CHAPTER 6

Moving was a surprisingly painless affair. Rosemary had had more friends than she had known. The news of her family's move to the Citadel spread throughout Little Palaven mere hours after Rosemary's return to Earth. More than a few of Wakey Brews' old customers helped her family pack their belongings and lent a couple of their own vehicles to shuttle them to the Citadel. The crew Rosemary had made weekly frappuccinos for showed up to help, too. By evening, they were all but moved to the Citadel, their belongings waiting for them on one of the docks. Rosemary was at Oliver's school, submitting his notice of withdrawal.

Oliver had been surprisingly understanding when Rosemary broke the news.

"I don't have any friends. But I might make some at a Citadel school. Did you see the Presidium? What was it like? Was there fish?"

Rosemary's heart hurt thinking of her brother. Oliver had never been a social creature, but he had had friends... before the War. After their mother's death, Oliver had refused to talk for over a year. His friends, and eventually his teachers, gave up on him after a while. He had only started talking again for a few months, but he didn't seem inclined to re-join society. He spent most of his time on his omni-tool, studying. He was quiet and mature, but too mature for an eight-year-old, Rosemary felt.

When Oliver was told that Keeya would be living with them, his reaction had been unexpected, but welcome. His blue eyes, much like his sister's, lit up when he saw Keeya. He found her exotic features interesting, but not terribly so. He seemed more interested in her as a person, for which Rosemary was grateful. He agreed to keep Keeya's true appearance a secret, not caring to ask why.

While Rosemary waited for Oliver's file at the school to be updated and formally withdrawn, Keeya and Oliver played in the waiting area with Oliver's action figures. Oliver was showing off his collection with not a little pride. Rosemary smiled as she watched them.

"Rosie got me these last Christmas. I've got the Normandy ship and the whole crew! Well, almost. See? I've got half a Prothean. Our neighbor's dog ate the other half. But I wasn't mad at the dog. Because dogs are awesome."

Oliver said the last bit loudly for his sister's benefit. Rosemary rolled her eyes. This was the most Oliver had spoken in ages, but the dog argument was an old one. They could afford one now, but she didn't even know if the Citadel would allow one. Also, she had enough on her plate. Maybe she could get him a dog... five, ten years from now.

Still, she enjoyed watching him share the set with Keeya. Getting that for him had broken her account. It had been worth it, though, seeing his shock and happy expression when he had unwrapped it. She just wished the neighbor's dog had left Javik the Prothean alone. Every payday, Oliver would nag her to get him a new one.

While they played back at home, Rosemary tried on her new C-Sec uniform that had arrived via messenger. It was tighter around the chest and butt than she would have liked, but she felt like she couldn't complain. She should be thankful for just getting the job. Still... she wished she had talent with a needle... and guns, too. Then maybe she'd fit in more tomorrow, she thought nervously.

"Rosie?"

Rosemary opened the bathroom door to see her brother standing there, holding the Normandy. She looked past him and relaxed. Keeya was happily playing with the Samara and Miranda figures on the carpet, completely absorbed. Then Keeya put them down and grabbed the half-Prothean and stuck him in her mouth. Rosemary winced, glad that Oliver couldn't see her chewing on Javik's head.

"Can I be in C-Sec too, Rosie?"

Rosemary looked at her brother, startled. "Wait, what?"

"If I'm in C-Sec, I can have a gun, right?"

Where had this come from? Rosemary didn't like wherever his mind was going. "Why do you want...? ... No. You can't join C-Sec and you can't have a gun. Why are you asking these things, Ollie?"

Oliver looked down at his bare toes, and wriggled them deeper into the carpet. "I want a job. To help with the bills."

Rosemary smiled and ruffled his hair. "We don't have to worry about bills for a while, kiddo."

"Who's paying our bills," Oliver wanted to know.

"The government."

"Oh. That's okay, then." Oliver almost left it at that and turned to re-join Keeya, when he paused. Without looking back at her, he said, "I know I already have a job, Rosie. My job is to look after Keeya and Dad."

Rosemary smiled. "That's right."

"But... who will look after you?"

Rosemary hugged Oliver from behind. "Don't worry about that, Ollie. I already have someone who will look after me: me."

XOXOXOXO

They had just reached the Citadel when Rosemary received another message from the asari councilor. Her father was responding to correspondence on his omni-tool, and Oliver and Keeya were in the shuttle fast asleep, covered with a fluffy blanket. Rosemary glanced at her father, feeling sad yet again. He had been completely unperturbed by the drastic move and addition to their family. When was the last time he had smiled...? She couldn't recall.

