Chapter 07

"You were arguing my cause quite passionately in there, Dr Gable," Aria said as they all walked down the corridor back to her lounge and, hopefully, the exit. Abby, who had pinched her brow in exhaustion, gave the matriarch a sideways glance. She couldn't remember when her day had started.

"You told me to put them in a cooperative mindset."

The matriarch murmured; her smile surprisingly amused.

"Yes, and then the first thing you do is you pick a fight with Anderson."

Pick a fight? I wasn't… Abby remembered her tone and said nothing. She had not expected to feel the way she did when she saw him. Everything had faded in that moment, everything. Her fear for their safety, her fear for her own… All she could think about when she saw Anderson was Shepard and where he had taken her. She had figured that he had to have known and she had guessed correctly. If she could get him to help communicate with her…

"Has it ever dawned on you that her obsession with Shepard might mean her end one day?"

Abby blinked out of her revery and turned to look at Asura whom Aria had addressed. She sensed her partner's pain in that moment, a dull ache that came from the realisation that Abby would never be completely hers, that she would forever be tied to the woman who had saved her in this life and saved her soul for a short time in the life she had before. Abby loved Shepard in a very different way than she loved Asura, and she knew her partner understood that at least.

"And you'll mean ours," Asura spoke quietly and slipped a hand down to take Abby's. "It will be easier to protect her from Shepard than you."

Aria laughed at this, enjoying the moment. "Yes," she said. "And it's good you realise that. What is your take on what happened in there Dr Gable, will they help?"

Having forced herself to think of her encounter, Abby was ready with an answer. "I think Anderson will get Dr Sanders to do it." She pointed out. "Just… give them a moment to settle and feed them please. If they need a night, they need a night. Don't go barging in there again till they come with an answer."

"I haven't barged in yet," Aria spoke with some indignation. "I am a professional Dr Gable."

Abby didn't reply, grateful that they were close to the door. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten and was tired and hungry. When they reached the door to Aria's lounge, she thought that the matriarch will be done with her but the asari had other things on her mind.

"One last thing," she said. "Well, a couple of things really. One's quite arbitrary." Both Abby and Asura stopped to look at her. "You can send your bill to Griss, he'll sort out your payment. I suggest we work it out per consultation, wouldn't you say? Then I don't owe you." Abby nodded wordlessly, bracing herself for the rest. "Now, you spoke to Anderson about Shepard, any news?"

Months ago, before Shepard was taken, Jane had urged Abby to cooperate with Aria, to show her loyalty in such a manner as the asari would appreciate. It involved sharing information that others might not have access to. Abby weighed the thought of sharing the little information that she had learned of Shepard and decided that it couldn't hurt.

"As I understand it they are keeping her at some Alliance black site on earth," she supplied, when she saw Aria frown she elaborated a little. "That's what I'm guessing. It's some clandestine place where you can put people away without trial. He says she's well and close to the brass." It still made her angry she realised. Abby sniffed and felt Asura squeeze her hand gently, causing her to look to her mate. Asura only had eyes for her and, when they met gazes Abby felt herself anchored. Calm. She didn't look at Aria when she spoke again.

"They've run tests on her, which Anderson said she submitted to willingly. He feels that it is better that she is out there."

Asura blinked and the spell broke, though a residue of the centre of calm that she had felt from her partner remained with her. I cannot get so angry.

"And what do you think?" Aria asked quietly, studying the pair of them.

"Do you care?" Asura spoke for the first time, interrupting the conversation between the two of them.

Aria's expression was colder when she glanced at Asura, weighing her intention.

"No," she said finally. "I was just making conversation. Showing an interest. But, if you're going to be that way, here is something else I want to bring to your plate Dr Gable. Do you know a man called Kai Leng?"

She did not and it must have shown on her face.

Aria frowned at her. "Disappointing," she said. "I need you to find me someone who does. Get me information on him. He is here on the Illusive Man's request, and I need to know what I am dealing with."

Abby nodded, a little dismayed as she wondered who she could contact.

