It was Shepard (Commander not Mrs) who, constantly alert for danger even in her sleep, awoke at the noise. It took her another two and a half seconds to identify the source of the sound, then she was on her feet, heading out of the room in a rush. She found Judy led in the hallway in a pool of her own puke.
Ok, so maybe pool was exaggerating slightly, it wasn't even a puddle, more like a patch, well, multiple patches. A repeat of the awful hacking sound launched her into action.
"Come on Jude, garden." The dog ignored her even when she tried to prod her into motion. The retching finally ceased without any further additions to the carpet and Judy looked up at her with doleful eyes, looking utterly helpless, completely sorry for herself and still refusing to move. With a sigh Nikki decided that if there was to be anymore mess they might as well keep it all in the same place and left the dog alone as she went searching for cleaning products.
Her first port of call was the bathroom, pressing her thumb against the biometric scanner on the cabinet under the sink that Trish had decided was the most foolproof method of child-locking dangerous cupboards and revealing a whole host of bottled chemicals.
Unfortunately while she was certain she could make a pretty decent bomb with the contents, she didn't particularly want to put any of them on the floor. Especially when Nicholas had a habit of crawling around the house barefoot and sticking his feet in his mouth.
She half remembered a conversation when she'd been away once during a similar incident and Trish had used the verb 'sprayed', nothing in the cupboard looked particularly sprayable, they all looked more pouring in nature. Preferably while wearing rubber gloves or a hazmat suit. Giving up, she cautiously made her way back to the bedroom.
"Trish babe, the dog's been sick."
"Can't you deal with it?" Came the sleepy reply.
"I will, but I don't know where the cleaning stuff is."
"Kitchen." Was the muffled response as the civilian rolled over, curling the duvet tighter round her and firmly signalling an end to the conversation. Despite everything Nikki couldn't help a slight smile at the sight, before pulling herself together and going to check the house's other cupboard under the sink.
Well I was half right, she thought as she disengaged the child-lock and stuck her head inside. The products in this one looking far more hopeful but no less hard to identify the correct item. She dismissed the one that wasn't a spray but that still left one, two, three, fou-... far too many.
She took a closer look at the containers, mumbling to herself as she read the labels: "Why can't it just say 'suitable for dog vomit' in big obvious letters?" Well the floor's not glass, we can rule that one out.
Through process of elimination she found a multipurpose antibacterial spray that was probably the right one and hurried back to the corridor. Jude had evidently decided lying 'upright' on her belly was too much like hard work and flopped onto her side. Nikki groaned.
"Why would you put your head on the part of the floor I need to clean? That's just... Urgh!"
A wet cloth and a gentle hand took care of Jude's fur, but she was far more vicious when it came to scrubbing the floor. Finally satisfied that it was decontaminated enough for anybody who wasn't a quarian, she sat down with her back to the wall, stroking the dog in a way that seemed to soothe them both.
Their peaceful moment was broken by a piercing screech and Nikki dragged herself to her feet with a sigh, temporarily placing the spray on the nearest available tall surface as she headed towards her son's room. A half asleep Trish was crossing the corridor as she neared, but Nikki gently grabbed her shoulders and spun her round so she was facing their room.
"Bed. I'll take care of it." A barely audible thanks was muttered but Nikki didn't have time to appreciate the adorable sight of her partner's retreating form as another high pitched cry drilled through her ears, seemingly imbedding itself directly into the pain receptors of her brain. Self preservation instincts quickened her pace as she sought to cease the sonic assault on her ear drums.
"Shh, shh, shh... It's alright, I'm here." She soothed with gentle voice and even softer touch, lifting the shrieking monster in tiny human form out of the cot while rapidly running through a mental checklist of potential causes of his disgruntled wakening and the ways to fix them.
...
Trish sat enraptured, watching the soft flickers of emotion parading over her wife's face as the spectre's eyes greedily drunk in the experience of the daily breakfast routine. No less enamoured by the activity despite having seen the same events the previous morning.
