Alenko Family Home, Vancouver, Friday Afternoon

Kaidan's parents had been happy to have him back. There had been hugs, and banter, and even some tears. At dinner, they'd asked him questions about the past year or so - about things he'd written to them and things they'd heard about. He didn't answer everything. Some things were still pretty rough to talk about, even if he'd told some to Jack and even more to his therapist.

It was different with his parents. They lived innocent lives these days. Somehow it didn't feel right bringing death and sorrow into it - no matter how worried his mother looked at him sometimes. Sometime last night his father had sat down next to him, and attempted to open up a conversation. But dad hadn't been a marine during a war. Hadn't lost an awful lot of people, most certainly not ones close to him.

So Kaidan hemmed and hawed, not because he really wanted to, but because he found he couldn't do anything else.

They'd left him alone after breakfast. He was appreciative. Sat around his old room. Stared at the walls. His parents hadn't kept the place intact - most of Kaidan's old personal touches had disappeared over the years. But the walls were still the same, the cracks.

Made him think about Eden Prime. Saren. Is submission not preferable to extinction? Sovereign. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it. And Virmire. Fuck, Virmire.

Screw that! We can handle ourselves! Go back and get Alenko!

He sighed and dropped back onto his bed. Living in the past wasn't healthy - he'd had that speech before. But it was hard not to when his life went this quiet. Harder when he kept getting reminded of what his life had been like before the Alliance - before the Normandy.

"Kaidan?"

Kaidan looked up and mustered up a smile for his mom. "Yeah?"

"There's someone at the door for you."

Really? He couldn't think of anyone-- well, maybe Joker. Jack would call ahead. Had Allie somehow made it here? He doubted it. Well, there was only one way to find out-- he went down the steps into the hall and to the door.

Stopped.

Right along with his heart.

"Ashley?"

The woman at the door smiled. She was wearing a dress - that threw him off somehow. "No," she said. "I'm, uh. I'm Abby Williams. Ash... was my sister."

"Oh," Kaidan said stupidly. "Sorry about that. You startled me."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I... well, she talked about you a lot. So I thought I'd come see you while I'm in the neighborhood. It's... stupid, I know. Sorry, I should go."

"No, no, it's fine," he said quickly. "Come on, come in. We'll, uh. We'll talk."

[[ establishy. ]]