AN: Thanks to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed and special thanks to my beta Spyke1985.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five - Red Handed

Sarah leant over her desk, furiously scribbling away at the paper map of the Citadel in front of her. She could almost see it... if she could just-

"I still don't understand why you insist on using that outdated device." Tiberius said, indicating to her pen. She frowned a little as he pulled her out of her daze, but then smiled as she leant back in her chair, shaking her head. She figured that she needed a break anyway.

"Computers don't like me. So, I don't use them." She told him simply and he raised a browplate, humor filling his sub-harmonics.

"I'm sure that that's not true." He said and she shrugged, still smiling. Over the past two weeks they had settled into a steady routine and they were working well together. He had caught her smiling more than once and, perhaps more surprisingly, he had caught himself smiling too.

She had apologized to Philip and Tiala the day after the nightclub incident and they had accepted her story about having too much to drink, although he suspected that the asari was onto her by the look she had given the human female. Although, since then Sarah and Tiala had seemed to be getting on quite well and Tiberius figured they were becoming fast friends.

So, whenever either of them had a spare few moments, Philip and Tiala often found their way to Sarah and Tiberius's desks. Something neither of them were too thrilled about, since it distracted them from their work, but Sarah had to admit that Hilary had been right. So, they all had lunch together and Sarah met up with them at the bakery after work and then, after closing, she would climb out of her window and make her way to the roof, where Tiberius would be waiting for her. Their relationship was a strange one, all cold and professional at work but when they met at night they were slowly turning into close friends.

Tiberius let his mind wander to the night after the incident at Purgatory when he had been minding his own business back up on the rooftop...

"Hey." A soft voice came from behind him, sub-harmonics trilling with uncertainty. He turned to see Sarah standing sheepishly behind him and he let his sub-harmonics trill a little with surprise.

"Hey." He replied, equally uncertain and she smiled weakly at him. She hadn't said much to him at work that day, remaining cool and professional. As if the night before had never happened. And, yet, here she was.

"I just wanted to... I wanted to thank you. For not telling anyone about last night..." She mumbled, running her hand through her hair.

"It wasn't my secret to tell." He replied simply and she smiled at him, genuinely and warmly.

"I... Spirits, I act like a complete bitch and end up with a friend like you. How did that happen?" She joked, her sub-harmonics filled with self-deprecation as she twisted her plait in her hands.

"To be fair, I don't deserve all of this credit. It was Philip and Tia who asked you to hang out with them in the first place. They care about you. We all do." He said and she frowned.

"But why?" She asked, still sounding unsure as she sat down beside him.

"Don't know." He said honestly, shrugging. She rolled her eyes at that.

"Well, that's a great help." She said sarcastically and he shook his head.

"Those two have been bugging me since I started at the Academy. Well, Tia has, at least. I still have no idea why." He told her and she smiled again, her hands moving to twist her plait once more.

"So, why do you care?" She asked, her voice almost too quiet for him to hear.

"I... I'm not sure. I like working with you, I guess. You don't... You don't treat my being quiet as something that you need to fix." He said and she smiled softly.

"Yeah, I guess that's why I didn't push you away last night. You seem to understand me. Better than anyone else, at least." He shook his head at that.

"I think you're just not giving other people enough of a chance." He said and she shrugged.

"In my experience, people are bastards. Or worse, idiots. I have the patience for neither." She told him, her voice neutral and detached. As if she were telling him that two plus two equaled four.

"Maybe you just haven't met the right people." He suggested and she smiled a little.

"Maybe…"

Every night since then she had shown up when he was out. In the office they were still professional (although she had lost some of her coldness) but he was glad that she was finally treating him like a friend.

"Tiberius?" She asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He asked and she smiled.

"I said that I should tell you about the time I once managed to cut the power to half of the ship. You kind of zoned out there for a moment." She said and he shook his head.

"Sorry." He said and she raised an eyebrow.

"What were you thinking about so intently?" She asked and he clamped down on his sub-harmonics as he prepared to lie. There was no way on Palaven that his response was going to be 'you'.

