2184

Outskirts of San Juan

Island of Puerto Rico ( Systems Alliance state )

She still hadn't come back inside yet.

It'd been over 2 hours, but she was still out there. Staring through the kitchen windows, with their tan-colored curtains partially pulled aside to reveal the signature view all the way down to the shore, Sarah Williams could clearly see that, yes, Ashley still hadn't moved yet.

She was still there, under the tall palm tree on the shoreline.

Biting her lip, Sarah had to continue fighting the urge to just go out there and...well, to just go there, and be with her. She knew Ashley was hurting deeply these days, and in ways she hadn't experienced this painfully since their dad had died . It was- or at least it looked- that bad. Sarah couldn't be 100 percent sure, though, even though she was 99 percent of the way there.

All because of what was happening right now: Ash just wouldn't talk to anyone. Not just today, either, but every day for the past few days. It'd become a borderline ritual for her over that length of time- just going outside nearly as soon as the sun came up, and staying out there for hours on end...straight out refusing to speak to even her own mother beyond less than 5 words apiece. It didn't matter how gently they approached her, or how long they offered to stay-nothing was getting though to her.

She just wouldn't engage, with any of them.

Basically, Ashley had cut herself off from the family, despite still living with them for now- and that was just too much for a Williams, even the usually mild-mannered Sarah to accept. She hated it. She absolutely hated it, and every second she spent all alone out there, clearly hurting, was one more that Sarah couldn't stand. It was nagging at her, and driving her crazy. She had to do something..

Trouble was...she couldn't figure out what, exactly. Not before, or even now. All she could do, was check to see where her suffering big sis was after pulling the curtains open...and get stuck in that rut yet again. There just didn't seem like there was any way out...

Just like yesterday.

And the day before. And so on. It was a pattern now...and a deeply unsettling one at that, even for them. And they weren't on the receiving end of what was torturing her so bad.

..You don't have to do this on your own...

We're family ! You know we got your back ! , the younger of the Williams sisters stressed in her head, as she bit her lower lip, and clutched at the silky smooth curtains she still held in one hand. Why won't you let us help you...?

" Still stumped, huh ? "

From somewhere behind and to the right, came the voice of Abigail ( aka, Abby ) Williams, the 2nd oldest of the 4 sisters. She sounded like her normal self, at least- playful and relaxed- , and when Sarah reflexively turned around, she found that Abby looked like it too, with her impressively voluptuous ( exceeded only by Ashley's own Amazonian physique ) figure swaddled by one of those old school Victorian dresses of hers. ( other ) big sis standing there in the open kitchen doorway, carrying a mug of some steaming drink with both hands. Probably coffee, from the distinct scent of nutmeg wafting out from it.

Still, there'd been an unmistakable note of sadness in that lyrical voice that usually wasn't within a country mile of it. Solemn, maybe.

Without waiting for an immediate response, she fully entered the room, and stopped next to Sarah by the window. Reaching out, she pulled the other side of the curtain aside, and looked out over the expansive back garden.

"...Well, now you can see why ", Sarah pointed out, as the other Williams sister got a look for herself. " No improvement on that front...or if there is, I can't tell for the life of me. "

" Or me, gotta be honest ", Abigail helpfully supplied.

" She's always been like that, though. Always out to protect us, and doesn't want us to think she can't take care of herself "

Of all the on point statements that either of them could've made, that was near the very peak of it. You couldn't really argue with that if you'd been watching how badly Ashley had been moping around the beach the past few days- and she'd been doing a freighter's worth of that.

" Yeah, but...I mean, we're not little kids anymore, Abs ". Sarah shook her brunette head ( 3 of the 4 sisters were brunettes, who have more fire where it counts, other than the unique bombshell known as Abigail, who was a redhead ). " She doesn't need to do that any more. "

" Not gonna stop her though. We both know that. "

" True...", conceded the other Williams solemnly.

They lapsed into silence for the next few moments, as they quietly observed.

At least, neither one of them need to argue the point about whether there was a problem or not-they were well aware of that . Trouble was, though, was you couldn't keep that going forever. Sooner or later, something had to give. Just as it was with everything else...something had to give. From the way things were looking and going, though, it seemed pretty clear that Ashley would be who'd/what would " give " soon enough. The younger Williams sisters couldn't be sure which day that would fall on, but they knew it was coming.

