Okay, I'm not too sure of this chapter and re-wrote it about three times but I hope it is okay now.

Thank you for all the response! It really warms my heart and does help motivate me to keep writing.

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 4 – When I grow up…

"How do you propose I fix this?" Aria's voice was calm, uncaring, laced with a hint of boredom and even though Councilor Tevos tried to keep he usual calm she was boiling with rage on the inside. Whenever there were any disputes or issues concerning Aria T'loak the other Matriarchs always came to her, relying on her to fix it. As if she held some key to controlling the queen of criminals, which Tevos assured everyone she didn't. Aria just tended to call on her from time to time, usually asking for favors and since it was partly Tevos' responsibility as a councilor to keep outright war between the Terminus systems and Citadel space from breaking out, she mainly had to do what she could to keep Aria happy.

But right now, the asari matriarch had almost had enough. Aria was acting like a child, refusing to even remotely deal with the issue at hand. A whole newly established colony had been attacked by pirates who kept their base on the Omega station and even if the councilors usually never retaliated the loss in lives and peace demanded them to do something this time. So Tevos had, obedient as ever, called Aria up. Now she wished she hadn't.

"I don't know," she admitted, "but something has to be done. People on this side are angry, and if they retaliate now we might be facing full on war and…"

Aria interrupted her.

"So? Maybe war is exactly what we need. Things have been growing dull lately and my people are bored."

Aria was still sounding incredibly calm but there was a hint of danger somewhere in that voice. Tevos tried to keep calm but it was difficult.

"What do you mean? Even you can't be stupid enough to actually desire war!" Tevos could have bit her lip and grew quiet. She waited for the laughter that an outburst of hers usually caused. Aria loved frustrating her and the queen loved that she seemed to be only one who could make Tevos break the usual calm façade. But no laughter came. Tevos inspected the holo-vision of Aria. The queen of Omega had been keeping a façade of her own apparently but now she was tired. She looked away from her omnitool, not letting Tevos see her face or read her expression.

"Aria," Tevos said, "have you been to Illium?" Tevos didn't expect any reaction from the other asari but at the mentioning of Illium Aria twitched. The asari then moved her gaze, looking straight into the eyes of Tevos.

"Huh, and I recall you swearing that you would never mention something again. Did I dream that?" Her voice was full of an unsaid threat but Tevos ignored it. She was right, it was clearly about that human again and she knew better than to push it. Instead she let it go immediately.

"Aria, will you threat your people into not attacking any important colony? The council has other more important matters."

"I will make no promises." Aria said shortly and without any warning turned off the call. She was done talking with Tevos, the matriarch always managed to get on her nerves one way or another and Aria hated the way she always felt she had to prove something to the asari councilor. If only Tevos hadn't seen Aria's only weak moment; if only Tevos hadn't been there the day the old lady Lakshmi died.

…

Aria stayed true to her promise and visited Lakshmi as often as she deemed necessary. In the beginning she visited the girl almost every month but soon the distance between the visits grew. By the time Lakshmi turned twelve she was lucky if she saw her rescuer once a year.

There was especially one trip that Aria would always remember. It was, after all, the day when she realized that Lakshmi was no longer a little girl. Usually when Aria visited Lakshmi the girl would throw herself around Aria's neck and basically hold the matriarch's hand until it was time for Aria to leave. That time had been different.

…

"Oh hello!" A young asari opened the door, "Miss T'loak, come in, come in. I'll call Lucky." Aria entered the house and greeted Lakshmi's adoptive mothers while Lakshmi's little asari sister called her name. There were some gentle steps in the stairs and then 16-year-old Lakshmi appeared. She had let her hair grow long and she had grown a lot since Aria's last visit. When the girl reached Aria and reached out to hug her rescuer Aria noticed that Lakshmi was almost as tall as her now. When the girl let go of Aria's embrace she gestured towards the living room.

"Lucky?"

"Yes mum?" Lakshmi looked questioningly at her mother.

"Should I prepare some tea?"

"No, that's okay," Aria answered before Lakshmi had a chance, "I will not be staying long."

They entered the living room together and sat down on a sofa. Aria couldn't help but smile. Why was it that whenever she was visiting somewhere she always found herself sitting on a couch? Then the asari noticed that the girl was being uncharacteristically quiet, usually she would be chattering Aria's ears off by now, telling her about her year, or new friends or things she had done in school. Instead the girl was sitting still, her dark curtain of hair covering most of her face.

"I've read about Omega in school," Lakshmi eventually said.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Lakshmi nodded, "and the Terminus systems too."

"And what have you learned?"

"Well, I have learned lots of boring facts. But we were also taught about you."

"What lesson is this? Bad people 101?" It was a joke but Aria still wanted to know what kind of teachers taught 16-year-old humans about criminals.

Lakshmi giggled a little bit.

"Actual it's a class on notorious contemporary criminals. My school is the only one that gives it. I only took it so that I could learn about you." Aria sighed, wondering where this was going. She had never hid what she was, she never would. She felt no shame and even Lakshmi's adoptive mothers let her in their house even if they didn't like to have a criminal in it.

"Why do you want to learn about me? And about Omega? You could have just asked me you know."

Lakshmi shook her head.

"I never see you anymore and you wouldn't answer the questions I have. Besides I need the extra credit and this class helps me towards my goal."

"What goal would that be, little girl?"

Lakshmi put on an almost annoyed face.

"Don't call me that," she said in a voice that surprised Aria, "I am not a little girl anymore."

But to Lakshmi's annoyance the queen of Omega simply chuckled.

"Lakshmi, you will always be a little girl to me. I am over half a millennium older than you. Now, what goal do you have?"

Lakshmi looked up, pride in her eyes and then she uttered the words that made Aria's blood run cold.

"One day," the girl said, "one day I am going to be a Spectre."