Chapter Text
“Rae,” A deep voice called from the door. A tiny bit of white light stood out from behind the person. A few steps of heavy feet before someone sat down next to her in bed, “Rae-Rae, get up kiddo.” A warm hand rubbed her shoulder, just enough to wake the little girl. Cradled in star covered blankets, a big dragon stuffed animal just next to her; and laying squished up in a heap of pillows, was Raelyn. As she woke up, she pushed her nose against the nearest pillow. Stretching in silence. Raelyn almost always seemed to push her face against the pillows when she was tired, something her mom did too.
”Don’t wan’ get up,” She grumbled, reaching for the dragon. The room was dark, save the light from the door, and a small nightlight shaped to look like the moon on her dresser.
“I know kiddo, but we’re seeing mom off today, you need to wake up.” Osvald’s face was poorly lit, but she knew he was sad that mom was leaving too.
“Okay,” Raelyn slowly got out of bed with a big yawn, hair a mess and face red where it’d been against the pillows. Osvald left the room, turning the light on and closing her door. Mom was going on tour again, dad had only been back now about three weeks himself. The small girl, only five at the time, brushed her auburn hair. Hannah had set out nice outfits for the boys and Raelyn. They’d picked a nice dress out for Raelyn, black and red, because somehow their child had weird favorite colors.
“Do you need any help, Rae?” Hannah knocked softly on the bedroom door, coming in when Raelyn quietly replied ‘yes’. “What do you need help with?”
”Can you do my hair please?” Raelyn rubbed her eye, still so sleepy. Hannah nodded, sitting down on the bed and having to brush her hair again just a tiny bit to put it in a braid. “When do you come back?”
”In a few months, it’ll go by so fast, I promise.”
“Okay,” Raelyn looked over at her stuffed animals, there was her beloved dragon, a varren that she adored, an a beat up little hanar that she’d gotten as a hand-me down from Ozzie. She slept with them in a rotation, but she felt mom needed to take one, “momma.”
”Yes, Raelyn?” She finished the braid quickly and spun her daughter around.
”Can you take Bottle with you?”
“Bottle? You’re varren?” Dad had named it, she never bothered changing it. Besides, it was a funny name. Raelyn nodded her head. “Why do you want me to take him, baby?”
”So you’re not alone.” Hannah looked ready to cry at that, a soft smile on her face. Hannah had beautiful auburn hair, brown eyes and a freckly face; she was tall and strong, with a big hearty laugh. No one in their family was quiet.
“I’ll take him then, hand him to me and I’ll pack him while you brush your teeth.” Raelyn’s eyes lit up, she grabbed Bottle and rushed him to mom. Hannah stood to leave the room. “Brush those teeth!”
“Okay!” Raelyn walked into the bathroom, it joined her room with Aric’s. He was two years her senior, hair still messy and eyes heavy from sleep. He shuffled into the bathroom, itching his arm slightly.
”Mornin’.” Aric let out a great big yawn, going to the sink too. He washed his face, taking care to splash Raelyn with the water.
“Hey!”
“What?” He dried his face and slid out of the bathroom before she could wack him, shutting his door. Raelyn finished brushing her teeth, and left the bathroom. She made her bed, putting her remaining stuffed animals on it. Pets weren’t really allowed on the Citadel, the only pets truly allowed were fish, and in the main room of their house was a large fish tank. In the morning, it was Raelyn’s chore to feed them, and she did as normal (granted it was a simple button press but she felt helpful).
Ozzie, the eldest Shepard child, was sitting on the couch, with little Callen in his lap. After feeding the fish, Raelyn sat next to him.
“Are you ready, Ozzie?”
”Yeah, just wish mom wasn’t leaving again.”
”Me too.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, Aric finally joining the lot of them on the couch. All tired and wishing for just a few more minutes of sleep, and for the family to stay whole for just another day.
“Shepard’s!” Osvald called, and they all turned to look at him. “Let’s get on our way.” Hannah picked up Callen, he was still too little to understand what was going on, easily curling himself up and closing his eyes. In their parents opinion, he was their easiest baby, and definitely their last. Raelyn grabbed for her dad’s hand, while Ozzie and Aric walked ahead, they knew by heart where to go. Hannah had a large pack, that Osvald had slung over his shoulder.
“Hannah, darling,” Osvald and Hannah were both in dress blues, mom’s auburn hair pulled back into a tight bun under her cap, “you’ll make sure to write us?”
”I never forget, Os, and I’ll keep a good eye on Bottle too.” Raelyn giggled.
“Bottle?”
”My varren!”
“Wha- why does mom get to take Bottle but I didn’t get to take him when I was gone?” Osvald was stunned, but also was 100% going to mess with her. He had a flare for the dramatic that made all the older kids laugh.
”You can take him next time.” Hannah laughed, “we’ll make it a family tradition. Whichever parent is on tour, gets to take Bottle, and Rae gets him when we’re home.”
“That sounds fun.” The family chatted the entire walk there, the kids growing more and more quiet the last couple minutes. The families weren’t allowed past a certain area, they were no exception. Hannah led her clan to the gate, giving each kid a kiss on the forehead and a big hug. She handed Callen to Osvald and took her pack, before giving her husband a kiss. All the kids started crying a bit, the leaving was always so bitter.
“I love you all to the corner of the universe and back okay?” Four teary eyed nods was her response, “Be good for dad, I’ll video you all in the next couple days. I love you.” She waved to them, falling into line with the rest of the higher ranked officers. When she was no longer visible, Osvald gathered the kids and they left for home.
“Alright, let’s wipe our eyes, she wouldn’t want us all crying.”
