge smile on her face while her mandibles twitch.

Damn, she's known Kaja longer too. Give it up, Paige. You'll never get more from Kaja than you already have. Walk away just walk away. Paige grabs Kaja's drink and finishes it in one gulp. "Tell Kaja I owe her a drink. It was nice meeting you, Neena." She gets up from the table and makes a hasty retreat to the other side of the club where her co-workers are lingering.

Kaja with Ben and Belinda in tow watch Paige leave the table, leaving Neena with a surprised look on her face by Paige's sudden departure. "Where did Paige go?" asks Kaja when she arrives at the table. "She finished my drink too, didn't she?" Kaja picks up the empty glass and examines it. She sees Paige's lipstick on the rim then looks around the club to notice Paige and her friends leaving. Kaja furrows her brow wondering what happened the few minutes she was away to make Paige leave.

"She asked me how long we've known each other and I told her. Next thing I know, she finishes your drink then leaves. She did say she owes you a drink," answers the turian. She gives the asari a soft, warm, caring smile then looks at her human friends. "Going to introduce us, T'Soni?"

"Oh, yea, sorry. Neena this is Ben and his wife, Belinda. Ben is my former partner and my best friend." She looks at the human couple, "Ben, Belinda, this is Neena. I know I've told you both about each other."

Neena says, "Nice to finally meet you both."

"Likewise, Neena," says Ben as he sits next to the turian.

"Now if you will excuse me, I need another drink since Paige drank mine. Wait until I see her on Wednesday." Kaja grumbles some asari obscenities as she walks to the bar leaving the human couple alone with Neena.

Kaja leans against the bar, watching the interaction between Neena, Belinda, and Ben while she waits for the bartender to get her drink.. From her vantage point, they are getting along great. A little laughter and plenty of smiles. Which for Kaja means everything. She has enough friction at home with Eric, she doesn't need to add to it by having people not get along with Neena. The bartender gives Kaja her drink, but she continues to watch her friends.

There is something about Neena that is grabbing Kaja's attention. To anyone else in the club, Neena is another turian, but Kaja is seeing more. Sipping on her drink, Kaja wonders if she getting drunk and that is affecting how she sees the turian Or has she sparked something that has laid dormant for the past nine years. She smirks before she takes another sip then decides to join her friends.

Derek is standing between his brother and the bedroom door. He has his arm out with his finger in Eric's face. "No, Eric. You are going to tell me what the hell you did today? You pissed momma off enough for her to get pissed at me for asking about it. So, what the hell did you do?"

Eric slaps his brother's hand away from his face, "Get out of my face, Derek. Move." Eric moves towards the door.

"No," answers Derek as he pushes Eric away from the door. "Tell me."

"Fuck off, Derek," says Eric as they start pushing on each other.

Derek uses enough leverage and force to push Eric backwards. Eric stumbles over a pair of pants on the floor and falls back on the bed. Derek pounces quickly, pinning his brother to the bed. "Answer me, you fucker."

Eric gets his left leg between him and Derek to force Derek backwards. The older twin knocks into the dresser knocking a few things on the floor, including a picture of their mother when they were five. Liara opens the door to see the boys pushing on each other with items from the dresser on the floor including Cass' picture. Liara picks up the picture, looking at it, she sees a crack running across Cass' face. She sets the picture back on the dresser then says, "Stop it right now!" She gets between them, forcing the twins apart. "By the Goddess, what is going on between you two?"

Pointing to Derek, Eric says, "He won't let me leave."

"Answer me, Eric. What the hell did you do that has momma so pissed off she yelled at me for asking about it?" Derek is yelling and refuses to back down from his stance.

Eric glares at Derek. Derek glares at Eric. The brothers don't normally get physical with each other in anger. Since the school year started back in August, Eric is getting harder to live with. Derek doesn't understand why Eric is acting like he has been for the past few months. Now it seems to Derek, his twin is cutting him off completely. It breaks Liara's heart seeing the twins at odds with each other. She's starting to see why Kaja wants Eric to tell Derek. With Eric telling his brother, it forces Eric to admit what he did. So far, he hasn't said much about his pending court date next week or anything else he did this afternoon.

Liara puts her hand on Derek's shoulder, "Leave us, Derek. I need to talk to your brother."

Derek starts to argue with his grandmother until he sees the 'do as I say' look on her face. He says, "Yes, ma'am," before leaving Eric and Liara alone.

Liara shakes her head. "Why won't you tell him, Eric? Embarrassed?" Eric doesn't respond, but he does try to leave the bedroom. Liara gets in Eric's face. "Sit down!" She points to the bed. "I have not said much until now, Eric. I know you don't want to talk and that's fine. You're not talking, I am. All I want is for you to listen." Liara tries to keep her tone even and calm, but she now sees why Kaja had to leave tonight because of her anger. Eric isn't being very responsive and she thinks that is troublesome.

Eric glares at his grandmother. "It's none of his business. My life is my life. Derek doesn't need to know everything." His arms are folded across in chest and his posture shows defiance.

"You know he's going to keep asking until you tell him. Because that is what your momma wants. She's not going to answer him and neither am I. Tell him, Eric. Admit to your brother what you did." Liara's arms are also folded across her chest.

