[Book Four] Chapter 34: Change in relationship dynamics

Chapter 34: Change in relationship dynamics

His hard work with the nanomachines had paid off. He could now talk mentally with EDI without any problem. Their utility was also greatly increased. Tests on mice had proven that they could gather any foreign agent and purge it from the body through the pores of the skin. They could work as a stopper to any damaged blood vessel, veins or arteries putting an end to any leak and stimulate the cells to reconstruct themselves. A simple cut could heal in a few minutes. Moderately, they disabled the pain receptors around the wound too. In a way they were more effective than  medi-gel though way more expensive. One of the last features was the rebuilding of the muscles making it easier to repair micro tears done to them while training. Cherry on top of the cake, they could be controlled through the omni-tool or even better his helmet.

Satisfied with that, we worked full time on his secret project. A new kind of ship that could change shape depending on the situation. He got the idea from thinking about the Cassiopeia that was either in ship mode or Station/mass Relay mode. This time however he was more thinking of a travel mode and a battle mode. Giving unseen mobility in three dimensions. Making it look less like a ship and more like a space robot. That also gave him the idea to use such a thing for ground tech. Letting his mind wander further he even fought about associated different types of ship to make something even bigger. He laid out the whole thing on a data-pad with a doodle and some sketches and went to see Tali and Leeha with it. They had been speechless.

“That’s…”
“Awesome, dad!”
“Thank you.”
“Do you realize that this… this could revolutionize space warfare? Again.”
“Again?” asked Leeha in confusion.
“The GR-Canon?”
“Yes?”
“That’s your father’s work. They applied the principle to everything needing more distance, even guns.”
“Wow.”
“So are my girls in or do I have to do it all by myself?” he taunted.
“I’m in!” exclaimed Leeha, happy to work with her father.
“Of course I’m in, you couldn’t design a shoe box even if your life depended on it.”
“I-I got better.” he replied sheepishly.
“Slightly.” she replied with a teasing smile.

As he was shooed away he gave his girl a kiss and went to see Liara. After Sandra’s… thing, he completely forgot that he wanted to have a talk with his baby blue. Going down a few levels he reached her office where he found her working on the recording of Jardaan’s culture. A side project that she had started to change a bit from the protheans.

“Hey.” he said softly.
“Hey.” Liara answered back with a smile.
“Are you busy?”
“For you? Never.”
“Good… Good, good, good.” 

He didn’t know how to start the conversation and was stalling subconsciously to find the right words.

“Now, that must be really important if you’re taking more than a few seconds to find your words.” she said as she got up from her chair and led him to her couch against the wall. “What is it?”
“I… want a baby.” he blurted out, shocking her.
“I know and I want one too but I’m not…”
“Ready, I know. But I want to be in her life as much as I can. I want to still be able to chase after her when she finally learns how to run on her tiny little legs; to lift her up in the hair to celebrate when she achieves something. I want her to remember me as an awesome and handsome dad and not an aging old man ready to croak.”
“Rick… I…”
“I’m not asking you to nest and to be a stay at home mom focusing on raising her.”
“You’re not?”
“No. How could you think I would ask that of you when all the others were free to pursue their dreams and jobs?”
“I… I never thought about the others. I just… It’s what’s expected from asari mothers.”
“Liara, when do I do what people expect of me?”
“Almost never.” she replied with a smile.
“If you want to explore ruins, travel and teach, then do so. I will not stop you, quite the contrary, you know that.”
“I do. It’s just… I didn’t… Goddess, this is difficult… I guessed that.. Since you followed the asari traditions for me during our bonding, you’d follow that one too.”
“I did the rituals because they were beautiful and meaningful. Forcing you to stay at home to raise the kids? Utterly stupid. No way I’m following that.”

Liara chuckled at that and the tone he used to say those words. Hearing them it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She too wanted a child and had the same worries but she put them aside and chose to do nothing because she was scared that she would be unhappy. That she would come to resent him and her child. It wasn’t rational, it was her maiden state of mind pushing her to be active, to experience what life had to offer. And she wasn’t ready to enter the matron’s stage. Far from it. Thankfully she had a good bondmate that put his finger on the crux of the matter and found a solution to their problem. A simple solution that she was mentally facepalming to not have thought about it or simply having discussed it with him.

"Alright, let's have a baby."

