Falling Away

Chapter 3

By Voodoo Queen

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Thank you very much to all who took the time to read the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my own original characters and my measly, little plot. All the good stuff belongs to their respective copyright holders.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kolyat's shift at C-Sec typically ran from 0600 to 1800 everyday but, of course, he was never on time. Today, however, he had managed to complete the task Bailey had assigned him by 1700. He had returned to C-Sec and was a bit taken aback when the older human had clapped him on the back in praise of his efforts. Kolyat really shouldn't have been surprised that Bailey had gone along behind him to make sure he had done as asked. Kolyat knew that he really hadn't gone out of his way to appear reliable, after all. The recognition of his work, simple as the job was, caused a small bubble of pride to form in his chest and he was truly thankful when Bailey released him from his duties early with a comment of maybe finding him something more challenging to do in the future. Perhaps, the drell mused, it wasn't all doom and gloom but, then again, he still had dinner with his father to look forward to.

Though he had told his father he would meet him at 1830, Kolyat wanted to get there early. Being at their rendezvous point first gave him a modicum of control over the situation that he needed to feel secure. Something as simple as choosing where they sat together in the restaurant meant the difference between the two of them having a pleasant meal or a tense exchange. Kolyat supposed it had something to do with his father having to approach him for acceptance and invitation rather than the other way around.

He had made a quick detour to his cramped apartment to strip off his C-Sec uniform and shower before changing into his civilian clothes. He hopped rapid transit back to the Presidium Commons and entered Apollo's Café at 1800 on the dot. He asked the hostess to be seated in a booth along the back wall of the restaurant where he could appear both inconspicuous and people watch until his father arrived.

He wasn't really sure if he dreaded these meetings with his father or if he looked forward to them. He figured it was really more of a mixed bag emotionally. The dreaded their conversations regarding the status of Thane's health, definitely, as much as he dreaded the almost physical pain caused by the flood of memories their meetings always unleashed. It was hard to let something go, especially a past as painful as the one they shared, when you were physically incapable of forgetting even the minutest of details.

Yet, strangely enough, there was a part of him that actually looked forward to these brief encounters. If he didn't think about it too much or dwell on certain topics, he could almost pretend that the two of them shared a normal father-son relationship instead of the circle of dysfunction they seemed to be trapped in. Thane's enthusiastic interest about his life and daily activities seemed genuinely sincere. Kolyat, for his part, would have been lying if he said he didn't find the tales of his father's exploits as a member of Commander Shepard's crew anything less than fascinating. Inevitably, however, certain subjects would come up during the course of their conversation which would throw their carefully crafted illusion of a normal relationship out of balance and send them careening back down the road of anger and blame.

Kolyat sighed. If only things could be different. But they weren't, he reminded himself as the waitress stopped by the table to take his drink order. Things were the way they were and there was little he could do to change it. He shook his head in disappointment and waited for the asari waitress to return with his tea. Tea, he mused darkly, was a recently acquired habit he'd picked up from spending time with his father. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, he conceded bitterly, the older drell still held some influence over even the smallest details in his life.

He checked the time on his omni-tool as a steaming cup was placed down in front of him. It was 1815. Only fifteen more minutes and Kolyat had learned quickly that his father was nothing if not punctual. He settled down in the booth to sip at his tea and observe his fellow patrons until his father arrived. It was then, upon casual glance, that a flash of brownish-red hair caught his eye. Kolyat frowned and felt his nagging guilt from earlier in the day return. So much for the Citadel being a big place.

The human female made her way to the café's counter and greeted the asari stationed there with a tired smile. She looked much more harried than she had during their unfortunate encounter earlier in the day and was weighed down by an enormous duffle bag that looked to be bigger than she was. Kolyat couldn't hear what was being said from where he sat but the way the asari had nodded in sympathetic understanding led him to believe the woman had had a less than stellar day. He grimaced at the thought that he had probably contributed to her downtrodden appearance more than a little bit and was surprised by how uncomfortable that thought made him feel.

His fused fingers drummed out a nervous beat on the table top as a debate raged in his mind. Should he or shouldn't he? Would she even recall the incident? Would an apology from him even make a difference? Watching the female shrug off the huge bag and slump ungracefully down onto the stool to wait for her order made his mind up for him. He could set aside his sense of pride and self-preservation this one time…just for a moment. Pushing his tea cup aside, he rose from the booth and straightened himself. May as well do it and get it over with.

She seemed tinier to him than he remembered for some reason. He figured it was her defeated posture as she appeared to cave in on herself. He came to a stop directly behind her and reached out with one hand with the intention of tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention but then thought better of it. She looked so fragile, enough so that he feared touching her would cause her to break. Allowing his arm to drop back down to his side, he cleared his throat instead and tried to remember his manners, "Excuse me…"

"Sorry," the woman mumbled without even looking up and began to wrestle her large bag off of the seat beside her to make room. "I didn't mean to take up the entire counter."

"Uh, actually," Kolyat started. "I think I'm the one who should apologize."

The woman stiffened at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him then, her eyes narrowing in recognition. "You!"

