"Fucking hell Nick! Are you trying to kill me?" The commander dropped her omni-tool on the bed, emails forgotten as she rushed out the room towards the noise, barrelling to a halt by the bathroom door where she was greeted by the sight of a naked and slightly wet Trish. It took quite a lot of brain power to remember that the tone of voice meant it almost certainly wasn't safe to enjoy the view.
"What? What'd I do?"
"Aside from try to kill me!?" There was no doubt about it, this wasn't some spontaneous roleplaying fantasy, her partner was definitely pissed. Not so long ago they'd been sharing vulnerable parts of their psyche and expressing their love for each other. Now apparently she was in the doghouse and she had no idea why. "If you're going to use my shower at least put the settings back how you found them afterwards!"
Your shower? I fucking paid for and installed that shower! Fortunately the spectre managed not to voice her instinctive defensive thoughts. Rapid, aggressive offence often worked wonders on the battlefield, but this was a situation where it would be better to avoid escalating things.
"Oh, is that all-"
"All?! I nearly got burn marks! Why would you ever need it that high?" The spectre bit back a sigh as Trish continued to rant, there was bound to be a few teething problems with them existing in the same space again after so long apart but this was ridiculous, it was just water. She desperately tried to think of a way to defuse the situation, unfortunately her brain didn't seem to work so well outside of combat.
"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad... nothing's as hot as you." The glare she got in return could melt iridium but there was the faintest involuntary twitch at the corner of her partner's lips.
"That was awful." Trish laughed despite herself, before her face dropped into a not entirely convincing scowl. "I'm supposed to be having a go at you."
"No..." Nikki returned slowly with a smirk. "You're supposed to be having a shower. Do you need me to come in and give you a hand?"
"I need you to keep an eye on your son before he burns the house down. He's got your omni-tool."
"Shit!" Shepard was instantly on the move but barely managed a step before the hypocritical reprimand.
"Language!"
"Oh, sugar plum fairies Trish!" She yelled frustratedly, voice softening moments later as she crouched beside Nicholas. "Hey buddy, can I have that?"
He didn't say anything but the answer was most obviously a no, pudgy little fingers haphazardly hitting the haptic interface and Nikki's eyes widened as she realised he'd somehow managed to hit the reply button.
She couldn't quite see who the recipient would be but knowing her luck it would be the council. STG would run the completely random bunch of letters through a million billion different ciphers quicker than she could type: 'Sorry, my son stole my omni-tool' and they'd somehow decide she'd sent a death threat or something.
She needed to get it back before he accidentally found the send button.
Her first attempt was not a success. All she achieved was for him to start screaming at the top of his lungs: "No! Boons, Boons!"
The good news was he had the potential to be an olympic swimmer one day. The bad news was she was going to go deaf before she could teach him to love the water.
Oh, and he still had her omni-tool.
She managed to minimise the email screen but it didn't stop him prodding the interface. She was pretty sure he was aiming for the various app logos on the home screen and the thought of what carnage a fully functioning combat 'tool could achieve in the hands of someone who's clothes sizing was still measured in months was terrifying.
"Boons! Boons!" He was still demanding and Nick took her life into her own hands as she swept him up and carried him down the corridor.
"Trish! What's Boons mean?" She shouted to be heard over the running water.
"Balloons." Came back the reply. "He probably wants to play Caleda."
"I don't have that game!" Of course if Nicholas was this interested in it then Trish must have it on her omni-tool, but while the other Polaris was sat in easy reach on the bedside table she knew it would be fingerprint locked to her partner. Just like hers was usually locked when she wasn't using it.
"It doesn't have to be Caleda. Anything like that will do, it's the colours and the noise he's after. You must have some kind of colour matching game."
Nikki was about to shout back that 'no, she had more important things to do in life than play those sort of games', when she remembered Badger stealing her Bluewire years ago, downloading an app insisting: "It sounds just like Gunny Ellison, it's hilarious."
Despite upgrading or switching omni-tools a good half dozen times since then she'd always synced everything over in one go, it was probably still on there somewhere.
