Alec put his hand on the bathroom door as he exited, yawning as the waft of cool air hit his body. Truth be told, in some small way he actually missed the mechanical motions of turning a handle on a door instead of it always sliding open at your presence. There was something physical about the motion, the fact that you could control your own rate of entry and not have it predetermined.

He walked over to the side of the bed where his small pack was lying, trying carefully not to disturb the still figure of the quarian lying atop the bed. Reaching into it, he pulled out a leather jacket and slipped it over his shoulders. Once he got it fully on, he froze as he felt a brief chill. That was peculiar.

He walked over to the thermostat where it read seventy two degrees Fahrenheit. So, the temperature was at the normal range but why did he suddenly feel a draft? He slowly glanced over to the window, hidden behind a thick curtain. Taking careful steps forward, Alec walked over to the window to discover that it had been opened a tiny crack, allowing the cold Maryland air into the room.

Alec frowned as he slammed the window shut. There was a sucking noise and the outside world was silenced as the quiet from the room filled the void. He was now getting concerned. Why was this window opened in the first place? It wasn't opened when they came in and they certainly did not even have any reason to open it all the time they'd been here.

There was a faint rustle. Alec immediately swung his head to the left. What was that? A slight twitch of contact on fabric? Alec's blood rose to a boil all at once. He stood up, walked over to the mass of curtains and thrust an arm into its depths. Despite the fact that there was that nagging doubt that he was only overreacting, he was still surprised when his hand made contact with flesh, creating a yelp that definitely did not belong to anyone he knew.

Swinging his arm around, the mass burst from the curtains to crash against the side of the bed, causing Tali to sit up in alarm. The figure tried to sit up but Alec grabbed her bodily by the neck and slammed her down on the bed in what would have been a paralyzing move if there was nothing to cushion it.

Alec, teeth clenched in anger, pulled off the hood that was covering the person and was surprised when he actually recognized the face. The face that stared up at him was human, dark eyes, and hair tied in a knot. He realized that she was the Japanese woman he saw outside of his room last night.

"What…are…you…doing here?" Alec seethed through his mouth.

The woman immediately proceeded to speak rapidly in Japanese, causing Alec to exert pressure on her neck in frustration.

"Speak English!"

The woman coughed and raised her hands in surrender. Alec glanced at Tali and saw that she had grabbed her pistol, although it was hanging loosely by her side. She nodded and Alec released the woman, who proceeded to start coughing after being contained in a chokehold.

"Who are you?" Alec asked.

"Hinata…Hamori," the girl said, rubbing her neck. Alec grabbed a shoulder and forcibly put her on her back again.

"Almost certainly a lie," he growled as he proceeded to activate his omni-tool and hold it over her head, activating the scanning feature as it matched her identity with the correct database.

"You're human," the girl said.

"I've been getting that a lot."

"What are you doing with that…thing?"

"Running your files," Alec said.

The girl smiled, "You'll never find me that way."

Alec arched an eyebrow, "Oh no?" His omni-tool pinged and a slow smile spread across his features. "Well, Ms. Kasumi Goto, 'never' is a concept that usually applies when I use it. Not the other way around."

Kasumi smiled, "And do you actually believe what it says?"

"Considering that it's an Interpol record and that it's somehow flagged as 'deleted,' I would say…yes. Yes, I do. But that doesn't really matter here, does it?"

Kasumi slowly shook her head, "No, I suppose not."

Alec nodded, "Good." He released her neck, "Now, tell me why you're here and I might not report you to the authorities."

Kasumi Goto stood. She was a short woman and was wearing some type of black clothing that seemed to flow yet it was also quite form fitting. If anything, it vaguely reminded him of a ninja.

"I'm part of the Japanese ambassador's inner circle. We were sent here for the meeting with the other-world lifeforms."

"So, you tried to get the jump on the other countries, then?"

Kasumi smiled, "We needed to know what we were dealing with."

