Wow, surprise, surprise, I'm updating "After" before I update "Never Again." I know, I'm rather shocked too. Now, before you get alarmed, I promise you that I have been working very hard on "Never Again" and I swear that it is very close to completion. The reason this is being updated first, is that I've actually had the majority of this chapter written, but I just didn't know how to end it. Then, out of the blue, I figured out how to end it and also make it work into the storyline that I'm going to start threading through the rest of this story. So, yay, an update to "After"!

This will be the first, but certainly not the last, chapter from Benny's point of view. Slowly, I am going to hand the reins over to her more and more. I still want to tell Shepard's story, but eventually I want to conclude by making the story about the next generation. This is the chapter about going to Grissom and meeting Jack that I promised. After this, we'll skip ahead again and I have a major plot to start.

Also, on a side note, I wanted to say that I went back recently and reread all of "After." It's been a while since I did so, so in many ways it felt new and fresh - or at least I didn't remember it as well. I was surprised by how much I liked it. As most of you are probably aware, I've always been vocal about my concerns about "After," about it being too sweet, but I officially take all that back. I promise not to be such a downer about it anymore. I think "After" is exactly what it should be. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter.

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The Biotic School

When the shuttle finally docked, Benny was the first one out the door, eager to see the inside of the space station. She'd seen it from a distance when they arrived in the sector: a huge, multi-leveled structure floating in the void. A school, she'd been told. A school for biotics.

Kaidan followed after her, albeit at a slower pace, his face holding less excitement. She couldn't understand why he was so upset. Didn't he see the potential for adventure? An entire space station to explore, new people to meet, and the chance to become a powerful biotic. She would never tell him, but Benny was a little jealous that she couldn't go to the school too.

As her mom and Aunt Ashley joined the two children on the platform, Benny noticed a woman approaching from the opposite end of the docking bay. She was older, with gray hair and a worn, though kind, face. She wore an Alliance uniform, but walked with a sense of ease, and her eyes were the palest blue she had ever seen. Smiling at the two children as she reached their group, she immediately sought out Benny's mom and shook her hand. "Commander Shepard. It's good to see you again. It's been a long time." Benny could never figure out why people used the rank of commander when talking to her mother. Growing up in a military family, Benny had known ranks before she could even read, and she knew that commander was nowhere close to the correct level. But everyone always called her Commander Shepard, and her mother didn't seem the least bit offended.

"It has, Kahlee," Momma agreed. Oddly, her voice sounded slightly more timid than it usually did, as if she were slightly uncomfortable with the meeting. "Thanks for letting us come look at the school."

"It's no trouble at all." The older woman turned to Aunt Ashley and also shook her hand. "You must be Admiral Williams. I've heard a lot about you." Then glancing at Kaidan, she added, "And this must be your son. Kaidan, right?"

The boy just nodded shyly.

Then looking at Benny, the woman said, "And you must be Benezia. I've heard a lot about you as well."

Benny didn't know what to say to that. She didn't know anything about this woman, though apparently she was an important person at the school. She felt sure that this woman wasn't another aunt or uncle, just someone Momma knew from a long time ago.

Luckily, the woman didn't need a reply and she turned her attention back to Kaidan. "I'm sure you'd like to see more of the school. Why don't you follow me and I will show you around?" She motioned for them to follow her and led them out of the docking bay. Kaidan walked with his mom, clutching her hand and peering around at everything. Benny fell back to walk beside her own mother, but she wasn't a baby; she didn't need someone to hold her hand.

They walked through a wide hallway with classrooms on either side. Peering inside the rooms Benny could see desks, though they were empty right now, and posters all over the walls. It looked just like her school back home. The woman who had greeted them talked about classes and other boring things. Benny tuned her out. Then they entered one of the dormitory areas and the woman showed them a typical room that two students would share. This seemed a lot more exciting, and Benny imagined what it would be like to be live by herself like an adult. Well, by herself, plus another kid. But still, it would be like playing house, except it wouldn't be pretend; it would be real.

