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Description
Before the Worst, An Origin Story
WARNING: Mild Language
3
   "Vera, please, we both know this day is gonna be hell, so why don't you just stay home and rest? You could use it, you know."
   "Oh, and you don't? Besides, would it really be better for me to wallow around all day and think of him, and how he might not come back, and if he does that he might be like-"
   Kedzie groaned, running a hand across her face with defeat as Vera continued to argue her case with exaggerated vigor.
   Both didn't sleep much that night, which didn't surprise either of them. Although Vera's face was more worn than Kedzie's, they both had dark half-moons bruised under their weary eyes and were yawning incisively. The thought of work made them shudder, but how good would it look to call in sick on the second day for Vera? Sure, it was something Kedzie could easily get away with for them both, but Vera was flat out refusing, like the stubborn young lady she was.
   "Vera…" Kedzie tried again, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere.
   "Let's go, Keds." Vera insisted, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "We don't want to be late again and miss yet another case."
Vera holstered the C-Sec's complimentary Kessler pistol on her hip, turning to raise her brows impatiently at Kedzie. Kedzie was frowning, a strange looking expression on her usually amused face. It gave Vera pause. Her face softened as she brushed at the few free strands of auburn hair drifted about her forehead. She put an assuring, gentle hand on Kedzie's arm.
   "I'll be okay, alright?" Vera murmured, her impatience now completely gone. "I need this. Trust me."
   Vera tilted her head, gesturing for them to depart as the impatience came rushing right back. Kedzie, her forehead still wrinkled into a frown, sighed and patted her own pistol resting on her hip out of habit, just to make sure it was there.
   "If you're sure…" Kedzie muttered, following Vera out the door.
   "And I am." Vera sang over her shoulder, bouncing on her toes while waiting near the stairs.
   Kedzie paused outside the door, bringing up her omni-tool to lock their door. The green screen that acted as the button to open it abruptly flashed to red, locked. Kedzie sighed once more, and then led Vera down the stairs, to the elevators. The ride down was silent, the chime-filled music playing through without a typical newscast interruption. Vera wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She crossed her arms, restlessly shifting her weight from foot to foot as her thoughts began to float free.
   Part of her was sure she was acting this way because of her lack of sleep. The other part of her, however, knew she was acting this way because she hadn't heard from him yet. Yes, Vera didn't expect him to call right away, but it's been half a day now. What the heck was he waiting for?
   With her resolve completely and abruptly broken, Vera stifled a moan, the noise coming out like the whine of a dog. Kedzie glanced over at Vera, only to see her covering her face with her hand. With a sharp intake of breath, Kedzie slapped her hand on the 'emergency stop' button of the elevator. The elevator lurched, seemingly confused at the sudden halt. Vera stumbled, cursing as she threw her hands onto the door to stop herself from falling flat.
   "What the hell, Kedzie?" Vera snapped irritably. "Don't you realize that there are probably, like, firemen on the way?"
   Are there such things as firemen here, anyway? Vera thought in the back of her mind as she pushed herself back into a standing position. For a split second, she expected that Kedzie would call her a moron for saying such a thing. She still didn't know much about the Citadel, to Vera's own dismay.
   "I don't give a damn if the Councilors themselves are on the way because you shouldn't be here in the first place." Kedzie answered instead, surprisingly calm as she crossed her arms. "First of all, he's fine. And yes, it was that obvious once we left the apartment. Pretty much written on your face, but that was a nice mask that you put on for me. Give the man some time, for Christ's sake. He has a job to do, like us, but it's more than that. Did you really expect him to contact you hours after he left? Jesus, Vera-"
   "Alright." Vera interrupted, drained and wanting to shove Kedzie off her soap box. "I'm just…I'm still so, so blargh." She crossed her arms again, though the gesture was now more out of embarrassment than restlessness. "Can we just go to work now-?"
   Her words were cut off by loud, metallic bangs that rang throughout the elevator. Both women jumped at the sound, which was issuing from the doors. They exchanged a look, Vera annoyed and Kedzie apologetic with even some regret in there.
   "Are you alright in there?" They heard a voice shout, though it sounded warped through the metal. "Stay calm. We're trying to get you out, but what happened?"
   With yet another rare expression, this time of embarrassment, Kedzie smacked her hand over the emergency button again, and the doors flew apart. A group of C-Sec officers that were crowed around outside the elevator jumped, startled as they took in the pair of women standing, unharmed, in the seemingly-perfectly working elevator.
   One of them, a human, was on one knee to the right of the elevator, his arm lit up with his omni-tool as he attempted to tap into the elevator controls. His fingers froze, tinted the same orange as the tool. A turian, who turned out to actually be Garrus, of all the hundreds of turians on the station, was standing directly in front of the door. He must've been the one that banged on the door. His face darkened with exasperation and anger at the sight of them, and Kedzie offered a smile in return, easily sliding back into her arrogant self.
   "Of course," Garrus drawled, turning to wave off the other officers. "False alarm, everyone. I'll handle this."
   The turian turned back to them, the other officers stalking away with the same annoyance painted across Garrus' face, but with much less intensity. If looks could kill, Vera thought. Kedzie attempted to step by him, like nothing had happened, but Garrus matched her steps, keeping them trapped in the elevator.
   "Not so fast." His tone was the definition of angry infuriation that made Vera shudder with apprehension. "What-?"
   "We need to get to work, Garrus." Kedzie cut him off, trying to dance around him again to no avail. "What're you doing on 'elevator duty', anyway?" She used air quotes to exaggerate as she attempted one last time to maneuver past him. "Still slow, I assume?"
   "Actually, because almost no one in the entire history of the Citadel has had to use the emergency button," Garrus explained heatedly, finally reaching in to grab both of their wrists with his hands, no where near gentle-like, and yank them out. "No one knew what the warning was about. Luckily, with all this riveting activity going around I was able to discover what all the little flashing lights on the consoles meant." He began to lead them away, the women trailing behind him like a pair of misbehaved dogs. "Still slow, indeed. Still tossing us around. And yes, that was a nice attempt to distract me, Kedzie, but I was going to tell you all that anyway."