Tali shook her head, "Are all humans this paranoid?"

"Worse, quarian," Kasumi smiled. "I just do what they tell me to do."

"I'm guessing that had something to do with that record I accessed. Arrested for thievery in Paris, 2047 in the Louvre. Tried to make off with Madonna of the Rocks. Quite the taste you've got there."

"What can I say?" Kasumi shrugged. "I'm a fan of the classics."

Alec gave a short smile, "That doesn't explain why you're here when there's nothing to exactly steal. Except if you wanted to make the switch to kidnapping, in which case, you failed miserably."

"The Japanese government bailed me out on the condition that I do community service for them. I chose to work with the ambassador. It was a nice, quiet lifestyle and he provides good company."

"Was he the one who had you spy on us, then?" Tali demanded.

"Nah, I just did this because I was interested in you guys."

"If you got caught that easily, Ms. Goto, then I'm afraid you've lost your touch," Alec mused.

"Or," she replied craftily. "Maybe I wanted to get caught. Maybe I wanted to talk to you guys."

"This is sounding familiar," Tali said.

"But…I have to ask," Kasumi paused. "How come you, a human, is with an alien?"

Alec shrugged, there was no real harm in telling her but he still maintained some slight reservations, "Remember the Danbury Incident back in the twenties?"

Kasumi nodded at this, "I was only a kid back then but I remember."

"I went on the ship that left the scene. We stopped the people that were trying to kill the quarians there at that compound."

Kasumi whistled, "So…what? You never had a chance to come home since?"

"Something like that…and also because I didn't want to," he looked at Tali. "Probably because this planet brought me nothing but pain and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman right here."

Kasumi scratched her head, "Huh, I've never heard of this kind of interspecies mating before. Is it physically possible?"

Tali nodded, rather vigorously, much to Alec's amusement, "Well…it might not count but we do have two kids…"

The girl's eyes widened as she looked at Alec, "Long story?"

"Long story. The point is, she was the only reason why I left Earth. I only needed that one reason."

"Well, most stories about relationships that I've heard don't really compare to yours."

"Uh-huh," Alec said, getting a little bored at the exchange. "Unfortunately, Ms. Goto, we have a busy day today and I think that it would be in your favor to leave before any of the MPs show up. Plus I wouldn't want your boss to worry."

"Like he's going to notice my absence anyway," she said in a huff.

"You'll get the rest of your answers tomorrow. I'm assuming you're going to leave the way you came?"

Kasumi smiled, "You bet. Although I haven't gotten your names yet."

Alec smiled, "Something tells me you already know them."

"Well, Alec, I wouldn't be a very good thief if I didn't know the important facts." Kasumi walked over and opened the window a crack so that she was leaning against it, her back facing the open air. She flipped a quick salute to the quarian in acknowledgement, "Tali'Zorah, nice guy you've got there." Before she could utter a reply, the thief had performed a backflip out the window and then the morning was still.

"Keelah…" Tali managed. "You don't think she…"

"Ehh, I'm sure she's fine," Alec shrugged. "She was also particularly well informed. I'm betting that she knew I was a human even before setting eyes on me here." He made no motion to even glance out the window to make sure that the human was all right.

"You think that she was looking in the amphitheater last night?"

"Could be a possibility. Strange girl, though."

"I don't know," Tali tilted her head thoughtfully. "I kinda liked her."

"Oh no, that means you want to take her on the ship home with us."

"I did not say that! I only meant-"

A knock on the door interrupted their jabbing conversation. Alec cracked his neck as he made a face while approaching the door. On the other side stood a rigid MP, not the same one that he had threatened last night.

"Sir," the MP began. "The Speaker wishes to speak to you in the conference room."

Alec frowned as he glanced back at Tali, "And her?"

"He wished for this to be done in private, sir. She will be put with the rest of the guests in a comfortable area."

Alec was still glancing at Tali until she waved at him, giving him the go-ahead to leave. "Then let's get this over with."