"We'll get right on it," Asura replied for her. "With your leave?" She leaned towards the door and Aria simply inclined her head and turned back to her lounge. Abby was going to watch her sit down but Asura put some pressure on her hand and guided her forward. They left the apartment together and stepping out of it was like a breath of fresh air. Abby breathed in deeply, feeling faint as the tension left her. Impulsively she leaned forward and hugged Asura tightly, allowing herself to feel the love she had for the woman and consider the breadth of it.

"Thank you," she said simply. "Let's go home. Please."

Asura's arms were warm and secure around her and Abby felt her breathe in deeply as she savoured their closeness.

"I wasn't going to let you go anywhere else," she said. "I think we both need the rest."

He had seen the doctor arrive at Aria's compound and had memorised her face for later. He had heard through sources that she had been the one the captives had been taken to for treatment and it was good to see that she was allowed follow up consultations. He filed away this knowledge, thinking that he might be able to use her to gain access to Sanders. Perhaps mount a fake rescue attempt? He would have to investigate the possibility. The truth was that he didn't need Sanders per say, but he had been instructed by the Illusive Man to make sure that Aria's people eliminated Grayson. If they didn't, that job would fall on him and it was his opinion that doing so would be much more complicated if he didn't have Sanders.

Kai Leng replayed the last few weeks in his head, from the moment he last set foot on Omega. He had led the team who captured Paul Grayson and it had been nearly flawless. Nearly, he figured, because they had not anticipated the asari. He hadn't thought that Paul would be the kind to take an alien to bed but evidently, wonders never ceased. They had made quick work of her and there had been a moment in that extraction that Kai had considered simply killing Paul. The man was… trouble. He had been an adequate agent, though his addiction had always held him back. How surprised Kai had been when his preliminary blood results came back and they found that he was clean. That he had somehow beaten his Red Sand addiction despite all the temptation that Omega surely had to offer him. The asteroid was nothing but a large brothel. Yet, the man resisted and positively thrived. Very few humans made it as close to Aria as he did.

Maybe it simply had to do with the asari he was shagging.

Kai Leng shook his head in disgust, remembering how the alien had lay on the bed, naked and vulnerable, the last of her life slipping away as easily as he had slipped the blade across her throat. He didn't harbour as fervent distrust to other species as some of his colleagues did but some things were just not right. He couldn't begin to imagine what would draw someone to another of an alien species. But, he didn't kill her out of hate. It was simply necessity.

Aria was powerful and they hadn't wanted to leave any witnesses. It was nothing personal.

Yet, the asari seemed to have taken it that way regardless. Her vehemence in tracking down Paul Grayson had even taken the Illusive Man by surprise but of course, he had simply seen it as another tool at his disposal. Kai Leng wasn't so sure. Having been in Aria's company he had sensed the lengths that she would go to get her revenge. This had nothing to do with the Red Sand he had stolen. This was personal, be it because he betrayed her trust or because she thought he killed her operative.

But that wasn't it. He didn't think Aria thought that Grayson did it. She was perceptive. No, the fool would try and capture him, he was sure and the moment she did that, her relationship with the Illusive Man will change drastically if Paul had the capacity to tell her what had really happened.

He was one of yours and he got one of mine killed. If all was fair on this asteroid, I'd have had your head.

That hadn't been an idle threat.

No, Kai Leng resolved that he would try to kill Grayson even before he fell into Aria's trap. He was sure he would have been able to do so when Grayson escaped during the turian raid if he hadn't had to protect the Illusive Man and get him off that damned station. His hands twitched and slipped to the blades he kept at his side, anxious to use them.

Oh yes, he thought. Grayson won't get away from me again.

They did take some time to decide what they wanted to do and Aria, despite feeling as if she wanted to beat their cooperation out of them, let them be. She could tell that Anderson was talking to Kahlee, debating with her, laying out scenarios. Aria listened to all of it, then took her rest when they did the same. She wanted to be ready when they summoned Grayson. The conversations kept coming back to him, Anderson pleading Aria's cause with Sanders as he didn't seem to care about Paul at all but rather keeping the woman safe. Aria knew enough of humans to be able to discern that he loved her, but she wondered whether that love was returned. In all his time as a politician, David Anderson had never once entertained a public social life. As the first human on the council, he had taken his job far too seriously.