Aunt Ashley started asking several questions, and they stopped while the woman answered. As Benny continued to look around the dorm, her mother knelt down beside her and said, "Well, what do you think, Benny?"

"Do kids really get to live all by themselves?"

"They're not completely by themselves. It's a boarding school. That means the kids live at the school most of the time, and they are watched over by their teachers. But they do learn to be very independent."

Benny glanced at Kaidan, who was still clinging to his mother's hand. "Why isn't Kaidan excited about coming here? I think it'd be fun."

Momma gave a small smile and placed a hand on Benny's shoulder. "Coming here would mean being away from your family. If you came here it would mean you would live here during the school year. You'd have to leave me and Mommy."

"Oh," Benny said with a frown. She hadn't thought about that. "Does that mean I won't see Kaidan anymore?"

"No, sweetie, you'll see Kaidan. Don't worry. He'll only be here during the school year. He'll go home on breaks and you'll see him the same as before."

She let out her pent up breath, relieved. She'd known Kaidan practically since she was born. She couldn't imagine having to say goodbye forever.

The woman giving the tour, Aunt Ashley, and Kaidan were starting to move down the hall again, and Momma rose to her feet. As she nudged Benny along she said, "You might want to tell Kaidan that you like it here though. It might make him feel better."

Benny nodded. They followed the woman down a series of hallways until they came to a walkway overlooking a large gym. Tall windows looked down into the facility that was set up for biotic training. Several students, all of varying ages, practiced in groups, the sound of their voices muffled by the glass. Benny and Kaidan both eagerly pressed their faces against the windows, straining to get a good look at everything going on. While the students all wore identical workout uniforms, one woman moved about the room dressed in a leather jacket and baggy pants. She shouted at the kids, pointing her finger and occasionally using her own biotics to demonstrate the techniques they were practicing.

"Here we have our biotic gymnasium," said their tour guide. "Commander Shepard, I'm sure you'll recognize our head instructor, Jack."

"Wait," Aunt Ashley said, squinting down at the short woman in the leather jacket. "That's Jack? All this time I thought she was a guy."

"She's also a felon," Momma added with a shrug.

"A what?!"

"She's responsible now. I swear. Being a teacher was really good for her. She loves her students."

"You want me to let a felon train my son in biotics, Shepard?"

"I vouch for her, Ash. Trust me, she's the teacher you want."

Aunt Ashley grumbled something under her breath, but nodded her head.

"Jack is an exceptional teacher," the school director agreed. "I will have you meet her later. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll provide you with a copy of our school curriculum." The adults set off again and Benny reluctantly peeled herself away from the glass. Both she and Kaidan cast glances back towards the gym as they followed behind their parents. Benny wanted to be where the other children were - she wanted to explore.

Spotting an open door and seeing that the adults were absorbed in their own conversation, Benny grabbed Kaidan by the arm and pulled him into the room. He gave her a knowing look, nodded, and they headed for a nearby exit door. Down a flight of stairs and around a corner, they found themselves in a locker room, with rows of lockers, benches, and boxes of equipment. The sound of voices drifted in through a nearby doorway and the children poked their heads out to see the gym where the students were still training. Benny watched as a girl with long, brown hair smashed three disks in the air with her biotics while her friends cheered her on. A red headed boy stepped into her place afterwards and a machine launched three more disks.

"Wow," Benny whispered. "I can't wait until I can do that."

Kaidan raised an eyebrow and frowned. "What's so great about it?" he grumbled. "I'm some kind of freak now. I even have to go to a new school. It isn't fair."

The little asari studied his face, noting the misery in his dark brown eyes and the way he nervously ran a hand through his dark hair. She'd known him all her life - he was her closest friend - and she had never seen him so upset. "We're not freaks, Kaidan," she said. "We're biotics. We'll be able to do all kinds of awesome stuff."