   Kedzie snorted with doubt, rolling her eyes while she tried to wriggle her wrist free. But Garrus only tightened his three fingers around her even more. Kedzie growled, continuing to struggle in attempt to save her dignity, but only destroying it more with her somewhat pathetic struggling. However, Vera was allowed to slip her hand free. Garrus glanced at her with an apologetic expression that she returned with a small shrug paired with a grin and raised eyebrows.
   In the last month or so since Vera's arrival, the three of them had gotten very close. Before Vera came around, Kedzie and Garrus were, at the very least, considered coworkers. Even then the term was used very loosely. He was sure to keep this rebellious and renegade, even compared to himself, IA officer at arms length, but it all changed with Vera's presence. It was like Vera was the bridge connecting Kedzie and Garrus, allowing this friendship to wink into existence. None of them really knew how the threesome happened, and none of them were questioning it much. Now, they were inseparable, like siblings.
   Indeed, Vera easily considered Garrus like a brother to her, a sibling that she never had. He was everything she ever dreamed of for a brother, actually: somewhat awkward at times, can be very sweet, passionate about his ideals, pretty darn adorable in a brotherly way, and only sometimes embarrassing.
   Like now, for instance, as he tugged hard on Kedzie's arm to cut off her curses. Vera glanced around, smiling contritely at those who stopped to stare at this sight. And, boy, was it sure a sight.
   "What? Oh, she gets off the hook, huh?" Kedzie snapped, gesturing wildly to Vera's free wrist. "She's the reason I pushed the damn button, anyway!"
   "Hey, now." Vera flew to her defense, pointing an accusing finger over Garrus' head at Kedzie. "You, actually, had no reason to push the button!"
   "Oh, didn't I?"
   "No, there was no reason-!"
   "Spirits above, will you both just shut up!?"
   And shut up they did. Vera clamped her teeth close so fast that she felt her jaw lock up while Kedzie bit down on her tongue, the metallic taste of blood quickly flooding inside her mouth.
   Along with the other attributes Garrus had as brother to Vera was that when he was upset, he was upset.
   She quickly muttered an apology, letting his awaiting fingers curl back around her outstretched wrist. Both suddenly lost their fighting fire, letting Garrus pull them along silently to the precinct. Kedzie narrowed her pale brown eyes, shooting daggers behind Garrus' back at Vera. Vera cringed away, ducking her head low between her shoulders to hide from said glares.
   "There." Garrus grumbled, finally tossing their hands away upon reaching the precinct.
   Kedzie scuttled away immediately, muttering curses over her shoulder darkly with her fists tight at her sides. She stormed into the Executor's office, slamming the door so loud behind her that all activity in the room stopped. The chatter of coworkers and tapping of keys was cut short, all eyes glued on the still trembling door. Then, all at once in an incredible act of synchronization, the eyes moved over to Vera and Garrus.
   With wide and nervous eyes, Vera stepped closer to the turian, trying to just disappear. All eyes were on her, wondering who this newbie was. Most hadn't heard about Kedzie's new partner because most of them wished to keep C-Sec's star IA agent out of mind for obvious reasons. A few officers narrowed their eyes at Vera, almost like a threat. Message received, Vera thought as she shuffled closer to Garrus, their arms now touching.
   Thankfully, once the screaming started, all eyes snapped back to the door. Vera covered her face with a hand, mumbling into it as Kedzie's voice penetrated the door. Her words were muffled, though her tone was obviously angry and annoyed. Faintly, Vera could catch snippets of the Executor's much calmer voice, although there was a telltale strain in his tone that said he wasn't happy with Kedzie's behavior.
   You and me both, Vera thought, taking a slight step behind Garrus to physically hide from the stares and glares that began to creep back in her direction. Garrus finally caught on once he glanced down to see Vera's flushed red face and anxious eyes.
Garrus, not nervous at all, gave a slight nod of his head while his beady blue eyes crossed the room from one end to the other. All sound immediately came rushing back and all goings-on resumed, batting at Vera's ears at a distressingly loud level. She didn't even notice when Garrus had, much more gently, taken her wrist and began to lead her back to Kedzie's office space. She finally snapped out of it when Garrus started to talk to her.
   "Don't be intimidated by them." He was saying softly. "Kedzie makes them all nervous, to say the least."
   Garrus dropped her hand, and Vera saw that they were not in the main offices she first saw, but the little side room that Kedzie and Vera chatted in upon her arrival. Only, now there were two generously sized desks instead of a sofa. It took Vera a second to remember that she and Kedzie were moved into this room to be away from, well, everyone else. She was suddenly very grateful for that.
   While Vera moved forward to pick up a couple trinkets on Kedzie's desk, Garrus watched her apprehensively. He wished he wasn't so hard on them both the second his rage spilled over. It obviously wasn't a good night for either of them, revealed through their dark eyes. He nearly asked what happened, but thought against it at the last second. The turian was sure he'd find out eventually, anyway.
   "It's all bark and no bite. Trust me." Garrus assured her, putting a much gentler touch on her shoulder.
   Vera could only give a half-hearted smile before Kedzie burst into the room. Her face was still twisted with annoyance, but Vera could spot the triumph in her expression. Still, she made sure Garrus was placed protectively between the two of them.
   "Hah! We got one, oh, did we get one, Vera!" Kedzie announced, slapping the holochart onto one of the desks with a flourish. "Go on, read it up."
   Vera glanced between Garrus and Kedzie before snatching up the chart and dancing away from Kedzie's general area.
   "Sick bastards, those are always the best to nail." Kedzie was saying with much enthusiasm as Vera read the holochart.
   Garrus gave an awkward smile, nudging Vera with his elbow to save them both from Kedzie and her gruesome ramblings.
   "So, what's the case there, Vera?" The turian asked.
   "What?" Kedzie broke out of her reverie, her pale brown eyes narrowing. "You can't know anything about this. IA business! Shoo, shoo!"