"YES!" He yelled in victory as he stood up from the couch to fist the air. That made Liara laugh until he roughly picked her up.

"Aaaaaah! What are you doing?!"

"There is no time like the present!"

"You want to have a baby right now?!"

"Yessssss!"

"But I have work to do!"

"I know! Making a baby."

And with that he carried her out of his office like a bride and brought her back home to her bedroom while she laughed at his stupid simplicity.

____________________________________________________________

Making an asari child was an experience he would never be able to describe. Embrace Eternity the asari say. It was truly how it felt. He had melded with Liara before plenty of times but this one time has been different. More intense. So intense that he wondered how come everyone didn’t keep making blue babies with the blue aliens non-stop.

When morning came they had one last love making session in the shower then went their separate way. Liara, back to work in her office while Rick flew a shuttle to Ryder or to be more precise Celeste. He needed to talk to Jennifer about their daughter before giving the news to Miranda. Things needed to be settled or shit would be hitting the fan. He didn’t know how, that’s why he was hoping to have some advice from them. His mother has been unhelpful with her own experience and he was left with no other solution.

Thankfully it was Saturday so Jennifer was not working. Miranda however probably was. That meant Sandra probably was too.  As he reached the ground floor of the Academy he  exited the elevator instead of going up. He knew that since it was the beginning of summer, Jennifer and Analysse would be outside enjoying the weather. He was proven right when he found them in the park. Analysse was playing football with other kids while Jen was watching from the side, lounging on a sheet on the ground.

“Hey.” he said as he sat down to his sister-in-law and kissed her temple. “I really like you with a head full of hair. Remind me of her a bit.”
“Yeah?” she said as she leaned on his shoulder as she kept watching their daughter play.
“Yeah.”
“...”
“...”
“You’re not here for a social visit.”
“No, I’m not.”
“...”
“I came… for advice.”
“You came to me for advice?”
“Yes, because you’re concerned. Indirectly. And because you always know what to say.”
“What is it?”
“Sandra… She’s… Well… she confessed to me?”

Hearing that, Jennifer straightened up and turned her head to look at him. She tried to see if he was bullshitting us but saw nothing of the king on his face or in his eyes. She only saw worry and concern.

“...Fuck.” she whispered.
“Yeah, fuck.”
“Are you sure?”
“She was either genuine or the best fucking actress I’ve ever seen.”
“...”
“She didn’t expect me to answer her feelings. In her mind she’d just… grow old and single. I tried to tell her that she was only nineteen and had her whole life but…” he simply shook his head negatively instead of finishing his sentence. There was no need. “The fuck I should do Jen? I’m her father, I’m supposed to make her happy until she’s swept off of her feet by someone or find happiness by herself and not… Not be the source of her misery.”
“... It’s way beyond just a shag. Damn…”
“There is more.”
“Of course there is more, you’re involved.” she replied flatly and unamused.
“She caught Miranda and I a few years back. And she wanted to be in both her mother’s and mine place. Especially her mother’s.”
“... Miranda is not going to like that. She’ll think it’s her fault. That she influenced her. It was one thing with her… With her father and TIM but Sandra had a nice childhood.”
“I know. I keep telling myself… What did I do that I failed my pumpkin like that?”
“You didn’t fail her. You’re a good father to all your kids.”
“Jane and I… It happened because our mother failed us and we only had each other. Sandra… she had everything that she could want or need and…”
“It’s not your fault, damnit!” she shouted, so loud that some adults around turned to look in their direction.
“Then why?”
“It doesn’t matter why. What matters is what we’re going to do about it.”
“Got any ideas? Cause I have none.”
“Depends… How far are you willing to go?”
“For our baby girl? Nothing is too far.”
“Then you’re going to take it like a man and make her happy the way she wants and needs.”

“You’re not serious!”
“I am. We both know when she sets herself on something she won’t change her mind. So if on one hand I have the choice of having my girls miserable and your morals intact and on the other hand my girl happy and your morals to the shit then I chose the latter.”
“...”
“It’s not like you don’t love her. I’m sure with time and her happy as can be, you’ll come to accept it.”
“It could be a disaster if the children have wind of this.”
“You don’t give the kids enough credits but I agree, it should be kept under wraps until Ana is grown up at the very least.”
“What about Miranda?”
“...We’re telling her together. All three of us, Sandra included.”
“We’ll have to talk to Sandra first, then.”
“Duh.”

