I have returned! For now. And with a new idea, no less! I couldn't get this out of my head, and it just grew. I have no idea how long this will be, but count on at least-AT LEAST-five chapters. Wheeeeeee!

So yeah. As mentioned, this features Shepard and a memorable Spectre lost before his time (*sniffle*). But don't think it will stop there (*suggestive eyebrow waggle*).

Super mega ultra thanks to Greenyoda987 for being the best beta/editor ever and pushing to write SOMETHING. I hadn't even planned on doing anything with this idea until she informed that she needed it in her life. And, I decided, so do I.

A turian Spectre had been assigned to the Normandy.

Shepard didn't like him. She didn't like someone being above her orders on her own ship. Anderson's ship… But it was basically her ship. And this… Nihlus didn't report to either of the human officers.

Which was why she was currently storming through the ship with a stony scowl on her face, her steps reverberating through the narrow hallways as she made her way toward the cargo bay, hands shoved deep into her pockets. What was she going to do about this? She couldn't have some outsider taking control of her ship, some Council crony running an Alliance ship. So how was she supposed to defy a Council order when Anderson and Udina were pushing for cooperation with the interfering bastards? She sighed and leaned against the wall of the elevator as it began creeping downward. She didn't mind the alien Council—she understood why it was so important that the Alliance build a partnership with them—but she didn't like the idea of an unknown authority making decisions about her life without her say so.

The cargo bay opened before her and she trudged out, casting a cursory glance around the vast space. She still needed to see about getting more licenses for her requisitions officer before the shakedown run and… Her eyes settled on the Spectre in question and her jaw clenched. Bastard was looking over her Mako like he owned it. Well, she had only intended to beat the shit out of the heavy bag…

The Alliance had made sure that all of its soldiers underwent mandatory cultural sensitivity classes, and had made doubly sure that the officers of the dual-species prototype ship were aware of their new allies' differences. And while Shepard wasn't so sure about the "few for the many" ideology that turians touted so confidently, she did think they were on to something with their loose restrictions on "blowing off steam". And why abuse a heavy bag when there was a very punchable Spectre?

"Kyrik. You, me, sparring. Now."

The Spectre looked up sharply from the diagnostic he'd been running on his omnitool, mandibles twitching absently. "I… I'm not sure that's a good idea, Commander," he bristled, glancing back toward his omnitool and then back over his shoulder at the requisitions officer. The man, however, seemed utterly uninterested in what was going on.

"C'mon Nihlus, scared of a little human?" she taunted, striding across the space without giving him a second look. "Matthews, Anderson mentioned that he wanted to see you. Command deck."

"Yes ma'am," the human man answered automatically, and started toward the elevator without a second glance.

Nihlus watched him leave before turning back toward the woman standing on the opposite end of the cargo bay, arms crossed over her chest. Shepard's mouth pulled into a slight smirk as she waited.

"Well? Don't tell me you're scared of a challenge, Kyrik," she pressed. Really, she didn't care what he thought of her, she just wanted a chance to punch the cocky smirk off his face. It was her ship, her crew. And he needed to be reminded of that.

"Not at all, Commander," he replied tightly, turning away from the Mako to meet her level stare, "I'm just not sure you realize what you're suggesting."

A bark of laughter escaped her and Shepard straightened, setting her hands on her hips. "I'm not as ignorant as you think I am, Spectre," she finally replied, eyes narrowing slightly, but her smirk didn't waver, "Consider this as some helpful stress-relief for me."

Nihlus stared at her for a long moment, jaw working behind his mandibles as he turned this thought over. Shepard could see that he was conflicted with himself and waited, noting the uncertain way he knotted his hands together as he thought about it. She knew he would see it as a challenge to his authority as a Spectre, but also as a challenge to respect her position as Commanding Officer of the ship despite his immunity to her orders. Now to see how tactful the Spectre really was…

"As you wish, Commander," he finally answered, stepping away from the Mako to join her in the open space dominating the opposite half of the cargo bay.

Well, well… She hadn't expected that, but she wasn't disappointed either. With a knowing grin, she peeled back the top of her uniform, sliding her arms from the sleeves before tying them loosely around her waist. "Good." She adjusted the band of her sports bra before shooting him a challenging glance.

As he began unlatching the plates of his armor, it occurred to Shepard that she'd never seen a turian out of armor; were they just as… imposing? She tried not to look like she was staring as he piled his armor neatly to one side, but his undersuit kept her from seeing anything. He turned back to face her again and she made a point of looking up at the ceiling as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail that brushed between her shoulder blades. Do not get caught staring. If you wanna know what turians look like, check the extranet, not the Spectre. She rolled her neck with a smile as Nihlus toed off his boots.