   She turned Garrus around, pushing him towards the door. He protested, but Kedzie was one relentless woman. With a final slap on his hindquarters, Kedzie closed the door behind Garrus' embarrassed face. She turned back to Vera with a hand on her hip, grinning from ear to ear.
   "Well, did we get one, or what?" Kedzie demanded playfully, skipping over to stand in front of Vera. "…Vera?"
   Kedzie's grin vanished, replaced with a worried frown as she took in her friend's expression. She could see the glazed look in Vera's green eyes, the look of pure terror that Vera saved for one person and one person alone.
   Vera's heart had frozen, but her blood was running hot through her veins. Her fingers were holding the holochart so hard that her knuckles were a ghostly white. She didn't even read the report. She didn't need to. The picture of their target was more than enough.
   Finally, her lungs began to work again. Only, before Vera could drop the holochart and release a scream worthy of a banshee, her omni-tool tweeted the alert of an incoming message. She jumped, breaking her eyes away from the screen to see that it was finally Kaidan.
   "Vera-" Kedzie breathed, suddenly piecing it all together as Vera threw the 'chart to the ground and answered the call.
   "Kaidan!" Vera cried, the fear now somewhat hidden behind her eyes as Kaidan's face popped up on a screen issuing from her omni-tool.
   "Vera," He smiled, obviously relieved to see her. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, but I was held up here at, well, I suppose I can't tell you where I am…" Kaidan paused, looking past Vera briefly to see Kedzie holding the holochart with a shocked expression. "Am I interrupting something again?"
   Vera turned her head over her shoulder, shooting Kedzie a desperate kind of look. Kedzie frowned, her forehead wrinkled up in distress. She had quickly reread the report about a newbie at the precinct that was harassing a couple of the women, or so the women claimed. He was a nice guy, everyone else said. The women in question were not the most modest of women, so of course no one really took them seriously.
   The man accused of such doings was strikingly handsome with navy blue eyes and dark red hair, as depicted by the picture with the report. He was vividly familiar to Kedzie, and she didn't know why until she watched Vera's reaction:
   Oh, God. Impossible.
   "Vera…" She whispered in disbelief, clutching the 'chart close to her chest.
   Vera closed her eyes, steeling herself against the onslaught of tears and years of pain. She turned back to Kaidan, opening her eyes to see him staring back at her with worry. A feeble smile managed to creep onto her face, and she tried to speak, but Vera's throat was too constricted for a few moments.
   "Vera?" Kaidan murmured, his fingers unconsciously coming forward as if to brush her cheek but stopping short upon remembering he couldn't touch her. "What is it? Should I call back later-?"
   "No." Vera yelped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm alright, I really need this right now, anyway…" She paused, opening her eyes again. "I miss you."
   "Vera." Kedzie hissed, moving into Kaidan's view to stare him down menacingly. "I hate to interrupt, but this is a rather bad time. She'll call you back later-"
   "Ahem," Vera stepped in, her hard eyes narrowed at Kedzie. "Speak for yourself, Keds."
   "Oh yeah, Vera?" Kedzie snapped, punching the mute button on Vera's omni-tool.
   "What the hell, Kedzie!" shouted Vera, moving her hand to unmute the message, but Kedzie grabbed her hand roughly.
   "Hang up." Kedzie ordered. "We need to talk about this." She poked the unmute button, and keeping her eyes on Vera, said, "Talk to you later, Navy boy."
   She ended the transmission with a wave of her fingers, the orange glow of Vera's omni-tool disappearing. Vera screamed, shoving her hands free and pushing Kedzie in the chest. Barely being moved an inch at Vera's weak attempt, Kedzie only ran a hand over her face, sighing deeply into her palm. She moved her hand up to her hair, holding her bangs up.
   "You bitch!" Vera yelled, tears gathering in the corners of her green eyes. "Don't you realize that I need him? I-I need him to keep me, to keep me…Oh, God."
   Vera collapsed, her hands curled into fists, resting on her forehead. She cried out, shaking her head back and forth almost desperately.
   "No, no, no, no!" Vera screamed, beating her fists in time on her head. "It can't be-!"
   "Shh, Vera." Kedzie fell beside her friend, grabbing her hands to cradle them between her own. "Listen to me; we don't know anything for sure, so-"
   "But we do, Kedzie!" whispered Vera, her eyes streaking with tears. "You may have never seen him, but…" Her voice trailed off, and Vera closed her eyes, turning her face away. "I'll never forget his face."
   Kedzie glanced down at the holochart, the man's face smiling almost mockingly up at the two. Her blood boiled with rage as her arms brought Vera in a tight, assuring embrace.
   How the hell could that prick be here? How long has he been here, and why didn't Kedzie know about it? Was he here because of Vera? What the hell were they going to do?
   Kedzie smashed her fist down on the holochart, sending waves throughout the screen, but leaving it stubbornly flawless otherwise.
   ***
   Kaidan stared at the blank transmission screen, his brow furrowed deeply. He may not have known Vera all that long, but he knew something was wrong by the way she looked at him. Her eyes were pleading, tear-stained. He reached his fingers over to call her back, but hesitated.
   If Vera wanted to still talk with him, she would've called back. Right? But, then again, that friend of hers (Kedzie, was it?), seemed very final with her good-bye. Maybe she was…jealous?
   Oh, God. Kaidan thought, leaning back in his chair. I don't know women at all, do I?
   He sighed, blowing out the air between his lips like a horse. With a wave of his hand, Kaidan closed his omni-tool, leaving him in a dim light from his desk light. He suddenly hated himself for not taking a picture of her. It would've gone right there, between his light and dog tags. It would've been a picture of her smiling, her beautiful emerald eyes crinkled up in laughter. The thought of her smiling brought a smile to his own lips.
   It was strange, really, this whole situation. Never before had Kaidan had such luck with the ladies. He was always so awkward, even with the women in his company. One of them showed interest in him, that is before he tripped up on his biotics and smashed a tray into her face. Amidst the flecks of food, her nose turned out to be broken. His chances with her flew out the window.
