"Jane?"
Jane sat up with a start at hearing her name.
"Jane, you home?" It was Le'lani, Jane glanced to her left, Kaidan was still sleeping and she ran a hand over her face; damn it. Hopping off the bed she grabbed her clothes and tossed on her shirt.
"Yeah I'm home just a second." Jane yelled.
"Don't worry if you were sleeping, I've got your dad I'll just take him to his room. We thought you were going to come back last night. You okay?"
Shit thought Jane, they had slept all night.
"Yeah uh I guess we were tired."
"We?" Ganis piped in and her room door slid open as she was stepping into her last boot. Shit.
Ganis stood with Le'lani in the doorway. His eyes were on Kaidan who was somehow still asleep.
Jane cleared her throat and her eyes met her dads.
"I can explain dad." She knew that look on his face. It had gone from confusion to disappointment in no time flat.
"Dad you shouldn't be standing. Let Le'lani get you laid down okay?"
"Red, my room in five."
Jane nodded and sighed. "Yes Sir."
As the door closed Kaidan rolled over and sat up. "Hey is everything alright?"
She was still staring at the door and nodded.
"Yeah, he doesn't know about Nihlus does he Jane?'
Jane shook her head but still didn't look at him.
"I grew up with Nihlus, he asked my dad permission to make me his mate when I was on Jump Zero. That means a lot to Turians. It's not really something you can just end."
She heard Kaidan shift on the bed.
"Jane are you saying you were married to Nihlus?"
"No Kaidan it's different, and it was never official but to my dad it was close enough. I need to go talk to him."
"What are you going to tell him Jane?" Kaidan was behind her now.
"I'm not sure. I'll tell him about Nihlus and he's already seen this." She covered her face with her hand.
"Jane, I love you we're together now. Do I need to talk to him?"
"Spirits no Kaidan, leave it don't push this with him, I'll talk to him."
He moved her hair to the side and kissed her neck.
"I love you Jane." She nodded stepping forward leaving the room. Kaidan stared after her and whispered to the closed door. "I love you enough for both of us."
~~00o00~~
Le'lani walked past Jane in the hall giving her a half-smile and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Red, get in here." Jane stuck her head in the room feeling like she was a kid all over again, she stood at attention in the doorway and waited. She heard her dad sigh.
"Sweetheart, come sit down."
Jane sat and took her dads talon in her hand. "How you feeling daddy?"
"Better Red, but that's not what I want to talk about." His eyes flicked towards her room and then back to her.
"Red I understand you've been under a lot of stress. What with your spec-op training and now me being hurt. But I'm not sure Nihlus would understand you.." He paused searching for the words. "You know, blowing off steam, with Kaidan. I know it's hard being away from him but he's your mate and that's a commit.."
Jane cut him off with a raised finger and he lifted a brow plate at her.
"Dad, we need to talk about that. You know it was never official between Nihlus and I and well, I guess he must have decided that he should find a nice Turian girl he can have children with." Jane's eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head.
"Red, don't say that, Nihlus would never."
"But he did dad, he left me, told me he wasn't going to write or anything and good-bye. I'd say he was pretty final."
Ganis lifted Jane's face and looked into the tear filled eyes. "But why Kaidan? If this is some sort of revenge or rebound you're going to hurt him."
"It's not like that dad, Kaidan loves me he's always there for me, has my back I'm going to."
"Do you love him?" Ganis cut her off and searched his little girl's eyes and saw the truth of it there.
"I don't think I can yet, but maybe..." Jane trailed off as Ganis shook his head.
"Sweetheart love isn't something you can just hope will come along. It's something you know and it takes your breath away. It's the way I felt from the first time I held you in my arms."
"I love you too dad."
"Don't do this Jane, if you don't love him you're both going to end up hurt."
"Dad, I need to do this. He's good to me, like I said he's always there. The whole in love breathless thing didn't really work out."
Ganis pulled her into his arms. Jane could hear his heart and closed her eyes listening to its steady rhythm and it soothed the ache in her own chest.
"Sweetheart, I understand you need to make your own choices and you're a very capable young woman. Just..be careful. I love you. Now let's talk about that long distance record you broke and tell me about your officer training. You're going to out rank your old man soon."
She smiled as he smoothed her hair back with his talons enjoying this time with him not knowing when she'd get the chance again.
~~00o00~~
Two Years Later
Commander Davis had been used to Admiral Hackett's presence but only over vid comm. Having him here in person was a very different matter.