It took two hands and plenty interference from her son but she eventually managed to navigate to the recreational part of her omni-tool, finding and clicking the right app, she was immensely thankful for the quick loading speeds. Nicholas finally quieting as the colourful balls popped up. He happily swiped a finger across the screen, not really grasping the more intricate concepts of the game and triggering a voice that did sound remarkably like Ellison.
"Red! The mission parameters state red you useless maggot!" Nikki dove for the mute button, remembering how Badger used to deliberately mess up in order to invoke the more creative and explicit insults.
While successfully saving her son's innocence (and herself from Trish's wrath), it did create a new problem. She didn't need a translator to decipher Nicholas' disappointed 'pop, pop'. With a sigh she hoped nobody ever found out about this.
...
Ten minutes later a cleaner, calmer and somewhat guilty feeling Trish exited the bathroom to find both her Nicks led on their bellies in the corridor; the older one making silly noises while the younger chortled in response.
"Any problems?" Her wife looked up at her interruption but her son's attention remained glued to the omni-tool.
"Nah, we're all good. He didn't ask for you once." Nikki's eyes widened as her brain processed what her mouth said, quickly adding. "Sorry, that came out wrong! I just meant I'm sure if I messed up he'd call for you to fix it? Wait..."
A frown creased the soldier's forehead as she tried to figure out if that was any better, but she didn't get the chance for a third attempt as Nicholas chose that moment to point out she was slacking in her parental duties.
"Pop, Pop!" Nikki groaned but still gave into his demands, creating a soundtrack composed of: 'pop, puh-puh-puh. Pew... Kabooom!' to accompany his finger's progress across the screen.
"Why are you doing that?" A bemused Trish couldn't help asking, barely repressing a laugh.
"Trust me, you don't want me to turn the audio on." Was her partner's vague response before focusing on her task. While hilarious, it did make conversation difficult so Trish returned to her room, swiftly sweeping her omni-tool off the bedside table, unlocking it and launching Caleda.
Irritatingly cheerful and bouncy music filled the house as she made her way back to the different sized kids on the floor, hand trailing gently across Nikki's shoulder blades as she knelt between the two bodies and strove to switch Little Nicky's attention to the other 'tool.
The moment Nicholas grabbed Trish's Polaris, Nicola snatched her own one away. Rolling onto her side, back to the wall, as she quickly locked the device and secured it to her wrist, mouthing a quick 'thanks' to her partner.
"I'm sorry too." The soldier looked confused as the conversation jumped back several minutes into the past and Trish sighed as she spelt it out. "For shouting at you, I overreacted. Guess I was still feeling a little raw, but you didn't deserve to have me blow up at you like that." Subconsciously her hand drifted down to rest on her abdomen. Nikki's eyes followed the movement, flicking away again in understanding.
"Forgiven. Forgotten. Does this mean I don't need to pull off some huge impressive gesture asking you to forgive me for messing up your shower?"
Trish chuckled. "Were you planning one?"
"Well... last night I'd been planning a surprise date, I was just going to adapt it. Not quite figured out how yet, maybe write 'sorry' on all the sandwiches. Or make buns, because then I can write it in icing which makes much more sense. I'm not sure how I'd write on sandwiches."
"You realise you just ruined the surprise?" Nikki grimaced slightly before shrugging it away and admitting:
"I'd kinda have to anyway, I need to ask you what picnic food Nicky can eat."
"Ah so it is a picnic. When is this happening?"
"Today, if you don't have any other plans?"
"So that's the when and the what in less than a minute. You really suck at this surprise thing." Nikki's mouth dropped open, gaping like a stranded fish, she finally managed to raise a pointed finger to defend herself with.
"But you don't know where."
"Where are we going sweetie?" Trish attempted to wheedle, running her bare foot across Nikki's leg, all she got in return was a grin.
"Not telling. It's a surprise."
...
The surprise lasted until they were half way there. By that point Trish started recognising the scenery and combined with the direction of travel knew exactly where they were going. A smile drifted unconsciously to her face at the thought of 'their spot', quickly fading when she realised Nikki's memory of the place would be slightly different from the current reality.
"Can we go somewhere else?" Trish blurted out of nowhere, hand coming to rest on Nikki's upper arm. Brown eyes darted toward her before refocusing on the empty air in front of them as Nikki drove above the bright blue treetops.
