SFS Christmas Stories: An Omega Christmas

Aria's comm terminal flashes to life in the early hours of the morning. *beep beep beep* Aria groans as she tosses the covers off and tumbles, ungracefully out of bed. She strolls across the vast quarters (still only clad in a pair of black panties) and grabs a shirt off the back of the couch, pulling it on quickly before answering the terminal. Her Batarian enforcer, Bray, appears on the console. Aria's tone drips with venom, "This better be good Bray."

"Uh...right. We have an issue down here on the floor of the club."

Aria's hand goes to her temple, the beginnings of a migraine starting to creep into her head. Her voice causes Bray to wince visibly, "Unless the club's going up in flames, I really don't care. Handle it. It's what I pay you for, isn't it?"

"Um....I think you're going to wanna see this, boss."

"I swear if this is some drunken Elcor causing a fuss again.....blood will be spilled."

"It's not.......well....as I said, boss. You gotta see this for yourself."

Aria gives a deep sigh, "Remind me to dock your pay the next time you wake me up. I'll be there in ten minutes."

As the console goes black, Aria takes a deep breath to calm herself, her ample chest straining the tight t-shirt. She glances at herself in the mirror, realizing what shirt she had picked up. Large white letters across the front reads The Queen, with the symbol for Omega below it. Someone she had cared for had it specially made for her a few years back....for...... "Oh no. She didn't!"

Realizing the date she throws on a pair of tight leather pants, and slings a black jacket over one shoulder as she rushes out the door. Taking her personal elevator down to the club, she glances out the glass window overlooking Afterlife, and her jaw....drops. Brightly colored lights glitter over the entire club, drastically transforming the feel of the room. The ear-pounding music is gone, replaced with a variety of classic carols, giving the place a more serene feel. The human and asari strippers are each clad in elf or enticing Santa outfits. Even the bouncers and guards have Santa hats on, with Krogan having garland draped around their headplates. Bray stands, completely unsure of what to do about the situation, outside her elevator, a piece of mistletoe taped to one side of his head. Aria notices the center of the club suddenly, the once empty space (used for stripper performances) now has a twenty-foot tall Christmas tree, decorated with a variety of objects: from basic ornaments to stuff obviously scrounged from the shops of Omega (gears, tools, eezo-infused crystals). Aria grabs Bray by the front of his armor, her strength apparent as she lifts him a few inches off the ground, her face mere centimeters from his, her voice barely a whisper, "Where.....is.....she?"

Bray begins to splutter out a sentence, Aria cuts him off by moving her hands to his throat. "Where?"

He points to the base of the tree, and Aria drops him hard to the ground. Bray begins to speak, "But boss, your...."

Aria stops in her tracks, her biotics activating around her fists, and Bray's sentence trails off. She storms off to have words with her former lover. She spies her placing a string of red garland around the bar edges, little green lights attached to them. She considers for a moment to send her flying through the bar, but she stops as a tiny purple girl (no older than five) steps from behind Jacqueline helping her to hold the string of lights. Aria's anger fades into oblivion at the sight of the pair, a father and her daughter, laughing together. Dawn T'Loak, dressed in a red and green jumpsuit, a santa hat slightly too big for her pulled over one side of her head, notices her mother's arrival. The look of delight in her eyes causes Aria's heart to flutter, something that hadn't happened for quite some time before her birth. "Mommy! Mewwy Cwistmas!"

Jack looks up from her work, her long dark hair down to her shoulders today instead of her normal ponytail. Her tattoos illuminated by the lights in her hands. She gives Aria a seductive wink, "Hey babe. Sorry to wake you up like that, but Dawn wanted to show you her hard work."

Aria looks down at the girl hugging her legs, the biggest grin on her face. She bends down to her eye level, "This was your idea Dawn?"

She nods energetically, "Yes!"

The last vestiges of frustration vanishes at the sound of pride in her daughter's voice. She begins to chuckle, pulling Dawn into a tight hug. "You did all this...for me?"

"Course mommy. Daddy said we should make this day special. Do you like it?"

Aria looks around at the patrons and the staff, everyone looking slightly more cheerful than usual, more relaxed.....like all their troubles were left outside for the time being. She looks back down at Dawn, "You convinced all my employees to do this?"

Jack coughs softly, "You wouldn't believe how persuasive she can be with those adorable eyes of hers. Plus I watched her punch a Vorcha in the knees when he refused to help collect lights. Needless to say the offending Vorcha quickly changed his mind when he saw she meant business."

Aria notices the slight blue shimmer around Jack's eyes as she winks. Aria lifts her daughter into her arms, "We'll make a princess out of you yet honey."

Dawn hugs her mom's neck tightly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy you like my present, Mommy!"

Aria's looks around her club once more, her gaze coming to rest on Jack, "It's perfect."