Nicholas sat opposite his namesake, blissfully unaware of either adult's gaze as he happily showed off his prowess with a spoon, managing to get a good 70% of his meal inside him. The remaining 30% split between on himself, on Trish, on the table of his highchair and on the floor where, an apparently recovered and strategically positioned, Judy was quick to lick up the mess.
Once his bowl was empty Trish stood to collect it, heading to the sink to wash herself and the dishes as she did every day. The movement drew Nikki's attention and the soldier was visibly torn between going over to help and staying where she was, watching her mucky monkey of a son who seemed quite content tracing patterns in the mess he'd made on his highchair table.
"You sure you don't want to pull a sicky today?" The spectre asked as Trish collected her empty coffee cup.
"I can't, sorry. We're getting close to the project deadline and there's still so much to do." Trish apologised as she returned to the sink, glancing over her shoulder to offer: "If you don't feel comfortable looking after Nicky alone then I can drop him off at the creche like normal?"
"It's not that." The soldier shook her head. "I want to spend as much time with him as possible. It would just be nice if I could see you too while I'm here."
"Oh? What do you call the last few days?"
"Fun." The spectre admitted, coming up behind her. Arms wrapping round Trish's waist and chin resting on her shoulder. "But far too short."
Trish hummed in agreement, leaning back slightly into the embrace.
"I'll call you during lunch." She promised.
"I could just kidnap you for the day." Nikki offered, earning herself a soft smile and a shake of the head.
"I'm sure you could... but you'd be sleeping on the sofa for the rest of your life."
"Just sleeping there?" Nikki checked, shrugging at the threat, she'd slept in worse places in the past after all. "I'd still be able to use the bed sometimes for non sleeping activities right?"
Trish simply shook her head again, valiantly fighting her lips attempt to smile.
"You're mean!" The soldier accused.
"No... I'm nearly late for work." Trish turned, breaking free of her partner's grip and grabbing a cloth as she made her way towards Nicky Jr. Unfortunately she made the mistake of attempting to placate her wife with a brief peck on the cheek on the way pass and Nikki quickly snaked her arms back round, locking her in place once more.
"You'd be more than nearly late if I had my way." She assured, nose playfully nudging its counterpart.
"I'll make it up to you tonight, promise." Trish placed a faint kiss on the offending appendage before disregarding her soldier's clearly superior strength and simply walking away. Ignoring her completely as she lifted their son out his highchair, removing his bib then cleaning his face and hands before tossing the cloth back into the sink.
She carried him on her hip as she collected her last few things for the day and headed out to the car, telling him to enjoy himself and be good for opie while a pouting Nikki trailed behind them.
The babe was soon handed over, kisses pressed to each of them and Trish strapped herself in and took off. Nick Sr waving until the vehicle was out of sight. Then she looked down at the boy held securely against her side.
"Right then munchkin, what shall we do today?" She wasn't sure if he understood and was answering in earnest or simply liked the sound, maybe he remembered how excited she'd got when he said it on the beach. Either way, after a moment of what could have been considered contemplative silence the reply came back loud and clear:
"I' k'm!"
Nikki attempted to glare sternly down at him.
"No... You just had breakfast." Personally she was of the opinion that any time was a good time for ice cream, but she was trying to be a responsible parent-slash-adult. Inside the privacy of her own head the spectre promptly decided that it was rubbish having to be the responsible one.
"I' k'm!"
"You're trying to get mummy to kill me aren't you?"
Puppy dog eyes stared silently up at her and they didn't belong to Judy.
"I think I'm gonna need to teach you about the concept of secrets." The chocolatey pools were devoid of any trace of understanding. "And use smaller words, apparently I'm not the stupidest one in the family anymore."
"I' k'm?" Shepard senior sighed as she turned back to the house.
"When mummy asks what we did today you let me do the talking."
...
A walk with a toddler seemed to require more preparation and equipment than half the spec ops missions she'd been on. It certainly felt like it took longer to wrestle Nicholas into his green and brown dinosaur print waterproof playsuit than it took the commander to quick change into battle armour.
Thankfully he perked up once they were outside, cheerfully splashing through every puddle he could find in his bright yellow wellies. The colours clashed spectacularly but that wouldn't be a problem much longer, Nicky seemingly determined to dull the wellies with mud.