"Ready?"

Nihlus blinked at her, then nodded. "Of course, Commander." He slid into a practiced guard and she followed suit; for a moment, neither moved, their eyes never leaving the other.

Shepard had to admit, even out of armor, the turian Spectre was much larger than she, and even under his suit, she could see the bunch of muscles under plating. She still wanted to kick his ass, it just meant that it might be harder than anticipated. Good, she liked a challenge.

"So, Kyrik," she started, sliding her foot to one side. He shifted his weight to follow her movement, then thought better of it. Observant. "How is it, being on a human ship?"

"Technically, this ship is a joint effort," he replied, taking one step to the side. She moved as well, but not to keep her distance; her step put them closer together and she took the opportunity to make an experimental lunge. Nihlus slid back, his fists raised in an instinctive block, and chuckled lightly. "But I will say that being the only turian… crewmember is a bit off-putting."

"I thought the Council didn't want us thinking of you as a crew member," she retorted as they began circling each other.

"Only so Captain Anderson and yourself would not see me as someone to order about like your human crew," he answered calmly. He lunged and she dodged to one side, countering with an experimental crack across his shoulder; she tried to hide her wince as her hand throbbed.

Note to self, turian plating is a bitch. "I see. And how do you see yourself on this ship?" Now Shepard lunged, ducking under his block, and landed a blow on his stomach. Here, there was still plating, but she heard the air rush out of him and jumped back with a satisfied smirk.

"An ally," Nihlus grunted, forcing down air, "And, ideally, a friend. Though, that would require a similar goal on your behalf."

Shepard laughed, clenching and unclenching her fists rhythmically. "I have no problem thinking of you as an ally, or even a friend," she started, tone neutral, "but this is my ship, my people. My orders." He dove, tangling one leg with hers and bearing them both to the ground. She smacked the ground hard, taking the force of the drop out on her arms rather than her back; she tried to roll, but he had her leg pinned. She huffed out a breath, her elbows braced against his chest, and he gave her a confident twitch of his mandibles. This isn't over yet, Spectre. With a feat of flexibility that momentarily stunned her opponent, Shepard twisted her free leg up under his hip and shoved, forcing him backward and off of her. His surprise had him landing in a heap as she bent back, planted her hands above her shoulders, and bounced back to her feet. "Are we going to have a problem, then?"

Nihlus regarded her with a new curiosity. "I am not subject to your orders, or anyone's orders, except the Council, Commander. That will not change."

"Then you can see why I'm uncomfortable with the idea. Who is to stop you from saying 'Fuck it' and going AWOL?" she retorted, rolling her shoulders. "I don't like the idea of individuals running amuck on my ship with total immunity and disregard for my orders and expectations."

Nihlus chuckled, eyes sparkling as he watched her. "Last I checked, Anderson was the Commanding Officer of this ship," he pointed out.

She froze, a flush rising in her face and his smirk widened. He knew he was getting to her. He knew that he was pissing her off. Son of a bitch. She lunged, grabbing him by his shoulders, and threw a knee into his stomach. The sudden outburst was unexpected and Nihlus coughed violently as she stepped back.

"I am acting CO of this ship, Spectre. Captain Anderson has trusted me with the command of his vessel because I am capable. I have proven that I can lead, that I've earned it. What about you?" she snapped, standing over him as he tried to catch his breath.

He looked up at her from the corner of his eye, a low growl rising from his chest. Before she knew what had happened, she hit the ground again, Nihlus's shoulder forcing the air from her lungs; she went to throw him off, but he shifted so he had one of her wrists in one hand and her body pinned under his. She growled something and bucked against him in an effort to get free, yet he pressed a knee roughly between her legs to force her to be still. Shepard's heart skipped and she bit hard on the inside of her cheek as the friction sent a shot of heat through her. Oh, for fuck's sake. You're not supposed to be attracted to him.

"Make no mistake, Shepard," Nihlus purred, his face inches from hers, "I have earned my place among an elite group. My hope in being here was to see if you shared the traits necessary to join us." She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to glare at him, but the compromising position she now found herself in kept her from putting any malice into it. "I can't help but wonder what issue you seem to have taken with me."

