Two Sisters From the Borderlands

Notes:

This is a deviation from my standard fandom of Mass Effect, but I couldn't help but ship these two characters together after playing Tales from the Borderlands. Note: This does contain some spoilers from Episode 5 of the Telltale game, as well as incest and content that will probably anger hardcore Rhys/Sasha shippers.

*****

"And just like that... Gortys... was gone..." Fiona told her mysterious captor. "Vallory was gone... The Vault... the monster that protected it... they were all gone..."

Fiona paused for a moment, closing her eyes as she remembered Sasha and herself walking through the swirling dust, away from the moment she both regretted so much, yet felt was necessary at the same time.

"All we were left with was each other..." Fiona said, thinking of her sister. "And the memories of those we'd lost along the way... All for nothing..." Another pause. "And that was that. Eventually we made our way back to Hollow Point. Got August patched up..."

Fiona turned her gaze back towards the figure that held her at gunpoint. "There isn't much more to it. Life sort of returned back to normal. Well, our normal."

An emotionless and single yellow eye glowed at Fiona beneath a wide-brimmed, umbrella-like hat. With gun relaxed and yet ready in its hands, it finally spoke in its usual distorted, to-the-point voice. "That's it?" it uttered, almost with disbelief. "You destroyed Gortys, then walked away? Moved on with your life... like nothing happened."

Fiona's emerald eyes widened, and her head sank. Her captor was accusing her of being heartless, and the fact that he was wrong moved her. She looked to the ground near her feet with saddened eyes. But strength and determination returned to her feminine features and she frowned in anger.

"You weren't there," she stated boldly. "It had to be done. The Vault Monster would have taken us all out."

That lone saffron eye looked straight at Fiona as her features softened again, and she was relieved when whoever it was turned its attention to the other captive, Rhys. He was to be grilled next about what happened after the crash-landing and the destruction of Gortys, so Fiona didn't have to delve into details about what else had changed between her return home to Hollow Point and the moment the two of them had been captured. Whoever their kidnapper was, he seemed awfully perceptive, and Fiona was worried that he may have detected a falter in her speech when she aid that life "sort of returned back to normal." Fiona thought back to what changed when she and Sasha returned home.

After August had been taken to a doctor, the two sisters returned to the home they had missed so much, and once shared with Felix. But as Fiona had told the one-eyed captor, all she and Sasha had now was each other. Still, a lot of what was around reminded them of Felix. His collection of science fiction novels adorned the right wall as soon as they entered. His workbench with his radio, lamp and littered with spare electronic parts was there, as were the tools hanging up above it and his favorite green chair to its left. Not far past it was the tiny kitchenette, where a picture of a much younger Sasha and Fiona playing with guns hung crookedly on the wall above the main bench. A long cold grilled cheese sandwich lay on the floor near a frying pan, as a reminder of when Sasha hit Kroger with them just before they fled.

Fiona remembered back to those moments when she and Sasha were last here, where her younger sister commented on being happy to get out of Hollow Point. She said the place was for losers and made it clear that she wanted nothing more than to not only get out of there, but get off Pandora entirely. And yet now they were back. A few days passed with the sisters not doing or even saying much, but slowly cleaning up the place and making it wholly theirs by removing as much of what remained and reminded them of Felix as they could, with the exception of anything that could be useful. Fiona was still coming to terms with what happened to Gortys, while Sasha was mostly annoyed that they were back in the same rut as usual. Money was scarce though, and neither of them really felt like planning a score so soon.

Things took a turn for the sisters almost a week after their return though. Fiona was cooking at the kitchenette when the main door swung open and in stormed Sasha before it slammed closed behind her again. Fiona had been trying to cheer her little sister up lately by making jokes and seeming positive despite the circumstances, so she tried to at least sound upbeat with her response. "What skag crawled in your butt today?"

"August!" Sasha growled, pacing back and forth in the main room. "That persistent bastard won't take 'no' for an answer!"

"Ah, so it's men troubles again," Fiona said flippantly. "You should know that it's what you have to deal with when you love 'em, use 'em and leave 'em like we do."

"I never loved August," Sasha retorted, her faced screwing up as if she'd been caught downwind of a bad smell.

"You know what I mean," Fiona stated matter-of-factly.

"It's not like you haven't pulled similar tricks in the past," Sasha defended, hands on her hips defiantly.