Kolyat held his hands up in what he hoped the human would interpret as peace and tried to pull apologetic inspiration from somewhere down deep. He took a fortifying breath, "Look, before you say anything I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You were nice enough to take time out of your day to stop and help me when everyone else just kept on walking by. I was having a bad moment and I unloaded on you. You didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you so, yeah. I'm sorry."

"You," the woman blinked owlishly up at him, her eyes seeming wetter and glassier than they had been a moment before. "You're s-sorry?"

"That's what I said." Kolyat nodded but could feel the slightest twinge of discomfort blossom in his gut and decided it was best to wrap the conversation up quickly. Besides, he father was due to arrive anytime. He mumbled another quiet apology just to hammer the fact home and was just about to turn to go back to his table to await his father and put the whole ugly incident behind him when the woman's hand shot out to grasp him, effectively halting his escape.

His black eyes went from the warm, slender fingers shackled around his wrist to the woman's now tear stained face. His first impulse was to demand she release him or roughly shake off her hand but something in her eyes stopped him. He felt his mouth go dry as a small, sad smile uplifted the corner of her mouth despite her obvious distress. He was completely out of his element and found himself almost wishing he had forgone the apology altogether. Unsure of what else he could do, he waited, hoping that the woman would say something…anything…to break the tension.

"Thank you,' she finally whispered after what seemed like forever but had only been a few seconds. "That," she swallowed. "That actually means a lot right now."

Kolyat's brow furrowed in confusion. He'd expected many things when he'd decided to approach the woman. He'd anticipated arguing, dismissal, and even the possibility of being on the receiving end of another rude gesture but he hadn't counted on an emotional thank you. It threw him completely off and left him at a loss. He felt like he was supposed to say something but gods only knew what this sort of situation warranted. He opened his mouth, unsure of what was expected of him, but was unwilling to remain silent and let the moment drag on uncomfortably. Before he could get a word out, however, he was interrupting with the asari returning with the woman's order in a carry-out box.

"Here you go, hun," the asari gave Kolyat a brief look as she sat the packaged food down in front of the woman. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

The woman's eyes held Kolyat's for a split second longer before she released his wrist and wiped furiously at her eyes with the sleeves of her blouse before turning to look at the other woman. "No, Fayna, thank you."

The asari's lips pulled down into a concerned frown. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," the human nodded. "I'll be fine. It's just…a lot, you know?"

"I know," the asari nodded in understanding. "I'll message you when my shift is over, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," the human agreed. Without any further ado, she hefted the large bag back up onto her back and grabbed her food from the counter. "I'll talk to you later then." She turned from the asari and gave Kolyat one last pointed looked of recognition before making her way out of the restaurant as easily as she had made her way in.

Kolyat watched her retreating form through the window until she completely disappeared into the crowd outside. To say he was perplexed would have been an understatement. He wasn't sure what it was that bothered him so much about what had just happened or why he should even have such thoughts over something that was obviously none of his concern. He had done what he had intended to do. He had apologized for his atrocious behavior and attitude. He could now wash his hands of the entire situation and not give it another thought. He had enough problems of his own without adding any more drama to them.

"Kolyat?"

Speaking of problems. Kolyat's spine stiffened, "Father." He turned to find the other drell standing casually with his hands clasped behind his back, head tilted in curiosity.

"That young woman seemed very upset," Thane observed. "Is she a friend of yours?"

Kolyat's eyes narrowed in suspicion. How long had his father been standing there watching? It made him uncomfortable to think that the older man had been privy to the strange exchange. What business was it of his anyway? He wanted to snap at his father, remind him that he hadn't been around enough to earn the trust and privilege to question him. He answered honestly however when he said, "No. I have no idea who she is. I don't even know her name."

Thane blinked, both sets of eyelids closing and opening rapidly. He seemed to contemplate his son's words for just a second too long before responding with, "I see."

Kolyat could sense that his father was not satisfied with his answer for whatever reason. Fearing that the man wanted to delve further into the subject given his recent intense interest in all things Kolyat and eager to move on he quickly steered the conversation back to the reason they had agreed to meet in the first place. "I've got us a booth in the back."

Thane wanted so very badly to know and understand his son. He wished to know his hopes and dreams and aspirations, what he liked, what he disliked, who his friends were, if there was anyone special in his life that he cared about. All of these topics were things a good father would know about their child, he scolded himself, and given the limited amount of time they now had together they were things he would probably never have the privilege of learning. It broke his heart. The boy had been nothing less than a blessing for him and Irikah, a blessing that he felt he scarcely deserved and had squandered. He knew he had no one to blame for their current predicament but himself. He understood Kolyat's hesitance to share anything personal with him. After all, he reminded himself, he had done little to show the boy he could be trusted. So, Thane simply nodded his head acceptance of Kolyat's offer to sit. Even that, he felt, was more than he deserved. "Very well."

Kolyat breathed a sigh of relief even as nervous anticipation over the conversation to come fluttered in his gut. Meetings with his father seldom came without some kind of emotional upheaval after the fact. He hoped he was up to dealing with such tonight as he sensed whatever they were going to converse about was not going to be lighthearted. Was it ever? He turned to lead his father to the booth where his now-cold tea still sat, barely touched. He would have to ask the waitress for another. He would need all the comfort a hot, steaming cup could provide.

End of Chapter 3