"I don't like smartasses who think they're above the rules," she snapped. She wrapped her leg around his and planted her foot on the ground beside his calf. The counter strained the muscles in her legs as she lifted her hips to keep solid control, then threw her weight against his leg outside her body. Again, Nihlus was unprepared for her retaliation, unable to keep from losing his advantage as she forced him onto his back. Now, she straddled his waist, his arms pinned under her elbows above his head. "And you flaunt it like you want the galaxy to kiss your ass for it," she growled.

Nihlus looked up at her with an uncertain look, mandibles tight to his face. Apparently, she had caught him off guard, and that made her grin widen. Yet faster than she could track the change in his face, he was smirking. Not good.

He threw his head forward, their foreheads connecting sharply and she reeled, giving him the chance to throw her off as she put a hand to her brow. The world spun and she grimaced, taking a sharp breath through her teeth as her skull began to pound. Fucking plating. She scrambled to her feet and out of reach, but her balance wavered and she swayed slightly as she brought her hands up. Nihlus watched her for a moment before straightening and dropping his hands.

"Apologies, Shepard, I forgot humans aren't plated. That was unprofessional."

She raised a quizzical brow. "I wasn't aware this was a professional conversation," she replied, panting. She winced as a jolt of pain shot through her head, but pushed it aside. "Don't you dare call this off just because you think I can't handle it, Spectre," she spat, fists clenching.

"Shepard, don't be ridiculous—"

"Or are you scared that the tiny human is more than a match for you?" His eyes narrowed slightly and she laughed, watching his jaw clench. "That's it, hm?"

He lunged and she tried to duck under his blow; it caught her across the shoulder and she tried to spin away, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. A sharp pull had her back to his chest, and the only thing keeping him from a successful choke was her free hand trying to keep his forearm from pressing against her throat.

"Be careful, Shepard," he growled, "You don't know what you're messing with."

She scoffed, though her shoulder screamed in protest to the position he had her in. "I've dealt with worse than you," she spat, trying to catch her breath.

The dramatic movement of her chest seemed to catch his attention and he watched her breathing over her shoulder for a moment before chuckling. Yet it wasn't a reassuring sound and Shepard felt her heart pound against her ribs. "There is more to you than meets the eye, Shepard. I can respect that." She nearly sighed in relief as he released her.

Until he turned her around and backed her up against the wall, hands planted on either side of her shoulders. Shepard's eyes widened slightly as the Spectre leaned so they were mere inches apart. Okay, so he wasn't really imposing… More like terrifying. And hulking. And… warm. No, no. Not warm. Definitely not warm. Her heart sped up and she could feel a flush color her cheeks and spread down her neck.

Nihlus grinned. "You're tense Shepard. Perhaps you need a… different kind of stress relief." His hand trailed down the length of her arm and she could feel her face get hotter.

She could have told him exactly where to shove it, but all she could do was mumble something nondescript. Oh, why didn't she just melt right where she stood? She took a deep breath and tried again. "Oh come off it," she grumbled with a scoff and shoved at his shoulders. It didn't do much good of course, and the Spectre remained where he was: firmly in her personal space. What was he even getting at? Different kind of stress relief? This was hardly relieving any stress. Bastard. Probably just wanted to get a rise out of her…

"Oh come on, Shepard. Scared of a little Spectre?" the turian taunted, closing the distance so she was pressed flush between him and the wall.

Shepard opened her mouth, intent on telling him to fuck off, but stopped, her lips parted in surprise. That was a challenge. She couldn't… He… Oh, that motherfucker… She snapped her mouth shut, gaze fiery as she glowered up at him. She had a thousand responses flying around her head, yet none of them could seem to find their way to her lips. And so, she stood there, mute, with a Spectre pressing her against the wall, his breath brushing across her cheeks and down her neck, his… Oh, Maker…

Nihlus dipped his head down, his mandibles brushing her neck. "Is that a no… Commander?" he purred, sliding one arm around her waist, his hand pressed flat over the small of her back. Her breath left her in a rush, hands flying to grab his shoulders, and he chuckled against her throat. "Well, Shepard?" His voice rumbled from his chest and through her body, drawing a quiet gasp out of her.

She would have sworn that he could feel her heart hammering in her chest, yet if he did, he didn't show it. Fuck! What was she supposed to do? Say? Something, Shepard! Say something! Do something! She shifted, trying to push him away just enough to think clearly, yet he only ended up pressed against her more insistently. She bit her lip and Nihlus growled, taking his hand from the wall to cradle her face, the pad of his thumb freeing her lip.

"I need an answer, Shepard," he growled, hips grinding against hers insistently.

Oh, fuck it.