Rick leaned down and kissed her on the lips before taking her in a one one arm hug and rested his head on her shoulder.

“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, bitch. That’d cost you a good hard fuck.”
“Damn! Can’t I have a family discount?”
“Sure, it’s two hard fucks.”

“You…”
“Mom! Dad!” yelled Ana as she came running towards them, the football game being over.
“We’re doing it after lunch?”
“After lunch.” Jennifer replied as she caught her daughter in mid-air with a pull.

____________________________________________________________

“Momma, Dad. You wanted to talk?” Sandra asked as they sat around the coffee table in Rick’s former home at the top of the central tower.
“Yes, baby, we did.”
“Sandra, we need to know, it’s very important…”
“I was serious.” his daughter cut him off, answering the question he was about to ask.
“Okay… I… You’re gorgeous, pumpkin and were you not my daughter, I would have jumped your bones and locked you up in my basement forever.”
“But…”
“But you are my daughter and it will take time, a lot of time before I see you have a woman and not my daughter.”
“Wait! Are you saying…”
“He does.” answered Jennifer quickly.
“It’s alright, dad! I don’t want you to see me as one or the other, I’m fine with both! I certainly don’t want you to stop treating me as your little pumpkin.”
“I see…” he said thinking of how it may be even harder for him.
“Okay, we’re all on the same page. Now let’s talk about your mom and you… being like her.”
“I’m more like dad but… yeah, I get what you mean.”
“Sandra, your mother is… she’s going to blame herself for it.”
“What?! Why?”
“Oh boy… You think Miranda will forgive us for telling Sandra about her?”
“It’s a bit late to think of that.”
“What are you talking about? What about mom?” the ravenette asked, confused.

Rick took a deep breath and began talking. Informing the young lady how her mother and Aunt came to be. The former’s childhood under her monster of a father, her teenagehood and adult life under TIM and the reason why she was the way she was. When he was done, the room was silent and both Jennifer and Rick were waiting from their girl’s reaction.

“So… Mom gave birth to me but Aunt Orianna was the one to provide the egg so she technically is my mother but so is mom because they are genetic twins…”
“That’s… pretty much it.”
“All because grandfather was a… a… cunt, making sure mom couldn’t have children.”
“Yeah, but cunt is not honestly a nice word for him.”
“What do you mean?” she asked her father.
“Remember during the war… Horizon?”
“The Cerberus camp using refugees as lab rats?”
“Yes. It was led by him.”
“Wow… Yeah cunt is seriously a nice word to describe him. Thanks for putting a bullet in his head, momma.”

Jennifer didn’t say anything but instead winked and finger gunned her.

“But do you understand now why…”
“Yes. Come on, dad, I’m your cunning one. Give me some credits. Mom will either blame herself for me being like her thinking she is a bad mother or have to face the fact that it wasn’t her father or TIM that made her that way but that she always was.”
“You got it perfectly.” he replied with a smile. “The question now is how do we tell her.”
“Preferably here. I mean she has a gun in her desk’s drawer.” proposed Jennifer.
“Yeah, good call. I’ll take a shield too.” Rick said as he stood up and went to the ‘secret’ armory.
“You’re kidding right? Mom will not shoot any of you.”
“Me? No. Your father, definitely.”
“Momma…”
“We’ve known your mom for years, trust me, she will shoot him if she can because she’ll put the blame on him first.”

Sandra did not know what to think about this. Her mother was deadly, she knew, but Shooting her dad? She couldn’t imagine it.

____________________________________________________________

She could now. She had seen with her own eyes how her mother took a small gun from inner thigh and shot at her father without an ounce of hesitation. They weren’t even done telling her the whole thing. With her clip empty Miranda prepared to use her biotic when both Sandra and Jennifer finally acted and held her back. She screamed some nasty words (that she never heard her mother say) towards her dad but calmed down after that. Barely.
Then they continued to explain things to her. By the time they were done Miranda was a crying mess. She had never seen her mother cry before. She has always been so strong and confident. Seeing her breakdown like that was a shock. She felt guilty about hurting her mother but she couldn’t help feeling the way she did. Part of her wished she could so what was happening now would not have ever happened but another part knew that was impossible and that they couldn’t escape this situation.