   He had been very reluctant to venture forth into the world of women since.
   "Alenko!"
   Kaidan perked up, turning his head to see the young red-head, Peerce, come prancing into the room they shared at this base. His young blue eyes darkened slightly as he took in Kaidan's expression.
   "Everything alright, Alenko?" He inquired carefully, one pale orange brow raised.
   "Oh, um, yeah. Just…just, you know." Kaidan gestured vaguely about him, suddenly flustered. "I was…"
   "Ah, talking to that lady friend of yours, were ya?" Peerce's face broke into a smile as he tromped over to Kaidan, putting a friendly arm over his shoulders. "Jeez, man. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."
   "We've only know each for a couple weeks, Peerce." Kaidan pointed out, crossing his arms and thunking his feet on the desk in an attempt to play off his nerves. "You haven't seen every side of me yet."
   Peerce shrugged, tugging his own chair over to sit next to Kaidan. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands.
   "Come on, Kaidan." The rare use of Kaidan's first name made him perk up slightly. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?" Peerce insisted with a friendly grin.
   "Well, yeah. Of course, Mason." Kaidan replied, dropping his legs back to the ground in seriousness. "It's nothing to be that worried about, anyway."
   Peerce sat back up, a finger covering his lips in thought. Then, in a swift movement, the young man swiveled his chair around, now resting his chin on the chair's back with his hands holding on either side. His blue eyes bored into Kaidan's brown ones, all joking now suddenly put aside.
   "Is that right?" Peerce finally murmured, his voice doubtful.
   Kaidan shrugged uncomfortably. The two sat in silence, Peerce just staring at the older man. Kaidan avoided the stare, examining his short-cut nails and digging out any dirt or grime underneath. He glanced down at Peerce to see the boy frowning up at him. Kaidan blinked, caught unawares at this eccentric young man's unhappiness.
   "Peerce?"
   "What's going on, Kaidan?" He said gently, prodding Kaidan in the arm with his fingers. "What, is she not gonna wait around for you, is that it?"
   The faint trace of a smile was on Peerce's face, giving Kaidan a small smirk. He gave in, tossing his hands in the air in an exaggerated shrug.
   "Yes, that's it." Kaidan answered sarcastically. "She already ran off, and with a turian."
   "Ouch, that's cold."
   "Hey, now. You got something against turians?"
   "Oh, I didn't mean it like that…" Peerce looked away, scratching the side of his neck distractedly with hard eyes.
   "Just messing with you, private." Kaidan reached over and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, although remembering how Peerce's father was one of the men killed during the First Contact War with the turians. He made a note not to mention something like that again, even in a jovial manner.
   "But, seriously. She's…" Kaidan trailed off, almost saying 'fine' when Vera obviously wasn't fine. "I'm not sure. Vera was very-"
   "Ah, so that's her name." Peerce cut in, putting his chin back on the chair.
   "Yes, Vera." He couldn't help but smile as he said her name; it filled him with such delight, something he's never felt in his twenty-seven years. "She seemed distraught about something, but her friend cut her off before she could tell me what was wrong."
   Peerce tilted his head slightly, his lips pursed in thought.
   "Well," He finally said, drawing the word out and holding the 'l' much longer than necessary. "Just call her back, huh?"
   "I was thinking about it, but her friend looked…" Kaidan swallowed; He didn't know Kedzie that well, only meeting her briefly when he went to Vera's apartment. She seemed a nice person then, but when he saw her stern and serious face glare down at him, Kaidan wanted to go hide in a corner. "She wasn't very happy. It seemed that they needed to talk things out, and I didn't want to bother Vera again if they were in the middle of something…"
   The younger man jumped up from his chair, spinning it back to his desk. He clasped a hand on Kaidan's shoulder.
   "Come on, then." Peerce jerked his thumb towards the door. "Let's go eat at the mess; I'm starving. You can call her back after."
   Kaidan sighed, pushing himself out of his chair. He tossed his arm out, gesturing for Peerce to lead the way. Peerce pounced ahead, gabbing now about what he was going to eat. Kaidan, however, was only half listening. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, all he could hear was the desperation in Vera's voice.
   ***
   Vera's screams did not go unheard. A few minutes after Kedzie ended the transmission to Kaidan, Garrus was pounding on the door with demands of being let in right that second. Spirits, I knew something was wrong…
   Kedzie had managed to drop Vera into her chair. She made a note to herself to make sure they got that sofa back. With a quick glance at Vera, which was nowhere near comforting, Kedzie opened the silver doors a crack. Garrus' beady blue eye was all she could see.
   "Kedzie, what's going on? Will you let me in?" The turian demanded, his eye trying to search past her.
   "Is it just you?" Kedzie murmured while she glanced around him.
   "Yes, yes." Garrus answered impatiently. "Now, let me-"
   Kedzie slid the doors open the rest of the way, grabbed Garrus by his collar, yanked him in roughly, and then slammed the doors shut seconds after he passed the threshold. Before the crack was sealed, Kedzie could glimpse the forms of bodies beyond the doorway. Just him, my ass. Kedzie thought bitterly, turning to see Garrus already kneeling by Vera with his hand around hers.
   "Vera? Are you alright?" His voice was unnaturally soft, caring. It gave Kedzie a start.
   "I…" Vera only stared open-eyed over at Kedzie, begging for her to answer for her as her voice trailed off.
   "Garrus," Kedzie stated simply, stooping down to pick up the still-perfect holochart. (After smashing her fist into it, Kedzie also kicked it, threw it against the wall, and even attempted to bite it. Not her best plan. Her teeth still felt funny.)
   She merely handed the 'chart to him, gently taking his arm with her other hand to pull him away from Vera. While Garrus didn't know everything about what had happened to Vera in her past, he knew more than enough. What Connor had looked like was included in this knowledge. And when Garrus saw those navy blue eyes and blood red hair, nothing else needed to be said other than:
   "Shit."