"True. But I at least have the sense to never stick around and get involved too long with somebody to the point where they think we're an item," Fiona said confidently. "You need to stop digging yourself so deep into things."

"You seem to be able to just toss men aside so easily," Sasha as she crossed her arms. "You're a God damned expert at it."

"Thank you," Fiona smiled, taking it completely as a compliment.

"How do you do it so easily?" Sasha asked, her eyes narrowing at her older sister.

"It's simple," Fiona said with a smirk. "I'm never ever been even remotely attracted or interested in the men I try to hoodwink in the first place."

"Yeah, well... I'm not interested in August myself," Sasha said with a huff, plonking herself down in a couch they'd put in the room a few days ago. "In fact, I think I'm done with men in general."

"That's fine," Fiona said casually. "So long as you can pretend to be interested when you need to. Though, no more than you have to of course."

"I think I'll leave that to you now, Miss Expert," Sasha said with determination. "I'm out. Done. Finito."

"Oh, come on," Fiona said, rolling her eyes. "Surely it can't be that bad. Not all men are filthy, dishonest, stinking skags?" Fiona then paused, following up with a final word that indicated that she herself wasn't even convinced given her delivery. "Right?"

"Wrong!" Sasha said adamantly.

"What about Rhys?" Fiona asked. "I thought that you, well... sort of... liked him?"

"Rhys was a lying bastard!" Sasha said, her head swinging back over her shoulder to give Fiona a nasty glare. "He used us for his own ends like every one man out there, and he totally lied to us about having that Hyperion dickwad Jack in his friggin' head!"

Sasha's words seem to become more childlike and hurt as she spoke them, and just before she turned away again Fiona could swear she saw a glitter of moisture at the edge of at least one of Sasha's eyes. She abandoned her cooking and came around the bench to join her sister, placing a caring hand on Sasha's knee. Sasha hunched there with her arms crossed, not looking at Fiona at all.

"I'm sorry, Sash," Fiona stated warmly. "We haven't really talked about Rhys since we left the crash site. I didn't know it had got to you so much."

"Yeah... well... it won't any more," Sasha said firmly. "I'm done. I don't need Rhys, or August or any other man in my life."

"Well, whatever you choose to do or not do, don't forget I'll always be here to support you," Fiona said, patting Sasha's knee.

Sasha looked to her older sister, her frown dissolving as she saw Fiona's warm and earnest smile. Sasha couldn't help but smile too and she put her hand on top of Fiona's. "I know you will. And are," Sasha said. "You always have."

"And that'll never change," Fiona responded. Sasha beamed at Fiona then darted in suddenly to hug her. Fiona reciprocated and they just sat there for a while. Eventually, Sasha let out a chuckle and Fiona responded with a noise of interest to query the titter.

"Oh, I was just thinking about something," Sasha said. "A bit silly maybe but... it occurred to me that the most stable and loving relationship we encountered on our recent journey of adventure was probably the one between Athena and Janey Springs."

Fiona's stomach twisted a little at the mention of Athena's name, and her eyebrows darted upwards. "Oh?" she uttered. "How is... how is that silly?"

"Well, it's not really," Sasha said, and she chuckled again. "What I meant was that I was thinking that maybe relationships just work out better when there's no man to screw things up."

Fiona couldn't tell if Sasha was being serious or joking, since she said it rather flippantly. She decided to try and be frivolous about it herself with her response. "So, what... are you saying that you're going to start dating girls now?"

Fiona gave Sasha a smirk and her sister's eyes widened and her cheeks reddened a bit. She let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I didn't really consider it much before outside of a little perfectly normal curiosity, but... maybe. It seems a hell of a lot better than any male-stricken relationship."

"You do whatever you feel suits you, Sash," Fiona stated earnestly. "If that means dating girls, then go ahead."

"Well, don't you agree that Athena and Janey make a good couple?" Sasha asked Fiona honestly, her voice beaming as if the notion of a union between two women working so well was a fresh revelation to her.

Fiona sat silently for a while, inching away from Sasha a little and drumming her fingers on her knees. She looked back to Sasha to see her younger sister's expression switch from hopefully awaiting a response to wondering why it was taking so long for one, and why Fiona was suddenly so twitchy.

"Uh... I'd rather not talk about that," Fiona said, immediately looking away from Sasha and getting to her feet to return to her cooking. Sasha blinked in confusion, then turned to look up at her older sister.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sasha queried.

