Chapter 18: Parents and Soldiers
"This is exactly why I'm getting out, Brawler." Owens stated in exhaustion while sharing a meal with his friend.
The two Alliance Veterans were in the middle of dinner in the enormous mess hall of Arcturus Station where hundreds of other soldiers were also gathered and enjoying a hard earned break from the recent battles they'd fought. Many had just returned from the campaigns near Elysium and others from the lesser known skirmishes against raiders that had recently erupted in the Skyllian Verge. The one thing that they all had in common was battle fatigue. With the Alliance holdings in the fringe areas of space now finally secure, they were all hoping to get a little R&R.
"I can't really see you retiring, Gabe. If you're really serious about it, I won't try to stop you but I am wondering what it is exactly that you plan to do." Hawkins mused before spearing a piece of the brisket that he was in the middle of eating with his fork.
"Come on Brawler, after all these years you should know by now what a multi-talented guy I am. I've got plenty of options." Owens quipped. Hawkins simply stared back at him with a look of incredulity before he finally gave in. "Fine, if you want to know that badly, I'm planning to start my own security firm. It'll be small, nothing too fancy. I'll primarily cater to the more modest and less wealthy clientele of the galaxy. Freighter captains, other retired vets, small time merchants, low level dignitaries-basically anybody who can't afford the Terminus Wolves or their rivals." he explained.
"Gabe, that actually sounds like a good idea." Hawkins thoughtfully replied. "It'll still be tough though, especially if you plan to handle the jobs on your own."
"Relax Brawler, I've already got a few guys in mind to help me during my startup phase and the jobs I plan on handling won't require more than a handful of specialists." Owens assured him. "And like I said before, it's time for me to get out. I ended up giving the Alliance way too much. Over two decades of my life, a failed marriage, two kids I never see and an ex that I'm barely on speaking terms with. I really fucked things up pretty badly, didn't I?"
"Gabe…Christy doesn't hate you, you know that right?"
"She may as well. Brawler, this isn't how I planned for things to turn out. When Sweetness and I tied the knot, I swore to myself I'd work hard every day to deserve her. And what did I end up doing? I let this damn job consume me and worse yet, I used it as an excuse to escape for awhile and betray her. She had every right to leave and take the girls. I didn't have any right to be with them after everything that happened. You'd think that would've been my wake-up call but nope, I continued the dumbass streak of mistakes by shacking up with an old flame on Omega of all places. We both know how that turned out. But of course my crowning achievement of stupidity and failure, the epitome of bad decisions that cost me my one chance to make things right with Sweetness was that damned Bekenstein op. I hurt her again, stabbed her in the heart for a second time with another damned fling. But hey, at least the mission was a success. All hail the Alliance." Owens bitterly rambled.
"Gabe, why'd you agree to it? I told you when they tapped us-"
"I know Brawler. You tried to warn me. You were the only one who tried to talk some sense into this wily idiot. And I almost spat in your face for it." Owens continued remorsefully. "Darryl, I'm sorry. I've said it before, but I'm sorry. Now that I think about it, you're practically the only real friend I've got left."
Hawkins took a minute to take in the sight of his tired and broken comrade before finally dropping his fork, reaching across the table and gently slapping Owens across the head. "You've still got Ethan and Rick too. And there aren't any hard feelings between us. That whole damn mission was a nightmare and I made sure both daddy-in-law and the Councilor understood that when I submitted my report. Why else do you think we've been stuck on pirate detail for so long?"
"I just figured it was the usual bullshit with your reputation. I guess pissing off the Councilor went a long way towards sidelining you from any serious work, unless they really need you." Owens quipped.
"To be perfectly honest, I could care less. As long as I'm handling assignments that are helping the Alliance, I'm happy. The fact that I've been following up on info that Hackett has been slipping me is even better. It means I don't have to put up with Shepard's garbage." Hawkins replied frankly.
"That can't be good for your home life, Brawler. Acting on Hackett's behalf when Shepard's the one who's officially running the show now, it's not affecting things with your wife, is it?" Owens carefully asked.
"Allie knows how much Hackett means to me, she's always known. He's the biggest reason why I accepted the position of SPECTRE in the first place. And she knows how much her father and I butt heads. We both agreed that things would be better this way. She and Ethan can handle Shepard's jobs while I keep in touch with Hackett. He may be retired now but he's still got his ear to the ground when it comes to what's going on. This is the way I'd prefer it." Hawkins explained resolutely.