Description
Before the Worst, An Origin Story
WARNING: Mild Language
3
   "Vera, please, we both know this day is gonna be hell, so why don't you just stay home and rest? You could use it, you know."
   "Oh, and you don't? Besides, would it really be better for me to wallow around all day and think of him, and how he might not come back, and if he does that he might be like-"
   Kedzie groaned, running a hand across her face with defeat as Vera continued to argue her case with exaggerated vigor.
   Both didn't sleep much that night, which didn't surprise either of them. Although Vera's face was more worn than Kedzie's, they both had dark half-moons bruised under their weary eyes and were yawning incisively. The thought of work made them shudder, but how good would it look to call in sick on the second day for Vera? Sure, it was something Kedzie could easily get away with for them both, but Vera was flat out refusing, like the stubborn young lady she was.
   "Vera…" Kedzie tried again, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere.
   "Let's go, Keds." Vera insisted, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "We don't want to be late again and miss yet another case."
Vera holstered the C-Sec's complimentary Kessler pistol on her hip, turning to raise her brows impatiently at Kedzie. Kedzie was frowning, a strange looking expression on her usually amused face. It gave Vera pause. Her face softened as she brushed at the few free strands of auburn hair drifted about her forehead. She put an assuring, gentle hand on Kedzie's arm.
   "I'll be okay, alright?" Vera murmured, her impatience now completely gone. "I need this. Trust me."
   Vera tilted her head, gesturing for them to depart as the impatience came rushing right back. Kedzie, her forehead still wrinkled into a frown, sighed and patted her own pistol resting on her hip out of habit, just to make sure it was there.
   "If you're sure…" Kedzie muttered, following Vera out the door.
   "And I am." Vera sang over her shoulder, bouncing on her toes while waiting near the stairs.
   Kedzie paused outside the door, bringing up her omni-tool to lock their door. The green screen that acted as the button to open it abruptly flashed to red, locked. Kedzie sighed once more, and then led Vera down the stairs, to the elevators. The ride down was silent, the chime-filled music playing through without a typical newscast interruption. Vera wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She crossed her arms, restlessly shifting her weight from foot to foot as her thoughts began to float free.
   Part of her was sure she was acting this way because of her lack of sleep. The other part of her, however, knew she was acting this way because she hadn't heard from him yet. Yes, Vera didn't expect him to call right away, but it's been half a day now. What the heck was he waiting for?
   With her resolve completely and abruptly broken, Vera stifled a moan, the noise coming out like the whine of a dog. Kedzie glanced over at Vera, only to see her covering her face with her hand. With a sharp intake of breath, Kedzie slapped her hand on the 'emergency stop' button of the elevator. The elevator lurched, seemingly confused at the sudden halt. Vera stumbled, cursing as she threw her hands onto the door to stop herself from falling flat.
   "What the hell, Kedzie?" Vera snapped irritably. "Don't you realize that there are probably, like, firemen on the way?"
   Are there such things as firemen here, anyway? Vera thought in the back of her mind as she pushed herself back into a standing position. For a split second, she expected that Kedzie would call her a moron for saying such a thing. She still didn't know much about the Citadel, to Vera's own dismay.
   "I don't give a damn if the Councilors themselves are on the way because you shouldn't be here in the first place." Kedzie answered instead, surprisingly calm as she crossed her arms. "First of all, he's fine. And yes, it was that obvious once we left the apartment. Pretty much written on your face, but that was a nice mask that you put on for me. Give the man some time, for Christ's sake. He has a job to do, like us, but it's more than that. Did you really expect him to contact you hours after he left? Jesus, Vera-"
   "Alright." Vera interrupted, drained and wanting to shove Kedzie off her soap box. "I'm just…I'm still so, so blargh." She crossed her arms again, though the gesture was now more out of embarrassment than restlessness. "Can we just go to work now-?"
   Her words were cut off by loud, metallic bangs that rang throughout the elevator. Both women jumped at the sound, which was issuing from the doors. They exchanged a look, Vera annoyed and Kedzie apologetic with even some regret in there.
   "Are you alright in there?" They heard a voice shout, though it sounded warped through the metal. "Stay calm. We're trying to get you out, but what happened?"
   With yet another rare expression, this time of embarrassment, Kedzie smacked her hand over the emergency button again, and the doors flew apart. A group of C-Sec officers that were crowed around outside the elevator jumped, startled as they took in the pair of women standing, unharmed, in the seemingly-perfectly working elevator.
   One of them, a human, was on one knee to the right of the elevator, his arm lit up with his omni-tool as he attempted to tap into the elevator controls. His fingers froze, tinted the same orange as the tool. A turian, who turned out to actually be Garrus, of all the hundreds of turians on the station, was standing directly in front of the door. He must've been the one that banged on the door. His face darkened with exasperation and anger at the sight of them, and Kedzie offered a smile in return, easily sliding back into her arrogant self.
   "Of course," Garrus drawled, turning to wave off the other officers. "False alarm, everyone. I'll handle this."
   The turian turned back to them, the other officers stalking away with the same annoyance painted across Garrus' face, but with much less intensity. If looks could kill, Vera thought. Kedzie attempted to step by him, like nothing had happened, but Garrus matched her steps, keeping them trapped in the elevator.
   "Not so fast." His tone was the definition of angry infuriation that made Vera shudder with apprehension. "What-?"
   "We need to get to work, Garrus." Kedzie cut him off, trying to dance around him again to no avail. "What're you doing on 'elevator duty', anyway?" She used air quotes to exaggerate as she attempted one last time to maneuver past him. "Still slow, I assume?"
   "Actually, because almost no one in the entire history of the Citadel has had to use the emergency button," Garrus explained heatedly, finally reaching in to grab both of their wrists with his hands, no where near gentle-like, and yank them out. "No one knew what the warning was about. Luckily, with all this riveting activity going around I was able to discover what all the little flashing lights on the consoles meant." He began to lead them away, the women trailing behind him like a pair of misbehaved dogs. "Still slow, indeed. Still tossing us around. And yes, that was a nice attempt to distract me, Kedzie, but I was going to tell you all that anyway."