“Major Shepard,” a friend of his called, he was a military spouse, his husband on Hannah’s ship, “how d’you do?” He offered his hand out, and Osvald shook it.
“We’ll be okay, it never gets easier.”
”Can’t imagine it would. It’s like they only just left on the last tour.”
”Yeah… that’s how it always feels.”
”I don’t want to take up too much time, have a good one, Major.” He walked off in the other direction, Raelyn didn’t know his name, just knew mom and dad knew him a bit.
”You too. Come on, everyone.” The kids clung close to their dad, quiet and upset. Thankfully, the deployment day was on a weekend, so they didn’t have to go to school feeling this way. “How about we go home and change, and I make some breakfast?”
“Okay,” A tiny chorus from the pack as they wandered their way home. Passing by other Alliance soldiers, younger ones stopping to salute their dad, or even just a simple nod of respect.
When they returned home, the kids dispersed to change into comfier clothes. Raelyn dug a pair of shorts and a hand-me-down shirt out of her dresser. Putting her dress and tights on her bed.
Osvald had changed Callen, setting him on the floor to play with some toy ships before quickly changing himself. Osvald was a very handsome man, tall and muscular with a hooked nose and neatly combed hair. His eyes were a piercing green; frankly, he was unmistakably the father of the Shepard brood, all of them looked like their dad more so than Hannah. All of the kids had his eye color (except for Callen he had brown eyes), nose and lips, the only thing that seemed to pass to her kids was Hannah's freckled complexion.
When he started cooking breakfast, he hummed while he prepped. It seemed like dad was always singing or humming. For a few minutes he focused on that, just humming while pulling out different items to use.
A gentle knock on the door caused him to stop. He wiped his hands on a towel before walking to the front door. Ozzie and Aric were sitting in Ozzie’s room playing a game, but Raelyn was in the living room with Callen. She had a direct sight to the door. Osvald’s hesitance at the door was unmistakable as he only slightly opened the door, Raelyn got quiet and watched. She saw her dad greet the person at the door, but who it was she couldn’t exactly tell.
”I won’t be long,” The voice was deep, and it sounded sort of like two people were speaking. The Turian kids she went to school with had voices like that. Raelyn couldn’t hear much of the conversation, just bits and pieces, they both spoke softly. After a few minutes, Osvald thanked the stranger and shut the door.
“Okay! Let’s finish getting breakfast ready.” He clapped his hands as he walked back to the kitchen. Quickly washing his hands again before daring to touch food products, he didn’t like cooking without clean hands.
“Who was that dad?” Raelyn asked, following him.
“A very nice Turian man, his name is Captain Septus.”
”How do you know him?”
”I don't."
"Oh, okay." He kept working on breakfast, when they smelt food, the older boys came wandering into the kitchen.
“Good timing, you two can get plates and stuff out for me.” Aric grabbed forks and Ozzie grabbed the plates. The eldest brother, Ozzie, was named after their dad, going in long with family tradition. Osvald quickly filled plates, and got juice or water for the kids who wanted it. "So gang, what's the plan after breakfast? Any homework to do today boys?" Aric and Ozzie shook their heads, both had been mid-bite when he asked. "Well cool." Osvald knew the day that he or Hannah left there was always a goal to entertain the kids so they weren't upset. Just depended on if that was something they wanted to do, right now they quietly ate their breakfast, Callen needing a bit of help of course.
Osvald cleaned up when everyone was done, the kids doing whatever they really wanted. The boys went back to their game, Raelyn went to join them.
”Just me and you, Cal.” The toddler wasn’t a talkative baby, still refusing to speak. Neither Shepard parent was concerned on forcing that, when he was ready he’d start talking. Callen looked up at Osvald, raising his chubby little arms up and squishing his hands. “I know buddy.” Osvald scooped him up, walking into his office. While the kids didn’t have any work to do today, he sure did. Especially now, with this new opportunity.
The Turian who’d been at the door was a certain Captain Septus Victorus of the Turian fleet. He made Osvald look short he was so tall, red markings on his mandibles and parts of his faceplate. Everyone knew Osvald’s opinion on Turian’s, how he was opposed during the First Contact War; how it almost got him dishonorably discharged from the Alliance too. Now, he was determined to look more into this potential merging with the Turian’s. What it would entail, he wasn’t sure, nor was he sure Hannah needed to know right now either. So he sat, Callen resting on his knee, searching on the Extranet, Alliance files, anything he could about Septus.
In the other room, the three older children sat huddled around their game. Raelyn wanted to watch, so she sat on Ozzie’s bed and fussed with her hands while she watched. The Shepard kids, while known by many, weren’t exactly popular at school. They were quiet at school, all three liked learning (Ozzie the least however), Raelyn had only been going to pre-school for a short time, but she enjoyed it. Her class was full of different alien kids, including some Asari, one Elcor, two Turian boys, and a few Salarians. She enjoyed being with the class, the Asari girls were really nice to her and she primarily stayed with them. The boys went to the same school, just obviously in different grades, and they had Aliens in their classes. It was a premiere school, amongst the Aliens at least the Shepard's were rather popular, because they made a point to befriend whereas the other human kids didn't like the Shepard's.
They all just kind of did as they pleased for the day, eventually all went to bug their dad. He did his best to entertain the pack, everyone trying to keep the sad feelings away as best they could. Osvald kept a close eye on them all when he decided to take them out for dinner. The Citadel had a place which contained 'Earth delicacies' that the kids liked, so he took them there. The little family enjoying the time, and dinner. As long as they could find something to smile about, it would all be okay.