Rolling his eyes, he pushed away from the doorway and sat down on one of the long benches in the locker room. "It's not the same for you, Benny. You're an asari. You're supposed to have biotics. I'm not. Most humans aren't biotics. That's why there's this special school for us."

"My mom is a biotic," Benny said indignantly. Crossing her arms, she came to stand before him and narrowed her eyes. "Besides, who cares what most people are? Do you want to be like everyone else?"

"No," he grumbled, then turning his head to the side and focusing on a spot on the floor, he added, "I don't know. This is all happening so fast."

Softening her expression, Benny sat next to her friend and let a moment of silence fill the air. She knew he was scared, of changing, of losing everything he knew. He'd accept it all in time, but for now he just needed to know that he wasn't going to lose everything. That he wouldn't lose her. So, nudging him with her elbow and grinning, she said, "You know I'm going to be a better biotic than you."

His lips parted in a scowl and he gave her a shove, trying to knock her off the bench. "Yeah, right! I'll be so far ahead of you by the time you get your biotics that you'll never catch up. You've never beat me at anything, anyway."

"Liar!" she teased. She was just about to point out that she had beat him in a race to the shuttle earlier that day, but a sharp voice cracked the air like a whip.

"Who the hell are you little runts?"

Both children's heads snapped towards the doorway to see the woman in the leather jacket, the teacher, standing there and glaring at them. Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts and she looked ready to chew glass. Benny and Kaidan jumped to their feet, their faces suddenly full of fear.

"Sorry. We were just looking," Benny explained.

Kaidan put in, "We'll leave, ma'am."

"No you won't," the woman said, and her tone just dared them to try to defy her orders. Neither child moved a muscle. "What are your names?"

"Kaidan."

"Benny."

To the asari's horror, the woman's eyes narrowed on her, studying her from head to toe. Then she said, "You must be Shepard's kid, huh?"

At that, Benny became immediately suspicious. How did this woman know who she was? How did she know her mother? Finding a bit of nerve, Benny didn't say anything in response and just glared back at the woman.

To her surprise, the woman just laughed at that. "Yup, you're Shepard's kid all right." Then turning her eyes to Kaidan, she added, "That makes you the one named after the dead guy, then. My newest student." Uncrossing her arms, she headed towards the exit, gesturing for them to follow her. "Well, come on. I gotta go say hi to your mom, so I'll take you both back with me." She didn't even look to see if the kids were following.

Benny and Kaidan exchanged glances and then went after her. The three of them walked through the halls in silence for a while until Benny summoned the courage to ask, "How do you know my mom?"

The woman didn't even glance back. "We've seen a lot of terrible shit together. She did me some solid favors. I fought for her. That's about all there is to it."

Benny knew that both her parents had fought in the Reaper War, though she didn't know many of the details. She knew that close family friends like Aunt Ashley, Aunt Tali, Uncle Garrus, and Uncle Wrex had fought in the war too. But she didn't know anything about this woman. What had her mom said the woman's name was? Jack? "You fought in the Reaper War with both my moms?"

At that Jack let out a derisive snort. "I never really knew the blue chick that Shepard ended up with. Met her before, but she seemed like even more of a goody two-shoes than Shepard. I fought in the war, but not with Shepard. We fought together before all that shit even hit the fan."

That answer just confused Benny more. Was this woman in the Alliance with Momma? She didn't seem like the type. Benny exchanged a questioning look with Kaidan, who shrugged, and she decided to let the subject drop. Soon after they ran into Momma, Aunt Ashley, and the school director again.

"I found your kid, Shepard," Jack announced, stopping and crossing her arms beneath her breasts again.

"Jack," Momma replied with a smile. "Good to see you again."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack replied dismissively.

The school director cleared her throat and interjected, "Admiral Williams, this is our head instructor, Jack." Then to Kaidan she added, "And I see you two have already met."

Momma grinned, looked at Benny, and said, "Was Jack nice when you met her?"