   Kedzie snorted with doubt, rolling her eyes while she tried to wriggle her wrist free. But Garrus only tightened his three fingers around her even more. Kedzie growled, continuing to struggle in attempt to save her dignity, but only destroying it more with her somewhat pathetic struggling. However, Vera was allowed to slip her hand free. Garrus glanced at her with an apologetic expression that she returned with a small shrug paired with a grin and raised eyebrows.
   In the last month or so since Vera's arrival, the three of them had gotten very close. Before Vera came around, Kedzie and Garrus were, at the very least, considered coworkers. Even then the term was used very loosely. He was sure to keep this rebellious and renegade, even compared to himself, IA officer at arms length, but it all changed with Vera's presence. It was like Vera was the bridge connecting Kedzie and Garrus, allowing this friendship to wink into existence. None of them really knew how the threesome happened, and none of them were questioning it much. Now, they were inseparable, like siblings.
   Indeed, Vera easily considered Garrus like a brother to her, a sibling that she never had. He was everything she ever dreamed of for a brother, actually: somewhat awkward at times, can be very sweet, passionate about his ideals, pretty darn adorable in a brotherly way, and only sometimes embarrassing.
   Like now, for instance, as he tugged hard on Kedzie's arm to cut off her curses. Vera glanced around, smiling contritely at those who stopped to stare at this sight. And, boy, was it sure a sight.
   "What? Oh, she gets off the hook, huh?" Kedzie snapped, gesturing wildly to Vera's free wrist. "She's the reason I pushed the damn button, anyway!"
   "Hey, now." Vera flew to her defense, pointing an accusing finger over Garrus' head at Kedzie. "You, actually, had no reason to push the button!"
   "Oh, didn't I?"
   "No, there was no reason-!"
   "Spirits above, will you both just shut up!?"
   And shut up they did. Vera clamped her teeth close so fast that she felt her jaw lock up while Kedzie bit down on her tongue, the metallic taste of blood quickly flooding inside her mouth.
   Along with the other attributes Garrus had as brother to Vera was that when he was upset, he was upset.
   She quickly muttered an apology, letting his awaiting fingers curl back around her outstretched wrist. Both suddenly lost their fighting fire, letting Garrus pull them along silently to the precinct. Kedzie narrowed her pale brown eyes, shooting daggers behind Garrus' back at Vera. Vera cringed away, ducking her head low between her shoulders to hide from said glares.
   "There." Garrus grumbled, finally tossing their hands away upon reaching the precinct.
   Kedzie scuttled away immediately, muttering curses over her shoulder darkly with her fists tight at her sides. She stormed into the Executor's office, slamming the door so loud behind her that all activity in the room stopped. The chatter of coworkers and tapping of keys was cut short, all eyes glued on the still trembling door. Then, all at once in an incredible act of synchronization, the eyes moved over to Vera and Garrus.
   With wide and nervous eyes, Vera stepped closer to the turian, trying to just disappear. All eyes were on her, wondering who this newbie was. Most hadn't heard about Kedzie's new partner because most of them wished to keep C-Sec's star IA agent out of mind for obvious reasons. A few officers narrowed their eyes at Vera, almost like a threat. Message received, Vera thought as she shuffled closer to Garrus, their arms now touching.
   Thankfully, once the screaming started, all eyes snapped back to the door. Vera covered her face with a hand, mumbling into it as Kedzie's voice penetrated the door. Her words were muffled, though her tone was obviously angry and annoyed. Faintly, Vera could catch snippets of the Executor's much calmer voice, although there was a telltale strain in his tone that said he wasn't happy with Kedzie's behavior.
   You and me both, Vera thought, taking a slight step behind Garrus to physically hide from the stares and glares that began to creep back in her direction. Garrus finally caught on once he glanced down to see Vera's flushed red face and anxious eyes.
Garrus, not nervous at all, gave a slight nod of his head while his beady blue eyes crossed the room from one end to the other. All sound immediately came rushing back and all goings-on resumed, batting at Vera's ears at a distressingly loud level. She didn't even notice when Garrus had, much more gently, taken her wrist and began to lead her back to Kedzie's office space. She finally snapped out of it when Garrus started to talk to her.
   "Don't be intimidated by them." He was saying softly. "Kedzie makes them all nervous, to say the least."
   Garrus dropped her hand, and Vera saw that they were not in the main offices she first saw, but the little side room that Kedzie and Vera chatted in upon her arrival. Only, now there were two generously sized desks instead of a sofa. It took Vera a second to remember that she and Kedzie were moved into this room to be away from, well, everyone else. She was suddenly very grateful for that.
   While Vera moved forward to pick up a couple trinkets on Kedzie's desk, Garrus watched her apprehensively. He wished he wasn't so hard on them both the second his rage spilled over. It obviously wasn't a good night for either of them, revealed through their dark eyes. He nearly asked what happened, but thought against it at the last second. The turian was sure he'd find out eventually, anyway.
   "It's all bark and no bite. Trust me." Garrus assured her, putting a much gentler touch on her shoulder.
   Vera could only give a half-hearted smile before Kedzie burst into the room. Her face was still twisted with annoyance, but Vera could spot the triumph in her expression. Still, she made sure Garrus was placed protectively between the two of them.
   "Hah! We got one, oh, did we get one, Vera!" Kedzie announced, slapping the holochart onto one of the desks with a flourish. "Go on, read it up."
   Vera glanced between Garrus and Kedzie before snatching up the chart and dancing away from Kedzie's general area.
   "Sick bastards, those are always the best to nail." Kedzie was saying with much enthusiasm as Vera read the holochart.
   Garrus gave an awkward smile, nudging Vera with his elbow to save them both from Kedzie and her gruesome ramblings.
   "So, what's the case there, Vera?" The turian asked.
   "What?" Kedzie broke out of her reverie, her pale brown eyes narrowing. "You can't know anything about this. IA business! Shoo, shoo!"