"Nothing's wrong," Fiona responded, putting on a fake smile. "As you said, their relationship is great." And then Fiona's smile faltered and she spoke quietly through gritted teeth. "Abso-frakking-lutely perfect."

Fiona only realized that she'd vocalized the last part loud enough for Sasha to hear a few seconds after she'd done it, and she froze at the counter-top to look at Sasha with wide eyes. Sasha was now kneeling on the couch with her hands on the backrest, her eyes almost as wide as Fiona's.

"Ohmygod!" Sasha reacted, and her lips slowly curved up into a smile. "Are you... are you jealous of one of them?"

"I-I-I don't know what you mean," Fiona attempted to defend, but it was a poor attempt at best. Sasha laughed.

"You are!" Sasha said, pointing a finger accusingly. "You... you fell for Athena when she was training you, didn't you? You got a big ol' bullymong hug of a crush on Athena!"

Sasha's teasing quickly subsided when she noticed Fiona's lower lip quiver for a moment just before her head sagged forward.

"Oh God... I'm sorry, Fi'!" Sasha uttered. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just... didn't expect it, that's all. Please don't cry."

"It's okay, Sasha," Fiona said, raising her head again and forcing a smile. "It's not your fault."

"I know, but... still..." Sasha said. "I had no idea you felt that way about her." A pause, and Sasha's eyes flared for a moment. "In fact, I had no idea you were into chicks in the first place!"

"Neither did I for a long time," Fiona admitted after a long sniff. "I guess I should have, given that I was never really interested in guys that much."

Fiona shrugged and looked down as Sasha. The younger sister shifted over, then patted the seat cushion to invite Fiona to talk about it. She seemed genuinely curious, so Fiona smiled warmly and sank down onto the seat. She looked to Sasha, who was turned to face her with her legs crossed, leaning forward in eager anticipation.

"I didn't really realize it fully until I started spending time with Athena," Fiona admitted. "She seemed so strong, confident and capable. There was a coldness to her exterior, but I could... I could tell that deep down, she was capable of love, compassion and other positive emotions. The more time I spent with her, the more I came to feel drawn to her. She was a warrior of incredible skill, but also feminine and graceful. I came to not only appreciate that, but feel attracted to that. It kind of saddened my to hear she'd already found another, but I was also happy for her, and wished her to remain happy. So I didn't interfere."

"So that was the only time?" Sasha asked. "It wasn't until Athena came along that you found you were attracted to girls more than guys?"

"She confirmed it," Fiona stated. "I'd be lying if I told you I hadn't done a little... experimenting in the past before that."

"Really? When?" Sasha asked with a gasp of excitement. This seemed like quite a revelation for Fiona's little sister.

"I hooked up with the odd woman briefly at a bar when you weren't around. There's even some details about a certain job we did five years back in Fyrestone that I kept secret from you where I cozied up to a pretty young thing to get some supplies." Fiona paused. "Though I never quite went all the way with them." Fiona's voice became sly. "As close as it came sometimes."

"Well, color me impressed, big sis!" Sasha said. "And to think I knew you all this time and yet didn't know about this."

"It's not that big a deal," Fiona stated. "I never felt an emotional connection with a woman. Not until Athena anyway. And even then it was purely one-sided I'm afraid."

"What's it... what's it like to kiss another girl?" Sasha asked.

Fiona's eyes widened as she looked sideways at Sasha. Her younger sister did admittedly have a flush of pink to her cheeks and an impish grin on her face. Sasha was 24, but sometimes one could be forgiven for thinking she was younger when she acted a certain way.

"Ummmm... nice, I guess," Fiona answered awkwardly. "I mean, it's probably like any kiss. Some are good, some are bad. Depends on the kisser." A pause. "And how much they drink and-slash-or smoke."

"Yeah, but... are women different?" Sasha asked. "Are they softer to kiss, or more graceful with their tongue?"

"Sounds to me like you've put some thought into this with such specific queries," Fiona said with a wry smirk. Sasha's cheeks flushed even brighter.

"I-I-I just assumed that... that 'cause women are generally more... uh... more soft that the'd kiss more soft too!" Sasha stammered, obviously struggling for proper words.

"Well, if you're really as serious about exploring being a lesbian yourself as you said, then I'm sure you'll find out for yourself sometime," Fiona stated. "It's the only way you'll truly find out."

