December Fourteenth

Shepard closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar scent. Pine. Somehow, he'd actually found a pine tree and dragged it back. It sat propped up in one corner of the living room, crooked and leaning against the wall.

Memories of home had been dragged back with it. So now, she couldn't sleep, and she knelt in front of the bare tree, which Garrus had promised they'd trim tomorrow.

Or, a couple hours from now, she amended, checking her omni for the time. The scent of fresh-cut pine pervaded everything, bringing her back to the last tree she had trimmed with her family.

Digging around in the boxes left stacked by the previous owner or tenant, Kate Shepard searched until she'd found what she needed … what she knew would be there. Once she found everything, she set up her craft station on the coffee table; paint, string, shaped bits of wood, and various other supplies.

She worked carefully, cutting and gluing and tying until she had seven ornaments, then carefully painted on the first one.

Jonah, she thought. He had been the oldest, sixteen when the batarians hit, almost a man grown. Next was Isaiah, just starting to take over more adult duties on the farm. She painted his name on the next one. After that came Talitha and Serah, her favorite sisters who she was so close to, they were nearly triplets. Then Malachi, who won awards at their little school for memorizing Bible verses. Then Shiloh, the baby. Shiloh, who had been just four, and all Kate could remember was blue eyes and pink cheeks.

On the last one, she painted Hannah & Samuel. The only thing she could remember of her parents was music, and pancakes on Saturday mornings. Once she'd finished, she waited for them to dry, then one by one, she hung them on the tree.

"Shepard?" Garrus stood halfway up the stairs, watching her with a look of concern.

Shepard hung the last ornament as Garrus came over to her.

He touched one lightly with his talon. "I didn't know all their names," he murmured.

"I didn't know them again until this morning. Is the tree trimmed enough?" She swiped at her face with one hand; what the hell was this? Why was she leaking?

Garrus put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. "It's perfect," he told her.