Benny didn't know what to say to that. Jack didn't really strike her as a woman anyone would label as "nice." But Jack cut in by chuckling and saying, "You don't have to cover for me, kid. Your mom knows I'm never nice."

"But all of the students love, Jack," the school director interjected, eager to point out Jack's good qualities. "They're absolutely devoted to her."

Jack snorted at that, re-crossed her arms and looked away.

A moment of awkward silence followed for a moment until Aunt Ashley broke it by saying, "So, Kaidan, what do you think? Do you like the school?"

His eyes widened at being put on the spot, and he looked unsure of how to respond. Immediately, he sought out Benny and stared at her with a questioning look, begging her to help him. But she had no idea what to say either. She liked the school, but she wasn't the one who would have to live there. She couldn't, since it was only for human biotics. But he was her oldest friend, and she wanted him to be happy.

Jack's eyes narrowed on him and she let out an irritated tsking noise. "Are you afraid?" she demanded.

He recoiled at the words, shocked that she would be so direct with him like that. Probably also mortified that she was right and had called him out on it. Benny could see his jaw line tighten as he bit back a knee-jerk retort. He seemed to struggle for an answer, and didn't say anything.

"Well, you might as well get over that fear now," Jack went on, as if she were stating the most obvious thing in the world. "You have to step out of your mommy's shadow sometime - or did you want to ride her coattails all your life?" Both Kaidan and Aunt Ashley glared at the woman, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "If you come here, you get to start being your own person. You start deciding whether you're gonna be a badass or just a sad, little punk. Of course you're scared. Being someone different -" She glanced suddenly at Momma and held her gaze for the briefest of seconds before continuing. "Being someone better is scary. But it beats letting someone else control your life. Take it from someone who knows."

Aunt Ashley looked absolutely shocked and she laid a hand on Kaidan's shoulder protectively. The school director looked uncomfortable, but didn't say anything to scold Jack. Surprisingly, Momma nodded slightly, although she looked sad.

Then, suddenly, Jack was looking straight at Benny and she added, "Shit, I feel more sorry for this one than I do for you. People are going to expect -"

"That's enough, Jack," Momma cut in abruptly, her voice in commander mode. Benny only ever heard that tone when she was in trouble and it was clear that Momma would not repeat herself.

Jack's face twisted, as if tasting something sour, but after a moment she slowly nodded and let whatever she was going to say drop. "Point is," she said, turning back to Kaidan, "you should pick your own path, kid. And knowing what to do with your biotics and how to use them are gonna help you do that. You might as well forget about your other fears because when you're in my class, the only thing you'll be afraid of is me."

At that, Jack turned swiftly on her heel and walked away. The last thing she did was call over her shoulder, "See ya, Shepard. We should grab drinks sometime." Then she headed back towards the gym without another word.

Momma just shook her head with a small smile and looked amused. Aunt Ashley let out a huff of air and said, "Well, she wasn't what I was expecting. But I guess I should have known better when you said she was your friend, Shepard."

"Probably," Momma agreed.

The school director said, "I know you probably don't believe me, Admiral, but Jack really is the most amazing teacher I have ever seen. It always starts the same, when students meet her for the first time they despise her. She brings the entire class together in their mutual dislike for her. Then after a few weeks something shifts. I don't know why exactly, but the kids all begin to love her. They hang on her every word. She gives them pride in being biotics. She gives them the desire to be better people." Then, turning to Momma, she added, "And I'm sure you could tell, Shepard, that the students have had an effect on Jack too. She doesn't curse half as much as she used to, and she's softened up. The worst thing she does now is play practical jokes on the rest of the faculty. And she gets the students involved. But that's a small price to pay."

Momma smiled. "I did notice. I noticed the change right after she first started teaching. I'm really happy for her. She deserves to be happy."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it," Aunt Ashley muttered. "She seemed pretty rude to me."