"Pfft! What are the odds of that happening while we're stuck here on Pandora?" Sasha said, rolling her eyes. "This whole planet is filled with people I can't trust, male or female. The only person I can trust at all on this planet is you."

Fiona's eyebrows raised at that comment, and Sasha herself realized what she'd said and how it might be taken given the context of the conversation. She immediately blushed even deeper and waved her hands in front of Fiona.

"N-N-Not that I meant that you and I should kiss like that!" Sasha explained rapidly. "I mean, that'd just be wrong and weird!"

"I know you didn't, Sasha," Fiona said with a warm smile and a slight chuckle. "No need to explain. I get it."

"Phew! That's a relief!" Sasha said with a deep sigh. "I'd hate for you to take that the wrong way." Sasha then smirked. "I mean... just because we're siblings living on Pandora doesn't mean we have to act like it, right?"

Fiona laughed loudly. "It does seem to be quite common here," she admitted. "If we did, nobody would probably even think less of us here. They'd probably even consider it some kind of rite of passage or something."

"Yeah," Sasha laughed. "Not that it's something we'd exactly broadcast about the place!"

"True," Fiona said. "And at least there'd be no risk of one of us getting pregnant and having some brain-dead, inbred abomination child."

"Ewwwwww, gross!" Sasha said. "But you're right. That's gotta be one of the main benefits of two girls getting it on, right?"

"It's a definite upside," Fiona said. "All the fun, none of the risk."

"So, theoretically, nobody would have to know at all," Sasha stated. "Such relationships could be kept entirely secret, if the two people involved are clever enough."

"Pretty much," Fiona nodded. Sasha's face flushed again and she bit her lower lip.

"And there aren't many people on Pandora who are more clever than us," Sasha said, her voice wavering a little.

"Also true," Fiona said with a broad smile, as she leaned back to rest her head on the back of the couch and close her eyes. There was a long pause before she heard Sasha speak again, a nervous quaver in her voice.

"S-S-So... why don't we then?"

Fiona opened her eyes and turned to face Sasha. Her younger sister's face was as red as a beet, and she was now kneeling on the couch and leaning forward towards Fiona. A playful smirk came across Sasha's lips, and her eyes were slightly glazed in a half-lidded stare that was directed right at Fiona. Fiona leaned away slightly, her eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared under her fringe.

"Wh-why don't we 'what?'" she asked Sasha nervously.

"Well... I want to know what it's like to kiss another woman, and... and you're the only woman I trust," Sasha responded, her blushed deepening and she leaned in closer, almost prowling like a hunting skag. "And we've established nobody would need to find out, so... When in Pandora..."

And with those words, Sasha's face filled Fiona's vision.

Fiona elicited a muffled yelp as Sasha's lips made contact with her own. Sasha was hardly subtle or demonstrated much finesse with her bold act, and after being frozen with awkward surprise for a few moments, Fiona managed to press her palms against Sasha's slender shoulders and encourage her sister back. Sasha immediately frowned and made a disappointed grunt. "Damn it, Fi! How am I supposed to learn if you push me away?" she protested.

"Okay..." Fiona started, looking across at her sister with a look of disbelief. "To begin with, you're my sister."

"Wow!" Sasha said with slightly narrowed eyes and a voice drenched in sarcasm. "Ten points for you there, Fi."

"Secondly," Fiona said, ignoring her sister's back sass, "you can't just slam your lips into somebody else's like that and learn anything. Especially when you're supposed to be the student and the other person is the teacher."

"Soooooo... you will teach me what it's like to kiss another woman then," Sasha noted slyly with a confident smirk.

"I didn't say that," Fiona defended, narrowing her own eyes back at her sister. "I just meant that it doesn't make sense for you to be so brash and take the initiative like that when you're the one that's supposed to be learning. You need to listen and follow your teacher's instructions, not just jump into the deep end of the slag pit."

"Then tell me what to do," Sasha said earnestly.

"No!" Fiona responded, turning her nose up at her little sister.

"Oh, come on Fi!" Sasha encouraged. "It's just a kiss or two. It's not that big of a deal. And who is going to know?"

"I don't know..." Fiona sighed. "Doesn't it seem kinda wrong to you?"

"If we were gettin' all sweaty and naked, yeah!" Sasha admitted. "But it's just a harmless kissing lesson, that's all. We already kiss each other on the cheek now and then, it can't be that different."