Navy wellies, almost as tall as the toddler, splashed alongside him. Their occupant not quite as carefree as she might seem. Oh she was certainly enjoying the experience, but there had been multiple reasons for Nicola's decision to undertake a grand outdoor adventure.
Jude was a dog and deserved a proper walk once in a while rather than being relegated to the garden.
Nikki spent too much of her life in space and when lucky enough to find herself planet-side somewhere she wasn't busy getting shot at, found it very difficult to just stay indoors the whole time.
Nicholas needed to burn through his excess energy before Trish returned home and wondered where it all came from.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, because Shepard possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide.
She had capitulated to her wife's wish not to go to 'their spot' the day of the picnic easily enough. But now, after several hours alone without the presence of her sinfully distracting wife, her brain had remembered the odd occurrence and she was filled with a niggling little itch she had to scratch. A nearly all consuming desire to know why Trish hadn't wanted her to go there.
She would have halted her quest in a heartbeat if her son tired, or the weather turned bad, but until that point she was determined to proceed as quickly as possible while still maintaining his fun.
The landscape soon changed and they were strolling through blue leaved trees, Jude foraging ahead through the foliage while the two Nicks took their time, gleefully kicking up the thick carpet of fallen leaves in varying colours and stages of decomposition.
The top layer were still crisp and whole, lucky handfuls getting to relive their glory days as they were flung high into the air. Gently swirling back to the ground under the curious gaze of an excited young explorer.
It was trickier than Nikki expected, keeping an eye on her son, being alert for potential dangers and sweeping her surroundings for clues as they ventured deeper into the copse. All while fond memories tried to catch her attention between the trees.
The sound of trickling water announced their proximity to a stream before they saw it, Nicola quickly grabbing her son's hand before he could follow the rapidly disappearing dog and attempt to drown himself. At least Jude could look after herself and be trusted to come back when called.
He protested loudly as she picked him up but she didn't care, taking the last few steps forward into the hidden clearing. Apart from the subtle changes inherent with the changing seasons there seemed little difference to the last time she was here.
Little, that is, apart from a conspicuous bench facing the water.
She approached with thinly veiled curiosity. Marvelling at the highly detailed flowers intricately carved into the wood.
Knowledge of the galaxy's flora was most assuredly not her area of expertise, otherwise the spectre may have noticed the fact the plants were all native to Mindoir. Instead, it wasn't until her eyes landed on the small metal plaque that realisation hit her with the force of a rampaging krogan. Throat tightening up as she read the words:
In loving memory of Nikki
'My idiot'
2154 - 2183
No Shepard, no list of achievements. It was simple, discreet. She assumed Trish hadn't wanted to risk someone stumbling upon it, making the link to the 'Saviour of the Citadel' and turning their quiet little spot into a tourist zone.
She didn't remember to breathe until she felt the pressure of little legs kicking against her hips with the full strength of a temper tantrum.
"Owie!" She reprimanded her son despite it not really hurting. Lazarus upgrades and an absurdly high pain threshold were useful for more than just battle it seemed. Still, better to try and nip that little habit in the bud now before it became a problem. Instead the problem mutated, Nicholas resorting to his usual tactic of deafening her to make his displeasure known.
By the time she'd dealt with his poorly timed meltdown, the shock of her discovery had mostly worn off.
She was still a mix of conflicting emotions, not least a sharp undercurrent of guilt. Guilt for submitting Trish, however unknowingly, to such grief and heartache. For being the cause of her partner's sorrow.
She doubted that feeling would ever go completely, despite her wife's claim it no longer mattered and was in the past, but bizarrely there was also a rising sense of relief. She hadn't known what to expect when she began her search for answers but this was... understandable.
She had died. Trish had mourned. In hindsight she supposed she aught to be more concerned if there wasn't a memorial somewhere.
It was strange to realise she was ok. Actually, genuinely, ok.
She couldn't change the past. The future was uncertain. The present though? She would make the most of every opportunity she had.
With a smile she whistled Jude out of the water and turned for home.