"Status report on Shepard's squad Commander?"
"The entire squad has passed every exam every obstacle placed in their way Sir. I would say it's due directly to Lieutenant Shepard's leadership abilities."
"Very good Commander; as you know there are to be war games taking place. The Turian military is sending their best squads and I want three of our best N7 squads to meet them. Send Shepard's team."
"Sir, Shepard's team isn't N7 they haven't had real combat experience yet."
"I realize this Commander. It wasn't a request. You will send them and then you can send them to the front of whatever combat situation you want. This is a very important competition every high-ranking official from the Turian military will be there and Shepard's team has our best of the best does it not?"
"It does sir, as a squad they've broken nearly every N-class record." Commander Davis scanned his data pad as he spoke.
"Well then you just answered your own question Commander."
"Yes Sir, of course Sir I'll make it happen."
~~00o00~~
Jane scanned the tree line through her scope, the trees were thick on either side of a cleared field and neither team had dared make the advance. They had been out here three days. Each squad the Turian one they now faced and themselves had already taken out the other six teams and now it was just them.
"Damn it, they have a sniper over there Shepard."
"I realize that Powell what the hell do you think has us pinned down? He's good too, uses my style." Kaidan snorted.
"Quiet Alenko." She saw him blow her a kiss from where he was positioned down the line and she half smiled but chastised him anyways.
"Watch the line Lieutenant."
"Roger that Lieutenant but I can tell you what I'd rather be watching."
Lambert rolled her eyes and Powell coughed.
"Oi, if you two are done playin grab ass can we please figure out how to beat these guys? Seriously if we have to lie in the mud one more night or if they make it over here they have size on us and I'd swear I saw them take out that last team with two biotics in it, in like three seconds so we're gonna be in Barney if they make it over here."
Jane laughed. "We're going to be in what?"
Powell rolled his eyes, "Barney...Rubble...Trouble. Bloody hell it's like you people haven't listened to me in the past three sodding years."
The squad laughed but Jane knew that it wouldn't be funny soon. Powell was right, they had been out here too long in one position and someone was going to make a move. It needed to be them. She had to take out that sniper.
"Lambert, Alenko, Powell, I'm going to find cover a few hundred yards back, try to find a rise. I need you to lay down some distracting fire towards their sniper just enough so he can't see my direction. When you see the kill shot he won't drop as these are training rounds, if it's a kill shot his armour will flash red."
"Yeah Shepard we know." Lambert was getting impatient she was tired and cold and Shepard knew she was getting close to her breaking point and she had to keep them together.
"As I said, when you see the kill shot, Lambert suppressing fire; Kaidan take on their right flank, Powell on the left. They don't have a biotic so you're going to have to worry about riflemen and demo. Powell do your worst, Kaidan clean it up. If any of them make a break forward through the clearing I'll take em out. Now."
Jane moved back as soon as she saw the sniper drop down to avoid the fire from her line. She moved back through the trees until she found a slight rise and set up her shot. It was much farther from her first position. Her scope read almost three-thousand yards. She swallowed and slowed her breathing. This was much different than that training shot. The wind was blowing and he was moving; looking for her. As she sighted him through her scope she took note of his markings, Palaven. Figures she thought as she readjusted as he moved again. He hadn't found her yet and she needed to take the shot. She settled in waiting. He stopped moving, he wasn't looking for her anymore he was trained in on her squad, and she saw Lambert's head just above where it should have been.
"Lambert get your head.." The shot rang out and Lambert's armour lit up red.
"Shit Shepard, Lambert's down take the bloody shot." Powell lowered himself closer to the ground and Jane retrained on the sniper before her. She could hear Nihlus from that day long ago back home. "No fucking way Jane."
"Watch your mouth Nihlus." She mumbled under her breath exhaled and squeezed the trigger. From her scope she watched his armour flash red and the look of shock that spread across his face as he found her through his scope. She smiled and mouthed "Too late" to him in Turian. Yet another look of shock as she held up her hand in a Turian salute, if his mandibles could have fallen any father open Jane might have laughed instead she watched as Kaidan and Powell cleaned out the rest of his team. She covered the front but no one made it past the trees.
~~00o00~~
As they gathered on the field outside of the base Jane's team was surrounded by their own N7 squads as well as the Turian teams. She hadn't seen the sniper from the woods yet and she wondered if his team would show up.
"Ten-hut." The squads both Alliance and Turian snapped to attention as Admiral Hackett and General Victus took the field.