Rosemary returned her attention to Tevos' message and scowled. Of all the... Seriously?! She shouldn't have bothered to search for an apartment! The asari councilor had already withdrawn the necessary funds from her account to purchase a townhouse on the edge of the Presidium. Their belongings had already been moved to the new location, and the contract with the apartment, dissolved. That Tevos lady has serious control issues, Rosemary thought, annoyed.

Great. Rosemary tapped on the shuttle pilot's shoulder and relayed to him the new address.

"Oh, that's no trouble," the batarian pilot assured her. "It's just past the original destination by a quarter mile."

When they arrived at their townhouse, Rosemary had to admit that she was impressed. On the outside, the townhouse was sleek and sophisticated, with clean lines and a neutral palette. Inside, it was surprisingly rustic, with dark wood cabinets, shining wooden floors, exposed rafters, and a stone fireplace. Rosemary approached the fireplace with awe. She didn't know they even existed anymore outside of museums!

The batarian pilot was less impressed. After placing the last of their luggage in the living area, he looked around with a grimace. "You got this place cheap, huh? Look at all this wood. The guy who owned this place before you guys was one weird, cheap bastard. I mean, look at that fire-pit. You need real flames in that thing, right? Talk about an ugly safety hazard..."

Rosemary didn't agree with him at all. She absolutely loved the place! Though... the asari councilor probably did get it cheap. Most of the furniture looked comfortable, but yes, cheap. Oliver and Keeya were wide awake now. They ran through the house, squealing and screeching. Though Rosemary knew there was now a fat chance in hell that she would get any sleep this night, her heart was buoyant with happy relief. Oliver was acting like a kid again. She loved Keeya already, if only for this one gift.

"I'll take one of the upstairs bedrooms," her father told her dully.

Rosemary wasn't given a chance to reply. He was already up the steps with his bags before she could think of something to say. Her happiness dimmed, Rosemary nevertheless set about to explore the townhouse fully. There were in total, three bedrooms, a large kitchen that housed a breakfast nook, a living area, two bathrooms, and a fully furnished basement. The attic was small, but unfinished. Still, if she saved up enough money, it could be a livable space.

This place was a mansion compared to their tiny old one-bedroom apartment. As much as she would have loved to study their new home further and make plans, she had to get the kids to sleep. It was with much whining and keening noises that Rosemary finally got the kids to sleep on one of the couches. She would assemble the beds the next day; she was too tired for that shit now.

Just as she had predicted, she managed to get zero sleep by the time she had to get ready for work. She once again donned her new uniform and prepared that morning's coffee, making it extra strong. A thought occurred to her. Coffee had always helped her make nice with people; why not try it today? She heated up two large pots of coffee, one of them dextro-friendly, the other, not. When they were ready, she put them in a couple of gigantic thermoses and packed up a dozen creamers. Her father had already gone out, leaving his breakfast untouched. Oliver and Keeya were still asleep by the time she was ready to leave for work. She kissed them on the tops of their heads and put on her favorite pair of soft leather boots.

Ding-dong!

Finally. Rosemary ignored the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't have time to pay them any mind. She could be professional. She had to be. Keeya and her family's life depended on it. Balint was their bodyguard, and nothing more.

She opened the door and Balint was there, with a single piece of luggage. She stared at the telling item. "What's that?"

Balint suppressed a smile. "My things. Which room is mine?"

"R-Room? Now wait one minute!"

"That's why you got this place. Me living here is the best thing for your family's safety."

She couldn't argue with that. But, still. Determined to be professional in the face of this calamity, she pointed him in the direction of the downstairs bedroom. Balint shook his head. " That won't do. I'm a sniper, love. High places suit me best. Is the attic taken?"

"It's not finished!" Love? What self-respecting turian used that sort of human endearment? He must have watched too many human films, she thought sourly. "And wouldn't a room close to the door be best?"

Balint waved aside her concern. "That's what security systems are for. The engineer will have it done by noon. If the threat goes on for too long, we'll get a guard animal. Maybe a varren."

God, varrens stunk. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. She decided to leave everything else up to him. He may be their bodyguard assigned by C-Sec, but at this moment he was nothing but a babysitter. The thought made her grin. "I put in a grocery order for this afternoon, and the kids' breakfast just needs to be heated when they get up. They'll need showers. Keep them clean, fed, and entertained. If you feel the need to unpack some things, please feel free to do so."