It was all just a matter of when, they solemnly knew. They knew it for certain.

Which was also why they both knew they had to help. Somehow, they both knew for a fact that they had to do something...but the real kicker was,they'd known that for a while. Nearly as long as this had all been going on for, but they'd just been unable to reach their sister, so to speak.

Pretty much every day, they'd done something like this: found themselves standing at long range while only able to watch Ash getting buried under her own grief like a Rockies mountains avalanche. It was a painful thing to have to spectate so often; after all, they were all as close kin as a bunch of sisters could pray to get.

Yet, despite all that, they just couldn't seem to help the one of them who needed it most right now. Worse, every day that went by didn't seem to bring any solutions...and this one didn't seem like it was any different. Just the same as usual: having their morning kicked off by the same dismal sight as yesterday out there on the beach. Plus ( or negative, rather ) , the morning before that, and so on.

None of that, though, would stop them from sticking by her till they found out what, exactly.

Eventually, though, someone had to say something- it wasn't in either of their nature to not talk for long.

As it turned out, Sarah was the first. "...You know, maybe it's just that she needs someone to speak with who's outside the family...", she speculated out loud.

"...Wait a second: You're saying we should keep our distance ? ", asked Abigail. From the way she said it, it couldn't have been more obvious that she hadn't anticipated that.

Sarah couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles- it was always satisfying to pitch an idea to any of her sisters who were above her on the birth ladder that they actually seemed to think had merit...even if it was technically not a competition.

Well, it wasn't though. At all, but anyway...a good idea that came to you unexpectedly before the next.

Angling slightly away from the window ( not completely, though...she still wanted to keep an eye on Ashley, who's toned, and tanned back was still visible to her on the shore ), Sarah leaned against the windowsill, now fully facing her confused looking sibling.

" Because, I mean...we can't. ", insisted the other Williams. " Maybe if we just wait a whole week, that'll be long enough..."

On paper, that wasn't actually a bad plan- it was even a pretty decent one, in all honesty. As much as any of the Williams sisters might get emotionally scarred and hurt , their late and dearly loved old man had taken a lot of trouble to give them that kind of strength on the inside...and the wisdom to get help to find it when they needed it if they couldn't on their own.

Like what Ashley was dealing with now, for example. Or to get specific about it, had been dealing with for the past few days, and the whole reason why two of her sisters were running their own grassroots psych eval just a stone's throw away from where all that mental baggage was currently keeping her pinned.

" Usually. Yeah, that's what I'd go for. But let's get real about this: we've been going around and around on this for days now, and we can't think of anything. We're completely stuck and we know it. We're not doing her any good...just watching from the sidelines as she slogs through this by herself till she gets called back to service . And even then, she'll be bringing a lot of extra baggage along for the ride. She doesn't need that, and neither does the Marines she serves with. "

" You kinda remind me of dad, when you said that ", her sister revealed, with a nostalgic edge. " Seems like the kind of wisdom nugget he'd offer. "

" That's because he did-and she's the one who got most of it. Still relaying that stuff down to the rest of us. She can't help it. She won't stop. "

Still riding that tone of emphasis, Sarah got to the meat and potatoes of what she'd been driving at: " That's why we need outside help. Its long overdue "

For a moment, she didn't get an answer, but...she wasn't worried. If there was one thing about the collective Williams sisters that had always stayed the same, it was you could always get through to them with enough logic-a sadly uncommon trait among women, but then again...they weren't most.

Taking another brief sip from the still-steam-producing mug, and pausing a quick second to gauge how much was left, Abigail bit her lower lip as she clearly mulled over what to say next.

A moment or so later, she finally came out with exactly ( or close enough, anyway ) the exact kind of thing Sarah had been waiting for-because, at the end of the day, she knew her well enough to know for sure :

" Ok...so, what did you have in mind ? "

Johannesburg

South Africa

Systems Alliance member state

10am, local clock

BOOM...GABOOOOOOM...!

