SHEPARD

Kaidan shuffled the cards as he pressed his back up against the soft cushion chair. His dark eyes moved towards the door to the room he was in. Just like magic, she entered. He wasn't expecting Jane to come in, but his mind wished she did. She greeted with a warm smile. Her green eyes always seemed bright despite the hell they were going through recently. Her red hair never changed since the day he met her on the Normandy SR-1. He still remembered the way her body smelled and the way she tasted. Now they were distant memories…vaporized like Virmire. "Hey, Kaidan. You going to sit this one out?" She approached the table with a curious look. It wasn't like they were granted shore leave lately and any crew mate took advantage of the situation, no matter if it was only for a few hours.

"Yeah...a few of us are going to stay back and play cards." He answered back softly. It still pained to match her gaze with his own. He thumbed the stack of cards awkwardly.

"Oh?" Jane smirked and put her hand on her hip playfully as if she believed his answer to be false.

Seconds later, the doors opened and Garrus entered with a small cooler. "Kaidan, I managed to scrounge up some dextro alco-." The turian stopped mid-sentence when he recognized Jane's frame standing in the room. "Shepard?" His mandible twitched. It still pained him to speak her name as distant memories filled his mind. His avian eyes flashed over to Kaidan and he felt his body tense. Clearing his throat, he pivoted on his heel to turn towards the door. "I didn't know you two were in here."

"It's okay, Garrus." Jane stopped him. "I actually was going to see what everyone was getting into. Ready for some shore leave?"

"A little downtime is needed…just hard to really have fun with the war going on." Garrus solemnly answered as he looked back at her over his shoulder.

The doors opened again…Thane Krios entered. His dark glossy eyes fell upon everyone on the room. "Ah…excuse me. I didn't mean to intrude Si-Shepard."

"It's okay, Thane. I didn't know you three were having a party." Her voice seemed pain as if the secrecy really bothered her.

"Yo-you are welcome to join." Kaidan piped in lightly with a cracked smile. He held out his arms to the table. "We have another seat available."

"Thanks, Kaidan, but I- "Jane began but paused when the doors opened again. This time it was James Vega.

"Hey, Lola. You ready to get some quesos and enchiladas?" The buzz cut marine playfully grinned. "Mmmm! I'm hungry already." He waved to the other three in the room. "Hey, guys."

"Sure, James. Let's go." Jane walked past him quickly.

"You want me to bring you back anything, guys?" Vega called to the trio. All shook their head.

Once the doors closed, Kaidan's feign smiled fainted. "Just her…." He muttered under his breath.

Garrus took out the chair next to him on the right and sat down. "So, Vega is it?"

"What?" Thane took the seat to Kaidan's left.

"Makes sense." Kaidan began to deal out the cards. "What do you guys want? Five card draw? Anything wild?"

"I will try my best on anything." Thane picked up the cards in his stack to sort through them.

Garrus shrugged. "I'm still learning so go easy on the new guy."

Kaidan chuckled. "You always say that."

"So much has changed in the years we have known each other. Hasn't it, Alenko?" Garrus shifted through his own cards.

"Hmm?" Kaidan glanced over at him.

"Saren…Collectors…now the Reapers."

Kaidan discarded three cards and replaced them with two more. "Yeah. I remember when Captain Anderson brought Jane onboard the Normandy. The run in on Eden Prime…the way she saved me from the beacon…ha…I never thought we would be like that…she was special. I thought she died when the Normandy was attacked…to only found out she was working for Cerberus. I found it hard to trust her…I guess she moved on to find a better man." He slipped his cards together and held them under his hand while he waited for the others to make their move.

Garrus twitched his mandible as he cleared his throat. "I was the better man…well at least I thought I was." He discarded a card and took another from the pile. "The way she was so determined to get to me on Omega…the look in her eyes through the scope. Even when I knew I wasn't going to take down her shields, it was hard to pull the trigger."

Kaidan choked on his beer when he heard the statement. "You shot her?!"

"Concussion rounds only." Garrus raised his hand to calm him. "I'm in." He tossed a few chips in the center.

Kaidan peeked at his cards then tossed in the same amount. "Me too." His voice tenser now as he eyed the turian beside him. He really didn't know what happened on the Normandy after he left Jane on Horizon. He told himself a year after she passed away that he needed to move on, but he couldn't. It seemed that she did. "So, uh…she was with you?"

Garrus shifted a bit in his seat. "No. She had feelings for another and when the choice had to be made…" He looked up at Thane. "Thane?"

The drell had remain quiet while the two conversed about their memories with Jane. He lifted his eyes from his cards. Suddenly, his eyes glazed over. "Her arm touches mine lightly. Her warm breath against my skin. 'Stay with me, Thane,' she speaks. My lips fall upon hers…our hands go for our clothing- "

Garrus and Kaidan jumped up quickly from their seat to stop the drell from any more detail of a very intimate scene. "Enough!"

Thane's eyes unglazed and he looked upon the pair with confusion. "I-uh…sorry."

"You going to make a bet?" Kaidan sat back down first and motioned to the center of the table.

"Oh…uh yes." Thane tossed in the same coins. "Should I call?"

"Shoot." Garrus peeked at his own cards once more.

Thane revealed his cards. "Two pair high."

Kaidan looked at his. "Two pair...but you beat. Garrus?"

"I fold." Garrus turned his cards down with a grunt.

Kaidan retrieved all the cards to reshuffle them. "I'm glad everything is out in the open. I guess she pitied you, Garrus." He teased as he tossed out a new set.

"Oh?"

Alenko pointed to his face. Garrus frowned. "Very funny. Maybe. I think she pitied Thane."

"If you are referring to my condition…then I must say she has put a new spark in my life. If my end is coming soon, then I will cross the sea knowing that I was loved in my final days."

"True…but back to Vega." Garrus changed out his cards completely this time with a slight irritation. Kaidan caught on and kept his hand.

"What about him?" The brown-haired man asked.

"You think he's with her?" Vakarian thumbed towards the door.

"Shepard has been under a lot of stress," Thane interjected. "Maybe she is confused."

"I agree with Krios." Garrus turned his cards down. "I fold."

"I should have a talk with her." Alenko muttered out loud to no one particular.

"Why you?" Garrus shook his head. "We should all have the chance. I have a feeling this war is going to get messy."

The doors opened and Urdnot Wrex thundered in with a slight wave. "Why you back here hiding on the ship like a bunch of quarians?"

His statement aroused a chuckle from Garrus. "We decided to partake in a round of cards."

"Is Shepard back yet?" Kaidan asked hopefully.

Wrex eyed the three with his reptilian eyes then smiled just large enough to bare the tips of his razor-sharp teeth. "Not yet, but she's been with me." He chuckled to himself and paused just long enough to see the terror stricken looks on their faces. "She's feisty for a human." He moved and sat down in the free chair across from Kaidan. "Since you pyjaks are playing cards, I can tell you all about it."

"NO!" They screamed.