"Try not to get into anything too sketchy once I'm gone. I know you've got Torres and Gordon to watch your back now but…just watch yourself Brawler." Owens quietly requested.
"I'll be fine Gabe, we'll all be fine. Every lunatic who decided to join my crew did it because they were the best at what they do and the worst at following rules. That's exactly why we've always managed to come out on top no matter how ugly things got." Hawkins assured him.
"I'll drink to that." Owens joked before raising his cup and draining the contents. "On a less somber note, how are things with the family? Is Baby Brawler still causing a ruckus?"
"Keith is just being himself, which is hard to do in this family." Hawkins replied before releasing a sigh and leaning back in his chair. "He's too much like me and that rubs a few people the wrong way. Allie's always worrying about where he'll end up if he keeps getting into fights and provoking his teachers. She tries her hardest to explain that to him whenever we're all at home but they always end up yelling at each other. Then he runs off to Ethan or David's and I'm left to deal with the mess afterwards. Allie being upset and blaming herself for how things turned out-you know, the usual."
"Blaming herself?"
"Before Keith was born, she was hoping for a girl and now she thinks that she subconsciously sabotaged any hope they have of building a meaningful maternal relationship because of latent disappointment." Hawkins explained.
"Did that come from a shrink?" Owens humorously asked.
"Sort of, it's technically from a book written by one. Gotta love that psychoanalytical mumbo jumbo." Hawkins scoffed.
"Damn, Brawler. Well you'll all get through it. They've got you after all and you've always been the best when it comes to parenting, better than me anyway." Owens said encouragingly.
"Gabe, go see the girls. Christy is still in R&D working under Traynor. You can drop in once we get back to Earth. She may yell and say a few things that she doesn't really mean but in the end, she'll listen to what you have to say. All three of them will." Hawkins urged.
"Alright, Brawler. Right now I don't have the energy to argue with you and part of me wants to follow your advice. It would be nice to see them again before I head out." Owens mulled.
"Make sure you stay in touch once you do leave and give me a call after you get set up. I want to hear how you're doing in the future." Hawkins ordered while smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I'll always keep my best friend in the loop." Owens assured him before smiling back.
"Another fight, Ethan. That's the third time this month and he was already on probation. God, what am I going to do with him?" Allie pondered in exasperation while sitting with her brother in a conference room. "He never listens to anything I say, he ignores me whenever I'm home-if it weren't for Darryl, he'd probably already be roaming the streets by now."
"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Ethan humorously asked. "He's a good kid, Allie. I think certain people are just expecting a little too much from him." he seriously added.
"And by 'certain people' you mean me? Ethan, I just want him to stay out of trouble and put a little thought into what he's going to do in a few years."
"Allie, he's not joining the Alliance. Neither are Leanne and Noah. I've made my peace with it and so has David. I think it's time you did the same."
"I never said he had to, I just wanted…Ethan, he needs some kind of structure. He'd benefit from the discipline more than any of the others and we wouldn't have to worry about him getting killed in some street fight a few years from now."
"That would never happen. Darryl's never lost a fight, so why would he?" Ethan joked.
"I'm being serious."
"Allie, listen to me. The harder you push, the further you'll drive him away. Right now, you're just sending him to us and that's fine. Zoe and I are always glad to have Keith over and so are David and Sophie but if you keep this up as he gets older, he might start wandering into places that aren't filled with family. And that's when we'll all have to start worrying." Ethan seriously explained.
Allie took a moment to consider her brother's words before finally collapsing into a chair behind a conference table. "I really blew it, didn't I? I was so proud when Angelica decided to join. She was the easiest to look after, except for a few occasional mishaps. Her grades were perfect, she never talked back, she was at the top of her class in everything and she never pushed me away. I can still remember when she first told me that she'd made it into the Valkyries, that was definitely one of the happiest days of both our lives. The only drawback was the fact that she'd gotten assigned to Amy's division instead mine or Zoe's." she fondly reminisced. "Jayce follows her example perfectly and Kevin stays out of trouble for the most part too. But Keith can't help but jump headfirst into it, like he's spiting me. I just can't seem to reach him. Angelica tries to act as a bridge between us but she can't get through to him either." she quietly lamented. "Ethan, I think my baby may hate me."
"No, he doesn't." Ethan emphatically stated. "He may hate authority, the family legacy and being told what to do but he doesn't hate you, Allie. I can promise you that."
"I wish I could believe you." Allie whispered before shutting her eyes and shedding a few tears.