Alec was led into a room after being escorted down a floor which contained only a long, wooden table. At one end sat Anthony, a cigar in his hand, unlit. The MP shut the door behind him as Alec cautiously walked to where his old friend sat.

"Alec!" the man smiled warmly. "Good to see you again, doughnut?" He gestured towards a plate of the confectionaries that were on the desk.

Surprised at his own hunger, Alec nodded, "Thanks, Anthony." He reached for a paper plate and scooped a few of the chocolate frosted ones onto it. "I do have to admit, I did miss Earth-like cuisine all those years I've been gone."

Anthony laughed, "I'll bet. What did you eat over there?"

"Mostly seafood and greens. All healthy stuff and it was better in a nutritional sense than my habits here. Cheaper too."

"I can tell," Anthony nodded. "You look like you've actually put on some weight…muscle wise."

"I've lived in environments that contained a lower than average gravity than I'm used to so I had to create a work-out program to prevent me from losing too much muscle. The turian that accompanied me here today helped out on that and my metabolism meant that I could retain all the muscle that I gained."

Anthony leaned forward to grasp Alec's leather jacket, "Son of a bitch…don't tell me this is the same jacket that you wore back here? I know for a fact that there cannot be any leather shops elsewhere in this galaxy."

Alec smiled, "There aren't but there are a few chemical treatments that keep this thing still wearable. Plus I learned how to stitch in my spare time. This thing is still holding together well."

What Alec neglected to mention were the items that he had added to the jacket. In the sleeves ran bare circuitry to support omni-tool functions in order to draw power for a blade or an overload function. In the back of the jacket he had inserted a tiny redundant shield generator. Compact, hardly noticeable, it provides enough protection to withstand a few bursts from a Revenant machine gun before collapsing. More effective than Kevlar in any situation.

"Where exactly do you live now?" Anthony asked with bated breath. "It's kind of odd asking you that question, of all people, but it still boggles my mind to know that you have been on other planets all this time…"

"Currently I live on a planet called Rannoch," Alec noted the confusion in Anthony's eyes. "The quarian homeworld."

"And you and that quarian…you're living together?"

Alec shrugged, "That is a staple of most marriages, Anthony."

"How did that come to happen?"

"Do you have all day?" Alec asked jokingly.

Anthony leaned back in a position that signified that he had all the time he wanted. Starting to relax in his chair, Alec continued, "It actually happened sooner than you think. Remember that night we saw the ship?"

"I remember. I remember it being the craziest night I ever witnessed. Chasing after that thing on our bikes. You running off to get a closer look at the damn thing and us getting pinched by the feds. Good times."

"Kind of ironic now that you're here, huh?"

"You could say that."

Alec kept going, "Anyway, fast forward five years to when I was working at UTC. I recall you were off working in some sort of government program?"

"Internship as an aide. Worked closely with the Connecticut senator for a few years before I started making a name for myself. But you can figure out my story pretty easily, I want to hear more of yours."

"So, UTC was one of the companies that the quarians were choosing to implement their own people for the purposes of improving our technological scope. One of them was assigned to the Danbury site where I was working as a team leader and I met her that way."

"Did you two like hit it off or something?"

"Not right away. I actually talked to her for a little bit after you got drunk and Nicole had to drive you home, remember? Tali had actually been in that bar the whole time and we didn't notice."

"No shit?"

Alec shook his head, "So I walked over to her because the place was pretty much dead at that point and we struck up a conversation. The compound was closed at that point so I drove her to my house where she stayed the night."

"Is that…when…?"

Alec sighed, "No, you imbecile. We started to hang out a little more after breaking the ice. We didn't just 'get right to it' as you're implying. Turns out she was very interested in our science fiction movies, who knew? Bottom line, I liked hanging out with her, she liked hanging out with me."

"Then…how exactly did the Danbury Incident come to pass?"