She liked him, even felt a little attracted to him though such feelings were carnal and fleeting to Aria and she hardly ever acted on them. It just wouldn't do to be seen as nothing more than a maiden seeking to gratify her own pleasure. Liselle's father…

Studying the monitor, Aria immediately stopped herself from thinking of her daughter and refocused on the conversation that was happening between Anderson and Sanders.

"Kahlee I am going to be honest, you have to move on this now. To put it in another way, we are here and Grayson is out there, somewhere. If he is as confused as the turians said, you cannot let him get away further. I know this is not an ideal situation but the truth is, this is the card that we have been dealt. We have no other choice."

Sanders was stubborn, oh, so terribly stubborn, but she was also tired. They had slept a little, in between debating their circumstances but hers, Aria's people had told her, had not been restful.

"I wish we had," Kahlee said. "I wish… I wish… he was taken by Cerberus David. And now they want him back? What if she gives him to them? What happens then?! You saw those tapes." She had said it so many times. The tapes. That Paul was taken by Cerberus. Aria didn't like the implications, didn't dare think of them now. No, before she leapt to conclusions, she had to ask him first.

"I think she's got more on this than we realise," David said quietly. "I feel that is why Dr Gable was so insistent that we help her."

Kahlee Sanders sighed and sat back on the lounge chair, cradling her hands in her lap. She was very quiet as she looked at David and Aria, still watching their every move, found herself leaning forward in anticipation. She's coming to a decision.

"We don't have a choice," Sanders said finally. "We don't. God help us, we don't." Her lips narrowed. "Maybe we can try to escape with him…"

David chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "I honestly don't think that we will have the opportunity," he pointed out. "Unless something drastic changes." His features softened, which it had not before. "I do not want to see you get hurt again Kahlee, we have to try and be diplomatic about this. Aria is a mercenary above all else. She has wants and needs. If we can supply her with that in some form, she might give us our freedom or at least allow us the opportunity to leave here with some semblance of our lives and souls intact. I… I'll do anything to let us get out of here alive. And to be frank, I don't want her as an enemy. Let's try it her way. We don't know how far gone Grayson is. He might not be capable of understanding your message, or even have the means to get back here. Send the message to him. Let him come here. We'll take this one step, one moment at a time."

Finally, Aria thought and pushed herself up, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally.

She motioned to Anto, who had been hovering behind her.

"Take them the monitor but read the message before she sends it, I don't want her warning him in advance. He is a very clever man and she has to know how to communicate with him."

Anto nodded slowly. "I'll take Cila," he said. "She worked counterintelligence on the Citadel a few years ago when the humans were still campaigning for their right on the council. She's learned to handle them better than I have." Aria knew this of Cila, but was happy that Anto had thought of it because somehow, she hadn't even considered it.

You are too distracted.

"Thank you Anto," she said simply. "I am going to the club. Let me know if there is anything else."

He nodded with obedience. Aria hated to admit it but she could not imagine her life without both Anto and Griss. Though neither of them had the brain capacity to become anything other than grunts, they had a street savvy to them that came with years of seeing her work and living on Omega. They could read the asteroid as easily as they could read her.

Which made her feel a little guilty when she realised that Anto was relieved that she was leaving, as if he could relax when she wasn't around. He never felt like that, not often.

They sense it. You can't deny it. They know that this is more important than Red Sand. You have to be more careful. Don't make it personal!

It was so damned hard to listen to that voice when all she longed for was to listen to Liselle's just one last time.

They slept longer than they should have. Abby woke, feeling comfortable and safe in Asura's embrace. She could feel the asari's breath stir against her neck, filling her with a warmth quite different from that of desire. With Asura, it was a thin line of course, so it made her savour moments like these even more. Her comfort was short lived though as the previous day's events came back to her along with the flood of worries and questions she had. She wanted to check up on her patients immediately but didn't want to wake Asura by dressing. For that same reason, she also didn't want to stay in bed, lest she woke her partner with her worries and fidgeting. She slipped out of Asura's arms and quietly padded out of the room to their kitchen where she put on the kettle and called up her schedule from her omnitool. It had taken her a very long time to get used to the device, having not been very technologically minded when she came to this world. She hadn't even had a smartphone back home which made her using an omnitool a private joke. The truth was that she now run most of her day from it, scheduling the times which she planned to open up the clinic along with checking on her messages, sending out follow up messages to some of her other clients and even ordering their groceries. There were a few markets on Omega but the ones she and Asura favoured were too far out of their way to go there daily. She had even taught Grom to use his more efficiently and had been secretly jealous that he seemed to have gotten used to it faster than she did.