   She turned Garrus around, pushing him towards the door. He protested, but Kedzie was one relentless woman. With a final slap on his hindquarters, Kedzie closed the door behind Garrus' embarrassed face. She turned back to Vera with a hand on her hip, grinning from ear to ear.
   "Well, did we get one, or what?" Kedzie demanded playfully, skipping over to stand in front of Vera. "…Vera?"
   Kedzie's grin vanished, replaced with a worried frown as she took in her friend's expression. She could see the glazed look in Vera's green eyes, the look of pure terror that Vera saved for one person and one person alone.
   Vera's heart had frozen, but her blood was running hot through her veins. Her fingers were holding the holochart so hard that her knuckles were a ghostly white. She didn't even read the report. She didn't need to. The picture of their target was more than enough.
   Finally, her lungs began to work again. Only, before Vera could drop the holochart and release a scream worthy of a banshee, her omni-tool tweeted the alert of an incoming message. She jumped, breaking her eyes away from the screen to see that it was finally Kaidan.
   "Vera-" Kedzie breathed, suddenly piecing it all together as Vera threw the 'chart to the ground and answered the call.
   "Kaidan!" Vera cried, the fear now somewhat hidden behind her eyes as Kaidan's face popped up on a screen issuing from her omni-tool.
   "Vera," He smiled, obviously relieved to see her. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, but I was held up here at, well, I suppose I can't tell you where I am…" Kaidan paused, looking past Vera briefly to see Kedzie holding the holochart with a shocked expression. "Am I interrupting something again?"
   Vera turned her head over her shoulder, shooting Kedzie a desperate kind of look. Kedzie frowned, her forehead wrinkled up in distress. She had quickly reread the report about a newbie at the precinct that was harassing a couple of the women, or so the women claimed. He was a nice guy, everyone else said. The women in question were not the most modest of women, so of course no one really took them seriously.
   The man accused of such doings was strikingly handsome with navy blue eyes and dark red hair, as depicted by the picture with the report. He was vividly familiar to Kedzie, and she didn't know why until she watched Vera's reaction:
   Oh, God. Impossible.
   "Vera…" She whispered in disbelief, clutching the 'chart close to her chest.
   Vera closed her eyes, steeling herself against the onslaught of tears and years of pain. She turned back to Kaidan, opening her eyes to see him staring back at her with worry. A feeble smile managed to creep onto her face, and she tried to speak, but Vera's throat was too constricted for a few moments.
   "Vera?" Kaidan murmured, his fingers unconsciously coming forward as if to brush her cheek but stopping short upon remembering he couldn't touch her. "What is it? Should I call back later-?"
   "No." Vera yelped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm alright, I really need this right now, anyway…" She paused, opening her eyes again. "I miss you."
   "Vera." Kedzie hissed, moving into Kaidan's view to stare him down menacingly. "I hate to interrupt, but this is a rather bad time. She'll call you back later-"
   "Ahem," Vera stepped in, her hard eyes narrowed at Kedzie. "Speak for yourself, Keds."
   "Oh yeah, Vera?" Kedzie snapped, punching the mute button on Vera's omni-tool.
   "What the hell, Kedzie!" shouted Vera, moving her hand to unmute the message, but Kedzie grabbed her hand roughly.
   "Hang up." Kedzie ordered. "We need to talk about this." She poked the unmute button, and keeping her eyes on Vera, said, "Talk to you later, Navy boy."
   She ended the transmission with a wave of her fingers, the orange glow of Vera's omni-tool disappearing. Vera screamed, shoving her hands free and pushing Kedzie in the chest. Barely being moved an inch at Vera's weak attempt, Kedzie only ran a hand over her face, sighing deeply into her palm. She moved her hand up to her hair, holding her bangs up.
   "You bitch!" Vera yelled, tears gathering in the corners of her green eyes. "Don't you realize that I need him? I-I need him to keep me, to keep me…Oh, God."
   Vera collapsed, her hands curled into fists, resting on her forehead. She cried out, shaking her head back and forth almost desperately.
   "No, no, no, no!" Vera screamed, beating her fists in time on her head. "It can't be-!"
   "Shh, Vera." Kedzie fell beside her friend, grabbing her hands to cradle them between her own. "Listen to me; we don't know anything for sure, so-"
   "But we do, Kedzie!" whispered Vera, her eyes streaking with tears. "You may have never seen him, but…" Her voice trailed off, and Vera closed her eyes, turning her face away. "I'll never forget his face."
   Kedzie glanced down at the holochart, the man's face smiling almost mockingly up at the two. Her blood boiled with rage as her arms brought Vera in a tight, assuring embrace.
   How the hell could that prick be here? How long has he been here, and why didn't Kedzie know about it? Was he here because of Vera? What the hell were they going to do?
   Kedzie smashed her fist down on the holochart, sending waves throughout the screen, but leaving it stubbornly flawless otherwise.
   ***
   Kaidan stared at the blank transmission screen, his brow furrowed deeply. He may not have known Vera all that long, but he knew something was wrong by the way she looked at him. Her eyes were pleading, tear-stained. He reached his fingers over to call her back, but hesitated.
   If Vera wanted to still talk with him, she would've called back. Right? But, then again, that friend of hers (Kedzie, was it?), seemed very final with her good-bye. Maybe she was…jealous?
   Oh, God. Kaidan thought, leaning back in his chair. I don't know women at all, do I?
   He sighed, blowing out the air between his lips like a horse. With a wave of his hand, Kaidan closed his omni-tool, leaving him in a dim light from his desk light. He suddenly hated himself for not taking a picture of her. It would've gone right there, between his light and dog tags. It would've been a picture of her smiling, her beautiful emerald eyes crinkled up in laughter. The thought of her smiling brought a smile to his own lips.
   It was strange, really, this whole situation. Never before had Kaidan had such luck with the ladies. He was always so awkward, even with the women in his company. One of them showed interest in him, that is before he tripped up on his biotics and smashed a tray into her face. Amidst the flecks of food, her nose turned out to be broken. His chances with her flew out the window.