"Why? What's wrong with our spot?"
"Nothing. Just... We always go there. I want to go somewhere different." The soldier's brow furrowed, gaze landing calculating on her once more before blinking back to the windscreen.
"Okay..." The hesitation and uncertainty was audible in her voice and Trish wanted to curse herself for being the cause of it. It was too late to change her mind now though. "Where do you want to go instead?"
She really should have thought of that before she said anything, Trish realised as her brain whirled searchingly for an answer.
"The beach." She finally decided. "Nicholas hasn't been before."
A slightly strained smile stretched Nikki's face as she banked the skycar eighty degrees to the right and settled a new course. Trish mentally lambasting herself as she wondered why she always ended up making things more complicated.
...
As far as spontaneous decisions went the beach had been a great idea. Well... in terms of relaxing and enjoyment at least. In terms of a picnic location... never before had sandwiches been so aptly named. The tiny leftover grains of ancient stone had a well deserved reputation of getting everywhere, but had no doubt been helped in their quest by the fact that Little Nicky's first reaction to seeing the biggest sandpit of his life was to throw handfuls of the stuff up into the air.
Swiftly followed by putting it in his mouth.
"Nicky, no. That doesn't go in your mouth." Trish gently but firmly moved his hand away from his mouth and uncurled his fingers, letting the remaining sand trickle to the ground.
At first glance it appeared a futile exercise considering they were on a beach full of the stuff, but it was what she would do with anything else she didn't want in his mouth and repetition and consistency was the key to him learning anything.
Noting how Nikki Senior's first reaction had been concern coupled with uncertainty what to do, Trish half turned to address her while not letting her son out of her sight.
"Relax, he's at the age where everything new goes in the mouth. A little bit's safe enough, I ran a tox screen before we sat down." She waved the arm with her omni-tool on in explanation, relief and embarrassment at neither noticing nor thinking of running one herself flashing across her partner's face.
Not that Trish was surprised. She hadn't thought of it either until someone at work suggested the app when she'd been freaking out one day. As for not noticing... The spectre had been out in front, Nicky piggybacking on her shoulders, searching for the perfect spot for their picnic.
The perfect spot being somewhere Trish could sit on the dry backshore with Nikki's torso, while the soldier's legs stretched away towards the still damp foreshore for her toes to wriggle in. It also meant Little Nicky could experiment with both types of sand and decide which parent to take after regarding this particular quirk.
They both twisted slightly to keep a better eye on their son as he attempted to crawl off. Nikki's muscles tensing slightly, prepared to leap into action at a moment's notice. Whether that action be herding Nicholas back if he got too far away or tackling any potential kidnappers to the ground. The last scenario hopefully being less likely than the first, considering the beach was mostly empty.
Fortunately he stopped of his own accord upon reaching the foreshore, bumping backwards onto his bum as he reached the line between wet and dry. Hands reached out to the darker, wet sand. Prodding it, scooping it and yes... putting it in his mouth.
"Nicky... No..." Trish repeated herself as his older namesake desperately tried to stifle a laugh.
"I thought you said new things went in his mouth?" Nikki queried once she had herself back under control. "Surely he's seen sand before?"
"Yeah but never so much at once. Maybe he forgot or thinks it's different."
"Hmm, I wonder..." The soldier's gaze grew contemplative. "Do you think commercial sand and natural sand taste different?"
"Oh no! You are NOT putting it in your mouth to find out!" Trish declared with pointed finger.
"Spoilsport." Nikki instantly shot back, pushing them both into helpless giggles. They sat pressed together, watching their son quite happily play by himself until Nicola's inner child got the better of her and she crawled over to join in.
"Hey bud, do you want to make a sandcastle?" Her attempt to pile up the sand in front of him was unappreciated, the toddler knocking it flat to continue with his previous activity, then turning his back on her when she tried again.
"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted." She grumbled, trying not to take it personally and reminding herself he was still a bit young for associative or cooperative play. She was debating whether to at least sit beside him and play on her own when a chuckle caught her attention, causing her to glance over her shoulder.
"Come over here you, I want you." Trish's words were all she needed to cheer back up, a smirk gracing her lips as she scurried back to her partner and was gifted a quick peck on the lips.