" Hey...hey, Mazik ? How's your pulse doing ?! "

As the distant echoes of the thunderstorm that was steadily creeping over the horizon continued going off over the summit of Table Mountain, one of the rumbling thunderclaps nearly drowned out the question that Gillian Juikara had just asked. It was that close- right there, on the leading edge of the massive landmass that hung over the city. Just a giant wall of dark clouds the color of battleship metal that was getting steadily closer and closer. There were even flashes of spidery lighting webs, visible just behind that blackened curtain, so it wouldn't exactly be just a mild summer shower.

It was exactly the kind of drencher that you wouldn't want to catch you outside-unless, of course, you wanted to get drowned while standing. Good news was, though, the family ranch wasn't that much of a walk from the ridgeline at all- getting there and back in time to beat the storm was something they'd already done before anyway more than a few times over the years, even before joining the Alliance. They'd gotten it down to a science by now, and it wouldn't have been a big hurdle to book it back down the slopes and get home to beat the storm.

But...well, today, some things had changed since then. For one of them, but because they were moving as a unit out here , it might as well have been both.

" You ok back there ?! ", the younger sister called again, with just the slightest hint of concern now trembling through her voice.

As she turned around to actually check, though, a whiplash of a response that was just barely short of angry ( though, that it was spoken in Afrikaans made it sound angry anyway ) came flying back: " Jy bekommer jou te veel ( You worry too much ) ! "

...I forget sometimes..but not for long.

It's still slowing her down quite a bit. Not to mention hurting like heck

Those 4 biting words were a pretty cutting comeback on their own, for sure, but...they also didn't really stab too deep for Gillian now.

Well...kind of. It did hurt a little bit ( after all, nobody liked getting rebuked by their own family ), but...she knew the speaker had her reasons for it. The slightly breathless gasp of air on the tail end of the words ( one she'd become painfully familiar with over the past few days ) just served as another reminder.

As did what Mazik- still lagging a ways behind-had to say next.

"...I'm ok. I'm...I'm alright. "

. It was only a few seconds later, but it was long enough. The tone had definitely changed...just enough so the undercurrent of " That was harsher than I wanted it to be " carried along with those words couldn't be ignored. Which was the point, after all. You wouldn't offer that kind of thing unless you had any decency in you at all...even if it was just a kernel.

Neither was it lost on the younger sister, who actually would've been ok with not getting something nice so soon- she knew that rebuke was just from a whole mountain of stress, pain, and frustration. That actually did help take away...well, some of the sting...but the softness afterwards was still nice. A pleasant reminder that there was still some of Mazik's kinder self left, despite the outburst.

If it had to happen that is...

Kind of wish it didn't, but...here we are

" Technically, you should blame our parents; mom's where I got the worrying gene from ", she pointed out, only half jokingly, as Mazik finally finished sliding-while-standing her way down the slope off the top of the ridge back to the walkable path made of loose gravel below.

With her lingering injury, though- with all the copious amounts of bodily harm that'd come from the destruction of the Normandy SR-1-it was like watching a wounded gazelle in action- much slower and more labored than earlier. Normally, she'd have easily beaten Gillian down that slope and left her for dead ( even if Gill pleaded for her to slow down just a tad ), laughing and taunting all the way, but...that just wasn't possible anymore.

The only thing that was, now, was just a lumbering, kind of labored gait. It was pretty clear from just a few minutes of watching her move that she was still dealing with the fallout from the 18-wheeler's worth of pain and fatigue that'd come packaged with that crash back on Alcerha. Medical and good treatment on the Abundance, plus all the follow-on clinic visits and therapy were definitely helping, but there was still a long way to go.

In more ways than one- and they were racing the clock on top of it.

" Kiddo...you're preaching to the choir. I got here first, didn't I ? Who knows them better between us anyway, ay ? "

It was the closest thing to a " You're right " that Gill knew she was getting out of Mazik given her current mood, but she knew that already. It was fine. Better than nothing, at least.

So, she didn't say anything else for the moment, as her sister bypassed her. Despite all the damage, and how much it was slowing her down like an bundle of coins at the end of an amusement park balloon, it couldn't entirely take away all that steam. Mazik was still as remarkably fit as she'd been for years- because if that hadn't been true, then they wouldn't have made it all the way out here, with that injury to deal with and all. There was a reason, at the end of the day, why she was the ground-pounder between them..