Benny looked at Kaidan and noticed that his expression was thoughtful as he stared down the hall towards the gym. In that second Benny knew that he would agree to go to the school. What Jack had said had struck a chord with him. It had stirred something within Benny too.

"Well," the director said, turning to Aunt Ashley and changing the subject, "you've seen most of the school and met our head instructor. Perhaps you and Kaidan should come to my office and we'll discuss the process of enrollment?"

Aunt Ashley nodded and took Kaidan's hand. They followed after the director while Momma and Benny stayed behind. Momma looked down at Benny and said, "While they're talking, do you want to go back and look at the gym?"

Benny nodded and followed her mother back down the hall. They arrived to see Jack reentering the gym and barking orders. Watching the students' faces carefully, Benny saw them smile at her entrance and eagerly jump to follow her commands. The little asari thought about when Jack had turned to her and said that she felt sorry for her. People were going to expect... what from her? And then Momma had cut Jack off, and she seemed angry. But why? Benny was almost afraid to ask, but now she needed an answer.

"Momma," she said, "what did Jack mean when she said that she felt sorry for me?"

Momma sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Then she knelt down to be on eye level with Benny. "I know you're a very smart girl, Benny, and I know that you've noticed that Mommy and I are fairly well-known by other people. And I also know that you've noticed that your aunts and uncles are all very well respected people too. So, you've probably guessed that our family is... sort of unique." She reached out and took one of Benny's small, blue hands in both of hers. "Jack thinks - and she's probably right - that other people are going to expect that you grow up to be like either Mommy or me. But, sweetheart, I want you to remember that what other people want you to be doesn't matter. Mommy and I want you to be whatever makes you happy. You don't have to be a scientist or a soldier. If you want to be an artist, or a politician, or a businesswoman that's all fine. If you want to study medicine or law or be an athlete of some kind, that's all fine too. You don't have to be like me or Mommy. You are your own person. A wonderful person."

Benny's brow furrowed as she digested her mother's words. She knew that her parents were sort of famous. At least, they knew a lot of powerful people. Aunt Miranda was the human councilor, Aunt Tali was a quarian admiral, Uncle Wrex led the krogan... and the list went on and on. But suddenly she knew that it went deeper than all that. Her parents... they were more than she knew. The rest of the galaxy knew something about them that she didn't.

She loved them though. Of that, she was sure. Why wouldn't she want to be like them? Momma was always telling her to try her best, to strive to be the best. If her parents were the best, then what was wrong with trying to be like them? "What if I do want to be like you?" she asked.

Momma looked surprised, as if the thought had never occurred to her. She took a moment before responding. "I guess that'd be ok too. As long as it was your decision and not someone else's." Then, lowering her voice she added, "But, Benny, you don't really know what it would mean to be like me. Not yet."

"What does it mean to be like you, then?" the little girl asked. She remembered finding out that Momma knew Jack from before the war; her first inkling that her mother's influence went farther back than the Reaper War. Her first inkling that there was more about her parents than she knew.

Her mother shook her head. "I can't say. Not yet." When Benny frowned, Momma added, "It isn't a secret that I want to keep from you, Benny. It's just a conversation we need to have when you're a little older. And I know you don't like hearing that either, but just try to be patient for now. Can you do that?"

Benny nodded, a little sulkily, but she trusted her mother.

"Good. In the meantime, just remember that Mommy and I love you, and you can't make us any prouder than by just being yourself." Standing, Momma still held Benny's hand, and she looked down at her with a smile.

Benny stared back, though it struck her that her mother didn't seem quite like the same person anymore. She knew now that there were things about her parents that she didn't know. That when other people looked at her parents, they saw different people than who she saw.

"I'll race you back to the shuttle," Momma said, letting go of her hand and starting off at a trot.

Benny smiled, ran after, and just like that she felt reassured. Maybe she didn't know everything about her parents, but they were still the same people. She could still play with them, still talk to them, still go to them for comfort. She still loved them, and that was all that mattered.