Alec paused. He hated reliving the traumatic memory, no matter how much time had passed, "When…when we were traveling back from Hartford on a business assignment, we were ambushed and captured by a gang of anti-alien racists who wanted to bring harm to Tali. They…tortured us. Made us think that they were going to kill us."

Anthony leaned forward, his mouth agape, "What happened?"

Alec fixed him with a hard stare, "I killed my way out. I slit a guard's throat and shot more before finally escaping with Tali."

"Jesus Christ."

Alec nodded soberly, "After that, Tali asked me if I wanted to follow her in her ship back to wherever they came from. At that point, I realized, despite how different we were in appearance, that I loved her and wanted to go anywhere with her. So I accepted and we went to the compound to be picked up."

Alec blew out a breath, "But by that time, the thugs had laid siege to the compound, trying to kill as many quarians as possible before they left. That was why I borrowed your bike that night, Anthony. We needed it to get around the fact that they were expecting us to be using another form of transport. So we got there and shot a few more guys that were in our way to finally end up in space. Quite the tale, huh?"

"Quite," Anthony said slowly. "But what happened in between then? Surely there's more to this."

"There is," Alec said nonchalantly. "But it's so much that I don't really think it will register with you. Only that I became part of what's known as Citadel Security, the police force of a space station that houses the ruling government body in the galaxy, the Citadel Council."

"And you got married…to an alien?"

"Why is this such a shock to everyone every time this comes up?"

"I just…" Anthony tried to speak coherently. "I've never heard of anyone marrying someone from another species. Of course, in India, women can marry goats but still."

"You'll get over it," Alec said. "We also have two kids."

"Wait…you have children too? I thought…from the military reports quarians have different amino acids than human, dextro. I thought it was impossible for a human to procreate with one."

"Technology is a wonderful thing, isn't it? We have a boy and a girl, Dayrl and Vaeri. My pride and joy."

Anthony was shaking his head in disbelief. The man's glasses were starting to slide down his nose. He pushed them up as he adjusted the tie on his suit, "It's so weird to hear you talking about topics like this when, and to think that one of our last conversations was what was playing in the movie theater one weekend…"

Alec regarded the man sitting across from him. The brashness in Anthony had faded, definitely. He was softer than he'd usually been and not as crude. He seemed like a completely different person to him but Alec reasoned that he was the one who had changed the most out of the two.

Anthony twiddled his thumbs, lost in the sea of revelations that had most likely permeated his imagination forever. He raised his head, changing the subject, "You mentioned before that you were working for a Council, a ruling body. Who comprises this Council, exactly?"

"Currently it's represented by the quarians, turians, asari, and salarians. Four councilors for the four ruling races."

"Are there any more races out there besides those four?"

"Yes, you've seen that we've brought a krogan. There's also the vorcha, the hanar, the volus, the elcor, and a few more."

"How come they're not represented?"

Alec shrugged, "It's mostly due to the fact that species such as the krogan and the vorcha are primarily warmongering races and are exceedingly prone to violence. That type of behavior doesn't resonate with the Council that well so they're not included. Others are not part because they don't really have as big of a population to warrant obtaining a seat. The volus population in the galaxy is dwarfed immensely by the asari or turians, for example."

Anthony glanced over his shoulder cautiously, "And…what would it take to get humanity a seat?"

Alec snorted, "Not even in this lifetime, man. The Council has enough problems with humanity to reject any proposal from us for the next few hundred years, if we're lucky."

"That's not going to go over well with the ambassadors," Anthony frowned. "They're going to at least want some representation once I present this information."

"They'll be allowed a single ambassador," Alec assured. "But no Council seat. Trust me, too much has happened for them to extend that offer that quickly. Besides, it takes a long time for any race to procure a Council seat so tell them not to worry."

"Hmm," Anthony mused. "That might not fly with them, Alec. These people are very adamant about their beliefs. They will insist that they get something out of this deal that gives them an equal voice in the galactic sense."