"Just thinking about the latest intel..." He said, keeping his eyes focused on her scrawlings across the Citadel map as she leant forward and rested her head on her hands, regarding him closely.

"Liar." She said and his sub-harmonics almost trilled with frustration. He wasn't used to others being close enough to him to be able to get a good read. Tiala was the only person who had threatened to get that close in years, and saying that he wasn't happy about it would be an understatement. Although, he knew that she wasn't used to it either and he would get his revenge the next time the opportunity arose to catch her out.

He was about to make a witty retort when she sat up rather suddenly.

"Tia?" She asked as the asari walked into the room. Sarah had surprised herself by becoming good friends with Tiala. The asari was very tech-minded but she was sweet. Although Sarah suspected that there was a past hidden behind that sweetness. But, as Tiberius had told her, 'everybody has something'.

So, Sarah figured that she knew Tiala well enough to say that the dark cloud over her head was extremely unusual.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked when the asari didn't respond, careful to keep her tone calm and reassuring as she was all too aware of how abrasive she could seem if she wasn't mindful enough.

"Yeah... Just... Goddess, I really hate patrol jobs." She said, slipping down into Tiberius's chair.

"What happened?" Sarah asked and Tiala sighed.

"A woman got shot in one of the lower wards. We got the bastard that killed her, but she had a daughter with her... She didn't see what happened and I... I had to explain to this kid that her mother got her brains blown out and... And wasn't coming back..." Tiala leant back in the chair and Sarah noticed the tears threatening to fall from her eyes, suddenly very unsure of what to do. She'd never been the best at reassuring others but she gave Tiala her best look of understanding and hoped that it was enough. No one liked that part of the job.

Although, Tiala's gaze wasn't on Sarah but over her shoulder. The asari's expression softened.

"Goddess, I'm an idiot. Sorry, Tiberius." She said and Sarah spun around to see that the turian's skin had paled beneath his plates and his mandibles were pressed tightly against his face. Sarah let her sub-harmonics trill with concern as she pressed a hand to his arm. He pulled away from her touch and shook his head.

"It's nothing." He told Sarah, a little harshly. She simply nodded, not taking it personally. She knew all too well what it looked like when someone was running from their past. She figured that he would tell her when he was ready and she decided that she would try to be sensitive and not push the issue. Not that she was happy about it... "Tia, if anything you're the one who's the most likely to be affected by this." He said, turning his attention to Tiala who frowned at him.

"I'm fine." She told him before sighing. "Or, at least, I will be..." She said, smiling weakly, before she left the room again, leaving Sarah more than a little confused.

The dark cloud had quickly spread from Tiala to everyone and had remained until they were ready to leave the office. It didn't help Sarah's mood when she felt a splitting headache begin to form. A sure sign that she would have nightmares that night. She was the first one in the locker room and she let her hand rest over the med-tube containing the sedatives.

She knew that she couldn't keep them at home. If either of her aunts found them, they would tell her parents. And she figured that there was nothing worse than sitting in front of her parents while they tried to be understanding and explain to her what she already knew all too well. That there was no guarantee that she was free and clear. That she shouldn't do anything that might increase the risk of her becoming sick again.

"Krogan sedatives? Impressive." She spun around and punched the owner of the voice. It took a few moments for her to realize that it was Philip.

"Hell, Rookie! You punch hard for a girl…" He said as he made sure that she hadn't broken anything, wiping the blood from his nose.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" She hissed threateningly. He held his free hand up in surrender.

"I know, I know, I didn't think. So, you're into the hard stuff, huh?" He asked, indicating to her locker. She froze and for a moment he thought that the phrase 'deer in the headlights' had never fit a sight so perfectly (Except, of course, for an actual deer in headlights).

"I… They're not… I mean… They're not for me. Well, they are but… It's not what you think…" She floundered and he held up his hand once more.