"Shepard I believe you know General Victus?" Admiral Hackett motioned to the Turian at his side and Jane saluted.
"How are you Jane? It's good to see your shot is as good as your fathers."
Jane smiled at the fact that Victus referred to Ganis as her dad.
"Thank you Sir." Jane saw Hackett narrow his eyes at the exchange between Victus and herself.
"Yes well congratulations are in order for your entire squad Shepard." Hackett punctuated her last name and she nodded.
"Yes Sir."
"There will be an awards ceremony tomorrow we'll see you all there. Carry on."
Jane watched as Hackett and Victus walked back towards the base and caught just part of their conversation.
"Best genes...Vandrel's training didn't hurt...super soldier."
Well she wouldn't call herself super. She smirked and Kaidan wrapped his arms around her from behind kissing her neck and she stepped away turned and kissed him quickly on the lips before taking another step back.
"Not here Kaidan."
He nodded. "I know Jane but I wanted to congratulate my girl on one hell of a shot. We lost Lambert but."
Jane shook her head. "Lambert should have had her head down; we're going to have to work on that. I had to make sure the shot would hit. If I would have missed it would have given away my position."
Kaidan nodded and then turned as Powell directed his attention to the pouting Lambert. Jane watched amused as they tried to comfort her.
The voice that spoke behind her almost caused Jane to jump and that was rare. It was Turian and the sound of his deep voice was almost soothing.
"That's a very Turian way of looking at the fact you lost a team member out there. You're right though if you would have missed that shot I would have found you. You did what you had to do."
Jane turned and she stood before the sniper from the woods. His grey skin almost seemed to have a blue ting to it but that could have been from his markings or the blue armour that he wore. He stood arms crossed his weight on his back leg. She knew that stance her dad got it when he was extremely impressed or extremely annoyed.
"So Shepard is it? Two questions, where did you get that sniper rifle? You know its Turian make."
Jane nodded and removed it from her back. "I do, it was my fathers."
"Acquired during the First Contact War no doubt." Jane shook her head.
"No but he might have used it during it." There was that shocked look again.
"Second question, where did you learn to shoot like that?"
She shrugged. "Same place, my father."
There was that damn look again.
"You know, you keep making that face, it's going to stick like that." Jane chuckled.
"Alright Shepard third question.." Jane raised a finger cutting him off and his mandibles went slack.
"Did you just hush me?"
She chuckled. "You said only two questions."
"One more, how about drinks, there is a place on base. What do you say to eighteen hundred?"
"Sure sounds good. But you're buying."
His mandibles spread in a smile. "Sure but if I'm buying I get to ask more questions."
"Alright fair enough, see you then."
~~00o00~~
Back at their temporary quarters Jane changed out of her armour and into her normal outfit of tactical pants, shirt and boots.
Kaidan was racked out already as one of their migraines had set in on him shortly after they left the field. Lamberts soft snores were a sign she was out as well and the glow of Powell's data pad let her know he was the only one still up.
"Hey Shep you gonna get some sleep? We had a rough few days."
"Nah, not yet I'm going to head out with some of the others and get a few drinks, relax, you want to come?"
"Ugh, no thanks my body is telling me to stay right here. Don't stay out too late eh? You need rest too no matter how much you think you can survive on coffee."
"Right thanks dad." Jane heard him chuckle as she left the room and made for the bar.
Jane realized as she entered the bar that she didn't even know his name. Taking a quick scan she watched him enter through the back door and she glanced at the time. They were both twenty minutes early. She met him half way and pointed to the time.
"Hurry up and wait huh?"
"Yeah that's normally the plan but since you seem to go by the same time I guess I don't need to wait."
He pointed to a booth and they both took a seat.
"What are you drinking Shepard?"
"Turian brandy."
He quirked a brow plate at her.
"Won't that kill you?"
She laughed.
"Nope in fact most of the human stuff has a higher chance of killing me. Mostly from taste though."
Shaking his head he ordered the drinks and turned back to her.
"Okay questions. To start with I'll offer something. I'm Vakarian, Garrus Vakarian, and you are? First name I mean."
"Jane."
Garrus nodded. "So care to explain, well everything now? The rifle, your shot?"
Their drinks came and Jane sipped it before answering.
"Well I was raised Jane Vandrel. I was raised on the Turian colony of Randiv from the time I was six. My father was Turian military and raised me, well just like any other Turian."