It reminded her off her nephew teaching her how to work with the PlayStation he had.

Abby was a little surprised to realise that she was homesick. It didn't happen often. She had come to terms with ending her life there long before she actually came to this universe but… It had been her life. She didn't care what other people thought, her life there had been real. Still, she didn't miss the people as much. Oh, she wondered about them. She wondered about her family and how they were getting on without her. She wondered about friends and clients and she wondered about her dog. Privately she wasn't sure whether she would ever be able to forgive herself for abandoning him.

I had had no choice. I was dying.

Yet, she was dying here too. Slowly yes, but there was still no real answer for her condition and there was no telling what melding with Asura would do to her long term. She understood that but still could not make herself go to the Citadel where Dr Chakwas had promised her answers and experts alike.

No, she chose to stay here. Happy with what she was given.

Abby made herself a cup of tea and found herself staring at her hands through the faint image of her omnitool's projection. They were steady and obedient, thanks to Asura. The ardat yakshi. A demon of the night winds according to her ancient culture. That made her laugh.

I sold my soul to a devil.

That thought gave her the root of her homesickness. She wasn't missing her previous life but she was scared. The past few hours had been a whirlwind of anxiety, a situation she felt poorly equipped to deal with.

How am I going to do this? She thought. How am I going to keep on standing with Aria yet trying to keep myself between her and her prisoners? There were no answers but reminded her that she had been given a task by the matriarch.

Kai Leng.

Abby didn't know a lot of people in Cerberus. In fact, she had never even considered the crew of the Normandy to fall in that category. Still, she had sent a message to Kelly before they went to bed, asking her if she had ever heard of the man, or knew someone that she could ask. Safely. Her reply was there in her inbox, a long message that spoke of her work on the Citadel, her family and her health. She was working with the steady influx of refugees to the Citadel. As Abby understood it, there were also quite a few humans there who had been affected by the collector attacks on all those colonies. Although the Alliance had sent out aid and promises of rehabilitation, a lot had chosen not to accept the hand that was offered to them. They hadn't trusted the Alliance enough to settle in their space why would they start now when they feel the Alliance had failed them so completely.

An interesting thing Kelly mentioned in her letter was that Horizon had opened up another refugee centre. As the only colony that had repelled the collector attack, though still at a great loss of lives, they had become a beacon of sorts that those who feared restarting on their own colony, fled to. Word had it that Horizon welcomed all, desperate to refill their numbers to become a viable colony again.

I found this interesting, Kelly wrote. They put out a list of skills they require, including medical staff and even veterinarians! If Omega ever stops being an option for you two, maybe you can go there? Asari are welcome everywhere. Anyway, you had asked about an operative called Kai Leng? I'm sorry Abby but I don't know him. I wasn't very involved in Cerberus as a whole. But, you know, maybe you can ask Miranda? I think she knew almost everybody of importance.

Miranda Lawson. Abby had no way of contacting her, didn't even think that she would if she could. The Normandy's ex-XO intimidated her a little. She could never quite grasp the woman, nor understand her and she figured that Miranda felt the same way. She scanned the last of Kelly's letter and sighed deeply, reaching for her tea hoping to find some strength in it.

"And that sigh?" Asura came into the kitchen, dressed only in a light robe that showed her legs quite amply. She came to Abby, planted a kiss on her head and then moved to the kettle to make herself her own drink. In the mornings, she preferred an asari variation on coffee. Abby had tried it once or twice but felt that it made her itchy all day.

"I received a reply on my letter to Kelly," Abby said. "She doesn't know Kai Leng. Thinks that Miranda might but…" She trailed off.

"But?" Asura asked as she slipped in beside her. The letter was still open in front of Abby and the vet caught Asura scanning its contents.

"But, I don't know where Miranda is," she confessed. "She's practically the Alliance's most wanted criminal at the moment. I don't understand why all of a sudden but I guess it doesn't matter. It's not going to make it easier for me to reach out to her."