Alec considered reiterating to Anthony the specifics on why humanity was only being asked to be an ally of the Council now. He wanted to see his reaction when he reminded him the horrors humans had inflicted upon the Citadel twenty-one years ago. How could they be so forgetful about that? Did they honestly know why all aliens stopped all contact with them?

But the more he talked, the more he realized: Earth never knew what happened. Silas' interference had taken place all off-planet. There were no channels to relay back exactly what happened, there was no one to confirm anything with any leadership. No one knew anything.

Alec bit his tongue, this information could wait until tomorrow. If the ambassadors were going to play hardball then at least he had just the ace up his sleeve to deal with them.

"I'm…sure that they'll see reason," Alec said with a fake smile.

Anthony chomped down on his unlit cigar as he analyzed the man in the leather jacket, "So, tell me…why are you the one front and center for the whole show? Are you famous over there or something?"

"Not really," Alec lied. "I just have the Council's trust is all. That, plus the fact that they thought it would be easier to facilitate these talks if they had a human running it all."

"But then, if the Council trusted you with such an important assignment, then why will they not trust us to be have a seat alongside them?"

It was getting hard for Alec to put up with this lateral questioning. He threw up his hands in resignation, "That's just how this is going to go, Anthony. I didn't make the rules on this so you're just going to have to accept them as it is."

Anthony leaned forward, "But what if we don't want that?"

Alec mimicked his movements, "You're just going to have accept it in the end. Whether you like it or not."

Both men sat still for a moment, their cold gazes boring into one another. None of them so much as twitched for they regarded the other very carefully, searching for a weakness, a tell. A crack in their armor that exposed a weak point for them to exploit. Sensing none, both men relaxed and struck back up their conversation that had more to do with comparing life in space than politics. That was fine by Alec, politics had always irritated him.

In the late evening, Alec finished his dinner in the NSA cafeteria alone as all of his friends had gone through earlier with their rations and what not. Alec hated being escorted to his room, it made him feel like a prisoner in his own country. He was treated better than a prisoner at least as most of the soldiers and personnel stationed here always gave him looks that betrayed their fear. Humans were always afraid of what they didn't understand. They were afraid of change.

In the hallway to their rooms, he noticed a familiar face about to enter one up ahead.

"Garrus!" he called, making the turian pause, along with his escort.

Garrus walked over to meet Alec halfway to give a friendly shake of the hand in greeting and in somewhat assurance. "Hey, Alec. You all finished with them today?"

Alec breathed out, "Yeah, I was talking to the Speaker of the House, you know Anthony, my friend. We conversed for a bit and had me make a few official statements after we reintroduced ourselves. I had to sit in a room for a few hours and wait as they asked me simple questions about life in the galaxy."

Garrus snorted, "Sounds rather boring."

"You have no idea," Alec now glanced to the guards that were flanking the two, curling a lip in disgust. "What are you standing around for? We're at our destination, we're not going anywhere."

The two MPs looked at each other nervously as if they wanted to justify their staying here or risk the wrath of their superiors. Unfortunately for them it looked like they would risk the wrath of Alec sooner the longer they stood there, "Private conversation here! Fuck off!"

Watching their hasty retreat, Garrus laughed, "You certainly have a way with words."

"Be quiet," Alec growled. "Enough about that, what were you guys all doing today?"

The turian shrugged, "Mostly we wandered around the areas designated for us. We ate in the cafeteria with our rations and got a history lesson from one of the museums in the lower floor of the building."

"Anything like you were expecting?"

Garrus huffed, "Hardly. I had no idea your kind was so primitive almost two hundred years ago. That's quite a leap, speaking in the technological sense. Your ancestors rode those four legged creatures instead of traditional vehicles? That must have been quite inefficient."

"They're called horses, Garrus. And come on, don't tell me that it doesn't look fun. Cowboys and Indians, I always thought those times were the coolest."

The turian gaped at his friend, "Alec, I'm sorry to say, but you're a complete dork."