"Based on our reconnaissance reports, we've effectively wiped out the remaining contingents in the Vetus System. I think we should maintain a stronger presence here just in case, especially with construction of the Sparrow Research Station nearing completion." David advised while facing his father inside his office on Arcturus.
"That's a relief." Shepard replied before examining his youngest son and smiling. "So, how's the Normandy been treating you, Captain?"
"I've got no complaints, aside from your taste in furniture." David joked. "I hope you don't mind but Sophie and I took the liberty of redecorating the captain's cabin."
"That depends on what you two decided to change." Shepard replied with a hint of annoyance. "Well, she is your ship now. I'll have to take a tour one of these days."
"Be my guest, just don't freak out too much. We changed a few things in the lounge too." David casually continued.
"Why? Never mind, like I said before she's yours now." Shepard brusquely reiterated.
"Ethan liked what we'd done and so did Darryl. EDI was happy too."
"Basically if I happen to have any complaints, I'll just be the old man grumbling with his nostalgia glasses." Shepard replied before shaking his head. "No, I'm not old. Not yet."
"Whatever you say, Dad." David replied brightly while smirking. "Once we've finished resupplying, we'll head to the Citadel to pick the kids up and then go home. I spoke with Will an hour ago and he says Isaac and Hannah have finally arrived to help manage the hellions. Angelica's lending a hand too along with Mal's oldest boy, Vince."
"The one he picked up and adopted, right? I've been hearing a lot about him recently."
"So have I. He's become one of Mal's top enforcers and a bane to every pirate and criminal who's been stupid enough to challenge them." David explained.
"It sounds like he has a little army of his own." Shepard mused. "He hasn't been by to visit in awhile. I guess that's to be expected with Angelica being all grown up now and visiting him herself."
"Mal always said he'd be there for Angelica, if nothing else." David quietly replied. "We can't say he didn't keep his word."
A brief silence passed between the two men as they contemplated the possible relevance of Mal's absence. "So how are things with the kids?" Shepard finally asked in an effort to change the subject.
"Cammie's been giving us a few headaches but nothing serious and Benji just won another trophy."
"What did he dominate this time?" Shepard humorously inquired.
"Boxing but it was just a small regional competition, nothing too big. We're really proud of him though." David cheerfully explained.
"I'll bet. Kickboxing, wrestling, track and now regular boxing. Are he and Kevin having a competition for awards that we don't know about?" Shepard joked.
"Darryl and I were just laughing about it earlier, how we'd both have to get to work on expanding our trophy cabinets." David replied in amusement.
"What about Noah?"
"His grades are good and he stays out of trouble. But he's still keeping to himself. To be honest, I don't think he has any friends his own age outside of Keith." David admitted.
"Those two…" Shepard sighed.
"They'll be fine, Dad." David assured him after several moments of silence passed between them.
"I know they will. We'll all make sure of it." Shepard quietly vowed.
"Allie, that won't work. Kev is a martial artist. Keith is a…well, a brawler." Hawkins reluctantly explained while standing with his wife inside of an elevator that was bound for the station's docking bays. "There's a difference."
"So we should just stand aside while he keeps throwing himself into these childish scuffles that have been getting him suspended?" Allie furiously retorted.
Hawkins immediately stopped the elevator before gently placing his hands on his wife's shoulders and staring intently into her eyes. "Allie, we'll keep him out of harm's way but forcing him into doing something he hates won't help anything. Keith isn't cut out for formal competitions and trying to push him to participate in one will only make things worse."
"Then what are we supposed to do? Just tell me! Tell me before we really do end up losing him!" she shouted in desperation.
"First, calm down." Hawkins quietly responded before embracing her. "After we arrive on the Citadel, the three of us will sit down and have an honest discussion about everything. I think part of the problem has been us being away all the time handling random assignments for the Alliance or the Council. I'm planning to contact Hackett to let him know that I'll be unavailable for awhile. I'll inform the Council too and we can all go home together on the Normandy or Gettysburg. I'll let Gabe take command of the Shiloh and have him dock it on Earth for me. Ellis can do the same for you with the Saratoga. That way we can all catch a ride with Ethan or David and get a little more time to talk things out. I'm not saying that'll resolve everything but it's at least a start. Okay?" he gently explained.
"Okay." Allie agreed with an air of relief as he held her. "He's lucky to have you Darryl, we all are."
"He's lucky to have both of us Allie. Don't ever forget that. Our dysfunctional little family needs two off duty SPECTRES to make it work." Hawkins humorously assured her before slowly resuming the elevator. It was finally time for the military parents to return home.