"Hey, it's cool. You think you're the only one with 'medication' in their locker? Just don't get caught with it. Then they authorize a building-wide search of every locker and if I get caught then it'll probably be the last straw." He said and she nodded. She checked the med-tube and sighed. There was only one dose left. She pocketed it and shut the locker as Tiala and Tiberius entered the room.

"You guys ready to go?" Tiala asked and they nodded. She frowned, looking at Philip. "What happened to you?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Nosebleed." He said Tiala nodded in acceptance, still unusually quiet. Philip winked at Sarah as soon as she turned her back and Sarah couldn't help but smile a little at his goofy attitude.

"You coming with?" She asked Tiberius. She asked him every day and every day he said no. But she still asked.

"No. I'm busy." He gave his usual reply.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you later?" She asked, as she always did, but to her surprise, he shook his head.

"No, sorry… There's something I have to do." He said, his sub-harmonics trilling with apology. At that moment Sarah realized just how much she had become used to their routine.

"It's fine." She told him, unsure of if it was true. "See you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah, see you." He said before leaving the locker room.

"Don't take it personally." Tiala told her and Sarah frowned a little at how easily the asari could read her. "He… Today reminded him of something he'd rather forget." Tiala said and Sarah nodded mutely. It was always the problem with being the new girl; old stories and shared experiences that she would never be a part of. She felt isolated and, for once, the feeling was not of her own making. She quickly came to the conclusion that she didn't like it.

"Way to be cryptic, Tia." Philip said, frowning at the asari, and Sarah smiled a little. Evidently, she wasn't the only one feeling excluded. "You can't just hint that Smiley has some deep, dark secret and then not tell us what it is." He said and Sarah couldn't help but agree a little.

"You are being kind of a tease, Tia." She pointed out and the asari fixed her with a glare that clearly said 'mind your own business'.

"I'm not spilling his secrets. Think of it this way: how would you feel if he had been telling me all about what you told him that night after you left Purgatory." She said slyly and Sarah froze momentarily. Had Red gone behind her back and talked about her with Tiala? She was quickly overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal but was brought out of it by Tiala's hand on her shoulder. She surprised herself by not harming the asari.

"I'm sorry. That was cruel of me. He hasn't said anything, despite my prodding. What I know, I pieced together myself." She told Sarah, who shook her head in response.

"Has anyone told you that you're a first class bitch, Tiala?" Sarah asked, only half-jokingly, and Tia smiled.

"Takes one to know one." She replied, linking her arm with Sarah's and grinning. Philip gave them both an incredulous look.

"Women!" He exclaimed, causing them both to laugh a little. "I do not understand you at all!" He said and Tiala's grin widened at him as she linked her other arm through his.

"Good. It's no fun if you can figure us out too easily."

A little while before the bakery closed, Tiala got up to leave.

"Sorry, I have to go. There's something I have to do." She said and Philip frowned at her.

"Okay, well then I'll come with." He said and she shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and Philip's frown deepened but he didn't say anything.

"One sec." Sarah told him as she rushed off after Tiala.

"Hey, Tia!" She yelled as she ran up to her. "I was just wondering… how much do you know, exactly?" She asked and the asari shrugged.

"I have a degree in psychology. I know a panic attack when I see one." She said simply. "Add to that the fact that you and Tiberius have been much friendlier ever since, it didn't take much for me to realize that you must have ran into him." Sarah nodded at that.

"Yeah." She said and Tiala smiled at her.

"I haven't told anyone, if that's what you're worried about. And neither Philip nor Tiberius would be astute enough to figure it out without you telling them." She said and Sarah frowned a little.

"Actually, Red did figure it out." She admitted and Tiala folded her arms, frowning a little.

"Huh. Normally that boy is the worst at reading others. And that's saying something, given that Philip is my best friend." Sarah smiled a little at that.

"That explains the 'cop walk' then…" She said and Tiala smiled at her.

"Well, I have to go. See you tomorrow?" She asked and Sarah nodded.

"Yeah, sure." She said before heading back to the bakery, only to find Philip leaving.