“You touch her, you hurt her and I kill you!” she shouted at Rick.
“Mom!” / “Babe!”
“You think it’s easy for me? I’m doing this to not hurt her!”
“Mom, you know he won’t hurt me. That’s because he loves me and wants me to be happy in the first place that he goes along with it.”
“...”
“Besides, did he ever hurt you?”
“That’s not the same thing!”
“It’s exactly the same thing! I want dad to treat me the way he treats you!”
““““...””””
“Could you… give us some space, please?” Risk asked as he stood up and pointed to the balcony.
“Dad, I’m not sure…”
“No, your piece of shit of a father…”
“Mom!” / “Babe! Come on!”
“...Is right. We need to talk. Alone.”

Sandra looked at Jennifer who shook her head and signaled her to come with her to the balcony. Once alone. Rick moved towards the locked bar. Opened it and pulled a drink for Miranda and him respectively. Walking towards the ravenette he handed her the glass. She looked at the glass for a moment then up to him with a murderous glare then took the offered drink and took a sip as Rick sat down next to her on the couch. Both looking ahead.

““...””
“I keep thinking, you know… What, where, when, why and How did it go wrong…”
“...”
“Was I too affectionate?”
“...”
“Did I care too much?”
“...”
“Did I love her too much?”
“...”
“And I can’t… I can't find an answer. I can’t pinpoint the moment I fucked up.
“...”
“...”
“... You didn’t.”
“What?”
“You didn’t fuck up. I’m trying to remember too… Anything that… anything that… I’m coming up with nothing. You’ve been nothing but a good father to her. Heck, many times I wished my father had been like you.”
“...”
“I’m still blaming you though.”
“It’s fine… Better me than you. And It would make sense. I’m the wild chaotic one who doesn’t care about the rules.”

They both felt silent and empty their glass, Miranda presenting hers for a refill. With a movement of the wrist he used his biotic to grab the bottle where he left it and pulled it towards him.

“Huh. Neat.”
“I learned that when I was in my wheelchair to get things I couldn’t reach. Also how I owned Kai Leng. Grabbed the little shit towards me and sliced him in half. The look on his face was priceless.” Rick said with a smile as he presented her full glass to her and served himself.
“Shit, I haven't thought of this asshole since… well…”
“Made a cup out of his head. Same for TIM. Mom has them.”
“One of those days I’d like to drink from them.”
“I’ll bring you to Omega for that one day.”
“...”
“...”
“I get it, you know…”
“...”
“Why she fell in love with you. Had you not pushed Jennifer and me together, I would have stayed with you. Despite how stupid you can be.”
“...Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Ashley, Tali, Liara, Jane…I didn’t think I’d be able to handle not being your only one and at the time… I guess… I was denying my feelings. I was telling myself it was just a transaction. I told Tali that it was how our whole relationship worked, despite being very fond of each other. I don’t regret not saying anything though. I have a beautiful awesome wife that I trust more than anyone and love more than anything and two beautiful daughters that I love just as much.”
“...”
“Sandra… She’s… Just like me. With your shrewdness, sure but just like me. So in insight… I'm not surprised that she’s attracted to the same man I am nor that she has the same flaws.”
“It’s not a flaw, Miranda. There is nothing wrong with being the way you are. If anything…The problem comes from my side of the family. I try to tell myself ‘at least it’s only one of my children’ but it doesn’t help at all. In fact it makes me feel worse.”
“...”
“...”

Once again they fell silent, lost in their thoughts as they empty for a second time their glass. This time though, none of them went for a refill.

“I want to be there.”
“Where?”
“With you and her. I want to be present.”
“... I have no objection. It’s all up to Sandra though… Why?”
“I want to show her… what to do correctly and what not to do. I want her first time to be perfect unlike mine. I don’t want her to face your hypertrophied cock alone. You could get too much into it and destroy her.”
“You know I won't but I understand your concerns. I share them as well.”
“...”
“...Are we good?”
“Not remotely.”
“Between us I mean. I won’t be good about this for a long time.”
“...I suppose.”
“...”
“...”
“Should we let them in or leave them in the cold for a bit longer?”
“...If I didn’t love them so much I would let them freeze.”

And with that Miranda signaled to her wife and daughter they could come back in.