"Well that explains the rifle, the shot, the fact you speak Turian and the Turian dog tags you wear."
She glanced down to the two sets of dog tags around her neck and nodded.
"You're very observant."
"Yeah as observant as you are, you knew my every move out there. It's the first time I've seen that since..well myself."
She laughed and he poured her another drink from the bottle at the table.
"So if I can ask, what's with the guy?"
"Which guy?"
"The one out there on the field, the one that you pushed away when he was obviously trying to be close to you."
Jane laughed. "He's well; he's Kaidan he's on my squad we've been dating for awhile. I'm still not used to the way humans want to show affection all the time...and why am I talking about this with you?"
Garrus laughed and downed his drink. "I'm just interested I've never met a Turian human before. It was interesting to see you act like a Turian with a human who wants you to be human. That's all."
"So you knew?"
"Well I'd heard rumours but I didn't know they were true, not till I met you in the flesh."
They each downed their drink and Garrus poured another round.
Garrus's eyes dropped down to Jane's neck and the scar that wasn't completely covered by her t-shirt.
She followed his gaze and sighed. "No I don't have a mate, well I did...it's complicated."
"I'd say so if you have a human boyfriend and a mate. That's not going to work out well. Turians are rather territorial as you know."
"I don't have a mate and that's not what those scars are and that is not a discussion for tonight there isn't enough alcohol here for that one."
Garrus nodded once and spun his glass on the table.
"Well do you love him?"
"What? Why would you ask that I.." Jane sputtered
"Yeah that's a no."
"No that's not a no."
"Sure it is you flinched when I asked and if you were in love with him you wouldn't still be looking." He gave her a knowing nod and Jane blushed.
Downing the rest of her drink Jane shook her head.
"Let's call that subject off-limits shall we?"
Garrus lifted his hands in surrender.
The conversation changed quickly to Jane growing up on Randiv and Garrus's time in the Military and now how he was following his father to C-Sec though he wasn't sure it was what he really wanted to do.
"So do you consider yourself Turian or Human?"
"I don't know anymore. I'm not sure what I am. I guess I'm stuck somewhere in the middle." Jane swirled the dark liquid in her glass but didn't look up.
"Well sometimes who you are is more important than what you are. And you Jane Vandrel-Shepard are hands down the most interesting Human-Turian I've ever met."
"The only one." Jane smirked.
"That makes you one of a kind. And in a galaxy this big something like that makes you stand out. It's not a bad thing."
They dropped back into casual conversation and few hours later Garrus checked the time and stretched.
"Well Jane Vandrel-Shepard, it's been a pleasure." He stood after Shepard and she smiled reaching out her hand.
"See you around Garrus."
"Yeah see you around Jane."
~~00o00~~
They had been in this war zone for two weeks and Jane's team was tired. This was supposed to be their last patrol before being taken off the line. They had cleaned out the last pockets of mercs that had attacked several human colonies.
Lambert was at point when the first blast hit. Jane heard her yell and they all hit the ground. The blasts kept coming and Jane could barely hear the rifle fire above the blasts that were landing around them.
"Get down Powell." He wasn't listening to her as he was crawling forward trying to get to Lambert, another burst and a tree next to them burst in a shower of splinters.
"Spirits Powell I said fucking get down." Jane jumped him and they smashed to the ground just as another blast landed where Lambert had gone down.
"Alenko get up here! Powell I need you to cover us get out that demo."
Jane and Kaidan rushed forward. Jane had taken out three when she heard Kaidan grunt next to her, she saw the three shots hit his chest as he dropped, Jane made the first mistake by letting it distract her, she felt the first shot hit her shoulder, the second hit her in the chest and with that her biotics flared to life.
Jane's anger and training took over and in a blur of biotics and pistol fire she cleared out the other three mercs and dropped next to Kaidan.
"Hold on Kaidan don't you do this, you hold the fuck on I'll get you out of here."
Pulling him back to where Powell was crouched over Lamberts unmoving body she called for an evac and the woods around them went silent and Jane's world went black.
~~00o00~~
"Commander Davis, status report."
"Sir, Shepard got her team out."
"Is she alive Commander?"
"Sir yes Sir Shepard got her entire team out, wounded but alive."
~~00o00~~
Jane was still unconscious in the med bay next to Kaidan when he awoke. He didn't move, everything hurt, and closing his eyes again he lay listening to the doctors.
"He hasn't left since he got here, won't leave her side."