Balint smiled at her bossy tone. "You're bringing all that? Need any help," he asked gesturing to the big thermoses.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." She placed the thermoses on top of each other and kept them in place with her chin. With her other hand, she opened the door. "See you later."

"Oh, and Rosemary?"

"Hm?"

"Good luck."

XOXOXOXO

By mid-morning, Rosemary wished that luck had caught. From the moment she entered the C-Sec offices in the embassies, everyone had been silent around her... and staring. Captain Veracia, the head of C-Sec was there to welcome her himself.

He set her to work immediately. He showed her to a desk right next to the bathrooms, already piled high with paperwork. Without a word of explanation, he coldly told her he expected that day's work to be done in exactly seven hours.

Okay... Not knowing what to do at all, Rosemary made room on the desk for the coffee thermoses. She stared at the paperwork in front of her. Now what?

"Sorry I'm late," a C-Sec officer apologized, dragging over a chair to sit next to Rosemary's desk. "I'm your new partner, Nuni'Gera vas Haawal. You're Rosemary... Flootcher, right?"

"Fletcher," Rosemary corrected, frowning. Partner? But she technically wasn't C-Sec... wasn't she just the clerical help? "I'm sorry, 'partner'? But you're an officer... aren't you?"

Nuni'Gera vas Haawal wore the standard-issue C-Sec armor, even if it was outfitted especially for a quarian. With a free home planet, quarians had only started applying for jobs outside the Quarian Fleet less than a year ago. It would be another year before they could function without a mask off-planet, but according to the gossip Rosemary had heard at Wakey Brews, quarians made decent C-Sec officers. The gang wars were already starting, and quarians had proved themselves especially adept at slowing down their progress by dismantling and sabotaging their tech.

Nuni slumped in her seat. "I guess I am... Technically. Veracia hates me." She shrugged when she saw Rosemary's confused look. "He hates almost everyone. You know he got promoted only when Bailey became Commander. Very bitter about it. Bullied half the humans off the force. Still, he's decent to any officer that's turian."

Rosemary tried not to be too obvious as she looked around the large office. There were only a couple humans, but there were also several quarians sprinkled amidst the turians, asari, and salarians. Could her new boss really afford to be so partial to his own race? "That seems... wrong?"

"Welcome to your new and improved C-Sec," Nuni sighed. "Veracia really didn't like it when the turian councilor assigned Fortem to your family's protection. He was straight out pissed when he got told you'd be working here. So yeah, prepare to be his new favorite torture victim."

Her new partner's concern was 'touching'. "Thanks?"

"Working with the secretary, Nuni? Tough break," an asari teased Nuni, coming over to join them at Rosemary's desk. She looked to be in her maiden years, but with a hardened set to her jaw. She was also not C-Sec.

The asari extended her hand to Rosemary. "Yadai K'Mohi. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

A Spectre. For ten seconds, Rosemary was well and fully starstruck. A real-life Spectre. The closest she had never come close to a Spectre was to one of Oliver's action figures. Rosemary stared at Yadai K'Mohi's offered hand a little too long. Yadai grinned. "Not gonna keep it there all day, human."

"S-Sorry! Rosemary Fletcher. I'm C-Sec's new, um... secretary." She shook the Spectre's hand, trying to regain her composure. Even K'Mohi's hand felt tough, scarred and rough. Her skin was almost cerulean in shade, and her face tattoos were patterned in a way that reminded her of the asari councilor's, only in jet black ink.

The Spectre looked at the thermoses on Rosemary's desk. "That's a lot of coffee for one human."

"Oh! It's not all for me. I brought them in from home for anyone who wants some," Rosemary hastily explained.

K'Mohi perked up. She held up a metal cup. "Nice! That's why I'm here. Spectre Requisitions doesn't provide their Spectres with beverages, unfortunately. Mind if I have a cup?"

"Sure! I've got dextro and non. What's your poison?"

K'Mohi's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Rosemary winced. "Sorry. Human saying."

The Spectre shook her head. "Kind of a twisted one. Anyway, I'll take the non."

Rosemary quickly poured the coffee into K'Mohi's cup. "Creamer?"

"Sure."

Rosemary mixed in a little sugar and some hazelnut cream, and handed the concotion back to the Spectre. K'Mohi took a tentative sip, then moaned with pleasure. "Oh, I'm coming here more often. You should try a cup, Nuni."

The quarian was already pouring some dextro-coffee into her own cup. When she mixed in a few drops of Rannoch Spicer cream, her reaction was very similar to her friend's. "Keelah, this is bliss. It's waking me up, too."

Rosemary relaxed. Not a bad start to a new job at all.