"Hey, I was going for a walk. Wanna come with?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure."

They eventually came to a stop at one of the many artificial parks and sat on the grass. Sarah still found it disorienting that, despite the late hour, it was still bright out. Not that they were actually 'out'.

Sarah smiled as she spotted a dandelion clock amongst the flowers.

"Huh. You would have thought that they wouldn't have weeds on the Citadel." He said and she just kept smiling.

"Dandelions are clever, persistent little buggers." She said, picking the clock from amongst the sea of red and blue. "They are rather difficult to kill, especially without killing the surrounding plants, and they produce a ridiculous number of seeds, each with their own little parachute so that they can travel hundreds of metres from their parent plant." She said and Philip frowned.

"So?" He asked and she shrugged.

"So, we so frequently think of sapient life as the top of the evolutionary food chain but here we are, unable to rid ourselves of this little weed." She said, blowing the seeds from the clock so that they dispersed around them, and he shook his head.

"Fuck, Rookie. If you're going to get all philosophical on me then I am getting high." He said, pulling a joint from his jacket.

"Marijuana? Wow, that is old school. What's next? Opium? Perhaps while wearing a top hat…" She joked and he shook his head.

"Mock all you like, at least mine's not illegal. Want some?" He offered and she shook her head. She wasn't an idiot. There was no way that she was risking her health for…

I am such an idiot… She thought to herself, shaking her head. Wasn't that exactly what she had been doing? She pulled the med-tube from her jacket and braced herself as she placed it under the heel of her boot and crushed it.

"Good riddance." She said and Philip grinned at her as she sat back down, cross legged, on the grass.

"Wow, I was honestly thinking that would take longer." He said and she fixed him with a glare.

"There's no way that you… Did you just play me?" She asked, refusing to believe that he was smart enough to pull it off.

"Why is everyone always shocked when I actually manage to do something right?" He asked and she smiled, shaking her head.

"You do know that this means that I'm not going to sleep tonight. And I will be blaming you in the morning." She said and he nodded before giving her a sly smile.

"You know, there are other ways to tire yourself out…" He said, his voice filled with suggestion.

"Keep dreaming." She told him and he shrugged.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He said and she nodded. Truth was, she was tempted but she didn't want things to get messy. Plus, while her figure looked human when she was carefully clothed, there was no way that she could hide the differences if she removed her clothing.

"Ask me when I'm drunk." She told him and he grinned.

"Alright, so, what's with you and dandelions?" He asked and she shrugged.

"I admire their ability to survive." She said and he frowned.

"There's more to life than survival." He pointed out.

"Maybe. But it's a good starting point." She said and he frowned.

"So, you're happy to just survive? Is this why you wouldn't do any special training?" He asked and she nodded.

"I guess. If you grow up with legends then you start to think that that's just how life is. But I never wanted that. I am small and I am happy with small." She told him and he frowned at her.

"You never wanted something more? To be extraordinary?" He asked, disbelieving.

"No. I want to survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I think I prefer to be nameless and unnoticed." She admitted and he nodded.

"Well, you're certainly that. I mean, I don't even know your name. Does Smiley know it?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No. No one does." She admitted.

"Well, I suspect your aunts do." He joked. "But I don't know Kara's maiden name…"

"And you never will." She told him smugly and he sighed.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me that then you could at least tell me what went on that night at Purgatory. Given that Tiala and Smiley already know." He said and she sighed, nodding.

"I don't like crowds." She told him simply and he shook his head.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" He asked and she shrugged.

"I don't like admitting weakness." She told him and he sighed.

"I meant what I said, you know. On your first day? About you being one of us, I mean. I didn't just mean a trouble-maker. Tia and I, hell even Smiley, we all came here looking for fresh starts." He said.

"So, what are you running from?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Family." He said and she frowned a little.

"What, mummy didn't love you enough?" She joked weakly and he nodded, sighing.

"Yeah, pretty much. Let's just say, I would never bring a boyfriend home. And I would certainly never bring a girl like Tia home." He said and she frowned.