You're a beast, sis, the younger of the Juikara sisters reminded herself yet again, as she watched her sibling power on ahead, placing each foot with purpose. Her powerful thighs kept moving, stubbornly displaying that same kind of strength and resilience that Gill wished she had.

But, on the other hand, there was still something she could take credit for...and that was every beast was even stronger as a pack.

10 minutes later...

" Ay, Dit lyk asof ons 'n meer saamgebring het ( Seems we brought a lake back with us )..."

KRABOOOOOM !

As yet another thunderclap went off like a bomb somewhere out there amid the storm, Mazik discovered she was actually pretty much standing in the ocean on her own back porch- just sheets of the stuff coming off the whole of herself, and getting all over the floor. It was definitely a blessing that the porch was made of waterproofed boards, with narrow gaps between each one to let excess water pour down to soak the ground underneath.

Still...it didn't leave you any drier from having brought it all back on yourself.

But, Gill's lighthearted comment, aimed at bringing some levity to the atmosphere, was only met with a hmph sound from her sister, so clearly, the miniature " upbeat " offensive hadn't actually gotten the job done here...which, in hindsight, shouldn't have been a surprise. Mazik really had been under a grey cloud ( completely ignoring the carpet of ones covering the sky at the moment ) for a while now.

Even so...it'd seemed worth a shot. May have turned out as a flop, but still had been worth it. She wouldn't abandon at least trying to help Maz here...any way she could.

More disgruntled comments about getting soaked followed from her sibling, as she yanked off her sodden top while pushing through the back door. Extra drops flew everywhere, with a few more trickling down her perfectly sculpted back. Gil followed, with her own shoes already off and left behind...and fighting off the usual jab of jelously that she wasn't as jacked.

Just as she was closing the door behind them, though, there was an omni-blade sharp ( and awfully sudden ) hiss of pain from Maz, and she nearly stopped short. A hand dropped to the spot, just above her waist, while the other hastily reached out, and grabbed ahold of the edge of the kitchen counter. Without a word ( or a second thought ), Gil rushed forward to her side, ready to assist. Thankfully, though, it soon proved no help was actually needed, as Maz was able to push off the edge seconds later.

Still, it was clear that a fresh wave of pain was washing over her again- something the doctors had warned would happen if she strained too hard while getting through the recovery process. That alone was going to be long and hard enough on its own, they'd told her, and it wouldn't improve if she pushed herself over the limit trying to get back to normal so quickly.

For most patients, that would be all they'd need to know. But, Gill knew this one wasn't most...

" ...I'll get your pills, ok ? ", she offered. " With some cold watermelon juice "

Without waiting for a response, Gill tured away to get the meds and her sister's favorite fruit drink, not caring that the reassuring tone she was using might get a rise out of Maz, who'd probably sharply grumble something about " Stop babying me; I'm fine ! ", etc. It wasn't entirely her fault, though: as the big sister here ( emphasis on" big "; she was nearly a foot taller than Gill at roughly 6 feet, and weighed nearly 20 pounds more at 155 pounds ) , Maz had always been convinced that she had to be the to give help, not receive it.

Anything that even resembled " looking weak " was out of the question as well. Didn't matter if the " weakness " was from getting impaled by solid steel; to her, that definitely still counted.

But, despite that pricklier side of her...it wasn't all coldness. Not entirely.

So, instead of snapping, or even raising her naturally-pretty-loud voice, all she said was , "..Dankie ( Thank you ) ", in a slightly breathless tone, while moving off to on side to sit in one of the well-padded sundeck armchairs.

" I'll be back in a flash ", promised Gill, along with a light smile that spelled out " Don't worry- this is nothing for us " more clearly than she could with words. With that, she hurried away.

Now left alone ( though with the Reaching down, she began undoing the clasps on her hiking sandals. The action required some bending forward though, which sparked another burst of aching through her midsection. Not as bad as earlier, but it was enough to pull another muted hsss of pain.

" ..Almost like its still there ", muttered the Gunnery Sergeant, only loud enough for herself to hear. " Might as well be...aghh.!.."

Barely suppressing the outburst, she doggedly plowed ahead.

What should've been over and done in a few seconds took more of them than it should've, for sure, and with a lot more pain than usual to boot. Still, eventually, it was taken care of. Both sandals were undone, and tossed aside to hit the hardened floors with a set of loud clatters.