"NO!" yells Eric. He stands and gets into his grandmother's face. "Leave me alone. Is that too much to fucking ask?"

Liara steps forward, forcing Eric to step backwards. He's pinned between his grandmother and bed. He either remains standing or sits back down on the bed. "Watch your language and your tone, Eric. I will not have you cussing or yelling at me. Do I make myself clear? You said having your mom here would make you happy, but have you once thought about what she would have wanted for you? For your brother? Trust me, Eric, what you've been doing would not make your mother very happy." She grabs the cracked picture then hands it to Eric.

"What's it matter? She's not here." Eric tosses the picture on the bed without looking at it.

Sighing, Liara retorts, "You can't have it both ways, Eric. You can't say having her being here would make you happy then not care what she would think because she's not. Which is it? Do you care or not? I know deep down, Eric, you do care. Why you won't admit it, I'll never understand. Your family cares and loves you, but you are making it harder for us to show it."

Eric shrugs his shoulders, "What does it matter? She left us, remember."

"Do you really think she left by choice? Is that what you really think?" asks Liara. She hears the pain in his voice even if he is trying to keep up the tough guy act.

"No, grandma, I don't think that." The youth sits on the bed, defeated. Eric picks up the picture and notices the crack along his mother's face. "Oh, damn. It's broken." He refused to look up at his grandmother. Not after seeing the cracked picture. His mother's smile is so warm and he misses seeing it every morning and before going to bed every night. He holds the photo with both hands and stares at his mother's face. The crack causes Cass' face to look distorted. He wonders how much different his life would be if his mom was still alive. Is her death the only reason he acts the way he does at times? The youth isn't sure on the answer.

Deep down, Eric has no explanation to why he attempted but failed at stealing a bottle of water from a street vendor with Randy. He knows what he did is illegal and wrong. How can he explain to his momma on why he did when he doesn't even understand why he did it? He finally looks up at his grandmother, who is standing and being patient with him. "I don't know why I did what I did and that is why I don't want to talk about it. I just want to be left alone. Is that too much to ask?" pleads Eric before he lies on his back looking at his mom's picture again.

Liara's heart goes out to Eric. She can only imagine what he is going through. She grew up in a single parent household, but that is common for her people. It's uncommon for human children to have a single parent be an other species besides human. She believes Kaja is doing the best she can for them. Eric and Derek are twins, but they handle things in different ways. It seems to Liara that Derek has a spark and Eric lacks one. At times, she sees Kaja in Eric on how they have handled losing a parent. Only difference is age. Kaja lost something within herself when her father died and so did Eric when his mother died. It took finding someone for Kaja to fully find herself again and she hopes for Eric's sake, he finds the spark he needs to move forward quicker than Kaja did.

"No, I suppose it's not too much to ask. I'll talk to Derek about leaving you alone. You really should talk to him at some point, Eric. You can't avoid him forever," answers Liara. She steps towards the door, keeping an eye on her grandson's reaction.

Eric turns to look at his grandmother, "I'm sorry I yelled and cussed at you, grandma." He quickly turns to his side with his back facing Liara.

Liara takes the few steps to give Eric a quick hug. "I forgive you and I love you very much, Eric. Remember that." The asari leaves the youth alone. Liara then goes looking for Derek so she can have a brief conversation with him about Eric. She's sure she can at least get Derek to back off the rest of the night. Eric is ashamed, he hasn't come out and said it, but she can tell he is.

Kaja and Neena along with Ben and Belinda are standing outside the club with the human couple trying to talk Kaja and Neena into going someplace to get a bite to eat. Kaja's friend, Petra, and her human boyfriend, Sven, are also pleading with Kaja to join them. "It's getting late and I need to get home. I'm sorry, but not tonight," says Kaja.

Ben shakes his head at his former partner, "Come on, Sarge. You need to eat something. I know you had plenty to drink." He smacks Kaja's arm with a grin on his face.

"I'm quite fine, Ben. I do think you're a little drunker than I am. I'm not that drunk."

Sven says with slurred speech, "Don't be a downer, Kaja. Come with us and enjoy the rest of the night." He swings his arms in the air, pointing to no place in particular.

Petra slides her arm around Sven's arm. "Let's go, sweetie. If you want to join us, Kaja. We'll be at the Wildcat Diner. You know they make the best after bar food. You coming with us, Ben? Belinda?"

Belinda nods to Petra, "Yes, we'll be there. Save us a spot."

"Sure thing, Belinda," slurs Sven. The human/asari couple head towards a taxi to take them to the diner.

Neena chuckles at Sven's drunkenness. He's not obnoxious, just humorous with his mannerism. She's the only turian in the group and she does wonder how many restaurants have dextro-based food for turians on their menu. "Does this diner have anything for a turian girl like me to eat?" She grins at everyone as she asks her question.

Ben answers, "I think so, Neena. You can come with us and I'll make sure you get home if Kaja isn't joining us."

Kaja grins at Ben then whispers to Neena, "If you want to go with them, please, go with them. I don't mind. I just don't want to stay out all night. I'm sorry."