"You mean an alien?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. Intolerant assholes." He muttered and she brought her knees up to her chest.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…" She started but he shook his head.

"No, fair is fair. I asked about you." He reasoned and she frowned a little.

"So, how'd you get here?" She asked and he lay back in the grass, watching the fake clouds pass by.

"I saved up all my money and I was on the first transport off Earth as soon as I hit sixteen. I wasn't planning on staying here. Too expensive. I figured that Omega would be as good a place as any to end up. Or maybe one of the colonies out in the Terminus. But, the first day here I met Tia. I tried to chat her up and when she asked if I was here to apply for the C-Sec Academy, I told her yes. But then I figured; why the hell not? I had the minimum grades. So, I applied and by some miracle I got in. Of course, when I finally got around to asking Tia out, she turned me down. Plus, she skipped the Academy and went straight to the entrance exams." Sarah frowned a little at that.

"How come?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Don't know. She refuses to talk about her past before coming to the Citadel with anyone. Which I think is a little unfair, given that she knows everything about me. I think the only one that knows is Smiley and that's only because he got a look at her file." He said.

"I guess that explains their cryptic conversation before. I don't suppose you know what Red's secret is?" She asked jokingly and Philip shrugged.

"Not really. We didn't hang in the same circles at the Academy. He just seemed like any other guy, a little quiet maybe, but fine otherwise. And then one day he didn't. Rumour was that he got pulled out of class with some news from home. He left for a couple of weeks and when he came back he stopped talking with everyone. He didn't do anything but work. Still doesn't. I think you and Tia are the only friends he's made in the last three years…" Sarah suddenly felt bad about asking. If Red wanted to tell her then he would, she shouldn't be sneaking about in his private business.

"Philip?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell the others about…" She trailed off, indicating to the broken med-tube, and he nodded.

"Hurts, doesn't it? Caring?" He asked and she laughed hollowly.

"Yeah." She said simply and he nodded.

"But I think it's who you are. You may not like it and you may not want to be that way, but you can't help but care about people. Hurt and all." He said and she regarded him for a moment, wondering how he had so much insight into her problems.

"You know, I was too damn empathic as a kid. It actually freaked people out a little. I wanted nothing more than to help people so that they were no longer in pain. And I was too willing to give everything I had in order to do it." Philip raised an eyebrow at that.

"Then you realized the consequences of not looking out for number one?" He asked and she sighed.

"Something like that." She admitted and he nodded.

"The world is too cruel to allow for that kind of naivety." He said and she frowned.

"Then why does it feel like a loss and not a gain?" She asked and he sighed.

"Because no one ever said the world had to make sense…"

"I figured you'd be here." Tiala said, causing Tiberius to jump a little.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." He told her, his sub-harmonics trilling with annoyance.

"Sorry. I figured that you would hear me coming." She said and he growled a little.

"What are you doing here? If I wanted company, I would have told Blue where I was going." He said angrily and she shrugged.

"But that would involve you telling her about your mother." She pointed out and he sighed.

"So, what are you doing here? Besides harassing me, I mean?" He asked and she shrugged once more.

"You're the one in an asari temple." She pointed out and he folded his arms.

"Mom… She was big on asari religion. I think it was more of a comfort to her than the Spirits after my father died." He admitted and Tiala nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know if my mom was big on religion or not. Although my name is a religious one." She said and Tiberius frowned.

"How so?" He asked.

"Tiala was the name of an ancient asari huntress. She was said to have been blessed by Athame with strength, wisdom and beauty. I think it's a load of bull, but I don't know what she thought…" She trailed off.

"Your father didn't tell you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"He didn't like to talk about her. And by the time I was old enough to start asking questions…" She trailed off.

"Sorry." He said and she gave him a sad smile.

"It's okay. It was just hard today. She's going to hate me for the rest of her life…"

"The girl?" He asked.

"Yeah. I know I do. That's not a moment in your life that you forget."

"No, it isn't…"