"Captain Anderson we found them."
Kaidan watched blankly as the C-sec officer tended to Garrus and Captain Anderson climbed through a gap in the debris. She was gone . . .
"Where's the Commander?" Captain Anderson asked as he crouched down beside him.
Kaidan shook his head with a defeated expression on his face and then glanced slightly over his left shoulder where a massive piece of one of Sovereign's legs was protruding out of the debris. He let Captain Anderson help him to his feet. The lieutenant was paying little attention to what was happening around him as the captain began to lead him out of the debris. All he could think about, all he wanted to think about, was her. His beautiful, intelligent and stubborn Shepard was dead. Kaidan was lost in his thoughts of Shepard when he saw Captain Anderson turn and look behind him. He turned to see what the older man was looking at and a wide smile cracked across his face. Kaidan turned to look at Garrus who was also smiling just to make sure he wasn't seeing things and then turned back quickly. A moment later, a triumphant Shepard cradling her left arm climbed atop a piece of decries and smiled widely down at them. Kaidan made a move toward her but was stopped by Captain Anderson, probably in an effort to prevent him from injuring himself further.
"That's my girl," the lieutenant said under his breath.
Shepard jumped down and hobbled over to them, trying to keep pressure off her right foot.
"I'll give you and Lieutenant Alenko a moment alone," Captain Anderson said quietly to Shepard as she slumped against Kaidan and slipped her good arm around his waist.
Once the others were out of ear shot, Kaidan turned and pulled Shepard tightly against him.
"Don't ever, scare me like that again," he murmured. "Losing you would be the worst thing that could happen to me."
"Same here," Shepard smiled as she buried her head into his shoulder. "I'm sorry I scared you."
Placing his hand under her chin, Kaidan gently made Shepard look up at him and then placed his mouth against hers. Kissing her was bliss. Kaidan could feel Shepard's heart hammering against his chest as he kissed her and it reminded him of the night they'd spent together on the way to Ilos. The moments he'd spent lying in Shepard's bed running his fingers across the soft skin of her stomach were the most perfect, beautiful memories. After a moment or two, Kaidan drew away from the kiss and smiled at Shepard.
"I think our accomplishments of late have earned us some shore leave," he grinned. "Not that we need it to figure out what we are anymore, but I'm sure we'll find something to do."
"Me? Get shore leave?" Shepard laughed. "That'll be the day. There's still the issue of the Reapers to deal with remember? You know, those sentient mechanical butchers who want to obliterate all life in the universe."
"Oh yeah," Kaidan said with a goofy grin. "Still, the mission to find a way into dark space is going to be a long one. That'll give us plenty of time together."
"Yeah," Shepard said quietly, looking away from Kaidan's gorgeous brown eyes. "It's going to be a long, dangerous mission."
"I love you Shepard," the lieutenant said quietly. "I didn't get a chance to say that before Ilos. You're the most special woman I've ever met, and you're the most special woman in my life."
"I love you too Kaidan," Shepard smiled weakly as they started to make their way out of all the debris. "You'll never know just how much I mean that."
As the two of them headed for the elevator where Captain Anderson and the others were waiting, Shepard's heart was slowly breaking as she clung tightly to her lieutenant. Kaidan was the first man who had ever told her he loved her, which had made what she had decided to do that much harder. The mission into dark space was most likely going to be a suicide mission. Shepard couldn't let Kaidan share her fate. She loved him too much for that, and the fact that he loved her back only made things more difficult. She didn't know how she was going to break it to him. Kaidan was going to be heart broken when she told him that she didn't want him coming with her.