Before the echo of them had fully faded away, though, there was another similar noise- the slapping sound of bare feet rushing over them.

..Child's feet, judging from how light they were. And, there was only one who lived here...

Blinking, she lifted her head, just soon enough to watch a redheaded boy come running into the room from the 2nd floor stairwell entrance.

" ..Ma ! ", he exclaimed. Clearly, he happy to see her from the sound of it, but there also with a note of excitement following close behind. There was no hiding it even if he'd wanted to; Maz knew her own son way too well for that.

" I didn't know you were back..! "

Something had gone down that he wanted her to know about...but it could wait for a moment or so. For now, her boy was here, and nothing could buoy her spirits more. Especially during days like these..

Finally, after so much of the day had gone by, a smile appeared on her face. "..You know I couldn't stay away, my little king "

" Come here..."

Putting her toned arms out wide, she bear hugged him as he reached her, and hugged her right back as hard as he could. Even for a kid so young, he was big for his age, and really getting strong as well. Maz had no doubt that when he finally hit his teens, he'd be able to knock her down if he wanted to.

I knew feeding him all those veggies and protein would do him good...

Hate to watch you grow, but..I still love it.

Moisture- just a touch of it- began to collect around the edges of her eyes...

Holding Lumar close, and letting her forehead touch the crown of his head, the Gunnery Sergeant sensed all the pain and frustration from her lingering injury ebbing away, bit by bit. That was the raw power of unconditional love, and there was no mistaking it. It was what had sustained her when she was helplessly bedridden aboard the Alliance hospital ship Abundance after the frigate Ain Jalut ( Giant's Eye ) had saved the Normandy survivors from that icy nightmare world Alchera. It was what had kept her on pins and needles to finally hug her son and sister again ( even though the latter of the two did occasionally annoy her every now and then ) when the troop transport vessel Savannah had finally docked in Johannesburg after its long voyage from the Arcturus cluster.

It was what reminded her, more than anything else, of how there was always something, and someone, at home worth fighting for.

Living for...

The warmth washed over her for a few more moments that she deeply savored, before finally ( and reluctantly ) ending it with a softly spoken, " How're you doing, my seun ( son ) ? "

" Ok ! ", he replied in that energetic, perky way that all young boys did. " I looked for lighting bolts in the clouds...didn't find any of 'em. "

" Aww, don't worry . The storm's gonna last a few hours. You'll find one soon enough. "

" Yeah, probably ". Lumar knew better than to question her about most things ( " Mother knows best ", and all that ), but he was getting smarter every day. Just like how his strength would overtake Mazik's one day, she was just as sure his intelligence would as well. Not today or tomorrow, sure, but eventually...as with all children.

All the more reason to savor the days when he needed her. Like now.

" Oh ! "

With unmistakable enthusiasm, he pulled back a bit, straightening to stand planted on both feet in front of her. Reflexively looking him up and down, Maz didn't miss the way both his eyes were full of excitement.

" Oh, I almost forgot- Auntie Sarah called for you while you were out. She said it was important ! "

...Sarah-

The Williams clan !

That, was definitely unexpected- but, not really a total surprise. Mazik had known Ashley well and long enough to have gotten pretty familiar with her family- all 3 sisters, and her mother. She'd found them to be as nice and hospital as any family she'd ever met, with a wonderfully strong sense of loyalty between all 4 of them. More than once, she'd found herself wishing she and Gill had another sibling to share their lives with...

Then again, the Williams' were basically kin to all Juikaras anyway. If kin- real kin, like they were- called for you, and said it was something important, you listened. You always did.

" She did , huh ? ". Sitting forward ( again...she had to commit herself to ignoring the stab of pain, and wasn't sure if she'd succeeded ), with her interest instantly grabbed, Maz let her forearms rest on her thighs, ready to pay attention. Already, pinpricks of concern were beginning to assert themselves- and without needing to think at all, she was nearly 100 percent certain why.

Alchera...

If the Williams are calling so soon after what happened there...it's gotta be

Still, she had to know for sure. " What kind of important ? "

Lumar shrugged- another universal gesture among kids everywhere, before answering with:

" Something about Auntie Ashley. Said she needs help, because she just can't sleep without crying. "