"You do do you?"
"Mhhm." Trish agreed before pulling out a bottle of suncream. "I can't reach my back."
Nikki laughed as she accepted the bottle and settled behind the other woman, pressing a kiss into her right shoulder blade before getting to work rubbing the cream in. It was certainly no hardship in her mind to be allowed to let her hands roam freely over Trish's body and she chose not to stop once the skin was fully protected, instead switching to a massage as she worked on loosening the slight knots she'd found in the shoulders.
"That feels nice." Trish complimented, fighting to keep her eyes open and on their son. Nikki hummed in agreement before noticing the struggle.
"Relax, I'm watching him."
Trish finally let her vigilance slip, allowing herself to fully relax into her partner's touch, aware of nothing else but the faint lapping sound of gentle waves on the distant shore line, vision empty of all but the light hitting her closed eye lids.
She noticed Nikki's ministrations shifting away from her back but was far to comfortable to think too much about it. Occasional kisses pressed into her neck and shoulders provided a pleasant distraction, resulting in several minutes passing before her brain finally realised they were just that, a distraction.
"Nikki... What are you doing?"
"... Nothing?" Trish's eyes instantly snapped open, barely getting a glimpse of the sand piling up around her legs before the spectre moved lightning fast. A push to Trish's shoulder had her back hitting the ground, only to find Nikki suddenly straddling her hips and sweeping huge swathes of sand over the now struggling body.
"Nikki, stop it!" On reflection her order would have had a higher chance of being obeyed if she hadn't been laughing. With the need for stealth removed the soldier was making fast progress of burying her and she already couldn't move her legs.
"Shepard stop!" The use of surname didn't work either, the smirk visible not just on her partner's lips but in twinkling brown eyes and Trish attempted a change of tactics. "Nicky! Nicholas, mummy needs help!"
"No Nicholas," her traitorous wife countermanded. "Help me, it's much more fun."
The toddler briefly looked over at the sound of his name before ignoring both of them and returning to poking a stick in the sand. Nicola finally stopped but only once the tightly packed sand reached the brunette's neck.
"Happy now?" Trish demanded with a glare, but her twitching lips betrayed her amusement.
"Yep." Nikki popped the p with relish, leaning down to steal a kiss on the lips but Trish just managed to twist her head away.
"You don't deserve a kiss." She sniffed and the soldier briefly pouted in response before a grin took over once more.
"Fine. I'll go get ice cream instead then."
Trish's eyes widened in realisation.
"Nikki, no..." She was too late, the soldier already standing and approaching their son on the very outreaches of her peripheral vision.
"Hey buddy, you want some ice cream?" The toddler's reply was incoherent babble but he happily took the proffered hand and stood up, the pair of them walking back towards her.
"Don't you dare leave me here." Trish tried again as they drew near.
"Want me to bring you back a cone?" Nikki asked, purposely ignoring her plight.
"I am so going to get you back for this." Trish threatened. Little Nicky moved forward, reaching out and tapping her face with a giggle and Trish tried once more to enlist his help. "You going to help mummy, Nicholas?"
"Opie's getting ice cream, you want to come with me and get ice cream?" Once again the sounds that greeted them were unrecognisable as words but the youngest Shepard clearly intended to give in to his inherited sweet tooth as he toddled towards his namesake.
"Don't think I'm going to forget this mister!" Trish called out helplessly. "When you grow up I'm getting you both back!"
Nikki turned back to her, shit-eating grin growing even wider: "Well we got a loophole right there, we're not planning on ever growing up, are we bud?"
They quickly moved out of her line of sight and Trish focussed on trying to break out of her sandy confines. She still couldn't help the smile that reached her lips as the faint sea breeze drifted her departing family's voices back towards her:
"Can you say 'ice cream' Nicky?" The resulting babble wasn't even close but that didn't deter the spectre who was used to impossible missions. "Say Ice cream. Ice... Cream... eye-suh kree-muh. Ice cream."
"I' k'm."
"Yes! Ice cream!"
"I' k'm."
"Say Ice cream."
"I' k'm!"
"Say Ice cream."
"I' k'm."
"Say Ice cream."
"No."
"Ice- Wait, what? What do you mean no?"