Kaidan thought at first they must be talking about Ganis. Had they brought him here? How bad was Jane wounded? When he forced his eyes open again though only Admiral Hackett and Captain Anderson were beside her bed.
Anderson stood at the foot of the bed while Admiral Hackett sat next to her. Their conversation was faint and he drifted back off to sleep.
Anderson glanced towards Kaidan's bed and eyed his monitor before turning back to Hackett.
"Sir, are you going to tell her?"
"No Anderson, I'm not."
"But don't you think Sir that she deserves to know, about everything?"
"Yes, Anderson I do. But this isn't the time. If she was to run back to her Turian father and ruin things with Alenko where would that leave us? No this is not the time."
"Sir if I may say so, Shepard is an amazing soldier, she's everything you ever expected. I think she could handle you telling her the truth."
"Tell her it was my fault she was left at that biotic and genetics lab? That it was my fault I wasn't there when it was raided? That I didn't even look for her after they told us it had been destroyed; that I left her to be raised away from Earth."
"To be fair Sir you didn't know, and Jane had a fine childhood by all accounts. She was well cared for."
"Jane was made to be the hero Earth needs. We can't afford to have her run away."
"Sir, I think she deserves more credit than that. She may have been created by the joint efforts of the Alliance military and our best geneticists and biotic doctors but she's also your daughter and she deserves to know the truth."
Hackett spun on Anderson. "Thank you Captain for your opinion but the answer is still no. And you will never repeat what you just said."
"Sir yes Sir."
~~00o00~~
It was two weeks before Jane's entire team was back up on their feet. They had been brought back to Earth for the celebration of the completion of their N training. Jane had rolled her eyes at the prospect of another ball but to her amusement it was nothing more than a gathering in the base bar. More fitting to a squad of military personnel. Out of over seventy people who had gone into training with them only two squads of four made it to this point.
The party lasted late into the evening and everyone was present. Anderson and Hackett as well as Davis. As the evening was drawing to a close Powell jumped up on a chair to address the room.
"Oi listen up you blighters, Alenko has something he wants to ask our fearless leader Lieutenant Shepard."
From behind her Kaidan put a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. Dropping down on one knee he took her hand and held it in his. Jane could feel her face drain and her hands went cold.
"Kaidan...what are you doing?"
Kaidan saw that old look of panic cross her face. The one she never had on the battle field, the one saved for public places and other like things that made her uncomfortable.
"Jane Shepard, would you make me the happiest man in the galaxy and agree to be my wife?"
Jane's knees almost buckled and she glanced about the faces in the room. Admiral Hackett was smiling and nodded at her and the rest of her squad including Lambert looked like they were about ready to jump up and down, Anderson however wasn't looking at her. It seemed his beer was the most interesting thing in the room at that point.
Oddly she heard both her father and Garrus in her head telling her she didn't love him and even though her heart and head were screaming no, she found herself nodding and the room exploded in cheers.
~~00o00~~
It was late that night back at the hotel they were staying at for their leave before being assigned regular duty. Kaidan was in the shower and Jane was sitting on the bed with her data pad trying to figure out what the hell she'd just done and how she was going to explain this to her dad when a message popped up that she would have bet her life on never seeing again.
"Bullshit." Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest as she opened it.
Jane,
Love, I know I have no right to be sending this. They told me not to write to you but I've never been really good at listening when I know it's wrong. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get to this point but I needed to be in a position where I was in control of my life again. I love you Jane. I told you forever and I meant it. I will love you for the rest of my life if you'll let me. They told me that they had chosen Kaidan to be your mate and I've prayed to the Spirits every day since they told me that, that you would wait until after your officer training. Please Jane tell me you still love me. Tell me that you and Kaidan haven't become mates. I can't even stand writing it. Please love let me fix what I've done. Wait for me.
Nihlus
Jane stared at the wall after reading and rereading the message. What the hell did that mean that they told him not to write her and who the hell told him they had picked Kaidan to be her mate? That was before they had even been together. Jane watched Kaidan step out of the washroom and towards the bed he sat next to her and kissed her softly.
"You know Jane I was thinking we should have our home base be Vancouver. You know after active duty. We'll need somewhere to relax get away from it all. My father said he wants to give us the apartment we stayed in before basic I thought..." Kaidan stopped as Jane wasn't looking at him. She had that blank expression on her face.
"Jane? What's wrong?"
Jane had no answer. Everything was wrong and she had no idea what to do.