"You just going to stand there, Spectre?" she panted, relishing the friction of undersuit through her sports bra.

With a low laugh, Nihlus stepped back; Shepard looked dumbfounded, he looked smug. "Of course not, but the last thing I want is to… tarnish your hard-earned reputation aboard this ship," he replied with an unrestrained smirk.

Oh, she could have throttled him. But instead, she mumbled a few choice curses and pulled up her omnitool. "Anderson, please advise the crew that they are not to enter the cargo bay until further notice. Spectre Kyrik and I are having a professional discussion."

Anderson nodded. "Of course, Shepard," he replied. After a brief pause, he added, "Are you alright? You seem a little flushed."

"It's a… very involved discussion," she answered quickly, "Thank you, Sir."

"Of course. Anderson out."

Shepard let the interface close and looked back to the turian in front of her. "No more excuses, Kyrik."

"Good." Nihlus closed the distance between them again, all but throwing her back against the wall. She narrowly avoided slamming her head into the metal bulkhead, but the thought was gone from her mind as he bent his head to nip at her neck. Oh! She hitched one leg over his hip and tugged him flush against her, her hands sliding up to grip the back of his head. He growled against her skin, hands sliding down to grip her waist. She felt the flex of his talons and inhaled sharply, her back arching. "Spirits, Shepard…"

"That all you got, Spectre?" she asked breathlessly as he pulled back to meet her eyes. She could see that he recognized the challenge and grinned. With a rough twist of her hips, she switched their positions; Nihlus blinked at her from his place against the wall and her eyes sparkled. My turn. Her fingers found the zipper of his undersuit and busied herself pushing the interfering garment away. With a triumphant smile, she slid her hands under the material, her fingers tracing the gaps in his plates along his chest and ribs. Just a bit of recon, she told herself, learning the lay of the land. An experimental drag of her nails made him snarl, head falling back until his fringe hit the wall. His talons scratched against the exposed skin of her waist again and she could almost hear the instructional vid in her head: "Turians are apex predators. At Shanxi, there were numerous reports of silent takedowns successfully completed by the turian military against Alliance soldiers. The natural weapons afforded them by evolution are just as deadly as their military prowess." So why didn't that make her want to abandon ship? Hell, she kind of liked the razor-thin trails of pain. "While turians' plating provides improved natural protection from blows and trauma, the skin exposed is sensitive and usually untouched—note the talons. When applying medical attention in the field, be aware that contact with those areas may not be expected or appreciated." She ran her nails over the exposed skin along his waist and Nihlus forced his gaze to hers, a low rumble rising from his chest; he certainly seemed to appreciate it. Hmm... Mouths full of teeth didn't seem to be built for kissing, so what if… She pressed her lips to the soft skin under his jaw and she could feel his breathing stop. Bingo. Emboldened, Shepard ran her teeth down the line of this throat before following with her tongue.

"Watch it, Shepard," he mumbled, hands sliding up her back as she nipped at the side of his neck. There was a warning in there somewhere, but she ignored it.

"Or what?"

His growl grew louder and he bent her back, his leg between hers. She gasped, tightening her grip on his waist and he dropped his mouth to her shoulder, tracing a line across her collarbones and back again. Her breath hitched, feeling the tiny pricks of his teeth on her skin; had he ever killed anyone with his bare hands? With his teeth? She shuddered as his attention moved lower, tasting the tiny beads of sweat on her chest, but then he paused.

"Do you need a map?" she inquired breathlessly, but he only laughed.

"That won't be necessary," he purred, rolling the fabric of her sports bra up so her breasts were exposed, "I'm a bit more… cosmopolitan than some of my brethren." He dropped his head down, tasting the sensitive skin of her breasts before circling the darker peak of her nipple. She bit her lip to keep from making noise, and Nihlus took the opportunity to roll the receptive nub between his teeth; Shepard cried out, throwing her head back. "And I see I still know my way around."

"Cocky bastard," she retorted between her teeth.

"Hardly," Nihlus replied, letting her regain her balance. But before she could respond, or even retake control, he turned her so her chest was flush with the wall and he was pressed against her back. "Someone needs to challenge your tight grip on control, Commander."

She could feel his erection pressed against her rear through both of their clothes and flexed her hips back to grind against him. "And you think you can?" she challenged, giving him an upraising glance over her shoulder.