Neena replies, "You sure?"

"Positive. Enjoy yourself." Kaja without thinking places a soft kiss on Neena's cheek. She doesn't think twice about her action.

The turian reaches out to squeeze Kaja's hand before turning to Ben and Belinda. "No, I'll have Kaja take me home. Maybe some other night?"

Belinda says quickly, "Absolutely, Neena. Come on, Ben, we should go and catch up with Petra and Sven." She gives Kaja then Neena a quick hug before heading to their skycar.

"If you change your mind, Sarge. You know where we'll be. Neena, it was so nice to finally meet you. We'll have to do this again another night," says Ben before he give Neena a hug then smacks Kaja on the arm, like he's done for almost three decades then follows his wife.

Kaja shakes her head as she watches her friends leave her alone with Neena. "Feel free to join them, Neena. Really, I don't mind."

Neena grabs a blue arm and leads Kaja to her skycar parked in a lot across the street. "I don't mind you taking me home, Kaja. Unless you're trying to get rid of me then maybe I should go with your friends." She playfully bumps into the asari. "I'm just kidding. Your friends are nice. Sven a bit odd when drunk, but Petra seems very nice. Same with your partner and his wife. Looks like my first night on the town is a success. I think I may have made a few new friends."

"Petra and I lived on Illium together when we were kids and was in the same class as Gaia. They were close at one time, but we lost touch until a few decades ago when I ran into her here while on shore leave." Kaja opens the car doors and gets inside.

Neena follows suit and gets into the car. The car door closes then Kaja starts the car. Neena says, "Lucky for you, it's a small galaxy, huh. Kaja, are you alright? If you need to talk, don't be afraid to talk to me. I'd like to help if I can."

Kaja smirks at Neena before she turns the car around so she can take Neena home. "I know. I don't want to burden you with my problems at home on our first night out. You just moved here. I hope you understand, Neena. You know enough and I'd rather think about it some more before I talk to Eric tomorrow. Your suggestion of a mini-type boot camp on the weekends is a compelling one. I'm going to think about that idea some more."

"Kaja, please, allow me to help. I care about you and you seem so alone with this.." Neena pats on Kaja's arm as the asari parks the car in front of Neena's apartment building.

The asari grins at the turian, "That means a lot, Neena, it really does. I have been alone for the past nine years with three kids. Don't get me wrong, I have friends I do confide in, but, I don't go out much and when I do, I'm usually home by now. Being a single parent is all I know anymore. I, ahmmm..." The nervousness Kaja felt before Neena opened her apartment door is back and is worse than before. "I should get home, it's getting late. I'll call you tomorrow. Or I can always bring the twins over and we can help you unpack."

"Ah, aren't you cute." Neena moves her hand from Kaja's arm to hold the asari's hand. "Thanks, but no. I have no idea where I am putting things, so you and your sons wouldn't be much help. I see it now. One of your sons will ask. Where does this go? I will just shrug my shoulders and reply, I don't know." She gives Kaja a warm smile while she squeezes her hand. Her nervousness has also picked up and the turian doesn't understand why her stomach is suddenly doing somersaults. Kaja is the easist person she knows to talk to or to even be around.

Kaja's cheeks grow flush from being called cute. Neena reminds her of Cass in many ways and Kaja didn't think anyone would grab her attention like Neena has. She thought it would take decades to find someone she wants more than a friendship with. Kaja does want more with the turian sitting next to her, but she questions the timing. Is this a good time to start an intimate relationship with Neena? If not now then when? Is there ever a 'right' time? Goddess, why now when things at home are worse than ever? I'm unsure what to do next? Oh what the hell, invite her over for dinner and see how that goes. Kaja asks, "Would you like to come over to my house for dinner tomorrow? Say, around 1800? I'll pick up a few things to cook for you. I do most of the cooking on the weekends. You can finally meet the boys."

Neena leans to give Kaja a hug, "I'd love to, Kaja. I'll see you then." She gives Kaja another hug before getting out of the car then heads inside her apartment building.

Kaja watches Neena enter the building before she heads home. It's getting close to 0200 and Kaja wonders if her mother is still awake because she'd like to talk to her before going to bed. Neena's idea about a boot camp type environment is interesting. Maybe it will do the youth some good to give him more structure and fewer freedoms. Kaja just doesn't know which way to go. Something has to change in order for Eric to change. Kaja is sure on that much, but what about Derek? How does changing things at home affect him? Will it help or hinder him?

Even though Cass is gone, Kaja has continued to use the same philosophy about treating the kids equally. The older the boys get, the harder it's getting for her to keep treating the boys the same when they act so differently. She doesn't want to allow one boy to sleep in while the other has to get up early to run with her. It dawns on her as she parks the car in the driveway when she remembers her military boot camp and how the instructors put pressure on the other recruits to get one or two other recruits to do what is required from them. Derek isn't going to like it, but the boot camp idea is going to involve him too. Kaja thinks maybe Derek can put some pressure on Eric to straighten up if he is being punished for Eric's mistakes. She knows it isn't fair to Derek, but life isn't fair and it's best they learn that lesson early.