"At least I'm not such an ikza all the time," Alec retorted with a smile.

"Who taught you that word?" Garrus said, startled.

Shrugging, Alec said, "I occasionally turn off my translator program sometimes. I caught you saying that word to me once and I looked up the translation."

"Spirits, I can't even curse at you in my own language anymore!" Garrus mourned.

"Tough luck, big guy," Alec slapped his friend's arm. "I'll see you in the morning. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah. Who else is going to accompany you to make sure these idiots stay in line?"

"Just you and me. They're going to have a few officers talk to Liara, Wrex, and Tali while we handle the bulk of the conversing. Don't worry, Garrus. We can sort out these bosh'tets in no time."

The turian merely rolled his eyes as he turned to leave, immediately stepping forward into his door and smacking his head against the wood. As Alec opened his own door up, he could hear Garrus wail, "And they don't even open automatically!"

Alec could hear a conversation going on as he closed the door to the room. He walked across the carpeted floor to see Tali on the bed talking via her omni-tool. She straightened up when she saw him enter.

"Oh, kids," she said into the holographic screen. "Guess who just walked in?"

Alec did not need to guess after that who she was talking to after that blurb. Sitting beside his wife, she turned her arm so that he could see the familiar faces of Dayrl and Vaeri staring back at him.

"Hey guys," Alec smiled. "How are things up there?"

"Boooooring," Vaeri groaned. "There's nothing to do and Mordin keeps kicking us out of his lab when we just want to look."

"Let Mordin do his work in peace," Tali said firmly. "He has enough to think about without you two running amok on the ship."

Alec sighed, "What about you, Dayrl? How have you been doing?"

Dayrl smiled on the screen, "Fine dad, despite what Vaeri may claim. I've actually been helping the men in the engine room on working with the engines, making sure they all run smoothly so that's keeping me busy."

"He truly is his mother's son," Tali gushed.

"Keep dreaming, woman," Alec laughed. "And Vaeri, when you're not snooping around, what have you been up to?"

The girl shrugged. "Nothing much, except I was working in the main battery after watching one of the geth tinker with the guns."

"Oh, for god's…" Alec groaned. "Who gave you access to the battery?"

"I may have let myself in using that crack Liara gave me," Vaeri was trying to hide an expression of smugness. "I did however manage to calibrate the main gun to at least point five three percent better than it was originally."

Alec bit off any protest when he acknowledged the fact that he could not enforce his parenting any better when he was thousands of miles away, "Just…don't blow up the ship, all right? You have no idea how hard it was to get that."

"Mom said you fought a krogan for it?"

"Like I said, even if you don't believe your father, it was hard."

Tali unsuccessfully tried to hide her laughing, "Okay kids, your father looks like he's quite tired so we're going to let him rest for a bit. He's got to talk to the Earth representatives in the morning so I will call you later."

"Dad the politician," Dayrl said in an ostentatious tone. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"You're a funny one there, son," Alec growled. "Go to sleep, I'll talk to you soon."

Tali must have been smiling behind the helmet because when she disconnected the call, she started to rub her husband's shoulders, "Rough day?"

"Just long. Not sure what is going to happen tomorrow." He laid himself down fully on the bed, yawning simultaneously. "Truth be told, I have no clue on how to approach this anymore. It's all gone in such a different direction than I had…imagined."

"I have faith you'll find a way," Tali said as she adjusted her hood, turning briefly away to get herself ready for sleep. "You always find a-"

She looked back to see that Alec was situated in a fetal position, snoring loudly despite the fact that it was only eight at night, his day clothes were still on, and that all the lights in the room were on. Tali sat dumbstruck for a second as she incredulously looked at Alec's sleeping form, wondering how anyone could possibly knock themselves out that fast. She gently moved to pry Alec's shoes and jacket off so that he would be more comfortable for the duration of the night. Even comatose, he was still stubborn.

"Oh."