The turian rumbled in response, sliding one hand around her waist, down her stomach, and along the top of her uniform pants. "Without question," he purred, trailing teasing bites along the side of her neck and shoulder. She didn't know when he had shoved her uniform down to her ankles, but a cold brush of air along her sex made her shiver; one of the few days she decided to go commando… She felt the heat from his body before she felt his plates against her skin again and melted into the contact, letting her forehead rest against the wall. "Either you stop me now, or…" He let the sentence trail off, talons tracing patterns along the tops of her thighs.

Shepard swallowed, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "Did I tell you to stop, Spectre?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain level and strong. She caught a glimpse of surprise in his face, and then it was gone; his mandibles spread in a wolfish grin and he took a firm hold of her hips. With a tug, he pulled her so she was bent forward and kicked her legs apart; she gasped as he entered her roughly from behind, hands scrambling for a hold on the flat surface of the wall.

Ho-ly fuck. She could feel him stretching her, could feel every flex, every bump and ridge, and bit down a moan as he thrust forward experimentally. Damn it, he was huge. And hot. Why hadn't anyone ever told her that turians were fucking sex gods? The turian behind her pulled almost completely out of her, then slammed forward again. She all but screamed, her body tightening around him, and tried to force air into her lungs. The frantic, wild beating of her heart pounded in her head, her fingers, and her core and she closed her eyes tight; her knees threatened to give under her, but the Spectre wrapped an arm around her hip, his questing fingers dipping down to tease her folds. She bit down another cry as he slid his other hand to grip the back of her neck, his pace never wavering. The feeling of talons just above her pulse sent a shudder down Shepard's spine.

"Harder," she finally gasped out, forcing her eyes open to look at him as he bent over her. She was sure she was quite a sight, bent over with her legs spread like some asari stripper, but she didn't care. And Nihlus didn't seem to either, obliging her breathless command with a growl that made her groan. "Fuck, yes. Like that, yes!" Praise and curses fell from her lips in an unintelligible torrent. "Faster, yes. Don't stop—fuck—don't stop…"

Nihlus dropped his mouth to her shoulder, his hand sliding around her tease her breasts, and set his teeth against her skin just below her neck. Her already unsteady breathing hitched as he continued to pound into her and in a brief moment of lucid thought she wondered just how much longer she would last.

Nihlus's hand left her sex to grip her hip, talons scratching burning paths across her skin and she felt her last shred of control fray into nothing. Her orgasm took her breath away and her lips parted in a silent cry as every nerve in her body sang. From the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet, she felt a warm, tingling sensation tempered by shocks of absolute delight, only vaguely aware of the alien man following her swiftly to his own release with a muted roar. She sagged contentedly against the wall as he moved to withdraw, carefully disentangling his limbs from her own and she briefly wondered if this would come back to bite her in the ass. Fucking a Council Spectre. Nice one, Shepard. And yet, she found she didn't really care. It was fucking worth it. With a quiet groan, she straightened, letting her back crack and pop its way back to its proper alignment before beginning the process of righting her clothing. Nihlus, however, stared at her in horror.

"What?" she asked with a bit more acid than she meant to, "Realize what you've done?"

"What, you mean break you? Is your body supposed to make that noise?" he retorted with genuine surprise.

Shepard burst out laughing at the appalled look on his face and tried to cover it by busying herself with her uniform, but it didn't do any good and she had to stop, hands on her knees, to gasp for air between peals of laughter. "Oh Maker… Your face… I… I can't even…" She succumbed to laughter again and shook her head as she straightened. "Humans get stiffness in a lot of our joints when we keep the same position for a while. When we stretch, they make a cracking sound. It's nothing dangerous," she finally managed, grinning. "Though I'm glad that's all it takes to scare a turian."

"Yes, well, it would have been a shame if you had been able to pull off those impressive grapples, and then a bit of rough… stress-relief was too much," Nihlus retorted as he regained some of his composure. Some. He still regarded her cautiously as she rolled her neck and shoulders, taking the time to redress himself.

Shepard guffawed. "Please, I can handle anything you dish out, Spec-" For a moment, she paused. The way they were carrying on, she could have forgotten that she'd intended on kicking his ass, that she didn't actually like him… Didn't she? Didn't what had just happened fly in the face of that? "Nihlus."

Nihlus raised a brow ridge—even he didn't miss it was the first time she had called him by his given name—but smiled just the same. "Good to hear, Shepard."

Let me know what you think of this! Updates might be a little bit slow since I'm in the middle of proposing my research for my undergrad program, but I will try!

(To everyone waiting for me to update Void, or anything else, I SWEAR I'm working on it, life just got crazy. SOON!)