Asura was quiet for a moment as she sipped her own drink, her eyes troubled. Abby waited for her to speak as she seemed to come to some sort of decision.

"Maybe Liara T'soni will know," she said. "I can ask her."

That was news to Abby who blinked at the asari.

"You can?" She asked, very surprised. "You two… communicate?"

Asura shifted and shrugged, turning her gaze away from Abby for a moment, probably in shame because she had not told her before. "She is who she is Abigail," she said. "It's a useful contact. And she needs eyes and ears here on Omega. It's not an easy relationship, her distrust of my kind was built over generations of bias, but she recognizes the advantage of having someone close to Aria. The Broker had never had such an agent before. Aria was too clever for that."

Abby was quiet before she ventured a question she dreaded.

"And what do you get out of it?" She had come to understand how this world worked.

Asura didn't look at her when she replied, though she did so honestly.

"I get a backup plan if things don't work out here for us," she said. "Liara understands that you mean a lot to Shepard and I think due to her friendship with the commander she feels compelled to…" She sighed. "I don't know, keep an eye on you, I guess. I don't expect her to help us if things ever turn sour here but maybe… just maybe she can give us a door when we ask for it." When she saw the expression on Abby's face she grimaced. "I didn't feel that it was necessary to tell you. You wanted to get away from that place and leave it all behind you."

Abby didn't know what to make of it, but she wasn't angry at Asura. Rather, she felt a little disturbed that all these things were still happening behind her back.

We can't just have a normal life. I know she wants it more than I do but… we can't.

"How often do you speak to her?" She asked quietly. "I mean…"

Asura quickly shook her head. "Rarely," she said. "I'm talking about a report or two a cycle, Abigail. Nothing more."

Abby reached out to take her hand immediately, picking up on her defensive tone.

"I'm not angry. I'm just surprised," she said and tightened her grip on Asura's hand to emphasise her words. "And I feel stupid now, because I should have… considered it I guess." She felt her mood darken. "I'm an idiot Asura. I feel really inadequate at the moment. This has been dropped on us and…" She made a sweeping motion with her hand. "Those people are looking at me to perform some miracle to save them. I haven't even heard from Jack yet. Maybe I didn't phrase my message correctly. Maybe she's not going to come. Maybe she can't because she's actually a prisoner of the Alliance…" She trailed off when Asura squeezed her hand.

"I don't think you're an idiot or inadequate," the ardat yakshi's voice was low. "You're very brave Abby. You handled yesterday like a professional."

Abby snorted, not quite willing to be comforted yet. "There are a lot of professionals on Omega, Asura. Not all of them good." She grimaced, the ache in her chest that she had stood up with becoming worse.

"I'm scared Asura." Yet saying it seemed to release the ache and allow her to breathe more easily as Asura met her gaze with all the love she had for her.

"We're in this together," she said. "So don't be. I will always be with you Abigail; I will always help you." She leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, and it gave Abby life and strength. She felt the tension and uncertainty that she had felt ease a little even though she was no closer to a solution to any of her problems.

She let out a loud breath and touched Asura's cheek, silently wishing they had time for more.

"Send Liara a message," she said. "See if she knows where Miranda is. And, maybe let her know of what has transpired here, if you think it's the right call. Maybe she can help as well." Maybe she'll just appreciate some fresh knowledge. Information is a currency these days. Her last thought had an edge of bitterness to it. She was doing exactly the same thing with Aria.

Finishing her tea, she got up and touched Asura's shoulder. "I'm going to go to the clinic and take Oz for a run, I need… some time to think. Or… just clear my head. I have to go back to Aria's place to check up on Anderson and Sanders, but you don't have to come with when I do. I am quite safe there."

To her surprise, Asura nodded. "I know that," she said. "But I go with to support you." Her words made Abby smile as she headed to the bedroom.

"Then I'll see you later," she said as she heard Asura get up behind her.

"Abigail?" She turned to look at her lover. Asura's face was serious, her eyes as deep as the infinite space around them. It wasn't the darkness of her hunger and it made Abby pause.

"Be kinder to yourself," the asari said. "You are trying your best. And you are enough."

It was healing to hear those words.

The End of Chapter Seven