   He had been very reluctant to venture forth into the world of women since.
   "Alenko!"
   Kaidan perked up, turning his head to see the young red-head, Peerce, come prancing into the room they shared at this base. His young blue eyes darkened slightly as he took in Kaidan's expression.
   "Everything alright, Alenko?" He inquired carefully, one pale orange brow raised.
   "Oh, um, yeah. Just…just, you know." Kaidan gestured vaguely about him, suddenly flustered. "I was…"
   "Ah, talking to that lady friend of yours, were ya?" Peerce's face broke into a smile as he tromped over to Kaidan, putting a friendly arm over his shoulders. "Jeez, man. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."
   "We've only know each for a couple weeks, Peerce." Kaidan pointed out, crossing his arms and thunking his feet on the desk in an attempt to play off his nerves. "You haven't seen every side of me yet."
   Peerce shrugged, tugging his own chair over to sit next to Kaidan. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands.
   "Come on, Kaidan." The rare use of Kaidan's first name made him perk up slightly. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?" Peerce insisted with a friendly grin.
   "Well, yeah. Of course, Mason." Kaidan replied, dropping his legs back to the ground in seriousness. "It's nothing to be that worried about, anyway."
   Peerce sat back up, a finger covering his lips in thought. Then, in a swift movement, the young man swiveled his chair around, now resting his chin on the chair's back with his hands holding on either side. His blue eyes bored into Kaidan's brown ones, all joking now suddenly put aside.
   "Is that right?" Peerce finally murmured, his voice doubtful.
   Kaidan shrugged uncomfortably. The two sat in silence, Peerce just staring at the older man. Kaidan avoided the stare, examining his short-cut nails and digging out any dirt or grime underneath. He glanced down at Peerce to see the boy frowning up at him. Kaidan blinked, caught unawares at this eccentric young man's unhappiness.
   "Peerce?"
   "What's going on, Kaidan?" He said gently, prodding Kaidan in the arm with his fingers. "What, is she not gonna wait around for you, is that it?"
   The faint trace of a smile was on Peerce's face, giving Kaidan a small smirk. He gave in, tossing his hands in the air in an exaggerated shrug.
   "Yes, that's it." Kaidan answered sarcastically. "She already ran off, and with a turian."
   "Ouch, that's cold."
   "Hey, now. You got something against turians?"
   "Oh, I didn't mean it like that…" Peerce looked away, scratching the side of his neck distractedly with hard eyes.
   "Just messing with you, private." Kaidan reached over and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, although remembering how Peerce's father was one of the men killed during the First Contact War with the turians. He made a note not to mention something like that again, even in a jovial manner.
   "But, seriously. She's…" Kaidan trailed off, almost saying 'fine' when Vera obviously wasn't fine. "I'm not sure. Vera was very-"
   "Ah, so that's her name." Peerce cut in, putting his chin back on the chair.
   "Yes, Vera." He couldn't help but smile as he said her name; it filled him with such delight, something he's never felt in his twenty-seven years. "She seemed distraught about something, but her friend cut her off before she could tell me what was wrong."
   Peerce tilted his head slightly, his lips pursed in thought.
   "Well," He finally said, drawing the word out and holding the 'l' much longer than necessary. "Just call her back, huh?"
   "I was thinking about it, but her friend looked…" Kaidan swallowed; He didn't know Kedzie that well, only meeting her briefly when he went to Vera's apartment. She seemed a nice person then, but when he saw her stern and serious face glare down at him, Kaidan wanted to go hide in a corner. "She wasn't very happy. It seemed that they needed to talk things out, and I didn't want to bother Vera again if they were in the middle of something…"
   The younger man jumped up from his chair, spinning it back to his desk. He clasped a hand on Kaidan's shoulder.
   "Come on, then." Peerce jerked his thumb towards the door. "Let's go eat at the mess; I'm starving. You can call her back after."
   Kaidan sighed, pushing himself out of his chair. He tossed his arm out, gesturing for Peerce to lead the way. Peerce pounced ahead, gabbing now about what he was going to eat. Kaidan, however, was only half listening. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, all he could hear was the desperation in Vera's voice.
   ***
   Vera's screams did not go unheard. A few minutes after Kedzie ended the transmission to Kaidan, Garrus was pounding on the door with demands of being let in right that second. Spirits, I knew something was wrong…
   Kedzie had managed to drop Vera into her chair. She made a note to herself to make sure they got that sofa back. With a quick glance at Vera, which was nowhere near comforting, Kedzie opened the silver doors a crack. Garrus' beady blue eye was all she could see.
   "Kedzie, what's going on? Will you let me in?" The turian demanded, his eye trying to search past her.
   "Is it just you?" Kedzie murmured while she glanced around him.
   "Yes, yes." Garrus answered impatiently. "Now, let me-"
   Kedzie slid the doors open the rest of the way, grabbed Garrus by his collar, yanked him in roughly, and then slammed the doors shut seconds after he passed the threshold. Before the crack was sealed, Kedzie could glimpse the forms of bodies beyond the doorway. Just him, my ass. Kedzie thought bitterly, turning to see Garrus already kneeling by Vera with his hand around hers.
   "Vera? Are you alright?" His voice was unnaturally soft, caring. It gave Kedzie a start.
   "I…" Vera only stared open-eyed over at Kedzie, begging for her to answer for her as her voice trailed off.
   "Garrus," Kedzie stated simply, stooping down to pick up the still-perfect holochart. (After smashing her fist into it, Kedzie also kicked it, threw it against the wall, and even attempted to bite it. Not her best plan. Her teeth still felt funny.)
   She merely handed the 'chart to him, gently taking his arm with her other hand to pull him away from Vera. While Garrus didn't know everything about what had happened to Vera in her past, he knew more than enough. What Connor had looked like was included in this knowledge. And when Garrus saw those navy blue eyes and blood red hair, nothing else needed to be said other than:
   "Shit."